I: Usually when I divine with Tarot, I use the pyramid spread or one oracle, but today I decided to go with the celtic cross.
I: And the card in the 10th position is... Upright Page of Pentacles!
I: A court card. In this case, the reading is...
F: Alright, I should deliver it while there's free time!
Girl A: Huh, where are you going?
F: Need to hand my little sister something she forgot.
F: That girl left home first today because she was on class duty, but forgot her maths textbook and gym uniform.
F: Jeez, what would Itsuki ever do without me!
Girl A: Haah...
F: W-What's with that exasperated sighing?
Girl A: Fuu-chan, you know... I think that's kinda wrong.
F: Huh, what is?
Girl A: Fuu-chan, if you keep coddling her like that, your little sister isn't ever going to be able to stand on her own.
F: Eh?
Girl A: Actually, maybe it's you who can't stand to be separated from her?
F: Se-pa-ra-ted from her?
Girl A: Yep.
F: EEEEEH!?
Girl A: Just try imagining what's going to happen to her at this rate!
F: (Now that I think about it... If she becomes a high school student, a university student and then finally becomes a working adult...)
High school Itsuki: Onee-chan! I can't decide whether to go to a university or start working!
University Itsuki: Onee-chan! Come with me to the job interview!
Adult Itsuki: Onee-chan! I lost my keycard to the office and I can't enter!
F: That's bad!
Girl A: Right?
F: You're right... I've spoiled Itsuki too much. I have to be more strict!
I: Onee-chan, Onee-chan! We have cooking in Home Ec tomorrow but I forgot to buy ingredients!
F: ...
I: Are there still any supermarkets open!? But I don't even know what to buy!
F: ...
I: Onee-chan, let's go buy them now...
I: Uh... Onee-chan?
F: ...
I: What's wrong? Why aren't you responding?..
F: Itsuki, it's your fault that you forgot to buy the ingredients. Go and buy them yourself.
I: Eh!?
I: (It's exactly as Onee-chan says, though...)
I: Okay... I'll go shopping myself then.
I: There should still be some stores open right now. And convenience stores exist too...
I: Onee-chan, Onee-chan! Why didn't you wake me up!?
F: Start waking up on your own from now on.
I: Eh!?
I: Onee-chan, Onee-chan! Do you know where I put that shirt I bought recently?
F: I don't know. Start taking care of your clothes yourself from now on.
I: Eh...
I: Onee-chan, there's a lot of stuff I don't like in today's dinner...
F: Start learning to be able to eat anything now. If you don't like that, learn how to cook on your own.
I: Uh...
I: Onee-chan is so cold to me lately!
S: Ittsun, that's what they call a period of fatigue.
K: What the hell are you saying all of a sudden. That's for married couples.
T: Did something happen, I wonder? I can't even imagine Senpai being cold to Itsuki-chan.
Y: Yeah... Fuu-senpai was always kind to Itsuki-chan...
F: What's wrong, everyone? You all have some serious faces.
Y: Fuu-senpai! Apparently, lately you've been co-mnghgng!
K: We need to see the situation for ourselves first, Yuuna. Observe and figure out what's going on.
F: You're all weird today.
I: Uh... Onee-chan. You see, there's something I didn't understand in Maths...
F: Itsuki. Archimedes, a great mathematician of the past, continued his studies even when enemy soldiers marched into his home.
F: If you try hard like him, you should be able to solve any problem no matter how difficult. So think about it yourself.
I: Okay...
Y: Strategy meeting in Kameya!
K: It seems that Fuu being cold to Itsuki is true.
I: Yeah...
T: I wonder what brought this on...
Y: Itsuki-chan, did you have a fight?
I: No, of course not! The two of us never fought...
T: Hmm...
S: Udon's tasty! Another serving, please!
T: Sonocchi. Right now we're seriously thinking about how to help Itsuki-chan.
S: Yeah. That's why I've been eating udon to send sugar into my brain and help! Udon is good for your thinking!
S: And thanks to udon, I came up with this!
Y: With what, Sono-chan?
S: This must be a test to develop Ittsun's independence!
S: One day, Ittsun will have to live without depending on Fuumin-senpai... She'll have to stand on her own!
