I’m Maki, 26. I’m single. I lost my parents before I turned twenty, and after that I lived in my family home with my brother and his family. When I started dating my boyfriend, Tsubasa (also 26), I moved out on my own. Lately he’s been staying over more and more—it’s basically like a trial cohabitation. We want to have a wedding and kids someday, so we promised to get married once we’ve saved enough, and we’re working hard to cut costs every day. We trim expenses wherever we can, so with my brother’s permission, I sometimes take groceries from the family home.
I’m really serious about saving so I can marry Tsubasa. We almost never eat out, and I try to get food and household supplies from my brother’s place whenever possible. I thought my brother and Akane were supportive… but lately Akane has been acting strange. She says, “Please ask before taking anything,” but asking every time is a hassle—and my brother said it was fine, so doesn’t that make it okay? Being told to “pay it back” in front of Tsubasa was humiliating.