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Serene Days | Chapter 4: Graduation

Kirino:

March is a very important month because of the many events that occur during it. Graduation, the start of sakura blossoms, and the change of weather. The transition from March into April signifies a warmer change in weather but now I feel like its actually starting to get colder.

I stuff my hands in my hoodie's kangaroo pocket to keep them warm as I speed walk down the road. Since I was wearing a skirt, I was trying to hurry back home before my legs completely froze over. As I hustled back in hope for the warm temperature of my house to embrace me, a bold idea entered my mind.

If only I had a boyfriend here with me right now, I'd bet he'd make me feel warm as we walked down this road together. That'd be so sweet, walking hand in hand and cuddling. This was not an uncommon scenario in the slightest, it happens all the time in eroge. Watching the female protagonist walking so happy and comfortably due to the considerate actions of the male protagonist is a very wholesome moment. It makes you want to jump into the game to experience it for yourself…

Suddenly, I imagined myself walking down the road hand in hand and cuddling against my brother, who filled into the male protagonist slot. What the hell? Why I am thinking about walking with him all of a sudden? I waved my arms in front of me in a shooing gesture to get rid of these embarrassing thoughts. It took me a while to realize I was acting like a fool though. Oh great, now the people waking down the road think I'm crazy. Thanks, brother…

I sighed as I continued to power walk down the road, still hustling in order to get back to the warmth of indoors and the coziness of hot chocolate. As I walked past the park entrance, I heard a familiar voice call for my name. "Kirino-chan! Wait up!". I turned around to notice neighbor girl scurrying out of the park entrance to meet me.

"How are you doing today? It's pretty cold isn't it?". I replied with a 'fine' as we walked down the road together, a rare sight indeed. She always acts so nice to the point where sometimes you can't help but question her sincerity. People would call me pessimistic for doing that but after what went down all those years ago I have a right to suspect her.

I have no idea why she called out to me. I thought I made it clear to her before that I wasn't really fond of her and yet somehow here we are walking together. True to my opinion of her though, I didn't say anything and neither did she. It was just an awkward stroll down the street until she finally piped up.

"Say, do you know where Kyou-chan is? As soon as class ended he instantly dashed out of the room.". Boohoo! Are you going to cry because he didn't wait for you and walk home with you? "No idea, he's probably freaking out about his post-graduation plans" I answered unemotionally, suppressing my spiteful thoughts within.

Yesterday after my talk with Ayase, I was looking to apologize to him for taking my anger out on him last night, but he seemed way too busy. He was running around the house printing stuff and typing a heck-ton on his new computer. It honestly piqued my curiosity as he hasn't talked to me about his future plans yet. One thing I do know though is that I should probably expect him to move out of the house soon.

It hasn't really bothered me until recently to be honest. I knew that there was a high chance that my brother would move out, but the reality hasn't really hit me until now. My dad would definitely want my brother to start living alone so that he can learn to sustain himself and be more like an adult.

The time I spent reconciling with my brother and hanging out with him more has gone by so quickly. I still fondly remember not knowing what to do with my ever-growing stash of eroge like it was yesterday. From that point on, my life changed significantly as the days of each month became more fun as they passed on. Fun wasn't the only thing filling up the rapidly passing days though, my brother was a large part of it too.

He got more and more involved in my life after I consulted him about my problem. At first, I didn't notice the subtle changes, but all of a sudden, it reached a point where my day would become weird if I didn't interact with my brother. It didn't matter if it was about eroge, school, or other things, I found myself talking to him every day.

I clutched the part of my hoodie where my heart was. Maybe this is where my feelings for him come from... all the times he has helped me, all the times we had fun, all the time we argued but then forgave each other… was that the catalyst? Were all these memories of him trying to be a big part of my life again the trigger? I clutched my heart harder. It wasn't hurting though, it was warm. It was making me feel all toasty inside, something I was yearning for the whole walk.

After reminiscing on the happy memories I've spent with my brother over the past year or two, I was brought back to reality by neighbor girl, who I forgot was still walking beside me. "Kirino-chan, this is where we split ways, I gotta go get something at the electronics store, cya!". I watched as she waved to me and disappeared into the store. What was the point of walking with me? Ah whatever, I probably wouldn't care about her reasoning anyway.

I announced my arrival to the house as I took off my shoes and entered the kitchen, looking for some hot chocolate to warm me up further. As I got closer to the desk though, there was a mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows floating in it already there, greeting me.

Is this my brother's? Why would he leave it here? I took the mug with me as I knocked on my brother's door. I heard him say "come in" from inside and in response, I entered his room to see him still in his school uniform, typing away on his royal blue computer like there was no tomorrow.

