Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko. Volume 2 Chapter 4

If you like our work, please follow us on our social media, join our discord and consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://discord.gg/e4BJxX6 
https://www.patreon.com/CClawTrans

One day, My Family

Yawn. “…I’m still sleepy. Thanks for the food, though.”

“Eat up, Azuki-san.”

“This morning, the miso soup is as delicious as Tsukiko’s cheeks.”

“Please wash your face first, Nee-san.”

“Our family usually has toast and jam for breakfast, but there are times when we have natto¹ and salmon, so this feels fresh like breakfast in an inn in the mountains where foxes live.”

“Youngsters these days really evaluate everything with the term ‘fresh’. It feels like traditional cuisine is breaking down. It hurts my heart.”

“Nee-san, you of all people shouldn’t say that while you’re slathering mayonnaise all over your food. I’ll have some apple jam ready for the next time you come over, then, Azuki-san.”

“Fufu, thank you. That reminds me, the toothpaste in the bathroom tasted like apples as well. Did you prepare that just for me?”

“Indeed. I don’t know what kind of anniversary happened yesterday, but you even exchanged my brush for a new one.”

“That was just for guest use. Why did you use a new one, Nee-san?”

“Eh? Th-Then which brush did Yokodera use? The pink one or Onee-san’s blue one…?”

Azuki Azusa was wearing her jersey again today, and along with Steel-san, who had also changed into her own jersey, Tsutsukakushi was wearing a matching one as well. Since their gazes were focused on me now, I chose my right to remain silent. Considering what had happened last night and this morning, my head was too busy with lots of other things to think about, so I probably just grabbed whatever toothbrush was closest to me. I had no clue which one I used in the end.

I just played innocent like an elephant, eating my fried eggs until their gazes finally pulled away from me. The girls’ conversation drifted to fashion talk. Subconsciously, my ears turned into Dumbo’s.

The time is currently 7am in the morning. We were sitting in a circle once again in the banquet hall, enjoying a peaceful breakfast—

No no no, what is this Sunday evening 8pm home drama vibe?! There’s no way we should have this kind of atmosphere here! Do you remember when the storehouse got destroyed entirely last night? After that, I sought refuge inside the main house, and I ended up not getting one wink of sleep. There was even the chance that I could start one of those sleepover events I previously mentioned, but all of the girls were sound asleep by then.

‘I’m just glad you weren’t hurt, Senpai. We’ll call someone once the rain stops.’ Tsutsukakushi said with no expression whatsoever.

‘The old storehouse must have been falling apart, then. Is everything else fine? Maybe we should keep our distance from there.’ Azuki Azusa seemed anxious and worried without having seen the scene of the crime.

‘Hm. That was just an accident… It didn’t count, it didn’t count…!’ The Steel King herself seemed lost as to how to even feel about this.

This feeling of anxiety inside of me started growing like a balloon, and I didn’t know when or where it might pop. It didn’t just stop with the destruction of the storehouse. Nor did it end with the disappearance of my home. That didn’t matter either. The problem right now was something much bigger.

—This world can be destroyed for all I care.

That is what the King had wished for. I don’t know how powerful the cat statue truly is. But was the storehouse collapsing really the end of it? This very moment, the ceiling of the banquet hall might fall apart. Only I knew how much the world was in danger. I’m the only one who can protect the world. I wonder when the mysterious power in my right hand might awaken! I’ll have to class change from pervert to hero! I waited in anticipation all breakfast long, but my hand remained non-flamey throughout. That being said, breakfast was as delicious as it could have been.

After we finished cleaning up the breakfast, we had nothing more to do. Summer break officially ended yesterday, meaning that the school’s second term would start today.

“…Well, it would make sense for them to close the school during this typhoon.”

The Steel King stopped stretching and walked into the center of the room.

“I wonder if the koi fish in the courtyard are fine.”

Azuki Azusa responded with a hand mirror in one hand, trying to fix her unkempt hair.

“…It’d be great… if things cleared up tomorrow.”

Tsutsukakushi was munching on some mini steamed buns for dessert after breakfast, listening to the sound of the rain outside.

“I wonder which would be better… Magic or psychic abilities…”

As for me, I was lying on the floor, trying to think of ways to strengthen the ceiling of this banquet hall. Of course, I’m not a NEET or anything. I’m busy protecting this world, okay?! As long as my video collection is safe, I can prepare myself to become a hero with the girl videos I have.

On the other side of the paper sliding door were rain shutters for protecting the porch, and these had been shaking and drenched by the storm ever since last night. Just imagining the scenery outside makes me want to shiver. This spoiled child of a typhoon is acting like it’s gotten tired. It’s just resting right above our heads.

There was no information about the start-of-term ceremony being cancelled. We went out of our way to try to confirm it, but the Tsutsukakushi’s landline telephone wasn’t working. The storm must have blown a tree over a telephone line somewhere. At this rate, leaving for the outside world would be nothing short of suicide. Then again, there’s nothing else to do. As long as the Stony Cat and Steel King don’t act in any way, we have to wait here. That’s probably why everyone was doing their own things, trying to pass the time. It was like we were on the fourth and final morning of a school trip. Or maybe it was more like a family trip? Tsutsukakushi, Azuki Azusa, and I… we all know each others’ good and bad points by now.

“Just wasting away time like this isn’t very entertaining, so how about we play a game?” Tsutsukakushi came back to the hall and brought up an idea.

“A game? That sounds fine by me. What do you have in mind?”

That reminds me, when we went to the game center a while back, Tsutsukakushi turned out to be quite a game master. When I asked her about it later, she mentioned she had a lot of game consoles and such in her room. I didn’t expect her to like them that much, to be honest. Alright, it’s time to show her the skills I honed playing strip games… or so I was thinking as I got up.

“Old maid is a bit too simple. Maybe daifugō²?”

“Ah, you mean analog games?”

Tsutsukakushi was holding a pack of playing cards.

“Hehe, leave it to me! I’ve played daifugō many times with my friends before, so I’m pretty good! But just to make sure, what are the rules again?” Azuki Azusa, someone who had no friends whatsoever, immediately took the bait.

Her eyes were sparkling with excitement, and she was practically clinging to Tsutsukakushi. I felt bad for her, so I decided not to call her experience into question.

“You play cards in order, and the person who first runs out of cards wins. That being said, there are special cards. For example, there’s 5-skip, 8-cutting, eleven back, special 3-kill, katashiba, gekishiba, kaidanshiba, 73-revolution, sandstorm³…”

“Eh… There’s that many complicated rules…?”

Tsutsukakushi put the deck of cards down on the ground and started explaining the rules to Azuki Azusa who was next to her. This really makes them look like normal sisters.

“Nee-san, you don’t know the rules either, do you? Come here.” Tsutsukakushi beckoned her actual older sister over.

Knowing the Steel King, I was sure she was going to jump at her in joy, but that didn’t happen. Instead, her gaze was focused on the storm shutters.

“Hm… No, I don’t mind playing cards, but I’m going to patrol the house for a bit.”

“It’s rare for you to say that, Nee-san. I took care of all the windows and doors last night and this morning.”

“As you know, the house is big. If it were to spring a leak somewhere, we’d be in trouble.”

The Steel King was clearly acting suspicious. She walked around restlessly, avoiding making eye contact with Tsutsukakushi, and glaring at me instead… Why are you glaring at me now?

