Yesterday, I had a great time eating and hanging out late into the night with the Student Council President and the other members.
After dinner, the three of them stayed for fruit my mother had cut up, chatting until they left around nine.
Anyway, after that eventful first day, the morning of the second day of Golden Week arrived.
"...I'm bored."
Having woken up at 4 AM as usual, I finished my daily routine only to find myself bored with the time left over.
I don't mind living by a strict schedule, but it's worth noting how I suddenly have nothing to do once Golden Week starts.
A big part of it was that I didn't have any real hobbies aside from reading manga.
We didn't have a computer or a home game console like most people.
Thanks to that, the only thing I could do was lie on my floor and browse video sites on my phone, so when a message suddenly came in, I shot upright.
*Ting!*
"Heyo! Ryuji-chan! You didn't forget our promise to come over to my place today, did you?"
I replied immediately.
"Actually, I was waiting for you to contact me."
"I asked my papa the day before yesterday, and he said today would be fine. So come to my house by noon. My mama wants to treat you to lunch since I'm always in your care."
After sending that message, Rika sent me an address through the messenger app.
It was a map of the area around Seijo, where she lived.
The route was simple, so I didn't have to worry about getting lost.
I checked the time on my phone; it was only 9 AM.
Besides, Seijo Station is only two stops away from Chitose-Funabashi Station where I live, so unlike yesterday, I wouldn't be late even if I left around eleven.
I took the entire collection of *Golden Samurai* from my bookshelf and packed it in my bag.
I planned to get them all signed when I met Kishimoto-sensei today.
I also packed a permanent marker for autographs and some signature boards.
With that, my preparations for visiting Rika's house were complete.
Since I was invited, I wondered if it was okay to go empty-handed. I decided to buy a box of nutritional drinks from a supermarket on the way.
For some reason, I had this image of professional authors stacking nutritional drinks by their desks and chugging them.
Excited at the thought of meeting the respected Kishimoto-sensei in three hours, I grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom to wash up more meticulously than usual.
***
Dressed neatly, I left the house at eleven as planned.
Setagaya Ward is the most densely populated area in Tokyo.
As such, it has high foot traffic. As I approached the subway turnstiles, the people in front of me cautiously glanced my way and moved aside.
Honestly, these kinds of misunderstood glances were usually incredibly uncomfortable, but today, I was grateful they saved me some time.
I tapped my Suica card on the IC reader and stood on the subway platform, waiting for the next train.
Before long, a train pulled into the station. Only after the passengers poured out like an ebbing tide could I manage to squeeze myself inside.
As I stood holding onto the pole by the door, I could feel people around me sneaking curious glances at my body.
I knew better than anyone how people usually saw me.
Well, it's not like I could just give up the muscles I'd worked so hard to build, and frankly, I don't think I look bad.
It would be strange to force myself to change just because I'm afraid of what others think or their prejudices.
I decided to focus on my phone screen until I reached my destination.
***
Being only two stops from my house, it took just about ten minutes to get to Seijo Station.
When I came out of the subway platform and up to ground level, a neighborhood unfolded before me that, despite being in the same Setagaya Ward, felt like it had a completely different air.
How should I put it? It was like crossing from a working-class neighborhood straight into a luxury district.
Just looking at the clothes of the people walking around, you could feel the wealth.
I stopped by a supermarket near the station and bought a box of nutritional drinks.
It was a painful expense for a high schooler's allowance, but considering it was for my favorite author, it was a worthy purchase.
Perhaps because Seijo is one of Tokyo's representative wealthy neighborhoods, it was dominated by large single-family homes rather than apartments.
Walking along the sidewalk, if I stood on my toes and peeked over the walls, I could see that two-story houses with swimming pools, the kind you'd see in movies, were a common sight.
And my destination for the day, Rika's house, was located a short distance from the subway station.
Given the importance of privacy for an author, it seemed she'd deliberately bought a house far from the station, where foot traffic was high.
Following the map Rika had sent me this morning, I walked diligently up a hill and finally stopped in front of a three-story house surrounded by a large wall.
"This must be it."
