Final Chapter: “So, With My Stepsister at the After-Party Festival, Various Things…”

The second day of the Kanon Festival had weathered its share of troubles, but somehow we’d managed to pull through. Now, as the evening settled in, Akira and I found ourselves participating in the after-party festival together.

We sat at a comfortable distance from the campfire, watching the flames dance against the darkening sky, when Kousei and Hinata approached us. Kousei had tucked his crutches under one arm and was carrying Hinata piggyback-style. Seeing how carefully he was looking after her despite everything that had happened, I had to suppress a laugh.

“Ryouta, we’re heading home first,” Kousei announced.

“What about the after-party? It just started.”

“I’m starving—didn’t get to eat lunch.” That’s what he said, but really, Kousei just wanted to let Hinata rest as soon as possible.

“Got it. See you next week, Kousei.”

“Yeah.”

As Kousei started to turn away, Hinata stopped him with a gentle “Wait.”

“Um, Ryouta-senpai, thank you so much for today!”

“Ah, no—”

“Akira too, really, thank you!”

“Don’t worry about it! Hinata-chan always helps me out, after all.”

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Kousei turned to address Akira directly.

“By the way, are you still mad?”

“No. I’m sorry about that time, Ueda-senpai.”

“Nah, whatever—see ya, short runt.”

“Stop calling me short runt—!”

I was curious about their exchange, but afterward, Akira just muttered “Jeez” and waved brightly at their retreating forms. Kousei headed toward the school gate with Hinata still on his back, and I could hear their familiar banter floating back to us.

“Hinata, you got heavier again, huh?”

“Again? When are you talking about! And don’t talk about a girl’s weight!”

Well, the Ueda siblings were back to normal, which was reassuring. Actually, they seemed a bit gentler than usual, if anything.

But there was one thing still bothering me.

“By the way, Akira, what happened between you and Kousei today?”

“Ah, yeah. Actually—” Akira looked a bit awkward, but slowly began telling me about what had transpired earlier.

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

—From here on, this is my interpretation based on what I heard from Akira.

The timeline goes back to during the play, when Hinata had shown up.

After we’d switched places and I’d headed off to prepare, Akira came off stage and, seeing Hinata, immediately rushed to embrace her.

“Hinata-chan!”

“Akira, I’m sorry! I—”

“It’s fine. I’m not doing as well as you would have, Hinata-chan, but we’re managing somehow.”

“Sorry, really, I’m sorry… I caused trouble for everyone…”

“No, no one thinks it’s trouble… No one blames you for anything, Hinata-chan…” Akira gently rubbed Hinata’s back as the girl crumpled under the weight of her regret.

Then Kousei, who had been watching nearby, spoke up with his usual bluntness.

“Hinata, time to head to the audience seats soon.”

“Eh…?”

“Staying here is just a bother. Everyone’ll end up worrying about you instead of focusing on the play.”

“Y-Yeah, you’re right… Then, Onii-chan—”

That particular phrasing apparently struck a nerve with Akira.

“What’s wrong with us worrying about Hinata-chan!” she snapped at Kousei. Literally snapped, according to her account.

“Akira…?” Hinata looked surprised, but Kousei hadn’t meant it the way it sounded—he was thinking of everyone’s sake. Though a bit startled by Akira’s sudden reaction, he tried to explain his reasoning.

Akira understood Kousei’s logic perfectly well. If she were in the reverse position, she probably would have gone to the seats right away too. But with her emotions running high, Akira apparently unleashed everything she’d been thinking about Kousei for a while.

“I hate the way you say things, Ueda-senpai!”

“…Huh?”

“You always phrase things in a way that could mean multiple things, just to confuse the other person!”

The Ueda siblings apparently stared at Akira with wide eyes. I probably would’ve been shocked too if I’d been there to witness it.

“Listen more to what Hinata-chan is actually thinking! What she wants right now, how she’s feeling—listen to her properly!”

“…………”

Kousei apparently listened in complete silence. Not just because someone like Akira, whom he barely talked to normally, was saying it, but because her words pointed out how he’d been neglecting Hinata’s feelings, forcing him into deep reflection—

“Huh? Why do I gotta hear that from a short runt like you?”

—Or so I thought, but it didn’t go that way at all.