“But Nee-san, that doesn’t mean that—”

A loud sound interrupted Tsutsukakushi, as if a giant Japanese drum had been struck.

“—I thought so!” Steel-san’s facial expression changed, and she stormed out of the reception hall.

Tsutsukakushi, Azuki Azusa, and I exchanged short glances and immediately chased after her. On top of the tatami mats laid the cards, scattered in place. Facing each other were the king and queen, not picked up by anyone. It felt like they resembled someone I knew.

*

The sound that was like a drum being struck was actually a storm shutter breaking. Unable to withstand the strong wind, the shutter close to the bathroom had been split right in two. From there, rain and wind were bursting inside, drenching the floor entirely.

“…How could this happen?”

But the Steel King wasn’t looking at the situation on the porch. Instead, in but one night, the courtyard outside had changed entirely all because of the pouring rain. The pond was overflowing. This Japanese garden, which had previously been a sight to behold, had now turned into a river. The only difference between it and a real river was that the water was flowing directly towards the house.

Water had been gathering already beneath the stone stairs, and a muddy stream reached from one side of the porch to the other. It was trying its hardest to get inside the house, even now.

—Flooding above floor level was imminent.

I knew just how scary the idea of this was. Everyone who lived in this district does. Twelve years ago, when the riverbank to the south gave way, water had swept all over the district, causing damage everywhere. Although I was still young back then, I still vividly remember the hardships we faced inside the town. Back then I wasn’t the Perverted Prince. It was a time when I could blatantly rub my cheek against my cute kindergarten teacher’s leg. I wanna go back…

…Hm? It feels like my mind has wandered a bit. Anyway, this current problem is something I couldn’t ignore.

“Hey, maybe we should go back to the banquet hall? Things are too dangerous here.”

Naturally, as someone who lived in the city next to ours, Azuki Azusa had no idea.

“Things will be dangerous everywhere, not just here.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“If we ignore this, all the furniture over here will get ruined!” I raised my voice, grabbing Azuki Azusa’s shoulders.

If I hadn’t, my voice might have vanished in all of this noise outside.

“Bailing out the water won’t do much, nor can we use the storehouse. We have to carry everything we can up to the second floor.” The Steel King crossed her arms.

“…The second floor won’t work, either.” Tsutsukakushi came back downstairs. Running towards us, she shook her head.

“Everywhere I looked, the roof was leaking like a dollhouse. We can’t use any of the rooms up there.”

“W-What? Impossible. It wasn’t this bad yesterday or the day before.”

“The typhoon might have gotten worse. We have to call someone over soon to repair the roof.” Tsutsukakushi said in an indifferent tone.

But is this really possible? Their entire roof was giving out just because of a single typhoon? I couldn’t see that happening.

“Hmmm… Even if we can’t bring everything up to the second floor, we have to at least try to move the most important things somewhere safe. But where should we…?” The Steel King looked over at the tatami room through the sliding doors.

I personally think we should store the important things in the corner of the room, the room the furthest away from the banquet hall. Though I don’t have much confidence in my understanding of the layout of the house itself.

“………” The dwarves inside my heart were making a ruckus.

The King looked lost in this entire situation. But I knew that she must have known something. When she dashed out of the banquet hall, she had said ‘I thought so’. She was the first person to realize something was off, and the first person to notice the flooding in the courtyard. She must have known that something was going to happen. Like she had realized that she had wished for the end of the world, which led to the destruction of the storehouse.

The cat’s powers, or the King’s will. Which should I be more careful of? Which one is the real enemy here? There were too many things I had to take care of here and there and everywhere, so I just focused on the problem at hand.

“If you really care about storing the most important things, isn’t there a place that’s perfect for that?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“The mezzanine floor inside your room. My older brother told me about it. He said that you have a secret room there, and that I should keep it a secret at all costs.”

“A secret…”

“S-Secret…!”

The younger Tsutsukakushi sister sounded confused, and she repeated the words like a parrot. The older Tsutsukakushi sister just grew pale, her mouth opening and closing like a fish waiting to be fed.

“I had no idea. Where exactly is this room?”

“Apparently it’s inside the closet. That floor should be safe from the rain, as well, so we should probably use that.”

“Let’s check right away, Onee-san. We have to act as quickly as possible.”

“No no, wait a second. Don’t, please… That’s a lie… forgive me… so cruel…”

If I had to find something to compare it to, the Steel King’s face was a perfect reflection of a face I would make if my mom found my treasured goods.

After going up the stairs to the mezzanine floor, we were greeted by a space of around 13 cubic meters. There were no windows, old tatami mats were covering the floor, and the walls were covered with pictures. I sadly cannot describe said pictures in detail, or the FBI might come pick me up.

“This must be censored. This will be regulated. This is out of the question.”

The victim of these illegal photoshoots went from one corner of the room to another, pulling down the pictures the Steel King must have been gathering for years. She moved at lighting speed, showing absolutely no mercy as she ripped them to shreds.

“All the pictures, and videos… for the marriage ceremony…” The perpetrator lost all her will to live.

Bubbles of foam were coming out of her mouth, and she seemed like she was sinking deep into the ocean out of depression. For a moment, I felt bad for revealing this secret. Only for a little bit, though. The End.

I mean, we have to do something as quickly as possible, and the porch is slowly being filled with water. Apparently, water is already coming back up from the drainage in that bathroom. If this were one of the videos I watched, it would have already passed the dangerous level of water, and the real deal would start… I guess there was no need to give an example, huh?

After that, we all worked together to carry various things like TVs, microwaves, consumer electronics, futons, mattresses, and water bottles to this safe room. By the time noon came around, my arms had gotten sore from all the lifting. The only short break we took was to drink some tea and eat rice balls in the banquet hall. Since Tsutsukakushi and Azuki Azusa weren’t very strong themselves, and since the Steel King was still out cold, I had to do most of the heavy lifting.

‘A normally unreliable boy, but reassuring at times like these.’

Doesn’t that sound cool? That must have earned me a lot of Onii-chan points and Friend points and the like, right? Isn’t Yokodera-kun going to be more popular now?

“Alright, everyone! I’ll check the tatami rooms around the back yard. You stay here and be safe, okay?”

“That won’t do. I’ll come with you,” Tsutsukakushi protested.

“I’ll join you as well. When weakened, jaguars go back to their pack.” Azuki Azusa added.

“It’s fine, trust me. I want to protect you two as a man.”

“……” “……”

Their gazes were swimming around, running along the lines between the tatami mats. Judging from my knowledge as the Tsutsukakushi Azuki Azusa Connoisseur, I dare say this is quite an impressive sign of progress!

“…Sometimes, really rarely, Senpai can actually be a tiny bit reliable.”

“…Well, even a blind hen sometimes finds a grain of corn.”

“Haha, don’t be like that. I’m the usual Yokodera-kun!”

I slapped them both on the shoulders, flashing my white teeth in a grin. How’s this? I’m acting like a gentleman in a dire situation. If I wasn’t me, I’d definitely fall for myself!

“Basically, you have to be careful about your feet. If you fall over, you get wet. If you get wet, you have to change your clothes. Eventually, you’ll run out of clothes. The shore of summer is the romantic beach of unnecessary clothes… Oh? Ohh?”

“……” “……”

“I just came up with a perfect formula to solve the situation! Won’t you two come with me?”

“As I thought, it’s just the same Senpai as usual.”

“Go by yourself, pervert.”

