Volume 9 - CH 4

“…What should we do about this?”

That evening, as Masamune and I rode up the elevator to her apartment, I asked her.

“…Isn’t it fine? Let’s go on a date with them, and have some fun.”

“You’re so nonchalant about this…”

“I’m not nonchalant at all, it’s just that a lot happened today.” Masamune grew quiet.

Just as she said, a lot happened—The Suzutsuki Revolution, right after Masamune announced her relationship with me. This piece of information spread through the school like a wildfire. That makes sense, both Konoe and Suzutsuki are famous all over the school, and the kiss had more than enough impact. Since we actually had classes, things called down momentarily, but naturally that didn’t help with making the rumours die down.

Rumours are saying that both the [S4] and the [Watch Over Committee] stopped acting all-together. Or rather, they pretty much broke down. I don’t blame them, Suzutsuki turned into Subaru-sama’s girlfriend after all. Though I have to say, there are so many things that still don’t make any sense.

This incident Suzutsuki caused was clearly different from any of her previous actions. It vastly crossed the line of being a mere joke or prank. Not to mention that I still don’t understand why she did that. She’s gone rampant. This isn’t like Suzutsuki. On the outside, she played it off with a perfect poker face, but I feel like she must have been anxious on the inside. Maybe she was bothered about the secret Konoe and I have, which was because of my failed attempt at a confession?

Not to mention that Konoe didn’t say anything in regards to that either. She’s been her butler this entire time, but suddenly becoming a couple is greatly crossing the limits of what I would have expected. What confuses me the most however…is Masamune’s attitude. She believed Suzutsuki’s nonsense head-on, and agreed to go on the double date, so her actions are the most nonsensical. She and Suzutsuki should be mortal enemies. Then there’s also the part where she’s oddly focused on this November…

“…Haaaa…” I sighed and resigned myself.

There’s way too many questions I have yet to get answered. Not to mention that I was never the type to really think things through before I acted. I’ve lived my life only moving forward. That’s why this situation is pretty tough to say the least. Maybe I should move directly towards Suzutsuki and try to clear up this nonsense…

“Well, this isn’t so bad once in a while, right?” The second we arrived at our destination thanks to the elevator, Masamune said so with a joyful tone. “See, since I’m poor, I don’t really get many chances to head out and have fun like that, so going on a date in town was something I could only look forward to. That’s why, it should be fine if we just enjoy the weekend.”

“I mean, sure. Just…are you fine with someone like me?”

The fact that we’re dating was a lie to begin with, so I wonder how she feels? Things are pretty similar now compared to the school festival, but there were some more complicated reasons now.

“……”

We left the elevator, and as we walked down the hallway, Masamune grew silent. However, right as she opened up the room with her key…

“…I don’t mind.”

“Eh?”

I looked at her in shock, only to find her cheeks reddened. And then…

“L-Like I said…I don’t mind if it’s you…!”

“………”

…Stop. Hold on, she’s fine with me…? Does this mean…

“Ah…D-Don’t get the wrong idea. I just meant that I don’t have to be considerate around you since we’ve lived together for the past month! I didn’t mean it any other way, okay! You understand!?”

“Y-Yeah.” Being pushed back by Masamune’s forceful attitude, I could only nod.

…Well, that makes sense. I walked inside the living room, and turned on the lights. For a second, I thought that Masamune might actually have feelings for me, but…that can’t be the case. We’re friends—family after all. She’s been lonely without having a family around, and Kureha and I were searching for a place to live. We’re just living together in order to grant both our wishes. Even so, I feel like we did well coming to terms with each other. All because Masamune, Kureha, and I—

“…Hm?”

There, another doubt popped up inside my head. Just now, I turned on the lights in the hallway, and living room. That meant nobody else was home before us. So…where is Kureha? I haven’t seen her since we split up this morning. According to Masamune, the handicrafts club had no practice today, so she should have been home before us. Maybe she met up with friends? Maybe homeroom took longer, and that’s why…?

“S-Stupid chicken!”

However, my naive thoughts were immediately disproven by Masamune’s panicking voice.

