Leave a comment

School was over, and I was walking home.
I ate with Karen, despite the awkward atmosphere, and after the dishes were washed, my free time arrived.
Shutting myself in my room, I lay on my bed. At that exact moment, my phone vibrated and rang.
I looked at my phone; it was a message from Shin. It might be about what he promised to tell me today.

My anticipation was right, and his new message was written on my phone, “Sakura-chan said she will help. When should it be?”
When, huh. I think the earlier, the better. I don’t think I can bear this atmosphere any longer.

“Saturday this week would be fine. I’m in pain because of Karen’s ignorance of me… I want to deal with this quickly…”
“Noted. Then, I will let her know. I wish that you can make up with Karen-chan.”
“Nn.”

After that short exchange, I released my phone on the bed.
Shin and the others were lending their hands. That made me really happy. However, at the same time, because things had progressed further, I looked at the ceiling in front of me with unease.
I had been thinking while staring at the ceiling. This thought has always been in a corner of my mind.

‘Does Karen hate me?’

I didn’t know since when, but Karen had stopped depending on me at some point. Her attitude and words turned cold too, telling me not to meddle in her affairs.
I had always thought that it was just teenage problems, but if she had actually simply hated me, wouldn’t that make what I was about to do futile?

I like Karen. Of course, not as a member of the opposite sex, but as a family member.
But if it was one-sided, wouldn’t it be impossible for us to make up? If that’s true, I would be desolated…
We were known as two intimate siblings in our neighborhood when we were small. We would do anything together, go anywhere together. Two people who shared their time together. It was like that, every day, every time.
When we got into elementary school, our years were different, so we spent a little less time together, but it didn’t change the fact that we were intimate brother and sister.

However, since when, I wonder. Maybe it was at a time that I didn’t notice, slowly and steadily, Karen had distanced away from me.
Actually, I had noticed it before. I don’t know when it happened, but a gap between us had unexpectedly opened.
Even after I noticed, I behaved as usual every day, but I was always lonely in my heart.

“…”

Before I was conscious of it, I had sent a message to Shin, a message typed with heavy fingers clad in anxiety.

“I, I wonder if Karen has come to hate me? If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be impossible to make up?”

It’s weak-kneed words, if I say so myself.
However, I wanted an objective opinion on whether I should continue or not.
As my stomach was getting assaulted by uneasiness, I awaited Shin’s reply.

—Pirorin.

“—!”

Before long, my phone rang.
I looked at my phone with unease. There, relaxing words, Shin’s signature, were reflected.

“Did you lose your screw somewhere? Karen-chan can’t have hated you. Besides, wouldn’t you be happy if the person you hate didn’t attend your entrance ceremony? However, Karen-chan was angry, wasn’t she? In other words, she wanted you to come to her entrance ceremony, right?”
“…”

Good point. That’s what had happened. She usually wouldn’t come to wake me up, but she came to wake me up just that day. She asked me to hurry, even.

“I understand that you are losing confidence, Karen-chan is acting cold at you too, which I also know since I have always been with you. But, I can tell that even if she’s cold with you, she doesn’t hate you. Karen-chan must have her own thoughts too.”

Thoughts? What kind of…
While I was in the middle of my thought train, a new message came in.

“Tell her your thoughts with this opportunity, including the one you just told me. And while you’re at it, tell her your feelings!”
“…haha.”

An encouragement that sounds like from Shin after all… Haa, his encouragement soothed my nerves and made me laugh.
As he said, you can’t think about it if you don’t know about it. I should talk to Karen about it, about that too.
I replied with more lighthearted feelings.

“Thanks, Shin. You’re a good childhood friend.”
“I’m not a childhood friend with anyone that isn’t a beautiful girl.”

He immediately sent a joke (that might not be a joke after all) after I thanked him.

“He’s as hopeless as usual.”

I accidentally said that while laughing. I didn’t know if Shin was embarrassed or serious. However, he might have just been hiding his embarrassment.
While I was contemplating how to reply to his joke, a new message came in.

“Really, I only acknowledged you as my childhood friend because you’ve turned into a pretty girl. I’m proud to have such a pretty childhood friend.”

“He really is hopeless,” I said, amazed from the bottom of my heart.

How do I say it… he spoilt the moment.

After the Operation Brother and Sister’s Reconciliation (named by Miki) was finalized, several days flew by, and finally, the day of the operation arrived.
Yesterday, Karen came to my room, pouting, asking if she could go out with Amasaki-san on Saturday at the nearby giant shopping mall. I obviously agreed.
After getting her answer, Karen immediately left my room.
Her making the effort to ask me face-to-face… I took that as proof that she didn’t hate me. I felt a bit happy.
Anyway, today was the day for the girls’ shopping. Both being cute, I tried to groom myself a little better.