Suddenly, it felt like a freezing-cold blizzard hit me. Maybe a gentleman just isn’t their type?

I was rushing through the house in great spirits. Water was already invading several rooms I passed. My feet slipped several times, as I fell over here and there, and eventually, I spun and fell sideways on a tatami mat in one room.

“Ouch…!”

I let out a groan and clenched my teeth. This is what happens when I get on a high horse, huh? I got up from the tatami mats and caught a smell of the scent permeating the room. It’s something you often smell at a graveyard: The scent of incense. When I strained my eyes in the darkness of this altar room, I saw a cube-like, brown object standing against the wall. Most likely every house has one of these, just like mine does—A Buddhist altar. It had a mortuary tablet in the center, and beneath that were two pictures.

“…I’ve seen her before.”

The woman in one picture looked awfully familiar to me. When I thought about it, I realized it was the woman smiling in the picture inside the Steel King’s room. If I had to guess, these pictures were probably the deceased parents of the Tsutsukakushi Family, people I could never meet. The mother looked just like the Tsutsukakushi sisters. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was another one of the sisters instead, as the shape of her eyes resembled them very closely. As for the father, the picture shown there was rather old, so I couldn’t tell too well, but he had a kind look to him. I felt bad for staring too much, so I swiftly sat down in front of the altar.

“I’ve been meaning to meet you. I’ve been in your care.”

I added a new incense stick, rang the bell, and pressed my hands together in a prayer. I know that Tsukushi-san might be a bit much to handle, but I’ll become a person who can make Tsukiko-chan happy. So please don’t worry.

Busy with my prayers, I didn’t realize that someone else was approaching.

“…Hm.”

“Hyawa?!”

The Onee-san I just badmouthed in my prayer was peeking inside the room from the porch.

“W-Weren’t you supposed to be dea—Out cold?!”

“I managed to recover after eating Tsukiko’s rice balls. I was looking for you since I had some business with you, but seeing that you have manners like this, you’re quite the admirable man.”

“Um… well, I’m sorry.”

“Why do you prostrate yourself? I admire you bowing your head in front of the altar.”

“W-Well… In my family, if we stay over at someone else’s house, we harbor gratitude for a lifetime towards said family.”

If such a family motto actually existed, I probably would have never gone to a house party like this, but the King apparently took a liking to my response. She showed a faint smile as she approached me.

“What a coincidence. We have something similar like that.”

“The Tsutsukakushi Family has a family motto?”

“The man who has shamed you once has to take responsibility for the rest of his life. Though I don’t know what exactly qualifies as ‘shame,’ I told Tsukiko that just being touched slightly already qualified as ‘shame’… That was fun back when she believed everything.” She smiled softly, looking off into a distance with a nostalgic gaze.

It was an innocent, natural voice. It stimulated something slumbering in the sea of my memories. A comfortable voice. For some reason, my chest felt uncomfortable.

“Long ago, Tsukiko never doubted me no matter how many poses I asked her to take. ‘If it’s for Ne-ne, I’ll try my best’, she said, and then cheerfully opened up her legs.”

“She really was a pure girl… Wait, legs? Legs?! M-More detail, please!”

“She opened up the tripod legs for the camera. What else would that mean?”

“…No, nothing…”

“Taking pictures was special to us. It was so that we would leave traces of our existence here in this house.”

When I looked over at the Steel King, the corners of her eyes were slightly red. It was the color of a cat who cried one million times⁴. It seems like the shock of her secret sanctuary being found and destroyed had run deep. Thinking about it, this development records thingy she mentioned before was probably just her way of coping with the situation so that the two sisters could leave in peace. Setting aside the fact that it was basically a crime.

“…Um, we have to move the altar, right? Would it still fit on the mezzanine floor?”

The goodwill meter in my heart rose, giving me the urge to help this Onee-san and work hard.

“No, I don’t mind. If we make sure that the lamps don’t short-circuit, there’s no need to carry anything.” The King shook her head, rejecting my idea.

“But if this place floods…”

“The altar is nothing but a box. We can make another one. What’s important are the memories we have engraved in our hearts. Just like the cute sight of Tsutsukakushi sleeping.”

“Just when I was thinking you were saying something great, you had to finish the sentence like that?”

“Although my pictures might have been taken away from me, my love for Tsukiko will not waver. Even if this old altar gets destroyed, my precious memories will not be taken from me. That’s all there is to it. If I close my eyes, they all come flowing back like a film. The sight of my parents praising me and saying I could make it as a professor or cabinet minister as I recited the multiplication tables as a newborn baby…”

“I feel like you’re exaggerating these memories quite a bit!”

Steel-san had a distant gaze in her eyes as she reminisced about her past (fake) memories. But, finally, she started and shook her head in a weak manner.

“Hm… Though exaggerating is the special right of those still alive.” It wasn’t much of a retort.

This is the second time I’ve heard her using this tone of voice. I knew full well that I shouldn’t poke fun at her this time, and decided not to step on the landmine.

“If you have memories you can exaggerate, you should go ahead and do so. That way we keep our connections with the deceased and live on for those who are still alive. You shouldn’t have any complaints about that, right?”

“Yeah, I get it. I won’t complain.”

“Right. The reason you’re still alive is also because Tsukiko might have exaggerated how nice her memories with you were, which is why I held back. If you had complained, I would have finished you off right here.”

“I do have some complaints about that! You can’t just talk about killing someone out of the blue like that!”

“I heard from your older brother that the whole story about your house vanishing was nothing but a lie. Yet I’m showing my kindness in the fact that I’m not hitting you. I myself think I’m too kind. Can’t you be a bit more thankful?”

“That is absolutely right. I am terribly sorry.”

“Again with that? Protesting here will only result in me lowering my evaluation of—Eh?” The King puffed out her chest in a change of mood, only to blink in confusion.

Yes, that’s right. That’s how Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi should be. It’s much better than an unreliable, worried expression on her face. I myself felt relieved, and I smiled.

“I really am thankful. You’ve saved me many times, Club Pre—No, Tsutsukakushi-san. I was moved to tears of joy that I could come back to the track-and-field club… is what my older brother said.”

“Hey… Stop with that…” The Steel King stumbled over her words, aggressively fidgeting with her hair.

Even though she brought the topic up herself, she’s like a glass cannon when you compliment her this aggressively. Enjoying myself a bit too much, I continued.

“I heard from my older brother that a lot of club members really appreciate you. I think I understand the reason for that now. You’re good at looking after others, Club President.”

“S-Stop! Ah, I’m not listening!” She started writhing in agony.

She grabbed the tip of her ponytail between her fingers, pulling and stretching it. This gesture looks so familiar. Where from? I still haven’t become a Steel-san Connaisseur, so I can’t tell.

“King, let’s return to the banquet hall. Since you’re so kind, you probably wouldn’t want to worry the others!”

When I tried to tease her, I was met immediately with the repercussions. She hit me, and followed that up by hitting herself. Isn’t she quite the violent person?

“D-Don’t be so annoying or you’ll get hit!”

“Please warn me before you actually do it!”

“Wait, no. I told you I had something I wanted to talk about.”

Steel-san slapped herself on the cheeks, as if trying to brush away her embarrassment, and turned serious.

“I have a request… You’re not hurt, are you?”

“When you ignore the fact that I got sent flying, I’m doing perfectly fine!”

“Knowing you, that was probably divine punishment… If you’re not hurt, then I’d like you to find the courage to submerge yourself in that muddy stream.”

