The next morning, I woke up and immediately went downstairs to the living room. It was hard to face Hyo after the argument I had had with Hyoro the day before, but I was hoping that after leaving it overnight I'd be able to talk calmly.
I heard the sound of slippers and footsteps, so I headed to the living room, where my mother was just about to come out.
"Oh, good morning Susumu. You're up early this morning."
"Uh—where's the target?"
"I don't know. He was gone when I woke up. Maybe he left first."
"I see."
I said, lowering my excitement enough that it was obvious to me.
If only I hadn't rejected him yesterday. Thinking about it makes me feel guilty.
When my mother saw me like that, she poked me on the head.
"Ouch."
"You're thinking stupid things like it's all your fault again, aren't you?"
My mother said.
"Human relationships aren't that simple. They're not something you can build overnight. Just like Shirō-chan has her own way of thinking."
"What's up with you, you suddenly said something reasonable."
"It's because you have such a pathetic look on your face. It's making me feel depressed too. Not just you, but Shiori-chan too."
"Unlike me, he's a reliable guy. It'll be fine."
"Then why were you so upset yesterday?"
I answered my mother's question with a tingling feeling in my chest.
"That must be my fault after all."
"That's right. I love Susumu so much that I lose sight of what's going on around me and end up acting out of control. But other people's feelings are one problem I can't do anything about on my own."
"It's difficult in many ways."
"If you understand that, you're already an adult. I'll go first."
My mother left the house in a conversational tone.
"You're already an adult, huh? I hope so... hmm?"
At that moment, I heard the intercom ring and headed to the front door.
Waiting for me was Aihana.
When his dark eyes spotted me, they lit up like a light.
"Aika..."
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Oh, no. It's just a sudden arrival. What's wrong?"
"We're lovers, so it's only natural that I'd go over to your house. That's weird, Susumu."
Aika's tone was a little more casual than on the first day. If this was her natural personality, it might have been acceptable. But she wasn't Aika. She was Renka.
"More importantly, you said you'd wait for me in your room yesterday, but you left me there instead."
"a"
Come to think of it, that's right. What should I do? I need to come up with some kind of excuse.
"Well, that's because, well, I just remembered something to do! Sorry!"
"--Do you really think that's bad?"
"Ah, yeah."
I answered while enduring the piercing gaze.
"Then I forgive you."
Aihua said briefly.
"In return, we'll be together forever from now on, okay?"
"cormorant..."
"I love you, Susumu."
"Hey, hey."
Aika pressed her face against my chest. The sweet, floral scent tickled my nostrils. I didn't mind, but it was a bit embarrassing to have her do this in the middle of the house.
"Susumu's heart is pounding."
Aika murmured as she continued to embrace him.
"It's warm... I feel so safe..."
Aihana says with a dreamy expression, Don't say things that will be misunderstood if someone hears them.
But why? Why does this feeling of unease never cease? Is it because Shiori doesn't seem jealous even though a woman is hugging him? Is it because Aika, pretending to be her dead sister, feels creepy? Or is it because I'm already half-accepting this kind of life that's unnatural?
Okay, I guess they're all good. That's how I grew up.
along with the mark.
"Well, I guess I should get going soon. It'd be bad if I was late."
I said as I pulled Aika away to hide my embarrassment.
"That's true."
Aihana replied briefly.
Without realizing that all of their actions were fake.
We walked side by side into Class 1-A's classroom.
The space was the same as usual, but Shiori was nowhere to be seen.
There was no bag either. I looked inside my desk, but there were no textbooks or anything like that.
"That's strange. He should have been here by now."
"--You mean your sister? It's normal for a girl her age to be absent."
Aika responded to my muttering.
"That guy being absent without permission is even more unlikely than Shoten being cancelled."
I think the meaning is a little different, but I've never seen the normally serious Shiori skip school before. He's the kind of guy who doesn't want to waste even a little of the time he has with me, so he comes to school even if he has a fever.
"It seems Miss Shiori hasn't come yet."
I turned towards the voice and saw a light standing there.
"Lighting... what do you mean the target isn't coming?"
"If you, as family, don't know, then how could I know? But I asked the teacher earlier, and it seems he hasn't said anything."
I took out my cell phone and dialed the target number, but all I heard was an announcement that the phone was off. I sighed softly.
"Mark…"
"What's wrong, Su-kun?"
