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Side Story\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n–Like he is an idiot.\n\n
That’s what I thought when I saw my brother apologizing with a serious face for catching a cold for the first time in years. He had a fever of over 38 degrees Celsius and was shivering with cold, wrapping a blanket around himself, sniffing, and coughing a few times against the wall. He seemed to be worried about his bad timing, and I knew he was feeling apologetic as he narrowed his eyes.\n\n
–Seriously, what an idiot!\n\n
It’s not that I want to blame my brother for catching a cold. It’s not that I wanted him to apologize to Fujisaki-san either.\n
I was just a little worried.\n
Since his mother died, my brother has changed. He started to do his chores and study at full speed, to the point of breaking his body. I don’t blame him, nor do my father. But he was working as if someone was blaming him as if he was being driven to the edge.\n\n
“Sorry …please apologize to Fujisaki for me.”\n\n
That was the first thing that came out of his mouth.\n
It may not be my place to say this, as I’ve already changed my clothes, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him as he tried to take care of everything on his own.\n
It was this feeling that made me say these words to him.\n\n
“I don’t mind. I mean, it’s really bad timing, isn’t it?”\n
“It hurts to hear you say that…”\n\n
His voice was getting fainter and fainter. My brother, who is known for his weakness, seems to be able to cope with the sarcasm. I felt sorry for my brother, and the word “stupid” kept running through my mind.\n
In the end, I think my brother is and always has been too serious.\n
There is no doubt that my brother bears some responsibility. However, there is no one in this house who blames my brother. My relatives, who only discuss things from afar, don’t get involved in our family in any particular way.\n
My brother did his best even when things were rough. Like a rubber band being pulled and popped, he was throwing back the repercussions of his days of studying with such passion in the form of fights.\n
The word “cut corners” is probably not in my brother’s dictionary.\n
Even now, while carrying a cross on his back, he is cramming in so much housework and studying that he doesn’t even have time to sleep.\n\n
…I am the exact opposite of my brother.\n
I cut corners where I can. I don’t have the word “all-out” in my dictionary. In the full marathon that is my life, I have been walking slowly except for the 10 or 20 km milestones. Even when I do run once in a while, I never push myself if I feel tired. I just look sideways at people like my brother who keep giving it their all, thinking how hard it must be.\n\n
“You guys have fun today. Don’t worry about me, okay?”\n\n
My brother said with a fake smile on his face.\n
I swallowed all my frustration and annoyance with the person in front of me and opened my mouth.\n\n
“I know… Then, I’m off.”\n\n
I felt a tug at back, but I turned on my heel without hesitation. I closed the door and leaned against it, taking a deep breath.\n\n
–I am also an idiot, worrying about something like this.\n\n
＊　＊　＊\n\n
“Sayaka-chan.”\n\n
When I arrived at the meeting place, I saw a person waving at me with a cute smile.\n\n
Shiori Fujisaki-san.\n
Unbelievably, she seems to be my brother’s friend…\n
I’ve only known her for about a month, but I think she’s a very attractive person.\n\n
“Sorry..!　Did I keep you waiting?”\n
“No, I just got here too…”\n\n
…Ah, this smile heals me.\n
She has a face so well-rounded that even I, a woman, can’t help but fall in love with it. Her face is pure and innocent. I would like to thank my brother for getting to know this person.\n\n
“Wow, Sayaka-chan. Your casual clothes are stylish. You look very mature.”\n
“Is that so?”\n
“Yeah!　I think it’s really nice.”\n\n
I pinched the bottom of my skirt. It was worth the effort to pick out an outfit that wouldn’t make me look strange in front of Fujisaki-san. I also liked the white fur coat that I had recently bought.\n\n
“You look really really cute…Fujisaki-san.”\n
“Nothing like that. I’m just dressed for the occasion.”\n\n
…Ah, this casual wear is also soothing.\n
It’s not that they are particularly fashionable. They are fairly simple clothes, I think.\n
A pale red chester coat. On her feet, you can see her beautiful legs wrapped in black stockings.\n
But this simplicity, combined with Fujisaki-san’s gentle atmosphere, was really nice.\n
I mean, how can Fujisaki-san look so cute with almost no makeup on?\n\n
“Is Ookusu-kun… I mean Naoya-kun, okay?”\n
“He’s fine. It’ll go away if he just sleeps. It’s not worth worrying about.”\n
“I see…”\n\n
I had expected to be asked. To my great surprise, Fujisaki-san seems to have a crush on my brother. This conclusion was based on a hundred times of suspicion, so I was sure of it.\n
Even now, the desire to rush to my brother’s side is at the forefront of her mind.\n\n
–Shitty brother, why don’t you just straighten up?\n\n
She is an impeccable person. Even as a woman, I can see that she has the perfect personality and appearance. I don’t want them to get together, considering the future of Fujisaki-san. But since I have no reason to interfere, I can only secretly support her.\n\n
“…I talked to my brother before I left. He asked me to give a message to Fujisaki-san: ‘I’m very sorry I couldn’t make it today. I’ll make it up to you. If you don’t mind if it’s just the two of us, let me make plans sometime.’ “\n
“Ju-just the two of us?”\n\n
