HS Chapter 64: The hopeless sister cleans.

When one of the members of the track and field team sprained her ankle, my angel Koma was hurriedly assigned to replace her in the track and field competition. The events Koma will compete in are the relay and the 100m race, and while the individual 100m race is one thing, the relay requires practicing baton passing and she needs to practice with the other contestants.

Since the day she decided to help out, Koma has been training hard every day, both after school and early in the morning.

“—- Then, Nee-sama. See you later!”

“Un. I know it’ll be difficult today too, but do your best Koma!”

“Yes! I’ll do my best!”

“As I told you yesterday, Onee-chan will show up at the track club around noon. I’ll bring you some lunch and snacks, so look forward to it, Komaa♪”

Today is Sunday. The school itself is closed for the day, but the track and field club is practicing today, of course. That’s why, I see Koma off at the door as she heads off to practice in the early morning, while it’s still dark outside.

… I don’t care whether it is a small chit-chat, but it’s like a loving morning conversation between newlyweds… Such as ‘I’m off, my honey♡!’ and ‘Take care, darling♡ I’ll bring you your lunch later!’.

“… I’m really sorry, Nee-sama. I’m sorry to make you come to the track club on your day off…”

“Ahaha! It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t mind it.”

Koma bows apologetically to me, who is still imagining such unpleasant things. 

Why is Koma apologizing to me? And why would I go to the trouble of bringing her something? Un, well there are a lot of reasons for that…

As you already know by now, Koma has a slightly peculiar constitution that she can’t tell other people about. Yes, she has a constitution that requires me to kiss her in order for her taste buds to return.

Her constitution has been getting better lately, but I still have to kiss her at least once to get her taste buds back once the duration is over.
Of course, I have to kiss Koma during lunch, so I have to make contact with her once before lunch… If I, an outsider, were to show up at the track and field club empty-handed…

‘You there, hopeless sister! You’re getting in the way of Koma-chan’s practice, so get out of here!’

There’s always the risk of being kicked out by the angry members.

So I came up with a plan to make lunches and snacks and bring them to the track club. As long as it’s in the name of bringing food, I won’t be turned away too soon if I show up at the track and field club. After I bring the food to the track and field club,

‘I’m sorry! I forgot something in the club room, so I’m going to go get it with Koma!’

I can make up any excuse to leave our seat, and then go to the club room to kiss Koma as usual. Umu, that’s a pretty good idea coming from me.

“This is what I like doing, so don’t mind me, Koma.”

“But… Because I said I wanted to participate in the competition, I had to use up your precious holiday time!”

“I told you not to apologize to me, Koma. Didn’t I tell you that I’ll support you. I should do at least this much as your Onee-chan. Okay?”
“….. Thank you very much, Nee-sama. Bringing me food… And caring about this constitution of mine…”

“Hahaha! It’s my pleasure, Koma!”

When I pat Koma’s head gently, she squirms a little and thanks me happily. My, my, this much is no issue at all.

“…. Now. I feel reluctant to leave you, but I need to leave soon. Nee-sama, till later.”

“Oooh… Is it that time already? Un, I got it. Then, see ya later—- Ah, that’s right. Sorry, Koma, can I ask you something?”

“…? What’s wrong, Nee-sama?”

I hold Koma back as she tries to leave for morning practice. Not good…. I was so busy chatting with Koma that I forgot to ask her something important…

“Ehm, there’s still time till lunch… It’s Sunday, so Onee-chan thought I’d kill some time and do my monthly house cleaning…”

“House cleaning, is it…?”

… You may think this is surprising, but I like to be clean. I love to keep my room tidy and clean. That’s why on holidays like this, I enjoy cleaning, but…

“Un, that’s right. So, about it… I intend to clean the whole house, but… You have track and field practice all day today, so you can’t clean your room, right? That’s why, I want to know… Can I clean Koma’s room while I’m at it?”

“… Fumu.”

If I were to enter a room and clean it without permission from the person in question, I’d be in danger of being disliked by Koma. That’s what I thought, and I timidly asked permission from Koma. I guess she doesn’t like it due to wanting her privacy….?

“…. Of course, if Koma doesn’t want me entering your room, I won’t force my way in and clean it… How about it, Koma? You don’t like me cleaning it for you?”

