「Why so nervous?」
The city’s commercial center was full of all sorts of different stores. The Hamburg steak place in the third floor’s restaurant area had an oddly extravagant interior that left me restless. The customers inside, too, had a bit of a refined bearing.
I wasn’t trying to say that the establishments I was used to lacked refinement.
It’s just that this felt completely different from the world I lived in. The prices I saw on the menu earlier were insane.
「I don’t really eat out much. …It’s kinda hard to stay calm.」
「I see. So do you always eat at home?」
「Yeah. Up until last year, making the meals was my responsibility.」
「Hm… I’m sure your handmade food tastes wonderful.」
Mizuki was happy with it, but I didn’t know how good it actually was. I felt like my mom’s cooking tasted better, and moreover, I hadn’t really made anything this past year. I’d probably gotten worse at it.
「Hey, Kurumi, how big’s your family?」
「We’re a family of four.」
「You’re the big sister?」
「Yep, that’s right. I’ve got one younger sister.」
「I can tell. You’re always helping others out with their homework, right? It’s very older sister-like.」
I’d heard it yesterday too, but the word “homework” made me feel nostalgic.
Ever since I started high school, they referred to everything as “assignments”, but they were no different from the homework we were given in elementary school. They just used a different word for it.
What we called them changed, but their essence hadn’t.
Even so, I still thought they weren’t quite the same.
「…Sorahashi-san, you’re pretty observant. I don’t stand out much.」
「Whether you stand out or not, Kurumi, you’re still you. I can’t help but keep my eyes on you.」
She said this matter-of-factly.
While I was struggling for the right response, our Hamburg steaks arrived. With a practiced hand, she took a fork out of the cutlery case. However, her hand slipped and the fork fell onto the floor.
A shrill clang rang out.
Thinking that she might be surprisingly clumsy, I went to pick up the fork. There were still forks in the case, so there wasn’t any need to call over a waiter.
「Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?」
Hearing my questions, she giggled.
「See? Just like that.」
Just like what? As I stared at her, she took a fork and knife out of the case and handed them to me.
「Thank you for picking it up for me, Kurumi.」
「…You’re welcome.」
I took the fork and knife from her and began eating.
I was so preoccupied by what she said that I couldn’t enjoy the meal. The entire time I was eating, she just stared at me with a smile on her face and it made me unable to relax. I’m sure she was just showing affection in a way I couldn’t understand, but I wasn’t sure if it was something I should be happy or sad about. At the very least, I felt that being liked by her was something to be grateful for.
I wondered what Mizuki was up to.
She had just started middle school this year, and had also started blatantly avoiding me. Up until now she had been all “Onee-chan” this and “Onee-chan” that, but now, I had been reduced to just “Kurumi”. There was no helping it if she was in her rebellious phase, but it still made me feel a little lonely.
“Homework” and “assignments”. “Onee-chan” and “Kurumi”.
The names had changed, but wasn’t the essence still the same?
While lost in thought, I saw that Sorahashi-san’s lips had been stained with sauce. I thought she carried herself with more maturity, but perhaps this was something in which she was a bit more childlike.
「Sorahashi-san. You’ve got some sauce over here.」
I pointed to my own mouth.
She gave me a quick glance, but acted like she didn’t hear me and just continued eating. I thought to keep eating as well, but that one look made me unable to leave her alone. It’s not like we were that close, but she had been the one to bite my finger.
I let out a little sigh and grabbed a paper napkin.
「Jeez. You’re not a kid anymore. You have to clean up properly, or all your cuteness will have gone to waste.」
When I wiped her mouth with the paper napkin, her eyes creased up in a smile.
「Hehe. Do you do things like this for Mizuki too?」
Hearing those words, I froze for a moment.
「H-huh. Did I already tell you her name?」
「Don’t worry about the little details. I’m sure she’s an adorable little sister.」
Mizuki was my younger sister. However, she was three years younger and didn’t go to the same school as me. I’d never mentioned her to anyone other than my friends.
Sorahashi-san smiled brightly at me.
I had thought that she lived in a world different from mine, but now, I felt like even her smile had some inhuman quality about it. Strangely, though, I wasn’t scared at all. Rather, it was that part of her personality that made me want to know more about her. Even so…
Without saying anything else, I just lifted my fork up to take a bite. Sorahashi-san, too, continued eating without carrying on the conversation. The corners of her mouth that I had just wiped clean had once again become stained in sauce.
The word “training” came to mind, but I wondered how to go about it. To scold and to train were two completely different things.
I wordlessly wiped her mouth.
