The ferry docks, and Megumi and I wait as Haruka-san drives the car onto the landing. When it is our turn, the two of us walk off the ramp to meet her. She surprises us by stepping out of the car.
She puts her hands together for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry, Megumi, Ayato-kun, but can you walk home?"
"Eh!" Megumi says in anger.
"I have a lot of chores to do, and I won't be back until dinner. One of you will need to make it."
Megumi crosses her arms and says, "Onee-chan!"
Haruka-san blushes as she says, "I'm sorry, Megumi-chan."
Haruka-san lifts her index finger as she says, "It'll only be this once, I promise!"
I intercede and say, "It's fine, Haruka-san, it's not that far."
She looks to me with a broad smile and says, "Ah, dependable Ayato-kun, thank you for understanding."
"Che," Megumi answers.
Haruka-san looks to Megumi with a pleading expression.
Megumi sighs and says, "All right, all right."
With a flourish, Haruka-san opens the door, starts to get in and smiles as she says, "Thank you! I'll see you tonight."
The door closes behind her and Megumi and I watch as she drives away.
Megumi looks to me with a scowl as she says, "Ah, you give in too easily to Onee-chan."
Embarrassed, I am sure I'm blushing, of course, how could I not, after all I…
"Ayato, I'm thirsty, do you want to get some ramune before we go back?"
Knowing that the place where we had talked once before is not far, I agree to her suggestion.
We walk together slowly and in silence. Uncomfortable in the quiet, I am glad when we arrive.
She looks inside but does not see the store's owner.
"Obaa-san, I'm going to have two," she says before inserting her coins and taking out two ramunes.
I am surprised when she hands one to me and says, "Here, I want to make up for last time."
"Thanks, Megumi," I answer.
She smiles slightly and nods her head yes in response.
I open the bottle, step out from the shelter and look up at the sky.
I can sense her move beside me and then she asks, "Is the sky like this over there?"
I can't help but laugh as I say, "Of course, it looks just the same."
More quietly, I continue, "Even if it isn't real."
"Hmm," she responds.
She walks towards the grassy hill and seats herself, her arms outstretched, one hand holding the bottle as it rests against the ground. I follow her and steady my bottle on the ground before I lay down, my hands behind my head.
As I return my sight to the sky, I can hear her take a sip.
"Of course, it would make sense that you, too, are charmed by Onee-chan, she's so amazing – so unlike me."
Startled by her comment, I look towards her and see that she appears upset.
I pick up my bottle and lift it with my arm outstretched, and watch the reflection in the glass. She notices and looks to me.
"When I was fourteen, I wasn't doing anything nearly like you are, Megumi. The job you do, adults normally do. I think you should be proud of that."
Her expression calms slightly, but I don't believe that she's fully convinced.
As she twirls blades of grass around her finger, she says, "What kind of family do you have back in Tokyo, Ayato?"
"Family? I have a mother."
Surprised, she looks to me and says, "Really?"
"Yeah, it's been the two of us for a while. My father died when I was young, and I was their only child."
Her voice quieter, she answers, "So your mother never got remarried, then."
I place my bottle back on the ground as I respond, "No, but I'm not sure she'd have the time to find anyone anyway. She works very long hours in a laboratory."
"Onee-chan's and my father disappeared during the MU war. My mother, who was pregnant with me, and Onee-chan went to visit relatives outside of Tokyo and they haven't seen him since. We settled in Nara, and my sister went to college there. It was during that time that my mother met her current husband. I think Onee-chan felt that our mother was starting a new life for herself – one in which he was most important. She got a job at TERRA, and took me with her to live at Ojii-san's home. We've been here ever since."
Sensing her sadness and anger, I turn my head towards her and say, "I know what it's like to feel disappointment about a parent."
Surprised, she looks towards me but remains silent.
"As far back as I can remember, it seemed like my mother was never there for me. I woke up and went to bed in a dark and silent home."
Her expression turns thoughtful before she speaks, "I guess I was lucky then, having a sister who was caring, always thought of me, and even loved me enough to take me with her."
Yes, Haruka-san is a wonderful person like that.
I stand suddenly, surprising her. I look out ahead of me, but then turn slightly and say, "And you shouldn't forget your own strength. Look how far you've come."
Her expression again becomes thoughtful for a moment, before she stands.
She looks to me and smiles as she says, "We should probably be heading back now."
"Sure, I'll make dinner tonight."
"Thanks, Ayato."
"No problem."
"Well, for that too, but also for what we talked about today. It was nice, talking to someone who's had a similar situation."
"I'm glad I could be of help."
We start walking back together to Ojii-san's place, and I smile as I hear Megumi humming quietly as we go.