Look.
A lot of this story is rehashing canon. That's not going to change. If you don't like that go read something else.
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Fast forward to the next morning. Or so I write, except instead of sleeping I was down at McDonald's at 5:00 am, nodding off and sipping on my second serving of coffee. The sky was already lit and the sparrows were busily pecking at the ground before returning to flight once again.
After that Hotel Royal Okura incident, we each went our separate ways. Once I got home, I begged Komachi to do something for me and went outside to kill some time. I was probably better off sleeping, but I just couldn't. I was up all night panicking about my lizard. That was one reason I'd stayed awake in that fashion.
"So you came…" The automated door made a sound as it opened, and Kawasaki Saki appeared, scraping her feet listlessly.
"What do you want?" she asked much more irately than usual, possibly because she hadn't gotten much sleep.
She seemed pissed but I stared down the god of creation last night. The nameless horror at the center of everything. Compared to that what was some pissy girl?
"Well, comb down." I fumbled over my words with exceptional finesse. "I mean, calm down."
Okay, so acting casual was a huge failure. But I had better things to be afraid of than Kawasaki. That small mistake was all it took for me to loosen up, and from then on my words came out smoothly.
"Everyone'll be here soon. So just wait a little longer."
"Everyone?" As a puzzled Kawasaki looked on at me the automated door made a sound as it opened once again, signalling the arrival of Yukinoshita and Yuigahama.
Just after I'd parted ways from those two, I sent Yuigahama a brief text. I instructed her to stay the night at Yukinoshita's place, contact her parents and come to the McDonalds with Yukinoshita at five in the morning. That was all ‐ I wrote those three points to communicate a simple, pragmatic message.
"You guys again?" Kawasaki sighed deeply in exasperation. But she wasn't the only irate individual here. With a sulky look on her face, Yuigahama refused to look my way.
"What, didn't she get enough sleep?" I tried asking Yukinoshita, but she shrugged as well.
"Who knows? I thought she had a good sleep… that reminds me, after she got your text message I felt that her mood took a conspicuous turn for the worse. Did you write something lewd in there?"
"Could you, like, stop treating me like a sex criminal? And anyway, I don't know how a text with simple instructions would make her so mad."
As Yukinoshita and I looked at each other, Komachi suddenly butted in. "Yep, that's my big brother for you! He has no basic sense of delicacy."
"Oi, Komachi. Can you stop appearing out of nowhere just to abuse me?"
"Big brother, normally people send instructions in their texts when they're in a working relationship. When you just put instructions in your texts, it really puts a damper on the conversation."
"You were called here too, imouto‐san?" Yukinoshita asked, somewhat taken aback.
"Yep, I had an errand to run. I brought him here, y'know?" Komachi said, pointing at Taishi. He grunted in response.
"Taishi… what are you doing here at this hour?" Kawasaki glared at Taishi with a mixture of surprise and anger colouring her face.
But Taishi remained unperturbed. "I'm the one who should be asking you that, nee‐chan. What have you been doing up to this hour in the morning?"
"It's none of your business…" Kawasaki severed the conversation right then and there. But while her logic might work on others, it had no effect on Taishi, who was part of her family.
Up until now, Kawasaki and Taishi had been talking one‐to‐one, and it was because of that Kawasaki had countless avenues of escape. She could arbitrarily cut the conversation short and leave. She could do whatever she wanted. But now, she couldn't do that. We encircled her, preventing her from running ‐ and more than that, it was morning, so we could pin her down at an actual spot outside her work.
"It is my business," Taishi insisted. "I'm your family…"
"…I told you that you don't need to know," Kawasaki answered, her voice weakening. But even so, her will not to speak remained.
The reason she was turning her back was because she didn't think she could talk to Taishi about it, I surmised.
"Kawasaki, let me guess why you're working and why you need money," I said, prompting Kawasaki to glare at me. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama turned to me with keen interest.
The reason Kawasaki started a part‐time job: clearly, only she would know. But if you thought about it, that was a hint in itself.
