"Have you ever thought about your future with him?"
Sekai hesitated before asking. It wasn't really her place to bring this up. But watching Setsuna sink deeper and deeper into this situation, she felt it was better for her friend to wake up sooner rather than later.
They'd both been impulsive back then. Back when she and Setsuna first saw him, they'd each caught only a glimpse of his surface and made their choices in haste.
"Didn't you two promise to wait until you graduated high school?"
"Mm."
"But next year, he'll already be old enough to get married, won't he? You're already of age, too. In just a few days, you could marry if you wanted. Why wait until graduation?"
From Setsuna's perspective, Sekai tried to think it through. That 'after high school' promise felt meaningless to her.
"You're not even in the same school anymore. Even if you married, no one would know."
"But… Haruto said he wanted to wait until graduation to prepare… a home where we could all live together. And then…"
That promise still lived in Setsuna's heart. She remembered that night in her room when they talked about their future. Just thinking about it made her mood sink.
Back then, when Haruto looked at her, there had still been a light in his eyes. But now, whenever they met, she felt it... he was avoiding her.
His gaze would slide away instead of meeting hers. Even in conversation, his eyes wandered. And when she stepped close to him, he would unconsciously lift his hand, as if to push her away, keeping her at arm's length.
"He probably doesn't love me anymore."
Setsuna made the judgment in her own heart. Sekai opened her mouth to say something comforting, but no words came.
_ _ _
How do you even define loving someone?
Sitting before his blank document, Haruto found himself thinking the same question. He remembered the first time he'd met Setsuna; back then she had seemed so cute in his eyes.
But as time passed, as they became more familiar, he began to notice how different they were.
He liked quiet. She was quiet. He'd thought their personalities would match perfectly, that they'd live easily together. But with time's polishing, he discovered they weren't truly the same type at all.
How long had they even known each other?
Half a year. Not counting the time she was unconscious, barely six months in total.
What had he been thinking back then, asking a girl for "a relationship with marriage in mind"?
Staring at the screen before him, Haruto felt a blankness inside.
—
Having wrapped up work early, Mai hurried home. She knew Haruto had returned to Tokyo, and after his call that morning she'd found herself distracted at the office, her thoughts drifting back to him.
"Excuse me…"
She squeezed through the crowded subway, hurried up to her apartment, and opened the door... only to find it empty.
"She's not home?"
Setsuna must be at Haruto's place, she thought. Mai didn't panic; instead she began quietly preparing dinner.
When it was nearly ready, she sent Haruto a message. About ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Mai went to answer it and found Haruto standing there alone.
"Just you?"
"Setsuna's not here?"
Both of them blinked, realizing they'd each assumed something different.
"I thought she was with you. Hold on, let me check."
Mai stepped back into the apartment and called her daughter.
"I'm at Sekai's. Why?"
"You're not coming home?"
"I'm staying over at Sekai's tonight. I'll be back tomorrow morning or afternoon. Why?"
"Nothing…"
Standing there, Haruto gave a small shake of his head.
Mai hesitated, then bit her lip, watching him for a moment before giving a small nod.
"Alright. Next time, tell me in advance."
"Mm."
She hung up, puzzled. Why hadn't Haruto told Setsuna he was back in Tokyo? Why hadn't he wanted Mai to tell her?
"I thought you'd already told Setsuna you were back."
"I was going to, but then I thought it'd be nice to surprise her. So I didn't."
"And just now…"
"If she knew I was back, she'd rush home immediately. But she's with Sekai right now, so there's no need to interrupt her. Seeing her tomorrow's the same as seeing her tonight."
Mai found she couldn't argue with that. She let go of her faint unease.
"So tonight, it's just the two of us?"
"Yeah."
"Let's eat then. Another few minutes and dinner will go cold."
Meanwhile at Sekai's house, Setsuna hung up on her mother's call and turned to her friend. The two of them quietly finished their dinner together.
"My mom won't be back until around nine. No need to wait for her... we can turn in early."
"Mm."
Setsuna still had a vague, uneasy feeling in her chest. But after hearing Sekai's words, she nodded.
Haruto…
His name flickered across her mind. She glanced at Sekai but pushed the thought aside, finishing dinner with her friend before heading to the bath. The two of them later slipped into Sekai's room together.
"Sekai, have you ever thought about the future?"
"Of course I have. I want a perfect boyfriend, an easy and happy life, lazy days without worry. I remember you had dreams too, Setsuna. Back then, you told me about where you wanted to go, didn't you?"
