A Friend's Time 1

My eyes were wide open. I could see the ceiling of my room faintly from the light that came from the sun that passed through the window. I could tell the sun was rising up. The only weird part about all of this was that I woke up earlier before my alarm went out. It was 05:30, way before school could even start.

I spent the last five minutes just staring at my ceiling. I couldn't get lost in my thoughts very well unlike all the other ones because I had just woken up. My entire body was still feeling limp, my eyes were still heavy, and my brain was still telling me to go to sleep. I was about to indulge in that last one when I suddenly heard a noise coming from outside. It was the sound of the door closing.

Seeing as I had nothing better to do besides sleep, which I didn't want to because of the risk of being late to school, I decided to get up to make my bed and went out of my room. Just when I was about to open it, my door suddenly slammed after I opened it and out fell someone straight to my room whom I just barely managed to catch.

"T-Tomo-nee…!" I said as I tried to lift up her somewhat petit and somewhat heavy body.

"Ueeh…Takkun…?" she said, looking at me.

"Please don't give me the puppy eyes and stand up…! I can't hold you for much longer…!"

My legs were already starting to give out. My arms just woke up from being relaxed, so the strength of my muscles were weak compared to when I'm fully awake. Well, at least my energy does. I usually always have a tired-looking face ever since I entered my second-year in junior high.

"Stand up straight," someone suddenly said behind her.

Just when my muscles were about to give out, Mom picked up Tomo-nee by the back of her collar and lifted her up. Although Tomo-nee's body was still appearing to look limp, Mom just lifted her up way too easily.

"Takuma, rare of you to wake up this early in the morning," Mom said, her eyes looking a lot brighter than yesterday.

She must've had a good night's rest. She slept on the couch yesterday, but because Dad was really tired from work as well, I had to bring Mom to her room because he couldn't. She didn't change out of her work clothes, though.

Tomo-nee still didn't look like she was going to become fully awake anytime soon, so Mom just laid her in my bed since that was the only thing nearby that was good for laying down. Tomo-nee really does act like a child, even at her age. She's just like Yumi. Actually, back in my childhood, the only person Yumi ever admired when she was a kid was Tomo-nee. Maybe that's how Yumi got her childish act towards me now that we've grown older.

"Really, she's such a handful," Mom said, wiping her face with a towel. "I really do wonder where she gets that. I've never been like that since I was a child, so I can safely say that it's not in the genes."

"That's some logic you're applying for just seeing Tomo-nee sleeping."

"You know that's not what I meant."

We were both in the bathroom to wash our face. Mom looked as lovely as ever after she washed hers. Now that I think about it, I haven't done this with anyone from my family in almost a month now. College has been cutting off a lot of my time with hanging out with Tomo-nee, and work has been both rough and tiring for Mom and Dad. Whenever I see any one of them, I just think back to the past and remember the sweet memories we made and cherished. As I washed my face, so did the sad moment sink in through the bottomless pit of the pipes. I wiped my face with a dry towel and headed out of the bathroom with Mom.

"What's the matter?" Mom asked as we headed downstairs to the living room.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem a little down today unlike when I saw you yesterday. It's early in the morning as well, so there's no way something happened that would make you feel down. Is it a bad dream?"

"…I guess you could say that."

I did dream about something when I was sleeping earlier, but I couldn't remember it. It was just black and white, so there was nothing interesting happening, and even if there was, I probably wouldn't be able to see it. Speaking of dreams though, the only thing that first popped into my mind was the dream I had yesterday. While the dream itself is a bit hard to remember, I could still remember the important details.

"Hm? Where's Dad?" I asked.

"Still out. Had a lot to drink last night with his coworkers, remember?"

We were on the kitchen, but the usual scene of Dad making breakfast for Mom weren't anywhere to be seen. His coworkers had a drinking party last night, and he was invited. He never woke up early like usual whenever he did that. It was so out of place that it felt like both Mom and I were the only ones in the house.

Mom wore an apron that was hanging somewhere and then started picking up some of the things used for cooking.

"I thought you didn't cook," I said.

