Fallen from the Top Group Due to Cheating and False Accusations. The Only One Who Stood by Me Was My Little Sister’s Best Friend, Who Had Always Adored Me. - Chapter 26: Sibling Time.

Chapter 26: Sibling Time.

The sensation of Yuuka’s lips brushing against my cheek at the moment we parted remained burned into my skin, refusing to fade.

Seriously, that girl… doing something like that out of the blue is a total foul play.

Thanks to her, the heat still hadn’t receded from my face and chest. Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve spent this entire day thinking of nothing but Yuuka. Still unable to shake the agitation, I arrived in front of my house. I braced myself, trying not to look too giddy, and reached for the door.

In the entryway, I saw shoes belonging to every member of the family already lined up.

“I’m home.”

There was no response. Not that I expected one, considering I hadn’t spoken loud enough for the residents inside to hear. Even if I had, they probably wouldn’t have noticed. From the living room, the narration of a variety show drifted out along with the lively laughter of my father and mother. They were likely glued to the TV together, as usual.

Honestly, despite just getting back from work, my parents are so close it’s almost heartwarming.

I think they both possess the kind of disciplined personalities that allow them to switch clearly between “on” and “off” mode. Because they both know that dwelling on work after coming home prevents you from recovering, they unconsciously make an effort to avoid negative topics and simply enjoy the moment.

Even though, in reality, there must be a mountain of painful things and complaints they want to vent about.

Seeing the two of them being so strong up close makes me deeply realize how incredible adults are. At the same time, it makes the reality I’m currently facing—a reality I want to look away from—seem small.

It’s strange, really. During the day, I felt like I’d go crazy if I didn’t keep my ears covered, yet now that I’m alone and thinking with a cool head…

What good is it to crumble over something like this?

Is it right to interrupt their peaceful time with my weak, pathetic story?

Can’t I just endure it a little longer before coming clean?

The part of me that wants to remain “strong” whispers desperately: Don’t lose.

Of course, I know I’m still an immature child. I’m not an adult like them yet, so I know that when things become unbearable, I have to rely on my parents as my guardians—and I know that time is now. I should know that.

And yet, just a step away from crying out for help, noise flares up in my heart.

My “strong” side forcibly shoves a lid over my weakened heart that’s screaming to be heard. That’s why I can’t say it; I don’t have the courage to put it into words yet. If I spoke it aloud and my family ended up disappointed in me, the mere thought makes me tremble uncontrollably.

“Phew…”

But at this rate, if I face my family in the same room, I honestly don’t know when I might accidentally blur out the truth. Fearing that, I decided to skip the living room and head straight up the stairs to the second floor.

***

That said, while I couldn’t bring myself to confess yet, I was gradually being liberated from the bottomless despair that had been consuming me until yesterday. My mental state had become considerably stable. The biggest reason for that, unlike yesterday, was the existence of a partner named Yuuka acting as my emotional pillar.

Now, just having her by my side makes me feel like I can overcome any hardship tomorrow brings. If things go well, I even hope the two of us can clear my name on our own, finishing this without ever having to rely on my parents.

To that end, what action should I prioritize starting tomorrow? I’ll think it over carefully in my room. Having made that decision, I climbed the final step, only to swallow hard at the sight of an unexpected figure leaning against my door, peering at me.

“…What are you doing there, Sayu?”

“You’re late. Idiot.”

My younger sister, her twin-tails swaying, pierced me with a somewhat suspicious gaze.

“Uh, did I have some kind of promise with you today?”

“…No.”

“Then why am I getting scolded right now?”

“Who cares about that. More importantly, Onii, give me your face for a sec.”

With that, Sayu grabbed the doorknob of the door she’d been leaning on, opened it, and gestured with her chin for me to go in first.

“Giving you my face… You aren’t some delinquent girl, so use a softer way of speaking. Honestly… is everyone at all-girls’ schools like this?”

“I said shut up. Just get in the room, now!”

“Fine, fine, I get it! Stop pushing!”

Taking a merciless kick to my backside, I had no choice but to obey her. Wait, “get in”? This is my room. What on earth is she planning…?

“There, sit down already.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The moment we entered, Sayu forced me onto the bed without even turning on the lights. Only the light spilling in from the hallway illuminated half the room. I couldn’t read her thoughts at all.

“You’ll ruin your eyes, you know?”

“…………”

Wow, ignored. Harsh.

“Can I at least turn on the light?”

“…Forget that. Just answer what I’m about to ask you honestly, without any lies.”

“You don’t have the right to refuse,” Sayu added, grabbing both my shoulders as I tried to stand and shoving me back down onto the bed.

