Book 2: Chapter 2: 17th of July (Friday)
Morning. I got off my bed, my head still in a sleepy daze, and stepped out of my room. As I walked down the hallway towards the bathroom, I subconsciously found myself walking quietly so that I didn’t disturb any family members. This is one of the many changes I have come to terms with after the arrival of a step-sister—-Namely, the morning routine.
When it was just my old man and I living here, I didn’t have to worry about my appearance. I just carelessly trotted down the hallway with bed hair, bleary eyes, and a disheveled pajama appearance. However, I can’t be that careless now.
Now I have to be mindful of both Ayase-san and Akiko-san. Since they were still technically strangers to me, and female at that, I sure as hell didn’t have the courage or confidence to let myself show any shameful appearance in front of them.
After confirming that the bathroom was indeed empty, I checked my face in the mirror. Freshening up my dried throat with a bit of gargling, I washed my swollen cheeks and used the razor to shave the small stubbles of a beard that had started to grow.
Perfect—would be a bit of a stretch, but at the very least I don’t have to be afraid of showing myself in front of others, so I confidently made my way to the living room.
“Good morning, Ayase-san.”
Of course, just like every morning, she was perfectly prepared. Her hair was styled with not a single strand of bed hair to be found, her makeup was placed with the utmost care without a single flaw, and she was already wearing our school uniform, ironed with no wrinkles, with an apron on top to protect it. As always, I have yet to see my perfect step-sister show any kind of opening.
I’m sure she must have been up late reading her Modern Japanese material and novels to gather all sorts of reliable information, and yet I had run into her at the exact time and with the exact same appearance as every other morning, which yet again reminds me of her immeasurable self-restraint. On top of that, her workbooks and smartphone were lying on the dining room table, like she was still in the middle of studying at this very moment.
When I called out to her, Ayase-san slowly raised her head, standing up from the table like it was the obvious thing to do.