Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093087122434729/episodes/16818622175140357245
Until now, I have never once expected anything in return. … No, that’s a lie.
If you make an effort, you will get results. If you are kind to someone, they will be kind to you in return.
That’s how the world works. Or so I thought.
But I realized that this wasn’t necessarily true a few years after I started elementary school.
There are areas where effort alone can’t make a difference. And there are injustices that kindness can’t fix.
But I want to deny such injustices. I want to overturn such realities.
Maybe that’s how I felt.
＊＊＊
“Welcome home, Senpai.”
“I’m home… Ehh!!!!?”
When I opened the living room door, Shiramine was sitting there drinking tea.
She was drinking, but…
“I took a bath first.”
Her hair was slightly wet and her white skin was flushed. And then…
“That shirt is mine, right?”
Shiramine was wearing a shirt that should have been in my closet as if it were natural.
“It’s a little big… You’re a boy after all, aren’t you?”
“Kuu… Onee san! What is this!?”
Damn, what destructive power. The lustrous skin peeking out from the chest of the shirt and the thighs extending from the waist-length shirt.
…
“What’s the matter? You’re so noisy.”
This person is completely done for. What happened in just under thirty minutes?
“Senpai. Why don’t you take a bath first? I’ll take Ajisai san to her room. We can talk later.”
“…I’m sorry, really.”
Huh? Was I being deceived? Hmm?
Well, I guess I’ll take a bath for now.
I headed straight for the bathroom.
I washed my head and body, then soaked in the bathtub.
“Phew.”
My body relaxed. Baths are calming, after all.
“…Still, Nishimiya Aira, huh?”
She’s prickly, or rather, unfriendly… no, more like she’s not very good at communicating.
If that’s her natural disposition, she must have a hard time.
“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Even if I could solve minor troubles and problems, there’s nothing I can do if she doesn’t want me to.
I stretched my legs for about fifteen minutes and then got out of the bath.
The living room was unusually quiet. Shiramine must have gone home after guiding my sister to her room. …She’s our neighbor, after all.
With that thought in mind, I put on only my pants, carried the rest of my clothes under my arm, and headed for the refrigerator.
“Milk is the best thing to drink after a bath.”
Just as I poured milk from a carton into a glass, I heard a voice.
“S-senpai? Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”
“Eh? Shiramine-san?”
“P-Please put some clothes on!”
Shiramine’s face turned bright red, and she covered her face with both hands. …I’m sure it’s just my imagination that I can feel her gaze through the gaps between her fingers.
“I’m sorry…”
I quickly put on my clothes.
“Even if it’s your own house… please be a little more considerate.”
“I thought you had already left.”
“What? I’m not leaving today.”
No, I’m the one who should be looking puzzled…
“Starting this evening, our apartment building is having water pipe construction, so there will be no water. When I consulted with her about it, Ajisai san said I could stay over.”
I see. I understood, but then I had a question.
“If you’re staying over, you’ll be in my sister’s room, right? The living room is cold.”
“Well… Ajisai san’s room is full of stuff, so I’m not sure if I can lay out futons there.”
“That’s true. Then, there’s a guest room, so you can stay there… No, it’s being used as a storage room now.”
Hmm. In that case, should Shiramine sleep in my room and I sleep in the living room?…
Okay, let’s do that.
“Then, I’ll sleep here, and Shiramine san…”
“Don’t you really understand, Senpai?”
Shiramine puffed out her cheeks, seeming to express her dissatisfaction.
“Senpai, I… I want to stay in the same room as you…”
“!”
My heart skipped a beat, surprising even myself. I was surprised, but more than that, Shiramine was just so cute.
“Don’t get the wrong idea! I don’t want to do anything inappropriate, or sleep in the same futon, or anything like that!”
“Oh, okay.”
After that, Shiramine and I pulled out the futon set that had been stored in the storage room and carried it to the room.
“Shiramine-san. I’m sorry, but could you sleep on the bed?”
Unfortunately, or rather as expected, the futon had a slight smell of mothballs.
“But…”
“If my smell is worse than the mothballs, then it’s different…”
I’ve always washed and deodorized my clothes, but some people might find it unpleasant.
“If you put it that way, I can’t refuse. Well, I guess I can sleep…”
I understand. It’s hard to sleep on bedding that isn’t your own.
“Well, it’s about time…”
After I finished laying out the futon, I reached for the light switch, and Shiramine sat up on the bed with her knees up, hugging her pillow.
“Hey, senpai, do you want to talk a little?”
“Huh? Sure, what do you want to talk about?”
“…Well, how about love stories?”
Love, huh. Unfortunately, I don’t have any stories to share myself.
As I was thinking that,
“Senpai. I… have someone I like.”
“I know. Yeah.”
And I also know that it’s not Aota.
But if I asked, “Who is it?” our current relationship would end.
“…”
I thought about it and suddenly realized… I see. I might actually like my current relationship with Shiramine quite a bit.
“That person is incredibly hard-working. Plus, he’s handsome and kind.”
“Yeah.”
I don’t know who it is. But I immediately understood that Shiramine must really like that person.
“A long time ago, I was saved by that person’s determination. He never give up, he can overcome any adversity, and he never stop trying.”
“He is an amazing person.”
Oh, I don’t like this. I’m feeling a little jealous. Of someone I don’t even know.
Perhaps sensing my feelings, Shiramine chuckled and said,
“By the way, his name is Lionel Messi.”
“Huh, I see. That’s an amazing person.”
It seemed like she was teasing me. But I didn’t feel angry at all; instead, I felt a sense of relief. I don’t know why.
“What about you, senpai? Don’t you have anyone you like?”
“…Me?”
Come to think of it, I’ve never really thought about it. Or rather, I don’t really understand what love is.
“Fufu, I guess so. You’re pretty insensitive.”
“N-No? You were talking about it just the other day, weren’t you?”
Of course, it was just for show. But once again, Shiramine smiled mischievously.
“Really? Then… will you come sit next to me?”
There was no doubt about it.
It was the temptation of a little devil.
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