Episode 4 – A Series Of Deception

The opening ceremony is over and the students have returned to their classrooms. School ends in the morning today, so students who were not involved in club activities are leaving before others. Some of the students stayed behind to socialize, but it was none of my business. I don’t intend to attend the karaoke party that will be held later in the day.

And I was supposed to be getting ready to go home and leave….that’s what I was going to do.

“Hey, can I talk to you for a second?”

I was rearranging my desk and was approached by Kisaragi, who had been staring at me for a while.

Kisaragi looked at me with a puzzled look in her eyes and began to speak straightforwardly.

“You, what’s your name?”

“…..It’s Shiina Shiina Kanata.”

“Kanata….. no, but Shiina……”

“What do you want from me?”

I asked her back bluntly, but my heart was pounding. As expected, it’s risky to reveal my name, but she will find out eventually. Besides, I have changed my atmosphere and tone of voice since that time. I was sure that I won’t be easy to be found out.

“……I’m sorry, I think I got the wrong person. You look a little like someone I know.”

“Can I go now?”

“Uh, yeah. Sorry to take up so much of your time.”

I managed to deceive her. The biggest thing was that I changed my tone of voice.

Before, I didn’t speak as bluntly as I do now, and I didn’t have the same atmosphere. I guess you could call it a reverse makeover, or at least that’s how I pushed through my freshman year. Perhaps I could also use it to Shinkai.

“That’s right,…..he’s not that gloomy, he’s more like a gentleman…….”

Kisaragi muttered something, anyway, let’s head home. At this rate, I’m likely to be invited to a social gathering by Kisaragi. It seems that they were going to go to karaoke, and there was a bunch of people gathered.

“…..Excuse me, can you make a way?”

“Oh, my bad.”

I was a little spaced out, I guess, and I was blocking the way of the girl sitting next to me. I quickly moved out of the way and left the classroom myself. I mean, there was someone else who didn’t attend the social event besides me.

(……Hmm?)

For a moment, the expressionless girl from earlier glanced at me. But when I stare back at her, she immediately returns her gaze and goes toward the entrance.

(Well, I’m done for today.)

I’m a little worried, but no real harm has been done. I still have time and our seats are next to each other. I don’t mind learning about that girl.

For today, I’ll go home early and think about the future. Even though I had fooled her earlier, Kisaragi could have found out about me at any time. The fact that Shinkai is near my step sister, there’s a small chance that she and I may come into contact. I don’t know if I can fool her.

(For the time being, I need to take countermeasures against those two.)

Putting aside Shinkai, Kisaragi might be a little more manageable than I thought. If she hasn’t changed, there’s no limit to how much she can do.

For the time being, I have to take time to observe her, but I had to have a backup plan just in case. With this in mind, I headed home, planning for the next few days.

※

I came home earlier than usual, but this is a two-story house that my step father bought about a year ago. Apparently, my step father has a very high income, enough to make a quick decision to buy this house. Maybe that’s one of the reasons he doesn’t come home very often.

Incidentally, my mother also works at a fashion company until night. These days she comes home later than usual and is often alone at this time of night.

My step sister came home soon after I came home and lingered in the living room. Since the new semester has just started, she probably doesn’t have any particular work to do. By the way, she usually doesn’t come home until the evening.

As soon as she came home, she looked at me and sighed.

“Today is the first day of school, right? Didn’t you have a social gathering or something?”

“We have…..but it was too much trouble..”

“That’s why you can’t change.”

My step sister said that to me and headed to her room. I guess in my step sister’s point of view, I’m just a reincarnation of a sloth or something.

It’s true that I cut corners in academics and sports during my freshman year, and it’s no wonder that she thinks I’m not doing well. But that was also to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. To live on your own, it’s better to be free of unnecessary relationships.

To be honest, I’ve never been serious since I entered high school. I don’t think I’m losing to the half-hearted students though.

As I was sitting on the living room sofa thinking about this, my step sister came down from upstairs to change her clothes. Despite her personality, she wears cute clothes.

“Have you decided on your path?”

What’s up with you all of a sudden?”

“……Nothing. I just wanted to ask.

The only thing my step sister always says is sarcastic things about me, so I’m a little defensive. The thing I was thinking about just now has flown away.

“For now, college…..I guess.”

“You’re being too vague about going on to college. Why don’t you think more seriously about your future?”

“……Well, I guess so.”

My step sister sat down on a chair and began to study in exasperation. She’s probably doing her prep work.

“It’s a new semester and I’m also preparing for my exam. I want to work as a student council member for a while to improve my school life, and even if I don’t, I’ll be busy every day from now on. So I can’t give you any more attention. If you understand, you’d better get serious.”

“I’m serious…..I’m always doing my best.”

“If so, you’re not doing great ! You better get some decent grades or you will suffer in the future.”

I’ll suffer? I ponder for a while, unable to immediately swallow the meaning of the words.

…..Ah, that’s what she meant..

“Maybe you’re worried about me being compared to you, Nee chan?　Or……the other way around?”

I don’t mind being made fun of. However, if it turns out that the younger brother of the student council president is such an incompetent student, even if it’s only step brother, it will tarnish my step sister’s name. I thought that what she was afraid of.

When I said this, she sighed for the millionth time and stopped studying. Then she looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“It doesn’t matter to me. I think I’ve gained trust as an individual, and I’ve established myself in a position where I wouldn’t be shaken by my brother’s performance, you know?”

“Then, you should leave me be….”

“…Mom will be sad.”

After being told that, I can’t say anything back. Seeing my silence, my step sister resumed her studies. I wonder if she thought it would be useless to pursue it further, or if she thought I would be convinced if she mentioned my mother.

(Either way, it’s none of my step sister’s business.)

I muddled through this earlier, but I’ve already made plans for a long time ago.

Even if my freshman and sophomore year grades are poor, the most important thing in an entrance exam is the grade at the time of the exam. I’m currently maintaining a midterm grade. The only time I’ll be serious about my studies is at the end of next year.

(I was thinking of moving to Tokyo, to the city center, and setting up a business as I see fit.)

My goal is a career where I can earn money without leaving home and only using my computer. That way, I would be able to complete my work by myself, and I wouldn’t have to worry about unnecessary interruptions, and I wouldn’t have to deal with other people more than I have to. In a sense, this is an ideal way of life for me.

For this reason, I’m trying to go to a good university, and I’ve been making a lot of efforts in the past year, even in the shadows. My step sister has given me a title as a shut in.

For now, let’s focus on what’s immediate rather than on the future.

My step sister has derailed me, but for now I want to focus all my energy on countermeasures against Kisaragi and Shinkai. Aside from Kisaragi, regarding Shinkai , I have to control my step sister. I need to manipulate her to do the right thing at the right time.

While looking at my step sister who was concentrating on her studies, I was fiddling with my phone and writing down my future plans.