Gimai Seikatsu's
Chapter 1 - 16 july (Thursday)
On this summer morning, my still-sleepy body felt like it was covered by a thin, invisible membrane. My senses felt dull by the humidity and heat. Giving up on the inertia caused by the AC I just turned on, I moved like an emotionless mechanical doll, simply wiping the eucalyptus dining table over and over again.
As is often the case, my parents were not home this morning. Ayase-san walked in from the kitchen with two dishes in hand and placed them on the table I just cleaned. Instead of our usual white rice, the soaked-looking toast was on top of this plate.
“...Bread with soy-flavored boiled vegetables?”
"Baked bread." Ayase-san gave me the original name of the dish in an indifferent tone.
Still confused as to what that meant, I simply muttered a confused 'So' in response. Of course, I know what a french toast is. I had never eaten it before, but I knew of its existence thanks to the fact that it appeared in some of the books I read. Nonetheless, the tragedy of this situation is that even if I know the term, I still cannot have an actual physical reaction to its existence in the real world, because I've never seen anything real.
“See from its name, is this French cuisine?”
"It's from America."
“You really know a lot, Ayase-san.”
“At least I think that's what it says on the menu in the family restaurant that I ate at once.”
It was probably one of those seasonal menus that described each dish extensively. But the origin of the dish is not very important at this point.
"How can you eat this?"
“I put it there for you. Didn't you see them?”
"With a knife and a fork?"
"Yes. Then again, you can eat it with your fingers or with chopsticks. It's not like anyone's watching; we're at home.” Ayase-san spoke nonchalantly, but I haven't been able to see her fully as a member of my family. I would probably embarrass myself if I made a mess while eating.
She was like a stranger to me, not to mention she was a girl in the same year as me. She was really pretty on top of that, so I couldn't show a side of myself that wasn't nice to see.
“Cutting bread like some kind of steak must feel weird, right?”
"Thul? It's not that bad if you tell yourself it's just cake, in my opinion. ”
“Now after you mention it ..”
Being able to see things from every angle like that was certainly an impressive mental achievement. With this philosophical argument, we focus on our food. I get the taste of eggs and salt, which combine to create a sweet sensation on my tongue. I was thinking about how to convey my impression of food when Ayase-san glanced at me.
Ah?, I thought to myself.
As I looked towards Ayase-san, who was sitting right across the table from me, she had an expressionless face as usual. However, his movements while holding the knife and fork lacked the usual skill and subtlety, which made me think that maybe he was worried about something distracting him from the food.
"What's wrong?"
“Eh?”
"I don't know. Looks like you're thinking of something.”
“...How to respond.” Ayase-san smiled bitterly as she looked at the calendar hanging on the wall.
It was the calendar that Akiko-san brought along when they moved in with us. It had images of cats rolling around, which might have been meant to have a calming effect on the person who saw it. I think he got it as an insurance trade when he arrived at the bar where he worked. Since my old man and I were basically living off our smartphone calendar, we never had one, but he put it last month next to the dining table on the grounds 'This wall looks lonely'. Ayase-san glanced at the evidence of the woman living in our house and opened her mouth.
"I think it's today, right?"
"What?"
“The day on which they announced the results of the final semester exam. My class today, I guess.”
“Ahh, right, they are still not finished announcing it.”
"Yes. Although there is only one subject left.”
Of course, the fact that we both have a new family and our resulting lifestyle changes are not enough to free us from the lives of our normal students at Suisei High School. We still have to focus on our final semester exam, which happens in early July like every year. Of course, Ayase-san and I didn't pay much attention to each other's lessons; we just focused on ourselves. We've promised each other not to push each other too much, or go too far, so of course we don't know anything about each other's test results, and we also do not try to find out—Till today, is.
“Hei, Asamura-kun, may I ask a rude question?”
"Continue. If it was the kind of question that made me have to cover my ears or make me feel uncomfortable, I guess you wouldn't even ask it in the first place
The fact that he had asked permission to ask a question made me able to say that it was something that made sense. That's the conclusion I was able to come to thanks to spending time with him to date.
“How was your test result?”
The question he had was even more normal than I expected. After all, this could be a sensitive topic for others out there, which once again made me realize how considerate Ayase-san is.
“Um... 81 points in Japanese History, 92 in Mathematics I, 88 in Mathematics II, 70 in Physics, 85 in Chemistry, 90 in English, 79 in English Communication, 79 in English, 96 In Modern Japanese, and 77 in Classical Japanese. ”
“That's amazing, Asamura-kun. Your grade is very good.”
"thank you. I'm glad to hear you say that. But, personally, there are some subjects I need to work on, such as Physics and Chemistry.”
“I think having 96 in Modern Japanese is pretty amazing.”
"What about you, Ayase-san?"
“I got 100 points in Japanese History, 80 in Mathematics I, 86 in Mathematics II, 89 in Physics, 81 in Chemistry, 84 in English, 80 in English Communication, 80 in English, dan 90 in Classic Japanese.”
“So you're above 80 in all! You have much better value than me. ”
“So far, yes.”
“You only have one subject left, right? Even if your Modern Japanese score is slightly lower than the others, your total number should definitely be higher than mine. ”
"I'm curious. I'm not very confident with Modern Japanese.” Compared to her dry and indifferent tone, I could feel a faint hint of anxiety in her voice, and Ayase-san sighed again. “If possible, I would like to start working part-time on holidays this summer, but depending on my grades in Modern Japanese, I may have to spend more time studying.”
"sorry. It's all because I couldn't find a high-paying part-time job for you.”
“You really don't need to apologize for that, Asamura-kun.”
"No, it's just a requirement for our agreement."
