Disclaimer: I own neither the characters nor the series. The original サヨナラを教えてseries is owned by FOOO嘉
A person who only thought about others over themselves…
A kind person who was honest to everyone...
A person who chose the happiness of others over their own…
Hey, please tell me.
On that day, when I gave you a symbol of happiness…
At that time, when I glanced at your face…
Why were you crying?
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"Ahhh! It feels so good!"
My joints creaked as I stretched myself fully immersed in the hot water. My body that had been weathered down from all the studying for my entrance exams can finally loosen up.
"This place is amazing."
I wasn't over-exaggerating. The place had large public baths and open-air ones, several kinds of bedrock baths, and a rest area with reclining seats, just to name a few of its features. It even had a net cafe stocked with a ton of manga and magazines. On top of that, there were quite a few popular restaurants that served within.
"I remember really liking this place the last time visited."
"Yeah, I heard from Uesugi-san. You had trouble leaving, right?"
"Onii-chan was sleeping the whole time."
Even though we had come all the way to celebrate my high school entrance, Onii-chan should have had more awareness as an older brother to entertain his sister. Instead, he just fell asleep in the bathhouse. At the time, the other man of the Uesugi- household had also become indisposed as he decided to enjoy some sake at a restaurant earlier.
"That's Uesugi-san, all right."
"Haha."
We both laughed together.
For the longest time, I've only had one brother but then one day I suddenly had five sisters. However, they weren't related by blood and, strictly speaking, only one of them was my actual sister-in-law. Onii-chan married one of them and we've been in close-contact since high school.
My dour Onii-chan would never have normally met with such five beauties but, due to a part time job, they all became close and then he somehow married one of them.
"We should have brought Uesugi-san along too."
Yotsuba-san massaged her shoulders, looking disappointed.
When I thought about her stiff shoulders, my eyes naturally went down to the two big mountains floating in the bath. When I was in elementary school, I must have seen them when we had entered a hot spring together but I felt like they're even bigger than the ones in my memories.
If Yotsuba-san was like that since high school then I had to wonder if there was any hope left for me because I know I won't see any mountains if I looked down.
"I'm sure you if had invited Uesugi-san he would have joined."
"But even if I bring Onii-chan, all he'll do is complain. Or he'll just fall asleep."
"Well, that's right."
"I also invited Itsuki-san but it seems she's been busy at work."
It seemed being a teacher was harder than it looked. Onii-chan is one as well so I knew there's a lot more work than they let students think.
"Uesugi-san also said something about Itsuki doing too much work."
That was certainly possible. Itsuki-san was clumsy but she's a serious worker even if she sometimes made mistakes along the way. Among the five sisters, I've always gotten along with Itsuki-san and Yotsuba-san the best. Itsuki-san's more of an older sister to me while Yotsuba-san's a good friend I can go out, eat, and play together.
When I was younger, it made me nervous to be around such beautiful girls but it was with Yotsuba-san that I could whole-heartedly relax and go out as a friend.
"I don't think it's convincing for Onii-chan to say such things when he's a workaholic himself."
"Hm."
Yotsuba-san laughed a light "Shi shi shi", her eyes looking down.
"Even so, Raiha-chan is a university student now."
"I'm not as good at studying as Onii-chan but it's a decent school."
"Don't put yourself down. Even though you didn't go to a prep school, you still got on the the nation-wide student's recommendation list. Uesugi-san was crying so hard because his cute little sister had grown up."
"Eh? There's no way Onii-chan cried."
Certainly, he was a bit of a sis-con, but it be too much even for him to start crying.
.
"Well, do you want to try drinking sake later? Although, I wonder if it's a bit too early for you. Uesugi-san may get angry."
"You don't need to treat me like a younger sister."
When I was still in elementary school, Onii-chan was overprotective but he didn't care about who I went out with or played with. Of course, he still got worried about what time I'd come back.
