Volume 1 - Epilogue

“Seriously, this is bad.”

Yesterday was seriously bad. I ended up going to bed with my sister hugging me afterwards. I know I’ve worried you a lot recently, but my mom and sis are too overprotective.

The problem is me. I am too old to sleep with my sister.

No, wait, isn’t that crazy? I have been talking about such things as a matter of course, without worrying about it. Why did I think I couldn’t say it even if it was out of my mouth?

It’s not like I wouldn’t have thought of such a thing until now…….

Well, never mind. It’s silly to worry about it as soon as I get to school.

There’s a lot for me to do today. I have to move on to find out who I am. I need to be something different. A different me.

“What’s wrong with you, Yukito. You look so confused.”

The fresh handsome guy was looking fresh today, too. Good morning. It has been raining since yesterday, but the fresh and handsome man’s face is clear today. He is a guy who has no sense of the season at all. Isn’t it tiring when it’s sunny all the time? Doesn’t it ever get cloudy? But I am not a weather forecaster. I didn’t have time to worry about such things today.

“I’m going to join the basketball team.”

“What!? Really! What kind of change of heart is that?”

“For now, it’s just until the tournament that the hot-blooded senpai told me about. After that, it depends on whether I want to continue or not.”

“I understand. Then I’ll join the club too!”

“Gross! Don’t try to follow me. Do you like me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Is that so?”

For some reason, there was a loud cheers from inside the classroom, which was filled with a sense of tension. I pretended not to look at it because I was afraid this would be a snake in the bushes if I got too deep into it.

“Kamishioro…no, Shiori.”

“Y-Yuki…?”

I call out to Kamishiro, who was looking at me fearfully.

I hurt her just because she got involved with me. I broke my arm because of Kamishiro, and I couldn’t participate in the tournament because of it. That’s true. But I was already broken, so I wasn’t hurt by that. My body was hurt, though.

But what about Kamishiro herself? She must have been tormented for a long time. If I had hurt someone in the same way, I would not have been able to ignore it.

“Don’t you ever have two words for a woman?”

“Eh? That’s a word for men. ……”

“It’s a gender-equal society. Don’t worry about it. I’ll ask you again. Do you have two words for me?”

“I don’t know what it is, but I don’t. I’ve decided to never lie to Yuki again!”

“Okay, then be my manager.”

“Eh? Yes, yes!”

Again, there were shouts from all parts of the room.

Is this class going to be okay like this?

[Yuuri PoV]

“Hey, hey, Yuuri. Did you see it? Did you see it?”

“I know. I wonder what’s going on all of a sudden.”

“You look kind of happy, Yuuri.”

“Is that so? I guess I must be.”

“He’s so great, isn’t he, little brother? Bring him back.”

My little brother is causing a stir right away, it seems. He is getting excited about how he told his classmates to “be my girl” or something. He was making his timeline look awesome.

When did he become such a selfish character? I’ll interrogate him when I get home.

As usual, his words, deeds, and actions were being reported, but whatever had happened to him, it was a little or a lot different from his usual ruckus. If anything, that kid is trying to do something on his own, instead of getting involved for the first time.

It reminds me of yesterday. My eyes might still be a little red. I cried without a care in the world. In fact, I even fell asleep with him because I didn’t want to let him go.

Not only yesterday, but today, tomorrow, and in the future. I slept with my mother, too, and it’s okay with me, isn’t it? I want to ask for such an unspecified consent. I always wanted to be called. I wanted to be recognized as a sister. I wanted him to see me not as a stranger but as his immediate family.

Maybe I could touch his heart a little. Until now, there had been nothing but bad changes.

Maybe for the first time, a good change had occurred.

If that was the case, I absolutely could not let this opportunity be destroyed.

I can’t let her hurt him again with her malice. I must protect it. This time, it will be me.

“That’s why I ran away from the noisy class.”

“You are much more famous now, aren’t you?”

Lunch break. Eating peanut butter bread and chocolate bread on the fire escape.

It was a bad choice. Too sweet. Even though I have a sweet tooth, these two breads were too much for me. My body was now craving a fight more than sugar. I’m sorry, liar, I don’t want to fight.

“But more importantly, Hestia-senpai, aren’t you always here?”

“Stop calling me that, because it sounds like I’m wearing something naughty!”

“What are you talking about?”

“No. If you don’t know, forget it. It’s nothing.”

“I’ve got that string.”

“So you do know! And why do you have it?!”

“I thought it might be something with that name.”

“A-Are you trying to make me wear that ……?!”

“You don’t have the chest for it.”

“Oi, junior”

“Pardon me! Pardon me, !”

Hestia Senpai was eating lunch alone on the fire escape as usual. I knew she was a loner no matter what I thought. She even confessed it to me. My senpai is beautiful.

But she doesn’t have any friends.

“Well, well. Hestia Senpai. I’ll be your friend.”

“Why are you looking at me like you are above me? And you think I’m just some lonely who doesn’t have any friends, don’t you?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Yes! I have a lot of friends, you know!”

“I don’t understand why peanut butter is so sweet. Damn you, America!”

“That’s why, listen to me. I’m talking to you, right?”

“Do-do-do-do.”

“I’m not a horse! I’m not a horse!”

“You’re a goddess, right?”

“I’m getting tired of it, and I’m starting to feel okay with it. ……”

For some reason, Hestia-senpai was upset. I felt sorry for her, so I gave her the string.

“I’m not a loner like you, okay? Are you listening to me?”

“I’ve been thinking lately that maybe I’m not so lonely.”

“Huh, really? It is true that you are a little bit of a problem in many ways. ……”

“Well, I’m still a shady person, though! Guerarararara”

“Don’t laugh with a straight face. You’re scaring me. But I’m glad to hear that.”

“I don’t know if it’s a good thing, but if Hestia-senpai says so, I’m sure it’s a good thing.”

“Yes, yes, you must listen to me, because I am a goddess, right?”

“Oi oi, you think you’re really a goddess?”

“Don’t suddenly take the ladder off! You said it yourself!”

The light rain was still falling. In such a situation, only Hestia and I were the only students who had the unusual idea of having lunch outside. The fire escape was not wet, so there was no problem, but it was a strangely comfortable space.

I wondered if school or home would ever be such a comfortable space for me.

I’m sure that I’ve been–