[CH.86] Phone Call From My Older Sister
After having dinner and taking a bath, I thoroughly dry my hair to avoid catching a cold.
Lately, it's become a habit for Haruka and me to study during the time between taking a bath and going to bed. Since both of us often return to the dormitory late due to work commitments, it's a casual study session where we can study together if we happen to be there at the same time.
Golden Week is over, and the mid-term test period is approaching. However, cramming only during the test time won't help retain the information. I've already finished studying the material for junior high, so I mainly focus on preparing for university exams and high school studies. I just casually review the test material.
Haruka, initially feeling a bit apologetic for studying something completely different from me, started asking questions without hesitation once she realized that answering her questions helps me gauge my understanding and avoid mistakes.
Today, as we dry our hair with the hairdryer and study together, the ringtone of a phone interrupts us. It's perfect timing, as we've just finished solving a problem. I prevent Haruka from standing up and head to the hallway where the phone stand is located. While it would be convenient to have it in the kitchen or near the living room where we study, I understand that it's placed in the hallway because this is a dormitory.
Having it in a less visible place like the hallway allows for more private conversations with family from our hometown. It could be sharing updates about life in Tokyo, or sometimes expressing homesickness, feeling lonely, and crying while talking. I guess Ms. Azusa wanted to create a space for those interactions with family. She's a kind person.
"Hello?"
I lift the receiver and respond. When answering the telephone at the Oshima family residence, we usually say, 'Hello, this is Oshima's residence.' However, since this dormitory houses only young women, as a safety measure, we have a rule not to disclose that we're in the dormitory or our names.
"It's me."
After a prolonged silence, I hear my sister's voice on the other end of the line. I almost let out a surprised "Huh!?" instinctively, but manage to restrain myself.
Because, since coming to Tokyo, we haven't met at all. Moreover, the idea that my sister, who probably harbors strong negative feelings towards me, would voluntarily call me is something I wouldn't expect under normal circumstances. Perhaps something happened to both of our parents. If one of our parents was sick or had an accident, I would think the parent who was okay would be the one to contact me.
And how did she even get this phone number? I hadn't told her, and I made sure to inform my parents not to share it. I confirmed during my visits home that it wasn't written in the telephone directory next to the home phone.
Well, given the small size of the house, even if my mother had hidden it on a note, it wouldn't take much time to find. Since we didn't have a safe or drawers with locks, and we hadn't bought new ones, it would be a situation where someone could freely search the house. I even have a few ideas about where it might be hidden, if it were hidden at all.
"Nn... Are you listening?"
"Yeah, I'm listening. It's rare, isn't it? Nee-chan contacting me."
Slightly irritated, I responded somehow in my usual manner while feeling a bit uneasy about my sister's demeanor. But the way she clicked her tongue is, how should I put it, a bit rough. However, considering she reached out to me herself, it might be the result of living a tough life at that strict school. I found myself curious about why my sister, who probably dislikes dealing with someone like me, would contact me in the first place.
"You, you're in movies and all, living the high life, right? So, how about sending some of that money my way?"
Though being addressed as "you" bothered me a bit, as soon as the conversation turned to money, I felt like hanging up the phone. Because it's definitely going to be troublesome, especially since it seems like she's not talking about borrowing or lending money but demanding it in this manner. The answer was undoubtedly a firm refusal.
"Suddenly saying something like that, I can't just say, 'Sure, here you go,' and you know that, Nee-chan. Why do you need the money?"
"Why should I bother explaining everything to you?"
As I sensed my sister making an unpleasant expression on the other end of the line, I truly felt angry. Does she even realize her position? She's the one who called me asking for money, yet she's not willing to explain the circumstances and instead bites back at me directly. It's too straightforward.
"Well, I'm just going to hang up like this, is that okay? Of course, without knowing the situation, I won't hand over the hard-earned money I've worked for, and I'll also let our moms know about this phone call."
When I tried to retort with a strong attitude, my sister shouted in a panicked voice from the other end of the phone, "Wait!" Whether she's using imperative language because she doesn't want to show her weakness to me or it's some sort of display of dominance as my elder sister, I don't know, but it doesn't feel good.
Nevertheless, the reason I didn't hang up and waited was that I judged it would be better to hear the details and convey them to our parents. Even though she's now a third-year middle school student, my sister is still a child, and demanding money from her younger sister is just absurd. In a normal situation, I wouldn't be blamed for pretending not to know, but it would surely become troublesome later. Before I got involved, I wanted our parents to deal with it somehow.
Waiting for a response in silence, Haruka, who must have heard my voice, peeked out with only her face, looking at me with a worried expression. Waving my hand lightly to convey the message, "It's okay," Haruka nodded and withdrew her face. While doing that, my sister finally seemed to resign and started speaking intermittently.
Although there were many complaints and abuses directed at our parents and grandparents, and it was incredibly painful to listen to, I could roughly understand the situation. In summary, it seemed like this:
During spring break, my sister was told by our parents to return home, and after graduating from middle school, she was instructed to attend a local high school. It seems our grandfather judged that my sister's personality had improved a bit, probably referring to her attacking aggressiveness and how she interacts with people other than herself. Despite her money-driven motives, the fact that she called me herself indicates that she has softened considerably.
It seems that she bowed her head, expressing her strong reluctance to return to the family home, which holds only unpleasant memories for her, as an older sister. She probably requested permission to continue attending the senior division of her current school. Although I thought it would be good to let her attend, considering that my living expenses and tuition are completely covered, it was likely influenced by our grandfather's concern for social appearances or my mother expressing her loneliness to my father because both of her children had left home.
When her request was about to be rejected, it seems that the saving grace came from our island's grandmother. She managed to persuade our grandfather and somehow obtained permission to continue attending her current school, making my sister's wish come true.
