The Lie and What Follows

How did I get home?

I don’t really remember.

After unlocking the door to my apartment, I plop down on the sofa in a daze. Before I know it, my sister is sitting next to me.

“Endo Haruka.”

She’s a first-year student at the same high school and a member of the student council—a model student. Her hair, with its light pigment, is tied back, and her face resembles our mother’s. Rather than cute, she has a more refined beauty.

She’s just a bit taller than me, who stands at exactly 170 cm. It’s frustrating for me as her older brother, but from a societal standpoint, she’s praised for her model-like physique. She’s naturally popular.

“What’s up, Tou?”

“Nothing, really.”

Haruka calls me by my first name.

The day she overtook me in height, she switched to calling me by my first name. It’s frustrating.

“Come on, you look like something’s up. Spill.”

Haruka often meddles in my affairs.

She usually notices when something happens to me at school and presses me like this. When this happens, she even follows me into my room, leaving me no choice but to talk. Privacy laws don’t apply in our house.

“Well, something did happen.”

“I’m listening.”

She’s fully in listening mode. Her eyes are sparkling.

“Um, you see…”

“Come on.”

“Alright. So, I got a girlfriend.”

“What?”

“No, so, what I mean is—”

“What?! What’s that about?”

She suddenly closes the distance between us, gripping her school tie and bringing her face closer. Her beautiful face now resembles an Asura.

“Too close, too close, scary.”

“Why all of a sudden? Why?”

“Whoa, calm down. I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!”

I lightly tap the arm that was gripping her tie and forcefully calm her down. It’s like I’m discovering a talent for being a jockey.

“…Who?”

“Adachi-san from my class.”

“What? Why?”

Haruka’s skeptical gaze intensifies.

“She confessed to me today.”

I tell her honestly what happened today, even showing her the letter I had tucked away in my bag.

“Is this real?”

“Probably. I find it the hardest to believe, though.”

“Haruka, could you slap me a bit?”

Slap! …Slap!

“Ouch. Why twice?”

One would have sufficed. And the second one was delayed.

“One for me.”

I don’t get it.

“So, why did you decide to go out with her? Adachi-senpai is incredibly cute, you know?”

Haruka knows that I have a bit of difficulty with interpersonal relationships. She probably can’t understand why I’d decide to date Adachi-san, who’s popular and confident at school.

“Her voice felt comforting, I guess.”

“I see. Well, as long as you’re happy, that’s what matters. Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay? If anything happens, tell me right away. Got it?”

“Got it. Thanks, Haruka.”

She may worry a lot, but I appreciate her concern. After all, she’s my only family. She stands up from the sofa and stretches, then looks back at me.

“Well, it wasn’t the exciting news I was expecting. You’ll probably break up soon anyway! Tou, make dinner!”

“Alright.”

…We’ll break up soon, huh? Adachi-san confessed, but in the end, I still don’t know why she likes me. Depending on her, we could break up soon. I really wouldn’t want that.

My Room.

After finishing dinner and taking a bath, Tou is staring at his phone. The messaging app displays a conversation with Adachi-san, who confessed to him today.

“Want to go somewhere on Saturday?”

“Sure. Do you have a place in mind?”

“Let’s just wander around.”

“Alright, sounds good. Looking forward to it.”

“(Dog OK sticker)”

“Oh, also, keep our relationship a secret, okay? It’s against school rules!”

“Understood.”

“(Dog please sticker)”

And so, a weekend date was set. Tou feels sleepy and heads to bed.

…I wonder if she likes dogs.

The Next Day.

It’s Friday, the long-awaited Friday. It’s no exaggeration to say I’ve been working hard all week for this day. After all, it’s the day before a two-day break.

As usual, the social butterfly group in the classroom is lively. I feel the weight of their collective gaze (mostly from the girls) as I walk in. It’s uncomfortable, but I notice that Adachi-san is also looking at me. I give her a nod and head to my seat.

Already seated in front of me is Ninomiya-san. We exchange morning greetings.

“Good morning, Endo-kun. Business as usual today?”

“Good morning, Ninomiya-san. Yeah, probably just the usual.”

She turns back around, ending our brief exchange. I take out my book and dive into the world of the novel I’ve been reading.

After School.

The lessons today went well, sticking in my mind effectively. Ninomiya-san was called on once but was, of course, asleep. She’d definitely trend on social media if she were late.

The end of the school day means it’s time for me, a member of the Going Home Club, to go home. Adachi-san, the central figure among the social butterflies, naturally has a hard time breaking away from them. So, I message her “See you tomorrow” and leave the classroom.

As I walk down the hall, Kiryu-san, one of the social butterflies, calls out to me.

“Endo, are you dating Riko?”

“Huh?”

“She confessed to you, didn’t she?”

Stumbling over my words, I reply, “Ah, um, yeah, we decided to date.”

“Good for you! Riko’s cute, so she’s out of your league, but good for you!”

“…Thanks, Kiryu-san.”

“That’s all I wanted to know. See ya!”

Kiryu-san walks away with a sunny smile.

“…Out of my league, huh.”

I was fully aware of that. I had prepared myself for comments like this when I decided to date Adachi-san, but it happened sooner than I thought.

After getting home and finishing dinner with Haruka, I was doing some homework when a notification popped up on my messaging app.

“Meet me at the station at 12 tomorrow!”

It was from Adachi-san.

“Got it. Looking forward to tomorrow.”

“(Dog OK sticker)”