Episode 7: Wait — Just the Two of Us Living Together? Isn’t That a Little TOO Convenient?!
“No wait wait wait wait.”
With everyone’s eyes on Mom, I’m the first one to actually get a word out.
“What do you mean, you’re going too?”
“What do I mean — I mean I’m going to Hokkaido with him.”
“You’re not even married yet, there’s no way you can just move into his company housing with him! That’s not how this works! Basic common sense!”
“You think?”
“I know!!”
In the face of my thoroughly reasonable argument, Mom just gives a bold, unbothered little smirk.
“Well, Tokio-san could always just ask his company.”
Mom says it lightly, turning to look at Makina’s dad.
“Right?”
“Wh-what?! M-me, ask the company…?!”
Makina’s dad visibly starts to panic.
“No, no, no, no!”
I can’t help but shout.
“Don’t ask them?!”
“Why not?”
Why not, she asks. There’s no way you can just casually ask HR whether it’s fine to bring a woman you’re not even legally married to into company housing.
…I mean, obviously that’s an instant no, right?! Come on!!
“Have some sympathy for Uncle?! He’ll get labeled as some kind of shameless weirdo!”
“Well, if it’s a no, it’s a no, that’s fine.”
“Even ASKING is completely off the table, okay?!”
“You think so?”
Saying that, Mom takes an unbothered sip of her tea.
“O-okay… well, I guess I’ll just check tomorrow, just to be sure…”
Poor Makina’s dad, completely steamrolled by Mom’s sheer force of will.
◇◆◇◆◇
The next day.
Makina’s dad, home from work, just stood frozen in the entryway for a while.
“…So? How’d it go?”
Mom asks, and Makina’s dad slowly opens his mouth.
“So, they said, ‘Oh, if it’s Uzuide-san, that’s no problem at all — you’re engaged, aren’t you? We can’t change your unit assignment, but if that’s fine with you…’ I mean, wow, turns out I’ve got a decent amount of trust built up at that place…”
Silence.
“…AND THAT’S OKAY WITH A MAJOR CORPORATION?!?!”
My shout echoes through the living room.
“What happened to compliance?! She’s still technically an outsider, right?!”
“Yotsuka, calm down.”
“How am I supposed to calm down?!”
Mom continues, unbothered as ever.
“Besides, look, my job’s fully remote. As long as there’s Wi-Fi, I can do everything from Hokkaido too.”
“That’s not what I asked about!!”
…Wait.
Hold on. Wasn’t this whole thing supposed to be a “trial cohabitation” to bring the family closer together…?
“What about us? Is it actually fine to just leave two high schoolers alone in this house?!”
“But I was living on my own back in high school too, remember, because my school was so far away?”
“That’s an extremely personal old story of yours that has zero relevance to our situation!!”
Mom still doesn’t budge an inch.
“Come on, you’re both in high school now, you can manage that much.”
At that point, Makina, sitting next to me, turns to face me.
“Yotsuka.”
“See, Makina, back me up here, you’re anxious about this too, right—”
“Just the two of us, living together… doesn’t that sound kind of exciting?”
Behind Makina’s smiling face, I can practically see a hallucinatory field of pink flowers blooming in full bloom.
Oh no. Makina’s completely on board with this too…!
Everyone except me has lost their minds!!
I quietly, deeply, put my head in my hands.
◇◆◇◆◇
Ten in the morning, first day of summer break.
Normally I’d be lazing around the house, either still asleep or up but completely zoned out.
Instead, here we are, standing with two adults hauling giant suitcases, watching through the glass as an enormous airplane prepares to launch into the blue sky.
“Alright, see you two! We’ll be back for your birthdays next year at the latest!”
“Makina, don’t give Yotsuka-chan too much trouble, okay? We’ll call from our end too, but let us know right away if anything comes up.”
Mom and Makina’s dad wave cheerfully as they head off toward the boarding gate.
No, wait.
Are these two seriously going through with this?
Actually going?
Leaving two high schoolers behind?
“Dad, Yotsuka’s mom, take care of yourselves!”
Makina waves too.
They turn back, wave again.
And then, the two of them disappear into the distance.
—They actually left.
It felt like some kind of joke, but reality just keeps moving forward without any mercy at all.
◇◆◇◆◇
The white airport lights flicker faintly overhead.
The murmur of people passing by.
A distant announcement.
That’s all that’s left, and beside me, there’s Makina.
“…Whew. It’s really just the two of us now, huh, Yotsuka.”
Makina turns around.
The hem of her white short-sleeve blouse sways with the motion.
“I— I can’t believe this is actually happening…”
We’re about to ride the train home together, just the two of us, to a house that’s completely silent and empty now.
Well. Managing day-to-day life probably isn’t impossible.
I can cook, more or less. I can do laundry too.
But.
Alone with Makina?
Twenty-four hours a day. All the time?
…This isn’t okay, right??
Days spent under one roof, alone, with the girl I’m in love with — that’s actually about to start. For real.
It’s not just living together anymore…
It’s finally, truly, just the two of us.
I mean, sure, it’d be a lie to say I’m not happy about it.
Of course. Obviously.
…But still, somebody, please, tell me this is a joke.
God, seriously — what kind of convenient nonsense is this?!?!