Kousei doesn’t waver even at a time like this. Well, maybe he wavered a tiny bit. If he had wavered more, Akira wouldn’t have needed to say what came next—

“Because I’m Hinata-chan’s friend!”

“I’m this one’s big brother.”

“Does being a big brother mean you can be cold to your little sister!?”

“No. I am thinking about Hinata—”

“You’re not! If you wanna act like a big brother, take a page from my Aniki!”

“Huh!? Why Ryouta—”

“My Aniki is kind! He listens to everything I’m thinking, what I’m feeling, even my selfish whims, and he’ll do anything for my sake! He’s dense and indecisive sometimes, but he’s really wonderful and cool… I wanted to change for an Aniki like that! If you’re frustrated, try becoming a big brother Hinata-chan can be proud of, like my Aniki!”

—Hearing this secondhand, I felt my face burning with embarrassment.

Akira, what on earth did you say to them…

After a brief, stunned silence, “Pfft…” Hinata burst out laughing.

“Akira, that sounds less like a big brother and more like…”

“Ah…” Akira apparently turned bright red immediately.

Then Hinata began talking to Kousei in earnest.

“Onii-chan, I want to do the play.”

“…I kinda figured that already.”

“Can I keep doing theater? Can I join the drama club?”

“Didn’t I already say it’s none of my business? It’s your life. Do what you want.”

“You don’t think of me as part of your life?”

“That’s…”

“Because we’re real siblings…?”

There was a short, heavy silence. Kousei was the first to break it.

“…Yeah. That’s why it’s different from Ryouta or this one here. We’re real siblings…”

“…Got it. Then I won’t ask anything more from you, Onii-chan.” Hinata let out a big sigh and muttered sadly while looking down at her injured foot, “But this time it’s no good, so maybe next chance, huh…”

Hearing that dejected tone, Akira stepped forward.

“I have one suggestion—or rather, a request for Hinata-chan…”

“What is it, Akira?”

“Actually, I don’t remember the lines for the final scene…” —Which was a complete lie, apparently.

At that point, Hinata didn’t know about the drama club’s situation. She didn’t know this might be the drama club’s last performance, or that they might disband by year’s end. Having heard about it from me earlier, Akira decided to give up the important spotlight for Hinata’s sake.

“But, I—” Hinata kept glancing at her injured foot. “I do want to, after all. But Akira, is it really okay?”

“Yeah!”

But this time, Kousei stepped in to stop it.

“Hold on! This one’s injured, you know? What if something happens?”

“Then you and I are here, right, Ueda-senpai?”

“Huh?”

“We’ll go help Hinata-chan. If anything happens, we’ll definitely be there!”

“Hey, wait, don’t just decide things on your own—”

“Got it! Then I’ll go without holding back, Akira, Onii-chan!”

—That was the exchange, apparently.

And Kousei reluctantly changed into the prince’s costume—that’s how it all unfolded.

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

“—And that’s what went down.”

“I see… I had no idea all that happened without me knowing…” The surprising part for me was that Kousei had ended up on stage at all, regardless of the circumstances.

But anyway, this cleared one thing up. Despite his gruff exterior, Kousei really was a good big brother. For Hinata’s sake, he’d shaken off his bad memories from his child acting days and performed on stage.

“More importantly, Akira, you really said all that to Kousei? That’s impressive in its own way.”

“I was in some weird state of high tension back then~… Anyway, Aniki, make Ueda-senpai stop calling me short stuff!”

“Ah, yeah…” Short stuff—well, Kousei doesn’t have much sense when it comes to word choice. But somehow, it does have a certain cute charm to it.

As we were having this conversation, I spotted familiar figures heading our way among the general guests who were leaving.

“Ryouta, Akira—”

It was Dad and Miyuki-san, approaching with broad smiles on their faces.

“Dad.”

“Mom.”

“Man, that was amazing! Ryouta, Akira, you both did fantastic!”

“Akira, you were wonderful! Ryouta-kun was really cool too!”

Being praised so extravagantly made it rather embarrassing. Akira seemed to feel the same way, and we exchanged glances with wry smiles.

“But seriously, what was that ending all about? It felt less like a play and more like watching you two as usual.”

“Yes, it felt just like seeing the two of you being close as always.”

