Episode 35 – Gap And Encounter

Saturday. The school I attend is basically closed on weekends due to the influence of the inclusion of seventh period on weekdays. The reason for not having classes on Saturdays is not only out of concern for the health of the students, but also because they expect students to learn outside of the classroom.

Normally, weekends are a luxurious and precious time for us to stay up later than usual, immerse ourselves in our hobbies, and catch up on all the assignments we missed in class or were given. These are the privileges of being a student, which will be lost when we enter the society.

However, it was being taken away from us in the present. And it was being taken away from me by my step sister, who was happily chewing on a piece of cake in front of me.

“Look, your hands are stopped. Don’t you have the spirit to enjoy yourself since you’ve come all this way?”

“Well, even if you say so…..”

“Well, it’s your treat. I guess I don’t have any right to say anything about it.”

Saying that, my step sister proceeded to eat the strawberry cake. By the way, before eating the cake, she carefully took pictures with her smartphone one by one. When I shook the desk, she glared at me like I was a murderer.

Well, we’re in a department store a little far from our house, inside an all-you-can-eat sweets store. I don’t remember the name of the store well, but it was something like Sweets Paradise. I ate about four pieces of cake, but it was still heavy on my stomach. It seems that I have no talent for gluttony.

Why did we come to this place? It was the day when Yukihana and Kisaragi had just switched classes and their relationship was at its worst, and my step sister managed to smooth over their conflict.

※※※

That day when Yukihana and Kisaragi clashed. I went home, and after a while, my step sister came back. She looked really tired.

[Seriously, you increased the unnecessary work……]

She said something sarcastic to me before saying [I’m home]. I guess it was really hard work.

[But in the end, it was a good thing. The school’s reputation won’t suffer any further damage thanks to you, Nee san.]

[Do you know how I felt when I went back to the student council office after that? Everyone had dead eyes. Because of my absence, the work that needed to be done was not getting done.]

Apparently, the student council room was in a disaster after my step sister left.  She’s a high-spec step sister as usual.

[Speaking of which, there is an all-you-can-eat sweets store in a department store nearby…..]

[Kanata, tell me more details !?]

As an apology, I brought up the all-you-can-eat sweets shop nearby, and my step sister’s appetite exceeded my expectations. I mean, it’s been a while since I’ve been called by name.

[Look, I heard that the department store at the station in the next town over has been renovated and they’ve added a few new stores.]

[‘……]

My step sister was sorting out what I had said in her head. I’m sure that she is trying to find a way to arrange her schedule somehow. Well, I guess it’s tough because it’s bound by the status of the student council president or an examinee.

My sister, Shiina Haruka, is a big sweets lover. She always buys new sweets at convenience stores, and when she has time, she shops at fashionable stores in front of the station. The other day, she took advantage of her limited time to go to the station and buy some colorful macaroons. I guess the stress of daily life must be making her crave sugar.

[…Come to think of it, you owe me something, right?]

[Eh, I owe you?]

[Yeah, about spring break.]

[……Ah.]

A few months ago, or rather, during spring break just before I moved up to the second grade. I owed my step sister a little. For me, it was an opportunity to dispel my usual slovenly image, but due to various factors, I ended up giving my step sister a hard time.

[Ah, I was tired of going all the way to the station today-if only you hadn’t called me-]

[……What are you trying to say?]

[I won’t say immediately, but treat me. This is your sister’s order.]

[Eh-.]

[I’m ! Tired ! I want to relieve myself !]

※※※

So we made plans and I ended up buying my step sister a sweets buffet. Well, it was a good opportunity for me to pay her back, so I have nothing to complain about. Besides, it is true that my step sister took care of me. So, I didn’t mind it at all.

（How long since the last time I’ve eaten cake?)

I have not eaten sweets for a long time. It was partly because I couldn’t afford it, but it was also because I wasn’t interested in such things. I don’t really have a sweet tooth or a spicy tooth.

Click, click, click, click…

As I’m analyzing myself for the first time in a while, I saw my step sister taking a fierce picture of sweets in front of me. Heartily, her usually cool and cold eyes seem to be shining more purely than the boy’s. This is my step sister’s other self. Or perhaps this is her true self.

I took my eyes off her and put the cheesecake in my mouth. Normally, I would never think of eating cheesecake, but since I came to this kind of place, I chose something I would never eat.

(Wow, it’s pretty tasty.)

The rich cheese flavor penetrated my nose, and the sticky cream intertwined in my mouth. It went perfectly with the coffee I picked up from the drink bar. I regretted a little bit that I should have come a little hungrier if this was the case.

