Epilogue Bye-bye
Summer break was less than ten days away.
At Shirakumo Academy, where we attended, that also meant one thing—final exams were just around the corner.
“This is unbearable… so unbearable…”
A groan echoed through the classroom after school.
The source was right beside me—Hijiri-san, clutching her head over a math test worksheet.
“I don’t want to look. I don’t want to see another problem ever again!”
She shook her head from side to side, throwing a tantrum.
Watching her on the verge of tears, Hime let out a small sigh.
“Sigh… At this rate, you’ll spend yet another summer break buried in homework.”
“Ugh… I don’t want that either! I just want to relax at home over the summer!”
“Then you have no choice but to study hard.”
“Hime-chan, I hate the word ‘hard work,’ you know?”
“Then you’ll have to accept a summer filled with assignments.”
“I don’t want that eitherrrrr!”
And so, the back-and-forth continued.
The plan for today was to stay after school and study for finals together. Most of our time, however, had been spent teaching Hijiri-san, so Hime and I hadn’t gotten around to our own studies yet.
With only a week left until finals, even student council duties had been put on hold.
Thanks to that, we had more time to study—but the efficiency was questionable.
“She never takes studying seriously. Youhei-kun, what should we do?”
Hime turned to me with a troubled look.
She was clearly worried about Hijiri-san’s lack of progress.
That said, my grades were only about average, so I wasn’t exactly in a position to give advice.
Then again, compared to Hijiri-san—who was at rock bottom—maybe I was at least better suited to help her than Hime, who naturally aced every test.
“Hijiri-san, let’s start with this problem. You can solve it using this formula.”
“Ehh? I already know I won’t get it right.”
She pouted, puffing out her cheeks in frustration.
Hijiri-san was the opposite of Hime. Despite her mature features, she had a childish side—both in mannerisms and personality.
In that case, maybe this would work.
“What if I give you one of these chocolates for every problem you solve?”
I held up a mini chocolate with an alphabet letter stamped on it. Each piece was individually wrapped, making them the perfect study snack.
“I’LL DO IT!”
No hesitation. A very enthusiastic response.
“So that’s the trick—bribing her with sweets.”
Hime seemed impressed by my approach.
“It’s just like dog training. You reward the desired behavior with food, so the subject learns that solving problems leads to tasty treats, which makes the activity enjoyable.”
Uh… I wasn’t sure how I felt about her comparing her own sister to a dog.
Not that I’d put that much thought into it. At most, I just hoped the candy would help motivate her. Either way, it seemed to be working.
“Youhei, do I substitute this number into this equation?”
“Yep, just plug it in… Ah, but check that calculation again—you made a mistake there.”
“…I did it! How’s this?”
“Yep, that’s correct. Well done.”
“Wait, really? Yayyy!”
Hijiri-san wore a relaxed smile.
Was she happy because she solved the problem?
“Yum~! So sweet!”
Or was it because the chocolate I gave her was delicious?
Either way, her face was no longer the distressed one it had been earlier, so I was relieved.
Though Hijiri-san’s grades may be bad, she wasn’t the kind of person who didn’t think at all.
If she kept progressing like this, I believed she could avoid failing.
Good luck, Hijiri-san.
As I watched her diligently solve problems, cheering her on in my mind,
poke poke
My arm was gently nudged. Surprised, I looked over to see Hime making eye contact with me.
“Hime, is something wrong?”
“...Um...”
Her words were a bit hesitant. She seemed to want to say something but was holding back, unsure.
However, when her gaze shifted to my hand, I immediately understood.
“Do you want some chocolate, Hime?”
“—Yes!”
I was certain I had guessed correctly when I saw Hime’s excited voice.
She might have hesitated because she thought the chocolate was meant for Hijiri-san. But I had brought it for everyone to share, so she didn’t need to worry.
“Wait a moment. I’ll open it for you.”
When I give Hime a piece of candy, I always unwrap it first.
She could probably open it herself, but I noticed she found it easier to eat if I unwrapped it for her. So, I’d started doing it that way without thinking too much about it.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you! I’ll eat it.”
However, since Hijiri-san was here, I didn’t think Hime would eat directly from my hand.
I expected her to just take it from me.
nom
There was no hesitation.
As naturally as ever, without a care about Hijiri-san’s presence, Hime bit into the chocolate from my finger.
“Mmm, it’s sweet… ehehe.”
Hime melted in happiness.
It wasn’t that she had forgotten Hijiri-san’s presence or that she ate it without thinking.
It wasn’t even a deliberate act.
Hime simply ate the chocolate from my finger as if it was nothing, completely unbothered by Hijiri-san watching her.
I was surprised. But since I was used to it, I didn’t get flustered.
Hijiri-san, on the other hand, was clearly not.
“...!”
Behind Hime’s head, I could see Hijiri-san’s shocked expression as she stared at Hime in disbelief.
She gaped at the back of Hime’s head, and then her gaze shifted to me.
(Youhei? What’s going on here?)
It felt like she was silently asking me with her eyes.
Explaining this situation wasn’t going to be easy. I doubted I could convey the full meaning of the moment through a look alone.
