Chapter 13: 13

Chapter 13: Closed Door

There she was, a slender woman dressed in a tight-fitting suit with a ladies’ business bag slung over her shoulder, looking like a very accomplished career woman.

Her sharp gaze through the lenses of her glasses pointed at Kazemiya had a reproachful tinge.

(Kohaku……)

She was someone who could call Kazemiya by her first name, and she was in front of this tower apartment.

And if I looked closely at her face, I felt that she resembled Kazemiya. She looked just like the kind of beautiful woman that Kazemiya would become if she grew up and aged.

“…..Mom.”

I knew it. She was Kazemiya’s mother.

Considering that Kazemiya’s older sister was a university student, she looked much younger than her age.

“You’ve been out again until these hours just because I can’t see you. Seriously…you never grow up, no matter how long it takes.”

“…..”

Kazemiya’s mother sighed as if she was truly disappointed.

Eventually, her gaze turned to me, who was standing next to Kazemiya.

“…And you are?”

“I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Kazemiya’s friend, Narumi Kouta.”

“I see. I apologize for any inconvenience our Kohaku has caused you.”

The greeting itself was pretty normal, but I feel that there was some implication in her words, am I just overly worried, or am I just being weird? Or…….

“Today we had to help the teacher at the school. I and Kazemiya were helping the teacher, but we were tired, so we took a break at the restaurant on the way home, and it got to be this late. I have been talking too much…I’m sorry.”

“Your concern is appreciated. I’m sure this kid was stalling again with all the nonsense anyway. …Good grief. Don’t bother the others. They’re busy too.”

“…..”

At her mother’s words, Kazemiya bit her lip and clenched a small fist.

“You got something to say, Kohaku?”

“Nothing.”

“…I don’t like that look in your eyes. I don’t care what you think in your mind, but you need to get out of the habit of showing it on your face. It’s disgraceful.”

With a familiar sigh, Kazemiya’s mother walked straight into the apartment.

As if following her, Kazemiya also tried to follow with weak steps—but before she did so, her eyes met mine for a moment.

“…..”

Kazemiya looked away as if she could no longer bear the pain and then disappeared into the apartment building that soared to the heavens.

“Kazemiya…”

I wondered how Kazemiya felt when our eyes met for the last time.

I felt like I could understand it. I and Kazemiya were similar. It was because we were so similar that I could understand.

—She didn’t want me to see her like that.

I felt like her words and feelings were seeping out from the last look in Kazemiya’s eyes.

***

“……I’m home.”

I came straight home from Kazemiya’s house and showed my face in the living room to let them know I was home.

“Welcome home.”

“Welcome home, Kouta-kun. Thanks for your hard work at school.”

“You must be tired. I’m refilling the bathtub with hot water. Take a bath and relax.”

I returned home at around ten o’clock.

I was warmly greeted by my mother, who was writing in the living room, and Akihiro-san, who was pouring a cup of warm cocoa.

Normally, my heart would be filled with uncomfortableness, guilty feelings, and remorse, but only today I was able to receive that warmth with open arms.

(Welcome home, huh…)

These two people say “welcome home” to me as if it were a matter of course.

But.

(……Kazemiya’s mother didn’t say that.)

Kazemiya’s mother did not say a single word of greeting to her daughter when she came home.

Not even a word of concern. She was just blaming, disgusted, and annoyed at her.

“What’s wrong? Spacing out like that.”

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“…I was just thinking about how lucky I am.”

“What, do you have a fever?”

“No.”

Rather, how much better it would have been if the existence of that Kazemiya’s mother had been a dream that she had had when she had a fever.

“Then, I’m going to put my stuff upstairs and take a bath.”

“Oh, Kouta-kun. If you are going upstairs, could you take some cocoa to Kotomi? I’m sure she’s studying right now.”

“……Alright.”

“Thanks. That’d be great.”

To be honest, the distance between Tsujikawa and me was still very subtle.

Perhaps Akihiro-san was aware of this. By asking me to bring something to Tsujikawa, he was increasing the opportunities for communication between the siblings.

If he had been a stranger, I would have refused.

There were probably plenty of people in this world who didn’t get along, and there was no need to force a relationship with someone who didn’t get along.

But the problem is that we are a family.

Unlike in school, this family connection would continue.

Even if I were to run away or turn a blind eye, the fact that we were a family itself would not disappear.

And besides, my mother had finally found happiness. I wasn’t so heartless as to try to mess it up here.

…And, well. I made excuses and rationalizations in my mind like that, kept my mind strong, and stood in front of my stepsister’s room.

First, I took a deep breath. Then, I knocked lightly.

“Ah, Tsujikawa, it’s me.”

“What is it?”

“I brought you something from Akihiro-san.”

“…please wait a moment.”

A little later, the door to the room opened.

Tsujikawa, dressed in loungewear, took one look at me and said,

“Welcome home. So you’re already home.”

She gave me a word of greeting first.

“A-ah…yeah. I just got home.”

“? What’s wrong?”

“…I had no idea you were going to greet me.”

“I think family members normally at least greet each other.”

Even TSUJIKAWA said “welcome home” to me like this. Just how uninterested Kazemiya’s mother was in her daughter. I felt as if this was becoming more and more apparent, and on the contrary, I almost felt depressed.

“This is from Akihiro-san.”

“Thank you very much.”

Tsujikawa received the cocoa.

I thought she would just walk away, but for some reason……she stayed where she was.

“…Why are you avoiding our family?”

Tsujikawa’s question relentlessly pointed out that I was avoiding our family.

“Families are meant to be together. That’s what’s normal, and I think being normal is what makes us happiest.”

“You’re right. I agree that normal is best.”

“If you know that, then you should stay home too.”

“Yeah, I wonder why. Even though that’s normal.”

“…Are you trying to destroy our family?”

Tsujikawa’s remark was tinged with accusation.

“I don’t want to drag my family down. So please don’t drag our family down with you either. No matter how……uncomfortable it may be.”

Since I moved into this house, and since we became a family, I couldn’t remember Tsujikawa ever showing so much emotion.

This showed me just how important “family” was to this girl, Tsujikawa Kotomi.

“I have a mother, I have a father. I have both parents. We can finally……be a normal family. Dad can be happy. If you do anything to destroy this happiness……I won’t forgive you.”

Then Tsujikawa returned to her room and closed the door.

A door that was firmly closed. There was no way for me to open it, at least not right now.

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