Chapter 15: Just playing around.
Of the three troublemakers, Matsuda Jinpei is the one who is more easily angered, which often leads to this kind of situation.
Anyway, Hagiwara will appease Matsuda soon, and then we can go eat cake together. Sora'aki said this.
"Don't think I can't hear you, you bastard!" Matsuda Jinpei shouted.
"Shall we go eat cake?" asked Morofushi Sora'aki.
"...eat."
So this time, in order to appease Matsuda Jinpei, they didn't go to the kind of dessert shop that looked very girly, but instead went to a dessert shop with a refreshing decor and a warm color scheme of brown and orange, with a wooden cabin.
That being said, the customers at this restaurant are still predominantly female.
"How did you know there was a dessert shop here?" Matsuda Jinpei asked Hagiwara Kenji, who had pulled the two of them over.
"It was recommended by Keiko from the next class~" Kenji Hagiwara ordered a pudding and then pushed it in front of Morofushi Sora'aki: "She said this place's caramel pudding is super delicious, want to try it?"
Morofushi Sora'aki picked up a fork, cracked open the caramel layer on top, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth: "Not bad."
Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow, scooped up a spoonful, and commented, "The taste is alright, but how is it different from other stores?"
"Haha, I can't tell the difference either. You should ask Sora'aki-chan, right?"
Morofushi Sora'aki replied, "More refined."
"...That's it?"
"It's gone."
Morofushi Sora'aki looked at the pudding in front of him, which was now half gone because of Matsuda Jinpei, and said nothing. But while Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji were chatting, he very naturally cut off half of the cake in front of Matsuda Jinpei.
Matsuda Jinpei simply moved the cake in front of Morofushi Sora'aki: "You like this? Here you go."
Morofushi Sora'aki remained silent and began to prepare the undecorated cheesecake without saying a word.
Hagiwara Kenji, sitting opposite and watching this scene, trembled slightly and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "...Pfft."
Matsuda Jinpei looked puzzled: "What are you laughing at now?"
Morofushi Sora'aki licked the cheese off his fork: "Because he thinks Matsuda is an idiot, right?"
Hagiwara Kenji: "Hahaha! That wasn't me saying that, was it?"
Matsuda Jinpei's fist hardened again.
I always feel like my blood pressure goes up when I'm around those two bastards.
As Morofushi Sora'aki finished his cake, he listened to the conversation between Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji. Since they only had time to play together after school, Hagiwara Kenji and Matsuda Jinpei spent most of their time together.
Morofushi Sora'aki is not talkative, and when they talk, Hagiwara Kenji usually does more of the talking. The topics are varied, but as students, they are often inseparable from the campus.
So... what would it be like if they went to school together? Morofushi Sora'aki tried to imagine it.
When it came time to say goodbye this time, Morofushi Sora'aki did not give a clear answer.
Mother Morofushi looked at her youngest son coming down the stairs, a faint smile on her face: "Sora'aki? Have you washed up?"
Wearing pajamas, Morofushi Sora'aki stopped walking down the street and then fell back down with a thud.
Mother Morofushi couldn't help but laugh, but after laughing, a hint of worry still crept into her upturned blue cat eyes.
A few days ago, when Sora'aki agreed to go to high school, she was both worried and happy. Then, when Sora'aki wanted to go out for the first time without being asked by anyone, Mother Morofushi was even more surprised.
After all, Sora'aki wasn't someone who never went out. Whenever his family suggested it, whether it was going to an amusement park or a library, from cherry blossom viewing to grocery shopping, Sora'aki would never refuse. He also never minded noisy, crowded environments.
Morofushi Sora'aki is absolutely self-sufficient; his only weakness is his poor communication skills. However, if you really leave him alone at home, he can live perfectly well. In modern society, convenience stores are nearby, and it's not like he won't eat just because he can't cook.
However, this complex emotion did not last long. On the very day that Morofushi Sora'aki took the initiative to go out, Morofushi Hiromitsu called back and it turned into worry.
[Hello? Mom, has Sora'aki gone back yet? ...Not yet... Hmm, how should I put it, Mom, could you please pay a little attention to Sora'aki's mood? I'm a little worried.]
"Ah, don't worry, nothing happened. It's just that I feel Sora'aki seems a little unhappy." The other person smiled helplessly: "But this time, he doesn't seem to want to talk to his brother."
So after her youngest son came home, Mother Morofushi observed him carefully for a while. Then she confirmed that her youngest son was indeed a little unhappy.
It's a very subtle and barely noticeable sense of loss.
Even the youngest son himself didn't notice this sense of loss.
It's somewhat similar to when Hiromitsu accidentally ate Sora'aki's pudding from the refrigerator when they were little. Sora'aki didn't mind that his older brother ate his pudding, but he was still a little disappointed.
However, after Hiromitsu apologizes and makes amends, Sora'aki nods, places his hand on his brother's hand, and says, "It's okay, I forgive you, brother."
"I'm sorry" and "It's okay" are like a scale in Sora'aki's heart. When the former and the latter are balanced, Sora'aki will naturally tilt the scale away.