_ _ _
The next morning, Haruto woke up and looked at Mai, still asleep. After putting on his clothes, he left the bedroom, poured himself a glass of water in the living room, and opened the fridge to check what ingredients were left.
After preparing breakfast, he returned to the bedroom to wake Mai gently.
"It's morning. Time to get up."
"Hm?"
Mai slowly opened her groggy eyes and looked at Haruto standing at the edge of her bed. She stretched her body, and the soft quilt slid from her. Her fair skin didn't draw Haruto's gaze; after two nights of intense exertion, he was temporarily worn out.
Mai picked up her clothes from the bed and watched Haruto turn to leave the room without saying a word.
Like Haruto, she was also a little tired. At her age, she couldn't afford to push herself too far. Even last night, she hadn't been able to stay up too long before needing rest.
"I still have to go to work today. Tomorrow is Saturday, so I get one day off on Sunday. But technically, Saturday should be a rest day too…"
"Maybe you should find a job with regular weekends off?"
"Then my income wouldn't be enough. Supporting Setsuna through college isn't simple. Scholarships help, but they're still a heavy burden for her future."
University tuition was extremely expensive. For most average families, it was hard to afford. Scholarships existed to help students from modest backgrounds, but many of them were essentially loans.
True, some scholarships didn't need to be repaid if you completed your studies, but those were extremely rare and came with very strict requirements.
Most scholarships, however, were low-interest or interest-free loans.
They helped a portion of students significantly, but for many, repayment began immediately after graduation, sometimes amounting to around four million yen over ten years—a daunting challenge.
Four million yen might not sound like much. In a society with a shortage of young labor, a student could earn around 200,000 yen a month by taking on several part-time jobs.
However, new graduates rarely became full-time employees immediately. First, they had to endure the awkward period as temporary staff, while paying rent, utilities, food, and other expenses.
In Tokyo alone, monthly rent was at least 50,000 yen. Add key money and deposit fees for a new lease, and it became almost impossible for a young graduate to repay a scholarship without parental help.
"Mm… college, huh?"
"Setsuna even talked about studying abroad before."
"Before?"
They sat down at the dining table. Hearing Mai mention that Setsuna once considered studying abroad caught Haruto by surprise.
"A long time ago, probably in middle school. She mentioned it to me back then, but hasn't talked about it this year."
"Where did she want to go?"
"Paris… or London."
"Not New York?"
"She didn't really like that kind of environment... too free. You know her personality. Back then, I talked with her about it properly, and I thought she had some valid points. We even did quite a bit of preparation for her studying abroad, but now… it seems unnecessary."
Mai took a sip of milk and looked at Haruto.
"Honestly, I don't have any real desire to go abroad. A strange environment, unfamiliar relationships, and having to learn the language of that place... it's all very troublesome."
"Did she learn those languages?"
"The plan was for high school. During that time, she would study two or three foreign languages, and after graduating, she'd go abroad to study."
"Did she give up?"
"Because she has you now. Leaving your side to go abroad… by the time she returned, it probably wouldn't make much sense anymore."
Mai looked at Haruto and smiled faintly. Perhaps she didn't know as much about him as her daughter Setsuna did, but her intuition was sharp. She had a sense of certain things.
She told Haruto all this simply to make him aware: what her daughter had given up for him, hoping he would cherish her more.
"I didn't know any of this until I heard you just now."
"And now you know?"
"Her dreams?"
"Her old dreams."
Noticing Haruto's reaction... he didn't look moved, but rather guilty... Mai quickly added:
"Besides, right now… you are Setsuna's greatest dream."
Surprised by the words, Haruto looked at Mai, lost in thought. He quietly stood and walked toward the door.
"I'm going out for a walk… just to clear my head. I'll head back afterward."
"Hm? Breakfast?"
Haruto didn't answer, leaving the living room. The cold winter wind hit him as he stepped outside. He walked back to his apartment, entered his room, and lay on his bed, covering his eyes with his arm.
His mind was complicated.
He hadn't known about Setsuna's dream before... her wish to study abroad had been unknown to him. But now he knew.
And he didn't know what to do. Should he support her dream, let her study abroad, or act as if he didn't know, letting her make her own choices like before?
"I really am…"
He hadn't expected that preparing a simple breakfast would bring such a complex revelation.
Should I support it or not?
~~~~~~~~~~
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