"Raiha-chan is around that age. I'm can't help but be worried."
"Ehh, dad's nosy enough. He's always asking 'Do you have a boyfriend?' "
"It's because Uesugi-san knows high school girls are incomprehensible creatures."
"Is he uneasy because he had a hard time dealing with five of those creatures?"
"Who's a creature?!"
"I wonder…"
"Shi Shi Shi."
"Shi Shi Shi."
I covered my mouth as I laughed. Onii-chan often told me that when I laugh, I looked like Yotsuba-san. Yotsuba-san often showed her teeth when she laughed whenever we went out together so I must have picked it up. Of course, I didn't take it as an insult, instead, I felt happy.
Every time someone said we looked like sisters when we laughed together, I felt glad that we're thought of as such. It's also feels nice to be called the sister of a beautiful woman like Yotsuba-san.
Speaking of which...
"You've really grown out your hair, Yotsuba-san."
"Hm?"
Yotsuba-san looked back, picking at her hair with her fingers.
When Onii-chan was still in university, Yotsuba-san cut her hair much like Ichika-san's old style. At that time, I was surprised how suitable it was to Yotsuba-san, the one who was the best in sports among the sisters. Well, a beauty is still a beauty, no matter how you cut it, I suppose.
Actually, since Yotsuba-san's face matched with the other sisters, they all normally wore different hairstyles from each other. In a way, that meant that any of the sisters would look good in anything too.
It's actually quite envious that they didn't need to cut their hair and be horrified enough to glare at the mirror because you know you'd look good in it just by looking at your other sisters. Back when I first met all of them, I still didn't know about the situation so I thought there were four other Itsuki-sans.
Yotsuba-san, whose hair now reached up to her lower back, had the color of an adult woman.
"Doesn't it bother you when you're at work?
"It's fine because I tie it up."
Being an instructor at a gym, Yotsuba-san's body was quite fit. Since we often wemt out together, I learned from her that the most important part of maintaining your body shape is being able to move around every day.
Honestly, it's quite enviable.
I heard that the sisters would sometimes stand-in from each other but now (I'm sorry) I think that I'd be able to distinguish her even if she was replaced by Itsuki-san.
Unrelated but I remembered how Itsuki-san consulted Yotsuba-san on some weight losing tips.
Following that, I also remembered how Itsuki-san's weight had then gone up because she started eating more after she exercised.
"Being an instructor is cool."
I've visited the gym Yotsuba-san worked at before and I remembered how cool she looked, brightly teaching and giving advice to people. Much different from the usual innocent and pure Yotsuba-san.
"I wonder if I should have thought about my course more carefully."
"I think the course you took fits Raiha-chan well."
"I wonder… I was worried about it so I consulted Onii-chan than decided to go to university and pass the exams. I thought that was the right answer."
I allowed myself to submerge up till my nose, allowing my mouth to make bubbles in the hot water.
"Are you feeling anxious."
"Um…I'm anxious but Itsuki-san, Ichika-san, and Yotsuba-san already knew their paths in high school. Ichika-san was already an actress in high school so I wonder if I could have chosen something like that."
I intended to base my path on various things such as my grades and our household's budget but, in the end, I'm worried if it really was okay.
"It's fine!"
Surprisingly, hot water was splashed on my face. I stare up at Yotsuba-san who had a mischievous smile.
"Don't worry about it so much. Raiha-chan still has a lot of time to think about it. If things go wrong, it's just a matter of fixing things."
"Fixing..?"
"Uesugi-san told me before. If you make a mistake, you just need to review what happened so you don't make a mistake the next time. If you make a mistake again, then review that one too so you don't make it again. You just have to keep going until you get the right answer."
Because it came from Onii-chan, I couldn't help but feel like it was a very shamelessly prideful and arrogant statement.
"That sounds like Onii-chan, alright."
"Yup."
I'm sure the [Onii-chan] I knew was different from the [Onii-chan] Yotsuba-san knew as a tutor.
