Vol. 2 Chapter 2 – Say More

♠

“Ahh, this is really great! Kyousuke actually got himself such a cute girlfriend!”

“C-cute… ehehe, thank you very much!”

“How many times do I have to explain that she’s not my girlfriend, Mom! And Ayano too, that’s not something to get embarrassed about!”

The next morning, 8 a.m.

Inside the Fujimura family car, heading toward the campsite.

In the driver’s seat is the father, Yukimasa, and in the passenger seat is the mother, Chizuko. In the back seat, from right to left, sit Asuka, Kyousuke, and Ayano.

Ever since Ayano got into the car about ten minutes ago, the inside has been bursting with overwhelming excitement, with Chizuko at the epicenter.

If you were to rank the noise level, it’s a small blessing that Asuka, who’s at a national tournament top-four level, is asleep. However, since Chizuko, who’s at a world-class prizewinner level, just won’t stop talking, there’s no telling when she might wake up.

To avoid the worst-case scenario of being subjected to a double verbal assault, Kyousuke keeps trying to quiet her down with explanations, but as you can see, it’s not working. It’s like throwing fuel onto a fire, the more he runs his mouth, the louder it gets.

“Not something to get embarrassed about? What do you mean by that? Ah, I see! Kyousuke is saying it’s only natural that Sasagawa-san is cute!”

“That’s not the point—”

“Oh, how mean! So you’re saying she’s not cute?”

“That’s not it! I mean, clearing up the misunderstanding comes first…!”

“Aah, poor Sasagawa-san.”

“…Please, give me a break, Mom.”

He had gotten somewhat used to being toyed with by Ayano but when a family member got involved, the embarrassment multiplied several times over.

Seeing her son clutch his head, Yukimasa quietly said, 『That’s enough now.』Chizuko replied in high spirits and finally turned back to face forward.

Usually, he’s a somewhat unreliable and quiet father whose only strong point seems to be his calmness but in this household, he’s the only one capable of steering Chizuko.

“I should’ve just relied on him from the start…” Kyousuke muttered, his shoulders slumping.

Then, tug, tug, Ayano pulled lightly on the sleeve of his clothes like a little puppy.

“…Am I really cute?”

Her uneasy voice made Kyousuke feel puzzled at first.

He recalled the time they went out together for the first time.

Back then too, she had asked if she was cute but at that time, it was a face that clearly understood perfectly well how good her appearance was, and yet still tried to force him to say it anyway.

But this time, it was different.

Over a white T-shirt, she wore a light blue sheer shirt, and tight denim below. It would make sense if she felt uneasy because she was trying something bold, but honestly, it wasn’t anything unusual. It was a normal outfit and she looked naturally beautiful and cute.

『Kyousuke… did you hate talking with me…?』

He recalled the words she had said just a few days ago.

There’s no way Ayano doesn’t know about Kyousuke’s affection for her as a friend. And yet, at that moment, she had genuinely been depressed. Her face looked like she was wishing from the bottom of her heart that it wasn’t true.

Something similar to that is happening right now.

He had no idea why she had suddenly lost her confidence.

【Kyo: You’re cute. Way more than usual.】

He had absolutely no idea why, but he felt like he should praise her more than usual.

That said, there’s no way he could say something like that in front of his parents, so he used a messaging app as a go-between.

【Ayano: Does that mean I’m not cute normally?】

She typed that, her brows knitting slightly, like nyu.

There was no intent to tease in that expression. She was genuinely doubtful, genuinely worried.

【Kyo: You’re always cute, but I mean you’re especially cute today!】

【Ayano: Really?】

【Kyo: I wouldn’t lie about something like this】

【Ayano: If that’s true… then hold my hand】

Hiding her mouth behind her phone, her eyes, glistening with expectation and anxiety, reflected Kyousuke.

‘He-here…?’

In front of him were his parents, and beside him, his younger sister.

He had just insisted moments ago that they weren’t dating, so if they were seen like this, what excuse would he even give?

‘…Ah, damn it…!’

Cursing inwardly, he gently reached out and touched Ayano’s soft skin. For a moment, her eyes widened, then her stiff lips relaxed, and the tension in her shoulders eased.

Thank goodness, Kyousuke felt relieved.

He was aware that he was doing something pretty dangerous, but more than anything, the thing he couldn’t handle most was seeing her make a sad face.

“…So it’s true.”

