The world was dyed completely red.
Looking out from the windows of a municipal bus, I immediately noticed that the orange shade of the evening sky was getting gradually thicker. It feels that the sun’s been setting much earlier these days.
Thinking about it, today and tomorrow are the last days of August.
Summer was about to end.
The summer of my second year in high school was silently disappearing and fading just like the cicadas that would eventually die. My once in a lifetime, sixteen-year-old summer.
…Thinking about it further, I felt a crushing sensation of melancholy, and I began to feel inexplicably restless.
What exactly did I do over this summer?
Conversing with girls (games). Understanding girls better (videos). Looking at girls (binoculars). The three magical activities I do each year without fail. Wait a minute, it wasn’t just those.
Since the previous month, huge changes had appeared in my surroundings.
Yeah, I had more friends so I had more chances to hang out. I’d played around in arcades and even ate at someone else’s house. I’d played with everyone else at an amusement park as well. To those that want to know the specific details, please read my imaginary diary serialized and edited by Yokodera-kun. You’re not interested in this sort of thing? Oh, then…
I’m very happy. I’m actually very happy. But I just felt that something wasn’t enough.
“There is nothing more ancient than satisfaction. Only happiness allows people to continue living.”
The satirist of Ireland, Oscar Wilde lived his short life just like that. I’ve always thought that I was following in his footsteps. Speaking of which, shouldn't I be doing more stuff related to summer? Like taking a girl out to the summer festival or something.
- August 30th, about six p.m. On the bus, I attempted to express my thoughts to the little girl that was sitting beside me.
And then she – Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko,
“…Senpai hasn’t changed at all. Always getting swayed around by words spoken by long-dead people. If only…”
“If only, what?”
“…”
She stuck her face onto the window opposite me, and remained motionless after that.
“Eh, huh? Tsutsukakushi? Did something happen?”
If she was looking at something, there didn’t seem to be anything to look at. A young couple walking by the sidewalk. A family of three standing by a crossroads. A pair of siblings running somewhere. She was looking at all those unrelated scenery, not turning around even once.
“…Um, Tsutsukakushi-san?”
Then she suddenly spoke,
“If we really go to the summer festival, what’re we going to do?”
Her question was extremely direct.
“What we’re going to do…?”
Would people ask these sorts of questions normally? I was confused since I’ve never invited a girl on a date or anything like that before. If this were in a video, it would probably go along a three-stage process something like, let’s go to the summer festival →OK, let’s go →I love you, take off your clothes! There really are too many unnecessary steps in real life.
“Just have fun and stuff, nothing in particular.”
“Indoor games.”
“Eh?”
“It’s better to play indoors. Card games like draw-the-joker, Daihinmin and so on.”[1]
“That’s a pretty plain decision.”
I’ve never seen anyone getting addicted to poker over the course of the summer festival. Also, festivals shouldn’t even be held indoors in the first place.
If I interpreted that correctly it was probably her roundabout way of declining by saying that she doesn’t want to play with her Senpai. In bishoujo games complaints by female characters along the lines of “It’ll be embarrassing if our friends see us walking home together…” probably carried the same meaning.
…It shouldn’t be like that! I shook my head hurriedly. A slight bit of uneasiness won’t be enough to discourage me since we had a pretty good relationship anyway. You want me to prove it? Of course I can.
The relationship between a male and a female can usually be indicated by their actions when they part ways.
Some examples would be a cool kouhai you’d just met, or a younger comrade with similar interests to you, as the way one would say「Goodbye to them would be completely different. If it was an emotionally charged「Goodbye that might sound like she might be your sister or something, the level of excitement I’d feel in that situation might be able to create another Grand Canyon.
But to describe the relationship between Tsutsukakushi and I would be about three stages more intense than that. It was already at a point where words wouldn’t be enough to describe it.
- As I uttered these words, what replied me was a deep, drawn-out sigh.
“Which sort of「Goodbye does Senpai expect me to say then?”
“Hold me tight and say something like「I don't ever want to go back, I just hate saying goodbye with you… then.”
“Huh. What that's implying is…”
“Wait, I’ll be in trouble if you misunderstand this! I meant it in a purely sisterly manner!”
“…「I want to go back now, I’ll rather die than stay here.」“
“Eh, huh? Did you say something really hurtful earlier? Also why are you getting off the bus here? I’ll walk you home! Ugh, she didn’t hear me, w-wait for me, Tsukiko-chan!”
I got down with Tsukiko at the final bus stop and was taken aback by the strong winds. Speaking of which, I heard there was a typhoon coming in from the southern areas.
“The typhoons will probably veer off course after reaching the Japanese archipelago anyway!”
According to the slightly uneasy-looking weatherwoman’s predictions, this area probably wouldn’t be affected by it.
However, the sounds trees and other flora being crushed under the strong winds seemed to completely refute her claims.
“It's dangerous to rush ahead! Tsukiko-chan’s so tiny that you might get blown away by the wind at any moment.”
“I apologize for my actions. I can grow bigger. Grow physically bigger. Speaking of which, I believe I’ve mentioned that I hate it when you call me「Tsukiko-chan .”
“OK, so then, Moonchild…”
“I have a right to take you to court for this name.”
“You’re going to take this that far!?”
I hurriedly caught up to the unfaltering Tsutsukakushi.
“So I can neither call you Tsukiko-chan nor use English. So that leaves us with either ‘sister’ or ‘neko’. Which would you prefer?”
“Why can I only choose from these two? Senpai’s vocabulary really is strange. There should be much more.”
“Such as?”
“…Such as. It’s just an example, so how about just plain Tsuk-“
“A sweet princess of the moon? *Oh, Japanese Taketori Story! Where are you going, my baby!*”[2]
“Please don’t talk to me. Which culture exactly are you from? The hentai culture?”
My sister (nickname) was acting awkwardly, prancing about on the roads like a little monster. She had a bunch of her hair separated from the rest of it and tied up with a rubber band, which was bouncing about like an unhappy cat’s tail.
So, I must have done something that ruined her mood, right?
This place was a residential area very near to Ipponsugi Hill, having both ancient mansions and newly built apartment. There was a long stone wall to our right, and because Tsutsukakushi’s house was pretty large, the distance from the wall to the gate itself was very long as well. Due to this, I had gotten used to the scenery around us.
As I was pondering this, the girl with the tail-like hairstyle suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around.
Finally, no, today might actually be the first time she’s looked me in the face.
“There’s really no need to walk me home. Thanks for today.”
“If you’re worried about running into perverts it’s fine. I hate people who do things like that.”
“So would you become one of them if you didn’t resist the urge?”
“N-no, I don’t mean that! I was just joking!”
“Joking...which means that you accidentally let the word loose huh. I kind of understand but at the same time I don’t think I do. No.”
Tsutsukakushi shook her head. Her tail shook as well.
“I was joking. I trust in Senpai. I wasn’t talking about that.”
“So...”
“But, it’s right here. If you reach my house I’ll feel awkward.”
It was a very flat, emotionless voice.
No laughter. No anger as well. Her white cheeks didn’t even twitch. Her thin lips were closed together lightly, and her pale blue marble-like eyes looked up at me coldly.
Every part of her was incredibly cute, but incredibly cold as well. She was as expressionless as a robot.
But, I knew that behind that cold facade all sorts of emotions were hidden beneath it.
- So, I retreated.
“Well then Senpai, goodbye. I’ll see you in school.”
This time’s “Goodbye” was serious.
Tsutsukakushi coldly bent her head down in a business-like manner and turned around. Her shadow was drawn out in the evening sunlight, and she drew away from me as though she would never turn back.
So, that was the answer to my proving question earlier.
Being rejected after walking her home, and she left immediately after – how high is this ranked in the male-female gender intimacy chart? Can someone more experienced with 3D girls please tell me.