The location the King pointed at—was outside the house.

When I looked at the Tsutsukakushi Household from the outer circumference of the house, the disastrous scene made me doubt my eyes. The main yard, front yard, back yard, the porch, the tatami rooms… all of them were flooded. On top of that, the water pipes were backfilling, and the toilets and bathrooms were a mess. The windows in the lower floors were blown apart, and the rain was directly entering the house.

“This is really bad…”

After putting on raincoats, we walked around the Tsutsukakushi house and witnessed this mess of a previously-wonderful Japanese mansion. Maybe this aging house had started breaking apart coincidentally because of this record-setting rain? Such a tropey scenario wouldn’t even be used in a student film.

“Do you remember the flood twelve years ago? Just locking ourselves up in our houses won’t help us. We have to act.” Steel-san made a wry face from inside her raincoat.

She looked like a grown-up Akazukin-chan⁵. I never really played any of those disaster-during-seclusion types of romcom games, but this might not be so bad in itself.

“…Younger Yokodera brother? Are you okay? Why are you staring at me?”

“Ah, yes! This is amazing! I was imagining what Tsukiko-chan will look like once she’s grown up!”

“Indeed, I am deeply looking forward to that as well. She will be quite the beauty by then… Hm? But then why were you staring at me?”

“Because I figured she’d turn into a beauty like you, developing in all the right areas.”

“I-I keep telling you to stop with that! Is this some sort of bullying?! I can’t decide if I should hit you or not!” The King fiddled with her ponytail inside the raincoat, and eventually gave me a happy smile.

“…So what were we talking about again?”

“Who knows?”

The two of us tilted our heads in confusion. I really can’t mess around with her. Unlike Tsukiko-chan and Azuki Azusa, the conversation doesn’t move forward if I do.

“Um… Well, about my request. I was wondering if you could help me get a boat.”

After both of us wracked our brains for a bit, the King clapped her hands together. I nodded in agreement.

“At this rate we’ll be done for, after all.”

“One of our relative’s houses is nearby. If I recall correctly, they should have an inflatable boat. That way we can get Tsukiko and her friend to the nearest evacuation point.”

The gravel near the entrance had already turned into a small pond. My sneakers were already doing God’s work, but at this rate, they’d soon be pointless with the Tsutsukakushi Household being like this everywhere. Even when I strained my eyes to look into the distance, the wind was too strong, covering everything in mist. I couldn’t see very far at all.

“Also, you should go and visit your home. Your family must be worried about you, right?”

“Ah, no, I’m fine.”

“There’s no need to hold back. You also have your older brother.”

“…Um, well, my family is actually on a trip… No, they seemed to have evacuated before me, so I don’t have to worry about them.”

“…So you were left behind. With no contact whatsoever…” Steel-san muttered in a wretched tone. “I wonder, between Tsukiko and I together as two, or you all alone in a mass of others, I wonder who’s more happy in the end…” Towards the end, her gaze was overflowing with sympathy. Like a lover who was trying to cheer me up in the face of my dark past, she patted me on the head.

She really can be kind, huh? So kind that I’m starting to feel bad for myself… Which isn’t a bad feeling. I know that my ability to understand girls’ feelings is below average, but I think that Steel-san might not hate my presence that much. This is much better than how she was acting at the storehouse. That’s why—

“Hey, King. I have a request of my own.”

“Go ahead and say it.”

“Could you please pray to the Cat God again? Have it take back your wish?”

“Hmm…”

The hand gently patting me on the head stopped. I know that bringing this up so directly was a wager. If her intention was ill will, I would only be pouring oil into the fire. But I trusted in Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi’s kindness. However, she just shook her head.

“…That’s…”

“I know that it might be something stupid to you, but for me—No, for us, it is something crucial. Even more important than going to get the inflatable boat.”

“No, I can understand what you’re trying to say. But if that’s it, then it should have been taken care of a long time ago.”

“…What did you say?” I was left bewildered.

Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi must have realized that she had prayed, and what exactly she had prayed for. That much is fine. When I asked her about it, her tone sounded like she knew what I was talking about, and she had also ‘I thought so’ back at the banquet hall. But if she already cancelled the wish…

“You wanted to stop the destruction of the world?”

“Yes. Depending on such measures does not align with my principles. I gave it a lot of thought last night and took back the wish. However, even if I took it back, we could be dealing with the type of god who doesn’t allow our wishes to be taken back. I really do feel bad about this entire flood going on…” The King meekly scrunched her eyebrows together.

But that can’t be. Taking back the wish definitely should work. Azuki Azusa had demonstrated that this was the case. The handcuffs that the triangle bikini rich lady had summoned vanished the instant she took back the wish. If that’s the case, then all this ruckus and chaos that the King had summoned should have vanished already. But it’s all clearly still here.

“…W-What’s wrong, younger Yokodera brother? Why did you grow quiet now? Are you scared? D-Do you want to embrace my body again?! Is it time to blow in each other’s ears again?! That all came to an end yesterday, so I can’t anymore!” The Steel King started blushing furiously, stepping backwards as she covered her ears.

Was me blowing into your ears that much of a traumatic experience for you?! That hurts me a bit, you know!

“That was too fast for me. I started feeling weird all over! So please no more of that! I’ll gladly go get the boat on my own, so please!”

“H-Hold on! Going alone is too dangerous!” Confused, the King dashed outside the entrance. Just then—

An ominous sound followed. It was the same sound I had heard last night. A voice of evil intent mixed with scorn from the Stony Cat, resembling a laugh. When I looked upwards, I saw cracks running along the back of the beam supporting the roof.

“—Again?!”

It was exactly what had happened back at the storehouse. As if to announce the end of the world, as if the world above us was being torn to pieces. The King came to a screeching halt, turning around to face me.

“S-Save me!”

Desperately, she clung to me. Wait, the heck is this? Is she mistaking me for a lighting rod or something? Even I have things I can’t do, okay? Actually, there’s a lot of things I can’t do.

…In my head, the fragments of my thoughts flew past me. A thick log fell down from the ceiling, aiming directly at my head. Goodbye, world. My head was crushed into small pieces—or so I thought, but the log was repelled right in front of my eyes.

“—Eh?”

It wasn’t just my imagination. The next one, and the one after that. None of them hit me. As if they were evading Newton’s law, they defied the laws of physics as they brushed past me. All the objects falling down were avoiding me and Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi. She was still desperately clinging to me, which forced me to fall backwards. The rain was still gushing down furiously, and the area around us ended up submerged in water. Stones and roof tiles were lying in the vicinity, creating a giant mountain at the gate. Almost as if we weren’t allowed to leave.

“D-Did it stop…?”

The water ran down the raincoat, as the Steel King slowly raised her head. Since she was still clinging to me like before, our gazes met at an uncomfortably close distance.

“G-Grrrr!”

Steel-san jolted upright immediately, but stopped herself as if she was reminded of something. She pushed her head into my body around the area of my navel.

“K-King?!”

“Grrrr…”

“What do you mean by ‘Grrr’?!”

“You saved me again… You protected me… Thanks…”

Her face was downcast, her cheeks slightly reddened like lacquerware. The usually majestic, arrogant king didn’t dare to lift her head. She just rubbed the top of her head against me like a young girl. The sensation of her breath felt awfully hot. This is a scene I’ve seen before in games. Is my popular time finally here?!

