Chapter 14

 

 

 

 

 

TL: Chaos

 

ED: Mateo

 

 

 

 

 

In the strong sunshine that scorched everything, Erika-chan and I returned home while holding hands.

 

 

 

Our entwined hands were wet with sweat. But we didn’t say a word as we headed to my house, still holding hands.

 

 

 

When we finally arrived and opened the front door of my house, Mana was already at the door. She seemed to have noticed us coming home and was waiting for us.

 

 

 

“Geez! You’re late! Do you have any idea how worried I was!?”

 

 

 

Mana angrily handed us each a towel. It was a cold wet towel. When I pressed it against my face, the cool water soaked through my hot skin.

 

 

 

Erika-chan buried her face into the wet towel and shouted.

 

 

 

“What the heck this feels goooood~”

 

 

 

Mana then said in a slightly pissed off tone.

 

 

 

“I expected you two to come back home bathed in sweat, so I put the cool towels in the fridge in advance!”

 

 

 

I thanked Mana.

 

 

 

“Thank you, Mana! You’re so thoughtful…”

 

 

 

“You’re welcome! It’s all thanks to Aniki’s upbringing! A long time ago, one day when I came home drenched in sweat from my club activities, I remember Aniki preparing it for me like this!”

 

 

 

Mana was a member of the softball tennis club from the first year of junior high school until she stopped going to school. I remember preparing these cooling towels for Mana when she would come home from summer practice with her face all red.

 

 

 

With my sister’s fine play, our sweating soon stopped and we went to our respective rooms to change our clothes.

 

 

 

Then we went to the living room to have a late lunch. At the table, Erika was wearing a simple black T-shirt and loose shorts. She seemed to have borrowed some of Mana’s clothes.

 

 

 

“I knew you two would come home hungry, so I had it ready for you! Be thankful and eat up!”

 

 

 

Mana put her homemade sandwiches on the table. It looked so good that I was practically drooling just by looking at it.

 

 

 

“Aaaaaaaah Manaa~. You’re the best little sister…”

 

 

 

“I didn’t have anything else to do! If I didn’t do something, I’d just be worrying uselessly!”

 

 

 

Erika-chan apologized to Mana, who was still pissed.

 

 

 

“I’m sorry… Mana. For making you worry.”

 

 

 

“I’m glad as long as you’re safe. And then, what did you talk about that it took so long?”

 

 

 

I answered Mana’s question.

 

 

 

“Actually after this, I’m planning to go along with Erika-chan to her house.”

 

 

 

“Eh?”

 

 

 

Mana was surprised.

 

 

 

“I was thinking of keeping Erika-chan at our place for the summer vacation. I’m going to talk to her mother.”

 

 

 

“Really? That’s great~!”

 

 

 

“I don’t know if Erika-chan’s mother will say yes or no, or how she’ll react, but I’ll try to convince her.”

 

 

 

“Can’t we just let her stay here without telling her?”

 

 

 

“I don’t want to get in trouble later for taking her daughter in without permission. Besides, she needs to go home at least once. Erika-chan definitely has some things she wants to bring with her. A change of clothes, summer vacation homework.”

 

 

 

For some reason, the moment I said ‘summer vacation homework’, I felt as if both their faces stiffened up. But, well it’s fine. I’ll just pretend that I didn’t see it for now.

 

 

 

“Hold on… can I not come with you?”

 

 

 

Mana timidly asked me.

 

 

 

“I’ll keep my mouth shut so that Aniki won’t be at a disadvantage. I just want to be with Erika.”

 

 

 

Understanding Mana’s concern for her, I asked Erika-chan.

 

 

 

“What should we do? Is it fine for Mana to come along?”

 

 

 

“Yeah. It’s fine… I’ll be happy if Mana is there with me.”

 

 

 

Erika-chan looked at Mana with a bashful expression.

 

 

 

The two of them had a small smile on their faces.

 

 

 

We ate our sandwiches and drank our tea in one gulp.

 

 

 

After the meal, the willpower surged up from the bottom of our stomachs.

 

 

 

After placing my hands together and saying, “Thank you for the meal,” I stood up.

 

 

 

“Well then, let’s get going. Boss fight.”

 

 

 

Hearing my words, Erika and Mana nodded.

 

 

 

I was full of motivation.

 

 

 

It was 3:30 in the afternoon. The day is not over yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Mana and I went to the same junior high school, and Erika’s house is in the same city. We went to different elementary schools, but it was still relatively close.

 

 

 

The three of us walked under the blazing sun again.

 

 

 

If we had a car, we would have been able to go out in a car with the air conditioning on full blast. It’s a shame that I don’t have a car or a driver’s license. I may have to consider getting a driver’s license in the future.

 

 

 

That was what was going on in my despairingly scorched head.

 

 

 

It was so hot that we were almost silent the whole time. Sometimes Erika-chan would tell me the direction to her house. But I couldn’t bring myself to talk. No, it was better not to talk because it would help me conserve my energy and reduce my thirst.