However, once her wish was granted, my sister seemed to act as if she didn't care about anything else. She reportedly neglected phone calls and such to our parents all at once. Concerned that there was no contact last month, our worried mother tried calling to confirm her safety at the dormitory, but my sister, annoyed, ignored it. Apparently, she shouted at our mother, who tried to contact her several times, saying not to bother her because she found it annoying.
Perhaps she thought everything was fine since she had the assurance from our grandfather. While my sister may have her reasons, having received a favor means she should have been a bit more humble in her actions. It's inevitable to say that, as someone who asked for a favor, she should have tried to maintain a more modest attitude. After all, turning one's back on others and neglecting them after getting what you want is an act that significantly undermines trust from others.
Naturally, my sister's trust has also taken a significant hit, and during this Golden Week, the guardians gathered again to discuss the situation. It seems they reached the conclusion that my sister would be brought back to the hometown after graduating from junior high school. The island's grandmother, who once extended a helping hand, is a businesswoman and understands firsthand how important trust and reliability from others are. That's probably why she didn't extend a second helping hand to my sister, who neglected those values.
In my previous life, I think my sister was a bit more strategic, but observing her now, it may not have been the case. Looking at this situation, she should have at least been careful until entering high school, feigned obedience to our parents and grandparents. Given my sister's personality, she couldn't endure it, considering the joy of her wish being granted and thinking about her future freedom.
Listening to the story so far, I finally see what my sister wants to express. This time, her emotions towards me are irrelevant. Faced with the final ultimatum to return to the hometown, my sister considered various options, and as a result, she might have thought that if she somehow managed the funds needed for her education, she could continue attending the current school.
So, what caught my sister's eye was the money our parents send me as living expenses in Tokyo. Of course, I'm already financially independent, and I've repaid the living expenses I used when I moved to Tokyo and didn't have a job. However, since I live in a free dorm with only utility bills and rent waived, I can't exactly claim to be self-sufficient with confidence.
When I gently explained that, I could hear my sister's sharp voice from the other end of the receiver.
"Do you make that much money!? Then transfer your entire savings to my bank account!!"
"Why should I work hard and hand over the money I receive to my Nee-chan?"
Although irritated, I calmly retorted, making sure to control my emotions. Whether she felt pressured by my flat tone or not, my sister fell silent on the other end of the phone.
"First of all, even if you manage to gather enough money for your education, what about dorm fees and tuition? Before that, even for internal transfers, you need the signature and seal of a guardian on the documents. If Mom and Dad refuse to sign, you'll be forced to come home, nee-chan."
"............"
"I think the first thing you should do is apologize to Mom and Dad and have a proper conversation with them."
Parents' intentions at school are strong, you know. Setting aside the opinions of the grandparents in the town, the ones who need to sign the application, put their seals on it, and pay the tuition are our parents. They've been avoiding the conversation with my sister, and they should discuss and come up with an answer without involving me.
I waited for a while, but there was no response at all. So, I briefly said, "Well then," and hung up the phone. Maybe it was the tension or the fact that I was unknowingly holding my breath, but I released a lungful of air with a sigh.
I've heard that the opposite of love is indifference, and if I were in a completely blank state without memories of my past life, I might have been indifferent to my sister. Or maybe I hated or disliked her.
But now, even though I've experienced my overbearing sister causing me trouble in my previous life, there are also memories of various things she helped me with. That's why I couldn't bring myself to ignore my sister completely, and even though I knew I was getting on her nerves, I offered advice.
In the first place, I think it's the fault of our parents, who haven't bridged the gap with my sister despite me leaving home for many years. Certainly, the grandparents in town might be nagging and annoying, but since my parents are the legal guardians, they should ignore the interference and properly deal with my sister. Even I feel stressed talking to my sister, who acts condescendingly, so I hope they can resolve it without involving me.
While thinking about these things, I returned to my room and picked up a letter set. I sat next to Haruka, who had been studying diligently by herself.
"Was the phone call okay?"
"Yeah. It was a call from my older sister, so it was a bit surprising, though."
Responding to Haruka's concerned expression, I smiled wryly. I haven't gone into detail about my family situation with Haruka, but I've mentioned that my relationship with my sister is not good, so if she hears anything about money issues, it's natural for her to worry.
I pushed the study materials to the edge of the table and placed a piece of stationery on a pad. While reporting to my mother through a phone call would be more convenient, I wanted to avoid any discrepancies with my sister's story. It's to prevent her from saying things like I didn't mention this or that, or accusing me of lying to lower my sister's reputation. Well, there's quite a difference in credibility between my sister and me, so I don't think I'll be unilaterally blamed, but it's better to be thorough.
After writing down the conversation details, perhaps meddling a bit too much, I added, "I think it would be good to have another good talk with my sister" and put down the pen. The rest is something the three of them should discuss, and this is as much as I can do.
"Oh, Sumire. This part here..."
As I sealed the letter with the enclosed stationery, Haruka asked a question, probably waiting for me to finish writing.
While checking the equations that had been solved up to that point, I provided hints for the incorrect parts and guided her through the solution. I gave Haruka similar problems once she understood the solution method, and I smiled warmly as she happily solved them on her own.
Despite a slightly unpleasant irregularity in the evening, thanks to Haruka, I felt like I could sleep soundly with a calm mind, just like any other night.
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Tsukiko is still a b*tch as always
ReplyDeleteMan. I really am rooting for Tsukiko to come around to her senses, and for a good relationship to be made in the end. But wow, the gall of her to demand money from her sibling like that.....after being the source of all of Su-chans issues and the reason she has to stay away from home.......
ReplyDeleteI fully understand she is a kid and thinks like a kid, but that is very excessive. You can only put so much blame on the parents for how a kid behaves.