Path of the Extra

“Woah! You really are good at it!”

“Didn’t I already tell you that I am? I promised you yesterday that I’d prove I wasn’t lying. Believe me now?”

“Yeah! One hundred percent!”

Nathan looked at Leo with sparkling eyes as Leo sat in front of the piano, his small fingers sweaty and sore on top of the keys. There was a hint of smugness on Leo’s face.

It had already been three weeks since Leo and Nathan met for the first time.

The usual three days a week at the park were still something Leo was forced to endure, but now, instead of being alone every time he went, he spent those hours with Nathan.

Something unusual had happened yesterday, after they were finally done with the park for the week.

It turned out Leo’s mom and Nathan’s mom knew each other.

Now Nathan’s mom and Nathan were visiting their home, and both boys were in Leo’s room, where the piano his father had given him stood.

He had learned a bit about Nathan.

They went to different schools. Nathan’s mother was an artist who loved painting, which was why Nathan also had an interest in things like drawing and painting.

“Hey, Leo!”

“Hm?”

“What is it you want to be when you become an adult?”

“When I become an adult…?”

Leo tilted his head as he thought about the question.

“Well… I don’t know.”

“You don’t?”

Leo shook his head.

“Eh? Don’t you want to become someone who plays the piano? What is that called? Piano king? Piano master? Uhm… well, anyway, I want to become a painter! Just like Mom!”

“The term is ’pianist.’ And not really. Mom and Dad said I can’t get a tutor until I’m a bit older, even though I don’t know why… So, you want to become a painter because your mom is an artist?”

“Mhm!”

Nathan nodded his head excitedly.

“…Would Mom be happy if I became a doctor like her?”

“Wow, do you want to become a doctor!? I heard it’s a suuuper hard job! Mom always says that becoming one requires lots of hard work even from smart people!”

Leo couldn’t help but frown a little at his words, though he didn’t quite know why.

“I am quite smart, I suppose… but I don’t know if I wish to become a doctor…”

Unless his mom really wanted him to become one… then perhaps he would.

“You’re smart? Hehehe! So am I! The teacher gave me, two days ago, a gold star for being the only one who can count up to one hundred!”

Leo’s lips twitched as he looked away awkwardly.

“Ah, well… I suppose that is impressive compared to the people around you…”

“Yep, yep! Say, Leo, how high can you count up to?”

Leo rubbed his chin while gazing at the piano keys. His legs were dangling, kicking the air.

“I think I can count up to… one thousand five hundred.”

He could count much higher, but Leo thought it would be too much to say that.

“H-huh? One… one thowsand what? Five… hundred? Hundred? Five? No… five… five hundred…?”

Nathan looked absolutely bewildered.

“Leo, what is a thowsand…?”

“Not ’thowsand,’ but ’thousand,’” Leo corrected.

“And, umm… you could say it’s a bigger number than one hundred. It has three zeros instead of two.”

“WHAT!? THERE ARE BIGGER NUMBERS THAN ONE HUNDRED!?”

Nathan’s mouth fell open, as if he’d just discovered a whole new meaning to life.

Leo nodded.

“Yes. There are.”

“Wow…”

Nathan seemed a little dazed after learning this piece of information, unaware that the foundation he was stepping into was math… which, in the future, would feel to him like being burned in hell.

Nathan, seated on the floor, leaned forward with the same level of excitement he always had.

“You really are smart, Leo! Tell me more! Tell me more! What else can you do besides counting veryyyyy high and playing piano and shooting sticks?”

Seeing that earnest gaze made Leo a bit embarrassed. He scratched his cheek, which had turned slightly red, and coughed, trying to make his voice sound a bit lower.

“Mom and Dad and the teacher didn’t want me to waste too much of my time, so I get extra homework to do… It has things like addition and subtraction, multiplication and fractions.”

“Eh? Additwyon? Subtractive? Multipicaton—that’s ’multiply,’ right? That I know! But I don’t know what a fraction is! You are so cool, Leo! You know all these difficult words and high numbers! Maybe you really can become a doctor!”

Leo felt even more embarrassed at the praise, but he certainly didn’t seem to mind it. He crossed his arms and nodded.

“Of course. I’m a genius.”

If he wanted to become a doctor—if his mom wanted him to—he would simply become one.

“Are you boys done playing? Food is ready.”

The door opened and Nathan’s mom entered. She was a beautiful woman with black hair tied into a ponytail and blue eyes just like Nathan’s, and she wore a pink apron.

“Mom!”

Nathan jumped up and hugged her tightly, making his mom, who was called Sarah, laugh and hug him back.

“Have you been good to Leo?”

“Mhm, yeah! Mom, I want to learn the piano as well!”

Sarah blinked a few times.

“The piano?”

She looked at Leo sitting in front of it and smiled warmly.

“Oh, I see… Unfortunately, Nathan, I don’t think we have the money to buy one right now, or to ask Jeanne to tutor you. She already has so few days off like today, so it would be rude to use her free time, don’t you think?”

“Oh… yeah…”

Nathan visibly deflated, and Sarah looked away with a slightly hurt expression.

“I see, my Nathan has become such a big boy now he doesn’t want to paint with his mom anymore, huh…”

“Huh!? No! That’s not true, Mom! I love painting with you! I will become the best artist with you, Mom!”

He reacted instantly, looking at Sarah with determination, his disappointment gone, which made her smile.

“Oh? My son becoming the best artist? I can’t wait for that day to come, then.”

