CH 4

It was the first Thursday in June.

As usual, I was standing at the front of the train. A high school girl stood next to me just after I replied to a message from my kouhai.

“Good morning. Onii-San.”

“Hey, Yuika Yuibana.”

As you could imagine, being called out every morning made me lose the will to resist.

However, this was not because I had lost my patience.

It was just that I had no choice but to entertain her because she seemed to want my attention.

I didn’t use/spray cologne on my suit for Yuika’s sake.

I just happened to be in the mood for it.

She was still grabbing my arm and feeling it.

I wondered if this was some kind of good luck charm.

I didn’t mind her grabbing my arm, but it tickled me when she rubbed it.

“By the way, Onii-San. You replied to your junior again, didn’t you?”

“Did you peek again?”

“It’s not my fault you’re fiddling with your phone in plain sight.”

No way, you’re shifting the blame.

How brazen can you be?

And after this, I was sure she would make fun of me as usual.

If that was the case, I could let it pass today.

That was when she looked at the window.

Yuika murmured to herself.

“Kouhai-san. I bet you’re depressed right now.”

Surprised by the unexpected comment, I looked at her.

What does that mean?

Depressed? Could it be because of me?

The medium-height high school girl was looking at me intently, without any particular reaction.

What’s the matter?

Aren’t you going to tell me what happened back there?

… No way … this girl.

Are you waiting for me to ask you?

I looked into Yuika’s eyes to be sure.

The beautiful girl, unfazed, was staring back at me with a strange light in her eyes.

Damn. … What should I do? Do I want to hear it?

But if I started to talk here, I would be caught up in Yuika’s momentum. It was frustrating.

But … I’m curious!

What do you mean my junior is depressed!

Yeah, I’m gonna snap out of it.

It’s not a defeat.

I’m trying to gather information for the sake of my lovely kouhai.

As I made up my mind, I resisted the pull of my expression and asked Yuika.

“W-What do you mean by …?”

When I asked, Yuika’s eyes opened a little wider, with her expression not changing much.

It was as if she was proud to say, “I won!” She looked like she was proud of her victory.

No, I’m pretty sure.

Now she must be celebrating her victory in her heart. …You.

Then Yuika asked me.

“Do you want to know?”

“I’m curious.”

“Ask her to flirt with you.”

“How about rubbing my arm as much as you want?”

“Sure.”

I wasn’t sure, but it looked like we were negotiating.

As if to show that she was satisfied, Yuihana gave my arm two *munimunis*~.

“You know what? The way the junior wrote it, she wanted to get to know you better. But Onii-San only writes a few words. That’s why the other person might think that you don’t like her.”

It was true that the LINE from my kouhai was full of affection.

But my replies were not that bad.

I think the aesthetics of a man shine through in just a few letters.

“Isn’t that … cool?”

“‘Oh, I see. You’ve been letting your frontal lobe and hippocampus rot and use them as fertilizer for your fields. Yeah, yeah. Then it can’t be helped.” Yuika blunty said in an indifferent tone.

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

Seeing my expression of incomprehension, Yuika sighed in exasperation.

“I wonder why men have this image that brevity is cool.”

You say it like it’s wrong, but most guys think it’s cool.

However, Yuika was a high school girl.

She probably still didn’t understand the sense of style that adult men have.

What a waste.

However, the sensibility of the kouhais should be more like high school girls.

I guess it was best to ask Yuika for advice.

“… What should I do?”

“Just fuck her.” (T/N: LMAO)

“Hey, high school girl.”

“Just kidding.”

I wondered if there was something I could do about her distorted vocabulary.

She looked like a normal high school girl, so she would be more cute if she chose her words better. …

Yuika began to speak, holding up her index finger to indicate the order.

“Okay? Onii-San. You can invite your junior to lunch today. Of course, it’s on you.”

“I’d be happy to buy you a drink, but …… are you sure that’s what you want?”

“You know how they say that when you have dinner with someone, they are more likely to tell you their problems? If you listen to what they have to say, you’ll be more likable.”

“I see.”

“Also, it’s easier for you to talk to her over dinner, right?”

Yuika’s suggestion was right on target.

I had heard that negotiations would be more successful over a meal, even during work.

It was easier to open up to others.

Even if the conversation was interrupted, the content of the meal could restart the conversation again.

“I see. That sounds like something I could do. There’s a new ramen store that just opened nearby. It’s a perfect opportunity for me.”

“This ship is going to sink.” (T/N: LMAO)