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“Ki-Kirara…!?!?”
I couldn’t hide my surprise at the unexpected appearance of this person.
Did I tell her the address of my house…?
No, because of Sakihime, I mustn’t have told her.
Why on earth would she be here…?
At any rate, I couldn’t ignore Kirara, so I put on my shoes and opened the front door.
Then I saw Kirara standing there with a beautiful smile on her face that made me want to gawk at her.
I wonder why…?
I have a very bad feeling about this smile…
I was about to close the door, but I was afraid of what might happen, so I called out to Kirara, who was still staring at me with a silent smile.
“How did you… find out where I live…?”
“Because it’s about Kaito. I know everything there is to know about Kaito.”
I had a bad premonition that Kirara’s words would make me feel even worse.
But I don’t know exactly what that bad feeling is.
“Everything is just an exaggeration, right…?”
“No, I know everything, okay? For example― the fact that you and Momoi are now a family.”
Kirara’s face, which had been smiling up until now, turned serious after she said “for example”.
At this moment, I felt the same fear that I felt when dealing with Sakihime, who sometimes emits a cold air like a snow witch, or Sakura-chan, whose smiling face emits an aura that makes you hear the rumbling sound effects.
“Look, I do feel bad about hiding it from you… but you don’t have to be so mad about anything… right?”
I broke out in a cold sweat, but managed to squeeze out a few words.
“Mad? No way am I going to be mad at you, Kaito.”
Kirara smiled at me― but her eyes were not smiling.
She’s definitely angry.
“Hmm? I knew it was Kirara-senpai! What are you doing here at this hour?”
Perhaps she heard us talking, Sakura-chan came out of the living room.
“Yahoo~ Sakura! Hey, can I come in for a minute?”
“Oh, yes!”
Sakura-chan, who didn’t understand the situation, easily agreed to let Kirara come up to the house.
S-Sakura-chan?
Don’t you realize that Kirara has a lot of anger inside her right now…?
I was cut off from my path by my little sister, and I looked at her with an indescribable feeling.
Seeing my face, Sakura-chan tilted her head curiously, and her face turned into a troubled expression.
Maybe my thoughts had gotten through to her.
But it’s too late, because Kirara had already taken off her shoes and was about to go upstairs.
“I’d like to go to Kaito’s room, can I?”
Kirara said and pressured me with a smile.
“O-Ohh…”
I readily accepted her request, trying to quell her anger as much as possible.
Kirara and I headed to my room alone.
When Sakura-chan tried to follow me, Kirara asked me to let her talk to me alone.
Yeah, that’s right…
Because this person came here to beat me up…
The moment I entered the room― Kirara pushed me down on the bed.
I fell on my back on the bed, unable to maintain my position due to the sudden event, and Kirara climbed onto my body.
“O-Oi! What are you doing all of a sudden!?”
“Hmm~? I was just trying to get Kaito to explain to me what this was all about. It’s just that I’m going to be asking Kaito’s body, okay?”
Kirara said and put her hands on my clothes.
“Y-You idiot! What the hell are you doing!?”
“Fufu~―Ei!”
Just when I thought she was going to rip my clothes off, Kirara hit me with a pin.
“Ouch―!”
I was in so much pain that I held my forehead with my right hand.
When Kirara saw me, she laughed out loud.
“Y-You… what’s with you all of a sudden!?”
“Hahaha― Yes, I’ll forgive you for hiding it. And no, I wasn’t really angry. I was just trying to get back at you because I didn’t like the fact that you were hiding it from me, and when I found out that Kaito and Momoi became a family, a lot of things became clear to me.”
Kirara said this with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, and began to stare at my face.
I’m glad you’re not mad at me― but why are you staring at my face?
I want you to get off my body…
“What should I do…? I was thinking of getting off, but I feel like it would be a terrible waste to―”
“Get off already!”
“Kyaa~!”
Kirara’s cheeks reddened and her eyes proliferated, I sensed danger, so I forced her body up while she was still on and shook her off.
