You know what I like? Bright night skies. They make me think about existence, and sometimes they make me completely forget about it. Endless amount of white dots on a black canvas, you could just look at it forever.

But you know what I don't like? Falling. I was falling through the night sky. Though, neither my clothes nor my hair were waving, like they should be when falling. Soon, the stars faded away into nothingness, and I ceased falling. There suddenly was a floor below my feet. Or I think there was, I just couldn't see it. Everywhere I looked, I only saw darkness. Despite the lack of light, I could see myself just fine. Having no idea where to go, I just began walking. As I did that, I felt the 'floor' descending, almost as if I was walking down a slope or something.

I soon got to the point where the 'floor' was level again, and continued on walking through the abyss. I could make out some yellow light shining amongst the darkness. As I got closer, I noticed that it was actually a light orb. No, it was many light orbs, maybe a dozen or so. Floating a meter above the ground, they had formed a circle. In the middle of the circle, I spotted one more light orb. However, it wasn't yellow, but green. The sight reminded me of some atomic structure or something.

Suddenly, the yellow lights began to approach the green light at a steady pace, shrinking the circle in the process. As they did that, I noticed something: the green light orb began fading away. Those yellow lights were doing something to it. Almost as if they were crushing it without touching it. I'm not sure why, but I didn't bear to witness it for any longer, so I decided to put a stop to it. I ran towards the lights, waving my arms to shoo them away. Immediately, the yellow lights fled, each one in a different direction, disappearing into the darkness. The green light orb, having regained its strength, made a run for it, too. For some reason, I wanted to catch it, so I gave chase to it, but to no avail. It was simply too fast, soon disappearing into the black darkness. The black, however, turned to white.

"…urgh," I growled, slowly opening my eyes.

Another dream about a light orb, huh…?

I kept staring at my room's ceiling for a minute, smacking my lips, until I kicked the blanket off me. Another beautiful summer morning. However, this one wasn't like the others: my summer job would begin today. Slowly sitting up on the edge of my bed, I scratched my head and stretched my arms. I finally got myself on my feet, and walked over to the computer table to check my watch. Huh, looks like I woke up five minutes before my alarm. After turning the alarm off, I headed to my wardrobe, checking its contents. Eh, I'll be provided work clothing, so I guess it doesn't really matter what I'm wearing. I ended up picking jeans and my red hoodie. What a surprise.

Stopping by the bathroom to finish my morning routines, I headed down the stairs, yawning all the way. To my surprise, I could smell the pleasant aroma of coffee. As I finally got downstairs, I turned to face the living room, noticing my sister sitting at the coffee table.

"Morning, Eiji-chan. I made some coffee for you," she said.

"Oh, thanks," I muttered, heading towards the kitchen.

"Morning, Eiji-kun," Ui greeted me.

I waved my hand. "Morning to you, too."

…wait a minute.

Taking a couple of steps backwards, I double-checked the living room. Yup, it sure was Ui, alright. She was sitting at the coffee table with my sister.

"…Ui-san?"

She turned to look at me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Before she could say anything, Tamiko stepped in: "I invited her."

Ui nodded, and added: "Sis is currently on a trip with her club, and I wouldn't want to be alone, so…" A bit embarrassed, she didn't manage to finish her sentence, so she just chuckled sheepishly, instead.

Scratching my head, I muttered: "…huh," and headed to the kitchen, once again.

I poured myself a cup of coffee, and carried it over to the living room, joining the girls around the coffee table. As I did that, I spotted Dash, lying in her bed as lazy as ever. Does that dog even know that huskies should be more active? I sipped my coffee, while the girls were drinking their own drinks, which I presumed to be iced tea. Parents were nowhere to be seen, but I knew exactly where each one of them were: mom was at work, and dad was sleeping after a night shift.

"Eiji-kun?" Ui called out for me. "Um, don't get me wrong, but… it's kinda surprising to see you up and about so early during summer vacation."

I sipped my coffee, and nodded. "Yeah, I get what you mean. It's because my summer job will begin today."

Ui seemed surprised. "S-Summer job?"

"Ah, I guess I never told you about it. But yeah, I'll be busy for the next two weeks," I explained.

"Oh?" she muttered, and after thinking, smiled a bit. "And you told me you have no plans for the future."

"Well, I don't," I said with a shrug. "I just want some extra money."

"It's still something," she noted.

