Volume 4 - CH 3

Natsukawa’s residence stood tall as before. Her house should be a detached residence not even ten meters tall, and yet to me it seemed like it reached into the skies above. Maybe my head has gotten crazy because I was walking out in the open sun for so long. I stepped in front of the nameplate at the front gate, and tried to control my breathing, when I heard panicked voices from inside the house.

“I-Isn’t the floor too solid? Doesn’t it hurt? Maybe we should stop—!”

“Noooo~!”

“Hahaha, it’s cute, so who cares.”

Following Natsukawa’s voice, I heard Airi-chan’s obstinate decline, and Ashida just enjoying the show. Since I can hear them just fine, they must be right at the entrance, huh…? Are they here to welcome me because I sent that message just now…No, no way, this isn’t some inn, so they wouldn’t. It’d just chip away at my lifespan.

“I-I-I’ll call him in!”

“Eh?”

These words were definitely directed at me. I heard the sound of what seemed to be sandals running along stone paving. Realizing that Natsukawa was approaching me, I subconsciously let out a baffled voice.

Hold on a second, a Goddess cannot be suffering from the scorching sun. Since I was worried for her beautiful white skin, I instead approached the house further. But, because I hadn’t mentally prepared myself yet, my feet forcefully had me stop again. I can’t just suddenly barge into Natsukawa’s home—

“…! Wataru!!”

Waeh? Slam, the door opened, and Natsukawa came dashing out. The explosive sound scared me, I subconsciously took a step back, but Natsukawa’s beautiful eyes immediately spotted me. H-Huh…? She seems…angry? Did she figure out that my feeling of guilt towards Ichinose-san and my tension of visiting her house had let me to really take my time here? Contrary to my expectations, Natsukawa just ran towards me at max speed, and grabbed my sleeve stronger like never before.

“Hurry up!”

“Oaehu!?”

Being pulled along, I let out a voice resembling a walrus’, and was dragged inside the Natsukawa residence. The scent of her home had my heart racing faster, but my feelings were unsure if I should focus more on the fear I felt, or the excitement towards Natsukawa. Inside the garden stood Ashida, who gave me a ‘What is going on!?’ gaze, only to spot the bag of sweets in my hand, her eyes lighting up with excitement. What are you, some demon or devil? This ain’t good, so don’t give me a thumbs-up.

When we reached the front door, Natsukawa suddenly stopped. I really wanted to wipe off all the sweat on my body, but that only grew worse because of a cold sweat running down my back. At this rate, I will have to hold on to Natsukawa’s hand instead…No no no, if I did that, she would hate me for good…! That’s right, I just have to carefully remove her hand…

“…!”

“…!?”

Huh, eh, Natsukawa-san!? I wasn’t going to run away or anything, so you don’t need to fix your hold on me…! So…I was already nervous and flustered, but now my heart is about to burst! Call an ambulance!

“Wataru…”

“Eh, um, my arm, could you…you know, Natsukawa?”

“—Prepare yourself.”

“Ehhh!?”

“Good-for-nothing man vibe is crazy.”

Natsukawa told me to stand right there. On top of that, I heard Ashida’s words stabbing me in the back. You better remember this…I’ll ruffle up your hair once I get another chance…! I gave Ashida a hefty glare, to which she approached me.

“Alright, stop it there, will you.”

Ashida-san, are you a goddess after all? No, Natsukawa is a goddess, period. Then, Ashida would be an angel. But, Airi-chan is the angel. Then, what is Ashida? Hmm…

“A-A duck…”

“Your tongue isn’t working, Sajocchi.”

Either way, I’m happy she’s helping me out here. I wanted to convey my gratitude, but a weak and fragile voice left my mouth. First Ichinose-san prostrating herself in front of me, then being called to Natsukawa’s house, being forcefully pulled along by Natsukawa, my endurance is running at an all-time low. Weird…I came here in order to be healed…

“Aichi, how long are you going to hold onto Sajocchi’s arm~”

“Eh…? Ah…!?”

Being told by Ashida, Natsukawa frantically pulled her arm back. Looking over, Natsukawa constantly looked at me and the sleeve full of wrinkles, blushing furiously. Following that, she gently fixed my sleeve with her hands, and pressed her hand against her chest. Hey, sleeve, switch with me. Ah, I’ll end up naked…

“Um…”

“A-Anyway, come on in. And stop once in front of the door.”

“W-Why.”