Though I say that, I wasn’t much into clothes, so more than half of my casual wear were hand-me-downs from Shin, who’s taller than me.
That’s why I lost confidence when comparing my fashion sense with Shin’s. But it wasn’t a problem. I wasn’t going out to show off my fashion sense anyway.
However, I didn’t want to look odd.
Let me check myself once more.
I stood in front of my full-body mirror on my dresser’s door.

Today, to accentuate my long legs, I wore black skinny pants. I’m not overly proud, but I do appreciate my long legs. Oh wait, did I just admit I’m proud of them? W, well, it’s certainly one of my better features, so all’s fine. Yes, it is.

For my top, I chose a white T-shirt with a black bolo tie. I also donned plain glasses that Shin had left behind and a casquette. By the way, these were bought by his sister, but they didn’t suit her, so she passed them on to me, saying, “they suit you.”
…well, they didn’t look weird on me, but it was a bit mixed feeling to be told female accessories suited me.
That aside, the clothes turned out to be useful this time, so it was all fine.

I didn’t usually wear plain glasses and a hat, but I was going out with two cute girls. I thought it would be better if I hid the bad guy vibe my face naturally exuded a bit.
I checked my style one more time and nodded.
Yes, it’s perfect.

Lastly, I checked my belongings. Wallet, check. Phone, check. Handkerchief and pocket tissue, check. Everything was in order.
I might need to carry some bags today, so it was best to travel light.

After confirming everything, I left my house. I locked the door, setting off alone. We planned to meet directly at the location, not en route. “It would create the appropriate mood,” Amasaki-san had said.
I wasn’t sure what kind of mood was appropriate, so I was fine with leaving that to Sakura-chan, who had gone out of her way to help.
Thinking this, I continued on my way to the train station. The mall was just two stops away, so I’d arrive quickly.

The travel time was short, but I didn’t want to be late, so I hastened my pace.
That was half the reason. The other half was the piercing gazes from people around me.
For some reason, this was the first time this happened. I was using the main street, so there were many onlookers, but even considering that, it felt excessive.
Was my fashion off?

I usually went out with Shin and Karen beside me, so I felt a bit insecure alone.
So, I walked hastily, almost running, to the station to escape my discomfort.

While being the center of people’s attention, I finally arrived at the shopping mall. The gazes never stopped along the way, making me feel quite uncomfortable.
But let’s leave that aside for now. I headed towards our predetermined meeting spot.
Umm, it was in the lobby, near the pet shop, right?
I checked the information board and quickly made my way there.

I was early, but I wanted to arrive before the agreed time. Karen had left the house before me, so she was probably already there.
Would they be angry if I arrived later than them? I wasn’t sure about Amasaki-san, but Karen might be a little upset. I could almost hear her saying, “you’re late.”

As I reached the meeting spot, I easily found the two of them. They were chatting happily, yet the aura they exuded kept others at bay. It was as if no one dared to disturb them.
There they were, two beautiful flowers. They were indeed eye-catching.
Well, it’s not like I was unrelated to them. One was my sister, and the other a friend. Did I need to hesitate?
Ignoring the stares from around me, I approached them confidently.

“Is he brave or foolish?” I felt like the onlookers were wondering, but these girls were part of my life.
“Thanks for waiting, you two. Sorry for being late.”
“…you’re late,” Karen replied, just as I had anticipated.
“I’m sorry. Sorry to you too, Amasaki-san.”
“No, I’ve just arrived.”
“Really? I’m relieved then.”

I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders, hearing her words.

“Wow…,” Sakura said in such a flat tone it almost seemed like an afterthought.
“Hm? What’s up?”
“A-ah, nothing. It’s just, Kisaragi-san, I thought you are beautiful.”
“Karen, she said you’re pretty. That’s good.”
“I don’t think she was referring to me though…”

What are you saying, sister? There’s only one Kisaragi-san that can be called pretty here.

“Ah, um, I meant big brother Kisaragi-san. ‘He’s pretty…’ I thought.”
“Eh, me?”

Amasaki-san timidly clarified.

“Y-yes! You have a sort of tomboyish beauty!”
“Tomboyish…”

‘Don’t you use that term for girls?’ I thought, but I could tell from her eyes that Amasaki-san meant it as a compliment.

“Th-thank you? Amasaki-san, you’re quite cute yourself.”
“N-no way! I’m not!”

When I returned the compliment, she waved her hand in embarrassment.

“Also, calling both of us ‘Kisaragi-san’ might be confusing, so you can call me Kurona.”
“Okay. Then, should I call you Kurona-san?”
“Yes.”

Few girls called me by my first name, so it felt a little strange. But it was necessary to distinguish between us.

“In that case, please call me Sakura too.”
“Okay, I understand, Sakura-chan.”

I rarely called girls by their first names either, so I felt a bit shy too.

“Mmmmm~”
Karen audibly pouted at me.

“W-what is it?”
“…nothing. I definitely didn’t think ‘he looks pathetic being lovestruck just like that.'”
“I-I wasn’t lovestruck, you know?”

