Adachi to Shimamura - Volume 2 - Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1 Shimamura at the Gym

Can you do a sit-up? 
I'd messaged that to Adachi just as I'd been about to leave the house, and approximately two minutes later, she'd called me. I took my phone out of my sports bag and after placing the bag back on my shoulder, I answered. I peeked at the corridor through my door, and saw Mom still loitering about. Yeah, seemed that we weren't tight on time. Just then, I heard Adachi's voice. 
"What was that message you sent me?" 
"Huh? I thought it was pretty self-explanatory. I was just wondering if you can do a sit-up." 
I leaned against the wall by the door as I talked. It wasn't really the sort of question that I thought required a call, and as such, I found myself a little flustered. You see, whenever I talked with someone on the phone, I liked to prepare the conversation beforehand. This time I hadn't been able to. Although, thinking about it, people definitely told me that it wasn't a normal thing to do, to be so self-conscious about such a thing. I wonder. 
"A sit-up? Hmm..." 
Adachi's voice grew distant. Then, after a few moments, it returned. 
"Yep, I could", she reported. Apparently, she had actually tried it out. How conscientious. Diligent, even. "Umm, so what about it?" 
"That's pretty incredible." 
I clapped my hands, still holding the phone. In my heart, however, I felt a little disappointed: for a second I'd thought that I might have found someone who shared my pain. 
"To tell you the truth, I can't do it unless someone pushes my feet down for me." 
"Really?" 
"Yep." 
I patted my abdomen through my clothes. I didn't have any extra weight down there, but that also came at the cost of not having any muscles. 
Each night, I lay down on my futon worrying about how I was going to get up in the morning. In case you're curious, my sister could do it. She really could. ...Well, at least I had breasts. 
"I see... Was that all?" 
"Yep, that's all. See ya", I quickly said as I cut the call. I was kinda astonished: what the heck kind of conversation had that been? 
Maybe it would've been better to talk for a little while longer. Well, not that I had anything to talk about. Adachi wasn't the talkative type either, and I got the feeling that we would both have just ended up staying silent. On top of that, I really couldn't talk to her for one more second. 
There we go, making excuses again. I felt guilty, though I wasn't able to pinpoint why. Or maybe not; the conversation had felt like trying to grip a cloud with your bare hands for sure, but just as it had started getting on my nerves, Mom had called me and told me to hurry. Right, I forgot to mention. I was going to the gym with Mom this afternoon. Yeah, that's what I meant; I couldn't talk to her because I had to leave. Language can be weird like that sometimes. 

While you had to be over eighteen years old to join the gym, it seemed that a ticket was enough for a single-day trial. Also, as Mom was a member, I heard that she was able to purchase trial tickets at discounted price. She'd given me one of those tickets for some reason, and I'd decided to go with her to see what it was like. 
What was my reason to try it? Dunno. If I had to say, probably boredom. Sure, it wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, but neither was staying home and either playing with my sister or studying. Might as well move my body a little, I'd thought. Not that a single day's worth of exercise was going to make a difference, of course. 
Our family only owned a single bicycle. It could easily have supported two people, but as Mom was absolutely against riding it like that, she ended up making Dad drive us there instead. We crossed the large bridge at the shopping district, and right past the city's sports grounds, I caught a glimpse of a blue-white billboard. The colour combination was oddly reminiscent of Pocari Sweat—the drink. Anyway, the name of the gym was written on the sign in English. I looked to my left, to the opposite side of the gym, and saw a parking lot there. There was a parking lot next to the building as well, but that one was already full. That wasn't to say that the other one wasn't quite packed too, because it certainly was. Seemed that the gym was quite popular. Or perhaps there were just a lot of people with too much time on their hands. 
The car stopped in front of the building. I got out, followed by Mom from the passenger seat. Dad then drove away. Mom hadn't asked him to come along, but even if she had, it didn't appear that he had any intention of ever training his body. I always pass the physical examinations at work without any trouble, so why should I?, I remember him saying. Was that really the main issue? 
"Hey, come along", Mom called to me while rolling her right shoulder. 
"Yeah, yeah", I replied as I followed after her. 
The sports bag I was using—a hand-me-down from Mom—was horribly dirty and damaged all over. Both of its ends had worn out and now resembled stretched-out elastic bands. Holding up those ends, I walked in. 
There was a reception desk right through the automatic door. Two female employees sat behind it, both wearing white jackets. Mom gave one of them her membership card, and I did the same with my ticket. In return, the woman gave us a pair of blue wristbands with a key attached on each one. Keys to a locker, most likely. They were numbered as well, and mine was number 83. 83, huh? I thought about it for a while, trying to come up with something that I could remember it by, but nothing came to mind. I didn't have any of those "fated numbers" or whatever they were called. 
"Shall I explain the building's layout to you?" the clerk asked me. 
"No, thank you", I declined politely. Having to stand around and talk to someone seemed like a huge pain in the butt. 
I circled around the left side of the reception desk and came across a glass door with a tennis court on the other side of it. A middle-aged lady stood there, hitting yellow balls with her racket over and over again, presumably practising. A group of people that appeared to be her friends watched her do so. They were old ladies too. Incidentally, so were the people sitting on the red sofas arranged in a circle immediately before me. It was then that I realized it: wherever I looked, all I could see were middle-aged and elderly people. Sure, I suppose it made sense for there not to be any teenagers here, but the fact that I couldn't see anyone who looked like they were in their twenties or even thirties was a little surprising to say the least. It was just like Mom had said. I wondered how old the average member was. 
Passing through a sales area where they sold swimsuits and tennis equipment, I reached a shoe rack and took my shoes off. Mom had already gone up ahead. That's just the kind of person she was, always standing far in the distance, beckoning others. 