One day, Onii-chan suddenly started studying as if his life depended on it. Back then, he didn't know how to solve anything or do any of the problems. I still remember the tears in his eyes and how he tore the textbooks with how frustrated he got.
Because I knew of such an Onii-chan, those words Yotsuba-san repeated were more convincing.
"Uesugi-san is a strong, wise, and kind person."
I thought it's too high a compliment. It did seem that Yotsuba-san overestimated Onii-chan too much or maybe she's just the type of person he spoiled.
"I wonder if Onii-chan got it right."
Such words suddenly left my lips before I had realized. Was it because I was thinking about the right answer or was it because I remembered the Onii-chan of the past?
"I wonder if it was right that he got married."
Or was it because, right now, it was only Yotsuba-san and I?
"…what do you mean?"
Even without looking at Yotsuba-san's face, I immediately understood that she'd have a strange expression and puzzlement in her voice. It wouldn't be good ruin my relationship with Yotsuba-san so I immediately tried to explain myself.
"Well, the first thing I will say is that it's not like I was against the marriage or thought she was disgusting or something. It's not like that!"
To be honest, it really sounded like an excuse. I was still a bit panicked.
"Onii-chan married early, didn't he? They dated in university and then they were just married."
After he graduated from university, he got married, started working, and then settled down. The time when he was dating to getting married was almost as long as my stay in middle schooler. It felt like a blink of an eye.
"Both of them were capable enough in carrying out such a decision," replied Yotsuba san
Speaking of which, Yotsuba-san once told me with a wry smile how all the sisters were alike. The person who started dating first than became a goal. It was like the last episode of an old shoujo manga. A straight line to happy ending.
Of course, even before they started going out, twists and turns that I didn't know about could also have happened.
"Yes. Onii-chan's very strong at being decisive and taking action but he's really bad at being idle. He's very self-centered."
"I guess so."
Yotsuba-san is truly a person who can't tell lies.
"Because he is self-centered and has no friends, he's bad at interpersonal communication. This meant that he had very little experience with people which led to him becoming insensitive."
Even when I was in elementary school, I was better than he was. In that sense, his experience fell lower than little all the way to the negatives.
"He has friends! Like me!"
"You were in the same high school. He was also your private tutor."
If he didn't have such a job, there's no way Onii-chan could have made friends with such beautiful girls. I mean, it's possible that he'd have graduated from high school without having spoken a word to another person.
"That's why he was even reluctant to admit who his first love was even though I pointed it out many times in elementary school."
"First love…"
The cheeks of Yotsuba-san dye red and not just because of the hot water.
Onii-chan's student and his classmate.
The girl in the photo who made him begin to study.
The person he met in Kyoto.
.
My brother's first love.
.
"It's hard for me to imagine that kind of Onii-chan getting married so quickly. I just...I hope he knew what hr was doing..."
" You can't believe it?"
"To be honest, I can't help but worry for him."
"It's okay."
My cheek transmitted a soft, warm feeling of skin not my own. I then noted that my head was being hugged.
"Raiha-chan is a person who is much more attuned to the feelings of others than she realizes because she reads them properly. Uesugi-san is a person who always moves towards the right answer."
I looked up at Yotsuba-san's gentle face.
"I…"
"Yeah…"
"It would have been nice if Yotsuba-san became my sister-in-law. Even now, I still think that."
I had once imagined calling Yotsuba-san 'Onee-chan' in the future.
"I would have been very happy if Yotsuba-san became Onii-chan's wife."
Yotsuba-san may be referred to as a sister because she's a relative but she's only the sister of a relative, not a sister-in-law.
Of course, who Onii-chan marries is up to him. However, maybe inside I was still not completely convinced.
If I had heard such a childish selfishness from someone else, I'd have been disgusted.
"Me as Uesugi-san's wife? There's no way that'd happen."
