Chapter 95

It seems the room had reached a comfortable temperature, as Eri, who had been noisy, finally settled down and became quiet.

Yuki returned to watching the video on TV, and Mina went back to her game.

However, this state didn't last long. Eri, who had been looking at the TV with a discontented expression, started talking again, restlessly.

"Hey, you two, aren't you going anywhere? Summer vacation has a lot to offer, you know, like festivals and all sorts of events."

"It's too much trouble, and it's hot outside."

"I hate crowds."

"What's with these two?"

Eri muttered. It felt like her inner thoughts were leaking out, but she didn't seem to care about hiding them.

Seeing her unusually bad mood, I decided to ask in a soothing tone.

"What about you, Eri?"

"I went to karaoke with some friends the other day. When I suggested we do an anime song theme, they told me to do it alone, so I did."

"That sounds fun. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Yeah, but I might not get invited again."

That's sad.

Life isn't always fun.

Still, Eri had a point. For a kid like Mina, who is in the prime of her playtime, being glued to games at home all day is quite a problem.

"Mina, you should go out and play with someone."

"You're throwing a boomerang, a double tomahawk, at me."

"I'm fine because I played the other day."

"That's not something to be proud of. What's with that rite of passage kind of talk?"

Mina, seemingly oblivious to the tension, lay on the sofa, kicking her legs while focusing on her game. Eri stood up, squatted beside her, and said in a gentler tone,

"Mina, by the way, how are things with your friends?"

"Friends? It's nothing special..."

Mina lazily took out one earphone and looked up, hesitating while glancing at Yuki's expression. She then brought the game console in front of Eri's face, trying to divert attention,

"Anyway, look at this! Mina is busy developing a forest."

"Oh, it's a forest in Animal Crossing! I want to play too!"

"Yuki, you should buy it and play with me."

"Um, I don't have money right now. Thanks to someone, my allowance is tight this month."

Saying this, Eri looked at Yuki for some reason. It made no sense, but it was typical, so I pretended not to notice. Mina, looking puzzled, asked,

"Then why don't you get a part-time job?"

"Our school basically forbids part-time jobs. It's a prestigious school, after all."

"Then why don't you study instead of playing?"

"Um, I don't think I should be taking advice from you."

"Poor thing," Mina patted Eri's cheek.

Eri, still smiling, grabbed her wrist and pushed it away,

"My parents are making me go to summer tutoring because of you, Yuki."

"Why is it my fault?"

"That's like the wind blowing and making your middle school syndrome worse? But I said there's a better way, a private tutor."

"Private tutor? That sounds even more expensive."

"Enter the private tutor, Rion."

"What's that?"

"Have you forgotten already?"

I thought she was talking about a tutoring company, but it seemed she was referring to Rion. It must be because of his poor test results, but there's no defending that.

"Are you counting on Rion? It's embarrassing to have a tutor who's the same age as you."

"Is it?"

Mina chimed in at the right moment. It must have been effective because Eri clammed up.

"Fine, Yuki, go get some ice cream."

"Do it yourself."

"Aw, come on. I'll give you money, so you can get some for yourself too."

"Hmm? You were trying to get me to do it for free? Let's go together then."

"No way. I'll melt outside. I mean, I'll melt."

"Are you cheese?"

The two started playfully bickering again, but Yuki returned his attention to the TV. Then, his phone, which had been carelessly left on the sofa, started ringing.

"Your phone is ringing."

Yuki ignored the phone, and Eri looked at him curiously. Reluctantly, Yuki picked up the phone, swiped the screen, and rejected the call.

"Why aren't you answering?"

"It's Keitaro."

"Is that a reason? Answer it."

Just as she said that, the phone rang again. It was Keitaro again. Yuki paused the TV and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello? You just hung up, didn't you? What are you doing now..."

"Sorry, I'm a bit busy right now."

"Your arms are flailing around."

Eri chimed in from the side, but he hung up after that.

"I'll turn it off to avoid the noise."

"You're a terrible friend. He might be in a serious situation."

"Eri has been noisy, and I can't hear the TV."

"Should I break the TV?"

Just as he was about to turn off the phone, it rang again from Keitaro. Feeling the pressure from the side, he reluctantly answered.

"Hey, I just heard a woman's voice. Where are you?"

"TV, TV."

"Don't tell me you're watching TV! What do you mean you're busy?"

Caught red-handed, with Eri glaring at him, he had no choice but to listen to Keitaro.

"Surprisingly, surprisingly, Maki invited me."

"Great!"

"But she said it's a bit sudden to be alone, so she suggested going with her ex and a few others. So you should come too."

"Hmm, that might be a bit difficult."

"Come on, you're free, right?"

He called because he knew I'd end up dealing with his troubles. Recently, he's been calling with trivial matters, often sending meaningless messages.

"They said the day after tomorrow or this weekend, but the sooner the better, so let's go the day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow? Um, I was planning to go out with my sister that day."

"Sister? Why is your sister coming up now?"

"She doesn't like going out alone and stays at home all the time. It would be nice if she had friends to play with."

"Your sister... she doesn't seem to have friends. She always looks like she's drooling with her mouth half open."

"What kind of image is that?"

Of course, Keitaro had never seen or met Mina. He hummed for a while on the phone,

"Then there's no choice. I don't really want to, but... I'll bring someone to play with her."

"Playmate?"

"My sister. She's free anyway, so we can let her play with your sister while we go out."

"Wait, you have a sister?"

"Got it. See you the day after tomorrow. I'll message you the time."

Before I could say anything, he decided everything on his own and hung up.

↓Buddhist Forest's rating is of course ★5