Yuuki’s house

“Woohoo! Yuuki-kun’s house, here we come!”

A few days later, we ended up heading to Yuuki’s place together after school, but…

“Oi, Manami, you don’t even know the way, do you?”

“It’s probably this way, Kouki-nii!”

Even though she shouldn’t have a clue which direction to go, Manami takes the lead with confidence.

“Is this even right…? Wait, huh?”

Yuuki, walking ahead, seems to catch my words, glances back, gives a little nod, and then follows Manami’s lead again.

“Hehe. Manami really is attached to Yuuki, isn’t she?”

Watching the two up ahead, Aisa, walking beside me, says with a soft smile.

“Attached… is that what you’d call it?”

She’s just charging ahead, making Yuuki look after her… It’s like walking a dog or something…

“She’s attached, right?”

As if reading my thoughts, Aisa says with a gentle grin.

Well, it’s true—when Manami’s with Yuuki, she’s all lively and energetic, clinging to her without a hint of hesitation, always buzzing around.

And Yuuki, oddly enough, doesn’t seem to mind going along with Manami’s pace one bit.

Their personalities couldn’t be more opposite now, but it feels like I’m watching the two of them from back then.

◆

“Sniff… I’m going…! I’m going with Yuuki-kun and Kou-nii too!”

Back then, Manami was so shy she’d only open up to family and me, but for some reason, she was desperate to follow Yuuki, who was totally different from her.

I still remember how she’d cry her eyes out, struggling through shortcuts like the wooded paths, determined to keep up despite never daring to try stuff like that before.

“It’s okay. Come on.”

Yuuki didn’t exactly help Manami along or anything.

She just went ahead, waiting patiently until Manami caught up.

“Sniff… hic…”

In the end, Aisa or I would end up helping her, but Manami gradually learned to handle things on her own.

Before we knew it, she didn’t need help anymore—she’d turned into this nimble, athletic freak who moved faster than anyone.

◆

“By the way, Aisa, did you know Yuuki was a girl?”

“Hmm… I don’t really remember much… But I can say for sure she doesn’t look like the Yuuki I had in my head.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

“Though some things about her haven’t changed.”

I’m wondering what she means when I notice Yuuki, who’s somehow overtaken Manami, standing at the crosswalk ahead, quietly waiting for her.

“Got it.”

“Even if her looks have changed, to Manami, she might be like another big brother, different from Kouki.”

“In this case, wouldn’t ‘big sister’ fit better than ‘big brother’?”

I was thrown off by how much Yuuki’s changed, but there’s something comforting about the parts that stayed the same.

Walking home together, the four of us, it’s a new path, but it feels strangely nostalgic.

◇

“This is it!?”

“Yeah…”

Following Yuuki’s lead, we arrive at a café that’s still in the middle of opening preparations.

“Now that I think about it, I don’t remember much about Yuuki’s parents… Were they always running a café or something?”

“Back then… it wasn’t like that…”

“Well, whatever, let’s go in!”

“Hey, Manami, don’t just barge in.”

Even Manami, bold as she is, stops at the door and waits properly.

Yuuki reaches for the handle…

“Welcome… to our café.”

Her face flushes as she says it.

Hearing her say something so waiter-like at the entrance catches me off guard.

Though, with her current nervous vibe, she doesn’t exactly scream “pro server” just yet.

“Woohoo! Here we come!”

“Pardon the intrusion.”

Following Manami and Aisa, I step inside…

“Welcome! It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Manami-chan, Aisa-chan, Kouki-kun?”

“Hey, welcome! We don’t have much yet, but I can get you some coffee, so grab a seat, grab a seat!”

Even if I don’t remember them, they clearly remember us.

But their appearances make me do a double-take.

Yuuki’s dad has this tough-guy look with a slicked-back pompadour, and her mom’s got this youthful vibe—brightly colored hair and a bit of a gyaru flair.

What have these two been up to all this time…?

Sure, their looks are intimidating, but their demeanor is soft, and her mom’s super friendly…

“It’s been a while.”

“Man, you’ve all grown up, haven’t you? Bet you don’t even remember me, Kouki-kun.”

“Haha…”

All I can do is laugh off her dad’s comment.

“Can’t be helped. You were all so little back then. Come on, this way, this way.”

Despite saying there’s “nothing,” Yuuki’s mom comes over with a tray of cookies and drinks, guiding us to a booth.

Something about her feels so motherly—it’s reassuring.

