[Warning 15+]
Part Three"―Seriously, Your Vibes Hasn't Changed a Bit Since the Old Days!"Chapter 122Welcome Home
The sky looked like it could just keep goin' forever, with pure white clouds floatin' around and accentin' all that deep blue.
It's the kinda backwater place where you're surrounded by mountains like they're a d*mn picture frame, prayin' to a sky like that.
Gettin' to the city center is a total pain—30-minute walk to a bus stop, an hour-long bumpy ride, almost 2 hours on a train, plus a Shinkansen trip. You're lookin' at over half a day just for travel to get to this remote-*ss spot cut off from civilization. That's Tsukinose for ya.
Lookin' around, every inch of flat land is packed with rice paddies, smoke from wild grass burnin' is driftin' up from somewhere, and the smell of dirt and fertilizer is hangin' all over the place.
Saki was headin' to the bus stop on her bike, takin' in that same old Tsukinose view that never seems to change.
"Yo! Hey, Saki-chan!"
"Oh, Gen-san! Good afternoon~!"
Saki pulled over after gettin' called out from the fields. From the middle of all that lush greenery, Old Man Gen—the biggest boozer in the whole shrine community—was wavin' his arms like crazy, tellin' her to hold up.
Old Man Gen started rustlin' around and grabbin' a plastic bag, stuffin' it with summer veggies like eggplants, tomatoes, okra, and cucumbers that were in full swing, before scurrying over to Saki.
"Here, take 'em! Fresh as it gets, just picked—even if they look a bit funky!"
"Wha—this is way too much... ...and I just got a bunch from you two days ago."
"Nah, don't worry 'bout it. That Kirishima boy doesn't have veggies like these, right?"
"Huh!?"
"Kirishima's headin' this way today, isn't he? I can tell just by lookin' at how all dolled up you are, Saki-chan! Wahahaha!"
"Wait, eh, hey, Gen-san!"
Getitn' called out like that made Saki's face turn beet red. She tried to protest, but since Old Man Gen'd hit the nail right on the head, she couldn't even talk back.
Today, Saki wasn't rockin' her school uniform or the miko robes the Tsukinose locals were used to. Instead, she was wearin' a fresh, cute cut-and-sew top with a midi-length lace skirt—a look that felt a bit more grown-up. It made the 14-year-old Saki, with her pale complexion and innocent vibes, look just a tad more mature, and it totally worked for her.
By the way, Saki'd spent over half a month agonizing over what to wear just for this day when Hayato, Himeko, and Haruki were comin' home.
"Yo, Gen-san! Another wild boar got caught in the trap! Oh, hey, Saki-chan!"
"You gonna butcher it, Kanehachi-san?"
"You betcha! So, Saki-chan, sorry to rain on your parade while you're all hyped up, but tell the Kirishima boy to come over and give me a hand, alright? Gahahaha!"
"!? Ugh, come on, not you too, Kanehachi-san~!"
This time, another resident rollin' by in a mini-truck started teasin' Saki.
Decidin' she'd had enough, Saki shoved Old Man Gen's veggies into her bike basket and pedaled away like she was makin' a break for it. She could still hear those "Gahahaha" and "Ahahaha" laughs fadin' behind her. Just another day in the life, really.
(Geez, seriously! ...But, am I really lookin' that obvious about being excited?)
Saki hopped off her bike and gave herself a once-over, but she couldn't really tell if she looked okay.
If anythin', Saki was just stressed about whether her clothes or her hair looked weird. All these feelings were just bubblin' up inside her.
(...I look okay, right?)
Saki kept pushin' her bike along slowly, headin' toward the main road where the bus stop was.
Saki's head was a total mess.
The part of Saki that wanted to see them ASAP was dukin' it out with the part that wanted to put it off as long as possible.
Especially when it came to Haruki. Saki had a lot of complicated feelings about Haruki.
Right then, Saki heard a loud honk from a bus up ahead.
"It's Saki-chan! Saki-chan, hey! Yo, Saki-chan!!"
"Oh, Hime-chan!"