So, I shrugged and deflected. Hijiri-san let out a sigh, as if giving up, and shook her head, signaling that it was fine.
Then, she pressed a finger to her lips in a “shh” gesture.
(She’s asking me not to say anything, I guess.)
She had probably kept quiet until now to avoid making Hime aware that she was watching her.
If Hime realized Hijiri-san was watching, she might get embarrassed. It seemed like Hijiri-san was trying to prevent that.
I nodded quietly in understanding, and Hijiri-san turned back to her test paper, focusing once again.
“Ugh, I don’t get it… I just don’t get it~”
Now, Hijiri-san raised her voice dramatically, as if trying to reassert her presence.
Despite that, her words still seemed like an attempt to convince herself that she was diligently working.
“...Sis, that voice sounds really pathetic.”
Because of this, Hime didn’t seem to be overly embarrassed or flustered.
She probably didn’t even think she’d been seen, and she definitely didn’t seem to care whether or not she had been. Everything was just as she had intended.
(Hijiri-san must have noticed the change in Hime.)
After all, she was her older sister. She was probably more sensitive to Hime’s feelings than I was.
To be honest, there were still many things I didn’t fully understand about Hime’s emotions.
I still didn’t know exactly why she had become so attached to me.
But one thing was certain: this change in her was definitely a positive one.
In fact, it felt like she was growing in a really good direction.
Because Hime looked so incredibly happy.
That’s why I wanted to tell Hijiri-san:
—You don’t need to worry. Everything’s going to be fine.
It had been about two hours, I think.
Since the Hoshimiya sisters' ride was about to arrive, the study session came to an end.
I walked with them to the school gate. It seemed their car hadn't arrived yet, but it was supposed to be here soon, so it was time for us to part ways.
"Youhei, thanks for today! See you tomorrow!"
"No problem. Hijiri-san, keep up the good work with your studying."
"...Ugh."
Was that a positive "uh-huh," a negative "uh-uh," or just a simple groan?
It was hard to tell, but I’ll choose to believe it’s positive.
After exchanging goodbyes with Hijiri-san, Hime, who had been fidgeting anxiously, immediately spoke up.
"—Please be careful on your way home."
It was as if she had been waiting for her turn to say something.
A smile escaped me at her timing.
"Make sure Hijiri-san doesn’t slack off."
"Leave it to me. I’ll put into practice the dog training tactics Youhei-kun taught me."
"Don’t treat me like a dog!"
Hijiri-san interjected from the side, but I wasn’t exactly treating her like a dog, so I had no problem with it. I decided to leave that issue for the sisters to sort out later.
"Hime, see you tomorrow."
"...Okay."
After waving goodbye, I began to walk away.
I had expected Hime to smile and wave back as usual, but today, she looked somewhat unsatisfied... no, she looked lonely.
It was as if she didn’t want to say goodbye just yet.
But since the car was going to arrive soon, there was nothing that could be done about it. I understood that she knew this, which was probably why she didn’t say anything.
Still, I didn’t want to make her feel this way.
"Let’s have lots of fun during the summer break."
With those words, I gently placed my hand on her head.
I ran my fingers through her soft, pleasant hair, stroking it gently from side to side.
I hoped this would ease her loneliness, even just a little.
"...Ehehe."
The effect was beyond my expectations. Her gloomy expression transformed into a soft, relaxed smile.
It seemed my feelings had reached her.
She was a smart girl, so it looked like she was happy not just because of the gesture, but because she understood my intention behind it.
"Definitely. Let’s play a lot."
Hime nodded vigorously, raising her face to look at me.
"I’m fine now. Thanks to you, I feel better."
I could tell that without her saying it.
I was glad to see her looking brighter.
After I took my hand away, I waved once more.
This time, Hime waved back at me.
"Youhei-kun, bye-bye!"
With that voice as my last reminder, I began walking away.
Her innocent gesture made my heart feel lighter, and my steps felt lighter, too.
The everyday life I was living now was something I couldn’t have imagined just a year ago.
It was no surprise I was feeling giddy.
Ever since I became close to Hime, my days had been full of life. I felt like I was smiling more naturally.
At the beginning of the school year, I had regretted not speaking to her on the way back from the trash dump... But then, one day during our second year, Hime’s stomach had growled in the classroom after school.
I was glad I had worked up the courage back then.
If I had pretended not to notice like I used to... I probably wouldn’t be this close to her now.
There was an age gap between us.
We had grown up in completely different environments.
Our talents were worlds apart.
I was an ordinary person, and she was a prodigious genius living in a completely different world.
But even so... she chose to be kind to me.
That made me incredibly happy.
I promised myself I wouldn’t let this relationship disappear.
I would cherish the comfortable, everyday moments with Hime and never let them go.
With that strong resolution, I walked down the road home.
...The rainy season has ended.
Although the humid days have decreased, now we’re suffering from the scorching sunlight, marking the arrival of this season.
I’m not particularly fond of summer. If I had to choose, I’d say I prefer cold days... But this year, I realized that, strangely, I don’t feel the same aversion to summer.
On the contrary, I was excited. My mood was incredibly bright and cheerful.
I’m grateful to the one who made me feel this way.
I’m really looking forward to spending summer vacation with Hime.
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