When I pressed the doorbell next to the main gate, a familiar voice came through the speaker.
"Ah! Ryuji-chan! You're finally here! Come on in!"
*Clank!*
As if Rika had operated the lock from inside, the gate opened on its own.
I carefully pushed the gate open and stepped inside.
"Whoa..."
I'm not easily impressed, but today, I felt I had to make an exception.
A scene straight out of a movie was unfolding right before my eyes.
A wide, green lawn, a private swimming pool, a garage packed with foreign cars, and a three-story multi-level house.
The whole building was painted in monochrome tones, giving it a clean first impression.
I walked slowly along the stone path leading to the front door.
A golden retriever that had been playing in the yard ran over happily, wagging its tail at me.
Considering most animals are scared of me, I had to admit this one was remarkably carefree.
I gave the affectionate dog a gentle scratch on the scruff of its neck before starting toward the house's entrance again.
Just as I was about to reach the front door, it swung open, and Rika popped out in casual clothes.
"Surprise!"
When I just stared blankly at her bright face, Rika puffed out her cheeks as if to say 'no fun' and put her hands on her hips.
"Aren't you supposed to at least pretend to be a little surprised in a situation like this?"
"No, I was surprised. I just didn't know how to react."
As I said that, I patted the head of the golden retriever, which was tugging at my pant leg, wanting to play. Rika called its name as if this was a common occurrence.
"Taro!"
At that, the dog that had been refusing to let go of my pants immediately ran to Rika and clung to her like glue.
Seeing me watch them with envy, Rika gave a cat-like smile, puffed out her chest, and said,
"Isn't our Taro-chan the cutest?"
I honestly admitted it.
"If I had the chance, I'd want to raise one myself."
"Hmph."
Looking as pleased as if she'd been the one complimented, Rika gestured for me to come inside.
At her invitation, I carefully closed the front door and went in.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Then, someone approached from the living room.
"Oh my, welcome~"
I turned my head to greet them, only to flinch upon seeing a beautiful blonde woman who was the spitting image of Rika.
"Uh... um..."
I was about to ask if she was Rika's older sister, but I hesitated.
In a rom-com, when someone appears at a time like this, there's a high probability they're the mother, not the sister.
But her appearance was so youthful for someone with a 17-year-old high school daughter that it caused some cognitive dissonance.
At most, she looked to be in her mid-to-late twenties.
Could she be Rika's older sister after all, not her mother?
I was about to ask if she was Rika's sister as I'd originally planned, but the thought of 'what if she's actually the mother?' made me freeze up again like a malfunctioning robot.
Usually, if you get the form of address wrong on your first meeting, the atmosphere gets awkward and stays that way.
In that case, should I follow the cliché and ask if she's the mother?
But what if I ask if she's the mother, and she's actually the sister?
That would create an even more irreversibly chilly atmosphere.
After considering the possibilities, I concluded that asking if she was the sister was the correct choice.
If she really was the sister, that's that. And if she was the mother, it would mean I thought she looked younger than her age, so there's no way she'd take my question badly.
Alright. I've made my decision.
"Are you Rika's older sister?"
When I asked, the beautiful blonde foreigner who looked just like Rika burst out laughing and waved her hand.
"Oh my, look at you. Starting with flattery on our first meeting? I know I look young, but not so young that I could be mistaken for my daughter's sister."
And with that, Rika's mother delivered the confirmation.
Relieved that I had made the right choice, I let out a faint sigh and held out the box of nutritional drinks I was carrying.
"I felt bad coming empty-handed, so I bought this on the way."
Rika's mother looked a little surprised at the box of nutritional drinks I offered, then took it from me.
"You would have been fine coming empty-handed, you didn't have to bring anything. Please, come in. My daughter and I were bustling about all morning because we heard Ryuji-kun was coming over."
"Mama!"
Rika, blushing, hurriedly tried to cover her mother's mouth, while her mother just teased her with a playful grin.
No matter how I looked at them, they seemed less like mother and daughter and more like sisters with a bit of an age gap. 'The world of rom-coms is truly amazing,' I thought to myself as I followed the two of them toward the kitchen.