Seishun Buta Yarou Series - Volume 8 - Chapter 1.5

5

He sat in a booth with Miwako, talking for the better part of an hour.

By the time he paid and left, it was night. The sky above was growing dark. The lights around were all aglow.

He walked Miwako to the JR gates.

“Thanks for taking the time today,” he said, bowing his head.

“Let me know if anything comes up,” she said with a wave—and was off down the platform.

Alone, he left the station and trudged down the road home. This took a good ten minutes. He reached his apartment building and looked up at the building across the street. Mai’s condo was the corner room on the ninth floor.

The windows were dark.

Maybe she’d gone to bed early, still mad at him for blowing off that date idea. He’d have to call her later and get back on her good side.

With that thought in mind, he took the elevator to the fifth floor.

He took out his keys and opened the door to their apartment.

He stepped inside and found less room at his feet than expected. There were more shoes than usual. Those weren’t Sakuta’s or Kaede’s. Two extra pairs, neither of which he recognized.

He could hear girls’ voices in the living room. They must have company.

“I’m back!” he called, taking his shoes off.

He poked his head around the corner, and a voice called from the kitchen.

“Welcome home, Sakuta.”

Mai was there, in an apron, peeling potatoes.

“We’ve occupied your kitchen,” she said.

“Any particular reason?”

“I bumped into Kaede on my way home. Sakuta, you didn’t tell Kaede you’d be home late, did you?”

He suspected that wasn’t entirely true.

Odds were, she’d planned to cook for Kaede precisely because she’d known he had a thing and wouldn’t be home.

That certainly explained Mai’s presence. And if he got to see her in an apron and eat dinner with her, well, what could be better? He’d happily watch her cook for the rest of his life.

But there was a second guest. A blond high school girl sitting at the dining table. Her uniform didn’t match the boldly dyed hair at all—it was a prim and proper girls’ school uniform, one of those places where the history was storied. This was Nodoka Toyohama, Mai’s sister from another mother and a member of the idol group Sweet Bullet.

“Oh, ’sup,” she said, barely glancing his way. She soon turned back to Kaede, who was sitting opposite her and listening intently. His sister had a notebook open in front of her and was scribbling furiously.

He looked closer and saw an English textbook open between them. Nodoka was reading the lines aloud, tracing along with her finger—and her accent was shockingly good. And not only that, she was translating into Japanese on the fly and explaining the reasoning to Kaede. “So the on here is…”

Her flashy makeup and dyed hair sure didn’t make her look like the kind of girl who could study, but that uniform was from one of the toughest schools to get into in all Yokohama. She shattered stereotypes.

“Why are you here, Toyohama?”

“My sister said she was cooking at your place, so I came with.”

“Well, don’t. It’s time you learned to fend for yourself.”

Nodoka had washed up in Mai’s place last fall, and they were living together now. Having her permanently there was definitely cramping Sakuta’s style. Kaede was always at his place, so it was a real challenge finding anywhere for the two of them to relax together.

“Gonna take at least five more years.”

A very specific number.

“Five?! Gimme a break here!”

Clearly too long.

“I mean, going to college from her place is closer than from home, so…”

Even worse, Nodoka insisted she had to attend the same university as Mai. The exact place Sakuta was trying to get into.

“Just promise you won’t go for the same major.”

They were the same age, so if they both applied to the same department, that would be one less slot available to him.

“Oh, but…no, wait.”

An idea struck him.

“Same major might work, actually.”

“Huh? You think you can get your scores in my league in one year?”

There was a challenge in that glare. She’d helped him study before, so she was well aware of his shortcomings. But book smarts didn’t mean she could figure out what Sakuta was thinking. There were many things in this world not measurable by admissions standards.

“No, Nodoka. He’s just going to blame you if he fails.”

Mai, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was thinking.

“Right. Definitely picking a completely different department.”

“Don’t be like that, Doka! We can be in all the same classes! Live the campus life!”

This nickname was used by her fans and provoked a look of utter disgust.

He figured it would be best to stop teasing her for now.

Partly because Nodoka was nearing her boiling point, but mostly because Kaede had been stealing furtive glances at him since he came in.

He finally met her eye.

“Welcome back,” she said. A bit late.

“Good to be home.”

“……”

Kaede clearly wanted to say something, but she didn’t. Mai came out of the kitchen and put her hands on Kaede’s shoulders.

“You need to talk to Sakuta, right?” she asked, leaning over her shoulder.

Kaede nodded once, then got up. She stood right in front of him.

“I—I……!”

Her voice was very loud. Nasuno was in the corner, and the noise woke her up. Even the cat was listening.

“Er, um. I just…”

She got her volume under control, looking up at Sakuta.

“I still want to go to your school,” she managed, her voice shaking a little. Eyes anxious and stressed. “That’s what I want. I want to take the exams there.”

Sakuta didn’t glance away. He listened till she was done.

Her hands were clenched over her stomach. She was still fighting off her anxiety.

“Then fill this out,” he said, like it was no big deal. He pulled a hefty A4-size envelope out of his bag and put it on top of Kaede’s head.

“Wh-what is it?”

Confused, she reached for it. And pulled out a single sheet of rather thick paper.

Her eyes scanned it and found the words Enrollment Application at the top.

“Er…huh?! How…?”

“Ms. Tomobe gave it to me.”

This was why he’d met with Miwako even if it meant spurning Mai’s invitation. He’d planned to make a plea for letting Kaede apply to Minegahara, but Miwako was one step ahead of him. The second she sat down in the booth, she’d handed over the application. Apparently, she had already known why he’d called her there.

She let him know exactly how conflicted she was about it. It was a grown-up’s job to make it clear what could and could not be done. At the same time, it was just as important to respect what her charges wanted.

She’d said that ultimately her responsibility was to give support while keeping one eye on what lay beyond. Which was why she’d given him the form.

“So hit them books.”

“I will. But can I ask a favor?”

He could imagine where this was going. So he deliberately acted like he didn’t. “Mm?”

Mai and Nodoka were giving him warm looks. It was super uncomfortable.

“Help me study,” Kaede said, like she was expecting a no.

But he already had his answer ready.

“Don’t blame me if you fail.”

And with that, he headed into his room to change.

The door half-closed, he got his uniform off. Just as he hit undies only, he heard Mai and Nodoka cheering her on. Kaede had reached the starting line at last.

There was just one huge problem hanging overhead.

“Do I even remember junior high school stuff?”

Sakuta’s own educational standards might yet prove his Achilles’ heel.