Volume 10 - CH 3
It was the 5th of December, with two weeks having passed since Masamune’s birthday, and the very first Sunday in December. In these two weeks, we’ve reached winter by quite a bit, and the temperature outside has dropped drastically. You could even see students walking to school wearing scarfs. Maybe I should hurry and prepare myself. But, the bigger problem is…
“…Will Konoe-senpai come today, I wonder?”
We stood on a small plaza near the train station. Because it was a school-free day, things were a bit more crowded than usual, as Kureha muttered these words. Indeed, today is the 5th of December, the day of the date. Naturally, I was talking about the date of Sakamachi Kureha and Konoe Subaru. Kureha wore a pink cardigan with a short skirt and knee-socks. I was worried if she was feeling cold because of her short skirt, but she probably really wanted to dress up for the date.
Right now, it was 2.35pm. She was supposed to meet Konoe at 3pm flat, so there’s still some time left. As for why we’re all gathered here…
“It’s fine, Sakamachi. You texted Subaru-sama, right?” Masamune said, attempting to cheer up Kureha.
Over these past two weeks, Masamune had fully recovered from her cold. She even sounded a bit disappointed while saying ‘…A bit longer wouldn’t have hurt’, but a person’s health is the most important.
“You better be thankful, I even helped you come up with the mail to write.”
“Right…To think Usamin-senpai would check my mail to make it look more feminine…”
“W-What about it!? I did it for your sake! It’s because you said ‘I’m too embarrassed to write Subaru-sama a mail!’, okay!”
“Well, that is true…I didn’t expect that Subaru-sama would be taking two whole weeks off at school…” Kureha said, letting out an exhausted sigh.
That’s right, both Konoe and Suzutsuki did not come to school for the past two weeks. We grew worried and asked our homeroom teacher, who told us that they were both bedridden with a cold. Since Masamune caught a cold, it seemed plausible that it was just another seasonal thing…but I found that hard to believe.
—Let’s meet again tomorrow, at school.
On a Sunday two weeks ago, this is what Suzutsuki told me. She didn’t seem sick in the slightest back then, so her taking off two whole weeks seems off. I was curious, and went to visit them, only to be held back by Ichigo-san. She argued that it would be bad if I caught a cold, so she didn’t let me in according to Suzutsuki’s wishes. But…
“……”
Maybe I should have ignored Ichigo-san and forcefully barged into their apartment. After all, neither of them are coming to school. I had this odd feeling that it wasn’t just a cold, but rather something else. And, I might have an idea—namely, Suzutsuki being unable to trust other people. Being told by Masamune, she probably received a bigger shock than expected, so she decided to take some time off school together with her butler Konoe.
“Hey, Kureha, how are Konoe and Suzutsuki doing? You asked them, right?”
“Yeah. According to Konoe-senpai, they’re feeling a lot better now, and that they could probably come to school tomorrow. If they weren’t any better, I’m sure that Konoe-senpai would have rejected my invitation today.”
“…I see.”
Well, if my assumption is correct, then I guess that they just can’t miss any more classes. Can’t be seen as shut-ins after all.
“…I hope they come back to school soon.” Masamune showed a somewhat complicated expression.
She probably still is worried about what she said to Suzutsuki before. As a result of that, even after she recovered from her cold, she was lacking her usual energy. Not to mention that she has yet to ask for the response to her confession. Maybe…she feels guilty? That’s why she’s probably forgetting about the confession until everything about Suzutsuki has revolved. It’s almost like…she can’t accept that only she can be happy.
“But, I’m surprised you managed to invite Konoe out on a date.”
Even if Masamune helped with the mail, to think Kureha could be this bold.
“Don’t worry, I came up with a proper reason.” Kureha said.
“Hmm…Something like ‘Please help me shopping’?”
“W-Well, something like that.”
Kureha awkwardly averted her gaze. Hm, what’s that attitude for? Is she hiding something from me? Thinking about it, both Masamune and Konoe were oddly panicky when it came to the plan. I mean, I was part of it mid-way, until they kicked me out, saying that only girls should be talking about it. When I was about to say ‘Wouldn’t a boy’s opinion be valuable as well?’, I remembered that Konoe was a girl, so it’s two girls going out shopping.
“We have it all down. If something happens, we’ll help you, Sakamachi.” Masamune puffed out her chest, seeming confident.
Seeing her like that, I only grew more worried. The reason we were both here was to watch over Kureha’s date with Konoe. That’s why our job was to follow them. It genuinely makes me feel like we’re stalking them. To think a day like this would come.
“But, what about topics to talk about and all that? Are you sure you can even make it feel like a date?”
“No worries. I put a hands-free phone into Sakamachi’s pocket, so she’ll be able to hear us during.”
“Is that really going to work out?”
“Nyahaha. No problem, Nii-san. After all, I came up with a plan for my date!”
“A plan, huh…”
No clue what kind of plan, but I’ll just pray that everything works out. It’d be the best if it ended without any big trouble.
“……”
Still, a date, huh. It might be a bit late to think that, but I’m a bit surprised at Kureha’s actions. I never thought she was the type to actually work towards her love like that. Since she was only fixated on wrestling, she has practically no experience in love, and she never really tried to woo over Konoe until now. Not to mention the Suzutsuki Revolution that happened last month. Suzutsuki declared that she and Konoe were dating, and even kissed her. That’s why, Kureha should have no faith that she has any shot with Konoe. Yet, she invited her out on a date…
“………”
Or, maybe she had another reason she desperately needed to invite Konoe like this?
“Ah, it’s time now. Nii-san, Usamin-senpai, go hide. Konoe-senpai can’t figure out that you’re here.” She smiled with a bright grin.
Maybe she’s trying to hide her tension, acting even more energetic than usual. Knowing her, she’s pretty nervous in front of Konoe.
“Alright, then, Sakamachi. I pray for your luck in battle.”
“Yes! Make sure to properly watch over me, that gives me much more power!”
They spoke like two soldiers who headed off into battle, and Masamune took her distance from Kureha. Naturally, I followed her. Still, ‘Watch over me’, huh. I guess she is nervous. Should be her first time going on a date with a boy.
“…Geez.”
Despite it being Kureha, she sure is acting feminine now. Can’t help it, I’ll watch over her. Having her rely on me was a breath of fresh air, and it made her look more adorable as well. As I was thinking that, both Masamune and I watched over Kureha from the corner of the plaza.
‘Ah…G-Good morning, Konoe-shenpai!’
‘Hey. Morning, Kureha-chan.’
From the phone, I could hear a clear alto voice. Naturally, that could only belong to Konoe. She wore her usual male clothes with a black vest, and tight pants. Well, Kureha doesn’t know that Konoe is a girl, so that choice is to be expected.
‘Konoe-senpai, have you recovered from your cold?’
‘Ah…Yeah, I’m feeling much better.’
I heard the conversation between the two from my phone that was connected to Kureha’s. Eavesdropping was successful. I guess Masamune’s plan was successful. By the way, I feel like this call is going to cost a whole lot, but recent services apparently allow you to get a family tariff.
“Stupid chicken, make sure that Subaru-sama doesn’t see us.”
“I know, I know.”
I whispered, as I hid behind the vending machine in the corner of the plaza. I’m starting to feel like a spy here. Well, with so many people around, it’ll be hard to see us.
‘…Hm.’
‘Huh? What’s wrong, Konoe-senpai?’
‘…Well, maybe it’s just my imagination, but it felt like somebody was watching us.’
I take that back, Konoe-san is far too sensitive. To think she’d catch on to our presence this quickly…She’s like an impala in the savannah.
‘A-Ahaha, it must be your imagination, Senpai. Maybe you’re still feeling a bit under the weather?’ Kureha showed an awkward smile, as she tried to provide a follow-up.
‘…Yeah, you might be right.’ Konoe showed a conflicted expression.
……Maybe she’s still bothered by what I said two weeks ago? About how we should stop being best friends for a while. I mean, it’s my fault. Not to mention that both Konoe and Suzutsuki took two weeks off, and I was busy nursing Masamune back to health, so we couldn’t talk at all.
‘T-Then, Konoe-senpai, how about we get going?’
‘Got it. But, where are we going?’
‘No worries! Just as I said in the mail, I already planned out everything!’
Kureha still seemed a bit nervous, as she kept talking with a fast voice, walking on ahead.
‘Ah, wait for me, Kureha-chan!’ Konoe quickly followed after her.
“Now then, we have to follow them as well.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Uwah, Masamune sure seems motivated about this. She’s like a detective from a TV drama.
“Oh yeah, where is Kureha heading now?”
As we mixed in with the crowd, following them, I asked Masamune. Kureha walked down the street near the train station, with several stores everywhere. From what I heard, the person who came up with most of the plan today was actually Masamune, so she should know where we’re heading.
