As Natsukawa set Airi-chan down, she shot me a look that silently asked if I was okay. I just gave her a thumbs-up for the time being. Airi-chan waddled toward me, and when she reached me, she stretched out both her arms and chirped, "Sa~"
I crouched down in front of her, meeting her eyes. "Alright, here we go—Whaaaaa-wel-come!!"
"Kyahaha!"
"A ramen shop...?" Natsukawa muttered.
Seemingly forgetting that she had been on the verge of sleep just moments ago, Airi-chan let out a joyful squeal. She was such a tiny, fragile thing—something I’d never really experienced before. A sense of "I want to protect her" welled up within me at the sheer precariousness of her being. To think that even her emotions could be swayed so easily by something so simple... is this what fatherhood feels like?
"Ufuuu..."
"Ah, her battery died."
In about eight seconds, her little ladyship went completely limp. It seemed her request for a Dynamic Hug had come from that common childhood whim where they want "just one last time" before giving in to exhaustion.
It really is true that people get heavier once their muscles go slack. Airi-chan started to tilt the moment I let my guard down even slightly. I felt a terrifying amount of pressure from the weight pressing against my chest. I couldn't even move...
"You can handle her a bit more roughly, you know. Though I won’t forgive you if you actually drop her."
"Ahaha... if I were an AI, I’d be glitching right now."
"I’m saying you don’t have to worry about shocking her awake. Airi isn’t a baby anymore; she’s a toddler. She doesn’t cry over being hot or cold, and she isn’t the type to wail just because her sleep was disturbed."
"Waaaaah."
"Don't you start acting like a toddler!"
Oops, my mistake. I was being overwhelmed by Natsukawa’s motherly aura.
Big sisters with tiny siblings are impressive. She looked like she could step in as a mother anytime if it were just a matter of taking care of someone. I was genuinely moved by her mature handling of the situation. I always called her a Goddess, but honestly, I had still been underestimating her. In my eyes, she was truly approaching divinity. How should I put it? It was like... a sacred vibe? Taking care of someone like that felt like a far-off dream for me. It seemed utterly impossible for the current me.
I tried to leave with a standard "Thanks for having me," but things weren't going to be that simple. Natsukawa was adamant about seeing me out. It was a bit embarrassing to have her go that far...
"Man... I really realized all over again how high Natsukawa’s feminine—no, motherly—power is. You could totally fill in for your mom!"
"Wait, stop, that’s just creepy."
"Thank you very much."
"I wasn’t praising you!"
It had been like this for a long time—no matter how much of a nuisance she thought I was, Natsukawa always responded to me. That was probably one of the reasons I could never keep my distance from her... normally, people would just ignore me. Sigh... Truly a Goddess...
"Setting Airi aside, shouldn't you do something about that hair? You used to care about it more."
"Sorry, fixing my brain would take nothing short of Savant Syndrome. I’ll go get struck by lightning for a bit and see if that works."
"I’m not talking about what's inside!... I mean your hair color!"
"Oh, this."
Brown hair with roots that had grown out completely black. I’d tried to play it off as a fashionable two-tone look, but it clearly looked unsightly to everyone else. True, combined with the summer heat, that kind of halfway look was probably just irritating to look at.
"I'll get around to it eventually."
"Ugh... well, I won't force you, but it’s better to do it sooner, okay? I think your first impression will change quite a bit."
"I'll stop by the drugstore on the way home."
I don't know what it was, but Natsukawa had a unique gravity about her today. It was like I reflexively found myself obeying her... I felt a level of pressure that suggested something terrible would happen if I didn't hurry up. After being told this much, I felt like I’d lose points if I didn't show up with it dyed tomorrow.
"By the way, as far as Natsukawa is concerned, which do you think is better: brown or black?"
"Eh, I just said..."
"That was about what Airi-chan would like. I'm asking you."
"Hmm, mmm..."
"Whoa...!?"
When I asked, Natsukawa actually took it seriously and started staring at me intently from point-blank range. As if she were inspecting a mannequin, she pondered the question without a care for the distance between us. No, no... this is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about, Natsukawa-san. Your scent is already wafting all over me!
After thinking it over, Natsukawa answered without changing her expression.
"—Either might be fine..."
"Don't give me that."
"Ah... but, but..."
"Yeah...?"
Natsukawa’s eyes darted around, and she continued with a hint of hesitation.
