Chapter 11

A warm sensation filled Shuya’s body when he felt something touch his hand. Soft and tender, with the sense of a mother’s care. Even with his eyes closed, he couldn’t help but form a smile. Half asleep and half awake, but still happy, knowing his mother was right next to him at that moment. But if he already knew that, why did Iyori’s face pop up in his mind the minute he felt a hand upon his? Why did the warmth he was feeling, remind him of the warmth he felt every time he held Iyori’s hand? He was definitely not awake, his mind was going crazy and there was no way for him to control where his thoughts were leading him. Maybe he should just go with it, jump in and see where he ended up? 

“Shuya?” the sound of his mother’s voice woke him up entirely and the dreamworld he had been floating around in, disappeared in less than a second, leaving him with a sort of emptiness in his stomach. 

“What is it?” asked Shuya and looked up to check the time on the clock hanging above his bedroom door. “It’s not even that late, can’t I sleep in on a Sunday?” 

“Yes of course,” said Himiko in a low voice, almost like she felt bad for waking him up. “It’s just, your phone kept ringing, I thought it might be important?” 

“My phone?” said Shuya and sat up straight, looking to his right where his phone was lying next to his pillow. He slowly reached out for it, still a little too sleepy to move any faster. 

“Yusuke?” whispered Shuya when he saw the caller ID on the 4 missed calls on his lock screen. “Thanks for waking me up mom, it’s just someone from school, I’m gonna call him up and find out what’s going on.” 

“Good, I’m in the living room if you need me,” said Himiko before leaving Shuya’s room. 

Alone in his room, Shuya lifted both his arms and stretched them up as far as he could reach, feeling every muscle of his body slowly waking up. Without realizing, he let out a yawn, whereafter he unlocked his phone and called up Yusuke. 

The phone didn’t ring more than 1 time, before the voice of a very distressed Yusuke appeared on the other side of the call. 

“Dude! What took you so long?” said Yusuke. 

“I was sleeping, did it occur to you that today is Sunday?” answered Shuya. 

“You are completely right, today is Sunday, the best day of the week, the day we can do whatever we want one last time before another week begins and we’re forced to go back to school for another long week.” Yusuke suddenly stopped talking and Shuya stayed quiet for a second, thinking he would soon continue his explanation, but when he didn’t, Shuya took in a deep breath and said: 

“So, what’s your point?” 

“I’M BORED!” The loud exclamation from Yusuke surprised Shuya at first and made him flinch before he was able to process what Yusuke actually had said, and the blood started boiling in Shuya’s veins. 

“Are you serious? Did you wake me up just because you’re bored?” said Shuya, his voice raised higher than before. 

“Well... yes...” said Yusuke, a little hesitant, but he quickly continued, knowing he would only get scolded more if he let Shuya take the word again. “Nobody’s home today and I don’t know what to do, so I thought; ‘why don’t I call up my new best friend and ask him if he wants to hang out today?’” Shuya was ready to give him another scolding, but the words ‘best friend’, as cheesy as they were, seemed to make him hesitate for a second. 

“You wanna hang out?” asked Shuya, trying to remember the last time someone has said those words to him. 

“Yes please, I might die from boredom if you don’t come over.” The overly dramatic tone Yusuke used when he spoke made Shuya let out a slight chuckle as he shook his head. 

“You’re really strange, do you know that?” said Shuya and laughed. 

“I know, that’s why you and I can be friends, you’re strange too, you know,” said Yusuke and Shuya widened his eyes. 

“I’m strange?” 

“Never mind that, when are you coming over?” said Yusuke, suddenly getting impatient. 

“Um, I guess I can leave right away, just need to get dressed and I’ll be on my way,” said Shuya and stood up, walking up to his closet to find some clothes. “Oh, but I can’t stay all day, I have plans in the afternoon.” 

“Really?” said Yusuke, a bit of disappointment in his voice, but he seemed to quickly brush over it and move on. “oh well, we can at least have fun until then.” 

“Yes,” said Shuya. “Just send me your address and I’ll be there soon.” 

“Will do!” said Yusuke before hanging up. 

Shuya quickly jumped into the first pair of jeans he found and picked out a blue t-shirt with some prints on it. 

He shut the door to his bedroom and quickly walked to the living room where he found his mother sitting on an armchair, reading a book. 

