Episode 2 – I Should’ve Helped My Step Sister

“Thank you very much ! !”

After 2 hours of practice, I greeted my instructor and left the dojo.

I wanted to go home to the Uminishi’s house as soon as possible because I’m sweating and feeling sick from the intense practice. Above all, I’m disgusted with my hair that waxed into an all-back bun, so I wanted to go home and wash it quickly.

Fortunately, the instructor’s wife was kind enough to wash the uniforms for me at the dojo, so all I need to pack is my school luggage.

“Hey, please stop…”

I heard a familiar voice on the way home.

When I stopped and turned to the direction of the voice, I saw my step sister surrounded by three men.

One of the men said [it’s fine, let’s hang out with us] while forcefully pulling my step sister’s arm.

My step sister desperately resists, but it seems that she can’t win with her physical strength.

…..what a cliche situation.

Then I sighed while feeling amazed at the light novel-like situation.

Even though she hates me, she’s still my step sister.

If she gets hurt, my step father and my mother will be shocked, and I will have trouble waking up.

Haa….i sighed and brushed my hair again. For me, it’s like a battle stance. 

By the way, I didn’t wear my glasses.

My eyesight isn’t that bad to begin with, but I usually wear them because my astigmatism is terrible. If anything, people would be scared of me if i didn’t wear those because of my eyesight.

“Stop it.”

When I intervened between those men and my step sister, I grabbed the man’s arm who’s holding my step sister’s hand.

“What the hell, you bastard ! !”

When I grabbed the man’s arm, he glared at me and threatened me. But I didn’t feel much fear.

I couldn’t feel it especially from people who weren’t used to fighting, and on the contrary, I was more afraid of the stares from my step sister, who was living with me on a daily basis.

[Eh?] My step sister was surprised, but I ignored it and stood between the three men.

“Wait. you’re in danger, run away! !”

My step sister forced me to run away quickly from the three men who were intimidating me.

…..Are you pretending to be a stranger even at a time like this?

Even though i was shocked by my step sister’s words, i let go of the thug’s arm then looked at my step sister, and said [hide yourself, even in the place hidden from view] while urging her to run. 

“You’re so cool〜. Are you pretending to be a hero?”

Then a man tried to hit me with a hard punch.

When I effortlessly avoided their punches, the men became furious and the three of them attacked me at the same time.

“Watch out ! !”

I can hear my step sister screaming behind me, and the sound of a bang reverberates the surroundings.

My step sister averted her eyes from that sound, but when she heard a voice said [Eh?] she turned around.

I was receiving a punch from one of them on purpose.

This would allow me to claim self-defense, even if the police were called.

My step sister probably took a video of this, just in case.

After being hit once, I grinned, and began my counterattack. 

First, I catch the man’s fist with my forehead, and stick out my right fist as if to counter it. It’s a thrusting technique in moderation.

The man who received the punch fell to the ground with a single blow.

When I saw a man approaching from the right side, I relaxed my shoulders and dodged his punches just before he hit me.

Then, the moment I get into the man’s pocket, I put all my strength into my right leg and smash my shoulder against him.

And then, the man is blown backwards by his own driving force and my magnificent attack.

Then I kicked the last man lightly on the other end of the room with my left foot before he jumped into us.

There was no sensation of ‘hitting the ball squarely’, but even this much would be enough to damage an amateur opponent.

(TL/N: hitting the ball squarely/jasutomiito is a term that is used while playing baseball, like hitting the ball firmly and solidly.) 

However, I received an indescribable shock.

To be frank, I had a short leg.

That’s why my outstretched leg didn’t land a perfect hit.

The man who was kicked by me lost his fighting spirit, then the first man that I knocked down got up and said [You’ll remember this ! !] and ran away with the others, this is also similar to a romantic novel-like situation.

……Pathetic.

I took a deep breath as I watched them ran away from the back. 

Then suddenly I heard a voice saying [Um…]. Oh yeah, I forgot about my step sister….

When I turned around, my step sister looked at me with concern.

“Um, are you okay…?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. What about you?”

“I’m fine…..”

After my step sister’s last words, the two of us were speechless.

At home and at school, we kept a distance, so the conversation didn’t last. No, are you telling me not to speak to you here either? As I thought to myself, I walked towards my house by myself.

My step sister seemed like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t chase me any further. 

If she had something to say, she would talk to me at home.

I quickly returned to my home.

There was trouble even after I helped my step sister, but I don’t want to remember it because I’m so tired, so I won’t talk about it now.  

I took a shower to rinse off my body that was tired from the practice and the trouble.

Then my step sister returned and opened the front door.

Normally, she would’ve returned to her room immediately, but today, there was no sign of it.

After getting out of the bath,  I changed into the loungewear that I had prepared and headed to the kitchen to check on my step sister while getting the barley tea from the fridge.

In the living room, my step sister plopped down on the table and seemed to be thinking about something.

“Sora, today….”

“Be Quite a little bit….”

A harsh word came from my step sister whom I helped.

I was just trying to cheer her up after hearing about today’s situation, but this salty response is making me feel down.

I felt that this was a sign that she would not change her attitude even if I helped her, and I became even more afraid of my step sister.

But behind that attitude, he had no idea what was going on inside his step sister’s head.

“…Sigh. That guy, he was so cool. I should’ve asked his name. But it looks like we went to the same school, so I guess I’ll be seeing him again.”