◆ 2: Jealousy on the Couch

More troublesome than Ousaki, my seatmate, was Yua after school.

—Mmm…

Yua looked visibly annoyed, with a frown as she sat on the living room couch, arms and legs crossed.

—Shin-nii, what’s wrong with Yua-san? —Tsugumi came up to me, standing in front of the open kitchen that faced the living room, with a worried expression.

—Hmph!

I don’t know if it was because of Tsugumi’s voice, but Yua puffed up her cheeks like a blowfish. Her attitude was so ambiguous that I couldn’t tell if she was genuinely upset or just joking around. She had been acting comically for a while, so the atmosphere at home hadn’t turned tense, but if I left her like this, her mood might become problematic.

—Well, it’s about the seating change…

Yua was probably upset about the seating change. Apparently, Yua thought that Ousaki and I, who now sat next to each other, were spending recess together. Although Ousaki was a bit more approachable than Yua at school, she was still a beautiful girl, so I tried not to get too close to her to avoid any misunderstandings among our classmates.

—Shin-nii, tell me what’s wrong with Yua-san.

Tsugumi grabbed my shoulders and started jumping in front of me. Her black, shiny hair moved as if it had a life of its own.

To calm Tsugumi’s concern, I explained the situation. Although I left out the part about Ousaki having pink hair so that she wouldn’t think I was involved with a gang. I simply said that she was a bit active.

—Huh? Shin-nii has a friend he talks to in the classroom?

—Yes, it’s because we sat together today.

—Amazing! Shin-nii made a friend in the classroom!

To some, this might seem like a tease, but coming from Tsugumi, I took it as a sincere compliment. My heart warmed, and my desire for recognition soared.

—I want to be a good brother to you, so I make an effort in that.

The truth is that my relationship with Ousaki started because we happened to share a hobby for professional wrestling, not because of my own efforts. Anyway, it was unlikely that Ousaki and Tsugumi would meet, so I decided to keep up that image.

—So, the next time I bring a friend home, you can talk to her too.

—Hey, I’m not so weird that I’d act strange in front of someone younger than me.

Did Tsugumi really think I was so incapable of talking to others? Sometimes Tsugumi was so sincere that it affected my self-esteem.

Even so, I was happy to know that she considered the Nagumo house as her home and felt comfortable enough to invite her friends. That made me happy.

—Oh, by the way, that friend is a girl, right?

It was an important question for me and for Tsugumi’s safety.

—Yes, of course.

With Tsugumi tilting her head in curiosity, I internally raised my fist in victory.

—Then, Shin-nii, today we’re going to celebrate with crispy tonkatsu.

—Thanks, but since you can’t cook, that would have to be done by me or Yua. It’ll be another time.

It would be extra work. Although I think Tsugumi just wanted to eat tonkatsu. She’s at an age where she eats a lot, not as much as Yua, but still quite a bit. At least it’s better than extreme diets and unbalanced eating.

—Hmph!

From the sofa, I heard a strange sound. Yua, with her hands raised, was puffing out her cheeks, first the left, then the right, and then the left again. It seemed like she had been listening to our conversation and didn’t like that we weren’t talking about her.

Although it seemed there wouldn’t be a problem if we left her like this, there was a chance she could get seriously angry about being ignored, so I quickly continued talking with Tsugumi.

—Anyway, if Yua-san is like this, it must be because she’s jealous of that friend. She thinks she’s taking Shin-nii away.

Tsugumi had an excited expression.

—Jealous? Yua couldn’t be jealous.

I denied it, though I felt a bit embarrassed. It’s better than being hated; I prefer to be liked and have someone feel jealous.

—Shin-nii, you’re making a silly face.

Tsugumi pinched my cheeks to adjust my expression, then turned me around and pushed me towards the living room.

—Look, look, Shin-nii, now you can get much closer to Yua-san.

Tsugumi, literally pushing me from behind, directed me towards Yua, who was sitting with a gangster-like pose, one knee lifted.

—Hey, Yua…

—What’s up?

She still looked at me with puffed cheeks like a blowfish.

—I… really like you! You’re the best!

—Hey, Tsugumi, stop. Don’t do ventriloquism with me using a high-pitched voice.