“I heard, Kouki-kun, you’re tutoring Manami-chan, huh?”

“How’d you know…?”

Parents’ gossip network moves faster than kids’, doesn’t it…?

“Maybe we should have you tutor our Yuuki too.”

“Is she… struggling with grades?”

Back then, I thought she could do anything.

But seeing her now, I wouldn’t be surprised either way.

“Nah, grades aren’t the issue. It’s just, well, you’ve seen how she is now, right?”

“Oof…”

All eyes turn to Yuuki, who shrinks under the attention.

“She’s cute as she is, don’t get me wrong.”

Yuuki’s mom says this while ruffling her hair.

“Agh… Mom, stop it…”

Yuuki protests but lets herself be fussed over, looking dizzy from it all.

It’s heartwarming to see how close they are.

“But, you know, as parents, we’d love to see her all lively like Manami-chan again! I’m hoping something will give her a confidence boost.”

We’ve barely reunited, but they’ve already got the full scoop on Manami’s recent antics.

Probably heard it through the parent grapevine.

“I wanna play outside with Yuuki-kun again!”

Manami’s so attached to her. Yuuki’s changes don’t seem to faze her one bit.

For me, just the fact that my old guy friend turned out to be a girl was shocking enough, but her personality shift is so drastic it overshadows everything else.

Stared at by Manami, Yuuki looks down, hiding her face behind her hair…

“Look! Isn’t she just adorable?”

“W-Wait, Mom!?”

“Such a pretty face, it’d be a shame to keep it hidden like this.”

Yuuki’s mom forcefully lifts her hair up.

It’s the first time I’ve heard Yuuki speak so clearly… and, well, yeah…

“She’s so cuuuute!”

Manami’s excitement shoots through the roof.

“Yeah… she’s really beautiful… I’m jealous.”

For Aisa to be envious, that’s saying something…

But honestly, with her hair up, Yuuki’s such a stunning beauty it makes your heart skip a beat.

Come to think of it, I always thought her eyes were big, even back then.

◆

“Hurry up, Kouki-kun! There’s this huge beetle out there!”

“Wait, Yuuki… I can’t keep up…”

“No choice, huh? C’mon, grab onto me!”

Yuuki holds out a hand, helping me conquer what felt like a cliff back then—though now, it’s just a measly step.

“Haa…”

I was so focused on keeping up with Yuuki that I don’t even remember how we got through it all.

“C’mon! We’re almost there!”

Yuuki says, pulling me along by the hand.

Thinking back, it feels like this happened a ton of times.

Aisa, of course, and Manami, too, were always so reserved back then, nowhere near the athletic types they are now.

For me, who mostly hung out with Aisa and Manami, Yuuki was this rare buddy I could really cut loose with as a guy.

The things we liked, our stamina, the way we played—everything was so different from Aisa and Manami. Even though I only spent a few months with Yuuki, every day sparkled like it was something special.

“Those two could never pull this off. It’s something only you and I can do, Kouki-kun!”

“Yeah…!”

For some reason, I remember feeling like I was being pulled into Yuuki’s eyes, like I could see myself reflected in them.

Yuuki, grinning innocently, went on.

“Let’s keep playing tons from now on, okay?”

“Heck yeah! Leave it to me!”

Yuuki flashes a big grin, and we high-five. Then we keep going, tapping hands up, down, left, right, nailing the handshake we came up with after watching it on TV.

“Yay!”

“Yay!”

It wasn’t a long time, but just like we promised, we went out to all sorts of places together after that.

Those memories from that day are still crystal clear even now.

◇

“And so, the first ever Yuuki-kun tutoring session begins!”

Manami claps excitedly, while Aisa and Yuuki clap along halfheartedly, barely keeping up.

We moved from the café to Yuuki’s room, and since they just moved in, it’s pretty bare. If anything, it’s closer to Aisa’s tidy room than Manami’s, which can get pretty cluttered. Like, she’ll have a cute stuffed animal sitting right next to a signed baseball from a pro player…

Anyway, I need to focus and get the conversation going.

“So, to start with, your mom said all that, but what do you think, Yuuki?”

Your parents want to see you full of energy, but if you don’t feel like that yourself, I don’t think you should force it. Honestly, I’m pretty sure your parents wouldn’t want that either.

“Exactly…! I mean, I wanna hang out with Yuuki-kun, but…!”