“I’m going over to a friends house, and I have plans tonight so I won’t be home for dinner,” said Shuya and Himiko looked up. 

“Okay, is everything alright?” asked Himiko. 

“Yeah yeah, it was just a guy from school who’s a bit overly dramatic. All he wanted was to hang out with me today,” said Shuya and Himiko nodded along understandingly. 

“That’s good to hear,” said Himiko and sent Shuya a smile, which he quickly returned, whereafter he turned around, about to leave the living room. 

“You seem... happier... these days,” said Himiko in a low voice and Shuya stopped right before the opening leading to the hallway. 

“It makes me happy too, to see you like that,” continued Himiko as Shuya still had his back against her. Not knowing what to say or how to feel, Shuya just stayed in the same spot for a few seconds, before took a step forward and walked into the hallway, whereafter he went to the entrance, put on his shoes and jacket, and quickly left the house, closing the door behind him. 

As Shuya walked down the streets, following the coordinates on his phone, his mother’s words keep lingering in his mind. There was a sort of... bittersweet feeling to them. Almost like she was afraid that this happiness that was surrounding Shuya at this moment, would disappear just as fast as it got there. He felt a little bad about not saying anything before he left, but his mind was too busy processing everything and he had promised Yusuke he would be there soon. If he seemed happy now, did that mean he seemed unhappy before? 

Shuya’s head was starting to spin, thinking about what his mother’s words really meant and how he was actually feeling, but not long after, his thoughts were caught off, when he looked at his phone and realized he was right in front of his destination. 

Looking up from his phone, Shuya’s mouth opened wide, his jaw nearly reaching the ground, when he saw the size of the house in front of him. He didn’t know any of his classmates would be living in a house at the same size as his, no to be honest, from the look of it, it seemed like Yusuke’s house was even bigger than Shuya’s. The gate alone was intimidating, but from what he could see above it, the house was even more intimidating.

He slowly walked up to the gate and pressed the bell placed below the huge sign with the surname "Sasaki" written on it. 

“Hello,” said a voice over the intercom and Shuya quickly connected it with Yusuke. 

“It’s me, Shuya,” said Shuya and Yusuke immediately unlocked the gate. He told Shuya to see himself in, but that was easier said than done. 

Shuya immediately stepped into a beautiful traditional Japanese garden with a path in the middle, leading the way to what seemed like the main house. He didn’t have nearly enough time to take it all in, because after a few minutes, Yusuke had made his way outside and walked straight up to Shuya with an impatient look on his face. 

“Why are you standing out here? I was waiting for you to come inside,” said Yusuke and Shuya looked up, his eyes shining as he spoke. 

“You’re rich!” yelled Shuya and Yusuke widened his eyes. “I mean, I was confused when I saw how close you lived, because the houses around here tend to be huge and expensive, but it all makes sense now! Why did you never say anything? What does your dad do for a living? Maybe our dad’s even know each other?” Shuya kept talking with great enthusiasm, all the while Yusuke stayed silent, and he continued to stay silent for several seconds after Shuya had finished talking. 

“So you live close by?” said Yusuke after what felt like several minutes. “I’m happy, that means we can hang out more often.” 

“But-” said Shuya, confused about the lack of answers he got to his questions, but Yusuke quickly spoke up again before he could say anymore. 

“Let’s not stand out here, come on, we should go inside.” With his mouth still agape, Shuya watched as Yusuke turned around and walked towards the main house and in the end he closed his mouth and followed him. 

Just as they made it inside and took of their shoes, they were greeted by a middle-aged woman who was wearing a black dress and a white apron. 

“Welcome, mr. Takahashi,” said the woman and bowed. “mr. Sasaki told me of your arrival, let me know if I can do anything for you.” Shuya stared at the woman, who seemed like she was expecting some sort of reply from Shuya, but instead, he turned around, facing Yusuke. 

“You have a maid?” whisper-yelled Shuya, making Yusuke roll his eyes. 

“Thanks Kana, but we don’t need anything,” said Yusuke, once again completely ignoring Shuya. “If we need anything we’ll let you know, otherwise we will figure it out yourself.” 

“Yes, mr. Sasaki,” said Kana and turned around and left the two boys alone. 