…No, I get it. I totally get it. I’m not doing anything. This isn’t my own power. Someone else’s power is at work here. It’s destroying the Tsutsukakushi Household. We can’t leave. But we won’t get hurt either. If this isn’t the King’s wish, nor a natural phenomenon—then what exactly is it?

*

When we came back to the banquet hall, Azuki Azusa saw us and probably mistook us for beavers who had tried to build a dam directly underneath Niagara Falls. That’s how much water was dripping down from us.

“I told you it’s too dangerous. You’ll catch a cold.” Tsutsukakushi scolded us like a mother would.

“I am ashamed…” The Steel King hung her head, then tried to take off her drenched clothes right then and there.

I am not so low of a person to use this situation as a fanservice scene. By the way, this is in no way related, but my recent research subject at school is the level of transparency of the track-and-field club jerseys at various levels of wetness. This will definitely be a useful sample. But right when I tried to avert my gaze, Tsutsukakushi forced me to leave the banquet hall.

“I-I wasn’t looking at anything! The correct conclusion is that I was trying to look!”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say. What were you doing with Nee-san? It took you quite some time to make your rounds with her.”

“N-Not much. We were just… talking…?”

“Just the two of you?” Tsutsukakushi looked up at me with a blank expression. “Is that so? You’ve gotten so close ever since last night. I’m happy to see that.” She sighed. She seemed satisfied.

“…Um, were you worried about the younger Yokodera brother and your Onee-san being on bad terms?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. More importantly, you have to hurry and change, Senpai.”

She tried to deceive me, but she made it obvious. The speed with which she walked down the hallway as she pulled my hand made it feel like she was skipping. There were no signs of flooding it either the banquet hall or this hallway. Weird. Everywhere else I looked, it had almost turned into a river. It made it feel like I had gone to a completely different house.

“So there’s a difference in damage caused by the typhoon depending on location in the house? That doesn’t sound right.”

“Is that so? The rooms that were destroyed around us are the rooms we barely use anyway. We normally don’t pay as much attention to them as the other rooms.”

“…So you’re saying it’s because of the size of your home?”

“Yes. We would have to thoroughly inspect every place to repair it all. It’s a lot of trouble.” Tsutsukakushi nodded as if trying to satisfy herself.

But can someone like her, who loves cleaning more than anything, really be this careless? No matter how I think about it, someone or something is carefully choosing the places that are destroyed. But for what reason? While I was lost in thought, Tsutsukakushi suddenly stopped in front of a certain room.

“It might not have much to offer, but please come in.”

“Eh?”

It was the door I had seen many times before: The door that led to Tsutsukakushi’s room. Th-The gate to the secret garden is opening! To think an important event like this would just land in my lap! You really can’t let your life be dictated by standard romcom event flags! But aren’t I supposed to change my clothes? Am I going to change inside of her room? What is this? D-Don’t tell me…?!

“No, that’s… Well, we are in a genderless world after all! Praise today’s culture!”

“…I feel like I need an explanation as to why exactly you feel the need to get this excited.”

“Can I really explain it?”

“Nevermind. Just go and catch a cold for all I care, Senpai. I’ll be looking forward to when you turn into a zombie.” Tsutsukakushi slowly closed the door in front of me with a sigh, so I quickly slid into the room and prostrated⁶ myself.

Tsutsukakushi’s room was styled in a Western manner, about half the size of her older sister’s. Her pink curtains and pink bedsheets immediately stood out. It was overflowing with feminine charm and color, and her bookshelves were filled with game guide books and DVDs. I could see the zombie series she liked so much.

As if preparing for the incoming flood, the stuffed toys were sitting on top of the bed, and all the other objects were scattered around the room.

“…Don’t look around too much. It’s embarrassing.”

“Yeah. I’d love to come here again under normal circumstances.”

I wonder if she has more stuffed toys than this. Maybe she’s the type of person who can’t clean her own room properly? Maybe she’s the type of person who suddenly takes off her clothes like her older sister? But there’s no one else to pick it up here if she did that. That would mean… Oh lord.

“Senpai. I can still call police officers here during this flood.”

“Wha, why?!” You’re way too sharp.”

“You are just too easy to see through, Senpai. At least try to hide it.” Tsutsukakushi bluntly stated, taking a jersey out from a drawer high in the closet.

It was an old design, a men’s jersey. I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before…

“Oh right, I borrowed the same one the day before yesterday. I’ve been meaning to ask; whose jersey is this? It’s not yours, right?”

“Apparently, it belonged to my father.”

After the baggy jersey, she brought me a towel and started fiddling with her tail-hair.

“That being said, I don’t have any memories of my father. That’s why I said ‘apparently.’ I was going to get rid of it anyway, so feel free to use it.”

“…Get rid of it? I’d think your sister would…”

“She’d probably be against it, yes. Because she objectifies every single memory of our family. But I don’t have any of those memories in the first place, so I can’t be fond of them.”

Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi always looks at those who have passed away with rose-colored glasses. Since Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko doesn’t have any memories of them, though, she has no reason to think highly of them in the first place. This expressionless girl used unfazed, cold logic to express that she had no connection to the past.

“…I think that your Onee-san is just really lonely. It seems like she values her family more than anything else.”

“Things can’t go on forever like this. She has to grow up eventually.”

“Tsutsukakushi… Even you must feel sad at times, right?”

“No. I can’t feel anything like that right now at all.”

Her shining eyes blinked languidly, and she looked at me with no emotion whatsoever. This stony cat in front of me wouldn’t smile no matter what. Of course, I knew this all along, so there was no need for me to reiterate it. But how could she say something like that?

“Once you’re done changing, please come back to the banquet hall. We’ve finished stowing away everything important, but depending on the situation, we ourselves might end up having to seek refuge in that room.” As if to escape this awkward, stagnated atmosphere, Tsutsukakushi made her way to the door.

As she left, she turned around and shrugged her shoulders. “It’d be great if it cleared up tomorrow.” With that, she closed the door behind her.

After sluggishly changing my clothes, my phone rang. On the screen, the name of my childhood friend, nearby neighbour, classmate, and friend was shown.

“—Yo! You doing okay, Perverted Prince? How ya feeling?”

“The same as always.”

“Huh? You ain’t caught a cold? So you’re just slacking off, then? The responses about the Mafia Club were great, and I wanted ya to see it.” Ponta laughed carelessly. “What a helpless fellow. I’ll see what I can tell the head teacher, but just if push comes to shove, you’d best be prepared to be called out to the sandbank and get your punishment.”

“…Slacking off? We had school today?!”

“Huh? Why wouldn’t we?”

“I mean, the typhoon…”

“Did you get some brain damage from the summer heat? The typhoon already passed us a long time ago. Look outside your window. It’s just sizzling heat hitting ya in the face.”

I pulled the phone from my ear, taking a quick glance outside the windows of Tsutsukakushi’s room. Just as expected, I was greeted by the sight of rain strong enough to split the heavens, pounding directly against the glass.

“…Since when did the typhoon stop?”

“Just as the weather forecast said. The weather report Onee-san said ‘It’ll pass us by quickly!’ And that tonight’s weather would be great.”

“That impression of her voice is great. It makes me want to strangle you to death. That’s not what I meant. I was asking around what time it cleared up.”

“…Are you making fun of me or something? When I met you at school. The rain stopped right after that.”