“How terrible! That’s no way to treat a girl!”
Of course Kirara was dropped, and she was crowned.
“No, I’m sorry. I did it on the spur of the moment.”
I apologized to Kirara and held out my hand to help her up.
After I apologized, Kirara’s mood improved and she got up and started looking around my room.
“You’re a boy and yet, you’re so tidy.”
Kirara muttered surprisingly when she saw the state of my room.
I’m not a dirty person by nature, but Sakihime has been coming to my room a lot lately.
Naturally, I’ve been trying to keep my room cleaner than before.
“That’s normal, right?”
“Is that so? Well, maybe Sakura might come to visit or something― Hey, can I read this book?”
Kirara said and took out a light novel from my bookshelf.
“Eh, you’re reading it here?”
“Yeah.”
“What time is it…?”
“It’s about half past eight.”
No, I know what time it is.
That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying, don’t you realize how late it is to be at a friend’s house?
“Are you going to stay here for the night?”
“Eh, is it okay!?”
I couldn’t tell what Kirara meant by that, so I asked her if she was planning to stay the night.
Apparently, she didn’t plan at all for staying in..
“Of course not! My dad and the others are not here right now!”
“Ah, that reminds me, we haven’t seen each other lately, have we? I knew Momoi wasn’t here, that’s why I came―Hmm, wait a minute! Does that mean it’s just you and Sakura today!?”
You knew that Sakihime wasn’t here, so you came.
Well, that’s true.
She’s not that stupid.
That’s why she’s not going to run into Sakihime.
If they did, it would remind Sakihime of something she didn’t like.
However, she seemed to react more to the fact that I was alone with Sakura-chan.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“I’m staying too! Even if Kaito says I can’t, I’m definitely staying!”
As soon as I affirmed that I would be alone with Sakura-chan, Kirara began to insist furiously.
“No, you can’t! I can’t have a girl staying over while our parents are away!”
“But if I don’t, it’ll be just Sakura and Kaito! Sakura will be attacked!”
“Oi! Sakura-chan is my sister! There’s no way I’m going to attack her!”
I yelled at Kirara, who suddenly said something outrageous.
It’s true that it’s not a good idea to spend the night alone with someone of the opposite sex, but that’s Sakura-chan we’re talking about.
I’m not so far gone that I’d mess with a loli girl.
“You never know! It’s Sakura, you know! I’m sure she’ll stick to you innocently anyway! And who’s to say Kaito won’t lust after those big breasts?”
I couldn’t help but fall silent at Kirara’s words.
Kirara’s words were so familiar to me that I couldn’t find the words to refute them.
“Oh, you just went silent! See, you’re aware of it after all!”
“I-It’s fine! I’ll never touch her!”
When I retorted, Kirara looked at me with fierce eyes.
Yeah, I don’t think she trusts me at all!
―We were tired of arguing, so we decided to take a break.
But even though we said we were going to take a break, Kirara started reading the book she had asked me to read earlier.
It looks like she’s ready to stay.
By the way, we were sitting in front of the computer, where I usually sit, and Kirara was sitting in Sakihime’s special seat.
Well, Sakihime isn’t here today, so there’s nothing wrong with that, but it feels strange to see Kirara sitting where Sakihime always sits.
And why did Kirara want to read a light novel?
“Hey, do you read light novels?”
When I asked, Kirara looked at me with a smile.
“Yes, I read a lot these days. Because that’s what Kaito likes, and you want to know what people you like, right?”
I couldn’t help but turn my head away when Kirara said that with a smile.
Why is this girl so direct?
And when she says that with such a beautiful smile, I feel both happy and embarrassed at the same time.
My face is probably dyed in crimson red right now.
I also thought that Kirara is a good girl after all.
If I had met Kirara before Aria set me up, I wonder what would have happened to us?
No, but then Kirara wouldn’t have been interested in me.
In the first place, it’s a mystery why Kirara is still interested in me.
And since I don’t have much in the way of female endurance, I can’t take her head on.
