"...Will you stop looking at me like that? It's uncomfortable..." As she spoke, her gaze alternated between looking to the side and looking me in the eyes.
The way she was dressed reminded me of the style she wore when I saw her in class, but of course, now that she doesn't have to wear the uniform, she stands out even more. Something I noticed later was that she had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, which suited her well, especially since she hadn't tied up those two long strands that reach her chest.
That comment brought her down to earth.
"A-Aa, uh, yes, sorry." I reacted almost instantly, hesitating a bit before apologizing. "And… why are you here?"
I felt like every word was loaded with absolutely nothing, and that indifference, along with my expression and my gaze, completely fixed on the ground, made me seem annoyed.
Damn! It seems like I'm annoyed that she came! I look like an idiot!
It's worth noting that I had no idea she was coming at all, so I was in my pajamas. She was watching me. In my pajamas.
Otsuki, for his part, had relaxed a little, since I wasn't staring at his face like a weirdo, but maybe the way I was dressed also helped.
My hair was a mess, and on top of that, I was in my pajamas… In my pajamas! Luckily I washed up a bit beforehand, but I should have combed my hair…
However, her face tensed slightly when she saw the poor state of my hands, a mixture of clear concern and surprise forming in it.
"What happened to your hands?…"
"Oh, well… When I went out to pick flowers the other day, I ended up bumping into someone, and while I was talking to her, I… fell down some stairs."
It was a total lie, but I was too embarrassed to admit it. I've said it so many times that I'm starting to believe it myself, no matter how ridiculous the reason. For whatever reason, it wasn't ridiculous enough for Otsuki not to believe it.
"And you're seriously saying you're—?!… Um, I mean, isn't it weird that only your hands are hurt after that? Especially on stairs in the street… How did you manage?"
Otsuki was initially more surprised than before, her eyes wide, but trying to hide her exaggerated reaction, she brought her free hand to her mouth, and shortly afterwards to her forehead, frowning as she thought about a relatively comical, and ironically nonexistent, accident.
"I don't know either… but, yes, I'm fine, my hands just hurt a little… that's all."
"If you say so... although, that might mess up my plans a bit..."
Otsuki seemed to have a slight low after accepting my condition, with both hands holding her school bag, and her head slightly bowed.
Reducing the comment to nothing more than her talking to herself, she tried to confirm that what she feared was true.
"Unless… Can you write?"
Write? I thought. I don't know why I'd have to write with her constantly showing up at my house. Maybe she wants me to sign a restraining order.
"Yes, uhh, but why do you ask?"
Recovering some of the spirit she had before seeing my bandaged hands, which was almost nonexistent, she cleared her throat, partially covering her mouth with a fist, and then justified herself.
"…One of your friends told me to-"
"Who?!"
I interrupted her, raising my voice with anticipation, without even letting her say a word, and when I realized I'd done it, I felt bad. That didn't mean I didn't want to know, but I should let people speak…
"Im, sorry…" More than embarrassed, I was annoyed that I had done that. Otsuki was also a little surprised; she certainly wasn't prepared at any point to have to deal with such an energetic reaction.
"It's nothing…" After a tiny pause, she proceeded to answer my question. By this point, she had already accepted the state of my hands as normal. "Hmm, I don't remember his name…"
But you're in the same class!… Although I can't complain too much, I'm either in the same boat or worse.
I barely knew Otsuki's name; I don't even remember her friends' names, much less the names of the rest of the class... except for Takayama. I don't know why I know his name.
Leaving aside people who were irrelevant, I only knew the names of the people I spoke to.
"Let's see. He was about this tall, a little taller than me." She held her hand slightly above her head, and then continued with the description.
"His hair is all messed up too, or at least, that's how it seemed like." After that, she took another brief moment to think, but I knew who she meant just by the hair comment.
"You don't need to say anything else, I know who you mean." As I said that, I gestured for him to stop with my open palms, moving them back and forth.
"Ah, okay. And... why do you want to know? Mmm, it's true he looked a little annoyed when he asked me, what a nerve..." She frowned at any face I might have made just thinking about me.
"...Yes, yes, that's exactly the face."
"I wasn't making any face!" I put my hands to my face in embarrassment, with no idea what face I'd made at that moment. "I'm not angry..." Yes, it's true that I wasn't angry, but I didn't like hearing about him, especially about how he was now.
I knew Otsuki was making fun of me, but she didn't let it show in her tone. At my seemingly childish reaction, she sighed.
"Anyway, what I was saying is, that friend of yours told me to give you all the homework you have to do, and also the pages we've covered."
"...Really?" Him? I thought, genuinely incredulous.
"Yes. He didn't tell me when you had to have them done, but they probably won't pressure you. If I were you, I'd at least catch up, so you save time preparing for your November exams."
Are you my tutor now or what?
Otsuki brought his free hand to his chin.
"He told me everything in such a hurry, I don't know what he had to do to be in such a hurry, but to tell me instead of one of your other friends... Not that it matters to me."
The way his comment was going, I was prepared to say "Nothing happened ," but, as if he had heard me, he emphasized how little interest he had in it.