 

 

 

We eventually arrived at the place Erika-chan led us to, a small apartment. The walls were dirty, and there were chips here and there. There was no way this place was properly managed. The adjacent dumping ground was littered with trash even though it was not trash day, indicating the low standard of living of the residents.

 

 

 

We each wiped our sweat off with our towels and headed for the apartment.

 

 

 

I pressed the doorbell next to the door that Erika-chan pointed to.

 

 

 

The sound of the cracked bell rang out.

 

 

 

…………But no one answered.

 

 

 

“Are they not at home?”

 

 

 

I asked Erika-chan covertly.

 

 

 

“No, she’s definitely here. She’s just not using the answering machine because it’s too much trouble.”

 

 

 

“I see. Well, I guess I have no other choice…”

 

 

 

I had no choice but to hit the doorbell repeatedly. After about a minute of continuous ringing, the door finally opened.

 

 

 

“What’s going on~?”

 

 

 

As soon as the door opened, a sweet, thick, indescribable scent drifted out from inside the room.

 

 

 

The door was opened by a woman with brown hair and a glazed look in her eyes. She was wearing a black camisole dress and a purple shawl. Her bosom was wide open, which made it difficult for me to look at her.

 

 

 

I tried my best to only look at her from the neck up.

 

 

 

“Are you Erika-chan’s mother?”

 

 

 

When I said that, she immediately asked, “What did she do?” Moreover, she looked annoyed.

 

 

 

At any rate, she seemed to be Erika-chan’s mother.

 

 

 

“No, Erika-chan didn’t do anything… Ah, before that, I’m Kamijō Tsukasa. My little sister is Erika-chan’s friend…”

 

 

 

While I was talking, Erika’s mother was just looking at her nails. Then, when she suddenly noticed Erika behind me, she exclaimed, “Ah.”

 

 

 

“What the heck. So that’s where you were. The person in question. So what? What do you want? Actually, who are you?”

 

 

 

——Isn’t that what I was explaining to you just now!?

 

 

 

I screamed with all my might inside my head, but kept a smile on my face on the outside. It’s fine. I anticipated this much.

 

 

 

“The one next to Erika-chan is my sister. She is a friend of hers. So today, I wanted to talk to you about letting Erika-chan stay over at our house for the summer vacation…”

 

 

 

“Stay over? Isn’t that fine? Why don’t you just do as you wish?”

 

 

 

As I was talking to her, she replied easily.

 

 

 

While playing with her own hair, Erika-chan’s mom starts playing with her phone. She hasn’t made eye contact with me since a while ago.

 

 

 

“…You’re too casual about it.”

 

 

 

“I’m not interested in the girl. I don’t care wherever she stays over. Are you stupid enough to come and check on me every time?”

 

 

 

My iron smile nearly cracked.

 

 

 

Don’t do it, don’t do it… I can’t stand in the same ring as her. I have to talk calmly to the very end.

 

 

 

At that moment, an ill-bred man walked from the back of the room.

 

 

 

“What’s up?”

 

 

 

“Aah, it’s Erika’s friend’s brother. He’s letting Erika stay at his house.”

 

 

 

“Hee? That’s all he came all the way here for? What an upright Onii-chan you are~.”

 

 

 

The man looked at me and laughed, then at Erika-chan and sneered.

 

 

 

“You’ve got a surprisingly cute personality, running away from home just because I threw away your stuffed animal.”

 

 

 

So this is the guy who threw away Erika’s beloved stuffed penguin.

 

 

 

I didn’t mean to come here to say anything to Erika-chan’s mother’s lover, but I couldn’t leave without saying something.

 

 

 

“…Why did you throw it away?”

 

 

 

I asked the man.

 

 

 

“Ah? I didn’t really have a reason. It was in front of me, and I didn’t need it, so I threw it away. It was like garbage. That thing.”

 

 

 

The man scoffed. It’s a crude laugh.

 

 

 

When I glanced at Erika, she was glaring at the man as if she was trying to avenge her parents.

 

 

 

“Even though you lived in the same house, haven’t you seen how much Erika-chan cherished that stuffed animal?”

 

 

 

I was angry too. My rationale for wanting to respond calmly clashed with my instinct to vent my anger, and my expression faded to nothing.

 

 

 

A mother with a bad attitude even though she is greeting her child. Cruel remarks repeated in front of the person herself. On top of that, her boyfriend is a piece of trash.

 

 

 

I’m trying to be patient, but my anger is welling over.

 

 

 

“You guys… you don’t know anything about Erika, do you? You don’t know what Erika cares about now, what she wants to do in the future, or what she’s working so hard for…”

 

 

 

“Future?”

 

 

 

Erika-chan’s mother tilted her head confusingly when she heard my words.

 

 

 

“The girl’s future is set. When she graduates from high school, she’s going to get a job in the same night business, so she can pay back the money I’ve spent raising her.”

 

 

 

“Come again?”

 

 

 

“What’s that look on your face? After all that’s the only use for such a hopeless child, isn’t it?”

 

 

 

Even a Buddha gets pissed off after the third time. If a Buddha is allowed to be pissed off after the fourth time, I think I have the right to be pissed off too.

 

 

 

I was about to yell at her, but just then Erika-chan embraced me tightly.

