PROLOGUE
(TL: Pascal’s Wager, dulce_de_leche)
“S, somehow, I have a strange feeling…”
The beautiful high school novelist, Shirokusa, was in my house’s kitchen. That alone made my eyes doubt what I was seeing, but moreover she was wearing an apron. The apron added to her homely charm. It made it feel like she powered up, as if she’d switched from wielding a single sword to two-sword fencing. (Pascal: Swords in both cases referring to single-handed ones)
I was worried, but her execution was fine. The rhythm of her vegetable cutting was light, and the stir-fried onion’s drifting scent simultaneously stimulated my appetite.
I thought maid-san was in charge of cooking, but it appeared that I was wrong.
Shirokusa’s prepared food was omurice. She presented it in front of me, immediately sitting to the right of me.
……Wait, why not across from me instead of next to me?
“Look at me, Suu-chan……say ‘aah?’”
With beautiful black hair pulled over her ears, Shirokusa held out a spoon with omurice placed on it.
“Eh?! Ehhh?! No no, Shiro, this is bad……”
“Because Suu-chan, isn’t it hard to use your left hand for the spoon?”
“Well, that is certainly true……”
My right hand was firmly wrapped in a firm cast. It wasn’t impossible to eat with my left hand, but it was hard to do correctly.
“Look at me, say ‘aah.’ ‘Aah’……”
The sweet, sweet sugary temptation that came from the usual cool-headed Shirokusa.
My brain melted immediately to the overwhelming sugar, my cheeks loosened, and my mouth opened.
“The, then……aah……”
“…………Yes, how is it, delicious?”
“──Yes! Delicious! Shiro, I’ll be honest with you. I thought you could only make fried chicken!”
Shirokusa blushed, cooling down her cheeks that became hot with both hands.
“That’s right, but……I realized it would be fine if I made it according to the recipe, without trying too hard. You can’t try too hard at everything, right? It’s just as Suu-chan said.”
“I, I see. I’m glad you understand──um……Shiro……your hand is on my thigh……”
“I wanted you to eat……the food too, but……”
“But……?”
“What I really wanted you to eat was──m-e……”
My blood pressure instantly swung. My head was on the verge of bursting with excitement and agitation.
“You, you can’t, Shirooo! Maid-san is watching!!!”
“Fufu, that young woman is at my beck and call……she left a long time ago……so it’s just us two here……”
“What did you sayyy?! You’re right! She left before I was aware of it!”
I shook my head and looked at my surroundings, and the maid-san who came with Shirokusa was not here.
While I was doing that, Shirokusa drew near with glazed eyes.
“Suu-chan, do you want to do naughty things, with me……?”
“Na-naughty things, meaning……?”
“Fufu, you know what I mean……So, you want to……? You don’t want to……?”
She placed her index finger on my thigh, slowly tracing my pants.
It was too pleasant of a soft touch.
The pleasure became electricity and ran through my back, emasculating my body.
Oh, oh no. If I wasn’t careful, my body would completely melt……
“If, if I had to say……I want to, but……”
“If I had to say……?”
“What?!!!”
Shirokusa snuggled into me. She placed her head on my shoulder.
Her index finger placed on my thigh gently drew circles over and over as if it were behaving like a spoiled child. The weight and warmth of Shirokusa’s head I felt on my shoulder made me realize the fact that I was touching the girl I was attracted to.
“Ahh……”
My sigh came out. My mind was faint and painful.
However, the more I breathed in, the more the long black hair gave off its citrus aroma, further accelerating my heartbeat.
“Hey……don’t you want to do……naughty things……?”
“I, I want to! I want to do it really badly! However……!!”
“However……? You want to, but it’s no good?”
“It’s, it’s not like it’s no……good……”
“Enough……talk……”
Shirokusa’s face was already 10 centimeters in front of me.
It was approaching five centimeters in front of me.
And immediately zero centimeters in──
“That was what I was hoping for, Tetsuhiko.”
“Dude, grooooooooss!”
Tetsuhiko’s verbal abuse echoed inside the bathroom.
Yes, I was currently encamped in the bathroom at my house and on the phone with Tetsuhiko.
There was a reason why things became like this.
“Shut up! I’m saying, I’m in the harshness of reality──”
“Okay okay, I understand, so go back to the living room. Isn’t it weird to stay in the bathroom for too long?”
“Ugh──”
Just like that, I was at a loss for words.
“……I understand.”
“Hey, are you going to thank me for listening to your extremely worthless delusion? A hostess nee-san listens to these gloomy hardships, right? (Pascal: as in, a girl in a “bar with female companions for male customers.” Hopefully I don’t have to say more)
“Can you not compare a high schooler to a hostess? Your natural darkness is unnerving me.”
“It’s not worth it unless there is large compensation given, idiot.”
“……Yes, sorry. Thank you very much for listening……”
“一You owe me one.”
“……No, wait a second. You have had experience with this, right? As an experienced person, give me one piece of advice──”
A large sigh. Afterwards, an exasperated-like voice came back.
“If it were me, I’d take the initiative to ‘discipline’ them. I’d try to do it regardless of whether I could actually pull it off or not.
“……What if I don’t think I can?”
“Run away.”
“……What if I can’t run away?”
“Reluctantly endure it.”
“……What if I can’t endure it?”
“Die.”
“……What if I don’t want to die?”
“Pray.”
Ahーokay okay, that’s how this is going to end, huh.
“Well, I’ll gather your bones. ‘Enjoyed love yourself’ to your heart’s content.” (Pascal: This is supposed to be like an obituary I think)
The phone call cut off.
