When We Found Out We're Not Blood-Related, My Little Sister Became Seriously Love-Brained ~When a Little Sister Stops Being a Little Sister, the Ultimate Heroine Emerges!~ - Chapter 60 & 61 & 62 & 63 & 64

Chapter 60: Please Escort Me

“Akane.

Don’t you have a transit IC card or something?”

“No.”

“Donating and all is really admirable.

But be a little more planned about it, okay?”

“…Yeah.”

“By the way, when are you starting at our school?”

For some reason, Akane put on a smug face.

“From next Monday.”

“That’s way too soon.”

“Well, having a beautiful girl like me enroll, I’m sure the principal’s proud, you know?”

Akane put a hand to her mouth and puffed out her chest.

“Anyway, you took the transfer test, right?”

“What’s that?”

…Akane made a puzzled face.

Honestly, it’s way weirder if she didn’t take it.

“Connections or backdoor entry, then.”

When I jabbed at her, Akane’s eyes went wide—half a beat late.

“N-no!

…Probably.”

“Well, making friends might be tough starting at this time of year, but if anything happens, tell me.”

Akane stuck her tongue out with half-lidded eyes.

“Relying on you for relationship advice feels pointless.”

“This brat…”

She was so right I couldn’t argue.

Beep.

Suzune and I tapped our commuter passes at the ticket gates.

With a clack, the gate opened.

But when we went through—

Thud.

A dull sound made me turn around, and Akane was blocked by the gate.

“What are you doing?”

When I asked, Akane panicked and glared at the gate.

“This thing closes and gets in my way!”

“Have you ever ridden the train by yourself?”

Akane shook her head.

“No.

The driver always takes me.”

Let it be said again:

Misaki Akane is a pretty serious ojou-sama.

It’s one stop by train to Saitou’s dōjō.

The straps swayed in front of my eyes.

I hesitated a little, but decided to ask a straightforward question.

“If you’ve never ridden the train, then what did you do when you went out with friends?”

“…I didn’t meet friends outside.”

“You didn’t have friends?”

“I had tons!

My friends always thanked me like, ‘Akane-san, we love you because your driver gives us all kinds of things.’”

That felt like something I wasn’t supposed to hear.

“Being called ‘-san’ feels kind of distant.”

Then the back of my left hand got pinched.

When I turned left, Suzune was shaking her head.

Yeah.

Letting it go is probably the kind thing here.

I went back to watching the swaying straps.

“Well, you are my cousin.

Yeah, yeah. Got it.”

I said that and reached to pat Akane’s head—

“Don’t touch me!”

Akane pushed my hand away with her left hand.

Looks like the ojou-sama was mildly offended.

“By the way—your house is huge, and you’ve got a bunch of siblings above you, right?

So why our place?”

“Huh?”

“No, I mean—you’ve got servants too.

Even if your parents aren’t around, you’d be fine at your own house.”

“…Am I a bother?”

Akane’s eyes filled with tears.

Crap.

Didn’t think she’d cry over something like this.

Then Suzune leaned forward and patted Akane’s head.

Suzune was a little taller than Akane.

“I’m happy you’re coming, Akane-chan.

Yuuma is too.”

At Suzune’s words, Akane peered into my face.

“…Really?”

“W-well, yeah.

It’s like I’m getting another little sister.

Not bad, I guess.”

I scratched my head.

“Good.”

Akane puffed out her cheeks.

(…This really throws off my rhythm.)

After swaying her body side to side a few times, Akane continued.

“Part of it is that I requested it, and Father said, ‘Go to Suzune-chan’s house and learn various things.’”

As I listened, I caught sight of that white feather sticker from earlier at the edge of my vision.

I see.

So staying at our place is probably “normal life training.”

Mom dotes on Akane too, so she likely accepted because my uncle asked.

I nodded to myself.

…Hm?

Suzune tugged my sleeve.

“I’m the only little sister.”

Suzune was pouting.

Jealous?

“You’re my only real little sister.”

For some reason, Suzune puffed out her cheeks even more.

“If I were your real blood-related sister, we couldn’t be lovers…

…No. I hate that.”

If anything, how am I supposed to answer that…?

Both my left and right sides are full of troublesome girls.

“~XX Station~”

We arrived at the next station.

