kscans

Chapter 913 - Big Brother

"—Alrighty! Let's get Nia-chan's birthday party after-party started!!! Let's get it started! Yaaaay!!!!!"

"…Hey. I thought this might be the case, but is she perhaps…"

Yeah. She looks drunk, doesn't she?

"This is her completely sober. I mean, she has been drinking a little, but still."

Since they'd given me a final heads-up ten minutes before arriving, all the preparations were perfectly in place.

Just as Mitsueda-san said, there was no need to delay the start of the 'after-party.' The moment everyone took their seats around the table, which was laden with a feast of dishes, the atmosphere was set.

"Aww, you ruined the surprise too fast."

"Whoa, that was an act? That's terrifying…"

The faint scent of alcohol, her flushed cheeks, a voice slightly louder than usual, and a sweet, fluffy tone that was thirty percent more syrupy than normal. Just as I thought I'd detected the 'intoxicated' status effect from these clues, the master actress teased me, marking the official opening of the party.

"She never gets drunk, no matter how much she has. A half-month into her drinking debut, she was already saying cheeky stuff like, 'I don't think I can get drunk no matter how much I have, so this is no different from juice.'"

Hiyo-chan's probably a stronger drinker than my mom.

"You're kidding… 'Painter, Idol Voice Actress, and Illustrator Archiver (and Heavy Drinker)'…?"

I shot Mitsueda-san a look of undisguised exasperation, born from our close relationship. But a moment later, Hayassan's and Nia's eyes were drawn as if by a magnet to the spread on the table.

Oh, please stop. I'd prepared everything with a certain degree of confidence, but being stared at with such blatant, overflowing expectation was making me antsy—

"…It feels weird saying this to a guy, but you'd make a great wife, Haru-kun."

—began the handsome man, his tone filled with what was likely one hundred percent pure admiration.

"At this level, I think he's surpassed 'wife' and reached 'mother' status."

—chimed in his cousin, her voice full of what was likely one hundred percent pure amusement.

"…………"

Well, what can I say? I kept the fact that I'd been studying and practicing a secret.

Their surprise was understandable, a sign of my successful surprise… but the silent, sparkling eyes of the guest of honor served as the final word.

"…Uh, it's not for decoration. It's meant to be eaten, so please, dig in. Help yourselves."

My pathetic, embarrassed response was met with two warm smiles.

As for Nia-chan, she seemed to have her attention completely stolen by the dishes before her—a mountain of various Russian foods I had diligently learned to make, one by one, starting with classics like pirozhki and borscht—like a little kid.

And so… a sidelong glance served as her 'let's eat.'

Naturally, I nodded to encourage her. She snatched up a spoon and took a bite of the vibrant red stew—the borscht—from the plate in front of her.

I watched her with a serious poker face, though my heart was pounding with no small amount of nervousness.

"—Ow, hey, what the—! Stop it, that's bad manners…!"

From the seat next to me, I received a barrage of headbutts, which was probably her way of saying, 'it's delicious.'

"…Probably best not to say anything."

"That's right. Don't be tactless, Hayato-kun."

From across the table, I received another round of warm smiles as I let out a sigh of relief.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—You totally passed, Haru-kun. I'd have no regrets giving Nia-taro to you in marriage."

"Nia-taro…"

A little over an hour had passed since the start of Nia's birthday after-party.

We'd all had our fill of the main dishes and were now picking at snacks and appetizers, enjoying a free-wheeling conversation that had no particular destination.

"Hayassan… you see yourself as a big brother figure to Nia, right?"

"Well, yeah. Hiyo and I have been best friends since we were little, so I'm like a childhood friend to Nia too. I've watched her grow up, so in that sense… yeah, I guess I do act like a big brother."

The big brother in question had requested a soda, so we had made our way to the Yotsuya dormitory's unmanned convenience store… or rather, the 'Please Take Freely' room.

One of the two dorm managers, Chitose's mother, Madoka-san, handles the facility's inventory and management. What we call the 'convenience store' is a handy storeroom stocked with non-perishable food and drinks like snacks, as well as a wide range of daily necessities.

We call it that because, to reduce the burden of inventory management, you have to 'beep' the items you take out. The overall atmosphere of the space is just that of a simple warehouse, albeit one with ridiculously high-quality equipment.

I'm also a frequent customer when I get a sudden craving for cup noodles or other junk food.

—When I explained all this, he got curious and said, "I'm coming too," which brings us to the present.

