Chapter 6 | April 9th (7:00 AM)

The day after the first day of classes.

In the dormitory manager’s room, the usual breakfast scene.

“Don’t you think it’s just awful, Onii-chan!?”

My sister was fuming, completely ignoring her meal.

“I timed it myself! I had a good five seconds to spare!”

“Don’t wave your fist around while holding a bowl. It’s bad manners.”

“But then that president had the nerve to say, ‘Too bad. You were just three seconds late.’ She made an unfair judgment and took away my rights! How can something so terrible be allowed!?”

“I don’t know what to tell you.”

Well, for me, I’m just glad I didn’t have to say, ‘Akiko is the cutest today,’ in front of everyone.

Yesterday, after being lured by Nikaidō-senpai’s sweet talk, my sister had indeed run out of the student council room and returned with anpan and milk.

Of course, St. Liliana Academy doesn’t sell such things, so she must have run to a nearby convenience store. But that convenience store isn’t exactly within a five-minute round trip.

Good grief. My sister’s specs are wasted in the most unnecessary places.

“I’ve endured the president’s tyranny until now, but this time, my patience has run out. I will firmly protest. And no matter what it takes, I will overturn this century’s worst misjudgment!”

“Come on, it’s not that big a deal.”

“No need to worry. I’ve already arranged for a lawyer.”

“Cancel that lawyer right now.”

“Onii-chan!? Whose side are you on!? Are you siding with Nikaidō-senpai instead of me!?”

“How did it come to that? Besides, you’re the one at fault here. You ran off without even checking the rules properly. The president even timed it carefully. And your ‘good five seconds to spare’ was just your subjective sense of time, right? Not an actual clock.”

“Well, putting that aside!”

My sister quickly changed the subject as the tide turned against her.

“Actually, it’s Onii-chan’s fault!”

“How so?”

“If you had just told me ‘Akiko is the cutest today’ every day, I wouldn’t have fallen for the president’s sneaky trap and gone on that pointless errand. Right?”

“You know what they call that in the world? Shifting the blame.”

“Anyway, that’s how it is. So from now on, you should tell me ‘Akiko is the cutest today’ more often. Like, once every five minutes.”

“That’s way too often.”

Sigh.

If I keep indulging my sister, this will never end.

It’s time to bring up what I need to say.

Of course, it’s about the proposal made in the student council room yesterday.

“Hey, Akiko.”

“Oh, seconds? Please eat a lot. Today’s simmered daikon is my masterpiece.”

“No, not that. About after school today…”

“Oh, shopping? If so, I’d love to go to the general store too. The detergent I’ve been using doesn’t agree with my skin.”

“No, not about shopping for supplies.”

Smiling wryly at my sister’s jumping to conclusions,

“I’ve got somewhere to stop by after school today. So, sorry, but can you go home alone?”

“…………”

“Akiko?”

“…………”

“Hey. Akiko? Are you listening?”

“…………Huh? Oh, yes. Of course, I’m listening?”

“Are you okay? Your smile just froze.”

“Yes, I’m fine. Please eat a lot. Today’s simmered daikon is my masterpiece.”

“Yeah. You don’t look fine.”

She seemed so shocked that time itself seemed to stop for her.

“I said I’ve got somewhere to stop by after school today. So, sorry, but can you go home alone?”

“Huh…? Huh? What?”

Finally understanding my words, my sister looked confused for a while. But soon, she made a face that said, ‘Oh, I see,’

“So it’s a one-liner joke, huh? Onii-chan, you’re unexpectedly playful.”

“No, it’s not a joke.”

“Huh? But that would mean… I can’t go home with Onii-chan, right?”

“Yeah. That’s exactly what it means.”

“Ahaha, no way. Seriously?”

“Ahaha, that’s exactly what it means.”

“Ahaha.”

“Ahaha.”

“Ahaha… ahaha…”

“Anyway, that’s how it is. So don’t make any detours and go straight home.”

“Objectio───────────────────────────────n!”

Cutting me off, my sister stood up and raised her voice.

“I request an emergency family meeting!”

“Denied.”

“Where are you going after school!?”

“Secret.”

“Take me with you!”

“No way.”

“Oh.”

Tears immediately welled up in the corners of my sister’s eyes.

“Onii-chan… Onii-chan has become a delinquent! Waaah!”

“Who’s a delinquent? That’s a terrible thing to say.”

“Leaving your cute little sister all alone is the act of a delinquent!”

“It’s not like I’m abandoning you. We’re just going home separately.”

“Anyway! I absolutely won’t allow it!”

Well, I expected this.

If my sister had obediently said, ‘Understood. Please be careful,’ I’d have to take her to a psychiatrist.

“I always want to be with Onii-chan! I want to go home with Onii-chan after school! If you’re still going to insist on this, then I have my own plans!”

“Wait, calm down.”

“It’s fine! My lawyer is really skilled!”

“You did cancel that lawyer, right?”

Sigh. I let out a deep breath.

“Anyway, listen to me.”

“I won’t listen to anything a delinquent Onii-chan says!”

“Akiko. This is a trial I’m giving you.”

“Huh…? A trial?”

“During the six years we were apart, you followed my words well, didn’t you? ‘Be a good girl.’”

“Of course. I worked hard so I could reunite with Onii-chan anytime.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I love that about you.”

“R-really!?”

“Yeah. Really.”

“S-say it again.”

“I really love you for following my words and being a good girl.”

“Hehe… i-it’s not that big a deal.”

Squirming and blushing, my sister looked embarrassed.

“B-but, Onii-chan. If you love me that much, then we should still go home together after school──”

“But, Akiko.”

Cutting off her request firmly,

“You’re good at studying, cooking, and even serving on the student council… I think you’re a really good girl now. But more than anything, don’t you think listening to me obediently is what makes you a ‘good girl’?”

“Ugh. T-that’s…”

“You’ve always been an obedient, easy child, haven’t you?”

Closing my eyes, reminiscing about our childhood, I spoke earnestly.

“Dad and Mom were hardly ever home by the time we were old enough to understand. So I ended up doing most of the housework. Cleaning, laundry, all sorts of things… I don’t know why, but Dad and Mom trusted me a lot.”

“Yes. That’s true.”

My sister also spoke in a tone like she was flipping through an old photo album.

“Even though we’re twins, Onii-chan could do everything better than me. I always relied on you.”

“Well, it was tough, but we managed. And that was thanks to you, Akiko. You listened to me. If you hadn’t listened to me at all, I don’t think we could’ve kept up that life. Two kids, barely old enough for elementary school, living mostly on our own.”

“That’s… I just didn’t want to trouble Onii-chan…”

“Akiko. You’re a strong girl. Even if we’re apart for a bit, I believe you’ll do just fine. I believe in you, and I want to see that strength in you.”

“Uuuuu~~~”

With a face that said ‘Onii-chan, you’re being unfair,’ my sister looked at me resentfully.

But eventually, she let out a resigned sigh.

“…Understood. I can’t refuse when Onii-chan says that much. I’ll endure it for now. I’ll show you that I can handle things on my own.”

“Yeah. That’s my sister.”

…And so, I managed to calm Akiko down.

It was definitely the right call not to tell her where I’m going.

If she found out that ‘For the next three days, I’ll be visiting the homes of the student council members on a rotating schedule,’ even I wouldn’t be able to control her.