I feel like I’ve been getting a lot of mental attacks lately…
*Knock knock knock―
As the atmosphere became a little more relaxed, there was a knock on the door.
Sakura-chan must have wanted to come to my room.
It’s been a long time since then, so I guess she thought it was time to come over.
Sakura-chan has been taking a liking to Kirara lately, and I guess she wants to talk to her.
My little sister is so sweet and cute― I thought as I opened the door.
Then―
“Ehehe~, good evening, Umikai-kun…”
―And there was Sakihime in front of me, who was not supposed to be here.
Part 2
(**Sakura’s POV**)
Five minutes ago―.
*Clatter, Clatter, Clatter―
I thought I heard a car pull up in front of my house, but suddenly I heard the front door rattling.
Onii-chan is now upstairs, and so is Kirara-senpai.
And there was no sound of them coming downstairs.
So that means― is it a robbery…?
W-What should I do…?
Onii-chan is upstairs, and Sakura is all alone…
N-No…
I’m so scared…
Sakura looked around for someplace to hide, but sadly there was no place to hide.
While she was doing this, she heard the door open.
And the footsteps of the person who came up to the house seemed to be walking towards the living room where Sakura was.
W-Why…?
I don’t want you to come over here…!
Sakura felt like crying from fear, but there was nothing else she could do.
She was too scared to run away.
In the first place, she couldn’t leave her Onii-chan and run away.
As Sakura was wondering what to do, the door to the living room finally opened.
And the person who came out was―
“I’m home, Sakura.”
―It was her older sister.
“Onee-chan―!”
Sakura was relieved to see that it was her Onee-chan who came into the house, and she hugged her as if to shake off her fear.
“S-Sakura!? What’s wrong!?”
Onee-chan was very confused when she was hugged by Sakura.
But Sakura was on the verge of crying from relief, so she pressed her face against Onee-chan’s body to keep her from showing her face.
“I thought you were staying over today. And I heard a car pull up in front of the house…?”
Sakura asked, keeping her face pressed against her sister.
“Oh… actually, what happened with me was that I forgot something. So I came back to the house to get it. I was going to go home by myself, but Kisaragi-sensei offered me a ride.”
Sakura can’t see Onee-chan’s face, so I can’t tell if she’s telling the truth or not, but I guess she’s telling the truth because there’s no way that Sakura’s favorite sister would tell a lie which Sakura hates.
But it’s rare for Onee-chan to forget something…
“Speaking of which, I can’t seem to see Umikai-kun?”
“Ah, Onii-chan is in his room, I think?”
“That’s right. I’m sorry, Sakura. I have to get something I forgot and be back soon.”
Then she slowly pushed Sakura’s body with her hands and let her go.
Then, she quickly headed upstairs.
It had been quite a while since Onii-chan and the others went upstairs, so Sakura, who wanted to talk to Kirara-senpai, followed her Onee-chan and went upstairs― I don’t know why, but she stopped by Onii-chan’s room before going to her own room.
Onii-chan came out soon after, and he looked very surprised.
I guess he thought Onee-chan was going to stay― but his expression changed to one of impatience.
He looks more impatient than he did when Kirara-senpai came to our house just now, but I wonder why…?
I thought it was strange that he looked so impatient when Kirara-senpai came…
Because Kirara-senpai wasn’t angry, and she seemed to want to talk to Onii-chan.
And yet, Onii-chan had a very troubled expression on his face.
And right now, he’s even more troubled.
Did he not want Onee-chan to know that he had Kirara-senpai in his room?
Onee-chan easily gets jealous, even though she looks like this…
The other day, when she found out that the blonde Onee-san was in Onii-chan’s room, I got very scared…
…At that time, Onii-chan was receiving a lap pillow, right…?
Does Onii-chan like lap pillows?
Would he be happy if I gave him one?
But Sakura would rather have Onii-chan do it for her than do it for him…
While Sakura was thinking about this, Onii-chan called out to Onee-chan.
