HS Chapter 27: The hopeless sister is admired.

The fun May holidays with Koma are over in the blink of an eye and before I knew it, it’s already June. The beginning of the rainy season has been declared on the news, and the rain has been pouring down mercilessly and gloom from the heavens since this morning.

“—-Now, I’ll do the roll call as always so reply in a loud voice when you hear your name.”

This may be sudden now, but I have a confession to make. I, Tachibana Mako…. I don’t like rain that much. Many elements about it make me hate the rain.

“Asano” “Here!”

“Ishita” “Here!”

First, I hate it when I can’t dry the laundry outside. Even if you want the sun to dry your clothes, you can’t easily hang them outside because there is no sun during the rainy season. If you dry them indoors and don’t dehumidify them well then the smell is going to be strong. 

It’s also annoying that thanks to the high humidity it can cause mold to grow in the kitchen, bathroom, inside the air conditioner, and behind the washing machine. And it’s not easy to prevent it… It doesn’t matter how much you try to prevent it and when it happens, it’s relentless.

“Kisaki” “Here”

“Kimura?… Hm? What, Kimura still hasn’t come? That child is too serious to be late so it’s rare.”

Second, I hate it that the food gets spoiled easily during the rainy season. Thanks to food spoiling easier the chance of food poisoning occurring is easier as well, and even though I take care in making Koma’s food who suffers from dysgeusia, I have no other choice but to be even more careful in making food and obentou than usual.

Speaking of food, just the other day I went out to shop for ingredients for dinner and when I saw the waterfall pouring down outside, I felt depressed. You’ll need to get an umbrella every time and your shopping bags will get wet… You can’t go outside even if you wanted to and it’s one of the reasons I hate the rainy season, too!

“Sensei, isn’t Kimura-san resting? He seemed to be in a lot of pain yesterday.”

“Hm? Aaah, now that you say it, I remember. I’ll check in the staff room later to make sure he has called in absent.”

… You may think all my reasons to hate the rainy reason sound more like a housewife than a junior high school student, but as the person in charge of the housework it’s a matter of life and death for me so please forgive me.

“Okay… Next, Kube.” “Here”

“Kawano” “Here”

You’re wondering if there is a reason I hate the rainy season that’s not housewife-like?—- Uun… Well, maybe I do.

This season—- I don’t like being attacked suddenly by a heavy downpour.

“Saiu” “Here”

“Sasabara” “Here”

What’s to like about being hit by a sudden rainstorm? For example, yeah, let’s imagine it a bit. Let’s assume that a sudden rainstorm hits me and Koma when we are walking together back home.

“… It was severe, wasn’t it, Koma? It’s coming down so harshly.”

“That’s right, Nee-sama… Although I properly prepared an umbrella, it was no match for the evening shower.”

It was raining so hard that the folding umbrellas we had prepared were of little use, and we, the Tachibana sisters, fled to a nearby shrine as wet rats.

“Aaah… Even the insides of my shoes are soaked…”

“Same for me, too. I hate it when it happens… Also… Nee-sama please look at this. I don’t like being this wet…”

“Oooho!”

As she says that, Koma displays her wet body seductively to me… The shirt is wet from the rain and it sticks to her skin. And through that wet shirt, I can see her neat-looking bra, and a glimpse of Koma’s beautiful skin that is as white as ceramic, without a single impurity.

“Kushun(*Sneeze*…!”

“Aah… Are you okay, Nee-sama?”

“Un, sorry, I think I got a bit of a cold…”

Maybe it was because I was gazing at Koma’s body with saliva in my mouth, but I had completely forgotten to wipe my wet body and hair with a towel. 

So my body suddenly gets cold and I sneeze without wanting to. When I sneeze, my Koma comes closer to me…

“Then, Nee-sama. I’ll share my warmth with you— It’s body warming.”

“A, un. Thank you… Eeeh!? Body warmth, is it perhaps that!?”

“Yes. It’s what you think of….. Then, Nee-sama, please undress.”

It’s natural… That’s right, no matter how one sees it, me and Koma get in a good mood naturally… And then—-

“Kouki…? Huh? Kouki is resting, too? There are many that are resting today… Then, next. Okay— Tachibana. Tachibana? Oi, don’t tell me the super healthy Tachibana is also off—-”

“—–And then, the two of us embrace our naked skins and share our warmth… We don’t just warm our bodies but also seek each other’s bodies… Fuoooooooooo!? I’m sorry, rainy season-san, saying I hate you was a lie! I like rain! I like sudden rain the most! Rainy season is the beeeeeeeeest!”