I was just a bit embarrassed. That was the truth.

“Nothing. I said I definitely didn’t think that, didn’t I?”
Karen turned away in a huff.

Umm… why was Karen upset?
As I pondered, I saw Sakura, wearing a pained smile, as if she understood the situation.
I thought about asking her why Karen was upset, but decided it would be better to ask when Karen wasn’t around. If Karen heard, it might be hard for Sakura to speak honestly.

After deciding on what to call each other, we set out.
We couldn’t just chat there forever. The lingering gazes were increasing, so it was time to move on.

“Then, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
“…Alright.”

After I spoke, both of them stood up.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
“Clothing store!!”
“Then, let’s go clothes shopping.”
“Yes!”
“Un.”

We decided to head to clothing stores first.
With our destination set, we began walking there.

They only mentioned “clothing store,” but we ended up visiting numerous stores inside this massive shopping mall, ranging from slightly high-end to more affordable ones.
Each store offered subtly different designs and varied selections, so…

“Hey, are you two planning to buy something soon…?”
“We want to compare a bit more.”
“As she said! We need to make the best use of our limited pocket money, so we’ll keep comparing until we’re satisfied!”
“I see…”

Their shopping excursion seemed like it would never end.

Those two kept busily moving from one store to another, and then back again. ‘Oh, it’s cheaper in this shop’, ‘Oh, I like the design that this shop carries’, and so on. They kept repeating this cycle, yet they didn’t buy a single thing.

I suppressed the sigh that was building up inside me.
Today was an opportunity to mend my relationship with Karen. I planned to ask her what she thinks of me. I resolved to hang out with them until the end, though the end seemed far off…
With nothing to do, I browsed the clothing stores myself.

I thought they might ask for my opinion, but they were quietly choosing their clothes and asking each other, not me. I felt utterly useless.
Walking away alone would render Miki’s three-person operation meaningless, so I followed them around.
However, this didn’t change the fact that I was completely unoccupied and utterly bored. So, I looked at the wares, trying to ward off my boredom.

“Are you looking for something?” a shop clerk approached me while I browsed.
“No, I’m just looking around.”
“If I may, may I choose one for you?”
“Eh, no, I’m fine.”
“Esteemed customer, you have a good body shape. I think outfits that accentuate your slim body as a whole will look good on you.”
“U, um…”
“How about this one? It’s good to show off the line of your legs, but I think a long skirt would also look good on you because your waist is high.”
“Uh, no, I mean.”
“Esteemed customer has a boyish look, but you also have an air of neatness to it, so it would be good to coordinate your fashion simply with the latest fashions. Standard fashion items will also do.”
“E, err….”

The clerk continued giving me tips on fashion coordination, not really listening to me.
She was more on a monologue than asking me a question. The staff seemed focused on forming a single coordinated outfit for me.
The staff kept churning out words like a machine, but her eyes were pinned on me, as if she’s eying a prey. If I moved a bit, her gaze would follow. It was scary.
Has there been a Phantom that’s scarier than this!?

While trembling with fear under her gaze, I desperately racked my brain for a way out. Finally, the two girls noticed and came over with question marks over their heads.

“What’s wrong?”
“I was caught by the staff…”
“Her shoulders are pretty, so she should show them off, but non-vulgar clothes would look good on you too. Should they be conservatively exposed? No, then her beautiful skin would stay hidden…”

She kept grumbling, churning out an inexhaustible supply of words like a wall of text. When the two saw the staff, they looked at each other and nodded in consent.
Finally, I would be free…
I sighed with relief for a brief moment.

“Big brother… sister, I think a chic color like black would suit you.”
“On the other hand, I think cute clothes might unexpectedly suit you.”

The two of them expressed their opinions to the staff, joining the bandwagon.
Hey, you two! Can you please stop that? Oh wait, Karen! What do you mean by big sister! I don’t think I need to remind you, but I’m your big brother!

“Hey, wait…”
“”(Big sister)(Kurona-san)(Esteemed customer), (please) quiet down.””
“H, Hiieek..!”

The sound of three people talking earnestly together made me take a step back involuntarily.

“Rather than black and its shades, light green or other gentle and cool colors might be better.”
“Wouldn’t you consider pink? Dark pink is out of the question, but light pink might be excellent.”
“For overall composition, it might be better to use less dark color. On top of that, should we use a warm color palette or a cool color palette…”

The three of them were looking face to face. They continued talking seriously as if they were in a meeting. My opinion was entirely ignored…

‘Someone, listen to me~~…’

Nah, I jest. This isn’t the time for that.
They say “three women make a market”. It would be impossible to stop them now.
Seeing that they were having as much fun as they were being serious, I lost my will to stop them. Or rather, it seemed that I couldn’t stop them by myself anymore…
I gave up on stopping them and let myself be completely carried along by the flow.