“L-Look at this! On the table of the living room!” She sounded like she was flustered.

I looked at the living room table, and found a single sheet of paper, approximately A4 size. Written on there was a single sentence, with adorable handwriting.

—I am leaving for a trip. Please don’t look for me. By Sakamachi Kureha

“………”

Hey hey hey hey. Hold on a damn second. Is this like I’ve seen in a TV drama before…the letter where she announces that she’s…

“W-What should we do…She ran away from home…right?” Masamune muttered, as she looked at the paper.

……This isn’t good. I completely forgot because of the chaos this morning, but…my little sister, Sakamachi Kureha, likes Konoe. And, she was also pretty close with Suzutsuki. As a result of that, she might have been shocked a bit too much because of this morning’s Suzutsuki Revolution. On top of that, Masamune declared that the two of us are dating. Maybe…she felt awkward at being around us?

If this was me, I definitely wouldn’t want to be here. Living in the same place as a couple is just…Yikes. That’s probably why she decided to run away.

“…Damn it!”

“Ah…stupid chicken! Where are you going!?”

“Are you really asking me that!? I’m gonna search for Kureha!” I screamed, as I ran out of the living room.

That idiot! What do you mean ‘I am leaving for a trip’, huh!? She’s clearly been influenced by those shitty TV dramas out there…!

“Calm down! Do you even know where she could have gone!?”

“Hell do I know! I’ll just look through the entire town!”

“That’s far too inefficient! Please, just calm down! We won’t be able to find her if we start panicking…”

“My little sister ran away from home, how could I be calm about this!”

…That’s right. Even if she tortures me as a punching bag every morning, she’s my blood-related little sister, my family. That’s why I have to hurry!

“…Stupid chicken!”

Right as I was about to run down the hallway, towards the entrance, Masamune called out to me. Or rather, she had already clung to me in a desperate attempt to make me stop.

“…M-Masamune?”

Because of this sudden action, my brain managed to calm down instantaneously. Instead, I felt a warm sensation on my back. Immediately after, my gynophobia started activating. These two factors immediately made my head cool down. However, what helped the most in that was—

“…Don’t go.” She muttered with a voice about to disappear.

For some reason, Masamune started crying, as she clung to me. And, she continued with a teary voice.

“Please…don’t leave me as well…”

“B-But…”

“…I know. I know that you want to look for your sister. But…don’t go alone…Take me with you…Don’t leave me alone again…” Masamune declared with a teary voice.

“……”

…I see. Maybe she was scared. This emotion came to me after I’ve finally calmed down.

“…!”

…Shit. I’m such an idiot. I’m not the only one who’s shocked that Kureha ran away. Throughout this whole month of us living together, Masamune must have formed a connection with Kureha to the point that she was devastated at this event. We’ve already become a family. That’s why—she must have been scared. What if I didn’t come home again either? These worries probably filled her head.

“Stupid chicken…stupid chicken…!”

Like a broken record, Masamune simply called out my name, as she clung to me. My gynophobia was starting to act up, but I tried my best to suppress that. The best I could do was to first calm down Masamune, and then carefully look for Kureha—

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—

My phone vibrated, informing me of an incoming call. That melody cut directly through the silence.

“…Sorry, Masamune.”

It might be Kureha after all. I gently pushed away Masamune, took out my phone, and confirmed the number on the screen—It was a number I didn’t know. Even so, I accepted the call.

‘Ah, hello? Is this Onii-chan’s phone?’

The voice I heard sounded like it could be straight out of an anime.

“S-Schrö-senpai?”

Indeed, the one calling me was Narumi Schrödinger. But, why does she have my number? I don’t remember telling her…

‘Ohh, Onii-chan, doing good?’

“No…Not really. There’s something stuff going on…”

‘Yup, I know. Your sister ran away from home, right?’

“…What?” I let out a dumbfounded voice.

‘…Don’t you worry.’ Schrö-senpai said, and continued with a calm voice. ‘Your sister came to my place. That’s why, you don’t need to go looking for her. Just relax.’