“No. I’m fine with it. If it’s Onee-sama, there’s no problem in letting you enter my room without permission. If it’s alright with you, I’d like you to clean my room.”

Even though we’re sisters, it’s still a bit troublesome to have your room cleaned without your permission… Is what I thought, but…. Koma doesn’t look uncomfortable, and she’s refreshingly agreeable.

Well, I was sure the pure and tidy Koma would say something about troublesome things like ‘…… (*Mumble*)… I’ve already put all the things I don’t want my sister to see in the safe and locked it up, so there’s no problem.” it wasn’t impossible. Seems I worried too much.

“Hm, okay, I got it. Well, then, thank you for letting me clean it for you. I’ll make sure your room is spotless! I won’t leave anything unclean!”

“Fufu… I’m really looking forward to that when I get back. So, Nee-sama, thank you again and again. I’m off to practice!”

“Have a good time!”

With a wave of her hand, Koma cheerfully exits the door. I wave as hard as I can to keep up with Koma, and as soon as the door closes, I secretly throw a kiss through the door before I start to clean.

To start with, I took out the vacuum cleaner and rags from the cleaning kit and headed for Koma’s room.

“…. *Cough*. Well then, I’ll excuse myself in Koma’s room.”

The owner of the room, Koma, is not here, but as a courtesy, I cough and mutter a few words before stepping into her room. I don’t think I’ve been in this room since final exams.

“Fumufumu… I see. Great job, Koma. You’re properly keeping the room tidy and organized.”

I enter inside and take a quick look around. As I expected, Koma, who likes to keep her room as clean as I do, seems to keep her room tidy without me telling her to do so.

Thank you. This way, I don’t have to clean up the room again, and the back of bookshelves and picture frames, which are usually difficult to clean… Then I can just focus on cleaning the windows and stuff. I’m glad I have such firm little sis.

“Now. I’ll get right into cleaning—- That’s good and all. But before that…”

It has been some time since I’ve entered Koma’s room, so before I start cleaning. There’s something I have to do while Koma’s not here.

After gently placing the vacuum cleaner and bucket on the floor, I walk to Koma’s bed, feeling a little nervous…

*Poof*

I lie down on the bed, half falling down… That’s right, it’s the bed Koma always sleeps on.

“… Fuo… ooooooooooh! Koma’s bed! Koma’s sheets! Her pillow! Koma’s futon! Fuououououoh!”

I roll from one end of the bed to the other, making strange noises and writhing while hugging Koma’s beloved futon tightly. I would occasionally bury my head in her pillow and take deep breaths on it…

…. What the h*** are you doing!? Oh my… Please don’t make me say it. It’s embarrassing.

“Oooh… It smells good! It smells good…!”

I take advantage of Koma’s absence and go on a rampage. I remain in the bed where Koma had slept just a while back… The warmth of Koma, her lingering scent, gently envelops me.

How… How much more blissful can this moment get. I want to stay in this ecstatic moment forever.

“…. Haa!? This… This… A strand of Koma’s hair!?”

As I roll around and writhe, I discover a long, beautiful, straight strand of Koma’s hair left on the sheets. I thankfully retrieve it, and I shall keep it as a treasure from her to myself.

Thinking about this, I took out a plastic bag with a zipper from my pocket and hurriedly collected the hair from Koma—- And then the next moment.

*Craack*

“… Ne, Nee-sama…!? What… were you doing just now…!?”
“Bufufuf!?”

Suddenly, the door behind me opened and I heard a shaky voice asking me that question. 

Ne, Nee-sama… did I hear!? Impossible!? Don’t tell me that Koma came back!? Isn’t it time for her morning practice…!? Did she forget something…!?

“This is not how it looks! It’s definitely not it! It’s definitely not what it looks like, okay!?”

Whatever the case, this situation is very bad. I get out of bed in a panic and turn around to make some excuse. And before my eyes was,

“Hahaha! Hey, you’ve been tricked. How was it, Mako? Did I sound just like Koma?”
“…. I … got surprised…! It was you, Aunty!?”

It was Aunty Meiko, standing and leaning against the door with a mean grin on her face…. That now… was mimicking Koma’s voice…?