Saki looked up, and there was Himeko, lookin' just as hyper as ever, wavin' her arms like crazy and runnin' toward Saki for the first time in two months.
That insanely bright voice and that smile. Saki couldn't help but smile back. Looks like they made it here ahead of schedule.
This bestie of Saki's, who was always like a ray of sunshine, always knew how to clear the clouds in her head. Himeko was a bestie to be proud of.
"Whoa, Saki-chan, that outfit is so cute! You look so grown-up! Wait, did you get taller too!?"
"Ahaha, not really, I'm still the same."
"For real? Oh, and get this! Back at the station, the hiyoko cakes and egg sweets and butter sand looked so good, but the line was way too long, so I couldn't get any. But the shumai bento we had was k*ller! And then―"
"O-Oh, I see~"
"As for me, I'd like to register a complaint about that rock-hard ice cream from the snack cart."
"!?"
"Oh yeah! Big Bro was actin' so extra—since it was too hard to eat, he tried pourin' hot coffee over it! Such a weirdo way to eat it, right!?"
"Tryin' to act all fancy like Hayato's havin' an affogato or somethin'? Talk about tryin' too hard, and it's just Hayato!"
"Exactly! And Big Bro's just Big Bro!"
From behind Himeko, a girl with long black hair and a total "Classy beauty" vibe popped her head out and joined the convo. It was Haruki. Saki legit forgot to breathe for a second.
Saki'd seen Haruki in photos before.
A total knockout face with a perfectly balanced body. Call it "Presence" or whatever, but seein' Haruki in the flesh, she was so d*mn charmin' that even Saki—another girl—found herself totally mesmerized. Saki couldn't help but let out a long-*ss sigh for all kinds of reasons.
"It's an affogato. Apparently, they eat it all the time in Italy... ...wait, Himeko, Haruki, you girls are way too hyped up. You're totally stressin' Murao-san out."
"!?"
Saki caught her breath again, but for a whole different reason this time.
Comin' up from behind both Himeko and Haruki was Hayato. He was haulin' boston bags in both hands. His hair was just a little longer than Saki remembered from the last time she saw him. It was a dead giveaway for just how much time had passed since they'd last seen each other face-to-face.
Saki's heart started racin' like crazy. Her whole body just locked up.
Saki's bestie's big bro—the boy who'd once brought so much color into her world.
Saki wanted to say somethin'. Anythin'.
But Saki's brain just went totally blank, and the words wouldn't come out.
Sure, Saki'd been able to chat with Hayato in the group chat lately.
But here in the real world, Saki was still just as awkward as ever. She was so d*mn frustrated with herself.
"Big Bro, aren'tcha standin' a bit too close to Saki-chan? Look, she's so shocked she's legit turned to stone!"
"Oops, my bad."
"...! N-No, I mean, eh...!"
Then, seein' Saki actin' like that, Himeko just let out a long-*ss sigh. Himeko grabbed Hayato's arm and pulled him back.
No, that's not it―Saki wanted to say somethin' like that, but she just couldn't get the right words or moves out. She was just flailin' around in total panic.
But right then, Haruki suddenly leaned in and peeked at Saki's face.
"Y'know, Saki-chan, you're actually like, crazy cute."
"!?"
For the third d*mn time, Saki caught her breath.
Haruki's face had this weird look on it, like she was half-worried and half-exasperated. Saki had no clue what the deal was with that.
When Saki stared back with her eyes wide open, she got hit with a bright, super-friendly smile in return.
"I really wanna get close with you, Saki-chan. Like, I wanna be such good buddies that we're not losin' to Hayato or Hime-chan."
"...Oh!"
Sayin' that, Haruki circled around behind Saki and gave Saki a little nudge on the back.
It wasn't a hard push or anythin', but it was enough to send Saki stumblin' forward.
"...Murao-san?"
"Saki-chan?"
"~~~~!"
Saki ended up right in front of both Hayato and Himeko. They both gave her a look like, "Yo, what's up?"
Even though she'd been pushed, it was definitely Saki's own call to step up. But whether she was actually mentally ready for this was a whole other story. Her eyes were dartin' all over the place, and as usual, her voice just wouldn't cooperate.