“……………………………………………………Haa.”
I unconsciously let out a large sigh.
Everything Tetsuhiko said was sound. At least, shutting myself in the restroom wouldn’t solve the problem.
“──Alright!”
I hit my cheeks to get motivated and left the restroom.
My legs felt heavy as if there was lead inside them. But I mustered all of my strength and returned to the living room.
“Haru, you were surprisingly slow.”
“Suu-chan, does your stomach hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
“Didn’t a certain someone make you eat something bad?”
The air was tense. The three lovely girls, who couldn’t stop at only being lovely, were emitting auras behind them as if they were accompanied by fiendish beasts watching vigilantly and sharpening their claws.
Yes, this was the reason why I took refuge in the restroom.
I have a stomachache……Let’s go to the bathroom again……
“Momosaka-san? Could you stop saying that while looking at me? The maid-san over there made the dinner. Isn’t that right, Ooragi-san?”
“……Yes, that is correct, but is there a problem?”
The girl wearing the maid outfit indifferently muttered.
Ooragi Shion──appeared to be her name. She was the same age as us. But the rest of the information was currently unclear.
Her face was very well proportioned. But how do I say this──she didn’t look like a maid.
Her peculiarity was her drowsy eyes. She had a hairstyle in which her hair was longer from the side to the bangs compared to the back of the head.
What was bothering me was that her movement was felt strangely quick and energetic. The outcome was that I didn’t feel she gave off an intelligent atmosphere. Thanks to that, I couldn’t completely grasp her personality.
“Then who’s wrong? When Momo came, Sueharu onii-chan just had a bad complexion?”
The beautiful imouto who came the latest among them, Maria, said to blame the two who came before her.
Then──
“When we were inside the car and decided to stay overnight, Suu-chan’s complexion was good. That means it’s decidedly Shida-san’s fault.”
A cool beauty novelist with a bit of clumsiness, Shirokusa, asserted.
The simultaneously blamed caring onee-chan childhood friend, Kuroha, shook her trademark clover hair ornament and became furious.
“What are you saying?! Haru’s complexion was fine until I came home from school! The source was Kachi-san making an unconventional proposal, right?! The one who should be blamed shouldn’t be me, but Kachi-san!”
“……Umm, you three……I’d appreciate it if you all could get along a bit better……”
No one could contain this situation.
Even though I was scared and afraid, I used my courage to the fullest─but honestly, I wasn’t confident I could hold down the three people.
……If there was a guy who looked at this scene and felt ‘jealous,’ I would like to say a few words.
（I’m actually ridiiiiiiiiicuously scared! I’m serious!）
All three were cute. Extremely cute. Absurdly cute. Each had a different personality, furthermore each was attractive.
I understood that! I was fully aware!
So I could understand the feelings of a guy who would call the current situation a luxury. If I wasn’t a related party, I might say so too.
But! It’s different! I want you to think carefully!
How about if there was a very cute cat, but it had tiger claws? What would you think if it had a long snake-like tongue? Wouldn’t it be scary if it howled like a ferocious wolf?!
After all, it was the sweeeet giggles and laughs to make my heart pound that I longed for, right? Looking at this calmly, this was the first city block of hell, wasn’t it? It’s the escape RTA where I make one mistake and I die, right? (Pascal: RTA = real time attack, basically as if he’s speedrunning through an escape sequence and trying not to die)
Oof, my stomach hurts……My lifespan is shortening……Someone save me……
Whether she knew my troubles or not, Maria nodded in response to my words.
“Well, that’s true. If Haru onii-chan told Shiro to get along, then let’s get along.”
“Momosaka-san, saying that but pretending is useless, isn’t it?”
“I wonder if Kachi-san understands the meaning of ‘getting along.’”
“Asking a novelist the meaning of a phrase takes some nerve. Shouldn’t you look it up again in the dictionary?”
“Novelist-san is disgusting. Momo sees the true feelings.”
“You──!!”
It’s not possible for only one person to be able to shoulder this thing……Saying “stop fighting!” would not be able to settle things to normal……If I did a foolish move, it could rain blood.
“Ugh……It should have been only me……”
The words Shirokusa murmured while clicking her tongue were not missed by Kuroha and Maria.
“You’d think I’d permit such a thing? My house is next door. Information would be overheard. Understand?
“Fufufu, I have to say that I can’t understand this naive view. Momo won’t overlook this, you know? It’s not possible. Have you run out of schemes? If you have more, go ahead?”
“Ughh~~！”
Seeing the terrifying three glaring at each other, I decided in one second, “Okay, let’s escape from reality!” and started looking for headphones to plug into the TV.
（How did this happen……）
It was originally only Shirokusa and Ooragi-san, but before I was aware of it, Kuroha and Maria also came along.
First was Kuroha.
After it was decided in the car that Shirokusa would stay overnight in my house, Kuroha began to say:
“──Then, I’ll stay. That’s fine, isn’t it?”
Since Shirokusa was staying, there wasn’t a reason for her not to stay. That was Kuroha’s argument.
“Just be sure to get your parents’ permission.”
Shirokusa’s father said to the three of us. Shirokusa wrinkled her brows and brought them together, but Souchirou-san did not take back his words. This neutral position was connected to the trustworthiness of Souchirou-san.
Afterwards, Kuroha contacted her mother, Ginko-san. But Ginko-san didn’t answer the phone because she was at work. She had no choice but to explain to her father, Michikane-san, about.the situation.
“I think you staying is fine, but that’s meaningless without legitimately getting Ginko-san’s permission.
