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“Hey, mom! We’re here!” My mother cheerfully exclaimed as she waved at Grandma with a toothy grin, setting her luggage down on the floor and resting a hand on her hip. Why must you always act like a child whenever we visit Grandma and Grandpa? Grandma’s face wrinkled up as she smiled widely, stepping closer to us. She gave both my parents a warm hug, making sure to include my little sister as well, before she came up to me.
“Look at you, Hougetsu! You sure have gotten taller, uh?” She patted me on the shoulder with a certain strength I never knew she had, and observed me with a fond look. From my side, however, I clearly heard my sister grumble in annoyance, looking at the floor with a visible pout. Aw, is someone jealous? Grandma seemed to also notice this, because she patted her on the head and said: “Yes, yes, you’re also quite taller than last year, dear.”
“Actually, mom, I think you’re the one who got shorter…”
“Silence!”
Woah, where did all that anger come from? Better not make Grandma too mad, or else we could all risk losing our lives… I then looked over her shoulder and felt my chest painfully tighten when I noticed the empty space where Gon used to lay. Of course, I was aware that last summer was the last chance I’d have to spend time with him, and since Grandma gave me the sad news via-mail in advance, I was sort of prepared. Contrary to my own belief, I cried for hours straight that day, going as far as punching the wall in utter frustration. I’m over it now — I’ve learned to accept the fact that existence as a whole is simply unfair. We mere mortals can only be grateful to have been given the gift of life and wait for our time to come. Depressing, I’m aware — but it’s the cold, hard truth.
“Where’s dad?”
“Oh, probably outside, speaking with Mr. Iwaya.”
“Ah, I should go say hi! That man may be quite eccentric, but he’s got a kind spirit!”
“Ah ah, that’s true!”
As Mom and Grandma struck up a lively conversation, I lifted my backpack and threw it over my shoulder, ready to head to my — sorry, our room. I always forget that I’m forced to share it. As I gently pushed the door open, I grinned with amusement as I noticed that the inside hadn’t changed one bit. The bed, the wardrobe with the starry night city, the insufferable heat — everything. Years passed by, and this room still remained fresh with happy — and sometimes boring — memories of my childhood days. Thinking about it, during these exact moments, I was asking Adachi about her newly bought swimsuit last year. Now that we were finally in a relationship, it was strange to think that I had absolutely no idea we would soon become girlfriends.
Speaking of which… I wonder how she’s doing right now. Despite all the progress we made and the challenges we faced together, she was still distraught and heartbroken when I told her about my yearly trip to my grandparent’s house — even more so than the previous time. I assume she forgot that it’s an important tradition in my family, and that I can’t stay home just because of her. However, I promised I would text her every day — maybe even send a couple of photos. Not like there was anything worth admiring, really — I simply wanted to reassure her, and also make sure she didn’t die of Shimamura-withdrawal. And so, I grabbed my phone from the front pocket and turned it on.
“Hey, Adachi, I arrived. Are you doing alright?”
Do I sound too worried? Well, I am kind of worried… Adachi was unpredictable when it came to these things. For all I knew, she could have planned to walk all the way here under the scorchingly-hot sun just to be reunited with me again, and I wouldn’t have been surprised. Just make sure to bring a bottle of your dear mineral water with you, please — or some milk, if you prefer that. Then, my phone buzzed while still in my hand — and I could already picture her sitting on her bed cross-legged, swinging from side to side, waiting for any sign that I didn’t die in a car crash or anything of the sort.
“That’s good. You took longer than I thought, so I was a little scared…” Bullseye. “Can I call you?”
Of course you would ask me that. Even if I was completely alone, with no one else to see me, I still nodded into the empty room, typing a quick sure and patiently waiting for her to press the call button. She was far quicker than I expected — only twenty seconds or so passed before her name appeared on the screen. I knowingly smiled at my phone and answered the call without hesitation, as a strange sense of relief washed over me as soon as I heard Adachi speak.
“Hey, Shimamura…”
“Hey~! Miss me already?” I asked with a faint giggle, and from the other end of the line, I could hear her breath hitch. Relax, I’m just teasing you.
“Y-yeah, you could say that… so, did you do anything fun?”