When Saki looked down in total embarrassment, she saw the summer veggies she'd just gotten from Old Man Gen. The stuff he'd told her to give to Hayato.
Talk about havin' the stage perfectly set for Saki.
With her face still beet red, Saki shoved the bag toward Hayato with everything she had.
"Um, this! It's from Grandpa Gen... ...he said it's for Big Bro and the others!"
"Wait, what've we got here? Eggplant, okra, cucumbers... ...ugh, tomatoes too."
"Ahaha, seein' stuff like this really makes me feel like I'm finally back in the countryside."
"Thanks, Murao-san. I'll have to make sure to thank Grandpa Gen later too."
Takin' the veggies, Hayato looked all choked up, lettin' out a few words with some real-*ss feeling behind 'em.
(...Oh.)
And as Saki took another look at Hayato, Himeko, and Haruki makin' a huge-*ss fuss over the summer veggies, while takin' in the whole Tsukinose scenery around 'em, some words just started bubblin' up in Saki's chest naturally.
"W-Welcome home, guys!"
The three of 'em were totally stunned for a sec when they heard Saki, but then they looked at each other and their faces just broke into huge-*ss grins.
"""We're back!"""
Their voices just drifted up and got swallowed by the high-*ss sky.
The wind kicked up, and the trees in the mountains started singin' their own tune. The lush green rice stalks started wavin' like a damn ocean, and ripples spread out across the pond.
It was just that same old backwater town, Tsukinose.
But this year, a summer that was just a little bit different from the usual was about to kick off.
Author's Notes:
And that's a wrap for Part Three!
So, what'd you guys think?
Also, the release date for Volume 2 is officially July 1st (2021). I'll be postin' more deets about that in the Activity Reports and stuff.
If you're feelin' it, I'd be hyped if you could hit that bookmark button or just blast the rating section with a full ★★★★★.
Since we're here, I figured I'd make Himeko go "Meow" for ya. Hope you enjoy it.
Bonus:
One night, not long after Himeko and her family had just moved in.
"Himeko, return that dictionary I lent―...Oh, well, I can look past the mess, I guess, but how 'bout at least unpackin' your d*mn boxes?"
"Hey, Big Bro! Don't just barge in whenever you feel like it!"
Hayato scrunched up his face as he stepped into Himeko's room.
Himeko, who'd been sprawled out on her bed messin' around on her smartphone, scrambled up in a panic. She shoved her Big Bro toward the door as he grabbed the dictionary off the desk, practically kickin' him out.
"Seriously, what does Big Bro think a girl's room is? He's got zero sense of boundaries, honestly."
Himeko let out a massive sigh and scanned the room. Then she let out a groan and winced.
"...Okay, maybe this is lookin' a little bit sketchy?"
A bunch of unopened cardboard boxes were rollin' around, and Himeko's clothes were trashed all over the place.
You couldn't even blame Hayato for naggin' Himeko about it.
Lettin' out a dry-*ss laugh, Himeko slowly shuffled over to the boxes. Lookin' like she'd finally accepted her fate, she started rippin' 'em open to see what was inside.
"The pass case and strap, so this is where I put 'em. Smartphone case, too. Hmm, maybe I'll swap out the one I’m usin' now... ...wait, the Summer Edition 'Stay Cute' Special Issue! I've been lookin' for this forever―wait! Nope, focus!"
Himeko kept gettin' totally sidetracked by all the stuff she was findin'. Every time she did, she'd think back to her Big Bro's judgey-*ss face and tell herself she wasn't gonna let him look at her like that again, then keep on cleanin'. Things were actually goin' pretty smooth.
"Huh?"
But then, the second Himeko found that, she totally froze up.
What Himeko'd pulled out and spread open was a pair of cat ears and a tail, along with a lolita-style cheongsam. The skirt part was all puffy and made of this cute, sparkly chiffon. It was somethin' she'd snagged online with Saki for Halloween last year.
"Man, I only wore this once, didn't I?"
Obviously, in a place like Tsukinose where every single person knows your face, the bar for walkin' around in somethin' that looked like a full-on cosplay was way too high. Plus, Tsukinose doesn't even do Halloween. If Himeko walked around in this, people would just give her the side-eye.
