Chapter 191: Ch.41 – Alongside You (1/5)

 

 

 

 

 “Nnggg…”

I found myself in the middle of the desert. I didn't have any water, and I was dragging along the sand, trying my best to make it to an oasis of civilization. The sun was beating down on me relentlessly as I tried my best to wade through the heat.

“It’s… so hot.”

I complained, pushing the dry, hot air out of my mouth. I wasn't sure about how long I'd been going through this desert. My body was aching, and my mind was in a haze. In the distance were nothing but dunes as far as the eye could see. The landscape was bright, and it caused me to shield my eyes.

“So… hot.”

My body started to give out as I slumped over and fell to the ground. It didn't feel like sand, though… it was abnormally soft. As I brushed my cheek on my deathbed, I thought about my life…

“How… did I end up here?”

The wind blew, but it was hot and wasn't comforting at all. I rolled over, faced the sun that was trying to kill me, and… closed my eyes.

 

---

 

“Huh?”

I woke up in my room. The ceiling looked foreign to me as my mind tried to catch up to what was going on. I lay in bed in a pool of my own sweat. It… was hot in this room again. I couldn't stand it as I literally jumped out of bed, holding my collar to cool myself down.

With every step, I aimed at the door. I looked at the thermometer only to see what I expected when I opened it.

“Again?”

Every room in the house was turned to a reasonable temperature. But mine… was clearly the highest. I didn’t know if this was a malfunction in the central heating system or if some devil was playing with me by turning it up. Still, I was clearly annoyed as I tapped the button to bring it down.

“Oh, you’re up early.”

I turned to see Mary-san in a gown that cut off at her thighs coming out of the restroom. She walked over to me, likely seeing all the frustration on my face.

 

 

“I’m going to go back to sleep. Just had to turn the heat down.”

I explained as I continued to fiddle with the machine. It gave me problems as when I adjusted the heat, it would reset out of nowhere and fix my room.

“Is it too hot in there?”

Mary-san put her finger to her lip as she tilted her head. I stared at her a tad suspiciously.

"Yeah, it's been way too hot for the last few nights. I… don't mind a warm room, but there's a limit."

She shrugged.

"I figured I'd make you all warm and comfortable. Maybe… without asking you was a bad idea. You didn't say anything last night, so I did it again."

She walked over smoothly, messed with the panel on the heating system, and turned to me.

“What would you like, Madoka-san?”

"Ah… maybe around 25C?"

I suggested. Mary-san did just that as she fixed the problem so efficiently. It made me feel like a kid, having trouble with something so simple as she did just what I asked.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. You should get some more sleep, Madoka-san. It’s really early.”

“Yeah… I will.”

She just sat there, waiting for me to say something, so… I did just that.

“Hey, why would you up the temperature so high?”

She took a deep breath and sighed.

"Well, I wanted you to feel at home. To be in a nice warm bed when you wake up puts you in a good mood, right?"

Tenderly, she curled her hair into her fingers.

“I… thought that I was doing something nice, but it turned out that I was causing you trouble. Sorry, Madoka-san.”

Cutely, she looked away. Mary-san is strange, I've come to notice. She… was trying to do something nice without getting my insight on how I'd feel about it. It was as if she… is having difficulty considering how others would think about things. I found it strange that she never confronted me about my outburst the other night.

Mary-san just continued to do her best to make sure I felt welcomed despite being the one who helped my mom in the first place. It was too early to get a reading on who she was.

“You don’t have to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

I assured her. Her shoulders slumped a bit as she put her hands behind her back.

“Hey…”

She whispered.

“I… I’m not good with kids or people younger than me, Madoka-san.”

Mary-san admitted as she looked at me. In the dark hallway, the moonlight entered through the window to the right of us. It reflected off of Mary-san’s complexion, making her look all the more alluring. In an honest tone, she was opening up, if only a little to me.

“So… you’ll have to tell me when I’m doing something wrong. I would like to get things right, you know?”

It was a strange request.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a kid.”

I assured her. She giggled as she tilted her head, causing that long hair to drape to the left side of her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. But that's not what I…."

Her smile faded, and it caused my stomach to feel a bit heavy. I could see something in her expression. It… looked a little sad as she gazed to the side.

"I… I just think this arrangement would help both of us, Madoka-san. So… make sure you tell me when I’m doing something wrong, okay?”

To my surprise, she looked at me with a severe look. I brought myself back a bit and straightened my back. In a way, Mary-san looked like she was pleading with me. It was as if my answer would bring upon judgment.

“Yeah, I’ll mention anything that I’m uncomfortable with.”

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I said as I wrapped my arms across my stomach.

“But Mary-san… To be honest, everything has been… fine since I came here yesterday.”

I could see her eyes light up in the moonlight. She began to curl her hair once again as she watched me.

"I mean… your hospitality has been great. I… I should have mentioned that to you earlier, I guess."

