Chapter 09: Onii-chan

Daikichi Sakoda and Sazanka Tsubaki, though on good terms, maintained a somewhat awkward distance—but once, they had been much closer, almost like true siblings.

At that time, Tsubaki used to call Daikichi “onii-chan.”

Tsubaki’s current way of interacting began after Daikichi was taken in by Eleanor…

From that point on, as if suddenly breaking away from a pseudo-sibling relationship and striving for equality, Tsubaki adopted the demeanor she now displays.

In a sense, Daikichi felt that her change was meant both to avoid burdening her “onii-chan,” who now lived under someone else’s protection, and to cheer him up with her cheerful behavior.

However, Daikichi’s feelings about being seen in that light were hard to describe.

In his memory, little Tsubaki was an endearing child who, at every turn, innocently depended on him, saying, “onii-chan, tashukete.”

Daikichi bitterly reflected that people never act exactly as one wishes, and the very path you hope they take is the one they most resist.

Anyway, in Tsubaki’s eyes, Daikichi was unmistakably the “pitiful onii-chan” who suddenly lost both his father and mother, was even snubbed by his relatives in the Sazanka family, and consequently was taken in by a foreign woman.

“Tsubaki… thank you always. Look on the bright side—it’s endearing, and maybe that’s one of your cute qualities.”

Daikichi’s words carried no profound meaning; they were spoken simply in the brotherly habit of indulging his little sister as he reminisced about the past.

But Tsubaki’s reaction was peculiar—her ears, even the backs of them, grew hot and turned bright red.

And perhaps because of that warmth, her scent became more pronounced—the aroma of the lip balm she had applied at the base of her ear even more intensely tickled Daikichi’s nostrils.

“N-no, it’s not as if you need to thank me…”

“It’s because I’m all alone, so you’re being kind to me.”

“I’m only thinking of you as a toy…!”

The scent emanating from Tsubaki was like a blend of honey and milk—a cloying aroma reminiscent of a Western pastry made with so much sugar that it might give you heartburn if you ate too much.

But… still, what could be the reason behind Tsubaki’s bashful behavior?

Daikichi thought for a moment and reached an answer.

Perhaps she was simply surprised by the rare softness he displayed—the very Daikichi who usually brushed her off or ran away.

Surely, that must be it. Daikichi concluded that it was likely just that.

Now, as Daikichi scratched his cheek while wondering where Tsubaki intended to go for fun, they eventually arrived at a shop with a rather dubious-looking sign.

“What on earth is this shop…?”

“This is the place—they’ve been getting some buzz about it.”

The shop, a stylish cafe dubbed “Goronyan,” exuded a rather… odd vibe. The staff were busy snapping photos and videos on their smartphones of customers with pleasantly awed expressions as they gazed at colorful Western confections.

“Are you really interested in such a bizarre place? Tsubaki, I hope you’re not, by any chance, contacting some weird guy on SNS or something?”

“I’m not doing anything like that! This is a place that serves stylish Western pastries and even offers a service where you hand your smartphone to the staff and they take nice pictures of both the pastries and you! And yet you cast such weird suspicions—do you really think I’m that kind of girl? That really hurts!”

“Really?”

“It’s true! If you want, you can even check my smartphone. Go ahead, take a look.”

Tsubaki held out her smartphone in front of Daikichi. In a normal situation, one might say, “No, there’s no need to go that far,” but perhaps because a bit of his “onii-chan” side had surfaced, Daikichi accepted it without objection.

After taking it, Daikichi felt a twinge of regret; however, saying “never mind, it’s fine” would have admitted his own inconsistency, so in the end he decided to take a look.

“A–are you really going to check it?”

“I am. I’m worried something odd might be going on. Since you’ve handed it to me right in front of my eyes, I feel it’s my duty…”

“…Alright, then.”

“Password… Tsubaki.”

“Alright, alright, just unlock it, right!”

Having had the passcode unlocked for him, Daikichi began checking the contents of the smartphone. However, respecting privacy, he only looked a little.

