V1C4 Part1

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“Nn….?”

That morning, I woke up to a nice smell that tickled my nostrils.

It was the sound of something sizzling. There was no use in arguing about it. It was a wonderful sound that stimulated my hunger…but I wondered why I heard such a sound.

“Ah, good morning, Senpai!”

“Eh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“….No, it’s okay. Good morning, Akari-chan.”

That’s right. It was like that.

She was staying over at my place.

Wait, no, I don’t mean it like that!

“Are you, by any chance, preparing breakfast for me?”

“Yes. Senpai was sleeping so soundly that I thought I should use this opportunity.”

“Opportunity?”

“Ah. Uh…ah, that’s right, Senpai! Do you eat rice for breakfast? Or are you more of a bread person?”

She blatantly changed the topic…

I was curious as to what exactly the opportunity was, but the question from Akari-chan was also very difficult to answer──

“Umm…rice?”

“….Senpai, did you just look at my face and make a decision?”

Akari-chan gave me a suspicious, half-lidded look.

I certainly did look at Akari-chan and think,

[Come to think of it, wasn’t there some rice leftover in yesterday’s curry?]

“Senpai, are you really sure you’re okay with rice? You don’t have to worry about it, okay?”

“I’m fine. I mean, honestly, I’m not too fixed up on it…since I don’t often eat in the morning.”

“What!?”

Akari-chan rolled her eyes.

It seems like I startled her, but this isn’t so unusual for a man who’s living alone.

If I have the time, I’ll just buy a rice ball or a sandwich at a local convenience store.

If you’re cooking for yourself, you’ll end up preparing something to some extent.

“That’s no good, Senpai. You have to eat your meals properly. If you neglect your eating habits while you’re still young, it will come back to haunt you 10 or 20 years from now, you know?”

“T-That’s right, sorry.”

The pitifulness doubled at the exact same warning as yesterdays.[check]

It’s probably 10 or 20 years, but it’ll start getting worse when it gets reduced to 5 to 10 years.

With this thought in mind, I bowed deeply to the younger girl.

“Ah, no! I didn’t mean to lecture you…um, is rice really okay with you? If you prefer bread, um…actually, yesterday, I only bought enough for side dishes, so I’ll go out for a short run and get some!”

“N-No, that’s okay! Besides, I have rice every morning at my parent’s place!”

“I see…”

Akari-chan patted her chest in relief.

But that smells really good. Is that the smell of bacon we bought yesterday? I don’t have much of an appetite in the morning, but this really stirs up my belly.

Akari-chan’s cooking skills were evident(terrific) in yesterday’s cooking. That being the case, I would prefer to have it when I’m in my best condition, not when I’m having difficulty just getting up from my bed alone…

No, no, no, it’s freshly made. It would be rude not to eat it right away.

“Ah, Senpai. You don’t have to eat it right away.”

“What?”

Did she just read my mind?…No, maybe it was showing on my face?

Either way, seeing my body stiffen at her well-timed concerned expression, Akari-chan unintentionally let out a wry laugh.

“It’s no good to eat right away after waking up. It’s very stressful on the stomach, so you have to wake yourself up first.”

“I see…”

“But it’s even worse not to eat. If you don’t eat, the burden of your next meal will be even greater!”

“Y-Yes. I’ll be careful.”

Come to think of it, didn’t I suddenly have curry for dinner without even eating lunch yesterday, let alone breakfast, but…no, I’m not going to say anything else.

I-It’s n-not like I’m scared of getting an earful from a girl younger than me. Nope, not at all. I just don’t want her to worry any more than necessary.

“…I see. I think I’ll go for a run then.”

“A run?”

“Yeah. It’s part of my daily routine. But I sort of skipped it yesterday by oversleeping.”

“That’s right. Senpai was in the track and field club.”

“Ehh, why…ah, Subaru was just like that. You both got me in your sights.”

“A-Ah no, rather…”

Akari-chan mumbled while fidgeting and twirling her fingers.

I’m a little curious, but then again, any more than this would be off-topic, so let’s get back to the main issue at hand.

“Well. I’m not on the track team anymore, but if you don’t move your body, it gets weaker and weaker. Besides, I want to get myself hungry since you prepared such a delicious breakfast for me.”

“Senpai…t-then! I’ll do the same!”

“What?”

“I’ve been studying for my exams lately, so I haven’t been doing much exercise…N-No, I’m not very good at exercise, to begin with, and I’m not very confident about my stamina either. That being the case, I thought I’d try running with you since this was a good opportunity and all…”

As she says this, Akari-chan starts mincing her words together, and her tone gradually drops in confidence.

I don’t think it’s anything to be that shy about.

“Is that so, then let’s run together.”

“Y-Yes! T-Then I’ll go change into something more comfortable. Senpai, may I borrow your changing room?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Akari-chan’s cheeks broke into a happy smile, and she grabbed a change of clothes from her trunk and ran into the changing room.

Ah, I didn’t see it properly, but it seems like Akari-chan had already changed out of her pyjamas. I wonder if I did something wrong by intentionally making her change out of her clothes.

No, but Akari-chan said she would follow me on my run, so isn’t it impolite of me to think badly of this?

“I don’t have any time to be thinking about this. I have to change out of my clothes before Akari-chan comes out.”

It would be concerning if there was a case of sexual harassment involving exposed nakedness, and if that really happened, I’m sure things would go incredibly awkward quick. I’m sure Akari-chan will be forgiving, but I’ll be killed by Subaru. It’s a sin that even a 500 yen debt won’t erase.

