After wrapping up some minor chores, I found myself slumped in the back of a taxi, staring at the crinkled piece of paper in my hand like it was a court summons.
School Trip: Cultural Village Getaway
"Learning Tradition Through Experience."
It sounded noble. Educational. Harmless.
But all I read was:
"You, Souta, are going to babysit hormonal ticking time bombs in the middle of rural Japan."
"Cultural village, huh…?" I muttered, slumping lower in the seat.
"How fun can that be? I'd rather get dropkicked by a shrine maiden."
As the taxi rolled to a stop in front of my apartment, the world welcomed me with the dulcet, angelic screams of-
"DIE, YOU SCRUBBY PIECE OF LAGGING CHEESE!!!"
Yep. That would be Saki.
Still going toe-to-toe with the entire online population on Sparking Zero.
But instead of yelling at her this time, I flopped down beside her on the couch and picked up the second controller.
"…Brother?" she blinked, confused.
"Don't look so shocked," I smirked. "I'm here to kick your ass."
She smirked back, fire lighting in her eyes.
"Tch. Fine. I'm going Piccolo-my green, stoic king."
"I'll go, Buu. Round and ruthless."
"Oh, you're dead."
And just like that, for the next hour and a half, the living room became a battleground of epic proportions. Screams, taunts, and clashing ki blasts filled the night air until 11 PM chimed in like an annoying referee.
I leaned back, victorious.
"Well, seems I'm undefeated tonight."
"12–11 isn't something to brag about, ONI-CHAAAN!" she whined.
But I walked off, laughing like a rich villain all the way to my bedroom.
Standing in the doorway, I looked down at the trip form again, still creased from how many times I'd crumpled it in regret.
"…Man, I hope they gave us separate rooms."
I turned off the lights.
The Next Morning
I woke up to silence.
Which was suspicious.
Too suspicious.
I tiptoed out of my room and peeked into Saki's.
There she was, curled up in bed, hair messy, nose red, surrounded by used tissues and a near-empty bottle of cough syrup.
She looked like death had come for her and left disappointed.
"I-I'm sorry, Brother…" she croaked.
"My life… it was fun… even if you never got a girlfriend and I never got a sister…"
"HEY! Quit writing your will mid-fever!"
She giggled and sneezed halfway through.
Still, the guilt hit me hard. The trip was in two days. Could I really leave her like this?
"…Maybe I should stay."
But before the thought could settle in, she bolted upright with the force of a dying anime protagonist making their final speech.
"NO! Souta! This is your time to build a harem AND get paid for it! Don't you see?! You're in the prologue of a perfect light novel, don't ruin the pacing for your dumb little sister!"
I blinked.
"…Are you seriously telling me to leave you sick so I can go fulfill anime tropes?"
She sniffled and nodded proudly.
"Yes. Go be the dense main character you were born to be."
She paused. "Just… bring me back a souvenir. And maybe a sister."
I gave a reluctant smile and rubbed her head.
"Alright. But if you get worse, I'm calling the school. Deal?"
"Deal."
Then she sneezed again and mumbled, "Make sure she's cute..."
Before I left the room, I stood in the doorway a moment longer.
Her face reminded me of a time I swore I'd always be there for her, after Mom died, when we clung to each other during that silent funeral, when I promised I'd grow up faster so she wouldn't have to face the world alone.
This trip better be worth it, I thought, swallowing the knot in my throat.
*
I arrived at the sisters' apartment just as Wilhelm opened the front door with a warm bow.
"Ah, Souta, sir. Perfect timing. The young ladies are preparing for the trip, but I believe they've also left you a 'small welcome-back present' in the kitchen."
"…Why does that sound terrifying?"
He gave no answer. Just chuckled and walked away.
I stepped inside cautiously. Silence. Too much silence.
Until…
"WELCOME BACK, MAID-CHAN~!"
Nao popped out from behind the fridge wearing oven mitts and cat ears.
…God help me.
After sorting Nao out and telling her not to wear that so casually, I look around.
Today's task?
Windows.