K: Well, true. Siblings can't stay together forever. Itsuki will have to become independent someday.
Y: Coming from someone who lives on her own, that definitely sounds persuasive!
I: Independence... Living on my own...
I: When Onee-chan becomes a university student, she might move into a university somewhere far away...
I: No, she might even go to a high school that's far away... And then I'll have to live by myself...
T: I see... Fuu-senpai is trying to make her mature. Just like a lion throws its cubs down a cliff!
K: Well, comparing it to a cliff is a little out there. She just needs to learn to do things on her own.
I: ...Yeah!
I: Onee-chan!
F: Itsuki?
I: I'll do my best! I'll become capable of things by herself, without relying on you!
F: Itsuki... So you understood me!
I: Onee-chan...
I: Even if you move away to a distant school, I'll try my best to stand on my own!
F: By the way, Itsuki. I'm going to a training camp at the cram school this weekend.
I: A training camp... at the cram school?
F: Yeah, a friend invited me. Apparently they let even people who aren't taking classes there to participate, so I thought it'd help me with the upcoming exams.
F: So I'm not going to be home on the weekend... You'll be fine on your own, right?
I: ...Of course!
I: I got it, Onee-chan... This is a kind of a rehearsal for my eventual independent life, isn't it!?
Thus came Friday.
I: Today Onee-chan is going to be late. Since the Hero Club is going to be helping at a kindergarten, she's there to talk things over with the teachers.
I: So today... I'll be making dinner!
I: I'll show her my growth by cooking and let her go to the study camp in peace. And in the future, she'll be able to go to a distant school too...
I: I'll do my best... For Onee-chan's sake!
I: If I just follow the recipes on the internet, cooking should be a cinch!
I: cough cough W-Why is there so much black smoke!?
I: Uuh... The ingredients I'm cutting are coming out in weird shapes...
I: Waah! I mixed up the spices!
I: In front of me lie naught but a field of corpses of ingredients and failed dishes...
I: W-Why did this happen...
I: Who could that be?.. I'm coming!
Y: Pardon the intrusion!
T: We'll be coming in.
I: Yuuna-san, Tougou-senpai!
T: Since Fuu-senpai said she'd be late today, we thought you'd be lonely.
Y: Since it's boring to be alone, we came to hang out!
I: Uuh... Uuuuh...
Y: W-What's wrong? You look like you're about to cry!
I: Please, just look at this disaster!
Y: O-Ooh... The kitchen definitely looks lively... A bit too lively even.
T: Was there a war waged here?
I: No! I just tried making dinner!
T: And that led... to this carnage?
I: Yes... I thought I'd make dinner since Onee-chan was going to be late, and...
T: I see... Don't worry, I'll make it in your stead, so relax.
I: Thank you, Tougou-senpai... But that won't do.
T: Eh?
I: I want to make it myself... To show Onee-chan that I'll be fine on my own!
Y: Itsuki-chan...
T: Such wonderful resolve, Itsuki-chan! A spitting image of our country's Yamato Nadeshiko!
T: Then we'll let you cook... But we'll be advising you, alright?
T: If it looks like you're about to mess something up, I'll warn you. But you'll be the one cooking.
I: Tougou-senpai...
I: Yes, got it!
I: And so, I immersed myself in cooking while listening to Tougou-senpai's advice!
T: Itsuki-chan! Don't mix up the seasoning jars!
I: Roger! I'll confirm!
T: Itsuki-chan! The boiling time is over!
I: Roger! I'll take it out right away!
I: Itsuki-chan! An amateur shouldn't be using olive oil as a garnish!
I: Okay! I'll be careful with the olive oil!
T: Okay, the end is almost in sight! Just a little more and we'll be done!
I: Ah!
T: What happened, Itsuki-chan?
I: The ingredients... I ran out!
T: What!?
I: It must be because I failed so much at the start, so I used up too much...
T: This is it, then... I'm sure Fuu-senpai will appreciate your efforts. But I think we're done for today...
I: Even though I... I have to become capable of cooking on my own...
I: If I don't, Onee-chan won't be able to go to a faraway high school with peace...
T: Itsuki-chan...
Y: I bought the ingredients!
I: Yuuna-san!
