"Sorry about everything today, Aoyama kun."
"It's fine. Besides, after seeing that, I couldn't just let you walk home alone."
We left the restaurant and I was walking Asou san to her house. On the way, every time she saw a figure in the distance, she flinched. Her fear was almost abnormal.
She had probably been dominated by that kind of pressure ever since they started dating. I used to think domestic violence was just something on the news, but this made me realize it can happen close to home too.
"Make sure you lock your door when you get home. And if anything happens, feel free to contact me."
"Okay... I'm really sorry."
She apologized and stopped walking at the same time.
"This is my house."
"Oh, it's surprisingly close."
It was a large, impressive detached house. Completely different from my family home.
"Well, I'll be going then."
"Ah, wait."
"Is something else wrong?"
"Um, well..."
Asou san, who had stopped me, fidgeted as if she wanted to say something.
"Are you still scared?"
"Y-yeah. Um, would you like to stop by for a bit? I'll make some tea."
Her shoulders were trembling a little. I understood her anxiety after what just happened.
"If it gets too late, I won't be able to get home."
"Then you could stay over... ah, no, I mean, my house has lots of rooms, so..."
"I won't take it the wrong way."
Besides, I was also uneasy about leaving her alone. That guy tracked her down to her workplace, and there's no guarantee he won't show up at her house. He's a college student, so he can wander around at night... and here I go again, getting involved in this stuff.
What is wrong with me lately?
"Well, I don't have anything to do at home anyway. I'll take you up on that."
"Okay. I'm really sorry."
Not really in a position to refuse, I was invited into Asou san's home.
When the light came on in the dark entryway, a beautiful wooden floor was revealed.
"Nice house."
"It was a rental for a long time, but my parents bought it new the year before last."
"Nice."
"I guess. They used to be home a lot, but lately they've been out constantly because they say they have to pay the mortgage. Maybe I was just lonely."
She laughed wryly and led me into the living room at the back.
"Have a seat anywhere. I'll make some tea."
"Thank you."
As I sat on the sofa and looked around the room, I noticed a pile of textbooks and English vocabulary cards on the table.
"I didn't know you were the studious type, Asou san."
I asked her as she boiled water in the adjacent kitchen. "Honestly, I never planned on going to university," she said.
"I intended to start working after high school."
"Because of your family's financial situation?"
"Well, yeah. My parents say they'll manage the money somehow and not to worry. They're surprisingly overprotective. But seeing them struggle so much, I couldn't just say that."
"So your feelings changed?"
"Maybe because of him. I wanted to go to his university, to attend the same school as him, even for a little while. I thought that and bought all this study stuff like an idiot. My parents were surprised too."
"Whatever the reason, studying is a good thing. I don't do anything but work part time."
"But look how it turned out. I haven't even touched most of these materials. Still, I leave them out where I can see them so I don't disappoint my parents. What am I even doing?"
She said it with a sigh, then said, "Here's your tea."
She placed the warm tea next to the textbooks and sat on the sofa across from me.
"Every family has its issues."
"What's your family like, Aoyama kun? Living alone since high school is pretty unusual."
I agreed that it was unusual to live alone and attend a high school outside my prefecture without being a recommended athlete. Actually, right after enrolling, my classmates asked me all sorts of questions.
I had no reason to tell the truth, and I didn't want them prying, so I just brushed them off.
But for some reason, I told Asou san this.
"I don't have parents."
"What?"
"Ah, don't feel bad for me. They divorced a long time ago, and my mother left too. But I have my grandparents."
"Sorry, I asked something weird."
The mood became awkward. Knowing that would happen, why did I say it? I scratched my head.
I'd never even told Yuzu that, even when she asked.
"Ah, don't let things get gloomy. It's not like I'm suffering or anything."
"But didn't listening to my story make you angry?"
"Why would it?"
"Well, like, my problems are just luxury problems, aren't they?"
"I said it before, everyone's different. If you look around, you can find plenty of people in worse situations than me."
Single parent families, poverty, being abused by parents. There were kids like that in middle school. Thanks to my grandparents, I had a decent life. I was never lonely.
I earn my living expenses through part time jobs, but they provided the money for me to attend high school. I'd be ungrateful to complain.
"Well, if I go to university, it'll be on a scholarship."
"I think I understand a little better now why you seem so mature, Aoyama kun."
She took a slow sip of the still hot tea, then let out a "Phew."
Then,
"Hey."
She looked at me with a shy, upward glance and said,
"Um, would you like to come to my room?"