.
.
.
"I was happy when you told me that you were worried about me as me, and not as your sister's replacement."
"I was happy when you told me that you would prefer being called 'Senpai' over 'Nii-san.'"
"Joining the same club as me, worrying about how I was alone in class, backing me up during my presentation, even choosing to spend less time with Weiss Senpai and your band… and being with me. It… it made me really, really happy."
She had said that and lightly kiss me on the cheek.
"The more I think about it… wasn't that just a roundabout way of confessing to me!?"
Those thoughts had gone through my head, sending my heart beating faster, and they still do even now. However… why was it, that even after all that had happened, she didn't even seem the least embarrassed about it? For her to act like absolutely nothing had happened really made me feel as if it had all been a dream. I had spent last night tossing and turning in bed, thinking "What do I do if she really likes me?", but looking back on that, I may have been acting like an idiot. Ugh, what a mess.
"Hey, Kuroneko?"
"Yeah?"
"Umm… well… it's about what happened before… you know… behind the school…"
"…"
"Umm… well… what happened there… what was the meaning of —"
I couldn't get the rest of the sentence out. Before I got to hear how Kuroneko would respond, I heard a bang!as the door forcefully opened and Kae flew into the room.
"Ruri Ruri Ruri! I need to tell you something!"
Because of Kae's sudden intrusion, my question towards Kuroneko faded away without being settled. Kuroneko sighed, and for some reason I heard a bit of relief mixed in with it.
"And so a noisy one returns. Well, what is it this time?"
"I was looking at a doujin game message board on my cell phone a bit ago, and there was someone actually praising the game that we made! Here, take a look at this post!"
Kae was in high spirits as she showed her cell phone screen to me and Kuroneko.
"I really don't like looking at this message board that much. I mean, all they do is badmouth us."
"Now, now, Naruto Senpai, don't say that."
"Really? Alright, which one is it… is it the newest comment…? Uwaah, there are a lot more comments now… oh, wait, it looks like they're all coming from the same few people."
"Yes, it seems that last night, there were people fighting on the board, and the thread got pretty long because of two people. Look this."
-Someone recommended this to me so I tried it, but it was such a shitty game. The game balance was completely the worst. It was so difficult I just gave up.
-Nah, that's most likely because you just suck. The game balance was fine.
-Defending a game on a flame thread like this. Looks like we're in the divine presence of one of the game creators.
-We're only bashing the game scenario here in the first place. The game system was pretty well done.
"I see, so they're arguing. But where exactly did someone praise the game?"
I lifted my gaze from the cell phone screen. Kae smiled at me, but she seemed slightly miffed.
"Take a closer look, Senpai. This guy with the completely red ID who tried to smear our game can go to hell and die, but look, there's a commenter who's defending the game! The game system was well done, he said! Ufufu, you know, I was the one who made that game system!"
We made the damn game together, so of course I knew that! It was seriously surprising how happy she was about this. Kae sure was pretty pleased about that one comment, considering I had to read the comment quite a few times before I even recognized it for a compliment. Well, to be fair, I was pretty happy too.
"That's great."
"Yes it is! Ahhh, I'm really pumped now! I'm going to do my best with the next one!"
Kae rolled up her sleeves, brimming with energy. When you got past her rather calm outer layer, you could see how much of a kid Kae really was inside. But to be honest, I liked this side of her more. She left herself and her embarrassing sides completely exposed, and it felt like she was really opening her heart to us.
Yup. It was really cute. On the other hand, Kuroneko stood there with a complicated expression, staring at the cell phone display that Kae was so eagerly showing to us. I was wondering whether she was a bit happy about this too, but just one word of praise was probably not enough for her. Or maybe she was just annoyed at the person who had been bashing the game. I tried to find out which it was.
"Hey, Kuroneko. You must be at least a little happy about this too, right?"
Kuroneko didn't respond. However… after Kae half‐skipped back to her seat, Kuroneko mumbled something in a low voice that only I could hear.
"That thread… the truth is… I was the one who wrote that comment."
"That's what happened!?"
No wonder she's not happy about it! She's the one who wrote it in the first place! But… why exactly had she done something like that? Knowing this girl… it can't have been for the sake of her own pride. Considering what she had written in that comment, that idea was out of the question.
Dammit. Because Kae had come, I couldn't finish asking Kuroneko what I'd wanted to ask. I walked towards my house, thinking. Kuroneko… I wondered what she thought of had asked her about something similar to that before… and then what did she say again? She liked me…
"I like you… just as much as your sister likes you."
That Naruko… she would always hate me. But, if that's the case… did Kuroneko also hate me? No, that can't be right. Even if it was completely my imagination that she liked me, I really didn't think that she actually hated me. I mean, she kissed me!
So what the hell? Did she really like me then? Or did she hate me? Or maybe it was neither? Aaaah… I've got noooo idea… this is so annoying.
(◕ω◕✿)
It was after school on a certain day. As usual, I was headed for the shoe racks with Weiss.
"So something like that happened."
"Yeah. Honestly, I didn't meddle at all. And eventually, they figured it out themselves."
As Weiss and I walked towards the shoe racks, I explained the situation about Kuroneko to Weiss.
"But at least it wasn't all for nothing."
"Yeah, I guess."
And I agreed because… well… it's not like I had to be the one to help Kuroneko out. If she could make a friend and have a more enjoyable time at school, then that was enough for me. It didn't have to be my doing, and that's what I believed from the bottom of my heart.
They say that sometimes people change when they become aware of their own questionable motives. I think my situation was something like that.
We stood side by side and chitter chattered as we leisurely walked towards the gate. A few flower petals were already falling from the row of sakura trees that lined the walkway. The signs of spring were vanishing, quickly being replaced by the atmosphere of summer.
It was at that moment… at that moment when the cell phone in my back pocket began to ring, signaling that I had gotten mail.
"Ah. Sorry, I got an email."
With that brief heads-up, I looked at my phone screen, "I-It's from Naruko!"
"Your sister?"
"Y-Yeah. The subject line is 'Re: Contact Me,' and that was an email I had sent her a while ago…"
What's up with her? Why did she wait so damn long to respond!? Wasn't this way overdue!?
She's probably going to talk about how she broke some new record over there… or she made friends with some cute girl. Or… she got a boyfriend. I'm sure she would just write about irritating stuff like that. But Kuroneko and Rias and Ayase… all of them were worried about Naruko… so if at least she seemed healthy, then well, maybe that would be enough. Everyone would be relieved.
"Hey, Ruto. Why don't you take a look at what it says?"
"Hm? Hmm… y-yeah. W-Well, it's not like I'm going to respond to her anyways. I'll just take a quick look, I guess."
Click. I firmly pushed a button on my cell phone, and felt my heartbeat quicken. But the contents of the mail I had gotten from my sister betrayed my expectations.
My collection that I entrusted to you. Throw it all away.
That was all that was written.
I stared blankly at the email my sister had sent me, completely bewildered. My collection that I entrusted to you. Throw it all away.
"Throw it all away… what does she mean?"
Did throw it away mean I should just dump it all in the garbage? No, that can't be. That's definitely not what she means.
"Is it some kind of metaphor?"
Even if I thought about it, I couldn't come up with an answer. But I couldn't just take what was written in the mail at face value. I entertained that notion for a second, but I immediately rejected it. After all, it was impossible. Other than my sister herself, I knew better than anyone in the world how precious that collection was to her. So I'm sure. There's no way she would tell me to throw her collection away. There was no way, and I didn't even want to consider it.
