Parents!

“Yes, Dad?”

Those were the words I spoke once I answered my phone. Ayane, Aya, and Aka stared at me when I began the conversation. Having just told them about my troubled family life, I knew for a fact that they were interested in what I had to say. Frankly, I didn’t know what to say either, as hearing from my dad at all left me paralyzed.

“You aren’t home,” he told me while I was lost in thought.

Hearing this, I gulped, having to take a deep breath before I could say anything.

“Rich of you to say that. You never even talk to me.”

Ayane was put aback by my statement. Normally, I’d say my lines with the expectation that whoever was responding would punch me. This time though, I said it quietly, doing what I rarely do in questioning what I said.

“Don’t be a smartass. Just, please come back.”

“Fine.”

I retracted my phone from my ear and hung up. Quickly falling to a chair in the living room, Ayane’s family rushed to comfort me.

“Are you okay,” they said in unison, although only Aya had the balls to pet my head.

Now I finally knew why that annoyed Ayane so much. It wasn’t like that mattered, though. I had to respond, but I couldn’t. I slouched in the dining room chair, broken. By that point, it was practically an invitation for Ayane to join in the head-patting session. Refusing to accept this pity any longer, I got up, took a deep breath, and said something.

“Thank you for having me. I gotta get back home now.”

I closed my eyes when I said this. I didn’t want to see the worried faces of Ayane and her parents. After they’ve done so much for me, it would hurt to see their reactions to my pain. However, I was forced to see it when, after I had turned around to put on my shoes, I felt Ayane’s hand on my shoulder.

“Yuuki-kun, I’m going with you.”

“Why?”

She didn’t respond, forcing me to look in her direction. Even though I didn’t look at her, she still somehow found a way to avoid looking at me, even before I turned my head. Someone needed to give her the most pitiable shy person award. Well, it wasn’t like I could complain. I found her personality so cute that my heart got in the way of my brain.

“Fine, you can come with me.”

***

Now outside, I thought about how loathsome I found the weather to be. Given how it was nighttime, my vision got even worse, only compounded by the lack of light sources in this lousy excuse for a neighborhood. The cold weather also only continued to be a further thorn in my side, with the winds attempting to blow my mentally battered body out of the stratosphere. To call me miserable or pissed off as my teeth were cackling and as my arms attempted to warm my soul would be an understatement so grand that I’d punch whoever made it.

I now knew what my old literature teachers meant when they said that the cold weather symbolized an inability to move on. Even throughout all this progress I’d made in my relationship, the air continued to remind me that I couldn’t use it to escape my reality. God, that sounded like something Satoshi would say. What happened to me? If only I could stay at Ayane’s house longer, but I suppose that wasn’t meant to be. Nothing that went my way was ever meant to be.

I didn’t have much more time to overthink my situation, though, as the soft sensation of Ayane’s hand touching mine disrupted my train of thought.

“What do you think of my parents now? Y’know, after my mom invaded your boundaries.”

With the wind blowing in her direction, I couldn’t look at her, but I knew my answer, clear as day.

“I still love them.”

Ayane’s grip tightened.

“Really?”

Now I was forced into looking at her.

“Yeah. It was probably the first time I felt like I was in a family.”

I answered nonchalantly, as if the answer was obvious, before quickly looking away again.

“You liked them that much?”

I didn’t want to elaborate, so I put my hand on my neck, indicating my discomfort and embarrassment. Regardless, I answered anyway. Why wouldn’t I answer to my girlfriend?

“Yeah… I did like them that much. Y’know… you should really treat them better.”

Ayane didn’t respond, either because of a gust of wind interrupting us, or because she didn’t want to answer me. As such, I continued to run my mouth.

“I talked to your dad earlier. It seems like he cares about you a lot.”

I felt a twist in my hand. Ayane turned around, forcing me to look at her. She looked at the ground, now seemingly in the opposite position as I was.

“But he never talks to me.”

Given how our hands were already held together, I patted her head to give her comfort. I think I even smiled. I had to say something, so I spoke from the heart.

“That’s because he’s shy like you. Make an effort, and I’m sure you’ll understand.”

Ayane proceeded to look up at me again.

“Are you sure?”

I chuckled.

“Why wouldn’t I be!?”

I softened my tone and lowered my chin slightly before I continued.

“I wouldn’t be able to get over the guilt of misleading you otherwise.”

“In that case, I’ll take your advice.

We began to walk again, with the wind only getting worse. It even got darker out, if that was even possible. While I would’ve just stayed here in passive misery, though, Ayane actually wanted to talk to me. Leading with only the most logical question to ask next.

“What do you think about Mom?”

I thought long and hard about this one, only giving her the best answer I could think of. Just kidding.

“I want her to step on me.”

“Shut it!”

In a pit of rage, she flailed her arms relentlessly. Normally, I’d be gawking at how cute this rare sighting is too, but since we were holding hands, I, unfortunately, had to be whipped around like a pool noodle as she did.

Wait, did I say, unfortunately? Nah, I liked it.

When she finally got a grip, I had a massive smile on my face, looking high up into the sky in confidence, although my arm being at my neck didn’t exactly make me feel confident. What I am confident in, though, is what I said after the fact.

“Your tsundere mode is so cute!”

“It is not! What’s with you and these weird kinks anyway!”

“The appeal is that you’re not the type of person I’d expect to step on me.”

Given how I waved my finger around in an attempt to make my point sound more intelligent, Ayane clearly felt defeated, turning her head the other way around.

“So we’re just going to ignore the fact that you feel the same way about my mom.”

“YES.”

God damn, how the hell did she turn things around that easily.

Somehow, Ayane turned on her shy mode again, too, as she stopped walking. This was all to say that I apparently had the advantage in the argument again. Frankly, I didn’t even know how. This started to become more confusing than the watch order of that anime Ayane enjoys so much. Eventually, though, I had to shut my mind up as Ayane spoke again.

“Am I not enough for you?”