That was the reply. That’s why Kuroha remained in limbo at my house.
Then, when I finished eating the dinner made by Ooragi-san while in an awkward atmosphere, Maria came from where she heard about this.
“I heard Sueharu onii-chan is in a crisis!”
Probably everyone has──
（You coming makes the situation worse……）
Is what I thought, but I couldn’t turn her away when she came with good intentions.
When I asked her, she said, “Eri-san gave permission for me to stay overnight,” so I had to let her in──Because of that incident, my stomach hurt, and I shut myself in the bathroom and called Tetsuhiko.
──Ding dong.
At the sound of the intercom, everyone turned towards the entrance.
“……Who?”
It’s possibly……Tetsuhiko? Since I contacted him in the restroom, he’d get worried and come or something……Isn’t it extremely restricted to him?
But if I assume that, who was this? Thirty minutes ago, Maria came with the same development. That resulted in Kuroha and Shirokusa despairing in seething anger.
“Ye-s, Maru here!”
“Wai, heyyyyyy!”
Maria was the first to move.
“Why are you trying to answer the door?! Isn’t this my house?!”
“Wasn’t that why I said Maru?”
“So why did you call yourself Maru?!”
“From the viewpoint of a future bride, I thought it would be good to get used to saying it as soon as possible.” (Pascal: Maria + Haru = Maru I suppose)
“What large things are you saying so casually?!”
“This is inexcusable……!!”
Shirokusa went to the entrance to pin Maria’s arms behind her back.
Yet her rage couldn’t be contained as she scolded and showered questions on Maria.
“Momosaka-san! You! A bit more of that shamelessness──”
Ding dong ding dong ding dong!
There was a barrage of “ding dongs” that interrupted our conversation. I understood who the visitor was.
……I see. There’s only one person who would do this kind of thing at this time.
I went to the entrance, unwittingly hung up the chain to take it off, and opened the door.
“Sueharu! I heard everything! That evil woman, did she come here again?!”
“I get it, so stop ringing the doorbell over and over, Midori! You’ll annoy the neighbors!”
Even though I was lecturing her, Midori didn’t listen as usual. “Hmph,” she said and turned the other way as a blatant dismissal and rejection of my appeal. Though, if I continued to push, it would only turn into an argument, so I could only be exasperated.
As I sighed, my eyes saw Midori Ao being lightly dressed even though it was fall.
It might not be cold for the very muscular, but her youthful chest and thighs were generously exposed. Really, that’s on the level of poison to a high school boy’s eyes.
This person really didn’t listen to my advice at all……
“So, why are you here?”
“Tch, I’m sorry to bother you while you’re enjoying yourself! If I don't have a reason for being here, is coming not allowed? That's awfully haughty, isn't it?”
“Someone’s angry all of a sudden. It’s not like I said you couldn’t come.”
“Ao Midori, if you make this into a fight, then the talking won’t end. Please bring my clothes and studying tools.
Kuroha materialized from behind and put her hand forward as if to say “Bag, please.”
Ahh, I see. So that’s why.
Kuroha didn’t go home even once. It seemed like she called somewhere a short while ago, but it was to her family to ask them to come and bring her important things?
“Here, Kuro nee-san.”
Aoi’s face came out from behind Ao Midori.
“Can you check and take the textbook if it’s the right one?”
“Thanks. Wait a little bit.”
Kuroha started searching through the bag she received from Aoi.
A silence suddenly occurred.
My mind was exhausted. Sister Aoi appeared there.
I called out to Aoi, in a similar state of mind to a traveler in a desert wanting water. (Pascal: Lolicon)
“Hey, Aoi-chan. Did you enjoy yourself on the recent trip? Look, I accidentally hurt myself at the end, so I haven’t been able to listen to your thoughts well. While appealing with my right hand that was wrapped with the cast, I waited and saw what would happen.
It’s about this kid, surely──
“It was really fun! If there’s another chance, I’d want you to invite me!”
I’m sure she’ll give me some kind of happy reaction like an angelic smile. I had that kind of conviction.
Then Aoi shook her pigtails, showed an angelic smile as I hoped for and said:
“──Haru nii-chan is popular, isn’t he?”
“……………………Huh?”
Surprised, I checked Aoi’s expression again.
……It was an angelic smile as I thought.
“Please greet Kuro nee-san rather than someone like me.”
Even though her face was smiling……maybe……she was angry?
But wasn’t this child like an angel? Why?
“Uh, umm, Aoi……chan……?”
When I approached one step without being able to hide my agitation, Aoi took a half step back.
“Huh? You don’t have to run away like that……”
“It’s not like I’m running away. Popular Haru nii-chan doesn’t have time to currently care about someone like me, right? That’s all.”
“Ah, no, don’t say such sad things──”
“Excuse me.” (Pascal: Said here as something said before leaving)
Aoi bowed deeply, then turned back and walked without waiting for my reply.
Then Akane, who was hiding behind Aoi, was revealed.
“Akane was there?! Why were you hiding?!”
“Ah……ah……Haru-nii……!!”
Akane was unusually agitated, placing both hands on the ground and started making incomprehensible chattering.
Her cheeks were bright red. The heat was transmitted to the point where the frames of her glasses were becoming red.
Seriously, what happened to Akane?
The eyes looking over the top of her glasses were turning in circles, her braids were uneasily shaking, and even if she tried to say something, she couldn’t vocalize from her mouth that was repeatedly opening and closing.
“Akane?”