The collection inside that closet also included the Madokami Special Figure, which Ayase, Rias, Kuroneko, and I had worked so hard to give to her as a DVD box set of Puella Magi Madoka Magica she had watched together with Kuroneko and me was there, too. Also, the copy of "Loving my Little Sister," which led to that life counseling session, was also there… everything, everything was there. To… to throw all that away. There was no way she would say that.
"Ruto… your face… it's getting pretty pale."
"I-It's nothing… "
Weiss was puzzled, but I half-ignored her and dialed my sister's number immediately. But she didn't pick up. The phone rang ten times, then twenty times… but Naruko's voice never came from the other end.
"I guess this is a no go…"
Dammit! What the hell does she mean, 'throw it away'!? Doesn't she have anything else to say after she made everyone worry like that!?
Let's try something else. For now, I wanted to verify, somehow, that the email she sent me was a mistake of some kind. I was already convinced that it was a mistake. I was convinced, but… if I didn't make absolutely sure, then I wouldn't be able to rest easy. The contents of that letter were way too extreme, after all.
Maybe I should call Ayase? That was probably a good idea. There was no way that Naruko would contact me before she talked with her close friend Ayase, so Ayase probably knew something about what was going on with Naruko.
After I parted from Weiss and headed home I immediately contact Ayase. I dialed out the number that Ayase herself had once given me.
"Hello? Ayase, I need to ask you something."
"Ask me something?"
"Yeah. It's… about my sister."
"About Naruko…?"
"Yeah. After that… after she left, did Naruko ever try to contact you?"
Right after Naruko had gone overseas, I called Ayase to ask her about Naruko but she had told me that Naruko hadn't told her anything, and had seemed frustrated that Naruko had never contacted her. And a few months had passed since then… so I wondered what the situation was now.
"Not at all. Not even once… I've tried to email her many, many times since then… but she… she never ever responded."
She almost sounded like she was in tears by the time she had finished her sentence.
"Naruto-kun… does Naruko… does Naruko hate me…?"
"There's no way!"
Naruko might act in really confusing ways sometimes, but I didn't want to hear words like those coming from Ayase's mouth.
"I know all too well how much she was hurting that one time you two fought… there's no way someone like that would ever hate you. And I mean, even if I didn't tell you that… you probably know that better than anyone."
"That's… true I guess… I apologize."
"Nah, I'm sorry too for yelling like that."
What the hell? To think that Naruko had never even thought to contact Ayase since then… in that case, what exactly was the meaning of that mail she had sent me? She had only contacted me, had only sent me one email, and in that email she told me to throw away her entire collection…
Was it a joke? A prank? If that's the case, then it was fine; I would just get in touch with her and tell her to stop screwing with me, and that would be that. But if it really was a prank or a joke, then to think that she wouldn't even contact her close friend… what should I do? What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?
"Naruto-kun? Umm, did something happen to Naruko? Like, perhaps an accident."
"Nah, nothing happened. Don't worry about it."
I tried to speak in as frank a tone as possible so Ayase would not get suspicious. After all, there was no way I could tell her about all this, right?
"She also hasn't contacted me at all… so I was pretty worried. And that's why I called you."
"I see… so she hasn't called Naruto-kun either… I… I think that there has to be a really good reason why Naruko hasn't called any of us."
"Yeah."
I thought so too. I didn't know what that reason was, but it there was definitely something off with how she wouldn't even contact her beloved friends Ayase and Kuroneko.
"But… even so… if Naruko were to call any of us… I think she would call Naruto-kun. So when that happens…"
Ayase stopped mid-sentence for a bit, and then continued in a kind voice that was filled with sympathy.
"When that happens, please try and help her however you can."
"I got it." But how was I supposed to do that?
(◕ω◕✿)
"I'm going to go see Naruko."
I talked to Dad about my plan to meet Naruko.
"GREAT IDEA NARUTO! GET GOING NOW!"
Dad seemed really, really into the idea. He brought out a suitcase from his own room, and basically thrust it into my arms.
"Everything you need is in there. Don't wait. Just take it and go. I'm leaving everything up to you. Please do this for me."
I took his words of encouragement and gladly accepted the task.
When I arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, I opened the map Dad had given me. This was my second time overseas. The first was when Dad brought me and Chiaki visit Italy to watch UEFA Champions League Final match at Rome. But to be quite honest, I wasn't too confident I could actually make it to where Naruko was living.
Luckily, all my worry turned out to be unwarranted. The trip materials that my father had given me were unbelievably thoroughly prepared. There was a guidebook with huge masses of notes clipped to it, and in terms of how to get to Naruko's place from the airport… there were notes on the means of transportation, maps, money, lists of useful phrases to know… anything and everything you could think of was included.
"As expected from Dad! He's an amazing planner!"
I followed the directions on my father's memo, left Los Angeles International Airport, and got into a taxi. I looked out into the streets of Los Angeles from my car window. It was the sea. And on the opposite side, beautiful mountains towered over us. There were around 17 hours of time difference. The climate was warm, and I didn't feel too much different than when I was in Japan.
They called America the Land of Liberty, so I was certain that it would be really different from Japan, but that was surprisingly not the case. Maybe it was because I had just gotten here, but if you asked me what seemed foreign about this place, all I could say was that the roads were wider, the cars ran on the right side of the road, and there were a lot of foreign-looking people walking around. To be quite honest, I had been more surprised the first time I had gone to Akihabara.
Ignoring my anxiety, the rest of the trip was perfectly pleasant. If I had to make a comparison, it was about as pleasant as driving through the much more deserted streets back home in my city. There wasn't any traffic at all. The driver seemed to be turning right even on red lights, and at first I was pretty frightened each time it happened, but it seemed like it was just one of the traffic rules over here. I really had no idea. We drove for a while on the freeway… and by the time we had reached our destination, it was already nighttime.
"A dorm… this really looks more like a house."
It was a white, two-floor, wooden building. There was very little dirt to be seen and it practically sparkled, so it might have been a new building. And what's more, it was pretty big. There was what looked like a barbeque grill on the outside, and it honestly seemed like a campsite. I was pretty taken aback, considering how much I was expecting to see an ordinary apartment building.
There were probably a number of these houses around. What kind of crazy backwards version of Los Angeles is this guy driving through? I rang the interphone and waited for a while. But… maybe it's to be expected from America, but this sure was a huge, luxurious house. Considering how much that girl liked flashy things, I thought this suited her quite well.
As I was thinking that, the door to the house opened, and a familiar face emerged. I had expected this to happen, but I still felt a sudden tightening in my chest. I took a few deep breaths and smiled.
"Hey, it's been a while."
"B-Bro… why… are you… here…?"
It was the voice of my sister whom I had not seen for many months. Ohh, she looks really surprised.
"Hey, come on… is it really that weird for me to come here to see you?"
"I-It's really weird…"
She didn't have to be so blunt about it. Also, exactly how heartless did she think her older brother was?
Tch. I pursed my lips and frowned. I went on to something Dad had wanted me to ask her.
"I heard that you've been having health issues lately."
"It's not a big deal. It just feels like a cold."
"But it's been like that for two months. I heard it from Dad. He's worried about you too." In fact, if I had left him alone for much longer, he probably would have come here himself.
"I see… so Dad was…" Naruko seemed crestfallen and cast her eyes down at the floor. Her bangs drooped in front of her face.
