An after school affair with an unattainable flower - Chapter 1 (Lilac): Part 2

Second year of high school, June.

Morning.

When it is this time of the year, because of the sun rising way earlier, and as I have a constitution where I would wake up as soon as the sun rises. So even if I don’t want to wake up, I would still, going against my will.

Moreover It was so early that even after getting ready and heading to school, I wasn’t even sure if the school gate was open yet.

For this reason, it slowly became my daily routine to make my own breakfast and bento every day. 

Due to that, even while handling the knife, I was very careful at first, so that nothing serious would happen that in turn obstructs my writing, but now, it was just a piece of cake.

By the time I had finished making the bento, it was subsequently brighter outside.

When the short hand on the clock read 6 and the long hand 12, my mother woke up.

“Good morning~”

“Good morning~”

It was like any other, a simple greeting. Yet there was a time when it was difficult for me to say this simple greeting even in the past.

Even if I said that she’s my mother, she is in fact my stepmother. Who my blood-related father later remarried.

My father and mother divorced around the same time I was just a little kid.

The reason was apparently my mother’s abandonment of her child.

My father trembled with anger when he saw me weaken every time he came home from work. One day he went ahead and signed the divorce papers and won my custody.

Even now, I sometimes hear my father complain frantically after getting drunk, saying, “She was such a worthless woman.”

However, whenever I heard him say this, I had a mixed feeling instead, thinking that the only thing I had related to my mother was being undermined, and that I had this “worthless” blood running through my veins.

Even though half of me was made up with such bad and “worthless” blood, my father raised me with great love and responsibility.

However, it seemed that even my wonderful father could not manage to raise a child and work at the same time. So when I was in the third grade of elementary school, he married my current stepmother, Sorimachi Taeko.

Taeko-san was also pushed into the same situation as my father due to circumstances, taking care of her household as a single mother.

They married each other more out of mutual benefit and need than any sort of new affection which they had started to build up against one another.

The child that Taeko brought with herself was Ayane, who was one year younger than me.

Even though she seemed like a kid, she was not at all stupid.

I also had a vague sense that this was a remarriage without much feelings of love attached to it. This was clear by the attitude Taeko-san held towards me. She somehow could not welcome me wholeheartedly.

That is why I tried to be as nice and polite as possible so as to not antagonize her or get on her bad side.

During greetings, I made sure to say, ‘A very Good morning to you’ than just ‘Good Morning’. Even while expressing my gratitude, I would say ‘Thank you very much’ instead of a simple ‘Thank you’. (ED/N: Japanese has a formal and informal way to speak)

Those days were full of tension. However, Ayane was the only one who welcomed me with open arms.

“You know, I am called Ayane! Isn’t Onii-chan’s name called Amane? We are so alike, aren’t we!”

“Un.”

We were very similar, both in name as well as in background.

Ayane and I quickly got along with each other, we played and even fought each other a lot more than normal siblings.

Seeing us warming up to each other like that, I think even my father and Taeko-san’s past feelings hithered as we started becoming like a ‘real’ family.

My father began to love Ayane while Taeko-san began to love me as if we were their own children.

That is when we, the Shiranui family, finally began (turned) into what it is nowーーー.

“Hey, why don’t you talk to Tsuyoshi-san about this once again?”

Suddenly, my stepmother opened her mouth and said,

(btw, Tsuyoshi is my father’s name.)

“I can, but I’m not sure about what intentions the other side has…”

While writing about cooking and the one other thing that I had been doing daily.

Even though others of the same generation as me found it to be boring and cumbersome, I was still charmed by the world of literature that opened up before me.

I did not know when, but a desire to create and shape a whole new literary world with my own two hands ignited in me. Drawn by such desires, I started to write all types of fiction and nonsense continuously.

As time went by, It became inevitable that I wanted to make a living as an author in the future, however my father could never approve of it to any extent.

While he did not intend to deny my wish outright, my father was worried about sending his precious son to a world of novelists, a world where only a handful of people could live in. Being passionate about it, I instead got into an uncharacteristically heated argument with him about not being able to compromise on this in any way.

This was the crux of the dispute which took place last night.

I do think it is because of my father’s love for his son being the reason, but I wonder if it is more because I was in my rebellious phase of life that made me feel that his love for me is a little too heavy.

“I think Tou-san said all that because he is really worried about Amane-kun.”

‘It is not what he meant deep down,’ is what my stepmother tried to talk me through, but on the contrary ‘That I can also understand’. I reacted rather irritatedly towards her nonetheless.

After that, I just remained silent for a while feeling ashamed of myself, who got furious over my stepmother, who had done nothing wrong whatsoever.

“I know what you want to say. But at this rate, both of us would not have a calm discussion over this matter, so I thought that it would be better to give us ample time alone, let each other  think about our respective point of view thoroughly. Therefore, I came to the verdict of giving him a little space to do just that, after which we can talk over this issue once again.”

Before stepmother could sense my frustration even a little, I wrapped up my lunch-box that I had just finished preparing and flipped my heels in order to go my way.

“Then, as usual, I’ve left Ayane’s portion here as well, so just make sure that Ayane takes that with her.”  (ED/N: Bento if you forgot)

“Are you already departing for school?”

“I’m on morning duty today and I want to get there early.”

The truth is, I’m not on morning duty, but lying is also a part of good strategy.

“Is that so? Then be careful on your way.”

“Un, I’ll be off then.”

I put away the lunch box in my hand, quickly changed into my clothes, and slipped my foot into my leather shoes.

“Onii-chan, are you leaving already?”

“I’ll get ready soon, so let me come with you.”

“You don’t have to rush yourself and get ready. Rather Ayane, come to school at your own pace. I’ve already prepared breakfast for you.”






Normally, I would have waited for Ayane, but due to the argument that I had with my father last night, it started becoming a bit difficult for me to see him face-to-face. Thus, before my father woke up, I wanted to hurry up and go to school.






”Onii-chan, waiーーーー!”

She probably said I should wait, but unfortunately the door slammed, which didn’t allow me to hear her till the end.

The time was around 6:30 AM. It was about time when company slaves and teachers started leaving their house. I started walking towards the local high school I was admitted in, Hanekurenai.

Ayane had also just entered the same High School this year. As for me, it’s been two years since I started wearing this uniform.

It’s been two months since Ayane was admitted to the same high school as me, yet she would always pester me to go to school with her.

To tell you the truth, Ayane is incredibly weak in the morning.

Even though it’s been 10 years already since I was her new elder brother, I still had no idea why Ayane, who is so weak in the morning, would try and wake up that early just to go to school with me.

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