Episode 15: Can I Come and Stay Over Next Time?

Then, after a summer holiday that felt like a mere formality, September arrived in the blink of an eye.
The sweltering summer heat had completely retreated, and cool breezes blew in the mornings and evenings.
　With autumn’s arrival, the atmosphere of exam season rapidly intensified, enveloping the classroom in a slightly tense, peculiar air.

I too dyed my hair black — it had been brown until summer — carefully blending in so as not to stand out from the exam-takers’ brigade.

A bit of mischief is only tolerated because you handle things properly when you need to.
　I don’t want to earn the resentment of the other exam candidates. Especially since I’m currently top of the year. Well, it’s partly because Mizuki’s been weakened by a debuff, but I don’t want to become a target for classmates’ stress or the focus of their insults.
I don’t aim too high. If I can get into a decent university without pushing myself too hard, that’s fine by me.
My goal isn’t just to go to university; it’s to leave this town and go to Tokyo.
　My motivation for further education is admittedly somewhat impure – intending to pursue romance while receiving rather substantial tuition fees and allowance – but I shall continue to do what needs doing as before, so I hope you’ll turn a blind eye to some extent.

A year passes in the blink of an eye. Before I know it, we’re already past the halfway point until graduation. I intend to continue playing the role of Mizuki’s ‘best friend’ for the remainder of my high school life, seeing it through until graduation.

　Back when we weren’t even friends, there was neither joy nor sorrow. Compared to that, now I’m tossed about daily by every one of Mizuki’s gestures, my emotions riding a rollercoaster, leaving me restless.

Had I continued those uneventful days simply watching Mizuki from afar, perhaps my feelings for her wouldn’t have swelled to this burning intensity. But whether that path would have brought me greater happiness, I still don’t know.
　But pondering that now… it’s just hindsight.

Lunchtime. Maki, sitting in front of me, reached out to my long, dyed black hair. She deftly wound it around her fingertips, pouting her lips in displeasure.

“Somehow… I still can’t get used to Nana’s black hair.”

Even if you say you can’t get used to it. Is there really anyone with naturally black hair who doesn’t suit it?

“Why don’t you dye yours black soon, Maki?”

“Eh? I did dye it darker.”

“That colour’s still too light, isn’t it…”

Maki’s hair, reaching just below her chest, still showed the inner colour vividly.
She looked nothing like a student preparing for exams, no matter how you looked at her.

“Ah, Nana, you’ve taken your piercings out too. You’ve gone full-on exam candidate all of a sudden. I won’t be responsible if the holes close up, you know?”

Maki leaned forward and tugged my earlobe. All four piercings in each ear were done by Maki herself. That’s why she occasionally checks up on my ears like this.

“It’s fine. I wear piercings in all the holes at weekends. If they close up, I’ll just pierce them again.”

Though Maki enjoys eccentric, flashy high school girl fashion, her everyday outfits are actually quite stylish too, making her look like she’s stepped straight out of a magazine.

　Well, Maki isn’t really my type, mind.
I prefer the neat and cute type, like Mizuki. Just kidding.

Maki sighs, holding a hand mirror as she applies mascara to her lashes.
Her wide-open eyelids look as if her eyeballs might spill out any moment.

「…The classroom’s been such a drag lately, it’s unbearable. You can study anytime, can’t you? What’s the point of not making the most of your last year of high school?」

「Maki, you never study no matter how much time you have, yet you’re the one saying this. Hey, are you alright? Will you graduate? Shall I help you study?」

“No thanks. If I’m going to get tutored, I’d rather ask Kase-san than Nana.”

Our teachers often tease us about how odd it is for the top student and the perennial bottom-of-the-class failure to hang out together, but I love this bright side of Maki.

Yes, high school life is short.
Youth passes in the blink of an eye, so not enjoying being a ‘schoolgirl’ to the fullest would be a waste.

　＊＊＊

When I visited Mizuki’s house for the first time after summer break, I was surprised to see Tasuku crawling about, albeit slowly.

“What? Tasuku’s moving around this much already?”

“Yeah. I can’t take my eyes off him at all now. It’s really tough.”

I instinctively stroked Mizuki’s shoulders as she slumped, feeling sorry for her.
　Tasuku, scurrying about with his stubby limbs, giggling as he played with his toys, seemed to grow taller and stronger every time I saw him.

“As he gets bigger, his throat gets stronger and more robust too, so his crying has become incredibly loud. I’m worried about complaints from the neighbours about his night-time crying…”

“Is it really that bad?”

“Yes. I wake up in the middle of the night to find him crying non-stop for about an hour. It was fine during the summer holidays when I could nap in the afternoon, but now that school’s back, it’s absolutely exhausting. Honestly, it’s hell.”

“I see… Tasuku, you mustn’t do that. You have to let your big sister get some proper sleep. It’s a crucial time for her.”

Whether he understood or not, Tasuku just looked at me and gave a big smile.

　Perhaps because Tasuku has started moving around, the room that previously only had a cot has transformed even more into a proper nursery.
The floor, covered with alternating brown and cream interlocking mats, is wonderfully squishy and feels oddly satisfying underfoot.

“…I feel like Tasuku’s crawling gets faster every day. It’s terrifying how he gets everywhere the moment I look away. Just the other day, he was chewing on a slipper…!”

Ah, so that explains why the slippers that should have been at Mizuki’s house vanished without a trace.
They say babies put everything in their mouths, and now that he’s moving around constantly, it must be far more nerve-wracking than when he was just rolling over.

　Mizuki, who had been relatively well during the summer holidays, seemed to have reverted to her pre-holiday state once school started. The weight she had gained back appeared to have dropped again.

　On evenings when her mother was away for work, she apparently ate reheated meals prepared in advance, though she mentioned sometimes forgetting to eat altogether and falling asleep.

Huh? Forgetting to eat?

Having never raised a child myself, I found that hard to believe at first. But thinking about it, looking after Tasuku alone meant she couldn’t possibly eat properly, and neglecting herself was probably inevitable.

“…I wish I could help out in the evenings too.”

As I muttered this while Tasuku played with a remote-control toy that made sounds, Mizuki looked at me with a surprised expression.

“Oh, you really shouldn’t. Tasuku’s night-time crying is absolutely terrible. He just won’t stop crying, even when you hold him.”

“That bad?”

“An angel and a demon coexist within this tiny body.”

To me, you look like nothing but an angel. But if you insist, I’d rather see it for myself. The real deal from the Crying Demon King.

“…Hey, Mizuki.”

“What is it?”

“Could I come and stay over sometime?”

“Eh, seriously…? I’d be happy, but is that alright? He might be too noisy for you to sleep.”

“It’ll be fine. If I come at the weekend, even if we end up staying up all night, it won’t matter.”

At the time, I’d suggested it with the lightest of hearts, just wanting to be of some help to Mizuki. But later, I realised something obvious.

Staying over at Mizuki’s house meant — after Tasuku had fallen asleep — I’d be spending the entire night in the same room as Mizuki.