“No need to rush, you’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“Hm. Well, what message did you have Kureha send to Konoe?”
“It was a simple ‘Please help me with my shopping’. At first, we thought of going to the amusement park or the aquarium, but…that seemed a bit too hard for Sakamachi.”
“Yeah, makes sense.”
Whenever it comes to Konoe, Kureha is like a small animal facing a wild beast. If she went to any popular date spots with Konoe, I doubt she could handle it.
“That’s why, I decided on a normal shopping trip for their first date.”
“A safe choice, alright. But, what are they going to buy?”
“That’s…” Masamune went silent for a moment. “A present for you.”
“……”
Now hold on. I’m not following it at all. Why would Kureha and Konoe go out to buy a present for me?
“Hey! Don’t give me such a perplexed look!”
“What did you expect!? Everybody would be surprised about this!”
“It was a genius idea! Listen, the mail Kureha sent to Subaru-sama went like this: ‘I want to buy a present for Nii-san, could you help me choose one?’, okay.”
“That sure came out of nowhere.”
“Can’t help it, it’s all a trick to get Subaru-sama to agree.”
“A trick…”
Well, I get what she was plotting with this. Konoe and I were fairly close, and since Kureha knows what I like and don’t like, she chose Konoe as the partner. This nasty rabbit really used me as bait for this. And curse Kureha for simply agreeing to that.
“But, wouldn’t Konoe be suspicious if it came out of nowhere like that?”
“You think so? Sakamachi wrote ‘I want to thank Nii-san for his daily duties!’.”
“Daily duties?”
“Something about you being her punching bag.”
“I don’t want any gratitude for that!”
What kind of cursed reason is that? If she was serious about that, then I definitely don’t want a present. Just give me some sort of compensation fee.
“No worries, since Subaru-sama actually came here, it means that he believes her.”
“Not wrong, but…”
“Why not be a bit more happy? Whatever they’re buying today will be an actual present for you.”
“Why!?”
“It’d be bad if Subaru-sama figured out that it was a lie, right? That’s why she’ll actually buy a present for you. The lie becomes the truth.”
“W-What sophism…It’s all just nonsense.”
“What’s the problem? Or, are you not happy? You’re getting a present from your younger sister, right?”
“……”
I felt a shiver running down my spine. Her taste is completely different from your average person. Same goes for Konoe. I really don’t want a present from them.
“R-Right, so what are they going to shop for?”
“I told you…Just wait a bit. See, they’re here.”
With Masamune’s words, I turned my gaze back at the two. They reached the corner of the street, standing in front of a shop. The shop window was shining brightly, its outer colors filled with an innocent white. It looked comparatively big of a shop, filled with female customers…
“…Hold on now.”
A new and bright window, filled with objects that looked all too familiar—Sheep. They were plush toys of deformed sheep, with sharp teeth and a red mouth……It’s the Silent Sheep. That’s right, it looked like the doctor out of a certain movie, still as popular as ever. As you may have guessed by my description, they reached a merch shop solely made for the Silent Sheep.
×
“Masamune! So that was your strategy!” Pointing at Kureha and Konoe walking inside the store, I screamed.
“W-What’s the problem? It’s the perfect place for a date, right? Subaru-sama loves that Silent Sheep after all.” The nasty rabbit showed a grin.
Damn it, it really is the right choice. Konoe loves that monster, and that’s the reason Kureha came to like it as well once the second term rolled around. That’s why, this is probably the most perfect spot for these two. But…
“Do you not like that sheep?”
“It just gives me the creeps.”
“Well, it is a surreal design, alright. But, isn’t it fine? Not like you’re going to buy it.”
“But, I’ll get it as a present, right!?”
This is the worst. To think that day where I would have to keep this grotesque thing in my room would come this quickly. I might just get cursed at the end of the day. Ahh, all the sheep in this world are going to haunt me.
‘Nya~ So cute.’
‘Y-Yeah! You’re right!’
As I was feeling uneasy, I heard these excited voices coming from Konoe and Kureha. I’m happy that Konoe’s feeling a bit better now, but I still don’t know how to feel about this. Her taste couldn’t be farther from a male butler.
“Come on, let’s go as well. Just be careful not to get caught.”
“…Yeah yeah.”
Urged by Masamune, I followed her to the store. I’d really love to give the manufacturer of this cursed plush toy a complaint, but most terrifyingly enough, it’s actually been selling really well. Otherwise this whole place wouldn’t exist.
“Woah.”
The second we reached the entrance, I couldn’t hold back a shocked voice. I ran into a giant Silent Sheep costume. Damn, the size is no joke. It reminds me of the one Nakuru was wearing before, although it’s a bit smaller compared to then. I tried to ignore it and move on with my day…But the second the costume passed me, it felt like our eyes met.
“……”
For some reason, it was oddly fixated on me the second I tried to walk inside. Wouldn’t even give me any flyers. I mean, not like I wanted one, but that stare is a bit creepy. Do I have something on my face?
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Masamune’s voice forced me to take a step inside. Honestly speaking, I’m not feeling all too comfortable with this. After all, there’s really only female customers inside. It’s like I walked into the shoujo aisle at the bookstore. Something stopped me from calming down, making me feel embarrassed.
“Subaru-sama and the others are…Ah, over there!”
We hid in the shadow of a shelf, and locked on to Konoe and Kureha. Since the inside of the place was pretty spacey, we had no trouble hiding. Then again, they were completely engrossed with the sheep.
‘So Kureha-chan, we’ll be buying a present for Jirou here? Does Jirou like the Silent Sheep?’
‘Y-Yes! He’s completely fallen for this cutie!’
I heard their two voices from across the phone…Stop. Please, don’t twist my interests like that. I at the very least can’t stand this thing.
“…Ahh…what should I do if they give me a plush toy as a present…”
“Maybe you can use it as a punching bag? It’ll be a good stress relief, I bet.”
“I feel like I’ll only collapse from the stress instead…”
I probably will end up with insomnia just by having one in my room. Maybe I would have to get medicine for that somewhere down the line. What a horrible future, really.
“But, since we’re here already, I might just buy something myself.”
“Are you being serious right now!?”
“I mean, they might have some talismans.”
“These aren’t some Okinawa seashells!”
I personally wanted to escape from this hell as quickly as possible. To get a bit of a change of pace, I looked around inside the store. But, I couldn’t find anything interesting. Or rather, everything in here just screams hell. All of the stuff in here is probably more like an evil item than a present. For example, look at this alarm clock. It was shaped like the Silent Sheep, with a woman’s voice screaming ‘Slaughter! Murderer!’. Rather than waking up, I’d probably get a heart attack and never wake up again.
Besides that, I spotted goods that would probably kill you in one way or another…and yet all the customers were looking around, even buying those goods, with such joy…Maybe they’re part of some cult, all hypnotized?
“See, they’re all happy. You never know what will end up popular.”
“I feel like you should probably get your eyes checked out before buying this nonsense.”
I was in shock at this mountain of Silent Sheep goods in front of me. Why are they selling this much? Maybe this country itself is rotten? Is the economy of this place going to be okay?
‘Hmmm, I wonder which one would be the best?’
‘Maybe this plush toy?’
‘It is cute, but Nii-san isn’t the type of person to gather plush toys.’
‘Really…It’s so cute though…’
‘Hehe, Konoe-senpai, you can be quite feminine with your interests, I see.’
‘…!? Y-You’re wrong! I don’t like cute things…!’ Butler-kun blushed furiously, as she embraced the plush toy in her arms.
Seeing that, Kureha let out a snicker as well.
“……”
Huh. This is going better than expected. Thinking about it, those two have met back in April, so they actually know each other quite a bit. From an outsider’s perspective, they must look like junior and senior. I still don’t know why Kureha suddenly brought up this date, but if they’re having fun…
‘—A present for Jirou, huh.’
There, I heard a somewhat anguished alto voice. With a grieving expression, Konoe closely inspected the Silent Sheep.
‘Hm? Konoe-senpai, is something wrong?’
‘…No, I was just thinking that maybe I should give Jirou a present myself.’
‘…? Did something happen between the two of you?’
‘…No, not really.’ Konoe showed a smile devoid of any strength.
With that scenery in front of me, I felt pain deep inside my chest…So, Konoe really wants to make up with me, I guess? Of course, if it was possible, then I’d love to do so. I want to eat lunch with her like before, talk about this and that, and try to fix my gynophobia with her help. But…I can’t do that right now. I was the one who caused this distance between me and Konoe. I don’t know why, but Konoe is probably pondering about her relationship with me. That became clear during the conversation we had two weeks ago. And, it’s something that she can’t tell me about. That’s why—
“………”
Maybe I really should keep that distance up a bit longer. That’s why I said what I said back then. But…
“H-Hey, stupid chicken?”
As I was lost in thought, Masamune suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.
