It was midnight when Mirai halted her steps all of a sudden. She was descending the stairs to the first floor, intending to take a glass of water. She used to get thirsty in the middle of nights. However, when she reached the last two steps from where she could see the kitchen, she saw the light was on and someone was inside. Recognizing that the person was Yamada Ryosuke, she sighed. She would just return to her room and take the drink later. She didn’t want to meet him.

She just took a step back when luck seemed not on her side.

“Shida-san, wait!” Yamada Ryosuke called out to her.

Sighing, she turned and waited as he hurriedly walked up to her.

“What?” she asked, couldn’t hide her annoyance.

He smiled. “You wanted to take some water, right? Here,” he presented a glass of water to her which she reluctantly accepted.

“...thanks,” she muttered, and that’s when she saw he was holding another cup. Smelling the aroma, she arched a brow, “Coffee at this hour?”

He looked down to his cup before scratching his nape, “Eh, yes, because I couldn’t sleep.”

She tilted her head, showing that his explanation was confusing.

“Well, perhaps it is because I’ve consumed too much coffee since child that instead of making me wide awake, the caffeine works like sleeping pill for me,” he let out a brief quiet chuckle.

“Oh,” was the only response she gave. “Then... good night.”

She stepped up the stairs without waiting for his reply and straightly returned to her shared bedroom. Miyu was fast asleep at the other side of the room while she herself was staring at the glass she was holding. Somehow, she felt bad for being unfriendly to Yamada Ryosuke while it was obvious that he was trying to be nice.

Glancing at the calendar on her desk, she realized that it had been a week since she found him. She had gone to the nearest police station and asked whether there was a bad behaviour record under the name Yamada Ryosuke in the national police database, but they told her there wasn’t any. She also had demanded her father to make sure that Yamada Ryosuke reported the robbery in which he fell victim to. Her father had assured her that Yamada Ryosuke indeed had done what she asked.

To be honest, he was not too bad. He helped her parents in the restaurant diligently, waking up early to do some chores. Even though he was clumsy in doing those chores; like when he forgot to wipe a table with dry cloth after the wet cloth, or using too much floor cleaner liquid to clean the floor; or serving a false order to customers; but he never complained while working. She still believed that it was not wise to let a stranger staying with her family, but perhaps, as long as he behaved, she could be a little nicer. Maybe.

“Bye, Miyu-chan!”

It was afternoon the following day when she heard Miyu’s friends waving their good byes. She did not have any class that day and was helping to serve customers when those girls came. Miyu’s friends often came to visit, and while she welcomed them, their visit this time rather annoyed her. They said that they wanted to see Miyu’s new big brother. Oh, she wanted to knock some sense to her sister. How come just within a week her little sister had got so attached to Yamada Ryosuke until she claimed him as her big brother she never had. Miyu even had asked him to call her Miyu-chan.

“Your friends are nice, Miyu-chan,” she heard Yamada Ryosuke commented after Miyu’s friends left.

Miyu grinned while finishing the lunch which Yamada Ryosuke had served her. “Right~? My friends are nice, not like Mirai-neechan’s college friends.”

“Eh?” he perked up.

“You don’t need to talk about them here, Miyu,” Mirai commented as she retrieved the dirty dishes on some tables that just left by customers.

Currently the restaurant were empty. Lunch break was over, so they could be more lenient.

“But Kawashima-san is very friendly,” Yamada Ryosuke knotted his brows, seemed thinking.

“It must be those girls that use thick make-up,” suddenly Mr. Shida joined in the talk.

“Dad,” Mirai groaned.

“What, they do use thick make-up, right?” Mr. Shida ignored Mirai’s protest. “Those girls don’t pay respect to older people. They also threw bad remarks about my sweet Mi-chan.”

“Eh, why they did that?”

“Because Nee-chan doesn’t ride a sporty car, not bringing a branded bag, and not hanging around in high class parties either,” Miyu bluntly answered. “In simpler word, because Nee-chan is not as spoiled rich as them.”

Mirai sighed, “Talking bad about them behind their back would only lower us to their level, so please enough talking about them. Don’t you have homeworks to submit tomorrow, Miyu?”

At this, Miyu screeched, making a face at Mirai, “Aargh, why should you remind me about that. Geez, at a time like this, I really hate school!”

Mirai was about to scold her little sister when Yamada Ryosuke beat her with him ruffling Miyu’s hair.

“You are so funny, Miyu-chan,” he chuckled lightly. “Isn’t school fun? You can meet many friends and learn many things.”

“Yeah, still... I hate school!”

Yamada Ryosuke sat down before Miyu, and Mirai got interested to what the lad was about to do. With a gentle smile, he looked straightly at Miyu’s eyes, “You know Miyu-chan, you are so lucky to be able to attend school. There are people out there wanting to go to school but they couldn’t. So, instead of hating it, you should have just enjoyed it while you can. Moreover it’s your last year in middle school, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure about that,” Miyu slouched down. “Were you also enjoying your time in school, Yamada-kun?”

Yamada Ryosuke scratched his nape, “... I didn’t.”

“Then how could you tell me to—“

“I didn’t enjoy school because I didn’t attend one,” he quickly ammended his answer.

“You didn’t go to school?” Mirai found herself ask, surprising herself.

Yamada Ryosuke turned to Mirai, not expecting her to join in the conversation, “Yeah. I didn’t have a chance.”

“Eh? How come? Sorry, but was it because you didn’t have money? But if that’s the case, shouldn’t government provide scholarship? They gave ones for me and Miyu,” Mirai was sensitive about poverty issue.

He shook his head, chuckling easily, “Nah, it isn’t important now.”
Mirai wanted to ask further, but she was interrupted by a customer coming and he went to welcome him. Miyu rose up and walked upstair to her room while Mirai went to the counter, preparing to receive the order taken by Yamada Ryosuke.

*********

“Mirai-chan, why make such a face in the morning?”

Mirai sighed as she heard Umika ask. They were waiting for their lecturer to arrive to start the class.

“What did he do this time?” Umika looking at her with knowing smile.

Mirai’s brows knotted, “He? Who do you mean?”

“Yeah, he. Yamada Ryosuke, duh,” Umika rolled her eyes. “C’mon. Spill it out.”

She frowned, “How do you know it’s related to that guy?”

Umika grinned, “Well, these past two weeks, you make a sour expression just because of two reasons. First, Nana and the gang. Second, Yamada Ryosuke. Since today you haven’t met Nana, I assume it must have something to do with that handsome loader of your house.”

Mirai sighed for the nth time, slouching on the desk, “Why life is so unfair, Umika?”

“Eh? What happened?”

“You know me