“Someone collapsed!”

A voice called out from somewhere. I stopped dead in my tracks as I was walking through the city, and my sister, who was next to me, stopped at the exact same moment.

“Onii-chan, over there!”

My sister, Kirishima Shuka, pointed in a direction different from where we were heading. There was already a crowd of people there, making it obvious that something had happened.

I followed after Shuka, who had started running ahead.

Good grief.

Going out on a day off never leads to anything good.

!next

“Hey, Onii-chan.”

Shuka called me as soon as she entered the room, in a voice that sounded like she was trying her best to lower her adorable soprano.

“What is it? I always tell you to knock before you come in.”

“That doesn’t matter right now! I have something important to talk about!”

Her exaggerated attitude made me imagine a question mark floating over my head. She stood with her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest, but thanks to her inherent cuteness, she wasn’t intimidating at all.

She had a middle bob of black hair cut neatly at shoulder length. Because of her baby face and short height, she often looked younger than she was, but she was actually a second-year middle school student.

“What is it?”

Despite her angelic cuteness that could make you think she was a visitor from another world, her older brother—me, Kirishima Ao—is, to put it bluntly, an indoor type guy exuding a full-on, plain, introverted vibe.

“Yesterday, my friends at school were talking about you.”

I couldn’t understand why she looked so serious at the beginning of her story.

“What do you think they said?”

Since she asked, I tried to think about it. I crossed my arms and pondered for a few seconds, “Hmm.”

“They said something like, ‘Your brother is really plain, isn’t he?’”

“That’s not it! It’s something much more serious and grave!”

“I don’t get it.”

“They said, ‘The other day, I saw Shuka-chan’s Onii-chan, but his clothes were super lame. And he’s already in high school’” 

Shuka said in an oddly theatrical tone.

“I wonder when they saw me. What bad timing.”

“Stop talking like you’re usually fine but happened to be lame just that one time! You’re lame 365 days a year, Onii-chan!”

“You’re going that far!?”

I do admit that I’m in the category of people who are not very particular about my clothes. To be honest, I just grab whatever shirt and pants come out of the closet and spend the day in them. In summer, I prioritize staying cool; in winter, staying warm; and in spring and fall, just wearing something that feels right, without paying much attention to anything else.

“What’s with that outfit today?”

“Huh, this?”

I was wearing a purple shirt with a skull on it. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. In fact, I even thought it was cool.

“Is something wrong with it?”

“The skull is wrong!”

“What!?”

I was surprised by her immediate answer. I thought the skull was a good point. Should I have gone with a dragon or something?

“Onii-chan, your clothes are either lame prints or random roman letters with no meaning. They’re both totally lame!”

“That’s rude.”

However, I hadn’t bought any clothes in the past year or so. I usually spend my allowance on books.

“Are you really meeting your high school friends in such lame outfits?”

“No, not really.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Onii-chan, you don’t have any clothes other than those lame ones. Oh, are you wearing your uniform?”

“I didn’t even meet my high school friends in the first place.”

“It’s already the second semester!? Now that you mention it, you spent the whole summer vacation cooped up inside too!”

“That’s not true. I went to the bookstore.”

“That’s just preparing for more shut-ins! My Onii-chan is too much of a loner!”

Shuka pretended to cry and said whatever she wanted. I really wish she’d understand that I have a life bar, too. I’m not a punching bag, you know. I’m a human, and I have feelings.

“So?”

Since the conversation was getting off track, I urged her to state her purpose. I didn’t have time to listen to my sister’s complaints on my precious day off. I still had a pile of novels to read.

“We’re going clothes shopping.”

“You want me to carry your stuff?”

“We’re going to buy your clothes, Onii-chan!”

“Huh, why?”

“Because they’re super unfashionable! I don’t want my friends to badmouth you!”

++Ugh, what a hassle.++ I’m the type who doesn’t care about being badmouthed behind my back. I’d consider it if it was said to my face, but I can’t be bothered with gossip if I want to be a loner.

++Well, I’m not really a loner anyway.++

“I don’t have any money this month.”

“I told mom, and she let me borrow my allowance in advance, so it’s fine.”

“Huh, are you giving me a present?”

“Of course not. It’s your money, Onii-chan.”

“My money!?”

Shuka snorted, “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” She was stubborn. The closer you got to her, the less likely she was to change her mind. And, when it comes to me, Shuka has never backed down. Is she Naruto or something? It’s not just about letting your guard down; I feel like she’s simply looking down on me.

Either way, it was extremely difficult to change Shuka’s mind once she had made it up, so it was less troublesome in the long run to just obey her.

“Fine, let’s just go already.”

“Don’t walk next to me in those clothes.”

“You want me to walk around naked? I don’t have anything other than what you call lame clothes.”

“Your uniform will do.”

“…On a day off?”

I decided that I didn’t care anymore and put on my uniform, even though it was a day off, and headed out with Shuka.

As we walked side by side to the nearby shopping mall, we heard a man’s surprised voice from a little distance away.

“Someone collapsed!” He said.

!next

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