I Was Supposed to Be Giving Love Advice on the School Radio, but Before I Knew It, the Beautiful Girls at School Were Hitting on Me
“Hey, Onii chan.”
It was a normal weekend, with my parents away and just my brother and I at home. We were lying on the L-shaped sofa, not doing anything in particular, when my brother, who was lying on the short side of the sofa, spoke to me.
“What’s up, little sister?”
“I’m bored.”
“I see. I’m busy listening to the radio, so talk to me later.”
“Eh?”
Tomori expressed her dissatisfaction briefly and then rolled over skillfully on the sofa.
“Hey, tell me something interesting.”
“There’s nothing interesting to tell. Just read a manga or something.”
“Onii chan, are you really a radio personality? Don’t you have any jokes up your sleeve?”
“Don’t expect that from a high school student.”
“Here, Kageyama Shogo’s funny story, enjoy !”
“I want to hear Kageyama Tomori’s quiet story.”
“This is so boring.”
Akari pouts and complains. But eventually, she gets tired of complaining and starts looking at her smartphone quietly. And once again, time passes without incident…
“Ah !”
Just then, Tomori lets out a loud cry and sits up abruptly. The volume of her voice shakes my ears, even through my headphones.
“What’s with the sudden loud voice…”
“Hey, Onii chan ! Let’s go to the bookstore !”
Tomori, who had been staring blankly like a cicada shell just a moment ago, jumps off the sofa with agile movements and thrusts her smartphone in front of my eyes.
“Is it…your favorite shoujo manga?”
“Yes ! [Time Love] ! Speaking of which, yesterday was the release date for the new volume, so let’s go buy it together !”
Tomowi was excited, but I wasn’t in the mood. I’ve been tired lately because of the executive committee and Shirahama incidents. To be honest, I don’t want to go…
“You know, sometimes they don’t have it on the release date. Why don’t you order it online or go buy it with your friends after school?”
“It’s okay, we’re in Kanto, so if we go to a big store, they’ll definitely have it.”
“Still, I have an important job to rest my mind and body…”
“Come on, just be a good big brother for once !”
She grabbed my waist and shook me back and forth. But sorry, little sister, my mind is made up now…! Realizing this, Tomori placed her hand on my waist and sighed.
“If you won’t come with me, I’ll tell Mom when she gets home today that you borrowed the swimsuit episode of ‘Time Love’ !”
“Alright ! Let’s get ready and go ! Come to think of it, there’s a book I want to buy too !”
I thought, but it’s not bad to do something for the family once in a while! Alright, I’ll pay for the train fare !
—————By the way, I only studied for the sake of replying to love advice ! It’s not that !
♢
And so, we arrived at a bookstore a little ways away. Recently opened in the shopping mall attached to the station, it occupies half of the sales floor and has plenty of space for browsing.
“It feels like we’re at an amusement park, doesn’t it? This is exciting !”
“It’s a shopping mall, but I get what you mean, Onii chan.”
Being surrounded by colorful books is overwhelming, but it feels somehow comforting. It seems that Tomori feels the same way, as she’s glowing with excitement at being in a bookstore for the first time in a while.
“Well, let’s each look for the books we want.”
“Got it. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”
We nodded to each other and went our separate ways.
♢
I walked around the front of the bookstore, looking through the magazines one by one. As I slowly made my way through, one book caught my eye and I stopped in my tracks.
The title looks familiar… Where have I seen it before?
I reflexively picked it up and tried to remember. I remember reading enough books in middle school to consider myself somewhat of a bookworm, but unfortunately, I haven’t read much since entering high school.
What is it? Did I see it on the news? No, maybe it was at school…
As I stared at the title, I suddenly realized where the feeling of familiarity came from.
“Ah, Kitahara.”
I can’t remember when, but I’m pretty sure Kitahara was reading this book.
Her focused expression while reading was so striking that I couldn’t help but glance at her, and maybe I subconsciously remembered it.
…Once I remembered that, the book suddenly seemed even more appealing. I hadn’t planned on buying it, but now I feel reluctant to put it back on the shelf.
“…Well, since Kitahara recommended it, I’ll give it a try.”
In truth, I don’t know if Kitahara actually recommended it, but her reading style was certainly interesting.
“Is something wrong?”
“!?”
However, a voice came from behind me, and I jumped back in surprise.
With a swift movement unbecoming of a bookstore, I stepped back, and there, just a few centimeters away from where I had been standing, stood a young girl.
Wearing a white dress and a light blue coat suitable for autumn, she had a simple outfit but was still striking enough to catch the eye.
Her black hair shone brightly in the light…
“K-Kitahara…what a coincidence.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while, Kageyama kun…”
Just as I was surprised by her unexpected appearance, she seemed surprised by my reaction and waved her hand slightly, looking a bit hesitant.
“I was looking for a good book and saw you here, so I decided to talk to you…were you busy?’
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to see you here, so I was just a little surprised…”
I regained my composure, took a deep breath, and walked over to her.
I made a half-hearted excuse to Kitahara, who looked apologetic. Kitahara looked a little embarrassed and glanced at my hands.
“Hey, that book…”
“Oh, no, this is…”
I reflexively hid the book behind my back. Kitahara looked even more suspicious.
“What? Is it something you don’t want me to see?”
“No, it’s not like that…”
It felt more awkward than being seen buying an adult novel.
But Kitahara didn’t give up. She tried to get behind me to look at the book…but I managed to avoid her just in time.
“It’s okay, it’s not like it’s going to disappear. I want to know what kind of books you read, Kageyama kun.”
“No, no, I have my reasons.”
“Now you’ve made me even more curious…””
Kitahara seemed to be getting stubborn, narrowing her sharp eyes. They were sizing each other up like masters.
After a few seconds of silence, Kitahara twitched.
“…There’s an opening.”
With a swift movement unimaginable from her usual demeanor, Kitahara reached out her hand toward me. But I’m not the kind of guy who just lets himself be taken.
“No way !”
Having completely anticipated her move, I instantly switched hands and moved the book away from Kitahara.
“Whoa, wait a minute !”
“Eh, hey.”
But there was one unexpected thing. Kitahara, who didn’t exercise much, couldn’t move as quickly as I had thought.
Having lost the support of her outstretched hand, her body completely lost control of its center of gravity. As a result…
“Whoa !”
Kitahara lost her balance and ended up flying into my chest. The core temperature of my body gradually rose.
“K-Kitahara?”
“Ah, I’m sorry !”
Kitahara blushed and looked embarrassed. But perhaps because she was embarrassed, she gripped the hem of my shirt tightly with her fingertips… Hey, just let go normally…
I cautiously took Kitahara’s shoulders and tried to gently pull her away. At that moment, I noticed a girl pointing her smartphone at us over the shelf.
The girl’s smartphone clicked without a flash, and she muttered softly.
“…My brother and my idolized older sister are in such a mess…”
Today, I’ll buy my favorite manga, and while I’m at it, I’ll make sure to delete that photo. That was the strong resolution I made on that afternoon.
Maitoshi