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.)

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Pub: 26 Dec 2020 16:38 UTC
Views: 394