Episode 57 – This Shouldn’t Be Our End…

An unsettled atmosphere spread throughout the class.

It was obvious at a glance.

First of all the expression of my childhood friend who came late.

She was serious by nature and had never been tardy since she entered the school. The fact that she was late gave a surprise to the whole class.

Secondly, Idol sama cut off her long hair for some reason.

I think some of her classmates even started a rumor? that she might have had a broken heart. I felt guilty because I felt like I had nothing to do with it.

The biggest news of all was that my step sister had come to school with a man.

And that man was me, the word spread quickly throughout the class.

Only my step sister’s friends, Genpaku and the others who knew that me and my step sister were step siblings.

That’s why our classmates were gossiping that we were lovers.

The boys were astonished at the change from the three most beautiful girls in class, some of them were happy and some were sad.

It seems that the girls were also saddened by the fact that I had a girlfriend, and I couldn’t understand why they were so sad.

Objectively speaking, it might look like we were dating. However, this is only possible if we like each other, and we do not have such feelings for each other as step siblings.

And yet I feel sympathy for my step sister to be seen as dating me because of this.

In the middle of the unsettled atmosphere, we, who were the subject of the rumor, were exhausted by the time we went home.

After school, I got ready to go home and tried to leave the classroom as quickly as a mouse that escaped from a forest fire.

As I was just about to leave the classroom, I bumped into Idol sama outside of the classroom. The two of us looked at each other and said [Ah…].

“Kaizei kun, see you tomorrow.”

“O-oh….”

Seeing her greeted me with a gentle smile, I turned my face away from her, because I felt guilty for having rejected her.

Then she took a step closer to me and whispered in my ear.

“….I’m not bothered by it, so please just act like you used to.”

Her breath lingering in my ear.

At that moment, I was startled and distanced myself from her.

With her hair being cut and her glasses on, she’s still smiling.

It is as if she’s  a doll that has been made up, and no part of her is visible.

However, I felt a sense of déjà vu in her face again.

[Well then…….] And with that, she moved away from me, and I searched for the cause of my deja vu.

However, I can’t remember…….

I was not good at remembering people’s faces because I had changed schools a lot and was alone.

So I felt like giving up on it.

……I don’t need friends if I’m going to make some and then leave.

The feelings that I have felt since elementary school are still alive and well, and I forget everyone except those who were really close to me.

That’s why I wonder if I would ever remember Idol sama if I met her somewhere, but I’m sure I wouldn’t forget such a beautiful girl.

I closed the lid on my thoughts again and headed home.

I will be home alone with my step sister from today…….

There’s no way we can reconcile right away just because we’ve made up.

We shared the table and cleaned up together.

“Did everything go well at school?”

“……What?”

I asked my step sister about what happened at school, worried about the rumors that were circulating at school.

“No, I was just wondering if you didn’t feel bad about going to school with me…… I mean, it’s me.”

My step sister makes a face at me, who always makes negative assumptions.

“……you don’t have to worry about it. You’re my brother, right? Then you should be more confident.

She still calls me “you,” but her words are gentle and understanding, not yelling

“Y-yeah….”

“……,If you understand then let’s get this over with.”

She handed me the dishes she had just finished washing.

And in the middle of the awkward atmosphere, my step sister finished washing the dishes and quickly went up to the second floor.

……I also have to get my act together a little bit more.

With my step sister gone I was all alone in the kitchen, and I looked back at myself now. I’m not sure if my step sister would recognize me as her brother if I don’t change my pathetic and insecure self.

Until now, I wish I could’ve lived in a world with only my mother.

But now it’s different.

I have a family who’s in the same class as me.

At the very least, she should be able to introduce me as her brother….

I pulled myself together and headed to my room.

It was 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

It was time for my weekly GFO.

I turned on my computer and logged in as usual.

I have been under a lot of stress lately, so I decided to let Risa heal me at least for today.

While I was thinking about that, the loading finished and the screen switched to the usual screen of my room.

In the game, Risa’s avatar was already awake and standing next to my bed.

“Good evening, Risa, it’s been a week ! ! I missed you.”

I greeted her as usual.

But she didn’t reply back, just her avatar standing there.

“Risa?”

I thought she might have fallen asleep, so I sent her a chat again.

A few minutes later, I received a reply from Risa saying [Good evening, …….].

However, I felt something strange about the message.

She’s  usually so excited that she seems to jump out of the screen, but today she’s calm. The discomfort makes me break out in a cold sweat.

…… Did I do something wrong?

Driven by anxiety, I asked Risa if something was wrong, but I didn’t get a reply.

I don’t want to be seen like a persistent guy, so I hold my breath while waiting for a response when she sends me a message.

“Let’s end it here, we’re done……..”

“Eh?”

My eyes go blank at those words.