Episode 2: “So, it turns out my stepsister wants to change…”

October 4th, Monday.

That afternoon after school, each class held a discussion about what to do for the Kanon Festival.

“Alright then, our class’s event is decided: ‘Cosplay Cafe.’”

In our case, it only took about thirty minutes to settle on both committee members and the event itself. This mock store theme—with its playful mischief thrown in—was decided unilaterally by the popular kids, but neither Kousei nor I had any particular objections.

“A cosplay cafe, huh,” I mentioned casually to Kousei.

“Huh.”

“You don’t seem interested?”

“I’m not. So, let’s head home—”

Kousei picked up his thin school bag hanging by his desk, but then—

“Ah, Ueda-kun, wait a sec!”

The girl who called out to Kousei was Hoshino, a member of the committee. I couldn’t remember her first name, but she was bright and serious, with a fair number of friends among the popular group. I’d seen her talking to Kousei before and had suspected for a while that she might have feelings for him.

“What?” Kousei looked at Hoshino with his usual grumpy expression. Well, for him this was just normal mode, but couldn’t he soften that tone a bit?

“For the cosplay in the mock store, I was wondering what kind you’d want to do, Ueda-kun.”

“Doesn’t matter to me.”

“But, you know, if we’re renting from a costume shop, we need to take preferences—”

Kousei ignored Hoshino and started heading out of the classroom.

“Ah, wait, Ueda-kun!”

Hoshino stared at the door through which Kousei had left, sadness written across her face. I felt a little sorry for her, but in a way, it couldn’t be helped. It’s Kousei, after all. It was already better than usual that he’d stuck around for the whole discussion, so it was wise not to expect more.

As I tried to follow Kousei out, I got stopped. “Majima-kun.”

“Um, what is it?”

“You’re close with Ueda-kun, right? I often see you two commuting together.”

“Not bad, I guess? We’ve known each other a long time.”

“So, I have a favor to ask…” Hoshino rubbed her hands together in front of her chest. “You want me to ask Kousei what cosplay he wants?”

“Yeah… If possible, could you ask him for me…?”

“Well, I’ll try asking, but I think he really doesn’t care.”

“The ‘doesn’t matter’ is the most troublesome…”

“Leave it to your judgment, Hoshino-san. Ah, I don’t have any preferences either, so same as Kousei.”

“Got it. I’ll think about it then.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

With a sigh, I left the classroom.

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

At the school gate, I met up with Kousei, and we waited for Akira and the others. We’d been waiting for over ten minutes now—maybe their class hadn’t decided on an event yet.

As Kousei and I chatted idly, I finally spotted Akira and Hinata heading our way.

“Sorry for making you wait!” Hinata bowed her head apologetically.

“Ah, no—”

“Jeez, you’re late,” Kousei grumbled.

“But after the discussion ended, I got held up by someone from the drama club—”

At that moment, I didn’t miss Kousei’s grimace.

“Eh, drama club? Ooh, drama!” I hurriedly picked up the topic.

“Yes. It’s for the play they’re doing at the Kanon Festival, but they’re short on people and in trouble, so I ended up agreeing to help.”

“I see. So what are you doing?”

“Romeo and Juliet.”

“Ooh. What about you, Hinata-chan? Helping means props or something?”

“No, actually… I’m playing Juliet.”

“I see, Juliet, huh… Wait, eh!? That’s the heroine!”

“Ahaha, yeah… I tried turning it down since I’m not even in the club, but they said it’s just this once, so please…”

Hinata had been in the drama club back in middle school, and the drama club at our old middle school was pretty serious—not just school or local performances, but they’d even placed in nationals. Hinata was a star there, often playing leads or heroines. Someone in the drama club who knew that must have scouted her, though it left a slightly weird feeling.

“Couldn’t turn them down?”

“Yeah… Is that okay, onii-chan?” Hinata glanced at Kousei’s face, as expected.

“…Doesn’t have anything to do with me, right?”

“Well, maybe not, but…”

“Whatever, let’s go home—”

“Ah, wait, onii-chan!”

We chased after Kousei’s back as he strode off. Lately, we’d been at Kousei’s mercy, but maybe in reality, we were the ones dragging him around.