I opened the locker number 83 to my left and put my shoes in. I then climbed up the stairs and entered the second floor where my attention was instantly caught by the various types of devices there. The place was filled to the brim with black exercise equipment. Indeed, this really was a gym. 
There was a line of ten or so treadmills along the wall, all of which were currently occupied by sweaty middle-aged people running at their respective pace and angle. Each treadmill also had a television installed in front of it, all playing the same day-time drama. Deeper in, there was a group of old ladies doing aerobics in a separate room. Giving them a sidelong glance, I headed towards the locker room. As a did, I could feel the eyes of a bunch of old men nearby focusing on me. What the heck are you staring at? I wanted to ask them. 
I stuffed my sports bag in the locker, changed into the exercise clothes I'd brought with me, and tied my hair back. There was a scale on the floor that I passed by twice—once on my way in and a second time on my way out—but I purposefully ignored it both times. Mom was still changing her clothes, which was a little weird considering that she'd come here first. After letting let her know that I was going ahead, I exited the room. 
I returned to the second floor where all the equipment was. I looked to my right and saw a bunch of mats spread on the floor deeper in. Next to them were large, colourful balls. There was a person there, pinching one of the aforementioned balls between their extended legs and shaking it left and right. Just looking at it made my sides hurt. For some reason, I got the feeling that Hino would be good at that. 
There was a sales area on the second floor too, this one selling shirts as well as mats. Trying to sell you something at every opportunity, huh? Personally, I'd never been this persistent about anything in my life. Had I? No, don't think so. 
Now then, what to do? I stood in place and looked around, trying to find an answer to that question. Just then, a person stepped off one of the treadmills. Perfect timing. You never know unless you try, I thought as I stepped onto it. Putting the settings on whatever, I began running. It didn't take long before I had to tone them down, however, and after just five minutes, I had to stop completely. 
My sides hurt like crazy. Regardless, I decided to pretend like it was nothing. 
"That sure was some good exercise." 
"Idiot", Mom said as she smacked me on the head, having appeared at some point. Dunno if it was due to her being all trained up or whatever, but she put some serious snap into it, and it hurt quite a bit. "No wonder you get bad grades in school." 
She pretended to cry, going as far as to act like she was wiping her tears with her sleeves, which was a little weird considering that the sports shirt she was wearing was short-sleeved. How exactly were my school performance and lack of physical strength related? Was it because they were both matters of perseverance? 
"Young people are a rare sight around here. I'd like it if you presented yourself in a bit more of an impressive light." 
"I'm not sure if a person's age is really the deciding factor there." 
I looked around, and saw a man old enough that it would definitely have been safe to call him a grandpa lifting some pretty serious weights. 
"You've been lazy since you were little, haven't you? Yeah, I think that's how it was..." 
What sort of a mother fumbles while reminiscing about her daughter's past? Well, not that even I could explain to you what I was like back then. I remembered a few random fragments, but most of the details had already left my mind. 
I hadn't been the kind of child that got anything that stood out written on their report card, that's for sure. I remember there having been a section in the graduation essay where the teacher wrote a short comment about each individual student, and I bet she'd had a hard time coming up with anything to write when my name came up. Of course, I couldn't recall what she had ended up writing. 
"This is how you do this", Mom said, having gotten on the treadmill in my place. She was running super fast, and uphill at that. 
How many minutes could she keep this full-speed sprint going? I was pretty interested to find out, and so I decided to stay and watch. 
"By the way, you're going to school every day, right?" she asked me as she ran. While at it, she also pushed the buttons of the TV screen in front of her. Always had to be doing something, huh? 
Putting all that aside, could she have brought up a more annoying topic? 
"Well, you see me leaving every morning wearing my uniform, don't you?" 
"That doesn't necessarily mean that school's where you're going to." 
Her eyes grew narrow, and I could sense a tiny bit of hostility in them. The way she stared at me was intense, and almost made me confess that it was all my fault. And I wasn't even lying. I really did go to school every day, that was the truth. Was this what they called "motherly pressure"? 
"I am going." 
Leaning against the handle of the treadmill, I turned my eyes towards the TV screen, pretending to watch it so that I wouldn't have to look at her. 
I didn't often get a chance to talk alone with Mom. Not that I really wanted to. No, I hated it so much that if I had known about this beforehand, I wouldn't have come at all. That's what my parents were like to me. 
Mom was still running. It was a powerful run, yet she was still going steady. She hadn't lifted her chin, and her swinging arms hadn't slowed down at all. Whereas I'd gotten exhausted and shrivelled up almost immediately, she felt so fresh and lively. 
"Listen. If you don't go, it's just gonna get you in trouble later on. The people around you, too." 
She didn't appear to be buying my explanation. Was that also a parent thing, being able to see through their children's words? 
"Ever since you were little, I've always taught you not to be a burden to other people, haven't I?" she continued. 
"Yes, yes. I know." 
Were we about to start having a lecture? Was that the reason she had asked me to come with her? I was reminded of how she often jokingly told my sister "not to grow up like your big sister", and it made me laugh. 
It might have been a cliche thing to say, but I did understand that she was ultimately just worried about me. Still, being in puberty, I wasn't going to accept that she was right, even if deep down I knew that she probably was. 
I bonked my head lightly against the treadmill and let the recoil carry me away. 
"Where are you going?" 
"To the pool. I think I've had enough exercise for one day." 
"Weakling." 
I waved at Mom—still running—and walked away. 
I'd heard beforehand that this gym had a pool, and it was pretty much the reason why I had come here, to just float in the water, idling away. 
