After school, I ended up staying behind for cleaning duty, and somehow, I was the last one to leave the classroom. I finished locking up and tidying things before heading out.
Near the entrance, I spotted Kaori talking to some tall guy I didn’t recognize.
“Yeah, I remembered you said your birthday was today, so I got you a present.”
“Wait, you actually remembered?!”
Oh, that guy’s from the soccer team, isn’t he?
I don’t recall his name, but I’ve seen his face in the school newspaper. Pretty sure he’s the ace striker of the team.
A little surprised that Kaori’s connected with someone like that, but I wasn’t interested enough to linger. I passed by with a sidelong glance.
Her bag’s probably stuffed to the brim with birthday gifts by now.
If that’s the case, it’s not like I’m the only one who knows about her birthday. There’s probably even a mug or two in that pile.
It’d feel kind of sad for the mug to just sit unused, so maybe I’ll skip giving her one and just use it at home. With that thought, I passed through the school gate, only to find Kiritsuki waiting right beside it.
“…What’re you doing?”
“Waiting for Kaori. Some guy called her over earlier, and she went off somewhere.”
“…Not that guy?”
I turned back, glancing at the two still talking by the entrance.
But Kiritsuki shook her head.
“Not Nishioka-senpai. The one I saw was a classmate.”
Huh, so that’s Nishioka-senpai.
Man, he’s got it good. I’d only seen him in photos, but he’s seriously cool. Unlike the refreshing vibe Tomiya gives off, he’s got this sharp, cool aura.
“If it’s not him, then this?”
I raised my pinky finger in a teasing gesture, and Kiritsuki just shrugged.
“Probably that. Third time this month.”
“That’s a lot…”
“Can’t help it with cocky freshmen.”
It’s not fair to just assume they’re cocky. Love at first sight happens, you know.
Plus, this time it was a classmate, apparently.
If someone’s mustering up the courage to confess, you’ve gotta at least respect the effort.
“So, she’s turning them down, huh?”
“Obviously. No guy in this school’s good enough for Kaori.”
I don’t think Kaori’s the type to judge people like that, but Kiritsuki’s probably just joking.
From what I know, I was already shocked to learn Kaori even had the concept of a first love or understood what love feels like.
I bet her idea of a “first love” is just her quirky way of translating some offbeat feeling into something close to normal.
Still, I’ll agree with the part about no one being good enough for her.
Wait, but that Nishi…hara-senpai, was it? Anyway, that guy seems pretty high-spec. He might actually be a good match.
“…By the way, Himura-kun, you’re totally fine with Kaori getting a boyfriend, huh?”
“Hm? Isn’t that a good thing?”
“I’m not saying it’s bad, but you’re so calm about it, it’s kinda boring.”
I’m not so dense that I can’t tell what Kiritsuki’s getting at.
But honestly, I can’t even picture myself thinking along those lines right now.
If Kaori got a boyfriend, I’d probably just be super impressed with the guy who managed to win her over.
I haven’t reached out for her myself, but I know full well she’s way out of my league. Trying to grab something so clearly unattainable is just a waste of time and effort.
Especially when I don’t even feel like I need it right now.
Only those who truly, desperately want it have the right to reach for it, don’t they?
If you half-heartedly go for it, you’ll just end up hurting yourself. I’ve seen plenty of guys crash and burn that way.
“Not just about Kaori, but have you ever thought about wanting a girlfriend, Himura-kun?”
“Dunno. Never really thought about it.”
Last year, maybe I considered it once or twice.
Compared to middle school, when I barely had the mental space for anything, I’ve got a lot more room to breathe now.
That’s what I was thinking when—
“Found you.”
A sultry male voice whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
Completely ignoring my frozen reaction, a guy approached Kiritsuki.
“Kaname-chan, got a sec?”
Standing there was a tall guy—easily 180 centimeters—with a stylish mash wolf haircut and square glasses that gave him an intellectual, handsome vibe.
“Tsugiyama-kun, what’s up?”
Tsugiyama… who’s that? Sounds familiar.
Uh, let’s see—
Oh, right, I remember now. That’s him.
Tsugiyama Satoru. Same year as us. The genius who kept the top spot in our grade for the entire final exam season last year.
Didn’t realize he was such a well-built, good-looking guy. News to me.
I’d always pictured him as the stereotypical scrawny nerd, so this was a surprise.
“The student council’s short on hands, so we decided to recruit more people. We’re asking talented folks to join. Kaori-chan already said she’s in, so what about you?”
“Me? Well… I’d be okay helping out temporarily, but joining officially? I’ll pass.”
