The Most Beautiful Girl in School Has Become a Mother - Chapter 5: Shuri’s (Younger Sister) Sharpness

“Big brother!”

When I arrived at the nursery, my cute little sister with flaxen hair tied in twin tails came running up to me and jumped into my arms.

Seriously, she’s so cute that I can’t help but wonder if we’re really related by blood.

“Hey, Shuri! Sorry to keep you waiting. Did you miss me?”

Looking around, the other kids had already been picked up, and the only child left in the daycare was Shuri. She had stayed a bit longer because she was talking with Shinya.

I thought she must be feeling lonely being left behind, but my sister denied it with a smile, saying, “No, no!” She really was a wonderful sister.

“Kijima-san, I’m sorry. I’m running late.”

I bowed my head to the adorable brown-haired bobbed kindergarten teacher who was next to Shuri, looking like a small animal.

“No, no. Shuri-chan is always a good girl and waits patiently, right, Shuri-chan?”

Kijima-san stroked Shuri’s head and said.

She is Kijima Natsumi. A young nursery teacher in charge of my sister’s class.

Although she just became a nursery teacher, she is very caring and has a lot of trust from the mothers. This is also the reason why I can confidently leave Shuri in this nursery.

If any issues arise at the daycare or if Shuri gets into a fight—though such things are rare—she will handle them properly and report the outcome to me. For example, if something related to “Mom” becomes a topic among the children and Shuri gets mentioned, she should report that to me in detail as well.

──Well, I guess I should ask just in case.

Perhaps, even a trivial matter could have caused something. Thinking that, I called out to Kijima-san when Shuri went to put the toys away in the play equipment box.

“Oh, excuse me, Kijima-san.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Um… has there been any talk about mothers at the daycare recently?”

“About mother?”

Kijima-san placed her hand on her chin and looked up at the ceiling, saying, “Hmm.”

And then, she shakes her head.

“No… I try to avoid such topics as much as possible, so I’m not aware of them.”

“I see.”

“Ah, but──”

Then, as if remembering something, Kijima-san continued with a startled expression.

“Shuri-chan, recently she said ‘she met Mom.’ She said ‘she was wearing the same clothes as Big Brother,’ and I was wondering what that meant…”

“Oh… that.”

I felt like pulling my hair out. Apparently, she even mentioned Imiya-san to the daycare teacher.

Moreover, she has even figured out that we are wearing the same uniform. She already understands that Imiya-san and I are not that distant from each other. For my sister, she is quite sharp.

“What does that mean? Does wearing the same clothes as the older brother mean it’s a uniform?”

“Ah… yes. Well, the other day I ran into one of my classmates at the supermarket, and ever since I saw her, she has been saying ‘Mom’ for some reason… So, I thought maybe something happened here.”

“I see, so that’s how it was.”

“Hmm,” Kijima-san nodded as if she understood.

“Does that classmate girl resemble Isaki-san and the others’ mother?”

The young nursery teacher’s sister asked me something outrageous. And there was a hint of mockery in her tone. Could it be that woman’s intuition?

“Huh? No… but, we’re high school students, right? There’s no way we look that similar…”

At that moment, my mother’s smile resurfaced in my mind.

Flowing black hair, large eyes. Always wearing a smile full of affection, the smile of my mother who used to stroke my head. And… that smile somehow starts to resemble Imiya-san’s smile.

──Ah, huh…?

For just a moment, I felt a slight warmth spreading in my chest and behind my eyelids.

Perhaps, like Shuri, I was unconsciously seeing my mother in Imiya-san. Not because I was falling in love with her, but because I was actually projecting my mother onto her, and that’s why I was following her with my eyes without realizing it—such doubts began to arise.

But if that’s the case, that’s just the worst. That’s taking being a mama’s boy too far.

“I-I don’t think so, but…”

While suppressing the indescribable feelings welling up from within my chest, I force the words out.

It was a feeling I didn’t want to admit to myself. Besides, I think it doesn’t resemble me at all…

My mother when she was alive was in her mid-thirties. There’s no way she could resemble a classmate from my second year of high school. In fact, my memories of my mother and her are completely different. If there’s any resemblance, it would be in the atmosphere… but that’s something I can no longer verify. My mother is no longer in this world.

“Oh, I see. Well, it’s probably better not to think too deeply about it, okay? There’s also the possibility that the kids just heard the word ‘mother’ from each other.”

“That’s true… thank you.”

I said that and bowed my head to Kijima-san.

Indeed, there was that possibility. Rather, the possibility was overwhelmingly high. So, it was strange for me to care this much. I decided to tell myself that.

When Shuri returns from the toy box, she thanks Kijima-san one more time and we leave the kindergarten.

On the way back, I stopped by that supermarket. It’s the one where I ran into Imiya-san. There are no other supermarkets between our house and the daycare.

On the way back from picking up Shuri, I always buy dinner here. The prices for meat are cheaper than at the supermarket near my house, making it a store appreciated by the common people.

“Shuri, what do you want to eat today?”

“Hmm, Neapolitan!”

“Neapolitan, huh?”

Deep down, I thought, “Not again.”

Napolitan is her favorite dish, and I feel like she’s been eating it once a week lately.

“To add some variety to the flavor, today big brother is──”

“No way. Big brother’s napolitan is bad.”

My sister casually says words that hit hard with an innocent face.

Big brother’s about to cry. She rarely complains, but when it comes to food, she often has to voice her grievances.

“Well then, shall we go with the ready-made ones again… I’ll buy a bit more this time.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Shuri broke into a broad smile and started humming a cheerful tune.

When I made Neapolitan pasta before, it was called bad, and then when I served ready-made Neapolitan pasta, she said it was delicious. I was really hurt at that time.

Indeed, my Neapolitan pasta wasn’t delicious, but I think saying it was bad is a bit much. Kids speak honestly, so it hurts my heart.

──I wonder if other things are thought to be bad too.

If that’s the case, I’ll be depressed.

Could it be that the Napolitan was at an unforgivable level of badness among them? I guess I have to somehow overcome my dislike for this dish, but unfortunately, I can only practice once a day, and it’s always on the spot. There’s no sign of improvement at all.

Moreover, according to my dad, he was also terrible at cooking. My poor cooking skills might be genetic.

“Hey, big brother.”

“Hmm?”

“Where’s Mom?”

“Eh? Hmm… Mom, Ah. I wonder where she is. Ahaha.”

I feel it’s cruel to keep telling the kindergarteners over and over that “mother isn’t here”—and it probably isn’t good for my mental health either—so I hedge my words.

After that, I somehow managed to change the topic to something that would pique her interest and got through the situation.

──But, this… I have to do something about it, right?

For now, it seems that Shinya will take some action, so I’m waiting for his contact.

I let out a small sigh, feeling overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, and looked up at the darkening sky.

“Hee hee~n, hee~n, hee~n, hee~~n!”

From the side, Shuri’s humming flows rhythmically. It’s a tune she often hums at home, but I don’t know what song it is. Also, I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before.

However, I couldn’t remember where I had heard that song.