Being done with exercising as I'd proclaimed earlier, I headed back towards the locker room. Though I'd by no means been doing it seriously, my forehead and back had still gotten sweaty at some point, and I now felt a pain in my biceps. I'd also done some exercises aimed at my stomach region to help with the sit-ups—holding a ball between my legs and shaking it from side to side—and as a result, my sides were hurting as well. Maybe I had overdone it. The lack of any sort of stretching before I began could have also been why. My muscles were gonna hurt tomorrow, weren't they? No, probably not. I was too young for that sort of stuff. Deciding to think optimistically for once, I returned to the locker room. 
I pulled out my sports bag from the locker and changed into my swimsuit. It wasn't any special swimsuit, just the one I'd bought for school. Being a high schooler meant not having opportunities to visit the ocean with my family or anything like that, and as a result, this was all I had. 
I put on a swimming cap as well. It was pretty difficult to get my hair inside, giving me a sense of just how much longer it had grown since the first semester. Passing a group of old ladies that had finished doing aerobics, I headed towards the pool through a different exit. I'd barely taken a step outside when the dense smell of chlorine hit my nose. The disinfectants used here were far stronger than that at our school's pool. I was reminded of summer, even if it was already close to being winter. Gagging slightly, I climbed down the stairs. Deeper and deeper into the darkness I went. Then, at last, I could see light on the other side of a door. 
As I slid the door open and stepped inside, my attention was instantly drawn to the disinfectant fluid covering my feet, going up to my ankles. It felt lukewarm. The one I was used to in school was cold, which is why it being warm took me aback slightly. After a quick shower, I headed towards the pool itself. 
"Yeah, I really am glad that I joined... Hehehe. Sometimes, even I have good ideas." 
I was startled by the sudden voice. I looked up at what resembled a block wall, and saw a blonde young man with freckles on his nose sitting there, laughing to himself. 
What was he looking at? A group of little girls undergoing a swimming lesson in the right-most lane. 
Whoa. 
He might not have looked bad on the outside, but the way he stared at the girls made me a little uncomfortable to say the least. His eyes were narrowed as if he were looking at something bright, and his face was twisted into a smile. Definitely weird. 
Having perhaps noticed that I was staring at him, the man turned towards me. Whoa. When he'd been looking at the kids, his eyes had sparkled as if he were watching over a treasure or something, but as he faced me, no emotion could be felt in them. It was like he was looking through a window at scenery he was tired of seeing; pretty, but not interested. The only explanation I could think of for this obvious difference in reaction was that the man was either extremely fond of kids, or just a straight-up pervert. 
"Oops." 
As if not wanting to miss a second, the man turned back towards the girls. 
I had to say, I was leaning pretty heavily on "pervert". Probably for the best to keep my distance. Getting away from him as fast as I could, I entered the pool. 
There were stairs and a handrail installed by the left edge, and I used those to climb into the water. A group of elderly women walked about in the left-most lane—meant for water walking. It almost looked like they were performing a ritual of some kind. I slipped in. 
As you might have expected of a heated swimming pool, the water was quite hot. Honestly, as my skin was still burning from the exercise I'd done, I kinda wished it had been colder. I did a quick splash around, sinking underwater down to my chin. As I did, the water with the smell of chlorine that I still hadn't gotten used to reached just below my nose. 
"..." 
It wasn't just my imagination; even here, people were staring at me. Was it because I was wearing a school swimsuit? Or perhaps because of my age? There were likely people who enjoyed such a thing, but I certainly wasn't one of them. No, it only made me feel uncomfortable. I also felt like I had been slightly careless. I was the centre of attention, which was to say, out of place. This just wasn't somewhere I was meant to be. 
Half-standing with most of my body underwater, I took some steps forward. An old man swimming on the neighbouring lane passed me, and the resulting wave caused water to enter my mouth and nose. Wiping my face, I extended my knees. As it turned out, hiding underwater wasn't an option either. 
I really wished I had asked Adachi or someone to come with me. Although, I did wonder if she would have. I couldn't really imagine Adachi looking too happy somewhere with this many people staring at her. From what I'd heard, she'd never been to the school pool either. 
As I continued walking, almost like being pulled along by the stream of old people, I caught a glimpse of the pervert from earlier jumping into the pool. The way he secured the lane right next to the one where the swimming lesson was happening made me feel that he was quite used to doing this sort of stuff. A professional, you could even say. Having put on the goggles from his forehead, he began swimming. 
Ohh. That's one fast pervert. Even though all the other swimmers around him were middle-aged or elderly people, you could still tell that the man was going quite fast. In basically no time at all, his front crawl sent him to the opposite side of the pool. Not wasting a second, he kicked the wall and turned, maintaining his speed with fast pulls. It seemed kinda fun, honestly. 
Although, as I looked at it closer, I noticed that there was something strange about the way he swam. Mainly, the angle of his neck. Hmm. I put on my goggles too and dove underwater. Observing the pervert from down there, I quickly realized what was wrong. 
His head wasn't rotating at all. 
I see. 
Even while swimming, his eyes appeared to be locked on the girls. 
A real hardcore pervert. I was a little worried that he might strain his neck, but perhaps that would have been a good thing as far as the world was concerned. Still, while I might have been shocked and a little taken aback by the man, he also made me open my eyes and think; the world really was a vast place filled with all sorts of people. For someone who was looking at the world from a slightly different point of view than mine, it would have been wholly possible to see us as a gathering of heretics. The only thing that set us apart—me and that person—was that I was incapable of perceiving the heresy. That was to say, these sorts of people were easy for anyone to recognize. Better to keep my distance. 
As I was walking, one of the six lanes became empty. I decided to make my escape there. Unlike the walking lane I had been in, this one was meant for swimming, and had a sign written on it saying that it was reserved for sprints. I chose to ignore it completely, however, and simply floated on the water's surface. 
