Chapter 79

Current Sky went into her room, and not long after, Yumina lifted her body from where she had been lying down.

“Looks like our young lady couldn’t handle it and ran away.”

Laplace smirked faintly.

“Why do pointless things?”

“It’s not pointless. Since we live in the same house, it’s unnatural to feel awkward around each other.”

“Even if you don’t force it, people who are meant to get along will, and those who aren’t won’t despite your efforts.”

“So that mindset itself is wrong from the start. Now that we’re sharing the same space, it’s better to become friends.”

“Sounds too good to me. Your wish is noted. However, I don’t feel the need to get that close to someone I don’t mesh well with.”

“What’s wrong with our young lady?”

As Laplace licked the cookie crumbs from his fingers and looked at Yumina, his expression clearly conveyed that this didn’t need answering.

Yumina wanted to refute that look but found it difficult on principle.

“Even so… she’s cute, isn’t she?”

Though it was a minor objection, Laplace consented, even if it was with a somewhat indifferent tone.

“True, she is impressive in appearance. She’s rich, so she’s the archetype of beauty for materialists. Incredible, isn’t she?”

Hurt by this comment, Yumina quietly drank her juice. She then noticed the coffee cup Current Sky had left behind. Its presence somehow gave off an assertive vibe, as if declaring that someone else would clean it up.

Yumina silently picked up the cup and placed it in the kitchen sink. Leaving it there, today’s meal duty person would clean it, right?

Which means… Current Sky, who’s on duty today…?

Having thought that much, Yumina couldn’t help but glance at the cup. A reasonable suspicion crept in that it might sit there untouched until morning.

Checking the time, it was almost 9 p.m. It wasn’t Current Sky’s bedtime yet, but it was also too early for her to come to the kitchen for cleaning. Even if their “Young Lady” decided to have another cup of coffee and came to the kitchen, it was unlikely she’d feel compelled to clean.

She’d probably spot the sink and still dismiss it with something like:

“Oh, there’s some washing up… I’m sure tomorrow’s duty person will handle it.”

With such thoughts, Yumina gave up hoping for anything from today’s duty person and turned on the faucet. There was no real need to use the dishwasher. She quickly washed the dishes, dried her hands, and returned to the living room.

She was increasingly getting the sense that she’d be picking up after their Young Lady every week. It felt like the cost-benefit analysis wasn’t quite right.

Back in the living room, Doyugeon was having a conversation with Laplace. The fact that he’d come out of his room only after Current Sky retreated confirmed that he was avoiding her.

Though he had plenty of female friends and got teased by them, to react so strongly to one kiss seemed unbalanced. Still, there was something endearing about his innocence that many people liked.

“What’re you talking about?”

“Well, we’re discussing why someone would like the formidable person in the next room.”

“She’s not that bad.”

Laplace’s explanation earned a quiet rebuttal from Doyugeon. His hesitation to completely deny it indicated a complex feeling.

“Alright, let’s say that. So, what exactly do you like about her?”

“Hang on, I’m thinking.”

Doyugeon stared pensively at the table.

“Isn’t the fact that you’re even pondering this the signal that it’s over already?”

Laplace pointed at him with a chocolate chip cookie.

“You fell for her looks. Just admit it, you superficialist.”

Doyugeon crossed his arms defiantly and glared at the ceiling.

“Stop thinking, stop!”

Realizing this wouldn’t end well, Yumina intervened by mussing Doyugeon’s hair, prompting him to immediately dodge.

“Stop thinking like this! Love isn’t the sum of pros and cons; it’s an emotional surge. If you’re pondering what’s good or bad, it’s not love!”

After exclaiming this, Yumina glanced at Laplace, who was looking uninterested.

“Still, liking her for her looks seems accurate.”

“Not this kind of nitpicking!”

Ignoring her, Laplace muttered,

“Anyway, looks do matter. Once things progress, sex—”

A cushion flew and hit Laplace. Blushing furiously, Yumina grabbed a cushion and started hitting him with it.

“Why did that have to come up…?”

“What did I say!”

After a few hits, Laplace retaliated with another cushion, and soon the situation devolved into a pillow fight.

Doyugeon stood aside, content to watch and laugh. Embarrassed though he was, the first thing that came to mind when thinking about what he liked about Current Sky wasn’t her appearance. Though how she looked was indeed attractive, the first thing he thought of was her voice.