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

After parting with the Ueda siblings, Akira and I boarded the train. At this time before rush hour, the car was empty, so we could sit side by side on the long seat. Once she realized there weren’t many eyes around, Akira gradually shifted from “borrowed cat mode” to “home mode.”

Shortly after departure, Akira suddenly spoke up. “Aniki, about what we were talking about earlier…”

“Yeah?”

“The thing about Hinata-chan helping the drama club.”

“Ah, that. What about it?”

“Why did Hinata-chan ask Ueda-senpai if it was okay?”

“Ah, that—” Kousei hadn’t told me to keep it secret, so it was probably fine to tell Akira. “Kousei used to be a child actor in dramas. And he was pretty well-known.”

“Eh!? Really?”

“Well, it was back in kindergarten or elementary school.”

“What about now? Why’d he stop?”

“Seems like he has bad memories from it.”

“Bad memories…?”

“Who knows… A lot probably happened—” In middle school, Kousei had once told me just that he had “bad memories.” He didn’t say what, and I didn’t ask. “Well, I don’t know if Kousei still cares, but Hinata-chan was probably worried about dredging up his bad memories.”

“Hmm… But isn’t that weird? Hinata-chan was in drama club in middle school, right?”

“Hm? Yeah.”

“Why ask Ueda-senpai now if it’s okay to do drama…?”

Now that she mentioned it, it didn’t make sense. Yeah, it was kinda late for that. If she were worried about Kousei’s past, she wouldn’t have joined drama club in middle school. And there’d be no need to check with him now.

“If you’re curious, why not ask Hinata-chan directly instead of me?”

“That makes sense, but I’d feel a bit awkward…” Akira made a slightly troubled face. Just like with Kousei and me, friends have boundaries you can or can’t cross.

“Still, Hinata-chan as Juliet, huh. Now I’m worried about the Romeo role.”

“Eh? Why?”

“After all, she went to the same child acting school as Kousei back then, so she’s good at acting.”

“Eh? R-Really…?”

“Yeah, that’s why they asked her for Juliet. Plus her looks, right? If the opposite role is some half-baked guy, it’d be pretty tough, wouldn’t it?”

Half-jokingly, I said, “Now I feel sorry for the lead,” and then—

“Ugh… Y-Yeah… The one playing opposite Hinata-chan has it rough…” Akira’s face went pale as she pressed her lips together tightly.

“What’s wrong, Akira? Do you know who Romeo is?”

“Um, me…”

“Eh? You what?”

“I’m playing Romeo…”

“…………Huh?”

For a moment, I couldn’t process it, but when my thoughts caught up, I felt the blood drain from my face.

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

Was this an emergency situation? After getting home and changing, we ended up talking in my room about the Romeo role.

“Um, Akira, just to confirm… You really accepted the Romeo role…?”

“Y-Yeah… It just kinda happened…”

“Kinda happened—” That’s totally a stray bullet, isn’t it?

“They asked me pretty insistently. Said if Hinata-chan is Juliet, then Romeo absolutely has to be me…”

I see, they get it—I thought for a second, but no no no, I quickly took it back. Sure, Akira had a boyish look and was quite the beauty. In fact, I’d mistaken her for a pretty boy at first; her face was androgynous, and she was popular with girls. Apparently, she’d gotten confessions from girls at her old school.

In terms of looks, in our academy, the only one who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Hinata was Akira, or maybe Kousei… It might fit better than some random guy—but Akira had one flaw.

“You’re going on stage? Can you really act in front of a big crowd?”

“Because I’m shy around people?”

“Honestly, yeah. I’m worried if you’re okay with that, being shy.”

I just couldn’t picture Akira taking the lead on stage in front of a huge audience. It wasn’t that I was underestimating her, but as someone who spent time with her, I couldn’t help but worry if she could really act.

“Akira, any drama experience?”

“Um, none…” My head was starting to hurt…

“Aniki, are you worried I might cause trouble for everyone?”

“No, more than that, I’m worried you’ll fail or have a bad experience.” If it was going to lead to Akira failing and feeling bad, I should stop her here. But Akira said, “That’s why.”