“What’s wrong? Everything is going well with their date, right?”
“Y-Yeah, that’s not what I was on about…” Her voice was gently shaking. “Look behind you.”
“Behind?”
I listened to her and simply turned around. I didn’t think there’d be anything special, simply the same hell full of Silent Sheep…
“Wha.”
The moment I caught on to that, I let out a groan. It was the costume from before, handing out flyers at the entrance. Now it suddenly watched us from the shadows of a shelf…No, it was staring at us.
“H-Hey, Masamune, did you drop something? You know, like they did in nursery rhymes.”
Oh wait no, that was a bear, not a sheep. That song talked about a bear living in the forest, bringing you an earring back. Maybe that’s just a polite employee trying to return something we dropped…
“…Huh?”
I turned towards Masamune in hopes of receiving an answer, but she simply started dashing out of the store, like she ran away from something.
“……”
Man, I have a really bad feeling about this, haha. As cold sweat ran down my back, I looked behind me again—only to see that costume leap at me like a mad beast!
“……”
Immediately, I kicked on the ground, and dashed out of the shop. Checking behind me, that nasty costume was chasing me. Lord help me, I’ll get eaten. My instincts were telling me that. That costume must be possessed or something. Can an employee please call an exorcist?
“Hey, Masamune! Don’t just leave me behind!” I chased after Masamune, screaming.
“S-Shut up! I can’t! I can’t deal with this! If it captures me, I’ll get eaten!” She screamed back at me.
Waaaah, she was thinking the same thing as me, huh. Also, what is that speed? That thing is slowly closing in on us. Eventually, it’ll catch up—
“Kya!?”
A shriek rang out, to which I saw Masamune tripping, as she ran next to me. Moron, why did it have to be now…!
“Damn it!” I stepped on the brakes, and turned around.
Now that it’s come to this…No choice but to go ham. I can’t just leave a girl behind to run away. At the same time, the Silent Sheep was closing in on us. Instinctively, I stretched out my fist for a jab, but…
“Guho!?”
As a counter, the costume just rammed itself right into my stomach. T-This bastard, it ducked beneath my fist to dodge my jab! Not to mention this counter…it’s pretty skilled for being a mere costume. If it manages to get on top of me, I’ll be at an overwhelming disadvantage.
“Hey now, Onii-chan, why’re you suddenly running away from me, huh?”
There, I heard an all-too familiar anime voice………Hold on, is the person inside possibly…
“Phew, sure’s hot in this thing.”
Fully ignoring me and Masamune, who stood there frozen stiff, the person wearing the costume removed the head part like it was nothing. What appeared was semi-long silver hair, with the facial features of a doll. And then, the girl turned her eyes towards me.
“Yo, Onii-chan, Usamin, what a coincidence to run into you two here.”
“…I’m just as surprised, Schrö-senpai.”
That’s right, this is Narumi Schrödinger. She’s the club president of Rouran Academy’s handicrafts club, and the top-ranking girl in the club, known as the school’s strongest, now smiling at me and Masamune.
×
“…Vice prez, what are you doing here?”
We stood in the street near the train station. With the Silent Sheep shop next to us, Masamune asked Schrö-senpai, who had taken off the costume and changed into her casual clothes. By the way, we haven’t headed back to the store since we ran away. If we caused any more of a ruckus, Konoe might just spot us, so we escaped. Luckily, we could still hear their voices from the phone, and the date was still going strong.
“Hehe, I’m working part-time.”
“Part-time?”
“That’s right. I’m earning a bit of pocket money. Usamin should probably know, but it’s a place affiliated with our company, so I had them give me some shifts.”
“Why would you go out of your way to do that…”
“Ahaha, because it sounded interesting, of course. I wanted to wear this costume at least once~!”
“……Then why were you chasing us like that?”
“Seemed fun.”
“It wasn’t fun for us at all, okay!”
“Ahh, my bad, my bad. I just checked up on you in the beginning, but I wanted to prank you. Sorry, I got in the way of your date, right?”
“Wha…W-We’re not on a date or anything…”
“Oh? Then what were you doing there?”
“T-That’s…” Masamune bit her lip, going silent.
Schrö-senpai showed a grin.
“Oh yeah, Subaru-sama and Kureha also came to the shop, right.”
“!”
“Were you following them by any chance?”
“A-Ah…” Masamune awkwardly pulled down the hem of her skirt, looking at me as she asked for help.
…Can’t help it. I should throw in an explanation.
“The thing is, Kureha and Konoe are on a date right now.”
“Kureha is? Oh yeah, she had feelings for Subaru-sama, right.”
“You knew?”
“I’m not the vice president of the club for nothing, okay. So, you two came here to watch over her?”
“Something like that.”
“Huh, gotcha. I get what’s going on. Still, Kureha on a date, huh…That’s a bit unexpected.” Schrö-senpai muttered.
So she agrees, huh. I also think that the timing of inviting Konoe on a date is a bit weird. Maybe she really had a particular reason.
“—Ah, this is bad.”
There, as I was lost in thought, Masamune pulled me away from the front of the store. Kureha walked out of the store with Konoe at the side, carrying a small plastic bag.
“Masamune, what about the plan from here on out?” I asked, as we hid in the shadows of a nearby parked car.
“Um…” Masamune grew silent for a moment. “Since they’re already here at the plaza, they should go for some tea at a cafe…is what I thought.”
“Huh. So you came up with their date plan, Usamin.”
“…Vice prez, why are you grinning like that?”
“No reason, really. Just thought you really opened up a lot. To think you’d come up with a date plan for your junior, you know.”
“~~~! I-It’s not that big of a deal, really. She just asked me to help, so I…” Masamune awkwardly fidgeted with her body, responding.
Well, it is true. This is something the old Masamune would have never done. You could say that she has opened up her heart.
“By the way, do you not have to get back to work, Vice Prez?”
“Hmmm, I wonder. I’ve been working the entire morning today, so it’s about time for me to leave. I could just go home, but…” Schrö-senpai looked at the backs of Konoe and Kureha. “Hey, Usamin, Onii-chan. Can I tag along with you two?”
“Eh? I don’t mind, but…You can’t get in their way, okay?” Masamune blinked in confusion.
“Don’t you worry, I won’t do something like that. Just…”
“…Just?” Masamune asked, to which Schrö-senpai showed concern with “There’s something I’m curious about.”
Then, she turned towards me.
“You’re fine with it as well, right, Onii-chan?”
“Y-Yeah, no problem here.”
“Thanks a bunch. Then, let’s go. Can’t lose them, right?” Schrö-senpai said, and carefully followed Konoe and Kureha.
Pulled along, we followed her…This sure has gotten weird, alright. To think even Schrö-senpai would tag along. Is she that curious about how the date turns out? Well, as the senior in this scenario, maybe she just hopes for her junior’s love to bloom.
“By the way, Usamin.” Schrö-senpai spoke up with a serious voice. “You said that they’d drink some tea next, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s part of the plan I came up with.”
“Hmm. Then, isn’t this a bit weird?”
“…What do you mean?” Masamune asked, to which Schrö-senpai continued with a sincere expression.
“I mean, they just walked into a park.” She pointed at their backs.
I was confused and looked back at the two, and just as Schrö-senpai stated, they had just walked into a public park.
“Eh…You’re kidding, right? That’s not what I told Sakamachi…” Masamune seemed quite bewildered at this herself.
Naturally, I was the same. Why did she walk into a public park of all places? With the arrival of Schrö-senpai, I didn’t pay much attention to what they were talking about on the phone.
“What should we do, Onii-chan?” Schrö-senpai asked me.
A moment of silence passed.
“…Let’s follow them.” I said, and set foot inside the park.
Something inside of me forced me to do so.
×
It was actually quite the spacey park. Maybe because of its close location to the train station, or maybe because it was a school-free day, a lot of families and couples were sitting on the grass or on the wooden benches. There were even some children feeding the pigeons at the water fountain in the center.
In one corner of this park, there were Konoe and Kureha, sitting on a bench. At the same time, the three of us hid in the shadows of a small forest, allowing us to watch them from afar. And, the phone allowed us to listen in on them.
‘Kureha-chan’. I heard an alto voice, belonging to Konoe. ‘What did you want to talk about?’
‘Yes, um…’ Kureha grew silent.
…Something she wanted to talk about? That’s why she brought her here? If it was anything simple, a cafe would have done the trick, so maybe it’s something other people aren’t supposed to hear. This would be the perfect place for that.
‘—Konoe-senpai, can I ask you something?’ Kureha spoke up with a serious tone. ‘Did something happen between you and Nii-san?’
‘……’
Hearing those words, Konoe swallowed her breath.
‘…I knew it. Something felt off when we were buying the presents before, so I was curious.’
She must have confirmed it as she looked at Konoe. Because of that, Kureha continued with a somewhat saddened tone.