“W-Why are you… here…?”
“Well, I forgot something! Also, I’d like to have a little chat with you, too, Umi-kun―…Eh…?”
The moment she looked at the back of Onii-chan’s face, the expression on Onee-chan’s face, which had been answering Onii-chan’s question with a smile, turned into a puzzled one.
Then― her face gradually turns into a dirty color.
It was the color of hatred and dislike.
The color that Sakura hated the most.
“W-Why is she here…?”
Onee-chan spoke to the person behind Onii-chan, Kirara-senpai, in a puzzled voice.
“Ah… Umm…”
From here, I couldn’t see Kirara-senpai, but I could tell from her voice that she looked confused.
“Sakihime, this is―”
“I’m sorry, Umi-kun, please step aside.”
Onii-chan tried to say something to Onee-chan, but she pushed him away.
The atmosphere of Onee-chan was very scary.
And disgusting.
Eh?
Eh?
Why is she showing such emotions…?
This is not the usual Onee-chan…
And why is she expressing anger towards Kirara-senpai?
“What the hell are you doing? I pretended I didn’t know about it at school because it was over, but you came to my house! Don’t you ever feel guilty!?”
Onee-chan gave a yell as she entered the room.
I’ve never heard her yell like this before.
Sakura walked into the room so that she could see what was going on inside.
There she saw Onee-chan with a very angry expression, Onii-chan trying to restrain her, and Kirara-senpai had a pained expression on her face.
“Say something! You don’t even think about what you’ve done, do you!?”
“C-Calm down, Sakihime!”
“I can’t calm down! You’re just like her! You know what she’s done to me, so why are you letting her in!? Think about my feelings too!”
Onee-chan said so, and started yelling at Onii-chan as well.
Tears were flowing from her eyes.
W-What should I do…?
What should I do here…?
Sakura was frightened, not knowing what to do about this situation.
But then―
“Yes, yes, that’s enough~!”
―And then a woman, slightly larger than Sakura, intervened with a swallowing voice.
“Kisaragi-sensei…?”
When Onii-chan saw the woman, he sounded puzzled.
Oh, that’s right… I believe she’s the home economics teacher at Sakura’s school.
She’s also the advisor of the student council that Onee-chan is a member of.
“I’m sorry, Kaito, but I heard Momoi shouting, so I took the liberty of rushing in. So, what’s the deal with this situation? Can you explain it to sensei so that I could understand it?”
When Kisaragi-sensei said this, Onii-chan and the others looked troubled.
They seem to think that they can’t talk about it.
“Yes, something bad has happened. Anyway, why don’t you tell me? Don’t worry, I won’t punish you guys for whatever reason that happened.”
Kisaragi-sensei put on a kind smile and clasped her hands in front of her face.
Onii-chan looked first at Onee-chan’s face, then at Kirara-senpai’s face.
Then he thought for a moment― slowly, he told her what had happened so far.
It was― unbearable to listen to.
It was about how the kind Kirara-senpai had done terrible things to Onee-chan that Sakura didn’t even want to express in words.
Then he told her about the punishment he had imposed on Kirara-senpai― and the reason why she had done such a thing.
The latter two things seemed to be new to her, and she had a surprised look on her face.
But the anger hasn’t gone away at all.
I guess that’s true too.
What Kirara did was unforgivable, even for Sakura.
I thought it was really unforgivable that she did such a thing to Sakura’s favorite Onee-chan.
However, I already know that Kirara-senpai is a kind person, and more than anything, Sakura’s eyes judged Kirara-senpai as a good person.
It was probably around the time when Sakura saw Kirara-senpai for the first time and thought she was disgusted that Kirara-senpai had done such a terrible thing to Onee-chan.
A little while after that, Kirara-senpai’s feelings changed, and my judgment of her changed from a bad person to a good and kind hearted person.
So Sakura doesn’t know what to do…
I feel like I can’t forgive her, but I can’t hate Kirara-senpai either.
I think the feelings that Onii-chan has are the same as Sakura.