...Even now, Sora'aki still remembers that his brother ate his pudding.
If the score isn't tied, that matter will remain like a thorn in the side, and given Sora'aki's exceptional memory, it won't be forgotten over time.
As Mother Morofushi recalled the children's childhood, a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
However, just ten minutes later, when she saw her youngest son eating breakfast obediently at the dining table and their eyes met, Mother Morofushi was stunned, and tenderness immediately welled up in her eyes.
Although I don't know what happened, the scales seem to have leveled off again, and that inexplicable unhappiness is gone.
Relieved, Mother Morofushi scolded Father Morofushi, who was sitting to the side reading the newspaper, "What time is it? Why aren't you at school yet?"
"…Um, darling," Father Morofushi hesitated, "today seems to be…the weekend?"
Mother Morofushi: "..."
Mother Morofushi: "That's the same! Don't get in the way here. Now that you've finished eating, go tidy up the study for me!"
Father Morofushi looked utterly innocent. He met Morofushi Sora'aki's gaze, put down his newspaper, and smiled helplessly, saying, "I understand."
Morofushi Sora'aki unconsciously bit his chopsticks, looked at his parents, and said, "So, is this a display of affection?"
Parents Morofushi: "..."
"...Wait a minute? Sora'aki, who taught you this!" Mother Morofushi face clearly showed embarrassment.
Morofushi Sora'aki, however, confirmed the answer to himself: "Yes, it's showing affection."
After finishing breakfast, Morofushi Sora'aki obediently put the plate in the sink and left his spot.
"...Although it's good that my son has become much more lively," Father Morofushi said, rubbing his forehead as he watched his son leave. "But I still feel like we're heading in the wrong direction."
Mother Morofushi glanced at her husband and said, "Who can Sora'aki possibly associate with? It's all because of your constant talking nonsense."
Father Morofushi hesitated: "Would I normally say something like that?"
Mother Morofushi: "Did I say it myself?"
The culprit, who wasn't even present, suddenly sneezed. Matsuda Jinpei took a step back in disgust: "Got a cold?"
Hagiwara Kenji rubbed his nose: "No, it's just that someone's been talking about me behind my back, isn't it?"
Hagiwara Kenji put his arm around Matsuda Jinpei's shoulder and leaned closer to ask, "So what are you thinking, Jinpei-chan?"
"I was quite surprised when you invited Sora'aki-chan to go to high school with you!"
"I just happened to think of it at the time, so I said it. What's the problem?" Matsuda Jinpei replied.
"…That's totally Jinpei-chan's answer." Hagiwara Kenji exclaimed, then said, "I wouldn't mind being classmates with Sora'aki-chan, to be honest, I'm quite looking forward to it."
"I'm just wondering, won't this be a lot of trouble for Sora'aki-chan?" Hagiwara Kenji lowered his eyes. "We still don't know where Sora'aki-chan lives."
"Maybe it's a Zashiki-warashi." Matsuda Jinpei joked.
"Hey! I'm serious this time!" Hagiwara Kenji complained.
"What's the point of thinking so much now? Let's just ask after school this afternoon." Matsuda Jinpei slapped away Hagiwara Kenji's hand that was on his shoulder: "The final result doesn't depend on the two of us. I just made a suggestion."
"Even if you refuse, it doesn't matter, right? We've gotten through the past two years the same way, haven't we?"
"…What you said makes a lot of sense." Hagiwara Kenji decided to give up thinking and stretched. "Oh well, let's just let things take their course! It's up to Sora'aki-chan to come up with his own ideas!"
After school, the two took a detour to the small group again and saw Morofushi Sora'aki hanging upside down on the horizontal bar.
Morofushi Sora'aki's knees were bent over the horizontal bar, and his black hair fell down completely, revealing his face, which was usually partially covered by his bangs.
Noticing the sound, the pair of blue cat eyes fell on the two of them. Morofushi Sora'aki immediately changed his posture, sat on the horizontal bar, and waved to them with a slight blush from the blood rushing to his face: "Good afternoon."
Hagiwara Kenji laughed as well: "Good afternoon, Sora'aki-chan."
"Hey." Matsuda Jinpei walked over, grabbed the horizontal bar, and flipped himself up with a powerful effort.
Unhappy at having no place to sit, Hagiwara Kenji grabbed his friend's arm with one hand, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, and suddenly said forcefully, "Get down, you two!"
"Hello!"
"Hmm!"
"Awooo—!!"
As a result, Morofushi Sora'aki and Matsuda Jinpei, who were caught off guard, fell directly onto Hagiwara Kenji.
Matsuda Jinpei simply refused to get up, and sneered, "Haa—serves you right!"
Morofushi Sora'aki intentionally or unintentionally stopped Hagiwara Kenji from trying to get up, and nodded in agreement with Matsuda Jinpei's judgment: "Serves him right."
Hagiwara Kenji, pinned down by two men, tentatively stretched out an arm through the gap, practically raising a small white flag in his hand to signify surrender.