「It’s morning, Onii-chan.」
「Is this a nightmare?」
「What is?」
「No, it’s nothing.」
When I opened my eyes, darkness was right in front of me.
I thought my time had come, but I’ve only lived a little over fifteen years, too early for my lifespan to end.
Upon closer inspection, it was my sister. Today too, she’s an ominous darkness. Or rather, a monster. It’s painful to describe my family as “monsters”, but she is a monster.
Rising from bed with a heavy heart.
It’s a bit warm under the displaced blanket.
I could feel summer approaching from the slight sweat on my skin.
「Unfortunately, it’s raining today.」
「Hasn’t it been like that recently?」
「It’s the rainy season after all.」
I feel like I was dreaming just now, but I can’t remember.
Well, if I forgot it, it must have been trivial.
As I absentmindedly watched my sister leave the room, I took off my pajamas, which have become small since I bought them in middle school, and changed into my uniform.
I descend the stairs carefully, so as not to tumble down like before.
「Since it’s raining, we’re having harusame.」
「It feels too late in the season to call it spring, though.」
「It’s spring according to the calendar.」
「It’s summer, isn’t it?」
The phrase “according to the calendar” is not a catch-all excuse to misrepresent the season. The calendar on the wall clearly states today’s date. Mid-June is about to end. There’s no way it’s spring.
It’s spring when you eat harusame.
My sister gave an incomprehensible explanation.
Perhaps as a form of body language, something like tentacles are wriggling. They squirm, as if stirring the air with chopsticks.
「Itadakimasu.」
「Yes, go ahead.」
I sat at the table and picked up the harusame with my chopsticks.
Looking at my sister, who was probably smiling, a question suddenly arose.
I’ve seen Nanaka and Yuna, who are fellow monsters, eating. However, I’ve never seen my sister eat anything.
Perhaps she can’t eat?
Come to think of it, Nanaka and the others seem to have a biology that fits within the human category to some extent, but my sister is completely a resident of the other world. Since she wasn’t originally born into this world, it’s questionable whether she can perform the same activities as normal living beings.
「What’s wrong?」
「…Nothing.」
I mutter that it’s nothing and shove the harusame into my mouth.
The flavor of the copious amount of chili oil passes through my nose.
I reflexively choked. The back of my throat felt like the Sahara Desert.
「Are you okay!?」
「I didn’t expect an assassination attempt…」
「I like spicy food…」
「You can eat?」
「Yeah.」
Apparently, she can eat.
My worries were unfounded.
I slam the barley tea in my cup into my stomach and sigh.
「Go easy on the spice next time.」
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「Okay.」
Her bright response makes me doubt if she really understood. It’s hard to believe she just attempted murder.
She stands up in a good mood and says something nonsensical like, “Want me to put Tabasco on your lunch’s fried chicken?” I stopped her with all my might.
「It’s delicious though…」
The image of my sister tilting her head in wonder stuck with me for some reason.
◇
「It’s hot…」
Perhaps due to the earlier PE class.
Nanaka is sweating blood-like droplets on the surface of her meat lump.
She’s like a sweat-blood horse now. She looks like she could run a thousand miles in a day.
「Good work.」
「What were you doing, Adashino-san?」
「Volleyball.」
「I had marathon…」
「Uwaa.」
As a self-proclaimed average male high school student, I’m not fond of strenuous exercise. Volleyball is fine because it’s not too tiring (if you don’t take the game seriously), but marathons are exhausting without question, so I’d prefer if they disappeared from this world.
If the Persian War hadn’t happened, we might not have to run marathons today.
「Why did you suddenly tilt your head?」
「I was wondering why wars don’t end.」
「That’s heavy. Something to think about during lunch break?」
「It’s trivial enough to think about, I guess.」
I say to her as she takes out a towel and starts wiping her surface.
Unfortunately, the towel was pure white, and it turned bright red in an instant.
Like the scene of a gruesome murder. Scary.
I plop down on my chair and look up at the ceiling.
It’s still mid-June in terms of season.
However, the scorching sunlight was streaming in from outside the window.
Thanks to that, sweat is starting to form.
「Fufufu, but I’m good at marathons.」
「Is that so.」
「In the village I used to live in… it’s called Toribeno Village, actually, I was known as the “Runaway Locomotive of Toribeno Village”. I’m totally up for track and field.」
「Isn’t that derailing?」
It’s a name that doesn’t quite fit track and field.
She seems like she’d easily cross the lanes.
The classroom had a relaxed atmosphere, perhaps because PE class had ended and it was now lunch break. Nanaka, sitting in her chair, slumps over her desk, “It’s hot”, she says, looking resentfully at the fan. It’s not hot enough to turn on the air conditioner, but at least a fan would be nice. That’s probably what she’s thinking.
I wonder if Susami-san managed to join the cheer club safely.
Suddenly, memories from a few days ago came back to me.
I haven’t seen her since then. Considering I hadn’t encountered her at school until now, it’s not strange for her to be out of touch for a few days. It’s actually natural.
「Mmm, could it be, Adashino-san.」
「What?」
「Are you thinking about a girl?」
「Why?」
「It’s “woman’s intuition”.」
I’d rather not have a lump of meat call itself a “woman”.
I almost said that, but the stares from my classmates were painful.
So I kept silent and buried my face in my desk, continuing to ignore Nanaka who kept calling “Adashino-san, Adashino-san”. It’s pitiful to be bothered by a lump of meat.