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104. New Life
「I’m home……」
10 minutes after finishing work.
I who reached home safely, open the door, and a scene of carnage stood in front of me.
「Too late…I’m hungry」
「Uhaa……」
When I look properly, it’s Onikko standing there with an angry aura, and I instinctively count the number of shoes at the entrance.
「Nee-san went back, huh……」
「Nn…Nakajima…went back. Food…fast」
I sigh to the demanding girl while taking off my shoes, and I hand over a juice that I bought at the nearby vending machine to her.
「Here, drink this while waiting」
「……What’s…this? Poison?」
I drop a fist lightly to her head when she immediately judged me like that, and crouch down and show the can to her.
「Look, it’s melon soda……Can you read it?」
「……No」
She shakes her head while looking unpleasant. Well, I can’t help but to smile wryly when I think about the environment she’s brought up.
「Well then, for now, let’s study. You don’t want to stay with me forever, right?」
「Nn…yes」
I stroke her head violently while standing up, and head to the kitchen after giving her the melon soda.
「That’s how it is. We can’t be together forever, so for now, you need to at least study enough to be able to enroll into a elementary school. Sit over there and wait. I’ll prepare the dishes given to me」
She looked at me expressionlessly.
☆☆☆
「……This is a lot」
Before my eyes are many dishes.
Hamburg steak, salad with noodles, onigiri and sandwich. This is a heaven and earth difference when compared to my stir-fried vegetables (failure).
As a proof, Onikko stares at the table in wonder. I really need to thank Manager and Senpai next time.
「Well then, let’s eat. Itadakimasu」
When I join my hands, Onikko who sat in front of me, looks at me in curiosity.
「……Ita…dakimasu?」
「That’s right. For now, you should remember it because if you say that before eating, you won’t get scolded」
「……Understood」
Even I say that myself, I think that there’s a better way to explain it, but for me who kept doing cruel things up until now, to say 『such thing』, is not really persuasive. Sana-san who has gone somewhere, would do better in this kind of situation.
Because I’m quite tired from my first day of work, I broke the seal of the onigiri and sandwich, and started eating.
–Then, I realized that she’s looking at me fixedly, and when I look at her, it looks like she doesn’t know how to open the onigiri’s seal.
「Aah, sorry」
I take the onigiri from her, open the seal, and pass it back to her.
「……」
Although for a moment, she behaved like she doesn’t know what to do, she immediately bites into the onigiri.
I’m curious of why she changed so much in just a short time.
「Come to think of it, didn’t you say that you wouldn’t receive my charity?」
If she realizes it after she said that, then it was a verbal slip.
If she say something like she won’t eat, then I would be troubled. I feel like I want to say 「It’s a lie!」.
「……Nakajima…said that…if you kill me with poison…then you will also feel guilty forever. I don’t understand much but…I don’t care even if you die」
「The next time I meet her, I’ll give her a fist……」
I’m happy that she made this girl to eat, but there’s a different way to say it. Though it’s not for me to say anything.
Although I’m not blood related with her, she’s like my older sister. Onikko looks at me and continues.
「……You…actually…don’t need…me…isn’t it?」
I smile wryly upon hearing those words.
I don’t need her……huh.
I lean my back on the chair and look up at the ceiling.
「……No…I don’t think so」
The words of deny leaked out from my mouth.
I was surprised by that.
Up until now, I have always wanted to run and cry alone due to how severe, painful and harsh……but still, I now think that I need this girl.
Just like she changed, I also seemed to have changed a little.
When I look down while smiling, I can see her dumbfounded.
「What’s wrong? Is my answer really that weird?
I ask her while smiling wryly, and she nods while her body is shaking.
「……Nn…why?」
I groan upon hearing her frank question, but the answer is already in my head before I need to even think.
「……Because…you are my sister」
「……Ha?」
I smile feebly when I see her unpleasant face, but I tell her honestly.
「I don’t know what you think about me, but I think of you as my sister. Then, it’s natural to love, pamper, and need you, isn’t it?」
Saying that, I stroke her head lightly, and I stab the fork into the Hamburg steak.
「Come on, eat it before it gets cold」
「……」
She looked at me once again when I urged her, but before I was able to read her feelings from her eyes, she looked down at the Hamburg steak.
……As expected, I don’t know what she thinks.
She might burn her hatred at me eventually, or she might hide the sadness of losing her father.
Perhaps, I might be able to know everything if I eavesdrop her room at midnight……
When thinking that, I laughed softly.
Even if I’m the assailant and no matter how much she hates me, I have decided to be her brother.
Then, I shouldn’t do stupid things.
I just have to keep loving her and raising her up.
Think about her, and continue to live for her sake.
Until the day when I become 『unnecessary』.
That’s the way of my life.
☆☆☆
–The next day.
I cook in the morning.
Because.
『Ah, come to think of it, Nagumo-kun. If you are working from morning to night, then you should bring a bento or something. If you really can’t, then you can buy your lunch here by deducting your pay, but as expected, it is much more cheaper if you make it yourself』
Yesterday, Senpai told me that.
Receiving those words, I who have bought some dried plums and furikakes at the convenience store yesterday, tried to make a bento for the first time.
「Um, the lunch box……」
I open the top shelf in the kitchen, and take out an orange-colored lunch box. When I took it out……time sure flies. When I was a child, I went out of the wall with only this.
I smiled dryly upon recalling a not really goof memory, and I heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.
「……Faa」
When I looked there, I can see Onikko rubbing her sleepy eyes at the living room entrance while walking, and she dives into the sofa.
And one word.
「……Food」
「You only say that word……」
I knew what she was going to say beforehand, and I carry the breakfast I made to the table.
「Here, salad and tamagoyaki. And also, bread and milk」
Onikko who lied face-down on the sofa, turns her eyes towards the breakfast, smells the food, and said a few words after a deep breath.
「This…where did you get it?」
「Ugu……」
I’m at a loss for words.
The salad is simply made by tearing the lettuce and pouring mayonnaise into it. Because the bread got burned when I toasted it, I gave her a normal one, and as for the milk, there’s nothing to say about it. And, as for the tamagoyaki……
「……It’s yesterday’s left-over」
Among the ones I received yesterday, I actually hide the tamagoyaki into the refrigerator.
The girl who replied my apologetic mutter with silence, reseat herself and eat the breakfast.
I feel relief when I see that, and I once again return to making the bento.
「Now, let’s do it!」
After staring at the empty lunch box, I prepared myself and rolled up my sleeves.
☆☆☆
–As a result.
「……Nagumo-kun. What happened?」
「……Well, how should I say it… I guess it’s the result of venturing」
In front of me is the bento I made for my lunch.
Senpai who sat directly opposite of me, leaked a voice.
That’s no wonder, because the thing on the table is a failed stir-fried vegetables.
「B-Burned tamagoyaki and……um, burned bread crusts? They are also buried in the broccoli and mayonnaise…… And isn’t the furikake more than the rice?」
「Guu……」
I realized it vaguely.
That I have no talent in cooking at all.
I dropped my shoulders instinctively, and Senpai averted her eyes.
「……Well, do your best」
Those words hurt the most.