He's still in his uniform? How much of he is in a rush to still not change out of his school clothes? "Is this your hot chocolate?". I raised the mug to his field of vision as he swiveled his chair to meet me. "Oh, I made it for you. I thought you'd be cold like me so I made some for the both of us." I looked over at his desk to see that the indeed made a mug for himself too, although it was already empty.

He made this for me? Wow, that's unlike him, he was actually considerate for once. Suddenly realizing that this was one of the reasons why I liked him, I froze up. What do I say? This isn't the time to be embarrassed Kirino! Just thank him!

"T-thank you, aniki". I felt my face warming up, I must've been blushing. My brother also looked surprised at my sudden meekness, not knowing what to say either. I took the silence as an opportunity to dash out of his room and into mine. I placed the mug on my desk as I sat on my chair and buried my face into my knees. Jeez, I'm getting too embarrassed. Aniki, you're too good… stop making my heart flutter so much.

I turned my attention to the hot chocolate that he prepared out of solicitude for me. I gently grasped the handle where his hand must've touched as well and took a sip of the mug's contents. It's warm. Really warm. I turned around to look at the wall separating my room from my brother's. I walked over and placed the palm of my hand on the barrier.

How warm would I feel if you were to hug me... aniki?

Kyousuke:

What's up with Kirino today? I can't tell if she liked or hated the fact that I made her some hot chocolate. I was freezing as I ran back home, so did I do right in fixing her up a mug as well? Ah whatever, I have more pressing things to worry about.

After my freaking out on Sunday, I realized that I had many things to do. Last night I talked to my parents about a lot of things regarding what I wanted to do after graduation. "About time" my dad said after I told him my plans. He was probably waiting for me to present him with my ideas for a while now…

Thanks to my rather great grades on the university exams, it looks like I'll be heading to Chiba University, one of the best in the prefecture. It was a good thing I sent out my application alongside my CV during college counseling last month. But one thing I forgot about was the university fees and accommodation!

Surprisingly though, it turns out that the place I stayed in during my one-month study frenzy was coincidentally close to the university campus, well, at least for my course as the building where my classes will take place is close by. As a result of this convenience, my dad and I were easily able to tie down a new contract so that after I graduate, I should be able to move in right away.

Despite that out of the way, I still had to type up a lot of details for my dad about the university finances. I might have procrastinated a tad too much but, I was able to spend a lot of quality time with Kirino and the others so I don't really regret my actions.

Speaking of Kirino though, I should probably tell her that I'm going to leave soon. When she left for America without me knowing, it felt like a gaping hole opened in my heart, therefore, it would be some twisted payback if I were to do the same. Don't worry Kyousuke, don't doubt yourself, this is a normal brotherly thing to do.

I knocked on my sister's door firmly to which she opened normally. Ok, peaceful start so far. "Are you busy Kirino, I'd like to talk". She shook her head as she sat back on her chair again and gestured for me to begin speaking. It was hard to tell her mood right now… it doesn't seem like she's angry, however, you can't say she's exactly in a good mood either. It's like she's trying to subdue something…

"So basically, after graduation, I'm moving out. But don't worry! I'm moving back to the same flat I stayed at when I was studying for exams so, by any chance, you feel like you want to visit me after I leave, you know where I'm at." By this stage, I'm surprised she hasn't said anything tsundere like 'what makes you think I'm going to visit you' or something like that. All she's done so far was nod.

"Which university are you going to? Chiba U?". I nodded in response to her question. "It's close to the flat, that's why I decided to move back there." Kirino nodded in silence as a reply. It was a very weird feeling, she was not being talkative at all so far, instead, she was looking at me with some sort of intent. Did I miss something?

"You've got nothing to say Kirino? Are you even going to miss me?" I smiled jokingly as I turned around to head out of her room. As I grabbed the doorknob though, I felt the sensation of a hug from behind. Kirino's arms wrapped my stomach as she pressed her torso on my back. "Don't stay stuff like that… of course I'm going to miss you… baka".

There it is again! The rare meek Kirino. I guess she must've become mellow after I prepared her some hot chocolate… how cute! As I attempted to turn around to pat her on the head, she kept me in place with her arms, gripping my school uniform. "Don't move… I'm cold so let me stay like this."

Oh great, guess I'm a standing teddy bear now. For several minutes, me and Kirino stood just like this. She continued to hug me and bury her face into my back as I stood still, not moving in fear of angering her and ruining this rather nice moment. I'll miss being in this house Kirino, I'll miss this a lot.

