“Huh? What are you even talking about?”
I felt that.
When I relayed Shinomiya-senpai’s demands to my sister over the phone, a voice dripping with exasperation came blasting back through the speaker at an impressive volume. How do you like that, Shinomiya-senpai? Don’t think you can overcome my sister, who exists in a state of permanent irritation, quite so easily. If you really want to bring that creature down, your best bet is a meat-bun-themed siege; wait until she gets fat and then catch her on camera... Wait, why was I already subconsciously calculating ways to physically neutralize her?
“Kaede, you are far too blessed! You do whatever you want, you are loved only by the people you want to love you, and on top of all that, you get to have a younger brother who actually acts like a younger brother! That is just playing dirty!”
“It’s not like I want to be loved. Anyway, what is this? Is he right there? Why are you even talking about this?”
“Sajou—Wataru is coming to the Disciplinary Committee!”
“You’re the craziest one this year.”
I really felt that.
Also, what did “acting like a younger brother” even mean? I felt like I’d heard that somewhere before. Was a younger brother not allowed to just be a younger brother? Aren’t you just one automatically if you’re born later? Was it a skill you had to acquire?
And I really wished she would stop calling me by my first name so suddenly. We were surrounded by Shinomiya-senpai’s fans. She should really stop showing signs of another guy’s presence; it was a bad move. I was the one who was going to get bullied for it.
“Anyway, Wataru belongs to the Student Council.”
I didn’t feel that at all.
“Look, either way, just calm down. I’ll rent him out to you for a single meat bun next time, so just behave yourself for today. Lean on Yuyu and Ayano and listen to what they say, okay? Or what, are those two not reliable enough for you?”
“O-Of course that’s not it!”
“Then be a good girl for today. I’ll listen to what you have to say some other time.”
“Ugh... Y-You’d better!”
“You’re loud.”
She hung—Hey, wait! Don’t just brush her off and hang up at the very end! You were doing such a good job looking after her until then! And don’t just rent me out without my permission! Wait, it wasn’t even free?! And what, was my reward supposed to be you, Nee-chan?!
It was an exchange full of things to nitpick, but in terms of providing care, it was a world too far removed from my understanding for me to feel like interjecting. In my case, it was all about how I could navigate the situation without triggering anyone. Nee-chan seemed strangely used to it, too; it felt completely like the world of girls. Volatile people were really something else. I used to think Nee-chan was the most volatile person in Japan, regardless of what happened on "that day."
“She... She told me I was loud...”
“Ah! A-Ah, um! I’m sure that was just Kaede-san’s way of showing affection! Right, Sajou?!”
“Yes, probably.”
“What do you mean, 'probably'?!”
“It wasn’t a 'probably.' That was my sister’s way of showing affection.”
Affection (Note: She did not actually say it was affection).
Nee-chan definitely just started finding it a pain toward the end. Well, to be fair, Senpai was a pain right now. Having people like Inatomi-senpai and Mita-senpai by her side at a time like this must have been a testament to her personal character. My sister was surrounded by nothing but guys, so I was sure they were all in a total panic. I honestly thought I was raised the wrong way, considering that when Nee-chan got like this, I found myself thinking, Maybe I should just let her punch me once.
While I stood there like a stone statue, my phone vibrated.
[Don’t get close to Rin when she’s like that.] [Look, I can’t tell just by looking at her.] [Why are guys like this...] [Drop that kind of talk for now.] [I don’t care what you do, just find a gap and get away. Don’t cause trouble for me, too.] [My bad for that.] [Meat bun, okay?]
This woman was demanding meat buns at every turn. There was better food out there, like Yuuki-senpai’s bentos. Has she never had one? Was there really a world where a meat bun beat those? If it were an Osaka meat bun, that might be a different story, though.
“Rin-san. Shall we head back soon?”
“Umu. Yuyu, come closer.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Sigh...”
That was an impressive sigh from Mita-senpai.
If anyone asked me how it was, I’d immediately reply "no comment." In the end, Shinomiya-senpai became considerably more subdued than when we first met and was led away by Inatomi-senpai and Mita-senpai. As for what I thought seeing that—no comment.
Ashida had somehow found out about my meeting with the "Disciplinary Committee Family." She kept saying how jealous she was, but when I told her, “She was in a crappy mood and I had no idea what was going on,” she made a face like she realized something. Girls really did have some mysterious power. Eventually, I bet they’ll start having silent conversations via thought waves.