“I see― You’ve done something terrible, Saijo-san.”
Kisaragi-sensei, who heard the whole story, looked at Kirara-senpai with a wry smile.
But although she was surprised and angry, Sakura could see that she had completely suppressed her anger in her mind.
I feel like Onii-chan and Onee-chan probably think that Kisaragi-sensei is taking this whole thing lightly and is just laughing at them.
But that’s not the case.
Sensei is in complete control of her emotions in order to keep this place clean.
“Anyway, what do you want to do, Momoi-san?”
Kisaragi-sensei looked at Onee-chan and asked.
“What do you want to do, you say…?”
“That’s right. The only thing that you should never do here and now is to hide your anger or cover it up and keep it bottled up inside. This may be good for the situation, but there is a danger that the more you store up, the worse your frustration will be later on, so you should vent all your frustration here and now. So, if you want to be angry at Saijo-san, go ahead and be angry.”
Kisaragi-sensei said that with a smile.
I think it’s great that she said this with a smile.
If you want to be angry, you can be angry. This is the opposite of what Sakura and the others are usually taught, “Be patient, those who can be patient are the great ones.”
However, Onii-chan had a dubious look on his face.
Maybe he thinks it’s dangerous if Onee-chan vents her frustration here.
He’s afraid that he might not be able to stop her.
But I don’t think he has to worry about that.
Onee-chan couldn’t control herself and shouted because Kirara was suddenly there, but her true character is very gentle, so even though she’s angry, she’s still calm, and I don’t think she’ll shout like that ever again.
That’s what Sensei understands.
The reason why Sakura knows this is because she can see it in Sensei’s expression.
And I think that’s why Sensei told her to get angry if she wanted to.
If she doesn’t, she’s probably going to leave this place with a lot of hatred in her heart.
Onii-chan knows that’s what Onee-chan wanted.
I don’t know what would happen if it was Onee-chan who forgot herself like earlier, but I think the Onee-chan right now would do what Onii-chan wants.
Because Onee-chan loves him and doesn’t want him to hate her.
Onee-chan doesn’t want to hurt both Onii-chan and Kirara-senpai, and I don’t think Onii-chan will stop Onee-chan from doing what she wants.
No, probably because it’s Onii-chan, he’s not aware of Onee-chan’s true feelings and thinks, “She’s an adult. It’s going to be fine.”
But as Kisaragi-sensei said, that would be a huge explosion later in the future.
I think that’s why Kisaragi-sensei is here, trying to help Onee-chan vent out as much as she can.
Letting Onee-chan vent out her frustrations in Onii-chan’s presence would allow her to let go of her anger while keeping herself rational.
As Sakura was thinking this, Onee-chan was still glancing at Onii-chan’s face.
She cares about Onii-chan.
But if she doesn’t, Onii-chan will probably stop her, so Sakura will have to encourage her.
“Onee-chan, like what Kisaragi-sensei had said, you should say what you wanted to say. I don’t think it’s good for anyone to keep their anger bottled up.”
When Sakura said this, everyone’s surprised gazes were drawn to me.
Yes, Sakura doesn’t always say things like this.
I don’t want anyone to get into a fight.
But I like Onee-chan, Onii-chan, and Kirara-senpai, so it’s better for Onee-chan to get angry here, I’ll support her.
It’s the only thing that I could do.
Then― Onee-chan began to complain about what was done to her.
Kirara-senpai didn’t make any excuses for it, but took it all in stride.
When Onee-chan finished complaining, she took a breath and said these words.
“I will… never ever forgive you…”
Hearing Onee-chan’s words, Onii-chan raised his head as if looking up to the heavens, and began to meditate and think.
Kirara took in Onee-chan’s words as if she had no choice.
I’m sure that Senpai was planning to spend the rest of her life atoning for her sins to Onee-chan, just like she promised Onii-chan.
But, the Onee-chan right now was no longer showing dirty colors.
She was showing the beautiful color that was the usual Onee-chan.