Even I had to retort on that. It’s probably related to Airi-chan, which is why Natsukawa is oddly excited about this. Though, I’d be really happy to get at least some kind of explanation…

“……”

Seeing Natsukawa look at me with a desperate gaze, telling me ‘Don’t go…’ with her eyes alone, I couldn’t move anymore. I get it, I’ll stay here. The sounds across the door stopped as well. Did they prepare something…? Eh, her parents by any chance? I was terrified of the idea that the entire Natsukawa Family came to greet me, when Natsukawa slapped me on the arm. Could you maybe not touch me that nonchalantly, I’ll lose more spaces that I can’t wash anymore.

“Come in.”

“Eh, are you sure?”

“Come on.”

“Understood.”

She definitely would not let me talk my way out of this. I had to ask twice to make sure, but was not given a chance to walk away. I even heard an ominous ‘Huehue…’ laugh from Ashida behind my back. You ain’t getting any sweets, you hear me? You liked ramune, didn’t you? I’ll just take all of those for myself.

After fully making up my mind, I put my hand on the doorknob…The doorknob Natsukawa is touching every single day…Thinking about it that way, my heart was racing. Maybe I should feel it a bit more. No, that’d be too gross, I shouldn’t do anything unnecessary right now. As a gentleman, I shall not sully a lady’s home—

“—I humbly welcome you!!”

“…!?”

For a second, I thought my heart leaped out of my chest. Right after I opened the door, I was greeted by Airi-chan, who sat in the entrance, bowing to me as she sat on her knees…Ahh, she’s too cute…! She’s doing it perfectly as well…! My heart is raising shrieks because of the cuteness I was looking at. It felt the exact same compared to back when I was teasing Ashida in her break at the club, only to eat a spike to the face.

“Cute, right? Super cute.” Natsukawa showed me an arrogant grin.

You’re the cute one, okay? Of course, Natsukawa might come to hate me if I said that, so I didn’t. That’s probably the biggest landmine with her. Seriously, Natsukawa really likes Airi-chan a bit too much.

‘—Please don’t make me quit…!’

“…!?”

Urk…!? That was a flashback definitely bad for my mental health. Because Ichinose-san is fairly small, for a split second, her appearance overlapped with Airi-chan’s. As a result of that, I felt something stab me deep inside the chest.

“That posture sure works against me…”

“…?”

Both Natsukawa and Ashida gave me dubious looks. Even Natsukawa looked at me with ‘You better be happy’. Excuse me, young lady, but could I have some time…I’m at my limit here…

“…Phew, thanks for coming to greet me, Airi-chan.”

“Aye!”

Ignoring my inner turmoil, I greeted the proprietress of this place. The inner businessman inside of me thankfully got control, because if not for him, I would have gotten mentally crazy in front of these two girls. Thanks, businessman. You can go back to work now.

*

“Saaaajooooooo~!”

“Airi-chan, wait a second. I want to wipe off my sweat.”

“Might sound off coming from me, but how about we get inside? A/C’s a blessing.”

“Is that okay with you, Natsukawa?”

“Eh, y-yeah.”

I somehow managed to stop Airi-chan who came running towards me, and entered inside. It really is hot…so I can’t afford to play with Airi-chan right now. I’m glad I bought some body wipes. I put a lot of effort into my looks, so I didn’t want to ruin it because of my scent.

“Styled yourself up, huh, Sajocchi.”

“I’m always stylish, mkay.”

“What are you talking about.” Ashida said, but proved the texture of my ankle pants with her fingers.

Stop that, I didn’t put too much attention to the fabric. No going around saying that ‘Oh, it’s cheap’, alright. It was pretty expensive in its own right.

“Sajooooo~!”

“Ohh, you’re as energetic as always, Airi-chan.”

“Not a weird head!”

“Why are you angry now?”

Right when I finished wiping down my entire body, Airi-chan jumped at me, like she couldn’t wait any longer. She probably doesn’t even realize how cute she is. I bet the guys her age are all falling victim to this mysterious illness called love…You can do it, lads.

It seems like Airi-chan feels a bit of a conflict seeing that my hair isn’t a mixture of brown and black anymore. Right now, they’re a normal black after all. She reached for my hair, ruffling it up with her small hands. In retaliation, I grabbed one of her twintails, swaying it up and down.

“Weird head~”

“Noooo!” Airi-chan shook her head.

That’s what happens when you play with other people. You should stop clinging to other people, otherwise you’ll evoke horrible misunderstandings with all the boys…

“Sajocchi, you’re actually pretty strong towards Ai-chan. I thought you’d be more gross.”

“Mmmmm! …There!”

“Shut up…Ouch! Airi-chan, I won’t give you any sweets if you keep doing that.”

“Nooo~!”

