071. Going Home Together

On his way, Jiang Yu ran into Ayane Mizuno, who was watching him with curiosity written all over her face. Jiang Yu, who had intended to pretend he hadn’t seen her, was, as expected, drawn into conversation.

“Jiang-kun, what’s going on today? You’re in such a hurry,” Ayane Mizuno asked, her eyes bright with curiosity—or, to be more precise, with the fire of gossip.

Jiang Yu pursed his lips in secret and, realizing he couldn’t avoid her, lifted his head and replied with resignation, “Oh, Mizuno-senpai… Well, it’s nothing much. I’m just going out with a friend today and the schedule’s a bit tight.”

“Girlfriend?” Ayane Mizuno’s eyes gleamed with even more gossip.

“…A good friend, a guy. The most important point is that my little sister is coming along.” Jiang Yu sighed softly.

Honestly, aren’t you all tired of this joke by now? I’m already getting bored of it.

Hearing this, Ayane Mizuno’s expression shifted visibly to disappointment, even her voice sounded regretful. “Oh… I see, that’s a real shame.”

What on earth are you disappointed about?!

Despite the storm inside, Jiang Yu kept a calm expression. “I need to change clothes; it’s almost time.” As he spoke, he lifted the uniform in his hand. Seeing this, Ayane Mizuno stepped aside, watching as Jiang Yu headed to the changing room.

Ayane Mizuno then made her way over to a group of whispering colleagues and murmured something to them. As she finished, a collective sigh of regret rose from the group before everyone scattered to tend to their own tasks.

When Jiang Yu emerged, he was met by the sight of his busy coworkers and the steady stream of customers coming and going.

Unaware of the little scene that had just played out, Jiang Yu walked straight to the piano at center stage, sat down, and gazed at the keys, watching the shifting, colorful reflections upon them.

So many students again tonight?

As he’d mounted the stage, Jiang Yu had swept his eyes around the café and noticed once more how many students were present. But wasn’t this café mostly frequented by office workers before…?

Unable to work out the reason, Jiang Yu soon gave up thinking about it and focused instead on the piano before him, beginning his performance for the evening.

As usual, he played a selection of famous piano pieces, finishing with a variation on Canon, thus neatly concluding his work for the night.

When he bowed to the audience in thanks, Jiang Yu thought he glimpsed a familiar figure. In fact, the figure seemed to notice him looking and even waved.

Wait a second—little sister, what are you doing here?! Didn’t you go home?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

He hurried offstage to the changing room, pulled out his phone, and messaged Umaru Doma.

“Didn’t you go home?”

“I never said I was going home~”

“…Fine. Just wait at that table for me, I’ll be out soon.”

“Okay.”

After finishing his conversation with Umaru, Jiang Yu finally noticed the message Aki Tomoya had sent. Opening it, he quickly understood how everything had transpired.

He replied to Aki, “She’s with me, perfectly safe,” then hastened his pace in changing clothes, ready to go out and give his disobedient little sister a piece of his mind.

Once dressed, Jiang Yu headed toward the spot where Umaru had been waiting, feeling a bit of a headache. He wanted to scold his sister, but what exactly should he say?

When he reached her, he found Umaru watching him with a beaming smile. He reached out, flicked her forehead lightly, earning a playful protest from her.

“…Didn’t I ask Tomoya to take you home? Why did you end up here?” After their brief playful exchange, Jiang Yu looked her in the eye and asked seriously.

“Ah, well, you know… for various reasons…”

“Tell me the truth.”

“I just… wanted to wait for you, big brother. To go home together… We’ve never gone home together before…”

Watching Umaru, head bowed and fingers nervously twisting together, her voice trailing off, Jiang Yu’s gaze softened, and he let out a gentle sigh. “Shall we head home, then?”

“Mm!” The girl lifted her head, her radiant smile more soothing than a gentle spring breeze.

After telling Umaru to wait a moment, Jiang Yu turned and headed to Kyoko Kato’s office to collect his pay and say his goodbyes for the evening.

Midway there, however, Ayane Mizuno seemed to appear out of nowhere, hooking his neck with her arm and dragging him into a corner.

Finally breaking free from her breath-stealing grip, Jiang Yu heard Ayane tease, “So you said you didn’t have a girlfriend? That little girl is quite cute, though her outfit’s a bit… hmm, unusual? Not that it’s not pretty~”

“Ahem… As I said, that’s my little sister,” Jiang Yu replied, resigned.

“Little sister? Tch, looks like I lost the bet again!” Kyoko Kato, who had overheard, clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Hey, just what have you been betting on with this?!

Filled with a blend of exasperation and surprise, Jiang Yu looked at Kyoko Kato and said, “Mizuno-senpai, I need to go see Kato-san now, okay? My sister’s waiting.”

Mizuno stepped aside, motioning for him to pass, while muttering under her breath, “Why is it always a little sister?” “How can it be a little sister?”—such odd remarks.

Freed, Jiang Yu hurried away, making his way to Kyoko Kato’s office. After collecting his pay and bidding farewell, he returned to fetch his sister, ready to head home.

Halfway there, Umaru, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. “Big brother, who was that lady talking to you just now?”

“The lady talking to me?” Jiang Yu repeated, a bit surprised.

“Yeah, the pretty one with brown hair in a side ponytail.”

“Oh, that’s Mizuno-senpai from work—her full name is Ayane Mizuno. I think she’s already a university student.”

“Wow… that’s nice. I want to go to university too~”

“Then you’ll have to study hard!”

“My grades aren’t bad! The best part about university is that no one’s there to boss you around—how great is that!”

“So that’s what you’re thinking… Well, I should say, university might not be quite what you imagine.”

“Eh? But you’re not in university, big brother—how would you know?”

“Well… there are plenty of ways to find out, you know? In this information age you have to make good use of the tools around you, little sis.”

“Tch~ I’m already great with computers! Whoever invented the Internet is a genius!”

“Well, whether or not Tim Berners-Lee is a genius, you’re mostly just using your PS4, PC, PSV, and every device you can get your hands on to play games, aren’t you?”

“Ah~ That’s not true… Besides, home consoles are for playing games, aren’t they?”

“…”

And so, keeping up this easy, half-teasing conversation, the two of them finished the last stretch of their walk home.