At the same time, because he did not want to burden our family finances, he wanted a high-paying part-time job that did not spend too much of his valuable study time, he said, so he asked me to help him gather information, offering to cook breakfast and dinner for me in return. However, while painful for me to admit, I failed to get any valuable results in that effort over the past month or so. I'm sure it's only Ayase-san who is considerate and doesn't want me to feel guilty about it, but she hasn't issued a single complaint about it. The only thing he did was to make a faint bitter smile.
“I know that what I'm asking you to do here is selfish, and I reflect on it. For now, I will be looking for a normal part-time job.”
“Then I will take care of my own food as well.”
"Huh? No need.”
This is a condition of our contract, so this is a clear response from me as far as I know, but Ayase-san seems to be strangely hanging up the phone.
"I can keep doing it."
"But…"
“Cooking is quite fun, and it helps me relax. It's a nice change of speed.”
There is a psychological reaction called the 'True-back norm'. If someone accepts something, they feel an urge to return it or something else of equal or greater value. If you receive something, you return it to the person who received it, and if you receive something back, you return it again. By repeating this over and over again, human relationships gradually create a circle.
I am well aware that I am not attractive and charming enough as a human being to be showered with boundless and free love, and if someone is too friendly with me without any benefit in it for them, he said, I immediately doubted their intentions. And even if there is no ulterior motive behind this affection, I still feel uncomfortable just being on the receiving end.
Since Ayase-san is the type of person who is similar to me, she must be aware of how I feel and how I contemplate about how to make this give-and-take.
"Then I have an idea." He raised his hand, like we were in class.
“Now after we searched for a whole month, our chances of finding anything were most likely hopeless. We can agree on that much, right?”
"Yes. I do not want to admit it, but as long as we do not rely on immoral and illegal methods, I think it is hopeless.”
“To get into the university I want, I need to save money, so a part-time job during the summer holidays is required, no matter how much time it takes from me. I might be forced to sacrifice sleep so I can have more time to learn.”
“Didn't sleep deprivation lower your academic efficiency?”
"That's fine. That's why I have a proposal. You can help me find ideas that can improve my learning efficiency.”
“Increase your learning efficiency, huh? So like looking for a good reference book, or setting up an environment that allows for learning comfortably?”
“I will hand over his methods to you. May I ask for your help?”
I never thought I would experience such a selfish request from a little sister in my life. Although this was different from the stereotypical thing where an older brother was forced to accept a selfish younger sister, I still felt a strange obligation to agree to it.
"understand. I don't know if I can find anything suitable for this French toast, but I will try my best.”
"thank you. I can't wait for that."
He spoke without authenticity in his tone of voice, only speaking in a dry voice with a cold expression. Again, he gave off the feeling that, whatever the outcome, he would not complain or blame me. When I saw him make that face, it made me want to change that expression in a good way. I need to find an idea of how to improve his learning efficiency. Pondering this, I enjoyed the sweet taste of my French toast, my pre-gift, as I ate it.
After spending a nice morning, the two of us went to school together, as friendly and peaceful brothers—Of course, light novels or events like manga don't happen, as usual. Instead, I went to school alone. But I didn't feel doubtful or sad from that fact, so I must have gotten used to this relationship with my half-brother.
Both Ayase-san and I have not revealed to anyone at school that we are half-siblings, and we are acting like strangers at school. The only exception to this is Narasaka Maaya, Ayase-san's good friend. I even kept it a secret from Maru Tomokazu, one of my few friends. It's not that I don't trust him, but there are strange rumors circulating in the baseball club he's at, so I don't want him to worry about me if it leaks in any way.
“Hai, Asura. Don't look for porn sites while you're at school, huh?”
This Tomokazu Maru is now calling out to me with a teasing grin on her face. I sat in a quiet classroom setting right before the homeroom. Since I had finished preparing for my classes, I just sat on my phone, researching things.
"Maru, did you know that the insults you make towards others are actually a reflection of your own insecurities?"
"What does that mean?"
"Once you come up with the idea of accusing someone else of doing something, it really means you're going to do the same."
"That's an interesting conclusion."
“Basically, you just admitted to visiting your own porn site, Maru.”
"That's a pretty harsh accusation, bro."
"So you didn't visit anyone?"
"…I do it sometimes."
Judge, I plead guilty to defendant Maru. Then again, I had to give him a compliment for admitting it honestly without the need for him to do it. It just shows that he's a really great guy.
“I wouldn't dare to see such things in school. I only saw a few things.”
“Oh, check anime reviews? Yesterday's show was great. The episode 'Project DJ Mic' last night was like a god."
"Oh yeah. You sucked into that, huh? ”
“They have an amazing sensitivity in terms of theme songs and OST. They get BGM from 90s games. It makes him feel very nostalgic. ”
“The 90s, huh? That's pretty old.”
“Indeed, but you know what they say: Don't underestimate the old one. They used songs made with techniques and sound designs that were popular at the time. At the same time, they focus more on the nuances of the music game than the personal style of the artist, which is quite revolutionary.”
I know that Maru is slowly getting deeper. I gave my otaku friend a warm look and responded so she wouldn't complain about my lack of interest.
“So, so your brain heart is tingled by good music, huh?”
"Exactly. They do not completely damage FM synth. Instead, they styled it into a more modern style. Not to mention that BGM games do not use Japanese lyrics, so you do not experience any language barriers. It crossed the ocean, spreading out into the world. I'm pretty sure that the people behind 'D Mic' are geniuses.”
"It was very unexpected."
"What?"
“See you are excited about music of all things. I know you have knowledge of many different genres, but aren't your tastes too diverse?"
spliced...
