Chapter 10: Rival in LoveIf I were to speak honestly, big brother is considerably popular with the girls.
Even from a young age, there would be lots of girls around him.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that I was battling every day of my life.
Because any other girls who loved big brother was an enemy, I continued fighting against them all the time.
After school, even though I went to the cla.s.sroom to meet big brother, he wasn’t there.
「Ah, it’s Nadeshiko-chan. Did you come to meet your older brother?」
「h.e.l.lo Ono-san, Satake-san. Do you know where my big brother went?」
「Takeru-kun? He’s on duty today, right now I’m sure he should be delivering the printouts to the teacher.」
This girl was Ono Megumi, big brother’s friend and Satake-san’s lover.
These two have been his friends since middle school, so I am also acquainted with them.
「It should be okay if you just wait a little bit?」
「I think he’ll come along soon.」
「That reminds me, I wanted to hear about it earlier, but big brother still continues to not have a lover or anything similar, right?」
When I questioned them, Ono-san went 「Lover?」 and made a mystified face.
「Though it’s doubtful whether he has a lover, there is a girl he has a particularly close relationship with, right?」
The inside of the cla.s.sroom was wrapped up in a tense atmosphere.
「R-right now, did a ‘piki’ sound just sound in the atmosphere?!」 1
「……. It must be your imagination.」
「I-It’s fine if it’s just my imagination. Y-Yeah……」
Ono-san murmurs in a tear-choked voice.
While desperately resisting the unpleasant feelings that have erupted from inside my chest,
「And who would be this other party?」
A murky black emotion swirled around inside me.
The name of this feeling is ‘jealousy’.
「E-Eh, that is…… you see, Nadeshiko-chan」
Probably because I was unconsciously showing a dark expression, Ono-san’s face was cramping up.
「It’s a girl who was also our cla.s.smate last year――」
Satake-san covered up Ono-san’s mouth, who was going to say something.
「Meg, one of your bad points is that you’re talkative without thinking.」
「S-sorry. Never mind about just now. Takeru-kun doesn’t have a girlfriend or anything. I’m telling the truth here.」
Because it seemed like they were trying to cover up something, I tried pursuing further.
「Are you sure? Even if you lie, it’s not going to be good for Ono-san, you know?」
「I-It’s really true! I-I don’t know anything. U-uu……」
While I stare at her, Ono-san turns her gaze towards Satake-san next to her with a pleading look for help.
「…… Please don’t make such a face. This is Yamato, you know? That fellow doesn’t have a girlfriend or anything. No matter how many it has been so far, the girls with lover-like atmospheres, it has not progressed to the level of lovers.」
「Big Brother is a wonderful person, so he is naturally popular: the kind person anyone would fall in love with. That’s why, if he were to make a lover or something…… one way or another that would end up being a problem for me.」
「I’m scared of what you plan on doing, Nadeshiko-chan! You really love your older brother, huh.」
「I love big brother so much that I lose sight of myself from time to time.」
In the face of love, sometimes there are situations where my normal self-control is s.n.a.t.c.hed away.
Even I don’t know what mess I will make when I am fired up with the flames of jealousy.
「For your beloved older brother to be popular sure is troublesome for you.」
「That is because big brother is not allowed to a.s.sociate with other women except me. Big Brother and I are siblings tied by a bond of love.」
Ono-san mutters 「Though I think that’s a bond that must not be consummated」.
There are few people who are sympathetic to the love between big brother and I.
「It’s understandable for girls to fall in love, since it is the case that big brother will sometimes nonchalantly say romantic lines to girls without noticing. The people of his cla.s.s should undoubtedly have experience in this already.」
When I queried the surrounding people, 「I might also have experience with that」 consenting voices sounded from here and there.
「……Yamato-kun is certainly the type to nonchalantly say things that normal people wouldn’t say, right?」
「There might have been a few times where I was surprised by his actions, and became attracted to him.」
「He’s kind, and cool, and has a high rating amongst the girls. Though it feels like it sharply fell now.」
I see, it looks like even here there were several girls who were charmed by him.
Since that is the case, it would be better to crush those irksome feelings here right now.
「Big Brother is the type to nonchalantly make advances, even if the other person is his little sister. Even I have had my heart played with many times.」
「……By the way, what kind of things did he say?」
When Ono-san asked me like that, I answered with a bright smile,
「――the key to Nadeshiko’s heart is mine, so you cannot make a duplicate key for anyone else besides me, okay?」
「If he really said t-that, Takeru-kun is definitely a siscon.」
Ono-san was creeped out and drew back.
His cla.s.smates were also lamenting 「No wayー, absolutely no way!」2
「――Today I also saw a happy dream again. In my dream, a cute Nadeshiko appeared.」
「Stop it, Yamato-kun’s cool appearance is collapsing so stop it!」
「――I cannot “like” Nadeshiko more than this, because there is “love” instead!」
「Please don’t cry out for love or anything…… I already have gooseb.u.mps, so please forgive me, Yamato-kun!」
「――I like Nadeshiko’s voice so much, each time you speak my heart won’t stop racing.」
「O-ouch, it’s so corny it hurts. But, if it’s Yamato-kun, I kind of want to see him say that.」
These were all lines that big brother had said to me before, and even now he still says such things to me from time to time.
