Hoshino POV:
It was 8:11 by the time I arrived home.
Mei and I had stayed at the alley longer than we intended to. The only reason we left was because it was getting late.
I quietly opened the door to my house and slipped off my shoes. As I approached the living room while texting on my phone, a familiar childish voice called out to me.
"Ah! I didn't even notice you come in. Welcome back!"
Dad was doing his usual stretches in the center of the living room. I quickly studied his movements before giving him a small nod, then went back to my phone.
It seemed that he was still being as goofy and obnoxious as possible. I don't know whether that was how he was genuinely feeling or if he was hiding it, but either way, it was a good thing.
Mom, who was sitting on the couch, welcomed me home with her usual angelic, porcelain smile.
"Welcome home, Son. Are you hungry? I can prepare you dinner right now if you want."
Dad shot Mom a playfully annoyed scowl. "Why are you spoiling him? We just ate. It's his fault he wasn't here. He can go prepare it himself."
He turned to me with a grin. "Isn't that right?"
I knew Dad didn't mean any harm by it; he just didn't want Mom to get up and work when she'd just relaxed. And honestly, I did agree with him in a way. I didn't mind making my own food—but Mom always got up before I even had the chance.
As if to prove my point, Mom clicked her tongue.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's my job to make sure he's well-fed," she stated, her face hardening. Then she looked at me, and it softened. "So, how about it, Son?"
I brushed off the offer as I climbed the stairs, my thumbs tapping against the phone screen.
"It's fine, I already ate."
Neither of them said anything else as they accepted my answer, and I kept climbing, eyes still on my phone.
Once I reached my room, I sent a quick text saying,
There were a few spelling errors, but I didn't bother correcting them as I grabbed a new set of clothes and hopped into the shower.
Just like always, my shower lasted an hour long.
As I finished drying off and pulling on my clothes, I reached for the doorknob—until my hand suddenly stopped.
Wait… I know where this is going.
This was usually when Lily had one of her episodes again and started annoying me for the next thirty minutes. But this time, I was ready.
I took a deep breath, prepared to act as annoyed as possible, then opened the door. I opened my mouth, ready to tell her off like always, but the hall was empty. No, not empty—just... normal.
…Huh.
I glanced at the door leading to Lily's room. It was shut completely, a faint light leaking from underneath. All signs suggested that she was studying, but just in case, I carefully checked the corners.
She wasn't hiding there.
I guess she's busy studying for finals.
It didn't come as a surprise. Finals were right around the corner, and Lily struggled when it came to academics, so it was no wonder that she'd holed herself up in her room.
With a small sigh of relief, I grabbed my phone and continued where I left off as I walked down the stairs.
When I returned back to the living room, Mom and Dad's gaze turned to me. I didn't pay them any mind as I went to the kitchen and grabbed a medium-sized bowl. I wasn't hungry enough for a full meal—I just wanted something to fill my stomach.
Still, the moment I stepped into the kitchen, I heard a soft rustle as Mom got up and came over.
Dad let out a small, disappointed sigh. I didn't need to look up to know what she was doing. No matter what Dad or I said, she'd do as she pleased anyway.
I scooped a decent amount of rice into the bowl and sat at my usual seat. Even though there were other seats available—ones that were much more convenient, too—I was most comfortable with this one, however cluttered it was.
Shortly after I sat down, Mom set down a bowl of some soup, meat, and vegetables.
"Thank you," I said quietly as I began eating.
Mom's gaze softened as she watched me eat, lingering on me for a bit longer before she turned away.
"It's no problem at all! It's a Mom's job to feed her children."
Mom returned to the couch with a quietly pleased hum.
I continued eating in silence, typing on my phone whenever I felt a buzz. That was when I noticed something pristinely white at the edge of my vision. It was mixed in with the other pieces of junk on my side of the table, so it was hard to notice at first. But what separated it from the rest was how uncharacteristically clean it was.
I knew it definitely wasn't there yesterday. Curious, I set down my phone and picked it up. My eyes scanned the sheet until they landed on the top right corner.
Name: Lily K.
Grade: 95%
My eyes narrowed. It was Lily's math test, the one she did two weeks ago.
I was surprised by her grade. If I recalled correctly, it had to be the highest grade she'd gotten in a long time. I would've loved nothing more than to congratulate her—in my own way.
—But there was something about it all that bothered me.
What is her test doing here?
The world around me ceased to exist. The food on the table, the sweet taste that lingered on the tip of my tongue, and even the sound of my phone buzzing.
Nothing else existed right now… except this sheet of paper in front of me.
I bit the inside of my mouth as my thoughts raced, grasping at everything I'd noticed since I got home.
Lily's door being closed.
The fact that the faint light that peered under her door looked more like a lamp than our ceiling.
How she didn't bug me after I got out of the shower.
If it were just those three things alone, I could have brushed them off as overthinking.
But then... there was the test.
Did she deliberately hide this from me?
But why would she do that?
My hand twitched, leaving soft crinkles in the paper.
No, that isn't possible for her.
If there was one thing I knew about Lily, it was that she wouldn't keep quiet about getting this test back. Especially after she'd done this well on it. She would've wanted to celebrate her success, or at least pester me to tell her she did a good job and compliment her.
But… she didn't.
I knew it couldn't have been out of any ill will. Lily and I hadn't fought for years.
So then, what could the reason be?
I lifted my gaze from the paper and glanced at Mom and Dad. The paper obscured a third of my vision, but I could still see them clearly.
Dad was still doing his wide, annoying stretches, while Mom scrolled absentmindedly on her phone. Both of them were acting as they always would.
And yet… a knot formed at the pit of my stomach.
I gently put the paper back where I found it and took a deep, shuddering breath.
It's all a coincidence.
I'm overthinking.
Lily just forgot.
…
Don't be stupid.
I picked up my chopsticks from the bowl and began to shove everything down without chewing properly.
The food was cold.
The meat was dry.
The soup was lukewarm.
But I didn't stop.
I didn't even stop for my phone buzzing on the table, begging for my attention.
I just kept eating as fast as I could until all the bowls were empty.