I met Ponta, got called over by Tsutsukakushi, talked to Steel-san, accidentally summoned Azuki Azusa—Ponta is saying that it’s been clear outside all this time. But the typhoon is destroying the Tsutsukakushi Household. Then when did things get weird? What is weird, and what isn’t? I should know. I have to accept reality.

“I’ll be coming to school tomorrow.”

“Hm? Ah, I see, I see. Glad to hear that.”

“Thanks, Ponta. Really, thanks a bunch.”

“H-Hey hey, where is this coming fro—?”

Right after hanging up, I checked my emails. I dialed the first person who appeared in my address book and dashed out of the room.

“It’s getting worse and worse.”

I observed the disastrous scene outside the Tsutsukakushi Household from a window near the stairs on the second floor. The lawn looked like a pool at this point. Azuki Azusa approached me unsteadily. She bit her lips, which were thin like flowers, gently. Speaking of pools, in case you were wondering if Azuki Azusa is still wearing her swimsuit, then I sadly have to report that… I can’t tell. She’s zipped the zipper to her jersey top all the way up. I guess she might have borrowed some underwear? Imagining Azuki Azusa wearing Tsutsukakushi’s panties somehow makes my heart beat faster. Weird. Am I sick?

“Hey, what should we do about this? The light from the streetlamps is gone. I figure they must have lost power. The TV isn’t working, either. We can’t contact the outside world like this. We’re like the stranded family who rode on Noah’s Ark…”

“Ah, yeah. It’s fine.”

When I realized that this crybaby of a girl was biting her lip and about to break out in tears again, I realized that this wasn’t the time to daydream. Instead, I gently patted her on the head. I’ve heard that this is a good way to comfort someone from the videos I watch. I felt the soft sensation of her hair in the palm of my hand, and it felt like I was playing with a furry dog.

I stayed like this for a while, just looking outside through this small window. In the corner of this rectangular view I saw the walkway to the storage building, which was now a path of debris. The only difference was…

“…Isn’t that the storehouse? Wasn’t that supposed to be broken down?”

Azuki Azusa pointed at a white wall with fading mortar. In the midst of this typhoon, its doors were shut tightly and its triangular roof stood strong like a quiet knight protecting his castle.

“Yeah, it was destroyed. But it seems like it’s back to normal.”

“You’re not a lying crow. Don’t joke around at a time like this.”

“I’m being serious here. That’s how it is. I looked outside just earlier, and it’s back to how it was.”

With everything that had happened last night, I forgot to check there again. When I went out towards that passage again, the storehouse was standing there as if to ridicule me. The Steel King did indeed take back her wish. The destruction of the storehouse had been reversed, and the situation had returned back to normal. After Azuki Azusa took back her wish, the handcuffs that had been summoned had also vanished. This cat statue definitely has its rules written in stone. The storehouse being there definitely wasn’t weird.

Instead, what was really strange was the continual breakdown of the Tsutsukakushi Household and everything around it. Ever since yesterday, the situation outside has been a mystery. We’re not allowed to leave, and it’s because someone wished for this. And this wish is still active. My house is still inside the storehouse.

“…What is going on with this house? What should we do?” Azuki Azusa made an arrogant snort, but looked up at me with a gaze filled with anxiety. “If help doesn’t come, we’ll have to act as Adam and Eve, creating a new family.”

“Eh?”

“I-I’ll try my best. First is a girl, and then a boy. In the end, we’ll have enough for an entire soccer team.”

“E-Ehm, I don’t quite get what you’re talking about.”

“Of course, this is just a plan for the future. First, we’ll have to spend some time making sure that no water comes in.”

“Again, why are you making future plans without listening to anyone else’s input?! Why are you assuming that we’ll live here forever?!”

“Isn’t that why you called me here?”

“You’re wrong! You’re way off!”

She blinked several times. She hid the paper she was holding in her hand behind her back. I could swear I saw names like ‘Shouta’ and ‘Rin’ on there. What would she be using that name list for?

“Playing ark sounds fun, sure, but we can’t go on like this. You’ve got a family of your own, right?”

“Eh?”

“Your mom and dad must be worried. I have to go back to my own family, as well. We can’t stay here forever.”

“H-Huh…? What’s gotten into you?”

“The reason I called you here is because I have a favor to ask of you. It’s about the Tsutsukakushi sisters.”

Nobody was on the stairs beneath us, so I didn’t have to worry about anybody listening in on us. But there are times when you drop your voice because something is hard to say. At least, that’s what I thought nonchalantly like it was someone else’s problem.

“Could you invite the Onee-san to her room and deepen your friendship with her?”

“…Why?”

“Because it’s important,” I offered no further explanation, and Azuki Azusa made a puzzled expression.

I don’t have the confidence to explain it properly. But since Azuki Azusa was my friend, I was hoping that words weren’t needed—

“Don’t wanna.” Azuki Azusa spoke quietly, but without hesitation. “I don’t care what you plan on doing. But don’t think other people will just do whatever you say if you give vague reasons like that. I have my own reasons not to.”

“What are your reasons?”

“…I hate that person.”

I burst out laughing. The way Azuki Azusa said it made it sound like she had gotten her picture book stolen and she was complaining to her mother about it. Of course, because of my reaction, she stomped on my foot.

“That isn’t something that you should start laughing about! I’m being serious here!”

“Sorry, sorry. What do you hate about her?”

“I hate people who act bossy. I hate people who rely on violence… And I hate people who have a great body like her. I’ve seen parts of it in the bath. This has to be illegal! She’s definitely going to use that body and do weird things to Yoko—boys and deceive them.” She directed her gaze down at her flat chest, puffing out her cheeks.

I don’t really get it, but I figured she probably had some religious reasons going on about it.

“Club President Tsutsukakushi isn’t the type of person who’d do such things. If anything, she’s more the type to get deceived. When I’m having trouble alone with her, I just go into a closet and say ‘I can see a lion and witch in the distance; how weird!’, and she immediately falls for it. She’d stay in there for three hours.”

“That’s awkward in its own right!” Azuki Azusa started barking like a puppy.

“Is it really impossible?” I asked.

After growing quiet for a brief moment, Azuki Azusa spoke again. “If you’re that obstinate about it, then do it one more time,” she muttered.

It took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about. When I did, I once again showed the results of my practice after watching all those videos. I gently patted her on the hair for a while, and her cheeks turned as red as apples.

“…But explain at least the bare minimum. If you can’t, then try. I’ll try to understand it myself.”

“Sorry, and thanks. Basically, well, it’s something I don’t want Onee-san to hear. I’d feel bad for her.” I was still lost about how to explain it, and what I said made it sound even more vague.

But Azuki Azusa nodded along as if she had decided to do so from the start. No matter what, she was always ready to support me with everything. I definitely have to repay her one day.

*

After waiting for a suitable moment, I started walking. At the end of the needlessly long hallway, I walked past the sliding doors that were supposed to block off the flooding, and was greeted by a miraculously empty banquet hall. The paper lanterns had been put away, and the dining table and floor cushions were gone as well. With all signs of life here gone, it felt like an old cave made out of wood. All that waited was ruin and rot. The only thing that stood out was a single girl sitting in the center of the room.

“Don’t inspire Nee-san to do anything weird, okay?”

Her sulking—No, expressionless—face looked up at me. She was holding playing cards in her hands. She skillfully shuffled the cards with her small hands, dealing out the cards for four players.

“You were the one who told Azuki-san to talk to her, right? I’m sure she’ll give up eventually, but you’d best apologize to her about that closet or whatever. Deceiving others isn’t a good thing.”

