CH 12

(POV Chiharu)

It had been over two months since we had started living at Onii-san’s house. The summer heat had started to ease off, and we could feel the gradual arrival of cold weather as leaves fell from the trees, signaling the end of the year.

During this time, Chiaki had become quite friendly with Onii-san. She had grown attached to him, and it was evident in her behavior. She used to rarely voice her demands, but now she would express her desires almost every day, mostly about food.

On the other hand, Chinatsu and Chifuyu were still not very comfortable around him. Despite his efforts to engage in conversation with them before or after the bath time, they would often grow shy and struggle to communicate.

Onii-san, on his part, was hoping that Chinatsu and Chifuyu would become more comfortable around him. He wanted them to be more demanding and affectionate toward him so that they could freely use the house beyond their own rooms. I couldn’t help but think that Onii-san was truly kind-hearted.

That’s why i feared once again that Chiaki might grow too attached to Onii-san, and I was worried that she might become overly enthusiastic or develop some kind of feelings.

“Hey, Chiharu, are you listening?”  A certain female student approached me during the short break between classes. Recently, we became friends. It was Kitano Sakura san, a nice girl who treated us normally without making a big deal about us.

“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

“Geez… I told you to listen to the outrageous stories about my younger brothers.”

“Sorry.”

“Well, it’s fine. By the way, tell me about your sisters too.”

“If I start talking about my sisters, we’ll run out of time, and it’ll be a new day. Is that okay?”

“You’re quite the Onee-chan, just like me…”

Of course. My sisters were everything to me, so it was natural to love them. It was also natural that there were too many good things to talk about when it came to them, and it would take forever to cover them all.

“…Hmm, you seem a bit suspicious.”

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“Oh, never mind. Anyway, we have a test today, so it’s better to review.”

“Yeah, of course. As their Onee-chan, I have to maintain good grades in my studies.”

“Well, don’t go overboard.”

Sakura went back to her seat just like that. I tilted my head for a moment at her strange gaze, but decided not to worry about it.

I had to do some preparation for the test. It was a geography test on prefectures in Japan, so I spread out my atlas and looked at it. Chiaki was sleeping with her left cheek on the desk in front of me. She was always full of energy, so she must have trouble keeping up with her stamina. Especially lately…

“Hey, why are you sleeping, Chuunibyou?”

“Huh? …? What’s up?”

“I asked you if it’s okay to sleep with that idiotic head of yours.”

There was a boy in the same class who always bothered Chiaki. His name was Nishino Tadashi, and he had a band-aid on his nose, giving off a delinquent vibe. He shook Chiaki’s head forcefully, trying to wake her up. 

“Hey, what are you doing?”

To begin with, don’t forcefully wake up Chiaki, who’s sleeping quitely. Chiaki wasn’t stupid, just naive. Even if you want to wake her up, there’s a right way to do it, right? I had more and more questions popping up.

“You’re so annoying, brat in shorts; get lost.”

“You’re being cheeky for a dumbass…!?”

Tadashi looked at me behind Chiaki and then quickly left with a look as if he were seeing a snow woman, escaping from Chiaki’s side.

Perhaps it was my dark aura that made him do so.

“Chiharu…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I hate that brat in shorts.”

“Because he’s been bothering you lately?”

“Yeah. He’s annoying and stupid.”

“It’s terrible how Chiaki gets called stupid even though she’s not.”

“Yeah, it’s really unfair.”

Chiaki seemed bothered by being called stupid as well. As we were talking, the teacher entered the classroom.

“Alright, we’re starting the social studies test now. It’s the prefectures test.”

“Oh no…”

“What should I do?” 

“We haven’t studied.”

Some of the boys started to panic. The teacher laughed and gave instructions.

“Come on, put away your atlases and textbooks with information about local specialties.”

Despite the teacher’s words, some students didn’t bother to put away their books.

“The boys who never study regularly and suddenly try to study now, there will be no mercy for them. It’s too late to say the test is troublesome…haha, this sounds like a light novel title; it’s hilarious…”

“……”

“Come on, put them away.”

The teacher was saying something that I didn’t quite understand. “Light novel titles”…it must be referring to the titles of some books, but I’ve never read one, so I don’t understand why the teacher is laughing. Maybe it’s the trend these days.

The tests were handed out, and I breathed a sigh of relief after writing answers to all the questions. Then, I noticed Chiaki sitting in front of me.