“──” (Pascal/dulce_de_leche: I feel this is describing her cutting off her words before talking. If you’re interested in more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glottal_stop)
When I called out, Akane froze dramatically. Then she turned her center of gravity backwards and hugged herself to cover her body.
It felt as if she wanted to say something…but at the same time, as if she wanted to run away……It was that kind of vague atmosphere.
Because of that──
“Akane?”
I encouraged her by addressing her again carefully. But she remained red and did not move.
Words didn’t work on her, so I tried relieved her tension by stroking her head──
“What?!”
──But my hand was sent flying.
“A, Akane……”
Oof, this was naturally a shock.
Did I accidentally do something to be rejected like that...?
Even though I didn’t say what I thought, she nonetheless grasped my thoughts just from my expression.
“……I’m sorry, Haru-nii. I’m being strange for some reason. I’m going home.”
With those words alone, Akane ran off.
Ooof……What was this……
Both lovable imouto-like young girls……What happened……
“Midori, did I do something wrong?”
“Ah, that? Those kids are around that age, and you’re flirting with various girls, so they’re no longer fond of you, right?”
“No, that’s──”
Me intentionally flirting──Oof, no, I did──
“Indecent and so forth, don’t want to talk to this kind of lewd guy and so forth. Look, those kids didn’t give the impression that they were unaffected, did they?”
“Oofoofoof.”
It was an unusual and agreeable opinion from Midori. That was quite probable.
Speaking of the times I talked with Aoi and Akane, until now, the other girls present apart them were more or less just Kuroha and Midori.
But during this trip, they saw me talking with older girls that they didn’t know──Shirokusa, Maria and Rena. I had no intention of treating any one of them differently from the rest, but it’s a fact that there was the devilish temptation of swimsuits involved as well. From their point of view, it might have given the impression of me being “loose” and “flirting.”
This was a serious situation. It’s really hard for me as an onii-san to be avoided by the twins I was doting on……even though my spirit was longing for this kind of solace…
Midori laughed gleefully from the bottom of her heart.
“Serves you right~!”
“Tsk…You too are, “more or less,” an imouto-like existence to me…so why does it feel so different…”
“Imouto-like existence, my a**. If this were to be the case, then you should act more like an onii-san. Right now, it feels like I’m the one who’s taking care of you!”
“Huh? I don’t remember even being taken care of by you?”
“The other day, Kuro-nee was trying to prepare a new dish, so I stopped her.”
“You know what, you’re a really good person! Okay, I’ll treat you to some ice cream next time!”
Who would’ve thought that Midori was secretly pulling off such spectacular feats! This deserved to be appreciated!
“H──mmm, looks like you’re having a fun conversation here…Can I join in too?”
Uh…Now that I thought about it, right next to us, I guess Kuroha was checking the contents of her bag…?
“Er…um. I gotta go study. See ya, Sueharu!”
Midori raised her hand and turned back.
I barged in the gap between her and the opening door, grabbed her hand and prevented her from moving.
“The heck? Don’t you drop a bomb yourself and then run away like that.”
“Kya……!”
“Huh…?!”
I immediately released her hand, surprised by the unexpected voice.
Er, this voice right now, what the…? Was it Midori’s voice?
No way…
“Midori, sorry, but stop playing these kinds of games. It’s not like you.”
“……I gotta tell you……I too, similarly to those girls, am in puberty……So it’s kinda natural that I’m bewildered if a guy grabs my hand……”
“Wuuut…? Puberty, you? LOL.”
Uh…just now I called her a “more or less” imouto-like existence, so this was why it felt a bit off.
To be correct, Midori is closer to an otouto. (Pascal: little brother)
Yup, this made more sense.
“You bastard, seriously…just dieeeee!”
A vigorously swung fist directly hit the top of my head!
While I was grasping my ailing head, Midori breathed heavily through her nose and left.
“Well, you were at fault here, Haru.”
“Huh...?”
“Those girls are at a very susceptible age, so you should be aware of these kinds of things.”
I could understand the warnings of Kuroha due to her being their older sister, but it took a lot of accumulated time to build our current relationship, so…I had no idea how to change it…
“Also, Haru. Why exactly were you about to treat Midori to some ice cream? Can you let me in on the details of that part?”
Uh, don’t ask! Just guess!
No, forgive me! Please, forgive me! I mean it!
“Oof...My stomach really hurts.. I gotta go to the washroom...”
While I was about to run away like that, Kuroha stopped me by gently placing her hand on my shoulder.
“Oh boy, Haru is such a bad liar…I guess I love this about you too.”
“!?”
“What are you so surprised about? The “I-love-you” game… I never said a word that it was over, did I?” (Pascal: Guys I hope you never get an ex like Kuroha)
Kuroha laughed while moistening her lips.
Ughhhh… I’m pretty bad at dealing with this “Alter Kuroha”.
Kuroha originally had complete hegemony to begin with, but the usual Kuroha had both strictness and kindness inside her, making the impression like she was both scolding and leading one.
But there was no arguing about this “Alter Kuroha” being sexy. While I was becoming weaker, it felt like I was being spun around, so even with my micro self-esteem, the opposing thoughts along the lines of, “I can’t give in to the temptation!” or, “I’ll definitely have my revenge some time!” were unfortunately getting weaker.
But hey, speaking of her erotic appeal, it’s 10/10, y’know? But I do know that if I were to lay my hands on her, no good would come out of that, so it’s even harder for me…!
“Shida-san, what are you doing?”
“You can’t let your guard down around this person.”
“……Around who exactly?”
Kuroha shrugged her shoulders and raised the bag handed to her by Aoi.
