Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The Siblings Who Caught My Eye

On that day, a special event occurred that would become a turning point for Tsukishiba Hiyori.

“To-kun, where are you?”

In front of a convenience store she passed by on her way home from shopping.

In a corner of the parking lot, she saw a lost little girl crying and calling for help.

She had twin pigtails and was wearing a pink dress. Judging by her size, Hiyori guessed she was about three or four years old.

The girl’s cries must have reached the ears of other passersby, but they all ignored her, even if they noticed.

They probably didn’t want to be suddenly approached and reported, or they thought someone else would help eventually, or they had other priorities.

It was as if they were avoiding the girl like a plague, and some heartless people even looked annoyed by her cries.

Even if there was a possibility of being reported, it was no excuse to leave a lost child alone.

Feeling a sense of righteous indignation, and also because the lonely girl reminded her of her own little sister, Hiyori walked towards her without hesitation.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Hmm…”

She bent down to meet the girl’s eye level.

However, the girl, suddenly spoken to, closed her mouth tightly, showing her wariness.

Her parents probably told her not to talk to strangers.

Hiyori found the girl’s effort to follow her parents’ instructions rather endearing.

But staying silent wouldn’t solve anything.

Trying not to scare her, Hiyori smiled and said,

“My name is Hiyori. I’m a teacher at a school, believe it or not.”

“A teacher?”

“Yes. And I can’t just ignore a crying child.”

She spoke gently, showing that she had no ill intentions.

She deliberately spoke loudly enough for others around to hear, revealing her profession to lessen any distrust from them.

Then, Hiyori placed her hand on the girl’s head and stroked it, her wariness seemingly eased.

After stroking her hair a few times, she smiled and said,

“Can you tell me your name?”

“…Kanade.”

“Kanade-chan, right? Thank you for telling me. Did you get separated from your daddy?”

“Hmm, not Papa, but To-kun.”

“To-kun?”

“Kana’s onii-chan.”

“I see. Then let’s wait together with onee-chan. You won’t be lonely if there are two of us, right?”

“Okay! Thank you, Hyo-chan!”

The little girl, who had completely stopped crying, called Hiyori with a carefree smile befitting her age.

Hiyori found her cuteness endearing and smiled as she held her hand, waiting for her brother.

While they were chatting casually to pass the time, a young man came running towards them, looking flustered.

He had the same brown hair as the little girl, parted in the center, and was dressed in a simple yet clean and refreshing outfit of a white T-shirt and jeans.

“Kana!”

“To-kun!”

It seemed he was her brother, as Kana waved her hand to let him know she was safe.

The young man looked relieved to see her well.

Hiyori, who had been watching the scene unfold, also felt relieved and realized that she recognized his face.

‘Wait a minute? Isn’t that Kuwa-kun?’

The older brother of the lost little girl was a student in the class she was the assistant homeroom teacher for – Kuwa Toru.

This coincidence, which seemed like a prank from the gods, was the beginning of Hiyori and Toru’s unusual neighborly relationship.

***

After the siblings’ second visit, Hiyori sat on the sofa, sipping cocoa, and lost in thought.

If she had to describe Toru’s personality, which she had come to know through their neighborly interactions, in one word, it would be “diligent and serious.”

This was evident not only from his attitude in class but also from the fact that he took on all the household chores despite being a high school student, even after school and on weekends.

Moreover, there was no doubt about it, judging by the way his little sister, Kana, adored him.

However, she had doubts about whether it was okay to leave things as they were.

In the Kuwa household, the mother had passed away, and the father was often away from home due to work.

This meant that Toru, the older brother, was inevitably the only one who could take care of little Kana.

This situation fell under the category of a so-called “young carer,” an issue that has been increasingly recognized in recent times.

From what she had heard, it seemed that he was doing it voluntarily, not because he was forced to.

While she was relieved that he wasn’t being neglected, she couldn’t help but worry if juggling schoolwork and childcare was too much for him.

She probably felt this way because of the emotional wall she sometimes sensed from Toru.

He tended to keep his distance and be overly polite.

Toru often said it was because she was a teacher and he was a student, but Hiyori had a feeling that it was just an excuse.

To put it bluntly, it seemed as if he was deliberately avoiding her outstretched hand, insisting that he was fine on his own.

His tendency to shoulder everything alone without seeking help from others made her feel a sense of loneliness that went beyond just being serious.

