Translator: Lilo
Editor: Ryuubii

Chapter 4: Ideals, Reality, and Rumors

Act 1

I woke up at the usual time in the morning.

I changed my clothes, washed my face, and went downstairs. Then I noticed something strange.

It was pitch black.

Of course, since it’s 7 am in the early summer, there’s a little morning sunlight coming through the windows and curtains. It’s not pitch black in the literal sense.

First, I turned on the lights in the dimly lit living room. Then, I opened all the windows leading to the garden and ventilated the air that had been trapped in there overnight.

Uncle is on duty and has not been home since yesterday. Right now, it’s just me and Hasumi-senpai in the house.

I looked up to the second floor.

It looks like Hasumi-senpai is still sleeping.

I still feel bad that I haven’t been helping her with breakfast, so I decided to prepare it today. I’m planning on letting Hasumi-senpai sleep more and wake her up when it’s almost time.

First, I took out some vegetables from the refrigerator and made a salad. Then omelets.

Hasumi-senpai eats a relatively good amount of food in the morning. She does not skip breakfast or eat less in the morning. And yet, with her proportions like that, any girl in distress would be drowning in envy.

That said, I’m sure she’ll be in a hurry this morning. So let’s add some bread and coffee to complete the breakfast.

At that moment, I heard a door open with vigor on the second floor.

“Shi, Shizuru!”

Then, Hasumi-senpai’s footsteps, hich sounded hurried, somehow made their way toward the other side.

“Shizuru! Are you awake?!”

“……”

You don’t always wake me up though. Why would she think that just because she overslept that I would too? She must be very confused.

Then she hurriedly came downstairs.

“Sorry, Shizuru. I think the battery in my alarm clock ran out.”

She looks at the kitchen, then she suddenly stops.

“Ah, you made breakfast? You don’t have to, you could have woken me up.”

“Well, I just thought, why not? Since it’s a time like this. By the way, why don’t you go ahead and change first?”

She must have been in a real hurry. She probably jumped off her bed and immediately ran down.

Hasumi-senpai was still in her pajamas. The white silk was translucent, but she told me that she had checked it many times, so it shouldn’t be see-through, yet it was still poison to my eyes.

“Ah, I-I suppose…”

It seems she only realized what she was wearing when I told her. She didn’t rush to fix her outfit but casually headed upstairs.

“Alright―”

And I deliberately let out a sound.

Hasumi-senpai will be coming down soon, so let’s start toasting bread already.

***

“Sorry. This really helps.”

About ten minutes later, we were eating breakfast facing each other at the dining room table. Hasumi-senpai apologized as she bit into a bread roll.

“We can’t have the both of us be late after all.”

“I suppose. We don’t have much leeway, but there’s enough time to not be late.”

Looking at the clock, it was no more than 20 or 30 minutes longer than when we usually eat breakfast. If we didn’t do anything unnecessary, we would probably make it to school on time without having to run.

“But then again, Shizuru, you’re better than I expected.”

Hasumi-senpai says in admiration while looking at the breakfast.

“Well, I have a similar family background as you, Hasumi-senpai.”

In single-parent households, the children have to do the parts that the working parents cannot handle. It naturally happens.

“If I have time, I can make something more elaborate. I can at least turn this normal omelet into a Spanish omelet.”

“Heh, that’s pretty good. I think I’ll leave it to you once in a while, Shizuru.”

“If possible, I’d like to do more than just cooking.”

I took the opportunity to express what I had always wanted to say.

“I feel bad for making you do all the work after all.”

“You really don’t have to worry about it though… Uh, what else? Meals, laundry, cleaning, and shopping…”

Hasumi-senpai counts using her fingers.

“I can do all of them.”

“I see. Then, I’ll leave it to you once in a while. Mainly to clean up after meals. I’m not good at it, but I like to cook.”

There are people like that. They’re good at cooking, but not good at, or dislike washing cooking utensils. [T/N: Just like me.]

“Sure.”