“We’re not hungry anymore, so shall we study? We’ve neither prepped nor reviewed.”
“Urgh.”
“No urghs. Haru, it’s your duty as a student. Come on now-”
In the middle of her sentence, Kuroha’s phone suddenly rang.
“Oh, mom? You know-”
The person with whom she’s talking seemed to be her mom, Ginko-san. She seemed to already have a general idea, and the situation was advancing without any kind of explanation──
“Oh, I can’t…?”
Judging from this exclamation of hers, things weren’t looking good.
“W-wh-why? ……I-it’s true that I haven’t asked Haru’s dad for permission, but……S-still, I even brought the futon from home………So it’s gonna be only Kachi-san who’s staying over………”
It seemed like Ginko-san was opposed to the idea that Kuroha stay over.
The reasons for it being probably, “Haru’s dad didn’t allow it,” “there are too many people staying over,” and “it’s not like only Shirokusa is staying over.”
I think we could ignore my dad, but it’s a fact that there were too many people to stay over.
The limit is two people inside the guest room. Given its size, one more would also be okay, but there were only two futons we had prepared for our guests.
The futons were already assigned to Shirokusa and Ooragi-san. If Kuroha were to sleep overnight, someone would have to sleep in the living room. If Maria also were to stay over, the two of them would go to the living room. And since there were no more futons available, they’d have to sleep on the sofa, but size-wise the sofa was suitable only for one person.
So, in that case, perhaps I could have them sleep in my old man’s bed? Nah, that wouldn’t be a good idea overall.
Had it been a male friend like Tetsuhiko, the story would have been different. But since we’re talking about girls, who on top of that have school tomorrow, I was feeling a bit reluctant.
While I was observing Kuroha’s phone call, now it was Maria’s phone that rang.
“ …………Huh, onee-chan, why? It’s just as I described in the note I left……I see, a mail from Shirokusa-san……Yeah, but Sueharu oniichan’s hands are……still…… “
Maria’s reaction was also fishy.
Come to think of it, didn’t she say that she got Eri-san’s permission?
Well, I guess the part about getting permission was a lie then, huh. I can imagine that what actually happened was that while Eri-san wasn’t home, she must have just left a letter and gone out.
Kuroha was the first one to finish her phone call.
“Haru, you know what…My mom said I can’t, so I won’t be staying over…”
“I see. Well, it can’t be helped, huh.”
“What do you mean by ‘it can’t be helped!’”
“Why are you getting mad? I just stated the facts?!”
“Yeah, I know, but…!”
“Um…Momo too…”
Momo, who gently cut into our conversation, continued.
“After onee-chan talked with Sueharu onii-chan’s dad, she agreed, but then the problem of lack of space turned up…While still talking, onee-chan apparently started feeling really bad about it, and ended up saying ‘perhaps another time then…’”
Eri-san didn’t seem like anything else than a laid back and cute university student, but she’s a person wise in the ways of the world who started working without going to high school. Whether something makes sense or whether it’s not against common courtesy, she’s really paying attention to these kinds of things.
In that sense, Kuroha’s mom, Ginko-san, also is the same. Being a woman with a strong-minded drive and speech and conduct, she’s also a decent person valuing logic and etiquette.
Maria kept on saying she’d stay and didn’t pay attention to what she was told, but she gave in once the cab that Kuroha ordered had arrived.
“I understand. I’ll be going for now…Sueharu onii-chan! Don’t cheat on me, okay! Because cheating is a crime!”
“No, not at all, there can’t be any talk of cheating if we’re not dating…”
“It’s already settled that we will be married in the future, so if you think about cause and effect──” (dulce_de_leche: Your average 16 y.o.’s logic? Lol)
“Uh huh, I got it, so you should go home and be a good girl, shouldn’t you─”
“Yes, it’s quite unsightly.”
In the end, Kuroha on the one side and and Shirokusa holding her from both sides, a disappointed Maria was brought into the taxi.
How should I put this. It seemed like both of them already grew accustomed to dealing with Maria.
Kuroha lived next door, so she was holding out for longer than Maria, but as expected, she got a phone call from her dad Michikane-san telling her to come back home around 10:30 PM.
“Uh~…U~~~~h!”
Groaning, she glared, giving me an up-from-under look.
“Now, Kuro. Even if you make such eyes, as long as there is no permission from Ginko-san, you can’t stay over.”
“Practice your left hand……”
“What?”
“As for this week’s midterms, you gotta take them with your left hand, right? Sensei will surely take that into account, but in addition to studying, you also gotta practice writing characters with your left hand.”
If everything went smoothly, I should have the cast removed next week. But from another perspective, the midterms scheduled for Tuesday and Friday this week were going to be really bad.
“I know.”
I kept studying since last week, and during the trip I solved all those practice problems prepared for me by Kuroha.
“……I see. If you do, then it’s fine.”
Kuroha showed a little sign of relief and nodded. She probably saw through me and realized I was feeling bitter.
Keep on. If something comes up, call me any time. She left such words and proceeded to the front door.
“Uh, wait a minute.”
For some reason, Shirokusa went after Kuroha.
“Shiro?”
“Oh, it’s nothing important, wait for me in the living room.”
Being told that, there was not much I can reply with. So I just took a breath.
“Whooh~”
The moment I sat on the sofa, I immediately got struck by tiredness.
If the three were present, there would be no time to take any breather at all. But once they’re gone, things were too quiet.
“──Maru-san.”
“Woah!”
I was suddenly called by Ooragi-san from behind my back.
Now that was a surprise! When exactly did she start standing over there! She’s got too small of a presence!
