A Brother's Sacrifice

Aaah.....The sky is soooo beautiful.

"Oooi..."

The sun is so bright and so attractive today. The birds' silhouettes came into my sight.

".....Oi!"

The white gigantic clouds which slowly passes over me soothes my mind. It is definitely not going to rain today.

"You deaf idiot!!"

*Smack!*

Aaaaa....the pain in my head is itching but it dispersed and dissipated so quickly throughout my whole body.

"....Is he gone senile?"

Oh, how beautiful nature is.....and how beautiful our world is...

I wonder why I did not take a good look at my surrounding more in-depth.

Am I in heaven.....?

I felt 5 fingers wrapped around my wrists and it led me down to a place. My fingers gently grabbed onto a stiff object.

"Now continue massaging!"

My hands and fingers were getting controlled by my brain but my eyes were focusing on the wonderful nature. The slow cold breeze c.a.r.e.s.sed my average looking face while simultaneously my black hair got carried.

This was truly exquisite.

*Creeeeeaaaaak*

"....."

I snapped back and my hand stopped. For god's sake, can't the school afford a new door? This was incredibly aching for my ears.

"Why did you stop again?"

".....Hah?!"

I realized that I was being used as a masseur.

The screeching noise from the noisy door made me snap back to this cruel reality. Me and Aki were sitting on the stairs on the rooftop.

As a matter of fact, the rooftop is not the highest place in this school. The staircase that me and Aki are sitting on leads to the highest point.

In fact, besides the rusty door that is the entrance to the rooftop, there was another concrete staircase that was attached to the side of the wall.

That explains why I could see the sky if I looked straight above me. This would not have been possible if I was sitting on the stairs that lead me to the rusty door.

Ken entered my field of vision. He was looking for us as shown by the way he was turning his head in multiple directions.

"Over here."

Aki called out to Ken as I reluctantly continued to obey her. Ken turned around and saw us. Approaching us, he hovered his gaze towards me.

"Come here, sit."

She beckoned Ken to sit on the stairs just below her, exactly to what Aki is doing with me.

Ken sat where Aki ordered him and felt two hands on his shoulders. She commenced the massage doing a replica of what I am doing.

I stared at them with a speck of vexation.

'Now she is the one babysitting him?'

Aki continued pressing gently with all of her five slender fingers on Ken's shoulders. It was delicate but she applied enough force so that pain will disperse from his shoulders.

She suddenly veered her head halfway into my direction and gave me a warning.

"Oi. You are not doing your job well."

"Well, I am not a professional masseur."

"Just do what I am doing. You can at least do that. Or else, are you going to be a good for nothing asshole?"

That coldness accompanying her insult, just made my hands tremble with fury but I resumed exerting pressure uneagerly.

I was holding my thoughts in contempt towards Aki.

I was even thinking of positioning my hands to choke her to death. That idea did cross my mind. But this was unrealistic so I dumped it.

This massage train was fully operational and this was going on for a little while.

"What are you thinking about?"

Aki struck a conversation with Ken who seemingly snapped back from deep thought. Ken's undetermined tone got to us two.

"Nee.....Aki, should I join a club?"

Aki's first response to Ken was not 'Why', but...

"Which club do you want to join?"

Ken paused as he contemplated and contemplated over on this matter. I just wanted to know why did he want to think about that.

After a while, Ken vaguely replied,

"Maybe not a sports-related club. I don't want to do anything strenuous."

"That's good, you narrowed down the possibilities by around 70%. Narrow it again and choose what you want to do."

Aki optimistically encouraged Ken, resulting in him trying harder to select a club that he wants. I did not interfere with their interaction because I did not want to break the flow.

I silently massaged Aki and she silently massaged Ken. She was just like a mother looking over Ken.

"And maybe not an embarrassing one such as.....the drama club

"...Okay...?"

Ken started thinking out loud.

"So.....There is the Shogi Club, the choir club, theeeee Art Club, ..... the...uuuh..."

"Cheerleading Club...Pfft!"

"Shut up and do your job!" Aki threatened me with such a menacing glare so I retreated and went back to doing my 'job'.

"Continue." Her kind voice re-surfaced.

"...Ummm...the..."

"Literature Club."

"What did I sa-!!...Hey wait, yea. What about the Literature Club?"

This time, Aki considered my suggestion. I thought that she would praise me or even thank me to have a good proposal.

But no, she had that daunting look at me and I understood its meaning. I went to do my job yet again.

"Literature Club.....Yea...It might work. I don't have to do much in there."

"You have decided then?"

"Not fully but...I'll take a look around to the other clubs too."

Aki's hands were not stopping from massaging Ken's shoulders as Aki finally reached the conclusion of asking the most important question that I have been trying to say.

"Ken, why did you suddenly want to join a club?"

Ken sighed as he started to open his mouth.

"I have been thinking and...It is just a way to evade people from pestering me about entering any club."

"...Huh? Then was what drowning girl did on Sports Day triggered you to think like that?"

I intervened and questioned curiously. I did not stop my hands as I enquired on this subject.

"Partially.....Majorly because of Mr Komori."

"That Karate Club's advisor?" Aki was slightly surprised.

