An after school affair with an unattainable flower - Chapter 3 (Cleome): Part 4

I checked the classroom for any forgotten items and locked the door.

In my class, or rather in my school, each student is assigned with a role they are in charge of.

And so, with that I became the “locker” in charge.

For someone like me, who likes to write in the classroom after school, it was the job perfectly in sync with me. 

Moreover, since there was no other student who would want to take on the 『Locker』 role which pertains to the condition that, ‘you can’t go home before everyone goes home’, I was able to get hold of this role rather easily, which also played to my favor.

“Excuse me. I’m Shiranui Amane from Class 2-B. I’m here to return the key to our classroom.”

When I opened the staff room door and came to return the key as usual, my homeroom teacher, Ota-sensei, was there.

“Oh Shiranui, good work. Are you staying until this late to study?”

“yes”

“I see, you’re doing well. I was a little worried because your grades have been dropping since you entered school.”

“Ahaha… I think I can somehow break this negative chain this time…”

“I see, then I’m waiting with anticipation. Look now, since tomorrow is a test, so hurry up and go home.”

“Yes, I will be taking my leave with this then.”

I left the staff room, walked down the corridor, got to the hatch, changed my shoes, left the school, and passed through the school gate.

While doing all that, there was only one thought that ran throughout my mind.

What was the true meaning behind the last words she left me with.

But no matter how much I agitate, I can’t find an answer anyway.

“Please discuss the answer with me already…”

Final exam starts tomorrow.

I know it’s a waste of time to think about something that doesn’t give an answer, and this is not even the time to think about something like this in the first place.

I know that, but…

“It’s useless, I can’t get that out of my head.”

Should I take advice from someone?

But from whom?

I can’t discuss it with my father because we are in the middle of an argument. So that leaves the options as either stepmother or Ayane?

…Come to think of it, does Ayane have someone she likes? A boyfriend like that?

Let’s ask Ayane, including that as well.

As I came to that conclusion, I was already in front of my home.

“I’m home.”

ー ー ー ー ー Gatta

“Nn?”

I heard a loud noise coming from my room.

Did Ayane drop something?

So, I head straight to my room just like that and open the door.

Gacha

“I’m home.”

“Wel- Welcome back… Onii-chan. You’re earlier than usual…”

“Nn? Ah, it’s certainly earlier than usual. … What were you doing?”

“Eh? Ah, me? I’m, I don’t think I’m doing anything in particular or so, I think?”

“Ayane, your face is red. Did you get a summer cold?”

Ayane’s cheeks were flushed red like never, she was also sweating a little.

“Uh–unn, no, it’s fine, Onii-chan. I don’t specifically have caught a cold nor do I have a fever.”

“Unn, then it’s alright I guess.”

Even though the person herself said she’s okay, I can’t ignore the possibility that she might be overdoing it behind the scenes.

Let’s ask for advice later sometime.

“Then Ayane, as I want to change now, so can you go for now?”

“Yeah. Yes. Okay. I’ll go back to my room.”

Ayane, who looked different from her usual self, deliberately left the room without looking at me again.

“…As I thought, is she feeling unwell?”

While worrying about my stepsister, I changed into my loungewear in a short-time and headed towards the living room.

“Ara~, welcome back. Amane-kun.”

“I’m home, stepmother-san”

In the living room, there was the sight of my stepmother folding the laundry.

“I’ll help you.”

“Ara~, that would be really helpful.”

I started folding up the laundry as well.

While I was slowly helping her with the household work, I started thinking about it carefully.

Come to think of it, I wonder what kind of love my stepmother experienced till now..

Rather, what kind of person was her ex-husband like?

It’s already been 10 years since we had become a family, but I suddenly became curious about the fact that I had never been concerned about in the past.

This and that, It’s all just one girl’s fault

“Saay, Stepmother.”

“Nn?”

“What kind of love did stepmother experience until now?”

Perhaps finding her son, who is usually only interested in printed matter, to ask a question as bizarre as this, with her eyes widened in surprise, my stepmother smiled gently.

“A love story? I thought Amane-kun is a pretty straight-laced boy, that you weren’t interested in girls yet, fufu~. So you’re around that age as well heh.”

It seemed that she had guessed just about everything from the unexpected question that was thrown at her.

“Nn, well you see. There’s only one story that might to meet your expectations, so what will it be?”

“Was that your ex-husband?”

“Yeah”

After saying that, she began to talk little by little.

“It must have already been about 30 years since I met my ex-husband. It was around the time I was in my middle-school, our meeting was kind of like—-“

What went on after that was a story which was far more bittersweet than the novel I wrote.

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