It wasn't like Yotsuba-san…such a rough voice.
"I can't be such a thing."
She narrowed her eyes, her gaze far-off. I didn't know what she was looking at or, maybe, who she was looking at.
The side portrait of her face was breathtakingly beautiful but it was like a flower that had been beaten down by the rain. Somehow, I felt pain in my own chest so I dipped my face in the water to trick myself that I wasn't crying.
Honestly, I felt like beating up my brother.
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"It would have been nice if Yotsuba-san became my sister-in-law. Even now, I still think that."
Raiha-chan laughed sadly.
"I would have been very happy if Yotsuba-san became Onii-chan's wife."
Please don't say that.
"Me as Uesugi-san's wife?"
I can't say such a thing.
"There's no way that'd happen."
Such a cunning woman as Uesugi-san's wife?
"I can't be such a thing."
No matter how much I'd wish for it, I'll never be forgiven.
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"Ahhh! It feels so good!"
Like a cat, Raiha-chan's back curved as she stretched her body. I couldn't help but feel an odd warmth seeing how her legs and arms have grown so long.
"This place is amazing."
Today, we were celebrating Raiha-chan passing her university exams. At first, we thought of going to a shop Itsuki recommended. However, she remembered a super public bath that was an hour away by car. It was a place heavily featured on TV commercials too.
"I remember really liking this place the last time visited."
There was something I heard form Uesugi-san.
"I don't know the point in spending so much time just taking a bath." It seemed someone like him who preferred studying had all day didn't understand the point of immersing one self in hot springs or entering a bedrock bath to relax for the day.
Uesugi-san should really learn to relax more. I can't help but think of him as a workaholic when he brought some of his work to my place last week. His gleeful expression as he thought up hard questions for the upcoming final exam would have traumatized any of his students. Anyone who knew he was humming making such questions would have been more anxious taking it.
"But even if I bring Onii-chan, all he'll do is complain. Or he'll just fall asleep."
Correct.
"I also invited Itsuki-san but it seems she's been busy at work."
"Uesugi-san also said something about Itsuki doing too much work."
"I don't think it's convincing for Onii-chan to say such things when he's a workaholic himself."
"Hm."
What face would I make if he came over to my house and asked me for a lap pillow. What would I say if he told me he wanted to rely on me?
Of course, I don't say such things.
"Even so, Raiha-chan is a university student now."
The little girl had truly grown up. If Ichika heard such a thing, she may have laughed at how she was now an "oba-san".
"I'm not as good at studying as Onii-chan but it's a decent school."
"Don't put yourself down. Even though you didn't go to a prep school, you still got on the the nation-wide student's recommendation list. Uesugi-san was crying so hard because his cute little sister had grown up."
"Eh? There's no way Onii-chan cried."
.
"Well, do you want to try drinking sake later? Although, I wonder if it's a bit too early for you. Uesugi-san may get angry."
I knew how much Uesugi-san cared about his sister. We sisters have all seen it.
Even till now, there was one thing that weighed on Uesugi-san's mind.
Was it correct that he went to university?
He was hesitant. If he went to school, he'd have less money to give to his family. However, if he started working immediately after high school, he could have a more stable source of income compared to just part time jobs that could go to his sister.
If he pursued higher education, he'd have more options or he'd start an unavoidable career path by caring for his family's finances.
It took our sisters' desperate (crying and angry) persuasion, his dad's fists, and Raiha-chan's crying (possibly the decisive hit?) for Uesugi-san to choose the path he truly wanted. It was ironic that it was us sisters' academic progress and undecisive futures that helped him find his true calling, as well.
Well, with his abilities, he didn't even need to study for the exams and could get into any school in Japan. In fact, he continues his duties as our tutor all the way until the entrance examination.
I couldn't help but think that Uesugi-san was amazing, after all.
"You don't need to treat me like a younger sister."
"Raiha-chan is around that age. I'm can't help but be worried."