Kawasaki Saki became a delinquent in her second year of high school, according to Kawasaki Taishi. It would certainly seem that way from Kawasaki Taishi's point of view. But you could not say the same from Kawasaki Saki's perspective.
From Kawasaki Saki's point of view, she started her part‐time job when Kawasaki Taishi entered his third year of middle school. In that case, her reason fell in that time frame.
"Taishi, did something change when you entered your third year?"
"Er, uh… wasn't that around when I started attending cram school?" Taishi wracked his head for various other memories, but that was revealing enough. As if she had guessed what I was about to say next, Kawasaki bit her lip in frustration.
"I get it, it was to pay for her little bro's tuition fees‐" Yuigahama chimed in, but I interrupted her.
"No. The tuition fees themselves were already settled by the time Taishi started going to cram school in April. The enrolment and teaching material fees are already paid by that time. That means the Kawasaki family took those expenses into consideration beforehand. On the other hand, you could say it was a situation where only Taishi's tuition fees were settled."
"I see what you're getting at." Yukinoshita turned her gaze at Kawasaki with complete comprehension and just a small amount of sympathy. "Indeed, it's not just the little brother whose tuition fees must be accounted for."
Right, our school Soubu High was dedicated to preparing students for university. The majority of students hoped to advance to university and many of them actually did so. As a result, quite a few people became fixated on their entrance exams at around their second year of high school, and there were also people who thought seriously about taking a summer course. And when you're trying to get into university, you need money every step of the way.
"It's like what Taishi said. His nee‐chan used to be straight‐laced and kind. Basically, she's still that way," I stated in conclusion. Kawasaki's shoulders sagged listlessly.
"Nee‐chan… I'm going to cram school, so…"
"…that's why I said you didn't need to know." Kawasaki knocked her brother on the head comfortingly.
Aww, this looked like a heart‐warming resolution to all the drama. I mean good for them. And they all lived happily ever after. Or so I thought, but then Kawasaki pursed her lips tightly.
"Still, I can't quit my job over all this. I intend to go to university. I don't want to cause you or our parents any trouble over that, Taishi." Kawasaki's tone was sharp. She was clearly keeping her decision to herself, and her iron‐clad will once again drove Taishi into silence.
"Um, can I just say something?" A carefree voice broke the silence. It was Komachi. Kawasaki turned to her exasperatedly.
"What?" she demanded half‐curtly, half‐belligerently. But Komachi deflected her anger with a grin.
"'kay, so. Both our parents have been working for ages, and so, like, when I was little I'd go home and no one'd be there. Whenever I announced I was back no one ever greeted me."
"Um, if someone did greet you when no one was home it'd be creepy," I pointed out. "What's with the sudden spiel?"
"Oh, right. Big brother, shut your piehole for a bit." She utterly shut me down. Shrugging with acceptance, I held my tongue and turned my ear to what Komachi was saying. "So then, I got so sick of coming home to a house like that I ran away from home for five days. That time it wasn't my parents who came to pick me up, it was onii‐ chan. So from then on, my bro's been coming home earlier than me. So I'm grateful to my brother for that."
The best brother in the world ‐ yep, that's me all right. That heart‐warming story (which I had no recollection of) was enough to bring tears to my eyes in spite of myself. In those days, I had no intention of taking care of Komachi whatsoever; I only came home early because I had no friends to play with and I wanted to do my work.
Kawasaki turned to me with something very much like newfound respect in her eyes, while Yuigahama's eyes were a little watery. Yukinoshita was the only one to merely cock her head slightly.
"The reason Hikigaya‐kun came home early was because he never had any friends from that time, I believe?"
"Hey, how come you know that? What, are you Yukipedia or something?"
"Well, yeah, I'm well aware of that," Komachi admitted nonchalantly, "but I thought saying it like this would make my Komachi points go up."
That prompted Yuigahama to speak up. "You really are Hikki's sister," she said wearily.
"Hey, what are you implying…?" Was she saying I was cute too? Then I would agree.