Yusuke let out a huge sigh, but when he looked up at Shuya again, he was wearing the same smile as he always wore. 

“So, what do you wanna do?” 

“You’re not gonna give me a tour of the house?” 

“Nah, it’s pretty boring,” said Yusuke and moved along, Shuya following right behind him. 

“We can play games, we can watch TV, we can also practice our drawing skills?” 

“I’m gonna pass on the last one, that much is for sure,” said Shuya while looking around him as they continued to walk through the house. Like the garden, the house was in a traditional Japanese style as well, something Shuya had never seen in real life. It was the polar opposite of the modern house Shuya lived in, with American style interior. The house was much newer as well, Hayato always spoke so proudly of how he was able to buy that house while it was still being build. His family was the first to ever live in it, something that seemed to be the opposite when you looked at Yusuke’s family’s house, which seemed like something that had been in the family for generations. 

Shuya had so many questions, but thinking back on how he got ignored earlier, he decided to give it a rest for now and focus on the main reason he came. 

“What kind of games do you have?” 

“Hm... we could play Mario Kart? Or Smash Bros?” 

“I haven’t played either of them for a long time, but I’m down with whatever you choose,” said Shuya. 

“Don’t worry, I’m really bad at it too, let’s play a game of Mario Kart and we can lose the race together.” Shuya chuckled at Yusuke’s proposal before nodding his head. 

“That’s the spirit! Let’s do it!” 

After walking past many rooms and down what seemed like an endless hallway, they finally reached what seemed to be Yusuke’s room. With the rest of the house’s interior design in mind, Yusuke’s room was more modern. Instead of a futon, he had a real bed and the shelves and closets all looked like something taken out of an IKEA catalogue. In one corner, an easel was placed with what looked like a work in progress placed on it. Underneath it were several other paintings, more than Shuya could dream to paint in an entire lifetime. 

“You must really like painting,” said Shuya and looked at Yusuke. It wasn’t until now he realized that this was the first time he was seeing Yusuke in his casual clothes. He had been way too absorbed in the garden and the house to even look at him. He was wearing a pair of black ripped jeans and a white t-shirt with something written in English on it that Shuya didn’t take the time to read. In this particular style, he really did look like a rock star. All he needed was a few accessories, maybe an earring or two, a necklace or a few rings. But seeing this house, his parents would probably never allow it. 

“I’ve always loved to draw and paint, for as long as I remember,” said Yusuke and looked at his easel with a loving look. 

“That’s really amazing, I’ve never had anything like that,” said Shuya. 

“Really? You don’t have any hobbies?” asked Yusuke and started fumbling underneath his TV to find the controllers and start up the game. 

“Besides studying? Not really.” 

“I don’t think you can call ‘studying’ a hobby,” said Yusuke and handed a controller to Shuya. “There you go.” 

After struggling to remember how the controls worked in Mario Kart, Shuya fell further and further behind on the race track. Yusuke did his best to stay at least above the top ten, but only barely. A few rounds went by and Shuya was starting to get the hang of it, slowly getting closer and closer to Yusuke. It wasn’t about winning anymore, all that mattered was to not be the last one to reach the goal. 

“Right behind you,” said Shuya and Yusuke felt his hands getting sweatier. 

“No, go away, why are you so fast all of a sudden?” 

“Bye~" sang Shuya as he overtook Yusuke’s car just before the finish line and threw both his arms up in the air. 

“Woohoo!” yelled Shuya and Yusuke started laughing. 

“I guess you weren’t as bad as you thought,” said Yusuke. “Wanna play again?” 

“Sure!” said Shuya and they immediately started a new game, both of them looking more determined than before. 

In contrast to before, Shuya knew exactly what he was doing this time around and he immediately raced ahead of everyone, leaving Yusuke behind. 

“Wow wow wow, what is happening here?” said Yusuke and tried speeding up while avoiding all the obstacles on the way. 

“Come and get me,” said Shuya. 

“You don’t have to tell me that, you just wait.” But Yusuke’s words did nothing to hurt Shuya’s confidence and he kept taking the lead of the game for another two rounds, while Yusuke was struggling to move up the rank bit by bit. 

“Last round!” said Shuya, already able to taste the victory. 

