Chapter 10: The Hermit in the Room

— The Inoue Residence —

“We were both idiots,” Yuki said.

She walked them through what had happened. Kenji stared. Hana covered her mouth.

“So that’s what happened…” Hana murmured.

“So… what now?” Kenji asked.

“He’s on his own now. Leave us out of it.” Yuki folded her arms. Anyone could tell she felt terrible about it.

“Let’s take a break from it,” Kenji sighed. “And… best not to tell Matsuda-san about any of this.”

Yuki said nothing, but gave a small nod. Then she went to her room.

“Hana-chan. You’re the only sensible one in this house.” Kenji shook his head.

“I’m not so sure about that.” She murmured it under her breath.

Kenji gave her a look. She avoided it and went to her room.

“What’s going on in this house?” He sighed, and went to unpack.

* * *

— The Hayashi Residence —

I moped around my room for a good while. I didn’t want to see anyone, so I skipped lunch. Stupid. Now I was hungry and miserable, which was strictly worse than just miserable.

A knock came at dinnertime.

“Onii-chan. Mum texted — she’s coming back late. Do you want to grab dinner?”

I stayed behind the door. “Can you pack me something…”

A brief silence. Then: “Just this once. You’re coming out tomorrow.” Her footsteps retreated down the corridor.

How could she? How could Yuki-chan be with someone else — and him, of all people.

I felt betrayed. By the person I’d thought I could trust. Those years of friendship, the time spent together, all of it. Just… gone.

Is it because I was bullied? Is that it? Because I’m weak?

Anger flared up with nowhere to go. I balled my fists and paced the room.

Daiki Matsuda. He’s the reason I stayed away from Yuki-chan in the first place. He bullied me into it. And now he’s taken what was mine.

I wallowed in it for a good half hour, until Sachi’s footsteps came back down the corridor.

I tensed up. I didn’t want her to see me like this.

There was a faint clinking outside the door, a thud as something was set down, and then a knock.

“Idiot onii-chan. Here’s your food. Eat it while it’s warm.” The footsteps left.

The spiral of thoughts and emotions stalled.

I opened the door a crack and looked out. The food was on a tray, neatly arranged. My favourite teriyaki unagi rice, with miso soup and a yogurt drink on the side. She’d unpacked it from the takeaway containers and put it on proper plates. I picked up the tray. Still warm.

The smell hit me as I carried it in. My stomach rumbled loudly.

I set the tray down. And then I noticed.

For all the care Sachi had put into this — ordering my favourite, replating everything properly — she had not brought me utensils.

That little brat.

I picked up my phone to text her. Got halfway through typing, then stopped.

Since when have I become this useless?

I put the phone down, shook my head at myself, and went to get my own utensils.

The corridor was clear. I slipped to the kitchen, grabbed what I needed, and headed back. As I passed Sachi’s room, I could hear her on the phone, voice low and subdued. Not like her at all.

Everyone’s in a bad mood.

I went back to my room and shut the door.

Dinner was quiet. The meal that used to feel like a reward just tasted like food. I ate without thinking.

Then I tried the miso soup.

The warmth spread slowly, from tongue to throat to somewhere deeper. I set down my chopsticks and just sat with it for a moment. The noise at the edges of my thoughts didn’t go away, but it pulled back slightly. Far enough.

The rest of the tray disappeared steadily. I saved the yogurt drink for last.

* * *

— Sachi’s Room —

Sachi was on the phone with Kenji.

“How’s Ryo doing?” Kenji asked.

“Shut in his room. I just brought him food, though.”

“This whole thing is a mess. Yuki-chan told me what happened. Apparently they both just assumed the other was on the same page — never actually said anything out loud.”

“Huh?”

Kenji filled her in on the details.

“Wow. That’s really messed up…” Sachi said. “How are things at yours?”

“Manageable. Yuki-chan has a headache over it.”

“And Hana-chan?”

“She should be fine. She’s not really involved.”

“…Anyway. You should come over and talk to onii-chan.”

“I was planning on it. Let me know when he’s… receptive. He hasn’t replied to my texts.”

“He’s in full hermit mode. At this rate he might just become a monk.”

“You think Shimizu-san would take him in?”

“I was joking.”

“I genuinely couldn’t tell.”

“Kenji Inoue.”

“Alright, alright. Things really blew up, huh.”

“Yeah. I’ll handle onii-chan. You handle your sisters.”

“I’ll check in on them. Yuki-chan has Matsuda-san, so that’s covered. I’m more worried about the fallout between her and Ryo.”

“We’ll deal with that when we get there. First priority — get onii-chan out of his room.”

Sachi chuckled slightly.

“Did you just… laugh?”

“I brought him dinner on a tray. ‘Forgot’ to include utensils.”

“Remind me why I like you.”

“This is exactly why.”

“You’re actually frightening, you know that?”

“Why, thank you. I know.”

“…Keep in touch.”

“Yup. Good night, Kenji.”

“Good night, Sachi-chan.”