Chapter 131: Alone on the dance floor

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Translator: soafp

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Where there is shadow, there is light.

It's the law of the universe, and it applies to my family too.

Nina.

She's two years younger than me and a textbook extrovert.

The complete opposite of her introverted older brother. She's been living abroad with our parents, and ever since I moved, I've rarely heard from her. That's why her calling out of the blue caught me off guard—

“—Ah!” (Phone falls)

“Your phone might break, you know…”

“Sorry (hurriedly), it's another call from family.”

“You can answer it.”

“Is it okay?”

“Yeah. I'll wait.”

“Thanks. Okay then…”

I pick up the phone and start the call—

“Hey Hajime-nii!! How much are you paying every month!?”

“!? Geez, you scared me…”

As usual, her voice is lively and bright. It's been a while since I've talked to her.

Wait. What did she mean by that? Is she talking about my video streaming subscription?

“Um, about a thousand yen per month…”

“That's pretty cheap.”

“Is it? Prices have been going up recently…”

“Well, it makes sense since it's Hajime-nii. Everything gets more expensive around you. Are you the only one on it?”

“Huh, only one? I can't afford multiple subscriptions.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Something feels off. Wait, is my sister personifying subscription services now?

Does she see me as some sort of boyfriend who brings fun like a subscription service?

“Uh, no, that's not it! (Way too late to correct her) I'm not paying any ‘friend fees' or anything!”

“Really?”

“Nina… Is that how you've been seeing me?”

“Of course I have.”

“…(I can't even argue with that.)”

Silence.

She's right, though.

If I think back to middle school.

Everything she did for me back then—

“Icchi, let me talk.”

Huh?

“Who's that?”

“Ah, um…”

“Let me talk.”

Oh no, Hatsune-san's really scary right now. Maybe I should let her talk…?

If I don't, this could get bad (vocabulary rapidly failing me).

“Uh, I'm going to pass the phone over… (Call center Hajime Toumachi)”

“What?”

I hand the phone to her, keeping the call connected.

“Icchi is a very important friend of mine.”

With an assertive tone, Hatsune-san speaks into the receiver.

“So, please don't say things like ‘friend fees' or anything like that.”

“I'm really not in any weird kind of relationship with Hajime, I mean Icchi.”

“So, there's no need to worry.”

The phone’s speaker wasn't on, so I couldn't hear Nina's response.

But—

“Ah! There he is! Icchi-niii!!!”

“Geez, Kanon, don't run off! And stop yelling!”

In the park, the Kisaragi sisters had arrived at some point. Cold sweat drips down my back.

Please, just this once, stay quiet. Stay quiet, please—

“Hey, Icchi-nii, you're coming home with us to rest today, right?”

“K-Kanon!?”

“(Doom is upon me.)”

And now, I realize the impending chaos is going to be much worse than I expected.

“Alright. Well then, I'll talk to you later. Oh, Icchi, your sister wants to talk again.”

“…”

“Icchi?”

I don't want to answer the phone.

But if I don't, this will probably get even worse (despair).

“I-I'm back on the phone now (Call center Hajime Toumachi)”

“…Hey, Toumachi—”

“Icchi-nii! Let's go home!!”

“Kanon! Toumachi-kun is on the phone!”

It's okay. There's no saving it now (accepting my fate).

With a smile for Kanon-chan, I press the phone to my ear.

“What’s this ‘Icchi-nii’ thing about?”

“Uh, it’s just how Kanon-chan (5) calls me. She’s a friend’s little sister.”

“Heh. I heard something about sleeping together, though.”

“…”

“You’re not in any trouble with the police, right?”

“No, ma’am (formal tone)… Just barely.”

“Ha?”

“Uh, I didn’t say anything.”

This is bad.

Really bad.

Her low tone made it clear how displeased she was.

“So, Hajime-nii, the sports festival is coming up next month, right?”

“Y-Yes.”

“I’ll be back by then.”

“Wait, I thought you guys weren’t coming back until next year.”

“I will be coming back.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll hang up now. I’ll send you more details later.”

“Understood…”

Click.

The call ended, but I couldn’t even catch my breath.

The storm had temporarily passed, but it was guaranteed to return.

“Momo, what were you talking about?”

“Hmm? Oh, I was just chatting with Icchi's family.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I’m curious now! It sounds like they're coming back soon. I want to see them!”

“Kanon wants to see them too!”

They were having fun. The three of them were cheerfully chatting, completely unaware of my inner turmoil.

“Oh, by the way, Icchi, does your family know about your hair color? It's been a while since you’ve seen them, right?”

(Sweating bullets)

“Wait, don’t tell me you haven't mentioned it at all.”

“…No, I haven’t.”

“Wow, that's—”

“That's really bad, you know.”

“Super bad! (Valley-girl tone)”

“Hahaha!”

My family's coming.

I have no idea what kind of state I'll be in when they arrive.

Even thinking about it is terrifying.

I look up at the sky. The moonlight shines in my eyes.

“It's beautiful tonight…”

In my field of vision, that same rainbow-colored light sparkles brightly, even in the night.

But… now's not the time for poetic thoughts, is it?

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TL: I am off to a break. Will be back around mid January. Merry Christmas!