‘Did you…fight?’
‘………No, Jirou and I aren’t exactly fighting. It’s just…’
‘It’s just?’
‘……’
Another silence, broken by Konoe.
‘—I’m the one at fault, I think.’ She declared it, like a confession of her own sin.
‘…What do you mean?’ Kureh asked.
‘Exactly what I said. I’m the one to be blamed. I was having trouble with something lately…’
‘…And that is related to Nii-san?’
‘……’
‘…If that is the case, then why don’t you ask Nii-san for help? If it involves him, that would be your best bet.’
‘…Sorry, but I can’t do that…’
‘Why?’
‘Because…’ Konoe spoke that far, only to suddenly flash a smile devoid of any strength. ‘Yeah, I can’t…I’m so pathetic. Maybe it would all be better if I just told Jirou like I am telling you right now. But…I don’t have the courage for that. To the point I hate myself.’
‘……’
‘That’s why I’ve kept it all to myself, thinking about it…and the situation got worse. I tried to resolve everything…but I caused trouble for my lady and even Jirou.’
‘…’
‘That’s why…I’m the one at fault.’ She sounded defeated, like she was about to break out in tears.
“………”
I almost ran over towards her. I wanted to see her, and hear her out. But, I was forced to swallow this desire. As I thought, she really was thinking about our relationship. But…
“…Damn it.”
I couldn’t run after all. The words I told her two weeks ago popped up in my head. I was the one who said that, so what am I supposed to do? I was the one who wanted time. Time to think about all of this. About me and Konoe. As well as Suzutsuki and Masamune. What could I say here to make things better?
‘It’s fine.’
What reached my ears was undoubtedly my little sister’s voice.
‘No need to be so harsh on yourself, Konoe-senpai.’
‘…Kureha-chan?’ Konoe raised her head, being met with Kureha’s gentle smile.
‘You’re not at fault, Konoe-senpai. It’s fine.’
‘……’
‘I don’t know what you are worrying about, having trouble with, so it just might sound like I’m trying to cheer you up with empty words, but that’s not the case. After all…Everybody goes through something like this.’
She spoke like this was nothing special.
‘Everybody has something they worry about, something they are troubled with, and even fail at. But, that’s something we all go through, so you’re not alone.’
‘……’
‘Even I’m the same. Feeling restless about something, worrying all night. I try my best, and it still doesn’t work out sometimes. But, it’s important to get up again, right?’
‘……’
‘Boys and girls…everybody bumps into a wall at one point, and thinks about giving up. But, you can’t break. Get up again, and start walking…’
‘……’
‘Nyaha, this is what Mom told me a long time ago. It’s like our family’s motto. I’m sorry, Konoe-senpai, I just sound all arrogant with nothing to back it up.’ Kureha showed a bashful smile.
Konoe joined in as well, and spoke up.
‘…No, you’re not wrong, Kureha-chan.’ She said. ‘The one who’s wrong…is me.’
‘Konoe-senpai…’
‘Not to mention, it feels like I got back some of my confidence thanks to you. Like I figured out what I had to do…So, thank you, Kureha-chan.’
‘N-No, you don’t need to thank me, I just told you what Mom always said to me.’ Kureha showed a bashful smile.
…Yeah, I feel like she told me something similar before. That was back when I was still a young boy, and talked about something like this with Mom. Honestly speaking, I didn’t really understand her words back then. I couldn’t imagine a time where I’d have trouble over something, and still end up failing. Rather, I thought that someone like that sure was lame…and basically only looked down on others. But when I told Mom about this, she said—’One day will come a time where even you understand it’.
“……”
It’s weird. How could I have forgotten? Why did I not remember it until now?
‘Now, let’s go home, yeah? Sky’s gotten dark already.’ Konoe said, as she looked up at the sky.
Checking the large clock in the park, it was already half past 4pm, and darkness started to grow darker. Days have been a lot shorter recently, as the season has changed. The footsteps of winter have come closer.
‘Nyahaha, thank you very much for today, Konoe-senpai.’
‘It’s no problem at all. I simply helped with your shopping. If anything, I should be thanking you…’
‘No no, that’s not the case. After all…I had a lot of fun being with Konoe-senpai today.’ Kureha said with a beaming smile.
And then…
‘Um…Konoe-senpai, there’s actually one more thing.’
‘…? Sure, what’s up?’
The two stood up from the bench, and continued their conversation. Konoe had a somewhat bewildered look on her face. She probably was confused as to what Kureha was talking about. I’m the same, of course, as well as Masamune and Schrö-senpai. Everybody’s attention gathered on Kureha—
‘Phew…’ She took a deep breath, and turned her back towards Konoe.
Finally, after she gathered a bit of distance from Konoe, she turned around.
‘—I like you.’
That’s all she said, and yet all of us were at a loss for words. Besides us, other people were still present in the park, but it felt like all ambient sound had vanished, silence filling the air. But, Kureha shattered all of that.
‘I like you, Konoe-senpai.’
×
It was a confession. No matter how you looked at it, those words Sakamachi Kureha uttered towards Konoe Subaru were a confession in every sense of the word.
“……”
Ahh, I see. That’s why she suddenly invited Konoe out on a date. It was all for this confession alone. All so that she could properly clear up her own feelings, after that whole Suzutsuki Revolution. I know that what Suzutsuki said back then was just nonsense, but the same couldn’t be said about Kureha. That’s why she must have been thinking about this a lot.
“……”
No, that’s not all. Thinking about it, I always thought that this current life would always stay the same. At the same time, I assumed that my little sister would never change either. I always thought that she would hold one-sided feelings for Kureha. However, reality is different. Everything in this world changes. Sooner or later, Kureha naturally would confess to Konoe. They met in April, and she has liked Konoe ever since—Liked the crossdressing butler Konoe Subaru.
‘—Sorry.’ An alto voice spoke up from the phone.
It was undoubtedly Konoe’s voice. And, it surely was an answer towards Kureha’s confession.
‘…Sorry, Kureha-chan, I’m really…really happy to hear that, but…I can’t answer your feelings.’ She said, with a clear intent in her voice.
Everybody present knew what these words meant.
‘…Nyahaha.’
However, Kureha still smiled. She kept up her innocent expression despite these circumstances.
‘Don’t apologize, Konoe-senpai. I kind of knew that things would end up this way.’
‘…Kureha-chan.’
‘That’s right. I knew already. After all…You have someone you like as well, right?’
‘……’ For a second, Konoe swallowed her breath. ‘Kureha-chan, I…’
‘No, it’s fine. I knew the result, but I still feel a lot better now. Like a weight has been lifted off my chest.’
‘…Kureha-chan.’ Konoe called out her name once more.
Hearing that, Kureha showed a satisfied smile.
‘Now then, Konoe-senpai! Thank you very much for tagging along today! It was a lot of fun! I won’t ever forget this day!’
It was too clear of a farewell. She left these words behind, turned her back towards Konoe, and ran directly out of the park.
‘Urk…!’
Konoe showed intention of chasing after Kureha, but eventually stopped. She probably knew that there was nothing she could do even if she did. However…
“Ah, stupid chicken! Where are you going!?”
I didn’t respond to Masamune’s scream, and simply ran after Kureha. Konoe might have already spotted me by now. However, we’re talking about my little sister here, there’s something that urged me to chase after her.
“—Kureha!”
I dashed out of the park, and on the street, I immediately spotted Kureha. Almost like she was waiting for me, she simply stood still, and called out to me with her usual innocent smile.
“Hey, Nii-san.”
“…Yo.”
“Did you hear my confession?”
“…Yeah.”
“Ehehe…I got rejected.”
“…Yeah. But, you did your best.”
“…Yup. I was so nervous. I think I really gave it my all. It’s what I had to do. I had to tell Konoe-senpai about my feelings. After all—I’ll continue to like Konoe-senpai.” She declared with no hesitation in her voice, smiling as always.
However, her voice was slightly quivering.
“Hey, Nii-san.”
“…What is it?”
“Did you hear what I told Konoe-senpai before that?”
“About what Mom said? Yeah.”
“Exactly. I don’t think that she’s wrong. Everybody suddenly bumps into a wall that seems impossible to overcome. And sometimes we really can’t break it down.”
“…”
“But…What’s important is that you keep going after that. It sounds simple, but you need to overcome it eventually. Everybody has a time like that in their lives. That’s why…”
A warm sensation touched my body. It was Kureha, hugging me. Because she had her face buried in my chest, I couldn’t fully make out her expression.
“I-I also…will get up eventually, so…just for a bit, can I take a rest?”
“…Yeah.”
“…Just a bit, okay? I’ll get up, and start walking again, so…just…a bit…”
“…Don’t worry. I’m right here.” I gently embraced the small girl in my arms.
