Episode 275: Because I’m Your Big Sister

Lunch break was over, and we were on our way back to the classroom.

「Kazunari… was it really okay not to say anything?」

I didn’t even have to ask what she meant. Hanako-san was talking about those stuck-up girls.

I hadn’t decided what to do about that whole incident, but come to think of it, Hanako-san hadn’t brought it up either.

I guess she was just following my lead since I’d let it slide.

「It’s fine for now. There wasn’t any actual harm done, anyway.」

「But they mocked you, Kazunari. I won’t ever forgive that.」

Hanako-san showed her indignation toward the girls who weren’t there with a sharp glare.

For me, though, I couldn’t forgive that woman who looked down on Hanako-san, even if it wasn’t a direct insult. It seemed Hanako-san was more upset with the lackeys, though…

But I knew she was getting angry on my behalf, and that made me genuinely happy.

「Should we report this to Wife…?」

「Sara-san? Definitely not.」

I don’t like keeping secrets from Sara-san, but this is a hard no. I’m used to being told stuff like that anyway, so it doesn’t really bother me.

But even if I feel that way, it’s a different story for Sara-san.

If she found out about that…

「…True. If we told Wife, things would get dangerous. She’d probably be storming into their classroom right about now to wring everyone’s necks.」

That’s no joke. The problem is that Hanako-san isn’t exaggerating at all: it’s a very real possibility.

Which is exactly why I can’t tell Sara-san. I’m not about to let Sara-san get wrapped up in unnecessary trouble over some random nobodies who just showed up.

「It’s fine. They aren’t people we ever cross paths with, so we probably won’t even see them again. Besides…」

「Besides?」

「…Big sister got angry for me. They ran off in a panic, so they won’t be coming around again.」

「………」

It was a bit embarrassing to say, but Hanako-san had gotten angry for my sake. I was really happy about those feelings, so I felt like I could say at least this much.

「…One more time.」

「Hmm?」

「Call me that… one more time?」

Ugh… when she looks at me so directly, it just makes me even more embarrassed.

But her expression made it so obvious that she was expecting me to call her that… and of course, I did want to thank her.

I should stop worrying about being embarrassed and just go for it…

「Kazunari…」

「…I’m a bit late saying this, but thanks for earlier. I, well, I was happy… B-Big sister.」

Ugh, calling her「Big sister」so formally like this is way more embarrassing than I imagined!!

If I were home alone right now, I’d be rolling around on the floor in agony!!

「………」

But Hanako-san just stared blankly at my face, ignoring my internal turmoil. She didn’t really show any reaction at all.

I don’t care what it is, just give me some kind of reaction!

Silence is rough in this situation!!

「…I’m… so happy.」

!?

Hanako-san?

「So… happy… Happy, happy. Call me again, more? Call me ‘Big sister’ again?」

Hanako-san had a smile so happy it looked like a flower blooming. It had been a long time since I’d seen her make an expression like that.

As far as I can remember, it might be the first time since that day I accepted her as my Big sister.

But I guess that makes sense…

In my head, I often think of her as「because she’s my Big sister」or「as my Big sister.」

But I don’t really remember ever calling her「Big sister」straight out without it being an excuse to hide my embarrassment.

Even though Hanako-san is always following up and helping me out as both my best friend and my Big sister…

「Thank you for everything, really… Big sister.」

This time I could say it with honest feelings, without any embarrassment or panic. Seeing her so happy made all those unnecessary feelings of bashfulness vanish.

I couldn’t say something like this in public, of course, but at a time like this, it’s fine.

Tug, tug…

Then Hanako-san gave my sleeve a small downward tug. This was her usual signal for when she wanted to stroke my head.

Well… I guess it’s fine right now. There’s no one else around here yet.

I bent my knees and leaned forward a bit, lowering my head to a position where it was easy for her to reach…

「Kazunari… thanks.」

Squeeze…

…!?

I thought she was just going to stroke my head like usual, but Hanako-san cupped my face with both hands and gently enveloped me as if she were hugging my head.

「H-Hanako-san!?」

「I’m really happy you called me Big sister. Because you call me that, Kazunari, I can do my best. For my cute little brother, Big sister can work even harder.」

Stroke, stroke…

While holding my head, Hanako-san slowly stroked it with her small hands. That sensation, which was different from Sara-san’s, felt kind of ticklish in a way…

「When Wife isn’t around, I will protect Kazunari. That is a Big sister’s duty. So leave it to me.」

「………」

I knew for a fact that Hanako-san had been doing exactly that all along. She held back when Sara-san was around, but whether it was what happened just now or in our daily lives, Hanako-san followed through and supported me just as she said. She shielded me. And she got angry in my place.