When we got off, Akane stopped.

She was staring at her feet.

This station is old.

These days it’s rare, but there’s a gap between the train and the platform—about half a step.

She seemed bothered by it.

“Here.”

When I held out my hand, Akane gently took it.

“Thank you for escorting me.”

Her face looked just a little embarrassed.

What, she’s being honest.

Then, for some reason, Suzune stepped back onto the train.

“Hand.”

Timing it for when Akane let go, Suzune quietly extended her right hand too.

Suzune’s brushed-up bangs fluttered in the breeze.

So that’s what this is—she wants an escort too.

“This ojou-sama over here too—come on down.”

When our fingertips touched, Suzune broke into a smile.

For the second time today, she stepped onto the platform.

“…So the siscon thing is real.”

Akane’s jab.

Hey—coming from you, the one who was literally holding my hand, that’s rich.

A few minutes after leaving the station, the dōjō came into view.

We finally reached Saitou Dōjō.

When I checked the time, it was exactly 5:00 PM.

“Haa…”

Just getting here wore me out.

Staring at the dark glass door, Suzune tilted her head.

“Are they not open today?

The door’s shut.”

“Today’s a day off for the dōjō.”

Ding-dong.

I pressed the intercom.

“Wait a second,” Sarasa-san’s voice came through the speaker.

Then Akane put a hand to her mouth and leaned forward, like she was about to shout from a mountaintop.

And immediately, she actually shouted into the intercom:

“Tanomoo!”

Akane’s clear voice rang out.

Looks like this girl won’t be satisfied unless she exhausts me.

Chapter 61: Saionji Hair Salon

Patter-patter footsteps sounded, and the sliding door opened.

It was Sarasa-san.

Her hairstyle had changed to a short cut.

Her long black hair had been nice too, but this suits her as well.

“Welcome—oh?

My, what a cute little dōjō challenger.”

Sarasa-san said that while looking at Akane.

“Sorry.

She’s not here to challenge anything.

She’s my cousin.”

“Hmmm.

Adding yet another new girl… I see.”

Sarasa-san leaned in close to my ear.

But she used a normal speaking volume—she had to be doing it on purpose.

“You told me I was so ‘beautiful,’ and yet you keep staring at other girls…”

Oh.

A husky voice.

Akane puffed up her cheeks, and seeing that, Suzune jutted out her lips too.

If I reacted to every little thing, the entire day would end on small talk alone.

“Um—about the haircut.

Thank you.”

I bowed my head.

Sarasa-san returned a smile.

“No, no.

It’s been a while, so sorry if I mess it up.

I warmed up my hands by cutting my own hair earlier, you know.”

So that’s why she changed her hairstyle.

Sarasa-san probably gets her usual cuts at an actual salon.

Maybe… she practiced cutting short hair for my sake.

“The waiting room is small, so you two wait in the dōjō, okay?”

When we stepped up into the dōjō, only I was led into the waiting room.

Inside was a large mirror, and it smelled like a kerosene heater.

There was a round stool in front of the mirror.

When I sat, she ran a comb through my hair.

“It’s gotten really long.”

“Yeah… I might not have cut it recently.”

There was a kettle on top of the heater, steaming.

Snip, snip.

The sound of the scissor blades overlapped.

“Um—Sarasa-san, your hairstyle…

Was it for me?

It looks really good on you.”

I heard her giggle from behind me.

“Thanks.

Yuuma, you’re bad at socializing, but you’re kind of a player, aren’t you?”

“Wha—”

The atmosphere was gentle.

Now and then, I could feel Sarasa-san’s warmth through my back, and it made me feel nostalgic.

Sarasa-san’s vibe had completely changed from before.

But I still admire her the same way.

That’s probably because—

I respect Sarasa-san as a person.

Then Sarasa-san tapped my shoulder lightly.

“Yuuma.

Something on your mind?

That girl earlier—she seems sweet.”

As Sarasa-san bent down, her bangs brushed my ear.

I could tell my heartbeat jumped, and it got a little awkward.

“Sweet?

Akane’s a ridiculously violent brute.”

“I’m confident in my judgment of people.

That girl is really a good kid, so take good care of her.”

“That sounds like a mom entrusting her daughter to someone, you know?”

“…I’m not that much older than you.”