“I want to fix this shyness of mine.”

“Eh?”

“I know. Mom and them, and you, Aniki, are all worried about my shyness.”

“I see… Then it’s simple. Akira, even now—”

“That’s why I want to do it!”

“Akira…” I could see a strong will in Akira’s eyes. Her tone was stronger than usual, and that serious gaze pushed me back.

“I don’t want to worry you all, Aniki.”

“It’s okay to worry us, you know? We’re family…”

“No. Because we’re family, I don’t want to make you worry about me.” Saying that, Akira looked down. “Without Hinata-chan, I’d probably be isolated in class. Even now, she’s the only one I talk to easily, and to not worry you all, Aniki, I want to fix my shyness and go to school normally.”

“Even so, starting with the lead role, are you really okay? It’s the lead, you know?”

I tried shaking her resolve a bit, but she said “Yeah” without budging. Her determination seemed firm.

“A small role would be fine, right? No need to jump to lead. And are the other drama club members okay with that? Handing the lead to non-members—” It was pretty reckless.

To begin with, scouting Hinata for Juliet felt off. Let alone approaching Akira and giving her the lead right away—I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. If the club was okay with it, even if not me, others should think it was weird.

“That side worries me more. Is the drama club okay as a club?”

“Well, the drama club was revived this year.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Actually—”

Summarizing what Akira explained, it went like this: When I first enrolled, the previous drama club members were all third-year students. They hadn’t recruited well, so there were no first- or second-year students. After last year’s Kanon Festival performance, they went on hiatus.

Then half a year passed, I moved up to the second year, and Hinata and the other first-years enrolled. Among the first-year students, a motivated girl named Nishiyama Kazusa said she’d be the new president, gathered members from the first-year class, and somehow revived the drama club.

However, everyone was a beginner, with only Nishiyama having experience in middle school drama. In reality, their activities were minimal, and they hadn’t done any performances this year. So for the Kanon Festival performance, they targeted Hinata, who’d been in drama club in middle school.

Nishiyama and Hinata were from different middle schools, but naturally, Nishiyama was familiar with Hinata, who had excelled in drama. Actually, not just this time, but Hinata had been recruited all along. Having finally persuaded Hinata, in the process, Nishiyama approached Akira, who was always with Hinata.

“So they’re short on hands and experienced people, and in trouble.”

“I see…” There were points I’d like to poke at, but I’d leave them for now. But I could kinda imagine why they’d invited Akira and them. If the two top beauties among first-years co-starred in ‘Romeo and Juliet’—it would create some buzz.

Building hype, energizing the club, recruiting members… It might be cynical, but that was probably why they’d entrusted the leads to Akira and them.

‘I tried turning it down since I’m not even in the club, but they said it’s just this once, so please…’

Maybe the drama club had something riding on this Kanon Festival, but it was just speculation, so I’d have to check directly.

“I get the drama club’s situation somewhat. Still, it’s suspicious…”

“I talked to Nishiyama-san, and she didn’t seem bad… probably?”

“That phrasing doesn’t make her sound good either…” Now I was even more worried about Akira and Hinata.

“But this is a chance for me to change.”

“Chance? Why?”

“My dad was shy in middle school too. But he said he changed after starting drama in high school. He got hooked and aimed to be an actor.”

Akira’s dad was the actor Himeno Takeru-san. But it was surprising that a tough, yakuza-like face had been shy. I’d thought he was a delinquent in school…

“Just to confirm, do you want to go into acting too, Akira?”

“No, but simply, I thought if I do drama, maybe I can overcome my shyness like dad.”

It seemed awfully simplistic, but maybe Akira wanted a trigger to change herself. Just like I’d once thought as her aniki that I needed to be more reliable and change, Akira was probably troubled with her current self and wanted change.

“You still against it, Aniki?”

“Right now, one-third cheering you on, two-thirds worried.”

I let out a resigned sigh and forced a wry smile. Her overprotectiveness might be beyond help at this point, but if that’s how it was, there was nothing I could do about it. I placed my hand on Akira’s head.

“Well, I think it’s great that you want to overcome your shyness—but I have one condition, or rather, a suggestion.”