I wasn't at all in the mood for swimming. Instead, I took off my goggles before spreading my arms and legs apart. 
The stares of the people around me stopped mattering the moment I turned my eyes towards the ceiling. The lights there were quite intense, forcing me to close my eyes to avoid getting dazzled. As I did, a sensation of my body being shaken from side to side pushed to the front. It felt more like I was being rocked by darkness than water. 
Among the sound of splashing water, I could hear Mom's voice. If there was one lesson she'd hammered into my skull while I'd been growing up, it was to avoid being a nuisance to other people. For people who did act that way, their behaviour could first and foremost be traced back to their family situation, she always said. 
Still, I had to ask, who exactly was suffering due to me floating here? I was just having some fun away from the grips of gravity, nothing more serious than that. It was the same when I was skipping class; I merely wanted to get away from a place that made me feel like I was going to suffocate, like the bottom of a well, or in this case, the classroom. Whether or not I was present didn't matter; the class was going to proceed smoothly either way. So, what was the problem? Well, to be fair, that probably wasn't what Mom meant. No, she was likely worried about me growing up to be a worthless loser who didn't contribute to anything and caused people trouble that way, a person who lived with their parents till late into adulthood. Something like that. 
I kinda wanted to tell her that it was my life and that she should just leave me alone, but then again, my current situation didn't exactly give me the privilege to do so. 
I might have begun thinking of myself as a full-fledged member of society as I entered high school, but in the end, I was nothing but a child who lacked the ability to take responsibility for her own actions. That's what I must have looked like from the point of view of an adult, at least. 
Having opened my eyes, I put the goggles back on. After that, I relaxed my body ever further. 
I pushed away the air from my lungs as I sank, as if throwing away my body's lifebuoy. I grew heavier, but at the same time, felt liberated. Staring at the bubbles that floated up from my mouth, my back thudded against the bottom of the pool. 
The surface of the water above me was blue, almost as if it had been dyed by the floor below me. 
I was reminded of the brand of mineral water Adachi drank, Aqua Blue. 
There was something outstanding about that level of colour and reflection. The sound of flowing water hit my ears too, matching the visuals. I felt so incredibly comfortable. 
No water had entered my goggles, yet my eyes felt moist. 
I found myself in bit of a dilemma: on one hand, the only way to reach the peaceful pool bottom was to empty my lungs, but on the other hand, doing so meant that I couldn't stay for long. Though I didn't want to leave, the lack of air forced me to surface. Once there, I gasped for air, refilling my lungs, when all of a sudden, I felt a pushing sensation near my abdominal region. The air I'd just sucked in was pushed out, and once again, I sank beneath the surface. Having recovered, I quickly kicked the bottom of the pool to push myself back up, only to catch the culprit running away from the scene of her crime; it'd been Mom who pinched my side. The way she ran, laughing and pushing aside water, reminded me of a kappa. Well, not that I'd ever seen a kappa, but that's how I imagined them to be. That, or a stereotypical fleeing soldier from a gag manga. 
"Act your age!" 
That was the only thing I yelled after her. I watched as she got up from the pool, and following her, I did the same. 
Hmm, what now? Having taken off my swimming cap, I headed towards the opposite side of the pool. That's where the showers and indoor whirlpool baths were, and as a result, steam filled the air, making me feel like I'd entered a hot spring. There was also a door there, leading to an outside area with more whirlpool baths. I peered in and saw Mom in one of them. I decided not to go there. 
Right next to the door that led outside were two saunas of different types, a mist sauna and a steam sauna. I could sense an appropriate amount of heat coming from either one. I decided that I might as well try entering one now that I was here, though that led me into a dilemma: which one? For a while, I stood there, comparing the two. It was a pretty tough thing to decide, considering that I'd never been in a sauna before. 
I was still standing there with the blue plate you were meant to sit on in my hands when a person—a middle-aged lady—appeared. She passed me, clearly intending to enter a sauna, and as she did, I happened to look at her face. A strong sense that I'd seen her before filled me—almost like a deja vu—and I found myself staring at her. The woman quickly noticed this, however, and turned to face me. Moreover, she stopped in place. Had having our eyes meet really been that big of a deal for her? 
The woman wasn't wearing a swimming cap, giving me an indication that she was only here for the sauna. Her hair was black, and judging by her appearance, she seemed to be around the same age as Mom. 
Who was it that she reminded me of? While I was busy thinking about that, the woman opened her mouth. 
"I don't like you." 
Though the content of her statement was incredibly harsh, the way she said it made it sound like she was joking. Definitely didn't know anyone who I'd associate with that tone of voice. 
"As this place is filled with nothing but grannies and grandpas, it lets me feel superior for being the youngest one, even at my age. Ignoring the grade school kids who come here for swimming or tennis lessons, of course. Anyway, that's where you came in. Get what I'm saying?" 
"Sigh..." 
The woman just kept talking and talking. To sum up her long rambling, she appeared to dislike anyone younger than herself. 
Never before had I had something like that said to my face. 
"Just kidding. But really though, it's quite rare to see young kids here." 
"Oh, really?" 
I came close to gasping out loud while replying. Staring at the side of her middle-aged face, I could feel the mist of deja vu clearing. 
My suspicions were confirmed beyond a shadow of doubt as an old woman walked out of the sauna and addressed her. 
"You came too, Mrs Adachi? How come you're always in the sauna but never seem to lose any weight?" 
"That's none of your business", she replied jokingly to her gym buddy. That surname caught my attention. It was one I was more than familiar with. 
This had all happened immediately after I'd realised who the woman reminded me of: Adachi. As Yashiro would say, must be destiny. 

Japan sure was one small place. What were the chances of me running across Adachi's mother in a place like this? 
