HS Chapter 83: The hopeless sister is supportive.

~Side: Mako~

The next day after Koma’s fun and enjoyable interview finished (along with mine).

“… Then, Nee-sama. Today, that… in different meanings… Please take care of yourself…”

“Yeah. Thank you, Koma♡ Mhm, I’ll see you at lunch again!”

“… Yes.”

　Today, the two sisters of us went to school together, and I am parting with a very anxious-looking Koma in front of my classroom. If I believe what the letter in my shoe box yesterday says, then I will meet the sender of the letter after school today.

Koma seems to be quite worried about my match. The first thing Koma said this morning—

“Nee-sama. As I thought, it’s dangerous after all…. I think that… would it be better for you if you just took a day off from school today?

“She’s concerned enough to suggest something frivolous to me, which is not like the usual Koma. I never dreamt that Koma would ask me to skip school, and I was super surprised.

“… Mhm, that’s proof of how much Koma treasures me… Fuhe, fuhehehe…”

I’m sorry to Koma who’s worried about me, but the fact that she’s so concerned about me makes me so happy that I get a burning red face. I’m sorry that I’m such a hopeless sister, Koma…

“Good morning, everyone. It’s a nice morning, isn’t it?”

“…. Eh!? … Ma-Mako!?”

“Ooh, isn’t it Kanakana? Hei, Kanakana♪”

“…. Good morning, Mako. You’re early here…”

“You say that but isn’t Kanakana early here too? It’s just like the serious Kanakana to be first here.”

I enter the classroom with such lousy thoughts, while cheerfully greeting the students in the morning as usual. My best friend Kanai Kanae, who had arrived earlier than me returned my— Kanakana returned my greeting, albeit a little startled.

Apparently, because she arrived at school a little early, no one except Kanakana has arrived in the classroom.

“….. (*Mumble, mumble*) Why did you have to come early today out of all days, Mako…!? I still haven’t mentally prepared myself… Oooh… Calm down, me… A-As always… For now, continue the conversation as always…”

“…? Ehm, Kanakana? What are you mumbling about all by yourself?”

“It- It’s not nothing… Eettto… It’s… I just thought Mako was uselessly energetic today, too…”

“Ahaha! Well, after all, I’m one of the few people who are so energetic! Kanakana looks energetic today as wel— Hm?”

While putting my bag on my seat and having a conversation with Kanakana, who is sitting next to me, I suddenly feel something strange from Kanakana… My, my, my? Something seems different about Kanakana today from her usual…

“……. (*Stare*)”

“Eh… Err… Mako? W-What’s wrong? Is there something on my face…?”

“Aah, no… I’m sorry for staring at you. That’s not why I was doing it, but… I feel like there’s something different about Kanakana today…”

“….! …. Is that so? Isn’t that… just you imagining things…?”

“No, I’m not imagining it. Hmmm… I wonder? What is it…?”

While staring at Kanakana, I’m thinking. Now that I remember, I felt something out of place about her yesterday too. That’s right, I’m certain… it was yesterday morning…

“…. Ah. Aah, I see. I finally got what’s so different. Kanakana, today… You’ve put more effort in your appearance!”

“….!”

After staring at Kanakana for a few minutes I finally noticed it. I thought there was a sense of déjà vu to this discomfort, but it’s the same as Himecchi from yesterday.

“Kanakana’s proud hair is even silkier than usual, and there is not a single hair branch to be seen from bed hair. Your uniform is well ironed. Also, your lips have lip balm applied and are glossier than usual, and in addition… It’s faint but you’re wearing perfume.”

“… You understand?”

“Umusu. Well, I’m your best friend… No matter how slow I am, even I’ll understand that, Kanakana.”

Kanakana’s appearance today looks very much like Himechi, the girl from the next class I met yesterday morning. Kanakana has always been particular about taking care of her hair, but today she seems to have styled it thoroughly.

Even her uniform is glued down and looks freshly grated, and to top it off, she wears lip balm and perfume to a degree that just barely violates the school rules, which is unusual for the serious girl Kanakana… I’ve never seen Kanakana put so much effort into her appearance before.

“…… (*Mumble*) Mako is usually a hopeless girl, but she’s very perceptive in these areas, isn’t she…? I did my best to style up my appearance, and I’m happy that she noticed… If only you noticed my feelings too…”

“Eh? What? Why is Kanakana staring so hard at me? Did I maybe say something that offended you?”

“… Don’t mind it…. More importantly… Mako? Could it be… that it doesn’t suit me? Is it a bit too aggressive? Is it off-putting? Do you think it’s strange…?”

“Huh?”

I wonder if she became anxious after I observed her and then pointed out her own appearance. Kanakana timidly asks my impressions.

Doesn’t suit her? Strange? Goodness, what abrupt and strange things my best friend says.