We kept talking for a while, until it was time for me to go. I got my shoes on, said my goodbyes, and stepped out of the house. As I got to the street, I glanced at the house over my shoulder, and let out a small sigh. Well, that went better than I expected. After my birthday, and receiving that kiss on the cheek, I've felt nervous around Ui. Not the scared kind of nervous, but the… Ugh, I don't even know how to describe it. This was the first time I've been able to converse normally with her in over a week, maybe because I feel more comfortable at my home. Damn, I wish there was someone I could talk to about it, but I'm not sure if I trust anyone enough. Not even Tadaaki. Hell, he would probably just tease me to death.

My workplace was surprisingly close, only a fifteen-minute walk northward. According to my dad, that area was very wealthy. And sure enough, the further north I walked, the bigger the houses got. One of them had a huge, beautiful garden. Well, from what I know about Kotobuki-san, I wasn't very surprised. After walking for a bit more, I was getting closer to the end of the street, where the Kotobuki residence is located. I could see the street ascending to the top of a hill. However, a row of trees on the edge of the hill's top prevented me from seeing any houses. Man, I bet a house on top of that hill would cost you a fuckton. And that's where I'm going to be working, huh… I couldn't help but to feel nervous. As I walked up the hill, I decided to keep my eyes to the ground until I'd reach the top. I wanted to surprise myself.

I soon reached the top of the hill, but decided to keep my gaze downwards for a bit longer, walking a few steps forward. Turning my gaze to the left, I saw the surrounding neighborhood, approximately ten meters lower. Half of the hill was surrounded by larger hills, covered by lush forests. Part of me wanted to just stay there, gazing at the neighborhood and smelling the pleasant scent of a summer breeze. However, I have to go through this. So, gathering up some courage, I slowly turned around, facing the only house on top of the hill.

A beige, two-story house with crimson roof tiles. Well, it wasn't exactly a house, but more like a goddamn mansion. It was very wide, I can't even imagine how many rooms it has. However, the house itself wasn't as surprising as the front yard. It was damn huge! You could fit my house in there, and still have some room to drive around. Speaking of driving, the front yard held a wide, circular driveway. The left side of the yard held a three-car garage, sporting the same colors as the house. Man, I wonder what kinds of cars that place holds. I wish I could check them out later. The driveway was bordered by bushes, flowers and whatnot. The plot itself was fenced by three-meter tall metal fences. I can't even imagine what this whole place would cost.

…Wow. That's all I can say.

After standing there in awestruck for a while, I finally got back to my senses. I looked around the fence, and spotted an electric gate, as tall and metallic as the rest of the set. Next to it was a door, which was obviously locked. However, there seemed to be a door buzzer of some kind with a speaker and everything. I slowly walked over to it, glancing at it nervously, and finally pressing the button. The following seconds felt really long, until I could hear a familiar voice.

"Yes?"

"Uh, it's Sugimoto. I'm beginning my summer job here," I answered, feeling a bit uncertain.

"Of course. Come on in, I'll meet you by the front door."

As soon as he finished his sentence, I could hear the door next to me unlocking. It took me a couple of seconds to realize the situation, and I pulled the door open, stepping through it. As I began walking through the front yard, the first thing catching my attention was a gardener, who was trimming the bushes with a pair of hedge shears. He noticed me, and raised his confused gaze towards me. I just raised my hand for a greeting. He answered the gesture, and got back to his business. Yeah, I guess it'd be kinda surprising to see someone like me just moseying around on a yard like this. Thank god I'm gonna get some work clothing, because my wardrobe doesn't hold anything to suit these standards.

I finally got to the front door. I didn't even have to wait, since the second I stopped walking, the double doors opened. In front of me stood my new supervisor, Saitou. He was sporting the same clothing as previously; white collar shirt with a black vest on top of it.

"You're just in time, not even a second late. Capital. Follow me, I'll show you around the house and explain a few procedures. Don't bother taking your shoes off," he instructed, beckoning me to follow him.

I took one last look around, and after noticing a security camera on top of the door, I swallowed nervously, and stepped inside.