"So what are you even getting at?" Kawasaki demanded irritably. Honestly, I was practically wetting my pants myself, but Komachi looked Kawasaki straight in the eyes with her usual cheerful smile, completely undeterred. "Even though my brother is so hopeless, he definitely wouldn't do anything to worry me ‐ that's what I'm getting at. Even the little things he does help me out and it makes me feel happy." She grinned. "Oh, that just made my Komachi points go up."
"Don't just tack something unnecessary on at the end."
"No way, it's obvious you're just hiding from me in embarrassment. Oh, that also just made my Komachi points go up."
"Enough already."
Geez, since I was related to someone who said such dumb, careless things, it was no wonder I couldn't believe a word uttered by those creatures known as women. When I regarded her like the nuisance she was, Komachi pouted and moaned in complaint. When I refused to give in to her, she gave up and resumed conversation with Kawasaki.
"So basically, just like how you don't want to be a nuisance to your family, Saki‐ san, Taishi‐kun doesn't want to cause trouble to you either, y'know? I'd be happy as a younger sibling if you could understand that little point."
No answer.
Kawasaki was engulfed in silence.
And at that moment, so was I. …crap, I had no idea what to make of these feelings I had. I could hardly believe Komachi thought that way about me. I hadn't realised since she'd never been a troublemaker all along.
"…well, something like that, I guess," Taishi added lamely. He turned away, his face red.
Kawasaki stood up and stroked Taishi's head gently. Rather than her usual languid expression, she smiled ever so gently.
Even so, the problem had not yet been settled. The only thing that had happened was that Kawasaki and Taishi had learned to communicate again. Being emotionally satisfied did not mean everything is fine and dandy. It wouldn't somehow break down tangible problems or render those problems meaningless. In the end, physical possessions and money were absolutely indispensable.
Money was a quite a severe problem for a high school student. The money you earn at some half‐assed part‐time job was nothing compared to the scale of the real world. It was depressing to calculate the number of hours you'd have to work to obtain the millions of yen it costs to cover the tuition fees of a private university.
Handing over one or two million yen would make us look great and all, but we didn't have that kind of money and it was against the very principles of the Service Club anyway. It was like Yukinoshita had said that one time. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
With that in mind, I bestowed upon her one tactic from my get‐rich‐quick scheme. "Kawasaki. You know what a scholarship is?"
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At 5:30 in the morning, the air was still unpleasantly chilly. Stifling a yawn, I watched the outlines of two people recede into the distance. The distance between them never widened or closed; whenever one of them overtook the other, the person ahead would slacken their step for the other to catch up, and their shoulders shook from time to time from the sounds of their boisterous laughter. Yukinoshita stood in the thick of the morning mist.
"Is that what it means to be siblings, I wonder…?" A sigh slipped out of her.
"Could be. Depends a lot on who's involved. You could also say they're your closest strangers."
Actually, there were times when I got so pissed off I'd think about punching my little sister, and at those times I could feel I was not acting like myself at all. And yet, in those inadvertent moments, feelings like love and affection would well up in me too. Being unable to express those feelings clearly and forever sensing a wall between you is what it means to be siblings.
That's why calling them your closest stranger is as strange as it is fitting. They were the closest person to you and yet they were a stranger, and they were a stranger and yet they were the closest person to you.
"Your closest stranger… I see. I understand that all too well." Yukinoshita nodded, keeping her face down.
"Yukinon?" Yuigahama peered tentatively at Yukinoshita's face, puzzled by her appearance.
At that, Yukinoshita whipped her head up and flashed Yuigahama a smile. "Now then, we should get going too. It'll be time for school in three hours."
"Oh, okay…" Yuigahama was less than accepting of Yukinoshita's attitude from the looks of it, but she nodded and adjusted the bag on her shoulder anyway. I unfastened my bicycle key at that moment too.
"Yeah. Komachi, wake up." Komachi was sitting on the curb stone in front of the McDonalds and nodding off. I poked her cheek lightly, causing her to mumble something incomprehensible and open her eyes drowsily. She stood up and dragged her feet like a zombie, plopping herself behind my bicycle.