“Hm, not yet… I just arrived, after all. But, hey, I’ll keep you updated!”
“Ah, thank you… um, i-is your grandma doing better? You told me she hurt her ankle a while ago…”
“Oh, that? Yeah, she seems to be doing better now. Then again, Grandma hardly ever loses her energy, so I never got too worried.”
As the two of us kept talking about superfluous topics, I decided to lay down for additional comfort. My head hit the fluffy pillow with a resounding thud!, and I allowed my eyes to close as Adachi’s voice pleasantly filled my ears. This is quite nice, I’ll admit it. Then, without any warnings whatsoever, my mother opened the door and barged in, her luggage still in her hand.
“Hougetsu, are you seriously slacking off already? Gods, kid. You’re unbelievable.”
I reluctantly moved the phone away, far enough to avoid letting Adachi hear me argue with my Mom, and looked up at her with a stern look. However, she didn’t seem fazed, as she leaned against the door frame and observed me with annoyance. Fine, stay there — don’t expect me to give you my attention, though.
“Ugh, give me a break. I’m on the phone, do you mind closing the door?” I brought my phone closer to my mouth once again and muttered a short excuse to Adachi, who was probably already starting to panic. “Sorry, it’s just my mom.” She rolled her eyes at me and remained quiet, letting a few minutes pass, before finally voicing her thoughts.
“Who are you talking to?”
“What do you care?”
“Just answer me, all that hostility is unnecessary.”
“My friend. Are you happy? Now, please get out.”
Apparently pleased with my crude response, she hummed with a low tone, turning her back to me with a swift move and actually locking the door behind her for once. I let a heavy sigh escape my lips, relieved that I could finally have some privacy. In the meanwhile, Adachi kept on talking about her job at the Chinese restaurant, probably unaware of what was happening. Ah, sorry, little one.
“Adachi, forgive me, but — can you start over?”
Eventually, dinner time rolled around, and we all gathered around the wooden table to enjoy Grandma’s famous pork cutlets. I keep telling her this every year, and yet she somehow forgot — I have the doubt she might be straight-up ignoring me.
“Grandma… don’t you think you made a bit too much?”
“Don’t be silly, Hougetsu! Here, have some more.”
Before I could even attempt to stop her, my plate was already full of crispy-looking cutlets. Well, there’s no going back now. We all conjoined our hands in unison and said grace, before finally diving in. I wasn’t very hungry tonight, so I took my time and really savored that bit of meat I’d consume. As expected, Grandma’s cooking never disappointed — this is the taste of nostalgia. From the opposite side of the table, my sister poured a generous amount of miso sauce on her food, looking at her plate with a certain hunger in her eyes. Woah, what are you, a starved animal? Besides her ravenous behavior, dinner went pretty smoothly — Grandpa and Dad, who wasn’t the talkative type, even discussed about various ways to wash their cars faster — and, before I could even realize it, everyone was done eating.
I excused myself and got up from my chair, lazily waving at the table of oddballs, as I ultimately reached our room. Careful to not alert anyone, I closed the door as silently as I was able to, making sure that no one decided to randomly follow me all that way upstairs. When I was completely convinced, I grabbed my phone and held it with uncertainty as the screen lit up. The selfie of me and Adachi at the mall I set as my wallpaper looked back at me, basically asking: “Why haven’t you called her yet? Hurry up.” And so, I did.
“Oh, w-what’s up…?”
“Hey, Adachi. Hope I didn’t call at a bad time?”
“A-ah, no, no! I wasn’t doing anything, so…”
That’s… kind of sad, wouldn’t you agree? I’ll abstain from commenting any further.
“Hm, alright then.” As I agonized over wether I should be totally honest or not, I decided that screw it, keeping my feelings bottled up has never led to happiness, in my case. “Well, actually… I’m starting to miss you a little bit, I think.”
“W-what…!? I mean — I miss you too! So, so much… y-you’re my girlfriend, after all…” Still trying to push that statement? Well, whatever, it’s the truth. I’d prefer if you used ‘we’re girlfriends’ more often, though.