Saying that, she went back to snipping briskly.

Then I remembered something I wanted to ask.

About that librarian.

“By the way, do you know someone named Sakurazaka?

She’s apparently an alum from Saginotani High, so she’d be your age…

Figured you might know something.”

The scissors stopped.

“Madoka…?”

I said the last name, and she answered with the first name.

So they’re close, then.

“Yes.

Sakurazaka Madoka-san.

She works in our school library.”

“I see… the library.

That takes me back.

Is Madoka doing well?”

I could glimpse Sarasa-san’s profile in the mirror.

Her eyes looked incredibly gentle.

“So you do know her.

What kind of person was she?”

“We weren’t especially close.

I’d sometimes study in the library during gaps between club activities, and she was someone I’d often run into by coincidence back then.”

“Coincidence,” huh.

Sarasa-san giggled and continued.

“One time, she came up to me like, ‘Do you have any book recommendations?’

After that we’d chat sometimes.

But one day, it felt like she was about to tell me something important, and… I stopped her before she could say it.”

Sakurazaka-san seemed attached to the library.

She did say something about peeking at the person she liked, too.

“Doesn’t that mean she liked you?

From what I remember, Sarasa-san was super popular.”

“Maybe, maybe not.

Was Madoka looking well?

Did she get married?”

“I don’t know the details.

But her last name hasn’t changed, so she’s probably single.

If you know her, is it okay that I mentioned you?”

Sarasa-san shook her head.

“No, it’s fine.

Better this way.

We can both keep it as a memory.”

The conversation broke off.

Near my ear, I heard the soft snip-snip, and cut hair fell in little flurries onto the floor.

Each time, it felt like my expression in the mirror tightened a little more.

Sarasa-san stood up and brushed the loose hair off me.

“Alright—done!

So, what do you think?”

After she styled it with wax, she held up a mirror like a real salon would and showed me the back.

“It looks amazing!

Actually—this is way better than my usual barbershop!”

“Good♡”

Sarasa-san laughed.

Not every friendship is about always being together and acting stupid.

Some friends don’t meet, but still care about each other.

—That kind of relationship probably exists too.

I felt like I’d grown up, just a little.

Chapter 62:The Finished Look

When I stepped out of the waiting room, Suzune and Akane were there.

“Sorry. Kept you waiting.

She cut it short for me, but… how is it?”

Suzune wandered around me going, “Oooh.”

Suzune fiddled with her phone, and a moment later my phone lit up with a notification.

It was a message from Suzune.

“Fell for you all over again♡,” apparently.

Meanwhile, Akane looked away as she spoke.

“It’s not that great.

But, well… I guess I can acknowledge you as my cousin now.”

…

So what was I to her up until now?

“If I wasn’t even your cousin, then what the hell was I before?”

“A boy…”

Akane said that and lowered her gaze.

All she did was label me “male,” and yet the back of my neck got weirdly itchy.

“Don’t look down.”

“S-shut up.

Don’t look at me.”

Akane said that and hid behind Suzune.

For some reason, Suzune puffed out her cheeks.

Sarasa-san sighed and whispered into my ear.

“Akane-chan’s got a girl’s face right now.”

“No way.

I mean, she threw rocks at me, you know?”

From behind Suzune’s shadow, Akane spoke up.

“I don’t know anyone who threw rocks.”

Sarasa-san’s mouth curled into a smile.

She’s absolutely enjoying this.

“See? She says she didn’t throw rocks.

Well, anyway—sounds like the hairstyle is mostly getting a good reception?”

At Sarasa-san’s words, I bowed my head.

“Seems like it. Thank you.

It’s been forever since I cut it short—feels like I’m gonna catch a cold.”

“Then before you catch a cold, let’s train.”

Sarasa-san said that and went back into the waiting room.

Alright.

I looked around.

There aren’t any other disciples here today.

I’m not stripping naked or anything.

Changing here should be fine.

As I shoved my hand into my dōgi bag, a question hit me.

“Akane. You’re coming to our house starting today, right?”

“Yeah.”

“You actually have any clothes to change into?”

“For now, I think the driver will deliver what I need.”

Of course.

That’s how an ojou-sama managed to survive without even having a transit IC card.

“I see.

It’s been since we were kids that you’ve stayed at our place, huh?”