Hiyori had no intention of ignoring their teacher-student relationship.

However, she couldn’t pretend not to notice the situation of a minor raising a child alone in the neighborhood, especially right next door.

She was determined to do everything she could for the siblings, even if it meant taking some risks.

Therefore, she decided to first try to become friends with them.

Luckily, Kana had taken a liking to her and even asked to see her again, so she considered that half a success.

To deepen her relationship with Toru, who was somewhat of an obstacle, she had borrowed a shoujo manga from her sister and used it as a reference, patting his head to show appreciation and calling him by his first name on weekends.

Although there were a few awkward moments, she was confident that they had become closer than when they first started their neighborly relationship.

However, there was a limit to what she could figure out on her own.

So, the next step Hiyori took was…

“—That’s the situation, so what should I do, Nayu?”

…to consult her younger sister, Tsukishiba Nayu.

She figured that Nayu, who had transferred to a co-ed school in middle school, unlike her, would be able to offer some advice.

She had just finished explaining her relationship with the Kuwa siblings over the phone and was now asking for her opinion.

“…Hey, Onee-chan. Can I just clarify something first?”

“Yeah? Sure…”

Hiyori lightly agreed to her sister’s somewhat exasperated tone.

After a brief pause, Nayu replied,

“You’re not asking me for romantic advice, are you?”

“Romance!? What part of that story sounded like that!?”

Hiyori couldn’t help but raise her voice at the unexpected response.

Nayu let out an exaggerated sigh, seeing her sister’s unconcealed confusion, and continued.

“‘Well, I can understand that you want to support the siblings who have an unstable family environment in your own way… …if I overlook the fact that the process of trying to get closer to the older brother is straight out of a romantic comedy.'”

“Hey, he’s my student! I don’t have those kinds of intentions!”

Hiyori protested, feeling wronged, but her sister continued without hesitation.

“‘Oh, come on, put yourself in his shoes. You told him your reason for becoming a teacher, patted his head, exchanged contact information, and even started calling him by his first name… All of that is nothing short of being flirtatious.'”

“Ugh…”

Hiyori couldn’t refute her sister’s words as she listed all of her interactions with Toru.

Looking back, she couldn’t help but admit that she had been quite flirtatious.

But she wanted to insist that she hadn’t meant it that way.

“‘Well, enough lecturing. So, you want to know how to get along with the older brother, right?'”

“Y-Yes! Just as a neighbor, of course!”

“‘It’s funny how you’re suddenly emphasizing the ‘neighbor’ part when you’re clearly conscious of him.'”

“I’ll hang up if you’re just going to tease me!”

“‘You’re the one who called me this late at night, and you’re being bossy…'”

To avoid provoking Hiyori any further, Nayu cleared her throat and let out a hesitant “Hmm.”

Hiyori tilted her head, waiting to hear her sister’s opinion.

Finally, Nayu came to a conclusion…

“‘Just try to spoil him for now.'”

“Spoil him?”

Hiyori parroted back, not quite convinced by the answer that seemed too simple.

“‘I don’t know what kind of burdens that older brother is carrying, but I think the quickest way is to show him through your actions that it’s okay for him to rely on you, Onee-chan.'”

“So that’s what you mean by spoiling him. But I feel like that’s just a temporary solution, not a fundamental one… What should I do specifically?”

“‘Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Playing with his little sister, patting his head, and comforting him seem to be effective enough. The important thing is to keep doing it. Consistency is key.'”

“I see…”

Nayu’s words certainly made sense.

Sensing that her sister was convinced, she heard a yawn over the phone.

“‘Fuwaaa~'”

“Ah, I’m sorry for calling you so late at night. I’ll try my best.”

“‘Okay. Well, you’re already in this situation, so let me know if you need to talk again.'”

“Fufu, thanks.”

“‘You’re welcome. I’m super curious that Onee-chan actually has a guy she’s interested in. It’s a bit risky that he’s your student, but I’ll watch over you without interfering–”

“Okay, I’m hanging up now, goodnight!”

Hiyori forcefully ended the call to interrupt her sister’s teasing remark, which seemed to be said purely for amusement.

Even though she knew Nayu didn’t mean any harm, Hiyori couldn’t help but dislike how she teased her at every opportunity.

After taking a breath, Hiyori started thinking about how to “spoil” Toru.

—————–

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