Chapter 155Exposure
The sky in the west looks white. On the other side, there was still a faint glow of the sun.
Directly above us was a deep blue sky studded with stars. I wondered what time it was. I didn't want to take out my smartphone to check it now.
I looked at my reflection that showed my fat and chubby body in the curved mirror at the crossroads. My facial expression changed and could not be seen. I wasn't interested in my current appearance.
"...Eh?"
I couldn't keep up with my understanding. It was only after I stood there for a long time that I was able to express my doubts and ask. There was no longer the previous heat left on the surface of my body. It's not even like fall anymore, it feels more like winter because the cold air has grabbed me through the openings of my uniform and disappeared.
—She was tripping, wasn't she?
Slowly, I recalled the feeling of having my body wrapped around by her hands. Not just my back, but Natsukawa's fingertips caressing the sides of my body through the gaps between my arms, which were hanging. I could feel her movements as if she was examining me out of my mind and didn't want to leave me. Am I not dreaming?
A quiet voice whispered inside my head over and over again, "Thank you for your hard work.". I could feel the heat in her every word, the warmth of her breath as she climbed slowly onto my back. Maybe she was surprised when she tripped, but I could feel that same hot breath on my back after the words came out.
—Did she trip?
There was no impact like a collision. The illusion was completely real, and her arms holding me had been here for about three hours. It was a hot, fragrant, and extremely enchanting time. When I thought that all the warmth of that time had been swept away by the north wind, all I could do was stare at the arrival of my lucky season.
I had no idea. I, who had forgotten the flow of time, could no longer understand Natsukawa's true intentions. Maybe it was when my time just stopped and Natsukawa panicked and left in a hurry. Maybe the words "Thank you for your hard work." were just an auditory hallucination of my daydreaming mind, which automatically decided to say "I feel tired.".
Because I couldn't feel that warmth on my back anymore.
There was no way to know for sure. If Natsukawa said "I tripped!", then she probably did. If I can confirm whether it's true or not, I'll just walk home holding hands with Natsukawa every day from now on. Anyway, it's probably just something I can't think of.
"...Lucky me."
That's how I decided to rejoice at my good luckiness.
♦
I did come from a family that didn't have a curfew, but this was the first time I went home after the sun went down. I think that for me being a brat who started working part-time on my own I definitely wouldn't be scolded at my level for doing this. My family wasn't a very considerate family that would wait for me to eat dinner when I was late. Big Sis must be lying on the sofa right now, playing with her smartphone or the television remote as her companion. However, I'm sure that Mom would ask me why I came home so late...
I walked in through the front door with all my determination—.
"How was it...!?"
Wow, noisy!
Even though I came home quietly, then I was shocked! My wild Big Sis suddenly jumped out at me from the living room door that I opened. Once Big Sis still had a bit of mud on her, she would have looked very wild... But the weather was already quite cold. Don't girls tend to get cold on their fingertips easily? Is Big Sis an exception? Has she lived the wildlife under the guidance of experts?
"Why are you so excited, Big Sis? I'm surprised, this is the first time you've been so excited since Amuro-chan last appeared in Kouhaku."
"Natsukawa-san."
"..."
When Big Sis said that name, not only did my back tremble, but my heart immediately started pounding. Natsukawa's name shouldn't be on the "List of Names to Come Out of Big Sis' Mouth", but why? Eh, could it be that she's being watched by Big Sis?
The fan and the alarm were ringing in my head. From there, step by step, wee hee. I wanted to dance around like crazy and erase that memory from Big Sis' head. Because I felt that Mom would cry, so I stopped trying to do that.
"Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you talking about, Big Sis?"
"Don't joke around. That girl has been waiting patiently for you to come out of the Student Council Office, you know."
"Eh?"
What the heck was that? I don't know what that means...? Natsukawa did tell me that she "waited for me", but how did she know that I was in the Cultural Festival Executive Committee classroom? Even though when I went there, there was probably no one there but me...
[—Do it properly.]
...Oh.