“Hehehe! Just wait, Mom! Dad told me a man must always keep his word! I will keep mine!”

“Hahaha, I see, I see. What a man you are, Nathan.”

Sarah laughed with Nathan gleefully as she patted his head and he giggled.

“Now, let’s all go eat, right, Leo?”

“…Yeah.”

Leo just nodded as he got up, jumped down from the bench, and followed them to the table.

…But as he looked at them, for some reason he felt an emotion he couldn’t define.

Not at that time, at least.

*****

“Leo, stop playing with your food and eat your carrots as well.”

“Yes, Mom…”

With a sulky look, Leo stopped poking the boiled carrots with his fork and reluctantly started putting them into his mouth and chewing.

’This is unfair… Why can Nathan drink apple juice, but I can’t…?’

He could see that annoying, always-happy kid with a glass of apple juice, yet when he’d asked for one, Jeanne had said he couldn’t have it.

Life was so unfair.

“So, Jeanne, when will Ronald come back from his trip?”

“He’ll be back next week.”

“I heard it was a long one this time, wasn’t it?”

Jeanne nodded with a tired smile.

“Yes. I haven’t seen him in four weeks.”

“Must be tough to take care of Leo all on your own.”

“It is, but the hospital let me change my schedule to an early shift, so I can be home by evening.”

“Oh, that’s amazing. I suppose you can spend more time with little Leo here, huh?”

Jeanne had a warm smile on her face as she sat next to Leo.

“Yes, though he can be a handful sometimes.”

As she said that, she suddenly pinched his cheek just as he was trying to hide one of the boiled carrots under the edge of his plate.

“O-ow!”

“Eat it.”

“…Yes…”

“So, how has the moving in been? I imagine that now that you live here, it takes a while to drive Nathan to his old school?”

Sarah’s expression turned a bit troubled.

“Yes, unfortunately. It does get tiring. We’ll have to change schools when Nathan goes into his second year.”

“…But I don’t want to leave my friends. I can already barely see them now that we live so far…”

Nathan mumbled sadly, and Sarah sighed but didn’t say anything. Jeanne suddenly had an idea.

“Then why don’t you transfer Nathan to the same school Leo goes to? It’s close by and one of the best.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea, especially since the two of them are familiar with each other and are friends.”

“I’m going to Leo’s school?”

Perking up immediately, Nathan asked quickly, looking at his mom.

“Would you want that?”

Nathan nodded instantly.

“Yeah! Leo is so cool and smart! You know, Mom, he can count to very high numbers and he knows difficult words! And he’s super good at the piano!”

Jeanne raised an eyebrow.

“Leo, what have I told you about trying to show off?”

“But I didn’t show off.”

Leo felt a bit wronged as he saw her eyes on him, judging, while Sarah laughed.

“It’s alright. It’s normal to want to brag to their friends. You really have a bright kid, Jeanne.”

Jeanne sighed.

“Sometimes he’s a bit too bright, even for me…”

“What do you mean?”

“Before your son, he would never hang out with anyone his age, you know? Leo had me and his teachers worried, always refusing to play with his classmates.”

“Ah…”

Sarah looked at Leo curiously.

“Why is that, Leo?”

Leo felt uncomfortable being talked about like that, but he still decided to answer.

“…I just don’t like them. All of them are loud, ask stupid questions in class that make me want to sleep, and they’re simply annoying.”

Jeanne’s and Sarah’s smiles both turned a bit troubled.

“I suppose I’m lucky my son meets your standards then, Leo,” Sarah said lightly.

Leo glanced at Nathan, who for some reason was staring at him with expectant eyes.

Leo averted his gaze and mumbled,

“…I guess.”

All three laughed suddenly, making Leo confused and causing him to scowl inwardly.

“I heard you’re really good at the piano,” Sarah said, then looked at Jeanne. “You must be an amazing tutor.”

Jeanne had a kind smile.

“I try to be, but honestly, he picks up everything way too quickly. Sometimes I can’t keep up with him myself. But I do think it’s a good thing, since I’ve been forced to polish my own piano skills because of Leo.”

“Hahaha, it must be difficult having to juggle all of this while being a doctor.”

“Yes… but—”

She looked at Leo, for some reason, very gently.

“I don’t mind.”

She started patting his head. He looked up at her, tilting his head in confusion, before simply going back to eating, not really minding it at all—if anything, it gave him a sweet, warm feeling.

“I understand what you mean… Ah, I heard Leo will be joining a Muay Thai club, is that right?”

Jeanne nodded.

“Won’t that be too much for him?”

But she shook her head.

“We want Leo to experience many things and develop further in them, so he can understand his likes and dislikes, and what he wants to pursue in the end, if any of them interest him. That’s why I teach him the piano, and Ronald, when possible, plays chess with him. It might be a lot, but it will all benefit him in the future, since he has the capabilities to handle it.”

Sarah, hearing her reasoning, couldn’t help but nod.

“But Mom… I don’t want to go to that club…”

He had already tried a trial class there.

He didn’t like it.

He didn’t like getting hurt.

“Leo. We’ve had this discussion before, didn’t we? I already registered your name, and I would be sad if you start making a fuss.”

Leo looked at her. There was only expectation in her eyes. Leo didn’t want to ruin those expectations, so he lowered his head and went back to eating the remaining carrots that were now soggy and cold.

“…Sorry.”

“Good boy.”

She patted his head again affectionately.

A small smile formed on his face.

’I don’t want to disappoint Mom…’

He had to meet her expectations. All of them.

He had to, because…

Leo was smart.