Lesson Learned

Was that awkward?

"So you're sure this isn't too much?" Sugaya questioned as they slipped the anti-sensei powder in the beacon of paint.

Mitsuko hummed, scrutinising the mixture. "No, this amount should be perfect." She rubbed her chin, the two of them hovering around their experiment in the garage. "This is just a sample, so once we work out the accurate measurements of the pipes we'll need to make the right adjustments after."

Sugaya nodded, sitting down on a yard chair. "So what time does your family usually have dinner?" He checked the time on his phone after seeing the dark sky from the small garage window.

"It should be seven," she replied, stirring the paint with a thin metal rod. "But it's dad cooking so..."

"You're dad's cooking!?" Sugaya gawked at her.

Mitsuko shrugged, sitting down in the lawn chair opposite him. "Yeah, it's kind of weird but he practically begged mom to let him once he found out you were sleeping over."

Sugaya started to sweat. "Uh, he's not going to poison me is he?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I mean he might but, that's just a risk we're all willing to take."

Sugaya's face flushed. "I'm being serious!"

"So was I."

"Mitsuko!"

A grin spread across her face, placing the beacon back on the table. "It'll be fine. Besides, he'd never be rude enough to poison a guest. Mom would kill him."

Sugaya seemed to calm down a little but was still frowning. "I'm surprised your mom is even letting him eat dinner with you...didn't you say—"

Her grin shrunk into a faint scowl. "They're still getting a divorce." Her tone was a little defensive. "At least, if we survive passed March that is." Something like dread threatened to build in her chest but she pushed it down. "She's just letting him try to make up for lost time—I guess it's like when they give prisoners their last meal."

He hummed, rubbing his chin. "Well, that's nice of her."

Mitsuko shrugged, glancing over at her dad's expensive car imagining it not being there in a few months. "Yeah, well...we gave her a second chance so..."

"...You're doing okay with it, right?" Sugaya asked, staring at her with blatant concern. "The whole, divorce thing..."

"Yes," she replied a little too quickly, earning a questioning look. "...Well, okay enough. I don't know." She shrugged again, sighing. "It's just weird...it's like imagine having someone completely control your life and they're always in the back of your head influencing your choices and...and suddenly you find out that's all going to change..."

He started to look confused. "But that's a good thing...isn't it?"

"Of course it is," Mitsuko replied, resting her arms on the table. "I'm just not sure what's gonna happen after when it's just three of us—is my dad even going to stay in the picture? Or is he just going to leave and never come back?" Her stomach twisted. "I should be happy about that, shouldn't I?"

"...I mean, he's still your dad, so..." Sugaya shrugged, looking out of his depth. "It's okay that you love him. That's normal." His brow furrowed. "Family's complicated, dude, just try not to overthink it too much."

She heaved a sigh. "I always overthink stuff..." She rested her head in her arms on the table. "I'm just worried about how different things are going to be once he moves out..."

There was a heavy silence for a while, with Sugaya shifted uneasily in his chair, until he settled on awkwardly patting her on the back.

****