“Yeah.

I haven’t slept in your room in forever, Yuuma—so I’m excited!”

“…Huh?!”

That voice was Suzune’s.

“H-hold on!

That’s definitely weird!”

I couldn’t help blurting it out too.

Right now at our house, there’s my room and Suzune’s room.

If the three of us are using those, then the pairings are:

1. Suzune and Akane.
2. Me and Suzune.
3. Me and Akane.

Even if you stretch things, 2 is barely—barely—acceptable.

But 3?

No.

Absolutely not 3.

“Why would it end up like that?”

At my question, Akane answered.

“Apparently, it was something Father and Uncle Ryousuke (your dad) decided.”

No, that makes it even weirder.

“If your dad—Uncle Akira—is involved, then my room should obviously be off-limits, right?

Didn’t you misunderstand?”

Akane was still hiding behind Suzune.

“Apparently, when the two of them went out drinking a little while ago, Uncle Ryousuke said, ‘Suzune-chan and Yuuma sharing a room is absolutely NG.’”

Dad and Uncle Akira are close.

I’ve heard they sometimes go out to eat together.

So the idea of Akane coming over didn’t feel that strange.

“Huh?

I mean, I can see Dad saying that, since he loves Suzune, but…”

Akane puffed out her cheeks.

“And then Father said, ‘Then all the more reason—Akane is sheltered, so have her live in the same room as Yuuma.’”

Ahh, I see.

So that’s what this “normal life training” is.

Meaning, it was already planned from the start that, for the time being, she’d share a room with me…

No wonder option 1—Suzune and Akane sharing—wasn’t even considered.

It clicked into place.

But that doesn’t mean it can just be accepted as-is.

“Hah?

That’s even more impossible.”

As I said that, I remembered something Uncle Akira once told me.

I think that was back in middle school.

Dad and Uncle Akira came to watch my karate match, and when I ended up alone with my uncle, he said it.

“Yuuma-kun, I’m so worried about my daughter I can’t stand it.

Ah—if you weren’t related to Akane by blood, then I’d almost want you to take that wild horse… ahem, my beloved daughter Akane.”

And then a few years later, it was officially revealed within the family that Suzune and I aren’t blood-related.

No—wait.

That order is wrong.

Dad is my aunt’s remarriage partner, and I was his child from a previous relationship.

There’s no way Uncle Akira, his wife’s younger brother, didn’t know that.

Which means Uncle Akira knew from the beginning that Akane and I aren’t blood-related, and still said, “I’d want you to take Akane.”

So what did I say back then?

Ah.

I remember.

I gave him some lip service because he’d taken time out of his day to come cheer for me…

“If we weren’t cousins, I might’ve taken that seriously.

Akane-chan is cute and gentle—what a shame.”

I also remember clicking my tongue inwardly, thinking, “A rock-thrower isn’t gentle.”

Then Uncle Akira happily patted my back like, “That’s right, that’s right.”

So basically—

I looked back and forth between Suzune’s face and Akane’s.

Sorry.

This might be my fault.

I might’ve planted that seed.

Then my phone lit up.

It was a message from Mom.

“Akane-chan’s luggage can go in Yuuma’s room, right?”

I closed my phone.

“Haa…”

I can’t stop sighing.

Chapter 63: Special Episode IF: Suzune’s Christmas Wish

“It’s morning—!”

I turned off the alarm clock.

My throat hurts and I’m sleepy because I was on the phone with Hotaru for a long time yesterday…

Thud.

I meant to crawl out of bed, but I ended up falling off instead.

“It’s Christmas, and this is the worst.”

I pressed my ear against the wall.

I listened for a bit, but there wasn’t a single sound.

“Is that guy gone?”

Today is December 24th of our third year in middle school.

It’s the last Christmas of middle school, but apparently, he isn’t here.

“Morning, Mama.”

When I went downstairs, Mama was preparing breakfast.

Toast and corn soup.

Smelling the fragrant scent of bread makes me feel elegant.

Mama brought over the salad.

“Suzune. It’s Christmas Eve, and you’re such a sleepyhead. You were talking to your friend until late last night, right? Your voice sounds a little strange. Oh, that’s right—Mama has a date with Papa today, so eat dinner by yourself, okay?”