She smiled, and I saw the white of her perfect teeth as she opened her mouth in excitement.

"That's good! That's good. I… just needed to make sure I'm doing things right."

Mary-san nodded to herself as she turned to the side.

“Good… good…”

She mumbled. Calmly, she turned to the side and put her hand behind her back.

“If you need anything from me, I’ll be in my room across the way. Don’t be afraid to ask for anything, Madoka-san.”

With that, she turned around and went back into her room. Her shapely body waved as she walked from one side of the hall to the other was like her going down a catwalk. Naturally, Mary-san was astonishing to watch. I was taken aback by how she could make herself look the part of a model no matter what time of the day it was.

“Hmm.”

I wasn't sure what she was actually going on about, though. Mary-san seemed to be trying to actually make my stay pleasant. She’s doing everything right so far, but I felt she was too conscious of that.

I looked back at the thermometer. To make sure it was at the highest every night to make me happy? I wasn’t sure about that. From what it felt like to me, Mary-san might have wanted this arrangement for a while. The problem came up with my family, so the opportunity struck to have someone else with her.

“I wonder…”

I pondered as I looked at the door across the way.

“Could Mary-san… be lonely in a way, and me being here is helping her?"

 

 

I closed my eyes and walked back into my room. Uncle Ryuji is rarely home, and from what I've heard, she and mom often go out to buy him gifts. Yesterday, she made me breakfast, then lunch, and dinner. She seemed happy that I was there to eat her food the entire time.

“I wonder… how often she has people over?”

Some places are naturally messy in my home despite how much of a clean person I am. That is normal when a home is lived in. But this place felt cold, and the extra rooms and space were just convenient, if anything.

“Maybe…this arrangement isn’t just for my sake.”

My world had been spinning around, and I'd only focused on my own problems for the last few days. Probably, if I looked at things more than just my own circumstances, I would have noticed that… this wasn’t just for my sake.

“Hm… I wonder if my uncle realizes how Mary-san feels?”

He was someone who would take his job over his family any day. I've realized that about my uncle. But because he's that kind of person, he's wealthy enough for his family not to struggle. Without his help, Mom wouldn't have been able to land the job she had. He's… done a lot for mom and me since my dad died.

Uncle is a great businessman... but he might be a horrible romantic partner. He's always so focused on work that he disregards the emotional feelings of others. And it's because he's like this that Mary-san might be starving for companionship.

"Is… that the real reason why she suggested this setup, though?"

I doubt Mary-san wanted to get me here from the start. Maybe… Mary-san just saw what my mom was going to do and figured it was the best chance for her to have someone else in the house?

“That’s all speculation, isn’t it?”

I berated my thoughts for the time being. I was tired. My mind was going in places it shouldn't. Yes, Mary-san was actively helping my mom find a way to get me out of the house, but as it stood right this moment, she wasn't doing anything wrong. Mary-san… was kind, and I decided to consider that.

With a sigh, I walked over to my bed. The room was cooling off, and it felt like there was a nice breeze to push me back into bed. I sat at the head of my mattress and picked up my phone.

“Hm?”

There were messages from Hana-chan. Quickly, I looked at them.

[Mom told me about a day where she helped you with English.]

That was the message title. I opened it and expanded the whole message.

[Hi, Onee-chan.

This morning, mom tried to speak with mom, but she was too upset to come out of her room. Your mom is taking this hard as I expected. But mom is trying her hardest to make sure they chat.

Mom finally opened up to me during breakfast and told me about you two playing games and her teaching you English words. It's late, and I don't expect you to read this until the morning, but I just wanted you to know…

Mom is trying, Onee-chan. And I’m glad.]

 

 

That’s where it ended. I… found that I had a smile on my face. I don’t remember the times that Hana-chan mentioned in the email. I'm sure it happened, but my memory wouldn't allow me to look back and watch it.

“Mari-san….”

I whispered her name, and it caused my chest to warm up. It seemed mom was avoiding her, though, and I expected that also like Hana-chan mentioned. But it went to show me that Mari-san wasn't just saying words like she had been these last few months. It would seem that she wanted to confront the lies she made, which was a start.

"I wonder… why can't I remember anything, though?"

I lay in bed and looked at the ceiling. My mind was like a blank slate when I tried to look back at those memories. I remember my mom working at the insurance agency. Mom would come home crying every night, and I would comfort her. But then, like I was in a fog, walking through and trying to guide my way into those days… everything gets jumbled.

Yuko-chan came to mind. I remember how short she was and how cute she was. But it was brief as that memory would fade into black. I couldn't even remember Mae-chan yelling at me or getting in an accident with mom. Let alone the day when I fell at the amusement park.

 

“What would it take… for me to remember what happened?”

I begged no one but myself. I… wanted to know my own truth of my past. As I pondered what might have happened back then, I closed my eyes and faded off to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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