Volume 1 - CH 4.1

Posted on May 12, 2022by Soafp

Translator: Soafp

The next day, when I left the house to go to school, fully recovered, my sister stopped me at the entrance of the house. Even though we went to the same high school, we did not go to school together. I usually leave the house earlier than my sister, who is weak in the morning.

What does she want?

“Hmmm…”

As I was wondering what was going on, she put one hand out in front of her.

Hahaha, I see. So you’re charging me because you took care of me yesterday, huh?

I made you buy a lot of things for me yesterday. I feel bad for having bothered her. I took out my wallet and put a one-thousand-yen bill in her palm.

“Ha?”

“I’m sorry. I was joking.”

I know, 1,000 yen is not enough! I’ll change it to a 5,000 yen bill.

“Are you making fun of me?”

This is bad! Her eyebrows are wrinkled. I must have made her angry. Unlike boys, girls have to pay for everything. It was only natural that I should add it to the nursing fee. I took out a 10,000 yen bill from my wallet with this in mind, but the voltage of my sister’s anger skyrocketed.

“C-Can you give me a break on this somehow?”

I offered her my entire wallet. I usually don’t spend much money, so it’s no problem. My name is Yukito Kokonoe, a man who has never been a rebel. If my sister needs it, I’ll just give it to her.

I’m just thankful that they let a piece of s**t like me go to school in a decent way to begin with. It is my policy not to go against my family.

“I never said I wanted money?”

“…… then what do you want me to offer you?”

“What’s with the assumption that I’m asking for something?”

“I’m sorry I’m such a foolish brother.”

There was no way for me to understand the thoughts of my deeply thoughtful sister. I will be diligent.

“I know you’ve been sick. You’re anxious, so I’ll hold your hands and we’ll go together.”

“Are you crazy?”

Am I in kindergarten? I can’t keep up with the unexpected and oblique answer at all. If a high school senior tries to go to school holding hands with my sister, there will be another problem. My sister is famous for her beauty. It would cause unnecessary rumors. Besides, there is no way I can hold hands with my sister.

If we did that, it would be just like that time again—–.

“—I can’t do it…”

“You still don’t trust me?”

“No, that’s not it.”

I can’t take advantage of her kindness. It was enough for me that she was concerned about me like this even if she didn’t like me. I can’t ask for more than that.

I’m already in perfect physical condition. I turned on my heel and headed for school.

I know that the only thing that lies ahead is sadness.

“How did this happen……”

“You’re getting a lot of attention right off the bat, sexy man.”

As soon as I arrive at the classroom, a fresh handsome guy makes fun of me. I was sick, and this commotion was hard to deal with in the morning. My sister was persistent. She was so persistent that she forced me to link arms with her, as if she was annoyed that I would not hold hands with her. I tried to push her away, but she was holding me tight and it was impossible. Thanks to this, I had to go to school in the morning in a state like a couple of idiots.

Sure enough, it was an early topic of conversation, and rumors quickly circulated. If there was one good thing that came out of it, it was that I enjoyed the soft feeling on my arms, but the fatigue was winning out. It was not worth it. After spending the first period of class exhausted, I was summoned to the hallway by a senpai whom I had never met before.

“Sorry to call you out. I’m Mizuguchi, a second-year student. Is it true that you’re Yuuri’s younger brother?”

“I don’t look much like my sister.”

“In the morning, I was surprised because I thought she had a boyfriend. Did something happen?”

“I caught a cold, so my sister was just worried about me.”

“Are you all right now?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I took yesterday off and rested well, so I’m fine, but I’m a little tired from the morning’s commotion.”

“Kuku. She’s a popular person. But still, she’s a very anxious person. I think it’s good that she cares about her family, but I’m sorry to hear about your troubles.”

“My sister’s eccentricities amaze me, too.”

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll keep this short and sweet, but I do have a favor to ask of you. Is that okay?”

“Are you talking about confessing to my sister?”