That means it’s just me and Yuuma tonight.

“Where’s that guy? He’s here, right?”

At my question, Mama sighed.

“Now, Suzune. It’s not ‘that guy,’ it’s ‘Onii-chan,’ right? Yuuma isn’t here. He said something about going to see an anime movie with a friend.”

“Is that so? Well, it doesn’t matter to me.”

By friend, does he mean Saitou-kun?

To be a third-year middle schooler and go to a movie with a guy friend on Christmas Eve… I have my doubts.

I wonder if that guy likes anime.

I don’t know much about it. If we liked the same anime, would we get along a little better?

I have a brother the same age as me.

He was supposed to be a cool and kind Onii-chan. But that guy changed after the accident during the karate match.

He became very negative and stopped talking much.

The girls in class started whispering behind his back, too. But that guy never talks back.

He used to be an Onii-chan I was proud of.

Now, he’s an embarrassing Onii-chan.

Every time that happens, I feel frustrated and miserable. I get a fuzzy, restless feeling that I can’t put into words.

And then, one day.

It happened.

When I told him, “You don’t need to worry about it,” Yuuma said to me, “Suzune, you wouldn’t understand my pain.”

I ended up crying.

That guy started apologizing all flustered, but the fuzziness inside me overflowed like magma, and I cursed at him with words many times more horrible.

The next day, I gathered my courage to say “Good morning,” but I was ignored. And ever since that day, that guy has been avoiding me.

A hole opened up in my heart; everything I did was boring, and even food didn’t taste good.

When I consulted my friend Hotaru, she told me, “Those are the symptoms of a broken heart.”

I finally realized it.

—“Ah. I liked Yuuma as a boy.”

No, in reality, I might have realized it even earlier. But he and I are siblings. Love is something that is absolutely forbidden.

I had kept a lid on it and looked away.

But once I acknowledged the flame, I couldn’t put it out. Even if I’m ignored, every time our eyes meet, I realize I love him.

Eventually, the dilemma became a huge whirlpool inside me, and I couldn’t act normally anymore. Contrary to my feelings, I started acting increasingly harsh toward that guy.

And that brings us to today.

It’s Christmas Eve, but that guy isn’t here.

“Haa.”

I shoved the last piece of toast into my mouth, cleared the dishes, and went back to my room.

Feeling somewhat empty, I crawled into bed and fell asleep before I knew it.

I woke up to the sound of children playing, and it was already 3:00 PM. The sunlight hitting the curtains was starting to turn orange.

I looked at the table and saw a note and some money.

“Mama and the others are going out, so use this to eat something.”

In this house, I’m all alone.

It made me feel so sad.

I looked in the mirror. My face looks terrible.

With a face like this, it’s no wonder that guy has lost interest in me.

But I have plans, too.

Today, I’m going to have a Christmas party with my best friend Hotaru, dressed in Santa cosplay.

I put on perfect makeup to lift my mood.

I changed into the Santa dress I prepared for this day.

I twirled in front of the full-length mirror.

“I feel like this really suits me. With the makeup, I look like a different person. There’s no way Yuuma would recognize me like this.”

Dressing up and going to a party.

It’s like Cinderella.

I started to feel a bit happy!

I hummed a tune while waiting for a message from Hotaru.

Then my phone lit up.

“Suzune. Today is a no-go. I’m seriously sorry. I’ll definitely make it up to you. Today is canceled.”

Clatter.

I dropped my phone.

The mood I had forced upward came crashing down, and I reverted to being a lonely Cinderella with no one to pick her up.

“Did Cinderella eat a poison apple? Haha, no, that was Snow White.”

(I have the money, so maybe I’ll go shopping at the convenience store. I need to take off my makeup, too.)

As I started to take off the Santa outfit, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

I’m dressed so cutely.

Let’s go outside for just a little bit.

I decided to go out.

I thought about buying a cake at the station, but everywhere I looked, it was couples, couples, couples.

It made me feel so miserable.

“I should have just stayed home alone after all.”

I started walking toward home with heavy steps.

“Wait, this place is…”

I stopped walking.

A small shrine.

I recognize this place.

Everyone is saying “Merry Christmas.”

They’re all just being trendy even though they aren’t even Christian.

Today, I am part of the anti-Christmas faction.

