Chapter 1.1

"Onii-chan! You're gonna be late for your first day in school if you stay in your bed!"

Yes, yes, my dear imouto, I'm already awake. I didn't need you to tell me that through the door. I've been awake for about half an hour now, actually. I simply haven't gotten out of bed yet.

Another year has passed in my high school life, and now I'm starting my second year. Normally, I wouldn't think much about this but never have I experienced starting at a new school in a new city.

I feel kind of nervous for what's ahead.

My family used to live in Fukuoka and it was the city that I spent most of my life in, until my otou-san quit his job as a software engineer and began a career as a freelance game developer. Because of his career change, we had to relocate to Kumamoto where a close friend who owed him a few favors found an affordable residence for our family, which otou-san took right away.

That was a month ago, after I had finished my first year in high school.

After settling into our new home, I spent most of my remaining vacation time getting used to this place and our new neighborhood. I wasn't really upset that we had to move, just..... caught off guard, I guess. Leaving behind the place where you grew up in is tough, but it's a part of life.

Anyway, my current situation is different.

This isn't about taking a walk around town and getting used to the whole place. It's about going to school at a completely different one, where I don't know any of the people who go there. It'll be a different atmosphere too, which I'll have to get used to eventually.

Okay, deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths.....

Everyone gets the jitters when they're going to school for the first time. This isn't any different from that. I'm going to school for the first time, just not the one that I've been attending for the past year. Come on, I already felt this way when I started my first year in high school, this shouldn't be that hard.

After I leave the house, I'll go to my new school, act normal, try to make some friends if I can, go through the rest of the day, and go home.

"Onii-chan! Get out of bed already or I'm barging in your room!"

Aaannnd that's my cue. Time to get out of bed for real. I don't want Usagi breaking into the only place where I can be in peace.

I fixed my mattress like an obedient child and stepped out of my room, where I found my younger sister standing before me with her hands on her hips, her expression contorting into a frown.

"Onii-chan. Were you planning on staying in bed all day? It's our first day in school, and you're just going to sleep?"

Yeesh. An angry imouto. Not one to be trifled with if you value your relationship with her.

"Sorry about that, Usagi. I guess I'm just nervous about going to my new school..... this isn't Fukuoka High, and it's like I'm starting high school all over again." I admitted, rubbing the back of my head.

Thankfully, that answer got Usagi to calm down as her expression softened.

"I know, Onii-chan. I feel the same too. I'm nervous about my new school.... it's gonna be a new place for me, and I don't have any friends to be with me this time."

I feel her. Most of her former classmates in Fukuoka were children whom she grew up with, and she was friends with all of them. I even caught her talking with some of them through her phone several times in the past month. There's no mistaking that she misses her friends from the neighboring prefecture.

"That's fine. I know you can make loads of new friends, Usagi. If I recall, you were one of the more popular students at your old school and you had lots of contact numbers on your phone."

She puffed her cheeks, her frown returning full-force.

"Mou, don't tease me! And don't look at my phone!"

Ha, I wouldn't call myself an onii-chan if I don't tease my imouto at every chance I get. Usagi was obviously popular because she was outgoing and loved to make friends, but I think the fact that a lot of young boys at her former school had a crush on her was a deciding factor. My imouto is just that adorable, though I'm not saying that I'm just gonna let any boy out there make advances on her. No way.

"Sorry, sorry." I raised my hands in defeat. "But I'm not lying, Usagi. You've been calling your friends many times lately, right? Just because they're not here doesn't mean they're gone. You can still talk to your old friends and make new ones here. Someone like you should have no problem doing that."

"....You really think so...?"

Ugh, the puppy-dog eyes. The secret weakness of older brothers like me. Stop it before I hug you to death, Usagi.

"Hey, what kind of onii-chan would I be if I can't even believe in what my imouto is capable of?" I asked rhetorically. "You're gonna make friends in your new school, I'm sure of it. If there's one of us who has trouble making friends, it's me. Not you. Got it?"

Usagi giggled at the jab that I made about myself, mostly because it's true but that's not important right now.

"Thanks, Onii-chan."

".....Hey, anything for my imouto." I grinned and shrugged my shoulders before I reached out to pat her head.

As soon as I touched the crown of her head, I think I heard a squeak from Usagi and she even jumped slightly in place for some reason. I didn't pay it any mind, she may have just been caught off guard with my action. I ran my fingers through her hair affectionately and just smiled, enjoying this—

"Uhaaa~"

"Did you say something?" I asked my sister in confusion. What exactly came out of her mouth just now?

"N-N-Nothing....!"

"...okay."

While I'm pretty sure I heard Usagi say something, I threw it to the back of my mind for now and continued to ruffle her hair.

After I was satisfied with the head pat I gave her, I pulled back my hand and I was about to tell her that we should head downstairs already, but that was when I noticed that her face had gone red. She looked as red as a steaming tomato. She was also breathing heavily now and as I looked down, I noticed that her legs were about to give up at any second.

What just happened to her...?

"Usagi?" I asked, my voice filled with worry.

"....uhmm.... you can go ahead and have breakfast without me, Onii-chan! I'm gonna take a bath first!"

With a deep red face, Usagi suddenly took off without any other word, bolting off into her bedroom and slamming the door shut. I even heard the sound of her locking it....

...Okay....?

That... was weird, I'm not gonna lie. What the hell was that about.....? Why did Usagi just run off like that? Did I do something that made her act that way...?

I rubbed my chin and thought about it deeply.

...Hm, maybe she's just going through the normal cycle of a girl..... you know, menstruation and stuff like that. While I don't know when exactly her period starts because okaa-san deals with that stuff regarding Usagi, I do know that she's already at that age to start experiencing changes in her body thanks to puberty. That's how she attracted a lot of boys, after all.

I shrugged again.

.....Guess I'll be eating with okaa-san alone at the table. Who knows when Usagi will come out?

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