...No, never mind.
The result would probably be extremely disappointed.
Tsutsukakushi can’t laugh.
It’s because she’s the「Stony Cat」. She and I were tricked by the cat statue two months ago, so we’re in a cooperative situation.
Obstacles appeared in my life, and Tsutsukakushi’s relationship with her sister was becoming worse as well, also all sorts of things have happened which led to even more things happening. Now I have the airplane runway – no, Azuki Azusa as a friend from another class.[3]
But.
Tsutsukakushi’s original personality was never returned.
This summer vacation, to get it back, we often walked around on the streets together. And our aim was to search for overly emotional people. Our plan was to use the cat statue to gift those emotions to Tsutsukakushi if it was unnecessary to them.[4]
Today we had went home after searching on the streets as well.
...But, I’m a healthy male high school student as well.
Going out alone with a cute kouhai, I can’t be blamed for expecting something more.
Although retrieving Tsutsukakushi’s emotions was important, but I wanted to get closer to her. As for how to raise a peach-colored flag with her, I’ve written an entire booklet of strategies and methods. Because of this, I’ve written all sorts of conversation topics from the meat buns she likes to her favorite photo actresses on that account book.
Why an account book?
Because my final goal is to become Tsutsukakushi’s brother.
Two days ago, after I lost my challenge against Tsutsukakushi’s sister, I lost the right to become her brother. But I’m not a man who would give up after a single failure.
Yes, which means now my story was at the point where the hero is about to rescue his sister from the hands of the evil king.
The strategy was simple. When I go out with the princess and play with her I’ll influence her until what’s done cannot be undone, and imagination becomes reality.
“Hey, Youto-nii... ah, I got it wrong!”
“Nothing’s wrong. Fine, call me again, little sis.”
“O, Onii-chan. ...Tsukiko, prefers Onii-chan over my sister...”
I just wanted a sibling relationship similar to that. If only there was a separate route for the sister character. It seems popular nowadays.
...That was my imagination.
“Senpai likes this sort of fantasies. So. Did the hentai read too much manga.”
“H-heart to heart! Don’t tell me Tsutsukakushi read the same manga as well!? Mutual love!?”[5]
“...Listen up. Even if only the both of us survive in the entire world after a nuclear war, I’d rather the world end than call Senpai Onii-chan.”
The sweet atmosphere, was completely nonexistent!
Tsutsukakushi was a calm, reasonable person. Although there was a possibility that her appearance made her appear that way, but whenever she went out with me, an extremely trustworthy Senpai (that’s me!) she never acknowledged me in a brotherly fashion.
Her fashion of saying farewell accentuated this.
I didn’t really want her to hold me tight.
It’s just that to ask for a slightly more lonely expression rather than a simple, cold “Goodbye” wouldn’t be too much, right?
“Tomorrow we’re spring cleaning so I won’t be seeing you.”
“The day after that it’s the school opening ceremony so I’ll probably have to show up at my club.”
“After that classes start.”
As school approached, Tsutsukakushi suddenly became even more cold towards me. Although I personally thought that it would be good to get closer to her, but over the summer vacation our relationship didn’t even get closer to sibling-like, instead it now feels that the distance between us is like Earth and the moon.
If this were to continue snatching her away from the King would be a dream within a dream, a hollow product of imagination.
“Once the second semester starts, we’ll only distance further from each other...”
I wobbled around on the municipal bus leading back home, and I silently sagged my shoulders. I was in my second year of high school while Tsutsukakushi was in her first. Even if we were in the same high school, we were in different years and our social circles were different as well. It’s not like I’m a 2D protagonist that can make flags pop up left and right, and it’s definitely not very possible that I’ll bump into the female lead in the hallway or something.
Thinking about that, it was actually rather lonesome to be walking home alone.
Now, my parents were out overseas on vacation for some town council planning stuff. I needed to show track club that I was sincere about my position, and I couldn’t possibly let any relatives see how close I was getting to Tsutsukakushi, so I happily sent them off with well wishes. However, I seem to be regretting my decision now.
…But it’s no use crying over spilt milk.
I should probably do some homework. And arrange my collection of videos. And volunteer to be a security guard at some kindergarten. If I can’t be Tsutsukakushi’s hero I might as well be a hero to some kindergarteners. I would make a journey of a thousand miles in search of future lolis!
With these feelings festering within me, I got down the bus and walked to the end of the road –
Only to find that my house had disappeared.
My house was gone.
It took me about twenty minutes to realize this.
It took me another twenty minutes or so to accept it.
The surroundings of the Yokodera residence were vastly different from the Tsutsukakushi residence’s, being in a lifeless residential area with no personality of its own. The houses looked all the same to a certain extent, and were all equally cramped and narrow. They were stacked together like「Dominoes」in a sense that they looked like they would topple over in a single push. The residents probably had similar family structures and lifestyles as well.
At the far end of the dominoes, the house furthest away from the bus stop was mine.
- At least, that was where it should have been.
The land my house used to be on was now barren and empty.
There weren’t even any scraps of construction material. There weren’t any wild grass growing, and the land was merely populated by tea-coloured dirt. No walls, no doors. My bicycle wasn’t there, neither was my gate of course, and the plants were gone as well. Essentially nothing was left.
The Yokodera residence had disappeared completely without leaving behind any traces.
“H-how could this be…”
I stood there like a lifeless stick. The world began spinning in opposite directions, and the unfamiliar scenery around me seemed to me that I was in a horrific alternate universe.
My throat was dry, and it became hard for me to breathe. In contrast to this, I was continuously generating cold sweat. My knees were wobbling, and I had the absurd urge to laugh, although that probably wouldn’t solve anything.
“What exactly happened here, my house…”
I helplessly leaned on a nearby lamppost, and just like that, Yokodera-kun’s story ended with a ‘Homeless End’. What a joyful occasion this is.
“H-how could something like this happen!?”
In an age where science is virtually omnipotent, it’s really troubling to have my life affected by such impossible events! Please help, science!
I grasped my phone while thinking these thoughts. Someone, anyone, please explain to me what’s going on. Then give me some gentle advice or instructions for me to deal with the situation at hand.
First on my speed-dial, Ponta. Of course, anyone would ask their childhood friends for guidance in a situation like this. Throughout the history of the world, just about every protagonist has done this. Even though the one on the receiving end is usually female. However friendships between males should be thicker than blood, or maybe even the ocean.
“Ah, how are you mister Pervert Prince. What, your house is gone? Whoa that’s scary, you got me there. Anyway I’m coincidentally helping homeless African kids by soliciting donations so goodbye for now. If you’re interested you can donate some cash as well.”
He hung up the phone, seemingly ignoring me.
He didn’t believe me at all. I might even have had a better chance communicating with the son of a Martian. This friendship between us really is thinner than water, and shallower than a pond.
I sobbed slightly and reopened my contacts list.
The first line that appeared was あ – Azuki Azusa.
The fluffy cry-baby Ojou-sama (fake).
Due to the Stony Cat incident, I’m now friends with her. Our relationship was pretty decent, at least if I didn’t call her a washing board again by accident and have her yell at me, calling me a pervert. My summer holidays were about 50% Tsutsukakushi, 40% Azuki Azusa and 10% track practice.
Just like that, help
Me
Airplane runway![6]
“I won’t pick up the hentai’s calls anymore. If you need to ask why, just place your hands at your chest and go die like a mangy, filthy dog somewhere in the wilderness.”
“…”
What a refreshing answering machine memo.
However the important part was that it wasn’t that she didn’t completely reject my calls, and I could still leave a message.
Even if she didn’t have any other friends that would call her, it just seems a bit too passionate of her to change her voice memo just for my ears. No, it’s actually rather pathetic.
