While Yamamoto was in the bath, his sister told me something that left me stunned.
Yamamoto and Shiho-chan had different fathers.
I never would have guessed. Sure, the age gap between them was significant, but plenty of siblings are like that; I hadn't given it a second thought. But hearing the circumstances directly from Shiho-chan made everything click into place.
I could see the truth written all over her face.
It explained why Yamamoto never wanted to come home. And it wasn't just that. I couldn't help but feel that his family situation had shaped his entire Yamamoto’s Outlook on Life.
For instance, that phrase he occasionally used: Changing One's Mindset. Or his strangely detached perspective on things. Perhaps those ideas only occurred to him because he felt like an outsider within his own family.
"I try not to bring it up with Onii-chan," Shiho-chan said, looking forlorn. "Mom and Dad didn't get married until after he was old enough to remember things. He obviously knows the truth, but I'm not supposed to, right?"
Shiho-chan had been born after their parents wed, so her perspective was naturally different.
"Onii-chan probably has no idea that I know."
"I see..."
"He’s never mentioned it to me, not even once. So I figured it was a subject I shouldn't touch, and I stayed quiet."
"Yeah..."
"Did he ever tell you anything, Megu-chan?"
"No. He never breathed a word about it."
"What’s he like at your place?" Shiho-chan asked. "Here, he just spends the whole time Cleaning. I mean, he’ll joke around with me, but... there’s always this sense of distance."
"Don't worry. He’s exactly like that over there, too."
"Is he?"
I was telling her the truth, but Shiho-chan didn't seem to believe me. Seeing her look even lonelier than before, I felt a pang of sympathy.
"Thank you for telling me," I said.
I wanted to show her I appreciated her honesty. Yamamoto’s Family Circumstances were likely a difficult topic for him to broach, which was probably why he'd kept them from me. If Shiho-chan hadn't spoken up, I might never have known.
"Don't thank me. It was a depressing thing to talk about."
"That's not true. I'm glad I got to know a little more about him—and about you, Shiho-chan."
"You seemed like a good person, Megu-chan. That's why I thought it would be okay to tell you..."
"Thank you."
I gave her a gentler smile this time and reached out to pat her head. Shiho-chan looked down, appearing a bit bashful.
Honestly, I was floored. I’d suspected he had secrets I couldn't imagine, but this... it explained so much. It made sense that he’d become the man he was today.
I couldn't say it to Shiho-chan, of course, but he must have felt a lingering sense of alienation at home. That was why he’d buried himself in his studies, mastered housework, and moved to Tokyo to become independent the moment he started university.
Suddenly, I remembered the First Year School Festival.
Kako-chan had mentioned it once—that Yamamoto was the only one who had truly given his all back then. Hearing that had been the catalyst for me to change my attitude toward him. I’d realized that despite my one-sided hatred of him during our High School Days, he was actually a kind, chivalrous man.
But a question had always lingered in the back of my mind. Why had he been so invested in that festival?
He was a dry person by nature. When I was suffering from Domestic Violence, he helped me while claiming he was doing it for his own sake. When he stepped in to fix things with my parents, he said the same thing. He helps people who rely on him, even if it's to his own disadvantage, but without that external push, he really is a self-centered man.
Yet, he had taken the lead on that festival without anyone asking him to.
Now, I felt like I finally understood why.
He wanted to prove something. Through that festival, he wanted to show them all:
I can do this alone. I don’t need anyone else.
"Do you think Onii-chan hates me?" Shiho-chan whispered.
It was a question born from her own realization—that she knew exactly why her brother had been so desperate to prove he could stand on his own.