Chapter 4 Yuuki and Yui

Ever since that day Yuuki and Kotori slept together for the first time in a long while, Yui started coming over to his room almost every day.

Kotori was absolutely delighted by this. While I was a little sad that my one-on-one time with her had decreased, seeing her happily cooking for three was enough to make me feel happy, too. Seriously, Kotori seemed to be having so much more fun since Yui started coming around.

She’d said she liked kids, and it was obviously true. Their conversations still weren’t exactly lively, but whether they were taking a bath together or Kotori was brushing her hair, it was clear that just having Yui around brought her endless joy.

Yui, in turn, would help with the cleaning, and whenever she was praised, her usually expressionless face would soften just enough for even me to notice.

Their relationship was truly wonderful.

They were like sisters with a large age gap, or maybe even a real mother and daughter.

Which, naturally, meant that Yui was spending more time not just with Kotori, but with me as well.

…Or so you’d think.

The number of times we saw each other had increased, but Yui would always head home shortly after I got back. And when we did talk, it was only for a word or two.

(Am I… getting the cold shoulder?)

That was the thought running through Yuuki’s mind.

He couldn’t recall doing anything to make her dislike him, but he had absolutely zero confidence in his ability to understand the feelings of a girl Yui’s age.

And so we come to today.

For the first time in a while, Yuuki’s schedule was clear from the afternoon onward.

It was Saturday, so there was no school, and his part-time job ended in the morning.

Unfortunately, on this day of all days, Kotori had to go to school for a special exam and class that all transfer students were required to take.

Well, nothing to be done about it. Figuring he’d make the most of his rare day off, Yuuki came home after his shift and was studying in silence when…

“…’Scuse me.”

Yui had come to visit.

“Ah, sorry. Kotori’s at school today. She probably won’t be back ‘til evening.”

“…I’ll wait.”

With that, Yui came inside.

“Huh? You sure? It’s just me here.”

“…Yeah.”

(What’s the deal? I could’ve sworn she was avoiding me.)

In any case, this was the first time Yuuki had been alone with Yui. He was now faced with the task of getting through the hours until Kotori returned in the evening.

◇

(…So, now I’m alone with Yui.)

Honestly, for all the big talk he gave Kotori, he had absolutely no idea how to act around the girl.

Then again, Yui did seem to be avoiding him, so maybe he didn’t need to force a conversation.

Yuuki, still working through a physics problem, glanced over at his bed.

Yui was sitting there, fiddling with her smartphone as usual.

She was probably playing that app game she always played.

He’d only ever caught a glimpse of the screen, but he was pretty sure it was one of those games where you become the lord of a country, gather resources and personnel, invade other nations, and expand your territory.

Yui must have really liked it, because she was always playing that game.

…Well, it was worth a shot. Might as well try to say something.

“Hey Yui, you thirsty?”

“…’m fine.”

A simple, one-word reply.

“What kind of game is that, anyway?”

At Yuuki’s question, Yui’s fingers moved across the screen in a way that was different from her usual gameplay motions.

“…Sent it.”

“Hm?”

Yuuki looked over at his own phone, where Yui was pointing. A message had arrived from Yui’s account, which he’d added via Kotori.

It was a URL to a website explaining the game. She’d even thoughtfully included a link to a gameplay video.

“Oh, uh… thanks.”

When Yuuki said that, Yui gave a little nod.

You’re welcome, he supposed it meant.

“Hmm.”

He was more confused than ever.

Was sending him the URL a sign of consideration, or did she just not want to talk to him? As Yuuki mulled it over…

Tug, tug.

“Hm?”

Yui had come up beside him without him noticing and was pulling on his sleeve.

“Whoa, hey. What’s up?”

This was the first time Yui had ever initiated contact with him.

He was a little surprised.

“…That.”

Yui was pointing at the game console he’d bought for Kotori a while back.

“What? You wanna play?”

Yui nodded eagerly.

“…Never played before.”

“Eh? Really? I mean, I only really play when Kotori wants to.”

She was always playing games on her phone, so he’d just assumed she was a gamer.

“I see. Well, I’ll show you how to turn it on. Which game do you want?”