Speaking of which I didn’t do anything to deserve something like this from Azuki Azusa. She should be thanking me instead.
That Ojou-sama (fake) was now in Okinawa.
“How about we go on a three day two night vacation? I’ve saved up quite a bit of money already, so I don’t mind splurging it for once!”
“There’s nothing wrong about it. You’ve been working pretty hard at that animal café as well anyway.”
“It’ll be the first time I try bathing in the sea. I’m looking forward to it. I even bought a new, d-daring bikini! I bet the manatees on the beach will get a shock as well! Heh!”
“A… d-daring bikini…? I would love to see that.”
“Hehehe!”
Azuki Azusa seemed to be talking about that for the entire first half of the summer holidays.
I knew very well why she wanted to go to Okinawa so badly, so I was somewhat in approval of this vacation. But who would she go with considering she doesn’t have any friends?
Below is my Q&A session with Azuki Azusa.
“By the way, who are you planning to bring along?”
“…Nonsense. It’s not possible that I’ll bring anyone else.”
“So how many are you planning to bring?”
“It should be only two right!? Since we’ve got this far, I definitely want to come along! What’s your problem!?”
“I don’t have any problems with that… so, who should I invite?”
“No one else! I forbid you from asking! No means no!”
“B-but…”
“!!I’ll turn you into a mollusc, you hear me!?”
The interview was cut short here since the recipient became overly emotional.
Azuki Azusa was looking forward to her summer escapades, but in the end she didn’t invite anyone. And she had booked her flight and hotel as well. All those should be done with other people anyway. Or a slightly older sisterly, caring girl. The airport runway attempting to imitate this type of girl is going against the class system of females.
Didn’t I say that earlier? I needed to eliminate the overconfident Azuki Azusa.
But now it’s different. We’re friends now.
In order to allow her an enjoyable vacation to Okinawa, I had to do as much as I could as well.
I hope my friends could enjoy happiness. It would be great if Azuki Azusa could as well. I’d be content as long as I could live out the rest of my life happily.
Just like that, I went to talk to them.
They – worked in the arcade, the two girls. I think they were called Morii and Moriya. Azuki Azusa’s old classmates. They used to be friends, in fact
“You drooping your head is only making this harder for us.”
“I don’t have any problems with going out with Azuki-chan, but Azuki-chan would be, how should I put it, slightly uneasy about it…”
“Please think of a way! No matter what Azuki Azusa says, it’s all my responsibility! Even though you’re just former friends of my friend, I do wish that you become friends once again!”
“…I-I’m not referring to that, what I meant was I think Azuki-chan has someone else she means to invite in mind.”
“To be honest I think she wants to go with you…”
“With me? Hah, of course not. That’s impossible. I’ve never heard her say anything about it.”
Eventually my persuasiveness convinced them, and they looked at each other while nodding. They really are still Azuki Azusa’s friends, I thought to myself.
And on the first day of her vacation (which means yesterday), Azuki Azusa called me about thirty times, but I hate owing others favours so I ignored all of them. Don’t thank me. Just enjoy yourself with your old friends.
- But in the end,
“I won’t pick up the hentai’s calls anymore. If you need to ask why, just place your hands at your chest and go die like a mangy, filthy dog somewhere in the wilderness.”
This happened.
No matter how many times I attempted to leave a voice message I was greeted with this. It was recited in a low-pitched voice that sounded like a devil’s messenger, completely different from her usually cheery tones.
Strange… I just couldn’t understand why. I thought she’d be happy going with everyone on vacation to Okinawa, so why would this happen?
Female emotions are too complicated, I don’t understand them at all.
I only understood that I was constantly being dumped by friends. I felt somewhat uneasy at my charisma, but I had no other choice but to continue flipping through my contacts list.
After「A」was「I」.
「Imouto (sister setting) 」was registered under it, which meant Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko.
But, no matter what, we’d just parted ways earlier, so calling her right away would look bad on me as a guy.
I did consider that for a moment, but after more pondering I remembered I didn’t have dignity anymore. It vanished last month due to various reasons.
I contacted Tsutsukakushi immediately without any sense of awkwardness.
…If I didn’t tell anyone about what I was going through right now, to be honest, I was scared to death.
It was beginning to get completely dark.
The summer night sky had darkened around me like a tent, and a cicada that was crawling in loneliness on the ground, having missed its evening ride home. But it couldn’t go anywhere. It could only helplessly cry over and over as loud as it could as its house had disappeared.
“I see, so this cicada’s actions are predicting my future. When it stops crying, my life will…”
“I’ll do my Japanese homework later. Reality is different from fiction. If just a single cicada’s fate overlaps with mine, then it won’t be enough no matter how many bodies I have.”
“There’s no particular relation to it, but I wonder if not having enough bodies would be just as exciting as a harem in a palace at night.”
“There’s no relation and it’s a horrible thing as well. I’m going home.”
“I-I’m sorry, that was a joke! It was an, um, Arabian joke! I won’t say it again!”
“That’s just too offensive to all the Arabians around. What an incurable person…”
I was desperate, while Tsutsukakushi spoke emotionlessly with her hands on her hips. Her attitude was just like a sisterly figure with the body of a grade-schooler. She might even be a new class of girl.
Even though I had explained to her what happened over the phone earlier, she still spoke coldly as though she didn’t believe me.
“So, I want to confirm this with my own eyes, tell me where to go.”
As soon as she said that, she went here immediately. She was always so cool and gentle. Your onii-chan’s being bewitched by you, you know. That’s why I was so relieved that she could make jokes with others now.
Tsutsukakushi’s clothing was the same as earlier when she left. A sleeveless shirt and a checkered miniskirt. She would stand out even among cutesy foreign idols as well, and her belt looked absolutely beautiful with a large buckle on it.
She slowly ran over to me with her belt jiggling, and she noticed me after observing the piece of empty land behind me.
She looked directly at me.
“First I have a question that I absolutely have to ask, is Senpai’s house really here.”
“Huh? Of course. What do you mean – ah, about that, I even sent you pictures.”
Maybe because a typhoon was approaching, the clouds from earlier this morning were contorted into strange shapes. One of them looked like a pudding, like the pudding-like thing wobbling on the chest area of an older sister. So I unconsciously took a photo of it and sent it to Tsutsukakushi (who ignored it), and the photo coincidentally contained the domino-like roofs of the houses in this area.
“No matter how shameless I am, it won’t be to the point where I would trick Tsutsukakushi to come over…”
“…”
“What is it?”
“Does Senpai really want to see me.”
“N-no, I don’t mean that! I was just raising an example to prove my point so there’s no need to fabricate such lies, yes, I was just raising an example!”
“Just, an example, huh.”
Tsutsukakushi looked up to the skies while mumbling to herself.
She was always expressionless, but I’ve seen her act like this many times. This kid was fooling around. I explained it to her clearly so why did it achieve the opposite effect…!
“This is just my own opinion, but could it be that Senpai’s comprehensive ability decreased horribly due to some reasons so you got the location of your own house wrong, since if Senpai sends me a photo like this to a mere someone like me, wouldn’t it be insufficient evidence.”
“Um, Tsutsukakushi-san, your words seem a bit sharp.”
“That’s just your imagination. A mere person like me would never be able to step into the hentai’s house, and this is just a mere, simple opinion coming from a mere person like me.”
“…No, um. About that, what should I say… my most most most important Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko-san is the first girl that’s ever been to my house in my entire life, it’s an epic life-changing plan that needs five years to plan, so I’ve never had the chance.”
“I can’t hear clearly what you’re trying to say.”
“Huh? My most most most important Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko-san is the first girl that’s ever been to my house in my entire life –“
“Say it again.”
“So, my most most most important Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko-san is the first girl.”