"If you had brown hair back then... well... I might not have spoken to you..."
"Wha..."
"Back then"—she meant the first time we met two and a half years ago. Oh... come to think of it, she told me a while after we met, "I thought you were a quieter person." Normally, you wouldn't have that kind of impression of someone with hair like this.
"...In that case, I’ll go with the black hair that Natsukawa prefers."
"I-It’s not like it’s my preference or anything!"
"Well, it’s all the same to me, so I’ll go with the one you said was good."
"Ah..."
With that, I waved and tried to head home, but she stopped me. When I turned around, Natsukawa had a look different from the one she used with Airi-chan; she gently pinched the sleeve of my summer uniform. Honestly... that kind of gesture is like a direct AED to my heart. Is she trying to kill me? Is she trying to kill me...?
"—Th-Thanks for today..."
"Ka..."
Are you trying to be cute...? That was close; I almost said it out loud. If I’d said it just now, I would have absolutely destroyed the atmosphere. Thank goodness my throat maintained its self-control.
"D-Don't worry about it. I’m the one who’s glad I got to meet the legendary Airi-chan."
"Le-Legendary..."
Natsukawa winced. Crap, did that sound sarcastic? But honestly, until she showed me pictures of Airi-chan on her phone, I was like, "Does she actually exist?" Well, now I understand why she didn't want me to meet her... normally, you wouldn't let such a cute little sister meet a guy who’s been stalking you. I guess her letting us meet this time was simply due to our two-and-a-half-year acquaintance. It felt like there was some sense of camaraderie there too.
A mischievous urge to tease her flickered in my mind, but the proximity was doing dangerous things to my heart rate. Following Natsukawa’s advice, I decided to head to the drugstore to buy some hair dye.
"—Stinky. It reeks in here."
"We already finished dinner, so it’s fine. I have Mother's permission."
"I told you to close the bathroom door..."
Why does hair dye smell so bad? Couldn’t they make a fruitier scent? I wanted to pinch my nose, but I couldn't because of the plastic gloves covered in chemicals. Do I really have to stay like this for twenty minutes...?
While reaching for her toothbrush, Nee-chan picked up the hair dye box I’d left on the counter and started reading the label.
"Huh? Dark Brown? You're going back to black?"
"...Is that really black? I wanted to just return it to my natural color, but they didn't have a 'natural black' kit... I-It’s not like I bought it because the name 'Dark Brown' sounded cool or anything!"
"This is basically black. It’ll turn out really dark at first."
"...?"
Isn't black just black? Is there a black that's blacker than black? That sounds pretty cool, actually.
As my inner chuunibyou began to stir, Nee-chan circled around me and narrowed her eyes.
"You're terrible at this. It's going to be all patchy."
"Eh...?"
"Move over."
Nee-chan pushed me away from the mirror and pulled disposable rubber gloves from the vanity drawer—rubber gloves? I had a really bad feeling about this, but surely it was just my imag—ow, wait...!
"I told you not to be so lazy just because the roots are already dark!"
"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow! Don't scrub so hard, it'll fall out!!"
"As long as you don't go bald, it’s fine if a few hairs fall out. This world is all about genetics; you'll be fine. People who are destined to go bald will go bald regardless; hair growth treatments are just a waste of time and money."
Wait, dear sister? Aren't you being incredibly cold?! Aside from the hair loss, it actually hurts! Are you really sure this is okay?! Is it?! Hey?! I’m not okay with even temporary baldness over here!
I was subjected to her "Scalp Agony" for a while after that. I’m sure I had a very sorrowful look on my face as I watched the dozen or so hairs stuck to Nee-chan’s rubber gloves.
"————See?"
"O-Oh, it’s black............ Isn't it a bit too black?"
"I told you, it’ll be like that for about a week. It’ll look more natural in a couple of days if you scrub it really well when you wash it."
After finishing the dyeing process, rinsing it out, and blow-drying it, my hair was indeed black... but it was unnaturally black. It was at a level where it didn't even reflect light. I had imagined something more like my natural hair color... though the texture felt the same as when I’d dyed it brown.
The next day, Natsukawa told me, "Oh, you dyed it," and I died. (Note: I didn't actually die.)
"Oh, you dyed it."
"Does it suit me?"
"...N-Not particularly!"
(Aaaaah, she’s so cuuuuuute!!!)