“Aw, it’s okay — it’s just four days. But… I do wish I could see you right now…”
A numb silence then filled the room, and despite the pained cries of the cicadas outside, I could basically hear Adachi’s gears begin to churn in her head. Hoping that her idea won’t be weird or exaggerated is basically futile, so whatever. I sighed in defeat and attentively listened to her labored breathing, expecting some sort of reaction from her, sooner or later.
“Do you want me to… s-send you a photo…?” There it goes. That’s a new record, Adachi! I lazily gazed into the distance outside of the window, the edges of my vision becoming blurry as I replayed her words in my mind. A photo, uh? This could be interesting. I swirled a strand of my now brown hair around my finger, as a grin formed itself on my lips.
“Hm, sure. I’ll send you one back.”
“Right…!”
Fairly enough, another message was delivered to my inbox with no hesitation, and I shifted on the bed a little before opening it. Moment of truth. Attached to it was an image that was nothing short of adorable. Adachi stiffly sat cross-legged on the floor, wearing a short-sleeved blue shirt. Her cheeks showed the faintest hint of crimson, as a shy smile adorned her pretty face. To top it off, a victorious peace sign appeared in the corner, almost invisible. Aw, to be there and pat you on the head…
“T-there… now it’s your turn…”
“Yes, ma’am.”
For what I’d say were twenty minutes, we kept exchanging photos back and forth, chuckling at the silly ones and jokingly making fun of the other for any minor detail. My card memory was probably so full it could almost cause my phone to die, but in the heat of the moment, I couldn’t care less. Adachi was like an oasis in the middle of an infinitely vast desert; she brought entertainment to my otherwise dull days. But… it felt like it wasn’t enough. Sure, I loved looking at her imitate all kinds of silly poses, but I wanted to “spice” things up a little.
“Say, Adachi… how about a photo of you in your bra?”
“M-me…? i-in my…!? What!?”
Well, I can’t say I wasn’t expecting that. I slowly rolled to my side, my shirt uncomfortably sticking to my sweaty skin, and traced the outline of random shapes on the covers to keep myself busy. Jeez, Adachi, I’ve seen you half-naked before. We even went in the bath together! I mean, we were wearing swimsuits, but still… all of a sudden, she loudly gulped and spoke up.
“…okay.”
Victory! Adachi has always been prudish when it comes to her own body and physique; she mostly opts for oversized clothing, when given the opportunity — the only exception to this constant is her work attire, but she doesn’t have much of a choice. To think that she trusts me enough to see her like that, it’s… sort of exciting. Then again, she’d abandon her parents and her entire life in a heartbeat, if it meant that she could spend the rest of her days with me. Would I even agree to go with her? Probably not. I patiently waited for the notification to pop up, keeping quiet for the time being. I should let her focus on the shot; it’s a big deal, after all.
“U-um… Shimamura? Are you still there…?” Sheesh, you think I already hung up on you? Have some more faith in me, Adachi.
“Still here, don’t worry.”
“Right… u-uh, I’m gonna send it now…”
“Go ahead.”
From her end of the line, it might have seemed that I was managing to keep my cool, but my heart was gradually thumping louder and louder. This is making me nervous as well; having a picture of my girlfriend in her bra? I might have considered it something silly, last year, but now it’s making the tips of my fingers tingle. I blame the hormones for the effect that Adachi is having on me. Each passing second felt longer than the preceding one, making my throat become dryer. Ding! Oh, here it is… I braced myself and tapped on the attachment, noticing that my hand was slightly shaking. Keep it together, it’s not as if it’s a nude.
“Oh…” I softly gasped, my eyes scanning the contents. This… sure is something.
“W-what’s wrong? Do you not like it? I-I can take another one!” Adachi immediately flew into panic mode, probably ready to take another thirty photos, just to send one that would appeal to my taste. I was still in a surprised-slash-shocked state of mind, but my brain formulated a response nonetheless.
“You’re… really pretty, Adachi.”
“E-eh!?”
I’m willing to give a brief description of the photo. Adachi was still sitting cross-legged on her bed, and for a moment it made me wonder how her legs didn’t get numb from all the pressure. This photo was angled a bit lower so that only her hesitant smile could be visible — however, it wasn’t hard to imagine how flushed her face was. What surprised me the most was that she followed the instructions; she wore nothing but a simple, dark-blue bra. Thankfully she didn’t try too hard and go over the top as usual. I was half-expecting her to pick a lacy, mature-looking one just to appear sexier before my eyes. I’m not sure your choice of clothing would’ve changed my mind instantly.