To be honest, I don’t want Hanako-san to overdo it or force herself for me.

But when she wants to do it so badly, it feels uncool for me to say that…

Stroke, stroke…

「Good boy, good boy… You don’t need to worry about things like that, Kazunari. This is what I want. If you accept it, that alone makes me happy.」

Haa… she sees right through my thoughts even like this.

When she says it in such a happy voice, I have no choice but to accept it honestly.

「Alright… but don’t overdo it or be reckless, okay?」

「Understood. I won’t overdo it. But I might be reckless.」

「Wait…」

「This is non-negotiable. But it’s okay. I won’t do anything that makes you worry, Kazunari. Because I’m your Big sister.」

That usual line from Hanako-san that somehow made sense and didn’t at the same time.

Either way, I guess there’s no point in me arguing.

Stroke, stroke…

「Good boy… good boy…」

In the end, seeing how happy Hanako-san looked, I couldn’t say anything else.

If that’s the case, I’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t do anything too reckless. I think that’s one of the things I’m supposed to do.

After school, Student Council Room.

What Sara-san was currently writing on the whiteboard was today’s patrol schedule.

Is there any trouble? Are there any problems? Is anyone doing something different from their application?

Confirming things like that was the main job for us in the student council.

Basically, we go around our assigned areas in pairs, but unfortunately, it seemed Sara-san and I couldn’t go together. I was told it was inefficient for the President and Vice President to be together… but is it really that inefficient?

「Alright, these are today’s assignments.」

On the whiteboard, Sara-san’s beautiful handwriting listed each person in charge and their pairings… yeah, I know. I get that you all want to quip about it, but please stop looking at me.

「…Why are Wife and Kazunari paired together?」

At Hanako-san’s blunt question, everyone except for Sara-san and me nodded in unison.

Well… they were bound to say it.

「Satsukawa-san, the President should stay in the student council room in case anything happens…」

「I cannot accept that. As the President, I believe I should actually show my face at every location at least once, don’t you?」

「Ugh…」

Sara-san’s opinion was so reasonable that even I thought it would be hard to deny.

So, as expected, Uesaka-san was left speechless, struggling for an answer.

「…I think she’s reached her limit.」

「…But you know… if we let her go alone with Takanashi-kun…」

「…Yeah, there’s no telling what they’d do.」

「…If anything, it feels like they’d just be spreading tragedy all over the school.」

The girls were whispering among themselves while looking at me. This was a discussion about what Sara-san was going to do, so why were they consulting each other while staring at me?

「Therefore, I have decided that as the President, I should go on inspection as well. In that case, it is only natural that Kazunari-san, who holds the position of President’s Assistant, should be paired with me. In fact, it is the obvious choice.」

「You don’t need an assistant just for patrols. Besides, the Vice President is one of the people in charge, so it’s inefficient to be with the President.」

I see, that might be true.

If you’re talking about efficiency in that sense, Hanako-san’s point has some merit.

I’d just assumed she was making a forced excuse because she wanted to keep Sara-san in the student council room… I should reflect on that a bit.

But to be honest, it’s a shame. I really wanted to go around with Sara-san at least once.

「Don’t worry, I’m doing a good job supporting Kazunari. So the President should focus on her role at headquarters with peace of mind.」

「That is why the role of being stationed at headquarters is strange in the first place. Last year, the President did not stay in the student council room, did he?」

「「「 Ugh… 」」」

Was that true?

That was news to me too. Since I didn’t know, I hadn’t thought it was strange, but if that’s the case, then it’s only natural for Sara-san to be dissatisfied.

I mean, why is Sara-san the only one being treated like that…

Ah, wait, is it because the guys will make a huge scene if Sara-san goes on patrol?

「Anyway, it isn’t good for Wife and Kazunari to go together alone.」

「You go with Kazunari-san often, don’t you, Hanako-san?」

What is this… we’re just talking about going on patrol, but for some reason, the air has turned very ominous.

「…Oho, a conflict between the wife and the sister-in-law.」

「…It might be insensitive, but this is kind of interesting.」

「…I mean, Satsukawa-san just completely falls apart whenever Takanashi-kun is involved.」

「…I’m so jealous that I might have stopped feeling anything at all.」

「…What even is ‘wife and sister-in-law’ anyway?」

「A-Alright, let’s do this. If Satsukawa-san wants to participate in patrols, then I’ll stay here instead. In return, Hanasaki-san can go as Satsukawa-san’s backup!」

「「 …Huh?? 」」

Whoa, scary!?

