Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I Want to See Hyo-chan!

“Kana-chan~, your big brother is here~”

“To-kun!”

Called by the nursery school teacher, Kana ran and jumped into Toru’s arms.

Relieved to see her full of energy, he caught his sister and then looked at the teacher.

“Thank you again today.”

“You’re working hard as always, Toru-kun.”

“It’s just what I should do as an older brother.”

After a brief exchange, Toru took Kana’s hand and they started walking home.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star~ How I wonder what you are~♪”

Kana seemed to have taken a liking to the song “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” she learned at nursery school, humming it with a big smile on her face.

Looking at his cheerful sister, Toru also felt a sense of peace.

Just seeing Kana happy and healthy was enough to fill his heart.

Or so he thought, but he unconsciously touched his own head with his free hand.

‘Her touch felt so good…’

He recalled the sensation of Hiyori stroking his head.

Even though it had been about thirty minutes since then, he still vividly remembered the comfort and reassurance he felt at that moment.

He wondered if Kana also felt happy being stroked like that.

He thought he might ask Hiyori for some tips sometime when he had the chance.

Before he knew it, Kana had stopped singing and was staring at him.

“Kana? What’s wrong?”

“To-kun, are you happier than this morning?”

“Happier?”

“Umm, you’re smiling more than usual! Did something good happen?”

“Hmm?”

He couldn’t immediately grasp what Kana was trying to say, so he tilted his head and tried to process it.

Physically, he was definitely tired, and there was also the mental fatigue from turning down the confession.

He wondered why Kana thought he seemed happier than in the morning.

He tried to recall if there was anything different today that could have caused this unconscious change… and he arrived at one definite possibility.

‘…Could it be because Tsukishiba-sensei patted my head?’

It was hard to believe, but there was no other explanation.

On the other hand, he felt embarrassed that such a simple thing had made him so happy that it showed on his face.

He certainly felt comforted by the pleasant sensation of Hiyori stroking his head, but he couldn’t help but be exasperated by his own simplicity.

Moreover, to have his little sister point out the change in him was embarrassing enough to make him want to crawl into a hole.

Despite his mixed feelings, he decided to dismiss it as harmless.

“Kana, what do you want for dinner tonight?”

“Hmm… Omurice!”

“Okay.”

Recalling the contents of the refrigerator he checked that morning, the siblings slowly made their way home.

***

“Itadakimasu!”

“Yes, Itadakimasu.”

Kana smiled contentedly after finishing the omurice that Toru had made.

After their mother passed away, he had started cooking in place of his busy father, and it made him happy to see Kana enjoying his food with a smile.

It was a fond memory, how he had tried various things a while ago because Kana didn’t like green peppers.

He wiped the ketchup from around his sister’s mouth, washed the dishes, and then they moved on to taking a bath.

“Kana, I’m going to wash your hair, so close your eyes tight.”

“Okay!”

Kana obeyed her brother’s instructions and stayed still until he finished washing her hair.

Bathing her when she was a baby had been quite a struggle, and it took him a while to get used to washing someone else’s hair.

After washing their hair and bodies, the two soaked in the bathtub.

He relaxed in the warmth that enveloped his entire body, while keeping a watchful eye on his sister so she wouldn’t drown.

“Five, six, seven, eight…”

Kana, on the other hand, was diligently concentrating on counting to one hundred once she got into the bathtub.

Finding her behavior endearing, Toru joined in and counted with her.

When Kana finally reached one hundred, they got out of the bathtub, dried themselves off, and changed into their pajamas.

With a towel on her head, they went to the living room, where Toru dried Kana’s hair with a hairdryer.

This too had been a challenge when he first started, as she would cry because it was too hot.

After thoroughly drying her hair, he also used the hairdryer on his own.

Having finished their bath, he made two cups of instant cocoa, which he had bought along with groceries for dinner.

He told himself that he just felt like drinking it, and it had nothing to do with Hiyori.

“Yummy!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Kana gave a positive review with a smile, but Toru himself felt it was a bit lacking.

It was a little watery, and there were lumps at the bottom of the cup. It didn’t have the same smoothness as the one Hiyori made.

It seemed that even if he made it normally, it wouldn’t turn out the same as hers.

They spent a peaceful time like that, and it was past 8 PM.

“To-kun, when can I see Hyo-chan again?”

“Eh? Umm…”

Toru couldn’t answer Kana’s question immediately.

It was true that he had promised to meet Hiyori privately again, but they hadn’t decided on a specific date.

Unlike them, who were children, there was no guarantee that her days off as a teacher would align with theirs just because it was a Saturday.

Even if Hiyori was willing, he was hesitant to impose on her.

…Although he gave such a reasonable excuse, the truth was that he was simply embarrassed to ask her himself.

However, it was true that they hadn’t set a definite date for their next meeting.

Sensing that she wouldn’t get the answer she wanted from her brother’s reaction, Kana openly expressed her dissatisfaction.

“I want to see her! I want to see Hyo-chan!”

“O-Okay, okay, don’t shout. I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

He soothed his pouting and stomping sister, worried that Hiyori, who lived next door, might hear them, even though he didn’t know if she was home.

“Hmm, it’s a promise!”

“…Okay.”

Kana seemed somewhat satisfied, but perhaps to make sure he wouldn’t break his promise, she held out her pinky finger.

Toru, with no way out, made a pinky promise with a wry smile.

As he pondered how to ask Hiyori about their next meeting, he glanced towards her apartment.

‘…I wonder what she’s doing now.’

Perhaps because she was the topic of conversation, such a question popped into his mind, but he immediately shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Being so obviously conscious of her was just creepy.

Both yesterday and today, he had been feeling a strange sense of dissonance, as if he wasn’t himself.

The troubling thing was that he didn’t feel uncomfortable; rather, he found it pleasant.

The beautiful woman who helped his lost little sister happened to be his class’s assistant homeroom teacher.

He felt uneasy that such a simple encounter could stir his emotions so much.

With a feeling like he was facing an unsolvable problem, the night deepened…

—————

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