Besides the RPG they’d first bought, 『The Legend of the Holy Lance 3』, they had a few other titles now.

“This one.”

The game she picked up was a versus fighting game.

“Eh? That one?”

He was a little surprised.

“…Weird?”

“No, not weird. It’s just, you always seem to prefer those phone games you can play by yourself, so I kinda figured you’d pick an RPG you could play alone.”

At his words, Yui replied.

“This one… we can all play together.”

“…I see.”

That hadn’t occurred to him.

It was true that being able to play with people right there in the room was a key feature of console games (though 『The Legend of the Holy Lance 3』 did have a two-player mode).

Slightly impressed by Yui’s straightforward reasoning, Yuuki inserted the disc into the console and turned it on.

The screen he’d gotten from Ootani flickered to life with bombastic background music, displaying a cast of polygonal characters.

“Alright, you’re good to go. Just pick a character you like and fight.”

He handed the controller to Yui.

“…Thank you.”

“Okay, just let me know if you don’t get something.”

Yuuki said as much and started to turn back to his studies, but…

“…”

“Hm?”

Yui was staring right at him.

“What is it?”

“…Nothing.”

Yui turned back to the screen and started playing.

(Hmm?)

She’d said it was nothing, but he’d recently noticed that when Yui stared at him silently, it usually meant something was up. It was probably similar to Kotori’s habit of touching her hair.

Considering what Yui might have wanted to say but couldn’t in this situation…

(…Could it be she wanted to play with me? She did just say “we can all play together.”)

“Hey Yui. Since it’s a fighting game, mind if I play too?”

At his question, Yui spun around to face him.

She nodded, way more enthusiastically than usual.

(Is… is she happy?)

Her default expression was so neutral it was hard to tell.

“…Train with Yuuki. Surprise Kotori.”

“Kotori’s a beast at this, so you better bring your A-game. She shows no mercy when it comes to video games.”

Yui’s mouth formed a little “o” of surprise.

Yeah, that probably didn’t line up with her usual image of Kotori. She was the type whose personality changed a bit when she had a controller in her hands.

(…Still, though.)

He’d thought she was avoiding him, but seeing her this happy about playing a game together, maybe that wasn’t it at all?

With that thought, Yuuki picked up a controller.

Incidentally, Yui’s gaming skills were so good it was hard to believe it was her first time. She got used to the controller instantly, and it wasn’t long before they were having a proper match.

Even though it was different from the phone games she was used to, maybe she just had a natural knack for it from being around games so much. Yuuki, a modern kid himself, found himself thinking such old-fashioned thoughts.

◇

“...Hmm.”

Lunch break. Having finished the bento Kotori had made for him, Yuuki had his arms crossed and a troubled look on his face as he stared at his textbook, just like always.

“…Well, look at you. Never thought I’d see the day you were struggling with physics, of all things.”

Ootani, also as usual, chimed in while eating a bun from the school store and reading a manga.

She had transformed into a stunning beauty after her summer diet, but he had a feeling her figure was slowly starting to revert. He wouldn’t dare say that out loud, though, unless he wanted a slap.

“Nah, it’s not that. It’s more like… kids are complicated, you know?”

Clatter.

Ootani nearly fell out of her chair.

“…Don’t tell me… I knew you’d screw up eventually, but I really should’ve told you to wrap it up.”

“Hell no! We haven’t even kissed yet! Wait, now that I think about it, we haven’t kissed yet! Why not?!”

“How should I know…?”

Seriously, though. They spent every day together, even slept in the same bed. It was weird.

(I guess I just don’t know when the right timing would be…)

Was there supposed to be a certain mood for that kind of thing?

“…So, if you didn’t knock someone up, what’s the big deal?”

“Oh, right. Well, it’s like this.”

Yuuki told Ootani about the little girl who’d started coming to his place recently.

How she and Kotori got along like a real mother and daughter, and how, for some reason he couldn’t figure out, she always left right after he got home.

“This past weekend, we played games together until Kotori got back, and I thought we’d gotten a little closer. But since then, she still bolts as soon as I walk in the door. I honestly can’t tell if she likes me or hates me. Girls that age are a total mystery.”

“…Well, it’s not like you’re any good at understanding women, regardless of age.”

