Chapter 2

"Alright, let's update it."

On a weekday morning, in the living room of my house.

I had just finished updating the web novel I write as a hobby, "The Case of the Cool and Sarcastic Girl and the Sweet Life We Somehow Ended Up Living," and was taking a breather.

"Did you finish writing, big brother?"

My fifth-grade sister, Hanako, asked while munching on a fluffy French toast.

"Yeah, I poured on a ton of syrup again today!"

"Wow, really. Hey, big brother, here's the maple syrup."

"Zero interest, got it."

As I handed her the maple syrup with a jab, Hanako said "Thanks!" and smiled innocently.

"Here, big brother, this is for you."

"Thanks."

I picked up the special scallion egg toast Hanako made and took a bite.

Hmm, Hanako's cooking is delicious as always.

The surface of the bread was crispy, and the inside was soft with a hint of sweetness. Next, the aroma of scallions wafted through my nose, followed by the gooey texture of the half-cooked egg, creating layers of flavors.

My stomach, which had been drained of energy from writing, quickly devoured the toast.

"Delicious! Thanks for the meal."

"Wow, big eater?"

"Who's the vacuum cleaner?"

By the way, both of our parents work and travel frequently, so they rarely come home. Therefore, we basically share the household chores.

Hanako, who has excellent cooking skills and loves cooking, is the confident cook.

And the rest is my responsibility!

I handle everything from cleaning, laundry, bathing, and taking out the trash.

Hey, isn't that called a division of labor?

It's fine, as long as I can enjoy Hanako's exquisite cooking, it's worth the effort.

While taking a break and drinking coffee after the meal, Hanako brought up a topic.

"Big brother, the sweet pure love story you're writing? I read a bit, but it's not really my thing."

"Of course, if you got into sweet pure love stories, big brother would be worried."

Sweet pure love stories are the last oasis for people like me who lead a gray high school life. For elementary school students who still see the world as shiny and bright, they are probably unnecessary.

"But, I recommended it to my classmate, Ishikawa-kun, and he was crying while reading it!"

"Is Ishikawa-kun okay?"

Ping.

At that moment, my laptop played a pleasant notification sound.

"Oh, it's here."

"Review?"

"Exactly."

"Scallion-san?"

"Correct."

I have one enthusiastic royal customer for my work.

Their username is "Scallion."

No matter what time I update, they always leave a review within 10 minutes. They are a godlike reader.

"This was interesting too. The scene where Mika-chan embraces Ryosuke-kun with overflowing maternal love made me cry. Thank you, author."

A simple but heartfelt review that shows they read the content carefully.

"Ah, thank you, Scallion-san..."

It felt like my heart was being purified.

"It was interesting."

Just those words make all the effort of waking up early and writing worth it. There's nothing more gratifying for an author.

Thanks to this reader, my motivation to write is always at a high level, and I've even become a fan of scallion dishes.

"Alright, I need to reply. Let's see, Scallion-san, thank you for always supporting me. I also cried while writing that scene, so I'm glad you could relate to it..."

"Big brother, that's gross."

"Okay, okay, if you don't understand the nobility of the 'hug scene,' just be quiet."

Hanako laughed, a carefree and adorable sound. She seems to have recently learned the communication skill of teasing people.

I wonder if she's being called "the teasing expert, Y仓" (Y仓 is a placeholder for a name, as 米倉 is a common Japanese surname). Big brother is worried.

Ding-dong

As I pressed the enter key to send the reply, the intercom rang.

"Oh, it seems Rin is here, big brother."

"Already that time?"

I closed my laptop, put it in my backpack, and slung it over my shoulder.

"See you later."

"See you."

I put on my shoes and opened the front door.

"Good morning, Tsubasa-kun."

My childhood friend, Asakura Rin, stood there, her back straight and her uniform neatly worn.

The cold wind of early March fluttered her long, lustrous black hair. Her well-defined face, illuminated by the morning sun, had a divine radiance, like a saint guiding the way.

After a soft, angelic breath, Rin spoke.

"You still look so gloomy today."

That ruins everything.

"That's because my face is linked to the Nikkei average, and it's in a recession."

"Is only your face linked?"

"My sense of humor is linked too, sorry!"

Rin gave me a cold stare at my exaggerated reaction.

"Instead of spouting unproductive words, let's go to school quickly."

As she turned to leave, I stopped her and leaned in close.

"Wait, Rin."

For the first time, a crack appeared in her usually expressionless face. Her cheeks, now tinged with red, showed a hint of unease.

But what caught my attention more was something else, so I asked.

"Is your eye red?"

"..."

A stifled sound.

"Did something happen?"

"...I just yawned a moment ago."

Ah, that's a lie.

I can tell in a second. When she lies, her eyes move from side to side, a clear habit of hers. I know this because we are childhood friends.

But I also know that she isn't really troubled by anything serious. We are childhood friends, after all.

"That's creepy, why are you staring at me?"

"I'm not staring."

She probably read a touching shoujo manga this morning. Despite her aloof demeanor, she's actually quite into anime and light novels and is easily moved to tears.

As childhood friends, I'll leave it at that.

"Anyway, if you ever have any troubles, let me know. I'll be there to help."

"Help, huh..."

Rin clenched her fists in front of her chest.

"Huh, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Let's go, dog."

"Hey, you didn't need to add that last noun, did you?"

As I pointed this out, Rin's lips seemed to curve up just a little, just a tiny bit.

But it was only for a moment, and she quickly returned to her usual expressionless self, walking ahead.

As I followed her, I thought to myself:

– After all, talking to Rin is fun.

Because we've known each other for 10 years and are close friends, we can speak freely without any reservations. I can't have that kind of conversation with other classmates.

That's why every morning, the time I spend chatting with Rin on the way to school is so enjoyable.

We walked side by side, about 30 cm apart.

We headed to the station, got on the train, and got off at the station closest to our school. We chatted all the way to the school, and before we knew it, we had arrived.

Since Rin and I are in different classes, we said our goodbyes at the classroom doors.

"See you."

"Yes, see you. Try to focus on your studies."

I accepted her final barbed words with a sense of nostalgia and headed to my own class.

My heart felt warm, and I thought today might be a good day.

– But that warm feeling would transform into a dark gloom a few hours later.