Chapter 22

It was a summer day when the company was closed.

When I woke up and went to the living room, there was my older sister, Nanae, a high school girl with black hair.

"…Ah, teacher. Good morning."

Her soft smile was truly adorable, and just looking at it was soothing.

"Good morning. Aka is… working part-time?"

"…Yes. She’s working at a Western-style restaurant today."

Aka holds two part-time jobs. She works in customer service at a café in front of the station and as a cook at a Western-style restaurant.

"…I’ll warm up breakfast."

"No, don’t worry about it. I’ll prepare my own, and you should take care of yourself too."

"…My own?"

Nanae looked as if she was thinking about something. But she quickly shook her head and said with a smile,

"…I don’t have anything particular to do, so I’ll prepare it for you."

"But…"

"…Please sit down, teacher."

Nanae headed to the kitchen with a light step.

She took a plate out of the refrigerator, put it in the microwave, filled a kettle with water, and started boiling it.

"……"

I sat down in a chair in the living room. The table was spread with textbooks.

"Are these Nanae’s textbooks?"

Given that it was summer vacation, she was probably doing homework.

Studying in the morning is impressive. …But at the same time, there was something that slightly concerned me.

"…Teacher, breakfast is ready."

"Ah, thank you."

French toast, bacon and eggs, and a café latte.

Apparently, Aka had quickly made all of this before going to her morning part-time job.

I started eating the prepared meal.

Nanae sat across from me, watching me with a cheerful smile.

"Shouldn’t you be doing your homework?"

"…No, I’ve already finished my homework."

"Really?"

It had only been a few days since the start of summer vacation, but she had already finished it.

I remember that even during her cram school days, Nanae would usually finish her homework on the same day or the next day.

"Ah, so you’re studying for the entrance exams, then."

Nanae is 17 this year, and she will be taking the entrance exams next year.

Many of her classmates had already started studying for the exams during the summer of their second year of high school.

Nanae is probably studying to get into the university she wants to attend.

"…No, this is self-study."

"Self-study?"

"…Yes. I was reviewing the first semester’s lessons."

Just a review, huh. By the way, what does this girl plan to do in the future?

I thought she would go to university because she’s smart, but from her tone, it seems different.

Well, everyone has their own future plans, so I don’t intend to say anything about it.

After finishing breakfast, I started to clean up the dishes.

Nanae offered to do it, but I felt it would be too much, so I declined.

"……" fidget, fidget.

"Nanae."

"…Yes, teacher, what is it?"

"Having you behind me is distracting."

Since earlier, Nanae had been standing behind me, peering at my hands.

"…Is there anything I can help with? I can wash the dishes."

"That’s fine, sit down and take care of yourself."

"……" she drooped.

She walked over and sat down in a chair.

Then she started studying… or rather, reviewing the first semester’s lessons.

"……"

While washing the dishes, I remembered something.

It was the day the final exam results were returned.

Aka had a couple of failing grades, and her scores in other subjects were also low.

On the other hand, Nanae’s scores… were all 100.

100 in all subjects. Both Aka and I praised her, but she didn’t seem happy at all.

"Nanae doesn’t really like studying, does she?"

When asked, she does as she’s told.

She completes tasks when given them. However, unlike her sister, she doesn’t have a drive to do things on her own.

After finishing the dishes, I returned to Nanae.

"……"

She was absentmindedly copying from a worn-out textbook.

It was a precious summer vacation, yet this girl didn’t seem to want to go anywhere.

Unlike Aka, who was passionate about something, I felt sorry for this girl, who stayed at home.

"Hey, Nanae. Is there anywhere you want to go?"

"…Go out!?"

She stood up with a thud, her black pearl-like eyes sparkling.

"Ah, I’m free today. If you’re okay with it, let’s go somewhere together. Where would you like to go?"

"…As long as I’m with you, anywhere is fine! Yay♡ Yay♡ It’s a date~"

…Well, I guess it’s classified as a date because we’re going out together.

My intention was to take this girl, who had been staying at home all summer, out.

"Let’s go to the nearby shopping mall. I’m free today, anyway."

"…Yes♡"

★

We arrived at a large shopping mall on the other side of the river.

"…Hehe♡ Hehe♡ Hehe♡"

Nanae was laughing next to me.

She always smiles, but today she was particularly cheerful.

"Is something good happening?"

"…Yes. Just being with you makes me very happy♡ And we’re alone together♡ Hehe♡"

Well, children are happy just to be with their father, right?

Mrs. Uematsu said something similar.

It’s probably something like that.

"Let’s go, Nanae. It’s crowded, so don’t get lost."

"…I won’t get lost."

We decided to wander around the mall casually.

However, it was crowded with children and families, probably because it was summer vacation.

"Hey, Nanae… Nanae?"

I realized Nanae was gone.