Her hair has gotten longer, hasn't it? She gave off a similar impression right then to that time she had been bedridden with the flu. Seeing how she was in a comfortable-looking dressing gown, I guessed that she had been sleeping when I came. Her complexion also looked a bit off, and compared to the last time I saw her, she really just seemed more worn out. Considering she worked as a model, she had always been thin… but what exactly was she going to do if she got any thinner?
"It's not just dad. Ayase, and Kuroneko, and Rias-san they're all really, really worried, you know? Why didn't you ever contact any of us?"
"T-That's… none of your business."
Naruko brushed a hand through her hair and bit her lower lip. It's sure been a while since I've heard her words of rejection. And it's been a while since I've heard her click her tongue like that. It sure brought back memories… and this unmistakable feeling of annoyance brought back memories as well. Naruko seemed pretty grumpy as she glared at me, and she hurled more abusive language my way.
"Also… precisely what did you come here for?"
Was this where I was supposed to look at her and go,
"I'm glad you asked!?"
"Wait just a bit."
I slowly opened my suitcase and fished through my luggage, finding and extracting a clear plastic DVD case. When Naruko saw what I was holding, her eyes widened.
"Ah," She uttered. "That's… that's the game I gave you…"
"Yeah."
What I was showing her was the game disk for "Sister x Brother Siscon Love Story~," a game that Naruko had once given to me as a gift. And just like President Miura, I flashed Naruko a bright smile.
"I came here to play eroge."
A few minutes later…
"I have no idea what's going on… absolutely no idea… why is it that you came all the way to America, just to play eroge next to me?"
We were in Naruko's dorm room. We were sitting on the bed side by side, with a laptop computer placed on the side table. And we were in the middle of playing "Sis x Bro," the game in question. We had just gotten past the opening event, and started the main part of the story. Naruko was sitting there looking grumpy, with a sour expression on her face… but this was almost an exact replay of the scene on the day when Naruko left Japan.
"But weren't you the one who told me that you would play it with me?"
"You were the one going on about eroge this and eroge that out in the open, so what else could I say!? How tactless can you possibly be!? If someone heard us, do you know how bad that would be!?"
Right, I had heard that America was tougher on eroge than Japan.
"Well, sorry about that."
"Tch, do you actually understand? Also, I still haven't asked you why you were so dead set on playing eroge with me."
"It's fine, it's fine. Don't sweat the small stuff."
"Do you understand the words that are coming out of your mouth? You flew all the way to America because you wanted to play eroge with your sister, and you tell me not to sweat the small stuff?"
Yeah, I guess that wouldn't count as "small stuff." It would count more as me being a hentai, wouldn't it? But if I told her the real reason I was here, she would just get angry. So I didn't say it.
"Ugh… I seriously don't know what's going on here…"
But even though she said things like that, she honestly didn't seem too displeased about it. Her health also didn't seem to have deteriorated to a point where it was worrying, so things were progressing fairly well. Although, when I say "things," I didn't mean that I had anything special planned.
"Tch, what are you looking at?" Naruko seemed irritated and clicked her tongue.
I stifled a chuckle and looked around the room. The first thing that I saw was a set of bunk beds in front of me. It seemed like this was a double room. From what Naruko had told me, there were a few of these rooms in this dorm… or should I say house… and around ten girls lived their daily lives here. Of course, all the girls were of similar age, and they were all track stars recruited from various parts of the globe. But right now, the only people in this house were Naruko and myself.
Naruko had asked the school for permission to let me into the dorm, and the school administrators seemed fine with accommodating this sort of "reunion between affectionate siblings." They even offered to prepare a different room for Naruko's roommate (who was currently at practice), allowing us to have the entire night to ourselves. I was pretty grateful.
"Well, I guess we were pretty lucky here."
"Don't go off and do something weird just because it's only the two of us here."
"As if I would!"
Maybe it would be different if it were a Weiss or Kuroneko talking to me, but when my arrogant sister made me aware that it was "only the two of us," it only served to get me annoyed. She was way too self-conscious, this idiot! As if I would ever lay a hand on my own sister!
"Hmph, whatever." Naruko grumpily turned away from me. A second later, she glanced in my direction.
"You know, you sure seem happy to spend a night with your sister. Ahh, so gross. Gyaahh, at this rate, you probably went into my room while I was gone and fished through my underwear drawer, didn't you? And then you probably sniffed them, didn't you?"
"I. Did. No. Such. Thing!"
This pissed me off. This really pissed me off. I had only seen her for a few minutes, but I already wanted to go back to Japan!
"Just sit there and watch quietly." I frowned, and began to left click violently.
Even as we spoke like this, our happy happy school life with those little sisters on screen moved steadily on. Being able to talk and play eroge at the same time was a skill I had acquired from past experience. Although, it wasn't exactly a skill I could brag about to friends. Also, spending time doing this made me suddenly realize something…
"If your roommate is here, you can't play eroge, can you?"
"No, I can't!"
"Uwaah!?"
I seemed to have hit a nerve. Naruko grabbed the front of my shirt and was almost in tears.
"I mean, I really can't play eroge in front of a innocent, younger girl like that! And I had spent so much effort installing loads of eroge I hadn't beaten onto my laptop just to get them through customs and bring them to America! And then I couldn't play them at all! Oooo… to think I would end up hoarding games but not being able to play them… it makes me so angry!"
Naruko grit her teeth hard and balled her hands into tight fists. Y-You…! Don't tell me, you seriously brought eroge to America!?
"Hmph, go ahead and laugh if you want to!"
"There's nothing to laugh about!"
That was seriously bad! If she got caught with those and taken away, wouldn't it make the news? Granted, it's not like I was one to talk.
"But, you still held your ground and restrained yourself… that's pretty admirable."
"Yeah… suddenly I understand all too well how those boys feel who wait until their parents aren't home and then watch porn secretly."
"So you are playing them!"
Don't come crying for help if you get found out! I might be your brother, but I'm not going to fly all the way to America just to try to protect you by telling people that those are my games!
"But look, the first decision point is coming up…"
The two heroines were lined up side by side on screen, and were pressing the protagonist to pick whose bentou was better. The protagonist tried to evade the question by replying that both were equally good, but of course that answer wasn't going to fly… and they were forcing him to choose.
(1) … Quite unexpectedly, Chiya's bentou is better.
(2) … Of course, Sharo's bentou is better.
"In any case, you're going to start with the girls with long black hair, so in this situation, you'd pick Chiya, right?"
A brother whose eroge tendencies were perfectly understood by his sister… I seriously wanted to die.
"H-Hmph. Why are you talking as if you already know my preferences? You're wrong. This time… yeah. That arrogant little sister on the right side of the screen hurling insults at me… I'm going to start with her route."
"Huh? Sharo's route? … You're going to do that one now?"
For some reason, Naruko seemed strangely panicked.
"W-Wait! You can't do Sharo's scenario now!"
"Huh? Why?"
"You just can't!"
"What the hell? You gave me this game and told me to take care of it like I was taking care of you. So why in the world would there be a route that I can't do?"
"You just can't! Umm… that is… j-just don't! Also, I gave you that game so that you could play it in your own room when you felt lonely because I was gone! Why didn't you play it there!? Why did you have to go out of your way to come all the way over here to play it with me!? How the hell was I supposed to predict that was going to happen!?"
Why the hell was she getting so pissed!? Why was it necessary to put restrictions like that over playing Sharo's route or whatever!? God, I had no idea.
"W-Well… if you really don't want me to do it, then I won't."
I picked the second option, (2) … Of course, Chiya's bentou is better. By now, I was already pretty used to doing this stuff.
