◆ 3. You Can Come Anytime

That day, as usual, Yua showed up at the Nagumo house. Although she had visited many times, she hadn’t seen all the rooms of the house.

—Show me the other rooms, okay? —Yua said, and since it wasn’t something I needed to hide, I decided to show her the rooms she hadn’t seen yet. Tsugumi and I accompanied her. I appreciated that she asked for permission before wandering around the house, which showed respect.

After finishing the tour, we sat in the living room for a snack, and Yua asked a question.

—Shinji, did you live alone with your father before? Why are there so many rooms?

It was a reasonable question. Tsugumi had gone to the bathroom, so I took the opportunity to answer. It wasn’t something I needed to hide from Yua.

—Originally, my father planned to build this house so that Ayaka… Tsugumi’s mother could also live here.

—Should I not have asked? —Yua said, looking worried.

—Don’t worry, it’s fine. In fact, I’d like you to know, as it also involves Tsugumi.

I didn’t hear this directly from my father, so this is more of my own assumption.

—My father always worried about them living as just a mother and daughter. He wanted to make sure there was a place where they could live without worries if necessary.

In the end, Ayaka never came to live with us, even when her illness worsened. After many issues when she had Tsugumi, Ayaka decided to raise her alone and left her home. Although my father and Ayaka were good friends, she probably didn’t want to rely entirely on him.

Ayaka seemed fragile and calm, but she had a determination and willpower very similar to my father’s. In the end, Ayaka only relied on my father when she decided to leave Tsugumi with us.

—In the end, even though Ayaka didn’t live with us, thanks to my father’s preparations, Tsugumi was able to adapt easily when she came.

My father probably wasn’t entirely satisfied with the result, as he had hoped Ayaka would also be here with Tsugumi. But at least he wouldn’t regret having built such a large house, as Tsugumi was doing well.

—What were you talking about? —Tsugumi asked as she came back from the bathroom. She lay down on Yua’s lap like a cat. Why not on mine?

—We were talking about how my father thought about preparing a room for Yua.

Tsugumi looked at Yua with hopeful eyes.

—Yua, why don’t you move in with us?

Tsugumi had the special talent of making bold invitations.

—Come on, Tsugumi, don’t say things that might make Yua uncomfortable.

—But, Shinji, you can’t invite her to live with us properly.

—Yua has her own plans too.

—Come on, Shinji, don’t you want to live with your girlfriend?

—That’s...

I couldn’t completely agree with Tsugumi. Living under the same roof as Yua... Although the idea was appealing, being nervous all the time wouldn’t be good for my mental health. I’d prefer to get used to Yua more before considering it.

—I’m sorry, Tsugumi, I’d love to, but right now I can’t —Yua said, patting Tsugumi’s head.

—I decided to live alone, and if I moved here, it would be like giving up.

Yua was concerned about “giving up,” probably in front of her parents. Although I didn’t know all the details, Yua had decided to live alone due to issues with her parents. For her, living alone was significant, and she didn’t want to give that up.

—I’m glad you gave me a key. I’ll use it a lot.

Tsugumi, who seemed a bit down, perked up again with Yua’s response.

—Are you sure? —I asked Yua.

I wanted to ask if she’d be okay alone, if she could always stay at our house, and if her parents were really that problematic, but I didn’t know how to phrase it.

—What, did you want to live with me, Shinji? —Yua said, smiling and pulling the key from her pocket, showing it to me.

—If we lived together, we could do things all the time.

—Shinji, you’re so naughty —Tsugumi said.

—Hey, I’m not a horny animal! —I protested.

—Well, thanks for worrying —Yua said, blushing slightly.

Yua probably wasn’t used to being cared about. Maybe she said those things to hide her embarrassment.

So, the idea of Yua moving in with us ended. It seemed that Yua also had a strong sense of independence. However, unlike Ayaka, Yua had left the possibility open to rely on us if she needed to. As long as she had the key she carried with her, we could rest assured knowing she had a safe place to go.