However, regardless of my astonishment, Ooragi-san did not bulge a bit and showed no reaction whatsoever.
“Erm, Ooragi-san? ……I guess it’s fine if I call you this way? What’s the matter?”
Ooragi-san took a firm grasp of her maid’s outfit skirt, and adding to her sleepy eyes a killing intent, she whispered:
“──Could you please stop being so cocky?”
“………………Wha-?”
Um, erm……? What was it with her all of a sudden? Did I do anything that made her dislike me?
Being suddenly told this by a girl you don’t know at all...
It’s really tough, and actually scary…!
“Um, you know……”
“Shiro-chan told me not to butt in……but I can’t take it anymore!”
“Uh? What? Shiro told you that? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t feel even a tiny bit that I should tell you that, Mr. Philandering A******!”
“Phi, philandering……”
Exactly how old was that expression…
But I couldn’t be bothered by thinking about that. I must violently disagree here!
“Um, wait! You can tell by just looking at me, no? I’m nowhere near being a philanderer, it’s more of a situation resulting in stomach pain……!”
“Huh, what’s that about? You’re trying to show off your lack of popularity with girls? Well, it is true that strictly speaking, it’s not like you’re popular, but it’s more that you’re being toyed around with…… Hahah, personally, I think it’s a real disgrace, that’s how I feel!”
Ooragi-san clenched her fists and whispered, “Funsu!” Judging by her pose and what she said, it looked like a declaration of victory or something. (dulce_de_leche: this is a possible K-On! reference, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4JrYDwucig)
I was really being made fun of and being told really harsh things, so I got pissed off, but…This girl, she overall seemed like an idiot, didn’t she? Because of that, I couldn’t sense malevolence. It felt much better to be told face to face rather than behind one’s back.
“Huh, what kind of expression is that? By any chance, are you mad at me? Hahah, so as a final blow, being the genius I am, let me dispel the misunderstanding you’re having!
“Sigh…”
A genius, is that so.
This girl wasn’t normal. She genuinely seemed to be an idiot……
Was she just putting up an act until a while ago because Shirokusa was here? This seemed to be the case, judging by how, once it became one-on-one, she immediately revealed her true colors.
“……Okay, whatever. What’s the misunderstanding you’re alluding to?”
I felt like it’s stupid to put on with her nonsense, but the word “misunderstanding” got my attention a bit. It’s not like I’d lose anything if I heard her out.
Ooragi-san put up a “finally, I won!” smug kind of smile, and declared with beaming self-confidence:
“The misunderstanding that Shiro-chan loves you.”
“…………”
Um, erm, yeah……
I breathed a lot of air in, and slowly blew it out.
I flat out realized just now.
I see, I guess I was starting to think that Shirokusa must have had feelings for me……
After all, during the trip, we did have a really good thing going on. I definitely felt direct affection from her too.
The smile when she told me she’s always wanted to show me the villa.
"Suu-chan," her way of calling me containing a little dependency. (dulce_de_leche: amae, see https://psichologyanswers.com/library/lecture/read/463248-what-is-the-meaning-of-amae)
The bond and trust I felt through the bottom part of the parka. (dulce_de_leche: reference to a scene in v3)
Everything was connected with the conclusion that “she’s in love with me.”
However, it’s not that case was what Ooragi-san was telling me.
“The emotion that Shiro-chan is feeling toward you────is “respect.” Do you understand? She thinks she’s been saved by you. It’s true that she got out of her school non-attendance thanks to you. Therefore, this is something I, as a genius, have to admit as well. But “love” and “respect” are exact opposites. What I’m telling you is please don’t confuse the two. Do we have an understanding here?”
Ugh──
Getting a straight ball thrown to me at a really fast speed, I became speechless.
Yup, even though I felt that Shirokusa had positive feelings toward me, I couldn’t say with certainty that it was “love, as in romantic love.” It’s because what Ooragi-san was saying–that Shirokusa was full not of “love,” but “respect” for me–the possibility of which I wasn’t able to exclude.
But now, Shirokusa’s feelings, which had been unclear up to this point, had been indicated to me by Ooragi-san.
Ooragi-san took a deep sigh.
“Good grief, exactly why Shida-san and Momosaka-san also care about this kind of person is something I’m unable to understand. Well, I don’t want to make a fuss about anyone else than Shiro-chan, but you’re not a good match with those two. While they were experiencing a hardship, you turned out to be a lucky boy who “just happened to help them,” and that’s about the only thing you’re being recognized for. Rather than romantic feelings, the phrase “memory compensation” feels more adequate. What do you think, lucky boy-san? Hahah.” (dulce_de_leche: lucky = original in English, memory as in ‘sweet memories’)
Ugh, oof, ughhhhhhh…!
(I was told the precise thing I was worried about the most!)
I was about to tumble down but managed to put enough strength into my knees in order to stand firm.
I clearly felt positive emotions from the three of Kuroha, Shirokusa and Maria.
But was I really liked as in “love”──I was unsure about that.
After all, after I confessed to Kuroha, I got dumped magnificently. And my s***** judgement was something I could not rely on.
So taking this into account as well as objective data, I needed to come up with a conclusion after carefully and thoroughly thinking it all over. If I were not do to this──
────No. (dulce_de_leche: The line Kuroha used while rejecting Sueharu’s confession during the festival)
Another tragedy like that would take place.
I, to be honest, was unsure whether I’m popular or not!
But! I was sure I was not popular! (dulce_de_leche: 17 y.o.’s logic? lol)
What I couldn’t trust more than anything else was my own self! That’s why the opinions of others had more credibility!
