I’m Ayumi, a mom of three kids—third grade, first grade, and preschool—and I live with my husband Kazuma. The five of us make up a family of five. My in-laws live about an hour’s drive away, and we visit them from time to time for holidays or seasonal greetings. My husband’s parents are genuinely kind people, and our kids adore them. Kazuma grew up as the middle child, with his older brother Kosuke and younger sister Sanae. But ever since we got married, I’ve felt something… off about Kosuke and his wife Rie’s behavior—it just didn’t sit right with me.
My in-laws are wonderful people, and my sister-in-law Sanae is sensible and down-to-earth. But Kosuke—my brother-in-law—has always been… difficult to understand. His words and actions often make no sense. For Kazuma, though, it’s just something he’s gotten used to. After all, he’s dealt with his brother since childhood. I can still picture him smiling awkwardly, brushing it off like it was no big deal.
But what was “no big deal” to them felt very different to me. His behavior was uncomfortable to watch, sometimes even unbearable. I knew that every time we met, it would leave me frustrated and uneasy. So I made up my mind—to keep my distance from Kosuke as much as possible.