Those eyes, a color completely different from mine, were once again shining today.
It felt odd. I didn’t think I’d find myself eating out at a restaurant on a weekend with someone I had no connection with, other than the fact that she was my classmate. I had recently started to get used to these sorts outings for meals that got me all nervous, but this made me uneasy in a different way than usual.
「Kurumi.」
She called out to me with an expectant tone.
Before, I couldn’t scold her because I was interrupted by the escalator, but now there was nothing stopping me.
However…
「Was your food good?」
「Yes. It was delicious…」
The conversation was as difficult to grasp as a cloud.
I thought she’d ask me something like “aren’t you going to scold me?”, but that wasn’t the case. Her tone had been expectant up until right then, but now she was just normally talking about what she thought about the food instead of saying anything weird.
Didn’t you want me to scold you?
If I asked her that, it would be like I wanted to scold her. That would be weird, and Sorahashi-san’s hobby was weird enough by itself. I was just a normal human. I didn’t want to have anything to do with anything like owning another person.
「You should take your time and eat more slowly. You don’t want to start choking on anything.」
「Ahaha, you’re like my mom.」
「I’d rather be the big sister.」
Her lips were dirty. Just because of that, I felt a sort of closeness to her. There was a lot about her that I couldn’t read into at all, but I felt like she was similar to Mizuki.
「Thank you for treating me, Sorahashi-san. It was delicious.」
「I’m glad.」
After leaving the restaurant, she let out a big stretch.
「Now that we’ve eaten, let’s take our time and look around.」
Saying that, she smiled at me, and I gave a vague nod in response.
As if that strange atmosphere from before had never happened, Sorahashi-san went about and enjoyed herself like this was a normal outing. We walked through the city, sometimes commenting on things like how pretty the lights were or how beautiful the nightscape was.
Around this time last year, I was busy picking out a Christmas present for Mizuki.
This year, I had some free time and was spending it walking around town with Sorahashi-san. It didn’t feel real, but the fact that I was here alone with her was certain. It was strange.
As for whether or not I was enjoying myself, I’d say I was.
She knew a lot of things I didn’t and showed me sights I had never seen before. Seeing her laugh like she was having fun made me start to have fun, too. Her innocent smile, different to the ones from before, had a mysterious power to it.
I thought it was cute.
Up until now, she had been such a faraway existence that such thoughts had escaped me.
「I’m not sure if there’s a reason, but doesn’t winter just get you all excited?」
「Yeah, I guess?」
「Mm. Between Christmas and New Year’s, there are so many fun things to do, aren’t there? Ah, do you have any Christmas plans this year? We’ll be hosting a party at my place.」
Come to think of it, neither Mutsuki nor Yume had mentioned anything like that. Just like how they had no interest in romance, they also had no interest in these sorts of seasonal celebrations, so we hadn’t talked about Christmas plans at all.
The way that Sorahashi-san had just casually invited me was kind of impressive.
「…I’ll be busy with some family stuff.」
「I see. What a shame. I thought it would be bound to be fun if you were there.」
I wondered what she really thought of me.
I didn’t think I was that easygoing.
As the conversation ended, I felt the coldness of winter seep into my skin. She said winter got her all excited, but I personally wasn’t a fan. It was cold even when you bundled up, it dried up your skin, all the extra static electricity hurt, and it made doing the dishes more of a pain.
The chilly wind blew across my body, making me shiver. I let out a small sneeze, prompting Sorahashi-san, who was walking in front of me, to turn around.
「Are you okay, Kurumi?」
「I’m fine. Just a little cold.」
「…Hmm. We wouldn’t want you to get sick, so let’s find somewhere warm.」
「Somewhere warm?」
「Yep. It’s pretty close, so let’s go!」
My nose hurt a bit. I’m sure it was a bit red, but Sorahashi’s skin, on the other hand, was just as pale and clear as any other day. I wished my skin was a little more resilient. It’s embarrassing how quickly it got red. I knew nobody else cared, but I did.
I put my hands in my pockets and followed along close behind.
The winds of Tokyo felt colder than the winds back in my hometown. I exhaled a puff of pure white.
I had no idea what she meant by “somewhere warm”, but we walked for about five minutes before stopping in front of a certain building. I looked closer and saw “Sorahashi” written on the nameplate.
It couldn’t be.
「Come in, come in.」
「This is your place, Sorahashi?」
「Well, something like that, I guess? Strictly speaking, it’s not.」
「…? Should we really be barging in all of a sudden?」
「It’s fine. My parents aren’t here.」
「Huh?」
My eyes widened. I wondered if there was a deeper meaning behind what she said.