But still, it felt like a total waste to just leave it buried. It wasn't exactly cheap, either.
"Alright, whatever, might as well try it on!"
Once Himeko made up her mind, she moved fast.
Himeko fumbled with the weird loop buttons on the chest and winced because her melons hadn't grown a single bit since last fall, but she was totally feelin' herself as she changed.
The outfit had a navy base with prints of the moon reflectin' on water and flowers, givin' off a sweet, dreamy vibe that looked k*ller on Himeko with her innocent face. The cat ears and tail were the perfect accent to top it off. Even Himeko herself thought she looked pretty d*mn cute.
"Ahaha♪"
Hyped up, Himeko started throwin' out all kinds of poses in front of the full-length mirror, snappin' pics on her smartphone. She was plannin' on showin' Saki later, but she was basically just mass-producin' her own future cringe. She was just that into it.
That's why Himeko didn't hear the knock or Hayato's voice askin', "Comin' in, okay?"
"Since I'm a cat, I guess a 'Meoelw' pose would be better? Meow, just kiddin'―"
"Himeko, if you've got any extra blank notebooks―"
"—Kiddin'......"
"―...Oh, well, never mind."
Himeko, who was down on all fours in front of the mirror doin' a 'Meow' pose, totally turned to stone.
The look in her big bro's eyes as he stared at his little sis was painfully gentle, like he was actually feelin' sorry for her.
Hayato quietly turned around on his heel, and the sound of the door clickin' shut came at the exact same time as his whispered, "My bad."
"Unya!"
And so, Himeko's scream of pure, unadulterated shame echoed through the Kirishima Residence late that night.
Author's Notes:
Part Four is gonna be the Tsukinose Arc, and you could even call it a Past Arc.
But here's the thing—between workin' on the physical book for "Kaiwa mo Shinai" and the fact that the plot for Part Four is still basically non-existent, it's gonna be a hot minute before we link up again.
To show some love! To Author like that! You already know the drill!
Let's flood the reviews and fan letters with "Meow"!
Meow!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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The sky looked like it could just keep goin' forever, with pure white clouds floatin' around and accentin' all that deep blue.
It's the kinda backwater place where you're surrounded by mountains like they're a d*mn picture frame, prayin' to a sky like that.
Gettin' to the city center is a total pain—30-minute walk to a bus stop, an hour-long bumpy ride, almost 2 hours on a train, plus a Shinkansen trip. You're lookin' at over half a day just for travel to get to this remote-*ss spot cut off from civilization. That's Tsukinose for ya.
Lookin' around, every inch of flat land is packed with rice paddies, smoke from wild grass burnin' is driftin' up from somewhere, and the smell of dirt and fertilizer is hangin' all over the place.
Saki was headin' to the bus stop on her bike, takin' in that same old Tsukinose view that never seems to change.
"Yo! Hey, Saki-chan!"
"Oh, Gen-san! Good afternoon~!"
Saki pulled over after gettin' called out from the fields. From the middle of all that lush greenery, Old Man Gen—the biggest boozer in the whole shrine community—was wavin' his arms like crazy, tellin' her to hold up.
Old Man Gen started rustlin' around and grabbin' a plastic bag, stuffin' it with summer veggies like eggplants, tomatoes, okra, and cucumbers that were in full swing, before scurrying over to Saki.
"Here, take 'em! Fresh as it gets, just picked—even if they look a bit funky!"
"Wha—this is way too much... ...and I just got a bunch from you two days ago."
"Nah, don't worry 'bout it. That Kirishima boy doesn't have veggies like these, right?"
"Huh!?"
"Kirishima's headin' this way today, isn't he? I can tell just by lookin' at how all dolled up you are, Saki-chan! Wahahaha!"
"Wait, eh, hey, Gen-san!"
Getitn' called out like that made Saki's face turn beet red. She tried to protest, but since Old Man Gen'd hit the nail right on the head, she couldn't even talk back.