“Not so fast,” said Yusuke and Shuya suddenly saw him driving right next to him. 

“What?” said Shuya, having been too busy boasting to realize Yusuke was catching up to him little by little. 

“I told you,” said Yusuke as he overtook him and threw a banana peel right as he was in front of Shuya, making his car get out of control, while Yusuke easily passed the finish line as the 1st. 

“No!” yelled Shuya, feeling a sudden urge to throw the controller at the TV, but he quickly contained his anger and took in a deep breath. 

“That’s not fair, I was the lead for the entire race, how can you beat me at the last second?” 

“I guess you should never celebrate too early,” said Yusuke, but when he saw the anger on Shuya’s face, he couldn’t help but break into a loud laughter. “I had a feeling you were a bad loser.” 

“I am not, I’m sitting here quietly, not making a big deal out of it,” argued Shuya, but Yusuke just laughed even harder. 

“You should see yourself right now. Your face speaks louder than your words.” 

“Yeah yeah...” said Shuya, turning his face away to hide his embarrassment. “Are we gonna go again or what?” 

“If you’re up for it, so am I.” 

“Of course I’m up for it, I’m gonna beat the crap out of you this time.” 

“I see someone is fired up, well then, let’s go!” 

The hours passed quickly as the two boys continued to race each other, taking turns winning and losing, even though Shuya always had a lame excuse as to why he didn’t win that round, but Yusuke didn’t mind. If the worst Shuya did when he lost was making excuses and sulking for a few minutes, that was doable. In fact, Yusuke found it more fun than annoying. 

They didn’t even check their phones in the time they were playing and they were so absorbed in the game that they didn’t even hear someone entering Yusuke’s room, until that person put her hand on Yusuke's shoulders and spoke up, scaring the crap out of both boys. Shuya dropped his controller, while Yusuke made a strange turn so the car started spinning out of control and both of them lost the race. 

“Oops,” said the woman whose hand was still on Yusuke’s shoulder. Yusuke finally turned around and one look at the person was enough to make him widen his eyes.

“Ikura! Why are you here and why did you scare us like that?” said Yusuke.

“I tried knocking, but no one answered, so I just let myself in,” said Ikura. 

“I thought you went back to your dorm already,” said Yusuke while Shuya watching in utter confusion. 

“I did, but I missed my little brother so much I just had to come back and give him a hug!” Ikura suddenly bend down and wrapped her arms around Yusuke, who was trying his best to break free of her embrace. 

“Stop messing around, why are you really here?” Ikura let out a sigh whereafter she loosened her grip on Yusuke. 

“Why is my brother so cold to me?” said Ikura with a dejected expression on her face. “Anyway, I forgot some of my books, so I came back to get them.” 

“Seriously? How can you aim to become a doctor when you’re that forgetful?” said Yusuke with a huge sigh. 

“Oh, but I didn’t know you had company,” continued Ikura, completely ignoring her brother’s comment. “Pardon the intrusion, I haven’t even introduced myself. My name is Ikura Sasaki, I’m Yusuke’s older sister.” 

“Ah, that’s okay,” said Shuya and quickly stood up so he could greet Ikura probably. “My name is Shuya Takahashi, I’m a friend of Yusuke’s.” While Yusuke was still sitting down, Ikura and Shuya both bowed politely to each other. Standing in front of Ikura, Shuya suddenly noticed how tall she was. Only a few centimeters shorter than Shuya, something that confused him a little since he remembered Yusuke being a lot shorter. Maybe his sister was actually taller than him? 

In contrast to Yusuke’s laid back look, Ikura looked way more sophisticated. With short dark brown hair that barely reached her shoulders, and a simple layer of makeup applied, she looked like a proper grown-up. She was dressed in something Shuya would call a pantsuit, in dark colors complimenting her hair perfectly. He did see some resemblance between her and Yusuke, especially in their eyes and the way they smiled, but he didn’t say anything of that sort and simply kept it to himself. 

“Anyway, I won’t disturb you anymore,” said Ikura after a short while, sensing that her brother wanted her to get out of there. “I’m just gonna grab my books and catch the next train from the station.” 

“Safe tr-” 

“Hello? Where is everybody?” Yusuke was cut off mid sentence when he heard another female voice calling from the hallway and he immediately rolled his eyes all the way back in his head. 

