Eighteenth Period: When the Sugary Night Breaks

In the end, I didn't sleep a wink and greeted the morning.

After Char and I ate the complimentary breakfast and went outside, the rain had completely stopped, and the morning sun was pouring down brightly.

The glittering street trees, covered in water droplets, were dazzling to my sleepy eyes.

"Wow, the weather is so nice!"

Char laughed happily, skipping over a puddle.

"Y-yes, it is."

"Ah, Atsuto! Look out!"

"Whoa!"

I, on the other hand, being sleep-deprived, stepped squarely into a large puddle with my right foot.

"A-are you okay?"

"Yeah, somehow..."

Char chuckled and continued, saying "Hop, hop," as she avoided the puddles.

While I was still dazed as if in a dream, Char seemed completely normal.

As if nothing had happened yesterday.

"Char."

When I called her name, Char turned back with her usual, "Hm?"

"Um... about yesterday."

Char's cheeks immediately flushed crimson, and she scratched her bronze hair.

"I-I was trying not to talk about it, ahaha..."

I knew it.

I'd been playing along since she hadn't mentioned it while changing or eating breakfast, but...

"Well, I thought about it a lot, and... I think maybe it was just a little too soon..."

"I-I think so too..."

I was a little relieved that we were on the same page.

"But Atsuto, you were really hesitating, weren't you?"

"Well, yeah... I mean, of course I was hesitating!"

Even so, it was a close call.

If Char hadn't fallen asleep and we had gone beyond kissing, our relationship would surely have changed.

Since we're both clumsy with romance, it's probably better not to rush things and just cherish each casual event as it comes—

...Just as I was thinking that,

"But... I hope that someday we can actually... do that..."

Char grabbed my sleeve, her voice sweet and shy, referring to that.

An image of what Char meant by that flashed in my mind, and my face burned hot.

"Ah, Atsuto is blushing!"

"I-I am not!"

"That's a lie! Your face is completely red!"

"Y-you are too, Char!"

—Just as we were chatting about such silly things and walking, a voice came from behind.

"...Char?"

A woman's voice.

Char and I turned around at the same time, and standing there was—

"B-Big Sis?!"

Char was flustered, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly, and I could only let out a blank "Huh?"

Because this person was—

"Where have you been! I was wondering why you never came home!"

"I-I'm so sorry!"

Char bowed repeatedly to the scolding woman.

The woman, who was Char's older sister, turned a sharp gaze toward me, who was frozen.

"And who exactly are you?"

"Y-Yamazaki! My name is Yamazaki Atsuto!"

I introduced myself, overwhelmed by her fierce aura. The woman muttered "Atsuto?" and twitched her eyebrow suspiciously.

"I see. So you are... Atsuto-kun..."

Why did she react as if she already knew me?

...No, that's not the point.

"A-and you are...?"

When I cautiously asked, she cleared her throat and muttered, "Ah, I haven't introduced myself."

"I am Akashi Shiori. I'm Char's older sister, but... hasn't she told you?"

She said that while brushing back her cleanly cut, short black hair.

At the same time, the scattered pieces in my head started to connect.

"My sister is a fashion model! She's even on TV!"

Char's words from a long time ago flashed back to me.

Char's older sister was Akashi Shiori?!

And Shiori-san, who looks like a pure Japanese person, is sisters with Char, who is American?

What on earth is going on?!

As I struggled to make sense of it, Shiori-san flashed a predatory, combative smile.

"Do you have some time? There are a few things I need to ask you."

＊＊＊＊＊

"B-Big Sis, what about work...?"

"I was planning to go a little early, but I changed my mind."

"B-but you'll be late!"

"A little delay is fine. ...This way."

I tried to escape, but Shiori-san was insistent on "Follow me."

In the end, we arrived at Char's place.

"Now, come in."

"Big Sis! W-o-r-k!" "You have important work..."

"I said it's fine! Sit there and wait!"

My last attempt at resistance was futile.

After waiting for a while, Shiori-san returned to the living room from the kitchen, carrying three teacups on a tray.

Shiori-san sat across from Char and me, who were sitting side by side.

Shiny black hair. Dark eyes, unlike Char's. Skin that was slightly tanned, a contrast to Char's pale complexion.

...The more I looked, the less they seemed like sisters.

"What is it, Atsuto-kun? Aren't you going to drink?"

"I-I'll have some!"