Y: When I looked at the recipe you were making, I thought that there might not have been enough ingredients.
Y: I can't teach you like Tougou-san, but at least I can help out this way!
I: Yuuna-san... Thank you very much!
T: That's our Yuuna-chan.
T: Come on, Itsuki-chan! One last push!
I: Roger!
F: I'm home.
Y: Welcome back, Fuu-senpai.
T: We've been waiting.
F: Yuuna? Tougou? What are you two doing here?
I: Onee-chan... Look at the table...
I: I made dinner by myself...
F: This... Itsuki, did you make all of this food?
I: That's right... Onee-chan... collapses
F: Itsuki! Hang in there!
T: Cooking takes a lot of concentration for people who aren't used to it, so she must be exhausted.
I: Did you see that... Onee-chan? I made food... by myself...
F: Yeah... Yeah...
I: You can go to the study camp without worrying now...
F: sniff Yeah...
I: Next morning... When I woke up, Onee-chan was already nowhere to be seen.
From: Yuuna: Itsuki-chan, good morning! Did Fuu-senpai already leave for her study camp?
From: Itsuki: Yeah, Onee-chan already left. She'll be back by Monday.
I: Onee-chan... When you're not around, the room feels empty.
I: But I think I can get used to this. So don't worry, Onee-chan.
F: I'm back!
I: ...
I: ...Huh!?
F: Itsuki! You woke up already! What a good girl, waking up on your own! Time to headpat you!
I: Aaah, Onee-chan's patting my head with intense power!
I: I'm happy about this, but weren't you supposed to go to the study camp?
F: I cancelled it!
I: Eh!? Where were you just now then!?
F: I was just taking out the garbage.
I: Eeeh!?
F: Who cares about some study camp! I can't leave my cute sister alone like this!
F: I'll stay with you this entire weekend! From "good morning" and until "good night"!
F: (Looking back at that day when I talked with a classmate about Itsuki...)
F: You're right... I've spoiled Itsuki too much. I have to be more strict!
F: Itsuki, it's your fault that you forgot to buy the ingredients. Go and buy them yourself.
I: Eh!?
I: Okay... I'll go shopping myself then.
F: Uuh... This is so hard...
F: It's too hard! Pushing Itsuki away is so hard! But I have to, for her sake!
F: Now, time to trail her and ensure her safety!
F: Start waking up on your own from now on.
I: Eh!?
F: (It's hard... It's painful...)
F: I don't know. Start taking care of your clothes yourself from now on.
I: Eh...
F: (Itsuki... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...)
F: Start learning to be able to eat anything now. If you don't like that, learn how to cook on your own.
I: Uh...
F: (Aaaagh! The pain! The pain! Itsuki, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!)
F: (It's painful... I never imagined that acting cold towards Itsuki could be so excruciating...)
F: (But this, too, is for Itsuki's sake...)
F: (...Am I really fine with this? To continue... being cold to Itsuki like this?)
I: Did you see that... Onee-chan? I made food... by myself...
I: You can go to the study camp without worrying now...
F: (No... No...)
F: (I can't, after all! I can't be strict with Itsuki anymore!)
F: (I'll live true to myself from now on! I swear it!)
F: For all of the cold treatment I gave you, I'll coddle you for twice that!
I: (Next day, at school...)
F: You came to school today too, Itsuki. Good girl!
I: Uh... Thanks.
F: Good girl, that's my Itsuki! Cute and a hard worker! You have a bright future ahead!
I: But today's pop quiz was a bit hard... I don't think I failed it, though.
F: Just taking the tests is good enough already! And not failing them is even more amazing!
F: That's my little sister! Who's a good girl? You are! You're going to be either a scientist or a minister in the future!
I: Uh... Alright...
T: It looks like Fuu-senpai's coddling has ascended to a new level...
K: Just what exactly happened?..
Y: But Fuu-senpai looks like she's having fun, so why not? I like it more when the two of them get along!
S: Yeah, you're right. Ittsun and Fuumin-senpai are always the best of friends. That's just natural, how it should be.
I: (The period of rebound on Onee-chan's coddling lasted about a week...)
I: (After that, it went back to its usual levels.)
I: (In the end, I became slightly better at cooking. But just slightly.)