“But― if you’re my friend, I might be able to forgive you. So, if you’re going to spend your whole life trying to make amends to me, try your best to be my friend. Well, I won’t accept you as my friend so easily, though.”
Onee-chan said this to Kirara-senpai.
Her face was not smiling, but serious.
I can see that Onee-chan has not forgiven Kirara-senpai.
However, she didn’t seem to hate her unlike before.
I think that Onee-chan has come to terms with her feelings.
And Onee-chan wasn’t lying.
She seemed to think that if they were really friends, she might be able to forgive her.
So the rest is up to Kirara-senpai.
“Are you sure… that’s what you want…?”
Kirara asked Onee-chan in a strained voice.
“Didn’t you misunderstand something? I just said that I might be able to forgive you, I didn’t say that I would forgive you, and as I said before, don’t think that we can be friends so easily.”
Onee-chan said it plainly, but her words were not filled with anger.
People can really switch it up now.
“Yeah…! Yeah…! I understand! I’ll try my best to be Momoi’s friend!”
Kirara replied, trying to hold back her tears.
Onee-chan had an indescribable expression on her face, but Sakura thought that maybe the two of them could become friends in the future.
But until then, Onee-chan won’t forgive her, so I guess Onii-chan’s words of “keep atoning for your life” are still valid…
I hope the two of them can get along soon.
“I’m glad, I’m so glad!”
When Sakura was praying for Onee-chan and the others to get along soon, Kisaragi-sensei clapped her hands happily when she saw them.
Onii-chan was also relieved, and approached Kisaragi-sensei.
“How could you give such advice?”
Onii-chan didn’t expect Kisaragi-sensei to be able to solve the problem so amicably, and asked with a strange expression.
“A long time ago, when I was bullied in high school and hated everyone around me, my teacher told me that.”
“Eh… you were bullied…?”
“I’ve always wanted to go to a young lady’s school, and it was great that I got in as a special student, but the other kids didn’t like the fact that I was a normal person. I only had three friends, but they bullied me in a way that I didn’t understand, and when they noticed and stopped me, I already resented them. Then, one of the teachers stayed with me the whole time. Well, she was a teacher, but she was also like an older sister to me. She listened to my complaints all the time, and gradually my mind cleared up. That’s when I thought, ‘I want to be like her.’ Moreover, ‘I want to be like this teacher and guide students who are troubled.'”
Kisaragi-sensei said to Onii-chan in a nostalgic way.
Onii-chan looked at Sensei with a surprised expression on her face, and then Sensei looked at Onii-chan as if she was reviewing him.
Sakura wanted to ask what Onii-chan thought of Sensei, but she didn’t want to ruin the mood, so she held back.
Onee-chan and Kisaragi-sensei were about to leave after Onee-chan and the others had reconciled― maybe not quite reconciled, but at least end the day on a positive note…
When Onee-chan and the others went outside, they found that Kisaragi-sensei’s car had been given a sticker by the policeman for parking violations―
“No waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!”
―And Kisaragi-sensei’s demise, if you can call it that, I guess?
It also echoed throughout the streets of the night―
Part 3
(**???’s POV**)
“Ugh… this is all Kaito-chan’s fault…”
“No, Sensei. It’s not Kanzaki-kun’s fault, it’s my fault for forgetting something, so please don’t get mad at him.”
I was working late, and my manager instructed me to stay at a hotel, and I was at the reception desk― two beautiful women were talking, and the words that bothered me came to my ears.
Kaito-chan…?
Kanzaki-kun…?
“No, it’s all Kaito-chan’s fault! Because if something happens, it’s always the man’s fault!”
“No, isn’t that the case when it’s a fight between a man and a woman…? Kanzaki-kun is like a victim this time around…”
I knew it―!
“U-Umm―! Can I have a word with you!?”
―Thinking that I might have finally found the person I was looking for, I couldn’t hide my nervousness as I squeezed out what everyone said was a beautiful voice, like rolling a bell, and spoke to the person I had never met before―.