“I didn’t know you had such a nice figure. Do you work out~?” I teased her just enough to gain any sort of reaction from her, and she didn’t disappoint.
“N-nice figure…?!” She let out a high-pitched squeal like that of a little girl, forcing me to move the phone away from my ear. Careful, or you might make me go deaf.
“I ride my bike everyday…” No doubt there, Sherlock. “S-so maybe that helps. But, um… I-I don’t work out. I can start though…! For you!” And risk of running into my Mom at the gym? No, thanks. I awkwardly chuckled, thinking of a plan to dissuade her from going through with it.
“I like you just the way you are, okay, Adachi?” She hummed, probably not convinced by my statement, but she rarely decided to go against my will. You should be a bit more independent, don’t you think? What if I’m not by your side, one day? You’ll have no one to rely on. “Hm, okay…”
After struggling for a few minutes to direct the conversation to more casual topics, we finally managed to make it flow rather smoothly. I also almost forgot about our… embarrassing conversation, which was a noticeable accomplishment. My arms, as per usual, soon began to feel sore, almost weak — holding the phone for so long is no easy task. I sighed in annoyance, my brain resisting the urge to make me punch my own arms… wait, that sounded dumb, I take it back. I put Adachi on speaker and set the phone next to my ear, now free to rest my head on the pillow. This is the ultimate position for comfort.
As I was too caught up in my little world made of Adachi, I didn’t even notice the sound of tiny, sleepy footsteps directed to my — our room. My sister had apparently finished dining, and now the food coma was starting to get the best of her. She pushed the door open with her little hand, as it crept ever so lightly open. This made me snap out of my trance, and I yet again excused myself. “Give me a moment, my little sister wants to go to bed.” Adachi sounded disappointed as she grumbled, muttering a shy ‘alright…’ under her breath. There you go again, acting like a kicked puppy.
“Are you on the phone with… that friend?” She has a name, you little brat.
“Yeah, it’s Adachi.” I didn’t get up from the bed for another few seconds, both my mind and body agreeing for once that it was simply too cozy to abandon. My sister, in the meanwhile, was standing a couple of inches away from me, looking down at me with disdain. She even had the courage to cross her arms and huff at me, acting like a spoiled child… which she already was. I’ll pinch your cheeks for that, you better start running.
“Hurry up, Nee-chan!” She leaned over me, her shadow allowing my eyes to have a break from the bright light of the ceiling lamp. So you can also be useful, uh? Some strands of black hair covered her face, but even among that mess, I caught a glimpse of her expression, and… woah, have you seen a ghost, kid?
“Nee-chan, you big pervert!” Excuse me? She pushed my shoulder with that little strength she possessed, her entire face turning pink in no more than ten seconds. Hm… you remind me of someone. She squeezed her eyes shut and kept her head low, her face basically parallel to the ground. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused by her sudden outburst. What’s up with you…? Was there something weird in the cutlets? I glanced at the bed, looking for the source of my sister’s odd behavior, and realization struck me like lightning on a peaceful summer night — Adachi’s photo. Oh, I screwed up.
“Mom!” My sister yelled as if she were in danger, glaring at me. Her eyes seemed shimmery, ready to spill an endless sea of tears. I tilted my head to the side, anxiety progressively rising in my chest and crashing down on me like a wave. “Nee-chan is looking at naughty pictures on her phone!” You infernal demon! Go back to Hell, where you belong! I felt my lungs giving out, almost like they were filled with icy-cold water, and I let myself sink deeper into the void, too hopeless to fight back. Is this what drowning feels like?
“No, no, hush! Cut it out!” This was my desperate attempt to somehow prevent the worst from happening, but to no avail. Bribery always works with brats like her and Yashiro. “I’ll treat you to anything you want, okay?” I put on a fake sweet tone, my voice betraying me as it cracked. “Mom!” She insisted with a cheeky pout, and when I heard my mother’s furious shouting from downstairs, accompanied by Grandma’s efforts to calm her down, I knew the time of my doom had arrived. Goodbye, cruel world.