“Eh? Really…?”

“Kousei-kun and Hinata-chan came out too—it was quite entertaining! Made me feel young again.”

“After the battle scene, seeing the two of you unite at the end… I ended up squealing ‘kyaa’ along with Taichi-san.”

Dad and Miyuki-san were talking about it all excitedly, making me feel increasingly flustered. After chatting a bit more, they headed home.

But right after they left, “Ah!” Akira suddenly exclaimed.

“Dad!”

Looking in the direction Akira had turned, there was Takeru-san with his large build, awkwardly trying to hide behind a tree. What on earth is that guy doing…

As we ran over to him, Takeru-san looked uncomfortable.

“Did Miyuki and the others leave already…?” He was apparently concerned about Miyuki-san’s whereabouts.

“You came to watch?”

“Yeah, well. But Majima, you as Romeo and Akira as Juliet, huh? I had no idea, so I was totally blown away…”

“Ehehehe, a lot happened… More importantly, Dad, what did you think of our play? I did my best just like you advised!”

“Well, the acting was pretty solid, but that ending was quite… innovative…”

“What kind of feedback is that…” Akira pouted, but Takeru-san just laughed with a resigned sigh.

“At the end there, Majima froze up, right? That was the main problem to begin with. Switching to ad-lib was fine, but straying from the original story wasn’t ideal.”

“Ugh… Sorry.”

Thinking back on it, I could have forced the kiss scene right there. But honestly, I’m kind of relieved now that I didn’t.

“But for a cultural festival stage like this, it’s all about having fun. Even if things get a bit chaotic, as long as the audience enjoys it and you two do too, that’s what really matters.”

“Is that really how it works?”

“Yeah, it is. I enjoyed watching it, but what about you two?”

“A lot happened, but it was fun!”

“I had fun too!”

“Then that’s all that matters.” Takeru-san smiled with genuine satisfaction.

“That said, Akira’s acting skills—or rather, how much she’s grown—that must be because she’s your daughter, right, Takeru-san?”

I know that acquired traits aren’t inherited—I understand that better than anyone. But to me, it feels like Akira’s acting ability was somehow passed down from Takeru-san. Just like how Takeru-san had overcome his shyness back in the day, Akira seems to have completely conquered hers too. Maybe blood ties really are important after all.

“Of course. She’s my daughter.”

“Dad, say that after you’ve actually made it big… It doesn’t mean much coming from someone who hasn’t succeeded yet.”

“Ugh…” Akira’s sharp comeback made Takeru-san groan involuntarily.

“Well, jokes aside—” Oh, so that was a joke… “—It’s not just about acting; I think environment is the key factor for people’s growth. It’s about what kind of environment you’re in and what efforts you make within it.”

“Environment, huh…”

“In the end, it comes down to the people around you and your own efforts. Blood ties might be important, but the environment you’re raised in is the most crucial factor—that’s my theory. So—” With that, Takeru-san placed a warm hand on my shoulder.

“—Thank you, Majima. Akira’s transformation is thanks to everyone who supported her, and most of all, to you, who always thinks of her first and foremost. You’re at the center of her environment. So, thank you, Majima… Thank you…”

After saying that to me, Takeru-san wiped his slightly teary eyes with his sleeve.

“Alright, Akira, keep getting along with your Aniki from now on, okay?”

“Yeah!”

“I’m counting on you with Akira, Majima.”

“Yes!”

After that, we watched Takeru-san’s retreating figure as we continued talking.

“Akira, about those Mendel’s laws you mentioned to Takeru-san…”

“Nope, I didn’t say anything about that. What you heard is probably really his own theory.”

“I see…” Akira gently took my hand.

“Aniki, are you still hung up on Mendel’s laws?”

“…No. I feel a bit better now…” Come to think of it, over these past few weeks spending time with Akira, I’ve been living without even thinking about that woman. Even if the hatred inside me never fully disappears, right now, it somehow feels like it doesn’t matter anymore.

—Me, at the center of Akira’s environment.

That guy… Is it really okay to entrust such an important role to someone like me? He’s irresponsible, always putting on airs… Yet somehow, I can’t bring myself to dislike Takeru-san.

“Hey, Aniki?”

“Hm?”

“Need a handkerchief…?”