I stared at the spray bottle in my hand, contemplating how far I'd fallen in life. Once a semi-regular high school student, now a full-time glass polisher for four chaotic sisters.
I muttered to myself as I wiped the streaks off the living room window.
"Is this how all great men start? Cleaning other people's fingerprints off the future?"
I didn't expect an answer. So naturally.
"Do great men usually talk to themselves while wearing pink aprons?"
I jolted.
Yuki stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her usual piercing gaze locked on me.
She was... barefoot. Wearing a loose shirt. Her hair was tied up lazily in a ponytail that still somehow looked magazine-perfect. If I weren't terrified of her, I might've said something dumb.
"I-uh-thought you were upstairs."
"I was. Then I saw you outside, smearing glass like a toddler, and figured the windows needed saving."
She walked over, snatched the other cloth from the windowsill, and began wiping the other side of the glass, opposite me.
We stood there, facing each other through the glass. Wiping in silence.
It was almost… peaceful.
Until she squinted at me.
"There's still a streak. You're doing it wrong."
"I'm not, wait, no I'm doing it fine-"
"Move." She opened the sliding door, stepping out onto the balcony with me.
There wasn't much room. The two of us were now shoulder to shoulder, pressed close in the narrow space.
I could smell her shampoo. Something lavender.
Yuki reached up to clean the top corner of the window, leaning in, arm brushing mine, and in that moment, I turned my head to speak.
Unfortunately.
So did she.
Our faces stopped inches apart. My breath caught. Her eyes widened.
No one moved.
"Uh…"
"Don't."
"I wasn't-!"
"You were."
"I SWEAR I was just going to say you missed a spot!"
Her expression didn't change, but her cheeks flushed slightly.
"You're such a loser."
Then, in a quieter voice:
"...But thanks for not taking my first."
I blinked. "Wait. Was that... a compliment?
And first, what?"
"Don't ruin it." She turned away, going back to wiping.
I smiled to myself. Just a little.
But the moment passed quickly.
I leaned on the railing, staring out at the street below, the cloth now resting in my lap. I hadn't said anything yet, not to any of them.
So I took a breath.
"Hey… Yuki."
She paused.
"My little sister's sick."
She looked over. "Huh?"
"Saki. She's younger than me. I live with her. It's just the two of us. And... she caught something. Nothing major, I think, but she's not doing great. Which is why... I might not come on the trip."
Yuki's gaze lingered on me.
"You didn't tell anyone you had a sister."
"Well, I think I mentioned it, but either way, it didn't seem important."
She didn't say anything. So I kept going.
"I've been thinking about it all day. I know Wilhelm will be sad, and the girls are hyped for it, but I dunno. Leaving her behind... doesn't sit right with me."
I expected some kind of jab. Maybe a 'Wow, how noble' in her usual sarcastic tone.
But instead…
"You're an idiot," she muttered. "But… not a bad one."
My brows raised. "Another compliment?"
Yuki rolled her eyes, but there was the tiniest smile threatening her lips.
"She must be important to you."
"She is."
"Then tell them."
"...Yeah."
We stood there a little longer. No flirting. No fake drama. Just quiet.
After a while, she said, "Come back inside. Before Nao paints something on your apron again."
And she left.
I stayed a moment longer, the air cooler now. The light caught the clean streaks on the glass.
Yeah.
Maybe I'll tell them tonight.
The rest of the afternoon passed quietly.
Too quietly.
I finished my chores, windows crystal clear, floor spotless, laundry folded with borderline military precision. And joined the girls in the kitchen, where dinner was already underway.
Well… "underway" in the sense that Nao had started boiling water and immediately gotten distracted trying to make bubble sculptures in the sink.
"Look, look, Souta! It's a dragon!"
"That's definitely just foam with a spoon in it."
"Don't ruin the art!"
Yuki was sitting at the table, scrolling through her phone, probably judging all of us. Arisa was slicing vegetables with theatrical flair, clearly overcompensating for the egg incident earlier. Reina sat on the edge of the table quietly reading something, but her eyes kept drifting to Arisa and Nao like she wanted to be part of the fun, just didn't know how.
