CH 197

A quiet time between two siblings came after a long and hectic day.

The two of us walked side by side through the residential area, and then visited the shopping district.

“Nii-san, let’s go shopping for dinner!”

“Wait!”

Starting from the nearest store, we bought vegetables, meat, and fish, not only for today’s dinner, but also for tomorrow’s.

Today’s dinner would probably be curry or hamburger steak.

With this thought in mind, I received the carrying bag.

“What’s your guess for today’s dinner?”

She asked me with a potato in her hand.

By now, I, as a Nii-chan’s point of view would expect me to say it to be curry…

However, it is Minato-kun’s nature to not do what is expected.

“Hamburger steak.”

“Bubu, it’s curry today.”

…No, I thought about it, didn’t I?

But, today’s menu was already set in Kaede’s mind, isn’t it?

As an older brother, I’ve heard it, I wonder if I’m the only one who thinks that my request would be taken into consideration.

I turned such a gaze to my sister.

“Just kidding, let us have hamburgers.”

Kaede said with a wry smile, as if my innocent childlike eyes had an effect on her.

I don’t know why, I feel like I’ve been spoiled and it’s rather complicated.

“No, …curry is fine.”

I handed the vegetable bag to the owner and took another bag from Kaede’s hand after she paid the bill.

Kaede turned around upon hearing my words.

I silently walk alongside her as she walks away from the store.

“It sounds like a lot of work …to be competing with Yuuto-san.”

“…”

When Shizuku had contacted her, I knew that she would have told her my circumstances.

There way no way that Kaede would bother to go all the way to the opposite Sakuranaoka Academy.

She said it would be fine if we spoke at home, because we are siblings and we would have the time to do so.

However, the fact that Kaede made time outside our home like this means that she must have guessed that I wouldn’t talk to her at home.

“You could have talked to me about it…”

The words she muttered pierced deep into my heart.

I am sure that Kaede thought that I didn’t rely on her.

However, I had my own reasons.

With our parents overseas, she and her brother are left to do most of the household chores and also attend school.

My sister is already supporting me adequately from my point of view.

I didn’t want to cause her any more trouble.

Kaede is a brilliant girl, and as her brother, I know that better than anyone else.

If I talk to her, she may think about it, explore ways, and even discover some possibilities.

But I didn’t want her brother …to be thought of as a helpless man any more.

I am aware that people around me don’t think of us as siblings due to our different looks, and also the fact that I, a talent-less brother, has a sister full of good qualities doesn’t help it very much.

Still, I always hoped to be a cool older brother in front of my sister.

“I’m sorry, …but I don’t want you to think that I don’t consider Kaede to be unreliable.”

“I know that Nii-san won’t think so…but if you could have told me about it, even a little bit, I could have helped.”

Sad eyes looked towards to me.

I met her eyes up front and lightly patted her head with my free right hand.

It’s always been kind of a habit of mine when I’ve had nothing left to say.

Kaede, who let me stroke her hair without refusing, chuckled and said.

“This is how Nii-san has always fooled me…”

Kaede said and grabbed my luggage with her small hands as if to take half of it from me.

I hand over the lighter one out of the two, and then we walk together through the crowd in the shopping district.

It’s starting to get dark and the shopping district is probably at its peak around this time.

Even so, I felt slight loneliness, which had become smaller than it was in the past.

“Are you going to win the election?”

Kaede, muttered a few words in a voice loud enough not to be drowned out by the sounds from the surrounding stores, and gave me a serious look.

“It depends on Yuuto, …if that guy keeps going like this, there’s a good chance we’ll win.”

“I see…”

She nodded and let out a slightly relieved breath.

I’m sure she had heard most of the story from Shizuku, but she seemed relieved to hear it from my mouth.

So …if Yuuto remains the same, we may win.

However, the moment I said it to myself, emotions swirled through my chest that were difficult to combine into words.

“However, Nii-san doesn’t look happy.”

“…”

“Did you do something to make you feel guilty? Or is it something else?”

Kaede, who has returned her gaze to the front, asks a question that strikes at the essence of the matter. 