After a while, Kirino finally let go. As I turned around to face her she put her arms behind her back and was twitching around while avoiding eye-contact. "Don't worry Kirino, I'll miss you too, so be sure to come to visit ok? Besides, I still have until Monday before the move so, we can still hang out a lot until then!".

"Promise?". It was a very cute and soft question. It's like what a cute grade-schooler would say after their big brother said he'll buy them ice-cream. "I promise, in-fact, let me just finish up my finance report for dad and then we can talk about where we want to go right after".

With that in mind, I looked to exit Kirino's room for the second time, however, before I could leave she tugged on my uniform. "Don't invite anyone else, ok?". What? Now, this is starting to get into uncharted territory… "These are going to be the last activities we're doing while we're still sharing the same house so… let it be just me and you this time".

I was surprised by her sudden request. Surely it would be a tad inconsiderate to ignore the rest of the gang? "Don't you want to hang out with Kuroneko, Naoki, and Saori too? I mean, it's not like I'll be seeing them as often as I am now". I looked down at Kirino to try and figure out her true intentions but she's still avoiding eye-contact.

After staring at her face though, I noticed the evident coat of blush as she continued to look the other way. I can't tell what's she's thinking. Why only us two… unless? Before I could come to a conclusion, Kirino suddenly looked up and me and pouted. "Why don't you understand? When I say I want it to be just us two then it'll be just us two!"

I do understand but… ah, screw it! I am not going to argue with a pouting Kirino, she's too cute to be angry at. Looks like the rest of the otaku gang will have to wait a bit longer. "Fine, fine, it'll only be us two, so please let me go finish my report so dad won't kill me for procrastinating!". After finally giving in to her requests she rewarded me with a beaming smile.

"I'll look forward to it then, aniki". Damn these sudden 'anikis' are catching me off-guard. I better control my surprise when she does rare stuff like this. With a consensus being reached between us I finally exited her room and got back on working out my fees and costs.

From then on it was smooth sailing. Before dinner, I was able to present my research and calculations to my parents and we were able to agree on the prices of my university, other essentials, and disposable income. It was regular pre-graduation talk, nothing special.

At first, I was thinking of getting a part-time job so I can somehow be less of a burden to my parents but my dad suggested I should see how I do at academics first before considering helping out financially as what good would a part-time stint be if I'm flunking my course?.

As we were chatting though, I noticed Kirino peeking at me, listening attentively from the corner of the room. I wonder if she's either listening because she has to go through this in a few years or because of something else. It's hard to determine what she's thinking nowadays because of her unusual meekness arising out of nowhere. It was strange, yet slightly familiar because it reminded me of how she used to be when she was younger.

After having a hearty dinner, I looked up the stairs to see Kirino waiting with her arms crossed. I nodded as I walked up the stairs, expecting to follow her into her room but instead, she entered mine. Yup, definitely can't figure out what she's thinking. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's kinda irritating but somehow, I feel like I shouldn't question it…

After she sat on my chair without asking, I chose to sit on the bed. "So Kirino, do you want to do these activities on the weekdays or weekend? Personally I…" before I could finish my sentence though, Kirino interrupted "While you were busy doing your finance stuff, I already came up with ideas! I thought long and hard about it, but I came to a decision!".

She sure sounds eager. "What is it?" I asked with genuine curiosity, deciding to ignore her interrupting me. "On Saturday morning we're going to the amusement park!". The amusement park huh? That actually sounds like a decent idea, usually, you'd go during summer but if you go now it might still be a bit crowded but it'll still be rather cold and not the slimy hot associated with all bad amusement park experiences. "That actually sounds like a good idea Kirino, I'm in." I smiled in agreement, for once I guess the two of us didn't have any problems with our activity planning unlike our usual unprepared bouts to Akihabara…

"All right then! It's settled!". Kirino flashed me a precious smile before moving on to the topic of the eroge game she gave for me to play five days ago. Unfortunately for me, I forgot to progress on with the routes and flags because I was busy sorting out my post-graduation stuff in a hurry so I spent the night playing games while being lectured at the same time.

In not that long, these sorts of things won't be happening much anymore… damn, that'll take some time getting used to.

Kirino:

Thankfully, today was less cold so I was able to walk out of school with Ayase and Kanako. Wow, I can't believe this will be the second last time we walk out of this school… time does fly by quite quickly, it seems my brother was right to freak out.

