Chapter 33

As evening arrives, the sunset streams into the school building.

The school, which had been overflowing with people during the day, is now deserted as the closing ceremony ends and everyone finishes tidying up and goes home.

The entrance of the school is wrapped in silence.

There I stood alone.

It’s not that I had collapsed from exhaustion after the sports festival, nor was I simply standing there lost in the afterglow.

I had promised to go home with my sister today, so I’m waiting for her like this.

The sports festival ended with a dramatic comeback victory for the blue team.

The red team had been leading in the morning, but the blue team scored high points in the 100m selection and the afternoon borrowing race, with the girls’ relay finishing 2nd and the boys’ 1st in the selected relay.

The relay is given very high points every year to make the sports festival more exciting. This time, that system worked in favor of the blue team.

Thinking about it that way… it was close.

In the end, we came in 2nd. I thought we had secured victory after the girls’ relay selection took 1st place, but the boys’ ended up in 4th place. This result had a big impact.

But, her run was pretty amazing.

What comes to mind is the final dead heat of that relay.

From a perfect baton pass, she accelerated steadily and was close to passing the baton in 2nd place.

…I’m glad. She doesn’t seem to be too worried about her injury.

It was a light yet powerful run.

Maybe that friendship bracelet distracted her…

If so, maybe there was some meaning in me giving it to her after all.

I look at my right hand, now bare.

Giving that friendship bracelet to her.

It wasn’t something I did thoughtlessly.

To me, anything I receive from my little sister is more valuable than anything else, and I still cherish every birthday present she gives me, keeping them in my desk drawer or on a shelf.

But at that time.

For some reason, I thought of giving her that precious friendship bracelet from my sister, which I would normally have struggled with and probably not given away.

Why did I… do that?

I must have struggled with it. How was I able to give it away?

This is probably the first time I’ve felt like this.

I’ve always put my sister first and never fallen into this kind of feeling.

「Haa… tiresome.」

I unconsciously mutter.

The sound certainly echoed in the space wrapped in silence.

「Really… what a gloomy voice.」

A very familiar voice came from behind.

The voice of her, who I had talked to the most today, without a doubt.

When I turned towards the voice, Hoshino was standing there.

「You… still here?」

「Is that bad? I was late because I went to the infirmary for treatment before starting to clean up.」

As she said this, gauze was attached to her knee, indicating it had been treated.

She approaches in the same gym clothes as before. However, her ponytail had been undone, and her hair swaying in the wind was enchanting.

「Is your knee okay now?」

「Well, thanks to you, it didn’t become serious.」

「That’s good to hear.」

She answers with a cool face, looking the same as always.

The anxiety I had been holding inside turns into relief.

「And also…」

Although there shouldn’t be anything else to talk about, she still seemed to have something to say.

「What is it…?」

「U-Um… Thanks. You really helped me out with various things…」

It’s not often that she thanks me face-to-face like this. Because of its rarity, I was at a loss for words until she blushed and said, “W-Why don’t you say something…”.

「No, I’m just a bit surprised by your honesty.」

「Wha… N-Not that I don’t properly thank people when I’m grateful…」

“I’ve never seen that side of you though??” I don’t say unnecessary things like that. It’s not like I want to exchange banter.

I just said this to her as she looked away slightly, embarrassed.

「Thank you too for today. You helped me out a lot.」

She is expressing her gratitude like this, but if it weren’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have been able to say I enjoyed this sports festival.

If I had asked for the Home Economics Club’s help in that situation and she hadn’t accepted… after all that preparation, if we hadn’t succeeded, I would have regretted it for sure.

So in that sense, I was the one who was helped by her.

「Fufu… how strange.」

「Why…」

「I mean, the times you’ve thanked me can really be counted on one hand.」

「Is that so?」

「It is.」

Since it’s generally considered more correct to view things objectively rather than subjectively, if she says so, it’s probably true.

Though I find it very dissatisfying.

A boy and a girl classmate thanking each other in the empty entrance.

It might be a bit embarrassing if a third party were watching… but it’s not so bad.

「Ah, right. About this, I’ll return it to you after all.」

As if remembering, she tried to remove the friendship bracelet from her dominant hand.

「No, I gave that to you, didn’t I??」

I’m sure I said I was giving it to Hoshino. I didn’t say I was lending it.

「You say that, but isn’t it actually precious to you? It’s the one you got from your sister, right?」

「That’s…」

As if she could see through all my struggles, she accurately described my complex, tangled feelings that even I didn’t fully understand.

「Besides, at that time I wasn’t in the right state of mind… I ended up relying on that bracelet… I took it without thinking, but since your sister made it especially for you, it wouldn’t be right for me to keep it, right? After all, you should be the one holding onto this, not me.」

「……」

「…If it’s something precious and important, all the more reason, right?」

There’s still a bit of regret for letting it go and a sense of guilt towards my sister.