"Sis x Bro" was a rather orthodox adventure game, and the game focused on the two sister heroines, "Chiya" and "Sharo." It was a prototypical double heroine game. It was a game known for the crazy love triangles it depicted between the protagonist and his two little sisters. You'd think a game like this would have a pretty short-lived popularity, but in the major game review submission site "Eroge Critic Space," it got rave reviews, and people called it an outstanding masterpiece of a nakige. As usual, there really was something strange about the world that I lived in.
As we played the game, our conversation grew sparser and sparser… and soon a few hours had passed. And then, when we had passed the midpoint of the game, Naruko muttered something to me.
"Hey… what about you?"
"What about me? What do you mean?"
"Ugh, I mean… you said everyone was worried about me, right? What about you?"
"Of course I was worried about you too. Don't ask me something so obvious like that. If I wasn't worried, would seriously have come all the way here?" I answered without looking her in the eyes.
"I see."
"And you…"
"What is it?"
"I bet you lonely without me here?"
"A-Are you an idiot? Of course I wasn't…"
As the conversation plodded on, we continued playing the game. Click, click, click, click… the mouse clicks struck up a rhythm.
"Also, hey. That black one, I heard she started going to your school."
"Yeah. And because you told her all those strange things about Weiss, things got pretty crazy."
Then I told Naruko about how I made that game with Kuroneko. Naruko just sat there and quietly listened.
"Hmph. As I thought… that girl isn't good at all when it comes to people, so I had guessed that she would end up alone in school. And then, you meddled… and helped her make friends…"
"I didn't do anything at all. Those two just got friendly with each other all on their own."
"I see."
"You jealous that your friend got taken away from you?"
"Not at all? Tch, she was a friend I made over the Internet after all, so that's what happens. I was getting pretty tired of her, actually, so it's good timing that there's someone else now to take her off my hands."
"Don't say that. You left her without saying anything to her, you know. She was really depressed about it."
"That girl was?"
"Yeah." I nodded deeply. "To be honest… I think she wanted to make the game with you."
Naruko turned her nose up. She hugged her knees to her body, and buried her face into her legs. Her long blond hair flowed down. She wanted to see her friends. She wanted to hear their voices. She wanted to play with them… those were the things I felt she wanted to say.
Yes. There's no way she didn't think that. After all, Naruko… really loved her friends. But despite that, why hadn't she tried to contact anyone?
"I brought over the game we made. We can play it together later."
"I'm fine."
And once again, the conversation ceased. It wasn't an awkward silence. How do I put it… it was more like the kind of somewhat warm atmosphere I felt when I was together with Karin. It's weird saying this considering she's my real sister, but… it was a warmth that reminded me of family.
"My coach barred me from practice today… I told him I could do it, but he wouldn't listen at all… he seemed a bit sad about it though."
Naruko gazed at the screen on which we were playing "Sis x Bro" with eyes of affection.
"You know, I somehow feel a lot better after playing eroge."
"That's good to hear." What a thing to say Naruko.
"What you said back there was still perverted though. It's just that I'm getting to do something I love doing but haven't been able to do for a long time… so of course I'm happy."
Although, it was pretty rare to find a girl that was able to so clearly state that what she "loved doing" was eroge. Naruko had definitely already finished playing "Sis x Bro," but to think that she could still have so much fun the second time around… she really must like this game. Well, it makes sense. When she gave me this game, she was brimming with pride after all. So, at any rate… I really didn't want to say this, even if in my head, but… I was really glad that I had brought the eroge. I felt that this was probably a good time to ask the question I had come to ask. I stopped clicking, and without turning my gaze away from the screen…
"That email… what was the meaning of it?"
"It meant exactly what it said."
"You want me to throw away your entire collection?"
"Y-Yes."
"Are you really okay with that?"
I looked at Naruko and tried to stress my point, but she looked away from me.
"I-It's fine… alright…?"
"So… the Madokami Figure, the 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' DVD box set,' 'Oniai,' 'Kasuimo,'… and the secret collection you showed to me right before you left… you're really okay if I throw all that away?"
My question might have sounded crazy to a bystander, but I was being serious. I had to be sure of what her intentions really were.
"Yeah."
A single stream of tears flowed down Naruko's cheek. But even then…
"Throw it away. All of it."
I see. She was… she was being serious in that email.
"Why?"
"Because if I don't do that… this longing in my heart won't disappear."
"Longing?"
"Yes…" Little by little, Naruko began to explain the situation.
"I knew from the very start that I wouldn't be able to hold my own against all these track stars from all over the world. I mean, my original reason for doing an exchange program was so I could gain experience and get better. So I knew that the start of this would be real rough at first… and that's why I put a restriction on myself."
"Restriction?"
"Yes. Until I could beat one of the athletes here in an official short race, I wouldn't let myself contact any of my friends back in Japan."
So then… so then she didn't say anything to anybody and left for overseas?
"When I set that up, I thought it was a pretty big reach for a goal. But I believed that if I tried my best with all my strength, I would be able to just barely make it through. I was sure everyone was worrying about me, that I wasn't being very considerate… but that's why I just tried harder to win, to make it so that I would be able to talk with everyone again… and I thought if I tried my best… if I tried my best and won as soon as possible, and explained the situation to everyone, and apologized… but…"
Then she teared up, and I could no longer hear her. But even then, I knew exactly what she had wanted to say. But she couldn't win. She… ever since she came here, she hadn't won a single race.
"You… even though you were pulling off such amazing results in Japan…"
And that's why she didn't contact anybody. Not even Kuroneko, and not even Ayase.
"But… but I'm pretty used to being in situations like this… so I'm fine with it."
She gave off a weak, self-derisive laugh, but it was a frail laugh that didn't even amount to a bluff.
"I thought… I thought about how sorry I was to everyone."
No matter how frustrated Naruko was, no matter how much pain she was in, she was bound by the rules she had laid out for herself. She couldn't complain to anyone, and she couldn't ask anyone for help.
And unlike in Japan, it was even difficult for her to escape temporarily into the world of anime and games. The one person she ended up contacting… that one person was not one of her friends, but her brother. But rather than asking me for help, she tried to punish herself even further for her weakness. Exactly how stubborn could this girl be?
I understood perfectly well. In other words, all she had was determination. Even though she seemed to be good at anything and everything, Naruko was by no means a strong person mentally. In fact, she was inexperienced and fragile. She crumbled in the face of pain. Like that time she broke out into tears after she had a falling out with Ayase. Like that time she broke out into tears after her cell phone novel had been plagiarized. Like that time she broke out into tears after Mom rejected her hobby. But even with all that, her senses of responsibility and determination were unusually strong.
She had the drive to succeed no matter what. Naruko had used that drive to break through all obstacles and get to where she was now, but that drive was no longer enough. In fact, it had proven to be counterproductive. It was like she was slamming her body into a stiff, cold wall made of iron, over and over again. It's no wonder her health had deteriorated. I was glad I came. I was glad I came before things had gotten worse.
I turned my eyes back to the game that I had momentarily paused, and started playing again. I didn't look at my sister, and just kept focused on the display. After all, I'm sure she wouldn't want me to see her cry. Naruko's face contorted and she was on the verge of tears, but I just kept clicking steadily. The climax to Chiya's route was showing on screen. Not having much longer to live, the protagonist's sister Chiya confesses her hidden love to him… it was a sad scene. To be honest, the story was pretty bland, and it just wasn't to my tastes. But for some reason… for some reason, I felt a tightening in my chest.