Sara-san and Hanako-san both glared… no, looked at Uesaka-san at the same time, and their gazes were beyond cold.

「Hieee!?」

「Wait, that’s not allowed!? Those aren’t the kind of looks a Goddess and an Angel should be making!?」

「S-So scary… I’m shaking just watching…」

「I wonder why… those glares feel strangely familiar…」

「Well… it’s not an unusual sight for us… ugh.」

「N-No, I, well, you see… you two… a change of pace once in a while, you know? A different pairing…」

It seemed that even for the former student council president, being glared at by Sara-san and Hanako-san simultaneously was too much to handle. As far as I knew, this was the first time I’d seen Uesaka-san this panicked… or terrified?

「A change of pace? What a strange thing to say. If that is the reason, then being by Kazunari-san’s side is my greatest bliss and peace. Is there a problem?」

「It’s only natural for a Big sister to back up her little brother, so there’s no room for questioning the pairing. What’s wrong with that?」

Subjected to the intense pressure(?) radiating from Sara-san and Hanako-san, Uesaka-san slowly backed away while his expression twitched. He seemed to be shrinking… the heroic figure of the former president who had stood so proudly at the general assembly was now nowhere to be found…

「…Ah… Uesaka-kun chose the wrong words.」

「…To step between those three, what a daredevil…」

「…The former prez is in a real bind.」

「Um… perhaps we don’t need to limit ourselves to pairs? We went as a group of four last time, after all.」

Throwing a lifeline here was Todo-san, who hadn’t joined the conversation until now. Her model answer, which was perfectly logical, drew everyone’s attention at once. The way she was blushing a bit in embarrassment was quite cute.

I agree with Todo-san, but honestly, I really wanted that「just the two of us with Sara-san」situation. I’m sure Sara-san felt the same way, which is why she was fixated on the「pair」part.

「…True, now that I think about it, we don’t have to limit it to two. Former Prez, I’ll go along as well for now, so why don’t we try pairing Wife and Kazunari together?」

「W-Well, if that’s the case. I mean, Hanasaki-san is amazing… in a lot of ways.」

Thanks to Hanako-san stepping in to persuade him, Uesaka-san gave his permission. But the fact that permission was granted only if Hanako-san tagged along sat a little uneasily with me.

I’d thought the objection was because Sara-san would cause a stir, but this meant there was a different reason after all.

「…I always wonder what would happen to this student council if Hanasaki-san weren’t here.」

「…Satsukawa-san would probably be giving Takanashi-kun a lap pillow on that sofa right about now.」

「…That isn’t even a joke, is it?」

「「「 ……… 」」」

「Kazunari-san…」

Sara-san called my name quietly, as if she wanted to say something. Her voice, tinged with a hint of acting spoiled, made my heart skip a beat, but I understood that feeling all too well.

But it wasn’t good for us to keep obstructing the student council’s activities with our selfishness… I felt quite a bit of regret myself, but I should be the one to persuade Sara-san here.

「I’m happy just being able to go around with you, Sara-san.」

It was a safe follow-up, but it was my honest feeling. A situation with just the two of us was impossible, but it would still be a memory of going on a school festival patrol with Sara-san.

「Fufu… you are right. I am sorry, I let my selfishness get the better of me…」

「No, I felt the same way. So it’s not just you, Sara-san.」

Good, it looked like Sara-san had calmed down and returned to her usual self. But I really did understand how she felt.

「I am happy… in that case, I definitely want some time for us to go around just the two of us on the day of the festival at least.」

「Yeah. I think we can manage if we make some free time.」

On the day of the festival, we’ll have student council work, the beauty contest, and everyone gathering together, so it’ll be busy for the most part. But I think we’ll need some individual time anyway, so we should be able to spend time as a pair then.

「…I can see a future where the festival becomes a different kind of ‘festival.’」

「…I guess what happens, happens, right?」

「…It’s only a matter of time either way. Maybe it’s better if everything just blows up at once so it ends sooner?」

「N-Now then, since we’ve reached a satisfactory conclusion, let’s all get to work.」

「Yes. Everyone, I look forward to working with you again today.」

「「「We look forward to it!!」」」

Alright, it’s a shame it’s not just the two of us, but I should get fired up for this long-awaited patrol with Sara-san… no, I’ll do my best.