“………”

Just as Schrö-senpai told me, all strength left my knees, and I sank to the ground.

×

‘Well, a lot happened today, right? You declared that you’re dating Usamin, and Subaru-sama and Suzutsuki Kanade are now dating as well. It’s a big scandal. The name Suzutsuki Revolution sure is a good fit.’

Even as I sunk down on the ground, Schrö-senpai kept talking with her anime-esque voice.

‘That being said, your sister couldn’t handle that, and came to my place.’

“…I’m sorry, if only I was a bit more careful…”

‘No need to be so down about it. You were in the center of that incident, you probably had your own problems to worry about, right?’

“…Yes. But, why did Kureha come to your home?”

‘Ahh, it’s probably because she was looking for a place to stay herself. So, she probably thought of coming to my place, since we’re fellow students and members of the same club…Right? Not to mention that this is also Nakuru’s home, so she probably felt some sort of connection here.’ Schrö-senpai said it like it was obvious.

Ahh, I see. She’s in the same class as Nakuru, and they’re part of the same club. That’s why it wouldn’t be weird for her to ask Nakuru for help.

‘You probably don’t know, Onii-chan, but Kureha’s been visiting here regularly as of late. That’s why we immediately agreed to take her in.’

“…Thank you very much. Then, I’ll go and pick her up.”

I can’t have my little sister stay at someone else’s home. With these thoughts, I offered this, but…

‘No need for that~’ Schrö-senpai immediately declined. ‘We’ll take care of her for a while. Luckily, our place is pretty big, and we have another room, so we have no problems with another person living here~’

“B-But…”

‘Not to mention, think about your feelings. Her beloved Subaru-sama has a girlfriend now, and it’s a senior she’s been fairly close with. On top of that, her own Onii-chan got himself a girlfriend as well. She’s been beaten down for sure.’

“That is true, but…”

I knew that she was the reasonable one in this case. Now that she thinks that Masamune and I are dating, it’s probably hard for her to come home. Even if she’s trained in wrestling techniques, she still is an adolescent girl. She’s at a delicate age.

‘That’s why, just let her stay here for a while. Don’t you worry, I don’t mind it if things are a bit more noisy over here. Also, my old man is happy as well.’

“Your father? You mean the company president of that toy manufacturer?”

I feel like he’s the one who led to the existence of that Silent Sheep nonsense.

‘Yeah, he was like “Now I can have someone do an endurance test on the new toys at home!”, you know.’

“Endurance test?”

‘Put simply, he plans on having Kureha do her wrestling moves on the plush toys and so on.’

“Aren’t you just making Kureha relieve her stress!?”

‘Ahaha, you can say that. She’s amazing, she’s like an endless supply of wrestling techniques. It’s better than her breaking down from the stress, right?’

“Well, you’re not wrong…”

‘Not to mention that there’s Nakuru here. She’s got a friend to console her.’

“Oh yeah, how did Nakuru take the shock from today?”

She’s the president of the [Watch Over Committee] after all. With the declaration that Masamune and I are dating. On top of that, there’s Konoe and Suzutsuki as well…

‘She seems to be a bit down, sure…but she has to work on her own stuff. She feels responsible, see. She’s got a lot of fans who read her novels. Not to mention…’

“Not to mention?”

‘Now that her desires in the 3D world are gone, she’s probably going to become more passionate about her work, right? Even if it’s different from reality, she can make her own desires come true that way.’

“I see…”

Basically, now that her BL fantasies have been crushed, she’s going to seek refuge in her novels. So…they will become even more extreme BL between me and Konoe…

‘Well, just forgive her this once. Creating stories like that is her reason for living. Also, she’s only writing the stories that her fans want to read, so she wants to make all of them happy.’

“I understand…You’re taking care of Kureha, so that’s the least I can do.”

‘Alright, negotiations complete, I’d say. Anyway, we’ll let your sister stay at our place for a bit longer. She’ll calm down eventually, so just wait until then.’

“…Thank you very much. But…I didn’t expect this.”

‘Hm? What exactly?’

