Chapter 1166 - Question
And, after a few seconds passed over an atmosphere that was hard to describe.
"Phew... ────So?"
"Eh?"
"How far have you actually gone? With our arch-nemesis (the little princess)."
"That's not even on the level of a crazy transition, Senpai..."
While I was knocked down and rolled over. While applying a flick with her weak STR to restrain me as I tried to raise my upper body, Mi-na, who squatted down, threw a joke from the side.
Her expression, which always seemed to be plotting some mischief, and her bouncing voice, which was uselessly cheerful, were completely normal... or rather, if it wasn't my imagination, she seemed to be on the cheerful side────... I don't know.
What kind of thoughts ordered themselves to become cheerful like that, I don't know.
"............Mm."
"And now there's more..."
And, although I had returned a reply with half-momentum earlier, me with the other half in confusion. The blue one, who raided as if to sandwich me with her partner, joined in on the cheek-pinching barrage.
That one, in her usual way, while returning to a listless face...
"As for the punishment for keeping it a secret, I'll think about it later."
"If you were saying that as a comrade or a friend, I'd apologize from the bottom of my heart, but in your case, there's only the possibility that you're saying it as a self-proclaimed younger sister, so it's hard to apologize honestly."
"The fact that I'll have three more 'older sisters' in the future is something I'll welcome, okay?"
"From the bottom of my heart, 'what the hell is this person saying'."
Because she said crazy things with a straight face, when I reflexively retorted, a soft smile floated on the edge of her listless face. Was that indeed the merciful smile of an entertainer who surpassed me in life experience, or was it just the doting face of a 'younger sister' spoiling the man she believed to be her 'older brother'?
────At any rate.
After the two small ones pinched the cheeks of the self-confessed criminal as much as they pleased.
"Well then! We have work (idol stuff) tomorrow too!"
"We'll head out first."
The extremes of loud and quiet.
They probably hadn't planned to stay long from the start. Along with declaring it cleanly, as if to say no reply was needed and to just see them off, they quickly left the virtual world.
...Well, it was the usual thing.
It was the usual thing, but────and,
"............Well, I guess I'll go too. Senpai?"
"Ah, o-oh..."
"Yura-san's request and all, it's not something that needs to be shared with everyone right this second, right?"
Before I could get troubled over the atmosphere left behind, Tetra spoke up this time.
"Y-Yeah. It's a relatively major matter, but... well."
The person himself (Yura) wasn't here in his normal operation, and the two (Minalina) had already left... and as I nodded, the boy in black, who called himself junior number one, nodded back appropriately,
"Then, see you next time. Even if I'm told various major matters all at once, I can't keep up with everything, so tell me again once things are somewhat sorted out."
Since he dodged it with words that could only be thought of as perfectly logical from start to finish, I couldn't say anything. No, far from not being able to say anything, as the one who brought the shock────
"I-I understand. ...How should I put it, sorry."
Regarding what I was doing, I had no intention of bowing my head. But regarding keeping secrets and surprising them, I should apologize, so,
"Well, do your best. ────I thought it was just like you, Senpai."
The words I spun were cut off, and the small black outfit disappeared into the light.
"............"
If so... what? That kind of flow? Is it that kind of flow? Each of them says what they want to say to me and leaves, leaving the idiot alone for now?
Just as I was beginning to brace myself.
"...────Well, it seems the younger crowd is like that, but."
Exactly.
My juniors and estimated juniors left one after another, and the only ones left behind were my seniors in life. ...So, even without worrying, from here on, it would probably become the flow I had predicted.
In short,
"As a close adult... what should I say. I can't just listen half-heartedly and let it go, can I?"
"............Yes, sir."
It was the start of the turn to be squeezed fair and square.
◇◆◇◆◇
I didn't think Minalina or Tetra's reactions were 'appropriate' (half-hearted), and I didn't intend to say Gossan was appropriate either. But still, there was a position they responded from.
Using words like 'as an adult' to tighten my mind was something to be grateful for, not feared. The former part-time warrior knew that there were very few people these days who would say such things to your face with a serious expression.
If so, no escape option, just what I wanted. Let's go fair and square... ────
I braced myself, but.
"......................I see... Ugh, I see...!"
The old man (Gossan) collapsed five minutes into the interrogation.
No, rather than collapsing, he almost self-destructed on his own. I was only trying to tell the story of how I reached my determination calmly and systematically...
Before I knew it, there were tears in the father's eyes────and,
"Ah... um, well...?"
"That's enough, I support you...! It's fine for there to be that kind of 'man'...!"
"...What kind of situation is this?"
"Gossan..."
The confused child (me), the crying father (Gossan). The amazed older brother (Irori) and the same older sister (Hina-san).
A little away from the interrogation (?) circle, my uncle (Gen-san) and the beautiful neighborhood older sister, who was my master (Ui-san), were infinitely restless in their own ways, which made it even more chaotic.
It was clear as day that no one could control the place anymore.
If so... well, even if control was impossible, the role of setting the place in order in such a situation was held by about two people among those here. Namely, by process of elimination, me and────
"Honestly, good grief... Haru-kun?"
None other than everyone's big sister.
Thus, her hazel eyes were directed at me once again. Unlike the doting father who cried in five minutes, Hina-san's eyes... ──the woman's eyes, properly conveyed her authority to me.
"I believe I understand you. ...All of us do."
"...I believe so too."
And her voice, too. As if to say the previous play was of no account, there was no joke mixed in. When I saw and heard that without mistake, she probably acknowledged me.
"I think you're a good kid. I trust you as a person."
"............Yes."
"────That being said,"
She stared straight at me, and said in a strong voice I had never heard before.
"Let me hear your confidence."
No one interrupted. They seemed to have stopped moving as well.
And the same went for me────but, it wasn't that I was lost. I wasn't troubled, nor was I trying to choose my words or patch things up now.
I just thought, how grateful I am.
Because even until now, I had carefully received and stored what I felt from someone.
"────It's me."
Taking a breath,
"Sora, Nia, and Ashe."
If I set my mind in order, I won't stop.
"The one who will make them happier than anyone else in the world is me."
If so, the eyes looking at the younger brother figure who proudly declared his arrogance without embarrassment were────
"......................Sigh... and here I thought you were a cute boy."
Indeed, as if looking at a fool.
"There's no helping it. ...You were quite the king, weren't you?"
Without laughing, but as if to hide the gentle color that seeped through, they closed soundlessly.
Ah, Big Sister-sama.