“What is going on? Nobody was supposed to be home today!” said Yusuke and finally put down the controller whereafter he got up from his chair. 

“Rika, we’re in Yusuke’s room!” yelled Ikura, even though Yusuke was shooting daggers through his eyes. 

“Yes, go talk to Rika, just leave us alone, please,” said Yusuke, pushing Ikura from behind to get her out of his room, but just as he was about to push her through the door, someone cut him off. 

“There you are!” said a young woman standing in front of Ikura, looking an awful lot like her. “But where’s mom and dad?” 

“They’re out and so should you be!” said Yusuke, blocking Shuya from Rika’s vision. “Don’t you have your first big case tomorrow?” 

“I do, that’s why I wanted to talk to dad before, just to go over everything,” said Rika and let out a sigh. “I guess I’ll just stay until tonight and talk to him then.” 

“Why do you want to talk to dad about it, he’s not a lawyer, how is he supposed to help?” said Yusuke. 

“He’s a knowledgeable man in many areas,” answered Rika and moved her head slightly, suddenly noticing a shadow behind Yusuke. 

“Do you have company?” said Rika and pushed Yusuke out of the way, walking right up to Shuya who unconsciously took a step back, intimidated by her sharp eyes and tall posture. It wasn’t very often Shuya met a woman who was the same height as he was, being in the tall end himself, but this woman could look straight into his eyes without as much as lifting her chin. 

Much like Ikura, she was dressed formally and her long dark brown hair was put up in a high ponytail, a few bangs falling down on her forehead. The bright highlights in her hair gave her a fresh look, contrasting her dark eyes glaring at Shuya in that exact moment. 

“What’s your name?” asked Rika, not even bothering to introduce herself first, but Shuya didn’t even notice as he was too busy holding his breath while trying to find the words he was searching for. She was even more formally dressed than Ikura, wearing a long black pencil skirt and a dark purple shirt, making Shuya feel like he was being scolded by a teacher. 

“Shuya Takahashi!” shouted Shuya and all three of the Sasaki siblings stared at Shuya until they all let out a quiet laughter, Rika being the loudest of them all. 

“Look at that, you made him all scared!” said Ikura after she stopped laughing. 

“I’m sorry, I always forgot how intimidating I can sound,” said Rika who was also slowly calming down as well. “I’m sorry young man, I don’t bite, even if I look like it. My name is Rika Sasaki, I’m Yusuke and Ikura’s older sister.” 

“Ah... nice to meet you...” said Shuya awkwardly, hoping he wasn’t blushing too much after embarrassing himself like that. 

“I’m sorry about my sisters... they can be very forward,” said Yusuke and put a hand on Shuya’s shoulder. 

“I guess it runs in the family,” said Shuya and Yusuke sent him a strange look, as if what Shuya just said physically hurt Yusuke’s ears, but Shuya simply raised an eyebrow and continued: 

“Can’t you remember what happened on the first day I visited the Art Club? Whose fault is it that I’m a member now?” Yusuke suddenly felt at a loss for words and stared at the ceiling while rubbing his neck nervously. 

“What is this, Ikura?” said Rika who was standing next to Ikura. “Did our sweet little brother pressure an innocent boy into joining his club?” Both girls shook their heads and looked at Yusuke in disappointment. 

“First of all, it isn’t my club!” said Yusuke and went to stand in front of his sisters, making the gab in heights a lot more visible now. “And second of all, Shuya joined the club because of a girl, not because of me!” 

“What?” said Shuya. 

“What?” said Ikura and Rika in union. 

“Oh my, I didn’t view you as such a lover boy,” said Ikura in a teasing voice. 

“Wait, no, that’s not—” Shuya was cut off, just as he was about to defend himself, when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. 

“’Bet that’s the girl,” whispered Rika to Ikura who giggled slightly, but Shuya just ignored them and quickly took out his phone and checked his messages. 

Weren’t we supposed to study this afternoon? You haven’t made a request yet? Or did you perhaps expect me to do this for free? 

The text message from Shuya made his blood boil, but somehow, it also made a faint smile appear on his lips while he quickly typed out a reply and went to the app to put in a request for a date with ‘Yuki’. 

“You’re right,” said Rika. “I mean, look at that smile.” 