“——”
That moment, Kureha was crying. Like everything stored up in her chest was gushing out at once, she just buried her face in my chest and let it all out, screaming in agony. That…was probably the end of my little sister’s first love.
“…Will Konoe-senpai come today, I wonder?”
We stood on a small plaza near the train station. Because it was a school-free day, things were a bit more crowded than usual, as Kureha muttered these words. Indeed, today is the 5th of December, the day of the date. Naturally, I was talking about the date of Sakamachi Kureha and Konoe Subaru. Kureha wore a pink cardigan with a short skirt and knee-socks. I was worried if she was feeling cold because of her short skirt, but she probably really wanted to dress up for the date.
Right now, it was 2.35pm. She was supposed to meet Konoe at 3pm flat, so there’s still some time left. As for why we’re all gathered here…
“It’s fine, Sakamachi. You texted Subaru-sama, right?” Masamune said, attempting to cheer up Kureha.
Over these past two weeks, Masamune had fully recovered from her cold. She even sounded a bit disappointed while saying ‘…A bit longer wouldn’t have hurt’, but a person’s health is the most important.
“You better be thankful, I even helped you come up with the mail to write.”
“Right…To think Usamin-senpai would check my mail to make it look more feminine…”
“W-What about it!? I did it for your sake! It’s because you said ‘I’m too embarrassed to write Subaru-sama a mail!’, okay!”
“Well, that is true…I didn’t expect that Subaru-sama would be taking two whole weeks off at school…” Kureha said, letting out an exhausted sigh.
That’s right, both Konoe and Suzutsuki did not come to school for the past two weeks. We grew worried and asked our homeroom teacher, who told us that they were both bedridden with a cold. Since Masamune caught a cold, it seemed plausible that it was just another seasonal thing…but I found that hard to believe.
—Let’s meet again tomorrow, at school.
On a Sunday two weeks ago, this is what Suzutsuki told me. She didn’t seem sick in the slightest back then, so her taking off two whole weeks seems off. I was curious, and went to visit them, only to be held back by Ichigo-san. She argued that it would be bad if I caught a cold, so she didn’t let me in according to Suzutsuki’s wishes. But…
“……”
Maybe I should have ignored Ichigo-san and forcefully barged into their apartment. After all, neither of them are coming to school. I had this odd feeling that it wasn’t just a cold, but rather something else. And, I might have an idea—namely, Suzutsuki being unable to trust other people. Being told by Masamune, she probably received a bigger shock than expected, so she decided to take some time off school together with her butler Konoe.
“Hey, Kureha, how are Konoe and Suzutsuki doing? You asked them, right?”
“Yeah. According to Konoe-senpai, they’re feeling a lot better now, and that they could probably come to school tomorrow. If they weren’t any better, I’m sure that Konoe-senpai would have rejected my invitation today.”
“…I see.”
Well, if my assumption is correct, then I guess that they just can’t miss any more classes. Can’t be seen as shut-ins after all.
“…I hope they come back to school soon.” Masamune showed a somewhat complicated expression.
She probably still is worried about what she said to Suzutsuki before. As a result of that, even after she recovered from her cold, she was lacking her usual energy. Not to mention that she has yet to ask for the response to her confession. Maybe…she feels guilty? That’s why she’s probably forgetting about the confession until everything about Suzutsuki has revolved. It’s almost like…she can’t accept that only she can be happy.
“But, I’m surprised you managed to invite Konoe out on a date.”
Even if Masamune helped with the mail, to think Kureha could be this bold.
“Don’t worry, I came up with a proper reason.” Kureha said.
“Hmm…Something like ‘Please help me shopping’?”
“W-Well, something like that.”
Kureha awkwardly averted her gaze. Hm, what’s that attitude for? Is she hiding something from me? Thinking about it, both Masamune and Konoe were oddly panicky when it came to the plan. I mean, I was part of it mid-way, until they kicked me out, saying that only girls should be talking about it. When I was about to say ‘Wouldn’t a boy’s opinion be valuable as well?’, I remembered that Konoe was a girl, so it’s two girls going out shopping.
“We have it all down. If something happens, we’ll help you, Sakamachi.” Masamune puffed out her chest, seeming confident.
Seeing her like that, I only grew more worried. The reason we were both here was to watch over Kureha’s date with Konoe. That’s why our job was to follow them. It genuinely makes me feel like we’re stalking them. To think a day like this would come.
“But, what about topics to talk about and all that? Are you sure you can even make it feel like a date?”
“No worries. I put a hands-free phone into Sakamachi’s pocket, so she’ll be able to hear us during.”
“Is that really going to work out?”
“Nyahaha. No problem, Nii-san. After all, I came up with a plan for my date!”
“A plan, huh…”
No clue what kind of plan, but I’ll just pray that everything works out. It’d be the best if it ended without any big trouble.
“……”
Still, a date, huh. It might be a bit late to think that, but I’m a bit surprised at Kureha’s actions. I never thought she was the type to actually work towards her love like that. Since she was only fixated on wrestling, she has practically no experience in love, and she never really tried to woo over Konoe until now. Not to mention the Suzutsuki Revolution that happened last month. Suzutsuki declared that she and Konoe were dating, and even kissed her. That’s why, Kureha should have no faith that she has any shot with Konoe. Yet, she invited her out on a date…
“………”
Or, maybe she had another reason she desperately needed to invite Konoe like this?
“Ah, it’s time now. Nii-san, Usamin-senpai, go hide. Konoe-senpai can’t figure out that you’re here.” She smiled with a bright grin.
Maybe she’s trying to hide her tension, acting even more energetic than usual. Knowing her, she’s pretty nervous in front of Konoe.
“Alright, then, Sakamachi. I pray for your luck in battle.”
“Yes! Make sure to properly watch over me, that gives me much more power!”
They spoke like two soldiers who headed off into battle, and Masamune took her distance from Kureha. Naturally, I followed her. Still, ‘Watch over me’, huh. I guess she is nervous. Should be her first time going on a date with a boy.
“…Geez.”
Despite it being Kureha, she sure is acting feminine now. Can’t help it, I’ll watch over her. Having her rely on me was a breath of fresh air, and it made her look more adorable as well. As I was thinking that, both Masamune and I watched over Kureha from the corner of the plaza.
‘Ah…G-Good morning, Konoe-shenpai!’
‘Hey. Morning, Kureha-chan.’
From the phone, I could hear a clear alto voice. Naturally, that could only belong to Konoe. She wore her usual male clothes with a black vest, and tight pants. Well, Kureha doesn’t know that Konoe is a girl, so that choice is to be expected.
‘Konoe-senpai, have you recovered from your cold?’
‘Ah…Yeah, I’m feeling much better.’
I heard the conversation between the two from my phone that was connected to Kureha’s. Eavesdropping was successful. I guess Masamune’s plan was successful. By the way, I feel like this call is going to cost a whole lot, but recent services apparently allow you to get a family tariff.
“Stupid chicken, make sure that Subaru-sama doesn’t see us.”
“I know, I know.”
I whispered, as I hid behind the vending machine in the corner of the plaza. I’m starting to feel like a spy here. Well, with so many people around, it’ll be hard to see us.
‘…Hm.’
‘Huh? What’s wrong, Konoe-senpai?’
‘…Well, maybe it’s just my imagination, but it felt like somebody was watching us.’
I take that back, Konoe-san is far too sensitive. To think she’d catch on to our presence this quickly…She’s like an impala in the savannah.
‘A-Ahaha, it must be your imagination, Senpai. Maybe you’re still feeling a bit under the weather?’ Kureha showed an awkward smile, as she tried to provide a follow-up.
‘…Yeah, you might be right.’ Konoe showed a conflicted expression.
……Maybe she’s still bothered by what I said two weeks ago? About how we should stop being best friends for a while. I mean, it’s my fault. Not to mention that both Konoe and Suzutsuki took two weeks off, and I was busy nursing Masamune back to health, so we couldn’t talk at all.
‘T-Then, Konoe-senpai, how about we get going?’
‘Got it. But, where are we going?’
‘No worries! Just as I said in the mail, I already planned out everything!’
Kureha still seemed a bit nervous, as she kept talking with a fast voice, walking on ahead.
‘Ah, wait for me, Kureha-chan!’ Konoe quickly followed after her.
“Now then, we have to follow them as well.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Uwah, Masamune sure seems motivated about this. She’s like a detective from a TV drama.
“Oh yeah, where is Kureha heading now?”
As we mixed in with the crowd, following them, I asked Masamune. Kureha walked down the street near the train station, with several stores everywhere. From what I heard, the person who came up with most of the plan today was actually Masamune, so she should know where we’re heading.
“No need to rush, you’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“Hm. Well, what message did you have Kureha send to Konoe?”
“It was a simple ‘Please help me with my shopping’. At first, we thought of going to the amusement park or the aquarium, but…that seemed a bit too hard for Sakamachi.”
