#123

 

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Sweat was running down my cheeks and it was the same for Yuuto as well.

 

It was the sweat of physical labor, not the sweat of youth…

Needless to say I don’t want the sweat of youth either.

 

The pool has not been used for a year, and the stains have become quite stubborn.

I wonder what the teachers were thinking about giving this kind of work.

 

 

I wonder if thought of the student council as some kind of help club that takes care of everything.

Anyways, I felt that progress was a little slower than expected due to the small number of people.

 

One of the reasons for this was that the student in charge of the heavy work, Hino-kun, was deemed useless.

As I took a moment to check on the progress, Yuuto called out to me.

 

“I think it might be more efficient to take a small break and start again in the afternoon.”

 

“That’s right…”

 

It’s probably for the best to take a break.

The speed was slowing down due to fatigue, but as usual Kirasaka and Shizuku continued to argue with each other.

 

If we can just do something about it over lunch and get these two to start working properly, we could probably be done faster.

 

“Let’s have lunch, you guys”

 

Perhaps she had the same idea, the president gave the instructions from above.

When we all followed her to the poolside, there was a picnic blanket and a heavy box wrapped in a cloth.

 

“Oh, nii-san, you’re here!”

 

“…Thank you for your hard work”

 

The three of us, including Kaede, who had just returned from the student council room to pick up our belongings, joined us and now we could finally take a breather.

 

 

Lunch was prepared by president and Miura.

Miura only helped a bit, and most of the food was prepared by president.

 

She could also cook. I think that there was nothing that this person can’t do.

 

But instead of being hungry, I felt drowsy.

I laid down on a towel a little away from where everyone was sitting.

 

The sunlight was a little strong, but it shouldn’t matter.

I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes.

 

All I could hear was the swaying of the trees and buzzing of the insects.

…Besides their chattering.

 

I felt as if I could fall asleep at any moment.

However, with a single phrase, the sleepiness went away.

 

“Does Kaede have a girlfriend?”

 

Such a question was asked to Kaede.

What kind of Sis-con wouldn’t worry about her sister’s boyfriend situation?

 

No matter what anyone says, this brother will not forgive him.

It’s still too early!

 

 

I’ll never allow a boyfriend until he gets my and then our dad’s permission.

But Kaede’s voice stopped my body from nearly jumping.

 

“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

 

“You’re so beautiful, though, you must be very popular with boys.”

 

She sighed as if Miura had given up somewhere, looked around and muttered.

Certainly, the people here are abnormal.

 

There are female students here who are sure to pay attention to, Kirasaka and Akane Hiiragi senpai, Kaede and the boys, with Shizuku at the top.

Miura probably sighed when she saw it.

 

Well, you don’t have to worry about it.

If you ask me, they are in a sense abnormal, and Miura is quite normal.

 

No, at a quick glance, she’s higher than average.

It’s just that she is being overshadowed.

 

With Miura’s follow-up, Kaede was asked a number of questions.

They asked her about her school life, the difference between girls’ high school and co-ed school, her grades, school events, and many other curious questions.

 

However, the place froze due to the question the president said.

 

“If you’re in an all-girls high school, where there are no boys, and you’re a high school girl at that age, don’t you want to have boyfriend?”

 

“Boyfriend…?”

 

In the past, my father refused to enroll Kaede in a co-ed school, so she went to a nearby girls’ high school.

In the beginning, Kaede herself said that she wanted to attend Sakuranooka Academy like me, but our father is also quite stubborn, so she was forced to go to her current high school.

 

In exchange, he agreed to let her live in this town with me on the condition that my parents would leave for work abroad, which is a piece of information that only my family knows.

But as the president said, Kaede is a high school girl enjoying her youth.

It’s natural for her to want at least one boyfriend.

 

But for all that, I’ve never heard of her having a boyfriend at home.

It’s also possible that she doesn’t have time to talk about it because she has to take care of me at home.

 

 

In the future, I decided to pretend to be asleep, thinking that it would be a good idea to listen to Kaede about her feelings without saying a word.

 

“A boyfriend, well…”

 

I wondered if she couldn’t find the right words, or if there was something she wanted to hide.

I’m sure it’s the former, but Kaede seemed troubled.

 

President, Miura, and Koizumi looked extremely interested.

Needless to say, I thought of Hino-kun.

 

But Shizuku and Kirasaka didn’t look like they were participating.

As I turned my gaze sideways, mine and Kirasaka’s eyes met.

 

 

No way… Is this fate?

…not happening.

 

I think Kirasaka is equipped with her own radar.

Whenever I showed something interesting to her, she would always be happening to be look at me.

 

That’s when our eyes just happens to meet, just like this time.

 

Kirasaka was looking at me with a grin.

I’m sure she has noticed that I’ve been listening, pretending to be asleep.

 

She had a nasty personality, and when I was wondering about that, Shizuku sitting next to her was also looking here.

She just looked at me sleeping and waved her hand in front of her chest with a broken smile that sounded like a “he-he” sound effect.

 

The two of them didn’t seem to care about Kaede’s story as much as the others.

They’ve known each other longer than the others, so they probably had plenty to talk about.

 

Shizuku is a childhood friend of Kaede, just like me.

 

I’m not sure if it’s a surprise or a disappointment, but Kaede told the other two.

 

“I’ve never wanted a boyfriend… I love my nii-san.”

…Her brother was so happy that he was going to cry.

 

I am sure that fathers all over the country would cry if their daughters said these words to them.

 

 

I’m sure it’s Kaede’s personality, but she makes everyone around her happy and relaxed.

If you listen to Kaede’s words themselves, they would seem like of a bro-con, but the fact that Miura and Koizumi mutter, “You love your brother, don’t you?”

 

However, among them, only the president’s expressions were different.

She was smiling.

 

She was certainly smiling, but I couldn’t find any bright emotion in her eyes.

 

Something else, it was also different from Kirasaka’s cold smile or Shizuku’s occasional blank expression.

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TL/N - The next chapter may come out a bit late since it’s a tad bit longer. Also, the next chapter is the last one for this arc so I’ll be taking a short rest for the upcoming 2 weeks, and I also have my exams coming.

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