To be continued—wait, I mean, we’re continuing.
"Counting on you again tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
I gave a reluctant reply. It wasn't like I had been egged on by that "big guy" or anything. It was just that there were people who needed my strength...! That was why I did the work! (Dead-eyed).
We parted ways in front of the Student Council Room and headed back toward our respective grade levels' classrooms. As it happened, I ended up walking in the same direction as Kai-senpai, the second-year genius-type handsome guy. Every single member of the Student Council was relatively tall, so I didn't particularly enjoy walking next to any of them.
"Kaede-san was worried about you, Wataru-san."
"...Eh?"
The sudden topic made my shoulders twitch. A beat later, I asked him to repeat himself because the subject was so out of left field. Was I hallucinating? I must have been exhausted from overworking myself (for all of thirty minutes).
"When she asked me from a weird angle if there were any issues specific to first-year boys that they might be brooding over, it really put me in a spot."
"She definitely thinks it's some kind of puberty-related thing, doesn't she?"
"I wondered what it was all about, but I never imagined she was talking about her younger brother. I thought she might have a thing for one of the underclassmen."
So that was the reason for that "all-hands-on-deck" gathering this morning. Todoroki-senpai’s intimidation act made sense now. The reason Kai-senpai had asked me so many detailed questions about my relationship with Nee-chan must have been to confirm that as well. Don't tell me he actually thought I was a love rival?
"She also mentioned that she might have been too late, and that it might be her fault."
"Hey now, please don't act like I'm a guy who's already finished. It's not like anything is 'too late' for me."
"And yet, it seems that is how Kaede-san feels."
"Huh? What's that even supposed to mean...?"
Some kind of puberty-related thing... huh. Maybe that was actually it. Looking at it objectively, I knew high schoolers were still just children, but when I reflected on myself thinking all these things, I felt a sense of self-satisfaction, thinking, Yeah, I'm not a kid. If I didn't think things through like that, I would be blindsided by the gap between my ideals and reality at any given moment and find myself unable to move.
Had I been beaten down? It wasn't that I was in despair; I just felt embarrassed looking back at my past self, wondering what on earth I had been doing. Maybe even thinking about this stuff was just a symptom of puberty.
But to say this was Nee-chan's fault? What on earth was she talking about...? I had absolutely no idea.
"However, what Kaede-san said doesn't seem wrong to me. Indeed, you have eyes that look like they've given up on something."
"Please don't give me a sermon like some actor who's past sixty."
"Kaede-san said, 'Our eyes, at least, are supposed to be similar.' But seeing you in person, even your eyes aren't alike. It makes me doubt if you really are her brother."
"I've thought we didn't look alike in any way from the very start."
Back when I was in elementary school, I used to watch my sister’s behavior from up close and wonder how she could possibly make so many friends. I wondered if she didn't get tired of interacting with that many people. She herself had said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, that it just happened when she acted normally... Hearing that, I realized that even though we were siblings, we weren't alike at all.
After that, I spent my time without thinking too deeply about anything, and then several years passed after I fell for Natsukawa. If puberty was supposed to be a time for brooding, I felt like I hadn't really had one, since my middle school years were entirely occupied by thoughts of Natsukawa. Before I knew it, I had been possessed by dreams and ideals, so I never really thought deeply about anything. Maybe that was just catching up to me now.
When I thought about it, I felt like I had a pretty cheeky personality back in elementary school. Maybe I saw reality much more clearly back then than I did from middle school until recently.
"If Nee-chan says anything about me again, please tell her this: 'My gaze has just become more manly.'"
"That’s quite the response. I see, then even the only point of similarity would disappear."
"It’s not the only point. Our DNA is similar."
"That’s a bit too blunt..."
What would I do if even our DNA wasn't similar? That would mean we had different parents... If that were the case, I’d just be another one of Nee-chan's followers, which I would absolutely hate. No, no, I was sure things like the direction of our hair whorls must be the same...
"Well, I’m probably just in a delicate period. It's the age when the radio on my bed starts breaking. I’d appreciate it if everyone just left me alone."
"Hehe, but your sister seems to want to keep you close at hand. She likely wants to keep you where she can see you so she doesn't miss the changes in you, her brother."
"Don't you think it would be better if she directed that attention toward people like you, Kai-senpai? From a brother's perspective, I have to wonder why she's ignoring all these handsome guys for me."
"Oh, you say some pleasing things. I should revise my opinion of you."
What kind of opinion did he have of me until now, exactly? Also, could he stop letting a shadow fall over his face every time I mentioned Nee-chan's name? This handsome guy had a scary pressure that contradicted his gentle tone. Kai-senpai was probably the type who would start using really rough language and get quick to pick a fight if he snapped... I definitely had to make sure I didn't say the wrong thing.
"Well, I’ll be heading off here."
"Right, then. See you later."