When I stole a glance toward Natsukawa, she briskly looked away. It hurt.
“...Ah.”
After school. In an attempt to avoid another encounter with the Disciplinary Committee—primarily Shinomiya-senpai—I took a detour toward the Student Council Room. That was when I spotted a familiar head of blonde hair in the corridor near the West Building. She was walking toward me with her head slightly down, seemingly unaware of my presence. What was her name again? If I recalled, it was something like Shinonome Chromarty. Like Agatha Christie. Wasn't she a legit foreigner?
I always had the image of her puffing out her chest and standing tall, so seeing her looking down made me realize she had that side to her, too. W-Wait, don’t tell me this girl was in the same state as Shinomiya-senpai? If so, I was definitely cursed today. My horoscope this morning was near the bottom, too. Why was I running into such intense people all in one day?
“Ah, Hirano...”
“......”
“He-Hey, Hirano! Are you ignoring me?!”
“Nn, eh?”
I was slightly turning my face away to avoid eye contact when Chromarty suddenly spoke up. I was thinking, Oh, she’s talking to someone, and was about to pass by normally when she hurriedly grabbed my wrist. A weird noise escaped my throat in my confusion.
Uh... come to think of it, I felt like she’d gotten my name wrong before. The surname "Hirano" actually went pretty well with my name. Hirano Wataru—didn’t that sound good? "Hirano" felt so natural that I hadn't bothered to correct her.
“Hey. It’s been a while. How have you been? What was your name again?”
“W-What is with that casual tone?! And isn’t that just rude?!”
“Well, it has been a super long time, hasn't it?”
“It is Shinonome Claudine Marika! There won't be a second time!”
I’d been about seventy percent off. Glad I just played it cool; if I’d actually called her Chromarty, she might have exploded. Though she was getting my name wrong, too. Had I ever even introduced myself to this blonde girl?
“By the way, you are an 'East' student, aren't you? If I recall, you’re in the same class as that Natsukawa Aika...”
“Yeah... that’s right—Whoa.”
The moment I nodded, an index finger came flying right in front of my face. I looked down at Claudine Marika, wondering what she was playing at. She looked like some kind of fortune teller. A grudge against the person who put me in 11th place in the horoscope started to simmer. You... you charlatan!
“Tell her this! I may have fallen behind regarding the Trial Enrollment, but she is still no match for me!”
“Huh? Trial Enrollment?”
“Why was she invited while I was not?! Despite having such a beautiful face?!”
“...Ah.”
So that’s what this was about. She was nursing a grudge over not being picked as a guide for the middle schoolers during the Trial Enrollment. It was true they seemed to pick the most attractive students from each grade. Still, even accounting for that, wouldn’t this personality be a problem? She looked like the type to look down on people constantly. It was only natural that Natsukawa was chosen. Yeah, no match at all. Because she was a Goddess.
“It’s probably, you know... they just didn't want to trouble someone like you, Marika-san. You know how middle schoolers can be; you never know what they’ll pull.”
“Tha—?! I-Is that how it is...? Wait, don’t call me by my middle name so familiarly!”
“Ah, um... what should I call you then?”
“Lady Shinonome! Address me with such respect!”
“Got it. Ms. Shinonome.”
Do they call girls “Ms. Shinonome” as a title in the West Building? That was pretty novel. Addressing someone by their gender felt a bit weird, but girls did call boys "the boys" all the time. I guess that was supposed to be respectful? I had no idea.
“And? Why is Hirano here?”
“I was heading to the Student Council Room for some business.”
“The... The Student Council Room?!”
“Eh?”
Wait, her expression suddenly darkened. Did I say something bad? Speaking of the Student Council Room... come to think of it, didn’t Ms. Shinonome say she was Yuuki-senpai’s fiancée or something? Oh man, are you serious? My "brother-in-law" theory just went up in smoke already. You can't really overturn family arrangements. I was so jealous of this girl, getting to eat Yuuki-senpai’s food every day! (Respect)
“I see... hurry up and go then.”
“Ah, okay...”
Contrary to my intense envy, Ms. Shinonome walked away as if brushing me off. I could feel a sense of dejection coming from her back. Come to think of it, she was alone today. If she wasn’t in front of the Student Council Room, didn't she usually have a bunch of followers with her? Did something happen?
“......”
Well, whatever.
What's up, boys? (Respect)