I see, no, I only received that one strange message from Big Sis. I couldn't understand the meaning of the message because it came after everything else. I was thinking, "What should I do now?", but it turns out that this might have something to do with Natsukawa, huh...?
"When I had just come out of the Student Council Room, she was sitting on the stairs beside this room. She had been sitting there for a long time waiting for you to come out. You probably didn't realize it and just left."
"Eh...?"
Huh? Eh, what is it? Just imagining it makes me feel that it's cute. So, does that mean Big Sis met with Natsukawa and told her that I was in that classroom? That's risky...! Before I realized it, we almost had a heartbreaking misunderstanding! I probably would have died if I had let Natsukawa wait for me, then she would have gone home without seeing me! Thank you, Big Sis...!
The reason why I wanted to get involved with the Cultural Festival Executive Committee. — I felt that I understood why Natsukawa was so insistent on knowing it. It was hard to believe, but it was because she had waited so long, that she would let me go. I could also understand why she wanted to ask that. In the end, I could only use the words I could use at the last minute.
"So, what's going on? Look, you two didn't seem like it a few days ago, but you two seem to be getting along now. When did it start looking like that? Isn't there something wrong with you two?"
"What do you mean by, "something wrong", huh?"
"What do you mean, huh?! Before you got the flu? You said something unintelligible at home."
"Forget about it."
It's unusual for Big Sis to intervene with my problems... ...If she was the usual Big Sis, she would probably just tease me and ask me superficial questions. Why is she so interested in my story? She'd get angry if I brought up her past as a gyaru two years ago, and she'd blatantly change the subject if I suddenly mentioned her closeness to one of the handsome boys in the Student Council.
"Many things are going on. It's the same with Big Sis, you know."
"Wha...?"
"Thank you for telling Natsukawa where I was."
I countered Big Sis with those few verbal attacks while taking off my shoes, and I felt an unexpected response from her cheeks. The reason I was able to thank her was because I could understand her feelings when she wasn't happy about her past being brought up. Was this also because we were siblings? Until now, I thought that I would never look like her anymore.
I walked past Big Sis who was silent and entered the living room. Today's dinner menu was Japanese food, and what was it? The smell of soy sauce filled the air in this room. It's perfect for my body which is a bit cold. Besides, I feel like I'm looking for a softer food right now.
"Welcome back."
"Hmm, I'm home."
Mom got up from the sofa when she saw me. She was about to prepare dinner, and I apologized for missing her time, so I replied with a mysterious and strange "I'm home". Dad was looking through some documents on the dining table.
"...?"
I felt uncomfortable.
The atmosphere in the living room right now is indeed strange. I felt something very tense. Dad never let go of the cup of coffee after dinner from his mouth. If I look closely, I can realize that Dad's eyes are on me all the time. Mom never said "How was school today?", which ranks first on the list of sentences that are considered the most annoying and irritating among high school boys in the world. I almost felt like reporting to Mom that "The school was fine today". No, it wasn't fine, though.
No, wait...?
"...Ugh..."
I looked at Big Sis who returned to the living room with an awkward look. She turned her face away immediately. Her feet should have been facing towards the sofa where I was, but she started to turn her body towards the kitchen.
...D*mn you, Dear Big Sis...!!! You must have told Mom and Dad about what I said just now, right!? Putting Dad aside, you must have told Mom while snorting, right!? Besides, Dad must have eavesdropped on the story, right!? D*mn, these people...!
Mom! Stop taking out the red beans and sesame salt! Nothing spectacular is happening! I'll just eat meat, potatoes, and koya tofu!
Dad! That's not a reference for a work document! That's a quiz that you took out of my bag without permission and took out a few days ago, isn't it!? Disappear in the flames of darkness!
Big Sis! Those aren't 551's pork buns, you know! They're just buns from Family Mart!
Author's Note:
This is the season for meat buns.
*As of October 4, 2020, 515's meat buns have been corrected to pork buns.
TL Note: In the original version, this chapter was first released on September 27, 2020, and was last revised on October 4, 2020. Meanwhile, we just translated it into Indonesian and English on May 10, 2024, simultaneously.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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