“What?” said Shuya who wasn’t paying attention, but Yusuke just waved his hands in the air. 

“Nothing, you two, leave my friend alone,” said Yusuke. “Ikura, didn’t you have a train to catch?” 

“But we’re having so much fun!” complained Ikura, but the icy look in Yusuke’s eyes was enough to make her go quiet. 

“It’s okay, Yusuke,” said Shuya. “I actually have to leave now, as I said earlier, I have plans this afternoon.” 

“Already?” said Yusuke. 

“Is it your girlfriend?” asked Rika. 

Kinda, thought Shuya to himself and smiled, but he quickly brushed the thought away and made sure not to comment on the question at all. 

“I’m sorry, I wanted to stay a little longer, but we can hang out again another time,” said Shuya, feeling a strange sensation when the words ‘hang out’ and ‘another time’ came over his lips in the same sentence. 

“Yes, definitely!” said Yusuke energetically. “And next time I will make sure my sisters are nowhere around.” 

“No fair, we want to hang out with Shuya too, and hear all about his girlfriend!” whined Ikura, making her look like anything but a sophisticated adult. The intimidating air that had once surrounded the two woman was completely gone. 

“Yeah yeah,” said Yusuke and waved at his sisters to make them go away. “I’ll walk you out, come on.” Yusuke gave Shuya a push and they quickly left Ikura and Rika behind as they walked the long way back through the house to the main entrance. After sitting in Yusuke’s room for so long, Shuya completely forgot how large the house and the garden was, but he was quickly reminded and he was equally as enchanted as the first time he walked through. 

“Thanks for stopping by, and I’m sorry if my sisters annoyed you...” said Yusuke when they reached the front entrance. 

“Don’t apologize, your sisters are really fun. I’m happy I got to meet your family, you guys really have a lot in common!” 

“Really?” said Yusuke and looked at little uncertain. “I don’t think I can compare to those two. I know they act that way, but they’re both really smart, way smarter than I could ever dream to be. They have a bright future ahead of them, nothing like me.” The air suddenly turned gloomy and Shuya felt bad about simply saying his goodbyes and leaving right away, so he loosened his posture a bit and put all his focus on Yusuke. 

“I’m sure you have a bright future ahead of you too. I’ve seen your drawings, you’re really talented,” Shuya tried reasoning in a positive tone. “You don’t have to be book smart to have a bright future.” 

“Thanks, but I’m not nearly as good as Iyori,” said Yusuke with a nervous laughter. “Not talented enough to be an artist, but not smart enough to study. I’m just somewhere in the middle.” Shuya’s mind was going crazy, thinking of every possible response, but he shot them down one by one, feeling like they would either make the situation worse or sound insensitive. 

“I... I don’t really know what to say...” said Shuya after a while of silence. “I’m sorry you feel that way.” 

“No, sorry for throwing all this on you just as you are about to leave!” said Yusuke and quickly put on a smile again. “Don’t mind me, I’m just an emo kid.” 

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to leave? I feel a little bad...” 

“Don’t! That’ll make me embarrassed. Just leave and let’s meet up at school and talk like we always do.” Shuya looked at Yusuke for a second, evaluating his expression, but then let out a sigh. 

“Alright, I’ll take my leave then. Thanks for having me, I’ll see you at school,” said Shuya and waved at Yusuke who waved back at him. 

“Yes, see you later!” 

*** 

After being scolded by Iyori for turning up late for their appointment, they found an empty spot in the library and immediately started studying, just like the always did. Shuya got impatient like usual, Iyori got frustrated like usual and they were scolded and shushed by the librarian as usual. Everything followed the same pattern during the study date, as well as afterwards when Shuya paid for an extension of Iyori’s time and they grabbed something to eat together. Before they knew it, they were both sitting on the train on their way home and both got off at the same stop, whereafter they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. 

Feeling more tired than usual, Shuya made his way home to a house with almost every light turned on. The light leading up to the front door were still on, probably the doing of his mother who was afraid he would fall and hurt himself if it was pitch black. She didn’t even think about the fact that every smartphone had a flashlight today, but still, Shuya did feel grateful thinking about his mother’s care. 

After entering the house, Shuya quickly realized he wasn’t alone. Even in the dark, he could feel a presence not too far away, and when he walked further into the house, the lights suddenly turned on and he came face to face with his father. 