Huh, the student council’s understaffed?
With Kaori joining, you’d think people would be lining up to help out.
“Don’t answer so fast. Think it over a bit.”
He said they’re asking talented people, so I guess I’m not on their radar.
Standing around listening to this sounds boring anyway.
“Kiritsuki, I’m heading home. See ya.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Tomorrow then.”
I thought I caught a strange look on Kiritsuki’s face, but I turned on my heel and headed home.
“…The top student’s a proper guy too, huh.”
On my way back, I couldn’t help but mutter that to myself.
He was talking about recruiting talented people, but I bet he just wants to build a harem of pretty girls in the student council.
Kaori aside, if he’s approaching Kiritsuki about student council stuff, it’s probably related to club activities.
If I were in the student council and felt short-staffed, I’d never recruit someone like Kiritsuki, whose habit of slacking off in club activities is well-known among other clubs.
So yeah, his ulterior motives were pretty obvious, but I decided to be considerate and give Tsugiyama some space.
I’m not about to be the jerk who interrupts a guy mustering up the courage to talk to a girl.
That aside, from Kiritsuki’s reaction, it didn’t seem like Tsugiyama was the classmate who called Kaori out to confess.
Popular people have it rough, I thought, as I walked home. When I got there, I saw two middle school girls chatting in front of the house.
…Well, only one of them was laughing.
As I approached, they turned to look at me.
“Oh, Himura-senpai, excuse us!”
“Pretty sure I’m not your senpai.”
“You will be next year!”
One of them was Minori, the younger sister of our classmate Tomiya Rikuto, the baseball team’s ace, known as the “Prince of the Mound.”
Just like her brother, she’s tall—her eye level’s about the same as mine.
Her boyish short hair gives her a cute, striking look.
“Kohaku, I’m home.”
When I called out to the other girl, she quietly looked away.
“…”
That’s Himura Kohaku. Petite and slender, with long bangs and eyes that rarely meet mine behind her round glasses.
She’s my adoptive younger sister. Unlike me, who’s just a bit of a loner, she’s the real deal—a genuine, hardcore introvert.
If it weren’t for Minori, she’d probably be a total loner.
After losing her parents when she was young, she was taken in by our family, but even Kaori struggled to deal with her shy personality.
Nowadays, she gets along fine with the rest of… our family and Kaori’s family.
But for some reason, she still won’t look me in the eye. Why’s she so scared of me? Seriously, what’s the deal?
“…So, what’re you two doing out here by the door?”
“We were waiting for you, Himura-senpai.”
“Why?”
“Kohaku forgot her house key.”
“Got it,” I muttered softly, nodding.
Looking at Kohaku or saying anything about it would definitely leave a bad impression.
If I forgot something and someone said, “Why’d you forget it?” I’d snap back, “I forgot, okay? What’s it to you?”
So I said nothing and just unlocked the door.
I’m already on thin ice with my sister who won’t even look at me. I don’t need her hating me more.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you! Excuse us.”
“…”
Kohaku shuffled inside with heavy steps, head down.
I still think mentioning the forgotten key is a bad move, so I tried talking about something else.
“Kohaku.”
Just calling her name made her shoulders flinch.
“You and Minori doing something in your room?”
I asked as gently as I could, and she nodded hesitantly.
“There’s chocolate cookies in the fridge, so help yourselves. I’m heading out to run some errands. Ask Minori if she’s staying for dinner, and if she is, let me know.”
No response. She didn’t even nod, just slowly walked past me.
Even siblings who don’t get along shouldn’t be this bad. At least with an argument, there’d be some kind of interaction, some communication.
Someone, please, tell me how to get along with a silent sister. It’s been like this since the day we met.
I’d kill for a plot twist where she’s secretly a bro-con or something.
I just want a way to break through this wall of her being scared of me.
“…Kiritsuki mentioned she has an older brother, didn’t she…?”
I vaguely recalled her saying something about her brother taking over their family’s company.
It might not help, but maybe I’ll ask her about sibling relationships next time, I thought, as I changed and left the house for errands.
☆Afterword──────────────────
☆Hitting 300! I’m grateful to be writing these afterwords for chapters 5, 6, and 7.
Thanks for the typo reports—they’re super helpful, and I’m fixing them as soon as I spot them.
Keep the comments coming! I’m sorry, but I’m not planning to reply for now. Still, I read every single one, and they’re a huge boost for my motivation and reference.
If you haven’t yet, toss a ☆ in the review section. I get a goofy grin every time I see the notifications, and it really fuels my drive.
