OreShura: Volume 4 Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Together With Girlfriend's Little Sister Mayhem

The next day of camp, I was very relaxed in the morning.

I made breakfast, and around eight o'clock in the morning Chiwa, Hime, and Fuyuumi all gathered in the living room. But no matter how long we waited, Masuzu did not appear.

Since I was so worried, I went in front of her room to call her, but—

"I'm going to sleep until noon."

Driven away by her awkward japanese voice that seemed suggest she had low blood pressure, I figured she was the type of person who had a really hard time waking up.

Or, perhaps it was because she was affected by what happened last night……

Only the four of us ate breakfast. Afterwards, Fuyuumi suggested that we start doing our summer homework.

Although Chiwa whined and said, ｢we've come all the way to the sea and we're going to do homework?!｣. But I convinced her to agree. Besides, if I didn't bother this girl, she'd wait to do it until just before the deadline.

Hime very obediently complied, and started doing her Chinese homework. Fuyuumi was very surprised: ｢Your handwriting is beautiful!｣. Hime was really good.

I also started solving my mathematics problem set next to Chiwa—

"Hey, Ei-kun! I said, teach me this."

I was pulled back to reality with a sudden jab with the back of the pencil to my elbow.

"O-Ohh, sorry."

This was the third time I've gotten lost in my thoughts.

"Eita, are you tired?"

"It's really surprising that Kidou-kun can't concentrate and study."

HIme and Fuyuumi had incredible looks on their faces. Indeed, even I thought this was really strange.

Unable to throw myself in with the proper mindset, time flew, and wait I noticed it was already noon.

For lunch, I prepared a vegetable noodle dish that could be eaten plain. I even prepared Masuzu's portion and went to her room to call her, but she said, ｢not hungry｣, and declined.

"Is Natsukawa okay? Is it a summer cold?"

Chiwa slurped the slippery red-white noodles and tilted her head, puzzled.

"She had so much energy yesterday. Will she able to participate in the beauty pageant?"

"What time does it start?"

Fuyuumi took out her cellphone and checked the screen:

"The venue opens at 4:00pm, and the show starts at 4:30. It says contestant should be there before 3:30 and gather in front of the special stage at the second beach."

"Yeah, she'll definitely get up before then."

Masuzu said it herself that she was going to be judged.

But what did she plan to do?

Did she actually intend to say I was her fake boyfriend on stage? But even if she didn't do that, she just had to announce that we broke up.

After lunch, Chiwa suggested that we go to the beach, but—

"Sorry, I don't think I'll come."

I ignored the sighs of displeasure from the three of them, and I walked outside by myself.

I wanted to walk aimlessly.

Maybe with this depressed mood, it'll make me feel a little bit more carefree.

I walked south along the beach at first, because northwards was in the direction of Haneoyama City, and I wanted to stay as far as possible away from there.

Towards the distance, towards the distance, towards the distance.

I braved the sun and listened to the sounds of the waves as I sweated. After walking for about thirty minutes, the building landscape around me changed. The old-fashioned houses from earlier were now replaced by lines of elegant mansions and hotels.

—Right, this was the third beach.

The second beach that we stayed at was an actual ｢beach｣, but over here were exclusive vacation resorts. I remember Kaoru said he was very envious of this.

As I walked and looked at some unique cafes and trinket shops, I suddenly saw an entire group of dark people. Since they were all very tan, I figured they were local surfers.

In the middle of this group of dark people, there was a little bit of red.

It was a girl wearing a bright red dress.

And she was blond.

As expected of a high-end resort destination, even foreigners came here—or so I thought, because as the distance between the two of us shortened, it seemed like her face looked familiar.

The girl evidently had the same line of thought, and kept turning her head.

When we reached the distance we could make out each other's appearances—

"Ehh?!"

"Wow!"

We exclaimed nearly simultaneously.

"Why are you here?"

"Isn't that's my line?"

The person who said this as she stared at me was Natsukawa Mana.

She was still that same old noisy kid.

Although I didn't notice looking at her from far away, she was actually pulling a foreign-made bright red bicycle. She probably had a villa nearby, as expected of a rich person.

"Heyyyy, Mana-chan, who is that guy?"

One of the surfers accompanying her asked softly.

Mana responded with an annoyed look on her face:

"My older sister's boyfriend, and a disgusting otaku."

"Disgusting otaku is unnecessary."

As soon as she finished speaking, her crowd of followers began to flatter her: ｢Mana-chan has an older sister?｣ ｢I knew it—I've always felt Mana was a little-sister type｣ ｢If it's Mana-chan's older sister, she's bound to be a beauty｣. With those guys like that, how much money did they make?

Mana seemed to approve and looked very pleased. After listening to all the praise:

"So, you guys can head back. I have some things to talk about with him."

Naturally, the surfers gave a ｢Huh—?｣ reaction.

"Sorry. Thanks for chatting with me, see ya later!"

Mana wore a smile as she put her hands together, and the smiled like slovenly hippies and left.

