Ch.47Chapter 7. Chaos (5)

The next morning.

The four of us ate breakfast prepared by Shii.

I actually wanted to help a bit, but Shii refused so firmly that I couldn’t even try. My childhood friend Nanami Nakahara and big sister Hana Hagiwara also tried in turn, but—

“Shii, will you be okay?”

!

An exclamation mark appeared above Shii’s head at Sasaki’s words.

“Yes! I can do it all myself!”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Shii responded with a bright smile to Sasaki’s words.

Good, she’s listening to my advice properly.

Love may be free, but regardless of romance, family should be taken care of. Besides, Shii only has Sasaki right now.

…If her parents show up as villains later and I can’t help Shii, it could be a disaster.

The two heroines’ faces clearly showed the feeling of “it doesn’t seem right to have a middle school junior cook for us,” but seeing Shii happily humming while preparing breakfast, they couldn’t bring themselves to interfere further.

“Wow.”

The breakfast Shii prepared was excellent.

Grilled salmon, Japanese rolled omelet, Vienna sausages shaped like octopuses, white rice, and miso soup.

It was quite different from what I used to eat in my previous life. While I had often eaten ramen, tonkatsu, and sushi in Korea, I rarely had the chance to try Japanese home cooking unless I specifically sought it out.

Besides, calling it “Japanese home cooking” is just a fancy way of saying it’s like Korean baekban. But who would pay over 10,000 won for baekban?

“Let’s eat!”

Nakahara, with her hands clasped together and eyes sparkling, was the very image of the energetic childhood friend archetype.

Unfortunately, childhood friends typically lose in harem stories. From a heroine’s perspective, it’s almost like NTR, isn’t it? Or maybe BSS.

Tags that feel terrible when happening to the protagonist become different stories when attached to heroines who like the protagonist. Regrettable, or sad.

“…Let’s eat.”

“Let’s eat~”

I and Hagiwara said simultaneously.

It wasn’t intentionally synchronized.

The big sister character.

If childhood friends are typically doomed to fail, big sister characters are more like service characters. In harem stories, childhood friend characters often develop fan bases and may be treated as genuine heroines as long as they’re not too violent, but big sister characters…

For some reason, they often end up stepping back and supporting the protagonist.

Their feelings for the protagonist are portrayed as lighter than other heroines, or sometimes it was just a joke from the beginning.

But this one is serious. And she’s deeply involved in the story too.

Sasaki and Shii clasped their hands together and chorused, “Let’s eat.”

They looked very accustomed to each other, as siblings living together should.

Honestly, it was nice to see.

The square table was against the wall. Sasaki and Shii sat together, with Nakahara and Hagiwara sitting across from them. I sat alone at the remaining corner.

This allowed me to observe both sides quite well.

At first glance, Sasaki and Shii don’t look very similar. Sasaki has a somewhat naive but ordinary appearance that suggests “he’d look handsome if he dressed up.” Meanwhile, Shii almost always looks perfectly groomed.

But seeing them side by side, I could tell their features were quite similar, confirming they were indeed siblings.

Like their slightly downturned eyes that made them look gentle. Or their prominent noses.

Well, just looking at this situation, I did wonder how “obvious beauties” like Hagiwara and Nakahara got involved with them, but I suppose something must have happened in the main story that I wasn’t involved in.

I stopped observing and moved my chopsticks.

I’ll start with the egg roll first—

I picked it up and put it in my mouth, then was surprised by the sweetness.

…Ah, they make sweet egg rolls in Japan.

It tasted somewhat like French toast, though without the bread.

Well, after chewing it, I found it surprisingly fitting. I suppose it would be greedy to expect the same taste as the food I ate in my previous life when the cook is from a different nationality.

Still, everything else was delicious. The salmon, the sausages, and the Japanese miso soup.

Someday when Shii has children, they’ll surely be happy every time they sit at the dining table.

…Though I can’t even imagine who Shii will end up marrying.

*

By the way, Shii had quickly washed my uniform in the washing machine last night and hung it up.

These days, there are more days without rain, but the rainy season isn’t over yet. Plus, Tokyo is a city right next to the sea, so it’s much more humid than places like Seoul.

Even in Seoul, laundry hung during the rainy season might not dry properly and develop a musty smell, so wouldn’t it be worse in Japan?

But my uniform that Shii gave me didn’t smell at all.

“There’s a dryer in the bathroom, you know?”

“…”

Is… that so?

I know that bathrooms and toilets are often separate in many places. Of course, my place only had one room, so the bathroom and toilet were just attached. In fact, there wasn’t even space for a proper bathtub—just a square one where you had to sit cross-legged to use it, so there was no way there would be a dryer.

Besides, if I had enough money for a bathroom dryer, I would have bought an air conditioner for my room first.

“Thank you.”

“I had a lot of clothes to wash anyway.”

Shii smiled at me.

…But this uniform doesn’t seem to have just been washed.

It feels a bit stiffer than when I usually wash and put it away.

Did she iron it in that short morning time?

Looking at Shii with a bit of admiration, she smiled broadly and scratched her cheek slightly.

