CH 17

I tried to recreate the way grandpa surprised me in the past, but it didn’t work, so I decided to carry out the next strategy.

It’s 10 pm. My parents already sleep soundly, but my brother is probably still awake.

I quietly get out of my room and take out the thing I bought from the hardware store. I stood on the engawa in front of my brother’s room. When I opened the shoji door little by little, my brother was looking at his smartphone in the dark.

“Cha-cha-cha-Onii-chan~!”

Even when I call him out with a shrill voice, my brother didn’t even flinch.

“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”

“No, I’m want to show you something!”

It will be cold because of the outside air, so I put the blanket I borrowed from grandpa on my brother’s futon. Then I went back to the garden and set what I had prepared. After I ignited the matchstick, my prepared rocket fireworks launched into the sky.

“… huh?”

The fireworks rise steadily in the sky with a popping sound. I bought fireworks at the hardware store thinking he might actually never see fireworks on snow before.

I can’t do it at our home because it might bother the neighbours, but in here, between the houses has quite a distance. So, I can only do it here. My brother probably will find human corpses more beautiful than the fireworks, but he will love the moment when something is burning.

“Look, fireworks! There is a lot!”

I ignited fireworks one after another. The light colour changed and sparkles like rain. The sight of sparks falling on the pilled snow is very beautiful. As if he was attracted to the fireworks, he stood on the porch with a blanket on his shoulder. This may be a good reaction.

“Amazing, it’s beautiful.”

“The fire is roaring!”

“‘Roaring’ you say…”

My brother smiled bitterly, but it’s not a bad reaction. It may be a good little experience. I picked up one fountain stick firework that I was going to use and gave it to my brother.

“Onii-chan take one too!”

“Me too?”

“Yeah! Here, I’ll light it!”

My brother is staring at the bursting fireworks, and he doesn’t seem to be interested…. or not? It’s a subtle feeling, but I think it’s better than the reaction so far.

“Fufufu~”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Why, indeed?”

When I said that while laughing, my brother turned his firework to me.

“Hey! It’s dangerous!! No way! Are you crazy?!”

It’s a dangerous act. Don’t try this at home. It is even written in the fireworks manual that pointing a firework towards people is dangerous. When I protested, my brother laughed, “I didn’t aim you.” I was sure he was going to aim it towards me. I should take note to never give my brother a fountain stick firework, He might burn me to death.

“That’s what all pyromaniacs said. Scary, you are crazy. Okay, no more fountain fireworks. Here, take sparkler.”

I gave a sparkler that seemed to be less lethal to my brother. The flame burns like a small lantern with frizzling sound. Watching my brother’s sparkle made me wants it too, so I stopped igniting the rocket fireworks and I picked up another sparkler.

“Hey, let’s compete to see which one extinguish first.”

“That’s unfair, isn’t it? Mine will die soon.”

Even though he said so, he doesn’t look dissatisfied. After I said, “The one whose firework extinguish first will have to listen to the other’s request once.”

“What would you do if Onii-chan win?”

“I wonder. Maybe… for you to not dive into the pond again?”

“I haven’t dived into pond anymore lately.”

Technically, I can’t dive into the pond because it froze in winter, but on another side, my brother seems bored with it. Also, I haven’t dived into the pond recently because it’s inefficient. After I jumped, I have to take a bath and wasted a lot of time.

“Then what about Mai?”

“I want Onii-chan’s free-pass ticket for a day.”

And I will take him somewhere on the day of the death game. In short, it’s kidnapping. Even though I don’t intend to use any violence, but when push comes to shove, I will use any means.

“Isn’t it unfair?”

“It’s not unfair. Ah, nooo!!!”

While I was replying to my brother, my firework died off with a plop. Even though my brother’s firework was supposed to be died off first. When I was dumbfounded, my brother looked at me with a satisfied face.

“What kind of request should I give you~?”

“Only apply to things I can do, ok? Because I can’t do things like giving money.”

“Alright. Hmm, what should I ask, I wonder~?”

My brother says so and pretends to ponder about it. It might be just my thought, but maybe he didn’t have any expectations of me. In the first place, people who only do as said are just like a doll and can’t take any initiative themselves. Well, I feel sad when I think about it…

“Well, just tell me another time. It will still be valid until next year, or another year.”

“Oh, is it fine?”

My brother smiled at my words, “then, I will think about it carefully.” His smile, as always, still feels deep.

But somehow, I can see my brother who received my surprises, has changed. I still want to be with my brother next year and next, next year. So that grandpa can feel at ease too. With firm determination, I gazed up at the night sky with my brother.

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T/N: Hey, long time no see, sorry for the late update. A lot to say but I don’t have much time right now, so, enjoy the chapter!