「Oh, no no no. I don’t mean it like that. This used to be their vacation home, I think? Something like that, at least. I wanted to try living alone when I got into high school, so the only person staying in this house is me.」
「…A vacation home.」
A vacation home that her parents owned.
That was a word too far from what I knew about her so I felt a bit of a discrepancy, but hearing it out loud, it made sense. The way Sorahashi-san carried herself gave the feeling that she had a refined upbringing. Thinking about it, I thought that her desire to be owned like a dog might have stemmed from her being raised in an affluent, doting family.
No, no, that wasn’t the point.
I was a bit intimidated. What kind of family would own a vacation home like this in the city?
「Yep. With that in mind, I want you to think of this place as your own home. I’m sure that’s how it’ll end up, anyway.」
What, like how a pet’s things all belonged to its owner?
Even if she said that, it was too great a burden for someone like me, who had been born and raised in an ordinary family.
It was much too large to be compared in any way with my home, so large that it seemed like a tremendous affair to clean. I kind of wanted to know what sort of vacuum she used.
「Please, have a seat. I’ll make some tea.」
「Thank you very much.」
The sofa in the living room was made of black leather. I wondered if the material was real. As I looked around, I saw that both the living room and the dining room were full of expensive-looking furniture. The rug at my feet had long fibers and a stylish appeal.
Everything was so at odds with the home I was used to that it made me nervous.
The only point of similarity was how there were flowers set on the tables.
I let out a small sigh. My cold body was gradually warming up, but the heat did nothing to calm my nerves.
I blankly stared into the house.
For better or worse, this place didn’t really feel lived-in. How did Sorahashi-san pass the time here, I wondered?
「Here you go.」
「Thank you.」
「You’re quite welcome. Oh, apologies. You still have your coat on. Let me take care of that for you.」
She placed the tea set onto the table and brought over a hanger. I wanted to tell her that I could take care of it myself, but it was hard to protest when she dexterously worked the coat off of me.
Hanging up her coat along with mine, she sat down on the sofa.
「In the past, I’d often hang up my father’s coat for him just like that,」
「What a good child.」
「No, I only did it because I wanted to. Are you fine with caffeine, Kurumi? I made it decaffeinated, just in case.」
「It’d be a problem if I couldn’t sleep, so that works great. Thank you.」
「That so? Good. I personally dislike caffeine. Things like coffee make me nauseous right away.」
Saying that, she lifted the cup up to her mouth.
It’s not as if I was captivated by her. But for some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her movements.
Her transparent, golden hair. Her eyes, full of joy. Her slender, long fingers, and her thin lips. Her features all harmoniously fit together like she was from a painting. Perhaps because of her incredible beauty, everything down to her normal movements felt special.
I had been acting normally up until now.
But there was still a certain distance between us.
I quietly raised my cup. I didn’t know what sort of tea it was, but it smelled like flowers. When I put it up to my lips, it was a bit lukewarm.
「…It’s good.」
「I see. Please, drink your fill.」
How awkward.
The conversation ended, and the only noise echoing through the room was the clatter of cups and saucers. It seemed Sorahashi-san had nothing else to talk about, so she also continued to sip on the tea without a word.
How long should I be staying here? My body had already warmed up, so I figured it might be time to disperse. Lost in thought, I suddenly realized that Sorahashi-san had disappeared somewhere.
Maybe she went to the restroom.
I was alone in an unfamiliar house, sipping on tea — a situation that made me restless. I’m sure there were plenty of people that would be happy to be invited over to Sorahashi-san’s place, but I wasn’t one of them.
I wanted to go home and make dinner. It crossed my mind for a moment before I realized that making dinner was now my parents’ job. How long had it been since I’d made Hamburg steak for Mizuki? As I sighed, I heard the sound of footsteps from behind.
「Kurumi.」
「Sorahashi-san? What’s up?」
She slowly walked over to the sofa and once again sat down next to me.
However, something felt different from before.
「It’s been on my mind, but even though I’ve become your dog, you haven’t done that yet.」
「Done what?」
「You don’t understand? There’s a certain thing you must first do for a dog once you get one.」
I tilted my head. Something I had to do first when I got a dog… The only thing I could think of was to get them vaccinated. I wondered if I should take her to get her flu shot. I’d accompanied Mizuki for that before.
Seeing me lost in thought, Sorahashi-san giggled.
「It’s this, Kurumi.」
She placed something into my hands.
I looked down at it and was rendered speechless.
「A collar. …Dogs need to be collared, don’t they?」
Ave Lilium Translations 