“On that point… I don’t have much confidence, age notwithstanding.”

It was pathetic for a guy with a girlfriend, but Ootani was still the only female friend he had.

“Let’s see. There’s not much I can tell you, but… ah, hold on, my contact shifted… Ugh, this is such a pain.”

Ootani took out her contacts and pulled her usual red-framed glasses from her bag.

“Yeah, this is better.”

“You’re reverting to your familiar form right before my eyes…”

A few more pounds and she’d be completely back to her old self.

“Anyway, about this Yui-chan. Why don’t you just ask her directly? Like, ‘Hey, how come you always leave as soon as I get home?’”

“Nah, I can’t do that…”

Wouldn’t that be an awkward question for her to answer?

“I think it’s a hell of a lot better than agonizing over guesses like, ‘Maybe girls this age are just like this?’ Besides, it doesn’t sound like she just plain dislikes you. Kids have their own reasons for doing things, you know.”

“And another thing…” Ootani added.

“Listening to you talk, she sounds kinda familiar.”

“Familiar how?”

“Like Kotori-san. So I think it’d be better if you were the one to go and ask. It’ll be easier for her to talk that way.”

◇

“Yui and Kotori are similar… huh.”

Yuuki mulled over the thought on his way home from his shift that day.

In terms of looks, they were polar opposites: Kotori, the classic Japanese beauty with her black hair, and Yui, with her foreign blood, blonde hair, and blue eyes. But Ootani was obviously talking about their personalities.

And yeah, it was true. Neither of them were the type to initiate conversation unless you spoke to them first. Though in Yui’s case, she didn’t say much even when you did talk to her…

“So her point about me asking what she’s thinking… yeah, that makes sense.”

Maybe Yui, like Kotori, was the type to keep things bottled up inside.

“Still, Ootani’s amazing.”

Just from listening to him talk, she was able to offer such useful advice. What kind of life did you have to live to have that kind of wisdom at his age…?

“…Hm?”

Lost in thought, Yuuki’s eyes caught a sight that was different from his usual walk home.

“Oh, right. It’s open at this hour.”

It was the neighborhood supermarket, all lit up. It was always closed and dark by the time he usually got home, but since his shift was shorter today, it was shining brightly in the evening gloom.

“…Come to think of it, Kotori said Yui prefers salty things over sweet.”

She apparently liked soy sauce rice crackers more than cake.

“The ones Fujii recommended the other day were pretty good. I’ll grab some for her.”

He was planning on talking with Yui a bit today, so he needed a reason to make her stay.

(Maybe this is what it feels like to be a dad, buying a little something to get on his daughter’s good side…)

Sympathizing with the plight of fathers everywhere, Yuuki entered the supermarket.

It had been a while since he’d last been here, and the layout had changed. He wandered around for a bit, looking for the snack aisle.

“I leave all the shopping to Kotori, too.”

He always meant to help out on his days off, but Kotori always made sure to finish all the errands the day before he had a day off. It was like a point of pride for her not to trouble him while he was working… or rather, she just seemed to think it was the natural thing to do.

Maybe she’d grown up watching her mother support her pro baseball player father. She really was the perfect girlfriend. He’d marry her right now if he could. No, seriously.

“Ah, there it is.”

Yuuki finally found the snack aisle.

The soy sauce crackers he was looking for were in an easy-to-spot location. The package boasted that they were last year’s number-one seller. Apparently, they were a big deal in the snack world. They had certainly been delicious. Yuuki grabbed two bags and headed for the register.

Just then…

“…Ah.”

He spotted a familiar figure in the vegetable section.

“…Kotori, I got the broccoli.”

“Thank you, Yui-chan. Oh, this is a very good one. How could you tell?”

“…You said before that the dark green ones are better, Kotori…”

“Fufufu, you remembered. Thank you.”

Kotori patted Yui’s head.

Yui, though still expressionless, narrowed her eyes just a little, looking pleased.

“…They really do look like a mother and daughter.”

Yuuki murmured to himself and walked over to them.

“Yo. What’s up, you two?”

“Oh, Yuuki-san. Are you on your way home?”

Kotori looked over at him, vegetables still in hand.