I don’t remember doing anything that I should feel guilty about.

The use of the video for publicity, the use of the broadcast room for school-wide announcements, and the verbal exchange with Yuuto directly were all done within the scope of rules.

“I also heard from Shizuku-san that you had a run-in with Yuuto-san and his supporters.”

“Did she tell you that much…?”

They were free to talk as much as they wanted, but even I didn’t think it was necessary to tell her that much who had been friends with Yuuto for a long time.

For Kaede, Yuuto is also a senior, a friend of her brother, and a close friend of hers.

It is not pleasant to hear such a person is in direct conflict with his brother.

“When I heard the story, I honestly thought, ‘Of course’ but not towards Nii-san, but to Yuuto-san.”

I listened to Kaede’s words quietly.

“I could not go to the same high school as Nii-san, but there is Shizuku-san. Besides, I found out that Kirasaka-san also supports Nii-san, …but then there is no one to support Yuuto-san.”

“But he’s got enough people around him to help him…”

“No, it’s different, …it’s about emotional support.”

Kaede paused as she said so.

Then she turns her body to face me and puts her free hand on my chest.

“No matter how many people are around, they won’t reach here.”

The small palm on my chest felt strong and different from that of the little sister I knew.

I realized that she was growing up as well, and that she would not be a little sister forever.

“Maybe for Yuuto-san, the only person who can reach out to here is my Nii-san, …not Shizuku-san or Kirasaka-san, but only Nii-san.”

Kaede’s words made me think of the environment that had surrounded Yuuto up to this point.

They push their aspirations and ideals on him, turn troublesome roles and tasks over to him, and approach him with a smile when it is convenient for them.

While everything was an equal friendship for Yuuto, who never said no and would never do so, I was certainly placed in a different category.

“The two of you are just clumsy people…”

Hearing Kaede’s sigh, a wry smile appeared on my face for some reason.

No, really, as and elder brother and a senior, we are probably just two troublesome and clumsy people to Kaede.

“Nii-san gets irritated because he thinks that Yuuto-san is a great person, doesn’t he? That is why your heart is stirring at the sight of his unworthiness.”

“Are you …Buddha?

“Please listen to me properly.”

“Yes…”

There is nothing dignified about being an older brother in a situation where your sister says you’re not.

I said that thinking that it would change the mood a bit, but she just looked at me with completely cold eyes.

…It’s better not to anger my sister, it seems.

I shushed myself and focused on my ears to make sure I didn’t miss a single word of what was to follow.

“All you can do now, brother, is to win Yuuto’s favour by doing things your own way. After that, everything will be fine.”

I gently put my hand over her’s, which was resting on my chest.

Warmth engulfed my cold hands.

The actual reason for the irritation was just as Kaede said.

The only way to resolve this irritation is to win the election campaign against Yuuto first, and then change it with the help of others.　

I need to abandon the desire to change the environment now itself and then compete with him in his natural state.

“Can you review my speech when we get home, or could you just listen to it…?”

“Sure, we can go over it together after dinner!”

Naturally, the scenario is different from the scene I or Yuuto had in mind.

However, that’s the so-called reality, and it shows that our thoughts were still a childish imagination.

But, if I were to so frustrated that I could not even concentrate on the competition at hand, it would be impossible for an ordinary student like me to survive the election.

It is impossible from the start to solve problems without harming anything, including the relationships and impressions of those around me.

So all I have to do is think about how to get beyond the person in front of me.

Then I can think about the problems after that.

If I can’t do it alone, I should rely on my sister.

If I still can’t do it, then I should turn to my childhood friends and classmates.

I am used to being hated by people and being left out of the group.

Otherwise, it would be impossible for me to survive in an environment where there are so many extraordinary people around.

Well, for now, I’m going to try to find the best way to make Yuuto regret this as much as possible.

Then, I went home and spent a long, long time with my sister.

We reviewed the content of the speech, reconfirmed my expected scenario, and worked out a plan to deal with the risks.

In the meantime, time passed and we both fell asleep in the living room.

It is a secret between us that even Kaede, who never overslept, fell asleep  until Shizuku came to pick us up as promised.