“Saying that it doesn’t suit you is preposterous and there’s nothing strange at all. Actually, it’s the opposite.”

“Opp-Opposite? Saying it’s the opposite… That means…”

“Un. It suits you a lot, Kanakana. I thought you looked even prettier than usual today.” (TN: Take a hint, idiot big sister.)

“Nha…!?” 

I did think it didn’t look like the usual Kanakana, but I don’t think she’s strange at all. As for the beauty of her hair, she probably won’t even lose to Koma, and her uniform is clean and to the point.

Thanks to the lip balm and perfume, Kanakana looks more mature than usual today, and I feel like she’s kind of sparkling. You’re really beautiful, like a magazine model, Kanakana.

“…. It suits… me… beautiful… I-I see♪ Even if I’m praised by Mako whose fashion sense is off… 

That won’t… make me happy… but… It’s seriously better than me despising me like I’m ugly.”

“Oii, my friend? I just complimented you, so why are you speaking rudely about me?”

… Is my fashion sense that strange? No, it’s certain that I don’t have a good fashion sense, but… I see the supreme art called Koma every day, so I consider myself a person with a discerning eye…

“By the way, Kanakana? Why did you put so much effort into your appearance. Is there anything special going on today? A quick glance at the timetable and school events shows that the most visible event of the day is the career interview, which started on Monday, but… Was Kanakana’s interview today?”

Putting my own fashion sense aside for a moment, I asked Kanakana what was on my mind. Kanakana today is just like Himechi in the next class, who put effort into her appearance yesterday… She enthusiastically groomed herself for the very simple and obvious reason that she is a mothercon, and because she wants to look beautiful for her mother at the career interview. 

Kanakana here doesn’t seem to be another mothercon, but… Maybe Kanakana also likes to be neat and clean for the career interviews?

“Ah, no… You’re wrong. My career interview ended on Monday.”

“Oh, is that true?”

“Un…. Or rather, where in the world would you find a student putting so much effort in her appearance for her career survey?” 

“… Yeah, right.” 

There’s no way Kanakana would know, but… I know at least one best friend(mothercon) who was more well-groomed for the career interview than Kanakana in some ways.

“Anyhow, so it’s unrelated to it? … Then, I’ll ask again. Why did you put so much effort in it? Kanakana is like… This is the first and final match of your life! I feel that kind of spirit from you? I wonder if today is a special day for Kanakana?” 

If the career interview is not related then I can’t think of anything else. Today’s lectures are nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. Then why is she dressed so enthusiastically in the morning? I’m becoming more curious so I ask Kanakana for the reason.

To my question, Kanakana stares at me with very sincere eyes and replies.

“First and final match of my life? … Yeah, it’s as you say. Mako is right, today… I think it’s going to be a special day for me.” 

“Nmu? Special day for Kanakana? What do you mean by that?”

“…. You see, Mako, I. I’m going to take on a match today that I can’t concede… It’s a crucial match, with no chance of winning in sight.” 

“A crucial match with no chance of winning? Aah… Now that I remember, Kanakana consulted with me about it a while back…”

Kanakana’s comments reminds me of a consultation I had with Kanakana just the other day about ’whether or not she should challenge a no-win match for something she wants’. I see… So, today is the day for her match.

“That’s it… Although, I have no chance of winning. As I thought… I won’t give way. Because, I’m not giving up. No matter how… I want to get it(you). That’s why… I decided to take Mako’s advice and do everything I could to try and win. And this is one of them. I think it’s probably only a comforting thought…. But, I’ve tried a little bit harder to look presentable for the match as you see me here. Do you get it?” 

“Kanakana…” 

Kanakana talks to me with a serious expression on her face while her body trembles a little, probably because she is nervous.

… I don’t know what kind of match she’s trying to play, I can’t say I’m without feelings of curiosity to know what it is. But… I won’t ask Kanakana about it any further. Because I can tell how serious she is by the look on Kanakana’s face. And I don’t want my half-hearted meddling and curiosity to get in the way of the earnest match of Kanakana.

“…. Kanakana. Sorry, would you give me your hand?”

“Eh…? My hand? Eh, etto… Why do you want me to do that suddenly?”

“It’s okay, so please.”

“U-Un… Okay, Mako… Is this fine with you?”

Instead of asking her in depth, I should at least give her a shout-out for trying to win such a once-in-a-lifetime match.

That’s what I thought, and I asked Kanakana to give me her hand. Kanakana tilts her head at my sudden request, but does as she is told and puts out her hand.

“Thank you, Kanakana. Now then, if you excuse me—– (*Grips*)”

“!?!?!??!?!”

I take the offered hand of Kanakana and hold it gently, as if I were wrapping it in both of my hands.

“Kyaahaaaaaaah!? M-Mako!? W-What!? What are you doing suddenly!?”