At any rate, I was relieved that Koma hadn’t seen what I’d just done, and I collapsed on the spot with relief. I think my life span got shorter…

“Aunty!? Can you please stop making ill-mannered jokes!? I thought my heart was going to stop, you know! Is it fun teasing me!?”

“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun, Nee-sama♡.”
“Didn’t I tell you to stooooooooooooooooooooooooop!?”

I grabbed Aunty and protested, but she looked carefree and mimicked Koma’s voice again, taunting me.

…. It’s even more annoying because she’s Aunty and she sounds unnecessarily like Koma’s voice…

“Don’t get so angry. It’s just a small joke… In general, it’s your fault for doing something that you don’t want Koma to see…”

“Guuh… That, that’s….”

I can’t talk back at all to her because it’s totally my fault…

Well, it was just a light joke. I’m a tolerant woman, and I’ll tolerate a childish joke from Aunty.

“I-I got it. I’ll let you off the hook for that prank you just pulled on me, Aunty… Just so you know what’s better for you, don’t tell Koma what you just saw, Aunty… Please…”
“Eeh? Hmm, I wonder? If Mako gets kneels down to me and says, ‘Please, Aunty! I’ll make lots of delicious snacks for you today, and you can drink as much as you want, so please don’t tell anybody!’ then I’ll think about it.”

“….”

This hag… She’s riding on a high horse now that I’m acting modestly…

“….. Fuuun. Like h*** I’d say that. Like I’ll say it…. Fine. You can tell her if you want to tell her.”

“Hee…? Is it fine? Won’t you get in trouble if I tell her?”

“Un, it’s fine. But, on the other hand… Be prepared to have your room cleaned as soon as you tell Koma about this.”
“I was joking, Mako-chanya. There’s no way I would say something that would embarrass my precious niece Mako-chan… So please don’t clean my room or anything like that, not even as a joke…”

With cold sweat dripping down her face, Aunty got down on her knees and pleaded with me. Idiot, you completely forgot that I’m above Aunty in the hierarchy of this family in terms of household chores.

“Rather, do you hate me cleaning your room that much? I honestly can’t stand to look at that messy room, and I can’t stand to see it messy… If possible, I’d like to clean Aunty’s room, jokes aside…”

“Please stop!? Haven’t you thrown my personal belongings when you were cleaning my room?”

“Of course, if there’s garbage scattered all over the room, I will throw it away without hesitation.”

Just the opposite of me and Koma, Aunty is not good at cleaning up. No matter how much I warn her, she won’t clean her own room, and she can’t throw away anything, even if it’s trash by all accounts.

When I see it, it’s expired snacks and plastic drink bottles that I don’t know when she bought them…. I don’t understand why she can’t just throw it all away. She’s a splendidly hopeless person on a different vector than me…

“If you don’t want me to clean up your room, you should at least clean it yourself. A messy room is a messy mind, Aunty. If you keep your room neat and tidy, I’m sure you’ll be able to get more work done?”
“I-I’m busy with writing a novel now… So, I don’t have time to clean up right now…”

“… Then you’d better clean up after yourself when you get it done.”
“Yees…”

Aunty replied monotonously. She probably won’t clean her room even when she finishes work… Well, it’s fine. I don’t think nagging her too much will have any effect. 

Now… I’ve had enough of the lingering scent and warmth of the Koma, and if I continue any longer, Aunty will tease me again. I think it’s time to start cleaning Koma’s room in earnest, which was my original purpose. First, I’ll start with removing the dust with a dustpan in hand.

“The basis for dusting is to start from the bottom and work to the top~♪ Hmhmh”

“… Mako’s really good at cleaning, unlike how you look. I’m a bit impressed.”

“Unlike how I look, you’re being rude Aunty. Rather, why are you still here, Aunty? Don’t you have work?”

“Hn? Aah, I’m fine. I reached far enough where I could take a break. I’ve got some free time on my hands, and while I’m playing with Mako, I thought I’d come up with something for my next novel.”

While I am dusting the bookshelves and curtain rails, Aunty is sitting on the chair of Koma’s study desk, watching me cleaning with great interest.

Honestly, you’re a nuisance, and if you’re not busy, why don’t you help me clean it up….

“Fuun… Ah, Maybe the novel is the one where I and Koma are the models?”