“Again.”
“…My most! Most! Most important! Tsutsukakushi!”
“Jumping to conclusions like this, life isn’t that easy.”
“Couldn’t you hear that!”
Tsutsukakushi sighed expressionlessly. She pulled at her pigtail with her finger.
According to my Tsukiko-chan emotions chart, that meant that she’s in an excellent mood. Even though I didn’t know how and why, that’s great!
“Anyway, Senpai’s house was here this morning right, yes. Even though we don’t know how it disappeared, at least we now know about when it did.”
“I see. So it must’ve been between when I went out this morning to when I came home. What exactly happened in the short span of half a day…?”
“Your neighbours might have seen it.”
Tsutsukakushi surveyed her surroundings. My neighbour’s house was shaped like mine but it wasn’t mine of course, and it was right beside mine.
“I see…no, wait. Didn’t I say that my family went out on vacation? Some town council retreat. Everyone on this street went as well.”
“Everyone, huh.”
“Yeah. The house beside mine, the house beside the house beside mine, the one beside that one, the one opposite that one, all of them”
The streets of the residential area that were usually bustling were now occupied with the faint cries of dogs. The non-illuminated houses were simply dark, soulless presences. The shadows under the streetlights were dominated by the harsh gusts of the wind.
Tsutsukakushi stood in the middle of the road while looking around, like an expressionless child of the shadows
“…This place looks like a ghost town straight out of a movie. What does Senpai plan to do.”
“What do you mean by what do I plan to do?”
“Do you want to sleep alone outside in the wilderness in an unpopulated residential area. Do you want to hear the tombstones creaking about alone outside in an unpopulated residential area.”
“Don’t make it sound so scary. Have you been watching too much horror movies?”
“There might be some zombie girls that might like Senpai’s type.”
“Common sense seems to dictate that alive girls are better dead ones.”
“What about a large-chested zombie compared to a flat-chested girl that will however definitely grow in the future.”
“Zombie!”
“…”
She stamped my foot hard expressionlessly. Haha, was she trying to imitate scenes where the main character gets grabbed by a zombie?
But I never would have guessed that Tsutsukakushi would be interested in films like this. It was true that the end of summer would be great for such horrific atmospheres, so it would be an appropriate time to go for a courage test with a yukata-wearing girl. Then I’d push her down in the cemetery while she holds her body close to mine, and with her yukata half open we’d have a miracle
Summer
Romance.
“That’s not romance, that’s a crime.”
“Don’t venture into my fantasies without permission!”
…I was joking, but I felt chills running down my spine just the same.
There was no one around in this small town. No one knew that my house had disappeared. I was the only one in this unpopulated small town that knew my house was gone.
- So, if I disappeared just like this right now, no one would know either.
“…I was joking about the zombies. I need to think up a reason why this happened –“
Tsutsukakushi expressionlessly shrugged her shoulders and wiped her face.
I wiped my cheeks at the same time as well. Water droplets. No, they weren’t. They were raindrops.
“Ah!”
“It appears the weather report was wrong.”
The ink-blotted night sky had raindrops constantly pouring down from it. Its initial dripping noises suddenly turned into a huge torrent. The wind began to blow, and large droplets of rain heartlessly began pounding the floor.
“Ah, let’s find a place to shelter ourselves first, Tsutsukakushi. Anyway let’s get in my house – my house is gone!”
“Senpai really is unlucky. So you’re going to catch a cold alone after being drenched in the rain overnight alone in an uninhabited town alone, then rock your own tombstone then.”
“So you shouldn’t be saying these horrifying words! Do you have a grudge against me or something?”
“I went too far. I was just thinking that this Senpai with weird tastes might die if he’s left alone.”
“You’re too much! If you’ve got something to say about my tastes then why don’t you just say it then!?”
“Ah, at least I’m not hoping that horrifying things happen to Senpai or that you catch a cold. Senpai might actually be better alive than dead.”
Just like me, Tsutsukakushi was drenched in rain as well, and she began twiddling with the hair on her ears with her fingers. The water that dripped down there flowed down her cheek, and trickled all the way down to her doll-like jaw.
Her wet eyes looked over at me.
“So – would you like to stay over at my place for tonight.”
She spoke, emotionlessly.
The district that we lived in was on the borderlines of the city, which means to say the public transport system – especially the municipal buses, were more efficient here. There was even a subway line on the northern side of my street, and it was fairly efficient as long as you’re not intending on going somewhere very far away (such as Azuki Azusa’s place.)
The distance from the Yokodera residence to the Tsutsukakushi residence could be covered within two bus rides. First we had to ride to the bus stop outside our high school, and then ride another bus to the bus interchange at Ipponsugi Hill. It was the third time that we’ve been journeying along this route. First was sending Tsutsukakushi, then the second was me going home after that, so this would be the third then. It’s so troublesome – that thought never crossed my mind along the entire journey.
Because this was a great, defining moment in my life.
Tsutsukakushi had said “Would you like to stay over at my place for tonight.”
Which is, tonight. This sentence alone made my fantasies blossom and expand like ancient, flowing poetry. It was the first time in my life that I would be sleeping over in a girl’s house. What a dazzling teenage romance. We were getting one step closer to being sibling lovers.
Previously, I had stepped into Tsutsukakushi’s house only once. But I only saw the kitchen, and I had to leave very early since I had a lot of other things to deal with at that moment, so I guess it couldn’t be considered as a visit.
But this time it would be different.
Tsutsukakushi had invited me there.
“Since Senpai has to find a place to stay anyway, my parents aren’t here so you don’t need to worry about anything, and there are a lot of rooms, so I really don’t mind, so it’s not as if it’s not OK for Senpai to come over.”
Tsutsukakushi did attempt to hint in her sentence that she didn’t feel anything about the affair at all, but since I’ve been dealing with her expressionlessness for a long period of time I had a basic understanding of her emotions from her words.
She was actually a cowardly cry-baby. She didn’t even have any male friends. For that sort of small kid to invite an older male Senpai to her place, she couldn’t possibly be ‘Completely emotionless’.
Actually, under her emotionless expression, her cat-like heart must be beating like a gigantic alarm!
Well, probably.
“…”
In the bus, Tsutsukakushi simply looked ahead wordlessly.
I’d seen her act that way previously. It was almost as if she was thinking of something. Even though she had said her goodbyes earlier coldly, she had rushed here immediately after I called her. She was afraid of me, but she still invited me to sleepover. She was just like an erratic little kitten.
Looking at her petite little face, I couldn’t guess what she was thinking about.
It’s really hard to truly be able to read a person’s expressions.
So I could only use my handkerchief to help her wipe off her shoulders that were drenched in the rain previously as her shirt was sleeveless. Tsutsukakushi jerked about probably because it felt slightly ticklish, and looked down silently.
Tsutsukakushi readjusted her sitting position and gently nudged her shoulder against mine, and her body temperature felt extremely comfortable. I was in a world of my own, with her right next to me.
“…It feels slightly warmer.”
“…Yeah.”
We leaned against each other for the rest of the trip.
However, the rain had gotten worse after we got down.
Neither of us had brought an umbrella, so we could only sprint towards Tsutsukakushi’s place as fast as we could. I realized that her affection points would probably drop if I were to reach there first. In order to trigger the sleepover flag, I had to appear more manly.
“Alright… just endure this for a while.”
“What are you –“
An onlooker would probably see a track and field substitute runner carrying some girl as small as a child from a child welfare society while running through the rain. Tsutsukakushi struggled throughout the journey.
I trudged through the gates of her house, jogged across the main Moya, and Tsutsukakushi took out her keys and walked towards the old-fashioned tatami mats where we could finally catch our breaths. Anyway we needed to calm down first.