Was this what they called fate? I was already bad at dealing with my own mom, and now I'd met Adachi's. It was a difficult situation to say the least. Trying to make myself small, I stared at her inside the steam sauna. 
Adachi hated talking about her parents. She barely ever did. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing weird about someone my age not wanting to talk about their parents. No, I just felt like her opposition towards them was different in nature compared to the type that was characteristic of other adolescents. For example, I still had a bit of warmth left for mine, but Adachi? Ice cold. Dry like sand. Moreover, it was easy to imagine her not knowing that expressing her emotions caused that sand to solidify. 
"...So, that coach, pretty bad at teaching, huh?" 
"Definitely. That other one is much better. Nicer voice, too..." 
Adachi's mom was now getting sweaty in the sauna with a different old lady. Tennis appeared to be the topic of their discussion. Something about some male staff member being bad at his job. Honestly, it didn't sound all that different to when girls in school talked about the good and bad qualities of boys from their class. Incidentally, bad-mouthing your own gender also made for good conversation. 
Unlike her daughter, Adachi's mom was quite sociable and seemed to enjoy talking to people. She definitely looked older than her, but other than that, the resemblance was stunning. Their jaws especially, they were shaped the exact same. The colour of their hair matched too, and if I had glanced at her quickly, I might have actually mistaken her for Adachi with a different hairstyle. 
This gym was quite a distance away from where Adachi lived. So then, what kept her mom coming here? Wondering that, I continued observing her, still not sure whether or not I disliked how brimming with motivation she appeared to be. It's so hot in here... 
It felt as hot as in the middle of summer, and soon enough, I started feeling dizzy. I'd always hated these sorts of levels of heat. 
Why had I entered a sauna then, you might ask. Well, Adachi's mom had, and I'd felt inclined to follow her. 
"...Good grief. By the way, how old is your child now?" 
"Fifteen. First year in high school", Adachi's mom replied. Ohh? Adachi's birthday hadn't passed yet? 
"Oh, that's nice. Must be relaxing now that the entrance exams are behind you." 
"I suppose." 
"Mine's taking university exams this year, and..." 
I wonder, had my mom been talking about stuff like that to other people last year too? 
"You say 'relaxing', but honestly, it's anything but. I have quite a difficult child, you see", she said while smiling. My eyes automatically turned towards her. 
That expression, "difficult child", had caught my attention. 
"What goes on in the head of that kid, I have no idea. Always so gloomy and afraid of strangers." 
Based on those few times Adachi had talked about her mother, this wasn't at all how I'd imagined her to be. Still, it did more or less match the way that mothers were in my head—incapable of understanding their children. Adults were quick to forget what they'd once been. 
As such... 
"Excuse me." 
There were times when you had to speak out, even if you didn't particularly want to. 
"Though I might not know Ada—your child well... or at all... I don't think the way you speak about them is good." 
That was a lie. Well, maybe. I didn't know if I'd say that I knew her well. 
My heart was racing. To put it simply, I was extremely nervous. Still, I couldn't blame myself too much; it took a certain level of courage to talk back to an adult. 
Courage that I very much lacked. Honestly, it felt like I might pass out at any moment. 
And it definitely wasn't the heat of the sauna that was doing that. 
Adachi's mom stared at me suspiciously. She probably hadn't been expecting me to join the conversation. 
"Are you certain that the reason you don't understand your child is because they're 'difficult', and not because you don't interact with them?" 
Her eyes opened wide at my statement. 
Did this mean that I'd been wrong? 
Meddling mothers like mine definitely understood their daughters, at least to a certain extent. 
That was to say, they were involved with their children. 
This was why their snide remarks were so accurate, and why their children detested them so much. Now, compare that to Adachi. 
Could you really say that I didn't have a point? 
"Oh, and I don't want to start an argument or anything", I quickly added before I got yelled at. I definitely didn't think that I could win an argument against a middle-aged person. 
It just seemed like a complete waste of time to me. Now, whether she'd listen to my advice or not, that was a whole other matter. 
"You came here with a parent?" Adachi's mom asked me. The tone of her voice was way more relaxed than I had anticipated. 
"I did." 
"What's your name? Who are you?" 
"I don't think that's relevant here." 
I was saying something that was all my personal opinion, something my parents had nothing to do with. 
Adachi's mom looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could, I opened my mouth instead. 
"Like I said, I'm not going to discuss this with you." 
I once more emphasized my lack of desire to keep going. I simply wasn't interested in meddling in the lives of others. Neither did I want someone to meddle in mine. 
What I'd done—blurting out something that I needed to get off my chest and then promptly fleeing—really characterized the young people of this generation. 
I had really hoped that she would just ignore my irresponsible remark, yet Adachi's mom remained motionless, almost as if there was something on her mind. She stared at me, her eyes looking like they were filled with curiosity rather than anything negative. I knew for certain that I hadn't given her my name, and as such, it seemed likely that she didn't know who I was. No, her interest in my response probably came from me being the same age as her daughter. The old lady who she had come to the sauna with stared at us from behind, utterly baffled as to what was happening. 
Adachi's mom didn't attempt to say anything else. No questions, either. 
She simply continued staring at me. 
When things became silent, I found myself having to move. That was the one thing her daughter and I shared. 
"I don't know which one of us is correct. Why don't we have a contest to determine that?" 
"A contest?" 
I was being quite pushy, even if I do say so myself. Regardless, doing it this way would undoubtedly be faster than attempting to resolve it by talking. 
I'd be happy if I never had to meet her again. As such, I decided that we'd settle the matter right here, right now. 
"The one who can remain in the sauna longest, wins. If I win, then that means that I am correct. What I ask of you is to act like a good mother for your child, for just a single day." 
