~Side: Koma~
The evening of the day I somehow managed to get through the qualifying round of the track and field tournament. While the other members of the club are resting up for tomorrow’s final… I, Koma Tachibana, was the only one secretly running in the park near the hotel.
“Haa… Haa… Haa…”
I’m slowly slowing down after running as fast as I could from one end of the park to the other. Without stopping abruptly, I walk around for a while and put my hands on my chest to restore my disordered breathing.
“…. Fuun.”
My breath hasn’t fully returned even after a few minutes. My legs are trembling from continuous running at full speed. It seems that my body, unlike me, is very obedient and has begun to sound a siren call to me, “It’ll affect us tomorrow. Rest easy now, Tachibana Koma.”
“… No… It’s not enough at all… More… More…!”
… Even so, my mind, unhappy with today’s run, ignored the siren call of my body. I whip my jarring body and stimulate it to run further.
Even though I managed to get through the qualifying round today, my result was disappointing. In the relay race, I had trouble passing the baton and lost time, dragging everyone down, and in the individual race, I was late at the start and fell short of my personal best.
I was so frustrated that I couldn’t even stand still, so I sneaked out of the hotel and ran for almost an hour.
Just… Even after all that running, I still haven’t been able to run to my satisfaction…. I know I can run more… That’s why, a bit more—-
“…. Stop. Tachibana Koma-kun.”
“Kyaaa!? Eh, ah….”
“You didn’t show up for dinner at all, so I wondered if you were still out here, but… You’re still running?”
“Pr-President-sama…!?”
Just as I’m about to run again, I’m called out from behind. I turned around in surprise to see the President-sama of the track and field club glaring at me. Wh-When did she….?
“I thought I told you at lunch. ‘Those of you who are competing in the finals, get some rest because we’ll be supporting you tomorrow.’… So? What in the world are you doing?”
“… Ettto…. Ehm… I’m taking… a stroll…?”
“Hou? A stroll, you say?… If I’m not mistaken, it looked like you were running as fast as you could instead of resting your body. How is that a stroll to you, Tachibana Koma-kun?”
“aauu…”
Usually, she’s a warm and generous person… But, as the president of the club, I’m sure she can’t tolerate someone like me acting out of character. President-sama is unusually angry.
She saw me… It seems that President-sama had seen me running… At this point ‘I wanted to take a stroll in the night breeze’—- What a poor excuse it is but unfortunately it doesn’t work…
“In anycase, that’s orders from the president. Now, time to head back to your hotel room, Tachibana Koma-kun.”
“… I’m, very sorry. However… That, if possible… Won’t you let me run for a bit more?”
“… Didn’t you hear me? I just told you to go back.”
“B-But…! But, I beg of you, President-sama. Just a little more… Please let me run for just a little more! … I… I don’t want to regret anything tomorrow!”
“…. Muu”
If she’s not going to accept any of my excuses, then I have to ask for her help head on. I’ll do my best to bow down and earnestly beg her to let me.
“Good grief… Why are you in such a hurry? Like I said last night, if you could just do what you always do, everything would be fine.”
“… I haven’t been able to demonstrate as I usually do… I need to practice a little more. Today… I wasn’t able to run the way I wanted to today…”
“What are you saying, Tachibana Koma-kun. You may have made a few mistakes, but you weren’t bad at all today. In the first place, there’s no need for you to overwork yourself alone.”
“… No. I should’ve been better in practice. Today’s result was just me dragging down President-sama and the others… I’m not good so I have to try harder… If it goes on like this… Nee-sama… Nee-sama’s expectations…”
“………….”
That’s right… Like this, I can’t live up to Nee-sama’s expectations… I can’t return back home with pathetic results… Otherwise, I… I… I will disappoint Nee-sama…
“… Looks like no matter what I say, you don’t listen. Even if I force you back to the hotel now, you’ll probably sneak out later again.”
“…..!?”
“Did I hit the mark? Good grief… Tachibana Koma-kun, I thought you were a more intelligent girl, but…”
She understands well. I turn my head instinctively when she points out the truth. When President-sama understands this, she folds her arms and lets out a quiet sigh… This may have disappointed President-sama…
“I got it… Do as you wish.”