“….Tachibana.”

“””….”””

I’m sorry, I’ll take back what I said earlier! I like the rainy season! I express my gratitude to the rainy seasons from the bottom of my heart for making Koma’s heart and body see-through!

“….Oi, Tachibana. Oi… Tachibana Mako…”

“Yes, sensei! The rainy season is a good season!”

While excited, I answer to sensei who was calling me. Sensei replies to me with a frown.

“Hoo? You like the rainy season that much, Tachibana.”

“Yes! I love them! They’re my second favourite after Koma!”

“….I see. Tachibana… You like the rainy season enough to interrupt my morning assembly?”

“He?”

….Ah? Morning assembly? Sensei’s words bring me back to reality.

“””(…This idiot… She says something strange in a loud voice again…)”””

I can hear and understand what they’re saying even without putting it into words. Also, everyone’s eyes were focused on me as if they were looking at a poor child… Ah, could it be that the morning assembly has started before I noticed it…?  

The next thing I knew, my uncontrollable love for Koma was leaking out and everyone in the class was hearing about my fantasy. In addition to that, I didn’t listen to the morning assembly that had started without me knowing about it, and the teacher is pissed off because I interrupted his morning assembly. Aah, what is with this horrible Deja vu.

“You have 5 seconds to choose, Tachibana. Will you obediently listen to me from now… Or you’ll do 10 laps around the sports ground as punishment, now?”

“Ettto…”

“As your teacher, I wouldn’t mind if you went out for a fun marathon by yourself in the pouring rain right now since you seem to have so much energy and love for the rainy season… What will you choose, Tachibana?”

“… Please, I’ll listen to the scolding.”

For that reason. Outside of the classroom it rains with thunder, and inside of the classroom it rains with the angry thunder and scoldings of sensei. It was such a lovely (?) rainy morning.

◇　◇　◇

“Okay—, That’s why, some are absent due to sickness or other reasons today.”

After scolding me for a while, sensei while sighing resumed the morning assembly.

“Well, there are a few exceptions like Koma, who is unnecessarily energetic and has creepy fantasies in the morning “Creepy! You’re uselessly energetic!”, but June is a time of seasonal change and the high humidity makes it even easier to get sick than usual. Everyone, take care of your bodies.”

While saying something that makes me want to cry, sensei starts to distribute handouts to everyone. You’re a cruel sensei, isn’t being energetic a good thing…

Well, certainly there are limits, but.

“I just received handouts from the health teacher with prevention and countermeasures on how to deal with this season. Read it carefully. Morning assembly is over. Good luck with your studies today, too.”

When sensei finished handing them out and running short on time with the scolding, sensei quickly left the classroom and ran to the staff room. Haa… I’m finally free…

“Yei, Koma got scolded again–”

“Your eccentricity acted up again early in the morning… Pray that your beloved Koma-chan doesn’t hear your strange voice.”

“It’s so hot, humid, and uncomfortable, and you shout your fantasies so loudly that it makes me feel even worse. Thanks to you, my discomfort level has risen.”

“Myy, it’s June and the hopeless sister is hopeless as usual.”

“…Yes, yes. I’m sorry for being a perverted sister since this morning.”

After the morning assembly, my classmates gathered at my seat as usual and started to make fun of me verbally. Shit… These bastards, saying whatever they want.

However, I can’t deny that it isn’t my fault…

“By the way, everyone. I’ll change the subject, but, aren’t there a lot of classmates absent today as sensei says? Kimura-chi and Kouki from today, and then Himenon is absent from yesterday.”

“Hm? Aah… You’re right. Those 3 are absent, also… There are a lot of classmates with masks.”

For the time being, I say something like that to change the subject to avoid being tossed around like a ball and one of my friends agrees and looks around the classroom. Me and my other friends followed suit and looked around the classroom… I can certainly see classmates here and there that are coughing and looking lifeless.

Now that I remember, this is the season where the weather is unpredictable and you have to watch out for colds… On second thought, I do hate the rainy season. I got scolded by sensei thanks (?) to the rainy season.

“I wonder if there’s a cold or something running around. I’ll have Koma and Aunty take care not to catch a cold…”

“… Truthfully, I do too… My throat has been a bit sore since yesterday… I think I’ve caught a cold from my family…”

I mumble something to myself and my friend sitting next to me joins the conversation.

