The food was delicious—there's no denying that in this country, good food can be found everywhere.
After paying the bill, we headed to the daycare where Keika was. Eating at the restaurant had helped us pass the time.
When we arrived, I noticed several parents waiting for their children, just like us.
As we joined the group, a teacher appeared and began calling parents by their last names so they could go in and pick up their kids.
Before long, the teacher called out Kawasaki's name. She walked inside to get her little sister.
Thinking back, ever since we left the restaurant and returned here, Kawasaki seemed to have already recovered from her ankle. Her movements weren't quite the same as before, but she was definitely doing much better.
Small details that usually go unnoticed.
If that's the case, I guess I'm no longer obliged to accompany Kawasaki. One less thing to worry about.
I won't lie—I enjoyed her company these past few days.
After a moment of reflection, I saw Kawasaki holding a girl who looked exactly like her—just a smaller version, and one who didn't resemble a delinquent.
"Tsurumi, this is Kawasaki Keika, my little sister," she said, introducing the girl who was holding her hand.
Keika had the same light blue hair as her older sister, and the same eye color too. I was right—she really was a miniature version of Kawasaki. Just imagining Kawasaki being that age is kind of funny.
I guess I should introduce myself to the little version of Kawasaki.
"Hello, Keika. My name is Tsurumi Raiden. Nice to meet you."
As soon as Keika noticed me, she hid behind Kawasaki's legs.
Either Keika is just really shy, or I look way too intimidating. Hopefully, it's the first one.
"Come on, Keika, don't be rude," Kawasaki tried to encourage her younger sister to greet me.
"Don't push her too much. From her point of view, I'm a stranger, so it's natural for her to be a little shy." After all, she's only five. That's perfectly normal.
I've got experience as an older brother.
But Kawasaki didn't seem ready to give up. She whispered something to Keika, and whatever it was, it worked. Keika stopped hiding behind her sister.
"I-I'm Keika, hello…" she said nervously. Well, that's normal for a child her age.
Thinking back, Rumi could also say a few words at that age—introducing herself and greeting people. I'd be the exception, though. I learned basic words earlier than most and could communicate well. I still remember the look on my father's face when I could already speak properly at such a young age.
Does having memories count as cheating?
"Nice to meet you, Keika." I stepped closer as I offered her my hand.
She hesitated for a moment, then took it and said,
"…It's fine, ...Rachan." She said it with a smile.
Rachan, huh? She took the first syllables of my name and added chan. Keika is way too cute. If she were my little sister right now, I wouldn't hesitate to hug her—though if I did, I'm sure Kawasaki would hit me.
I noticed Kawasaki looked happy for some reason. I guess seeing her little sister interact with others could be a good thing for an older sibling.
I couldn't help using my hands to entertain Keika. After all, kids are easy to amuse.
"Hey, Tsurumi, how long are you planning to keep playing with my sister?" From Kawasaki's tone, I could tell she sounded a bit jealous.
"Jealous?"
"W-What?! What are you talking about? Why would I be jealous?"
"Because I'm getting along really well with your little sister, and maybe I'll end up stealing her away from you." I said it in a teasing tone—after all, messing with Kawasaki is always fun.
There's nothing worse for an older brother than having your little sister try to distance herself from you.
"As if it were that easy. Keika and I are sisters, after all. What we share is stronger than just keeping her entertained the way you do." She spoke with pride and conviction.
"Hey, Keika, want some candy?"
"Yeah!"
I pulled a piece of candy from my pocket—the one I'd bought at school—and handed it to Keika.
"Bribing a kid? Real mature." Her words dripped with sarcasm.
"It's not a bribe; it's an incentive."
"Call it whatever you want, but giving my sister candy won't make you her favorite."
"Kei-chan, wanna ride on my shoulders?" Years ago, when Rumi was younger, I used to carry her on my shoulders. Seeing Keika brought back those memories.
"Yeah!"
Keika looked excited, so I lifted her up and set her on my shoulders.
"Don't underestimate me, Kawasaki. I've already got a little sister, so I know how to take care of them."
Kawasaki looked pretty surprised. I guess she didn't expect me to bond with her little sister so quickly. But it wasn't that strange—I'd taken care of Rumi years ago, so I had plenty of experience with little kids.
"Come on, Sa-chan!"
Keika called out to her sister, who seemed lost in thought.
"Hey, Tsurumi. If my sister gets hurt, you're a dead man." Kawasaki's tone was terrifying.