“Eh…? May I…?”
I just thought she’d be disappointed and would send me back to my room with no questions asked… But, her words surprised me. I’d appreciate it… but, is it really okay…?
“No, it’s not fine… Can you agree to stop running? In that case, I can’t do anything…. However, only 30 minutes. If you do more than that, it’ll really affect you tomorrow. “
“… 30 minutes.”
“…. Don’t look so unhappy, Tachibana Koma-kun. I know it sounds like a threat to say this, but don’t forget that you’ll be competing in relays as well as individuals tomorrow. Even if you go all out now, if you can’t run tomorrow, it’ll be a problem for me and the other people in the relay… Do you get that?”
“…… Yes.”
She sighs loudly once more and then advises me as if to admonish me… Just 30 more minutes… It’s brief…
However, considering President-sama’s position, I think this is the best concession she can make. I should rather be thankful to her for giving me half an hour.
“All right, then. Just don’t get hurt, please… Aah, one more thing. If you’re still going to run, at least get your breath back before you do it. You’re still breathing pretty hard. Because no matter how much you run in that condition, you’ll never be satisfied with the results.”
“… I understood. I’m sorry, having to go along with my selfishness…”
“Really. What an underclassman you are.”
That’s all she said and left the park with a shrug of her shoulders… I’m sorry, President-sama.
Thank you very much.
As for me who remained, I decided to follow the advice of President-sama and sit down on a bench in the park to catch my breath.
“Aaah… It feels so refreshing…”
As I sit on the bench and catch my breath for a while, the cool autumn breeze blows through and cools my burning body.
… I’m sure that it helped to cool the blood in my head a bit.
“… How pathetic.”
Somehow I managed to forget about it when I was running, absorbed in it, but as soon as I cooled down, all the unpleasant things that happened today naturally came to my mind.
I received a supportive email from Nee-sama the day before, and I tried my best to live up to her expectations… However, I was not able to run the 100m individual event as I wanted to. In the following relay event, I failed to pass the baton and dragged everyone down… I couldn’t forgive myself for being so miserable, so I ran until this hour without listening to the manager’s instructions… As a result, I lost the trust of President-sama.
All of these arguments are so pathetic that I shake my head… Then the example with Nee-sama’s call. That was really pathetic…
“… So selfish… Aren’t I…”
How weak and selfish I am. I separated myself voluntarily from Nee-sama. I swore to get away from Nee-sama who I had been dependent on for so long, and to train myself both physically and mentally…
As soon as Nee-sama called me, I had this thought… ‘Why is Nee-sama not on my side?’…
“… I’m… useless. Useless… As I thought… Nee-sama not being here, I’m complet—”
I remember what I almost said to Nee-sama at lunch… That’s right. I… I’m a useless little sister who can’t do anything without Nee-sama.
… And then, of course, I almost told Nee-sama about my weakness… I was so close to taking out all my pain and suffering on Nee-sama…
“… Really, I’m useless…”
Just from the fact that Nee-sama called me, and I heard her voice… I want to see Nee-sama so much, I want to hear her talk—— I’m thinking such selfish thoughts… If I’m like this then why did I leave Nee-sama then… After all, even though I’ve been away from Nee-sama, all I’ve ever thought about is Nee-sama…
“… Mako, nee-sama…”
I’ve lost my sense of taste for the past three days, and I’m not sure whether I’m in bad condition caused by lack of appetite. Or if my weak-minded feelings are dragging me. I wonder if it’s because I’m nervous about tomorrow’s final events. I wonder if it’s enduring not being able to see my dear Nee-sama… Or is it all of it?
There are so many negative events intertwined with each other, and I just can’t stop feeling pain. I finally couldn’t take it anymore and called out Nee-sama’s name as if I was clinging to her for help.
It’s so amusing… It’s not like Nee-sama’s going to show up if I call her here anyway…
“—–Hhm? Whwaat is it? Did Koma call for me?”