 

 

 

“I’m going to work like a normal person and marry Onii-san! I’m never going to be like you! And I’ll never do what you want!”

 

 

 

Erika-chan yelled at her mom while hugging me.

 

 

 

Erika-chan’s mother and her boyfriend looked puzzled for a moment, then quickly sighed in annoyance.

 

 

 

Erika-chan’s mother snickered at her.

 

 

 

“I see? Did you get seduced by this man?”

 

 

 

“You’re wrong! Onii-san isn’t like that! Don’t put me in with you, who has no discerning eye for men!”

 

 

 

“Ah, whatever. I’ve got to get ready for work. You can stay with him, marry him, do whatever you want.”

 

 

 

No matter what anyone says, Erika-chan’s mother will probably always be like this.

 

 

 

——But, it’s enough. I’ve done what I needed to do.

 

 

 

I looked at Mana. Then Mana, who is very perceptive, immediately took Erika-chan’s hand and said,

 

 

 

“Come, Erika. Let’s go get your clothes and other stuff.”

 

 

 

“Ah, yeah…”

 

 

 

Mana and Erika-chan went up to her room and started to gather her belongings. Erika-chan’s mother and her boyfriend stared at them. I also watched from the open doorway.

 

 

 

In less than five minutes, Erika-chan and Mana came out of the room with plastic bags in both hands. Erika-chan’s personal belongings were peeking out of the plastic bags, packed in a messy manner.

 

 

 

“Aniki. Let’s go. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.”

 

 

 

Mana said.

 

 

 

“I feel the same way. Let’s go.”

 

 

 

I said, and Mana and Erika-chan nodded.

 

 

 

When I turned around to leave, the front door was already closed.

 

 

 

——Erika-chan has always been struggling alone in that small apartment.

 

 

 

I won’t have to return Erika-chan to that apartment for a while. I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I thought about that.

 

 

 

 

 

The days are long in summer, and the sunlight does not abate even after four o’clock in the afternoon.

 

 

 

We were slowly making our way home, supplementing the water that was spilling out of our bodies with sports drinks from a passing vending machine.

 

 

 

As the tension of confronting Erika-chan’s mother dissipated, I gradually felt a surge of regret. I was desperate at the time, but when I cooled down, I began to think that maybe there was something else I could have done.

 

 

 

I should have said something more to those two. Something that would have made them regret not properly cherishing Erika-chan..

 

 

 

Just by being able to keep Erika-chan in my care, I had accomplished my goal. However, I felt uncomfortable. My body was sticky with sweat, which made me feel even more uncomfortable.

 

 

 

However, Erika-chan’s voice was cheerful and lively.

 

 

 

“Ah, I feel so refreshed~! Thank you, both of you~! Onii-san, you looked cool while speaking up for me!  Hey hey, did you hear what my mother said? She said, ‘Stay with him, marry him, do whatever you want.’ I got permission to get married!”

 

 

 

Erika-chan’s face was radiant. When I saw Erika-chan like that, the regret I had felt earlier disappeared.

 

 

 

——As long as Erika-chan is happy… It’s fine.

 

 

 

My shoulders relaxed. My cheeks naturally loosened.

 

 

 

At that time, Mana cheerfully elbowed me.

 

 

 

“Oi oi Aniki~. Why don’t you go out with Erika already? You need to respond to her feelings.”

 

 

 

“Eh? Huh? Speaking of, Mana, did you know that Erika-chan liked me…?”

 

 

 

“Yeah, I knew it.”

 

 

 

“From when!?”

 

 

 

I was flustered. Even though I hadn’t told anyone else that Erika had confessed to me, or that she was approaching me fiercely…

 

 

 

Then Mana replied calmly.

 

 

 

“Eh? From when… Around the time Erika started studying various things with her Aniki?”

 

 

 

“That’s a long time ago!”

 

 

 

No wonder she had no reaction when Erika-chan yelled at her mother, saying “I’m going to marry Onii-san!”

 

 

 

While I was astonished, Mana said in an exasperated voice.

 

 

 

“Because I knew that, I took care to make sure that it was only Erika and Aniki alone in the house, you know?”

 

 

 

“Eh? So that’s the reason it’s only Erika-chan who’s been coming to our house lately!? Nn? Wait, don’t tell me, Runa-chan and Arisa-chan know it too?”

 

 

 

“That’s obvious, right?”

 

 

 

“For real!? No way!? I didn’t notice it at all though!?”

 

 

 

Mana and Erika-chan were cackling happily.

 

 

 

Then as if to make fun of me, Mana said.

 

 

 

“Hey Aniki. You need to set Erika free from that house. Aniki cherishes Erika too, so why don’t you go out and then marry her? Or do you still think of Erika as your little sister? Are you really not aware of it?”

 

 

 

The words were said in a light tone, but they weighed heavily on my mind.

 

 

 

——For me, Erika-chan is…

 

 

 

It brought back the emotions I felt when I saw Erika-chan crying in the clay pipe in the park.

 

 

 

She was like a sister to me. Yet, I couldn’t answer immediately.