“….Huh? This…shape is…Hokkaido, because it’s big, and this one…Huh? Saitama is understandable, but the rest…”

It’s difficult to memorize all the prefectures, so it’s okay if you can’t answer. If it’s tough, let’s study together. While thinking so, I looked at the troubled back of my third sister until the end of the test.

◆◆

On the way home from school, on a bus that swayed gently, Chiahru and Chifuyu found themselves sitting in the two-seater at the front, swaying gently with the motion of the bus. Behind them, Chinatsu and Chiaki took their seats.

“How did your test go today?” Chiharu asked with curiosity.

“I aced it! This time, I’m going to beat Haru-nee for sure!” Chifuyu replied, brimming with confidence. 

It seemed like she had put a lot of effort into studying. Chifuyu was always diligent, so she probably scored really high in the test.

“Well, mine was… alright,” 

“Y-yeah, mine was decent too,” 

“Afterwards, let’s study together,” Chiharu suggested.

“Huh? T-that’s a bit… All the prefectures look the same to me anyway. And what’s the point of memorizing them?” Chiaki retorted.

“Y-yeah, that’s right,” Chinatsu chimed in.

“Neither Aki nee nor Natsu nee seem to be studying at all. I wish you two would be more serious about it…” Chifuyu muttered.

The everyday moments of laughter and bonding among the four sisters were Chiharu’s favorite source of comfort. She couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle as her cheeks lifted in a smile.

◆◆

(POV Kaito)

“Do you know what they’ve been saying about you in the restroom lately?”

“…Again with that… I don’t know, but I can imagine.” 

At my workplace, my colleague Sasaki approached me and started talking. I didn’t know what was being said about me in the rest room, but I could imagine. Even though I had taken on the responsibility with pure goodwill, it was only natural for others to be suspicious. I had been prepared for that when I took the girls in, but…

“Will it bother you if I told you?”

“Well, yeah, a little.”

“Toyotomi Hideyoshi.”

“It’s true that there’s about a 10- to 12-year age difference between Hideyoshi and Nene, but that’s not relevant to me.”

“Takeda Shingen.”

“It’s true that he married a teenager like Uesugi Kenshin, but the age difference isn’t that big.”

“Muhammad.”

“It’s true that Muhammad married Aisha at the age of nine, but that’s not relevant to me.”

“Old-fashioned person.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that? Oh… I heard that people in the past used to get married at 14 or 15, but that’s just a rumor.”

“You seem to know a lot about this topic.”

“It’s just common knowledge.”

The people in the restroom were clearly making fun of me. Well, I didn’t care much about what strangers thought about me.

“Move your hands, not your mouth,” At that moment, a voice of an older woman came from behind me.

“Oh no, here she comes…” I quickly closed my mouth and turned towards my desk, trying to avoid any trouble.

“I’m glad Kaito-kun seems to be doing his job properly, but why is Kojiro-kun slacking off?”

“I’m sorry.”

She was Miyamoto Musashi, a veteran female staff member with prominent laugh lines. She’s known for being serious and being married with three daughters, so she was considered successful.

“Speaking of which… Kaito-kun, how are the kids you recently took under your wing?” she asks.

“…You too…come on…..”

Sasaki started to say something, but then he closed his mouth. Well, he couldn’t really say anything from that point on. Come to think of it, Miyamoto-san was there too when I bowed my head to the girls’ relatives. I wonder if she thinks I’m a lolicon too? She does seem to care about me and those sisters quite a bit though…

“Well, I guess it’s going alright,” I finally replied.

“If there’s anything you need, feel free to ask. Since my household also has three girls, maybe I can be of help in some way,” she continued.

“Ah, then can I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“So, there’s this girl named Chiaki. She has a clear difference in her likes and dislikes when it comes to food, and she can’t eat the ones she dislikes at all.”

“I see.”

“Because of that, I feel like it might put her at a disadvantage when she grows up if she’s picky with food… But I can’t force her to eat what she doesn’t like. You know how teachers are criticized for making students eat school lunches forcefully, calling it corporal punishment? Chiaki doesn’t have any allergies or anything, but if I try to sneak in the food she doesn’t like by chopping it up finely, it feels like I’m lying to her, and it might have a negative impact on her. So, what do you think I should do?”

“”…””

Miyamoto and Sasaki fell silent. Did I say something weird? I wonder.

“You’re really thoughtful about being a good father,” Sasaki said.

“I knew that Kaito-kun would strive to be a responsible father.”

I felt a sense of praise in their words.

