Hearing the vibration of the phone by her ear.
Shouko slowly opened her eyes and looked at the bright world outside.
Suddenly, she felt something wasn't quite right.
Turning her head to her side, it was empty; Soyo was nowhere to be seen.
And the bedroom door was closed as well.
Frowning slightly... she put on a jacket, got up, and gently opened the bedroom door.
She saw Soyo sleeping on the sofa and smelled the heavy scent of alcohol in the room.
"Did Soyos Mother come back..."
"But, accustomed to a normal routine, I didn't notice it at all."
"Compared to me, Soyo is clearly much gentler."
"Even if she has to suffer a bit, she wants the people she cherishes to be more comfortable."
"Back then, when I was looking after my younger sister Yuzuru, she'd get a beating if she didn't listen."
"After a few beatings, my sister's routine became the same as mine, and she became obedient."
"Simple and direct..."
"As expected, the personality of an old man of several decades."
"Even after being a young girl for many years, I still can't change these rough habits."
"Just like when dealing with the disobedient Sakiko and Soyo, my approach is more about lecturing them."
"Heart-to-heart is indeed good, but unfortunately, that's just not my personality."
"Simple and direct, actually... there's nothing wrong with that."
Although Shouko muttered this to herself, in her heart, she quite admired those who could treat others with such gentleness.
After all, it was something she simply couldn't do.
As for making herself do it, she was truly sorry, but she didn't want to change.
Besides, if everyone is too gentle, there still needs to be someone decisive to make the final call.
"Soyo isn't here to cook breakfast this morning..."
"Then I'll just heat up yesterday's leftovers, boil an egg, and warm up a pack of milk. Done."
Glancing back at the still-sleeping Soyo, Shouko tried to move as quietly as possible.
Then, she closed the kitchen door, staying inside to keep the noise from leaking out.
Soon... seeing the food ready and the egg and milk boiled.
She opened the door, only to see Soyo still sleeping outside.
Unsurprisingly, Soyo must not have slept well last night because of her mother.
Placing the food on the table, she stepped forward and nudged Soyo.
She gave Soyo's ear a firm bite: "Soyo, wake up quickly, or you'll be late."
"Eh!???"
Snapping her eyes open, Soyo realized it was already bright outside.
She scrambled to get up but couldn't help but frown: "Ouch..."
"My butt still hurts..."
"Um, but it's okay, I'll... go wash up first."
Just as she stood up, Soyo, despite her frown, still managed to force a smile.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't get up this morning. Thank you so much, Shouko..."
With that, she hurriedly rushed into her bedroom, still frowning.
She glanced at the watching Shouko and, with a blushing face, closed the bedroom door.
Tsk... "It's not like I haven't seen it before. We're all girls, what's there to be shy about?"
Shouko shook her head with some regret and started eating.
Over the course of a week, she and Soyo had already formed a routine.
Soyo would wash up first, followed by her, since her own routine was much simpler.
"I'm going to be late, I'm going to be late..."
Before long, Soyo rushed from her bedroom toward the bathroom.
"Don't rush, there's still time. I'll just wash up in the kitchen."
"It's fine, I'll be quick."
"Mhm, I warmed up yesterday's leftovers and packed them in a lunch box."
"Okay, thanks for the trouble, Shouko."
Glancing at the frantic Soyo in the bathroom, Shouko lowered her head and sniffed the food in the lunch box.
It was okay, no bad smell; it shouldn't be embarrassing for Soyo at school.
Besides, she had no problem eating it herself... On the other side... Sakiko, who had just finished delivering newspapers, looked at the brilliant sunlight and took a long, deep breath of the cool morning air.
"Lately, I've had a bit more money on hand."
"So, it's about time I practiced the piano again, otherwise I'll get rusty."
"Although I don't have the means at home, I've found out that the Brass Band Club at Haneoka Girls Academy has a piano I can practice on."
"The only thing I need to worry about is making sure I don't get kicked out when the time comes."
At that thought, Sakiko clenched her fist tightly.
Just then, she heard a notification on her phone from her pocket.
Sakiko took out her phone in confusion... "It's a message from Shouko, asking how the 'lesson' for my Father is going."
"Where would I find the time to teach him a lesson lately? I have to work right after school, it's exhausting."
"But then again, I really do need to have a proper talk with my Father."
"As for letting Shouko come over, there's no need for that. Let me keep a little bit of my dignity."
"I don't want you to see such a filthy environment and my miserable Father."
Sakiko gave a light snort and turned to hurry back toward her home.
When delivering newspapers, she wore somewhat dirty clothes, but she obviously couldn't go to school dressed like that.
Not long after... when Sakiko returned to her dilapidated small house.
She heard bursts of snoring coming from the living room next door.
She walked over quickly and took a look, only to see that her completely decadent Father showed no signs of improvement whatsoever.
In fact, compared to the beginning, he seemed to have gotten even worse.
Empty beer cans were scattered all over the floor, blocking the door so it couldn't even close.
Like a pile of rotten meat, he had completely lost himself.
Recalling her once extremely gentle Father, Sakiko gave a soft sigh.
Yes, I need to take some time to have a talk with my Father.
It just so happens that my financial situation has improved a bit now.
Glancing at the clock in the room... Sakiko's expression changed, and she quickly dashed back to her room to change clothes.
"Sigh, I hope that when I come back tonight, my Father will have improved a bit."
"Hmph, you wouldn't want that terrifying Shouko to come over and whip you with a belt, would you??"
"So, you better rely on your own will and get your act together quickly."
"Even I, once a high-born young lady, am now busy with hard work I could never have imagined before."
"Mother, who has always loved you, wouldn't want to see you end up like this."
"Show me the responsibility and persistence you once had!!!!!"