Maybe, that’s what Subaru’s actually after…?

Using Akari-chan as a pretext to figure out my weakness …No, I can’t see any merit for Subaru if he did that. We’re not on the level of that anyway.

Besides, Subaru isn’t a scumbag who would expose Akari-chan to danger in a calculating way──I believe. He’s my friend.

While denying this, I changed out of my clothes faster than usual.

◇◇◇

“Hah…hi…hi…”

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I-I’m alright, I’m…”

“Yeah, let’s take a little walk.”

Five minutes into the run, Akari-chan was already depleted to the point of total exhaustion.

Our pace was rather slow, and if I had to say, it was more of a jog than a run.

“Ah, don’t stop so suddenly. Keep walking until you catch your breath.”

“Yes…sorry for dragging you down.”

“That’s not the case. You said it yourself. Exercising isn’t one of your strong points. Besides, it’s not like we’re competing with anyone.”

Akari-chan was breathing heavily as she clung to my arm.

She must be really tired, and the heat coming down my arms was rather intense. Through the thin T-shirt that she changed into, I could also feel another soft sensation in addition to her body heat──I was becoming hotter and hotter.

Calm down…the other party is your friend’s sister. That’s why even now, she still trusts me like this──

“Um, Senpai?”

“W-What!? Is there something wrong?”

“Um, please don’t misunderstand, okay? That’s not to say that I don’t have any stamina. It’s just that…I have a little trouble running…….”

“Ah…so it’s that kind of story. But I hear there are quite a few who have them. Such as people who are okay at ball games, although they get tired easily when they run.”

I wondered if she was reading my facial expressions or my mind again.

But, if that were the case, it wouldn’t explain why Akari-chan was still clinging to my arm, even now.

Inwardly relieved, I followed up based on my past experiences.

I used to be a member of the track team, so I was often asked if I had any tips on how to run faster or longer.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Well, running is monotonous. Especially when you’re running around the same track.”

“I see. I’m not good at long-distance running…it’s depressing.”

“Haha, me too.”

“What?”

Akari-chan widened her eyes.

Well, people would be surprised if I told them I disliked running, especially when I was in the track and field club.

However, I was running short distances, and I don’t think that’s particularly odd. Of course, short distances were also tiring, but.

“Everyone has their own way of motivating themselves, but for someone like Akari-chan, it’s probably not very interesting setting up a goal to shorten your time.”

“That may be so.”

“Preferably, you should think about different things as you run. If it’s road work, it’s nice to enjoy the scenery like this. It’s dangerous if you do it absentmindedly, but there aren’t many cars on this road.”

Dieting, physical fitness, or a lack of physical exercise, for instance…may be the reason for those who are jogging, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy it.

Rather, you should seek enjoyment in your own way, and small successes, such as running a longer distance in the same amount of time or finding a fashionable café, will last longer.

“Senpai, are you enjoying yourself…?”

“What?”

“I dragged you down…we didn’t even get that far…and I’m sure you didn’t get to enjoy the scenery…sorry──”

“Of course, I enjoyed it.”

She smiled, even lightly, with tears in her eyes, as if she was slowly cheering up after she had fallen into depression.

I’m not trying to be weird. It was because I really, truly enjoyed it.

“I’ve been running alone for a while now. And it’s been a long time since I’ve been together with someone, which makes it all the more exciting.

“But, I’m slow. And I have to let my Senpai take care of me…”

“That’s not something you need to worry about, Akari-chan. Plus, it’s not like I’m trying to set a stoic time. It’s more important for me to be able to run together with you.”

“S-Senpai…!?”

Akari-chan’s face turned a crimson red.

Of course, it makes me feel embarrassed to say such a pompous thing.

“And I love the fact that there’s breakfast after the run. That’s all I could think about during the run…….”

“Senpai…ehehe, you can look forward to it without fail. I put a lot of effort into it.”

“Oh, you’re raising the bar pretty high.”

“It’s okay! I know I look a little embarrassed right now, but the kitchen is my main battlefield!”

Even though it feels exaggerated, I was an amateur in that area, so I thought it was pretty cool that she was so confident.

“Um, Senpai? Then…can we stay like this a little longer?”

Akari-chan asked me this with a shy upturned look.

If the main battlefield for her is the kitchen, then the main battlefield for me is up this road…is that an exaggeration? I’m no longer in the track and field club anymore.

However, the thing about being slightly older is that you can show your reliability without getting punished for it.

“Of course…you can rely on me as much as you want.”

“Y-Yes! I’ll rely on you as much as I can!”

The feeling of Akari-chan’s arms wrapped tightly around me was too soft and hotter than the summer sun──it was mercilessly overpowering my sense of reasoning, but I managed to stay strong by pinching the blind spot on the side of my body, preserving my sense of reasoning.

What a terrifyingly innocent high school girl…from her point of view, I may be an extension of her brother. I’m happy to be depended on, but I’m also defenceless.

It’s just──

“Mmm-hmm♪”

There was no way I could shake off Akari-chan, who was smiling so gleefully she appeared to be humming a song…I advanced on, desperately fighting against my worldly desires, and after what seemed to be an eternity, made it back home.

Whether this was hell or heaven──I’ll keep solely what I feel to myself

TL notes: Releasing next chapter on 2022/07/19(projects keeping me occupied)

Support the author by buying the book here!

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