「Wait, did Takeru-kun always refer to himself as “boku”?」
「Until junior high, it was “boku”. After entering high school, for some reason, he switched to using “ore” to refer to himself, which doesn’t suit him.」3
After talking about big brother for a while, his cla.s.smates’ impressions of him seemed to have fallen to rock bottom.
「Haa…… Yamato-kun was quite a poet.」
「He was more painful than a chuunibyou otaku boy. Even if he’s a good-looking guy, there are things that are unpermittable, right?」4
「No way~ To have had a crush on such a person, even I’ve become disgusted with myself right now.」
I look and confirm that various girls seem to be shocked and troubled.
It looks like I have succeeded in wrecking many a sweet maiden’s heart.
With this, any women who were interested in big brother in this cla.s.s should disappear.
While I recover the calm in my heart,
「Big Brother is just a romanticist.」
「To be able to completely accept that, Nadeshiko-chan might be really great.」
「That’s natural, for I love big brother from the bottom of my heart.」
「To be loved by such a cute little sister, Yamato sure must be happy.」
While such a conversation was going on, Ono-san asked me in a low voice.
「U-umm, Nadeshiko-chan, I didn’t hear it firsthand, but there is a rumor that Takeru-kun enters the bath together with you everyday. Is that true? That’s just a joke, right?」
The story from the other day seems like it became a rumor, and since everyone seemed deeply interested, I spoke the truth.
「It’s the truth. Starting from since I was a child, I have been taking baths with big brother every day. It is my daily routine to have big brother’s wash my hair.」
「S-Seriously? Eh?!」
「Moreover, we also sleep together, you know. If I don’t have big brother’s arm pillow, I can’t fall asleep. We also slept together last night, and I was able to have a good dream.」
My cheeks redden as I murmured, pregnant with heavy implications.
「Though it might not seem that way, big brother behaves splendidly spoiled when it is just the two of us, you know. It is very cute. To be relied upon by an older man sure makes your heart skip a beat, right?」
「…… for that Takeru-kun to act spoiled around Nadeshiko-chan? I can’t even imagine it.」
It’s not a lie, just a bit of an exaggeration.
The truth seems to have been cruel for big brother’s position, as it became rather noisy inside the cla.s.sroom.
「For that to have been serious…… Yamato Takeru. It’s decided that he’s a genuine siscon.」
「Eh? That’s not anywhere near a siscon, right? Normally that would be at the level of a crime, you know.」
「To have used the feelings of love of such a pure little sister to do such things in the shadows…… how terrible.」
「I feel bitter about the things that were said today. Yamato-kun is the lowest.」
While big brother’s cla.s.smates were unanimously in the middle of muttering disappointment,
「――Oh? If it isn’t Nadeshiko. Did you come to the cla.s.sroom?」
Was it good timing? Bad timing?
Big brother Takeru who didn’t know anything had come back to the cla.s.sroom.
「Big Brother, welcome back.」
「Nn. I seem to have kept you waiting……? Huh? For some reason, I seem to be getting a lot of attention?」
When big brother looked around, all of his cla.s.smates’ gazes were turned towards him.
「……eh? U-Um, did I do something?」
「Takeru-kun. In this cla.s.s, it’s impossible for you to have peaceful school life anymore.」
*pon pon*, Ono-san softly pats him on the shoulder.
「Ono-chan, why are you looking at me with those eyes? I don’t understand the reason for the full-powered icy glares directed at me. Satake, what’s going on?」
「……I think it’s better if you don’t know. Yamato, if I could say one thing, in this cla.s.s, your evaluation is rock bottom. I can only say that your time is over now.」
「Why, what do you mean? W-Wait please, everyone. Please don’t look at me with those kinds of eyes. No please, I didn’t do anything, you know?」
n.o.body said anything as they silently stared at big brother.
「…… I’m begging you, at least tell me the reason. I can’t bear those cold gazes as if you’re all looking at a dangerous person. Just what in the world did I do?」
「……」
Big Brother who was crestfallen and perplexedly dropped his shoulders gave off the appearance of being burdened with grievous sorrow.
From that day forth, Big Brother it seems like came to be called by his nickname, 「Love Poet Yamato.」
However, outside of my hopes, it seemed like the girls who were disappointed in him were only a few.
「If it’s Takeru, those kinds of lines might happen to me too.」
「Even if they’re painful lines, I’d like to try having that whispered in my ear at least once.」
Or something like that, he seemed to have become popular with girls who wanted to try having sugary lines said to them.
My strategy was a failure…… when I became a high school student, it doesn’t seem like it will go smoothly.
Big Brother’s popularity with women was still in good health, and it was regrettable that my enemies seem to have increased.
As a side effect, the number of boys who regarded big brother with hostility seemed to have doubled instead.
「Yamato Takeru, I won’t forgive any shameless behavior towards Nadeshiko-chan who is popular despite being a freshman.」
「On top of being good-looking, to have a beautiful little sister is just impermissible, but to constantly be using his position as an older brother in terrible ways, I cannot over look this!」
It seems like the outcome was big brother getting cursed by the other boys, I reflected a little over this.
Even so, I was still worried about what Ono-san had said.
『Though it’s doubtful whether he has a lover, there is a girl he has a particularly close relationship with, right?』
That big brother has a special girl…… who is it?
【 To be continued 】