That’s the only way it can be when he asks me something about my sister. Yuuri is a beautiful woman, just like my mother. This happened to me several times in junior high school, “Does your sister have a boyfriend?” I was often asked. But we didn’t talk much, so I didn’t know much about her private life. It would not be surprising if she has a boyfriend.

“I’m embarrassed to even say this, but could you call up Yuuri and ask her?”

“Do you need to rely on me?”

“I don’t know if you know this, but she never comes when I call her. I’ve given her love letters and stuff, but she either doesn’t read them or ignores them. She’s famous for that too.”

“Who is that b***h? Ah you mean my sister huh.”

“I know, but that’s the weakness of being in love with someone. Even if you confess your feelings to someone and they reject you, you can’t let them go, can you?”

Even though she is my sister, her attitude is too harsh. The truth of the world lies in the fact that she is popular in spite of this. I took a quick look around Mizuguchi-senpai, but he doesn’t look like a barbaric person. He speaks to me in a friendly manner, and I have a good impression of him. I’ve just given my sister a lot of trouble, and I don’t know what kind of response I’ll get, but I should reward her once in a while.

As a love cupid, it must be my brother’s duty to support my sister’s love life!

“I understand. Leave it to me!”

“Will you do it, young boy!”

“You’re only one year older than me.”

“You’ve got to knock it out of the park.”

Mizuguchi seemed like a nice guy.

[Yuuri PoV]

“—-Hiaaa!”

“just now did you just make strange noises?”

“Shut up.”

“What’s with that character ……?”

I checked it over seriously, but it was definitely an e-mail from my brother.

Was it a misdirect? But there was no way that the message was sent to someone other than me, as it said, “I have an important message for you, Yuuri. I still couldn’t believe it, because he almost never sends me e-mails. Even if he did, it was only to communicate with me on a rare occasion, and this was the first time he had ever sent me something like this.

“……, what should I do, I’m not wearing any makeup today.”

“You always do. You’re unusually upset, what’s up with this morning thing?”

“From now on, it won’t be so unusual. But still, what the hell is going on……”

“Eh, what? Are you going to walk to school in that every day?”

“I’d love to—-Eh, no way, was that thing in the morning an ‘aneikatsu’!?”

[Aneikatsu: A woman provides financial and other support to a younger man. In many cases, the female partner pampering the younger man is intended to enjoy a pseudo-sibling relationship. The specific details include buying him a meal or paying for his shopping. Basically, the goal is often to provide support to the partner, rather than focusing on a romantic or physical relationship.]

I noticed it suddenly. In the morning, for some reason, my brother handed me some money.

It may sound a bit juvenile, but there is such a thing as “papa katsu” in the world. I was wondering if my brother might have proposed “aneikatsu” to me. He said that the content of the offer depends on the amount of money, but I don’t understand it because I don’t know the market price. Come to think of it, my brother first offered me a 1,000 yen bill. Eventually he offered me his entire wallet, which makes me wonder how far he wanted me to go with that.

What did he want me to do? Sh*t, I should have never said no!

I couldn’t stay like this. I took out my cosmetic pouch from my bag and headed for the restroom at once. This was the first time I had ever received a call from my brother. I had no idea what it would be about, but I had no choice but to face it with a single-minded determination. I waited for after-school while suppressing my excitement.

“Where are you with Yukito?!”

The fire escape is always quiet. I looked around, but my brother was nowhere to be seen.

“Thank you for coming, Yuuri.”

I felt like someone had called my name, but I didn’t care about that. For some reason, the man I didn’t know well who came in front of me made me feel depressed.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Who are you?”

“Kyoichi Mizuguchi from the next class. We were on the beautification committee together once before.”

“I don’t know you. I’m busy. If you don’t need me, can you go somewhere else?”

“W-Wait a minute! I’m the one who called Yuuri. I asked your brother for you to come here.”

“Ha?”

I finally became interested in the Mizuguchi in front of me when I heard that much.

—-Just now, what did he just say? Did you ask my brother?

“I-I like you. Please go out with me!”

“Did you say something Mizuguchi? Did you use my brother?”