“Yeah, makes sense.”
Whenever it comes to Konoe, Kureha is like a small animal facing a wild beast. If she went to any popular date spots with Konoe, I doubt she could handle it.
“That’s why, I decided on a normal shopping trip for their first date.”
“A safe choice, alright. But, what are they going to buy?”
“That’s…” Masamune went silent for a moment. “A present for you.”
“……”
Now hold on. I’m not following it at all. Why would Kureha and Konoe go out to buy a present for me?
“Hey! Don’t give me such a perplexed look!”
“What did you expect!? Everybody would be surprised about this!”
“It was a genius idea! Listen, the mail Kureha sent to Subaru-sama went like this: ‘I want to buy a present for Nii-san, could you help me choose one?’, okay.”
“That sure came out of nowhere.”
“Can’t help it, it’s all a trick to get Subaru-sama to agree.”
“A trick…”
Well, I get what she was plotting with this. Konoe and I were fairly close, and since Kureha knows what I like and don’t like, she chose Konoe as the partner. This nasty rabbit really used me as bait for this. And curse Kureha for simply agreeing to that.
“But, wouldn’t Konoe be suspicious if it came out of nowhere like that?”
“You think so? Sakamachi wrote ‘I want to thank Nii-san for his daily duties!’.”
“Daily duties?”
“Something about you being her punching bag.”
“I don’t want any gratitude for that!”
What kind of cursed reason is that? If she was serious about that, then I definitely don’t want a present. Just give me some sort of compensation fee.
“No worries, since Subaru-sama actually came here, it means that he believes her.”
“Not wrong, but…”
“Why not be a bit more happy? Whatever they’re buying today will be an actual present for you.”
“Why!?”
“It’d be bad if Subaru-sama figured out that it was a lie, right? That’s why she’ll actually buy a present for you. The lie becomes the truth.”
“W-What sophism…It’s all just nonsense.”
“What’s the problem? Or, are you not happy? You’re getting a present from your younger sister, right?”
“……”
I felt a shiver running down my spine. Her taste is completely different from your average person. Same goes for Konoe. I really don’t want a present from them.
“R-Right, so what are they going to shop for?”
“I told you…Just wait a bit. See, they’re here.”
With Masamune’s words, I turned my gaze back at the two. They reached the corner of the street, standing in front of a shop. The shop window was shining brightly, its outer colors filled with an innocent white. It looked comparatively big of a shop, filled with female customers…
“…Hold on now.”
A new and bright window, filled with objects that looked all too familiar—Sheep. They were plush toys of deformed sheep, with sharp teeth and a red mouth……It’s the Silent Sheep. That’s right, it looked like the doctor out of a certain movie, still as popular as ever. As you may have guessed by my description, they reached a merch shop solely made for the Silent Sheep.
×
“Masamune! So that was your strategy!” Pointing at Kureha and Konoe walking inside the store, I screamed.
“W-What’s the problem? It’s the perfect place for a date, right? Subaru-sama loves that Silent Sheep after all.” The nasty rabbit showed a grin.
Damn it, it really is the right choice. Konoe loves that monster, and that’s the reason Kureha came to like it as well once the second term rolled around. That’s why, this is probably the most perfect spot for these two. But…
“Do you not like that sheep?”
“It just gives me the creeps.”
“Well, it is a surreal design, alright. But, isn’t it fine? Not like you’re going to buy it.”
“But, I’ll get it as a present, right!?”
This is the worst. To think that day where I would have to keep this grotesque thing in my room would come this quickly. I might just get cursed at the end of the day. Ahh, all the sheep in this world are going to haunt me.
‘Nya~ So cute.’
‘Y-Yeah! You’re right!’
As I was feeling uneasy, I heard these excited voices coming from Konoe and Kureha. I’m happy that Konoe’s feeling a bit better now, but I still don’t know how to feel about this. Her taste couldn’t be farther from a male butler.
“Come on, let’s go as well. Just be careful not to get caught.”
“…Yeah yeah.”
Urged by Masamune, I followed her to the store. I’d really love to give the manufacturer of this cursed plush toy a complaint, but most terrifyingly enough, it’s actually been selling really well. Otherwise this whole place wouldn’t exist.
“Woah.”
The second we reached the entrance, I couldn’t hold back a shocked voice. I ran into a giant Silent Sheep costume. Damn, the size is no joke. It reminds me of the one Nakuru was wearing before, although it’s a bit smaller compared to then. I tried to ignore it and move on with my day…But the second the costume passed me, it felt like our eyes met.
“……”
For some reason, it was oddly fixated on me the second I tried to walk inside. Wouldn’t even give me any flyers. I mean, not like I wanted one, but that stare is a bit creepy. Do I have something on my face?
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Masamune’s voice forced me to take a step inside. Honestly speaking, I’m not feeling all too comfortable with this. After all, there’s really only female customers inside. It’s like I walked into the shoujo aisle at the bookstore. Something stopped me from calming down, making me feel embarrassed.
“Subaru-sama and the others are…Ah, over there!”
We hid in the shadow of a shelf, and locked on to Konoe and Kureha. Since the inside of the place was pretty spacey, we had no trouble hiding. Then again, they were completely engrossed with the sheep.
‘So Kureha-chan, we’ll be buying a present for Jirou here? Does Jirou like the Silent Sheep?’
‘Y-Yes! He’s completely fallen for this cutie!’
I heard their two voices from across the phone…Stop. Please, don’t twist my interests like that. I at the very least can’t stand this thing.
“…Ahh…what should I do if they give me a plush toy as a present…”
“Maybe you can use it as a punching bag? It’ll be a good stress relief, I bet.”
“I feel like I’ll only collapse from the stress instead…”
I probably will end up with insomnia just by having one in my room. Maybe I would have to get medicine for that somewhere down the line. What a horrible future, really.
“But, since we’re here already, I might just buy something myself.”
“Are you being serious right now!?”
“I mean, they might have some talismans.”
“These aren’t some Okinawa seashells!”
I personally wanted to escape from this hell as quickly as possible. To get a bit of a change of pace, I looked around inside the store. But, I couldn’t find anything interesting. Or rather, everything in here just screams hell. All of the stuff in here is probably more like an evil item than a present. For example, look at this alarm clock. It was shaped like the Silent Sheep, with a woman’s voice screaming ‘Slaughter! Murderer!’. Rather than waking up, I’d probably get a heart attack and never wake up again.
Besides that, I spotted goods that would probably kill you in one way or another…and yet all the customers were looking around, even buying those goods, with such joy…Maybe they’re part of some cult, all hypnotized?
“See, they’re all happy. You never know what will end up popular.”
“I feel like you should probably get your eyes checked out before buying this nonsense.”
I was in shock at this mountain of Silent Sheep goods in front of me. Why are they selling this much? Maybe this country itself is rotten? Is the economy of this place going to be okay?
‘Hmmm, I wonder which one would be the best?’
‘Maybe this plush toy?’
‘It is cute, but Nii-san isn’t the type of person to gather plush toys.’
‘Really…It’s so cute though…’
‘Hehe, Konoe-senpai, you can be quite feminine with your interests, I see.’
‘…!? Y-You’re wrong! I don’t like cute things…!’ Butler-kun blushed furiously, as she embraced the plush toy in her arms.
Seeing that, Kureha let out a snicker as well.
“……”
Huh. This is going better than expected. Thinking about it, those two have met back in April, so they actually know each other quite a bit. From an outsider’s perspective, they must look like junior and senior. I still don’t know why Kureha suddenly brought up this date, but if they’re having fun…
‘—A present for Jirou, huh.’
There, I heard a somewhat anguished alto voice. With a grieving expression, Konoe closely inspected the Silent Sheep.
‘Hm? Konoe-senpai, is something wrong?’
‘…No, I was just thinking that maybe I should give Jirou a present myself.’
‘…? Did something happen between the two of you?’
‘…No, not really.’ Konoe showed a smile devoid of any strength.
With that scenery in front of me, I felt pain deep inside my chest…So, Konoe really wants to make up with me, I guess? Of course, if it was possible, then I’d love to do so. I want to eat lunch with her like before, talk about this and that, and try to fix my gynophobia with her help. But…I can’t do that right now. I was the one who caused this distance between me and Konoe. I don’t know why, but Konoe is probably pondering about her relationship with me. That became clear during the conversation we had two weeks ago. And, it’s something that she can’t tell me about. That’s why—
“………”
Maybe I really should keep that distance up a bit longer. That’s why I said what I said back then. But…
“H-Hey, stupid chicken?”
As I was lost in thought, Masamune suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.
“What’s wrong? Everything is going well with their date, right?”
“Y-Yeah, that’s not what I was on about…” Her voice was gently shaking. “Look behind you.”