We grabbed some fancy bottled sodas instead of plastic ones, and then some bags of snacks and other things for late-night munching, in case we ended up partying until morning—a youthful assault on our health. As we tossed whatever caught our eye into a shopping basket, we chatted.

"It's because of your grandmothers, I heard."

"Oh, right. My grandma and Eli-san are both painters. They've known each other forever, and apparently, my grandma even orchestrated her meeting with Arikazu-san… I don't know the details, though."

Eli-san, or Elena Vroubely.

Arikazu-san, or Nanasa Arikazu.

Both are well-known in their respective fields—a painter wife and an art director husband. They are, of course, the parents of Nia, Liliania Vroubely.

By the way, Nia always uses her mother's surname, but it's not because Mr. Arikazu married into her family. She actually has surnames in both countries… or rather, she has names for both countries. She uses her foreign name as the standard because it suits the appearance she inherited more strongly, and because her father thought it was 'cute.'

I don't know her Japanese name.

She said she'll tell me someday, but who knows when 'someday' will be—

"So, Haru-kun."

"Hm? Is this too much?"

Just as I was unconsciously drifting into a state of denial…

"Yeah, that—and you don't have to be so tense around me, at least."

"…I have no idea what you're talking about."

He'd hit the nail right on the head. The younger man averted his gaze, while the older man who'd hit the nail on the head laughed heartily and clapped him on the shoulder. Even setting aside age, the hierarchy of our positions was clear.

Well, not so much a hierarchy as a difference in the strength of our positions, or something like that.

"I told you, you passed. This big brother has no complaints, so rest easy."

From his perspective, I was the bad guy who had seduced his cute little sister figure.

"Hearing you say that is a relief…"

"You don't look very relieved, young man."

"I haven't asked, but how old are you, Hayassan?"

"Twenty-nine."

"You're way more of an adult than I thought…"

"The other day, Hiyo told me I was 'almost in the pre-old-man-army,' and we got into a fight."

She's not just picking a fight with her cousin, she's picking a fight with every thirty-something in the world, Mitsueda-san… As that thought—Denial Part 2—crossed my mind…

"It can't be helped. All that stuff about falling in love and what-not is never straightforward."

The still-youthful big brother figure roughly but affectionately ruffled my hair.

I could tell that he had taken a liking to me and opened his heart, even in this respect. But that's precisely why I couldn't escape the inevitable sense of guilt.

By now, I've come to terms with it. I've accepted that this was our destiny. And on top of that, I've resolved to face whatever comes my way.

—However, I should be selective about who I show that resolve to.

If I'm to be a gentleman, if I've decided to face this sincerely… then I believe I must also be devoted to the people surrounding the three girls who told me I was special.

"Hayassan."

"What is it, Haru-kun?"

And so, to one of those people…

To the man who was, without a doubt, Nia's big brother figure, there was one thing I had to declare.

"I am prepared to be struck without complaint, and to face you with the utmost sincerity afterward. Therefore, I ask that you please judge me for yourself…"

"What century are you from?"

Every single word was from the heart. Regarding Nia, I intended to express the same resolve not only to him but also to her father, Arikazu-san, if I ever got the chance.

I wouldn't even mind if her mother, Elena-san, kicked me senseless instead.

That's right. I wouldn't mind.

"One thing I will not let happen is for them to regret falling for me. That, I will absolutely never allow."

Because no matter what happens, I have no intention of betraying the oath I made to myself. On that point alone, I've decided to carry the arrogance of telling him to watch over me with peace of mind.

"Hah, you're a good man. You might be a bad man too, but I get why you're popular."

And so, I received praise that I felt I didn't deserve.

"Well then, now that we've had a heart-to-heart, you wanna spill how you really feel about Nia-taro right now? Don't worry, my lips are sealed. Rest easy and let it all out."

"The fact that you said 'rest easy' twice is what makes me feel the least easy…"

"By the way, if my cousin interrogates me, I can't guarantee I'll stay silent. That girl can instantly tell if I'm trying to touch one of my vehicles or hiding something about her best friend. The time I invited you on that bike trip, she found out immediately and lectured me the next day. Is she psychic? Seriously, it's scary."

"You don't have to lose your big-brother vibe that fast, Hayagake-shi."

Feeling that our bond had deepened a little, I let go of my tension with a small sense of relief. The two of us then proceeded to 'beep' our way through the self-checkout that required no payment.