“…(Nod).”

Yui didn’t speak, but gave a small nod in greeting.

“Oh, are we having stew tonight?”

Yuuki guessed, looking at the ingredients in the shopping basket.

Kotori’s stew was rich and incredibly delicious poured over rice. Yuuki’s family had never had a culture of putting stew on rice, so he’d been resistant at first, but one bite had made him regret the narrow world he’d been living in.

“Yuuki-san… did you come to buy snacks? That’s unusual.”

Kotori commented, noticing the bag of soy sauce crackers in his hand.

“Hm? Oh, something like that. Well, since I’m here, I’ll join you for the rest of your shopping.”

Yuuki took the basket from Kotori and put the crackers inside.

“Thank you very much.”

Kotori said with a bow.

“Don’t worry about it. Yui, you mind if I tag along?”

“…”

Yui gave a small, silent nod.

Just then…

BEEP BEEP BEEP. A cell phone rang. It was coming from Kotori’s pocket.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I forgot to put it on silent.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. A friend?”

It wasn’t a notification from the messaging app her class used for announcements. If it was a direct call to Kotori’s phone, the list of possible callers was short.

“Um…”

Kotori’s expression stiffened as she looked at the caller ID.

“…It’s from my father’s lawyer.”

Kotori looked apologetically at Yuuki and Yui.

“You should get that before it stops ringing. We’ll wait.”

“…Yeah. We’ll wait.”

Yui, having pieced things together from the word “lawyer” and Kotori’s demeanor, said the same. Kotori gave a small bow, then answered the phone and hurried off toward a less crowded rest area.

Yuuki and Yui moved to the eat-in space near the rest area to wait for Kotori to finish her call.

“…Right, it was today.”

Yuuki remembered as he watched Kotori on the phone in the corner of the rest area, a worried look on her face.

Today was the day of the trial for Kotori’s father, Shimizu Kouji.

Kotori had wanted to attend, but the lawyer had advised against it, saying, “Given Mr. Shimizu’s current psychological state, seeing his daughter in the courtroom might cause him to impulsively confess to the abuse on the spot.”

Yuuki had no idea what the verdict would be. He’d tried looking it up himself, but the situation was complex, and as a layman, he couldn’t figure out which legal precedents would apply.

The biggest question was whether he would get a suspended sentence. If he did, he wouldn’t have to go to prison as long as he didn’t commit another crime during the probation period.

He just hoped the outcome wouldn’t be one that made Kotori too sad.

“Sorry to make you wait, Yui-chan.”

Yuuki said to Yui, who was sitting across the table from him.

Yui shook her head.

“…I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“Hm? Sorry for what?”

Yuuki couldn’t think of anything Yui had done to apologize for.

“…Because I’m interrupting you and Kotori’s time together right now.”

“Eh? That’s what you’re worried about?”

Yuuki couldn’t help but stare at Yui’s face.

He was shocked that she’d been considerate of something like that.

(Which means… could it be?)

Yuuki decided to ask her.

“Hey Yui. Is it possible that the reason you always went home right after I got back was so you wouldn’t get in the way of my time with Kotori?”

Yui nodded.

“Yeah… Because it’s important time, right?”

She said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

(…Ah.)

Yuuki felt like he finally understood what Ootani had been talking about.

Kotori and Yui really were similar.

This girl… she was a good kid. A genuinely good kid who thought about others.

And just like Kotori, she was the type who considered her kindness and consideration for others to be perfectly normal.

“Hah… so that’s all it was.”

Yuuki let out a deep sigh. He’d been worrying for nothing.

“…What’s wrong?”

“Well, to be honest, I thought the reason you always left when I got home was because you hated me.”

“…Sorry.”

Yui’s eyebrows drooped more than usual, making her look genuinely apologetic.

“No, no, it was just me jumping to stupid conclusions. But, yeah… I’m glad you don’t hate me.”

“…I like Yuuki, you know?”

“Oh, uh. I see.”

Even when Kotori said the word “like,” Yuuki still got a little flustered.

“You should be careful. A girl who looks like you shouldn’t go around saying ‘like’ so easily. The boys in your class will get the wrong idea.”

“…? Okay, I’ll be careful.”

