Basketball practice had finally ended.
It had been a great session.
The team had been giving it their all during scrimmages and I was looking forward to next month’s prefecture tournament.
Tanaka and I had been practicing our pick and roll game as well as our pick and pops.
Tanaka had finally developed a solid middie and we were putting it to good use.
I think we have a solid chance of doing really well in the tourney.
I was drenched in sweat and exhausted but I was feeling good.
Feeling confident.
I grabbed my bag and headed toward the shoe lockers.
“Kaito…”
I looked over.
Hikari was standing there.
“What’s up?” I said as I tried to catch my breath.
“We’re walking home together.”
“O-Okay?”
“Don’t make it weird.” Hikari had a flustered look on her face.
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“Good…”
She looked away.
“…I just…”
She scratched her cheek.
“…Need to go the same way.”
“We literally live in the same neighborhood.” It was hard not to burst out laughing at that moment.
“I know that.”
“So… that’s normal.”
“I KNOW.”
“Why are you yelling?”
“I’M NOT YELLING.”
“You kind of are.”
“…Tch.”
Before either of us could move… a blue blur ran towards us.
“Oh! Perfect timing~!” Akane said with an excited tone.
Hikari froze.
She looked like a deer in headlights.
“No.” Hikari looked like she was in complete disbelief.
Akane smiled.
“Wanna walk home together~?”
I nodded.
“Sure.”
Hikari looked like someone had stolen her winning lottery ticket.
The three of us started walking.
Just like old times.
At least… that was the idea.
Every few minutes, Akane would drift beside me.
Then Hikari would quietly insert herself between us.
Akane would respond with an apology.
Hikari would then insist she wasn’t trying to do anything.
Then I’d somehow end up in the middle again.
It was a weird little dance.
I sighed.
“Why does this keep happening?”
“Nothing’s happening!” Hikari stammered out defensively.
“It literally just happened.”
“Coincidence.”
Akane giggled.
“I think we’re just walking too close~”
“We’re on a sidewalk. We kinda have to,” I said.
“It’s a small sidewalk,” Hikari blurted out.
“It isn’t,” I replied.
“Shut up! It’s too small.”
I decided not to argue any further about the width of the sidewalk.
I could only lose so many brain cells in a conversation.
Besides, you’ve gotta pick your battles.
And the exact dimensions of a sidewalk when walking with two pretty girls is not one of those battles.
Halfway home we reached the spot in the neighborhood with various shops.
Hikari suddenly stopped.
“Wait here.”
“What?” I asked reflexively.
“I’ll be back.”
Before I could ask another question, she disappeared into a convenience store.
Akane tilted her head.
“Wonder what that was about~?”
“No idea.”
A minute later, Hikari came back.
Holding three popsicles.
“Here.”
She shoved one toward me.
Another toward Akane.
“Oh!” I yelped out as the popsicle was slammed into my chest.
How is this girl that’s like a foot shorter than me so freakishly strong?
Akane smiled at Hikari.
“Thanks~!”
“Don’t misunderstand…”
Hikari immediately looked away.
“…I bought them because they were on sale.”
“All three?” I teased.
“Shut up.”
I laughed.
“Well, whatever the reason, thanks.”
For just a second… Hikari smiled.
A real one.
Small.
But real.
It’s a sight I always liked to see.
Mainly because it was so rare.
Like spotting a unicorn.
Or fighting a dragon.
Akane smiled.
“I think it’s sweet~”
“It isn’t,” Hikari screeched out.
“It kind of is,” I said.
“It absolutely is not.”
I laughed.
For just a moment… things felt normal again.
Then…
An increasingly familiar voice drifted across the street.
“What a pleasant coincidence.”
I looked up from my frozen treat.
Yurika stood outside the bookstore.
A paper bag rested neatly in one arm.
She smiled exactly as she always did.
Elegant.
Perfect.
“Good afternoon.”
“President,” I greeted.
“Good afternoon.”
Akane waved enthusiastically.
“Hello~!”
Yurika returned the gesture.
Her eyes then settled on the popsicle in my hand.
“That look delicious.”
I nodded.
“I’m pleased to hear that. Strawberry is a personal favorite of mine as well.”
Yurika’s gaze shifted.
Toward Hikari.
For just a second.
“So…”
Her smile never changed.
“…you decided to walk home together.”
Hikari met Yurika’s gaze.
“We always have. Been walking home together since we were kids.”
“I’ve heard,” Yurika responded calmly.
Akane blinked.
“You have~?”
Yurika nodded.
“Of course. Kaito has mentioned it to me before…”
She looked back toward Hikari.
“I’m somewhat envious.”
Hikari narrowed her eyes.
“You should be.”
The sidewalk suddenly felt intense.
You could feel the tension in the air.
Yurika chuckled softly.
“I suppose you’re right.”
She clutched her bag a little more tightly.
“These sorts of memories are irreplaceable.”
Hikari didn’t look away.
She stared daggers directly at Yurika as the President continued to speak.
“But…”
Yurika’s voice remained gentle.
“…The future creates new memories every day.”
She looked directly at me.
“And who knows what memories tomorrow will bring?”
For the first time… Hikari smiled.
Not happily.
Confidently.
“Maybe…”
She stepped closer to me.
Close enough that our shoulders touched.
“…But tomorrow starts with people who’re already there.”
Hikari’s eyes narrowed.
“And I’ve always been there.” A small smile crept over her face.
Silence.
A breeze stirred between them.
Neither girl moved.
Neither girl’s smile faltered.
Akane looked increasingly uncomfortable.
“Um…” Akane looked between the two girls.
“…Am I interrupting something~?”
