Chapter 3: Day 1.3: Sibling-like friends

We stopped talking for a moment. 

 

Inhale… Exhale… Emi stared at the ceiling and then lower her head back down to inspect her surrounding, more people are coming into the class. But somehow, pulled by some sort of force, most are circling Nojiri and Madoka. Reflecting on our recent meeting, it was them who made the first move to approach me. So I wouldn’t be too surprised if I see them like this, to be honest. 

 

Emi: “Hey uh…by the way…”

She made a slight turn to gaze at our dear two childhood friends in front of the class within a wave of people.

Hirata: “What…”

Emi: “I kinda forgot to ask their name…?” 

Quite a shift in topic. 

Hirata: “The boy’s Yano Nojiri and the girl’s Kurihara Madoka”

I just answered nonchalantly

 

Emi: “I know this is somewhat out of nowhere but.. Don’t you think they seemed a tad… little too close?”

That’s really out of nowhere 

Hirata: “Yeah, they’re childhood friends so, of course, they’re close”

Emi: “Hmm. Childhood friends, huh… wait… did they tell you that today on purpose? Doesn’t sound like something I would simply tell someone I didn’t know beforehand just out of courtesy, especially on my first meeting with said someone”

She’s convinced I just had my first meeting with them today, even though when she found us we were already in mid-conversation… in a way, I wonder how much of a loner am I in her eyes for her to assume that? 

Well, I’ll ignore it for now.

 

Hirata: “Uhm.. they don’t exactly tell me, more like they affirmed what I said. I ask them if they’re childhood friends, and they just told me yes”

I don’t really intend to hide anything 

Emi: “Oooh. So you figured out they’re childhood friends even though you just met them? Is this something you picked on only from a single glance? I see our little detective here still has his wits with him…” 

She nudged closer to me with this curiosity on her face.

Emi: “But sadly with also enough stupidity to ask them that directly on their face” 

Her face changed in a beat into full of disappointment 

 

Hirata: “I was just curious okay?! And it’s not as easy as to say I suspect that from ‘a single glance’. I thought they were either a couple already or just really-really close friends, and by process of elimination, I just thought that maybe it’s more likely they’re childhood friends. And honestly, there are too many holes in my hypothesis but I guess I was just lucky to hit the nail at the right spot” 

Emi: “But… normally you’re rational enough to make a better judgment instead of just asking them recklessly like that unless... did you read too many romance novels again lately?” 

Hirata: “... as much as you did in the past”

Emi: “I read everyday… every hour”

Hirata: “...yes” 

Emi: “...we’ll discuss this later” 

We decided to adjourn this sensitive subject 

 

Emi: “Anyway… either a couple or really-really close friends, huh.”

Hirata: “You’re thinking of something?”

Emi: “No, just a stupid little pondering. Ya know, I think they’re close enough to be a couple and yet they’re still not a couple… I just wonder… why”

Hirata: “I can think of a few reasons”

Maybe they’re just more comfortable as friends, or maybe they just don’t recognize each other as a member of the opposite sex, or maybe they had other specific circumstances. There are just too many possibilities… and I think I read too many romance novels, indeed. Sorry Emi, I let you down and got myself drowned in a sea of novels like you did in the past, even though you warned me before.  

 

Hirata: “But at the end of it, we can just ask them directly if we want direct confirmation” 

Emi: “Asking them directly, again? I know you’re stupid, onii-chan, but really?”

Hirata: “Or we can just observe them like usual, but it’s going to take a while”

Either way, I don’t actually mean to keep an eye on them for such a measly reason too. This is their love life anyway, I don’t have the right to judge nor dictate their decisions, so it would be better if I just ignore them.

Hirata: “It was just a suggestion, I wouldn’t do it though. Honestly, it’s such a waste of time”

I just hang my head on my hand with the elbow stuck firm on my desk, looking at them listlessly.  

Emi: “Hmm.. then let’s do this instead” 

 

She then stands and calls them to return to their seats.

What are you thinking, little sister? 