“…Sasaki.”

“Yeah?”

When I called out to Sasaki, who had just come out of the room wearing his uniform, he looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression.

“You should know you’re blessed.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

He answered my comment, but he didn’t seem to understand exactly what I meant.

“Hey, Shii, what did she mean by that?”

Sasaki approached Shii and spoke as quietly as possible, but I could still hear everything.

I pretended to be checking my bag—

“It’s a secret.”

I heard Shii answering quietly.

When I looked up, Shii was sticking her tongue out playfully at Sasaki.

Watching that scene any longer might make me laugh, so I deliberately turned my gaze away.

*

“Then, brother, I’ll be going now.”

Shii said with a slight bow to Sasaki.

We had to part ways after getting off at Tamachi Station and walking a bit.

Although Hanakawa Middle School and Hanakawa High School were run by the same foundation, they were slightly separated from each other. I’m not sure why. Perhaps they couldn’t buy adjacent properties initially. Or maybe one was acquired later.

When I waved my hand slightly, Shii turned around and happily ran off.

I’m glad she seems to have fully recovered her energy.

Watching the blue sailor collar of Hanakawa Middle School uniform fluttering,

“Well, shall we go too?”

Sasaki said.

“…”

That’s a very protagonist-like thing to say.

Seeing Hagiwara and Nakahara already flanking Sasaki like they were marking him, I suddenly lost any desire to walk near Sasaki.

No, rather, I had no desire to walk beside a male high school student. I had enough of that in middle school and high school, walking home with friends.

Do you know how annoying it is when you’re walking home with friends and it starts snowing for the first time?

Well, pushing each other and telling each other to get lost was just joking around.

And above all, I didn’t want to be mistaken as part of Sasaki’s harem.

So I walked ahead.

“Huh? Kurosawa?”

No, don’t call me.

You’ve already got women on both sides, so where am I supposed to walk? I can already feel the two girls staring at the back of my head.

Sasaki called me once more from behind, but I deliberately didn’t stop walking.

*

“…Kurosawa?”

And unfortunately, Yuuki caught me in exactly that situation.

Right at the shoe lockers.

I had let my guard down a bit.

When people are used to getting up early, they sometimes act the same way even when they get up late.

It can’t be helped. Whether you get up an hour earlier or an hour later, by the time you arrive at school, the sun is up. There’s no reason to feel much different.

Although I commuted a long distance from Saitama to Tokyo, today’s starting point was Tamachi Station, so the walking time after arriving in Minato Ward wasn’t much different from usual.

That’s right.

The Sasaki siblings, who lived much closer than my house, naturally woke up later than I did, and had much more leisure time to prepare and eat.

Even if something happened with the subway, they had plenty of time and left at a normal time later than me.

…As a result, I didn’t arrive at school at my usual time when there were hardly any people, but when many people were changing their shoes.

And I happened to run into Yuuki just as she had finished changing her shoes and was heading toward the school stairs.

Was it a coincidence that Yuuki turned to look behind her at that moment?

“…Hi.”

I greeted her with a small wave.

Yuuki’s gaze moved from me to Sasaki behind me, then to Nanami Nakahara beside him.

Her gaze didn’t linger long on Nakahara. She had seen her face before but hadn’t spoken with her.

But Yuuki’s gaze lingered a bit longer on Hana Hagiwara.

…Hmm.

I think I know what Yuuki is thinking.

Though I don’t want to admit it, over the past three months or so, I’ve been collecting misfortunes like a magnet picking up iron filings on a beach.

I’m not sure if I went looking for misfortune or if misfortunes found me on their own, but at least to Yuuki, it probably looked like the former.

To others, I was just a pitiful child living alone who didn’t know anything.

I even almost got bullied—or actually was bullied—simply for being friendly with a senior. Well, there were only two people involved, but bullying is bullying.

“It’s not like that.”

“Not like what? What did I say?”

Well, you thought one of the two people who likes Sasaki was bullying me yesterday because of that, right?

Even if she wasn’t completely certain, she must have had some suspicion. I was confident enough to bet a thousand yen on it.

“…”

I looked back.

“See you later.”

“Oh, yeah.”

When I said goodbye to Sasaki, he responded with a slightly stunned expression.

I also gave a small nod to the other two, and Hagiwara and Nakahara greeted me back, a bit flustered.

I quickly opened my shoe locker, took out my indoor shoes, put on my sneakers, and closed the door.

“Let’s go.”

“Sure.”

When I went near Yuuki and said that, she nodded.

And she didn’t say anything special on the way to the classroom. Though she did seem to have a lot on her mind.

…I need to prepare a list of answers.

There will surely be many questions during lunch.

*

Lunchtime, in the literature club room.

Yesterday it didn’t rain, so I went up to the roof, but outside was still like a sauna. Of course, it was just as hot in here, but there’s a big difference between being indoors and directly facing the sunlight falling from the sky, forcing yourself to hide in not-so-spacious shade.

Besides, even if there’s no air conditioning here, at least there’s a fan. Opening the windows and turning on the fan made it somewhat bearable.

