Chapter 24 - Stage 2
Lately, weather has been kind to me.
Noise from the rain was coming through the window and resounding inside the house. This noise consoles my soul that has been downcast this past few days. Well, it is a rainy season and naturally, there is either rain or dark clouds outside. If it was a clear weather mismatching with the season, I would curse it for certain.
Recently, too many things have happened at once.
Things regarding and things not regarding her.
Because of it, I feel sweet and uneasy inside my chest, and I'm just simply confused.
Therefore, after coming home I had absolutely no idea what to do.
Hey, you should study is a simple solution, but I just don't feel like it. By the time I make a comeback and want to open my notebooks, it is already bedtime, that's why my identity as a bookworm is already at the risk of collapse.
However, tests are still there, if I could just sit at the desk…
I've just hit upon a great idea. Alright, how about this…
Go for it! Go for it! You can do it! You can do it! You can do it absolutely!! Go for it! you can do more!! You can do it! No, it's idle fear!! Go for it!! Go for it!! That's it!! That's it!! Don't give up! you must go for it aggressively and positively! Go for it! Go for it…1
Haa… Stop, stop, it's not effective.
It's seems impossible to get to top 8 at Wimbledon like this.
Last few days I've been getting home late.
I simply got along with my classmate and am now playing till late. I explained it to my family like that, but I think that it is only 30% truth.
In truth.
Even if I know that I'll end up dead tired by the time I return, I keep company with that incorrigible person. Every day I would be together with her till dinner, and after having an almost empty talk for eternity, I would specially take her home.
It would be okay to refuse her, but why have I never done it?
Just once, I did refuse as I really had to take care of some things. Tachibana's face from that time can't go out of my head.
"Is that so, I got it. Sorry…"
If she feels so dejected as if it was the last day of the world, there is no way I would refuse her another time…
Hey, smile, or so I thought. "There's no way bookworm has things to take care of" tease me like you always do.
Although several days have passed since it has occurred, I still cannot forget it, ah.
I'm too worried about something that has already passed. There is no end to this.
Lately, if I'm careless, my head becomes full of thoughts about the noon of that day, so I immediately erase them. But no matter what, I still end up remembering something, and this process repeats again and again with no end.
In such a case, to have a change of mood I turned on some mobile game and rolled over the sofa.
Yet, just like when I catch a cold, recognizing that I was not in the mood, I ended up switching it off and leaving it on the table.
In the end, I was just looking upwards doing nothing.
What's happening with me?
Even though during the period of one year that I was thoroughly alone, my soul was brand new and calm.
And while I was pointlessly worried, a timely help came in.
– Hm-hmm… Huff, huff…
What's wrong with me, I have completely not noticed her… My little sister was hiding under sofa.
Crouching close to my body, she was heavily breathing. So suspicious.
– W-, what…?
– Hmmm…
Same as ever, there are terrible bags under Keyaki's eyes.
Even though originally, she has more than lovely, delicate facial features. But regretfully, her roots are being neglected. If she can be properly transformed, including her excessively blunt way of speaking, she could undergo an ultrevolution into a talented super-bishoujo.
But the present little sister has her eyes sternly squinted and combined with her bags under them it results in a scary visage.
Though I don't remember offending her…
– Aniki, that friend of yours… is it a girl?
– … My dear young lady detective, do you have any evidence?
– Just like I thought! Humph!
I have specially made a reply like a shitty small fry criminal, but now her expression is even more full of hostility.
Either way, it seems that for you, there will be no timely help.
– And here I thought you were unpopular bookworm loner… Hey, go explode.
– You can't limit the solution of this case to an explosion only, yet. I, am a bookworm. And the tests are close by… You cannot deny the possibility that I was simply helping my classmates with studying and among them was a girl.
– Nope… That is not true.
Keyaki said so seemingly full of confidence and readjusted her eyeglasses,
– Suspect is a rich person and is quite confident in her own appearance. Something along the lines of a sociable girl who is the center of the class? About 80% is clear.
– What Baker street did you come from? What is the number of your house?
Sudden emergence of shut-in great detective KEYAKI! She certainly belongs to the type that hates on-the-site inspections.
– Ha. Elementary, my dear Ichijou.
– Ugh… I'm not admitting it, but let me listen for now.
– That, is the smell of an expensive brand's perfume. Unless that person belongs to a rich family, it is not something a high-school student would use.
– Uh, seriously… I mean, why does a shut-in like you know about it?
– Hospitality of the shareholder or something. I get various things sent to me. Well, I'm not using them though.
My little sister proudly laughed "He-he".
Despite being my sister, she is a simple person who can cheer up after playing just for a bit. Like a cat that was given a snack. Thus, she kept on proudly talking.