I took a sip of the tea when prompted.

I-I can't taste anything because I'm so nervous!

I was wondering what I'd say if she asked for my opinion on the taste, when—

"Are you curious, Atsuto-kun?"

Shiori-san suddenly asked a strange question.

"Huh?"

"I can usually tell. When Char and I stand side by side and say we're sisters, everyone makes the same curious face. You're no different."

"I-I'm sorry..."

"No, you don't have to apologize. It's a natural reaction."

Shiori-san then prefaced, "This will be a bit long..." and told me about her relationship with Char.

—That she was four years older than Char.

—That Char's parents divorced when she was young, and Shiori-san was the daughter from Char's mother's remarriage.

—That Char looked up to her like a true older sister.

"...And that's about it."

Shiori-san, having finished her lengthy, one-sided explanation, sipped her tea.

"I was going to tell you properly someday, but... heh heh..."

Char muttered, forcing a sheepish smile.

I had no idea Char had such a past behind her usual cheerful demeanor.

Char must have kept quiet until now so as not to worry me.

"That's all for now. Do you have any other questions?"

"N-no, I'm fine..."

"I see. Then, let's get to the main topic!"

Shiori-san clapped her hands loudly, as if to dispel the somber atmosphere, and leaned forward, bringing her face close to ours.

"—So, to start... How long have you two been dating?"

............Huh? Dating?

She means dating, as in a romantic relationship, right?

Char and I exchanged blank looks.

"Um..."

Shiori-san pressed closer, looking intensely curious.

"Char and I are... well..."

"You don't have to be shy, you know?"

"W-we're not dating."

Silence filled the room. At the same moment—

"...................Huh?"

Shiori-san's face went completely slack.

"I-is that true, Char?"

"Y-yeah. We're not dating, exactly... hahaha..."

Char replied quietly, her face faintly red.

At that moment, Shiori-san's expression turned particularly severe.

"Then you spent the night with a man you aren't even dating?"

"A-a-a sleepover?!"

Shiori-san questioned the flustered Char, her brow furrowed.

"You left the house yesterday without saying a word, and the next time I see you, you're with this man. Doesn't that mean you spent the night together?"

"A-aah... W-well, you see..."

"Char. Tell me your relationship with this man."

"Atsuto is a student at Suishō Kōkō!"

"............"

"Atsuto is kind, and he's a really good person..."

"............"

"Um, Big Sis?"

Just as Char asked, suspicious of Shiori-san's lack of reaction.

—Crack.

A dry sound echoed through the room, cutting the silence.

The handle of the teacup in Shiori-san's hand had snapped off.

"B-B-Big Sis?! Th-that's broken...!"

"—That is why I objected."

Shiori-san placed the broken handle onto the saucer and muttered in a flat voice.

"Objected...?"

"Do you remember?"

Shiori-san narrowed her sharp eyes.

"'I want to be a cool, working woman in the city, just like Big Sis'—... Because that feeling reached me, I allowed Char to work in Japan. But I warned you, didn't I? I told you to be careful of men like this one, who would corrupt a girl who came from the countryside."

"That's not true!"

Char raised her voice, a rare tone of anger in it.

"Atsuto isn't corrupting me! There's a proper reason why we ended up like this!"

Char took a deep breath.

"When I was in America, I realized something! The teachers I respected knew about more than just academics! They knew fun places to go to relax when students were tired of studying, and games to play to make friends...!"

—In the end, she hadn't had a shred of time to actually play.

Char's face twisted in pain as she muttered that, and then continued to Shiori-san, who was sipping her tea, her expression like an iron mask.

"I studied so hard to become a teacher! But I couldn't become like the teachers I respected. I knew nothing outside of academics...I knew this couldn't go on, so when I went out into the city alone... I met Atsuto. So, I asked Atsuto, who seemed to know a lot of things! I asked him to teach me all sorts of ways to have fun!"

"And that led to you spending the night in a hotel with this man and coming home the next morning."

"B-but we didn't do anything!"

"Does 'nothing' mean it's acceptable for a teacher and a student to have a sleepover?"

Char lost her words and fell silent.

A leaden, heavy silence filled the room.

The one who broke the silence first was Shiori-san.

"I have a proposal for you, Char."

"A proposal...?"

Char slowly lifted her head, and Shiori-san replied with an emotionless "Yes."

"Why don't you work in America? As a teacher."

She stated this in a calm, detached tone.