“C-c-c-c-could it be that Ichikawa Amane-san is... amane!?”
Ichikawa looked a bit dazed for a moment, as if she didn't quite understand what she was being asked, but after a short pause, she nodded.
“Yes, that’s right...!”
“Wait, Tak-kun, you’re out of your mind...!”
Yuzu looked at me with eyes that suggested she was seeing something unbelievable. What’s with that tone?
“Yuzu, did you know about amane? Enough to recognize her by her voice?”
My sister's question to Ichikawa was, of course, not ‘Are you a member of the band amane?’ but rather ‘Are you the singer-songwriter amane herself?’. I don't remember ever lending Yuzu her CDs.
“No, no, no, no! If you play it on heavy rotation in the room next door that much, of course I’d remember it...! You were listening to just two songs about twenty or thirty times a day... In fact, I couldn't get it out of my head, so I secretly borrowed the CD from Tak-kun's room and imported it to my computer...”
“Are you serious? You should’ve just said so. I would have lent it to you normally.”
“No way. You’d just start talking really fast with that typical otaku energy about why this song is so great and lecture me on it...”
“Well, that’s true...”
She hit the nail on the head. I was actually doing that exact thing with Ichikawa just a moment ago.
“I see, so you listened to them that much...”
Beside me, Ichikawa gave a shy “Ehehe” smile. Isn't it a bit late to be shy about that?
“Wait, hold on a second? So that means you met a celebrity you’ve liked since middle school by chance in high school, and eventually became lovers?”
“Uhh... yeah, well...”
When put like that, it sounds like...
“Is this some kind of plot-convenient development!?”
“Well, I guess it sounds that way...”
Plot convenience or not, that's just how it happened, so there's no helping it... Though, I see, Ichikawa counts as a celebrity. That feels a bit weird.
“I mean, it's crazy not to mention that...! If Yuzu were Tak-kun, I’d write a novel with myself as the protagonist, add a note saying ‘This is a work of fiction based on a true story,’ and post it on the web...!”
“No you wouldn't... What kind of self-consciousness is that? Are you really my sister?”
“It's not about self-consciousness, it should be provided as entertainment! If you want, Yuzu can write it for you. Yuzu has a deviation score of 84 in Japanese!”
“Don't write it, don't write it, it'll just make things complicated...! Wait, your deviation score in Japanese is that high? Are you really my sister?”
While we, as siblings, were staring at each other in disbelief—
“...Somehow, this feels like the way he interacts with Yuri.”
There was Ichikawa, puffing out her cheeks in an unexpected direction.
After that, I calmed Yuzu down and sent her back to her room, then we recorded the vocals a few more times.
The more we recorded Ichikawa's singing, the better it got, so we kept doing many takes until even Ichikawa’s expression started showing signs of fatigue.
“Sorry, you must be tired. It’ll be all for nothing if you ruin your throat, so let’s call it a day for now.”
“Will that be okay?”
“I’ve recorded plenty, so let's listen together and find the best takes.”
Since we recorded several takes for the whole song, if I extract and connect the best parts from each section, I should be able to create the best overall track.
“...So it's not finished yet.”
“Yeah... But let’s take a break for now.”
She probably started feeling the fatigue from the long hours of work. I felt her face cloud over for a moment, so I suggested a break.
“...You’re right. We haven't eaten the cake we brought yet.”
When Ichikawa and I went to the kitchen, Yuzu was standing there for some reason with a mysteriously pained expression.
“Ugh... Ah, Tak-kun, it looks like we’re out of milk.”
“Eh? Didn't we have more than half a carton this morning? Whoa, you're right.”
Looking into the fridge, it was indeed gone.
“...Wait a minute.”
“You drank it all, didn't you, Yuzu?”
“...Why do you say that?”
“Because there’s evidence of drinking right there.”
In the sink sat a glass clouded with white. Don't underestimate my deductive skills.
“Tak-kun, go buy some.”
Yuzu ignored my brilliant deduction and made a brazen request.
“Why should I...? Well, I'll buy some on the way back from walking Ichikawa to the station. Ichikawa, is black coffee okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine with that!”
“But Yuzu can't drink coffee! We’re about to eat cake, right? Yuzu wants to eat it with milk!”
“I don't care... Then go buy it yourself. I’ll wait for you to start eating.”
What is with her? She's being more selfish than usual. Or is it just unreasonable?
“...Hmm? So you want to be alone with Amane-san that badly?”
“No, that's not what I meant...”
“Just go buy it! Who do you think Yuzu is staying home for today?”
“Alright, I get it...”
When she put it that way, I had no defense.
It felt like resisting wouldn't get me anywhere, so I reluctantly threw on a nearby coat and headed to the entrance.
Then, Ichikawa came along with Yuzu to see me off.
“Konuma-kun, see you later. Be careful.”
She said. Oh, this is a nice experience...!
“O-Oh. I'm heading out...”
“Tak-kun, stop grinning! Hurry up!”
“Alright, alright...”
It was a precious ‘pseudo-newlywed’ experience I was savoring, but since my sister was watching, I couldn't really soak it in. I quietly opened the door and started walking.
* * *
With a click, the door closed and Konuma-kun went to the convenience store. Naturally, I was left alone with Yuzu-san.
I somehow returned to the living room and somehow sat in the same seat as before.
Then, a slightly awkward silence descended.
“Um... you siblings are really close, aren't you?”
“Do you think so?”
“Yeah, it looks that way.”
“I see...”
She talks more than Konuma-kun, but her lack of variety in responses makes her really feel like his sister.
“Um... Amane-san.”
“Hmm?”
While I was privately finding it heartwarming, Yuzu-san placed her hands on her knees and looked at me.
And then, with a serious voice, she threw a straightforward question at me.
“...Are you serious about my brother?”