“N-no. It’s not like that, I just asked him to help me, otherwise you wouldn’t come. ……”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Don’t drag my brother into your nonsense!”

“I’m just confessing to you–“

“Then why don’t you just tell me right there and then! Did you threaten my brother by calling me out here?”

“Threats, I didn’t do that!”

“Who knows. Mou!”

Ignoring Mizuguchi, I start running. I have to leave now. I’m worried that he might have done something to me.

By then, the fact that he had confessed to me had completely disappeared from my mind.

“Uhm, …… your answer?”

On the fire escape, left alone, Mizuguchi was at a loss.

[Yukito PoV]

Did my sister’s love go well? Yes, yes, I feel very good. From now on, I will make it my goal to do one good deed a day! Maybe, but that’s what Shakyamuni Buddha said. They say it comes from Buddhism, but my family is not religious.

I heard footsteps slamming and came to a stop in front of my room, and the door was opened vigorously without regard to my knocking. Yuuri-san, who had taken off her school uniform and was now wearing a tank top, was standing in front of me. Oh, did he succeed?

“Welcome back, Yuuri-san.”

“That guy Mizuguchi didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

“? He just asked me to call Yuuri-san.”

“Thank god…..”

“Did you and senpai become lovers?”

“I could care less about anyone who tries to take advantage of you.”

My sister was spitting with a face that she couldn’t show me. She seems to be fuming. What happened, Mizuguchi-senpai? For some reason, my sister sat down next to me.

“Senpai, he seemed to be a pretty nice guy.”

“Ha? So what? Are you asking me to go out with him?”

“Yes…….”

I never said anything like that, but her eyes scared me. I had to keep my mouth shut.

“You know, if there’s something you want me to do, I don’t need money or anything.”

“Thank you? Yes, yes?”

What is it that I want her to do for me? Her cheeks were slightly red. Don’t you want money? Come to think of it, we had such an exchange in the morning. Fumu… So, my wallet is not enough money. Maybe there is something she wants. I’ll do my best to cooperate!

“Then, let’s take it out of my savings.”

“Savings!? What is it that you want me to do?”

“I don’t spend much money.”

“But that is just too morbid! I understand. I’ll make up my mind. I’ll do whatever you want. I don’t want your money, so just tell me when you’re ready.”

“I-I see. Thank you?”

“It’s fine. No, I just want to do it for you.”

The sister’s face changed and she walked out of the room with a look of love and contentment on her face. She left like a storm, but I didn’t quite understand what she was saying until the end.

……What do she mean by morbid?

“Yukito, let’s compete in the next 1,500-meter run!”

The fresh and handsome man’s face is as radiant as the clear sky. It’s a beautiful day, huh.

“Why don’t we do long body forward bends anyway?”

“I don’t understand what you mean by “anyway”. Is it fun to compete in body elasticity?”

A large number of students are gathered on the field. Today, a new physical fitness test was being held to measure individual athletic ability. Some of the tests had already been completed.

My grip strength, which had been a personal concern, was almost back to normal.

Looking next to me, I saw a sparkle in the eyes of a fresh and handsome man. What is it that makes me so sad that I have to deal with this all-around sports prince? I’m pretty good at basketball, but not so good at other sports. As far as my running ability is concerned, I can run long distances, but I’m no match for the fresh, handsome guy when it comes to short distances. Knowing that, I chose middle-distance running, which is really obnoxious. When I was about to open my mouth to say something sarcastic, the girls cheered. They seemed to be getting excited about something.

“That’s Kamishiro isn’t it? She’s amazing!”

The fresh-looking guy was impressed, but I followed his gaze.

At the center of the circle was Shiori Kamishiro. She had set a new record in the standing long jump.

“Shiori is a physical specimen. I’m not surprised.”

“It’s a shame that Kamishiro is a home coming student when she’s so athletic.”

“That’s true…… yes?”

Her smile was dazzling, filled with energy like a bursting bullet.

However, I felt something strange about the way Kamishiro was looking at me.