That voice—starting from when he was very young—carried knowledge, information, intellect, discipline, structure. Despite feeling like a mere glimpse, one thing rang clear:

She is different.

Different in every aspect, but not on a horizontal plane, rather on a vertical one.

That’s why it feels odd.

How could we live through the same time and have such a gap? How does she handle things she hasn’t experienced so skillfully? How does she live as if she has already reached the endpoint? How can she be so sure of herself? How does she possess such a firm set of values?

How…

How…

Can one become an adult?

Teach me the method.

Current Sky is unreal.

Since childhood, the feelings she evokes—whether love or admiration—remain unclear. Maybe both, or maybe neither. But does it matter?

Ultimately, these feelings are directed toward Current Sky.

As she once said, the important thing is the direction.

Is the direction I’m headed in now correct?

Of course.

—

I awoke to the cozy warmth of my fluffy blanket. Checking my phone beside my bed, it was just before 6 a.m. I turned off the alarm before it rang and pulled the blanket up to my chin.

This is the most blissful moment of life. Waking up before the alarm, having ample time, yet not feeling tired or compelled to sleep anymore. The perfect moment to lie in bed, warmed by the blanket overnight, and do nothing.

This is why I can’t abandon my regimented lifestyle. Following a structure brings me moments of leisure, inevitable periods of freedom amidst suffocating schedules. These are moments of growth. It’s realizing that you’ve momentarily outpaced your tight schedule and finding joy in doing nothing. Even though these brief dreams will vanish when the schedule tightens again, they bring satisfaction.

Well, that’s what it was in my previous life, anyway. Now, it’s just waking up early without much to do, but that’s fine. Rolling over in bed, the cooler air brushed my leg as it slipped out from under the blanket. Ah, it feels good, cool!

After wasting a moment, I took a shower.

It’s true I need to go early for the opening ceremony as the student representative, but there’s no need to rush so much. Still, it’s the first day of school, and I should set an example.

Checking the kitchen, there was nothing prepared to eat. There were ingredients, but no cooked meals.

Who’s on meal duty today? Ah, it’s Yumina. She didn’t prepare anything.

Peeking into Yumina’s room, I noticed wine bottles neatly arranged on one wall. Even as a high school student, is it okay to have so much alcohol out like that? Ah, but wine isn’t exactly alcohol—it’s just grape juice, right? Anyway, it must’ve been expensive to collect, I wonder where the money came from. Misuse of funds, perhaps?

I shook Yumina, who was barely clothed in pajamas. She muttered something unintelligible and opened her eyes. They didn’t seem focused, still groggy from sleep.

“How late is it?” she croaked.

“Give me food.”

She blinked lazily and fumbled around aimlessly before finding her phone and checking the time.

“6:30…”

“Probably.”

“Why…”

“Because it’s 6:30.”

Yumina put the phone down and lay back down. I shook her again.

“Give me food. You pushed for this meal rotation thing, didn’t you? How can you not do your part?”

Yumina slowly rose after some resistance.

“Hey, what’s the plan for breakfast?”

“Tomato pasta.”

“Rich breakfast, huh?”

“I’m still growing.”

As Yumina started to change out of her pajamas, she paused and looked at me.

“Since I have to boil the pasta, can you start heating the water?”

“Sure.”

I left the room and went to the kitchen. I put the water on to boil, then headed to the living room where I sat on the sofa and turned on the TV. The novelty of having a TV in this house felt fresh. Flipping through the channels for a while, I thought it might be done, so I headed back to the kitchen.

There, Yumina was just fishing the pasta out of the pot. The tomato pasta, indeed, did the noodles seem fully cooked. Did we even have tomatoes in the fridge?

Yumina opened a jar of tomato sauce and poured it over the pasta.

“Here, eat.”

The pasta was set on the table, but it wasn’t what I had in mind.

Sitting down, I noticed Yumina had a bottle of wine in front of her. She wasn’t planning to eat but to drink wine instead, it seemed. The wine swirled invitingly in her glass.

Stirring the tomato pasta, there weren’t any chunks. How expensive is this sauce, anyway? Isn’t this normal?

“It doesn’t quite match my expectations.”

Yumina, not even looking up, gently shook her glass of wine and muttered.

“You’re asking for too much…”

She must still be half asleep.

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