Loosely intertwining their fingers, Ayano murmured softly to herself. Her cheeks were overtaken by warm, bright emotions, and with the pads of her fingers, she funi funi playfully enjoyed the feel of Kyousuke’s hand.

【Ayano: Say more】

【Kyo: Cute】

【Ayano: More】

【Kyo: You’re cute】

He replied immediately, but no matter how long he waited, it didn’t get marked as read.

When he looked up, Ayano had deliberately placed her phone on her lap where he could clearly see it.

Just like when she begs to be praised or petted, she looked at him with deep indigo eyes that held a bewitching light. Most likely, this meant she wanted him to say it out loud.

“There’s no way I can do that right now…!” he whispered.

She pouted her lips in disappointment.

Putting aside what she had asked for, he was simply happy that she seemed a little more cheerful.

Just as he let out a small sigh of relief, his eyes met Chizuko’s through the mirror. Her expression had completely changed from earlier, now tightened, wearing a polite, outward-facing smile.

“Come to think of it, I completely forgot to greet Sasagawa-san’s parents. Sorry, but could you call them later?”

At that instant, Ayano’s hand twitched.

A thin layer of sweat slowly seeped out and her body steadily grew warmer.

“M-my parents? It’s fine, really, it’s fine! My family’s pretty laid-back!”

“It’s not about being laid-back. We’re taking responsibility for someone else’s daughter, after all. It’s a bit strange to contact them after we’ve already brought you along, but as guardians, we should at least inform them.”

Faced with such an entirely reasonable argument, Ayano fell silent, looking uncomfortable.

Contacting her parents. In other words, it meant calling Ayano’s father. Even if she avoided him and called her new mother instead, it wouldn’t be a pleasant situation for her.

“Ah… about that.”

Saying that, Kyousuke tightened his grip on her hand even more.

“Ayano’s parents are overseas right now. They’re really busy and apparently they told her not to contact them unless it’s something serious.”

『Right?』he asked, seeking her agreement.

Of course, it was a lie. He had never even heard about her parents’ jobs.

But this was the only way to get through the situation. He had his reservations about making her go along with the lie, but there was no other choice.

“Y-yes, that’s right. My parents work in trade. I don’t even really know what country they’re in right now.”

“Oh my, is that so? Then are you living alone? That must be tough…”

“Not at all! If anything, it’s much easier!”

It seemed they had managed to bluff their way through, as Chizuko didn’t pursue the matter any further.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, just as the car rounded a curve, Ayano suddenly pulled his hand toward her with a firm grip.

His body tilted, and his head rested on her shoulder. At that exact moment, her lips lightly brushed against his ear, and he caught his breath at the pleasant warmth and faint moisture.

“Thanks.”

Her voice, meant only to stir Kyousuke’s eardrum, sent a quiet shiver of pleasure down his spine.

That expression of hers wasn’t just simple happiness. It was deeper, warmer, shimmering with a color he couldn’t quite understand.

“Heeey…? Huh, Sasagawa-san?”

Rubbing her eyes with a sleepy face, Asuka woke up.

Ayano immediately let go of his hand and, as if nothing had happened, greeted her with a casual,『Good morning.』

‘It’s… over…’

Foreseeing the true disaster that was about to begin, Kyousuke muttered quietly to himself in his mind.

***

They arrived at the campsite before noon and had lunch at the café attached to it.

After that, they rented various equipment, sent the girls to the hot spring facility next to the café and Yukimasa and Kyousuke decided to set up the tents by themselves.

‘Maybe Dad is being considerate of me in his own way.’

After Asuka woke up, the car ride had been so chaotic it felt like they were in a karaoke room. There was no need to explain just how exhausted Kyousuke, who had been at the center of that storm of noise, was.

If they had all set up the tents together, it would have just been an extension of the chaos in the car. To avoid that, he must have deliberately sent the girls away.

“Kyousuke.”

The moment they finished setting up the tent for the girls and took a breather, Yukimasa, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. With a small movement, he pushed up his heavy, thick-lensed glasses and a faint fire flickered in his languid eyes.

“Use protection.”

The completely out-of-context remark made Kyousuke’s mind go blank.

“…Huh?”

“Contraception.”

“…What?”

“Don’t go making excuses like『it’s too big to put one on.』There’s no way my son would have that problem.”

“……”

“Don’t make her sad. You better treat her properly or I’ll punch you.”