"Ehh, dad's nosy enough. He's always asking 'Do you have a boyfriend?' "
"It's because Uesugi-san knows high school girls are incomprehensible creatures."
"Is he uneasy because he had a hard time dealing with five of those creatures?"
"Who's a creature?!"
"I wonder…"
"Shi Shi Shi."
"Shi Shi Shi."
I looked at her laughing face.
I wonder when did people start saying we looked like sisters when we laughed together? For me, who only knew sisters that were born on the same day, I'm happy to be told that such similarities could be made with someone that didn't share my face. Honestly, it feels nice.
It wouldn't be a lie to say I'd make Raiha-chan my sister even if I had to falsify the family register.
"You've really grown out your hair, Yotsuba-san."
Once, I cut my hair when I was in university.
It was even shorter than my usual cut so my sisters were quite surprised. They all asked why but I just vaguely laughed it off and tried to change the topic. There was no reason to give an explanation nor was there a good reason to say such things.
It was much like when I cut it when we transferred school.
I just so happened to have only morning classes.
I just so happened to have no appointments for lunch.
I just so happened to walk past a hair salon.
It just so happened to be the day I heard from Uesugi-san that he started dating.
As the sounds of the scissors of the beautician reached my ears, I remembered how people said a girl cutting her hair was a sign of a broken heart.
I watched my hair fall under my feet.
I couldn't help but stare at the hair that was the same color as my sister's own own that was scattered on the gray porcelain tiles.
When Uesugi-san saw my new cut, he was surprised. I thought it felt good for a moment but immediately regretted it.
I was upset what he had done to me. He had crushed my heart. I cut my hair because I wanted him to see that. It was very shallow of me to do so.
It was same as showing your wounds to friend.
After showing him such scars, I wonder what I wanted from Uesugi-san?
.
"I wonder if it was right that he got married."
"…what do you mean?"
Her words froze me for a moment.
"Onii-chan married early, didn't he? They dated in university and then they were just married."
I know.
"Yes. Onii-chan's very strong at being decisive and taking action but he's really bad at being idle. He's very self-centered."
I know.
"You were in the same high school. He was also your private tutor."
I know.
"That's why he was even reluctant to admit who his first love was even though I pointed it out many times in elementary school."
My cheeks grew hot. Just hearing it was embarrassing.
I knew who that girl in question was. Such a thing was said the person in question.
That child I met in Kyoto was also my first love.
That meant…
"To be honest, I can't help but worry for him."
Raiha-chan's a really kind girl.
She really loved her brother which how much she worried over him.
One couldn't help but worry for family because we're all connected by blood and have always watched one another throughout our lives.
It's natural because you didn't want them to get hurt.
You didn't want to see tears of regret or despair.
"It's okay."
Therefore, I needed to reassure this younger sister who worried over her brother's feelings for him.
"Raiha-chan is a person who is much more attuned to the feelings of others than she realizes because she reads them properly."
Your brother is much nicer and mature than you think.
He's mean.
He's stubborn
He's boorish.
He's timid.
He's clumsy.
For five stupid and troublesome girls, he was able to melt their hearts and take them out of their narrow world.
Your brother is a truly strong, wise, kind-hearted person.
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With the closing ceremony over, today is a day-off for me. I even already finished writing up the surprise quiz for when winter vacation ends so it's been a while since I've had such free time.
On days like this, I sued to read text books, reference books, and so on. When I became a tutor for the Nakano sisters, I started making my own exercises.
I would have liked to bring some of my work at home but, even if I wanted to do it, my wife would scold me.
Currently, I'm reading a book of paintings that my wife owned. Because of her work, It's not a lie to say that my wife had deep knowledge of art.
"What about sunflowers in a vase?"
Van Gough.
Vincent Willem van Gogh
March 30, 1853. A Dutch post-impressionist artist."
One of his most famous works, Sunflowers, he's produced seven times.
