My Parasitic Daily Life Episode 7: Kana and Yu
Kana Nishikata watched secretly from behind the counter as the two of them left the cafe.
"Yu at a cafe with a woman? That's impossible, right? Who is that woman? She looked quite a bit older than him, but it couldn't be... some kind of solicitation, could it?"
Kana works part-time at Cafe Towa three times a week after school, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. For Yu to be at a cafe... and with a woman, no less, was a bolt from the blue for Kana.
Kana and Yu first met when they were in the first grade of elementary school. They were in the same class, and since their houses were next door to each other, they walked to school together, gradually closing the distance between them and becoming close.
Kana lived in a single-parent household on the second floor of a two-story apartment building with three units per floor, in the room at the very end, right next to the detached house where Yu and his family lived.
She had heard vaguely from her mother that a boy the same age as Kana had come to live with Akie Seno, who had been living alone, but at first, Kana, who went to nursery school, and Yu, who went to kindergarten, did not interact.
Once they entered elementary school, every time there was a parent-teacher meeting or school event, Akie would rely on Kana's mother, Maki, saying, "I've been away from child-rearing for so long, so please teach me various things." And so, with Akie and Maki both in the same situation of raising a child alone while working, they began to help each other out when in trouble. Thus, the family-wide relationship between Kana and Yu began.
Kana's mother was a nurse, and sometimes she wouldn't return home until night. At such times, Akie would pick the two of them up from the after-school children's club on her way home from work and feed them dinner at her house.
"I love the food Grandma makes! It's a secret, but it's way, way better than my mom's cooking!!"
She said the last part in a small voice, cupping her hand to the side of her mouth.
Akie, impressed that Kana was such a socially adept child, replied with a playful face.
"Oh, is that so? Well then, eat up plenty!"
Beside their conversation, Yu ate silently without saying a word.
"Yu, how about seconds? You have to eat a lot, just like Kana-chan!"
He silently shook his head.
"Yu really doesn't talk, does he? I wonder what to do about that..."
"Grandma, Yu does talk. He doesn't talk at all at school or the children's club, but when it's just the two of us, he talks quite a bit."
"Is that so? I didn't know that. I see, I see. Well, that's good then. It's good that you're there for him, Kana-chan."
Yu looked down and listened intently.
"Until last year, he used to talk a lot at home, at kindergarten, and even with the lady at the park, but ever since he entered elementary school, he's hardly spoken at all."
***
After entering elementary school, Yu was teased by other students because of his stutter.
" 'I-I-I am S-S-Seno Yu,' he says. Why don't you talk normally, Seno-kun?"
"It's weird, isn't it? So strange."
Yu felt frustrated and sad, and he kept his head down at his desk, biting his lip.
"Shut up! Don't bully Yu! I'll be your opponent!"
"Ugh! Kana's here again! You guys are like a married couple, aren't you? I know you live together. A married couple. A married couple."
"Are you stupid? We don't live together! Our houses are just next door! Boys are so dumb!"
Days continued where Yu was teased and Kana stepped in to help.
Eventually, Yu stopped talking at school and at the children's club. He didn't try to make friends, sat at his desk alone reading books, and didn't speak to anyone.
After a while, those who had been teasing him lost interest in the unresponsive Yu and stopped doing anything.
It was Kana who supported Yu, who had no friends. When they returned home, they would play together or study, and in the process, they practiced speaking slowly. Yu's stutter was caused by nervousness, and through the trust he had in Kana, he learned how to speak calmly, and his symptoms gradually eased.
A few years later, his stutter had completely healed.
Although his stutter was cured, Yu remained as quiet as ever even after becoming a middle school student. Yu, who was smart and handsome, was very popular with some girls who said, "His quiet and expressionless nature is actually a good thing."Yu joined the track and field club because he wasn't good at team sports, and Kana followed suit. Since Yu only talked to Kana, many people thought they were dating. Kana basked in a sense of superiority, thinking, "Yu would be lost without me," and believed that she would always be the one supporting him and staying by his side.
That didn't change even after they became high school students. Kana often went to Yu's house, they cooked and ate meals together, and she helped Akie with chores. It was as if they were living together.
She knew everything about Yu. That he liked tonkatsu, that he hated okra, that he actually liked sweets despite hiding it. That he liked mystery novels, that he hated frogs, and that his left eyebrow twitched when he lied.
If Yu were to become a doctor in Tokyo, they would be apart for a while, but Kana was thinking of getting her nursing license locally and finding a job in Tokyo as well.
And yet, here she was, seeing the shadow of a woman on Yu for the first time.
It's impossible. He shouldn't have met anyone. He shouldn't be able to talk to anyone. He has no friends or lovers... he can't make any.
"Who is that woman...?
Ah... could it be... the lady from the park--?"
Kana's heart was making an unpleasant thumping sound.
☞☞☞ Episode 8: Christmas Eve Promise ☞☞☞
Click here for the magazine where you can read all the episodes!!!