Soft and Squishy
Slap. Slap.
Up until now, there had only been two times in my entire life when I’d woken up to someone slapping my cheeks like this.
The first was the morning after I drank with Daeho for the first time as an adult. I’d drunk until I was completely wasted, come home late, and then passed out right in front of the front door. Mom woke me up.
I remember jumping to my feet the second she threatened that I’d better get up if I didn’t want to die.
The second time was in the military when a junior who mistook me for one of his buddies playfully slapped my cheek to wake me. The look on his face after he saw who I really was had been priceless.
“Haa…”
And today, that count went up by one more. Who the hell…
Crazy bastard, wake up already.
“…So it’s you, you crazy bastard.”
Why do I have to play the role of your alarm clock?
“Then don’t wake me up.”
Tsk… Can’t be helped.
Daeho nodded toward the door as he spoke. Wondering what it was about, I looked over.
Knock knock.
“Riha oppa, are you awake? Breakfast is ready.”
…So Aju was the one waking me.
Now that I thought about it, it was almost time for her to leave for school.
It’s because of you that she couldn’t even get ready properly.
“Tsk, what a useless cat. Not even helping wake me up quickly.”
Are you a psychopath?
I knew I was the one in the wrong, but I still snapped at Daeho out of irritation and headed for the door.
Hey, you’re going out like that?!
I heard Daeho’s voice but ignored it. It was more important to let Aju know I was up first.
I got out of bed and walked straight to the door, then opened it.
“Ah, Riha oppa. Did you sleep… well?”
“Yeah, sorry. I stayed up late last night so I just woke up.”
“Ah… I see…”
For some reason Aju avoided my eyes, her face turning red. As I wondered why, Daeho’s voice reached my ears.
Put some clothes on… you idiot.
I looked down at myself.
Oh, right. I always sleep without a shirt on…
“I’m… sorry.”
“…No, I’m the one who should apologize. Sorry.”
“…It’s fine.”
“…”
Just so we’re clear, I do have experience with women. So I’m not particularly embarrassed about showing my bare torso.
That should be the case…
But for some reason, I felt embarrassed.
“I’ll throw something on and come out.”
“Ah, okay!”
“Go ahead and eat first!”
“…Okay.”
Aju, who had been blushing and turning her head away, stole one quick glance at me before heading to the table. I calmed my strangely fluttering heart, went back into the room, and put on the shirt I’d tossed aside yesterday.
“You could have given me a heads-up.”
You really do seem like a psychopath.
“What do you want from me?”
Sigh, I’m starting to wonder if asking you for help was the right call.
Daeho let out a deep sigh and shook his head. Ignoring him, I checked my clothes one more time and was about to leave the room when—
“Right, I almost forgot.”
I remembered the bank book I hadn’t given Aju yesterday and went back to the bed. I picked up the passbook lying next to my pillow and finally looked at Daeho.
“I’m going to give it to her now. Want to come with me?”
No thanks. Just bring me food.
“Cat food work for you?”
You’d better watch your neck when you sleep from now on.
“Does that mean I’ll turn into a cat too…?”
Tsk, maybe I should just kill you now… Hurry up and go eat.
After finishing our usual morning banter, I slipped the bank book into my pocket and opened the door.
I walked over to Aju, who was already seated at the table eating.
“Sorry about earlier. It’s just a habit.”
“…It’s okay. I was just surprised, that’s all.”
Aju said she was fine, but she still couldn’t quite meet my eyes. Did she still have no immunity to things like this?
Her face had gotten really red earlier, and she’d looked completely flustered.
…For some reason, I felt like teasing her.
“Hey, Aju?”
“Yes?”
“You saw my body earlier, right?”
“Pffft. Cough, cough.”
At my sudden question, Aju choked on her food, coughed, and quickly drank some water. The sight was so adorable I couldn’t help but smile.
“Hahaha. Even if I look like this, this body was trained hard in the military. I’d appreciate a proper evaluation.”
“Cough, cough… I don’t know. I didn’t look properly.”
“For someone who didn’t look properly, you sure glanced back when you left the room.”
“…I don’t know.”
“Pfft, okay.”
Things had been so heavy lately because of Daeho that I’d forgotten, but this was how we used to be.
The fact that we could joke around like this meant our atmosphere was slowly returning to normal.
Maybe it was because Aju had cried properly once yesterday.
“You don’t have to cry today, you know?”
“…If it gets hard, I’ll tell you.”
“Good. Tell me anytime.”
Of course she hadn’t completely overcome the grief. But at least for now, she could smile like this.
For the moment, that was enough.
“Right, now that I think about it, I have something for you, Aju.”
“For me?”
“Yeah. It’s something Daeho left with me. Well, he just told me where it was hidden.”
“…?”
With zero hints, Aju clearly had no idea what I was talking about. I held it out to her.
“Here, take this.”
“Huh? This is…”
“It’s a bank book. You’ll understand what kind it is when you look at it.”
“…”
Aju slowly opened the passbook. Then—
Aju-aju Precious Savings Account
“Ah.”
She let out a soft sound. She must have seen the name.
“…Since when did he…”
“He said since he became an adult.”
“Right after he started working, then.”
“Pretty much.”
After that exchange, Aju went quiet. She forgot about her food and simply flipped through the pages in silence.
One page. Then another. It wasn’t a huge sum, but the account had been steadily growing with regular deposits.
I didn’t know the details, but Aju—who managed money—would definitely understand what these funds represented.
“Daeho oppa always told me he was short on allowance. That he didn’t even have money to watch movies.”