"…T, Teacher~"

Far behind… or rather, at the entrance, Nanae was standing still.

It seemed she couldn’t avoid the crowd coming from the front.

I hurried to her.

"Sorry, I went too far ahead."

"…No, I’m sorry. I’ve always been clumsy."

Nanae’s shoulders drooped.

I took her hand.

"Fe…!?"

"Come on, let’s go."

"A…♡"

I shouldn’t have left her alone in a crowded place. It’s irresponsible as a guardian.

Even though she’s a high school student, she’s a girl, and she’s been a bit absent-minded since she was young. I need to take good care of her and make sure she doesn’t get lost.

"…I feel like I’m going to ascend to heaven from too much happiness~♡"

Nanae’s face was as soft as a jellyfish in hot water, with a wobbly smile.

"…If someone sees us like this, what would they think?"

"Hmm. Well, they’d probably think we’re a parent and daughter."

"………………………………That’s right."

Nanae’s mood suddenly changed, and she looked down.

What’s going on…? I don’t understand. The emotions of a teenage girl are too unstable.

Thinking back, Aka and Risha also often get angry or happy at unexpected times.

I should probably buy a book and study more about raising teenage daughters.

"Alright, Nanae. Is there anything you want?"

"…Something I want?"

"Yes. You take care of me a lot, so I want to give you a present."

"…A present!"

Nanae’s face lit up like a star.

But she quickly shook her head.

"…No! I’m sorry!"

"Don’t be so formal."

"…But… because…"

Nanae stopped and looked down.

"…Aka does the cooking, the laundry, and many other things. But… I can’t do any of those. I just live here. A present… I don’t deserve it… ah…"

I tapped Nanae’s forehead with my finger.

"I’ve said this before. You support me, which allows me to work at my best. I’m grateful to both of you equally."

"…Teacher"

"I’ll give Aka a present too. Today is your turn. Tell me what you want. I’ll buy it for you."

Nanae is quite reserved.

To put it nicely, she’s gentle, but to put it negatively… she’s shy.

Maybe because she grew up with a more assertive younger sister, she tends to be a bit weak-willed.

It might be good that Aka is around now.

But eventually, they will go their separate ways and live their own lives.

I don’t want this girl to grow up unable to do anything on her own.

That’s why I asked her what she wanted, to encourage her to express herself a bit more.

"…I don’t know."

As expected, Nanae didn’t know what she wanted.

"Then let’s look around. Something will come up, I’m sure."

"…Teacher. Yes."

After that, we wandered around the shopping mall.

Clothing stores, stationery stores, bookstores, and more…

But…

"…I have enough clothes."

"…I still have plenty of stationery. Ah, the mechanical pencil you gave me during cram school is a precious treasure, so I don’t want a new one."

"…Reference books? I can get 100 on practice tests with just the textbook, so I don’t need them."

No matter which store we went to, Nanae didn’t show any interest.

"…Teacher. I’m sorry for the trouble. But… it’s okay now. Let’s go home…"

Just then,

"……"

Nanae suddenly stopped.

"Pet shop…?"

It was a pet shop inside the shopping mall, displaying puppies and kittens in glass cases.

"…Wow, wow!"

Nanae pressed her cheek against the glass, her eyes shining.

She was particularly interested in a brown miniature dachshund.

"…So cute♡ It looks like a hot dog."

Cute and food seem to coexist in the mind of a high school girl. I really don’t understand…

But this is it, I thought.

"Nanae. How about this one?"

"…Eh? Is it okay?"

"Yes. We just moved into a house, and I’ve been thinking about getting a dog."

"…Teacher! But the price…"

I glanced at the price and covered it with my hand.

"It’s cheaper than I thought, so don’t worry."

"…But…"

"Nanae, wait for me at the food court. I’ll be back after I take care of the payment and other things."

"…Yes."

Nanae left.

The price… I can’t show her this.

"Excuse me, I’ll take this miniature dachshund."

"Ah, sure!"

A cute store clerk took the dog out of the glass case.

I listened to the explanations about insurance and vaccinations.

"Is this a gift for her?"

The clerk asked me in a worldly manner.

"It’s a gift for my daughter."

"Ah, I see! Your daughter must be so happy! To make such an expensive purchase for her!"

"It’s fine. If it brings her happiness, money isn’t important."

I completed the procedures and bought a dog carrier (a basket-like container for transporting dogs).

I put the dog in the carrier and headed to the food court.

"Teacher!"

"Take good care of it."

I handed the carrier with the puppy to Nanae.

"Ahn…"

The miniature dachshund poked its head out and licked Nanae’s cheek, looking up at her face.

"…Ah, it tickles♡"

Nanae’s face lit up with a bright smile.

That’s right, this girl looks best when she’s smiling innocently.

"Teacher, thank you so much!"