“Hi, dad... you didn’t go to bed yet?” said Shuya, trying to fake confidence by looking into his father’s eyes. 

“I need to talk to you about something,” said Hayato in a low voice and Shuya felt a shiver run down his spine. 

“S... Sure, what is it?” said Shuya, slightly stuttering. 

“Let’s not stand out here like savages, we can talk in my office.” Shuya didn’t say anything and simply followed behind Hayato until they were both standing in his office. Hayato walked up behind his desk and sat down on his chair, whereafter he gestured for Shuya to sit down in front of him. 

“So, you haven’t been home a lot lately, what have you been up to?” asked Hayato in the same serious tone as before. 

“I... I joined a club so I have had a lot of extracurricular activities in school,” said Shuya, hoping this would be enough to satisfy his father’s worries. 

“I see, that’s not too bad,” said Hayato but quickly continued. “Do those really continue until late at night? Or is there something else you’re not telling me?” 

“Well...” said Shuya, feeling a lump in his throat as he thought about lying his way out of it even though he knew his father would see through it immediately. 

“I also started tutoring one of my classmates, so I’ve been spending time on that after the extracurricular activities.” A half lie was better than a whole lie. 

“Really?” said Hayato, looking down with an unreadable expression on his face. “Can you explain to me then, why you have been spending money instead of earning them? Aren’t you getting paid for tutoring this classmate of yours?” 

“Um...” Shuya felt the cold sweat slide down his forehead. He had to think fast or his father would be even more suspicious, but if he gave him another lie without thinking it to the end, he would see through it in a matter of seconds. 

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening, interrupted Hayato and Shuya’s serious talk. 

“I thought I heard voices,” said Himiko, looking tired as she took a step inside the office. “What are you guys talking about this late?” 

“Shuya was the one who came back this late. I have been waiting for a long time so I could have a serious talk with him,” said Hayato and Shuya swallowed. 

“Really? I’m so glad you’re having fun these days. Were you with your friends?” said Himiko, completely ignoring the seriousness of Hayato’s tone. 

“Y... Yeah...” 

“Himiko, that is not what’s important here,” said Hayato and let out a sigh, his wife looking back at him with a confused expression. “Our son has been spending a lot of money lately. I know we told him to never worry about money, but I would like to know what all of this is spend on.” 

“I just... got a new hobby recently...” said Shuya. 

“An expensive one I see,” continued Hayato, but Himiko quickly cut in. 

“Hayato, you shouldn’t question him like that. It’s only good he has a hobby and he’s having fun. We aren’t in money problems and as long as it doesn’t continue to escalate, shouldn’t we leave him be?” Hayato looked at Himiko in frustration while Shuya looked at her like she was an angel sent from above. 

“I guess,” said Hayato, feeling too tired to continue the discussion when his wife was working against him. “You aren’t spending the money on anything indecent, right?” Shuya quickly shook his head. 

“I would never do that! Really, dad, you can trust me.” Hayato looked at Shuya for a little while until he gave him a nod and got up from his chair. 

“Then let’s forgot about it for now. And let’s go to bed, I’m tired and we have a new week ahead of us tomorrow.” 

“Yes, goodnight!” said Shuya and quickly dashed off to his bedroom. 

While lying in bed, Shuya looked through the payments spent on the dating app and he quickly calculated it in his head. It really was a lot, he never even thought about how much money he was spending, simply to be with Iyori. Why was he even going to such an extend? Was he really that bored? 

Shuya let out a sigh, feeling the fatigue take over and he let out a yawn before putting his phone away and closing his eyes. 

For now, she just needed to do well on that test. No matter what the reason behind his feelings for that were, he really didn’t want to see her sad. That was all he needed to know for now.

Hello everyone!

Writing this chapter was just really heartwarming for me. I relate to Shuya so much in the beginning of the chapter, as someone who usually has to take the initiative to arrange stuff and make plans with my friends, the thought of someone going out of their way to ask me if I want to hang out, just makes me feel happy and giddy inside.

All in all it was just a really fun chapter to write, so I hope it was fun to read as well. Please share your thoughts with me.

I hope you're doing well. Take good care of yourself and stay safe!

Love, Annalise~