Chapter 8: Volume 1 - CH 2.2

2

It was dusk when Sandai was released from the never-ending conversation with Nakaoka.

Having grown tired of Sandai continuously taking indecisive attitude, Nakaoka folded up, with a sigh said, “Well, just think about it,” and ended it. The organizing of the school history reference room was brought to a finish as well.

Completely mentally exhausted, Sandai returned to his home, unsteadily entered his own room, and plopped down on the bed immediately after.

“I just wanna go straight to sleep…”

He was being urged by such an impulse. Though, he would have to do something before that; in the morning, he’d promised to contact Shino later.

Sandai slowly got up and booted up the messaging app on his phone. Firstly he added Shino’s ID, and then tried to send a message to her… and his hands stopped.

The various things Nakaoka had told him flickered in his mind. Somehow he felt like his current self was facing an important crossroad, making his fingers stop moving.

Time passed by just like that in the time Sandai remained frozen, and it was already nine when he realized it.

“…I mustn’t think about unnecessary things. I should completely forget Sensei’s words. Trying to send a message will be harder and harder the more I think about it.” Sandai forcibly emptied his head. And then, albeit slowly, his fingers began to move. “And like… this.”

Sandai decided to send the message with only his name on it, as letting her know that the sender was him would be fine for the time being.

Sandai hit send, and a strange sense of accomplishment and fatigue hit him at the same time.

Sandai tried to get some drink to take a breather—only to get startled by his phone ringing.

He nervously checked it, and it was from Shino.

>I’ve been waiting~.

“It hasn’t even been one minute since I sent the message, though…” Not expecting such a speedy reply, Sandai gulped down his saliva while sweat oozed out of his forehead. “…I’ve gotta respond to Yuizaki’s reply, don’t I?”

Sandai frettingly began to think what to reply, but before he could even send any text, follow-up messages from Shino came one after another.

>Thanks for keeping the promise.

>I was so nervous, wondering when I would hear from you.

>By the way, it’s funny it’s just your name. You sure have humor.

In the face of super speed follow-ups with no thought of his pace, Sandai thought that it just might be easier to pretend he hadn’t seen it and later send a ‘My bad, I didn’t see it’ message as an excuse, but a feature of the messaging app put that to a stop.

This app would show ‘Read,’ telling the other side that it was seen. Leaving no reply would be equal to ignoring it. He couldn’t use the excuse that he hadn’t seen it.

“What do I do… That’s right… I guess I’ll start by telling her I’m not used to an app like this.”

Thinking result: Sandai decided to be honest and tell her his current situation for the time being. Honesty would be best at a time like this. Probably.

“Errr… ‘My bad, I’ve been a loner so this is the first time for me to contact someone. I think my reply is going to be slow, or there could be some confusion, but please do excuse me.’ …There.”

>Realsies? Kay!

“‘Realsies?’ and ‘Kay’? What’s this? I don’t get it. I beg you, please use proper language.”

Sandai would like to ignore the words he got no idea at all what it meant, but remaining clueless would make understanding one another difficult, so he inevitably asked the meaning.

And then—

>Realsies? is the slang for for real?, and kay is short for okay~.

“Ah, I see. So it’s slang and short for it.”

Such exchange of messages with Shino continued for pretty long.

Shino was beginning to slow down her pace, allowing Sandai a bit of breathing room, and the conversation started to roll fairly nicely.

In the middle of such a casual chat, Shino suddenly mentioned she’d like to go to Sandai’s home next Sunday.

>Can I come to your place next Sunday? So I make confections at work, and I want to practice that. Let’s make it together.

Sandai questioned whether his no-experience-at-making-confectionaries self could be of any help in the practice. He checked with Shino just in case, and she replied, ‘It’s okay.’

If the one proposing it said so, then it surely would be okay. As for letting her into his home, Sandai didn’t feel any reluctance since he had already had her in twice.

With the time starting to get late, the chat ended with sending,‘Good night,’ to one another.

“…What’s the time now? Already time for anime, huh.” He looked at the clock, and saw it was five minutes before late-night anime.

Sandai was sleepy, but not watching wasn’t an option, so he slept after watching late-night anime.

3

In the time leading to the following Sunday, they spent their days feigning indifference to each other at school, but exchanging silly messages at home at night.

Attention from other students began to decrease significantly. Even Nakaoka who had tattled on and on; perhaps taking a wait-and-see approach, she didn’t try to meddle even if she were to give a suspecting gaze.

In the meantime, Sunday came. Sandai changed into his outside clothes, headed to the station, and sat on the bench on the platform, waiting for Shino to arrive.

Shino got off the train that came shortly after.

Sandai waved his hand. Shino noticed it and went to rush to him in a small jog.

“Did you wait?”

“I just got here.”

“Thank god~.”

Shino was naturally wearing plain clothing as it was a day off, putting on a casual getup of short-ish cropped pants, a white shirt with polka dots, and then flower-patterned sandals. She was also holding a big-ish wicker basket with the inside unknown to him.

Although it was now entering the last third of September, there were still many days with high temperatures. And today was one such day, so Shino seemed to be dressed in summer clothing

As Sandai had only ever seen Shino in school uniform, the plain clothing gave off some fresh feeling.

“…Shall we go?” Sandai asked and got up from the bench.

