It was raining in the park, and of course there was no one there but me and Shiho.
We were alone under a tree, taking shelter from the rain and exchanging words.
It was a casual moment, but it had been a long time since Iād had that kind of fun.
āAzu-nyan is so sweet. I canāt believe she got to be Kotaro-kunās little sisterā¦ I wish I could have been your little sister, too.ā
I was talking about my middle school days when Shiho unexpectedly interrupted me.
āI donāt think being my little sister would be that great.ā
I was interrupted in my reminiscing, but I think Iāll call it a short break.
āNo, itās not. Azu-nyan sometimes takes a sisterly stance toward you, you know? She sends me messages on the messaging app with pictures like, āOnii-chan made omelette todayā.ā
āI didnāt know she was doing that.ā
Iām surprised they got along better than I thought they would.
On the surface, Azusa says sheās not very good with Shiho, but the chemistry doesnāt seem to be that bad after all.
āIām so embarrassed that she did that even though she knew I was jealous of herā¦ Well, Azu-nyan is almost like a little sister to me, so Iāll forgive her as a cute joke from one of my relatives, wonāt I? You see, Iām very generous.ā
I donāt think you are generous.
Shiho is a very tiny vessel.
Even now, she was a little bit upset even though it was in the past.
I didnāt talk about it because I was afraid of what would happen, ā¦ but now Iām talking about the past because I think itās okay if this happens.
Even if I am upset, jealous, or sulking, Shiho will accept me ā I believe that.
āSo, whatās the rest of the story?ā
See, I knew Shiho wanted to know.
She is listening to my words with great interest.
I guess she is trying to get to know me.
I want to respond to that desire.
That is why I continued to reminisceā¦
āāHigh school exam, the morning of the announcement of results.
After finishing breakfast, Azusa and I changed into our school uniforms and left the house.
āAh, itās Yuzuki Onee-chan.ā
When we went outside, we found my childhood friend, Yuzuki, standing idly in front of our house.
Apparently, she was waiting for me.
At that time, before we met Ryuzaki, Yuzuki was often next to me. She often went to school with me in the mornings.
āAzusa-san, good morning. Iām sorry for ambushing you in the morning, Kotaro-san.ā
āNo, itās fine.ā
ā¦ From what standpoint am I saying that ā¦ itās fine?
At the time, I took it for granted that Yuzuki would be waiting for me.
I am truly ashamed of myself. If I had been more self-aware, I would have thanked her for waiting for me.
āI donāt have the courage to go see the result announcement aloneā¦would you let me join you?ā
āEh? Yuzuki Onee-chan passed the exam with ease, didnāt you? If Yuzuki Onee-chan failed, Azusa and Onii-chan would definitely fail too!ā
Azusa was trying to cheer up Yuzuki, even though she was anxious herself.
She is a girl who has always had a kind heart.
ā I was so nervous that I couldnāt think straight at all ā¦ I didnāt remember much of the day, and I was worried about whether I had answered the questions correctlyā¦ā
āI seeā¦ I think youāll be fineā¦ā
The two of them started walking while exchanging such chit-chat.
Although we were classmates, Yuzuki, who took good care of me, and Azusa, who wanted to be spoiled, had a great compatibility. They were like real sisters up until middle school.
After entering high school, they became rivals who liked the same person, and their relationship grew a bit cold.