CH 26

(POV Chiharu)

“Ahh, so he recovered from his cold!”

“Yeah, Oniisan was feeling great and went to work.”

“Oh, that’s great news!”

After Onii-san went to work, Chinatsu and Chiaki woke up, and the four of us had breakfast together while chatting.

Currently, we all had our ahoge (cowlicks) sticking up on top of our heads. Normally, we would brush our teeth and tidy ourselves up before breakfast, but today we changed our clothes, brushed our teeth, and washed our faces only. Everyone left their hair a little messy because I wanted everyone to keep their ahoge.

Fufufu,this is quadruple bedhead bingo… pink, gold, silver, and brown ahoge bingo!

What a memorable day this was! Bingo, bingo, everyone got a bingo together♪ Woo♪

I felt like breaking out into song, but if I did, it would undermine my Onee-chan’s dignity, so I’ll refrain for the time being.

After breakfast, I decided to fix our ahoge. It was a sad moment when they collapsed under the pressure of the water as I wet everyone’s hair.

Oh, farewell, my dear ahoge…

Now, then, it was time for our study session and as usual, I happily took on the role of guiding my younger sisters through their work. It’s always a happy moment when our shoulders touch while I’m teaching them.

“Chiharu, I don’t understand this part.”

“Sure, let me take a look.”

“Haru, can you check this out for me?”

“Of course, let me see.”

“…”

“Chifuyu, is there something you don’t understand?”

“Nope, I’m good.”

“Oh, Chifuyu is amazing as always…”

Although I said that, I felt a bit sad. While Chiaki and Chinatsu listened to me, Chifuyu solved the problems on her own. She was amazing and made me proud, but I still hoped she would rely on me more.

This feeling has occurred to me many times. I wanted my sisters to depend on me, but I also wanted them to grow. It was a contradictory feeling.

“Hmm? Is this…?” Chifuyu’s beautiful, constantly moving right hand suddenly stopped. This was my chance to help my little sister.

“Oh, you don’t understand this part?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you see, it’s like…”

“Oh, no, I’ll do it myself.”

“R-right…”

Silencing my sister’s chance to grow was not right. I felt disheartened, but then I saw my sister’s admirable determination to try her best and it lifted my spirits.

“Um, Haru-nee… Even though Chifuyu wants to solve this problem on her own, I would still like you to check the answers together with me afterwards,” Chifuyu said.

“Okay, let’s do it! We’ll go through every question,” I replied.

“Oh, well, actually, maybe not every question…”

Typical Chifuyu. She understood my feelings and suggested a perfect solution. I was happy to see that there was more than one way to approach this situation.

Afterwards, checking the answers only took a few seconds because she all got them right, leaving me feeling a little unsatisfied.

◆◆

As the hours ticked by, the clock struck 4, and I knew that Onii-san would be arriving home shortly. In the meantime, we found ourselves sitting in a neat row on the sofa, eyes fixed on the television screen. The drama playing out before us was a replayed mystery, a recent favorite amongst us sisters, providing a much-needed respite from the the strain of studying and serving as a source of simple entertainment.

The drama was a mystery featuring a sharp-tongued genius butler and a young lady. We all sat in silence, completely engrossed in the plot. It was so fascinating that we couldn’t say anything.

“….Ohh so that’s what it was about…”

Only Chiaki occasionally let out small gasps, but otherwise, the only sound in the room was the TV. 

When the drama ended, the silence was broken all at once, and everyone was left in a state of awe.

“Well, that was impressive. I had no idea it would end like that.”

“I knew everything, though. It was suspicious from the beginning.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying. I knew from the first minute.”

“No, it was after about five minutes when the culprit started to emerge, wasn’t it?”

“…”

Chinatsu and Chiaki wasted no time in exchanging their thoughts about the drama, making me a little envious. Oh well, I have Chifuyu after all.

“Chifuyu, what did you think?”

“It was interesting. The culprit’s tricks were clever and intriguing,” she replied.

“You’re right”

“I love the satisfaction you get when the answer is revealed. It’s like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders,” Chifuyu added.

“That’s what makes mystery dramas so good,” 

The drama was indeed captivating, and the fact that it was updated every weekday made the reruns even more worthwhile. It had a slightly special feel to it compared to regularly aired dramas.

But what felt even more special was being able to exchange thoughts with Chifuyu about it.

Alright, let’s exchange thoughts with Chinatsu and Chiaki this time. They’re still talking amongst themselves for now, so let’s wait a bit.

“Ah, the actress’s beauty is one of her charms, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that actress is definitely cute.”