"How's that? I got rid of them."

"Of course it's good?"

Mana looked back at the group of guys several times, and as they waved with stupid grins on their faces, she spoke:

"Among this group of flirting bastards, there's not a single decent guy among them. I was just thinking about dumping them for good, but then I ran into you. You happened to appear at the perfect time."

Her indifferent tone was actually the opposite of her facial expression.

"That being said, I don't have anything to say to you."

"You didn't want me to—well, should we talk as a walk?"

Not waiting for me to respond, she held onto her bike and started to walk. She was just like her sister, always enjoying forcing others to do what they want.

"Do you live around here?"

"Yeah, I have a villa."

"Why at Funase? If you have money, why don't you go abroad to Ouvea island?"

"Ah, I went last year."

"......"

You bastard who's already been there, just switch with Hime.

"Oh dear—you're so strict—you're really winning life, really winning life!"

Although I originally intended to say this ironically, but—

"Well that's obvious, right? If you're not winning life, what does ｢winning｣ actually mean?"

She totally didn't get it. That wasn't acceptable.

"Oh right, why are you here? Is Suzu also here?"

"Yeah, for a club trip."

"That ｢Delusional｣ club?"

"That's rude. It's ｢Jien-Otsu｣."

"It's about the same, right?"

"……Yes."

I couldn't argue. You could I agreed with her completely.

"So what? Are you going along smoothly with Suzu?"

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

I knew she would ask that.

"Hey, how are you? Any romantic progress? You've kissed already, at least?"

"......I don't want to answer."

"Eh? What did you say? What kind of kid do you think you are?"

I was infuriated:

"Although I didn't particularly ask you to use honorifics, you shouldn't call me a kid. Honorifics? You're so rude to your seniors."

"Ah—you're so wordy. Just because you made me give in to you once, you think you're so great?"

I thought Mana would become angry and leave with a ｢Hmph!｣, but I never expected she would continue walking next to me.

As blond haired middle school girl, with her hair tied into two pigtails, waving in the sea breeze, of course she attracted everyone's attention. The men we brushed by seemed jealous, making me uneasy.

Well, I should have been used to this with Masuzu.

"What do you think? Everyone's looking at me."

Mana looked up at me triumphantly.

"Although Suzu's also beautiful, she has that difficult-to-approach feeling, right? From that perspective, I'm different. I'm really cute! Are you happy to be walking next to a beautiful girl like me?"

"Ah?"

I snorted.

"Don't confuse me with the guys you find everywhere—!"

Right now!

J-Just decide right now!

"I won't be captivated by any kind of woman! I'm anti-love—!"

I just said it…..

Actually, I've always wanted to say it. It's too cool!

"Are you dumb, you virgin?"

......

H-Huh?

"H-Hmph! Virgin? To me, that's a compliment!"

"Disgusting disgusting disgusting disgusting disgusting disgusting go to hell go to hell go to hell."

W-wait!

I've been called ｢disgusting｣ and ｢go to hell｣ by a middle school girl?

Was I the first person in this world to have this terrible assault...…?

No, more importantly—

"T-This feels so good…..!"

"W-what?"

Because I've been dealing with so many girls lately!

A girl that doesn't like me is the best!

"What do you secretly like so much about yourself? So disgusting."

"Keep going, keep getting mad at me!"

"Y-you're really disgusting! Don't come near me, virgin. Representative of all japanese virgins!"

"Yes, just like that! Keep going, keep going! Aaahh—!"

Mana's face turned blue and cramped:

"I-I'm going to ignore you! I'm going home, bye!"

She straddled the seat cushion of the bike, and headed off.

But, after barely going five meters forward, she wobbled off balance.

Kalangclang!

……With a loud sound, she fell.

Her red dress and blond hair was full of sand.

"T-That's just a test! The next time is the real deal!"

Mana gave an excuse nobody wanted to listen to, and stood up. Once again, she straddled the seat.

This time, she probably rode about ten meters, but she still wobbled off balance.

Kalangclang!

I pointed at Mana, and giddily jumped back and forth on the side:

"Oh? Oh? What is it now~? You can't ride a bicycle~? Natsukawa Mana-san~? You're already a ninth grader~?"

I grabbed this point to provoke her, and Mana's face turned entirely red.

"That looks so awkward! Haha! Ta-kun Epic Win—!"

After winning against a middle school girl and boasting about it, I'm just too awesome!

Awesome!

……So awesome...…?

Did that mean I was just common….. scum?

When I started to doubt myself, Mana grabbed her face and squatted down.

"Wuaahhhh…… wuahhhhh…… don't…… laugh at me......!"

Hey, did I make her cry?!

"S-Sorry, I got too carried away. I'm sorry."

"Wua! Wuahhhh!"

"It really was my fault, okay? Here, grab my—hey!"

Just when I reached out with hand, my wrist was ruthlessly yanked, and of course I fell. I tumbled forward with much more momentum than when Mana fell, and raised a good deal of dust on the road.

