"Clearly, you cried, and many people saw it..."
"Alright, alright, are you trying to drive me crazy today?" Haruka jumped off the chair, looking around for a club, ready to turn this foolish sister into real fool today.
Akiho stopped Haruka, "Big sister, don't wake up the little ones. They have slept" Then she turned to ask Haruka, "Second sister, did you teach that guy a lesson when you heard that big sister was... bullied at school?"
Her tone was calm, but her eyes narrowed. No wonder big sister came back with swollen eyes yesterday, locked herself in her room for a long time. It turned out something like this happened!
Haruka wasn't really foolish, she was just used to being beaten by Haruka since she was little and had no desire to resist. She moved to the other side of the table to keep a distance from Haruka, touched her head, felt nothing serious, and gave a thumbs-up with a smile, "No problem, I taught him a lesson!"
Haruka's expression improved, and Akiho asked in depth, "Make sure he knows how powerful our family is, but you didn't hurt him, right? We can't afford medical bills now."
Haruka laughed confidently, "He wasn't hurt."
Akiho understanding her playful nature asked patiently, "So, how did you teach him? Did you vent your anger for big sister?"
"I vent it! I ate seven bowls of ramen to my heart's content!"
"Seven bowls of ramen?" Haruka couldn't quite understand, hesitatingly asking, "What does that mean?" Did he runs a ramen shop and you eat all the ramen in his shop? Or did you take seven bowls of ramen as spoils of war? It sounds like something our sister could do..."
Haruka scratched her head playfully, "I originally wanted to catch up, defeat him honorably to restore big sister's face. But I couldn't beat him..."
Akiho who had been expressionless showed a slight surprise on her face for the first time, "Couldn't beat him?"
She couldn't believe it. She knew the strength of her second sister well. At three, she chased away chickens; at five, she fought dogs; at seven, she won fifteen consecutive matches against others. By ten, she was the neighborhood child king, making all the kids bow their heads. After puberty at fourteen, even drunkards would sober up and take a detour when they saw her. Didn't she beat him? Who dared to bully big sister? A sturdy, unyielding, copper-headed and iron-armed warrior?
Haruka looked serious, "That guy is strong, no wonder he made big sister cry. If we really dueled, he haS killed me. I searched five streets around, and it was the first time I encountered such a tenacious man. He's not the kind of gigolo big sister mentioned. He's a true man!"
Haruka's face turned darker instantly. She stretched out her hand to Akiho, "Get me a club. I can't stand it anymore. Today, I must deal with her. Don't stop me!" Being beaten and crying at school was bad enough. She had fallen to the bottom of the class, and she was even repeatedly scolded by her sister after coming home. Why did she have to be so unlucky to have such a sister?
Akiho gently held Haruka's hand, "Big sister, calm down first... Second sister, what about those seven bowls of ramen?"
Haruka laughed, "After our duel, I was starving. He invited me to eat ramen. I thought, since he made big sister cry, I had to retaliate. So, I ate to my heart's content, ate like there's no tomorrow, ate a full seven bowls!"
She pinched her chin, lost in thought, "That guy saw me eat seven bowls of ramen without changing his expression. It shows he's magnanimous, like a mountain standing by a cliff. His swordsmanship seems to involve multiple schools, yet he made them become canned goods. With strong fighting spirit and a tenacious style, he never gives up even if he temporarily falls behind. He has the spirit of a true hero. I admire him, a true iron-blooded man!"
Her expression turned serious as she said to Haruka, "Big sister, you're not unjust in losing to him."
Haruka's face was black as if it were smeared with ink, and she spoke slowly, "Firstly, it's about integration, not canned goods. Don't always think about eating! Secondly, if you don't know how to use idioms, just use them less. Are you so dumb that you don't know it yourself? Thirdly, our family might have to spend an extra 2.5 million yen. He should take at least half of the responsibility. After eating his ramen worth a few thousand yen, you come back to speak well of him? Where is your brain? Lastly, he! Didn't! Make! Me! Cry!"