On the other hand, it’s weird to say that I’m good at it, but I can do it without any difficulty.

I can finally be of some help to the Hasumi family.

§§§

“Then, I’ll go on ahead.”

As usual, I leave the house first.

The only difference is that Hasumi-senpai is still upstairs, not in the living room. Time is pressing today. She’s probably getting ready for school in her room. I called out to her from downstairs.

There’s no response from Hasumi-senpai. Either she didn’t hear me or she’s not in a position where she can respond. It’s also possible that she replied but it didn’t reach me.

I should get going. Even if I leave without telling her, she should not be that angry. With this in mind, I turned my body toward the front door.

“Wait, wait. I’m leaving too.”

The door to Hasumi-senpai’s room opens. Hasumi-senpai looked ready as she came downstairs.

“Eh, we’re leaving together?”

“It can’t be helped. If we go with our usual arrangement, I’ll be late.”

That’s true, if she can’t catch the train that will be coming later, she’ll be late. If she’s one train late, she’ll either be late or have to run after getting off the train.

“Come on, get going. Or do you want us siblings to be late?”

Hasumi-senpai pushed towards the entrance.

It can’t be helped. After we arrive at the station, we can just separate.

***

I walked to the station along with Hasumi-senpai.

Just the other day, we walked to the station together when we went shopping in Sannomiya, but it’s a different feeling when we are both in uniform.

Still, it’s strange. A month ago, I was just admiring Hasumi-senpai as a famous beautiful girl in the school, but now we are walking side by side as siblings. As they say, fact is stranger than fiction.

“By the way, what do the neighbors think of me?”

I have been seen entering and leaving the Hasumi residence several times by residents in the neighborhood. They greeted me while appearing puzzled from my unfamiliar presence, and I returned their greetings, feeling a little apologetic.

“Oh, that? A child of a relative that’s being taken care of.”

“Is that so?”

Hasumi-senpai probably hesitated to mention it. There should be a phrase that says, “that lost his mother.” there.

“Dad was also reluctant to tell the truth.”

She chuckles.

Of course he was. When asked for an explanation, he can’t just say that I’m his child born from a mistress.

“Some people may ask you directly, Shizuru. So just reply with that.”

“I understand.”

In the meantime, the Myodani station came into view. It was at that time.

“Hasumi-senpai!”

I heard a voice.

It was Naoi Kyouhei, the last person I wanted to see right now.

“Good morning, Hasumi-senpai.”

Naoi ran to us as we turned around and uttered his morning greeting. He was still carrying a large sports bag on his shoulder.

“Morning, Naoi-kun.”

“And Makabe, morning.”

“Morning. Naoi, we run to each other often these days.”

We met on the station platform on our way to school not long ago.

As he joined us, we walked toward the station again. With Hasumi-senpai in the center, Naoi and I walked on either side of her.

“Yeah, the finals are coming up, right? That’s why there’s less morning practice. Next week, it’s gonna be completely gone, and the next week after that, there will be no after-school practice.”

I see. So it’s a system where practice is phased out in preparation for tests? It seems to be different from the library committee members.

“So I’m on the edge because I’m not used to not having morning practice.”

Naoi chuckles.

“I see that you two are together. Is it because you live close to each other?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Hasumi responds to Naoi’s somewhat timid question in a casual tone.

“Shizuru and I are actually siblings.”

“?!”

In that casual tone, she told the truth, and I was more surprised than Naoi.

“Hasumi-senpai.”

“Isn’t it fine? You don’t have to keep it secret from the people you’re close to. Although you can’t go around telling people.”

“Hasumi-senpai, is that true…?”

Naoi asked more cautiously than before. 

“Un, it’s true. We’re what you call half-siblings. I don’t have to tell you to understand what relationship my dad and his mother had, right?”

“Yes, I guess…”

“Don’t tell anybody. I told you because it’s you.”

Hasumi-senpai charmingly told a story that was supposed to be dark, but Naoi weakly replied, “I understand…”

After this, he was less talkative than usual.