Today, Saki wasn't rockin' her school uniform or the miko robes the Tsukinose locals were used to. Instead, she was wearin' a fresh, cute cut-and-sew top with a midi-length lace skirt—a look that felt a bit more grown-up. It made the 14-year-old Saki, with her pale complexion and innocent vibes, look just a tad more mature, and it totally worked for her.
By the way, Saki'd spent over half a month agonizing over what to wear just for this day when Hayato, Himeko, and Haruki were comin' home.
"Yo, Gen-san! Another wild boar got caught in the trap! Oh, hey, Saki-chan!"
"You gonna butcher it, Kanehachi-san?"
"You betcha! So, Saki-chan, sorry to rain on your parade while you're all hyped up, but tell the Kirishima boy to come over and give me a hand, alright? Gahahaha!"
"!? Ugh, come on, not you too, Kanehachi-san~!"
This time, another resident rollin' by in a mini-truck started teasin' Saki.
Decidin' she'd had enough, Saki shoved Old Man Gen's veggies into her bike basket and pedaled away like she was makin' a break for it. She could still hear those "Gahahaha" and "Ahahaha" laughs fadin' behind her. Just another day in the life, really.
(Geez, seriously! ...But, am I really lookin' that obvious about being excited?)
Saki hopped off her bike and gave herself a once-over, but she couldn't really tell if she looked okay.
If anythin', Saki was just stressed about whether her clothes or her hair looked weird. All these feelings were just bubblin' up inside her.
(...I look okay, right?)
Saki kept pushin' her bike along slowly, headin' toward the main road where the bus stop was.
Saki's head was a total mess.
The part of Saki that wanted to see them ASAP was dukin' it out with the part that wanted to put it off as long as possible.
Especially when it came to Haruki. Saki had a lot of complicated feelings about Haruki.
Right then, Saki heard a loud honk from a bus up ahead.
"It's Saki-chan! Saki-chan, hey! Yo, Saki-chan!!"
"Oh, Hime-chan!"
Saki looked up, and there was Himeko, lookin' just as hyper as ever, wavin' her arms like crazy and runnin' toward Saki for the first time in two months.
That insanely bright voice and that smile. Saki couldn't help but smile back. Looks like they made it here ahead of schedule.
This bestie of Saki's, who was always like a ray of sunshine, always knew how to clear the clouds in her head. Himeko was a bestie to be proud of.
"Whoa, Saki-chan, that outfit is so cute! You look so grown-up! Wait, did you get taller too!?"
"Ahaha, not really, I'm still the same."
"For real? Oh, and get this! Back at the station, the hiyoko cakes and egg sweets and butter sand looked so good, but the line was way too long, so I couldn't get any. But the shumai bento we had was k*ller! And then―"
"O-Oh, I see~"
"As for me, I'd like to register a complaint about that rock-hard ice cream from the snack cart."
"!?"
"Oh yeah! Big Bro was actin' so extra—since it was too hard to eat, he tried pourin' hot coffee over it! Such a weirdo way to eat it, right!?"
"Tryin' to act all fancy like Hayato's havin' an affogato or somethin'? Talk about tryin' too hard, and it's just Hayato!"
"Exactly! And Big Bro's just Big Bro!"
From behind Himeko, a girl with long black hair and a total "Classy beauty" vibe popped her head out and joined the convo. It was Haruki. Saki legit forgot to breathe for a second.
Saki'd seen Haruki in photos before.
A total knockout face with a perfectly balanced body. Call it "Presence" or whatever, but seein' Haruki in the flesh, she was so d*mn charmin' that even Saki—another girl—found herself totally mesmerized. Saki couldn't help but let out a long-*ss sigh for all kinds of reasons.
"It's an affogato. Apparently, they eat it all the time in Italy... ...wait, Himeko, Haruki, you girls are way too hyped up. You're totally stressin' Murao-san out."
"!?"
Saki caught her breath again, but for a whole different reason this time.
Comin' up from behind both Himeko and Haruki was Hayato. He was haulin' boston bags in both hands. His hair was just a little longer than Saki remembered from the last time she saw him. It was a dead giveaway for just how much time had passed since they'd last seen each other face-to-face.
