Chastity Reversed: Part-Time Life by the All-Girls High School

The parents were at work.

It was just the two of us at home.

[What… about boys?]

It was a voice filled with disbelief.

The old Sora-nii had never shown even the slightest interest in sports.

I really didn’t understand any of it. But for some reason, I couldn’t just ignore him.

Even though he had been such a hateful, insufferable older brother, things felt… different now.

To be honest, I didn’t feel the same way about him anymore.

So, I decided to call him by two nicknames: “Old Sora-nii” and “New Sora-nii.”

“My six-pack abs are gone…”

“That’s because Old Sora-nii was always snacking.”

“Yeah, fair enough,” he said, doing crunches.

Whenever he had free time, he was working out. I still couldn’t get used to the sight of it.

“Oh, those are your summer homework assignments—”

“I haven’t finished a single thing!!”

And so, the homework that Old Sora-nii had left behind (a.k.a. the summer homework debt) was being tackled relentlessly by New Sora-nii.

Honestly, that was just cruel. Old Sora-nii, creating nothing but trouble to the very end!

“Huh?”

“No, I’ll wash the dishes. You can’t risk injuring your hand if you’re playing ping pong.”

“No, no, it’s fine—”

“You’ve got club activities, Akari. I’m just a member of the going-home club and have plenty of free time, so I’ll handle the chores.”

After lunch, the household tasks he used to shove onto me were now being done voluntarily by New Sora-nii. It felt like I might become useless at this rate.

“Are you plotting something?”

“Just think about the energy consumption of both our stamina bars. Logically, this division makes sense.”

“That’s such a video-game logic…”

“Speaking of games, Akari, you don’t really play any, do you?”

“…Not much. But I’ve played at a friend’s house.”

“Oh? What kind of games?”

“Um, well… ping pong!”

“Haha, you really love it, huh?”

The old him would never listen to anything I said. He wouldn’t even pretend to care.

But now, New Sora-nii actually listened to me.

“You know, ping pong is something you can play for your whole life. It doesn’t require much strength.”

“So, it’s a lifelong hobby. That’s pretty great.”

“Right? Though, it’s not exactly popular.”

“Maybe when you’re an old lady, it’ll finally make you popular.”

“That’s way too late!!”

As we chatted while he washed the dishes… it was strangely enjoyable. Talking with New Sora-nii felt fun.

“Phew, all done.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“No problem. But honestly, I think you’d be popular, Akari.”

“…Old Sora-nii said someone like me, an ugly loser, could never be popular…”

“…What?”

“…Wait…”

“What the hell is wrong with me? Even if we’re siblings, there are things you just don’t say.”

He scolded himself harshly. Hearing him speak like that was so bizarre it almost didn’t make sense.

But—his anger was real. His expression made that clear.

“If it makes you feel better, you can punch me all you want. Go ahead, right in this irritating face of mine.”

“I-it’s fine!”

“You sure? Seriously, the old me totally had it coming. What kind of person would say something like that…”

“…Ugh.”

“Also, I left all the homework unfinished.”

“Hah. You were the worst, Sora-nii.”

“Seriously. What was I even doing, Sora Sato? Oh wait… that’s me…”

“Haha, you’re so weird.”

We ended up laughing together like that.

Sometimes, though, he’d just stop and gaze out the window, his eyes distant.

“Oh, shoot! Look at the time! I have to head to practice!”

“Oh, right. Okay.”

“…Will you be okay? I mean, without me here?”

“I’m not about to make a girl worry about me. Go ahead.”

“A g-girl…?”

“Oh no, sorry, Akari. You’re family—I shouldn’t have said that.”

He bowed his head apologetically.

…Honestly, I guess I was acting a little strange too.

He looked just like Old Sora-nii.

But inside, he was completely different.

To be honest, he didn’t even feel like family anymore.

But… I didn’t mean that in a bad way.

“I… I don’t want Old Sora-nii back.”

“Huh?”

“I like the current you a lot better.”

I found myself staring at the floor as heat rushed to my face.

“…Thanks. That makes me really happy to hear.”

“Y-yeah. Oh, right, here’s my phone.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have one yet, right? Take mine if you’re going out.”

“No, no, I can’t. That’s way too much—”

“It’s fine! You wanted to go outside, didn’t you, Sora-nii?”

The way he’d been looking out the window earlier had given me that impression.

But he didn’t have any way to contact anyone. Plus, our parents had already told me to lend him a phone if needed.

Dad, overprotective as always.

And anyway, this phone had a ton of restrictions on it, so he couldn’t look at anything inappropriate. There was nothing on here I’d be embarrassed about either.

“…You figured that out?”

“Yeah. I don’t need a phone for practice anyway. The passcode is 1111.”

“If you lose it, that’s it for you, huh.”

“Then don’t lose it!”

“Of course. Thanks, Akari.”

“…Mm.”

That was all I said before heading to the front door.

“See you later!”

And the voice that called out after me—

☆

When I got back from practice—

“Huh? Sora-nii still isn’t home yet…?”