"Yes."

"What about him?"

Ken scratched his forehead and explained to us.

"After getting our medals on Sports Day, before we even met Hirabayashi, Mr Komori approached me. He spoke to me and persistently tried to recruit me again in his Karate club."

I sighed at what Ken said.

"Of course I politely declined his offer continuously and I escaped from there. Then came Hirabayashi who had the same intention as Mr Komori."

"It must have been irritating for you." I chimed in.

"...Yeah.....I thought of joining a club that does not do anything too straining or too hardworking. That would at least greatly reduced pestering."

Indeed Ken had a point. Joining a club would stop people from going near him due to any club joining matter.

I mean, Ken is an all-rounder. He can do anything if he understands what that thing means.

For example, you let him watch a basketball game and analyse how someone plays it, he will catch on and become an above-average player. He is that quick-witted and a fast learner.

I know why everyone wants him to join a club. He is practically a genius at adapting.

"Do what you think is right Ken. But don't force yourself." Aki added.

"I understand."

He responded according to what Aki wanted to hear.

*Creeeeeaaaaak*

Another screeching noise of the day, the rusty door opened and moments later, we three saw Miyamoto enter into our sights.

He also was veering his head and looked for something, just like how Ken did.

"Oi scaredy-cat, you looking for us?" Aki called out to him.

To that, Miyamoto turned his head towards us three and nonchalantly retaliated. He showed her the middle finger and replied.

"Go f.u.c.k yourself, you bitch."

He approached us and asked.

"What the hell are you all doing?"

I spoke and beckoned him to participate in this massage session.

"Come join us. Sit behind me."

"Hah?! I don't want to."

"Just come on and sit."

"No."

"Come on, sit."

"...No."

"Sit behind me."

"Heck no."

"No no, I insist."

"And I refuse to."

"Massage me."

"I'm not your servant."

"But you are my friend. Sit and massage me."

"I'm not. I won't."

"Si-"

Suddenly the air became tense.

"AAAAHH! Would you two stop this shit and get on with it!?!?! Miyamoto!! Go up there and make him shut the f.u.c.k up!!"

Miyamoto felt a chill so he unwillingly obeyed to her. I was too surprised by her sudden outburst so I completely forgot to massage her.

"It hurts Aki!! Your hands! Your hands!!"

"Eh? Ah!?!? Oh, I'm soooooooo sorry!"

She immediately let go of her grip.

Ken got Aki to make her brutal clutch on his shoulder to come off. She was digging her fingers into Ken's shoulder when she got furious at me and Miyamoto.

"I-It's alright..."

Ken shrugged it off but in his mind, he was scared and shocked. He pondered fearfully on the amount of strength that Aki generated through only her fingers. She had some serious gripping force.

Miyamoto, irritated, passed by me and sat on the stair just behind. Then he reluctantly started to massage me.

The massage train got even bigger.

"Consider this as a small return gift since I made you a king." I politely spoke.

"...Yeah right."

Miyamoto reduced his annoyance as he stared at me.

"Why did you stop!"

Aki then suddenly shouted at me and made me massage her yet again. Aki gently paid attention to how she applied force on Ken's shoulder since she unintentionally hurt him.

"Why did you come here anyway?"

Miyamoto glanced at Aki. He replied.

"Not a big matter, I'm just being doubtful here."

"So you are saying that it might relate to us?"

"Possibly. I just got this information from my 'servants'. Apparently, one of the delinquents that I previously hired to beat your a.s.s, is in probation."

Aki, unfazed by his comments, casually responded.

"I don't see any wrong in that. What are you worrying about?"

"From what I have heard, he was accused of a crime that he did not commit."

"Now that sucks."

Aki nonchalantly passed off her comments as she disinterestedly veered her sight away from Miyamoto's figure.

But Aki then paused and pondered. She was concerned and worriedly inquired.

".....Don't tell me that I was the one who got him there."

"I don't really know so I can't say for sure. But I can give you the name on the innocent."

I murmured, " Aah.....Names..." as I stopped listening to what Miyamoto would tell. Since my forte does not include remembering names, my curiosity dwindled.

"Eguchi Yasuo. Does it ring a bell?"

Yup, I don't have the slightest clue of who that personage is.

Aki and Ken too did not react to that name positively so I guess I was not left out here, which was rare.

"No?"

Us three replied negatively and that made Miyamoto sighed.

"Then that's reassuring then."

....

(Kaburagi Reika's POV)

I wonder why Brother was being so unusual today. Maybe because I heard him scream and cry at night because his favourite game came to end.

Well anyway, I'm sure he is fine.

I was in a small room which is being used for club activities. In this case, it's for the Literature Club.

I would say that this room is suitable since it had long shelves that could store many books.

"Kaburagi, have you seen a book called 'Smith's Journey?'"

"I think I saw it on the middle shelf at the far end."

A girl with a bob black hairstyle smiled and thanked me as she went to find that said book.

Just then, the door to the room opened and I saw 2 figure who stood just outside.

All of the people in this room, 4 people in total, looked at their presence.

It was a girl and a boy and the boy asked politely as he stuttered.

"I-Is this t-the Literature.....Club?"