“O-ouch! Why did you bite me!?”
“What do you think I am. Why did you have to carry me. Like a little kid.”
“Compared to a small kid, you’re more of a – ah, I already said it hurts!”
“…I did think you could occasionally be gentle, and as I just decided to give you a second chance, you went ahead and did this.”
“I can’t tell what you’re saying while you’re biting me!?”
The way that she stubbornly aimed and latched onto my palm was just like a cat that loved to bite things. I needed to calm down. Don’t tell me Tsutsukakushi tends to bite people when her affection ratings rise. Her route seems really hard to conquer.
We sat on the corridor connect to the tatami, which of course caused the floor to be drenched in liquid. I was completely wet, and Tsutsukakushi was completely as well from her tail to her shoes, her shirt was transparent, and the light peach-coloured Shangri-La on her lower body –
“Ah-choo!”
I sneezed. The summer rain made me cold to my bones. It was so cold I began shivering uncontrollably.
I went to take a towel, while Tsutsukakushi turned around and said:
“I think you’d prefer a shower over this. I’ll take you.”
“Ah, thanks a lot!”
I realized after I answered her question that I had triggered an event.
“What is this…”
I stood in the middle of the gigantic bathroom with steam billowing everywhere.
I heard a strange noise as soon as I opened the door leading inside it.
I listened closely. That noise really did come from the shishi-odoshi.
It was the first time I saw a household bathroom with such decorations. This place could be a hotel. There was a hinoki bath in the middle that was so big that swimming competitions could be held in it.
Tsutsukakushi’s house was unnaturally big.
That was instantly noticeable from the extremely long walls of her compound. But to be honest, the curvy hallways, large rooms, a changing room that proceeded about ten washing machines and now this humongous bathroom simply made it appear even larger.
“Could it be that she’s a natural Ojou-sama…?”
If a certain Ojou-sama currently in Okinawa were to hear this there would be complications, so I absolutely couldn’t say that.
It could bring some level of emotional comfort, that’s what Tsutsukakushi’s house was.
I felt the oak wood floors give me a moderate sense of warmth, and I moved towards a showerhead. I never thought that I would ever experience a bathing sensation like this.
I felt awakened.
- When exactly would that kid suddenly rush in?
Earlier, Tsutsukakushi had merely passed me a towel while not doing anything to remedy her drenched clothes.
“Please help yourself to the scents and hair conditioner in the bathroom. The toilet’s right next to it. That’s it.”
“Huh? Aren’t you showering? It’s cold.”
“I’ll shower after that. Senpai can just enjoy yourself as much as you want, it’s fine.”
“Wouldn’t it be fine if we just shower together. Like wash each other’s backs in a gesture of friendship. I’m always ready for something like that. Take your clothes off already.”
“…I don’t really understand what you’re trying to get at here, but let me first explain, there’s only a one-minute walk to the local police station from here.”
“W-why are you being like this all of a sudden!? I certainly didn’t do anything to attract the wrath of Mr Policeman.”
“Really. And here I was thinking that you might want to have a nice long conversation with him.”
Her ice-cold gaze settled on me momentarily. After which she shut the door.
…But, she must be attempting to hide her embarrassment, right?
Speaking of the bathroom incident, there shouldn’t be anything else happening other than us washing each other’s backs. In all the bishoujo games I’ve played, the female lead always happens to crash into the bathroom while the male protagonist is inside. This is just troublesome.
Since I was her guest, I should be thinking of some gentlemanly strategies.
Should I let her wash my back, or should I wash hers.
This was a dilemma. I needed to consider all the NSFW routes that might occur at any time as well.
…I was pondering this while washing my hair, washing my body, counting to 100 in the hot water, then washing my hair again then washing my body again then washing my hair again then washing my body my hair my body my hair, one hour, two hours…
“Huh?”
How strange. The bathroom door didn’t seem to have opened the entire time.
The scents would be completely used up soon. Where exactly was Tsutsukakushi-san?
“D-don’t tell me!”
Something had happened to her. Something extremely important and horrifying that prevented her from even showering with me.
As I stood up uneasily, the lights turned on on the other side of the glass doors that were covered in steam. Someone was in the changing room.
“…, Um…”
“…- Thief…Unforgiveable - !”
“…That’s why, I…”
“Don’t stop me - ….cut into pieces -…!”
I heard voices – no, shouts. Multiple people were present.
The lights would turn off then on again. I could hear footsteps. They approached then got further away, and the bathroom door kept wobbling about. The atmosphere was noticeably different.
“T-thief, cut into pieces…? Dammit, why did this happen!”
The worst possible outcome burst into my mind, and my heart began pounding furiously.
I felt extremely uneasy, after which I dashed out of the bathroom.
“Please wait! No matter a thief or a burglar, I’ll be your opponent… huh?”
“Please allow me to explain. I’ll explain everything so please calm down Onee-san - …ah.”
“No, you’re being tricked! The thief that tricked Tsukiko will be – hmm?”
Voices interspersed, gazes interlocked, and a brief, awkward silence was birthed.
The bi-directional walls and the doors of the bathroom made a pretty, perfect little triangle around the changing room, and the three people and three things inside froze
Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko was by the left wall. She froze there exactly like a Greek statue.
However, the other one standing on the opposite wall like a majestic overlord, was also a Tsutsukakushi.
Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi – the Steel King who was also the captain of track club, stared at me with her mouth half open.
Ah, I see… since it was (just about) the first time I was visiting the Tsutsukakushi household I was overwhelmed with excitement so I had forgot that there was a despicable demonic being living under this roof as well. The older sister that dreamed of marrying her younger sister.
Really, everything wasn’t going out as planned.
“Sorry for intruding. Thanks for allowing me to use the bathroom.”
I supressed my inner disappointment and greeted them politely. Even if she was a demon that had attempted to steal my princess from me, as a noble knight, I still had to leave a good impression.
“Ah, um , um, uh, hmm, waaaahhh…!”
“Waaahhh? Huh? Is that some new cheer for the track club?”
“Ugh, I-I-idiot -!”
The Steel King explained the situation immediately.
Her stately-looking face was dyed completely red as though she had a fever. Her beautiful eyes stared into mine, but her thin lips appeared to be muttering something. She shook her head in protest, and her ponytail shook from side to side.
What is it, Onee-san. Did I mesmerize you?
I looked over to Tsutsukakushi, and she had covered her eyes with both hands while I wasn’t looking.
“Listen up. I trust Senpai. I don’t believe that you’re doing this on purpose.”
“H-hmm? On purpose?”
“So – I’m begging you, please put on your clothes first.”
“Clothes… ah! Goddammit!”
Hearing her words, I realized I was completely naked… although just a note for you readers, I didn’t feel much shame even though girls saw my naked body but I felt a sense of euphoria instead. It kind of felt like I wanted to go along with the flow and just do it.
But, if I was a girl then forget it, but who would want to look at a guy’s private parts.
“Put them on now. Where’s the towel?”
“D-don’t get any closer! Don’t get closer don’t touch me don’t move around!”
As I took my first step forward, the Steel King let out a roar, almost a pathetic cry.
I stepped back when faced with this monstrosity, but instead I tripped and fell butt-first onto the floor. I continued to scoot backwards as fast as I could with my hands. The King really has interesting ways of dealing with situations like this.
“…Um, I think I feel somewhat hurt.”
“My pure mind has been insulted! That monster right there completely obliterated the secret fantasies I’ve been having for 18 years!”
“W-what!?”
“Argh, shut the hell up, you’re annoying, go die! I’ll stab you to death then kill myself!”
“So what’s going on!?”
“Didn’t I tell you not to get any closer!”
The Steel King’s limbs violently jerked about, and she threw all the bottles of detergent she could find at me. It hurts! If she wanted to throw something, she might as well throw the towel behind her, right!