Yui nodded, though she didn’t seem to really understand.

“Sorry to keep you waiting…”

Just then, Kotori returned from her call.

Her expression… was unfortunately not a good one.

She was trying extra hard not to show her pain in front of Yui, but to Yuuki, it was obvious how down she was.

(…The verdict wasn’t good, was it?)

Yuuki asked Kotori in a low voice.

(Three years… No suspended sentence. He said he won’t appeal.)

(I see…)

Yuuki pictured Shimizu’s face from the few times they’d met during visitation.

He had a feeling Shimizu himself might be satisfied with this verdict.

He regretted making his daughter suffer for so long, yet that same daughter had forgiven him. He’d mentioned before that it made him feel uncomfortable.

So maybe he’d chosen not to appeal for a suspended sentence, preferring to atone for his sins in prison.

“Well, let’s get back to our shopping!”

Kotori said, her voice a little too forced.

But her daughter, while understanding it couldn’t be helped, seemed unable to fully accept it emotionally.

(Yui’s right here, but I wish she didn’t have to worry about others at a time like this…)

As Yuuki was thinking this…

Yui stood up and trotted over to Kotori’s side.

“…Kotori.”

“What is it, Yui-chan?”

Yui held out her right hand to Kotori.

“…Hand.”

“My hand?”

“…Yeah.”

Yui nodded. Kotori, though confused, held out her left hand.

Yui enveloped it as best she could with her own small right hand.

“What’s this all of a sudden, Yui-chan?”

“…Kotori, you looked sad.”

“Um…”

Kotori looked a little troubled.

“…When you’re lonely, it’s nice to have someone with you, right?”

Kotori’s eyes widened as she looked at Yui.

It must have been something Kotori had said during one of their private conversations, one Yuuki didn’t know about.

But even Yuuki could tell that Yui was doing her absolute best to soothe the other’s pain. With tears welling in the corners of her eyes, Kotori gently squeezed Yui’s hand back.

“…Hey, Kotori. Is it warm?”

“Yes…”

After that, Yuuki watched with a gentle heart as Kotori and Yui finished their shopping, hand in hand.

◇

After finishing their shopping, the three of them left the supermarket.

“Still, we were lucky the chicken breast was on sale.”

Kotori said happily.

“…Kotori, you’re feeling better.”

“Yes, thanks to you, Yui-chan.”

Kotori swung their joined hands happily.

“…Yeah. Good.”

Yui said with a satisfied expression.

“Thanks from me, too, Yui.”

Hearing Yuuki’s words, Yui looked over at him and gave him a thumbs-up with her free hand, as if to say, Leave it to me.

It was a little childish and endearing.

“…”

Then, as if she’d just realized something, she looked back and forth between her thumb and Yuuki’s face.

“…Since we’re at it, Yuuki too.”

Yui pointed at Kotori and said.

“Oh, you mean hold hands with Kotori? But her other hand is full…”

They’d bought a little more than planned, so what didn’t fit in the shopping bag was in a plastic grocery bag.

So there were two bags. Yuuki was carrying the heavier shopping bag, and Kotori had the plastic one.

“…A problem.”

Yui said.

“Why don’t you and Yuuki-san hold hands?”

It was Kotori who suggested it.

“…But then Kotori won’t be warm.”

At Yui’s words, Kotori smiled and slowly shook her head.

“Yui-chan, warmth isn’t just about touching. It’s about feeling that you’re together. So, if you and Yuuki-san hold hands, then I, who am holding your hand, will be holding Yuuki-san’s hand too.”

“That’s a pretty forced line of reasoning.”

“Oh, come on, it’s fine. It sounds fun, walking with all three of us holding hands.”

Kotori said with a grin. His girlfriend had a surprisingly playful side at times like these.

“…Okay, then.”

Yui held out her free left hand to Yuuki.

“…If you don’t mind.”

Her expression was slightly anxious, as if she wasn’t sure he’d accept.

Seeing that look on her face, he couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of himself thinking she hated him just a little while ago.

“Yeah, I’d be happy to.”

He said, and took Yui’s hand.

Her hand was small, but her body temperature must have been high, because it was incredibly warm.