Chapter 7 : I want to get along

Part 1

We quickly walked through the red-dyed residential area. I was up front leading while Shiyori followed not too far from behind.

It was the same pattern as before, but somehow, the distance between us had visibly shortened.

“”…””

What followed between us was the silence that had grown quite familiar within recent days. The only thing that may be different from usual would probably be me being adorned with a reddened face.

… I think I took a rather bold move.

It’s a sentence that can cause a lot of strange misunderstandings in one way or another.

In fact, I would not deny that there is something like a sense of rivalry between me and Nanjo Rin. However, it is also a fact that it was my real intention that jumped out from my unconscious.

So when I realized that, I couldn’t even blame the setting sun for my hot face, nor could I do anything but turn my face away.

―Perhaps this was how Shiyori usually felt whenever she turned and ran away from me?

The more I thought about it, the more my pace hastened, as if the push in my speed was proportional to the frivolous thoughts appearing in my mind.

“… I’m back”

“…back”

In the end, we got home with an awkward, prickly feeling still surrounding the both of us.

“Ara~, welcome home. It’s rare for both of you two to come together… Shi..yo …Shiyori.”

“!!”

Yaeko-san greeted us when she noticed us come back home.

However, her get up was— to be exact, she had her hair let down; looking at a somewhat sophisticated look of Shiyori’s, her expressions gradually changed into something expressing full astonishment.

“…”

“…”

An indescribable silence flowed between Shiyori and Yaeko-san.

They looked at each other, blinked their eyes, and occasionally moved slightly. If you looked at them from the side, it would be a spectacle that makes you want to take a dig at what they are even trying to do.

However, if you take a closer look, you can see that there’s not only surprise, but also confusion, joy, and worry… Such various emotions also seemed to be mixed in that conversation.

Those were certainly a mother-daughter conversation.

After all, they were a mother and daughter who looked alike.

“… I see.”

“… um.”

Yaeko-san smiled as if she felt relieved.

And respectively, there was a girl nodding slightly and shyly: Shiyori.

Unfortunately, I don’t know the content of the conversation that happened between Shiyori and Mother.

However, there was a connection between them that could only be called the trust between a mother and daughter who could communicate with each other without words.

―That made me a little jealous.

The dinner that day felt somewhat luxurious.

Shiyori’s favorite potato-gratin had more cheese than usual, and the garnish had been upgraded from salad to white fish carpaccio.

And above all, Yaeko-san was in a very good mood.

―Come to think of it, isn’t this the first time Yaeko-san has seen a dressed up Shiyori in front of her?

Speaking of Shiyori, she seemed uncomfortable and shy from being watched with undivided attention by Yaeko-san who had a smile on her face the entire time.

“Thank you for the food.”

After eating her dinner, with her face still red from start to finish, Shiyori rushed back to her room as if she couldn’t withstand it any longer.

I saw her off with Yaeko-san still smiling wryly from the back.

“Thank you, Subaru-kun.”

“… Ngu!? Nng… Keho!”

It was a surprise.

I swallowed the potato gratin at a strange interval of time making me almost choke.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay…”

It was strangely awkward, as I can’t help but think that she was indeed quite similar to Shiyori.

However, I didn’t understand the meaning of that sudden gratitude.

“I don’t know why you suddenly thanked me though…”

“Why? … It’s about Shiyori though.”

“Shiyori?”

“Yeah”

I couldn’t understand what was going on even more.

With a puzzled expression on my face, I tried to appeal to Yaeko-san to elaborate further, displaying my furrowed eyebrows and eyes for that reason.

“I’ve always restrained myself whenever it comes to that girl for all this time now… At one point, it also became natural for her to kill her presence and persona, and I had also accepted that as her outcome. ‘I don’t want to cause trouble to those around me’, ‘I don’t want to stand out’ …She always wanted to be away from the limelight, being just normal whenever it came to that.”

“That is…”

“I guess she dressed up like that only because she felt the desire to change herself. Surely, she must have trusted you a lot, and therefore she tried to go on about it.”

“… What do you mean?”

“… Fufu, what indeed?”

“…… I do not understand”

Shiyori trusts me… It’s true that I felt happy to hear that from her very mother.

However, I couldn’t understand why it was all thanks to me.

“It was Shiyori who mustered up the courage to try and change herself. I haven’t done anything.

“Subaru-kun…”

I really didn’t do anything. I just watched in silence. Rather, there is even a feeling similar to frustration when it comes to Shiyori, who was trying to move forward.

That’s why I’m honestly troubled that I was being thanked for this.

“It’s really just that sort of thing, I guess.”

“Ha~a.”

Yaeko-san was narrowing her eyes while smiling and looking at me.

“But you know, Subaru-kun… Let me say this as that child’s mother.”

And, she suddenly turned towards me. Then with a dead serious expression — with a face of a loving mother, she said,

“Thank you for being such a good Step-Elder-Brother.”

[TL notes: “お義兄ちゃん” ]