“O-oi! Yukito, where are you going?”

I headed toward the group of girls.

The sudden intruder had quieted the cheers and made the girls’ eyes go black and white.

“Kokonoe-chan, what’s wrong?”

“Yuki? Why are you here ……”

“You look very sick. Are you alright?”

Kamishiro’s movements were dull. It was obvious to those who were more or less familiar with her. The fact that she can still record a record is impressive, but Kamishiro, who has her mind set on physical parameters, is a girl who can do more than that.

“Eh? Ah…..yes. There is nothing to worry about. Look, I’m full of spirit!”

It seems like an empty cheerfulness, but then I remembered.

“I see. Come to think of it, you’re pretty good at lying.”

“–?!”

“Sorry for interrupting.”

I was conscious that I was talking in a very mean and cowardly way. But it might be useless.

I asked out of curiosity, but when I thought about it, it would be extremely annoying to being worried by a shady person like me. It’s not surprising that people might think that a bottom-feeder like me should crawl down and sip muddy water, which would just be annoying. I’m sorry to have interrupted the excitement.

“W-wait! I’m sorry, Yuki. I lied!”

Just as I was about to go back, I was stopped by a frantic-looking Kamishiro.

She looked pale, as if she was getting seriously ill.

“Uhm, I just forgot to eat breakfast, it’s really not that big of a deal. ……”

“That’s enough.”

“I just didn’t want you to worry! I won’t ever lie to you again.”

“Did you oversleep or something?”

“I was a little busy in the morning …… and all I had that night was a cup of noodles …….”

“You’re a big eater. What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry ……. I don’t want you to worry about it.”

“You’re three sizes?

“……Eh? The last time I measured it, it was 90—-wait a second, Yuki? Do you know what you’re doing! T-That kind of thing has to be done in secret later.”

Oh, she told me. I was just asking in the heat of the moment. ……

“Shiorin, were you really sick?”

“Y-yes…. It’s not so much that I can’t move, but it’s not very comfortable.”

“I didn’t notice it at all. And yet I made a fuss, sorry, Kamishiro-san?”

“It was my fault. I didn’t mean to hide it, I just thought it was okay. ……”

Kamishiro apologizes apologetically. The people around her are also worried.

It was enough to know that she was not ill. It was very typical of Kamishiro to be so hungry that she didn’t have any energy, but she should be able to complete the rest of the tests without any problem.

“Hey, Kokonoe-kun. How did you know that Kamishiro-san wasn’t feeling well?”

“Yeah. She didn’t appear to be that way at all.

Sakurai and the others gathered around, asking me ” teach me for the future”.

As expected of a cheerful girl, she was very attentive to others. I pointed at her ponytail.

“Whenever she’s happy, in a good mood, having fun, or has too much energy, her ponytail bounces around vigorously. Look at that. Right now, she’s a little sad”

“Now that you mention it, it certainly is …….”

“My ponytail doesn’t work like a dog’s tail!?”

All of them became reluctant. I was one of them.

“Eh? Eh….W-what? Did I say something funny?”

“Haa…yare yare”

Geez not good. Not good at all Kamishiro-kun.

“Look. A face that is trying to resist the classic “that’s a horse’s tail, not a dog’s tail” comment.”

“It’s my fault!?”

“What’s the point of burning calories with a lucky break if you’re not feeling well?”

“I feel like I’m being treated unreasonably.……”

Kamishiro is being dishonest, which is one of the advantages of Kamishiro that it doesn’t last long.

“Actually, it’s just an observation. In time, everyone will understand. I’d be punished for disrespect if I didn’t notice that Yuuri’s bangs were just slightly shorter.”

She gets into a bad mood right away. “Don’t you have something to say?” When asked, I desperately search for changes. As a result of persistent asking, I have improved my observational skills. This is also the result of Yuuri’s training.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“Yes. Sorry you had to worry about me”

This should allow things to proceed smoothly and without recklessness. The people around her would not force her to do too much.

However, I was concerned about how fragile Kamishiro seemed to be at some point.