We parted ways where he headed toward the third floor. In the air that lingered after the genius-type handsome guy's departure, I had the fleeting illusion that we had been having a very intelligent conversation until just a moment ago. On top of that, I felt a mysterious sense of superiority from being able to converse familiarly with a handsome guy. I had no idea what I was comparing myself to to feel that way, but handsome guys really were something else. They had the power to save someone, somewhere, somehow (vaguely).
"...Hm?"
As I reached the front of Class C, I could tell the classroom was buzzing. Peeking in through the wide-open entrance, I couldn't help but grin at a sight that had become quite common lately.
...Indeed.
In the middle-back of the classroom, several boys and girls were surrounding Natsukawa’s desk. The proportion of boys had increased slightly, which made me go mu-mu-mu, but I accepted it as Natsukawa Aika’s natural idol-like quality. But if you so much as try to touch her, I won't forgive you, so be prepared, Yamazaki...!
"Wow, is this Natsukawa-san’s younger sister?"
"She’s so cute!"
Apparently, the topic was Natsukawa’s sister. Natsukawa was showing everyone photos saved on her smartphone, smiling bashfully. Yeah, a true Goddess.
Come to think of it, such a person did exist, I thought, imitating Kai-senpai’s manner. She was three when I was in my second year of middle school, so she’d be five now. She’d be an elementary schooler soon, but I’d never seen her or met her. Because whenever I brought it up, Natsukawa-san would get a scary look on her face.
"It’s so nice having a cute younger sister... Hey, Natsukawa-san, would it be okay if I went to see her?"
"E-Ehh!? T-To my house...!?"
Ooh...! That was Shirai-san, the gentle-type girl! She was being more aggressive toward Natsukawa than I expected. The way Natsukawa was getting all flustered was great. Go for it, Shirai-san! So precious!
While I was rejoicing at Natsukawa’s success, I found myself entering through the back door of the classroom, just as I used to when my seat was back there. Since quite a few people were around Natsukawa, I probably stood out; several students noticed me, and my eyes met Ashida’s and Natsukawa’s as well.
"Ah! Sajocchi! Look, look, Aichi’s little sister! She’s so cute!"
"Oh, she looks cute enough to eat."
"I don't think that's quite right, Sajocchi..."
Ashida went out of her way to bring Natsukawa’s phone over to show me the image. Wow, she was an angel; it was enough to make me sigh. In the future, she looked like she’d become a beautiful girl on par with Natsukawa. If I had a sister like that, the day's fatigue would probably vanish just by picking her up.
More importantly, is this okay...? Won't Natsukawa get mad?
"Just now, just now! We were all talking about going to Aichi’s house sometime soon!"
"Seriously? My level isn't high enough for that."
"No, Natsukawa’s house isn't exactly a dungeon..."
Sasaki from the Soccer Club cut in with an exasperated retort. Not bad. Wait, do guys in the soccer club even play games like that? I only had an image of them playing Winning Eleven at best. But still, "everyone" was going...?
"Are you okay with a large group?"
"H-Humph...! I’m not letting someone like you anywhere near her! I can’t have you being a bad influence on Airi!"
"Haha, true."
"Eh..."
If I had such a cute little sister, I definitely wouldn't let any guys near her. Especially Yamazaki and Sasaki—I wouldn't even show you guys a photo, so there. Wait, what was I saying?
The only sibling I had was Nee-chan... I wouldn't ask for something as extravagant as a little sister, but I wished I had a little brother (Note: still extravagant)... I’d heard that if you trained your "big brother status," you’d become popular with sister-type girls. But in that case, wouldn't you have to overcome the wall of the girl’s actual brother...? There were no easy paths, were there? I didn't have that kind of guts.
As I was thinking about stupid things, I remembered that I’d have to keep going to that Student Council Room for several more days. Just thinking about it was exhausting... I should stay quiet for a while; forget my level, even my HP was going to run out.
"Hey. Lunch is over. Get to your seats."
"Uwah, the teacher’s here."
"What do you mean, 'Uwah'?"
Hasebe, the math teacher, arrived and gave Ashida, Yamazaki, and the others huddled in the center of the classroom an exasperated look. Just the fact that I was outside that circle made me realize I was in a peaceful place. As I thought, it was better to stay quiet in the corner if I wanted to avoid trouble.
"Geez, Sajocchi! Now we’ve been scolded!"
"Don't blame me."
"...Hey, Sajocchi."
"Hmm?"
"...No, never mind."
"...?"
I didn't really get it, but she didn't start any annoying banter. You've learned to read the room, haven't you, Ashida? Good, just like that, become someone mild like ochazuke who’s kind to corner-type guys. I’m gonna be Oguri Shun (Wishful thinking).
Things were going as I hoped regarding Natsukawa, so I was in a good mood. The fact that I wasn't spinning my wheels was proof that I was behaving in a way that suited my station. I could just leave things I couldn't handle, like that suspicious person in front of the Student Council Room, to someone else. Nee-chan seemed to be worrying about some strange things, but I didn't see anything wrong with doing things this way.
In the end, the ones who could remain peaceful through thick and thin were the ones who didn't stand out.