And after answering each of Yuuki’s questions while eating bread together in such a place—

“So, you’re not saying you’ve fallen for Souta Sasaki, right?”

“…Right.”

I nodded.

—Yuuki believed me when I said I went as Shii’s guest. There was no reason not to believe it, actually. What could she say when I told her I went?

“Shii must have it tough too.”

“Really.”

I said while taking a bite of cream bread.

And suddenly, I recalled what I had been thinking yesterday.

My chewing stopped.

…Come to think of it, it’s not good to keep receiving such kindness.

When I was struggling, I would accept anything first and think later, but now that my stomach is full and my brain is working a bit better, I’m starting to feel like I’m being too shameless.

Of course, I’m not forcibly extracting bread from Yuuki, but the conclusion is similar anyway.

“What’s wrong? Is the bread strange?”

Seeing me pause when I usually eat whatever I’m given, Yuuki asked with a bit of concern.

“…No, it’s not that.”

I thought for a moment.

How should I say this?

It takes quite a bit of courage to refuse kindness. Especially when that kindness is pure, without any ulterior motive.

Moreover, since I didn’t refuse it from the beginning and have been receiving it for free all this time, it’s obvious what the other person will worry about if I refuse now.

“…Well.”

“It’s okay. I’m listening, so tell me.”

After thinking for a moment—

Seeing Yuuki’s serious expression, I suddenly recalled someone’s face.

Of all people, it was Sasaki Shii’s face.

“…”

“What?”

Seeing Yuuki staring at me and tilting her head, I blinked.

Why did I recall Shii’s face?

Thinking about it, there was a certain desperation in the way Yuuki bestowed kindness on me.

Not just like helping someone pitiful, but more like, as if she had to do it.

Normally, when people see someone pitiful, they don’t think much beyond “that’s sad.” Yes, they might buy meals while eating together. They might pay for outings sometimes, and maybe even fill the refrigerator once or twice.

But it’s rare for someone to provide enough furniture to turn an empty house into a proper room, or to come stay over when you’ve almost had a big problem.

Because we’re friends? That might be possible… but Yuuki has never left me alone since we met at the school store.

Just like Shii doesn’t want to be abandoned by Sasaki.

“Hmm?”

“What?”

No, that doesn’t seem right.

It’s strange to think that she’s worried about “being abandoned” by me. Rather…

She doesn’t want to lose me, that seems more appropriate.

Let’s think about it. Even the kind and professionally dedicated Teacher Suzuki only visited my house twice. After seeing that I was getting along reasonably well with my classmates, she didn’t offer much advice beyond asking how I was doing.

Even if she doesn’t think it’s okay to lose me or that it doesn’t matter if she loses me, to Teacher Suzuki, I’m just one of many students she needs to care for. If I’m living well, there’s no need to dig deeper.

Then, why Yuuki?

“Yuuki.”

“Yes?”

“We’re friends, right?”

“…Of course?”

When I asked, Yuuki responded with a slightly puzzled expression.

“What about Senior Kaneko and Senior Ikeda?”

“We’re friends?”

Yuuki answered with an expression that seemed to ask why I was asking such a thing.

Right. Yuuki came to school immediately that night when she heard Kaneko had gone missing.

In the original work too, whether it was profitable or not, she always took care of the people around her diligently. Even when competing over Sasaki, if she considered someone as part of her circle, she would risk her life to protect them.

In a sense, that could be called compulsive.

Some might think it’s natural to risk your life for close friends, but in reality, it’s not.

How many people would willingly jump into flames to bring someone out?

And to do so without hesitation.

So, probably, I am such an existence to Yuuki.

Someone she might “lose” if she doesn’t act this way.

If there’s a reason she thinks like that—

—Come to think of it, I don’t remember ever hearing how Yuuki’s mother came to be absent.

“Just. I wanted to ask?”

“Why?”

Looking back at my bread, Yuuki asked with a smile.

“Do you want to make more friends? Hmm?”

A slightly teasing tone.

Yes.

Though the reasons were opposite to Shii’s, Yuuki clearly had such feelings too.

I put the bread in my mouth again.

The bread filled with cream was delicious.

Thinking about it now, the bread Yuuki bought had never been the same.

Oh, of course, since it’s from the school store, the items are fixed, and I do eat the same bread again. But it’s never “the very next day.”

Yuuki was changing the bread every day so I wouldn’t get tired of it.

Some might say it’s natural since she’s buying bread for herself too, but—

The competition at this school’s store is intense. You have to run as soon as the bell rings to buy bread.

Yuuki was doing this for me every day. Going through the trouble to get different bread from the store lady every day.

…That wasn’t kindness I could just cut off abruptly.

“…Let’s go to the school store together tomorrow.”

“Huh? Why? Was the bread not good?”

“No, I just. Want to go together.”

“It’s not that we can’t, but you know what the school store is like, right?”

…I do.

“Why?”

Yuuki asked once more, curious.

Just.

Because I’m embarrassed.

Me, who said such things to Sasaki.