A delicate piano tune drifted out from the laptop speakers. I stopped clicking.
"Naruko. Let's go back together."
"Eh?"
Swish! Naruko turned, almost violently, to look at me.
"Why are you being like that? I told you to throw everything away!"
"I won't." I answered while still looking at the screen.
"Why —"
" — I promised, right? Until you get back, I would protect your collection. So I won't throw it away. Even if you ask me to."
"B-But… I… I still…" She still hasn't done anything… she still hasn't accomplished anything. That's what she wanted to say, right?
I wanted to take Naruko back to Japan with me. Even if I had to, right here, smash the very determination that my sister had held so precious up until now. It might sound cruel. It might sound like my own selfish desire. But even so, that's what I wanted to do.
"I'm… I got so worked up, talked so big to everyone… and went overseas to a sports camp… but not even half a year's passed, and you're telling me to give up and run back to Japan…?"
Naruko hung her head and her body trembled. And then she looked up and screamed.
"As if I could do that! How could I do something so pathetic like that?! Who the hell do you take me to be?!"
"You're my sister!" Once again, I looked my sister straight in the eyes from right next to her, and I screamed back.
"That's… I don't know… I have no idea what you're talking about…"
"You're my sister! Why can't I be worried about you!? You're not feeling well, right? You're in pain, right? You want to talk with your friends, to hang out with them, right? Then come back to Japan!"
"I can't! I mean, I keep losing even to the youngest girl here! How would I ever be able to show my face again to the people I've beaten until now?! How should I apologize to them!?"
"You don't have to apologize for something like that. It's nice that you have your pride. And it's nice that you have a sense of responsibility. But you're taking it way too far."
"I'm not! If I didn't try as hard as I did, then I wouldn't be here in the first place! What could someone like you know about it!? How could you know how much… how much I've put into track up until now…"
Bam! Naruko punched the wall with her fist. She grimaced from the pain for a moment… but then she choked her next words out over her tears.
"Someone like you… couldn't possibly understand."
"That might be true."
I acknowledged that. Considering all these years that I had ignored my sister and pretended she didn't exist, I had no right to try and convince her of anything.
"However. Planting yourself here, being stubborn, and staying in America… do you really think you'll get better that way? Your health is getting worse and worse, and even today, your coach told you to stay away from practice, right? But you still just want to charge blindly forwards… do you really think that you can catch up to these other athletes like that? Athletes who are so much better than you are right now?"
"That doesn't matter. I have to win. So I will. That's all."
What an absurd line of reasoning. There's really only so much that pure determination can do for you. In the far past, Naruko was slow. But now that I saw what was happening, maybe… maybe Naruko hadn't been blessed with too much athleticism. Rather, for all the natural talent that she lacked, maybe Naruko just made up for it in sheer effort and willpower, and that's how she had beaten all her rivals up until now.
She pushed herself beyond her limits, relying on her iron will. That was the secret to Naruko Namikaze's speed. She had her gas pedal pushed to the floor twenty four hours a day. It was fine if the curves continued to be manageable, but once there was a hairpin turn, even if she knew she was going to crash, Naruko couldn't slam on the brakes. After all, she couldn't win any other way.
"You can just come back again later. You're way too panicked. Come back for a while, regain your health, get back to full strength, and then you can come back and challenge the others again. Alright? Is that asking too much!?"
"Shut up! I'm definitely not going back!"
I swear, I don't think anything I say matters anymore. It just goes in one ear and out the other. However, I couldn't just give up now. Even now, I took a leaf from her book, and not caring about appearances, I spoke honestly.
"Naruko!" I wouldn't listen to her grumbling anymore. I grabbed her shoulder with both hands and looked her straight in the eyes.
"I'm really lonely without you!" I pleaded with her.
"… Wha-" Naruko's body stiffened, and I pleaded with her from the bottom of my heart.
"A lot of the things you said made sense! But so what!? What do I care!? Without you I feel really lonely, so I came to bring you back! Let's go back together, You don't have to try so hard anymore. You don't have to be that amazing. Even if you hate me. Don't pay attention to what other people say. If there's someone who wants to complain about you even though you're trying so hard, then let me send them flying for you."
I was suggesting something pretty selfish, even by my standards. Right now, I was trying to hold Naruko back. I was trying to tempt my little sister who was trying so hard, to frustrate her attempts to succeed. I wanted my sister to be happy. I wanted her to be happy, somewhere where I could see her. Although, it was pretty shameful how much my own ego was coming out here. Older brothers were probably all like this. Right?
"Big Bro, you Idiot."
"When we get back, let's go to Akiba again. Of course, Rias-san and Kuroneko will be with us. And when it gets to August, there's also summer Comiket. If Kuroneko goes as part of a doujin circle, how about you help her sell her books? And how about going around with Rias-san again and meeting the people from all the famous circles? I'll probably end up holding the heaps of things you buy, but I'll deal with that for you. So…"
"I already know what you're trying to say."
"Sorry."
"You don't need to apologize. It just gets on my nerves. Also, my shoulders are starting to hurt. How long do you plan to grab your sister's shoulders?"
Naruko was no longer crying. She had returned to the arrogant sister that I remembered, and a bold smile reappeared on her face. She batted away the hands I was using to hold her by the shoulder and stood up.
"After all, I have somewhere I need to be."
(◕ω◕✿)
Few days later. I was together with Naruko, and we had landed together at Narita International. We proceeded along a long passageway, almost like a procession of ants.
In the end… Naruko decided to come back to Japan. She cancelled her study abroad program. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it'd be for her to withdraw from the program. It seemed that, considering how competitive the program was, it was common for people to drop out. It made sense.
And I still hadn't figured out the reason my sister had let go of her own iron determination in order to come back. Did my argument actually persuade her, or was there another reason? In either case, Naruko wouldn't blame anybody else for all this. She wouldn't go up to anybody else and say "This is your fault!" She was just that kind of person. As she walked beside me, her expression was nonchalant and bright, but you didn't have to be me to see that she was just putting on an act.
"Dad's going to come meet us in his car."
"I see."
We grabbed our luggage and went through customs. The minute we went through the spinning gate, we saw someone running towards us. The girl stopped and seemed out of breath, her shoulders heaving up and down.
It was Kuroneko. It was the first time I had seen this girl like this. Naruko looked at her with her eyes widened. She was left speechless. Her mouth opened and closed a number of times, but the words had a hard time coming out.
"You…"
"Long time… no see…" Kuroneko looked like she was having a hard time breathing, and muttered that while remaining expressionless.
She was wearing her usual Gothic Lolita costume, although it had been quite a while since I've seen her in that. And of course, I was the person who had told her the flight we were taking and our arrival time. And so, this was the moment of reunion between two friends who hadn't seen each other for quite a few months.
"Wha… you… why are you so out of breath? Did you run here from the bus station or something because you wanted to see me so badly?"
"Don't be ridiculous… haah… haah… we haven't met in… a few months… and that's the first thing you say to me? As always, you just a woman with no manners… aren't you…"
Was she seriously alright? She was panting pretty heavily there. How out of shape was she? Where the hell did she run here from? And as expected from Naruko, even though she was really happy Kuroneko had come to meet her, she just spat out unkind words instead.
"Geez… you two are the same as always." I watched over the two of them with a satisfied smile.
"Y-You idiot. You're an otaku shut-in, so don't overdo it." Naruko desperately tried to keep herself from smiling, and walked towards Kuroneko.
"Here, have some water." Naruko handed Kuroneko a half-drunken bottle of water.