…But, through this, the Steel King does seem like a normal girl. If only Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi’s usual metallic gaze could be replaced with her current embarrassed expression, she would be much more approachable.
Or rather, she would be cuter.
It was great that she could express her true feelings. So, I ended up smiling silently.
An additional note.
Objectively speaking, there was a completely naked male high schooler smiling while standing over a girl almost at the point of tears. Tsutsukakushi later coldly told me that she was considering when she should call the police.
In the middle of the house, was the main hall.
In the living room that was about thirty times bigger than my room, the two Tsutsukakushi sisters sat there reservedly with their old friend from the Yokodera household.
After the incident earlier I managed to get a towel after numerous other things happened, swapped my clothes that had yet to dry for a coat, after which I proceeded to this banquet hall-like area.
At the four corners of the hall, a type of lamp that would have been featured in many period dramas was placed there. We chatted in a friendly manner while surrounded by its ancient glow.
“I see… I understand. The Yokodera residence vanished.”
“Yes. It’s great that you understand. It would be better if you could get that thing that’s crushing me off, though.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
The Steel King mocked me in a nasal voice.
She sat on top of me as I was being wrapped in a gigantic mat, and she began snapping her fingers leisurely. She was exactly like a ponytailed king of hell. I wasn’t being welcomed in the living room anymore; to put it more appropriately I was being detained in hell.
It could be a pure coincidence but the King was wearing a track uniform now as well. She didn’t wear anything different from what she wore at school, which meant she probably wasn’t affected at all by my presence.
“I still haven’t heard you apologize, you bastard. Anyway you must apologize for that sexual harassment incident that occurred earlier in the changing room. Not to me, but the young Tsukiko over there.”
“I get it… I apologize.”
She was absolutely right, and there was no way I could rebut her.
Even if I had no sense of shame, they did.
I looked towards my sister who was sitting on the opposite couch in a position exactly like a turtle since I could only move my head.
“I’m sorry, Tsutsukakushi. I was wrong…”
“No, I didn’t see anything… please don’t mind, it’s fine. It’s my fault for not explaining everything to Nee-san.”
“No, you don’t need to apologize. It’s my entire fault. Just like your sister said, I need to properly apologize for this.”
“No. That’s enough, really.”
Tsutsukakushi kept shaking her head. From the look in her eyes, she appeared to be taking pity on me. For comparison we were like two small nations being oppressed by a much stronger tyrant, so we might even be thinking the same way as well.
“Ah, I’ve seen you naked before as well. Which means we’re even. Well it’s true that you saw me naked for longer, so if you really want to get even then let me see you naked again when you’re free or something.”
“Yeah. Please shut up and bite your tongue or commit suicide through that same method.”
“Huh?”
The friendly, relaxing atmosphere was suddenly obliterated.
“- Heh. You bastard, you said, you saw, Tsukiko, naked.”
On top of me.
Her black ponytail seemed to be engulfed in a raging flame.
“Um, n-no…”
“I know exactly what you meant. From what you said earlier I can confirm – you bastard, you’re Yokodera’s younger brother, aren’t you!?”
”So that’s what you meant!”
The King still believed that!
The Steel King raised her thumb in a victorious manner. I felt a sense of immense guilt just by looking at it for some reason.
The King had been mistaken all the way until now. I had to reveal the truth. I had no brother. The things that happened two months ago and the last month were all my doing and mine alone.
I should have learnt the benefits of proper communication by now, right?
“…Um, Prez, could you just hold up a second.”
“Don’t call me Prez, Yokodera’s younger brother. No wonder you would do such maniacal and perverted things. If you really are the Yokodera of the track club, I will let you taste the fiery infernos of hell stemming from the pain of your betrayal, and brutally murder you physically and socially, meh, but forget it if you really are Yokodera’s younger brother.”
“…A, ahahaha, it’s me. I-I-I-I’m completely different, 100% different from my older brother!”
I wouldn’t confess! Absolutely not!
I might not have a sense of shame but I had a sense of fear. And my self –control was weak.
“Senpai, how could you…”
Beside me, Tsutsukakushi sighed tiredly, but she didn’t attempt to make any corrections. Tsukiko-chan really is a tender person. Thanks a lot, you just saved a convicted man who might still have a future.
“Wait, your house disappeared? Are you kidding me!? Did you really think someone as smart as I would believe in something so unscientific. You are Yokodera’s younger brother after all, so this must be part of your ploy to come assault Tsukiko in the night!”
“That’s not how it is! I really am troubled.”
“Even I can’t enter Tsukiko’s room recently… I planned to sneak in through the window at night but the window lock had a needle stuffed into the keyhole, and all other methods failed as well. Dammit!”
“This is from your own experience right!?”
She continuously punched the mattress that was binding me (although it didn’t hurt at all due to the cushioning) while dealing out her verdict solemnly.
“I’ll kick you out of the house right now! Don’t ever appear anywhere near my land anymore!”
“Senpai is my guest. Unless Nee-san doesn’t respect my decision.”
“That was what I had planned to do, but it’s really late so I’ll allow you to stay!”
The Tsutsukakushi household’s verdicts could change at any time over the span of even three seconds. This judge really is fickle.
“But, I won’t allow you to step out of this hall. I’ll protect Tsukiko’s chastity! If I’m so reliable even Tsukiko will fall in love with me!”
“Let’s not talk about love for now, what if I’m at my limit and I need to use the toilet?”
“Absolutely not! Just burst your bladder and die!”
“I won’t die from that! No, I’ll die from embarrassment!”
“Or should I say, just go die already!”
The Steel King’s eyes let out a dazzling eagle-like glare, and she spread out her arms as though they were wings and began using all the strength she could muster to beat up the mat I was wrapped in. Please stop! My weird parts are being stimulated! A large world map is about to appear on the cloth!
Maybe she could help me – I waited for the ever-gentle Tsukiko, and she set an empty bottle in front of me.
“I’m sorry, Senpai. Please rest well here for tonight.”
“What is this container for!? I’m supposed to sleep in this position!?”
“Don’t worry about it. When the time comes there will always be a way.”
“When exactly is when the time comes!?”
She silently bent her head down, avoiding looking at me, then left the hall. She left me to die…!
It was clearly an opportunity to get closer to Tsutsukakushi, such as having a pajama party or accidentally sleeping in the wrong bed then dream-like things would happen, then my world would be absolutely perfect.
In the hall there was only the helpless bug and
“Alright, the night is young, Yokodera’s younger brother. I’ve been meaning to speak to you for a long time now. A physical talk, of course. I want to closely and precisely increase the one-sided affection between us.”
The laughing King Yama. Where exactly did I go along the wrong route.
Somebody, anybody, please help me reset this game immediately.
- Ten minutes later.
“Mm… no… Tsukiko you really love being sassy.”
“…”
“Fine, but if you want to do that it’s hard to walk… hmm, what can I do with you…”
“…”
In the hall there was only a helpless bug and a snoring King who was using the mat as a comforter.
The Steel King fell asleep at light-speed.
“No matter how much you like me, this is wrong… this is something very important…”
Annoying. What was she dreaming of anyway,
I tossed and turned within the mat, and the Steel King fell off. Her face was plastered onto the floor, however she still remained sleeping, with an expression more blissful than anyone else on the earth.
A grandfather clock was placed next to a large black pillar, and the time indicated was about 10 p.m.
I finally understood what Tsukiko meant by「When the time comes there will always be a way」. The King’s nights weren’t long at all. She really was the track captain, her breathing was regulated and healthy.
“Hup, ah, hnnng!”
I used the bottle Tsukiko gave me as a lever in an attempt to escape the mat. It was really stuffy inside, and most importantly I needed to use the toilet.