“By the way, Nee san, how many cakes did you eat?”

“Let’s see,……I’ve already eaten more than ten.”

“I should warn you that it’s not good for your health, though, right?”

“Don’t worry. I’m the type of person who doesn’t gain weight even if I eat a lot.”

She then extended her fork to a piece of chocolate cake with strawberries on top. After taking a bite, she next reached for the melon cake she had brought with her. Her hands never stopped moving.

She had taken all kinds of sweets and enjoyed them more than anyone else in this world. Thanks to her, the table was already full of plates. It seems that my step sister had a talent for gluttony (limited to sweets).

(……But it stands out)

My step sister may not have noticed, but the way she’s looking at it is unusual. It may be that my step sister is cute, but more than that, her eyes seem to be drawn to the number of plates that exist on the table. If I ingested such a large amount of sweets, it would be more than just heartburn.

It would be bad for her if I were the only one to leave, and it would be a waste of money, so I manage to endure the stares and mindlessly eat my cake. For me, it was an environment where heaven and hell coexisted. I was lucky that there were no other people from the same high school here.

For fifty minutes, my step sister and I ate cake without thinking about it. One had a smitten expression on her face and the other had a frozen blank expression on his face. With reactions so different, few people might think we were sister and brother. I mean, we weren’t actually blood related.

After paying the bill, we decided to take a walk around the department store. We never had a chance to go out together, so it was a new experience for me. I guess I was not mistaken when I described it as a date.

“…..I’d love to come back for another sweets buffet.”

“I ate so much. I mean, didn’t you conquer all kinds?”

“This and that are two different things. Well, I’m glad I came today.”

My step sister will have less and less time to prepare for the sports festival. She usually goes to school on weekends to do some work, so today was also a day off after cutting back on her schedule. Perhaps she will be able to relax after she steps down from her position as student council president and overcomes the exam period.

As I was thinking about this, my step sister suddenly turned to me and smiled.

“Thanks for treating me.”

“….Eh, is tomorrow going to be a disaster? Or a big bang?”

“Ah?”

“Sorry, it’s nothing.”

That was the first time my step sister had given me a nice compliment since the first time we met. I unintentionally said something strange, but I hope she’ll forgive me this much since she’s usually so uptight with me.

After such psychological warfare (which was one-sided), we circled the department store. My step sister is not really interested in fashion, so we didn’t stop at any clothing stores or general stores, and I didn’t have anything special to do, so we really just walked around the department store. I had heard rumors that the girls had a long shopping trip, so I was relieved inside. Thanks to my step sister who has no taste for fashion.

And without really buying anything, we end up on the central floor of the department store. As expected, there is nothing to do even if we stay in the department store any longer. I guessed that my step sister was feeling the same way as I was, so she asked me,

“As expected, should we go home now?””

“I think so. I want to relax in my bed at home too.”

“…..I know you always stay in your room.”

The atmosphere of the previous heartwarming atmosphere has been changed and a sense of awkwardness is drifting between the two of us. If it were a gal game, it would have a bad ending. It seems that I made the wrong choice somewhere. It’s frustrating that I can’t see the likability of the situation.

Somehow, I managed to cover up the gloomy atmosphere as I turned around and walked toward the exit. Then my step sister followed me, sighing in exasperation.

Well, this outing was a break for me, too, so it was a good thing in the end.

And just as we started walking toward the exit of the department store, I heard a voice saying, 

“What’s that? Hey !”

Someone called out to us in a loud voice. She was wearing a plain gray outfit, a mask, sunglasses, and a deep hat. It’s clearly a suspicious person’s full equipment. I looked around but there was no one around except me and my step sister.

My step sister, feeling a little creeped out, approached me and asked, 

“Hey, is that someone you know?”

“No, I don’t know anyone who looks suspicious like that.”

“….Right. You don’t seem to have any friends.”

That’s….. too much, isn’t it? No, I don’t actually have any friends.

And that suspicious-looking person is quickly approaching us. I was a little surprised to be approached at once because I was out of my mind after talking with my step sister. Then, I suddenly noticed something strange.

(……Hey, come to think of it, this voice)

I heard it somewhere recently. I tried to remember where it was, but the answer came quickly. It was, after all, the same person who said to me

“Are you shopping with your girlfriend, Senpai?”

She called me ‘Senpai’. There are very few people I know like that. I don’t belong to any clubs, so I don’t have much contact with any seniors or juniors. However, there is one junior student at school whom I have recently met. And who speaks in a unique tone of voice.

“……Nanase, huh.”

“Oh, you’ve noticed.”

The blue eyes shining in her sunglasses collided with my pitch-black eyes.