"Don't worry. If I ever let Keika fall off my shoulders, I'd be a complete failure as a super big brother."
"Super big brother?"
"Exactly. That's what sets me apart from you. You're just a big sister, but I'm a super big brother," I said proudly.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Kawasaki laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh along at my own nonsense.
The rest of the walk to Kawasaki's house flew by, and before I knew it, we were there.
"Hey, Kei-chan, we're at your house."
I carefully held Keika and set her down from my shoulders.
She looked pretty happy—her expression reminded me of Rumi back then.
Once Keika ran toward the door, I figured it was my cue to leave since I didn't have anything else to do.
"Tsurumi, thanks for today—for the meal and for playing with Keika. She's a little shy, so it surprised me how quickly she warmed up to you."
"I've got a special talent for that." Of course, I owed it to raising Rumi since she was little.
"You know how bad that sounded, right? Lolicon."
"Don't twist my words like that."
I might be many things, but a lolicon is definitely not one of them.
Kawasaki seemed happy after our little exchange.
Just before I turned to leave, a small voice called out.
"Ra-chan, Ra-chan." Keika was pointing at the door, as if inviting me inside.
"Keika, Tsurumi has a home to get back to as well. It'd be asking too much to keep him here any longer."
Next to her little sister, Kawasaki's demeanor softened into something gentler and calmer.
Keika looked on the verge of tears after hearing her sister's words. Well, it's not like I had anything pressing to do. Besides, I still had a few hours before heading to karate practice.
Before I could say anything, another voice called from behind us.
"Nee-chan?"
When I turned to look, I saw a middle school boy with dark gray hair and gray eyes.
"Taishi, you're early. Mom said you'd be back later."
Keika quickly ran up to her brother's side.
"Ta-chan!"
Taishi began to gently pat his little sister while replying to Kawasaki.
"I finished up the things I had to do quickly, so I was able to leave earlier."
When he was done talking with his sister, Taishi noticed me. From what Kawasaki had told me, Taishi was her other younger brother, thirteen years old.
I figured the proper thing to do was introduce myself.
"My name is Tsurumi Raiden. I'm your older sister's classmate. It's a pleasure to meet you."
I do have manners, even if it doesn't look like it.
Taishi looked surprised when he heard who I was.
"Were you the one who defeated Nee-chan at the academy?"
I guess I'm a bit famous around here, huh.
"That's right, I'm the one who beat your sister!" I said it proudly—after all, it's not so bad to be a little arrogant sometimes.
"Wow, can I call you Aniki?"
"Taishi, what are you saying to Tsurumi? Tsurumi, I apologize for my brother. After I told him someone defeated me at the academy, he's been eager to meet that person."
Aniki, huh. Never thought someone would call me that. After all, I never had a younger brother to address me that way, and since I don't usually hang out with underclassmen, there was never a reason for anyone to call me that. I guess hearing it actually makes me a little happy.
"Sure, go ahead," I said, thumping my chest as if it were an honor to be called that.
"Hey, Tsurumi, don't encourage him—and you, Taishi, don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to address him like that?"
"It's fine, Kawasaki. Actually, I kind of like being called that."
It reminded me of how the word is used among the Yakuza to address a higher-ranking member—like a respected and admired older brother.
"Don't let it go to your head, Tsurumi." Kawasaki seemed a little unsettled by the whole situation.
"By the way, Aniki, do you want to come inside? I want to ask you some questions about karate. Nee-chan refuses to let me practice and won't talk to me about it either."
Keika seemed to pick up on the mood. She leaned against my legs, tugging at my uniform and pointing toward the door of their house. Kids may not fully understand words, but they're often more sensitive to the atmosphere around them.
"I've got some time, so I don't see any reason to say no," I answered with good humor.
Keika looked happy, so I let her drag me inside, hearing Kawasaki sigh behind me.
Once in, Keika guided me toward the sofa. But, as you'd expect from a little girl her age, she started yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her energy must have run out on the way home, since during the walk she'd joined the conversation, only adding simple words like "yeah" and "sure."
"Tsurumi, I'll put Keika to bed since she looks really tired. You can wait on the sofa."
I nodded at Kawasaki's words. She lifted Keika into her arms and left the room.
Even though I only really know the layout of my own house, I could say the Kawasaki home was fairly normal. I don't mean that in a bad way—it felt warm and welcoming.