“What is it?”

“Can I help out by staying close to you? Well, if they’re short on hands, the drama club probably won’t mind—”

“Eh!? Aniki, you’re gonna help me!?”

In that instant, Akira’s face lit up brightly.

“W-Well, we’ll figure out the specifics later, but as long as I’m not in your way—”

Before I could finish, Akira leaped toward me.

“Yay! Thanks, Aniki! I love you!”

“Hey, wait! I keep telling you not to hug me head-on like that!”

Well, seeing her this happy didn’t feel bad at all. As her brother, I decided to think about what I could do and prioritize Akira’s feelings. Telling her to quit might be easy. Just saying go for it could come off as half-hearted. In that case, even if it was overprotective, I wanted to give it my all for Akira’s sake.

Plus, I was curious about the drama club’s vibe. If it was a serious group, that was fine, but I needed to keep an eye out so Akira and Hinata-chan didn’t get dragged into any trouble. For now, at least—

“Alright then, Akira, starting tomorrow, we’re waking up at five-thirty.”

“……Huh? Why?”

To prepare for Akira’s stage debut, let’s start doing what we can together from tomorrow.

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

“So, that’s how it is. Akira ended up with the role of Romeo in the Kanon Festival.”

That night, while Akira was in the bath, I reported today’s events to Dad and Miyuki-san.

“I see, that’s quite something……”

“Things sure got intense, huh……”

Seeing Dad and the others looking worried made me feel heavy-hearted too.

“But hey, isn’t it a good thing that Akira wants to change?”

“But it’s the lead role right off the bat? You really think she’ll be okay, Dad?”

“Well, when you put it that way, I am worried……”

Then Miyuki-san brightened her expression. “But Ryouta-kun will be by Akira’s side, right?”

“Eh? Yeah, well……”

“In that case, there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because it’s you, Ryouta-kun.”

That kind of baseless trust from Miyuki-san was honestly tough to handle…… I wasn’t that impressive of a guy, but for some reason, Miyuki-san held me in high regard.

“Yeah, you’re right. With Ryouta there, no need to worry.”

“You two are overestimating me……” It wasn’t humility or self-deprecation; I genuinely thought that. Because I hadn’t done anything, Akira had no choice but to take action to change herself—that’s what I was thinking.

“No, Akira changed because she’s with you, Ryouta-kun. She’s become so much brighter at home.”

“Well, maybe a bit more than before……”

“That’s right. She’s started helping around the house, and she even calls me ‘Taichi-san’ instead of ‘uncle’ now? Ahh──!”

Oh, so he’d noticed that. More like, I didn’t want to see Dad looking so thrilled and pumping his fist just from being called ‘Taichi-san’……

As I stared at Dad in exasperation, Miyuki-san beamed with a full smile. “Akira must really love you, Ryouta-kun.”

“Eh!? I-Is that so~……”

I ended up visibly flustered. Not just love—she’d already said words beyond that to me, so I really didn’t want family bringing up this kind of topic. Of course, I understood it meant “as family,” but even so, I wished Miyuki-san would be more careful with her words. I was a teenage high schooler, after all……

“Nihihihi, no need to get embarrassed~? You love Akira too, right, Ryouta? In that case—”

“Dad, shut up.”

“Why!?”

Simply put, it pissed me off when Dad brought up stuff like that. And that smirking face of his…… Or was I just overthinking it? Somehow, brooding over this by myself started to feel stupid……

Just then, with a “I’m done~,” Akira poked her head into the living room, towel-drying her hair.

“What were you three talking about?”

“Ah, actually, I was reporting about today’s drama thing—”

“You love Ryouta-kun, right, Akira?”

Wait, hold on, Miyuki-san!?

Then Akira tilted her head in confusion. “Eh? I do love him, but why bring it up now?”

“──────!?”

Hey, hey, hey—! Akira, what are you saying out of nowhere—

“I asked Ryouta if he likes Akira, and he told me to shut up……”

“Poor Taichi-san…… You didn’t have to say it like that.”

What was going on? No, seriously, what was happening here……? Akira, did you actually tell Dad and them? About our relationship…… No, no, no. My head was spinning in confusion……

“Ah, could it be, Aniki, you thought it was the romantic kind of ‘like’?”