"I didn't cook, but I do know how. Your dad has just been worried about me because I sometimes mess things up whenever I cook. And by sometimes, I mean a lot of times.

"Huh… guess we really are similar."

"It's all in the genes. But the only difference of you from me is that you don't know how to cook at all.

"If you just let me cook something instead of stopping me because of just that one mistake, maybe I would've actually learned."

"It was two mistakes. You almost burned the house down twice."

"Right. But you know what they say: 'practice makes perfect,' so there's bound to be mistakes made along the way."

"You sound like an old man," she said with a warm smile, feeling proud to me for something I have no idea I did. "I'll set up breakfast for the both of us. Your childlike of a sister is probably going to wake up late to make you breakfast."

"I don't think she'd appreciate that."

"If that happens, she can just make you lunch. You haven't had some for a while now, right?"

Those words were somehow enough to make me stop speaking to her. Words were going in my thoughts, but getting them out of me was a different story.

Honestly, I hadn't thought of what Mom had just said. Tomo-nee has been so focused on her college that she hasn't been able to make me lunch. I miss having her homemade cooking, so it wouldn't be so bad.

"…You know what, sure. Make us something, Mom," I said after careful consideration.

"Okay. You can wait at the living room," she said, as if having my consent.

I started walking to the living room as soon as Mom heated the stove. When I opened the door, I heard something unusual on the other side. It's either unidentifiable, or I just wasn't hearing it correctly. For the most part though, it sounded weird. It was coming from the couch.

I slowly approached the couch, moving closer and closer to that sound as I tried to stay cautious. More and more slowly, as the sounds became more and more louder as I moved closer and closer. It was getting more clear as I moved closer.

Just then, as soon as I recognize what the noise was, a wave of disappointment washed over me. There was an old man laying at the couch, sleepy and snoring loudly and soundly. It was my dad, Jiro Hisakawa.

"Dad…," I said very softly, my disappointment immeasurable.

"Huh… Oh, Taku… Good morning," he said with a yawn.

He somehow noticed I was looking at him that even the tiniest sound was able to wake him up. That was the one thing that was incredibly unusual about him, even for me, his own son. He can notice things as if he knew what he future held.

Not only that, his situational awareness is also off the charts. Although he's an office worker, he's somewhat smart in a lot of ways. He's helped me with a lot of homework I'd have problems with back in junior high, he knows how to cook a lot of food, and he's knowledgeable even in games. We once held a little tournament just for fun back then for an old but widely known board game, and he'd dominated us every single time. There was just one problem with him, though.

Despite having those intellect, he never actually uses it properly. He's always lazy, doesn't do much around the house except cook breakfast for Mom in the morning, and he only ever uses it when he feels like it. It's somewhat really sloppy, especially coming from his son, but that's his own charm in the family.

"Is it morning already…?"

"It's still a little early, but it is morning. Mom decided to cook breakfast because you were still sleeping."

"For real? Even though she could've just called me…"

"In your state, I don't think you'd be able to even manage that."

"But I can!"

I don't doubt his words even a little bit. There's something absolutely different about his mindset than the rest of our family, and it's his motivation. Whenever he feels lazy, like trying to finish something that's close to the due date, he'd be able to do it in a flash and quite easily. Being drunk was of no exception, as well.

"Why'd you have to go with your friends to drink? Tomorrow's Saturday, so you could've just declined their offer and waited until the time was right."

"As much as I would've, it felt impossible for me. I was tired, like absolutely and painstakingly tired, so there was no way I could refuse their proposal."

That was also unusual of him, as well. He can still do flawless work even when he's tired, but he finds it a little hard to turn down anyone that approaches him, whether it's a request or an invitation. Especially if it's an invitation.

He sat upright and I sat next to him, opening the television and tuning on the news. There wasn't much that was going to happen. It showed the daily horoscope, the weather being just a little sunny or a little cloudy, but overall today was going to be an uneventful day. I noticed Dad stretching.

"You sobered up already?" I asked.

"Guess you could say that," he said with a yawn. "How's school going for you lately? You moved on from what happened?"