Kuroneko downed the remaining contents of the bottle and sighed. "That wasn't necessary…" she grumbled. And then… standing right in front of Naruko, Kuroneko blushed and mumbled softly, "Welcome… back."
"Yeah… I'm home." Naruko gave Kuroneko a shy smile back.
After that, the conversation got much more jumbled. They hurled insults at each other over the game that Kuroneko had made, were quite excited as they made plans for summer Comiket, and tried to get each other to admit that they were lonely without the other there. It was almost as if they were trying to make up for lost time. It reminded me quite a lot of that time a year ago when they were arguing with each other in a Starbucks in Akiba.
"Hmph. So you just lost every match and ran back here. That's pretty pathetic."
"Tch, you idiot. Who do you think you're talking to? I'm going to practice more, and then next time I'll knock out every single person over there."
"Oh? You weren't even a match for them last time, and you think you have a chance to win?"
"Fu fu fu fu…"
Naruko slowly took out her iPhone. She fiddled with it for a bit, and showed the screen to Kuroneko and me. It seemed like an online news article. There was a photo of a girl running across a track. She had fair, white skin, brown long hair and was tied up into a ponytail. She wasn't that tall, but her legs were long and slender.
"And this is?" Kuroneko asked the question.
Naruko seemed quite proud and pointed at the iPhone screen, "This is Fuka Revanton. She's the fastest girl in the world… and she was my roommate in America."
"So in other words… she's faster than you?"
"I can't even begin to match her like I am right now. She's really cute, really young, and even on an international scale she's really impressive. She's one of the poster children of the sport. Hmph, and she also gets on the news too."
Naruko laughed self-derisively. To think she could also get like this…
"But, I've beaten her once."
Naruko's tone suddenly brightened, and she puffed out her chest. She didn't sound like she was lying. My sister would never lie when it came to her matches. She had a crazily high sense of pride, after all.
"Hmm… so you won against her just once?"
"Yeah. It felt more like I had caught her by surprise though…"
"But you still won."
"Yeah."
"I see. Well, that's good then." Kuroneko nodded, seeming quite satisfied.
That's great. So you didn't come back after only losing and running away. At least, that's what I saw in her eyes. In reality, she had made a single dent in the walls of the world. Naruko had said she hadn't accomplished anything over there… but that wasn't true, was it?
"By the way…" Kuroneko smirked a bit while she asked her next question.
"Exactly when did you beat her?"
"Nghh…"
For some reason, Naruko seemed at a loss for words.
"T-That's a secret."
Her face flushed red and she turned in the opposite direction. Kuroneko looked like she had guessed everything, and gave a huge grin.
"I see. So you just were lucky and challenged her when you were in top form."
"You really are infuriating, you know."
"Hmph… and what do you mean by that, I wonder? If you don't say it clearly, I won't understand, you know?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
Naruko once again turned away from Kuroneko. And then she realized that I was stlil there, and for just a moment, her eyes opened wide. And then… She stuck out her tongue at me and made a face.
What the hell just happened? I had no idea. All I could do is stand there by myself, confused. Well, whatever. I cleared my throat, and turning towards my sister who was standing on Japanese soil for the first time in a few months, I spoke.
"Welcome back home, Naruko."
(◕ω◕✿)
After school when I enter the living room, I saw my sister sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, apparently talking happily on the phone.
I remembered her telling me that she would be busy today doing all the things she needed to re‐enroll in school… but all that might have already been dealt with.
The scene filled me with a sense of nostalgia — but also a sense of melancholy. Looking at her through the corner of my eye, I spoke up.
"I'm home."
At that Naruko, turn her face at me and greet me.
"Welcome home, Bro."
Then I went to grab something to drink. As I did so, the sound of my sister's voice reached my ears.
"Yes. That is what's happening. No, I still haven't… still haven't decided to return. Please allow me to think about it a bit longer. Yes…"
It seemed that she was talking to someone from her modeling job. It was pretty rare to hear her speaking so respectfully. So she's not planning on going back to work? I wonder why. I opened the refrigerator and took out two cans of juice. Closing the refrigerator door, I glanced at her. Naruko ended her call, and then immediately seemed to dial for someone else.
"Hey there Kagamin. You probably heard it from Kuuko & Ayase already but… I'm back. Hm? Yeah, I don't plan to leave anymore. I'm just going to stay here and train hard until graduation, I guess? hehe, sorry for giving you all a shock like that."
She was probably telling people that she was back. I opened the lid to the can of juice and placed it right in front of my sister. Then I sat right across from Naruko and began reading Rolling Stone magazine.
"Mmm… alright, well let's get together soon… yeah, in Akiba, maybe?"
From what they were talking about, I guessed that Naruko had been talking to Rias now. Rias was pretty angry when Naruko had left without a word… but when I saw Naruko's face, I gathered that they had managed to make up. Akiba… it sounded like they were planning a party or something again. It's been a while since the four of us had gotten together.
"That doesn't sound bad at all…"
My gaze was on the magazine, but I could feel a loose smile forming on my lips. Around half an hour later, I managed to finish reading my magazine from cover to cover… and quite unbelievably, my sister was still on the phone. It wasn't as if she was still talking with the same person. She talked with one person for a bit, hung up the phone, and then called someone else… that kind of thing had been repeating itself over and over and over.
Naruko probably had an absurd number of friends who I didn't know about. And when she was overseas, she probably wanted to talk to these friends with all her heart but wasn't able to. That's how it seemed when she had met Kuroneko at the airport yesterday, at least. She was probably eager to have reunions with her other friends as well.
Naruko and Ayase's reunion happened right after I got back from school. Ayase came by to our house right when I came out of the bathroom.
The minute Naruko opened the front door…
"Naruko~~~~~~~. It's been so looooooonnnnnggg~~~~~."
"Ah, wait, Ayase…"
Ayase jumped right into Naruko, buried her face in Naruko's chest, and hugged her tight. It was almost as if two lovers who were separated for a lifetime were meeting each other again.
"But… but… sniffle…"
"I'm home, Ayase."
"Yeah… welcome back, Naruko."
The spectacle in front of me was the exact same as the spectacle I had seen at the airport with Kuroneko the other day.
"I'm sorry Naruko… I really, really wanted to come sooner to see you…"
"It's fine. You were busy working, after all. It would have been nice to see you when I went to school to get my re‐enrollment paperwork dealt with, but you were in class… hey, you know… even when I was over there, I ordered all the magazines you were in and read them."
"Really!? I'm happy… h‐hey, Naruko? You're going to stay here forever this time, right? You won't just leave without saying anything to anybody… you won't do that again, right?"
"Yeah… "
"I see! That's a relief…! Also, this might be a bit rude to say, but… I mean… I was really happy when Naruko came back to Japan. Really, really happy."
"Thanks, Ayase. I'm sorry for not contacting you." Naruko said that and affectionately stroked Ayase's head.
I wonder… if they plan to keep this up for much longer…
What the hell do they think they're doing in the damn entranceway of our house!? And what's more, they're both girls! I felt really embarrassed, and I couldn't watch anymore. I quickly went up the stairs and escaped to my room.
"I'm happy for her." I let out a soft sigh and shut the door.
Yes, first she had a reunion with Kuroneko, then she made up with Rias, and now she had a reunion with Ayase… and so, the fuss surrounding Naruko's return to Japan settled down, and I finally had some time to breathe. And everyone lived happily ever after.