“…. Yes… I got so lonely that I called out Nee-sama’s name…”
“My, my… Is that so. Un, I understand Koma’s feelings very well. For the three days I was without Koma, I was so lonely that I kept calling her name. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, when I’m eating, when I’m doing club activities, when I’m in class, and when I’m sleeping!… Thanks to that, the teacher scolded me saying ‘You’re in class. Be quiet, Tachibana!’ and Aunty shouted at me ‘You’re sleep-talking! Won’t you shut up and sleep!?’, you know? Yohahaha!”
“I didn’t know that… It’s an… honor…”
Someone answered me in a disciplined manner when I mumbled something alone. Thank you very much… You’re comforting me even when I’m so useless… As always, Nee-sama is really ki—–
….. H, uh?
Wait a moment… Wait, please. Something is strange… Is it just my imagination? No matter how I think about it, I’ve heard the voice of a person who definitely shouldn’t be here…?
Maybe, I… I felt so lonely and painful that I couldn’t see Nee-sama, that I even started to have auditory hallucinations…?
“Hm? My? What’s wrong, Koma? You seem to have wrinkles between your eyes… Are you by any chance tired?”
“…. I may be. I may be more tired than I imagine. I’m hearing a voice… For some reason, I can hear the voice of someone who is definitely not supposed to be here…”
“Hearing voices!? Are- Are- Are- Are you okay!? Do you want to go to the hospital with Onee-chan, right now!?”
That someone looks into my face in a panic. That someone looks just like the person I was used to seeing, my beloved person…. I’m lost. I’m not just hearing things, but now I’m seeing things too. Am I in my closing years…?
It seemed strangely realistic for a hallucination, so I decided to check if it was really a hallucination or not, just to be sure.
“Wai, wait right there, Koma! Onee-chan will find you the best hospital near here right now!”
“… No… There’s no need for a hospital… More importantly, I have a favor to ask of you…”
“He? What is it? If you need a favor, don’t hesitate to ask Onee-chan!”
“…. May I hold your hand?”
“… Eh? My hand? …. Ah, un. I got it… Is it fine like this?”
My hands were being held by small, cute, soft and warm hands, and then they gently embraced in a hug. It’s a lie… I can’t believe it…
But this feeling, this smell, this breath, this warmth, this heartbeat and this comfort of the hug… There’s no way I could mistake this… My understanding is not quite up to par, but still, I confirm with a trembling voice. This person… Don’t tell me this person…!?
“Ehm! I have one last favor…! May I ask you a question?”
“Un? It’s okay. Ask me anything as long as I can answer it.”
“You… Are you maybe… My Nee-sama…!?”
“Bwhua!?”
What a ridiculous question, if I do say so myself. But, I have no other choice but to ask that. In response to my slightly silly question, the person in front of me replied with some confusion.
“Aah, un, that’s right… I’m Tachibana Mako, Koma’s one and only Onee-chan!”
“… Mako, nee-sama…?”
“U, un… Hey, are you sure you’re fine…? Maybe, Koma… You don’t understand Onee-chan anymore…?”
“….. Ne, Ne, Ne-Nee-sama!?”
I can’t believe it… She’s real!? Finally, I understand that this is Nee-sama in real life. At the same time, I reach a point of extreme confusion.
Why? Why is my Nee-sama here…!?
“Aaaah…. Ehm! Why is Nee-sama here…!?”
“Hm? Aah, un. Actually, I just ran into the president of the track club. I was told by her that ‘Tachibana Koma-kun would be in that park’♪ It was good timing, coming here so soon. I’m glad I and Koma didn’t miss each other.”
“No, I didn’t ask that!? That’s not it! … That’s not it… Nee-sama, why are you here!? Don’t you have class tomorrow!? In the first place… I thought you had class today…!?”
“… Ah, so that’s what you meant.”
That’s right… It’s a weekday today and tomorrow, and there’s no way Nee-sama, who has class, would be in a place like this. It would take at least five hours to get here by bullet train.. It’s about 18:00 right now… If I count backwards, if she hadn’t left the school right after she called me, she would have never made it here at this time…
When I hurriedly asked her that, she replied with a sly smile.
“Ehehe, I’m sorry, Koma. Onee-chan was really worried… So… I came♡”
“…..”
I came, she says…
Tintan 