"...And, listen..."
"Y-yes?" What an ominous voice, for God's sake! It sounds like he's going to kill me instead of giving me my homework!
"Do you mind if I stay at your house for a while?"
I'm not paid enough to put up with so many surprises...
"And what does that mean...?" Watching my tone, I was going to ask what he wanted to do, but without even finishing I got an idea, and based on that idea I answered.
"You don't need to explain anything to me, I can manage on my own. Besides, the only things I really need to review are Japanese, math, and science..."
"Well, that's the premise, but I don't need to help you at all. I can leave you alone; just staying hidden is enough for me."
"And so?"
This time, she put her free hand to the back of her neck, and with a hesitant intonation, and with a hint of shyness, she apologized.
"After I told my mother I was going to give you all this, she became very insistent that I stay and help you with your homework."
"And why don't you help him?"
Haruka was in the kitchen preparing lunch when she said that. Atsumi was about to go up to her room, but the mere fact of hearing something like that made her go downstairs and kneel in the doorway.
"Huh?"
"Yes. You could help her with her homework. I'm sure there are many things she won't understand on her own, and I doubt she'll be able to concentrate."
The mere thought of Atsumi spending time with Riku, something that should normally be taboo, made her happy just thinking about it.
"That's not going to happen! Nope! Never!"
"Besides, you explain things very well!"
"Mom, for God's sake, I only taught you how to connect the wifi..."
All the shame and indignation she felt turned into pure disappointment
"You can't just leave him hanging like that after he's forgiven you. I'm not saying you owe him, but I think he deserves it."
"Didn't you tell me I had to do everything I could to get along with him?"
"Don't make things up." Haruka pouted, though she barely seemed annoyed. A little while later, her expression returned to normal.
"Let me clarify what I said. If you think you don't have to do more, that you've already done enough, you don't have to. If it were all about debt, you 'd be the one cooking right now."
"But it's not something I really want to do…"
"Are you sure?"
"Mhm, sure. I'm so sure that I'm going upstairs to put my things in my room—blagh!" With a somewhat ironic tone, Atsumi turned around, eating one of her long strands of hair in the process. Haruka let out a giggle.
"S-shut up! I've never seen a mother laugh at her daughter!"
"Yes, yes. I'm a really bad mother."
"I'm going to cry."
After uttering those words full of lies, Atsumi ended the conversation. Who could blame her, when it seemed like the perfect moment to end it?
"Atsumi, doesn't he remind you of someone?"
A question open to any possible interpretation. Haruka looked directly at Atsumi's back, having generally been focused on the food until now.
"What do you mean?" The random question caught her off guard, but there was something about it that left her a little confused. A feeling that didn't last long.
Haruka accentuated her smile a little, seeing how Atsumi had realized what she meant without having to explain anything.
"You know what he's going through. You know it better than anyone, don't you?"
"And why are you bringing something like this up out of nowhere? Knowing you, you wouldn't want to make me feel bad for him, would you? Or have you become corrupted? Are you my mother?" That was something she could no longer deduce.
"Yes, I'm a mom, and I'm really bad."
"Okay, Mom, sorry, you're not bad."
All she could do was resign herself to apologizing. If she repeated something she didn't like a third time, terrible things could happen. "Thank you," said the villain in question, before continuing on her way.
"A person who feels like that can't be left alone. Seeing you like that, ignoring even your friends… I was super worried. It wasn't until she climbed in through your window that you started talking to the others. It reminds me of your father."
As she happily recalled how she had helped that girl climb into her daughter's room in such a reckless manner, the image of someone equally rebellious crossed her mind, staining her eyes with nostalgia, but without ceasing to feel that joy.
Atsumi knew what her mother meant when she mentioned her father. It was a story she'd heard a thousand times. She decided to let Haruka talk, imagining the conclusion she was going to reach. But her imagination failed her.
"He's your friend. The least you could do is keep him company."
"…" 'I'm not her friend,' she was thinking, and what she was going to say, but to proclaim something of that magnitude while she was staring at her… She even felt disappointed in herself for thinking something like that.
"What do you say?" Haruka waited expectantly for an answer. Of course, she never took back what she had said before, that she was the one who chose.
'That's cheating...' Atsumi thought, as her cheeks turned pale pink.
"I'll think about it while I'm going."
"Hmm, think it over carefully."
At no point did he say yes, he didn't promise her anything, and yet, she was convinced that he was going to do it.
"Ah, your egg is going to burn."
"Oh! That's too bad!… Atsumi, you love burnt eggs, don't you?"
"No, thanks."
And now, Atsumi began to climb the stairs.
"Hmm, I can imagine your mother doing something like that."
I began to imagine Haruka touching Otsuki's shoulder over and over again until she reluctantly agreed.
"Heh, and to think you'll be so wrong about what you imagine..."
"Did you say something?"
"No, no, nothing."
I didn't hesitate to dismiss the babbling I heard during my exaggeratedly accurate performance as mere fiction.
"So, are you coming in?" I stepped aside, opening the door fully to let Otsuki in first.
"Excuse me."