Chapter 47: Swing

-Rustle-

Cafe Melina, I hadn’t been able to visit often recently due to my busy schedule, and after the Eden Treaty incident, I took a short break, so I hadn’t been there lately. But it was the cafe I frequented the most.

In the corner of the cafe, I sat at a window seat, simply sketching the street scene as I always did, killing time.

Lately, members of the Justice Realization Committee, who had just finished their patrols, started using the cafe, so it wasn’t as quiet as before. But since it was a cafe on the outskirts, it still maintained a certain level of tranquility.

“Ahaha☆ Sora-chan, there was a reason for calling me to such an out-of-the-way place, huh?”

“Ah, Onee-san, you’re here?”

It was the weekend, and it had been a long time since we had a proper break, with Trinity’s restoration administration finally winding down, so we decided to meet.

…After that day, we were both busy and couldn’t find time to meet, so…we both felt a bit disappointed.

“Come to think of it, Sora-chan, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you in casual clothes~”

“Huh? Come to think of it, it’s the first time I’ve seen Onee-san’s casual clothes…?”

The day I first met Onee-san, the day I was dragged to the Tea Party office by Nagisa-sama,

I was wearing casual clothes because it was during vacation, but Onee-san was in her uniform because she was in the office as the student council president.

So, this is the first time I’m seeing Onee-san in her casual clothes.

“Ahaha☆ I put some thought into what I wore… Does it suit me?”

“Yes, very much… It’s… pretty…”

“Wow-o… Yep! Thank you!”

Onee-san was wearing… a pure white one-piece dress that suited the summer weather, unlike her uniform.

It was short overall… and it was quite a chore to wear her uniform and do official work even in the summer, so she often struggled.

“That… that… um… Sora-chan… your gaze…”

“Th… Onee-san, you too… uh… um….”

Th… My gaze naturally spreads to various parts of Onee-san’s body. It’s understandable, since it’s a stimulating outfit, if anything.

There’s cleavage showing… and the skirt of the one-piece isn’t long, so it’s an outfit that reveals her bare legs… It’s inevitable that my eyes would be drawn to that body.

Since she’s someone of Onee-san’s caliber, she caught my gaze and mentioned it… but in fact, Onee-san was also fixing her gaze on my body. Actually… I wonder if both Onee-san and I wore these outfits with a bit of intention.

I wore an oversized top that was a bit… excessive, very short shorts, and a style where the bottoms were barely visible…

Yes, literally, “bottomless fashion.” As a result, my legs were clearly exposed… so Onee-san also ended up fixing her gaze on one area.

“…Pfft… Puhaha! Yep! That’s right! I guess we’re both hopeless, huh?”

“Hahaha, that’s right. Then… shall we get going?”

While we were both avoiding each other’s gazes with slightly flushed faces… this situation started to become funny.

It was the same for Onee-san, and the one who burst out laughing first was her. Breaking the short silence, we look at each other’s faces.

Onee-san seemed to be quite the flirt. But… so am I. In my past life, I didn’t have time to care about such things. And in this life too… I didn’t have a wide network to care about such things… um… well, whatever. It’s not like she’s a stranger.

I finish the remaining black tea and get up from my seat.

Today’s appointment isn’t just about killing time at a cafe, so if we want to spend more time together, it’s okay to give up the lingering scent of the black tea, which has already cooled down and lost its aroma.

It wouldn’t make a difference even if the black tea was still hot.

The place we headed to as soon as we left the cafe was a park located in the outskirts of Trinity. Compared to the crowded central district, it was quiet, and it had a clear, clean pond compared to the central district.

We were sitting on a bench by the pond, having a little chat with Senpai.

-Scratch, scratch-

Since it was located in the outskirts, the tall buildings on the outskirts of the DU district were also visible, and on a clear day like today, they were reflected in the clear water of the pond, making the scenery that filled my eyes become a picture.

So, I chose this place as the location for today’s da… ahem… walk and the scenery for my drawing.

-Scratch, scratch-

It’s a somewhat plain and unstimulating place, but it’s okay to go to such a place a little later, so I wanted to draw this place while the sky was clear.

I feel a little sorry for Onee-san for going along with this whim of mine.

“I’m sorry for making you go along with my hobby today.”

“Heeh… But~ Yep! That’s right, I think it’s quite a good hobby. It’s a little boring, but the result is pretty, right?”

Our Onee-san has a knack for sugarcoating things with nice words.

I can confidently say that my drawing is certainly at a decent level for a beginner, but it’s not at the level where it would be displayed at Wild Hunt Art Academy or any art or art club of any school. Still… it makes me feel good…

“Speaking of which… It feels like summer now, doesn’t it?”

“Yep, that’s right. Ugh… It’s humid…”

Yes, summer. The spring of the beginning of the semester passed by at the speed of light.

During the midterm exam period in May, I was swamped with work due to the disappearance of the General Student Council President, and time passed in an instant. After the midterms,

I was swamped with work again as the Eden Treaty approached…. Huh? Am I a workaholic?

Now, I don’t particularly regret it. I met the person who is most precious to me… and… I also recently realized that I had already achieved my initial purpose long ago.

Looking back like this, it certainly seems like it’s been quite eventful lately. I don’t know how many times I’ve collapsed…

“But, you know… Sora-chan… Aren’t you hot?”

“Ah? No? I’m wearing very thin clo… Ah… I’m definitely sweating a bit…”

In fact, my clothes were quite thin… and short, so I was fine for now. I did think that maybe in another week or two, I’d be hot even in these clothes.

The place Onee-san looked at as she asked me was my right wing and… my right hand, covered by a wrist guard and glove.

The wing wasn’t large in area, so it was fine, but… my right arm was definitely unavoidable. But telling me to take these off is something I absolutely can’t do.