"Wahahahahahaa! Id—iot! You've been tricked!"

"Y-You were actually fake crying!?"

"Hey, don't touch me, virgin! If I get cursed for a lifetime to stay a virgin, what would I do?"

"Oh—that's interesting—so be cursed then—!"

In broad daylight and in a public place, I was brawling with a female middle school student—I can't be saved!

♦

Because the people who were gathering around us started to cause a commotion, we decided to leave the scene.

I helped her pull the bike, and the two of us arrived at an empty playground.

"This should be alright."

Mana sat on the bench.

After after propping the bike up with the kickstand, I also sat down.

"Since you obviously can't ride, why'd you take a bicycle out?"

"I said I can ride! I just forgot how to ride a little moment ago."

Wasn't she just admitting she ｢can't ride｣ by making that excuse?

Mana stared at me steadily:

"So how is Suzu? Is she alright? It's really hot everyday, and has she been eating enough?"

"So you are worried about your sister?"

Mana turned her face away when she heard that:

"I-It's not that I'm worried. It's more like I'm obliged to report about her to dad."

"Sure."

Despite everything she babbled about, she was actually quite considerate of her sister. But if I mentioned it, she would be rather angry.

So I told her everything that was recently going on with Masuzu in great detail.

Of course, I also mentioned what happened last night—I kept to myself the fake thing, but I did tell her ｢maybe we'll break up｣.

"—Yeah, it's at the limit."

Mana murmured after listening to it all.

"But you've hid it for a really long time. It's quite grave that people don't trust Suzu."

"Is that so?"

Masuzu kicked some small rocks at her feet:

"Suzu, well, in that country she's considered the ｢Natsukawa family jewel｣."

"Meaning the daughter they're proud of?"

"That's half of it. The remaining half is a taunt."

"A taunt?"

"A jewel is an ｢ornament｣. Within Dad's social circle, Suzu is just a stage prop so he can boast, ｢I have such a beautiful daughter｣. He separated Suzu from her mother just to do this."

"So you really are half siblings?"

"Yeah. You've never heard that from Suzu?"

"She never said anything, and I didn't ask."

But based upon their hair and eye color, it was obvious.

"Suzu always acts in accordance to her father's expectations, because public opinion of her will reflect public opinion of her mother. She perfectly performed a docile character who was smart, dignified, and respectful of her father. Acting like a ｢good girl｣ in front of strangers in a foreign land, used to be the meaning of Suzu's entire existence.

Masuzu who pretended she was a good girl.

Masuzu who pretended she was a ｢girlfriend｣.

She hadn't changed at all from the past. Rather, she couldn't be changed, because it was her way of life.

"From the very beginning, I thought this kind of thing was ｢impossible!｣, so dad didn't have any hopes for me. But Masuzu would struggle to meet data's expectations, force herself to keep on acting, and continue to tell lies—in the process, her personality became rather strange."

Mana looked up at a towering cumulonimbus cloud that looked like a skyscraper:

"You'd think that there aren't many people who'd say this, right? In order to lie, you have to lie to yourself first. I need to be a good girl. I need to be a good girl. A good girl. I am a good girl—in the middle of lying, you suddenly forget who you really are."

Was Masuzu like this right now?

While she was acting out love, did she gradually lose her understanding of love?

"The things that girl says is ridiculous, right? Just after saying something extremely harsh, the next moment she becomes tender; and then moment you think that, she suddenly becomes cold—hey, have you been tormented like that?"

"Yeah."

She guessed far too accurately.

Ever since Masuzu confessed to me, I've been tormented by her.

I didn't know how many times I've cursed.

I don't know how many times I shouted it's ｢mayhem｣.

—But.

"But, it wasn't so bad."

I firmly said.

"It wasn't so bad—every day."

Mana whispered quietly, ｢Yeah｣.

She lightly jumped up from the bench, and her double ponytail drifted in the air as she turned to look at me:

"Thank you for loving my sister."

♦

It was almost evening, and I decided to return to the hotel.

Mana looked like she wanted to hang around the park a little longer.

"Bye then."

When I got up, I suddenly realized it:

"Oh, I finally understand."

"What?"

"You—came here to practice riding a bike, right?"

"What……!?"

Mana looked like a fish from a pond, with her mouth wide open. It looked like I hit the mark.

"I-I-I said I know how to ride a bike! Go away you disgusting otaku!"

"S-S-Sure, I'm a disgusting otaku, sorry."

I just waved my hand and started to walk away.

But then I suddenly remembered something:

"Hey."

"I said I know how to ride a bike!"

I asked the middle school student who shouted with regret:

"If there was someone suited to be together with Masuzu, what would that person be like?"

Mana tilted her head, ｢Ah?｣, and thought about it for a while:

"There's certainly a kind of person who could be together with a ｢liar｣."

"What kind of person?"

I held my breath and waited. Then, Mana whispered:

—Her accomplice.

---

Translator's Notes and References

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