A Brother's Sacrifice

I clapped my hands for her splendid performance which left us three speechless. Kinoshita too joined me in applauding Sakura for her singing, which we couldn't take our eyes off.

"That was awesome Sakura! You are really good at it!"

"Thank you Kaburagi. So now you get it now? It's all your turns now."

She commanded us with quite the sweet smile there. A happy expression wore her beautiful tired face, needless to say, that it was because of her own singing that she is in this state.

At the last moment, before her eye-catching small concert that Sakura had staged in front us, she congratulated her sister, Aki, while singing. It was perfectly executed.

Before meeting with Sakura, I sent her a message in order to inform her about Aki's grade for the midterm exam. I said to Sakura that she should surprise her by congratulating her, but later on, she sent me a message that she got an idea as to how to make it more 'entertaining'.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting such a wonderful way of congratulating someone. I guess that she isn't all talk after all. Still, Aki has been looking at me with quite the glare, moments after Sakura performed her little show.

"...You told her about it?"

"What's the harm in telling Sakura? She is quite happy for you, don't you see?" I said as I aimed my sight towards her.

Sakura displayed a gentle smile when Aki got her sight upon her. Aki, who is still surprised with her little sister's action, looked away for quite a second and embarrassingly, glanced at Sakura.

"Thanks...I guess."

Heh, what a tsundere.

"Oh come on Sis! You gotta be more excited and enthusiastic in this kind of situation normally." Sakura teased Aki while putting down the mic on the table.

"Well, I'm sorry that I am not a normal person!" Aki exclaimed as she was annoyed by her sibling's teasing.

"Aki, you don't need to announce that to us. We already know you to that extent."

And oh boy did I regret having said that in front of her. That pissed off Aki greatly. It was a stupid comment that I spoke that was similar to adding fuel onto the fire.

That slow twist of her neck that made her head face us, specifically in my direction, and showing her canine teeth as she showed a grin so sinister that I couldn't imagine what was going on in her head. For a moment, I thought I saw one of the Demon King's Commander, well in my head at least.

Kinoshita, beside me, was shuddering in horror because he got the chance to witness this terrifying scene in front of us.

"Kaburagi.....Why did you have to add your little comment in their conversation...!"

Kinoshita whispered near my ear. He crept near me while his hairs on his arms were clearly standing up.

"...It was a situation that can be similar to having the freedom to touch a woman's b.r.e.a.s.t for free! I can't help but pounce on that!"

"That's how you compare your needless pranks!?"

"This is not the time to be arguing with me!"

I scolded quietly Kinoshita as I regained my sight towards a sinister figure that has been exuding a chilling aura, filling the karaoke room slowly.

Aki, the presumably Demon King's Evil Commander, made an eerie face, frightening us two and probably taking the years off of my lifespan. Now Kinoshita was side by side to me, cowering with the overwhelming terror.

He did not have anything to do with it but the way Aki was showing that disturbing visage, he must have felt an ominous feeling that made his mind insecure. That's maybe why he approached me for help.

But even if you are asking me for help, I'm the one who provoked her you know? Him staying near me means that he will be caught in the fire.

As I was worried for Kinoshita, Aki did not seem to care about that. As she locked eyes with me, she made a proposal to me, and that is

"Should I torture you nicely~"

Nope.

I can't deal with this right now. I gotta run with all my might and be away from that monster! Sorry Kinoshita but,.....you have to confront her alone.

Now...

Time to escape!!

........

I held the mic and brought it near my mouth. But as soon as I tried to open my mouth, my cheeks started to ache and I was finding it difficult to continue.

Yes, that was the result of my mischievous but stupid mockery towards a 'civilized' and 'generous' person, for which I am repenting right now. Sakura is staring at me and at Kinoshita pitifully.

On one of my cheeks was a hand slap mark while on the other cheek, was a fist mark. Kinoshita got the more 'lenient' punishment as he also got a slap mark, but less red than the one on my cheeks.

Even though he was not involved in this impish gesture of mine, he was still disciplined, and he was muttering, "Why me too..." while putting his hand on his cheek.

Quite the situation that Kinoshita got in, although I was the main and only culprit.

Sakura, who was seated a bit near Aki, was quite astonished as she saw that nasty side of her sister. More than surprised, she was worried about her. Right now, I think that she is making sure that Aki won't do anything like that again.

As I am searching for a song to sing, Aki interrupted me and warned me,

"You are only getting off with this small punishment. Next time you do this again, I'm not so sure that your face will stay the same."

Gritting her teeth with anger, and her arms and legs crossed, she cast a menacing glare on my way. I gulped my saliva that was stuck on my throat, meanwhile, cold sweats flowed down my nape.

'Like I want to do that!', was what I wanted to scream at her but I retracted my ideas of doing it. More than that, I just want to complain about how transcendental the strength in her arms is. My face is unrecognized of such power. I am somehow jealous of her.

I finally found a song that I am familiar with so that I can continue the fun times that we are supposed to be having. I do not want to sound like a narcissist but I am pretty positive about my singing skills.

...An instrumental part started and I was getting ready for the song. I gasped some air and I...

"YOU WANT ME, TO BE GUILTY, TO BE THE ONE WHO'S WROOONNG!! SO EASY, TO BLAME M-!!"

....

The mic that I was holding, was snatched away by Kinoshita. The one, who still had a noticeable slap mark on one of his cheeks, got in front of me in a hurry and seized the mic from me.

"Hey Kaburagi..., please tell me that you are trying to infuriate Fujimoto more. Please tell me that you are getting revenge for that red mark on both your cheeks! Because you have successfully completed your goal!"

Kinoshita's nervousness has filled his mind as he came closer to my face and whispered that to me.

"Huh? What are you blabb-"

I paused for a second because I was in awe for what I was viewing at a specific place.

Sakura and Aki were clutching both their ears with both their hands and those two had their eyes closed while they were gnashing their teeth.

'Seeing their pained expression makes me e-.....Wait! That's not the point here! Did I really made that happen!?'

"...Tenma..."

One word. That one word was all it took for me to get anxious about my situation.

"Really Kaburagi...", Sakura released her hands from her ears as she glared at me, "I did not expect you to be such a bad singer, and also to that extent? To be honest I'm upset now."

"Huh?"

Am I really that bad? Also, why the heck are these two sisters ganging up on me? Kinoshita is also on their side as he is staring at me with a troubled look. Even to me, this is too unfair.

"After having sung a beautiful song, there should have been a follow-up. A song as beautiful, or at least good, as mine but no. Yours and mine compared are like Heaven and Earth. No..., that would be an understatement."

Sakura supported her chin with her fingers of her arm, as she went in a thinking posture.

"How about Heaven and Hell?"

"That's right! That might be it!"

Just to clarify something, that was Aki who barged into the thought of Sakura. She was the one who gave a rather 'perfect' suggestion in their opinion.

This sibling looks like they are enjoying themselves as they were concentrating on one 'enemy', and that is me. Regardless of that, I'm relatively happy for Aki now.

.....

...Why do I feel that meeting these two sisters is regrettably going make my life...unstable.

*sigh*

To begin, with, my life really was unstable before those two even appeared. Now that balance in my life is gonna overload and break in the near future. I can feel it!

To the future me, a message from me-

«Hang in there!!»