The foyer, or should I say hall, was two stories tall. Just like outside, the inside also sported beige and white colors. The floor looked like wooden, but felt like marble. Was it glazed wood, or patterned marble? In front of me were two sets of stairs, which curved towards each other in a 90 degree turn, and finally met on a T-shaped catwalk, which was a part of the house's second floor. Between the stairs was another double door leading to the back yard, and on both of my sides were doorways to both of the house's wings. I'm gonna need a map…

First, Saitou led me through the doorway on my left, which led to the dining room. On top of a dark wooden floor was a damn long dining table, with 12 chairs around it. The dining room also hosted a bar. Continuing through the room, we ended up in the house's kitchen. Everything was shiny and fancy. A huge fridge, two stoves and ovens… It's like a restaurant or something. I spotted a dark haired guy wearing chef's clothing. He looked European.

"This is our chef, Provenza. He's Italian, but can speak Japanese fluently," Saitou explained. "Your work in the kitchen will include doing the dishes, setting the table before lunch, and basic cleaning."

"Got it," I said with a nod.

We were just about to leave the kitchen, until Saitou recalled something. "Oh, right, your lunchtime will be from 12 to 12:45. You'll be dining with the rest of the household, if it suits you."

I shrugged. "I'm fine with that."

"Capital," he said with a nod. "Next I'll show you the other side of the house."

The first room on the other side of the house was a living room, simply put. Three black leather couches and two armchairs were put in a circle, facing a big coffee table. It had a couple of ashtrays on top of it. I bet Tadaaki would approve of this place's smoking policies, him being a smoker and all. The other side of the room held a black grand piano. The walls were covered by bookshelves and showcases.

"Here's the living room, which is also used as a ballroom. Your work here includes basic cleaning and serving drinks," Saitou explained.

So, not only am I going to be a domestic worker, but also a butler, too? Moving on through the living room, we ended up in a foyer of some kind.

"Here's the house's mudroom, which is mostly used by the staff. If you do any gardening work, always come inside through this door and clean your shoes here. This room also holds storage for gardening tools and a bathroom."

Mudroom, huh? Resembles my own home's foyer. Just as he said, the shelves in the room held a wide array of gardening tools of different kinds. The area surrounding the door was also quite muddy. We returned to the hall, where we took the stairs up to the catwalk, which led to yet another pair of doorways. We took the doorway on the right, which led to a hallway with three doors on each side, making it six in total.

"Here's the master bedrooms, Kotobuki-sama's study, two guest rooms, and the master bathroom. Please refrain from using it, since it's meant for family members only. Save for the guest rooms, you can enter these rooms only with a permission. Understood?"

"Understood, yes," I answered swiftly with a nod.

Quickly counting the doors and processing what he said about them, I guess it's safe to say that this household includes both Kotobuki-san and his wife, and maybe a child. I wonder if I'll get to meet them?

"Capital, let's continue," Saitou said.

We walked back to the catwalk, and headed through another doorway to the other part of the house. It also had six doors. Whoever designed this house must've cared a lot about symmetry. We were right next to a set of double doors, which Saitou opened.

"Here's the house's library. If you ever fancy reading, you can come here during your lunch break."

Sure enough, the room's walls were covered by a dozen bookshelves or so. A few armchairs were sitting in a row in front of the windows, and in the middle of the room was a small table with seat cushions around it. Man, I've got to check this out later.

Closing the library's door, Saitou continued on his introduction: "There's the common bathroom, which you're allowed to use freely. Use the shower only if necessary."

We moved on to the next door.

"Here's the laundry room. I assume you can use a washing machine?"

I nodded for an answer.

"Obviously, your work here will include doing the laundry. The laundry will be dried using the clothes line outside whenever possible. Here you can also find some basic cleaning tools for other purposes."

He pointed his hands towards the remaining doors. "These rooms are mine and my family members', since we're the Kotobuki household's servants. As with the other bedrooms, you can enter these only with a permission.

Nodding for an answer, my mind began racing. God damn, they can afford to house their own servants! This Kotobuki-san never ceases to surprise me…

"Let's move on to the yard," Saitou said.

We were just about to turn around, until one of the doors opened. A girl stepped into the hallway. She had light hair, and a maid outfit. Not the kind you see in porn, but just a normal one. I'd guess she's in junior high. Finally noticing my presence, she flinched a bit.

"Right, here's my niece, Sumire. She's also a servant in this household, and you'll be working a lot together. Sumire, here's our new summer worker, Sugimoto-san," he introduced us.

This Sumire gal bowed respectfully. "Nice to meet you."

I raised my hand for a greeting. "Yeah, you too."

Clearly having no time to talk, she headed straight to the laundry room. I guess she had some work to do.

"…I'd just like to remind you that Kotobuki-sama has forbidden you from being too friendly with his daughter. However, on my behalf, you can socialize with Sumire, if you want to," Saitou muttered, and coughed into his fist.

