.
[-Continuation-]
.
[Hachiman's POV]
"That sounds about right." Yukinoshita turned her gaze at Kawasaki with complete comprehension and just a small amount of sympathy. "After all, he is not the only kid out there who needs to pay tuition for school."
I added. "Our school is a college prep school. So, most of the students start thinking about college starting second year. That's when they start getting serious about taking summer courses."
"Big sis…."
"…that's why I said you didn't need to know." Kawasaki knocked her brother on the head comfortingly.
Aww, this looked heartwarming. I mean, good for them. And they all lived happily ever after. Or so I thought, but then Kawasaki pursed her lips tightly.
"Still, I can't quit my job over all this. I intend to go to university. I don't want to cause you or our parents any trouble over that, Taishi." Kawasaki's tone was sharp.
She was clearly keeping her decision to herself, and her iron-clad will once again drove Taishi into silence. "..."
.
-Again-
…always that darn piece of Paper(:Money). I muttered to myself.
It is the same Paper(:Money) - I despise it to the extent that I yearn to set every piece(:penny) the world owns in flames with my own hands.
It is the same Paper(:Money) - I loathe it so intensely that I wish to gather every inch(:cent) the world has to offer and confine it in my own personal prison(:bank).
It is the same Paper(:Money) - I detest the power and authority it bestows upon someone unconditionally, to such a point that it frightens me.
It is so terrifying that I cannot bear the thought of anyone else wielding this power other than me…
These feelings urge me to strive towards getting my hold on every piece of Paper(:Money) randomly scattered in every corner of the world.
.…however, only if it was not such a pain in the ass….
.
"Um, can I just say something?" A carefree voice broke the silence. It was Komachi, with her hand raised, wanting to talk.
Kawasaki turned to her exasperatedly. "What?" She demanded half curtly, half-belligerently.
But Komachi deflected her anger with a grin. "Kay, so. Both our parents have been working for ages. When I was little, I hated coming home and finding nobody at home, so I ran away."
"But it wasn't my parents who came for me. It was my big brother. Since that day, he has started coming home before me. So I am really grateful for my brother."
The best brother in the world. Yep, that's me, all right.
"..." Kawasaki turned to me with something very much like newfound respect in her eyes, while Yuigahama's eyes were a little watery.
Yukinoshita was the only one to merely cock her head slightly. "I am pretty sure he only came home earlier because he didn't have any friends."
"I am in no mood to even argue back to you." I raised my hands in surrender.
"Well, yeah, I'm well aware of that." Komachi admitted it nonchalantly. "But I thought saying it like this would make my Komachi points go up."
That prompted Yuigahama to speak up. "You really are Hikki's sister." She said it wearily.
Huh? What is she getting at?
"So what are you even getting at?" Kawasaki demanded irritably.
Komachi looked Kawasaki straight in the eyes with her usual cheerful smile, completely undeterred. "I simply mean that, just like how you don't want to burden your family. Taishi doesn't want to burden you either. As a fellow younger sibling, I would appreciate it if I could think about it that way."
"..." No answer. Kawasaki was engulfed in silence. And at that moment, so was I.
"…well, something like that, I guess." Taishi added lamely.
Kawasaki stood up and stroked Taishi's head gently. Rather than her usual languid expression, she smiled ever so gently.
With things in a better situation, I bestowed upon her one tactic from my get-rich-quick scheme.
"So Kawasaki, coming back to the scholarship part, it's like this..."
…
.
[-After Few Minutes-]
At [5:30] in the morning, the air was still unpleasantly chilly.
"...*yawn~" Stifling a yawn, I watched the outlines of the Kawasaki siblings recede into the distance.
Yukinoshita stood in the thick of the morning mist. "Is that what it means to be siblings, I wonder…?" A sigh slipped out of her.
"Could be. Depends a lot on who is involved. You could also say they are your closest strangers." I explained.
"Your closest stranger… I see. I understand that all too well." Yukinoshita nodded, keeping her face down.
"Yukinon?" Yuigahama peered tentatively at Yukinoshita's face, puzzled by her appearance.
At that, Yukinoshita whipped her head up and flashed Yuigahama a smile. "Now then, we should get going too. It will be time for school in three hours."
"Oh, okay…" Yuigahama was less than accepting of Yukinoshita's attitude from the looks of it, but she nodded and adjusted the bag on her shoulder anyway.
I unfastened my bicycle key at that moment too. "Come on, Komachi, let's go."
Komachi was sitting on the curb stone in front of McDonald's and nodding off. She stood up and dragged her feet like a zombie, plopping herself behind my bicycle. Well, it is normal, I guess, as she would still be asleep everyday.