I saw some photos hanging on the wall with five people in them. The two adults had to be Kawasaki's parents, and the children were probably Kawasaki and her siblings. This picture must have been taken years ago, since Keika was just a baby in it.
After a few seconds, Taishi showed up and sat down next to me. He had changed and was now just wearing a blue T-shirt and green pants.
There's nothing better than being comfortable in your own home.
"Tell me, Aniki, what does it take to be good at karate?"
It seems Taishi is really interested in learning karate, but knowing how overprotective Kawasaki can be, she probably doesn't want him getting involved since he could get hurt.
"In my experience, all you need to do is put in effort and practice. But if you practice without effort, or put in effort without practice, you won't achieve anything."
That's the truth—expecting improvement without effort makes no sense. Effort will always be rewarded with results, though they might take time. If you go to the gym, you can't expect to get in shape overnight.
"By the way, Taishi, why doesn't your sister want you to practice?"
I had a theory, but I preferred to confirm it.
"She says it's still too soon for me, and besides, I might get hurt." Taishi sighed.
I guess it's fine for Kawasaki to worry about her brother, but if she doesn't let him grow, she'll just end up hurting him.
Almost on cue, Kawasaki appeared, dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants.
"Hey, Tsurumi, I hope you're not putting weird ideas into Taishi's head."
The terrifying older sister had arrived.
"Don't worry, I'm just telling him the basics. Besides, you seem way too overprotective, huh, Brocon."
I said that last part teasingly. Kawasaki looked annoyed at my words.
Just as she was about to respond, Taishi interrupted.
"You two get along pretty well. Now I get why Nee-chan talks about you every time she comes back from the academy."
At that, Kawasaki's face turned red—she looked pretty nervous.
"TT-Taishi, what are you saying?" She was embarrassed by her brother's words.
"But it's true. Every time you come home, you usually talk about your sparring matches with Aniki."
"There's no need to say that right now." Kawasaki seemed really flustered. I guess finding someone she could compete with made her happy.
"That's also why I got interested in practicing karate. You never used to talk about your time at the academy, but a few weeks ago you started describing your matches with Aniki, and…"
Before Taishi could finish, Kawasaki clamped a hand over his mouth to stop him from talking.
I couldn't help but laugh at the scene.
I suppose that, despite everything, Kawasaki is still just a girl, so of course she gets embarrassed when the time calls for it.
After our brief exchange, we started talking about training methods and similar things, since Taishi was really interested in that. Even so, Kawasaki made her brother promise not to train until he was at least fourteen.
She's just as overprotective as she seems.
Before I knew it, I had already spent an hour inside Kawasaki's house. If I didn't leave now, I'd be late for the academy.
"I guess it's time for me to go."
I stretched a little, feeling so comfortable that I hesitated to leave. When she heard this, Kawasaki checked her watch and realized how long we'd been talking.
"Sorry, Tsurumi. I didn't think we'd get so caught up that we'd lose track of time," Kawasaki apologized.
"Don't worry, it's still early for me."
With that, I headed toward the door.
"Aniki, I hope you come back another time so you can give me more advice."
"Don't worry about that. I guess I could come by again sometime."
"Hey, Tsurumi! Don't just invite yourself over to my house."
Kawasaki didn't hesitate to scold me for agreeing so quickly.
"But it's your brother who's inviting me." I gave her a teasing grin, though it didn't seem to work on her.
"In that case, at least let me know in advance if you're coming."
With no support from anyone, she gave in and reluctantly agreed. That caught me off guard—I was only joking, yet she ended up accepting it.
Well, one less thing to worry about. Thinking of that, I almost forgot to tell her something.
"By the way, Kawasaki, looks like your ankle's better, though maybe you should take another day off just in case."
Kawasaki moved her ankle slightly, showing no discomfort or pain. On the way back with Keika, she had walked on her own, and it was then I noticed more clearly that she could already move normally.
"I feel fine, it doesn't bother me at all. Still, I'll follow your advice and take another day off. But don't forget—tomorrow I'll have my rematch," she said with conviction. I had forgotten how stubborn she could be.
"Don't worry, though the result will be the same," I replied with a touch of arrogance.
After that, I said goodbye to the Kawasaki siblings and started walking home. It had been a long week, but now I was finally free of my responsibility. Still, I think a part of me will miss talking with her—even if we'll still see each other at the academy.
Without thinking too much about it, I kept on walking.