“…Yeah. Once it comes down to it, I’ll apologize to her. Not just about the closet, but about the other things. So what are you doing?”

“I did everything that was left to do. Running around like crazy won’t do me any good, so I thought I’d take a break and play some cards.”

She finished distributing all the cards, and tapped her hand on the floor cushion right next to hers. I let myself be beckoned in, and I sat down. The hand dealt to me had a lot of drawn pictures. The rules to daihinmin⁷ are pretty versatile, I guess.

“We’ll start once Azuki-san and Nee-san come back. I have the three of diamonds, so I’ll be going first.” Tsutsukakushi lifted her cards towards her chest, staring closely at her hand.

Unlike Steel-san, who was worried in this typhoon, or Azuki Azusa, who was always on the verge of crying, she just sat there like an expressionless android. But, of course, Tsutsukakushi is a normal girl. One hand of hers was tugging at the tip of her tail-hair. Many times. Over and over. Probably subconsciously. She held her cards as she sat right next to me, and her hair swayed like a pleased cat’s tail.

“…Is it that much fun?”

“…It depends on the game. As well as on the person I’m playing against.”

“That’s not what I meant—You’re enjoying this situation, aren’t you?”

Tsutsukakushi grew quiet for a moment.

“No, I’m not enjoying this situation at all. There’s no one who would want their house to be flooded like this. Playing cards is just a change of pace. It helps me relax a bit when I feel the need to do something. Just like you, Senpai.” She denied my question with a very chatty response.

I heard the rain roaring outside, as well as the wind hitting the house. We were directly in the center of the storm.

“…Yeah. If things keep going like this, Azuki Azusa and I will be forced to stay here.”

“I don’t even want to imagine that. I have to go shopping, as well, so I’m wondering what to make. We’ll have to worry about the flooding as well at this rate. I don’t know if we even have more storm doors in the storehouse.”

She let out a sigh, saying “I hope it clears up tomorrow” one more time. I lost count how many times she’s said that today. Her sigh was perfect. It was the only way she could openly show her worry and anxiety.

—And what pains me even more is that it was a complete lie. I’ve been tagging alongside her for quite some time now. She’s using this facade to cover up her honest feelings. Even though we should have made it past the point of needing to use a facade like that.

“I’m sorry to have called you here at a time like this, Senpai. I got you wrapped up in this mess because of that awful timing. I shouldn’t have asked you to come over in the first place.”

“…Just timing, huh?”

“Even if I’m satisfied, it’s awful that you can’t go home. This cat god is so mean and nasty.” Tsutsukakushi shook her head and blamed herself without knowing the most crucial piece of information.

If the person in question takes back the wish that was granted, everything will go back to normal. My house is still inside the storehouse. This means that the wish still hasn’t been cancelled. The typhoon is still raging outside, splitting us off from the rest of the world. Tsutsukakushi didn’t just wish for us all to eat dinner together. She wanted us to eat together, play cards together, just waste our time leisurely—like a family locked inside a cave with no means of escaping. Inside this location, trapped by the flood, like a family.

Unrelated to the fact if she herself was aware of it or not, she continued to wish to live inside this closed-off world.

“…That’s not good at all!”

“…What was that about? You scared me.”

“You can’t do that! There’s… you know, the sports festival next month! You have to enjoy school as well!”

A sharp pain assaulted my chest, which led me to subconsciously shake Tsutsukakushi’s shoulders. “That hurts,” she said in a quiet voice. She closely inspected the cards that had fallen on the tatami mats, not blinking once.

“…What about that? Don’t we have more important things to do? Thanks to the walls, we have a sort-of lull in the flood situation though.”

“So what?! The flood will come eventually! But at this rate, things will stay the same forever!”

“I don’t quite get what you’re saying, Senpai. You shouldn’t find fault with what nature does.”

“I’m not talking about nature. I’m talking about feelings, Tsutsukakushi. You can’t accept this situation. If your house breaks down, you won’t be able to clean it anymore like you loved to!”

“…Why are you this angry?” Tsutsukakushi raised her head, clearly troubled as to how to react.

She blinked several times, and then spoke up in a quiet voice, reluctantly speaking her mind.

“It’s fine. To be completely honest. I was getting tired of cleaning,” She raised one finger, telling me to keep this a secret.

“Tsutsukakushi…”

“It really is a lot of trouble. I think so every time I’m busy cleaning. No, every single day, from when I wake up to when I go to bed. The bath is too big, the bathroom is too dark, the hallways are too long, and there are so many rooms we don’t use. I live alone in this empty world. If I were to vanish, nobody would realize it. I keep living like this. I hate it.”

I felt like I had heard her words before. It was like I had been thinking the same thing. The bath was unnecessarily large, the bathroom was scary at night, the hallways were like a labyrinth. I know about it all too well. That’s why I couldn’t accept this.

“But you already have someone. An older sister who loves you so much she can barely cope with it.”

“Once she’s off to school, she comes home late. And the time I’m alone feels much longer. We must have had so many people in this house before, but now that it’s just the two of us, we don’t need it anymore. It’s just a place to store things.”

Tsutsukakushi’s words sounded like bricks stacking higher and higher. She kept talking with an indifferent voice, building up her wall. But in the middle of this process, a faint sigh escaped her lips.

“—Hey, do you actually…?”

—Want your family to come back? Before I could ask that, she brought her tiny body closer to mine.

“…It really is baggy, huh?”

“T-Tsutsukakushi…?”

She buried her face into my arms—or rather, the jersey I was wearing—letting out a muffled voice. The weight of her head felt almost nonexistent.

“Long, long ago, my mother made me wear a jersey. Back then, my father had already passed away, but it feels like this really is his scent.” Tsutsukakushi’s ten fingers were softly grabbing my jersey.

She let out a soft breath, like a cat about to be thrown out without knowing its parents.

“Since I have no memories of my father, I can’t objectify his memory like my sister does.”

I’ve heard this before as well. That her feelings are vastly different than those of her older sister… Full of lies, all of it. There’s no way that someone who doesn’t have any memories can’t hope to feel as much as someone who possesses those memories. That’s just—too cruel. Her older sister was perfectly fine with just the two of them as a family, but the younger sister didn’t have enough of this family feeling.

Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko had been lonely this entire time. Her father was gone, her mother was gone, and she was left behind in this house too big for their own good, playing games all on her own, watching zombie movies at night all alone. She kept the jersey in her room even though nobody would wear it. She couldn’t even handle the time we would split up again. That’s how lonely she was.

“You said this before, Senpai. That you would become my older brother. Is that still valid?”

Tsutsukakushi spoke with a quiet voice, and her face was cast downward. At her feet were the scattered playing cards. She looked straight at them. The King, Queen, Jack. Almost like a happy family.

“If I don’t wish for anything, and just want you to become my Nii-san, would you listen to it, Senpai?”

“Tsutsukakushi…”

“It’s not like much will change. It’s just a good-luck charm.” I heard a breath.

I heard the same breath back in the kitchen before. It was like she had given up. Kneeling on the ground, she slowly wrapped her arms around my waist. Even though she would always hold back, she tightly held on to me, not letting go. Her heartbeat and warmth were slowly mixing together with mine.

“So please. Senpai, won’t you play cards with me?”

I also felt the urge to tightly embrace Tsutsukakushi. Because this was the first wish I had heard her make that didn’t prioritize someone else, but herself. As someone who doesn’t have any shame whatsoever, I should have no trouble accepting it. Just give in to her wish like she wished to the cat statue. Maybe then she could make a smile.