As if satisfied with having said his piece, he let out a snort and moved on to setting up the other tent.

‘…What was that just now?’

As far as Kyousuke knew, Yukimasa wasn’t the type to make jokes.

He genuinely believed that his son and Ayano were dating and had simply fulfilled his duty as a father.

‘Even Dad’s misunderstanding it… what’s going on with my family?’

Why was he being misunderstood this persistently?

It’s true that since entering high school, he had been spending more time with Ayano, and as a result, coming home later. He’d been treated to dinner, so the number of times he ate at home had decreased. He had chased after her all the way to the sea, skipped school, and the two of them had spent a night together.

That’s all. Really, that’s all it was.

‘…N-no…’

Ayano’s sense of personal distance was so broken that it had dulled his own perception, but when he calmly organized the situation he realized it was far too unreasonable to claim they weren’t dating.

After all, a son who had done everything couples normally do, inviting her on a camping trip to introduce her, it wouldn’t be strange for anyone to think that.

‘Could it be… this is actually a really bad situation…?’

Being misunderstood by random strangers couldn’t be helped but when it came to family, it was a different story.

And on top of that, no matter how many times, tens of times he tried to explain, they wouldn’t listen. If he denies it too strongly, he might end up hurting Ayano.

“How did it come to this…”

Letting out what must have been his umpteenth sigh of the day, Kyousuke slowly crouched down.

♥

‘Could it be… this is actually a really bad situation…?’

Arriving at the changing room of the hot spring facility, Ayano, now separated from Kyousuke, suddenly came back to her senses.

When he invited her on the camping trip, she hadn’t hesitated at all before saying she wanted to go. Purely and simply because she wanted to stay over with him again.

As a result, within his family, she had been completely recognized as his girlfriend.

No matter how they tried to explain it, given the circumstances, there was no way they could pass it off as just being friends.

‘What if they think I’m trying to surround him from the outside… and he ends up hating me…?’

Just because his family misunderstood things, it was hard to imagine Kyousuke distancing himself from her.

Even so, she felt uneasy.

Lately, she had been feeling nothing but anxiety.

『He said he doesn’t even feel like talking.』

She recalled Asuka’s words from the other day.

There’s no way Kyousuke would truly say he didn’t want to talk. It was probably because of his timid nature and poor communication skills that he ended up saying something like that. Understanding that much, she still couldn’t help but wonder…

『Oh, how mean! So you’re saying she’s not cute?』

Even that whole『cute or not cute』discussion was basically Chizuko’s unreasonable accusation. Kyousuke hadn’t said a single word about her not being cute. Even knowing that, she still couldn’t ignore it.

Because she liked him, she didn’t want him to hate her.

She wanted him to think she was cute. She wanted him to say it out loud.

Words of praise she should have been used to hearing instantly turned into the sweetest indulgence when filtered through him, scorching her chest with a chiri chiri burn.

Centered around her feelings of love, those kinds of desires swirled around and around, making her overreact to even the smallest things. She had absolutely no control over it.

“Sasagawa-san! Come on, take it off, take it off!”

Being called out by Asuka, she lifted her gaze from where she had been looking down.

“Huh? Ah, okay…but…Asuka-chan, why are you staring so much?”

“Because I’m interested in seeing a model’s naked body!”

With sparkling, completely unclouded eyes, she replied in an incredibly nice voice.

“Ahaha…” Ayano let out a dry laugh. Hearing a line like that delivered with a face exactly like Kyousuke’s gave her a strangely odd feeling.

In any case, there was no point in fidgeting around.

First, she slipped her arms out of the sheer shirt she had been wearing, then took off her sweat-dampened T-shirt. The breeze from the fan passed under her arms and behind her knees, cool and pleasant.

“W-what do you even eat to get a body like that…?!”

“Watching your diet, training your body, getting proper sleep. It’s important to properly do the obvious things.”

“But if you’re not born with it, doesn’t it not matter?”

She couldn’t deny that.

Women as tall as herself were rare and it wasn’t like you could grow your limbs longer just by eating well or sleeping.

“Everyone has their own good points, so it’s best to develop those. Asuka-chan, you’re cute, and since you resemble Kyousuke, I think makeup would suit you really well too, so you’d probably turn out amazing!”

“…Huh? Why is Kyo-nii coming up?”

At that question, all the pores across her body burst open with a buwa.

‘I messed upaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!’