(◕ω◕✿)
The next day, we had plan to rented out a small café in Akihabara for Naruko's homecoming party. It was to be the first time in a long time that Naruko, Kuroneko, Rias, and myself would be under the same roof. Rias had chosen the place and done everything to plan this party. But then…
It was morning before the party, and I had just received a call from Rias. She said some urgent business had come up, and she couldn't come.
"I'm really very sorry, Naruto‐chi… it really doesn't seem like I will be able to get out of this one. If it's possible, please proceed without me."
"Nah, let's just try again another day then. We'll just hang out at my house today."
If she didn't come, there really wasn't a point anymore to having a party. Naruko and Kuroneko would surely agree with that.
"I see… well then, should I finish with what I have to do, I'll also come to check on you. However, I might be quite late."
"Don't push yourself. Your plans are pretty important too, right?"
"No, no! I'll definitely come!"
"O-okay."
What's up with her, suddenly yelling out like that? Well, whatever.
"Alright then. We'll wait for you."
"Yes, please tell Naruko-chi and Kuroneko‐chi for me too. I'll bring gifts with me as well, so please look forward to it! Farewell!"
"H‐Hey… ugh, she hung up."
I was just about to tell her that we didn't need any gifts… that girl seriously was way too considerate of us each and every time. Of course, I was thankful for that, and she really helped us out a lot too… but how do I say it… it really would also be nice if she acted a bit more unconcerned… she was our friend, after all.
And so, we suspended the party and decided to gather at the Namikaze household to hang out. The last time Naruko, Kuroneko, and I had all gathered at my house was when we had that "anime appreciation event" a while back.
"Come on, get over to my place right away. It's a good chance for me to show you my collection. Honestly, I wanted to show you last time when you came over to watch Madoka, but you showed me that strange doujinshi and we started fighting, so I didn't get the chance, you know?"
Naruko was talking to Kuroneko on the phone. And if I recalled correctly, the huge fight that Naruko and Kuroneko got into that time was definitely both their faults. An hour later, Kuroneko showed up at our house.
"Good afternoon."
"Hey. Nice to see you."
As always, I went down to the front door to meet her.
Today, Kuroneko was not wearing the school uniform I had gotten used to seeing her in over the past few months, but rather her usual Gothic Lolita outfit. It almost felt like we had gone back to the time before Naruko left for overseas. I was struck with a sense of nostalgia.
It's just… Kuroneko's school uniform was a symbol of our personal relationship with each other, free of Naruko's influence. So seeing her in her old Gothic Lolita outfit did sadden me a little, too.
"Well, come in."
"Sorry for intruding."
Kuroneko took off her shoes and arranged them neatly on the floor before coming in. Because we had spent time together making a game, this was already all too familiar. I took Kuroneko with me and headed for my sister's room. And together with Kuroneko, we headed towards my sister's room.When I went up to the second floor, I found Naruko there with her arms crossed, waiting for us.
"Tch, you guys are so slow."
Naruko was leaning against the wall arrogantly, but I was also sure she was really happy that her friend had come over to play. When I took a closer look, it was easy to see that she was smiling.
"Come on… come in already." Naruko pointed her chin towards the room, prompting her.
"I know. I'm coming in." Kuroneko responded indifferently and slipped by both me and Naruko, when…
"Huh?"
Rather than going into Naruko's room, she went into mine.
"H‐Hey!"
Startled, Naruko's eyes went wide. She hurriedly stood back upright as she turned to look at me.
"Hey! What's the meaning of this!?"
Well, even if you glare at me like that… as I felt the heat of Naruko's stare, I scratched my cheek and chased after Kuroneko. Naruko, following me, also came into my room.
"Hey, Kuroneko?"
"What?"
Kuroneko turned back to look at me from inside my room. I blinked in confusion. I could feel the killing aura crackling stronger and stronger behind me.
"Umm… well… you know… today we're playing in Naruko's room, right?"
"Haah? Why is he putting so much stress on the word 'today'? What is going on?"
The mumbling I heard from behind me was all kinds of scary. And what's more, Kuroneko began chuckling and pouring oil onto the fire.
"Oh? Was that the plan? It's just that lately I've gotten so used to coming to this room that I must have acted on reflex."
Bam! Naruko push me and loudly charged into my room. And then, she grabbed me by the collar.
"W-What exactly this means! Don't tell me you brought your sister's friend into your room while your sister wasn't here? If you did, I won't forgive you!"
She's completely misunderstanding the situation…! What the hell is up with this charged atmosphere!? She almost makes it sound like I used my position as her brother to go and rape Kuroneko or something! That's completely wrong! Kuroneko, do something about this, dammit!
Watching Naruko's angry expression Kuroneko just chuckling happily. She played with her black hair with a finger, and gave us a suggestive look.
"Well, even if you ask what this means here… hmm… hey, Ruto? How should we explain our relationship to your sister?"
"Don't make it sound like there's something going on!"
Saying Ruto like that… why is it that she was so cold when we talked with each other alone, but in front of Naruko she acted almost as if we were dating!?
"'Ruto,' you said… that's gross."
I could see the veins bulging on Naruko's forehead. She really seemed pissed at what Kuroneko was doing… and I feel like I've seen her act this way before. Yes, when Weiss came over to our house, she acted pretty much exactly like this.
"Oh my, but your sistersure seems angry. What should we do, Ruto?"
"You know, I just realized it, but… Kuroneko, are you trying to imitate Weiss?"
"Hmph, how was it? Didn't I sound just like her?"
"Not at all!"
Since when did Weiss sound so evil? That wasn't Weiss, but rather an impression of the character in your manga, the Ice Witch Wisteria.
"Geez, you're such an unpleasant person…"
"Thank you. That makes me quite happy, Ruto."
Dammit, that wasn't a compliment… don't smile so seductively like that. My face is getting hot… Kuroneko just smiled even more, and began her offensive.
"What's wrong? Your face is getting red."
"Errr…"
Women were really mysterious creatures. Just from her attitude, I might be inclined to think "Alright! She's definitely interested in me!"But if I got carried away and tried to get close to her now, she would just start hurling cruel abuse and swiftly put everything to an end. What in the world was I supposed to do here…? Someone please tell me… as I writhed in mental anguish, Naruko sent me a cold glare. She spoke curtly and sharply.
"Explain Now!"
"No Naruko… it's not like that…"
I began explained to Naruko that after she left, Rias and Kuroneko often came to my room to hang out, she seemed satisfied at first, and somehow I managed to clear up any misunderstandings about my relationship with Kuroneko. However…
"You… don't tell me that when I was gone… you took two girls into your room to play? You're the worst."
This time, she got angry at me for a different reason. Naruko balled her hands into tight fists, her voice and her shoulders shaking as she spoke.
"Don't make it out to be something sketchy like that! Kuroneko and Rias both were just worried about me because they thought I'd be lonely without you! That's it!"
"Tch…"
"That's why they came over to play so much. So you getting angry over it is really unreasonable. Am I wrong?"
"That… might be true…"
It seemed that I had succeeded in calming her down, somehow. Or that's what I thought, but…
"However! That might be true, but…!"
"What is it this time?"
"That! What is the meaning of that?!"
Naruko suddenly pointed at my bed. And for some reason, on top of my bed was…
"Hmph… is your little sibling quibble not over yet? Yawn… it's making me sleepy…"
Kuroneko was lying stomach‐down on my bed, reading my Dragon Ball manga. And she certainly looked quite relaxed and drowsy.
"This isn't the time or place to be saying that!"