“This is sudden… and strangely unreasonable.”

Well, Sayu being unreasonable is a regular occurrence, so I wasn’t particularly surprised. If there was anything that felt off, it was the fact that she hadn’t shown a single smile since we started. Her expression was unusually dark. Or rather, was she angry?

Did I do something to earn her wrath without realizing it?

I had no clue, but since Sayu has always been troublesome once she gets mad—taking forever to regain her mood—I had to identify the cause and handle it as quickly as possible. In the past, I’d been told she’d disown me just for eating a pudding of hers that was a day past its expiration date out of a sense of waste, or for trying out her slightly expensive shampoo out of curiosity. This sister of mine is incredibly high-maintenance and holds a grudge.

But something felt a bit strange. Usually, in those cases, she would stop talking to me altogether. This pattern of being “called out” was a first. I decided to stay on guard and see how things played out. The next moment, the bedroom door slammed shut with a bang.

“Eh…?”

It was hard enough relying on the light from the hallway since the power was off, but now I couldn’t see a thing. Seriously, what is Sayu thinking…? Am I about to be murdered?

“Hey, Onii. You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

The door creaked as I sensed Sayu leaning against it.

“Hiding something? No, I don’t really—”

Before I could finish my denial, a sharp pain shot through the back of my head. It felt like something made of a leather-like material had made direct contact. It took a few seconds to realize it was a soccer ball before I let out a groan.

“…Ow! What was that for, Sayu!?”

“You brought it on yourself. I told you to speak honestly.”

“I told you, there’s nothing.”

“Onii, why do you tell such lies?”

“Huh?”

For some reason, today’s Sayu wouldn’t back down easily. Why? Even if she tells me to be honest, the only thing I’m hiding from her is that matter… Wait, did she find out? If so, where did it leak from? Was it Yuuka? No, that shouldn’t be possible. I just told Yuuka this morning that I wanted her to stay quiet, and I can’t imagine her breaking a promise to me. Then why? Am I just overlooking something?

“Actually, your homeroom teacher called the house today.”

“…What?”

With that single sentence, I felt the blood drain from my face. No way…

“Sayu, what did you just…”

“It was right when I got home. No one else was there, and I thought it’d be a pain to have them call back later, so I pretended to be Mom and answered. Then, that person suddenly said you were being harassed at school. I had no idea what they were talking about…”

So I asked for details, Sayu stated flatly. My vision wobbled. The shock was enough to make me instantly forget the pain in my head.

“…………!”

My thoughts wouldn’t turn. She knew. My family. Specifically, my sister. I couldn’t immediately judge what the “correct” response was from here. But I had to say something… I had to think of a way to play it off.

“…Listen, Sayu.”

As if reading my mind, Sayu cut me off with an “Anyway.”

“You don’t need to act tough anymore. I only want to ask you one thing. Tell me. The names of the people who bullied you. The teacher only told me that after you were cheated on by your girlfriend, the people around the guy she cheated with labeled you a ‘domestic abuser.’ Give me their full names, addresses, or even phone numbers. Pieces of trash like that… I’ll destroy them socially myself. Tell me everything.”

Come on, hurry up— Sayu said in a voice so cold it was chilling. Fortunately, thanks to the pitch-black room, there was no way to tell what kind of expression she was making, but I had never heard her voice sound this deadened. I didn’t want to face her right now.

“Wait a second, Sayu.”

“I’m not waiting.”

“First off, don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t tell you because I thought I could handle it on my own for now. I was planning to talk about it myself in a little while.”

“I don’t care which it is, just answer the question. If you don’t, I’m going downstairs right now to tell Mom and Dad everything.”

“…The fact that you’re saying that means they don’t know yet? Sayu, did you wait in front of my room just to confirm it with me directly…?”

“…………”

“Good job, Sayu. In that case, this is simple. Look, just wait a little longer before telling them—”

“I’m not waiting! Stop messing around, Onii…!”

An angry roar echoed through the darkness.

“You can’t even go to your club anymore, right?! After you worked so hard at practice, after you gave it your all to make it to the Inter-High! Being betrayed like that is just wrong! A soccer club that’s a breeding ground for trash like that… the world would be better off if it were disbanded tomorrow!”

The next moment, with the sound of thud-thud-thud as she stomped across the floor, Sayu lunged into my chest with incredible force. Having her that close, I was finally able to recognize my sister’s face—and I was left speechless by the sight of it, covered in large tears.

“…Don’t cry, Sayu. As you can see, I’m fine. It’s not something for you to worry about. Besides, look, I’m turning seventeen this year, you know? I have to protect myself.”

