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
Immediately after that, we heard the sound of an engine coming from the beach house where we were staying. Kinami and I turned toward the sound together. It was coming from the direction of the parking lot.
“Hey, did a car just pull up?”
“Looks like it. Could it be Kaori chan?”
No, but if it were Kaori chan, we would have heard her leaving, and she would have said something to us before leaving…
We could only judge from the sound coming through the building, so we looked at each other. After a few knocks, the door opened with a heavy creak. The person who came in was a young woman.
“Makino chan !”
“Ugh !?”
The moment she saw her, Kinami cried out and tried to hide behind me.
She was tall and slender, with short, neatly trimmed hair. She had a mature air about her, but her eyes were wide and gave off a hint of youthfulness…there was something about her that reminded me of Kinami. She was probably Kinami’s older sister or something.
Kinami, hiding behind me, cautiously peeks out half her face.
“…What are you doing here?”
“I heard that Makino chan collapsed from heatstroke, so I rushed to finish work and came to pick her up.”
The lady sighed in exasperation. Seeing this, Kinami gripped my back a little tighter. I felt the T-shirt I’d gotten from Kaori chan stretch slightly.
“I’m fine now.”
“What are you talking about? You were unconscious just a moment ago. Stop bothering other people and let’s go home.”
“…No, I wanna go out to eat with Senpai.”
“Listen here….”
She turned away, but her refusal was clear. Does she really want me to treat her that much…?
“Um, Kinami….I mean, Makino san’s older sister?”
“…Oh, me?”
When I said ‘Makino’ my words got stuck in my throat. Because of that, there was a slight delay in the lady’s reaction.
I messed up the start a little, but I’m still her senior. In order to properly handle this first meeting, I cleared my throat and straightened my back.
“Nice to meet you, Miss. I’m her coworker and high school senior, Kageyama Shogo.”
“Kageyama…oh, right.”
The lady repeated my name slowly, as if savoring it. Then, without changing her posture, she slowly looked me over from head to toe.
“I see, so you’re Kageyama kun…..”
Being stared at by such a beautiful woman made me tense up. But Kinami, who was standing behind me, was even more nervous. She looked like she was afraid of something being discovered.
“Yes, I’m truly sorry for putting your precious younger sister in danger this time.”
I bowed my head. The lady seemed like she wanted to say something, but she just watched silently. I glanced behind me, and Kinami was looking away with a very awkward expression.
“I understand your concerns, but Makino san is fine, as you can see. I checked myself. I will take responsibility for getting her home safely, so please let us handle this.”
“Senpai…”
I hear Kinami mutter softly behind me. To be honest, I know the lady is 100% right.
“You worked so hard, so you deserve a little reward.”
“Is that okay…?”
I smiled at Kinami, who looked uneasy.
“I see…”
Seeing my expression, the lady narrowed her eyes and looked like she was thinking about something. A tense silence fell between us.
After a while, she sighed as if she had given up.
“All right, if you insist, I won’t complain.”
She narrowed her eyes as if to say, “Well, I guess I have no choice.” The way she leaned her body slightly seemed to be directed more at Kinami than at me.
“…I’m sorry, Miss. It’s not my place to say such things.”
“It’s fine. It’s rare for Makino chan to be so selfish. If you both agree, it’s not for adults to interfere.”
She glanced at Kinami standing next to me. Her expression was hidden as she kept her head down, but she was fidgeting with my sleeve.
“However.”
The lady gave Kinami a glance before turning back to me. Her sharp gaze made me straighten my back involuntarily.
“Make sure you take Makino chan home before it gets dark. Promise me that much.”
“…Got it.”
I had no intention of doing anything other than taking her out to eat, but a mysterious tension ran through me. It seemed Kinami behind me felt the same way.
“Makino chan too, okay?”
“…Yes.”
Kinami’s tone sounded a little dissatisfied. Could it be that she was having trouble getting along with her older sister?
“Kinami…your sister is worried about you, so you shouldn’t talk like that.”
“She’s not my sister.”
Kinami muttered under her breath “Our siblings aren’t exactly close either, but…” but still, her attitude was a little unacceptable.
“Kinami, I understand you’re going through a rebellious phase, but if you don’t express your gratitude to those close to you, you’ll regret it someday.”
“…That’s not it.”
I couldn’t help but sound preachy. But Kinami looked up at her older sister and slowly extended one finger toward her.
“…That person is my mother.”
“…….Huh?”
I couldn’t understand what she was saying and shifted my gaze away from Kinami. What does that mean? Mother? What’s that? But leaving me in confusion, the woman standing directly across from me sighed with her hands on her hips.
“Why did you have to spill the beans, Makino chan?”
“There’s no way I can accept my mother being treated like my older sister.”
Kinami replied in a cold tone. Confused, I could only look between them.
“M-m-mother?”
Seeing my shock, Kinami’s sister…I mean, Kinami’s mother raised one eyebrow and waved her hand lightly.
“I’m Kinami Yoshika, Makino chan’s mother.”
“…Really?”
“Well, you have quite an eye, Kageyama kun ! But your observation skills are zero !”