Saki's heart started racin' like crazy. Her whole body just locked up.
Saki's bestie's big bro—the boy who'd once brought so much color into her world.
Saki wanted to say somethin'. Anythin'.
But Saki's brain just went totally blank, and the words wouldn't come out.
Sure, Saki'd been able to chat with Hayato in the group chat lately.
But here in the real world, Saki was still just as awkward as ever. She was so d*mn frustrated with herself.
"Big Bro, aren'tcha standin' a bit too close to Saki-chan? Look, she's so shocked she's legit turned to stone!"
"Oops, my bad."
"...! N-No, I mean, eh...!"
Then, seein' Saki actin' like that, Himeko just let out a long-*ss sigh. Himeko grabbed Hayato's arm and pulled him back.
No, that's not it―Saki wanted to say somethin' like that, but she just couldn't get the right words or moves out. She was just flailin' around in total panic.
But right then, Haruki suddenly leaned in and peeked at Saki's face.
"Y'know, Saki-chan, you're actually like, crazy cute."
"!?"
For the third d*mn time, Saki caught her breath.
Haruki's face had this weird look on it, like she was half-worried and half-exasperated. Saki had no clue what the deal was with that.
When Saki stared back with her eyes wide open, she got hit with a bright, super-friendly smile in return.
"I really wanna get close with you, Saki-chan. Like, I wanna be such good buddies that we're not losin' to Hayato or Hime-chan."
"...Oh!"
Sayin' that, Haruki circled around behind Saki and gave Saki a little nudge on the back.
It wasn't a hard push or anythin', but it was enough to send Saki stumblin' forward.
"...Murao-san?"
"Saki-chan?"
"~~~~!"
Saki ended up right in front of both Hayato and Himeko. They both gave her a look like, "Yo, what's up?"
Even though she'd been pushed, it was definitely Saki's own call to step up. But whether she was actually mentally ready for this was a whole other story. Her eyes were dartin' all over the place, and as usual, her voice just wouldn't cooperate.
When Saki looked down in total embarrassment, she saw the summer veggies she'd just gotten from Old Man Gen. The stuff he'd told her to give to Hayato.
Talk about havin' the stage perfectly set for Saki.
With her face still beet red, Saki shoved the bag toward Hayato with everything she had.
"Um, this! It's from Grandpa Gen... ...he said it's for Big Bro and the others!"
"Wait, what've we got here? Eggplant, okra, cucumbers... ...ugh, tomatoes too."
"Ahaha, seein' stuff like this really makes me feel like I'm finally back in the countryside."
"Thanks, Murao-san. I'll have to make sure to thank Grandpa Gen later too."
Takin' the veggies, Hayato looked all choked up, lettin' out a few words with some real-*ss feeling behind 'em.
(...Oh.)
And as Saki took another look at Hayato, Himeko, and Haruki makin' a huge-*ss fuss over the summer veggies, while takin' in the whole Tsukinose scenery around 'em, some words just started bubblin' up in Saki's chest naturally.
"W-Welcome home, guys!"
The three of 'em were totally stunned for a sec when they heard Saki, but then they looked at each other and their faces just broke into huge-*ss grins.
"""We're back!"""
Their voices just drifted up and got swallowed by the high-*ss sky.
The wind kicked up, and the trees in the mountains started singin' their own tune. The lush green rice stalks started wavin' like a damn ocean, and ripples spread out across the pond.
It was just that same old backwater town, Tsukinose.
But this year, a summer that was just a little bit different from the usual was about to kick off.
Author's Notes:
And that's a wrap for Part Three!
So, what'd you guys think?
Also, the release date for Volume 2 is officially July 1st (2021). I'll be postin' more deets about that in the Activity Reports and stuff.
If you're feelin' it, I'd be hyped if you could hit that bookmark button or just blast the rating section with a full ★★★★★.
Since we're here, I figured I'd make Himeko go "Meow" for ya. Hope you enjoy it.
Bonus:
One night, not long after Himeko and her family had just moved in.
"Himeko, return that dictionary I lent―...Oh, well, I can look past the mess, I guess, but how 'bout at least unpackin' your d*mn boxes?"