That’s why I’m going to pray at a shrine even though it’s Christmas. The god of the shrine must be free today, too.

If I pray for something, maybe it will come true.

Clang, clang.

In front of the main hall, I put in an offering and rang the bell.

I pressed my hands together and closed my eyes.

What should I wish for?

Ah, that’s it.

“Please make me and Yuuma strangers. Ah, but then we would really be strangers… Um, please change me and Yuuma into childhood friends!”

—Ring.

A bell rang.

“Is that God? No way. Besides, I’m in a Santa outfit. Asking for favors only at times like this… it’s too convenient.”

Time to go home.

I turned my back to the shrine.

Then, a sweet scent wafted from somewhere.

A scent as sweet as candy, with just a hint of sourness.

The scent of a candy apple.

“Ah, the ring I lost during the festival. Maybe I can find it.”

I had no basis for it, but that’s what I thought.

I decided to look for the ring. I searched for about ten minutes, but I couldn’t find it.

“It’s too cold.”

My hands are numb and I can’t put any strength into them.

I should have brought gloves.

Searching for something alone in a place like this… it’s too miserable.

When I thought that, tears started to fall.

“Seriously, this is the worst Christmas.”

I pulled my Santa hat down low.

“Um. Are you looking for something?”

I was suddenly spoken to. A voice I knew very well.

When I looked up, it was Yuuma.

I immediately averted my eyes.

Meeting him in a place like this, in such a strange outfit.

What kind of coincidence is this? And besides, I’m crying.

Truly the worst.

“Um, are you looking for something?”

Yuuma was using polite speech.

Eh?

Yuuma, you don’t realize it’s me?

“Ah, yes. But I can’t find it. It’s fine now.”

When I answered like that, Yuuma smiled.

“Is that so? I stopped by because there was something I wanted to look for here too, but it’s already dark, so maybe it won’t be found.”

It seems he really hasn’t realized it’s me.

“Um, it’s dark, so I’ll walk you to the station.”

“Eh, no. I’m fine.”

When I said that, Yuuma laughed.

“You’re crying, so you aren’t fine, are you?”

Ah, it’s this smile.

The smile that I love, but that he won’t show me anymore.

“Um, actually, I’d like you to walk me.”

Before I knew it, I had answered like that.

The two of us walked side by side.

“Um, can I ask your name? My name is Yuuma.”

I know, you know?

Onii-chan.

“M-my name is… Yes. It’s ‘Rinne’!”

I ended up telling a lie on the spot.

“I see. It’s only for a short time, but nice to meet you.”

For a brief moment, I returned to being Cinderella.

Yuuma was smiling the whole time.

He looked completely different from the face he shows at home.

My heart was pounding the entire time.

—The station is just a little further.

This time is already about to end.

From tomorrow, we’ll go back to being siblings on bad terms.

I don’t want to say goodbye like this.

I calmed my racing heart and reached out my hand.

“Um, my hands… they’re cold. If it’s not a bother, could you hold them?”

Then Yuuma looked around a bit.

He scratched his nose and held my hand.

“If someone like me is okay.”

Yuuma’s hand is bony, but it’s warm.

Thinking that this happy time was about to end made me feel like I was going to cry.

When we reached the station, Yuuma let go of my hand.

“Well, I’ll stop here.”

“Um. Can we meet again?”

If we meet again, my identity will obviously be revealed. But before I knew it, I was saying it.

Yuuma smirked and scratched the back of his neck.

“Sorry. Someone like me is a bad match for a cute girl like you. And I have to get home soon. Apparently, my sister is at home alone.”

I pulled back the hand I had started to reach out.

“I see. I’m sorry for saying something strange.”

Yuuma patted my head.

“I don’t know what happened, but cheer up. Merry Christmas! Oh, here. Use this if you like.”

Yuuma handed me a bag with a ribbon on it.

“Um, what is this?”

“It’s nothing much. I thought about giving it to my sister, but she won’t accept it anyway. You use it. Well then!”

Saying that, Yuuma ran off and was gone.

Even after Yuuma’s back was no longer visible, I didn’t move from there for a while.

A cold drop landed softly on my cheek.

“Ah, it’s snow.”

When I looked up at the sky, white snow was fluttering down.