As anticipated, my Mom immediately confiscated my phone and sat me down for an “educational talk”, which meant a stern scolding that lasted over half an hour. I kept my gaze glued to my hands the entire time, keeping myself entertained with either my fingers or the laces of my shorts. This has to be the cringiest moment of my life, right after Adachi’s speech over the phone. I didn’t feel ashamed of myself, to be honest. I was seventeen, and it was only natural to experiment with sex-related matters. It would’ve been weird if I didn’t show any interest in them. My mother, however, seemed to have opposing views from mine. Tch, at least I have Grandma by my side. She’s not narrow-minded like you.
“This better be the first and last time this happens! Am I clear? And rest assured that I’ll be checking your phone once a week until you’re eighteen, missy.” As if it couldn’t get any worse. Grandma patted her daughter on the shoulder like she were holding her back, an aura of authority surrounding her. “I believe that’s enough, Yoshika-chan.” You go, Grandma!
“Our Hougetsu is almost an adult! She deserves some privacy, no?”
“But, Mom… this is inappropriate!”
“Don’t pretend like you weren’t like her, at her age! I noticed you sneaking out of the house to go meet your boyfriend many times.”
As Grandma and Mom kept arguing over the past, I leaned my back against the chair, as it was getting stiff, especially the back of my neck. I gently massaged it with one hand, groaning at the displeasing sensation. My posture is horrible, I should work on that. Seeing these two women, who from the very day I was born up until now I considered mature adults, fighting like children… made me feel a mix of conflicting emotions. On one side, it’s hilarious. But on the other? I see myself in my mother. It’s strange to imagine that at some point in her teenage life, she must’ve viewed the world with my same eyes. I’ve noticed a recurring “problem” in adults; they let go of their memories as time passes. So, they seem to be unable to put themselves in their kids’ shoes. Why does that happen? It must be a psychological thing.
“Um, sorry to interrupt, but… am I free to go now?”
“Fine… but I’m keeping my eyes on you!”
“Goodnight, Hougetsu. Don’t be mad at your mother, she just wants to protect you.”
That doesn’t sound very convincing when you’re tackling Mom like a professional wrestler… I nodded with an amused smirk, waving at the pair before I got up and left them to their ridicule fight. Please don’t murder each other, you two. I wasn’t even wearing my pajamas, but I was too lazy to change into them. I only craved a nice place to sleep, possibly void of loud noises and air-conditioned. I can only dream, my sister snores like a tractor. As I was headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth, I remembered about something, and stopped dead in my tracks. Oh no… what about Adachi?
“Crap…” I couldn’t even warn her that I’d be unable to text or call her for the following four days. She must be pulling her hair out from the stress a certain someone caused. I hope she doesn’t try anything extreme. As I opened the cabinet to retrieve my toothbrush, I ruminated over a plan to at least let her know that I didn’t, in fact, leave this plane of existence. I’ll sneak into my parents’ room and steal my phone. Wait, is even stealing if it’s already mine? Meh, it doesn’t matter.
The sweltering heat infiltrating through the open window enveloped me as a strange sense of reassurance washed over me. Maybe the Universe was trying to comfort me, or maybe I was so sleepy my brain was making up excuses to lessen the anxiety that was making my heart beat so hard. In either case, I grumbled when the toothpaste fell on the sink because of the stream of water from the tap, and put aside my worries. I’ll think about it tomorrow morning. Now, sleep. Forgive me, Adachi.
When I opened the door to our room, my sister was already snoring as she held her pillow in a death grip. Some droll was running down her chin, and the display wasn’t one I particularly enjoyed viewing. And I’m the gross one? She was sprawled out on the bed, the sheets a mess under her body, and for a moment she reminded me of a starfish. You better shrink like shrimp. Get it, ‘cause it rhymes? Okay, I’m not funny. I sat down on the edge, sighing to myself. Hopefully, Adachi doesn’t get too depressed. Sleep well, if you’ll even sleep tonight, that is… I’ll call you before I return home. And that’s a promise I’m looking forward to keeping.