And with that, Akira grinned mischievously.

“Eh, no, that’s not, I mean……”

“Obviously, it means as family.”

The other three burst into laughter, but all I could muster was a strained chuckle. Oh, so that’s it…… Turns out I was the only one overconscious from the start. It would’ve been great if the conversation ended there—

“So…… Aniki, do you like me?”

Akira asked with a straight face. This guy, using the flow of the moment to ask something like that……

“Hey, hey, what’s the answer, Aniki?”

“You love her too, right, Ryouta-kun? Akira, I mean.”

“Come on, Ryouta, just say how you really feel.”

“Guh……!?”

Th-These guys…… Every single one of them grinning like idiots……

“As if I would──────!”

And then, escape. This was, you know, that thing elementary school kids do. When everyone teases you with “You like that girl, don’t you?” and you get embarrassed and say “I hate her” instead. Never thought it’d happen with my own family……

＊　　　　　　＊　　　　　　＊

“Th-That was hilarious! Ah, Aniki’s face back then, all red, ahahahahaha──!”

Twenty minutes later, Akira was rolling on my bed, laughing her head off.

“Like I said, I’m just not used to that kind of thing……”

As Akira kept laughing, I started getting annoyed.

“More like, Akira! You did that on purpose just now!”

“Ahahahahaha, sorry, sorry! But your reaction was so funny, I couldn’t help it.”

“It’s not ‘couldn’t help it’…… Geez……” Of course, I’d overreacted too, but still, come on.

“But at that rate, you’re basically spilling the beans yourself, Aniki.”

“Ugh…… Yeah, maybe……”

“You gotta be more natural about it.”

“I know, but……”

“See, you need to get used to me more, right? So let’s do a bit more training—”

Then Akira gently placed her smartphone on the bed and came over to sit right in front of me in seiza.

“Okay, try saying ‘I like Akira.’”

“H-Huh!? Why would I!?”

“You freeze up in those moments because you’re not used to saying it. So come on, it’s training.”

“No, even for training, that’s, like~……”

Against my hesitant response, Akira stared at me with serious eyes.

“It’s fine, I know it’s not in a romantic way.”

“But, that’s……”

“Yes! Hurry!”

“Do I really have to say it?”

“You really have to!”

“Really?”

“Really!”

Akira showed no sign of joking. She just gazed straight into my eyes with utmost seriousness, which made it even harder to know where to look.

“Just once is fine.”

“That one time is a huge hurdle for me……”

“Hurry.”

“Don’t rush me……”

Should I say it, or not? If anything, I’d rather not…… No, this was training, training. No point in overthinking it every time……

“Just once, okay?”

I steeled myself and straightened my posture. My throat was dry from nerves. My heart raced, and I could feel my face heating up. Even sweat beaded on my forehead.

“Inhale…… Exhale……”

I took several deep breaths to calm my mind and body. After a brief pause, I looked straight back into Akira’s eyes. Akira remained serious, and I could see my reflection in her large, clear pupils.

“Akira……”

“What?”

“I, about you……”

“Yeah, yeah, keep going!”

“L-Li……”

“Li? Li, what?”

“Li……──”

…………Hm? Just then, I noticed her smartphone lying where she’d been sitting earlier. It was face down, but a faint light leaked from between the display and the futon. Maybe an incoming call, or some app running……

“Mm!?”

“Aniki, what’s wrong?”

“……Akira-san, could you stay like that for a moment?”

“Huh? Why the polite speech? Hey, Aniki, where are you going—”

I stood up, grabbed Akira’s smartphone, and looked at the display—

“Ah──! That’s!”

Akira was visibly flustered, and the reason was clear. Yeah, figures.

“……Hey, why is the recording app running?”

“Eh? Ahahaha…… Um, you know, to record and check the voice later……”

“You! What were you planning to do with a recording of me saying ‘like’──────!”

“Eek! S-Sorry! I just got tempted──────!”

As expected, my little stepsister was impressively sneaky, but I couldn’t relate at all. I resolved to make Akira’s training stricter starting tomorrow.