Hold on, a daughter? And what was that cough about? I felt like asking about something, but decided to just let it be, and just nodded for an answer. We kept standing in the hallway for a while.

"…shall we move on?" I asked.

"O-oh, right, of course. Right this way," Saitou stuttered.

We walked the stairs down, and turned towards the door leading to the back yard. It held a big, white wooden patio, with a few tables and chairs here and there. The tables had parasols sticking out of them.

"Here's the patio. The Kotobuki family likes to drink their tea here," Saitou told me.

Yeah, no kidding. This place is nice. I'd drink tea here anytime. We walked around the yard for a minute or two, whilst Saitou gave me instructions and such. It wasn't long until we arrived back at the starting point, that being the front door.

"Right, that should be everything. Do you have any questions at this point?" he asked me.

I slowly shook my head. "Nah, I think I got everything."

"Capital. Now, follow me to the mudroom. Your work clothing should be waiting for you there," he said, and we began walking once again.

Getting to the mudroom, Saitou opened one of the lockers, and pulled out some folded clothing. He handed them over to me.

"Here you go. You can change your clothes in the bathroom, and store your own clothes in this locker," he instructed me.

I took the clothes, glanced at them, and headed to the bathroom to get changed. Couple of minutes later I returned, wearing my new work clothing. It consisted of a gray collar shirt with darker vest, light gray pants, and black shoes. You know what? I think it actually looks good on me.

Saitou nodded, and dug something out of his pocket. "Capital. Oh, and here, a key, so you don't have to use the door buzzer every morning."

I took the key, and slipped it into my pocket. "Alright, thanks. Actually, I've got a question. Are you guys from Europe? I mean the servants."

"Oh, of course. We come from Austria," he explained.

Ah, that would explain that Sumire gal and her light hair. Saitou, however, looks quite local. Maybe he has some Japanese blood? Whatever, better get started with my job instead of talking about family heritage.

I nodded. "Okay, just asking. So, where do I start?"

"Well, at first you could grab the vacuum cleaner and use it to clean the upstairs hallway. After that, you can clean the driveway. And when that's done, come find me, and I'll give you your next assignment."

"Got it," I said with a nod.

And so my first work day began. Doing different kinds of chores around the house wasn't as nerve breaking nor difficult as I thought it would be. Actually, something about it was kinda relaxing. Am I going crazy, or am I just excited about being paid so much for doing such simple tasks? During the morning, I learnt about Kotobuki-san and his wife being on a business trip, and their daughter being somewhere with her friends for a few days. I guess I'll meet the family itself sometime later.

Hours went by, and it was soon time for lunch. I'm not sure what I ate, probably something European, but it was damn good. I finished my lunch in just minutes, and carried the dishes over to the kitchen sink, where they waited for me to wash them. However, I had some free time now, so it can wait. Just as I had planned, I walked up to the second floor, and headed straight to the library. It was empty, which suited me just fine. I walked over to the shelves, scanning their contents. Lots of nonfiction books, and some fiction, too. I checked them out for a while, until I decided on a book about astronomy. Not sure why, it just seemed interesting enough. I carried the book over to the table, sat down, and began reading.

Few minutes passed by. I had already finished a couple of pages, when suddenly the door opened. It was the light haired maid, Sumire. I lowered the book on the table.

"Uh, something wrong?" I asked.

Seeming a bit confused and embarrassed, she began shaking her head. "Oh, no, not at all. I just thought about bringing you a drink, that's all."

Ah, she's holding a serving tray in her hands, with a glass of juice on it.

"Oh? Okay, thanks, though you didn't have to bother," I muttered to Sumire, who was already setting the glass down on the table.

She bowed a bit, and was just about to leave, when I got an idea. "Hold on. Why don't you stay for a while?"

"E-eh?" she muttered confusedly.

I nodded. "I just want to talk. I want to know a bit more about Kotobuki-san."

"Uh, well…" she murmured, placing her finger on her lower lip, until she finally nodded. "…sure."

She turned around to close the door, and walked over to the table, taking a seat across from me. Now that I got a closer look at her, I could see her blue eyes, highlighting her European blood even more. Her light hair was long and straight, and actually a bit messy. Well, I didn't mind it, I actually think bed hair looks cute on girls.

"Uh, so, what did you want to talk about?" she asked me.