“Stop it…I’m embarrassed…”
Kinami’s mother waved her hand, and I was taken aback. Kinami, who knew everything, sighed with a look of resignation, but also with a hint of familiarity.
♢
Then, Kinami’s mother left with a satisfied smile on her face. We finished getting ready to leave, said goodbye to the manager, and headed home.
I pushed my bicycle while Kinami walked beside me.
“Man, I thought we could just go eat ramen normally, but this turned out to be a nightmare…”
“Well, she was a pretty unique mother, wasn’t she?”
I tried to phrase it as diplomatically as possible. However, Kinami looked up at me with a stern expression.
“But, it’s Senpai’s fault. You shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“No, but that was unavoidable…”
If you asked 10 people if she was a sister or a mother, 10 people would say she was a sister. I’m not at fault, absolutely not.
“By the way, I don’t have an older sister, but I do have a younger brother and sister.”
“I see, so you’re the one taking care of the house.”
I push the bicycle while imagining the rest of the Kinami family I haven’t met yet. Kinami was silent, so I glanced sideways and noticed her mouth was half-open for some reason.
“What is it?”
“…No, I was just thinking that you’re not surprised…”
“Not surprised?”
“No, I mean, when I tell my friends that I’m an older sister, they’re usually surprised, but you’re not.”
Kinami looked taken aback. But then again, there’s nothing to be surprised about.
“You’re pretty good at taking care of people, so you’re just like an older sister.”
“Huh～……”
When I said that honestly, Kinami let out a strange sound and moved her mouth around. Her cheeks were slightly red.
“Well, yeah, even in Bianca, I took care of Senpai, so I guess I’m the oldest sister there !”
“You’re so quick to get cocky, that’s just an exaggeration.”
“Then Misaki san is the eldest sister?”
“…Hmm.”
What came to mind was a downer college girl who had sold her soul to gambling and electric guitars… Seeing that I couldn’t respond, Kinami smiled smugly.
“Right? Then I guess I’m the older sister.”
“…I’ll let you have it.”
At this point, I couldn’t help but feel that there was something wrong with Bianca’s personnel decisions, but seeing Kinami so happy, I couldn’t say anything and decided to let her have her way.
“Well, then, what should I ask my older sister to do? Since you’re my older sister, you should treat me more carefully at Bianca.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll do my best.”
Kinami spun around on the spot and muttered her ‘wish list.’
“Today’s ramen is definitely gonna be a large portion, and I want you to treat me to cake regularly at Bianca, and if I look bored, I want you to pay attention to me…”
“Hey, keep it within my capabilities.”
Thanks to my part-time job, I’m not exactly broke, but how much will it cost…I wonder if the manager will give me an employee discount…
“And.”
As I was thinking about that, Kinan stopped a little behind me. When I turned around, she was standing there with her head down.
“And I want you to call me by my first name.”
“……”
“Not Kinami, but my first name.”
Startled, I couldn’t help but respond ambiguously.
“Um, well…”
Unable to grasp her intentions, I could only give a vague reply. At that moment, I remembered Kinami’s request. ————But no, surely not.
“Just kidding !”
However, she brightened up and ran over to me. She had a carefree smile on her face.
“Well, regardless of how you call me, I’m gonna get a large portion ! And no special deals where the large portion cancels out the special price or anything like that !”
Sighing at Kinami’s relentless words, I turned to face forward. I could see the sun sinking behind the distant mountains.
“I get it, I get it. Today’s on me, so eat whatever you want, Makino.”
“Hehe, I got you there—wait.”
Kinami froze, still looking at me. Realizing the meaning behind the silence, I scratched my cheek to cover up.
“How long do you think I’ve been working with you? If you’re trying to keep a poker face, you need to work on your game.”
I said it without meeting her gaze, as if dismissing it. Was that a bit too much? I couldn’t look to the side out of embarrassment. Well, the ramen shop is just around the corner, so I’ll just cover it up when we get there…
That’s what I thought, but the next moment.
I felt something warm on my right cheek. It wasn’t the wind or falling leaves, but a definite sensation. It was slightly warm and soft, like human skin…
“K-Kinami…….?”
I looked at her in surprise, holding my neck, and Makino was holding up two fingers on her left hand.
“Nishishi.”
Hearing that mischievous voice, I realized what she had done. A heat rose from deep within my body.
“That’s a pretty nasty prank.”
When I criticized her, Makino raised her eyebrows slightly.
“For someone who says that, your face is bright red, Senpai.”
“Shut up, if I had known it was your finger, this wouldn’t have happened.”
She must have been trying to get back at me, but it was really nerve-wracking… I let out a small sigh.
“But what if it wasn’t my finger?”
After a few moments of silence, she asked. I slowly turned toward her, and she was smiling broadly.
“Just kidding !”
“…Come on, we’ll be at the shop soon, so decide what you want to order.”
“Okay !”
Watching the cheerful girl give her usual energetic response, I felt relieved that her true feelings hadn’t been revealed.
…This is troublesome. I couldn’t tell which smile was genuine…
Maitoshi