What did I mean by that? What did it actually mean to "act like a mother"? The answer lay beyond my grasp. 
Regardless, if I were to succeed, it'd be that much more fun when I saw Adachi tomorrow. 
That alone was my motive. 
"Is this what they mean when they talk about kids being rebellious?" 
"Indeed." 
I wasn't doing this because I was Adachi's friend. No, not at all. I placed my elbows on my knees and slouched forward.  

Was the liquid that was dripping down from my hair pool water or sweat? I couldn't tell. It might have been a little reckless to challenge her into this. 
I'd been just about to throw in the towel when Adachi's mom slouched forward herself, assuming a position quite similar to mine. I felt like the battle had already begun. In other words, it was too late to back away now. 
How stupid was it to fall for the provocation of someone you'd just met and had barely spoken a word to? 
I was reminded of the time that Adachi had challenged Yashiro to a bowling match. Perhaps her whole family was like that, obsessed with competition. 
"You people are weird", said the old lady who had come with Adachi's mom, after tilting her head. I couldn't exactly deny her assessment; no matter how you thought about it, this had been one weird course of events. Had I said something that would require Adachi's mom to apologize and repent? Not to my knowledge; I'd merely jumped in to correct a statement. So then, why had it led to this? 
Anyhow, the endurance contest had now begun. A pretty straightforward one, no special rules or anything. The hot steam would hit your back, making it feel like you were evaporating down to your soul, and you'd have to fight back against that feeling. As cool as that might have sounded at first, that was pretty much all there was to it. Maybe it would have been more exciting to have a swimming contest instead? Of course, my chances of winning would have been much worse there, which is why I had purposefully avoided suggesting it. 
The old lady was the first one to leave. She warned us about overdoing it or something, though as the ringing in my ears had grown kinda loud at that point, it was a little difficult to make out exactly what she was saying. Adachi—who I, dare say, was sitting at home—probably couldn't have imagined in a million years that this was what her mom was doing: having a childish dispute with her classmate at a sauna. 
"What exactly do you mean by a 'good mother'"? Adachi's mom asked me in the middle of it. Her voice carried with it quite a bit of humidity. 
As my mind had grown quite hazy, I found answering her question even more bothersome than normal. 
"I don't have children. How should I know?" 
"Okay, your ideal mother then." 
Huh? My ideal mother? 
Was that really something you could ask another person? 
"Normal, I guess?" 
"What makes a 'normal' parent?" 
"Like... being with their kids? Eating with them, I guess? I don't really know." 
The thing with relationships was that once you attempted to define them, they became even more impossible to grasp. That's how I viewed all human relationships—as shapeless, formless concepts that floated in the aether and could only exist that way. Friends, family, all the same. Any attempts to flesh them out more than necessary only caused them to grow hollow inside, which is why I didn't bother; trying to make something that couldn't be seen, visible, caused it to lose its invisible value and turn into something else entirely. The thing that was now visible wouldn't be what you'd originally wanted to see, and you'd find yourself massively disappointed after (falsely) assuming it to be your relationship's true nature. 
Believing that there were no bad sides to your friend might have been wrong, but at the same time, focusing solely on picking out their bad parts and convincing yourself that that was who they really were was quite strange as well. That was to say, a lasting friendship required a certain level of ambiguity regarding both sides, both good and bad. 
I'd been certain that my explanation wouldn't be enough for her, yet Adachi's mom fell silent again. A frown formed on her face each time a drop of sweat dripped down on her eyelids. She'd also begun tapping her foot against the floor quite hard. Much like her, I too leaned forward, assuming a pose that would let me endure the heat the longest. 
Ten or so minutes then passed. In total, it had now been twenty minutes since we'd entered the sauna. 
"The other day, there was an old man who stayed too long in a sauna, fell over, and started bleeding." 
"..." 
Adachi's mom was trying to unsettle me. There was something adult-like in that, using those sorts of underhanded tactics. 
"Want me to let you win?" 
Her bright-red face twisted into an awkward smile as she offered to surrender. 
"I don't need you to let me win." 
"Okay, let me win then." 
"No, I won't." 
What sort of a conversation was this? The heat had gotten to us, causing random words to come out of our mouths. 
"I'll let you win." 
"Please don't." 
In the same way, it also became increasingly difficult to grasp what we were actually talking about. 
"If you're having fun, I'd like you to say so." 
Suddenly, Adachi's mom lifted her face and changed the topic. There was a strange expression on her face, as if she was pushing out her lower lip. 
"No matter where I take you, you always act reserved. I have no idea if you're having fun or not." 
"...Is this something you said to your daughter?" 
"Yep." 
"How old was she?" 
"Five, I think. Or maybe four", she counted with her fingers. Adachi must have been so much smaller back then. Wait, did saying that imply that I still saw her as being small? 
"That's quite the old story. Could you think of anything more recent?" 
"If a parent talks to their child about every little thing, they only find it annoying, right? Well, that's pretty much how it has been for me." 
"Hmm, I suppose I know what you mean." 
I definitely didn't like excessive meddling. Neither did I like complete negligence, though. 
Parents were pretty much the only people out there accepting of such selfishness. As such, I wished that they would've noticed it. 
Noticed that their children held this contradiction. And since they did, it was the parent's duty to teach them how to deal with it. That's how I thought it should've been, at least. 
"Alright. I think it's about time I let you win." 
"I told you, you don't need to." 
Adachi's mom stood up before staggering towards the entrance. Oh? Running away? 
It seemed that she'd hit her limit. 
She pushed the door open, but stopped for a second in the doorway before turning her head around in a sluggish motion to look at me over her shoulder. 
"Wait... 'Daughter'? No, never mind." 