“I think she’s more beautiful than cute… but anyway, we have a beauty right here in this room who can rival her, don’t we?”

“…Who are you talking about?”

“Oh my, Chiaki, are your eyes not working properly? Look, here, here.”

“…Where?”

“Right here! Here!”

Chinatsu pointed at herself. She was indeed a beauty, enough to grace the cover of a shonen weekly manga. However, Chiaki seemed to be oblivious to this fact.

“…Huh? So who is it?”

“Here!”

“…”

Chiaki tilted her head and looked behind Chinatsu. She seemed to be under the impression that the finger was pointing right through Chinatsu and towards something behind her.

“Hey, hey, cut it out. You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t ‘huh?’ me. This is punishment time.”

Chinatsu came around behind Chiaki and held her down while tickling her sides. Her fingers moved like living spiders, graceful and beautiful.

“Take this and this,”

“A-ah, wait, stop, that’s not fair! Hahaha! Chinatsu, wait, stop it!”

“If you say you’re sorry, I’ll stop in one minute,” 

“I’m so-sorry! I did it on purpose! Ahaha, please, stop it! No, not there! Hahaha!”

Chiaki struggled and laughed, unable to control herself. It was an experience that I’d love to have as well.

“Hey, Haru-nee, you’re not thinking anything weird, are you?”

“Nope, not thinking anything weird. I don’t have any desire to try it out either.”

“But you’re clearly thinking about it…”

“No, no, I’m not.”

I just thought how nice it would be to experience it myself.

“I knew it! You did that on purpose!” Chinatsu said.

“S-Sorry about that.”

The kind-hearted Chinatsu ended the tickling after about ten seconds instead of the promised one minute. Hm, I wonder if she would do it with me as well if I asked her…like we used to do long before.

“Huff, huff… Damn you, damned-natsu! I won’t forgive you!”

“Hmm? What did you say? “

“Ahyu!”

Chinatsu lightly touched Chiaki’s neck with her fingertips, causing her to let out a cry.

“I know your body becomes sensitive after being tickled. Here we go, tickle tickle,” 

“Uuu, Stop it, please! I’ll accept my defeat today!” Chiaki pleaded.

“Okey then.”

When did it become a competition? But since they seemed to get along well, it wasn’t a problem.

“I think you always go too far, Natsu-nee,” Chifuyu said.

“Oh? I’m actually holding back quite a bit,” Chinatsu replied.

“Really? Is that so…? Natsu, you really are a sadi…” 

“Hm? Did you say something?” Chinatsu asked.

“No, nothing,” Chiuyu replied.

“How about tickling Fuyu too? Like we did before?” Chinatsu suggested.

“N-no thanks! Please spare me!” Chifuyu declined.

“You don’t have to hold back. You enjoyed it last time, didn’t you?” Chinatsu said.

“I…I didn’t enjoy it….Well, maybe a little bit…” 

It was a cold winter day when Chinatsu first started tickling. In a small, old room with nothing interesting to do, she suddenly began tickling, as if struck by an idea.

Despite feeling lonely and cold, we were able to forget those sad feelings for a moment. It’s possible that she had planned it all along. Chiaki, Chifuyu, and I were all caught up in the moment and tickled each other in turns. 

The laughter was contagious, and we laughed until our stomachs ached, sweating and warming up our bodies. But more than that, it warmed our hearts.

It’s kind of nostalgic to think about it. Though I’m content and happy these days, so those memories started to fade…

“Chinatsu, tickle me too.”

I still want to be tickled, after all.

“Huh? Haru is a little…”

“Why not? Do it for your big sister.”

“Haru just doesn’t live up to my expectations… Like, your reaction is a bit underwhelming.”

“Hahaha! How about this? Will this much be considered as a good laugh?”

“Well… umm… That’s kind of out of character for you, so I think I’ll pass this time.”

“But, but this is an important communication between sisters…”

“Y-you’re getting all down about it? O-okay, okay, I’ll do it a little bit.”

“Yay!”

“… You were pretending to be sad, weren’t you?”

With a mischievous grin, Chinatsu tickled my side, and I made a face as if I was caught off guard. Fufufu, big sister sure is strong, you know.

“This is kind of nostalgic and makes me happy.”

“This? You mean this tickling?”

“Yeah, this.”

“Hmm…”

She gave a curt response and immediately stopped tickling me. It was only a brief moment, but I felt nostalgic and happy. However, it wasn’t as blissful as it was back then.

In a harsh environment, that moment shone brightly.

Eating something sweet after something bitter makes the sweetness even more pronounced. But even if you eat something sweet after something sweet, it still tastes sweet, but it doesn’t compare to the former feeling.