Oh, shit, I've just kept on staring at her face. "Oh, right. So, what can you tell me about Kotobuki-san? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm just curious, since I'm not going to meet him for a while."

"Kotobuki-sama? Well… At times, he can be quite strict and rough, but he's a businessman, so I guess that's just his role. When he doesn't have job pressures, he can actually be quite nice and relaxed. However, don't get too friendly with him. Always remember to be polite and respectful. He's your employer, after all," she told me.

I was sarcastically counting my fingers as she talked. "…right, got it."

I sipped my juice, and picked up my book.

…

"…uh, was that it?" she asked me after some awkward silence.

I raised my gaze from the book. "Yeah, pretty much."

She seemed to flinch in confusion, which made me smirk a bit.

"…but you can stay if you want, I don't mind," I added.

"Oh, well, sure," she muttered.

I kept on reading the book. I managed to finish a single paragraph, until I had a new question to ask.

"…so, what about you? You got any free time of your own?"

"Well, of course, whenever there's not any work to do," she answered.

"I see. But I guess you go to school, too."

She nodded. "Yes, I go to a nearby junior high. I'm currently in the third grade."

Nearby junior high, huh…? Wait, it couldn't be…?

"Yukinokawa, right?" I asked, pointing at her with my finger.

After being confused for a while, she slowly nodded, seemingly surprised about my right guess.

I snickered a little, and sipped my drink. "I used to go there. It's still a shithole, right?"

My rude language surprised her a bit, but a shy smile soon appeared on her face. "…yes, I guess you could call it that."

I smiled at her a bit, and asked: "So, any idea what high school you'll pick? Kasumimashita would be the closest one. I'm actually a student there."

She shook her head. "No, I think I'll be going to Sakuragaoka."

"Oh? My sister goes to school there," I noted.

She seemed to flinch a bit. "Y-your sister, too?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Too? So you also have a sister in Sakuragaoka?"

Sumire seemed to process her words a bit more carefully, until she began shaking her head. "O-oh, I-I mean, n-no. I don't have a sister, I-I just fumbled with my words a bit…"

No, you didn't. Why would you lie about having a sister? I decided to not press the issue any further. It's her business, and I'd like to stay on her good side, since I had two weeks of work left. I resumed reading, talking with Sumire about some trivial stuff once in a while.

Soon my free time was over. I headed straight to the kitchen to do the dishes. After that, I got the task to do the laundry. The hours passed as I did some basic house chores. Too bad the job terms forbidden me from using headphones, because I'm sure some music would go well with the work. Oh well, can't have all the good stuff in life. There was one thing I didn't get: why doesn't the Kotobuki residence have a swimming pool? Or, well, maybe they're so rich they could just book a flight to Hawaii whenever they feel like swimming or something. Shit, I still can't believe I have an employer like that…

As I finished brushing all the leaves off the patio, I checked my watch. 4pm, time to clock out. I headed straight to the mudroom, where I returned the broom, and walked over to the locker to grab my clothes, heading to the bathroom. After getting changed and grabbing the key, I placed the work clothes back in the locker. As I did that, Saitou appeared in the mudroom.

"Ah, Sugimoto-san. Clocking out independently, I see. Capital."

I nodded uncertainly. "Uh, yes. I hope it's not a problem."

"Oh, not at all. Independence is a positive trait when it comes to being a domestic worker," he said, smiling a bit.

"If your work is always as diligent as it was today, I'll be sure to mention it to Kotobuki-sama personally."

"Right, thanks, I appreciate it. See you tomorrow," I said, raising my hand for goodbye.

Stepping out of the door, walking back to the gate and getting to the street, I began walking back home. So, that was my first work day, huh? It was actually my first work day ever. It went better than I expected, though I'm not sure what exactly could go wrong. I've got to stop being so pessimistic all the time.

The sky was slowly turning orange when I finally got back to my house. I stepped through the door to the foyer, kicking my shoes off. The first thing I noticed was the pleasant smell coming from the kitchen, so I peeked there. Yup, just as I thought, mom was preparing dinner. And Ui was with her, too, helping with the vegetables. My two favorite cooks working together, I bet the food will taste amazing. Well, time to head up to my room, I feel like playing some video games.

…hold on…

I took a few steps backwards, peeking into the kitchen once again. And yes, it sure was Ui, who was chopping the vegetables, quietly humming to herself.

"…Ui-san?" I muttered confusedly.