 

Emi: “Hey uh... Sorry if I bother you when you’re busy with the others”

Kurihara: “Oh no, don’t worry about it. In fact, I’m grateful, it was getting a bit too overcrowded there and I didn’t know how to leave. So you save me back there” 

Yano: “Yeah, what she said” 

They both just sat on their seats and face her to listen to her made-up personal issue 

 

“Here’s the thing… so I think I missed some important announcement in our recent principal speech and yea…I’m sure they will probably tell us about this again in our homeroom class, but I was hoping maybe you two can fill in the gaps? This Hirata guy is useless, he doesn’t remember anything” 

The nerve of this girl…

Kurihara: “Oh yeah, if I could help you then sure, I’m happy to help”

Madoka accepted her request for help and Nojiri just nod. 

 

Emi: “So I was just curious about how the class representatives are going to be selected. Is there anything I need to know?”

Yano: “Oh, you’re interested to be one, Shiori-san?”

Emi: “Well, depending on the situation” 

I see. She’s going to use the class representative task as an indirect way to dig bits from them, especially since the task requires two people consisting of a male and a female. But honestly, I don’t think we’re going to get much info from this alone. 

 

Kurihara: “Hmm.. where do I start… I can say a few things, but maybe what I remember the most was how there are going to be two representatives per class, one male and one female. Not sure why they need two when it was just for class representatives and not for events, but I guess that’s the norm here?”

Yano: “I heard someone say that those two representatives are going to present themselves also as a candidate for events representative like cultural festivals”

Kurihara: “Oh.. well that’s cumbersome. Like why would they make the same person carry a burden for the rest of their school life like that”

Yano: “I guess they’re just searching for a way to minimize the effort to find other people to fill in the gaps when they can already use someone with enough experience. You know this school is just prioritizing efficiency, even though it results in some questionable methods” 

Kurihara: “In certain scenarios, sure I can see why they chose that way but-”

 

And just like that, they’re off in their own world like we don’t belong here. It’s just about one unrelated topic and yet they don’t take their eyes off of each other, even the one who delivered the question herself is ignored. 

 

Yano: “-Honestly I can see you as the representative Kurihara, you’re smart. So I’m sure you’ll find your way” 

Kurihara: “Oh. Thanks. I can’t honestly see you as a representative but I can vouch for a good word about your honesty at least, Yano” 

Yano: “...thanks?”

 

You are reading story How I Met My Former Little Sister As My New Seatmate at novel35.com

Emi: “...isn’t this just borderline public flirting?”

Emi just asked me with a blank face. I don’t know how to reply since this is her own idea, to begin with.

 

Emi: “A- anyway, how about you two? Any chance of joining yourself? Since you two have such good chemistry, I think the whole affairs would go even smoother when you two hold that position together” 

Emi just stepped in by force, stopping their discussion mid-dialogue. And also… that question was really blunt and quite obvious to keen eyes. 

Kurihara: “Uh- me and him? No-no, there’s no way we would do that. He’s not even fit to hold such an important position, he’ll stumble and ruin everything” 

As usual, Kurihara just dissed him at every chance she gets. 

 

Yano: “How terrible am I in your eyes? And besides, if I had to join something in this school I wouldn’t wanna do it with you anyway. Like, c’mon guys, I’m with her almost every day, I don’t have to be with her all the time, do I? It’s not like I have the obligation to keep her in check like I’m her mom or something. I considered her like my little sister, but even brothers wouldn’t be so overprotective. Am I right?” 

Don’t look at me while asking that man, I’m still wondering about my position as a big brother too.

Ignoring Nojiri for a second, I notice Madoka’s eyelid and hand were staggered a bit, I have a feeling she’s triggered by the ‘brother’ part. 

 

Emi: “An overprotective brother, huh”

She gazed at me for a few seconds… I wasn’t that overprotective okay… right?

 

Soon after, before we can conclude anything, the teacher entered the class and the homeroom began. The representative's selection was not discussed nor touched upon, so I guess this isn’t the time. But it wasn’t our main focus anyway, we were only interested in the childhood friends' relationship. 

 

After a few hours of taxing first class… which consists of nothing but just technicality for us as freshmen. The first break time bell finally rang. 

 

Kurihara: “Well, we’re off first. See you two around!” 