“Well, I understand what Kaito-kun wants to say. My own daughter used to be a picky eater too. But eventually, children can learn to eat things they used to dislike. It’s also about skillfully cooking the foods they’re not fond of. For example, if they don’t like bell peppers, you can try boiling them with a little salt. It’s said to be good. Waiting for them to grow up and become adults is also an option,” Miyamoto said.

“I see… waiting might be a good idea. Also there’s boiling with salt,”

“Yeah… And don’t stress yourself too much, it can affect your health,” Miyamoto cautioned.

“My health is robust, so I’ll be fine. Thank you for your advice, and please continue to help me if anything comes up in the future,” I said gratefully.

“Sure, no problem,” Miyamoto replied.

After saying that, I returned to my desk. But then Miyamoto asked me a question.

“Kaito-kun, can I ask you something?” she said.

“Sure, go ahead,” 

“My daughter wants to have a same-sex marriage,” Miyamoto said.

“Is that so?”

“I personally think it’s acceptable, but you know, society still has some resistance to it. And they won’t be able to have children… I wonder if they’ll be looked at strangely,” Miyamoto continued.

Come to think of it, in the world of the game “Resounding Love,” the scope of marriage seemed to be broader. I had played the game, but I didn’t know the details of its concepts. However, same-sex marriage was explicitly mentioned as being accepted in the game. So even if the main character and the heroine ended up together, there was a sense of reassurance. But in this world, it was a fact that there was still some resistance to same-sex marriage. Traditional marriage between a man and a woman was still commonly heard, or rather, it was almost the only option.

“What would you do, Kaito-kun?” Miyamoto asked.

“Well, um, I don’t think my opinion would be very helpful, and as a young parent, you might wonder what I’m even talking about… But maybe start with some encouragement?” 

“I see,” Miyamoto replied.

“I mean, it’s just my opinion, though,” 

“I see. I’ll encourage her. If anything happens, I’ll protect her. Thank you, Kaito-kun,” Miyamoto said.

“No, thank you.”

She went back to her own desk to continue her work. It seems like everyone worries about their children.

I need to start talking to Chinatsu and Chifuyu already as well.

◆◆

Chifuyu used to dislike herself, or it could be said that she was filled with self-loathing.

Chifuyu had never had any remarkable traits since she was young. She was born on the same day as her three older sisters, and they all grew up in the same terrible environment, but she felt like an empty vessel compared to her wonderful sisters.

In the midst of painful experiences, being neglected, and enduring cold and fear every day, she couldn’t help but be constantly aware of her own shortcomings. While her sisters comforted each other with warmth and a sense of security by staying close together, the thought of her own lack of abilities never disappeared.

She hated thinking about why she alone didn’t have any superpowers and why she alone didn’t have any remarkable qualities. She couldn’t compete with Haru-nee in studying. She didn’t possess the cuteness of her sister, Natsu-nee, or any unique superpowers. She couldn’t change the awkward atmosphere like her sister, Aki-nee, with her energetic personality.

The thought of all her talents and strengths being taken away haunted her, and she despised it. Why was it only she who had nothing?

Chifuyu knew that she wasn’t the only one who had suffered and struggled. But despite that, she couldn’t help but have twisted thoughts. Why did she have to live such a difficult life when she didn’t even have any superpowers?

Yes, she thought that. Chifuyu wanted to be special. She wanted to have unique strengths that no one else had. But she knew that it was exactly the opposite of what her three sisters longed for, so she could never say it out loud. She wanted superpowers, while her sisters wanted to let go of such abilities.

Especially Haru-nee, her eldest sister, seemed to have the strongest desire for that. So Chifuyu knew that she couldn’t possibly say such things.

Therefore, she wanted to at least be the best at something. She wanted to be the best among her sisters, and she had always aspired to be the number one.

Physical exercise was impossible for Chifuyu. As for studying… she had always been losing to her sister Haru-nee. But Chifuyu knew that this was the only way for her to come out on top. While putting on a smile and maintaining a calm expression on her face, she battled with strong anxiety and a sense of desperation deep inside.

Though it was just her own self-imposed rivalry, Chifuyu approached this test with utmost seriousness. As always, she gave it her all. She studied in a clean house with a tidy desk, without wasting time on TV or leisure activities.

She didn’t even have time to take care of Aki-nee like Haru did. Chifuyu minimized all distractions and focused solely on her studies.

So, she believed that this time, she would definitely win.

That’s what she thought…