This is bad. This is no laughing matter.

She liked Kyousuke’s troubled expression, but if his crossdressing got exposed to his family, it wouldn’t end with just a troubled look. At worst, it might make him angry. She absolutely wanted to avoid that. She didn’t want him to hate her.

“Now that I think about it, yesterday when you saw me, didn’t you say something like Kyouko-chan? Does that have anything to do with Kyo-nii?”

“Hah?! N-no, I have no idea at all! Who’s that!?”

Even to herself, the lie was so clumsy it was practically a confession.

Under that gaze filled with suspicion, cold sweat wouldn’t stop dripping.

“Don’t keep bothering Sasagawa-san. If you don’t hurry and get into the bath, you’ll catch a cold.”

After being told that, Asuka replied『Okaaay』and moved on to getting herself ready.

Feeling grateful inside, she entered the bath with Chizuko. Since it was still summer vacation and there were many families, children’s voices stood out.

“Sorry about earlier.”

As soon as they sat down side by side on the stools in the washing area, Chizuko furrowed her brows apologetically.

“F-for what?”

“In the car, you know, when I asked about your parents…Sasagawa-san, something’s going on with them, isn’t it?”

Ayano was stunned. For a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

It was rude to think so, but she had assumed Chizuko was the type who didn’t think too deeply about things.

However, in reality, she had seen right through it, and her tone now was completely different from the cheerful, lively one in the car, carrying the solid presence of a true adult.

“I’m the one who should apologize. I lied…”

“It’s fine. You just went along with the lifeline Kyousuke threw you. That boy’s grown up, hasn’t he? Lying to his parents for the sake of his girlfriend.”

With a smile that seemed like a blend of joy and loneliness, she let out a soft fufu.

Seeing that motherly expression Chizuko showed, Ayano unconsciously traced back through old memories. The first time she had defied her own mother, that expression vividly resurfaced and overlapped with Chizuko’s.

“…Um, Kyousuke-kun and I really aren’t dating or anything like that. We’re just friends…”

“You don’t have to hide it. I understand.”

“N-no, I mean—”

“Don’t worry. Neither I nor his father have any interest in interfering with our son’s youth. If you want, we’ll support you as much as we can.”

At this point, Ayano let her shoulders drop.

This was hopeless. Chizuko was in serious mode now, and even then the misunderstanding wouldn’t clear up, so there was nothing she could do.

“That boy, you see…”

She started to say it, then hesitated.

With no words following, Ayano asked,『What is it?』 Chizuko washed her face with a washa washa and then opened her heavy lips.

“When he was in his third year of middle school, he only went to school about half the time.”

“…Huh?”

Jabon, somewhere a child jumped into the bath.

The parent’s voice scolding them and the bathwater lapping at her feet. Even that warmth faded from awareness as her thoughts froze at the sudden revelation.

“He suddenly became withdrawn. Said he didn’t want to see anyone. He did manage to get into high school, but we were worried he’d stop going right away.”

“And so” she continued, putting on the same carefree smile she had shown in the car.

“I’m glad you’re there, Sasagawa-san. Thanks to you, that boy really looks like he’s enjoying himself every day.”

“I see…”

She was happy. That Kyousuke was having fun. That he was coming to school.

She was truly happy—but at the same time, her heart felt restless.

“Um… Kyousuke-kun, why—”

Before she could finish, don, an impact hit her back.

Startled, she turned around, only to find Asuka standing there with a beaming smile.

“Sasagawa-san, let’s wash each other’s backs! Hey, that’s okay, right?”

“Ah. Ah, yeah. Okay, sure.”

“Yay!”

Ayano swallowed the words that had risen to the back of her throat.

She wasn’t carefree enough to ask about Kyousuke in this kind of atmosphere.

But because she had been left hanging, her desire to know only grew purer, building up deep in her chest.

Why had someone as serious as Kyousuke stopped going to school?

She understood that it was probably a topic she shouldn’t touch. And yet, the urge to know everything about the person she liked burned away her reason and pushed it aside.

“Why the serious face? Are you holding in going to the bathroom or something?”

“Huh? N-no, that’s not it! Alright then, I’ll wash you first!”

She stood up and had Asuka sit down on the stool.

Then Ayano quickly bent down, bringing her eye level to Asuka’s back. So that the expression inevitably turning tense from all those questions wouldn’t be reflected in the mirror.