“Behind?”
I listened to her and simply turned around. I didn’t think there’d be anything special, simply the same hell full of Silent Sheep…
“Wha.”
The moment I caught on to that, I let out a groan. It was the costume from before, handing out flyers at the entrance. Now it suddenly watched us from the shadows of a shelf…No, it was staring at us.
“H-Hey, Masamune, did you drop something? You know, like they did in nursery rhymes.”
Oh wait no, that was a bear, not a sheep. That song talked about a bear living in the forest, bringing you an earring back. Maybe that’s just a polite employee trying to return something we dropped…
“…Huh?”
I turned towards Masamune in hopes of receiving an answer, but she simply started dashing out of the store, like she ran away from something.
“……”
Man, I have a really bad feeling about this, haha. As cold sweat ran down my back, I looked behind me again—only to see that costume leap at me like a mad beast!
“……”
Immediately, I kicked on the ground, and dashed out of the shop. Checking behind me, that nasty costume was chasing me. Lord help me, I’ll get eaten. My instincts were telling me that. That costume must be possessed or something. Can an employee please call an exorcist?
“Hey, Masamune! Don’t just leave me behind!” I chased after Masamune, screaming.
“S-Shut up! I can’t! I can’t deal with this! If it captures me, I’ll get eaten!” She screamed back at me.
Waaaah, she was thinking the same thing as me, huh. Also, what is that speed? That thing is slowly closing in on us. Eventually, it’ll catch up—
“Kya!?”
A shriek rang out, to which I saw Masamune tripping, as she ran next to me. Moron, why did it have to be now…!
“Damn it!” I stepped on the brakes, and turned around.
Now that it’s come to this…No choice but to go ham. I can’t just leave a girl behind to run away. At the same time, the Silent Sheep was closing in on us. Instinctively, I stretched out my fist for a jab, but…
“Guho!?”
As a counter, the costume just rammed itself right into my stomach. T-This bastard, it ducked beneath my fist to dodge my jab! Not to mention this counter…it’s pretty skilled for being a mere costume. If it manages to get on top of me, I’ll be at an overwhelming disadvantage.
“Hey now, Onii-chan, why’re you suddenly running away from me, huh?”
There, I heard an all-too familiar anime voice………Hold on, is the person inside possibly…
“Phew, sure’s hot in this thing.”
Fully ignoring me and Masamune, who stood there frozen stiff, the person wearing the costume removed the head part like it was nothing. What appeared was semi-long silver hair, with the facial features of a doll. And then, the girl turned her eyes towards me.
“Yo, Onii-chan, Usamin, what a coincidence to run into you two here.”
“…I’m just as surprised, Schrö-senpai.”
That’s right, this is Narumi Schrödinger. She’s the club president of Rouran Academy’s handicrafts club, and the top-ranking girl in the club, known as the school’s strongest, now smiling at me and Masamune.
×
“…Vice prez, what are you doing here?”
We stood in the street near the train station. With the Silent Sheep shop next to us, Masamune asked Schrö-senpai, who had taken off the costume and changed into her casual clothes. By the way, we haven’t headed back to the store since we ran away. If we caused any more of a ruckus, Konoe might just spot us, so we escaped. Luckily, we could still hear their voices from the phone, and the date was still going strong.
“Hehe, I’m working part-time.”
“Part-time?”
“That’s right. I’m earning a bit of pocket money. Usamin should probably know, but it’s a place affiliated with our company, so I had them give me some shifts.”
“Why would you go out of your way to do that…”
“Ahaha, because it sounded interesting, of course. I wanted to wear this costume at least once~!”
“……Then why were you chasing us like that?”
“Seemed fun.”
“It wasn’t fun for us at all, okay!”
“Ahh, my bad, my bad. I just checked up on you in the beginning, but I wanted to prank you. Sorry, I got in the way of your date, right?”
“Wha…W-We’re not on a date or anything…”
“Oh? Then what were you doing there?”
“T-That’s…” Masamune bit her lip, going silent.
Schrö-senpai showed a grin.
“Oh yeah, Subaru-sama and Kureha also came to the shop, right.”
“!”
“Were you following them by any chance?”
“A-Ah…” Masamune awkwardly pulled down the hem of her skirt, looking at me as she asked for help.
…Can’t help it. I should throw in an explanation.
“The thing is, Kureha and Konoe are on a date right now.”
“Kureha is? Oh yeah, she had feelings for Subaru-sama, right.”
“You knew?”
“I’m not the vice president of the club for nothing, okay. So, you two came here to watch over her?”
“Something like that.”
“Huh, gotcha. I get what’s going on. Still, Kureha on a date, huh…That’s a bit unexpected.” Schrö-senpai muttered.
So she agrees, huh. I also think that the timing of inviting Konoe on a date is a bit weird. Maybe she really had a particular reason.
“—Ah, this is bad.”
There, as I was lost in thought, Masamune pulled me away from the front of the store. Kureha walked out of the store with Konoe at the side, carrying a small plastic bag.
“Masamune, what about the plan from here on out?” I asked, as we hid in the shadows of a nearby parked car.
“Um…” Masamune grew silent for a moment. “Since they’re already here at the plaza, they should go for some tea at a cafe…is what I thought.”
“Huh. So you came up with their date plan, Usamin.”
“…Vice prez, why are you grinning like that?”
“No reason, really. Just thought you really opened up a lot. To think you’d come up with a date plan for your junior, you know.”
“~~~! I-It’s not that big of a deal, really. She just asked me to help, so I…” Masamune awkwardly fidgeted with her body, responding.
Well, it is true. This is something the old Masamune would have never done. You could say that she has opened up her heart.
“By the way, do you not have to get back to work, Vice Prez?”
“Hmmm, I wonder. I’ve been working the entire morning today, so it’s about time for me to leave. I could just go home, but…” Schrö-senpai looked at the backs of Konoe and Kureha. “Hey, Usamin, Onii-chan. Can I tag along with you two?”
“Eh? I don’t mind, but…You can’t get in their way, okay?” Masamune blinked in confusion.
“Don’t you worry, I won’t do something like that. Just…”
“…Just?” Masamune asked, to which Schrö-senpai showed concern with “There’s something I’m curious about.”
Then, she turned towards me.
“You’re fine with it as well, right, Onii-chan?”
“Y-Yeah, no problem here.”
“Thanks a bunch. Then, let’s go. Can’t lose them, right?” Schrö-senpai said, and carefully followed Konoe and Kureha.
Pulled along, we followed her…This sure has gotten weird, alright. To think even Schrö-senpai would tag along. Is she that curious about how the date turns out? Well, as the senior in this scenario, maybe she just hopes for her junior’s love to bloom.
“By the way, Usamin.” Schrö-senpai spoke up with a serious voice. “You said that they’d drink some tea next, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s part of the plan I came up with.”
“Hmm. Then, isn’t this a bit weird?”
“…What do you mean?” Masamune asked, to which Schrö-senpai continued with a sincere expression.
“I mean, they just walked into a park.” She pointed at their backs.
I was confused and looked back at the two, and just as Schrö-senpai stated, they had just walked into a public park.
“Eh…You’re kidding, right? That’s not what I told Sakamachi…” Masamune seemed quite bewildered at this herself.
Naturally, I was the same. Why did she walk into a public park of all places? With the arrival of Schrö-senpai, I didn’t pay much attention to what they were talking about on the phone.
“What should we do, Onii-chan?” Schrö-senpai asked me.
A moment of silence passed.
“…Let’s follow them.” I said, and set foot inside the park.
Something inside of me forced me to do so.
×
It was actually quite the spacey park. Maybe because of its close location to the train station, or maybe because it was a school-free day, a lot of families and couples were sitting on the grass or on the wooden benches. There were even some children feeding the pigeons at the water fountain in the center.
In one corner of this park, there were Konoe and Kureha, sitting on a bench. At the same time, the three of us hid in the shadows of a small forest, allowing us to watch them from afar. And, the phone allowed us to listen in on them.
‘Kureha-chan’. I heard an alto voice, belonging to Konoe. ‘What did you want to talk about?’
‘Yes, um…’ Kureha grew silent.
…Something she wanted to talk about? That’s why she brought her here? If it was anything simple, a cafe would have done the trick, so maybe it’s something other people aren’t supposed to hear. This would be the perfect place for that.
‘—Konoe-senpai, can I ask you something?’ Kureha spoke up with a serious tone. ‘Did something happen between you and Nii-san?’
‘……’
Hearing those words, Konoe swallowed her breath.
‘…I knew it. Something felt off when we were buying the presents before, so I was curious.’
She must have confirmed it as she looked at Konoe. Because of that, Kureha continued with a somewhat saddened tone.
‘Did you…fight?’
‘………No, Jirou and I aren’t exactly fighting. It’s just…’
‘It’s just?’