In truth, I was planning to look for a nice outfit to wear to the amusement park after school today, after all, these feelings inside me will definitely order me to look good in front of him. The urge to make him notice me and compliment me is too strong to resist. This again is a common trope you find in anime but, I can't help but think how hard he'll make my heart flutter. If things like making hot chocolate for me already make me so embarrassed, how hard will I fall for him if he tells me I look cute? Ahhh, I can't wait!

I really wanted to say bye to the group now so I can go breeze through all the stores and imagine myself being praised by my brother in the many outfits I'll try on but… I don't think I should leave Ayase and Kirino now, especially since our time in middle school is almost over. I mean, these two are 99% going to the same high school as me but, this is one of those experiences you have to savor.

"Say, Ayase, Kanako, do you want to go look around the clothing stores? I mean, this is our second-last time walking out of middle school together so we should try to do something!". Ayase and Kanako looked at me in surprise, but for the latter, her expression turned into something mischievous. "Kirino, is this for a boy?". I suddenly blew up inside. Right on the money! Crap, I think I'm blushing, I can't let them know about my plans on Saturday!

"No! It's not! What are you talking about? I just want to hang out with you all before we graduate you know? Middle school memories? That kind of stuff." I looked over to see Ayase nod in agreement, also surprised that Kanako suspected me of finding new clothes to impress a boy.

"Kanako, don't be ridiculous. Kirino just wants to replenish her wardrobe, in-fact, I think I should probably look for some new clothes too, after all, we're going to be high-schoolers soon, better spice up the fashion!". After Ayase got Kanako on board, the three of us went flying across the stores. It was great fun. Despite this after-school endeavor originally being dedicated to my brother, it ended up being yet another fun and chaotic after-school activity with the girls.

Despite the fun chaos we had, I couldn't seem to find a suitable outfit until we reached the last store. There was a cute, white, over-the-shoulder top with a light green leaf pattern blended into the white of the lower section of the outfit. In conjunction with the frill and the two shoulder straps, it really made for a date-like outfit. Ayase seemed to notice my fascination at the clothing and tapped my shoulder. "I think it'll look great on you Kirino, you should get it!" I smiled at her as thanks and took it to the cashier.

"Looks like you had fun today" my brother said as he greeted me as I entered the house. He probably said that judging from the bag I was holding. He looked the opposite of fun though, his hair was all over the place and he was still in his uniform which was heavily wrinkled.

"What happened to you?". I was intrigued by the state of his clothes, it looked like he got into a fight. "Nothing much, I went to my last gaming club meet so the kouhais got a bit rowdy with us third years. What I mean by rowdy is that we basically got too competitive and some tables were thrown…". Tables thrown? What kind of gaming session did they have?

"Either way Kirino, I forgot to tell you but you should join that club, I think it fits you since you won't be the only eroge lover". From what my brother told me, you make games and play a bunch in that club. It sounds like what I basically do at home instead I'll actually have a lot of friends to talk about eroge with! There's that Sena person my brother talked about before and if I get Naoki-kun to join, we can have a large-scale eroge gaming session!

"Sounds interesting, I guess I can check it out". I smiled at my brother, letting him know I was excited to join his high school. Although it's slightly a bummer that he won't be a student there anymore when I enroll, the experiences he had there that he has told me about made me excited to be a high school student.

My brother suddenly patted my head. "Since I was bang average in every way possible, my high school experience was kind of normal, but with your great grades, athleticism, and a fair amount of people you know joining you, I'm sure your high school experience will be a blast! You'll meet a lot of new people and do a lot of new things I'm sure!". I beamed back at him. You sure do know how to get me hyped up even though the academics side is surely going to be more difficult…

As I went to sleep looking forward to my date with my brother on Saturday and what will be a 'blast' of a high school experience next month, I dreamed about all the things I did as a middle school student, especially the latter parts. All that fun I had with the otakus, my friends from middle school, and of course, my brother, it was all so fun, however, my high school life is going to be even more enjoyable! As a rather overly dramatic way to end my last rest as a middle schooler, I pumped my fist into the air and went to sleep.

The next morning brought about winds that scattered the sakura petals of change as I quickly got up and ate breakfast, excited to go to middle school for the last time. Despite me still thinking of making last-ditch memories as a middle-schooler yesterday, today I'm suddenly pumped to finally begin my high school experience.

As I prepared to dash out of the house, I saw my brother unenthusiastically walk down the stairs with his high school uniform on for the last time. I quickly smiled at him and stuck out my tongue before sprinting out of the house to meet up with my friends and walk into middle school for the last time.