I realized once again how happy I am now. I should be grateful for this everyday life that is becoming more and more ordinary.

I need to thank Onii-san…

As I was thinking about that, the surroundings began to darken. I had to close the shutters of the house and do the tasks that I had recently learned to do in the house. It wasn’t a big deal, though.

While doing that, I heard the sound of the door opening. It was Onii-san who had come home.

“Welcome back, Kaito! Your fever went down, that’s great!”

“I’m home. Thanks to Chiaki.”

“Hehe, is that so? My doing!”

“Well, it was everyone’s doing.”

“Yeah, that’s right! Chiharu, Chinatsu, and Chifuyu were all worried, and their feelings got through to you!” Chiaki said.

“You’re right, that’s a good point.”

“Welcome back, Kaito-san.”

“I’m back, Chifuyu.”

“Welcome back, Onii-san.”

“I’m back, Chiharu.”

Chiaki, you have a way with words. You could be a poet. 

In contrast, while Chiaki, me, and Chifuyu smoothly said our welcome back, Chinatsu seemed to struggle with her words.

“Welcome back, Chinatsu.”

“W-Welcome back…”

She might not be great with words, but she still said her greetings. Although she averted her gaze, she was standing much closer right now.

“Kaito, it’s New Year’s! I want to eat mochi (rice cake)!”

“Yeah, after we pass over to the New Year, we’ll eat some. But before that, we need to go to the shrine for Hatsumode. We have to wake up early because it gets pretty crowded. Let’s eat when we come back and settle down.”

“Ohh, sounds great!”

“What flavor do you want?”

“I want all flavors!”

“Alright, I’ll prepare as much as I can.”

“Yeah! Awesome!”

…Chiaki, aren’t you standing a bit too close to Onii-san? It’s a good thing, though…yeah, it’s a good thing.

“Kaito, look! I finished my homework for today!”

“Oh, impressive.”

“I didn’t cheat, you know!”

“Even more impressive.”

“Ehehe, can I have you pat my head?”

“Huh? Is it okay to touch like that?”

“Of course!”

“I-I see…I was wondering if that kind of contact was okay…Okay, I’ll pat your head.”

“Un!”

Onii-san lightly placed his right hand on top of Chiaki’s head and gave it a little stroke.

“You did well on your homework, Chiaki.”

“…”

“Huh? Did I do something wrong?”

At that moment, Chiaki stiffened as she was being stroked, causing Onii-san to worry and check her complexion.

“No, it’s nothing. I was just surprised since it’s the first time… your hands are big, Kaito, and they’re warm and comforting.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m an adult, so it’s probably normal.”

“Pat my head more.”

“A-ah, sure, no problem.”

Chiaki’s face lit up with joy as she received more strokes on her head. It was the first time someone other than her sisters had shown her such affection, and it made her feel more grown-up.

And then, after a few strokes, Onii-san stopped and said, “Is this enough?”

“No, keep going,” replied Chiaki.

“Huh? Still?”

“Yes, keep going.”

“Uh, okay…it’s a little embarrassing,” said Onii-san, seeming a bit self-conscious.

Chiaki seemed to really enjoy Onii-san’s head patting.

“Is it okay to stop now?” asked Onii-san.

“Not yet,” replied Chiaki.

“I have to make dinner. I’ll do it again later,” Onii-san said.

“…Okay,” Chiaki reluctantly agreed.

Onii-san released his hand from Chiaki’s head and gazed at his palm with a slight sense of contentment.

…I feel like patting Chiaki’s head now, too. Though, it’s not like I want to compete with Onii-san or anything.

“Chiaki, come here,” 

“Hmm?”

I beckoned, stretching out my arm towards her. 

“What is it?”

I showed my open palm as a sign that I wanted to pat her head. With this, Chiaki would understand.

“Oh, I get it. Sure!” she exclaimed.

With a quick slap, Chiaki high-fived my hand. No, no, that’s not what I meant.

“I actually wanted to pat your head,” I clarified.

“Oh, got it! Feel free to do so,” she replied.

“Okay then,” I said as I lightly stroked Chiaki’s head.

…It had been a while since I last patted her head, but it felt like she had grown bigger than before. It was different from back then. I couldn’t help but feel sentimental about how she had grown. She had experienced new things, discovered unknown love, and I felt as though she was drifting further and further away, which made me feel lonely.

I wondered if there would come a time when we would truly have to part ways… if there would come a time when we would have to walk different paths. If only we could stay together forever, that would be ideal.

Together forever. The four of us… no, that’s not right. The “five” of us.