Of course, the “just the two of us” part was a lie. But if I didn’t force him to go on a date with her, I couldn’t see a future where the two of them would get together. I don’t think it’s hasty, considering that I have to separate him from the super beauty that is Enami-san.\n\n
“Why did Ookusu-kun suddenly say something like that?”\n
“Huh?　Aren’t Fujisaki-san and my brother dating?”\n
“That’s not true!”\n\n
If I were to describe Fujisaki-san’s current state in a cartoonish way, I would say that she has whirlpools in her eyes and steam coming out of her head. In reality, though, she’s just swimming her eyes and having her face turn bright red.\n
Even though she’s such a cute person, I still don’t understand my brother who doesn’t make things clear with her.\n\n
“I only told you this because my brother asked me to. If you want to know more, you should ask my brother directly.”\n
I’ll make sure to get my brother to align with this later.\n
“Thank you, Sayaka-chan.”\n
“It’s nothing.”\n\n
As someone who is lying to support Fujisaki-san, I can’t accept her gratitude honestly.\n\n
“Even if you’re not dating, I would love it if my brother and Fujisaki-san would get along in the future. He’s such an irrepressible brother, and I think he needs someone as sensible and kind as Fujisaki-san to be able to control him.”\n
“Control?… I think Ookusu… Naoya-kun is very decent.”\n
“No, no…”\n\n
It’s true that he’s getting better on the outside. However, my brother is a dangerous person who can go out of control if left unchecked. He treats me like a child, but there are many aspects of him that I don’t understand as a brother.\n\n
“You’ll understand soon. Anyway, why don’t we get going?”\n
“Ah, yes!　Then, let’s see, that way!”\n\n
After we finished talking about my brother, we headed to the karaoke bar. I was still nervous about going to the karaoke bar with Fujisaki-san.\n
We went to a chain karaoke store, where I often go with my friends. It doesn’t have a large variety of songs, but they have a good selection of sweets and the prices are reasonable, so I find it very useful.\n
After completing the check-in procedures, we went to the designated room on the third floor.\n\n
“It’s cold, so I’ll turn on the heat.”\n
“Thank you. I’ll take your coat. I’ll hang it up for you.”\n\n
Underneath her coat, Fujisaki-san was wearing a white turtleneck knit. But when she wears it, she looks so adorable.\n\n
“What kind of songs do you usually sing, Fujisaki-san?”\n
“Um, I tend to sing older songs than other people.”\n\n
She smiles embarrassedly. Moe.\n\n
“My father often plays songs that were popular in the past. That’s how I came to listen to those songs. I’m not familiar with the latest popular songs.”\n
“So, something like Z〇RD or T〇F…?”\n
“Ah, of course, those too!　Sayaka-chan is also familiar with them, huh?”\n
“My father also listens to them a lot…”\n\n
However, in the case of my father, it is because I am forced to listen to a lot of bad humming. I don’t want to listen to the old songs myself.\n\n
“The group I like the most is called WAN〇S. Do you know them, Sayaka-chan?”\n
“I’ve heard of them… But my father only listens to female artists.”\n\n
He seemed to have been a fan of Mo〇’s and talked enthusiastically about how great they were in their prime.\n\n
“So you know about E〇T and kir〇ro?”\n
“Of course. I mean, I don’t think those are too old.”\n
“Surprisingly, there are many girls who don’t know about the… I’m glad you know about it, Sayaka-chan!　If that’s the case, I won’t hesitate to add my favorite song.”\n
“I can sing later, so please put your choice in first.”\n
“Is that okay? Then I’ll choose first.”\n\n
After a while, “Love Love Love” by Drea〇m appeared on the screen. It was a famous song that I knew too. The sound of a harpsichord or some such instrument sounded subdued and gradually combined with the sounds of various instruments to form a distinctive melody. Fujisaki-san grasped the microphone with both hands and began to sing.\n\n
“…”\n\n
I’d heard the lyrics so many times on TV and video sites that even I, who wasn’t that familiar with the song, could sing along. I reconfirmed that it was a good song, but at the same time, I had a strange nagging feeling.\n
Maybe it’s because I feel like I understand her feelings.\n
Fujisaki-san’s singing voice was clear. She didn’t use vibrato, shuffling, or any other unnecessary techniques. She was just singing along with the music that was playing.\n
That’s why I feel as if I can feel the emotion in her voice.\n\n
“…”\n\n
I fiddled with my hair on the side of my head and listened to her voice as it drifted by.\n\n
Somehow.\n
I think I like Fujisaki-san a lot more than I thought I did.\n
Her smile.\n
Her gentle voice.\n
The way she says I’m a very good girl.\n
I like everything. I admire people like her, and I want to spend more time with her.\n
The song was already coming to an end. I think it’s time for me to put on a song, so I reach for the touchscreen.\n
I want Fujisaki-san to be able to achieve that love, even if it is for a brother like that.\n
I want to see more of her happy face.\n\n
So you’d better get a grip.\n\n
–You stupid brother.\n\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\nTN: It’s been a while.. Well, I’ve been putting this off as it’s longer than usual chapters.. there are 6 SS in total. We’ll get around to them, someday. 😀\n\n
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><figcaption>IMPATIENT MTL READER</figcaption></figure>\n<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n\n
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