"…I don't know."

"Huh. You should probably get yourself together and know what you even want, then. If you don't know your state today, especially since it's already been six months, you won't know what you're supposed to do in the future.

He was the only one in the family who never noticed the pattern that formed in me. The one where I answer vaguely, meaning that's probably the answer. I don't know if he's doing this on purpose or not.

"She was such a cute girl as well," Dad said. "He reminds me of a girl that I liked back when in I was still in school."

"Mom?"

"No, I said a girl that I liked, not the girl that I loved. Get that into your system."

He also has a way with his words as well. He uses words that mean the same thing, but not in the literal sense, making him quite the complicated guy. Mom could still see right through him, though. Just a side note: they're both really smart.

"Anyways," he continued. "It's not just her face that reminded me of that girl. Her looks, her personality, mostly everything resembled her. Although not all the letters, even her name is vaguely similar as well."

"How so?"

"I can't remember much, but the girl you had is named Mari, right? The kanji ri was written there, meaning 'reason.' The girl that I liked used the same kanji as her. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence, but it is still a resemblance."

"Huh."

I'm not going to lie, this shocked me a little bit. Dad is usually the sort of quiet person, whether it'd be outside at work or inside this house. Having him give me a bit about his history really piqued my interest. I never knew he liked someone way before he liked Mom. Not like I'm one to talk.

On one hand, I'm still not sure about my feelings, but I think I'm still not ready to move on from Mari, even if half a year had already passed. On the other hand, I have Yumi whom I still liked because of our long friendship. Thinking about it like that, it really hurts me.

"I'm gonna get ready now." Dad said. "Also, can you do me a favor and wake your sister up for me?"

"What for? Also, it's way too early to go to work."

"I have my reasons for going early, and no, it's not urgent. For your sister though, she's probably not going to wake up, so you better get her up if she doesn't want to be late."

"…Okay. Good luck at work, Dad."

"I feel like those are the only words that I'll ever need to get through the day. See ya later, Taku."

I liked that about him. How he uses us, his family, as an excuse to get through the day. Despite him being that, he's really caring for his family. I can appreciate him as much as I appreciate Mom.

I went upstairs after lowering the volume of the television and into my room. I opened the door, and the bed that I had just made was already turned into a mess that you couldn't tell what it was before. The source of it all was the little and elder devil, my sister Tomo-nee, who was sleeping pretty soundly. When I looked at the time, it was already 06:30. Still a little early. Mom was taking a tad bit long with breakfast, as well.

"Tomo-nee, wake up. It's time for you to go to school," I said, swaying her.

She didn't respond. Her eyes were still closed and her sleeping posture didn't change. I could see her face clearly, and it looks like an adorably cute child. She had natural baby face, and it just made me want to pinch her cheeks so bad. I didn't want to give her discomfort, though.

"Tomo-nee, wake up."

"Uwah… I'm awake, I'm awake…," she said lazily.

In the end, I still ended up pinching her cheeks. It felt incredibly soft.

"You say that, but I don't think you are going to wake up," I said as I pinched her harder.

"I am…! Stop pinching meee…!"

I let go of her cheeks. She wiped it off as if it hurts pretty bad. I know she doesn't mind me doing these types of things to her since I'm her little brother, but now I felt kinda of guilty for doing that.

"Sorry," I said.

"If you're really sorry, then come here…!"

She suddenly threw her body onto me, giving me a huge and warm hug. She wrapped her arms around my head and then placed her head onto mine, kind of making it like a pillow. She caressed it quite nicely as well.

"Ahh… Little brother energy feels good…," she said warmly.

"What's that supposed to mean…?",

"It means I'm absorbing the love that my little brother feels for me… And it's warm…"

"…Okay. By the way, Mom's cooking breakfast—"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Tomo-nee disappeared from her hugging position. Actually, she disappeared from every single inch of my room, having no traces of her. I knew where she went, though.

I made my bed once again and then headed downstairs. Once there, I headed to the kitchen to see two girls fighting over something.