"Hey, Big Bro! Don't just barge in whenever you feel like it!"
Hayato scrunched up his face as he stepped into Himeko's room.
Himeko, who'd been sprawled out on her bed messin' around on her smartphone, scrambled up in a panic. She shoved her Big Bro toward the door as he grabbed the dictionary off the desk, practically kickin' him out.
"Seriously, what does Big Bro think a girl's room is? He's got zero sense of boundaries, honestly."
Himeko let out a massive sigh and scanned the room. Then she let out a groan and winced.
"...Okay, maybe this is lookin' a little bit sketchy?"
A bunch of unopened cardboard boxes were rollin' around, and Himeko's clothes were trashed all over the place.
You couldn't even blame Hayato for naggin' Himeko about it.
Lettin' out a dry-*ss laugh, Himeko slowly shuffled over to the boxes. Lookin' like she'd finally accepted her fate, she started rippin' 'em open to see what was inside.
"The pass case and strap, so this is where I put 'em. Smartphone case, too. Hmm, maybe I'll swap out the one I’m usin' now... ...wait, the Summer Edition 'Stay Cute' Special Issue! I've been lookin' for this forever―wait! Nope, focus!"
Himeko kept gettin' totally sidetracked by all the stuff she was findin'. Every time she did, she'd think back to her Big Bro's judgey-*ss face and tell herself she wasn't gonna let him look at her like that again, then keep on cleanin'. Things were actually goin' pretty smooth.
"Huh?"
But then, the second Himeko found that, she totally froze up.
What Himeko'd pulled out and spread open was a pair of cat ears and a tail, along with a lolita-style cheongsam. The skirt part was all puffy and made of this cute, sparkly chiffon. It was somethin' she'd snagged online with Saki for Halloween last year.
"Man, I only wore this once, didn't I?"
Obviously, in a place like Tsukinose where every single person knows your face, the bar for walkin' around in somethin' that looked like a full-on cosplay was way too high. Plus, Tsukinose doesn't even do Halloween. If Himeko walked around in this, people would just give her the side-eye.
But still, it felt like a total waste to just leave it buried. It wasn't exactly cheap, either.
"Alright, whatever, might as well try it on!"
Once Himeko made up her mind, she moved fast.
Himeko fumbled with the weird loop buttons on the chest and winced because her melons hadn't grown a single bit since last fall, but she was totally feelin' herself as she changed.
The outfit had a navy base with prints of the moon reflectin' on water and flowers, givin' off a sweet, dreamy vibe that looked k*ller on Himeko with her innocent face. The cat ears and tail were the perfect accent to top it off. Even Himeko herself thought she looked pretty d*mn cute.
"Ahaha♪"
Hyped up, Himeko started throwin' out all kinds of poses in front of the full-length mirror, snappin' pics on her smartphone. She was plannin' on showin' Saki later, but she was basically just mass-producin' her own future cringe. She was just that into it.
That's why Himeko didn't hear the knock or Hayato's voice askin', "Comin' in, okay?"
"Since I'm a cat, I guess a 'Meoelw' pose would be better? Meow, just kiddin'―"
"Himeko, if you've got any extra blank notebooks―"
"—Kiddin'......"
"―...Oh, well, never mind."
Himeko, who was down on all fours in front of the mirror doin' a 'Meow' pose, totally turned to stone.
The look in her big bro's eyes as he stared at his little sis was painfully gentle, like he was actually feelin' sorry for her.
Hayato quietly turned around on his heel, and the sound of the door clickin' shut came at the exact same time as his whispered, "My bad."
"Unya!"
And so, Himeko's scream of pure, unadulterated shame echoed through the Kirishima Residence late that night.
Author's Notes:
Part Four is gonna be the Tsukinose Arc, and you could even call it a Past Arc.
But here's the thing—between workin' on the physical book for "Kaiwa mo Shinai" and the fact that the plot for Part Four is still basically non-existent, it's gonna be a hot minute before we link up again.
To show some love! To Author like that! You already know the drill!
Let's flood the reviews and fan letters with "Meow"!
Meow!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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