“My… Kanakana, are you all right?”

“Hm… Well, I think so. It’s just that my throat is sore…”

My friend also seems to have a cold, she’s wearing a mask and her voice is hoarser than usual. 

Hmm… Are you sure you’re okay? You look like you’re ready to collapse to me…

“Fuun… Throat, is it… Ah, I just remembered. Hey, Kanakana, I have cough candies, if you’d like I can give some to you.”

“Eh… Is it okay, Mako…?”

“Un, I have lots so feel free. If it’s really sore just lick them. I think it will easen it up.”

“Th-Thank you… I’ll take you… on your offer…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t be hesitant.”

She seems to be in a lot of pain, so I share some of the cough drops with her that I bought for Koma.

“You know, Kanakana. You look like you’re in a lot of pain… Are you really fine? And looking at you close, your face seems red?”

“Lessee…? Wow, isn’t your face deep red as Mako says?”

“You look pretty sick. Your temperature is high too… Kanai, how about I come with you to the infirmary?”

Everyone around me starts looking worryingly at my friend and calls out to her…. Oh what, so everyone in the class is kind. What nice fellows.

“No, right now I’m fine… I might have to go to the hospital tomorrow. Also sorry, I’ll take a nap till next class starts…”

“I see. Okay, I’ll wake up Kanakana when the next class starts. Till then please sleep well.”

“Hm… Thank you, Mako…”

After muttering a ‘thank you’ to me, my friends plops down on the desk and starts to sleep. Anyhow, take care.

I lower the volume of my voice one notch so that my friend can get some sleep, and I continue talking with my other friends.

“…Kanakana, looks like she’s in pain.”

“That’s right. Kanai said that she gets a lot more migraines when it rains or snow falls… On top of that, catching a cold these days is going to be painful…”

“Yeah, that’s tough. I get a headache often when it rains, too… And then the cold that makes my throat sore is the worst. I become gloomy.”

“I get you… Please spare me from that irritating sore throat mixed with an intense headache.”

Like that my friends around me start talking about the cold as a topic… Umu, I’m stuck. I somehow feel alienated.

… Cold, the cold…? I’ve never dealt with it before…

“Fuun. Colds seem to be severe from what I’ve heard from everyone.”

“…? Obviously. Colds are severe. It’s also hard for Mako when you catch a cold, right?”

One of my friends looks at me with an astonished face expressing ‘Why is this girl saying something so obvious?’. Even if you say that, It’s not that obvious to me…

“Aah, no, about that….”

“What is it, Mako.”

“About that… I’ve never had a cold until now, so I don’t know how painful it is. I see now… The cold is really hard…”

“””…..Haaa?”””

I mutter to myself as I look at the health handout that the teacher had just given me, and my friends who were discussing colds— No, it’s not just them. All my friends in the classroom, even the friend next to me who I gave a throat candy to and who said she’d sleep until class started, turned to look at me at once. ….Eh? What? What’s wrong, everyone?”

“Wait right there, Tachibana. What did you just say?”

“?? I said that I don’t know how painful a cold is because I’ve never had it…”

“You never caught the cold? Not even once?”

“Un, never.”

I’ve never gone to the hospital by myself, I’ve gone there only to accompany Koma. I’ve never suffered from the cold as far as I can remember.

If I had to say, I’d say I almost had a fever from studying too much nutrition, and almost collapsed.

“You real? You really haven’t caught a cold?”

“That’s right. Probably never since I was born. I’m the super-healthy sister.”

I can hear the classroom buzzing at my response. Fufufu, it seems everyone takes a second from the usual idiot that I am. 

That’s right, Aunty and Koma call me a health otaku and I’m very particular about health.

I gargle and wash my hands every day. I use the nutritional knowledge I learned for Koma to build my body, sleep regularly, and wake up. I’ve continued doing this and thanks to it, I’ve gotten a body that won’t lose against the cold.

“That’s… Mako is amazing…”

“Hahahaha! How about it, have it made you rethink yourself about me? Are you impressed?”

When I proudly boasted about it, the class nodded their heads in great admiration and replied.

“””Un, we’re impressed. It’s amazing—-So it’s true that idiots never catch colds!”””

“Hahaha!…. I knew you’d say that, you bastards!”

I was told by all of my classmates without a hint of hesitation that I believed in my thoughts “They’re gonna say that…”. I wonder if it’s fine for me to cry.