That's right. She is doing this out of excitement, there is no need to be scared.
– The fact that aniki is not aware of the smell that is smeared over him, just means you are that used to it. You are together frequently enough that you are used to the smell and you are close enough that the smell moved onto you. It points out the intimacy. Concurrently, recently, you were getting home late.
Yikes… This is not gentle.
Stop, stop that diligent reasoning, everything is about to be exposed. What's with her, is her current passion detective drama?
– There is no way, aniki would approach himself, so the other party has to be quite assertive. Also, if it was unpleasant for aniki, then he would've rejected her, so it has to be mutual. In addition to the perfume, the color of this hair… a considerably flashy appearance. Without a great self-confidence, she would probably not have it like this.
As she was grinning, Keyaki picked up a single long hair sticking to my uniform.
Seeing me getting pale, her smile broadened even more.
This is not funny… Isn't my disposal of evidence too sloppy?
– Assertive and has a flashy appearance… Combining it with the above-mentioned matters, I can surmise it is a cheerful sociable girl.
– …
– Ha, relationship where her hair gets stuck on you, so that's how it is. Also, you even chose clothes for you together.
What has my little sister been doing up till now?
Or should I say, Q.E.D. which was to be shown. What kind of mind scanning is this?
– Hey…? Come on, say something!
– …… I will go and explode myself in a bit.
I was about to escape to my room, when my little sister pulled me from behind.
– Wait! If you don't want me to tell all of this to aunt Arika, confess everything!
– Ha, we don't really get along!? And that's why I'm not interested in your inference!
– All of the criminals say that! Archetype!
In the end, I spat out practically everything.
Well, it is not the case where my sister's inference matches everything exactly.
Mutual? As one would expect, you have assumed too much, Holmes.
I do teach her and get along with her… That is a fact, while everything else is within the domain of interpretation. You cannot be a scholar if you don't strictly differentiate between facts and interpretations… Thus, I reminded myself.
– Hm, aren't you insensitive?
Keyaki glared at me.
It's not only her. Lately, whoever the other party may be, they tend to glare at me like this. I, do I say something strange?
– Well then, let me ask. If you knew that she has such feelings, what would you do?
– … Don't know. I have a lot of responsibilities…
– Haa… Hasn't that person caught a weird person herself. Whatever. Tell me if that person comes here. I don't want to meet her, so I will shut myself in my room.
– Not to worry, she will not come in the first place. We are not in a relationship where you would need to worry about that.
– … Is that really so?
Concluding our conversation with these words, Keyaki pouted, seemingly slightly dissatisfied.
Though, up to now I have been spending my days off with her. Does she think that now it's going to change? Surely, things have been a bit strange lately, but it's not like my core has changed.
Rather, that type of usual spending of time became precious.
During the days full of worries, I felt it was my last refuge.
Still, insensitive? My dear Keyaki, that is slightly wrong.
Certainly, there are many unbelievable things happening.
I probably don't want to accept me, who is greatly loved. Me, who can be depended on by class. Me, who is cared about by everyone.
With all of these being consolidated, I feel like my stomach is twisting inside me.
That is not you. Or, embarrassing. Or, I have lot on my shoulders. This sense of discomfort that cannot be expressed in a few words is set on killing me.
Then, after my little sister returned to her room, I suddenly recalled just one more thing.
Before Tachibana's house. Completely late.
It was the last stop on the road at night we were walking.
It was cloudy today, but on clear days, stars shine in the sky.
"Well then, see you tomorrow".
The pause between me saying this and her actually releasing my sleeve, surely it was just a moment, but the time needed for her to release my hand was considerably long, three or four seconds.
The only thing audible was the chirping of the insects. Light breeze was drying the sweat.
And during that short moment, we were certainly conveying something.
Just for that moment, blonde girl's happy smile was certainly not there. Also, with the delicate expression that she has been showing me lately, she appealed to me.
"Nooo, don't go. I want to be together a bit longer…"
"Haha. Aren't we going to meet tomorrow."
"Tomorrow, you'll be coming to school right…?"
"Of course I will, what are you worried for?"
"Come, okay? Diligently… Bye-bye"
"Bye-bye"
And then, the moment when she released my hand…
"Bookworm, XXXX…"
That is, there are some things that you can't understand from expressions alone.
Reading too much into things is not good. It will be too late if I make an unthinkable mistake.
But having thoughts like that, just as if I was desperately running away from something. After all, such a frail me, I hate it.
The me who makes a kind face while having all of these concerns, I hate it.
The me who knows everything, but cannot face it, I hate it most of all.
In the end, no matter what I tried to set my mind on, I was blocked in every direction.
Inspirational speech (the part you need is at 0:36) by tennis player . He made it to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 1995.