Adachi's mom shook her head as if she'd been about to say something. Regardless, she left without another word, leaving me to wonder what that something had been. 
Even now that the competition was over, I remained in the sauna. I was thinking back to our conversation, wondering if I'd said something that I shouldn't have. It made my chest hurt. 
I eventually tottered my way out, and as I slumped down on the white chair set up just outside the sauna, I finally realized it. 
We hadn't decided what would happen if I were to lose before starting the competition. 
It was difficult to imagine that Adachi's mom hadn't noticed this. So then, why had she remained silent? I immediately began searching for an explanation. The only one I could come up with was that the heat had gotten to her and made it hard for her to think straight, though. 
Perhaps it had been her pride as an adult? Yeah, that made sense; I didn't doubt for a second that she had a certain level of arrogance to her, and it was that arrogance that had caused her to act that way. 
Something like that. Being a child, I couldn't fully understand it, only pretend like I did. 

You worked really hard yesterday, so just take it easy today and rest. That's what my body was telling me. 
Using my muscle pain as a convenient excuse, I'd headed to the second floor of the gym instead of class on Monday morning. Adachi had been there as well. Perfect, I'd thought. I could really use her legs. Indeed, I was currently lying down on the floor with Adachi's extended thighs acting as a pillow. Though her skin had been cold at first, it was now quite warm. And soft. 
"Is it just me, or have we done something like this before?" 
"We have. Although, I was the one resting on your lap back then." 
"Oh, right. I remember now." 
I rolled over. Adachi's head was lifted up high, and her eyes were pointed towards the ceiling instead of me. While there were some parts of her that supported the theory that she was simply spacing out—her half-open mouth, for example—her cheeks certainly didn't. No, they were bright red. Something slightly strange was going on with her legs as well. 
"Hey, are you okay? Your legs are shaking." 
"Huh? Y-Yeah. It's nothing serious", she replied, basically telling me to ignore it. Really? This is nothing? Hmmm... To test my theory, I squeezed a part that was twitching with my fingers. As I did, her entire leg jumped into the air and stayed there. My head slid down the slope it formed, rolling all the way down it to where her skirt was. A few seconds later, her leg returned to its original position. I didn't, however; that would have taken far too much effort. I simply remained where I was, rolling over so that I was facing Adachi. 
I was reminded of an earlier back and forth we'd had. Oh, right. I should try smelling her. 
All the while, Adachi continued to stare at the ceiling. 
Her head might have been in the clouds, but her body was still reacting. Something like that. 
There was definitely something strange about the way she was acting. Right, I had met her mom yesterday. I couldn't rule out the possibility that our meeting was somehow connected to Adachi's behaviour. It might even have been the reason she'd come here. If so, then it would've been my fault. 
Adachi had been quiet for a while, but all of a sudden, her mouth opened. 
"What did you do yesterday, Shimamura?" 
"What did I do? Just some stuff. This and that, dis and dat." 
"Dis and dat?" 
She tilted her head, looking confused. I wasn't really sure why, but I had decided to keep the fact that I'd gone to the gym hidden. There was a chance that Adachi didn't know that her mother went there, although thinking about it, that wasn't really a good excuse; I could always choose not to bring up that fact. Anyway, I turned my gaze upwards, causing Adachi's to instantly wander to the side, as if dodging it. 
"So, like, yesterday..." 
"Yeah?" 
"My mom was, like, acting all weird", she muttered. So many "like"s. Adachi really was starting to act like a delinquent; she even spoke like one. 
"Weird in what way?" 
I could easily guess what she was about to say next, but decided to ask anyway. Her fingers moved through her hair like a comb before she opened her mouth. 
"She ate dinner with me." 
"...And that's weird?" 
That was a given in my family. We always ate together, Dad and my sister included. We'd done so since I was in grade school, and it was one of the reasons why I had such a hard time trying to grasp Adachi's feeling. 
"Definitely. It was so... nostalgic, I guess you could say. Also, oppressive." 
Adachi was clearly having trouble finding the right words to shape out her emotions. While the end result was a bit unclear, what I could tell was that she hadn't enjoyed it. Rather, it seemed that she'd felt uncomfortable, out of place. 
"She always makes food for me, but never eats with me." 
"Hmph..." 
"Probably because she's so rarely home." 
It looked like Adachi's mom had kept her promise. What a surprisingly conscientious person, I thought. 
That same sincerity could also be felt in her daughter. The two really did resemble each other in more ways than just appearance. 
"Did you like that she did?" 
"Hardly. We didn't talk about anything, just sat there silently. I can't even remember what the food tasted like, that's how uncomfortable it was." 
"I see, I see." 
"Anyway, I ate breakfast by myself like I always do. Really, what was up with her that evening?" 
"Hmm... Difficult to say." 
Of course, that was a complete lie; I knew exactly why she had done it. I rolled my body into a ball, almost like I was hugging my knees. Most likely, Adachi's mom had felt just as uncomfortable as her daughter. A common relationship, I suppose. I didn't really feel sympathy for either one. 
What I did feel was regret. Regret for sticking my nose where it didn't belong. 
Nothing had changed with Adachi. Still, she had managed to speak to me—or rather, to another person—about something a little strange. As far as she was concerned, that was probably more important. 
"..." 
Strange. Considering our family environments, it felt like they were the wrong way around. 
The way we dealt with people, she and I. One wanting to keep distance, one wanting to close it. 
...Hmm, no. It might have been the right way after all. 
The more you had, the more apathetic you became. The reverse was also true. 
Was that it? 
Then again, not even I wished to live completely alone. 
That would just be impossible. 