When I was in middle school, I was reading up his works of art for a test and had to think that such a sad life too much a price for being well known.
He never got recognized until he the later years of his life, or more accurately, after his death. He was the kind of person, I felt, who attracted unhappiness. I thought that such people would make others those around them unhappy.
I don't have any sentimental feelings on the matter but it still felt impossible to enjoy such a thing now. I've only ever opened art materials for purposes other than studying.
In the first place, I've never really been one for museum tours.
Rather than an image that showed an impression of beautiful or wonderful colors, the distorted images of the sunflowers that sat in the vase could be said to overlap with the artist's own sad life. Such a thing looked alien to me.
Some of the sunflowers in the painting were morbidly swollen and withering. They were far different from the fresh houseplants found in Yotsuba's room.
I took a sip of the hot tea I laid by the windowsill. To read, I have to move the chairs of the table next to the window. This way I can read books with sunlight while placing my glass by the windowsill.
After all, I don't' feel quite comfortable reading a book while lying on the sofa. I may have been because I grew up sitting on tatami mats to study or using the library's hard chairs to read.
.
My wife would often recommend me a novel (especially romance) but they're not usually my type. I don't intend to make insult fiction like I did in the past however I'm can't be moved by the love created by another person. It may just be my wife's idea tor her tasteless and frugal husband to pick up a hobby or even pressure to learn more about women from such things.
"Stay a good boy."
Like speaking to a child, my wife kissed my cheek as she left for work. It's something I wouldn't have been able to imagine when we had first met.
That is also the case with all of my wife's sisters, as well.
Other than that person. I'm not going to say anything about it now but I had really been saved.
With my family's finances in mind, I wasn't going to ever quit my tutoring job but even so there is still a big difference between 4/5 and 5/5 uncooperative sisters.
The more time I thought about it, the more my mind wandered. Instead of contemplating a clear subject, I can't help but remember something unrelated.
.
There was a place on the riverbed overgrown with clovers.
It was because I saw the Yotsuba and Raiha that I stopped a place I would normally have just passed by.
When I saw how similar their smiles were as they searched, I couldn't help but feel jealous. Then when pointed such a thing out, they only smiled more. But because they were smiling with such child-like happiness, it was hard to maintain my envy.
I then notified the other sisters that I'd be late and to study on their own for a while.
Yotsuba and Raiha stared at me as if I was an alien.
You see, if the sun goes down and it gets too late, I'll be too worried about Raiha returning home and so the study time of you idiots will increase even further.
There was no time to be looking for a four-leaf clover and you shouldn't waste a single minute when exams were coming up.
Luckily, I didn't need to worry about such entrance exam worries unlike everyone else.
So based on such rational judgment, I decided to help them out
And when I told them that, they just laughed out loud.
I was embarrassed and angry but I had no choice to bear with the heat on my face because I couldn't take such words back anymore
So, two idiots that looked for such a thing increased to three.
.
"Here it is!"
Yotsuba suddenly yelled.
With a smile on her face, she held out a four-leaf clover in her hand.
I had no reason to look for it or have such a thing but when I silently received it, her smile on her face bloomed like a flower.
Innocent with a face dirtied with soil.
A smile bathed red by the sunset.
When I saw the four-lead clover in my hand along with her smile, the back of my eyes turned hot.
.
A broken clover.
.
A clover that had been uprooted to give someone happiness.
.
Your smile.
.
It was pretty yet also lonely.
A smile that was like a flower. Bathed in the sun, it was a smile of a flower blooming gorgeously.
It was a flower that bloomed on the cliff. Something, I would never have noticed or ever become aware of, that flowers could bloom in such a place.
However, it also looked like a flower that grew even being exposed to harsh winds and icy rain.
It was a terribly arrogant thought, to push such sad implications on a person.
I couldn't face such a smile directly
.
The sudden sound of my phone surprised me.