He merely glanced at the group names and the names of the chat participants without delving into the messages, and he skimmed through the images. He simply took note of what other apps were installed.

It turned out that his contacts were only friends and his parents, and the apps included one for posting short videos and a few casual games.

Likewise, the images were all taken with friends or his parents—there was nothing unusual.

Daikichi quickly returned the smartphone to Tsubaki.

“Looks like everything’s fine.”

“I told you so! And, isn’t that a bit too quick? Did you really check it thoroughly?”

“Just a quick glance.”

“Just a quick glance? Later you’ll say, ‘I didn’t check properly,’ won’t you? I hate being doubted—come on now!”

Tsubaki pressed the smartphone, with the chat conversation open, forcefully against Daikichi’s face.

Daikichi spread his arms in a dismissive “It’s fine,” but as Tsubaki insisted, saying “Look,” he reluctantly decided to check the chat messages.

The contents were just typical conversations of girls their age—talking about plans to hang out, the anime they were watching, and whether they could or couldn’t participate in certain events, and the like.

“Alright, alright. There’s nothing wrong. I won’t doubt you any longer. Is that okay?”

“Fine.”

With a huff, Tsubaki exhaled loudly, grabbed Daikichi’s hand, and led him into the shop. They sat down, receiving the typical greeting of “Welcome~” that could be heard at any store.

To be honest, Daikichi wasn’t entirely convinced by the overly mundane concept of the shop, but on closer inspection, it was indeed just a place where the staff took pictures of customers with their Western pastries. So he decided to accept it for what it was.

“What should I order~?”

“Isn’t anything fine?”

“That kind of attitude won’t do! We have to decide together!”

“Together, huh…”

“Look, the menu has a lot of options. Hmm… Oh, this one—even Kii‑kun would understand: ‘buzz-worthy Strawberry Mille Crêpe and Matcha Latte.’”

“Do we even need the word ‘buzz-worthy’ at the beginning?”

“We do! Look, they cut it so that the layers and strawberries look beautiful, and the Matcha Latte is rich in color. If you use them in short videos, the vivid colors might just go viral—that’s exactly what they’re hinting at!”

“Even without that, people who think it looks good would simply ask the staff if they can take pictures, and then decide for themselves, right?”

“Then what about this? Without the word ‘buzz-worthy’ written on it, wouldn’t it be unclear?”

Tsubaki pointed at a mochi ice cream shaped like a musical instrument, dubbed “buzz-worthy Instrument Mochi Ice.”

It seemed they served mochi ice cream in the shape of the designated instrument, and indeed, as Tsubaki said, having that description made it clear that it was intended for photography—

“No, that’s the same thing.”

But Daikichi did not agree.

Faced with Daikichi’s unwavering stance, Tsubaki, feeling that nothing would change his opinion, clicked her tongue and declared defeat.

“Alright, alright, you win~”

“Was this really a contest?”

“I’m always in a contest with Kii‑kun. Every word is a battle… I wonder when I’ll finally win.”

Daikichi had no idea what kind of contest Tsubaki thought she was engaged in.

It had been a long time since Tsubaki started acting this way, and her stubborn competitiveness had become a true habit without her even realizing it, so Daikichi thought it might not have any particular meaning.

Daikichi felt a pang of sorrow once again at how much Tsubaki had changed from her childhood, yet he had no desire to reject the Tsubaki she had become.

After all, most people, for better or worse, are continually influenced by others or change due to certain triggers.

However, in response to Tsubaki’s changes, Daikichi felt a sense of frustration—as if she was forcing him to confront the fact that he remained as he was in his childhood.

For a long time now, Tsubaki, for one reason or another, had stopped seeing him as her “onii-chan.” And yet, somewhere in his heart, he still confined Tsubaki to the role of a little sister…

They say girls grow up fast.

So, perhaps even though Tsubaki was two years younger than him, Daikichi felt that she might be more mature than he was.