Looking at the foolish behavior of Ooragi-san, it’s clear that there were some doubts regarding the credibility of her opinions. But what she’s saying was what I was worried about all along──“Am I not only being recognized because of past glory?”──it matched that perfectly. That’s why I couldn’t ignore it.
For example, after the re-encounter with Shirokusa, I couldn’t think even of a single instance when I gallantly managed to help her. Well, I did help her with her inability to prepare stew, but it wasn’t a big deal. I just happened to be there, and if one was around, it was something one would normally do anyway.
As for Maria, she did use words like “as a wife…” but since these words were being used in such a natural way, it sounded more like a joke. How should I put it…a joke that can be told precisely because of our sibling-like relationship?
Regarding Kuroha──I seriously dunno. I’m the one one-sidedly being taken care of. It’s fun to be together, but from Kuroha’s point of view, would she gain anything from dating me? Above all, I got dumped after I was thinking that we had a thing going on……She did say she loved me, but since there was no basis to it, it felt like I was being toyed with.
“O, Ooragi-san……What you just said, what is the basis for that…”
“Basis? No, it’s all truth? Oh, there was too much truth laid out in front of you and now you can’t face reality, eh? ……Oh no, I was being too much of a genius. To have used words that cannot be understood, I needa reflect on that.”
This girl was amazing. From her annoying words, I could feel that it was in her nature.
But there was some charm to her as well, and this made it hard for me to react. Like how she’s singing her own praises about being a genius all of a sudden. Or how she usually used polite language, but how it changed once she starts talking to herself.
Hmm, I more or less grasped what kind of person she was, but I couldn’t imagine myself being friendly with her. What a pain in the a**……
While I was thinking about these things, Shirokusa came back.
“? What happened?”
It looked like Shirokusa felt the strange air that was present between us.
Ooragi-san whispered as if nothing happened.
“Nothing really?”
“Mou, the way you put it, I know it’s your habit that shows while you’re lying.”
“But I’m not telling you any liesー”
Shirokusa sighed slightly.
“Suu-chan, Shion is like a younger sister to me. She has a slightly impulsive side to her, but she’s a really good girl.”
“Shiro-chan, I’m the older sister!”
“Yes, yes, you are.”
“…………”
The way in which she’s impulsive didn’t look to be “slight”…But I guess it’s fine.
The problem was whether what Ooragi-san had been saying was the truth or not.
Respect and love were different things. Don’t misunderstand one for the other.
These words themselves sounded convincing enough. And since Shirokusa called Ooragi-san a “younger sister-like girl”, there was no doubt that they were close to one another. Therefore, it’s natural to think that she understood the subtleties of Shirokusa’s heart.
But……if this indeed is the case, then……I don’t want to admit it, but………ugh…………ooof…………
“Shiro-chan, the bath is about to get ready, how about you take a bath?”
“Yeah. Ah, but the one to take a bath before everyone else should be our host Suu-chan……”
“In that case, I’ll be second. I’ll clean everything up in order to prepare it for you, Shiro-chan. While I’m doing that, Maru-san, it’s okay for me to replace the boiling water, isn’t it? Because it’s unbearably disgusting to submerge into the water you used before us.”
“This is so painful……! To be able to understand at my age the state of mind of fathers who have pubescent daughters……Ugh!”
For the “I don’t want to get into the same water as father” rumors I heard about to leave such a deep scar inside one’s heart once it’s said to one’s face……There were a lot of fathers countrywide who nonetheless endure this and keep working diligently for their daughters’ sake……How praiseworthy.
While I was respecting fathers from all around the country, Shirokusa cut in.
“Shiro, that’s so cruel!”
“Not really, isn’t this much obvious? After all, aren’t all men beasts?” (Pascal: Bad flag. Bad flag. At least maid-san is an idiot.)
“Extreme as always, Shion, aren’t you. But don’t say such cruel things to Suu-chan. That is a request from me.”
“……If Shiro-chan says so, then I’ll think about it.”
She’d only think about it and wouldn’t listen to what she’s being told. I was pretty sure of it.
It looked like Shirokusa noticed this too, but it seemed like she wouldn’t be emphasizing this point. It felt as if she had pointed it out multiple times, but there was no improvement regardless.
This girl didn’t look like she would listen to warnings.
“Oh, Suu-chan. If you’re going in first, wait a minute. I’ll change into something that can get wet.”
“”?!””
Ooragi-san and I opened our eyes wide.
“…… Shiro-chan, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“What do you mean by “what that supposed to mean”…Suu-chan can’t use one hand of his, so I’m about to wash his back. Is it weird?”
“It is!”
“It isn’t!”
My voice was heavy.
We involuntarily started turned to each other, and after mutual glaring……simultaneously turned away.
“Shiro-chan, it’s dangerous, so stop. Maru-san is the kind of person that if he were to wash Shiro-chan’s back, he’d be like, ‘I’ma pour water on you to make your outfit transparent, har har har!’”
“It’s painful that somehow it’s specific, and there is something to what you’re saying!”
“Apart from that, I think he’ll concentrate all his nerves on the spots you’re touching and will try to enjoy it!”
Hey, you know what, just at times like this, could you stop saying things as if you’re seeing through what people are thinking? I’m troubled because it’s hard to deny this, you know?
“……Um, okay. I can get inside myself, so I’m gonna be fine……”
Since I didn’t want to reveal any more perverted feelings, this was the only thing I could answer with.
“Are you sure you’ll gonna be fine?”