Looking out the window, the sun had already set. If I check the time, it would definitely be past five o'clock.
I clicked my tongue.
It's against my principal to waste so much time thinking without gaining anything from it.
The message was from Yotsuba.
She wrote that they're coming back from the super public bath and wondered if Raiha could stay at her place today.
I checked my watch again. It's still early for my wife to head back home so I quickly tapped the top number on my call history.
.
It seemed my annoyance had already disappeared.
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"Maybe, the fatigue of the exam had finally caught up to her."
"Well, I hope she loosened up than."
Raiha-chan was already dozing off in the car as we headed back to my apartment and she fell completely asleep just as I was preparing our drinks.
Softly breathing, her head laid her on my lap as I gently stroked her hair. Her long locks was soft like any other girl's but compared to my sisters' it was more similar to Uesugi-san's. They were brother and sister after all.
"I see...I guess she had a lot of worries too."
"Don't worry. It's not Uesugi-san's fault."
Anyone would be nervous when taking their entrance exam. It'd be rare for someone to have confidence to say something like anything less than first place wouldn't be enough for them.
"Was it a bad day-off then?" He said, almost mockingly, with a laugh of someone filled with confidence.
I couldn't help but feel that he'd really grown up.
It's hard to believe you're the same person I met who couldn't even apologize obediatnly. Well, even at that time, how you were clumsy, shy, yet blunt was something I found cute.
"It's fine. I wanted to go out anyways,"
"Would you like me to pick her up over there?"
"Ah, don't worry. We originally planned to just stay here at home."
"I see."
The voice across the telephone sounded disappointed.
"That's…is that just an excuse to come over to my house?"
Was it only me who wanted to hear such a thing?
I hope not.
"Huh?"
"Shi Shi Shi. Too bad!"
How disappointing. I really wanted you to come.
Even so, just hearing Uesugi-san's voice by my ear was comfortable.
"My father will think she's with a boy when Raiha doesn't come back tonight. He's going to get worried."
"Isn't it the same for Uesugi-san?"
"I'm annoyed that I can't deny that."
"It can't be helped. She's about that age."
It's fun talking with Uesugi-san.
"Uesugi-san was off today too, no? Did you do anything?"
"I didn't do anything."
"Well, it's not like you really did nothing, right?"
"I really didn't do anything. My work was finished. It was a waste of time."
"You should move your body around then! You have a long day off."
"Why do I have to be tired during my resting time? I need to rest."
"That's why you don't have any physical strength."
"It's better than it used to be! Probably…"
I'd like to meet him directly, of course, but I don't mind talking to him while listening to his voice next to my ear.
Whether it's jokes, talks, or any trivial exchange of words, it fills my heart with the feeling that I'm alone with him even though he is far away.
It's only for a moment though.
"Maybe, you should come over to the gym where I work next time."
"Hmm…well, this sort of thing is also needed."
"Right!?"
"I'll consider it, if you're willing to support me."
"Of course! We have a special curriculum set!"
"If there's no problems, I'll ask for you the next time you're at work."
Even if you can't move after, you could stay at my place, so it's okay.
Wait.
If that happened, I'll have to take him back to Uesugi-san's house. His wife will be waiting for him, after all.
I knew I'm not supposed to get involved.
"It seems Uesugi-san is a still person who always moves towards the right answer."
Unlike me.
It's different from myself who knows she's wrong but can't turn back.
I know.
I truly know.
I truly know but…
"Then I'm relying on you, Yotsuba."
Please don't call me with such a kind voice.
"Then I'll take care of it right away."
I want to know…
"It's good that you're taking care of others but you should rest yourself. Or else you're going to get overwhelmed."
Because I truly don't know anymore.
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TN: This one was…tough. Some of the flow wasn't there so some changes had to be done. That being said, there's a lot of repetition in this fic chapter that can easily be overlooked. The first part also could refer to multiple people, not just what the text showed.