Yano: “Bye” 

Those two left us alone and seeing as all the other people in the class had also gone into their own activities, I turned right to talk to Emi, but before I say anything, she has something to say first.  

 

Emi: “You really don’t speak a word, huh? I’m the only one who talks to them, you know? What are you anyway? NPC with no dialogue option?” 

Hirata: “I- I just don’t know how to barge in when-”

Emi: “Loner”

Hirata: “N- No, look listen. They-”

Emi: “Loner”

Hirata: “...”

Emi: “Loner” 

 

A couple of seconds later

 

Emi: “Going back to what we should discuss earlier” 

Her face turned neutral in a beat

Emi: “They don’t exactly spill anything interesting” 

Interesting? So you really just made them talk all that much just for it all to be for nothing? 

Hirata: “Well, at least did you find anything noteworthy?”

Emi: “...well… For one, they’re close… really-really close” 

Hirata: “I think pretty much anyone can reach the same conclusion easily” 

Emi: “A- anyway, how about you?”

Hirata: “Well, if my eyes weren’t deceiving me, Madoka acted a little weird when Nojiri said anything related to brother or sister…”

Emi: “And that means…?”

Hirata: “I think Madoka’s troubled by how Nojiri considered her as nothing but a little sister” 

Emi: “That’s such a leap of logic” 

Hirata: “Or maybe Madoka just had a traumatic past with her brother that shook her very core till this day” 

Emi: “...you’re just making any possible connection about anything bad related to the word ‘brother’... so you have any more absurd ideas?”

Hirata: “You wanna hear for real?”

Emi: “... honestly no”

Hirata: “Good answer”

I don’t even want to say too much since I don’t have a lot of evidence anyway. If I carelessly say anything without proper deliberation, this girl would act rashly and I can’t be entirely sure what she will definitely do. Until then, it’s better to just let this all drown in obscurity, and soon after she’ll forget anyway. 

 

Emi: “Between those two crazy imaginations, the first one is kinda more realistic, and if it’s really that then… the boy wouldn’t do anything if he recognizes her simply as a sister, right?”

She turned to me with her head slightly tilted to the side, making that adorable curious face 

Hirata: “If you’re asking me with my perspective as a brother, then yeah. Normally, you just can’t fall for your sister romantically”

Emi: “Yeah… normally” 

I ignored her implicit comment for now. 

Hirata: “Anyway, if he lives in an environment like mine… then, I can’t exactly blame him for what he feels… in a certain sense, childhood friends are like siblings” 

 

Childhood friends are like sibling 

 

If you think about it, childhood friends might just be an extension of what a sibling is like. We met each other from the early days of childhood, were raised up together in a close environment, and understood each other uniqueness and flaws which only we know of. The only difference I see in this comparison is which family are we coming from. 

 

In an age where love knows no bounds, and even same-sex marriage is becoming the norm… why-

 

Emi: “Why are we separated?”

I don’t know

 

Emi: “They look like a sibling… like us… but they’re not like us. If one of them like the other romantically, realistically it’s still possible for them to get together… unlike someone I know” 

… I was going to say something to lighten up the mood but then I heard someone shout Emi! from the class entrance. There I saw a girl of short height waving her hands in our direction. 

 

Emi: “Oh. My friend’s calling me already. Honestly, this was fun, playing a stupid detective game like this. It’s like old times, so let’s do it again sometime later” 

Hirata: “O-oh”

Emi: “Anyway, I have to go now, my friend is waiting for me. Bye!”

I stared at Emi as she walked away and approached her friend. Then after she left my sight, I turned around to see my class is already filled with proper friend circles, each in their own place. 

 

“...Am I turning into a loner yet again?”

You can find story with these keywords: How I Met My Former Little Sister As My New Seatmate, Read How I Met My Former Little Sister As My New Seatmate, How I Met My Former Little Sister As My New Seatmate novel, How I Met My Former Little Sister As My New Seatmate book, How I Met My Former Little Sister As My New Seatmate story, How I Met My Former Little Sister As My New Seatmate full, How I Met My Former Little Sister As My New Seatmate Latest Chapter