‘……’
Another silence, broken by Konoe.
‘—I’m the one at fault, I think.’ She declared it, like a confession of her own sin.
‘…What do you mean?’ Kureh asked.
‘Exactly what I said. I’m the one to be blamed. I was having trouble with something lately…’
‘…And that is related to Nii-san?’
‘……’
‘…If that is the case, then why don’t you ask Nii-san for help? If it involves him, that would be your best bet.’
‘…Sorry, but I can’t do that…’
‘Why?’
‘Because…’ Konoe spoke that far, only to suddenly flash a smile devoid of any strength. ‘Yeah, I can’t…I’m so pathetic. Maybe it would all be better if I just told Jirou like I am telling you right now. But…I don’t have the courage for that. To the point I hate myself.’
‘……’
‘That’s why I’ve kept it all to myself, thinking about it…and the situation got worse. I tried to resolve everything…but I caused trouble for my lady and even Jirou.’
‘…’
‘That’s why…I’m the one at fault.’ She sounded defeated, like she was about to break out in tears.
“………”
I almost ran over towards her. I wanted to see her, and hear her out. But, I was forced to swallow this desire. As I thought, she really was thinking about our relationship. But…
“…Damn it.”
I couldn’t run after all. The words I told her two weeks ago popped up in my head. I was the one who said that, so what am I supposed to do? I was the one who wanted time. Time to think about all of this. About me and Konoe. As well as Suzutsuki and Masamune. What could I say here to make things better?
‘It’s fine.’
What reached my ears was undoubtedly my little sister’s voice.
‘No need to be so harsh on yourself, Konoe-senpai.’
‘…Kureha-chan?’ Konoe raised her head, being met with Kureha’s gentle smile.
‘You’re not at fault, Konoe-senpai. It’s fine.’
‘……’
‘I don’t know what you are worrying about, having trouble with, so it just might sound like I’m trying to cheer you up with empty words, but that’s not the case. After all…Everybody goes through something like this.’
She spoke like this was nothing special.
‘Everybody has something they worry about, something they are troubled with, and even fail at. But, that’s something we all go through, so you’re not alone.’
‘……’
‘Even I’m the same. Feeling restless about something, worrying all night. I try my best, and it still doesn’t work out sometimes. But, it’s important to get up again, right?’
‘……’
‘Boys and girls…everybody bumps into a wall at one point, and thinks about giving up. But, you can’t break. Get up again, and start walking…’
‘……’
‘Nyaha, this is what Mom told me a long time ago. It’s like our family’s motto. I’m sorry, Konoe-senpai, I just sound all arrogant with nothing to back it up.’ Kureha showed a bashful smile.
Konoe joined in as well, and spoke up.
‘…No, you’re not wrong, Kureha-chan.’ She said. ‘The one who’s wrong…is me.’
‘Konoe-senpai…’
‘Not to mention, it feels like I got back some of my confidence thanks to you. Like I figured out what I had to do…So, thank you, Kureha-chan.’
‘N-No, you don’t need to thank me, I just told you what Mom always said to me.’ Kureha showed a bashful smile.
…Yeah, I feel like she told me something similar before. That was back when I was still a young boy, and talked about something like this with Mom. Honestly speaking, I didn’t really understand her words back then. I couldn’t imagine a time where I’d have trouble over something, and still end up failing. Rather, I thought that someone like that sure was lame…and basically only looked down on others. But when I told Mom about this, she said—’One day will come a time where even you understand it’.
“……”
It’s weird. How could I have forgotten? Why did I not remember it until now?
‘Now, let’s go home, yeah? Sky’s gotten dark already.’ Konoe said, as she looked up at the sky.
Checking the large clock in the park, it was already half past 4pm, and darkness started to grow darker. Days have been a lot shorter recently, as the season has changed. The footsteps of winter have come closer.
‘Nyahaha, thank you very much for today, Konoe-senpai.’
‘It’s no problem at all. I simply helped with your shopping. If anything, I should be thanking you…’
‘No no, that’s not the case. After all…I had a lot of fun being with Konoe-senpai today.’ Kureha said with a beaming smile.
And then…
‘Um…Konoe-senpai, there’s actually one more thing.’
‘…? Sure, what’s up?’
The two stood up from the bench, and continued their conversation. Konoe had a somewhat bewildered look on her face. She probably was confused as to what Kureha was talking about. I’m the same, of course, as well as Masamune and Schrö-senpai. Everybody’s attention gathered on Kureha—
‘Phew…’ She took a deep breath, and turned her back towards Konoe.
Finally, after she gathered a bit of distance from Konoe, she turned around.
‘—I like you.’
That’s all she said, and yet all of us were at a loss for words. Besides us, other people were still present in the park, but it felt like all ambient sound had vanished, silence filling the air. But, Kureha shattered all of that.
‘I like you, Konoe-senpai.’
×
It was a confession. No matter how you looked at it, those words Sakamachi Kureha uttered towards Konoe Subaru were a confession in every sense of the word.
“……”
Ahh, I see. That’s why she suddenly invited Konoe out on a date. It was all for this confession alone. All so that she could properly clear up her own feelings, after that whole Suzutsuki Revolution. I know that what Suzutsuki said back then was just nonsense, but the same couldn’t be said about Kureha. That’s why she must have been thinking about this a lot.
“……”
No, that’s not all. Thinking about it, I always thought that this current life would always stay the same. At the same time, I assumed that my little sister would never change either. I always thought that she would hold one-sided feelings for Kureha. However, reality is different. Everything in this world changes. Sooner or later, Kureha naturally would confess to Konoe. They met in April, and she has liked Konoe ever since—Liked the crossdressing butler Konoe Subaru.
‘—Sorry.’ An alto voice spoke up from the phone.
It was undoubtedly Konoe’s voice. And, it surely was an answer towards Kureha’s confession.
‘…Sorry, Kureha-chan, I’m really…really happy to hear that, but…I can’t answer your feelings.’ She said, with a clear intent in her voice.
Everybody present knew what these words meant.
‘…Nyahaha.’
However, Kureha still smiled. She kept up her innocent expression despite these circumstances.
‘Don’t apologize, Konoe-senpai. I kind of knew that things would end up this way.’
‘…Kureha-chan.’
‘That’s right. I knew already. After all…You have someone you like as well, right?’
‘……’ For a second, Konoe swallowed her breath. ‘Kureha-chan, I…’
‘No, it’s fine. I knew the result, but I still feel a lot better now. Like a weight has been lifted off my chest.’
‘…Kureha-chan.’ Konoe called out her name once more.
Hearing that, Kureha showed a satisfied smile.
‘Now then, Konoe-senpai! Thank you very much for tagging along today! It was a lot of fun! I won’t ever forget this day!’
It was too clear of a farewell. She left these words behind, turned her back towards Konoe, and ran directly out of the park.
‘Urk…!’
Konoe showed intention of chasing after Kureha, but eventually stopped. She probably knew that there was nothing she could do even if she did. However…
“Ah, stupid chicken! Where are you going!?”
I didn’t respond to Masamune’s scream, and simply ran after Kureha. Konoe might have already spotted me by now. However, we’re talking about my little sister here, there’s something that urged me to chase after her.
“—Kureha!”
I dashed out of the park, and on the street, I immediately spotted Kureha. Almost like she was waiting for me, she simply stood still, and called out to me with her usual innocent smile.
“Hey, Nii-san.”
“…Yo.”
“Did you hear my confession?”
“…Yeah.”
“Ehehe…I got rejected.”
“…Yeah. But, you did your best.”
“…Yup. I was so nervous. I think I really gave it my all. It’s what I had to do. I had to tell Konoe-senpai about my feelings. After all—I’ll continue to like Konoe-senpai.” She declared with no hesitation in her voice, smiling as always.
However, her voice was slightly quivering.
“Hey, Nii-san.”
“…What is it?”
“Did you hear what I told Konoe-senpai before that?”
“About what Mom said? Yeah.”
“Exactly. I don’t think that she’s wrong. Everybody suddenly bumps into a wall that seems impossible to overcome. And sometimes we really can’t break it down.”
“…”
“But…What’s important is that you keep going after that. It sounds simple, but you need to overcome it eventually. Everybody has a time like that in their lives. That’s why…”
A warm sensation touched my body. It was Kureha, hugging me. Because she had her face buried in my chest, I couldn’t fully make out her expression.
“I-I also…will get up eventually, so…just for a bit, can I take a rest?”
“…Yeah.”
“…Just a bit, okay? I’ll get up, and start walking again, so…just…a bit…”
“…Don’t worry. I’m right here.” I gently embraced the small girl in my arms.
“——”
That moment, Kureha was crying. Like everything stored up in her chest was gushing out at once, she just buried her face in my chest and let it all out, screaming in agony. That…was probably the end of my little sister’s first love.
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