Eventually, somehow, dinner came together.
We sat down. Arisa was already chatting about something dumb she saw online.
"I mean, who tries to propose to someone using onions? Like actual onions? People are wild."
Nao giggled, "Maybe it was symbolic, like, 'our love has layers!'"
"I would have thrown the ring at him," Yuki muttered, stabbing her rice like it owed her money.
I looked up, fork in hand, and caught Yuki's eyes across the table.
A rare moment, direct eye contact.
She tilted her head slightly, then mouthed:
"Tell them."
Just like that, I felt the weight drop into my stomach.
I put my fork down.
Cleared my throat.
"Uh… guys. Before we start planning who gets to push me off a mountain during this trip-"
"No promises!" Arisa called out with a grin.
"Let me talk, damn it."
They stopped.
I exhaled.
"Listen. I didn't say anything before because it didn't seem important. But I've got a little sister. Her name's Saki. She's been sick since this morning, really sick. Fever, coughing, the whole thing. And…"
I looked down at the table, suddenly very aware of how serious my voice had gotten.
"I don't know if I can go on the trip."
Silence.
Arisa blinked. "Wait… you have a sister?"
"You never told us that," Nao added, eyes wide. "Wait, wait, are you sure she didn't catch something from you?"
Yuki rolled her eyes. "Souta isn't patient zero, Nao."
I smiled weakly. "I'd rather stay and look after her. The trip's cool and all, but if she needs me, then that's where I'll be."
There was a long pause.
Then.
"If you're not going, then I'm not going either."
Reina.
Soft voice. Steady gaze.
Everyone turned to her like she'd just thrown a chair.
"I mean it," she said again, setting her chopsticks down. "It wouldn't feel right."
"Same," Arisa said next, folding her arms with her usual drama. "I can't flirt with you properly if you're not there.
Nao stood up suddenly, hand in the air like she was declaring war. "Come on. Who's gonna carry my bags if you're not there?"
Yuki sighed.
The room turned to her, the final verdict.
She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed.
"Don't get me wrong, this whole thing sounds dumb. I was kind of looking forward to peace and quiet without you idiots."
Then she looked at me.
"But if they're not going... then I'm not either."
I blinked.
"That... sounded suspiciously like you care."
"Don't make me change my mind."
Arisa grinned. "Awww, look at big sis Yuki caring for our little housemaid."
Yuki threw a napkin at her face.
But underneath the usual bickering and chaos, there was something else.
A shared understanding. A shift.
In their own weird, chaotic, emotionally dysfunctional way…
They cared.
And I-well, I was stunned.
"Thanks, guys. Really."
"Don't get all sappy now," Yuki muttered, stabbing her tofu.
"Yeah, yeah!" Nao chimed in. "We're only doing this because Reina said it first."
"I still think onions are a bad idea," Arisa said, circling back for no reason.
I leaned back, watching the four of them argue, bicker, and laugh. And for the first time in a long while.
I didn't feel like I was just their maid.
I felt like I belonged.
After we finished up eating, I finished the minor chorus before preparing them one little rice omelette dish, just in case they get hungry before heading home.
But. After I left, it seemed there was a small meeting taking place at the dinner table, a meeting including the 4 sisters.
"Hey Arisa, Sout- I mean the jerk felt pretty bummed out, didn't he?" Yuki asked.
"Hmm, yeah, he did it felt like he wanted to go, but why, wait, don't tell me you're feeling sorry for him Yukii" Arisa said slowly, touching Yukii's hair.
"Shut up! OF COURSE I DON'T CARE HE COULD GO DIE SOMEONE FOR ALL I CARE!"
She breathed in, sighing.
"It's just I feel sorry for his sister, that's all, she's not a weirdo like him."
"Hmm, I dunno Souta not weird hehe" Nao replied, sitting on the chair with the back support facing forward.
"Yeah... he can be, strange, I guess, but not weird." Reina also popped in.
They all looked at each other before giggling a bit.
"Let's help our poor maid-chan!" Nao shouted.
They all nodded their head before Yuki picked up her phone and began dialing...