The school day went by quickly. The teachers gave their farewells to the third years and the students were talking about nothing but graduation and plans for the spring break. "Are your parents coming to watch the graduation ceremony? Only my sister is coming…". Kanako was very monotone despite having a family member coming to attend. "Kanako you should be happy that at least your sister is coming, look at Kirino, her parents are busy and onii-san is occupied with his own graduation so don't complain".

After the normal chatting, we all moved to the auditorium and got seated at the front. Ayase and Kanako looked rather nervous next to me, but the excitement from yesterday is still making me shake in anticipation and excitement. After a while, it was finally my turn to take my certificate. As I did, I noticed my mom waving and taking photos of me from the back of the auditorium as I took my certificate. I thought she was busy but... she came! She actually came!

After the principal spoke his final words to us graduates, Ayase, Kanako, and I held hands together as we walked out of this school for the last time. "Kirino! Over here!". My attention was drawn by a familiar voice as I turned around to see Naoki-kun running down the road to me. He was huffing and puffing out of tiredness but smiling nonetheless. I also noticed the certificate in his hand and the lack of buttons on his uniform. Seems like he's somewhat popular, that's unexpected considering how quiet he is...

"Congratulations Kirino-san! I suddenly remembered what middle school you were going to so I wanted to congratulate you on graduating!". Naoki was glowing as he talked to me until he realized Ayase and Kanako staring daggers at him. I heard them whisper something about him being my boy so I quickly clenched my fist to tell them to stop. Surprised by the sudden leers from the girls, Naoki-kun quickly stopped talking. "A-ah you three must've been talking right? I-i'm so sorry for interrupting your conversation". Before he could turn tails and run into the horizon, I grabbed him by the shoulder. "It's fine, besides, these two are my good friends and your potential classmates!".

Taking advantage of the situation, I introduced Naoki-kun to Ayase and Kanako and vice-versa. Naturally, he froze up a bit and returned to his highly quiet demeanor much to Kanako's amusement. Unfortunately for Naoki-kun, Kanako adores picking on seemingly weak guys so watching her asking him all sorts of stuff while Ayase tried to act as the sensible mother and stop Kanako's harassment. The scene I was witnessing was like it came from an anime so I couldn't help but smile. So these people are the ones I'll be spending the next three high school years with huh?

As I observed the humorous scene before me, I saw my mom walk up beside me. "Ah Kirino, are you going to come with me to pick up your brother? I asked him if he wanted me to come to his graduation since I got the day off but he said I should come to yours". That idiot… high school graduation is more important, but… damn, how does he know sending mom to watch my graduation makes me so happy? How is he making me falling for him more and more effortlessly!?

"Well Ayase, Naoki-kun, Kanako, I guess I'll see you over the break then!". I waved to my friends as I followed my mother to my brother's school, and in April, my new high school.

After waiting at the entrance for a few minutes, I saw my brother walk out with neighbor girl. I also watched my brother do some sort of weird pose with his arms after exiting the school. Thanks to that rather cringe move though, I noticed that his second button was still intact so without a word, I went over to snatch it. "Whoa, Kirino calm down there!" he said in a shocked expression. I grabbed the button, put it in my bag, and smiled. "Congrats aniki, you're old now!". He scratched the back of his head with a sigh as he smiled wearily back. "I'm well aware, thanks."

Following my snatch, neighbor girl went for the third button to replicate what I did. She glared at me for a good few seconds before waving it in front of my brother's face as a taunt. Following a quick conversation with my brother and mother, she said her goodbyes and left, leaving the Kousaka family, excluding dad, walking down the road back home.

"Congratulations you two. Kyousuke, you'll be truly moving up into the world of adults now, university is no easy deal; and for you Kirino, high school is one of the most important experiences in your life so you better cherish it!". Our mother patted us on the back as she went on about the cake she prepared for us at home.

As my dad came back home a bit early into the evening, we enjoyed the cake as a testament to me and my brother's graduation. My brother enjoyed eating the cake despite looking like he wanted to cry while my dad was smiling, proud that his two children were moving on to the next chapter of their lives. It was truly a wonderful moment, marking a huge turning point in our lives.

I wonder what my life will be like from now on. I only hope that my high school life is filled with enjoyment, success, and good times spent with the people I love.

AN: This chapter is a bit long this time (in comparison to the previous chapters) as I wanted to include all of this important content as we move on along the story. I have a lot of things planned for future chapters so I hope you are looking forward to reading the next chapters as much as I am looking forward to writing them. Please leave a review if you have the time as I enjoy reading what you think about this fanfic so far, therefore, whether it be suggestions, questions, or comments, please do leave a review! Thanks for reading this important chapter of Serene Days, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you look forward to Chapter 5!