“…. Your hands are shaking a lot, Kanakana. Also… It’s pretty cold. This is evidence of being stressed.”

“…. Eh?”

Kanakana’s hand was shaking slightly, perhaps because she was nervous… And it was cold. 

“This is modest support(shout-out) from a friend… I don’t know what kind of match Kanakana will be playing today. But… If you’re this nervous, you won’t be able to win even the match that you can win.”

“…. Mako…”

“I’m not saying don’t be nervous. But just relax a bit more.”

“Hmm…”

I rub Kanakana’s cold hand together with my own hands to warm them. Send the warmth of my own hands to Kanakana, and while doing it I’ll also send her a feeling of ‘Good luck!’. 

“It’ll be okay, Kanakana. It’ll definitely be okay… Ah, no… I have no proof of it, but… It’ll surely turn out okay. Kanakana can be more confident.”

“….Un… Thank you… Mako.”

“You’re welcome. It’s no problem.”

I can’t help much, but I’m supporting you behind your back as your best friend, Kanakana. 

“…. I’ve thought about this before… Mako’s hands are warm”

“Hm? Are they? Aah… I’m sure I have a high body temperature for nothing… Now that you mention it, I often hear that ‘People with cold hands have warm hearts.’… By that logic, does that mean that I, with warm hands, am a cold-hearted person?”

“… You’re joking. I’ve never seen a girl with a heart as warm… as Mako’s. Really… You’re kind to a fault… As well as an idiot to a fault, Mako.”

“Uuh, Oi! Saying I’m an idiot, isn’t it a bit too much.”

Just like this.  As usual, I enjoyed our casual conversation and helped Kanakana to relax until the rest of our classmates arrived at school.

~Side: Koma~

“…. It’s a crisis, Hime-sama…! Please, please, lend me your help…!”

“… Morning, Koma. What’s wrong all of a sudden, skipping the morning greetings?”

As soon as I walked into my classroom, I saw my best friend, Himeka Asou— Hime-sama, and I ran up to her. I usually pay attention to the people around me and properly greet them, but…

“I-I’m sorry, Hime-sama… I can’t spare time for greetings today. Please forgive me… I’m really in a crisis! Would you please listen to me? Would you please help me!?”

“…. Somehow it looks like you’re in a real pinch. Hm… I got it. I don’t know if I can be of help, but… For now, let me hear you out, Koma.”

“Th-Thank you very much, Hime-sama! … The truth is… My Nee-sama… my Mako-nee-sama—-”

Hime-sama listens to me quietly, unfazed by my sudden crying and appeals to her. I thanked her and told her what had happened.

“…. Fumufumu, I understand now. That Mako, she received a love letter…?”

“More precisely, it is not a love letter, but calling her out for a confession… But, that letter was practically like a love letter…! Aaah… The situation I feared the most has finally come…”

The letter was found in Nee-sama’s shoe box yesterday. The envelope was sealed with a heart symbol sticker and a lovely writing paper was used, and then If you read the carefully written letter and the text of the letter… You can clearly understand that the sender of the letter is someone who strongly likes my Nee-sama.

… I got careless. Normally, I would have always checked my Nee-sama’s shoe box and her desk thoroughly at least once a day to make sure there were no unnecessary items in there… Only yesterday I was so worried about Nee-sama’s interview that I neglected to check…Aah, this is Tachibana Koma’s greatest mistake ever…

“Well, the person herself is not aware of it, but… More or less, Mako has all the elements to be popular. She’s a little too loud when she brags about her little sister, but as long as you ignore that… She’s good at housework, attentive and a beautiful girl if she keeps quiet… Above all, she is extremely kind to everyone, which makes her popular. And I often get comforted and cheered up by Mako too.”

“… Yes, I agree with you Hime-sama. Nee-sama is as innocent and lovely as she is beautiful and cool, and she has the purest and kindest heart of anyone, and she is also the most beautiful and coolest of all… There could be a hundred or two hundred people in this school alone who may have feelings for Nee-sama…”

“… Aren’t you as expected off a bit away from two-digits? That would mean that more than the majority of the students at this school are after Mako, Koma… At best, it would be one or two.”

Not at all. I don’t trust anyone at this school except my Mako-nee-sama and my only best friend Hime-sama, who is crazy about her mother. I am always anxious and worried about who, when and where in the world is going to come after Mako-nee-sama…

“So? Who is the person who sent her that letter?”

“…. I don’t know. The sender hadn’t written their name… This means I can’t even dispose of that sender peacefully before they confess. Because of that, I’m really struggling…”

“…. Okay. Let’s cool down for a bit, Koma. Let’s back off from violence and dangerous things, OK?”

Hime-sama gives me a chop on the forehead with a look of dismay. Uuu… but… How can I sit still knowing that my Nee-sama might get stolen from me, Hime-samaa…?

“Actually… What did Mako herself say when she received that love letter. Was she happy? Or was she indifferent to it?”