But I’ve never thought that choosing to give it away was a mistake.

However, Hoshino seemed determined to return the friendship bracelet to me.

As her left hand touched her right hand, which was wrapped with the bracelet, she suddenly muttered.

「Hey, there’s one last thing I want to ask.」

「What?」

「Um… well.」

She seemed unusually hesitant.

「Um… why did you wrap this around my dominant hand?」

Her voice was really weak compared to her usual tone.

She seemed unsure if she should ask this. Even as she voiced it, she seemed to be questioning whether she should, afraid of my reaction and response.

「That’s…」

I thought of saying that I simply wrapped it around the same hand it was on mine.

At that time, I didn’t have the luxury to think deeply about which hand to wrap it around.

But would she ask with such a face for something like that?

Could it be… that the meaning changes depending on which hand it’s wrapped around??

Considering it’s a wish charm, that’s entirely possible.

Maybe wrapping it around the dominant hand is taboo.

Let me say this, I don’t know much about the effects of friendship bracelets.

I only know that if you wrap it and it breaks, your wish will come true.

That’s the extent of my knowledge.

So even if I did commit a taboo, I wouldn’t realize it.

But… Hoshino didn’t particularly react at that time.

She didn’t resist when I wrapped the bracelet around her.

If she had known, she probably would have refused with all her might.

Which means, it’s likely that Hoshino gained knowledge about friendship bracelets when someone else pointed it out while she was wearing it.

If wrapping it around the dominant hand had a positive effect, she wouldn’t be asking like this, so I definitely committed a taboo…

I just wanted to help in some way, but it turned out to be a taboo.

I can easily imagine how she must feel upon learning this.

After confidently explaining everything, for it to end in such a disaster, it’s no wonder she might feel betrayed.

For now, I should apologize.

Even if I didn’t know, it’s true that I did something wrong.

「Y-You see…」

「Y-Yeah…」

「I didn’t do it to tease you or anything…」

I need to say this first.

I gave her the friendship bracelet hoping it would give her even a little of confidence and strength.

「R-Really…?」

「Y-Yeah… I gave it to you because I care about you… and I thought this was all I could do, if it made you uncomfortable, I apologize. I’m sorry.」

「N-Not at all! I-I didn’t think it was uncomfortable at all! You don’t need to apologize!」

Hoshino interrupts, almost cutting me off.

Her words were unexpected, and I can’t help but look at her.

As the sunset dyed our cheeks red, we looked at each other.

「I-I was, um… happy about it.」

She mutters while twirling her loose hair around her finger.

「You were happy…?」

「Yeah…」

「I see.」

Is she talking about the thoughtfulness rather than the effect of the bracelet?

If so, I feel I can proudly say that my decision wasn’t wrong.

「What are you smiling about…?」

Maybe it’s because my worries were truly relieved.

Apparently, I was smiling without realizing it.

「No, I’m just glad you understood. Knowing youm, I thought you’d get mad and say, “Why did you do this!! Idiot!” again.」

「Ha? Why would I get mad? If anything, why would I seriously get mad?」

「Eh? You wouldn’t?」

「Of course not… because, um…」

「What?」

「Um……」

「I can’t hear you if you speak so softly.」

「Me too. Um, em… kind of like──」

It was at that moment when she was about to say something.

「Onii!! I’m done now!!」

My sister, in the highest of spirits from winning, comes running towards us.

Inside, I want to praise her, saying “Great job! As expected! Well done!” while patting her head, but I restrain myself and try to maintain a calm demeanor.

「Welcome back. (I watched everything, from the waiting time to the cheering and events and ceremony.) You were amazing!」

「Yeah, I never thought we’d win, so I’m really happy!! Ah, Michika-senpai was with you!! Hello!」

「Ah… y-yeah… hello…」

「I see, I think you said you met her once.」

「Yeah, before. And I’ve been watching her from afar during relay practice too!」

「Ahahaha… is that so.」

「Yes! As I said before, I really respect Michika-senpai, so I’m happy to have this connection!」

「T-Thank you. I’m happy too.」

Is Hoshino being thrown off pace by Marina? Seriously? Even though she’s an absolute presence in class and others usually have to adjust to her.

As expected, my sister is going to be someone great.

Marina, who had approached Hoshino for a handshake, suddenly made a puzzled face.

「Hmm? Hoshino-senpai? Your hand and face are kind of red, and your body temperature seems high too? You’re usually so pale…」

「N-Not at all! I’m not feeling hot or anything, okay? Look, it was a scorching day today, so maybe I’ve unknowingly become dehydrated! This is not abnormal at all, okay?」

「I-I see…」

Hoshino, for some reason, spoke rapidly, not giving Marina a chance to interject.

She sounded a bit like an otaku, and getting hot isn’t such a weird thing, so there’s no problem, right?

