Chapter 2


TL: Akabane


***


I was really surprised by this unexpected visit.


Of course, I knew that we would meet somewhere in school sometime in the future, but I never thought that we would meet again so soon.


What's more, the way we met was so bold that all my classmates saw the scene.


Needless to say, I got a lot of strange attention when he went to prepare for the next class.


"Touma~?  What's with that girl?"


"Is it because of the earlier talk about wanting a girlfriend?!"


When I returned to my seat, they immediately started asking me questions.


"No, that's not the kind of relationship you're thinking of."


"You didn't bother to hide it, did you?  She's so excited that she's willing to come all the way just to see you, so you can't hide it."


"It's really not that kind of relationship..."


The rumors that spread throughout the school are quite alarming, so no matter how good a friend you are, I still have to deny them clearly.


Especially when it comes to love stories...


With her looks, she definitely attracts a lot of attention, and everyone must be wondering about her love life.


If false rumors spread to her friends and family once she entered high school, she would definitely get into trouble.


"Then, why is she willing to go through all that trouble just to come see you?"


"She's my sister's best friend."


"Is that why she came to greet you?"


"Well, I've seen her when she visited my house and such."


I might deny it, but I didn't have to hide everything from my friends, so I told them everything honestly.


"Oh, does she look really good?"


"No, you're probably right.  I still don't know why I can hang out with my sister's friends."


"You would never lie to us, so I guess you're serious about it, but..."


"But?"


"Do you really not care about her?  She's very cute, you know.  Honestly, she's cute enough to be famous in her own right.  And she has a good personality, doesn't she?"


"Yes..."


That's right.


I bet if I were in their shoes, I would definitely say something similar to them.


It's true, that girl is perfect and very attractive.


I've been watching her since middle school, and I thought I understood that.


But I couldn't. I couldn't get into her life.


And the reason is──


"Well, she's my sister's friend.  That kind of thing can't happen."


These are the only words I need to say.


First of all, I think it's very rare for someone to be friends with their own siblings who are close in age.


My sister and I were in the middle of our youth, from junior high to high school.


There are many things we want to hide, and there are things we don't want to touch.  Especially when it came to the opposite sex.


But even so, her honesty never changed, and she was always willing to talk about anything and cooperate with my sister.


There was no way I could treat my sister's dearest friend with such feelings.


I couldn't imagine how painful it would be for my sister to see her.


And more than anything, I didn't want to do anything that would embarrass the girl who had trusted me as much as she trusted my sister.


If I embarrassed both of them, then our relationship would probably collapse.


I didn't want to be the stupid brother who ruined the relationship that had allowed us to support each other even though we were in different schools.


"I could tell by the look on your face that you were in trouble."


"That's right. Well, I won't ask again."


"I'm sorry.  I really appreciate your understanding."


The two of them were always light-hearted, but when it came to important matters, they were quite quick in absorbing them and they were also considerate of me.


They were the kind of friends I was too blessed to have.


After our conversation was over, the bell rang to announce second period.


The students, who had been chatting in their seats, returned to their respective seats and got ready for class.


"Listen up.  I'm in charge of the second year ancient literature─"


As usual in the new semester, the person in charge of the subject had already started introducing himself.


"Rin-chan, huh..."


She is my sister's best friend, and she has become a part of me too.


And because she was my sister's best friend, she was no longer a normal girl of the same age as me.


There are some things I know about her because of our close relationship.


That's why I can't help but think about things.


(I should report to Saki that Rin-chan approached me earlier...)


She's been talking about Rin-chan to me for the past few days, so I'm sure that she's also curious about her.


I'm sure she'll be relieved and happy knowing that I'll be able to help Rin-chan more easily.


And I just want to be the kind of person who can help my sister's best friend.


That way, there will be no conflict between us and everything will flow smoothly.



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