Something was throbbing inside my chest. When I looked at this girl, a weird sensation welled up within me. A sensation like I was going crazy in pain, something I have never experienced before, like a smelting furnace burning my heart. But—

“Sorry. I cannot grant your wish.”

Tsutsukakushi’s head shot up. Maybe a breeze of wind had entered somewhere, making the hem of my jersey wave. It was a lukewarm summer breeze that made my back muscles shake.

“…I think you have the wrong idea about something, Senpai. I just want to play cards for a bit. That is all.” Tsutsukakushi’s voice seemed like it was shaking as well.

Even though that should be impossible with her current condition.

“That’s not at all what I’m talking about. I’m talking about what comes after that. I can’t become your family.”

“I don’t get what you are saying. All I wanted…”

“This house isn’t mine. I can’t stay here forever. I can’t continue to satisfy you.”

“Why… Why are you saying… something like this?” Her large, blue eyes were fixated on me as if time stood still.

Of course, no tears would fall. She could only stare, unblinking, at the betrayer Judas.

“I got an email. It’s from the vice president of the club.”

Even when I took my smartphone out to show her, her gaze didn’t waver at all. It remained glued to my face.

“It says ‘Club was cancelled today. Don’t just sit out, moron. You’d better come tomorrow, pervert. Actually, don’t come, idiot’.”

“Are you being bullied by this ‘vice president’ person?”

“Eh? No, considering that it’s her, this is actually a rather kind email.”

“Basically, you’re being bullied.”

“Again, this is… Actually…? Well, I’ll have to face that vice president eventually. I want to practice for the sports festival. I want to help my friend. My world isn’t just this house. That’s why I have to leave.”

“I wasn’t asking that. That doesn’t matter. I don’t get it. Why… Why won’t you listen to me? Weren’t you the one saying how much you wanted to become my older brother? Weren’t you always treating me like your younger sister? I finally accepted that this was the only possible way to do it. And yet… it still isn’t enough?” Tsutsukakushi fiercely shook her head like a small child.

Behind her expressionless facade, she had passion in her articulation. Every time she shook her head, the wind grew stronger. Eventually, one of the storm shutters blew open. So did the paper sliding door behind it, and rain as fierce as a waterfall came gushing into the banquet hall. The tatami mats got wet, I got wet, Tsutsukakushi got wet. The world was colored pure white from the mist kicked up from the pouring rain. But the rain could not erase the words we had spoken.

No flame came out of my right hand. Getting on a high horse would just cause me to fall over. I’m not a hero who can protect this world.

‘We can only hold memories of the deceased, and live our lives for those still with us.’

I still remember the face of the Onee-san as she muttered that. She smiled. Her smile was filled with sadness, and was clearly not made of steel. It was just the weak face of a simple girl. After getting closer to Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi, I finally understood. She’s doing her best to be a proper Onee-san. She still feels deeply about her deceased parents. But she’s gritting her teeth, steeling her resolve, and living together with her little sister.

This problem is for these two, and it’s their story. They should take care of this themselves. This is not a place where I can butt in.

“…Senpai, you’re a liar.”

Still being pummeled by the fierce rain, Tsutsukakushi slowly stood up. Her hurt eyes had captured me, raindrops running down them.

“You said you’d stay with me… I hate people like you.”

“H-Hate?!”

This time, I grabbed Tsutsukakushi’s clothes. I forcefully pulled her closer as she tried to dash out of the banquet hall. Of course, she struggled against me, trying to push me away by putting her hand on my cheek. I was struck several times with her elbow as well, and I got bitten as we danced in the pouring rain.

“Listen to me, Tsukiko-chan!”

“I hate it when you call me that. Leave me alone. If you don’t, I’ll do… I’ll do this.”

“That hurts! If you keep going like that, my neck will turn into a kitkat!”

“It can break for all I care. You never treated me like I wanted you to. No matter what I say, you don’t listen to me—”

“Shut up and hear me out, Tsukiko!”

It was like a magical spell had been cast on her. Tsutsukakushi came to a halt. I finally managed to embrace her.

“Tsukiko. I can’t become your family. I want to have a different kind of relationship than that. I won’t be your Onii-chan. It’ll be something like a step-brother, not blood-related…”

“What is the difference? I don’t get it.”

“There is a big difference! It’s the difference between having an actual route to conquer or not, so the users would care!”

“I wasn’t asking Pervert-san. I was asking Senpai.”

“Gaah, don’t twist my lips like that! I can’t say it directly, but… Rather than being together all the time, isn’t it more exciting to see each other on a frequent basis? When we’re away from each other, we have something to look forward to.” I whispered right into her ears with as much confidence as I could.

We were right next to each other in this overlapping world. When we stood beneath the emergency stairs during the summer rain, or sat next to each other on the bus in the setting sun, I realized it. But this didn’t mean that we would be at 100% the exact same coordinates, see things from 100% the same standpoint, or see 100% the same scenery. We just live in the same world. We don’t overlap too much, we just sometimes get close.

I had no idea if my feelings or words actually got through to her. But Tsutsukakushi was the one who had told me that I had to speak my thoughts openly.

“Come to my house next time. I’m sure my parents and older sister will like you. And then let’s eat together. After that, we can play cards. We can play daihinmin. This way we’ll be far apart, yet close. Being far away can be fun in its own right. How about it?”

Tsutsukakushi didn’t move for a while. She stood upright, still in my embrace. The tip of her nose was right above my heart, and she was saying something with a voice that was too quiet for me to pick up. She then put both her hands on my chest, pushing herself away and separating from the jersey. She took a bit of distance, and as the sky cleared up, she looked me to the eyes. A certain amount of relaxation and calmness had returned to her blue eyes.

“Cards.”

She said a single word. That was enough for me to understand everything.

“It’s a promise.”

“…Yeah.”

“I’ll get angry if you break that promise. If this is a lie, I’ll force you to swallow a thousand needles.”

“…Yeah.”

“I’ll go to the police and tell them that you used my toothbrush without my consent, and I’ll file a complaint about your crime.”

“…Wait! Are you threatening me?! You knew?! Please stop! I’m sorry!”

“So you actually had indecent thoughts like that.” Tsutsukakushi let out a sigh, as if she was annoyed, troubled, yet also trying to laugh. “This is a promise, okay? Once it clears up, we’ll definitely do it.”

The instant I nodded in affirmation, the wind from the outside stopped. In its place, the fragments of debris started to twirl around like a tornado. Everything started going back to where it belonged. Broken things went back to their normal state. The world reversed back to before the wish was granted. The house went back to how it originally was.

“Eh?”

I thought Tsutsukakushi was blinking in confusion, but all strength left her body. Like a weak cat—or like a maiden in love—she grew fragile in my arms, leaning onto me as her eyelids closed. Right before the house had been repaired fully, a ring of light entered the banquet hall, warming up Tsutsukakushi’s moonlit white cheeks.

For a cat statue, it actually knows to properly patch things up, huh?

---

1 Fermented soybeans

2 Japanese game similar to President/Scum/Capitalism

3 This explains some rules of the game (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daifug%C5%8D) but definitely not all of the above mentioned

4 Reference for ‘The Cat Who Lived One Million Times’

5 From the series Akazukin Chacha

6 Basically dis

7 Another name for daifugō