“So he’d ask soldiers on leave for some. You knew about that, right?”
“Hehe, yes. But actually… whenever I said I was going to meet you, Riha oppa, I would give Daeho oppa extra allowance.”
“What a jerk. Taking money from his friend and giving it to his future little sister.”
“…Yeah.”
Page after page, Aju slowly turned them.
I sat across from her, simply watching.
“There was one time Daeho oppa complained that the food at his company was terrible. I wasn’t confident in my cooking back then, so I gave him more allowance to eat out.”
“…Is that money in there too?”
“Yes. He told me it tasted good because it was eaten outside.”
“That guy lies to you without a second thought.”
“…It’s true. I wish he had learned from watching you, Riha oppa.”
Aju understood the meaning behind every single won in that account.
Money that could have been used for herself. Yet he had saved it all for her future.
It was just money… but it was money.
“Why would he do something like this… He should have used a little more on himself.”
“…Because he’s an idiot. That guy.”
“He really is. Daeho oppa is… sob… such an idiot.”
It was money he earned himself, yet not a single cent had been spent on him. Meanwhile he squeezed every last penny out of me.
Come to think of it, he really was a damn freeloader.
…Well, a freeloader who only ever thought about his little sister.
“Riha oppa.”
“Yeah.”
“…It’s a little hard right now.”
The words she had mentioned before.
I understood immediately, stood up, and walked over to her.
I wrapped her in a gentle hug.
“…Sob… sob…”
Aju cried again, letting out the tears she hadn’t fully released yesterday. In her hand was the bank book with Daeho’s handwriting.
Aju-aju Precious Savings Account.
That name was clearly visible.
---
After crying in my arms once again—just like yesterday—Aju’s face looked much more at peace than before.
“You knew I would cry, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. I figured something like this would make you cry.”
“You’re so mean. Really.”
“Adults are supposed to be mean.”
“There’s only a three-year difference.”
“Still, one is an adult and the other is a minor.”
Of course, for a nineteen-year-old, Aju was quite mature. But to me she still felt like a child.
No matter how old she got, she would always be three years younger than me. It couldn’t be helped.
Even now.
The slightly pouty face Aju was making as she looked at me was… simply adorable.
“Hahaha.”
“Uu, why are you laughing?”
“Just because it finally feels like we’re having a normal conversation again.”
“…It does, doesn’t it?”
She must have noticed it too.
For two people who had known each other over fifteen years, we had been strangely formal with each other lately. We were supposed to be much closer than that.
Like this.
“It’s been a while since we’ve done this too, right?”
“…Uu.”
Just for the record.
Aju is cute in general, but the cutest part about her is… her cheeks.
And I’ve loved touching those cheeks since we were kids.
“Ria oppa… I’m a high school senior now…”
Her pronunciation was muffled because I was squeezing her cheeks, but she was trying to say she wasn’t a little kid anymore.
It was always like this.
Whenever I lightly pinched her cheeks, Aju would protest that she wasn’t a child. She never really showed that she hated it, and I loved seeing that side of her.
“The texture is still perfect.”
“Uu… I’ll be an adult soon.”
“Then I’ll look forward to touching adult Aju’s cheeks.”
“…Uu.”
Of course, if she truly hated it I would stop. But Aju didn’t seem to dislike my touch that much.
Maybe she actually enjoyed it.
Well, I’ve never asked, so I’m not sure.
“Anyway, isn’t it about time for school?”
“Ah, yes. What are you going to do today, Riha oppa?”
“First I need to look for a part-time job. We agreed to split the rent here, after all.”
After deciding to live together, I had made one promise to Aju.
The rent and living expenses would be split between Daeho’s remaining money and mine.
Of course I had savings from the military, but I figured it was better to start working just in case. University wouldn’t resume until next spring, so I had more than enough time for a part-time job.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. You’ve only been discharged for a short while. You can rest for now.”
“Why are you saying what my mom should be saying?”
For the record, my mom had told me not to think about living off Aju and to get a construction job immediately.
Really, sometimes I wonder whose actual child I am.
“Then I’ll be going, Riha oppa.”
Aju straightened her uniform one last time and said goodbye. I stood up as well and walked over to her.
…Then touched her cheeks again.
“Uu… again…?”
“Sorry. But it’s been so long. Thinking I won’t get to touch them much today, I wanted to get my fill.”
“…”
It didn’t look like she hated it… but she did seem a little conflicted.
…Still so soft and squishy.
I could do this for the rest of my life.
“Ria oppa…”
“Ah, sorry. I should stop now.”
They were so perfectly squishy that I’d kept touching them without realizing. This was probably enough.
When I finally let go, Aju rubbed the spot I’d been pinching and pouted her lips slightly.
The sight almost made me laugh, but I didn’t want to tease her too much, so I stopped there.
“Have a good day.”
“Yes, Riha oppa.”
“Oh, what time should I pick you up?”
“Huh?”
Aju looked at me like she didn’t understand why I was asking.
Oops… That’s right. I hadn’t told her yet that I knew about the stalker.
“Well, the sun sets early these days. It can be dangerous when it’s dark, so I thought it might be safer if I came to get you.”
I wasn’t lying. That really was the reason.
“Ah…”
Normally Aju would refuse immediately out of consideration for me. But seeing her hesitate like this…
She must be scared after all.
“Then could you come at five?”
“…Yeah, of course. I’ll meet you in front of the school.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. We can call it even with the cheek touching.”
“Uu… I’ll pass on that.”
Too bad.
Well, I’ll probably touch them even without permission anyway.
Because once you experience that soft, squishy feeling, there’s no going back~