Perhaps sensing something unusual, Honoka came running over.
"Nothing."
That was all I could muster from my stomach.
"...Su-kun?"
But she looked at me with a worried look on her face.
"Something happened, right? Does it have to do with Shiori-chan not coming?"
"It's none of your business. And don't get any closer to Susumu."
Aika stepped in between me and Honoka.
"You said your name was Miyaji-san, right? You're acting all familiar even though you're just a childhood friend."
"What, you say I'm being overly familiar... And we're not just childhood friends... Su-kun and Shiori-chan are my precious friends."
"Boys don't like that kind of forced female friendship."
"So, I'm not forcing you to do anything."
"The worst thing is not realizing it. I feel sorry for Susumu. He has to be followed around by something like this."
"I, I..."
"---Men dislike women who act like they're their girlfriends all the time, you know? Hiiragi-kun."
It was the lighting that interrupted Aika, who was pressing Honoka.
"You must be... Susumu's friend A."
"Ding dong. If you get the answer right, I'll give you a signed bromide of me."
"No need. I'd like to secretly take a photo of Susumu though."
Ignoring Aika, who was casually trying to trample on someone's privacy, Teruaki turned to me.
"...I warned you yesterday, but it seems you've decided to go out with Hiiragi, Susumu?"
"No, that's..."
"Huh? Huh? Is that true, Su-kun?"
Honoka looked at me in surprise. I knew it wasn't something I could hide, but now it had come to this, there was no other way.
"It's true. I've decided to go out with Aika."
"That's..."
Honoka leaned against the desk as if she had anemia.
"Hey, hey."
I hurriedly picked her up.
"Are you okay, Honoka? Shall we go to the nurse's office?"
"N-no, it's fine. I'll go alone."
Honoka walked out of the classroom with heavy steps. She was staggering and unsteady, and I was worried if she was really okay, but...
"Susumu"
Hikari's voice was like a bucket of cold water being poured over me, and I was unable to move.
"What are you doing?"
The lighting was different from usual. He looked at me with disdain.
"What are you doing here, leaving your precious little sister behind?"
"I, I..."
It was no answer. What could I do for him now that I had met him?
Even though I was the one who broke his heart.
"Enough standing around chatting, guys. Homeroom is about to begin."
The homeroom teacher, who had somehow arrived at the podium, clapped his hands and said:
The students who had been making noise up until now all sat down at once.
"You guys are getting a little lax just because summer vacation is almost here. You need to pull yourself together a bit."
After a typical lecture, the homeroom teacher began talking about the event.
As I brushed it off, I wondered what I had done to Shiori. I knew how he felt. And yet I never tried to reciprocate those feelings. Was that why? Was that why Shiori had lost interest in coming to school?
I should have had a proper talk with Shiori yesterday, even if it meant breaking down the door.
Even while my homeroom teacher was leaving the classroom, all I could think about was Shiori.
The lesson continued. I couldn't hear what the teacher was saying, and instead, a wave of intense regret washed over me. I stared blankly out the window.
The summer heat was somewhat cooler, but when I saw the insects clinging to the trees and the sunlight shining on the ground, I still felt a slight heat inside my body.
By the time the third period rolled around, Yoriko hadn't shown up. There was no record of her calling.
In the first place, it's no wonder, since I was the one who pushed the target yesterday.
But.
Usually, when I woke up in the morning, Shiori would crawl into bed and start the perverted act of sniffing my shirt. When I was surprised and tried to stop him, he would say that it was just one fun thing he did each day and refuse to give in. Seeing us like that, my mother would laugh in amazement. This was the normal part of our daily lives.
I was the one who said we couldn't date because we were siblings. Unlike me, she was good-looking and clever, so she could have had as many boyfriends as she wanted. But she continued to desire me until the very end. I didn't even try to listen to her deepest feelings.
"...I guess I'm no good after all. I'm not fit to be a big brother."
With that said, I stood up from my seat.
"Susumu? What's wrong?"
Aika, who was sitting next to me, asked me a question.
"Sorry. I'll skip a bit."
"Huh...? What do you mean?"
Without replying to Aika, I ran out of the classroom.
I could hear the sounds of chatter coming from the classroom. But it didn't matter. At the very least, Shiori was dozens of times more important than his grades at school.
"...Let's go."
I left school right away, determined not to come back today.