Tsugumi, right behind me, was moving my hand without permission. Moreover, the high-pitched voice sounded like a mouse saying “Ha, ha!”

—Shinji, do you have something to say to me?

Yua pressed me, not making it clear if she wanted me to speak or not.

—Well, about Ousaki…

I tried to say “it’s nothing,” but stopped. I couldn’t just say “don’t be jealous,” as that would probably make her angrier.

—Hey, Yua-san.

Tsugumi peeked from my side.

—If you can’t sit next to Shin-nii at school, then sit next to him at home!

—Hey, Tsugumi…

Before I could protest, Tsugumi grabbed Yua and me by the hands and pushed us onto the two-seater sofa, making us sit right in the middle, so our arms and thighs touched.

—Now you two, enjoy.

Tsugumi left the living room with light steps and then peeked her head back in.

—Ah, you can flirt if you want, but make sure to prepare dinner on time.

I heard Tsugumi go up the stairs. Although it was a two-seater sofa, if I moved away, it might make Yua angry, so I stayed put. Yua didn’t move either, which meant she wasn’t that upset.

Yua broke the silence.

—I’m not angry with Rumi or with you, Shinji.

Although Yua turned away to avoid looking at me, her cheeks were flushed.

—Then why did you seem so upset?

—It’s just… I get frustrated with myself.

I could only respond with an “oh…” Was she frustrated with herself… at my house?

—Rumi is my best friend, and if she sits next to you, it should be fine for you to talk. Besides, it’s good that you’re not alone in the classroom. Everything should be positive, but…

Yua pressed her index finger against her temple and frowned.

—But I feel strange.

Yua smiled shyly. Then, not content with just touching my hand, she leaned in and rested her chin on my shoulder. Her breath on my neck made me nervous, even though it was my own house.

—It seems I don’t like it when I can’t have you all to myself, Shinji.

Yua whispered in my ear, and although she didn’t seem completely serious, there was a playful tone in her voice. I couldn’t move my neck, but I knew she was in teasing mode. Yua enjoyed making me uncomfortable, so I tried not to show my nervousness.

—I’m sorry, but Tsugumi has me busy.

—Then I’ll take the whole package of Shinji and Tsugumi.

—Don’t try to buy it all on a sale.

—But, Shinji, your hand is sweating a lot!

Yua lifted my hand to show me.

—You’re so nervous, it’s funny!

I couldn’t control my sweat glands, so I sighed.

—Isn’t that also your sweat, Yua?

Smelling my hand, I realized it didn’t have a bad odor.

—It can’t be my sweat, it smells good.

Realizing how absurd that sounded, I recognized how weird it was.

—Well, then maybe your hand has Shinji’s scent.

Yua looked at my hand with interest.

—But I can’t distinguish the smell of your sweat, Shinji.

—That’s something you should never know.

—Come on, tell me.

How was I supposed to explain that? While I was thinking about it, Yua brought her nose close to my neck.

—It smells like Shinji.

Yua pressed her nose against my neck and didn’t move. I didn’t know what to do.

—Well, I already knew, I smelled it before.

The time Yua stayed at my house, we shared a bed and were close all night.

I didn’t have the strength to argue. I could only whisper:

—Stop… it’s embarrassing.

My mind was about to disconnect.

—I don’t want to. Rumi doesn’t know what you smell like, Shinji.

Why compete with Ousaki in something so trivial? She’d probably think my smell was unpleasant.

In the living room without Tsugumi, with Yua sniffing me, my back became tense. Finally, when I could hear the ticking of the clock, I regained my composure.

I couldn’t stay like this; dinner would be delayed.

—I’m not a pet!

With the sole intention of not leaving Tsugumi hungry, I found the strength to get up abruptly.

—Oh, come on, let me smell you more.

—Don’t talk as if you’re inhaling something weird.

—Let me enjoy Shinji.

—That sounds illegal.

—I follow all the laws, even school rules, so don’t underestimate me.

Escaping from Yua, I headed to the kitchen.

—Are you going to cook? I’ll help you.

Despite the strange scene, Yua was in good spirits and followed me. So, we both ended up cooking together in the kitchen.