On a normal day, she'd still be asleep. There was nothing for it. Today I'd have to tread slowly on an even road. I sat on my bike and put my feet on the pedals.
"I'm going home now, then. Good work, everyone."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow. No, wait. See you today at school." Yuigahama did a little wave, her hand close to her chest.
Yukinoshita was silent for a moment, gazing vacantly at Komachi and me, but as soon as I moved my feet, she spoke up quietly. "I don't recommend you ride with two people at once… you might get into another accident."
"Oh, see you later," I replied as I started to pedal. My sleep‐deprived brain was unable to work properly, and almost all of my mental capacity was occupied on the road and avoiding the incoming cars. Thanks to that, I could only muster a perfunctory reply to what Yukinoshita said.
Vaguely, I wondered how she knew about that accident…
I pedalled slowly and deliberately in the straight line that intersected with the 14th national highway. The wind that usually blew in our faces whenever we went to school was behind us today. As we waited in front of our second traffic light, a pleasant aroma from the bakery down the road wafted in the air. My stomach growled in hunger.
"…Komachi. You want some bread before we go home?"
"Tch! Onii‐chan, you moron! You always drop by the bakery all quiet and nonchalant and pretending not to notice anything. But you're just hungry!"
As she poked me in the back, I turned my bike towards the bakery and started pedalling.
Komachi sighed. "Onii‐chan, you really are hopeless. If you were gonna pull this stunt, I wouldn't have said all those nice things about you before."
"Nah, you weren't complimenting me at all. In the end, it was all about you being a good kid. And you pretty much made up that story anyway."
"Well, kinda, yeah," Komachi said as she stopped punching me. She was quiet for a moment. "But you know, I wasn't lying about being grateful."
Then she wrapped her arms around my waist in a tight embrace, burying her head against my back.
"Are your Komachi points going up again?"
"Hmph, you found me out." Even as she said that, Komachi wouldn't take her arms away from my waist.
The pleasant early morning breeze had been slowly freezing up our bodies when we were apart. I sensed that the warm, comforting touch of her skin was gradually making me sleepier. Somehow, I suspected we'd be late today as well. If I went home feeling like this, I knew for sure I'd curl up and fall asleep. It wasn't so bad to be late once in a while, getting along with your sibling like this.
"But you know, good for you." Komachi's voice drifted to me from behind. "You got to meet her properly."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" I supposed I was wearing a doubtful expression.
Komachi went on talking blithely, unaware of the emotion showing on my face. "You know, the candy person. I should've said something when we all met up before. But oh well, congrats, onii‐chan. You got to meet a cute girl like Yui‐san 'cos you fractured a bone."
"Yeah, I guess…" I pushed my feet and pedalled mechanically. I was unaware of almost all the feeling that comes with performing that action. This probably explained why my pedalling broke down within moments.
My body suddenly shook violently. And a sharp piercing pain assailed my shin. "Gahhhh!"
"Ouuuch… what's up with you all of a sudden? That's the first time I've seen someone miss the pedals."
Komachi's incessant whining sounded like something far away.
I could hardly believe what she had just said. So Yuigahama was the candy person?
To anyone else, a candy person might be someone who gives you sweets during the Bon Festival or they might be a friendly relative, but they weren't love interests. But in my case, my fate was connected to that candy person.
I got into a traffic accident on my first day of high school. On the way to school, a girl walking her dog in the school's vicinity let go of her leash at the same unfortunate moment an expensive‐looking limousine appeared. My reward for saving that dog was a fractured bone. I was hospitalised for three whole weeks after my first day of school, sealing my fate as a loner.
And the owner of that dog was the girl Komachi referred to as the candy person.
"Onii‐chan, what's wrong?" Komachi peered at me with concern, but all I could muster was a vague smile. I'd just been thinking about a few things, that's all.
Then my lips formed a bitter smile, one of self‐defeat and mockery. "It's nothing. Let's just buy that bread and go home," I said as I started pedalling, trying to jerk myself back into motion.
But strangely enough, it was nothing but a futile effort. Once again, the pedal slapped against my shin.
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-WG