All eyes are on Yuuki, and for a second, it feels like the air freezes. But maybe being at home helps calm things down a bit.

Hugging a bunny plushie and sitting primly, Yuuki shows a slightly different side compared to earlier.

“I… I want to change.”

Straightforward, looking right at us, Yuuki says it.

Those big, beautiful eyes, half-hidden by hair, are pleading with a seriousness that hits hard.

“If I stay like this forever… I don’t want that…”

Given how Yuuki acts in class, it’s no surprise daily life must be tough.

“Like back then… together…”

Yuuki barely manages to squeeze out those words.

Since we know what things were like back then, we get why Yuuki wants to change. As that voice grows quieter, Aisa smiles gently, encouragingly.

Yuuki takes a deep breath, looks straight into my eyes, and says,

“Please… be my tutor…!”

Those big eyes, unchanged from back then, catch me through the strands of hair and don’t let go.

“Then let’s do this together.”

Aisa’s soft smile is like she’s everyone’s big sister.

“Yeah! Let’s do this!”

Manami chimes in, full of energy.

Then Yuuki’s gaze lands on me.

That expression is so earnest, almost like Yuuki’s clinging to me for support.

With that small-animal vibe, it stirs up this weird urge to protect.

No need to look so anxious—the answer’s already set.

“Leave it to me.”

“Ah…”

I raise my hand like back then, and Yuuki hesitantly high-fives me.

Without either of us saying a word, we slip into the handshake we used to do every time we met.

Even if the memory’s fuzzy, my body remembers.

Pan pan pan—after a few rounds of tapping, Yuuki’s face seems to brighten just a bit.

And then—

“Yay… right?”

“Yeah.”

Yuuki says it with a smile.

“What’s that?! So cool, I wanna try!”

Manami leans in eagerly, and Yuuki starts teaching her, trying to recall the steps.

I just moved on instinct and don’t remember the details enough to teach, so I leave it to Yuuki.

“That takes me back.”

“You remember it too, Aisa?”

}

“You two were always doing something like that, and I was just watching from the side.”

Aisa narrows her eyes, reminiscing fondly.

When Aisa looks at Yuuki, it feels a little different from how she looks at Manami—like she’s got this big-sister vibe. And even back then, when I was with Yuuki, Aisa always seemed just a tad more grown-up.

Maybe Aisa’s always been watching over us like a big sister.

Energetic and reckless Yuuki, me trying to keep up, and Manami clinging on for dear life—Aisa was the one keeping an eye on all three of us.

“What?”

“Nah… wanna try it, Aisa?”

I ask on a whim. Back then, Aisa always stayed a step back, watching over us…

“Hmm… maybe I will.”

Maybe there were times Aisa wanted to join in too.

Back then, when Yuuki and I went off somewhere, Aisa had to look after Manami, so she had to stay a step back. It’s not like she wasn’t interested.

Maybe we’re starting to recapture those days.

“But, Kouki, you were a bit shaky earlier. Do you actually remember it?”

“Well…”

“Hehe.”

No matter what, I feel like I’ll never quite match up to Aisa’s big-sister energy.

◇

In the end, we just got caught up in reminiscing and didn’t talk about how Yuuki’s going to change.

But…

“Haha… that’s so nostalgic. Was I really that wild?”

The fact that Yuuki’s face lit up completely? That’s a step forward.

Yuuki’s mom got all emotional, saying, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Yuuki smile like that,” and hugged them tight. Yuuki’s dad made us omurice, and somehow, we ended up staying for a while.

◇

“Thank you so much. Honestly, I want you all to come by every day!”

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea! How about it? Why don’t all three of you work at our place?”

“…Work?”

Right before we leave, at the front door, they bring this up.

“Sounds great! We could pay you for tutoring as a job!”

Yuuki’s parents are already hyped, and Yuuki’s looking around at us, flustered, not sure what to do.

Really like a little animal…

While I’m thinking that, Manami’s the first to bite.

“Sounds fun!”

Still…

“But we don’t have any experience…”

“You don’t need experience for a job like this! Heck, I’m a former salaryman who just opened a café, you know!”

Oh, really?

I thought it was bold to move and open a café, but that’s the story behind it…

“Well, think it over. Say hi to your moms for us!”

They send us off with that.

At the end, pan pan pan, Yuuki and Manami slap hands together.

Aisa and I can’t keep up with their wild energy anymore, but seeing Yuuki’s face light up with laughter makes me feel both relieved and nostalgic.