After a brief but bitter struggle, I managed to free my arm from within the mat, after which I got my other arm out, then my entire body.
“That tickles, stop… the cat statue is staring at us…”
The King was sleep-talking the entire time. I genuinely wondered what she was dreaming about.
“...Really, what a relaxed fellow.”
The sweat-drenched liberator crouched leisurely next to the sleeping oppressor. If I choose to get some payback after being tortured by you like this I won’t receive any punishment right?
She was sleeping defenselessly in a spread-eagled fashion. I could see her white blouse from within her sweatshirt that was open from the front, and her pudding-like supple breasts rose and fell silently.
…To be honest, her body type was completely different from her sister’s. She could be a gravure idol.
As I swallowed hard, the King suddenly spoke.
“Even if I can’t punish you, I’m still going to punish you…”
“…”
“Heavily…brutally…”
“…!?”
I darted my hand back as fast as I could.
Revenge wouldn’t get me anything. An upright, civilized twenty-first-century youth should look towards the future! Yes, I should be heading to the toilet!
…I wasn’t running away. It was a tactical retreat.
As I stood up, my vision suddenly spun about.
“- Huh?”
I had fallen down. My leg was being grabbed onto. By who? Her, of course. The Steel King grabbed onto my foot. She grasped onto it tightly with her breasts, and rubbed her face against it as if it were a toy.
“Wait, Tsukiko… where are you going…”
“Wait, no, even if you’re moving about in your sleep don’t take it too far!”
“N-no…I won’t let go anymore…”
My heel was being wedged in the crack between her two puddings. They were soft and warm. An indescribable feeling overwhelmed me. They were softer and warmer than I had expected.
“No, it’s not the time to be thinking about this sort of thing!”
If this was in the bishoujo game world there would be a selection like「My body moved on its own」and I would get some amazing CG, however reality isn’t all that great. The best outcome would be that I’d be beaten so hard that no one could recognize me anymore! I’d predicted this long ago!
“Let go! And stop rubbing against me! Your blouse is being lifted up! Ahhh, this is really bad!”
“No…we’ll be together forever…”
“It’s not that you don’t want it! I don’t want it! N-not there!”
“Why, Tsukiko…why aren’t you listening to me…”
The King shook her head like a baby having a tantrum.
“- Don’t tell me, even you want to go somewhere else?”
I heard that clearly.
“…Just now, what did you say?”
“Not anymore…I don’t want any more farewells…”
Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi was no longer smiling.
Her long eyebrows were twitching. Her ears that were so much like her sister were colored a light red. It was a red that stood out in contrast to her messy black hair.
Her brow was tightened in pain, and the corners of her eyes were read as well. She bit her lip like a youngster forcing herself to endure the pain, and her breathing was shallow. She appeared to be using all the strength she could muster to resist something.
Resisting something I didn’t know.
The Steel King didn’t look like the usual Steel King any longer. She was the king of the track club, but at the same time she wasn’t the king. She may be my beloved Senpai, and although she may be my sister’s (setting) thorn in her side -
”...I don’t want to be alone anymore...!”
More importantly than all of that, she was a crying girl, struggling and fighting against a nightmare.
I left the hall, and the rain grew louder.
The raindrops descending from the black clouds in the night sky caused the rafters to let out a continuous creaking noise. The cicadas in the courtyard waited patiently indoors for the rain to let up as well.
Although the weather was much cooler than yesterday, I wondered whether the typhoon really had veered of course. I believe in you, our miss weatherwoman.
I walked down a long corridor, turned right, turned left, walked up a flight of stairs and down another until I finally reached the toilet.
“...Scary!”
It was exactly like a haunted house in a n amusement park. There were no windows and the only accompanying noises were the cold pattering of the rain, so I wouldn’t be surprised even if some four-man-team of Hanako warriors jumped out of the shadows. If a cowardly fellow were to get lost and stumble all the way here he would definitely be crying maniacally.
Anyway, I’m not a kid who gets lost easily so it’s fine.
“But, she seemed weaker...”
I sighed after finishing my business.
The Steel King - Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi could actually cry like that.
I didn’t know what kind of nightmare she was having. Maybe it could be a dream about her going to the shopping center to get groceries then being separated from her sister, or something even dumber than that. It might even be a dream that she would forget immediately after she wakes up.
- But, no matter what, I don’t like seeing girls crying.
No matter when, no matter who, it’s all the same. I hate it
I still like videos of girls smiling and doing all sorts of things. I feel like I’m repeating myself.
“...So, whose coat is this?”
I washed my hands in front of the toilet mirror while tilting my head.
In the mirror I was wearing a beige-colored coat that didn’t have any patterns on it. I wore it in replacement for my wet clothes.
It was a piece of male clothing, but it wasn’t the track club kind, nor something that a normal high school student would wear at all. It was an old-fashioned outfit that Ponta would probably like, and the stomach area was way too large for me. The arm and leg sleeves suited me just fine though.
“It’s great that Senpai can fit in it.” That was what Tsutsukakushi said. It was a random leftover coat and there shouldn’t have been anyone else staying there - so whose coat was it?
“It’s strange...hmm? Huh?”
I attempted to utilize my deductive skills in an attempt to be a detective, and I proceeded forward after exiting the toilet, turning left, turning right and going down a corridor.
“Um...where...is this?”
I was completely lost. This term shouldn’t even be applicable in a household settings. However, Tsutsukakushi’s house was astounding. The area I was in was even more so.
I was in a corridor that looked the same at both ends. Identical paper doors and walls were both on the left and right of me. On top of me were yellow fluorescent lights that flickered continuously. I looked down, and darkness engulfed my foot.
“Eh! When did this turn into a horror film!?”
According to the teenage summer romance courage tests I’ve been researching on, if unforeseen events occur in an unknown Japanese household, your affection points could rise dramatically if you happen to be with your partner. And it was raining, in the middle of the night, and I didn’t have a partner, so technically my affection points should be overflowing by now.
Which means,
“Help! Someone! Tsukiko-chan!”
I walked around aimlessly in the corridor.
I remembered thinking about something rather important earlier, but I had completely forgot about it. I was completely, utterly lost.
I dashed towards a faint glow of light, only to find myself back at the toilet.
“Why is this happening!?”
A loop system usually found in horror stories was present as well, I couldn’t underestimate this house! A youkai like an Azukiarai could appear at any time! That Azuki thing might even be a crybaby like the airport runway! ...Hmm? It wasn’t that scary actually.[7]
As I was recalling my old friend, a second revelation struck me. Was this the true proof of friendship?
I calmly surveyed my surroundings, and I instantly understood where I was.
The changing room was right next to the toilet. It was connected to the bathroom from earlier. Speaking of which the reason why I knew the toilet was there was because Tsutsukakushi had indicated its location to me.
The changing room was lit up like a road signal. Right, I forgot to turn off the lights earlier.
“We must save electricity!”
I like Electricity-chan (as well as the thin booklets aimed at adults featuring her as the main model), so I had to do as she said.[8]
...That was really it. I had no malicious intent.
I opened the door to the changing room and was immediately engulfed in white steam.
Probably because someone had just came out, steam and warm air billowed in from the bathroom.
“...You’re not asleep yet.”
“- !?”
A voice suddenly emerged from around the corner, and I couldn’t let out a sound from the shock, which may have been a good thing or a bad thing.
“It’s pretty strange that Nee-san still hasn’t slept by this time.”
A girl who had just stepped out of the shower and was using a towel to wipe off her hair had her back facing towards me.
It was the first time I saw her black hair all let down. The large towel she was using didn’t fit her small head at all. Her elegant shoulders and sleek arms worked together to wipe off the drops of water.