I don't remember who said it, but I'd once heard that those who lived completely by themselves could no longer be categorized as people. The balance that made them human beings had crumbled, and they should be viewed as a whole different species entirely. Something like that. I could definitely see the point there. Not that it mattered; I wasn't planning on doing something that outrageous. 
There were worthwhile things you could get from other people, no doubt about that. Like, using their lap as a pillow, for example. 
"Ah..." 
A short gasp left Adachi's mouth. Simultaneously, her eyes turned down towards me. 
The topic was settled, and it seemed that she had only just now reacted to my head being right next to her stomach. Her body grew visibly stiff. I tried lifting my head slightly, only for it to be instantly pushed down. Why exactly had she done that? Whatever the reason was, I couldn't be bothered to fight back and simply rested my head upon her legs and skirt. My nose rubbed against the fabric, and it kinda hurt. 
This would surely result in my nose being crushed. And it hadn't even been that pointy to begin with. ...Well, so be it. 
I decided to bury my face into Adachi's thighs for now. Wait, no. Putting it that way kinda made me sound like a pervert. I quickly began thinking of a more suitable expression. The lack of oxygen made using my brain difficult, however, and I was forced to accept my fate as a pervert. 
I quickly rolled over as the hand pushing my head down was lifted. It took me a second to catch my breath, almost as if I had just come to the surface from underwater. The air entering my mouth tasted slightly different. It made me giggle a little. 
"I did it." 
"Huh?" 
"I smelled you." 
I told her the truth, just like she had done back then. The second those words left my mouth, Adachi's entire face went bright red. It felt like some switch in the back of her head had been flipped on. I should mention, the tone of red on her face was different than that of her mother's back at the sauna; hers had been bright red, whereas Adachi's was peach. Peach was definitely the more charming of the two. 
Having spotted that disparity, I thought this would be a good moment to make a request. 
"Hey, Adachi. Do a sit-up for me." 
"Why? What's up with you and sit-ups lately?" 
"Hmm, no reason. I just want to see you do it." 
I left my motive ambiguous. Adachi paused for a moment, but after that, began to move. 
There was a good chance that she was doing it to hide the fact that she was blushing. A little late for that. 
Adachi crawled across the floor to an open spot where she then lay on her back. With her feet turned towards me, she did a quick sit-up. And then another one. And another one. The way she lifted her body was sluggish for sure, yet she still did it, showing no signs of getting tired. After the fifth one, she stopped and lay back down on the floor. 
It felt like I'd just been shown the gap between us as truant students. 
"Hmph..." 
I leered at her. As if having noticed my stare, Adachi lifted her head. 
"What?" 
Her reaction and expression were completely innocent. Looking at them, I found myself wanting to tease her a little. 
"Careful now. I can see inside your skirt." 

It was just a joke; I wasn't actually peeking under her skirt or anything. Regardless, Adachi instantly sprang up. 
What a reaction to a mere joke. I was reminded of how quick my little sister was to get on her feet when a cockroach or a centipede crawled into our room. Anyway, Adachi got up, sat straight, and pushed down her skirt. Then, she glared at me. 
Her face was bright red, showing just how badly she'd reacted to my joke. 
It almost made it seem like I was a bully who'd made her angry. 
"Did I do something wrong? I thought I was being nice by telling you straight." 
"That's sexual harassment." 
It was the first time in my life something like that had been said to me. How strange; it really wasn't something someone of my gender was ever expected to hear. 
"Huh? Sexual harassment? Come on, it's not like anyone else was looking." 
That wasn't to say that I'd been looking either, because I hadn't been. Honestly. Anyway, my excuse didn't seem to be enough to satisfy Adachi. Scratching her flushed cheek, she muttered back an objection. 
"Having you look is kinda... you know." 
"'You know' what?" 
She wouldn't answer. What she'd really meant remained a mystery to me. 
I waited for this storm of a conversation to be over before returning to the original topic and congratulating Adachi. 
"Still, it's pretty incredible how you're able to do a sit-up just like that. Must be because you're always biking such long distances." 
"You can't, Shimamura?" 
"...Hehe." 
I could already hear my muscles squeaking as I moved my body and lay face-up. The floor smelled of dust and varnish. While it definitely didn't feel good having my back against it, staring at the ceiling made me feel like my consciousness was being sucked up there, and I quickly forgot about the floor. 
I placed my hands behind my head. I then bent my knees and took a deep breath. Breathing out that air, I began. 
My neck rose. So did my shoulders, though less than my neck. My back was off the floor as well, just a little bit. 
My neck hurt. It was cramping, hard. My powerless stomach was left to bear an impossible burden. 
I couldn't breathe. 
I gave up. 
"...Was that a sit-up?" Adachi asked. "Looked to me like you just moved your neck." 
That last part was implied from her expression; she hadn't actually said it out loud. 
You didn't use your stomach, she probably also wanted to add. Damn, Adachi! Stop being so correct. 
Not that complaining to my imaginary version of her was going to do anything. 
I pushed myself off the floor and grinned with embarrassment. Unfortunately, as my cheeks were far too stiff for grinning, it ended up coming out pretty horribly. 
The pain I felt in my joints had been the cause. I'd tried so hard, but to no avail. 
"In the end, nothing changes in a single day." 
Adachi tilted her head, looking puzzled. It seemed that she hadn't quite understood what my remark was about. 
Good. It would only lead into a more complicated conversation if she knew. A conversation there was no need for. 
"What do you mean?" 
"Just some stuff." 
I pushed myself onto my feet and, after brushing the dust off both my back and butt, began walking towards the stairs. 
It was just about time for the lunch break. We'd been resting the whole day, but I still felt like I needed some more rest. 
As such, I'd decided to go buy lunch. While I was there, I'd buy some for Adachi as well. 
Like always, I was trying to avoid changing so fast that the change became visible.