"Mom! Didn't I already tell you I'm supposed to be making Takkun's meals every morning?" Tomo-nee complained.

"Hm? Did we ever agree on that?"

"Yes! It was clearly stated on the contract that we both signed!"

Tomo-nee suddenly grabbed a paper and presented it to Mom. I had no idea there was any contracts ever created. Also, why is it even contracted and where did she pull that paper from?

"Hm… 'This Personal Chef Services Agreement is entered into on June 17, seven years ago, between Takuma Hisakawa, located at Mitorishi, Japan, and Tomoko Hisakawa, located at Mitorishi, Japan.'—Wait a minute, is this an actual contract?"

"Heheh… I had Dad made that long ago!"

It was an actual contract. Her being my personal chef, the menu, the services, the ingredients and costs, and the expiry of the contract, which is two years from now. That contract has been out ever since Tomo-nee entered junior high, back when I was still in my fifth grade of grade school. It even had my signature on it which I didn't remember writing, and even Mom's as well.

"Hm… I see…," Mom said as she slowly ripped it in half, throwing it in the trash.

"Gaaah!? What are you doing?!" Tomo-nee shouted, looking really surprised.

"With this, you don't have to worry about it. Also, stop screaming, you'll disturb the neighbors."

That was surprising. At this point, it shouldn't have, but it was still really surprising. She managed to rip off a contract that could've been risky if it were ever serious. She was ruthless as always.

Tomo-nee just dejectedly walked away from the kitchen and into the living room.

"Wasn't that a bit too much?" I asked.

"No, not really. She'll turn normal by the rest of the day."

"Yeah, but still, that was still pretty cruel."

"Remember what I said yesterday? 'I won't be kind to you just because you were down back then. Even now, I'll still be the same.' That rule applies to anyone in this family. But I do feel a little awful about what I did, so could you cheer her up for me?"

"So you are aware of what you did…"

"Of course. I'm a parent, after all."

I headed towards the living room. I couldn't see Dad anywhere. He must've already left the house. It was still way too early, but he said he had his reasons. It must be because Mom was the one making breakfast that he doesn't have to stay here any longer. I'm not sure about that, though.

The television, which was tuned into the news, was now in an animal channel. I saw Tomo-nee staring blankly at the screen while sitting at the couch as I approached her.

"Tomo-nee? You good?"

"Contract… Gone…" She looked lifeless.

"You're still hung up on that?" I asked as I sat down beside her. She leaned her whole body on me in response.

"Because…! That paper has been around for seven years now! It was made ever since I entered junior high! It holds sentimental value! You get it, right?"

"Honestly, no. Why would you even make a contract about food?"

Being honest about all this, it was a little weird. Sure, it was an unspoken agreement that Tomo-nee would make me breakfast every morning, and Dad would be the one to make Mom's. Today was just an exception because Dad had to be drunk, not making him suitable for cooking.

"Um, I…can't remember. But still, Mom just ripped it in half! And she even stole my only time to make you breakfast!"

"Actually, isn't this a good time for you actually?"

"What do you mean? If anything, this is the worst time for me! I want to cook you something, I want to cook you something, I want to cook you something—"

I hit her with a karate chop in the head lightly.

"Listen, there's no way you can change Mom's mind once she's set to do something. If she wants to make breakfast, then she won't stop until she makes breakfast. I know it's the same for you, but you're a bit too naïve to stand up to her. That's why, we both agreed that you can make me lunch instead of breakfast today."

"L-Lunch…?"

"Yep. Isn't that already enough?"

She leaned her entire body more, making sure I was supporting her entire weight. Her whole body felt warm, making it perfect for the cold morning and winter. It felt comfortable, as if she was the only thing that I needed for the rest of my life.

"…Fine. I'll make you your favorite, then…"

"I'd appreciate that," I said, hugging her. It looks to me that I'm the one who's older and more mature than her. Honestly, she was just adorable.

I let go of her, and we both stayed like this for a while. We kept watching the animals do their thing in the television. The time passed by without us thinking of anything, and before long, breakfast was already served.