I’ll deal with this like an adult would. When I threatened her by pulling away the bag of sweets, Airi-chan’s eyes grew watery as she clung to me. H-Huh…? Is she really doing this subconsciously? Is this how a woman uses her weapons?

I was telling her that it was just a joke, and handed her one of the small sweets bags, to which she tightly grasped it, and clung to me even further. This isn’t a weapon…It’s a healing method. The cuteness is healing me…I need to work hard while I can.

“…?”

While enjoying Airi-chan’s cuteness, I checked out Natsukawa’s expression, only to find her look at me in a daze, completely frozen. Don’t tell me…is she angry!? Is she going to remove me from this world…!? Right when I was terrified, Ashida waved her hand in front of Natsukawa.

“Heeey, Aichi~?”

“Ah…! S-Sorry, I was just getting a bit excited.”

Eh, excited? Both Ashida and I looked at Natsukawa. Despite saying that, she was very calm. Isn’t it fine to show some of these emotions on the outside? That’d make it easier for me.

“Aye don’t mind it at all ye, lad.”

“Why dialect now…”

It seems like the reality of ‘Natsukawa is excited’ has me feeling all weird inside myself. So this is what she’s feeling right now. I fully understand it. I felt like an idiot trying to hide my confusion, when Ashida clung to Natsukawa. Hey, can you stop doing that already.

“Then, um…want to come in?”

“O-Oh…sorry for the intrusion…”

“Sorry for the intrusion!”

“You live here, Airi!”

Airi-chan raised her hand, copying me. Natsukawa must have felt a small bit of danger from that, as she forcefully pulled Airi-chan away from me, tightly embracing her. Come on, I’m not the one at fault here~ I took off my shoes to change into slippers, lined them up neatly, only to get an odd gaze from Ashida. What’s your problem? What if Natsukawa’s Mom sees this? I don’t want her to think ‘Oh my, he was raised badly, I see’, you know.

“Here, some sweets.”

“Yup…Wah, you bought a lot~”

“So much…must have cost a lot, right?”

“They’re just some small sweets, don’t worry about it.”

“O-Okay…”

Since sweets are aimed at children, they’re generally pretty cheap. Of course, that’s not the case if you buy them in large sums, but stuffing them into my shopping basket while being watched in awe by the young children around me felt pretty great. You’ll be able to afford that as well…eventually.

For the first time, I entered the living room of the Natsukawa Family. To the right was a TV and long table, with an adjoined sofa. Right ahead was a dining table, next to the kitchen. It’s an average space you’d find in every family’s home.

I felt Airi-chan pull on my pants. It seems like she’s happy that I came over. Then again, she probably would have acted like that towards anybody, and this is just my positive mentality trying to cheer me up. Can I not be doubtful for five minutes?

“…Refreshing in here.”

“That’s your first impression?”

“Sweets! I want to eat sweets!”

“Sheesh, wait a second, Airi.”

Seeing Airi-chan leap at the bag of sweets Ashida was holding, I felt a bit lonely. Natsukawa took that bag from Ashida, and headed towards the kitchen. Only thanks to that did I realize I was actually at Natsukawa’s place. What…should I do? Wait…

“S-So, Ashida, will her parents be joining us later…?”

“My Dad is at work, and so is Mom.”

“Oh my.”

I was relieved. It’s okay now. Hey, you over there, Ashida, don’t look at me with such disappointment. Who isn’t scared of the parents of the girl he’s in love with? I don’t want them to think of me as lame because I brought sweets with me.

Ahh, so refreshing. And it smells so nice. Natsukawa’s place is the best. I’m tired from work. I guess I should just lounge a bit. Since I was invited here, I maybe don’t have to be that considerate. Alright, tea break, tea break.

“Sajocchi? Isn’t there something you should be saying after looking at us~?”

“Hm? Ahh…I see, I forgot.”

“That’s the most important~”

Being reminded by Ashida, I realized what I had forgotten. Sajou knows, he has to praise their clothes, right! I was trained by Big Sis, so just leave it to me. Today, Ashida was wearing a girly half-sleeve shirt with denim short-pants. Since I only get to see her wearing her uniform, it really is refreshing to see. It’s a mixture of being stylish and wearing clothes that fit her body, so seeing these slim clothes fitting to her body had my heart skip a beat. However, my eyes really wandered towards—

“Your legs are so beautiful.”

“I’ll hit you.”

“But you’re using your leg!?”

Only after getting a hit to the knee, I realized. I praised her body part and not her clothes…I mean, I can’t help it. Ashida’s so slender, and she’s probably aware of her own weapon, which is why she’s wearing these clothes. That’s the volleyball club for you, their legs are something else…

“I mean, you’re wearing short-pants…If you show me those legs, of course my eyes would wander towards them rather than your clothes. Can you blame me?”