“No.” Hikari and Yurika answered in perfect unison.
I scratched my head.
“What are you two talking about?”
Both girls stopped staring at each other and looked at me.
“Nothing,” Hikari said immediately with a slight squeak.
“Nothing at all,” Yurika stated in her confident tone.
“I feel like that’s a lie.”
“It isn’t,” Hikari answered in a more assured voice.
I decided not to pursue this any further.
The atmosphere around us had turned weird and I didn’t want to say anything that would somehow make it worse.
Yurika bowed gracefully.
“I shouldn’t keep you three any longer.”
She turned to leave.
Then paused.
Without looking back.
“I look forward…”
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“…to tomorrow.”
She continued walking.
Hikari watched her until she disappeared.
Only then did she let out a slow breath.
Akane leaned closer and spoke softly.
“Hikari…”
“What?”
“You’re sure… nothing’s going on~?”
Hikari shook her head profusely.
“No.”
She looked down the street where Yurika had vanished.
Then she spoke again.
“Something’s definitely going on…”
She let out a sigh.
“And now…”
She quietly clenched the hand holding her popsicle.
“…she knows I’m onto her.”
Akane and I both exchanged glances.
While we were curious what was going on, we both instinctively decided to drop it.
It was best to keep the peace for the rest of our walk.
Plus, I wanted to enjoy my popsicle.
It also didn’t seem like Hikari was in any mood to elaborate.
I finally arrived home.
After the weird tension from earlier, I was glad to finally be back in my humble abode.
Kiyomi was lying upside down on the couch.
Naturally.
Because why would she ever sit like a normal human being?
I walked past.
She looked up from her phone.
“Onii-chan.”
“What?”
“How was your day?”
“…Normal.”
“You’re such a liar.”
“I am not lying.”
“You’ve had one of those weird romance protagonist weeks again, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“It means your life keeps getting stranger while you remain exactly as dumb.”
“Gee… thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
I started walking toward the stairs.
“By the way, big brother…”
“What?”
“…Did anything happen with President Amakawa today?”
I stopped.
“Maybe…”
Kiyomi immediately sat upright.
“Define maybe.”
“We ran into each other a few times.”
“Mm-hm.”
“She needed help with festival stuff.”
“Mm-hm.”
I began walking towards the stairs again.
“How’s Hikari?”
I stopped dead in my tracks.
“What do you mean?”
“Was she angry today?”
“Kind of. I mean, when is she not?”
“Yeah.”
“Did she kick you?”
“Twice.”
“Only twice?”
“Should there have been more?”
“No. Well maybe…”
She nodded to herself.
“I suppose that’s within expected parameters.”
“Expected parameters?”
“Yup yup.”
I rubbed my temples.
“I feel like you’re making all of this up.”
“I’m making educated guesses.”
“They don’t sound educated.”
“They’re very educated.”
“Where’d you get your degree?”
“The University of Me.”
“That explains a lot.”
“Does it?”
She became unusually quiet.
That was somehow more unsettling than all the usual crazy talk.
“Onii-chan…”
“What?”
“Do me a favor.”
“Maybe.”
“If President Amakawa ever asks you to do something weird…”
“Like what?”
“…Just text me.”
“Why?”
“So I know.”
“Know what?”
“How much time we have.”
“Time until what?”
She smiled.
“The next operation.”
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know.”
“You keep saying things that sound important.”
“They are.”
“Then explain them.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You’d accidentally warn the enemy.”
“There isn’t an enemy!”
“There is.”
“Who?”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“I’d rather you just tell me.”
“No.”
I sighed.
“You’re impossible.”
“You’ve been warned.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Whatever. Not much of a warning if I have no clue what it means.”
“Big brother?”
“What?”
“If somebody was trying to steal something important from you, what would you do?”
“Okay seriously, what are you talking about?”
“Just answer the question.”
“I don’t know. I guess… I’d fight for it.”
“Good.”
She grinned.
“Sleep well, Onii-chan.”
“You too.”
I finally headed upstairs.
Halfway to my room, I glanced back.
Kiyomi was pacing around the living room.
She had a pensive look on her face.
As well as a massive grin.
I sighed.
“She’s definitely planning something.”
I decided I didn’t want to know.
Whatever it was, I already knew it was future me’s problem.
Current me was going to relax in his room before getting some much needed rest.
Granted, that probably means future me will think current me is stupid.
Oh well, that’s his problem.
Kiyomi waited until my bedroom door closed.
The grin disappeared.
She hurried off to her room.
“Well, well, well…”
She walked over to her desk.
Opened the top drawer.
Pulled out a notebook.
Across the front written in thick pink marker:
Operation: Save My Idiot Brother
She flipped past the first few pages.
Names.
Arrows.
Observations.
Ridiculous doodles.
Then she stopped on a blank page.
At the top she carefully wrote:
Potential Allies
She tapped her pen against the paper.
“Hmm…”
The first name appeared.
Hikari
Kiyomi tilted her head.
“Too emotional.”
A second name.
Akane
“Too nice.”
A third.
Miya
“Too logical.”
She leaned back in her chair.
“This is going to be harder than I thought.” A slow smile spread across her face.
“Good. I like a challenge.”
She uncapped her pen again.
“If she’s building an army…”
Another name appeared beneath the others.
Tadashi
She stared at it for several seconds.
“Absolutely not. I’m not that desperate.”
She scratched it out so aggressively the paper nearly tore.
“He’s… an idiot.”
She tapped the notebook a few times with her pen.
“A… useful idiot?”
She drew a question mark beside his name.
Then looked at the growing list.
Her smile became almost predatory.
“So…”
She slammed the notebook shut.
“…Guess it’s my turn.”