Shirokusa looked at me worriedly. I surfaced a bitter smile.
“Well, I did get in by myself yesterday, it’s inconvenient, but I’m telling you, I’ll be fine.”
“In that case, after all, I should──”
“No, you can’t, Shiro-chan! It’s too dangerous! If it’s come this far, then let me wash his back! With a scourer!”
“His back will die!”
It’s scary, because if it’s this girl, she might seriously go through with it...
All in all, Ooragi-san’s interference was too extreme, and I ended up getting inside alone.
Shirokusa seemed dissatisfied with the result and sighed deeply.
“Mou, with Shion, once it’s about Suu-chan, she always becomes so harsh.”
……Hmm? Always? Meaning, even before we met, she hated me? Why?
“Suu-chan has a naughty side to him, but he’s not the type of person that would do mean stuff.”
Having said this, Shirokusa turned to me with a beaming smile.
The direct affection that she would not show to our classmates.
I fervently chanted “do not misunderstand” to myself.
(If it was like that, then Shirokusa’s smile was so painful to watch────)
I noticed there was still some of the “first love’s poison” left inside me.
These feelings would not be rewarded. Because “love” and “respect” were far away.
The mind understood. But the heart did not work by the mind.
If this much direct affection was pointed toward me, I’d misunderstand, whether I liked it or not.
It was this much more──painful.
With me being like this, knowingly or not, Shirokusa pulled her black hair over her ears and gently whispered into my ears.
“So, I’ll be under your care from today on, Suu-chan.”
……Cute.
My first love came to my own house──
There was a good vibe in the air, and she talked sweetly to me──
Even so, life did not go on smoothly.
I sighed, having predicted that there would be a battle with reason held late at night.
＊
I got out of the bath and peeked at Sueharu’s room through my own room’s window.
The light was on, but there were no people in sight. On the first floor, the lights were still on. Even though it was past 11:30 PM, it seemed they were still inside the living room.
Slowly but steadily, my hands were sweating. Anxiety made my heart beat faster and deprived me of proper thinking.
“Shida-san, you seemed to have thought that being next door neighbors was an advantage but…that’s too bad, isn’t it? I can be closer than you.”
Words fired by Shirokusa just as I was leaving flashed into my head.
“Be closer.”
The destructive power of this one phrase was much larger than I could have ever imagined.
I thought I would be closer than anyone else. I thought this would never change.
The position of being a childhood friend was becoming unstable. I also thought this was the case.
(This is really bad……)
I knew that after the trip, Sueharu shortened the mental distance toward Shirokusa.
(Haru’s attitude toward Kachi-san, that’s surely……)
I clenched my back teeth and shook my head in denial.
I needed to make a comeback. If I did nothing, I would become distant from being fulfilled in love.
Get your brain fully operational. What do you had to do, what you mustn’t do, you needed to decide calmly. First, you needed to reverse the situation of Shirokusa staying over at Sueharu’s house. You needed to leave pride aside for the time being.
──It may be that now was the time to make a move.
Objectively speaking, the more I thought about it, the more difficult the situation seemed. That was how much I was cornered.
In a certain sense, it’s much worse than before rejecting the confession.
If I didn’t make a move now, it’s really──
For no special reason, I took the photo album off the shelf and stopped browsing after having encountered a certain photo.
The photo from the grade school graduation ceremony.
The place was in front of my house. But Sueharu had dark circles under his eyes and was looking sideways.
This sulky vibe. It was something that Sueharu showed after having de facto retired from the entertainment industry and only when things weren’t going well.
(──That’s right. At that time, there was definitely a special bond between Haru and me.)
The memories of mutually seeking and needing each other.
Now, time had passed, and it might not be as easily felt.
In case of which, I want to remember again. I want him to remember again.
The state of first love might be undergoing a change along time passing by.
But there were also things that did not change.
The feeling of love. And the pain inside my chest. I was pretty sure these wouldn’t change from now on, either.
……Oh.
Suddenly, I came up with something.
It was the second best plan but──with this, I wouldn’t lose.
If that’s the case, I could interfere with confidence.
First, let’s do something about living under one roof with Kachi-san. I wanted to thwart this soon.
Now I wanted a pretext. A pretext good enough to make a move.
But even if the best possible stage is set, I couldn’t see the result after all.
But I should have a better chance than last time.
I did have some anxiety. But it’s impossible to obtain a big result without any challenge.
“Stupid Sueharu. Even though I want you to confess……Don’t give up after a single attempt, you, you!”
I attacked the Sueharu inside the picture with her index finger.
“Even if I say so, it’s too convenient for me after all, huh?”
Surfacing a bitter smile, I reflected on this, closed the album and put it back on the shelf.
And in the next moment, my eyes were already focused on the battle taking place from tomorrow.
Pascal: Hi everything, long time no interaction. I have been dying in school since 2022 started. I also basically fell out with the tl I had planned to take over the series because he more or less never did anything (like 1/14th) of this that I ended up redoing anyway). I think that was like around the new year, but this prologue was so darn long that I didn’t really feel motivated to post before I went back to school. Lo and behold, someone called dulce_de_leche emails me saying he’s interested in translating this series. And he actually seems to know what he’s doing AND can go pretty fast. So ya. I’ll be editing and publishing this series like I used to be as long as he continues to translate. Make sure to thank him cus I’m not really the one doing the heavy lifting here. Also join the Pascal's Wurld Discord if you want. Expect relatively consistent releases from now on. I also noticed that some grammar and other errors were slipping through when that wouldn't have happened before, so please tell me if anything is off or doesn't work.