“Yeha. I’ve gathered enough material during the summer vacation…. I’m proud to say I’ve done a good job! BA☆KA☆U☆RE☆ is certain!” (TN: Basically, Aunty thinks it will be sold out immediately or sth.)

“…. How can you say that yourself?”

Aunty proudly proclaimed so with her chest puffed up…. Well, leaving me alone, it’s certainly well done, as it’s modeled after Koma… I’ve been having fun reading every volume.

“Leaving it aside… Hey, Aunty. I’ve been reading your novels, and I was wondering if I could ask you something.”

“Aah? What is it? Good feedback is welcome, bad feedback is not!”

I finished dusting and now I’m talking to Aunty while vacuuming.

“It’s not really a difficult question… I know that it’s modeled by me and Koma, right?”

“Aah. That’s right… Don’t tell me you want me to give you more money for being a model?”

“No, that’s not it… You know, the novel—- The older sister is actually pure at heart, while the younger sister is actually a very muscular woman who’s always trying to get her older sister sexually. Why’s the establishment like that? Isn’t it the reverse?”
“…..”

I ask her something that’s been bothering me for a long time. Model-wise, I think that setting, no matter how you look at it, is the opposite of where I and Koma stand…

When I asked her that, she awkwardly lowered her eyes and started mumbling something.

“…. (*Mumble*) Isn’t it just you who’s not aware of it? Even though she approached Mako in such a straightforward way….”

“Ha?”

“… Never mind it. As for the difference in the setting…. Look, that setting is not interesting, right? That’s why I’ve slightly rearranged it when I’m writing.”

“Aah, now that you say it.”

I see, so arrangement… You’re right, it would be boring to draw the everyday life of me and Koma. I see, I see. The question that’s been bothering me for a while has been cleared up, and I feel a little better.

“…. Hey, Mako. I’ve got a question for you, too… Is it fine with you?”
“Hm? What is it?”

Just as I was finishing vacuuming and thinking about cleaning the windows, Aunty this time wants to ask me. Oh? What is it that Aunty wants to go to the trouble of asking?

“… A little bit later on… I’ll have trouble with the ending of my novel.”
“Novel, you say…. The one where me and Koma are the models?”
“Ouh, that one. As reference, I’d like to ask you, the model for the novel… In an unlikely event… No, one in a billion…. No, in one in a trillion, and that’s that Koma likes you in the sense of Love, not Like.”

“Isn’t it better to just say that there is zero chance…!?”

It made me a bit sad. Well, certainly I already knew that the chance is almost non-existent but… I think it’s okay to have a little bit of hope…

Maybe it’ll be just a fluke of some kind, and Koma will fall in love with me… Maybe, maybe…

“Just listen to what I have to say. Suppose Koma likes you, and Koma tells you, ‘I like you, Nee-sama, please go out with me’. In that case… what would you do?”

“…. Eetto.”

Aunty asks me with an unusually serious expression. What’s with that suddenly…

What would I do, you ask…. I don’t know… What a weird question to ask.

That’s…. It’s obvious, isn’t it.

“I don’t know what kind of ending Aunty has in mind for the novel, but… If such a wonderful event happened, then…”

“Then?”
“…. I’ll definitely make Koma happy…”
“… Hohouu…”

When I answered the obvious in a very natural way, Aunty smiled at me as if she was satisfied.

“… Un. As expected of you, Mako. Good answer from my thickheaded niece.”

“Thi-Thickheaded…!? Wait a minute, Aunty!? What are you on about?”

“Hahaha! It’s nothing. Thank you, you were helpful…. More importantly, is it okay, Mako? Shouldn’t you finish cleaning up and start making lunch for Koma? You said you were going to show up at the track club with some food?”

“Heee—–!? Aah, it must be a lie!? How is it this late already!?”

I look at my watch, and before I know it, it’s nine o’clock. Not good… I talked with Aunty for too long…

I had to make lunches and snacks for the whole track club today, not to mention for Koma…!

“S-Sorry, Aunty! I’m done talking with you! I have to start cooking…”

“Ooh, sorry for making you idly chat with me”

I didn’t quite understand the purpose of Aunty’s question… But for now, I decided to pause the cleaning and hurriedly start cooking.

Now… All for the sake of the hard-working Koma. Let’s get into the spirit of making delicious lunches and snacks!