-----
-----
"…Sagiri?"
Blake quickly noticed the girl sneaking a peek from outside his door.
A sudden flurry of movement came from the hallway, and the girl bolted like she'd been caught red-handed.
He pulled his gaze back and went right back to grinding his skills. He figured Sagiri had already retreated to her room, but not long after, a knock sounded at his door.
"Big brother… can I come in?"
Her voice drifted in, soft and a little timid.
"Just come in," Blake replied without hesitation.
"Then… I'm coming in…"
The door opened slowly. Sagiri stepped inside, carefully holding a plate of fruit with both hands.
Blake stared at the silver-haired little girl in confusion, practically seeing question marks pop up over his head.
What's going on?
Yesterday she wouldn't even say a word and only communicated by stomping on the floor. And now this? The change is way too big!
And what's with the fruit plate?
Is she… bringing it for me?
No way.
My little sister would never be this sweet and thoughtful!
Noticing his strange look, Sagiri's cheeks turned slightly red. She walked over to the desk, set the fruit down, then turned her head to the window and muttered shyly,
"I wanted to eat some grapes earlier, but I bought too many and couldn't finish them… It's not like I prepared them for you or anything!"
Blake: "…Tsundere is already out of fashion."
If it's not for me, then why are you blushing like that?
"Thanks, Sagiri." He popped a grape into his mouth. "My life is complete."
Sagiri glanced at him, her bright eyes shifting slightly.
"Big bro, you're exaggerating…"
He spoke with absolute seriousness. "This is the first time Sagiri's ever washed fruit for me. Of course I'm happy."
"Eh…"
Sagiri blinked, her long lashes trembling lightly, her voice soft as a whisper.
"Is it because we're finally getting along that you're this happy, Big bro?"
What the hell?! The point is the fruit, not your 'first time'! If anyone heard that, I'd end up in prison!
"…Why aren't you in your room? What did you come here for?" Blake pressed his fingers to his temple and quickly changed the subject.
"I just… wanted to see big brother's room. I've never been here before, so I was curious." Sagiri's gaze drifted as she looked around. "It's kind of messy."
"It only looks messy. There's order in the chaos." Blake remained completely unfazed. "Cleaning once every half month is enough."
In both his past and present life, he'd never been the neat-freak type. Usually he'd wait until things got really bad, then do one big cleanup.
"Sniff, sniff~"
Sagiri lightly scrunched her nose, sniffing around the room.
"There's no weird smell."
You're the type who's all theory and no experience. Even if there was a weird smell, you wouldn't recognize it!
"Back when I still went to school, I overheard some girls in my class complaining," Sagiri continued. "One of them said her older brother would lock himself in his room after school and never come out. Every time she passed by his door, there was a strange smell…"
If you can smell it from the hallway, is that some kind of legendary manga-level situation?!
"One day she couldn't take it anymore and pushed the door open to see what he was doing. Turns out he was doing something bad for his health…"
Moderation isn't bad for your health, it actually relieves stress, okay?!
And seriously, not locking the door? That's on him!
Sagiri lifted a hand and tucked a strand of silver hair behind her ear, revealing her small, delicate ear.
"My classmate said her brother was awful. He even tried to get her to do it with him, saying it hurts at first but feels good once you get used to it…"
What the hell kind of cursed brother is that?! Execute him a hundred times already! Step-sister is bad enough, but going after your real sister? That's just asking to die!
Blake took a deep breath, interlaced his fingers, and spoke with a grave expression.
"Sagiri… did your classmate call the police?"
"Huh?" Sagiri blinked in confusion. "Why would she call the police?"
"That kind of behavior is illegal. Someone who's lost the right to be human should be thrown in prison."
"Um… hiding in your room and smoking is pretty bad…" Sagiri grew a little nervous. "But it's not illegal, right?"
"… "
Blake went silent for several seconds before finally speaking again.
"You were talking about her brother smoking in his room?"
"Of course." Sagiri tilted her head. Her silver hair slipped over her shoulder, shimmering softly in the sunlight. Her innocent eyes reflected the blue sky outside. "What did you think I was talking about, Big bro?"
Blake: "…"
I'm sorry.
My thoughts were way too filthy. I should just commit seppuku right now.
After finishing the fruit, Sagiri picked up the plate and prepared to leave.
"Big bro, you keep working. I'll head out…"
No rushing this.
Winning over big brother has to be done step by step.
Today was already a big change. He needs time to get used to it, or he'll definitely get scared.
Besides, this is my second playthrough… and I live with him.
In short, I've got the advantage!
7:30 PM.
Blake put on his sneakers and headed out toward the supermarket at the end of the street, planning to grab some half-price bento.
As everyone knows, high school is when people tend to eat the most. You're still growing, and studying burns a ton of energy.
Grinding like crazy eats up stamina too. Blake usually stayed up until eleven, and if he didn't eat something, he'd get seriously hungry. Cooking was a hassle, so he made a habit of going out every night to grab discounted meals.
Night fell.
The neon lights flickered on.
Blake walked to the supermarket and waited quietly.
Around 8 PM, an employee came out and started slapping half-price stickers on the bento boxes. The crowd that had been waiting instantly sprang into action.
Blake snagged a half-price yakisoba and a half-price tonkatsu, paid, and headed out, satisfied.
"…It's raining?"
Only after stepping outside did he notice a light drizzle had started.
The rain was faint, so he didn't bother stopping. He just kept walking straight through it.
But after only a few steps, a harsh creaking sound suddenly cut through the air.
Blake turned toward the noise just in time to see a large outdoor billboard crash down from the third floor.
Right beneath it, a woman walking hand in hand with her daughter happened to be passing by.
"Watch out!"
Blake shouted instinctively.
And then—
The entire world seemed to freeze, like someone had hit pause.
"....."