“I mean, weren’t you and Kureha on bad terms?”

Even this morning, they were pretty much close to fighting. Yet, she simply accepted Kureha like this…

‘Hey now, Onii-chan.’ There, Schrö-senpai sounded a bit angry. ‘Don’t underestimate me.’

“……”

‘Listen. I’m Narumi Schrödinger, the vice captain of the Rouran Academy handicrafts club, and the top rank in our club ranking, remember? I know how to take care of a junior of mine, so don’t look down on me like that.’

“Schrö-senpai…”

‘Not to mention, I may be fighting with your sister a lot, but we’re not on bad terms or anything like that. We wouldn’t be fighting like that if we were not that close. That’s why, just relax and leave her to us. I’m glad I found someone that will let me let out some stress.’

“………”

‘Also…this is a bit of a personal worry, but let me change the topic a bit.’

“…What is it?”

There, Schrö-senpai continued with a serious tone.

‘Please take care of Usamin.’

“……”

‘Just between us, she’s been a lot more cheerful lately. It’s probably because she’s been living with you and Kureha, I’m sure. She’s opened up a lot towards the club members, to the point where I would have never imagined it.’

“………”

‘However, Usamin is still a bit anxious. That’s why, be careful, okay? You live together with her, so make sure to treasure Usamin.’

“…I understand.”

‘Also, I think you can maybe take the first step and do something a bit more lewd with her. As long as it’s not anything deviant.’

“I wasn’t planning on doing anything like that!”

Naturally, no lewd stuff either. I can’t tell Schrö-senpai, but we’re not even dating.

‘Ahaha. Well, that’s what I wanted to say, so I’ll be hanging up now. Turned into a pretty long call, huh.’

“No no no, I’m really glad about what you did for Kureha. But, can I just say one thing before we hang up?”

‘Hm? What is it?’ Schrö-senpai asked, sounding somewhat confused.

I calmly continued.

“Schrö-senpai, you’re a really good person.”

‘!’

“Honestly speaking, I’ve never met someone as kind as you. You’re even caring for your juniors like this.”

‘Wha…wha…!’

“You’re a perfect example of a senior, and a vice club president. Narumi Schrödinger, thank you very much. I’m really grateful for your kindness, Schrö-senpai.”

‘Sh…Shut up! Don’t praise me! Don’t call me kind! I told you before, but I hate being praised!’

“I’m just stating the truth, though?”

‘~~~!? Y-You dummy! Onii-chan, you big dummy! I’m never calling you again!’ Schrö-senpai screamed, and hung up the call.

Well, I was serious about what I said. In this case, Schrö-senpai is someone I definitely need to thank in this incident.

“Still…”

That damn Deredinger-san, acting like a perfect tsundere just because is praised. Seriously…she’s so damn cute.

“…Stupid chicken, were you talking with the vice prez?” Masamune called out to me, guessing who I was talking to on the phone.

Since quite some time passed, her tears had finally stopped.

“Yeah. Kureha’s at Schrö-senpai’s place.”

“I see, thank god…” Masamune sighed in relief.

That’s right, I was finally allowed to relax as well. Now that I know where Kureha is, I don’t have to worry about her anymore. Though I’m still a bit anxious about the date on the weekend, I can ignore that for another time. So for today, I’ll just get some rest…

“H-Hey, stupid chicken.” There, Masamune interrupted my thoughts. “When will she be coming back?”

“Eh? Well…she’ll probably stay at Schrö-senpai’s place for a bit longer. Now that we’re technically dating, that would probably be the best possible solution.”

Having Kureha gone like that, Masamune must be lonely, but she can still meet her at the club and school, so she should be fine.

“…Eh?”

To my surprise, Masamune seemed flustered about something. And then, she started blushing furiously.

“H-Hey, stupid chicken.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“W-Well, I was just wondering…Doesn’t this mean that…it’ll just be the two of us living here?” She seemed to suppress her embarrassment to the best of her ability, as she asked me.

“……”

…Save me, Schrödinger-san. I found myself considering running away to her home.