Last night, Erina nee-san came back from her date. And I think everyone can already guess how it went…
I still remember all too well the painful words she said.
[He… he said he understood my situation and even offered to pay for today's date. See? He's a good guy. But then… one of the girls who likes him saw him paying the bill. She said, "How can you let the man you like pay for you?" Haha… what could I even say back to that? After that, she invited him to go to a karaoke bar. But since I'm "broke", I couldn't go with them… I shouldn't have listened to you…]
After that, Aunt Serina tried to talk with Erina nee-san. It seemed like she was scolding her for the way she blamed me. Later, Erina nee-san apologized, but it was obvious she still believed it was my fault for making her feel so miserable.
And maybe she's right. That's why I couldn't sleep, lying awake for hours, wondering if what I did was really wrong or not.
And... I came to a conclusion.
"Erina nee-san, are you here?"
"…Tomoki-kun, I don't want to talk to you right now."
I took a deep breath.
"I know you're still mad at me. And you have every right to be. But…I won't apologize."
At that moment, she opened the door.
"Do you know how hard it is for a woman to get a boyfriend? Do you think it's easy to find a decent man out there? Sob… Of course not. A man will never understand."
"…" — I couldn't say anything back.
"Please, just… leave me alone. You don't need to worry about me."
"Of course I'll worry about you. You're my sister!"
"Tomoki-kun… just… please, leave for now. Is it that hard?"
"Okay… but let me tell you just this. I don't like your boyfriend at all. And it's not just me, Natsumi-chan, Hiyori-chan, and Miyuna-chan too. They were the first ones to notice, and I agree with them."
"They've never even met him. They're just making assumptions. Besides, he doesn't mind paying for all the dates. See? I was right about him."
"Erina nee-san, how many times have you paid for everything up until now? Covering just one date doesn't make up for all the money you've spent—"
"Do you think money can buy love? So what then? Since I've spent so much on him, does that give me the right to do whatever I want to him?" — Erina nee-san cut me off.
Geez, she really has a blockhead.
"This isn't about money—it's about fairness. He knows how much you like him, and how much you've sacrificed for him. At the very least, he should take responsibility!"
"How!? By being my husband or something? That's exactly what I said before!"
"If he likes you, then YES!" — The words burst out of my mouth before I realized it.
"!?" — Erina nee-san's eyes widened in shock.
We both paused, trying to catch our breath after that outburst.
"Erina nee-san, he should take you more seriously. He's your boyfriend. Of course we expect that from him."
"He's not…" — she mumbled.
"What?"
"He's not my boyfriend… sob… I rented him to act like one." — She confessed.
"…And why would you need to rent one? Just to show off to everyone?"
"No! I know it's stupid, but I fell in love with him. He's cool, gentle, mature. At first, I was just curious about this whole rental boyfriend thing… but before I knew it, I couldn't feel happiness without him. The more time I spent with him, the more I wanted him."
"Erina nee-san…" — I never realized she liked him that much.
"You don't find someone like that easily. Not the kind of man who makes you feel special."
"…" — I couldn't say anything. I was taken aback by her words.
"That's why I have to put in effort. I need to show him I'm serious about him, that I'm willing to do everything for him… so that maybe he'll like me back."
To put in so much effort just for someone's attention… Yeah. I know that feeling too.
[Sorry Tomoki, you're kind and a good friend. However I don't see you that way. I don't wanna persuit a relationship now.]
Sometimes I wonder why she rejected me so quickly. She could've postponed her answer… but she didn't.
Then I remembered when Tachibana-san indirectly confessed to me. I turned her down because I liked Ayame-san. Dating Tachibana-san while thinking about Ayame-san would've been disrespectful.
Maybe if I dated her, I could've forgotten about Ayame-san. But when would that happen? My father taught me to always treat women with respect, if I wanted to be respected back.
That's why I wonder… maybe you never really wanted to pursue a relationship with me. Maybe that's why you didn't want me to wait for you.
Or maybe it's just all in my head.
"Erina nee-san, he has a lot of experience with girls, right?"
"Well, that's his job."
"I see… just as I thought."
"…?" — She tilted her head.
"If I were in his place, and I didn't want to persuit an relationship with you, I would've rejected you right from the start."
"That's… awful."
"No. That's giving serious thought and being fair."
"But Tomoki, maybe he does like me, you know? Maybe he sees me as a friend, so—"
"If that were true, he wouldn't just leave you to go off with another girl who insulted you."
Her eyes widened again, like she'd finally realized something obvious.
"…Do you really think he doesn't like me?"
"If that's how he shows affection, then you're better off alone than with someone like him."
She froze for a moment. Then—
"Pfft—haha… what is that?"
"Am I wrong?" — I asked, grinning.
I was glad to see her laughing.
"Thanks, Tomoki-kun. But I still need time to think about it."
"It's okay, Erina nee-san. That just shows how much you liked him… and how stupid he was for not realizing it."
"I see… You really do have a way with words."
"I learned from the best."
She picked up her lunch plate and returned to her room. She said that after eating, she'd wash the dishes and apologize to everyone for worrying them.
I knew she was still hurt, just putting on a brave front. But with time, she'd recover—and maybe find someone truly worthy of her.
I was hungry too, so I headed for the kitchen.
But on the stairs, I found everyone staring at me wide-eyed.
Then Father looked into Mother's eyes and spoke.
"Tomoki, my son… what kind of life have you lived until now?"
What's that supposed to mean?
"Tomoki, my sweetheart… before I knew it, you've really grown up." — Mom's voice trembled as she teared up.
I think they're overreacting. Maybe because I did something the "me from here" wouldn't have done.
Either way, I think I did a good job. I just hope Erina nee-san can move on from here.
But now… I'm tired. I think I'll sleep early tonight.