“Nah, I’m good…” I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, just like Takeru-san had done.

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

As dusk deepened into evening, the campfire blazed brightly at the center of the grounds, and the after-party was heating up even more. Groups of energetic guys and girls were having fun doing various activities around the fire.

Akira and I simply sat watching from our spot at a distance, silently letting time pass for a while. The comfortable silence between us felt natural, like a quiet moment at home.

Suddenly, I opened my mouth as if remembering something important.

“Speaking of which, about this morning…”

“What about it?”

“On the train, you know, you were going to ask me something…”

“Oh, the thing I wanted to ask Aniki?”

“Yeah, exactly. What did you want to ask me?”

Then Akira smiled brightly and peered into my face with sparkling eyes.

“It’s already come true.”

“Huh? When did that happen?”

“At the end of the play, you said ‘I love you’ and ‘Let’s be together,’ right?”

“Th-that was…”

“I know. It was just for the play, right? But I wanted you to say those words to me, even if it was just pretend. So, I was actually planning to ask you during tonight’s campfire—even if it’s a lie, please tell me you love me…”

With that confession, Akira gently took my hand in both of hers.

“I was so anxious. The more I pushed forward, the more you seemed to pull away, Aniki, so keeping my distance was really desperate and painful for me…”

“Akira…”

“But on stage, when you said you loved me and hugged me so tightly… I felt completely satisfied.”

“…What if it wasn’t a lie? What if it wasn’t acting, but my true feelings?”

“I’d die… Like, literally die from the overwhelming cuteness of it.”

“O-oh…” Can’t have you dying on me…

“Huh? Aniki, was that maybe your true feelings just now?”

I looked away from Akira, who was gazing at me with eyes full of hopeful expectation.

“…Whether those were my true feelings or not, honestly, even I’m not completely sure. It might have just been getting caught up in the flow of the moment, or the atmosphere of the play—”

—So, I decided to be honest with Akira about this.

“I don’t know yet. I still haven’t completely sorted out my own feelings.”

I stared directly into Akira’s eyes. Illuminated by the campfire, her moist pupils shimmered and sparkled with reflected light… and then—

“—What are you two doing over here?”

In that instant, Akira and I quickly released each other’s hands and turned our faces away. The voice belonged to Nishiyama.

“N-nothing special… Right, Akira?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Is that so~? It looked to me like you two were holding hands quite intimately.”

“That’s just your imagination!”

I protested, but Nishiyama grinned mischievously and peered at both our faces.

“A-anyway, why are you here?”

“Of course, to interrupt you two—” “Huh?” “—Just kidding! I wanted to thank you both properly. Thank you so much, Majima-senpai, Akira-chan.”

Nishiyama said that and bowed her head respectfully.

“Thanks to you both, I got the most wonderful memories—and the best news just came in~!”

“Best news?”

“I just heard from a friend in the student council that the drama club might actually survive!”

“Huh? So the drama club…”

“Kazusa-chan, really?”

“Yeah! The survey results were overwhelmingly positive, so it should be fine!”

We couldn’t help but smile along with Nishiyama’s infectious enthusiasm.

The achievements requirement—that was about whether the club was properly active and engaging with the school community. Actually, on Ito’s suggestion, we had distributed surveys to today’s audience to document the drama club’s achievements and impact.

The surveys from nearly a hundred people in the gymnasium had been remarkably favorable. The student council would apparently discuss the club’s future with the teachers based on those results.

Nishiyama placed an encouraging hand on Akira’s shoulder.

“So, what about you, Akira-chan? Majima-senpai is continuing with the drama club, but why don’t you join us too?”

I was curious about what Akira would decide, when—

“Yeah! I want to keep going a bit longer!”

—She agreed with bright enthusiasm.

“Then here’s the club application form. I have a pen too, so go ahead and fill it out right now~…”

“Okay. Then—” As Akira started writing her name, I felt something suspicious. “Hm?”

This girl is awfully well-prepared…

“Alright, club membership confirmed! Looking forward to working with you starting tomorrow, Akira-chan and Majima-senpai! Oh, and Hinata-chan said she’ll join too, so we’re getting three new members! Might as well try recruiting Hinata-chan’s brother while we’re at it~♪”

And why is this girl so incredibly hyped up about everything…?

