Hoshino's POV
Lily had finally seemed to calm down a little. At the very least, hands weren't trembling anymore, and she wasn't full-on sobbing either. There were still a few sniffles and tears drops here and there, but it was an overall vast improvement compared to how she was before. Even so, she still clung to me like a toddler.
"Uhhh, are you going to let go of me now or what?" I said while trying to sound annoyed. I didn't bother doing anything about it, though.
She squeezed me even tighter in protest. "NO! You haven't hugged me in a long time, so I'm not gonna let go!"
God, what a spoiled brat!
I grabbed hold of her shoulders and tried pushing her away. But she desperately kept holding on, further burying her face into my chest.
She really is hopeless…
I eventually let out a resigned sigh and patted her on the head.
"Fine, just a little longer…"
She let out a soft giggle and continued to nestle into me—a subtle sense of warmth crept in before I could stop it. I tried to hold it back, but I felt my lips curl up into a faint smile.
Jeez, what the hell am I supposed to do with her?
After a silent–yet comforting moment between us, it was time to move on. I gently took hold of her shoulders and pulled her back. She looked a little sad, but she could tell that we couldn't stay like that forever.
"So… what are we going to do now?" she asked with a subdued tone, wiping away the remainder of her tears.
I stood there, thinking for a moment. There weren't many places we could go with her looking like this.
Still, standing here all tense about it wasn't going to do us much good either.
Suddenly, an idea came to mind. I still didn't know where to go, but at the very least, I could get payback on my sister for hugging me that long.
My cheeks tensed as I struggled to maintain an aloof expression. "Well... we go to school, obviously."
Lily froze, turning her face to look at me with a bewildered expression. "Are you stupid??? How am I supposed to go to school looking like this?!"
"What? It's not that bad. Your clothes are only just very wrinkly, your eyes are all red and puffy, and your makeup is smudged all over. You're as ugly as usual!"
My body trembled as I struggled to contain my laughter.
"Stop making fun of me! I'm being serious!"
"Me too."
I started laughing uncontrollably at Lily's desperation. Watching her panic was hilarious. I guess it's the privilege of being an Older Brother.
She stomped her way towards me and started hitting me. "I'm serious! I don't know what to do!"
The laughter died down after a few moments, leaving us in silence. That moment allowed me to process the situation we were in. For starters, she obviously couldn't go to school looking like that. And taking her back home was an even worse idea. So, there was only one thing we could do.
"Well, let's skip."
Her mouth hung open idiotically.
"WHATT!? SKIP?! I'VE NEVER SKIPPED BEFORE! WHAT IF THE TEACHERS FIND OUT? WHAT EFFECT WILL THIS HAVE ON MY ACADEMIC INTEGRITY? I CAN'T SKIP, I'LL MISS OUT ON SO MUCH CLASS WORK! AND SKIPPING TO HANG OUT WITH MY OLDER BROTHER… THAT'S- GROSS AS SHIT!"
Okay, that last part kind of hurt my feelings.
Well, I could understand a little bit. At her age, I'd rather be caught dead than hang out with my sibling. But she was just going to have to suck it up.
"Well, do you have any better ideas? I'm listening."
I crossed my arms as I waited for a response, tapping my foot on the ground. It was a little sassy, but that's what she gets.
Her gaze dropped to the ground, her thumbs twiddling. It looked like she was seriously thinking about other alternatives.
Does she really not want to just hang out that much? Is she that ashamed?
I guess even a little sister has her own sense of pride.
After a couple of seconds, my sister seemed to have made up her mind.
"...No…"
I let out a smug scoff. "Yeah, I thought so. So shut up and stop complaining."
I turned around and began walking to the bus station. At first, my sister didn't move. My sister moved to follow me, but stopped before she could fully leave the vicinity of the house.
Without stopping, I called out to her. "Well, what are you waiting for? No one's gonna sweep you off your feet and carry you there. Get walking, you bum."
She paused for a moment, before finally pushing out an irritated click of her tongue. "Ughhhhh, yes yes, I'm coming."
Lily jogged forward until she reached my side. Once she did, I subtly slowed down my walking speed to match her pace. It felt like the first time in a long time that we were standing on equal terms like this.
My sister turned her head towards me with an inquisitive look. "Soooo, where are we going?"
I continued looking forward as I spoke. "Where do you wanna go?"
"Hmmmmmm, I don't know. I just want to have fun."
"Then what about an arcade?"
Her eyes suddenly beamed in childish excitement.
Who the hell gets this excited over the mention of an arcade? What is she, 12???
"An arcade?!!! Sure! I haven't been to one in so long! I'm excited!"
Just a second ago, you were yapping my ear off about how gross it was to hang out with me, and now you're excited? Make up your mind.
I felt a little annoyed, but it was entertaining in its own way.
"So, it'll be your treat, right?" I asked flatly.
I turned my head towards her and saw a disgusted expression creeping on my sister's face.
"What the hell are you talking about? You're my Older Brother! It's your job to spoil me!"
"Sorry to break it to you, but I'm broke."
"Who the hell do you think you're fooling??? You worked the whole summer vacation! I know you still have some spare funds left in there!"
"I'm just saying, therapy isn't free, so I'm not either. Your brother is high in demand, so you should be grateful I'm even here."
My sister reeled away from me with contemptuous eyes.
"Oh, please, who the hell would even want to hang out with you?"
"I have a lot of friends, you know, unlike a certain someone."
"Oh shut it!"
Even though it seemed like we were arguing -well, we were, we were both laughing and having a good time. Seeing my sister's smile come back made me feel the slightest bit of happiness. Just a tiny bit, though.
Time passed, and we finally made it to the bus station. Coincidentally, the bus had just arrived. Talk about perfect timing, lady luck might be shining on us after all.
We both got on and made our way to the arcade. I glanced out the window as buildings and people blurred past. It's easy to just hop on a train and go wherever you want, but real life… doesn't work that way.