“………..”

“…..? What’s wrong, Koma?”

“Eeeto… About that, Hime-sama. It seems, Nee-sama… Has completely misunderstood the meaning of the letter…”

“…. Huh?”

“When she got the letter—– She seems to have mistaken it for a letter of challenge or something….”

“… That’s just like Mako. Completely beyond my expectations.”

In a way, this current situation, in which Nee-sama mistaken it, is convenient for me… As someone who has been approaching Nee-sama for a long time and has failed at every attempt, I feel sympathy for the person who wrote to her.

Nee-sama… She’s really a blockhead when it comes to others feelings for her…

“I can roughly understand the situation…. And? What do you want me to do? Don’t tell me you want me to ‘Interrupt the confession’. I don’t want to be kicked by a horse for interrupting someone’s love.”

“Ah, no… That’s not what I want Hime-sama to do…. The truth is. If the letter is correct, the sender and Nee-sama will meet on the roof after school today. Perhaps, then, the sender will confess to Nee-sama.”

“Yeah, I think so…. So?”

“……. Who will confess to my sister and what will Nee-sama say to that confession. I really want to know that. That’s why… That… I’m going to be keeping a close eye on that confession today.”

“… Un. …. Un? Keeping a close eye?”

“Yes. I’ll observe them. But I’m not sure I can do it alone… Maybe at that time, Hime-sama… Could you please monitor the confession with me?”

“…. Eeeh.”

Hime-sama looks very uncomfortable with my request. Dear, me… It’s not a wonder why she reacts like that.

“…. In other words you’re asking me to peek at the confession together with you? I’m not really excited about it. And after school, I’d like to go home early if I can and cook a nice dinner for my mother…”

“I know it’s an absurd request! But, but it is… I have no one to ask but Hime-sama…! Please, Hime-sama…! Please come with me…!”

I’m desperately pleading with Hime-sama, who is not at all interested in the idea. If Hime-sama refused me here it’d be bad… I have to convince her…!

“Peeking—- Rather, if it’s just observing then Koma alone is enough? Why do you want me to come with you. I’m not needed.”

“You’re necessary! When the confession happens, it would definitely be very difficult if Hime-sama is not with me! That’s why, please somehow come with me!? This is the only request of Tachibana Koma!”

“… It’ll be very difficult? What’s going on?”

Hime-sama, who quizzically asks about the meaning of my words, which are not to the point. What’s going, you ask… I’d say it is more about what’ll happen instead of going on…

“As I’m saying, Hime-sama. Please think about it. For example if I alone was shown Nee-sama being confessed to.”

“…. Un.”

“My beloved Nee-sama is going to be confessed by someone I don’t even know, right? Perhaps my Nee-sama might accept their confession on the spot!”

“… Un.”

“If I were to be shown such a situation alone, I”

“…I?”

“I have absolutely no confidence in my ability to control myself, I..”

“… I finally got it, I see now. What is difficult… It’s difficult in the sense that Koma might forget herself and impulsively engage in criminal behaviour.”

Hime-sama understood everything from those few words from me. If I see Nee-sama being confessed to… I have no idea what I’m going to do.

… In the worst case scenario, I may lose my temper and, in order to protect my dainty, fragile Nee-sama, I may mobilize all the security equipment I had secretly brought to school and use it against her confessor… And with a snap—- I fear I may do her over…

“In other words, Koma’s request… If Koma goes out of control, you want me to stop you completely, right? … Aah, so that’s why you can’t go alone, and you can’t ask anyone but me, who knows your true nature…”

“… It’s as you say.”

“……… Haa. I got it… I’ll accept it then. You owe me one, Koma.”

“! Really, Hime-sama!?”

“Because… If I don’t, one of my few bosom friends would probably go to jail. And I can’t overlook that… If not, I’ll always be indebted to Koma and Mako…”

“Th-Thank you very much, Hime-sama!”

Hime-sama gives her approval with a sigh and a look that says it can’t be helped. Thank you… Thanks to her, the worst case is avoided… Thank you from the bottom of my heart, kind Hime-sama.

Now that I have the help of my best friend I can rely on, all I have to do is wait for after school. Who on earth could have sent such a letter to Nee-sama? What would Nee-sama say if they confessed to her? And then… Can I keep my calm?

Everything is in the future and I won’t know anything until after school… There is one thing I can assure myself. That is…

“Hime-sama… If it comes to that, please use this to stop me running off the rails. Don’t hesitate, please, for a smack around the neck.”

“… Hey, stop right there. Don’t tell me that you believe you’re going to get so violent that I’m going to have to use a taser on you, do you? Rather, where did you get this taser from, Koma…? Also, Koma why do you have a taser in school to begin with…?”

… No matter how things turn out, after school, I’m going to give Hime-sama a lot of trouble.