When Saeko woke up the next morning, she felt surprisingly fresh. Not a feeling she was used to. She stretched lazily in bed, enjoying the rare peace— until the unnaturalness of the situation snapped her back to reality.
The luxury of a peaceful morning wasn't something she could afford with Mitsuko around, who usually had her up at the crack of dawn with her endless demands.
Wait a second. What time is it?
Her eyes darted to the clock on her bedside table. Ten o'clock.
"Ugh, seriously?" she groaned, springing out of bed. Even at weekends, she never slept this late. What's going on here?
Still half-dazed, she stumbled into the kitchen, only to be greeted by an unfamiliar sight: a spotless counter laden with breakfast and Mitsuko happily munching.
"What... happened here?" Saeko blurted out, with disbelief.
Could Jiro have made breakfast? But he always left early on weekends, for whatever he was up to... Saeko noted with a hint of annoyance.
"Your boyfriend made my favourite breakfast," Mitsuko replied casually.
Saeko froze. "What?" It caught her so off guard, she didn't even have the presence of mind to deny the "boyfriend" part.
Did Sota bring her home last night? And... did he stay over?
If he stayed, then he must've figured some disturbing things about our family situation. Damnit.
Saeko noticed Mitsuko's mood had suddenly changed; she was pouting now.
"What's wrong? Don't you like it?" Saeko asked, glancing at the food and taking a bite herself.
"It's not that," Mitsuko said, her voice soft but disappointed.
"Wow, it's good," Saeko muttered, surprised. How can he be that good in the kitchen? Then it clicked—He had mentioned yesterday how conscious he was about his diet. He must be used to cooking for himself.
Mitsuko sniffled, her voice barely above a whisper. "I asked him to play with me, but he said there's an important morning routine he has to do and just left."
"No wonder," Saeko replied. I can't blame him for backing out. It's a natural reaction... no one wants to get caught up in a messy family situation.
"I'm sorry," Saeko added, her tone softer. It's still better this way. Yet, why do I feel somehow disappointed?
Suddenly, Saeko's attention was drawn to a strange noise coming from the yard. Could it be that hooded figure again who's been lurking around here lately? As if there wasn't enough to worry about already, the last thing they needed was a stalker. Something had to be done to make sure he didn't come back. Grabbing a bat, she stormed out of the house.
To her surprise, it wasn't that creep she expected to find.
There, in front of their garage, was Sota. Half-naked, his muscular frame slick with sweat, he was in a handstand push-up position. His legs were straight and steady, his arms shaking with each push.
Saeko stood there, her jaw dropping slightly. She had expected to find an intruder, not... him.
"Wow, isn't it a bit much to come at me with a bat like that?" Sota joked, still upside down.
Saeko, holding the stick, hesitated before lowering it slightly. "Sorry, I thought it was that stalker again.." She explained, feeling a little embarrassed for staring at him, yet she couldn't look away from his well-toned body. In this position, with his muscles being put to work, they looked even more defined and sculpted than she remembered.
"What are you doing here anyway?" she asked, confused.
"Sorry, I prefer to do my morning routine outside, they say it's healthy… training in the cold, it's supposed to help with circulation and stamina," he said, switching to balance on one hand. Saeko tried to mask her amazement with a frown.
"I didn't expect you… to still be here," she said bluntly.
He flipped back from the handstand, landing effortlessly on his feet in one smooth motion.
"Mitsuko asked me to play with her for a bit, so I decided to stay, if you don't mind my intrusion."
She eyed him sceptically.
"You can't," she found herself saying, surprised by the force of her own words. "She'll get attached to you if you do so. I can't let her go through that again... people coming and going in her life."
"Hey, I…" he began, trying to protest, but it was no use.
"So, please, don't make it worse. Just go home," she said, turning her back on him, leaving Sota standing there, baffled.
I'm sorry Mitsuko. It still hurts less this way than if he left after you grew to love him.