“Bare leg kick!”

“That was a punch!?”

Damn it…if I wasn’t trained by Big Sis, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge that. Throwing a punch with no faint is too weak! Also, why are you so angry about me praising your legs…!

“Grrr…” Ashida growled in shame, as she averted her face and took a step forward.

I see…by approaching me, she’s trying to put my focus on her clothes instead. Not half bad, I gotta say.

“Bang!”

“Guh!”

Suddenly, Ashida disappeared from my view. And, what is this, did Airi-chan bump into me again? Right as I was thinking that to myself, I felt a soft and elastic sensation at the back of my head. I realized that I was the one who had been blown off. As I laid on the sofa, I felt something heavy on my chest, which turned out to be a grinning Airi-chan. Past her, I heard Natsukawa jogging towards us.

“H-Hey, what are you doing…?”

“Wrestling with Sajocchi.”

“What are you doing!?”

Come on now, Natsukawa. I get that Ashida’s talking nonsense, but there’s no way I would have wicked desires towards your little sister. You don’t need to be that angry. If anything, let me know what you’re thinking. Come on? As I was thinking that myself, Airi-chan gently hit me on the chest, like she was enjoying the situation. I’m happy that she’s at least not hitting me in the head, but I guess that’s just me being soft. Thank you very much.

“Hey, Airi! You won’t get any sweets like that!”

“It’s okay, Natsukawa, she just wants to play around a bit.”

“Eh, b-but…”

“There there there there~!”

“Kyahahahaha!”

As long as Airi-chan isn’t satisfied, she won’t stop. I learned that the hard way before, but compared to last time, I’m not as nervous, and I know how to have Airi-chan enjoy herself. I’m confident that I can properly play along with her. How’s that? Am I a proper Onii-chan now? I’m not the same Sajocchi who was pushed around like a horse!

As I was still laying on my back on the sofa, I turned my gaze towards Ashida and Natsukawa, who stood still in place with an odd uneasy atmosphere. After having caught on to my gaze, Ashida’s eyes shot open.

“H-Hold on a second!”

“Woah!?”

Ashida let out an odd voice and approached the sofa, opened up her arms towards Airi-chan, and screamed.

“Airi-chan! Punch me as well!”

“Fueh?”

“What are you talking about, Ashida.”

“…H-Huh?”

Rarely enough, Ashida showed a swing and a miss. When I looked over at Airi-chan, she had her index finger on her mouth, showing a confused expression. It seems like Ashida’s excitement didn’t get through to a five-years old child.

“You’re Onee-chan’s friend, so…”

“…!” Ashida pressed both her hands on her chest, as if to deal with the pain.

Seeing her go past her limits for the first time, I was filled with an indecent sensation. But, Airi-chan…? What about me…? Am I not a friend? I’m not Onee-chan’s horsie, okay? Eh, Natsukawa’s horsie? I wanna ride that…

“Ai-chan! Let’s eat some sweets!”

“…Sweets!”

“Guha!”

As I was living in my thoughts for a moment, Airi-chan put more strength in her arms, and jumped up. The impact of that hit me right in the stomach, forcing me to let out a voice like a squashed frog.

“U-Um…Are you okay, Wataru?”

“Ah, yeah. Totally fine.”

“I’ll give Airi an earful later, so…”

“No no, don’t worry about it. Only me and Iihoshi-san can play with Airi-chan like this, right?”

“Yeah…yeah? No, Iihoshi-san is—”

Right when Iihoshi-san’s name came up, Natsukawa showed an apologetic expression. Iihoshi-san mentioned that she was simply ‘pushed over’, right…Same as I was just now. Then again, laying on the sofa like this, being looked down upon by Natsukawa, isn’t half bad. After all, I get to look at Natsukawa’s clothes, which is pure bliss.

“Hey, Sajocchi, isn’t there anything you want to say to Aichi?”

Ashida must have caught on to my gaze, as she threw me a pass with a grin. Now, are you looking down on my fashion sense? Don’t underestimate my love, okay? Even if the other person is Natsukawa, I’m confident that I can properly praise her like a gentleman would…!

“Hmmm…”

“Eh, w-what…?”

Rather than looking necessarily stylish, it feels more like a coordination brought together for flexibility and easiness to move in order to play with Airi-chan better. By losing the fabric around the joins of her shoulders, she opened up her flexibility, which shows great ingenuity. It’s a shame that she doesn’t show her bare legs with her pants look, but her armpits when she’s putting her hair behind her ears—

“……Gulp.”

“Sajocchi.”

Sorry.