As I was thinking this, my sister made another discovery.

「Ah… is this the one I made?」

This is bad… no, not really bad, but at worst, my sister might sulk.

「Ah, um… this is, well…」

Hoshino seemed to share the same thought, as her unease was visible.

「You see? There’s a deep story behind that…」

「I’m sorry… I was thinking of returning it to Takumi-kun…」

Both of us were trying to smooth things over. However, the situation takes an unexpected turn.

「Michika-senpai! I’m sorry for what my brother did!!!」

Marina suddenly bowed her head.

「Eh… wait… Marina-san?」

「Hold on! Why are you…?」

From my perspective, I thought it was natural for me to apologize for giving away the friendship bracelet my sister made.

But reality is upside down. For some reason, Marina is bowing to Hoshino.

I have no idea what’s going on anymore.

「I’m sorry… my brother must have forced it on you, right? Otherwise, there’s no way you’d be wearing a blue friendship bracelet when you’re in the black team!!」

「…Isn’t this some kind of good luck charm?」

「No!! Although it does have good luck included, this is like a symbol of unity for our class!」

Apparently, everyone in my sister’s class was wearing blue friendship bracelets on both arms.

「Wait? Then why did you give me something like that?」

「Because you were so shocked about the cheerleading squad. You know? At night, in your sleep, you keep saying, “Cheerleading squad… I didn’t know”. Hearing that, of course I’d feel guilty.」

「S-Still… you didn’t have to give me a blue friendship bracelet…」

I retort, writhing in embarrassment.

「The blue friendship bracelet has a charm for success in work and study! I was actually planning to give you one just like mine after the sports festival, meaning “Let’s do our best for the next test!”, but this morning you looked a bit tired, so I gave it to you early, meaning both for the sports festival and study! Look closely! Michika-senpai’s bracelet is the same as the class’s, with “Victory, Sports Festival!!” written on the back, right?」

As Hoshino hurriedly removes the bracelet, indeed, the words Marina mentioned are engraved there.

「You’re in the black team… and since it was something I gave you, I thought you’d keep it in your bag to not get it dirty, so why are you wearing it in the sports festival? This makes you a complete traitor, Onii!?」

「If it’s the same as my sister’s, the color doesn’t matter.」

「Haa… I underestimated you…」

Marina stares into the distance.

Indeed, normally one wouldn’t wear the enemy team’s color.

But being a surprise gift on the day itself, I had no self-control.

Please forgive me.

Hoshino, who had been silent for a while, speaks up here.

「W-Wait a moment… if the blue friendship bracelet symbolizes work and study, what about the dominant hand!? The dominant hand symbolizes love. Is that a lie???」

「No, that’s true, Michika-senpai. That’s why we were thinking of wearing it on the dominant hand during the sports festival, meaning “I’m crazy about the blue team!”, but then we thought, “Wouldn’t it be better on both hands?” so our class was wearing it on both hands.」

So it means your lover is the blue team.

「Eh? Wrapping it on the dominant hand means love? Then I was basically declaring my betrayal in front of everyone.」

I just realized a major blunder.

I thought today was a day of unusual attention, but does that mean there might have been people in that crowd who noticed the friendship bracelet and thought, “That guy’s a traitor”?

「That’s why I said so. By the way, it’s a bit of a rumor, you know? Some people are saying the blue team won because you were there.」

「This is bad… I’m going to be the target of my own team…」

「Well, well… Onii did contribute properly, so I don’t think anyone’s seriously saying that, okay??」

Comfort from my sister. How kind she is. My little sister.

She’s probably the best in the world after all.

「T-Takumi-kun… I heard something I can’t just ignore…」

「W-What??」

When I turn to Hoshino, her fists are trembling slightly.

She should be smiling, but I wonder why.

I feel a chill.

「Did you wrap the friendship bracelet around my dominant hand without knowing its meaning…?」

「Eh, I mean… it was wrapped around my dominant hand…」

「Crack.」

「Hii.」

Hoshino steps on a small twig below her.

At this point, I noticed my sister subtly retreating.

Oi, wait a minute.

Why? Why…?

「Takumi-kun, I’ll ask you again. Is it true that you wrapped the friendship bracelet around my hand without thinking?」

Hoshino closes the distance step by step.

This is bad, this is hundreds of times scarier than when she’s in her true self.

But there’s no way I did what Hoshino is suggesting.

I may have wrapped it around the dominant hand, but there’s no way I did it without thinking.

「There’s no way I’d give you the friendship bracelet from my sister without thinking. Listen, my sister is really important and precious to me. That’s why I wouldn’t give my precious treasure to anyone unless they were equally important.」

There’s one thing I’m sure of over these past few months.

My relationship with Hoshino is now closer than just acquaintances.

I don’t know how she feels, but at least for me,

She’s already──