3
When class wrapped up and Sakuta left the cram school, it was almost nine. The class itself lasted eighty minutes, and the rest of that time had been logging reports on the students’ level of understanding and waiting for Rio.
Outside, he walked with her toward the station.
“Oh, right,” Rio said, like she’d just remembered something.
“Mm?”
“I got a text from Kunimi earlier.”
“What’d he say?”
“He successfully completed firefighter training.”
“Oh, was that today?”
Yuuma Kunimi had taken the local civil servant exam right after graduation. It was a fire department requirement.
He’d cleared that hurdle readily enough, but they weren’t about to take an ordinary high school student and dispatch them right away when lives were at stake.
Yuuma was first sent to a training center, where he’d spent six months living and breathing their training regimen. This info had come with the exam results.
He’d been there since April.
The last day of September was the six-month mark exactly.
“And he said he’d already locked a posting, so we shouldn’t worry.”
“Why would anyone ever worry about Kunimi?”
Yuuma always came through.
Sakuta’s line got a bit of a smile out of Rio; she likely agreed with the sentiment.
“He’s starting Monday, so once he settles in, he’d like to meet up for tea.”
“As long as he’s paying.”
“I figured you’d say that, so I already told him as much.”
By this point, they’d reached Fujisawa Station.
Rio lived in Hon-Kugenuma, a stop down the Odakyu Enoshima Line. They split up with a simple good-bye.
This late, the air was finally starting to feel like fall. Enjoying the chill, Sakuta walked home from the station alone.
He crossed the Sakai River bridge and started up a long, gentle slope. There was a little garden along the way, and a while after that, he saw the apartment building up ahead. The place they’d moved into when he started high school.
Once he’d made sure the mailbox was empty, he found an elevator waiting on the first floor. He got in and pressed the button for the fifth floor.
He’d considered moving for college. Of course, he only considered places he could actually afford on his paltry earnings.
Ultimately, that hadn’t happened. He’d had good reason to stay put.
On the fifth floor, he left the elevator and headed all the way left to his apartment door.
Insert key and open.
“I’m back, Nasuno.”
He called out to his cat as he came in.
Something felt out of place.
There were two pairs of shoes that hadn’t been here when he left.
“Oh, hey, Sakuta. Welcome home.”
Slippers flapping, Mai came out to meet him.
“Thanks. Nice to have you back, Mai.”
“Nice to be back.”
“I thought your shoot was supposed to take a few more days?”
“The rest we can do on set, so I came home.”
It had been a full month since he saw Mai’s smile in person.
“……”
“Why are you staring?”
“I feel like you’ve become even more beautiful.”
“Isn’t it nice?”
With that, she turned and headed back into the living room. Sakuta followed.
“Oh, there you are,” Kaede said. His sister was sprawled out on the living room couch, Nasuno clutched in her arms. She was playing with the cat as she watched a game show on TV.
It didn’t air at this hour, so she must have recorded it. He saw familiar faces on-screen—Nodoka and Uzuki. The latter’s daffy comments had the MC and other contestants in stitches.
“You’re back, Kaede?”
He’d recognized her shoes at the entrance.
Sakuta lived here in Fujisawa, and their parents lived in Yokohama. Kaede was rotating between the two domiciles, splitting her time evenly between them both. She was a high school student but attended a remote-learning school, which meant she was free to live where she pleased. You could take classes anywhere, as long as you owned a phone.
“I told you I had a shift today,” she said, glaring at the answering machine. The light on it was definitely flashing.
She’d started working in the spring—the same restaurant he worked at. That had been what Kaede wanted and was a major factor in why they hadn’t moved. In return, part of the rent was now coming out of her wages.
“Seriously, Sakuta—you’ve got to buy a phone.”
“I never dreamed I’d hear those words from you, Kaede.”
He’d been shocked enough when she’d wanted one of her own. She’d been badly hurt by classmates in junior high, and phone-based social problems had been a big part of that.
“Mai, you’d rather Sakuta owned a phone, too, right?”
“Yes, but I’m used to it now.”
“You can’t just let Mai indulge your bullshit.”
She’d failed to secure Mai’s support, so she immediately went back on the offensive.
“I’ll think about it if I have wages left over.”
“That’s what you always say. Whatever!”
Dropping the issue, she peeled herself off the couch and deposited Nasuno on the floor.
“You’re not ready for a bath yet? I’ll go first, then.”
She paused the video and headed toward the bathroom.
“What, you hadn’t already?”
“I was waiting for you to get home first.”
“That’s sweet.”
The door slammed behind her.
This was probably her way of giving him time to talk to Mai alone. He couldn’t decide if that was how considerate high school girls should be or just his sister trying to act all mature.
“You eat yet?”
“I’m good. I ate at a class party before work.”
“Fall for any cute girls there?”
On the phone last night, he’d told her his core curriculum class was holding a gathering. Not only had she not objected, she’d suggested it was a good opportunity to meet more people. But she had wrapped it up with a final threat not to even consider cheating on her.
“I did not.”
“Shame.”
“Oh, but…”
“But what? Why is there a but?”
“There was this one girl.”
“Oh?”
“She’s in college but doesn’t own a phone.”
“…Is the punch line gonna be that only you can see her?”
He understood why she’d react that way. It was just that weird. Every college student had a phone these days. She was certainly the first phoneless college student Sakuta had met. Besides himself anyway.
“You’ve made me nervous,” he said. “I’ll have to verify that on Monday.”
“You do that. Well, I’d better get going.”
Mai grabbed her suitcase off the couch.
“Already?”
“Got an early start tomorrow. I’ll be back on campus Wednesday.”
She was already moving to the door.
“I’ll walk you down.”
He took a step, but she grabbed his arm.
“Don’t want anyone taking photos, so this is far enough. The office is on my case about it.”
She used him for balance as she did up the ankle straps on her pumps.
“I left a present in the fridge. Share it with Kaede.”
“I’d better eat my half before she devours it all.”
Mai laughed, then cupped his cheeks in her hands.
“What?” he asked, making octopus lips.
“Nothing,” she said, giggling.
Probably just a bit giddy about seeing him again.
And that made her feel mischievous.
That was all.
And if Mai was having fun, that was all he needed.
No matter how trivial the reason, Mai’s smile was enough for him.
She let go of his cheeks, fluttered her fingers, said “Bye,” and was out the door.
Sakuta savored the lingering embers of her mirth and quietly locked the door behind her.
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