CH 74

The second semester ended without any particular incident, and we decided to have a party at a family restaurant. Since the year-end and New Year holidays are busy with many events, there are not many opportunities for the six of us, including Ishizaki and Segawa, to get together.

Ishizaki and Segawa are also dating and we won’t be able to see each other much during Christmas and New Year. The girls are very busy, so Christmas is probably impossible for them, let alone New Year’s Day.

That is why we decided to have a launch party today. My sister also got a recommendation from a designated school, and since she already found out that she was accepted, she said she was going to take it easy the rest of the day, so she’s not so busy with her exams.

“Okay, well, good job for the second semester ! Cheers !”

[Cheers !]

Segawa led a simple toast, and we all toasted together. The seats on my side of the table were so cramped that it was hard to move around.

“It was a tough semester-“

“I guess so.”

Although they did not say what exactly was difficult, everyone nodded to Segawa’s words.

Rumor has it that the parents of my former childhood friends moved somewhere because they could no longer stand the looks they were getting from others. There were also stories that they were left behind, but I don’t know what really happened.

Not wanting to speak of anything dark at the celebration, we looked back on the second semester without anyone mentioning it any further.

“As expected, isn’t Yuuki’s change is the best?. In fact, there were girls who were secretly targeting Yuuki, right?”

“Oh, I see.”

“What a lack of reaction…you seem not interested at all.”

Segawa says so while sucking the juice through a straw. I’m glad that there were people who looked at me favorably, but I have mixed feelings when I think that they’re just looking at my appearance.

I don’t want to be conceited about my appearance. I know that it’s not good to judge or be judged by appearance alone.

Seeing that I was mostly unresponsive, Ishizaki spoke up next.

“There were some who were jealous of Yuuki, you know? Because there was a rumor going around that you were going out with Nakano senpai.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. Natsuki is cute and popular.”

“Yuuki kun?! I’m happy, but it’s embarrassing to say that in front of everyone.”

When I looked to the side, Natsuki was looking down with her cheeks dyed red. My sister who is sitting next to Natsuki sees that and smiles meanly and pushes Natsuki towards me.

“Kyaa !”

“Whoa, are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m fine…..”

Natsuki fell down on me, so when I caught her and looked into her face, Natsuki’s face turned bright red and she covered her face with both hands.

Seeing that, Ishizaki put his chin on his hand in amazement,

“Yuuki, you don’t brag about your face, but you should realize that you have a good face. It’s a violation.”

“……What’s that?”

“Well, if you don’t know, that’s fine.”

He let out a sigh of astonishment and said, [I’m sorry for all three of you,] and looked at the faces of my sister and Riko, except for Natsuki. They nodded to meet his gaze and stared at me.

I didn’t do anything wrong, but the mysterious pressure made me feel a little uncomfortable, as if I had done something wrong.

I was not sure why they were all staring at me even after I got Natsuki up, so I hurried to change the subject.

“Shiori ! You’re free for the third semester now that you’ve decided on a university?”

“Well, I’m thinking of going to school for the time being. I want to be with Yuuki as much as possible. I will be away from him from April.”

“Shiori Nee, will you be able to come back sometime?”

Riko asked with a slightly clouded expression.

“I’ll make time somehow. It’s not that hard to come back. Besides, I don’t think I want to be away from everyone…….”

“Shiori Nee…..”

Riko still had a gloomy expression on her face, as if she was still feeling sad that her sister was leaving her. She didn’t have a very cheerful expression on her face either, indicating that she meant what she said.

She’s moving away for college, which inevitably means I’ll be away from my sister for a longer period of time. At the very least, if I don’t do my best to get into the college she is attending, I don’t know how many years I will be away from her.

This is where I have to do my best.

“Shiori senpai, I will probably go there in a year, so please hang in there for a year.”

“Natsuki, are you going to the same place too?”

“I’d like to get a recommendation too if I can, but I think I’ll take the same place. Are you the same too, Yuuki?”

“Y-yeah. I’ll do my best.”

I could somehow imagine what Natsuki was thinking, and even though I had originally intended to do so, I answered, upset by the pressure.

Ishizaki and Segawa saw the exchange and began to talk about something in a sneaky manner, and then, perhaps satisfied, they tried to talk about something else.

Then, Riko, with a pouty look on her face, said,

“Everyone has been talking about high school since a while ago. It’s not fair.”

“Riko chan is still in the eighth grade, right? I hope we can go to the same high school soon.”

“I can only be in the same school as Yuuki Nii for a year…everyone is cheating.”

“It’s the same for me, you know?”

My sister said this, which caused Riko to climb over my and Natsuki’s knees and buried her face in my sister’s thighs, and everyone else laughed.

From there, the party proceeded to launch in a friendly atmosphere, although there was an incident along the way when Segawa blew out the food she was eating.

During the celebration, I suddenly felt that the winter vacation had started.