There was nothing for it. Today, I would have to tread slowly on an even road. I sat on my bike and put my feet on the pedals.
"I am going home now, then. Good work, everyone."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow. No, wait. See you today at school." Yuigahama did a little wave, her hand close to her chest.
Yukinoshita was silent for a moment, gazing vacantly at Komachi and me, but as soon as I moved my feet, she spoke up quietly. "I don't recommend you ride with two people at once… you might get into another accident."
…another accident, huh? Did she slip up with her words?
Yep, it looks like she hasn't realised it yet either. Well, I am sure she will once she takes some rest and allows her mind to clear.
...looks like it's damn time I have a talk with her.
"Yeah, see you later…." I replied as I started to pedal.
.
…
On my way, I waited in front of our second traffic light. A pleasant aroma from the bakery down the road wafted in the air.
Komachi started talking blithely. "Oh, that's right. So you did get to meet the candy girl after all."
"Well, good for you. You got to meet with such a cute girl like Yui just because you broke a bone, so just go for her…" She teased.
"Komichi." I interjected firmly and said it with a certain tone. "There is nothing like that between us."
Yeah, I need to make it clear for her so that she won't pull off a 'helping move' with the wrong person.
"Blah~ Big Brother! You are such a waste who can't even make use of a good situation. Maybe you should read more high school romance novels." She suggested it playfully.
"Just to meet her, I had to break a bone. Imagine how many more bones I should be breaking to go after her. Maybe all my bones should be replaced by metal parts. She is way too much maintenance for me to bear with… and if you wish your brother to metal tin, then go on…. Cheer me on, go…." I played it off sarcastically.
Her voice trembled with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. "Why are you so against her? No! Is it that all her being a nice girl is just acting, and she is a real bitc–!"
–chop.
"I don't know about me reading more high school romance novels, but you definitely need to cut your intake." I swiftly cut her off with a sharp chop to the head.
What's with this conspiracy hypothesis…? If I give her any more time, I don't know how far her theories might stretch.
Komachi refused to back down, her face contorted with determination. "It is not Yui you are interested in~? Wait! I know Sai is cute, bu—!"
–flick.
"Hey, I don't swing that way…" I interrupted her again, this time flicking her forehead.
"*ouch! Eeh, then who could it be?" She rubbed her forehead and continued on, undeterred.
"...*stare, is it Yukino? No way. Of course not~"
"Why are you so confident? Maybe it's actually her who knows... Besides, why are you assuming that I am interested in someone at all? I never explicitly said anything about it." I pointed out, trying to make sense of her wild speculations.
But instead of backing off, Komachi's smirk only grew wider. "Eeehh~Big Brother, it's because you're acting weird lately…"
"Huh?"
She exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hands. "It's strange! Usually, you never dare to accept such a thing as liking a girl. In fact, you get annoyed and treat me like an idiot whenever I say this sort of stuff. But after you broke your leg, you became more… I don't know, like more confidence, no that's not it… Yes, that's it, you become cool. Which is totally weird."
"Weird." Just how sensitive was she?
I don't know whether I should be happy about being called cool by my little sister for the first time or sad because the next moment she called me weird.
"Yeah, weird, I say… like you know ? You have suddenly got a tiny ambition…? That's SO abnormal for you. Your eyes look normal…? But there is still that boring look you always have. Uh, you became dependable…? That's something I have never seen since pretty much my birth. Even Mom and Dad thought something was wrong with you. Like you earned so much money. Hm. Anyway, you're acting weird!"
"Either insult me or show your concern for me. Pick one." I couldn't decide whether she loved me or hated me.
"Ooh, but what I said is pretty true!" Komachi's plain show of admiration kind of bothered me a little.
She had actually said something fairly mean-spirited to me, hadn't she?
She concluded proudly, nodding her head. "*nod, uhm, that's why I thought maybe you were acting weirdly because you were interested in some girl, right? You know, I think even the accident was caused because you suddenly met a pretty girl on the road and fell in love~"
"Okay. It's decided. We need to stop your rom-com consumption." I said it firmly.
"*hump." She huffed and turned away, clearly annoyed with me now.
–growl~
My stomach growled in hunger.
"…Komachi. You want some bread before we go home?"
"Tch! Big brother, you moron! You always drop by the bakery all quiet and nonchalant and pretending not to notice anything. But you're just hungry!"
"Yeah, I am hungry, alright."
"Good for you then." Komachi's voice drifted to me from behind. "Even more so because you finally found someone you like~"
…she is still on that. Well, not like she was wrong, I guess.
.
[To be continued…]
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