After saying this, she reached out to Akiho , and Akiho silently placed a rolling pin in her hand. Without hesitation, she lifted it and swung it towards Haruna. A blow landed on her buttocks, and angrily shouted, "Letting you wander outside, letting you not work, letting you neglect the family..."
After a chaotic scene, Haruka finally threw away the rolling pin in her hand, and angrily said, "Take out the garbage and kitchen waste to the back street, then come back and clean the lobby. If I find any dust, I'll really beat you to death!"
Haruna covered her buttocks and went off, muttering complaints. She was probably saying something like, "A dog biting good person, good deeds don't get rewarded." Haruka felt the anger rising again after looking at her. She caught up and kicked her buttocks, shouting, "Hurry up! You want to wait until it's daylight?"
Akiho poured a cup of tea and advised in a soft voice, "Big sister, don't blame the second sister. I know you have been worried about the second sister getting into trouble. When Chika and Ayaka said the second sister was kidnapped, you scolded them, didn't you?"
Haruka took a sip of tea to ease her temper, "I scolded her for talking nonsense. Our family doesn't have that kind of good luck...Who would be crazy enough to kidnap her? She eats so much that she could compete with mice."
"The second sister is still growing, eating more is normal..."
Haruka sighed, her small face full of distress, "The savings at home are getting less and less, but she keeps eating more. Growing? If only she could grow some brains. It seems like she hasn't grown any brains since junior high..."
Akiho remained silent. Second sister grows taller but not smarter. But big sister grows smarter but not taller. In three years, she grew only two cms, right?
She looked at her sister, who was now slightly shorter than herself, feeling a bit sad. With Mom gone, most of the responsibilities in this family fell on her sister. Bearing such a heavy burden, no wonder her sister couldn't grow taller.
She also took a few sips of tea with Haruka, and after a while, Haruka rubbed her waist and stood up, saying weakly, "Forget it, we can't rely on her. Actually, her food expenses aren't that much. It's just that everyone in the family is going to school now, the expenses have increased a lot, and money is tight. Oh? Akiho , don't worry, there is still money at home... How about the preparations for tomorrow's openning?"
She noticed that she had complained a bit too much and quickly changed the topic, while Akiho gave her a hand, "It's almost done, big sister, you don't need to worry about these things. I'll take care of it."
Haruka patted her sister's hand with some self-blame, "Will it take up too much of your time? Will it affect your studies? Sleeping so late, can you sustain yourself at school during the day?"
"I'm fine, but it's you, big sister..."
Haruka resolutely said, "I'm fine. I'm very energetic at school!" Then she turned and walked towards the corridor, "Okay, Akiho , you should rest early too. I'll continue doing the laundry. Put the meal I made for your second sister in the fridge. Let her eat it tomorrow night. Don't waste it."
"Yes, big sister." Akiho responded, but as she watched Haruka's figure, she saw that, despite her young age, she was already walking with support on her waist. Unable to bear it, she hesitated and called out softly, "Big sister..."
Haruka turned around in surprise, "Is there anything else?"
"The thing I mentioned last time, I want to take a year off from school..."
"No way!" Haruka's expression immediately became stern, scolding loudly, "The family can still manage, and you should go to school. Don't think about such crooked ways. Even if someone has to take a break, it should be me. It's not your turn!"
Although scolded, Akiho 's expression remained unchanged, she just lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry. I see, big sister."
Haruka also knew that Akiho meant well. She looked a bit regretful at her expression, wanted to say a few more words, but being not good at soft words, she couldn't think of what to say. She waved her hand and went to do the laundry. The catering industry demands high cleanliness, and with many children at home, it's a pile of work.
Akiho then went to the kitchen to tidy up. After packing the cut vegetables and putting them in the fridge, she leaned against the refrigerator door and fell into a daze.
Big sister must be very tired. Though she joined clubs to make her student document look better, she usually rushed back home right after school to help with the shop, never attending any club practices. She would be busy until closing, then do some housework, yawn and study, probably ending up falling asleep on the desk... Such a good sister, bullied at school? Is there any humanity left in the person who bullied her?
Although it's not entirely right for her sister to blame him just because she failed the exam, but hurting my sister is absolutely not allowed!