“Wait a minute,” and then Shino put the brakes on. “Umm… It’s gonna be so sudden and I’m sorry, but…” Shino was scratching her cheek with an apologetic look, and then a small girl suddenly and timidly came out from behind her.

Sandai tilted his head at the appearance of the mysterious girl.

“Umm… When I left home, she suddenly said she’d come along with me.”

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“Eh… Came along with you when you left home? Don’t tell me, Yuizaki… have you been a… mother of one?”

“Y-You are wrong!” Shino waved her hands and denied it in panic. “Who even has a kid this big at my age!? I mean I’m a virgin, how could I even have a—n-no, forget what I just said.”

Apparently it wasn’t her daughter, but when given some thought, Shino was still a high school student and moreover not good with men; there was no way she was having a child.

I’ve made a misunderstanding that can be easily figured out if I think about it calmly, Sandai reflected as he scratched his cheek.

“Err, I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I have a little sister. And it’s this girl. I knew I should’ve let you know when I was on the train, but… it’s just hard to bring up, you see.”

Shino had indeed said she got a little sister before. Sandai remembered that as well.

“Come on, say hello to Onii-chan.”

“…Nice to meet you. I’m Miki.”

Shino’s little sister—Miki looked a lot like Shino, as one would expect from sisters.

The only difference that could be discerned at first glance, apart from the color of Shino’s dyed hair, would perhaps be around the eyes.

In contrast to Shino’s distinct double eyelid, Miki also got a pretty double eyelid but hers were droopy eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Miki-chan.”

“O-Ohay…” Miki shut her eyes tight and looked down; not scared, but seemed embarrassed.

“I’m really sorry, Fujiwara…” 

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“It wouldn’t be good if I troubled you, so I did tell her to be a good girl and play with Mom and Dad at home, though.”

“I don’t think it’s any trouble at all so it’s fine, really… It’s just maybe, but Miki-chan, could it be that you love your Onee-chan so that’s why you wanted to be with her?”

Sandai crouched down and smiled, only for Miki to smile pleasantly and give a small nod.

“Yup. Miki loves Onee-chan.”

An innocent girl befitting her apparent age; that was how it seemed to Sandai. Though, Shino was making an indescribable expression as she was watching the whole thing from the side.

“What’s wrong, Yuizaki? What’s with that face?”

“…I’ll let you know ahead of time, but Miki is a girl who instantly turns into a rascal once she gets along with someone. She’s good at playing innocent, so try to not get fooled,” said Shino, only for Miki to avert her eyes away.

And she said, “Onee-chan, still mad about yesterday…?”

“Nn? Well of course.”

“Don’t be so mad like that… It’s ‘cause Miki thought a small melon might fit in your bra, Onee-chan… and then it fit…”

“Even so you don’t go swing it around and play with it like that! Both the strap and hook got broken, you know!?”

“Your boobs’ unexpected bigness is at fault, you know…”

“No, it’s not.”

“What a selfish body…”

“…Where did you even learn those words?”

“It was on TV.”

“You lose nothing in not watching that kinda thing.”

They were talking about something terrific, like playing with a bra or something. Miki appeared to be a well-behaved girl, but it was actually like Shino had said; she seemed to just be playing innocent, and her true character was quite free and wild.

Sandai knew it was not something he should listen to so attentively, so he blocked his ears with his hands for now.

“Nn? Huh, that Onii-chan blocked his ears. Oh well, it’s just right. Heh hey, Onee-chan, got a minute?”

“What.”

“You were talking about going to a friend’s home, but it’s not a girl’s home, huh?”

“…I’ve never said anything that it’s a female friend’s home, you know?”

“Is it better to not tell Dad and Mom? You were hiding it from Miki, too, so that means you also haven’t told them, right?”

“I-I’m thinking of telling them one of these days, but we don’t have that kind of relationship yet, too… umm… I hope you don’t tell them if you can.”

“That kind of relationship? Yet? Hmm… fufu… Miki doesn’t really get it, but if you want to, then Miki will stay silent. But instead, go smoochie smooch with that Onii-chan in front of Miki, okay?”

“Eh?”

“Miki saw a smoochie in a drama, and then, Miki got curious how it will be like in real life and wants to see it. That’s why, Miki will stay silent if you smoochie smooch. It’s not like you hate that Onii-chan, right? It’s the first time Miki saw you interacting with a man other than Dad, Onee-chan. If anything, you like him, right?”

“Now that you said it… I like him… I guess?”

“You guess? What’s that now? Miki will tell Dad and Mom, okay?”

“…I like him, I think.”

“You think?”

“I-I like him. I like him! Is this okay now?”

“So you do like him. Miki hears momentum is important in something like this, so come on and make the decision today.”

“…”

Their quarrel seemed to have stopped, so Sandai dropped the hands covering his ears.

He didn’t know what they had been talking about, but Miki was grinning, while Shino was fiddling around with her bangs with her face red up to her ears.

Why is Yuizaki blushing—Ah, I see. The anger about the bra thing has calmed down, but the embarrassment is still there, isn’t it? Sandai made such a guess, it’s probably that. And then he vowed that would try not to say a word that would be associated with that if possible.

It would be a different story if Sandai had a hobby of making people get into an uncomfortable mood, but he got no such warped fetish.

Now, having grasped what to look out for in a conversation, Sandai headed for his apartment with them as they couldn’t just stand around forever.

It wasn’t that far from the station, so they reached there after a few minutes’ walk

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