“O-okay, but Nishiyama, who’s going to be the new club president? Ito-san, I assume?”

“Huh? I’m still the president…”

“What!?”

“Like I said, I’m the president.”

“No, not that—you said you were moving away…”

Akira gave a confused “Huh?” look, but it was directed at me, not Nishiyama.

“Nishiyama, what’s going on here…?”

“I said I’m ‘moving,’ but I never once said I’m ‘transferring schools,’ did I?”

That means—

“—Th-that’s fraud──────!”

“That’s so harsh~… My family’s house in the city is finally finished being built, so I’m just moving to our new place! Don’t go transferring me to another school on your own, Majima-senpai.”

“You… Then what were those tears back then all about?”

Nishiyama stuck out her tongue playfully.

“I’m in the drama club, after all~♪” she said, waving Akira’s application form triumphantly as she ran off.

“That girl is absolutely the worst…”

“Aniki, did you misunderstand something again?”

“No, that’s not a misunderstanding—it’s outright fraud! Cancel the membership! Let’s submit a withdrawal form right away, Akira!”

I said that in frustration, and Akira looked up at me with those pleading, upturned eyes.

“Huh, but I really do want to keep doing drama like this…”

“Ugh…”

“Aniki, will you keep cheering me on…?”

Don’t look at me like that~…

“…Fine.” I can’t leave Akira under the influence of that unpredictable Nishiyama all by herself.

So I had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Man, I’m way too soft when it comes to Akira.

“Sigh~… But this is just like me, I guess…”

“Huh? ‘This is just like me’—what do you mean by that?”

“Nah, just talking to myself… More importantly, Akira, is there anything else you want?”

“Huh? Anything else?”

“You know, I want to give you a present for working so incredibly hard this time. Is there something you’d like?”

“Whoa!? Aniki, you’re actually going to give me something!?”

“Well, as long as it’s not too expensive… Oh, how about that new Ensamu 3 game coming out next month?”

“I already pre-ordered the first-press limited edition with the Nakazawa Koto figure~…”

……As expected.

Akira thought for a moment, then looked up at me with those characteristic upturned eyes.

“Then, Romeo, would you care to dance with me?”

“Huh, dance…?”

“J-Just kidding! I was trying to say it like Juliet would, but never mind that! What am I even saying! Ahahaha~…… Maybe something else—”

Since Akira started thinking about alternatives again, I chuckled softly and took her hand.

“Ah, Aniki, my hand—”

“Akira, let’s dance!”

“Ehh!?”

“Come on, everyone’s dancing over there, right?”

“Well, yeah, but…… is it really okay?”

“I’m not as cool as Romeo was, but if I’m good enough for you.”

“Aniki……”

“You don’t want to after all?”

“No, I’m happy……”

And so, as if drawn by the roaring flames, we stood up and moved closer to the campfire. It seemed that some students recognized us as the ones who had played Romeo and Juliet, as they whispered among themselves while glancing in our direction.

But honestly, neither Akira nor I minded much. What we were concerned about now was probably just each other……

As we silently gazed into each other’s eyes, the music shifted to a slow-tempo song at just that moment. Akira gently approached me and nestled her head against my chest, where she could surely hear my heartbeat.

But Akira said nothing and began moving her body in rhythm with mine…… though—

“Ow! Akira, don’t step on my foot!”

“Ah, Aniki, you don’t step on mine either— Ow!”

—Jeez, so much for the romantic mood……

I stared at Akira’s face with fond exasperation.

“Akira……”

“What is it, Aniki?”

“Did you enjoy this year’s Kanon Festival?”

“Yeah!” Her response was immediate and bright.

I felt completely satisfied seeing that beaming smile. Even though we were dancing like this in front of so many people, the atmosphere between us was exactly the same as when we were together at home.

Akira’s shyness around other people was probably completely resolved now.

“How about you, Aniki? Did you have fun?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, Akira, it became the best memory I could have ever asked for.”

When I said that with a sincere smile, Akira’s face turned even redder, beautifully illuminated by the dancing campfire flames.

“Jeez…… That’s the thing about you, Aniki! Don’t say stuff like that so casually…… Honestly!”

For a while after that, we faced each other with smiles, awkwardly stepping while trying our best not to step on each other’s feet.