Naruko suddenly launched a flying knee drop down on her friend. It was enough of a serious attack to make Kuroneko let out a shriek as she lay there on her belly. What terrible things was Naruko doing against an opponent who was so unguarded…?
Whoosh. Notable to bear it anymore, Kuroneko leapt up and glared at Naruko through watery eyes.
"W‐What do you think you're doing…? You little… get off of me…"
"You get up first!"
And then a scuffle broke out right on top of my bed.
"H… How could you get on top of someone else's bed like it's the most natural thing in the world?"
"But it's not your bed, is it? So why are you getting angry?"
"Wha… t‐that's…"
"Hmph, that's what?"
"S‐Shut up! I came all the way back, so it'd be better if we just played in my room! But you people have to take every single chance to just annoy me to death!"
It was like watching two stray cats fight. Ahhh, their clothes are getting all messed up. It wasn't even arousing anymore. But I see, so it was like that.
"S‐Shut up! I came all the way back, so it'd be better if we just played in my room!"
From Naruko's point of view… after she came back from overseas, she found that her brother and her friend had become rather close. She felt like the odd girl out, and that bothered her to no end. Kuroneko probably knew that too. Because as she sat on her knees on top of my bed, and as she locked her hands with Naruko's and they pushed at each other, she had a bad‐natured smirk on her face the entire time.
"Ku ku ku… how foolish. Do you really think a lowly, powerless human like you has any chance against me in a close‐quarters battle like this?"
"You say a close‐quarters battle, but w‐why are you using your feet to tickle my side!? That's not fair at all…! Kyah, dammit! Seriously, stop…!" Naruko's face was flushed an angry red.
Trying to break the stalemate in their battle, both parties began to use their feet to kick or to tickle each other. Their skirts were going all over the place, so I suddenly found it difficult to watch without feeling like I was doing something inappropriate. On a completely unrelated note, I never even thought to try and stop their fight. They were badmouthing each other, sure… but this was just their way of communicating.
Even within their anger, even within their abusive language, there was some happiness and affection mixed in that they could not hide. The phrase "they were so close they fought with each other" was probably invented just to describe these two. Although, this really wasn't doing any favors for my bed…
After Naruko and Kuroneko's lover's quarrel finally calmed down, we headed towards Naruko's room, exactly as we had originally planned. We headed there so Naruko could show off the collection she had hidden in her secret compartment. What was quite impressive was that Naruko even immediately unveiled to Kuroneko the second level of her collection (so Kuroneko now had seen just as much as I had). That was just how much Naruko trusted Kuroneko as a friend.
Naruko's collection became the topic of discussion and we had a ball talking about it for a while… or maybe that's not a great way to put it. Rather, it was more that Naruko was rather shyly showing her collection to Kuroneko… and then Kuroneko reacted to each and every item.
"I‐I'm being shown yuri eroge so proudly by a friend of the same gender right now… how precisely should I be taking this? Perhaps I should punch you out to protect my chastity?"
"D‐Don't get any weird ideas. You've got it all wrong! I just wanted to see what it felt like to be called 'Onee-chan' once in a while!"
"But it's clear that these heroines are not calling you 'Onee-chan,' but 'Onee-sama.'"
"So that's why I'm saying that I made an honest mistake here too!"
"If that's true, then sure… but I do seem to feel a tinge of unease at seeing this black‐haired heroine drawn here in the middle of the game cover…"
Kuroneko's reactions mostly went something like that. She was completely taken aback. I empathized with her. If I ever went to Takurou's room and he tried to show off some of his homo games to me, I would definitely punch him.
After that, we went down to the living room, and the three of us passed the time watching anime. It was the continuation of the "anime appreciation event" that had been left hanging before. The second season of Madoka had already started, and Naruko excitedly provided lots of commentary recapping the first season. And then, by the time Rias finally came, it had already become evening.
"Ahh, everyone, I really apologize for being so late."
All of us went out into the entranceway, where we found Rias scratching her flushed cheeks. Kuroneko spoke, seeming just a bit puzzled.
"You had other plans, didn't you? So there's no helping it."
"Haha, I'm very grateful to hear you say that. Ah, yes, I brought presents. These are Madoka cookies. Please, everyone, take some and enjoy." Rias held out a small paper bag.
"T‐Thanks… hmm, so stuff like this actually exists…"
Naruko took the cookie that was offered to her. However, even though my sister was receiving something Madoka related, she seemed happy for only a minute before her expression clouded over.
"Also… don't you live really far away from here?"
"Ahh, yes, I suppose."
"Right? And you had plans too, so you really didn't have to push yourself so hard to show up here. I mean, it's so late that we really can't do much anymore. That black one was going to leave soon too… ah, I mean, of course I'm happy that you came, even though we can't hang out for more than a little bit."
"Please don't say that. Naruko… I…" Rias paused for a brief second and seemed at a loss for words. But then, she looked right at Naruko and spoke.
"I wanted to see Naruko today no matter what."
"W‐Why?" Naruko seemed a bit taken aback by Rias's serious expression. And then, Rias spoke sadly.
"Why, you ask… hasn't it been three months? To be honest, I really wanted to see you sooner. But I've been quite busy lately… Naruko and Kuroneko usually have plans but not on weekends, and Naruto is busy with his band too, right? If I missed out on today, I really don't know when I would get the opportunity to meet with you all again."
And that's why she pushed herself hard to get here today. Now that she mentioned it, this was the first time Naruko and Rias were able to meet after Naruko had come back. Their schedules just didn't match, and it had been a while since they had seen each other.
"I wasn't even able to meet you at the airport… that was unacceptable. I apologize."
"T‐There's nothing to be sorry about. It didn't bother me. Also, are you an idiot? I'm the one who should be apologizing!" Naruko averted her eyes and sounded angry, but then she began to say something quite admirable.
"I'm sorry! N‐Not saying anything to you guys and going overseas like that!"
Geez, what a stubborn girl. Also, when she said "you guys," was she including me as well?
"Naruko… but you came back to us, so there's nothing to forgive."
A small smile returned to Rias's face. It seemed that she had accepted Naruko's apology. But even so, her voice still sounded weak, with none of its usual cheerfulness. On the other hand, Kuroneko spoke with an almost deliberate bluntness.
"Hmph, did you really think you could get off with an apology, you heartless woman? Rias-san has every reason to be angry, you know. After all, you're just… you just didn't care about us at all, am I right?"
"Huh!? That's completely not true!" And Naruko took the obvious bait. She really didn't learn, did she?
"Hmph… that's not true? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure! Why are you doubting me!?"
"Ah, I see. So you like me then?"
"I do li… wha!? What are you trying to make me‐"
"See, you hate me, don't you? How unfortunate… Rias-san? Nii-san? This girl doesn't seem to consider us to be her friends. Isn't that sad?"
What a nasty personality this one had. Don't tease my sister too much. She's too simple and innocent to take it. But this seemed pretty interesting, so I decided to hop on too. I exchanged a glance with Rias and we both nodded.
"I have to say, my sister sure is cruel. As her brother, I really should apologize to you two. Naruko, after you left, these two just looked so lonely all the time."
"Naruru-chi… were you not lonely without us over there?"
"Y‐You two too!? If you don't cut it out, I'm seriously going to get mad!"
"Ku kuku… how fun." Kuroneko seemed to enjoy herself the most when she was teasing Naruko. Her cheeks were flushed and both her eyes were ablaze. After all was said and done, these two sure were good for each other.
"Ahaha, haha… well, you two sure haven't changed." And Rias finally let out a laugh.
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