That’s because they’re gifts from people who are so precious to me. I absolutely can’t allow it. I don’t want to show my scars outside either…

“Huh..? Onee-san, are you going to get gloomy about this again? You know~ So stop it?”

“Yep, that’s right…”

I hurriedly try to stop Onee-san from getting gloomy again. I’ve told her it’s okay so many times, but whenever the topic of my burn marks or scars comes up, she becomes like this.

Actually, it’s not like I don’t understand… I don’t think I’d feel good if someone got hurt because of me. If that person were a close friend or a lover, I’d feel even worse.

Mika-onee-san is especially sensitive, so she’d be even more so. This won’t be resolved unless my scars disappear or something… It’s best to keep telling her it’s okay… Yep…

It’s better to change the subject than to let the atmosphere get unnecessarily dark. The drawing is finished anyway, so rather than staying here any longer, it’s better to find something that Onee-san can enjoy too.

“Well then, shall we get up?”

“Ugh… Huh?”

“The drawing is finished, so we can’t stay here forever, right?”

“Yep, that’s right. I’m fine just being together, though~”

She ended it with another embarrassing remark! She’s a pro at making me blush…

At times like this, she seems like someone who knows more about emotions than anyone else… But still, if I don’t take good care of her by her side, Mika-onee-san keeps getting emotionally distressed.

“Ugh… That’s unfair…”

“Ahaha☆ Sora-chan, your face is red!”

“It’s because of who… Ugh…”

It seems I’m properly hooked. I got up to change the atmosphere… but Onee-san didn’t lose any strength at all and pulled me into her pace. Maybe that’s why I’m hooked.

“But… Sora-chan? Have you thought about where to go?”

“Ugh… Um… Uh… No…”

Come to think of it, I was a person who was far from entertainment and pleasure. If I had time, I’d rest at home… or deal with overdue work… If I really had nothing to do, I’d just kill time at a cafe.

“Th… Where do you usually spend your time when you have free time? Huh?”

“I… alone at a cafe…”

Come to think of it, I don’t know how to play, either in my past life or this life.

In my school days in my past life, I was immersed in studying, so I had no way of knowing how to play.

And honestly, in this life, I didn’t have any connections until the middle school years, except for Ichika-senpai and Serina-senpai. Come to think of it, it feels like it’s been a long time since I met Serina-senpai.

“…Yep! This won’t do!”

“…Eh.. Eek?! Uwaaaat!”

Onee-san made an expression as if she was looking at something pitiful, then grabbed my arm and started dragging me somewhere. The place she dragged me to was… an arcade…?

“Huh? You look surprised?”

“Th… Onee-san has a bit of a… lady-like? image, you know?”

“Ahaha☆ Did I look like a quiet type? Huh?”

“It’s not like that, though….”

An arcade. Numerous game machines were emitting their respective lights and appealing to us.

The sounds coming from some of the machines with people sitting at them had nothing in common, creating a dissonance, but it was far from our destination.

“Life… four-cut…?” (This is a reference to photo booths that print out strips of four photos, popular in East Asia.)

“Yep! It’s a new thing from another school that was recently brought into Trinity? It’s not new, but it was popular, so they brought it in… Hehe…”

I remember seeing other kids taking these in my past life. But… this… how should I… do this…? Is it okay if I strike a pose…?

“Ahaha☆ Sora-chan, you’re stiff!”

“Th… at… how should I do… this kind of thing…”

The only memory I have of playing around is when I was dragged to karaoke by Serina-senpai or Ichika-senpai in my middle school years, both in my past and present lives.

“Ueee…”

“Wow! Your cheeks are soft~”

Onee-san started to knead my cheeks and make expressions. When I came to my senses, I had somehow made a smiling expression that seemed natural and normal.

Without stopping there, she started operating the screen in front of us.

“Wow-a!”

“Uwaaaak?!”

How much time passed? At most, a minute or so passed, and with a slight onomatopoeia, Onee-san clung to me…

-Click-

It wasn’t the sound of a real camera, but a shutter sound with a slight mechanical sound mixed in from the speaker, which was focused on emotion, and the frozen time was engraved on the screen.

“Ahaha☆ What is this~!”

“Hahaha, the expressions were meaningless, weren’t they?”

My expression was ruined because Onee-san clung to me, but… I liked it.

“Shall we take it again? Huh?”

“No, I like this one.”

“Heeh~ I see~?… Here!”

“You like i… Mmph?!”

Onee-san… briefly made additional operations on the machine… and grabbed my waist. She kisses me.

My mind stops working. Nothing comes to mind. No, I don’t want to think. From Onee-san’s point of view, it’s just an impulsive act, or maybe not impulsive… but still…

I feel as if time has stopped, as if time is flowing slowly. But despite that, that time is short. Onee-san moves away from me again.

The lingering feeling left on my lips and in my mouth still tickles me deeply.

“Auuu…”

“Hehe…”

…Probably now

my face is probably

red… I can’t even make eye contact properly… It’s not particularly embarrassing… No, it is embarrassing… Th… It’s not that I dislike it… I don’t know how to explain it…

“Yep! Nice!”

“Wai… Wait… Onee-san?!”

While I was

briefly unable to collect myself, a photo of me gradually being pushed back by Onee-san and kissing her deeply over four cuts came out of the machine, and… Onee-san quickly snatched it. She also handed me a strip.

…I quietly put it inside my wallet. Honestly… I don’t dislike it… Yep…

Maybe, in the future, these kinds of memories, memories I can’t throw away, will continue to be engraved on me. It will be difficult to remember each one, but it will surely be a blessing and happiness.

Yes, now I… I’m probably happy.