Chikasugiru Karera no, Juunanasai no Tooi Kankei [LN] V2 Chapter 2.4

 

 Chapter 2 - End Of Summer

"Ryuuichi, are you studying the same things as my brother?"

Asked by uncle, who was red-faced after a couple of drinks, my brother replied, " Generally, it's the same, but a little bit different. My father's research was more on political philosophy, but I'm studying something closer to literature. I've been reading a lot of Roland Barthes recently,".

"Ah, I know him. I bought one of his books when I was a student. Although I didn't read it all the way through. I have a friend who likes that kind of stuff, and he told me to read it."

"Oh. I see."

"Yeah. I wasn't really interested in it. Unlike my brother, I didn't read a lot of books. Are you planning to go on to a doctor's degree, Ryuuichi?"

"At the moment, that's my plan, but I haven't given up on the idea of finding a job yet. I have a lot of things on my mind."

Then, "If there is something you want to do, you should do it to the fullest. When you are young, you can make up for it," said my grandfather, who was listening to the conversation between them. He had been told by his doctor not to drink too much, and my grandmother had gently stopped him, but he had started drinking sake and occasionally joined in on the conversation.

My uncle said, "But I guess it must have been nice for my brother that Ryuuichi went down the same path."

"I don't know. I think he probably did everything he could to stop me. Mom still doesn't seem to think well of it either."

When my brother said that, my mother, who had been quieter than usual today, perhaps because we were at our grandparents' house, also opened her mouth.

"I've already agreed upon pursuing a master's degree, but I still think it's better to get a job than to become a scholar. There are really only a handful of people who can become professors, and if you want to get a regular job in the humanities, it doesn't really matter if you have a college degree or higher."

"Here we go again. How could you date dad with that?"

When my brother said that, my mother put her hands to her temples as if her head hurt.

"I say this because I know how hard it is. When I was younger, I really worried about my future. I still remember how happy I was when he got a regular job at the university."

My mother said that and the people in the room laughed. Then uncle asked my mother, "So, how long are you going to stay here?".

"We will be back on the noon flight the day after tomorrow. I don't want to stay too long because I don't want to bother Father-in-law and others, and I and Kenichi have our own schedules."

"I see," my uncle said.

We had already called my grandparents about our plans, and they didn't particularly respond. 'Come again,' my grandfather said, addressing me.

"Yeah," I nodded.

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After dinner, I took a bath, and around 10 p.m., my brother and I returned to my father's room, laid out the futon on the tatami mats, lit mosquito coils on the windowsill, and lay down. Immediately I felt heavy again, tired from the long trip. 

"Hey, Kenichi. By the way, I just heard that Rina-chan's mother came over."

As I closed my eyes, I suddenly heard my brother's voice. I opened my eyes and saw that my brother was lying face down, reading an e-book or something on his mobile device. A faint light shone on his face.

"---Yeah. Just for a day. She stayed in mom's room."

"What was she like?"

"She is the complete opposite of Izumi. She was very easygoing. She's the type of person that seemed to get along well with you."

"I see."

He ran his finger over the screen and swiped it sideways. I turned over so that I was facing away from my brother, and then I closed my eyes again for a while.

Then, dozing, I fell asleep. At first, I thought the old pillow smelled dusty, but then I began to feel nostalgic. It was my father's smell, I thought in my vague consciousness as I was pulled into sleep. Along with this sense of nostalgia, several past memories, including the time my father taught me how to play soccer with Yuriko, flashed through my mind like a dream. And then, following that,

---You should pay more attention to Yuriko-chan.

---You have to answer me, okay?

The words my brother and Yuriko had said to me some time ago came back to me. And so, I awoke again, as if my consciousness was rising to the water's surface.

"......Ryuu-kun, can I ask you something?"

I whispered saying that with my eyes closed.

And then, at that point, I was at a loss for the right words to say.

"......Never mind, It's nothing."

When I opened my eyes, my brother was still reading his e-book. The light was dim and weak, and the room was in total darkness.

"Is it about Yuriko-chan?"

I knew I shouldn't have said anything. How could he know? I couldn't deny it, so I kept silent. "I'm sorry if I'm wrong," my brother said, putting up a preface.

"You shouldn't do what I do."

"I don't......and I can't."

"Fine then. Forget it."

There was a small cough and the sound of something hard being placed on the floor.

"It's surprisingly cool here at night."

Indeed, unlike when the sun was shining, it was much cooler now with the night breeze. "Yeah," I replied. The smell of mosquito coils, which had bothered me at first, became less and less noticeable as time went on. I could hear the croaking of frogs mixed in with the sound of cars on the nearby road.

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