“That’s a lie… Your face yesterday and the day before didn’t look like the face of someone who was ‘fine.’ It was the face of someone suffering, someone deeply hurt. We’re siblings… did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

Sayu, who had buried her face in my chest, looked up with an anxious expression. I wiped a single tear clinging to her red, swollen eyelid with the back of my index finger, then patted her head as gently as I could.

“You’re amazing, Sayu. Even though I tried so hard not to let Mom and Dad catch on. Honestly, you inherited that over-worrying trait from me.”

“Shut up… none of your business, idiot. More importantly, give up and listen to what I say. Otherwise, I’m really telling them. I’m telling you, this isn’t a threat.”

“That’s a bit of a problem. I was just about to plan out my strategy for tomorrow onwards by myself.”

“Then all the more reason to go downstairs and come clean to them right now. You can’t solve anything all by yourself anyway.”

“That’s certainly a valid point. But you see, Sayu… thankfully, it seems I’m not all by myself anymore.”

“I told you, stop acting tough…”

“This time, it’s the truth. Just like you said, I was alone until yesterday. No one around me believed me, and even the guys I thought were my friends started pointing fingers at me. To be honest, it was so painful I seriously considered quitting school. But, there was one girl who said she believed in me. Just like you, Sayu. She didn’t interrogate me; she treated me as if my innocence was the most natural thing in the world.”

“Onii…”

“It made me feel saved. Knowing there’s even one person who thinks of me that way is so reassuring. The world that felt like pitch-black darkness suddenly became clear.”

“…………”

Even so, it seemed she still didn’t quite believe me. Alright, then.

“Besides, even you should know her. Even if everyone in the school becomes my enemy, even if the whole world points their fingers at me, there’s a bright, straight-edged girl with a strong sense of justice who would probably believe me without hesitation. You should know that kind-hearted girl even better than I do, right?”

“Onii… does that mean—”

In the darkness, I felt Sayu’s expression soften just a tiny bit. Unlike before, I could easily imagine what kind of face she was making now. I stood up and flicked on the light.

“Yeah. Surprised? It’s Yuuka. She saved me from the brink of despair.”

In the room that suddenly brightened with a single click, Sayu was wearing a stunned expression, just as I’d imagined.

“…Geez… why didn’t you… why didn’t you say that sooner… Idiot… You big idiot, Onii! But… I’m so glad…”

Wiping her tears with both hands and sniffing, Sayu let out a faint voice of relief. Feeling like her expression had cleared up compared to before, I patted her head once more, asking her in a soothing tone.

“So, Sayu. Just one more day. Could you wait until tomorrow before telling Mom and Dad? Just now, I changed my mind too. I’ve realized that I shouldn’t keep quiet if it means making my sister cry like this. I’ll get my thoughts in order tonight so I can tell them myself tomorrow evening.”

I’m counting on you— as soon as I said that, Sayu took on a thoughtful stance. Just as she was about to give her answer, a voice interrupted from the hallway.

“Hey, you two—what was that shouting just now? Are you having a fight?”

It was Mom. I could hear the sound of her coming up the stairs, gradually getting closer. This is bad. Honestly, in this situation, even if she’s stopped crying, Sayu’s face is still somewhat red and puffy. If the door opens now, how do I explain this…? While I was panicking, Sayu let out an exasperated sigh.

“Sigh… Onii, you really are a handful.”

After muttering that, Sayu took a deep breath and projected her voice toward the door.

“I was just giving Onii a lecture! You don’t have to come up for every little thing, Mom!”

“Oh, is that so…? Don’t overdo it, okay!?”

“Oka—y!”

Sayu, answering while almost pressing her nose against the door, kept her back turned to me as she whispered.

“Only for tomorrow. For Yuuka’s sake, I’ll let it slide tonight.”

“Sayu…”

It seemed I’d incurred another debt to Yuuka. And to Sayu as well. I’m truly a lucky guy to have such a wonderful sister. And I definitely have to pay this back to both of them soon. Yes. Once everything is over, my innocence is proven, and I’ve safely regained my everyday life, I’ll definitely take Yuuka and Sayu to an amusement park or something with the money I earn from a part-time job.

“Truly, thank you.”

When I told her that, Sayu gave a blunt huff, but when she turned back around, she was the same old sister who looked best with her usual mischievous smile.

“So, what do you think? Me and my best friend are the absolute cutest, right?”

“Yeah. I really love you guys.”

With these two by my side, I felt like I could stand up to any injustice that stood in my way from tomorrow on.

I won’t lose. Not ever again.