She stopped chopping, and turned to face me. "Ah, Eiji-kun. How was your work day?"

"Uh, capita… I mean, good. Um, why are you there, anyway?"

She cocked her head, clearly confused.

"I mean, in my kitchen, preparing food," I elaborated.

My mom leaned backwards a bit to get a look at me. "This girl here offered to help me with preparing the dinner, so that Tamiko could take Dash out for a walk."

Processing the situation for a few seconds, I slowly nodded, and was just about to head back upstairs.

"Why haven't you told about her?" mom asked.

I once again turned to face the kitchen. "…about whom?"

"About this Hirasawa-san, of course," she explained.

…mom, why do you always have to make things difficult for me?

"Uh, I didn't see a reason to do so," I muttered after thinking for a bit.

Ui smiled. "I don't mind it. Eiji-kun doesn't have to talk about me if he doesn't want to."

Mom put her hand on her hip, taking a look at the both of us. "Is that so? You know, when your father was younger, he told the whole town about how he and I started dating."

Ui stopped chopping immediately.

"We're not dating!" we yelled in unison.

Mom got even more confused, until she began laughing gently. Still embarrassed a bit, Ui resumed chopping the vegetables.

"Sorry. I just assumed so since you've slept in her house, spent New Years Eve and Christmas there, and your birthday…" she listed.

Now just hold on a minute, how does she know about that? Unless… I slowly turned to face Ui.

"…did you tell her all that?"

"U-uh, well, yes… I hope you don't mind," she muttered, a bit embarrassed.

I felt like lecturing her. Just once, I wanted to be strict with her. But… Shit, something about that face just makes me forgive her instantly. I kept frowning at her for a while, until I slowly began smiling.

"…well, whatever."

I began heading to the stairs. "Call me when the dinner's ready, I'm going to play some games."

"You could set the table first," mom said from the kitchen.

Something about her tone made me instantly turn around. "…after I've set the table."

I was in the middle of playing a game, when I heard a knock on the door, which soon opened. It was Ui.

"Dinner's ready," she announced.

"Wonderful," I said, saved the game, and stood up.

We walked downstairs together, and headed to the dining table. For my misfortune, I saw my dad sitting at the table. Fuck, if that guy starts telling his shitty jokes, I'm moving to live with Tadaaki. Or with Ui, who knows. Mom was sitting next to him, and Tamiko across from them. We took a seat next to Tamiko, and without further ado began eating. I tried my best to avoid making eye contact with dad. He, however, soon talked to me.

"So, son…"

I quickly raised my gaze from the plate. "Y-yeah?"

"How did your work day go?" he asked.

"Oh, that? Just fine," I muttered for an answer.

He just mumbled something approving, and resumed eating. Quietly sighing out of relief, I, too, got back to my food. A minute passed, until dad spoke again.

"So, who's this Hirasawa girl?"

"W-who?"

"That one, who's sitting next to you," he elaborated, pointing at Ui with his chopsticks.

"Oh, her?" I took a quick glance at Ui. "She's my friend."

For some reason, dad laughed a bit. "I see."

He didn't seem to have anything more to say, so we continued on eating, which felt a bit awkward to me. Soon the table held nothing but empty plates. Man, what a meal.

"Thanks for the food," I muttered under my breath as I brought the dishes over to the sink.

"Eiji-kun?" Ui called out for me.

I turned to look at her. She was also bringing her own dishes to the sink.

"Have you played Patricia lately?" she asked.

My parents, of course, got confused. I decided to ignore them.

"Well, a bit. Why?"

A shine of excitement could be seen in Ui's eyes. "I'd like to see you play."

I scratched my cheek. "You sure? I'm nowhere close to Azusa-san or your sister."

"Don't be so harsh on yourself," she scolded me. "You're good at playing guitar."

Still thinking about it for a bit, I finally sighed, and shrugged. "Well, if you insist…"

I turned around and began heading to the stairs, Ui following right behind me. As I got to the stairs, I looked at the dining area from the corner of my eye. My parents were both looking at me, smiling warmly. Man, don't get any wrong ideas… Or maybe I shouldn't get any wrong ideas. Now that I was alone with Ui, that same nervous feeling began seeping in. As I was sitting on my room's floor, holding Patricia in my hands, and playing a song, Ui being my only audience, thoughts began racing in my mind. As I earlier said, it's not the normal kind of nervousness, no. I wasn't scared, why would I be scared of Ui? No, it was something else…

…do I like her?