“Senpai should be tired, so you should get the mat off him. He’s a very careless person but he’s not a bad person. I can assure you. ...Rarely, very rarely he can be quite gentle.”
Her back was somewhat reddened as she had just showered, and lemon soda-like water droplets remained on it. Her round butt was dyed the same color as a honeydew, and her legs and thighs were extremely firm
Unexpectedly, her childish figure looked to me just like a soaking wet piece of food.
“Also, I don’t know why but we ran out of scent. You can change it from that shelf over there -”
Tsutsukakushi turned around while completely naked, and time stopped.
I was as stiff as a food specimen in a restaurant since earlier, which made us both inanimate objects.
Our glances exchanged, and the air between us died.
“...”
“......”
“......”
Our four eyes locked there for an unknown period of time.
The billions of years of history of the world from the genesis of life to the extinction of humanity were playing within my head, but the world was still covered in steam, and Tsukiko-chan was right in front of me after taking a shower, and I was still frozen in place.
...No, no. I backed away slowly.
This wasn’t my own will. An extremely powerful yet invisible force seemed to be crushing me.
Tsutsukakushi was emotionless throughout the entire affair, and although her eyes were as pure and clean as a kitten’s, they were filled with an immaterial power. They were like supernovas on the brink of explosion.
I-I couldn’t possibly stay in a place like that! I needed to get back to the room immediately!
“...R-right, the scents!”
“...”
“I’m sorry for using too much...it’s this right...ah, I knocked it off of the shelf...hahah, I’ll put it back for you later...alright, that’s it...good night, sweet dreams!”
I reversed the situation and retreated to the door of the changing room, finally succeeding in retreating.
Good, great!
I had solved the incident in a natural fashion! I truly am great! Now I just had to apologize the next day -
“- You perfect piece of trash. Do you really think you’ll still have a tomorrow?”
Smack.
A heavy hand landed on my shoulder. An overwhelming, bone-crushing killing intent attacked me.
“Eek -!”
The great King of Steel had arrived majestically from the opposite corridor.
She looked at me with a truly cold gaze. All traces of her previous nightmare had completely vanished from those awakened eyes.
And those healthy pearly white teeth were grinding together, creating an extremely malevolent noise. Even the King came to visit the Tsutsukakushi restaurant, she just can’t wait to exercise her teeth... It’s not the time to be joking about things like this!
“W-weren’t you asleep!?”
“Tsukiko’s SOS signal was summoning me. It came to me in a premonitive dream!”
“Ah, I got up because I needed to use the toilet!”
“I never intended to allow you bastard to escape... Hmm? I see! The ability to force someone to sleep really is despicable!”
“Don’t accuse me of this sort of weird supernatural setting!”
“Shut up thief. Even I don’t get to see Tsukiko after showering very often - I won’t forgive you!”
Isn’t this a personal grudge? I had no energy to rebut her however.
The Steel King looked extremely serious from the get-go, and now her expression was twisted to the point of wisdom. She had previously had this expression on her face a lot, but now she could reveal her true feelings, which meant she was extremely emotional, so that fist coming my way must be intending to kill me -
“You bastard, where are you running off to!”
I could only run in order to survive.
I dashed past the Steel King, hopping, skipping, jumping. First the huge jumps that made me viable as a triple jump candidate, to my highest speed that didn’t manage to make me a sprinter, and finally to a stable pace befitting of a cross-country runner, I dashed out of the corridor in this manner.
Everyone has probably forgot about this by now, but I am a stand-in track club member that might continue its legacy after all.
...However, the Steel King was a professional that had mastered all aspects of track and field sports. I had managed to get past her in complete defiance of natural law. Although I’d probably be caught in three seconds anyway.
“D-despicable! Don’t run, Yokodera’s younger brother!”
I did think this way, but I couldn’t sense her chasing after me.
I looked behind me whilst running, to see the King dashing forward like a steamroller, then backing up slowly like a bulldozer after three seconds. She kept repeating this movement, not advancing at all.
It was probably because she was too focused on the open door to the changing room. She may be overly fixated on her sister...
“Eh... Come back! I won’t force you to commit seppuku if you come back now!”
“There’s a punishment even worse than seppuku in modern Japan!?”
The restaurant had became a torture chamber, so I didn’t slow my footsteps a single bit.
I ran down the hallway fainly lit up by the fluorescent lights -
I was lost again.
I saw the corridor connecting to the moya in front of me.
Did I go this way when heading to the toilet?
I couldn’t remember, but more importantly, I could hear the King’s soft yet hurried footsteps somewhere behind me. I could hear her saying things like “Where’s the basin!” “Where’s the scissors!”
“What exactly can one do with those things...?”
I couldn’t think of anything, partly because I didn’t want to think of it.
There was no other way behind me, so I could only proceed forward. I hurriedly continued as a certain noise combined with the banging and crashing of the raindrops onto the roof tiles. Daddy save me, the Demon King’s getting closer.
The angry noises continued to approach, and my footsteps grew faster as well. In the end I half-rolled, half-crawled down the hallway, and crashed into a solid wall at the end.
“This is -”
It was a huge storage warehouse.
It was the kind of treasure houses that would usually appear in period dramas, and the entire thing looked rather dirty even though it was painted. It was very wide. It was about three floors high. There was a closed window on the top, but I couldn’t see it very well since it was too far awaY.
The Tsutsukakushi warehouse stood upright in the middle of the night with a weary appearance due to the passage of time.
- After which i thought.
Maybe that fellow had invited me here.
Because - its heavy and solid doors were slightly opened.
The crack between them was just large enough for one person to slip through.
The inner door and grille opened slowly, maybe because I was exerting a fair bit of force.
It was pitch black within the warehouse. All the commotion coming from the noises of the wind and yells of anger completely disappeared as I took my first step within, and there was only the silence of the night.
The inside of the building was completely separated from the outside world. There was only a prehistoric blackness and the foul stench of man-made products. - And, the presence of something.
A small torch was hung on top of the grille.
I turned it on, and a weak circle of light danced about in the air.
Maybe because it was partially removed, the ceiling was extremely high. I shone the light around my feet to discover that random items were scattered all around.
“...Maybe it’s all trash inside.”
As though an earthquake had just passed, all sorts of things were scattered everywhere, leaving me no place to step.
Didn’t they arrange this place at all? This place kind of decreases my impression of their entire house. There wasn’t even a place to carry out a bondage role-play with a yukata-wearing girl.
I exhaled deeply and pointed the torchlight towards the wall - only to come face to face with the stony cat.
“!?”
The stony cat statue looked down at me expressionlessly.
No. It wasn’t that「Stony Cat」. It wasn’t the poorly-made carving made by Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi and placed on Ipponsugi Hill.
The cat statue here was way too big.
It was almost like an ancient idol that the Mayans worshipped, and took up a space almost even taller than a normal house and appeared extremely heavy.
The thick air made it hard to breathe. The prehistoric darkness, the stale air and the oppressiveness of the sacred-looking statue filled up the warehouse completely. No matter where or which direction you were to face, as long as you were in the warehouse, the stony cat would be staring at you. This closed space from the outside world was for the stony cat alone.
- Suddenly, slowly.
For some reason, I felt something floating in the air. There shouldn’t be wind blowing in the warehouse.
I caught it in the corner of my eye, and my arm grabbed onto it instinctively.
It wasn’t something all that big.
It was just a piece of paper. It was rectangular, thin and yellow.
In the middle of it the character「Seal」was written in blood-red ink.
“What is this...”
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t as my throat was too dry.
Is this thing really just a plain old piece of paper?
I didn’t really understand, but shouldn’t it have been pasted where it originally was - like on that strange, humongous statue?
I had a bad feeling. My prediction was hatefully accurate.
The stony cat statue was continuously, continuously, staring at me.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login