When I opened the bag he gave me, it was a pencil case.

A pencil case with a picture of a pig on it.

“I’m not an elementary schooler. I can’t use something like this. But you prepared it for me. Thank you.”

I whispered that.

And I squeezed the pencil case tight.

Chapter 64: A Great Coach’s Planning

“Oh my, oh my. The three of you get along so well.”

Sarasa-san came back, dressed in her dōgi.

Sarasa-san looked over the three of us one by one.

A gaze that felt like it could see straight through to our hearts.

Feels like Sarasa-san is teasing me.

Then Akane hugged Suzune.

Suzune patted Akane’s head.

For all their back-and-forth, those two really do get along.

…Or maybe Suzune is just that forgiving.

As expected of my healing angel.

Akane said with half-lidded eyes, “Suzune-chan. That Sarasa person… she’s insanely pretty. Who is she to you, Yuuma?”

The nuance feels weirdly accusing.

Suzune answered.

Help me out here, my honey.

“Sarasa-san is cool, strong, and beautiful. She’s an upperclassman from high school, and Yuuma’s karate master. Before, Yuuma said, ‘I respect Sarasa-san.’”

At that, Akane’s face turned red.

She looks angry.

And I didn’t miss it—Suzune’s lips loosened into the faintest smile.

No, I mean.

Everything she said is true.

But there’s a way to say it, right?

That was definitely an attack.

…This angel got me good.

Then Sarasa-san seemed to read the situation and offered a “lifeline.”

“Are you fighting over room assignments? Then Yuuma can come stay at my place. That solves it, right? My condo’s so big it gets lonely living alone. And you said you liked my cooking before, didn’t you?”

Sarasa-san lives in a bayside-area high-rise tower condo.

And she’s a once-in-a-generation cook.

Gulp.

I could feel my stomach react.

Wait—no, that’s not a lifeline at all.

That’s just adding another attacker.

And I didn’t miss it.

Sarasa-san stuck her tongue out a little just now.

Suzune and Sarasa-san both—

They didn’t lie about a single thing.

They corner me using nothing but the truth.

And Akane’s face is as red as candied apples.

She looks so pitiful it almost makes me want to accept sharing a room with her.

But… that’s not why I came here.

“Um, I’d like to get back to talking about karate.”

I said that to Sarasa-san.

It’s not like I’m trying to run away from this battlefield.

Yeah.

Totally.

Sarasa-san tightened her belt again.

“Right. Then before you start moving your body, I want to confirm your direction. How far do you want to go, Yuuma?”

I sat in seiza.

“I want to do it seriously. I want to compete in next year’s Inter-High.”

Sarasa-san nodded, then lowered her tone.

“If you go as you are now… you’ll get badly hurt. You aren’t thinking lightly just because there’s protective gear, are you?”

Suzune lowered her gaze.

“I understand. I actually caused my opponent a serious injury. I know this is a sport where, if you let your guard down, it can turn into a major accident. That’s why—I want your time, Sarasa-san.”

Sarasa-san glanced up at the ceiling, then lightly touched her ring finger to her lips.

“That kind of sounds like a marriage proposal.”

“Ah—no. That’s not what I meant.”

Because taking time from a capable business owner… it’s something to be grateful for, and guilty about.

But no other master makes sense.

Sarasa-san used to be a top-class competitor, and she knows my karate inside and out.

For a short-term comeback, there’s no one better than her.

Sarasa-san smiled.

“Seriously, Yuuma—you’re such a charmer. Fine. When I heard you quit karate, I was really frustrated too. But next year’s Inter-High… you’re at a big disadvantage.”

“Why is that?”

“Because, for better or worse, you’re kind of famous in middle school karate. People will talk behind your back, and you’ll definitely get targeted. Unless you get strong enough to go toe-to-toe with how I was back in my active days, you probably won’t survive the brackets.”

“Yes.”

“With your long break, this will be brutal. Why do you want it that badly?”

“My time stopped at that moment. I can’t forget the sensation—through the top of my right foot—of the other guy’s bone breaking. I’m scared. But I want to change something… and I want to become someone who can protect the girl I love.”

I looked toward Suzune.

My gaze crossed with Suzune’s teary eyes.

…Huh.

For some reason, Akane beside her has teary eyes too.

Why?