Chapter 70: Afterstory & Prequel – 7: Blond Hair

After being released with a suspended death sentence, I returned home to find a pair of brand-new loafers at the entrance. They belonged to my little sister, who had just started high school today.

The smell of dinner wafted in from the living room—probably buri daikon (simmered yellowtail and radish). Maika’s buri daikon was always the best, with the flavors perfectly soaking into both the fish and the radish… not that it mattered right now.

“Maika… why didn’t you join the baseball team?”

It was because I had told her not to.

But, still. Even when I said not to, wasn’t it typical of her to go ahead and join anyway? That’s always been our usual dynamic, right? I mean, sure, I genuinely didn’t want her to join, but… read the room, seriously.

And it wasn’t just that Maika didn’t join—some random girl ended up joining instead. Sure, it doesn’t feel bad at all to be admired by someone so gorgeous. Actually, it makes me ridiculously happy. But the pressure… the pressure is unreal. Being constantly stared at with eyes full of admiration while playing baseball? My nerves won’t hold up. What the hell am I supposed to do from now on?

“Onii-san, onii-san! Oh, welcome home!”

“Oh, I’m back, Riko.”

Riko came running from the living room with her usual pata-pata footsteps. That much was normal, but something felt off.

Oh, I see. It wasn’t her usual “Welcome home!” as her first words. That’s rare for Riko. And her expression was strange, too. She was smiling, but her mouth was twitching as though she was holding back laughter. Clearly, something had happened. And whatever it was, it was clearly amusing to her.

“What’s up, Riko?”

“It’s a big deal, onii-san! There’s a weird woman! Some unfamiliar girl is in our kitchen making buri daikon!”

“What?”

What was she talking about? This smell was clearly Maika’s buri daikon. Confused, I let my soft and squishy little sister tug me by my left hand toward the living room.

What I saw from behind as I entered was—

“Hm. Welcome home, Kyugo. Hurry up, wash your hands, and let’s eat.”

“Wh-who are you…!?”

The figure standing in the kitchen glanced back briefly and spoke in Maika’s grumpy voice. She wore Maika’s T-shirt, Maika’s apron over her chest, and Maika’s short shorts revealing Maika’s thick thighs… but she had short, silky blonde hair.

Who is this!?

“Hey, turn around!”

I grabbed the mysterious woman by the shoulders and forcibly turned her to face me.

She glared at me with irritation.

“What? I’m plating the food right now. If the perfectly tender radish gets ruined, what are you going to do about it?”

“It’s Maika…!”

It was unmistakably Maika. Her small face was unmistakably hers. My little sister, who had always prided herself on her long, black hair, had gone rogue. She’d turned it into a beautiful flaxen—no, blonde short cut. What the hell…?

“Huh? What are you even saying? Obviously, I’m the only one allowed in this kitchen. Or do you have something else you want to say? Well? Spit it out if you’ve got something to say.”

“Uh, but, you…!”

“But what? What are you trying to say? Come on, say it already.”

Maika, now blonde, pressed me with her unhappy face and voice, inching closer. The nearer her small face got, the harder it became to find the words to respond, and I felt like I might stop breathing.

But just then, something soft tugged at the hem of my blazer.

“Hehe! Onii-san, onii-san! Since Maika-chan herself is saying it’s fine, why don’t you just be honest about what you think?”

“Riko…”

My soft and squishy little sister looked up at me, her expression undeniably delighted.

“Huh? Why’s Riko butting in? I didn’t ask you anything.”

“Hehe! That’s because onii-san can’t be honest with Maika-chan, right? Hey, onii-san? High school debut Maika-chan… hehe, this is way too funny! Even her makeup… don’t tell me you secretly practiced and prepared for this?”

“Huh? I didn’t practice or anything. I just borrowed some stuff from a friend and tried it on a whim.”

“Yeah, that’s a lie. I’ve totally seen you practicing for a while now. What’s with this random act of defiance? My big sister is still as funny as ever! Hehe! Oh, and by the way, that hairstyle? It doesn’t suit you at all.”

Makeup… so that’s why her face looked just a little different. She put on makeup? Now that I think about it, even Ogikubo-senpai looks completely different with makeup. The captain showed me some photos from her middle school days, and she looked like a simple, plain girl compared to her current sharp, elegant self. That whole situation got the captain kicked a lot, but since he always wears a protective cup despite not even playing in matches, he managed to survive. Gross. How did that plain girl turn into such a creep? A reflection of Japan’s dark side, I guess.

“Ugh, fine, whatever.”

“Haha! Acting like it doesn’t bother you is hilarious. Right, onii-san? You think so too, don’t you?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

Crap, I wasn’t paying attention to the conversation and just responded randomly. Maika was just so… distracting.

“Fine! Whatever! It’s not like I care what Kyugo thinks of me or anything! Not at all!”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly so mad?”

“Mad!? Mad!? Mad!? Mad!? I’m not mad! Not at all! It’s not like I care what Kyugo thinks of me or anything!”

“Hehe! Sure, sure! Then keep that weird hair forever, high school debut Maika-chan!”

“I don’t need you to tell me that! I’ll keep it as long as I want! It’s not like I care what Kyugo thinks of me or anything!”

“Ugh…”

Blonde Maika, her face now bright red and her eyes teary, was absolutely losing it. Ugh… oh, wait. Did I say “beautiful”? No, no, I didn’t mean that… well, okay, maybe. Objectively speaking, she has a neat and pretty face. But that’s just a fact. Not like she cares what I think or anything!