Chapter 28
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Volume 1: First Performance: A Tragic Love Story Of A Young Lady And Spring Cherry Blossoms
Chapter 28: A Cross-Dressing Boy Visits The Home Of A Girl Who Is Afraid Of Men
I looked at the detached house towering in front of me.
Unlike the newly built houses in the surrounding residential area, the house before me is an old two-story Japanese-style building.
In the front yard, which extends beyond the gate, there is a well-maintained flower garden, where pink moss phlox spreads out like a ground cover across the entire area.
A cherry tree in the yard, which appears to be the symbolic tree — a Somei Yoshino — is in full bloom, creating a world dominated by pink.
As I absentmindedly take in the beautiful scenery of the front yard, Honoka opens the gate and turns a smile towards me.
“Please, come on in, Onee-sama~~”
“O-Oh, sorry to intru…de…”
Guided by Honoka, I step onto the stone path and walk through the Japanese garden.
As I look around at the scenery, Honoka, who is walking in front of me, chuckles over her shoulder.
“You’ve been looking at the garden quite often… Do you like flowers, Onee-sama?”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. There was a time when I practiced flower arranging, so I have a bit of knowledge about flowers.”
“Onee-sama practiced flower arranging…! I can vividly imagine you arranging flowers—so wonderful~!”
As Honoka looks back at me with sparkling eyes, I give a strained smile and laugh awkwardly.
Then, I stop in front of the giant cherry tree, look up at the Somei Yoshino, illuminated red by the setting sun, and quietly murmur to myself.
“…Sakura…”
“? Did something happen with the cherry blossoms?”
“Ah, no. It’s just… Sakura was my late mother’s favorite flower.”
“Huh…?”
“In a hospital room in England, my mother would always gaze at pictures of cherry blossoms in her distant homeland. She used to say, “Someday, I will definitely go and see the cherry blossoms again”. It was her favorite thing to say.
“Is that so…?”
“Yes. So, when I was a child, I would pick almond blossoms, which looked just like the cherry blossoms growing on the roadside in London, and pretend they were sakura, bringing them to my mother. But then she would get so angry. She’d say, “Did you think you could deceive a real Sakura fan like me, you little rascal”, and deliver a strong chop to my head.”
After saying that, I lower my eyes and shake my head from side to side.
Then, I open my eyes and quietly speak to Honoka, who is looking sad.
“I’m sorry. I suddenly started talking about myself like this… I guess I am just weird. Maybe it would be best if I just went home for today――――”
“Please tell me everything.”
“Huh…?”
“I want to know more about you, Onee-sama. So, please don’t hold back and talk to me. What kind of food do you like, what kind of animals do you like? What are your favorite TV shows and manga? Today, I want you to tell me everything about yourself. Oh, I know! Let’s have a girls’ night and stay up all night! I’ve always dreamed of having a slumber party where we talk with friends, lying side by side with our pillows!”
As Honoka said this with a gentle smile, she took out a key with a cute bear mascot attached from her bag and unlocked the front door with a click.
Then, as she turned around, she squinted her eyes and beckoned me over.
“Now, now, Onee-sama! It’s a humble home, but please, please do come in!”
“But… um, I don’t want to be a bother…”
“It’s fine, come on, please hurry up!”
Honoka grabbed my hand and half-dragged me into her house.
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“Onee-chan, welcome home!”
“Welcome back, Onee-chan!”
“Welcome ba-ack!”
“I’m home, Akari, Hiroto, Yuzuki!”
As we entered the house, three small children appeared from the end of the hallway.
The oldest-looking of them—a girl who seemed to be in the upper grades of elementary school with a hairstyle like a single bun on top of her head and a face resembling Honoka’s—stared at me with a puzzled expression and spoke up.
“Onee-chan, who’s this?”
“This person is my Onee-sama!”
“Huh? Onee-chan’s Onee-sama…? Does that mean we have another older sister?”
“Exactly!”
“No, Honoka-san, that’s not right…”
After saying that to Honoka, I crouched down to meet the gaze of the girl with chestnut-colored hair in a bun and spoke to her.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kaede Kisaragi, your sister’s friend.”
“A friend… I see, so Onee-chan made a friend at her new school right away. Oh, I’m her younger sister, Akari Hiiragi. Hiding behind me is my younger brother Hiroto, and younger sister, Yuzuki.”
“Uh… h-hello.”
“Hello!”
The shy-looking boy who seemed to be in the lower grades of elementary school and the energetic little girl who looked about kindergarten age greeted me cheerfully.
I returned their greeting with a “Hello” and a smile.
Then, I turned to Honoka, who was standing next to me, and spoke.
“I’m surprised. So, Honoka-san is the eldest daughter?”
“Ah, haha… I’m often told I look more like the youngest, but yes, I’m actually the older sister~. Oh, by the way, didn’t you mention that you have an older brother and a younger sister, Onee-sama?”
“No, I don’t have a brother.”
“Huh? But didn’t Hina-chan say the other day that she saw a picture on Rain’s header with your older brother and younger sister in it?”
“…Aah. Y-Yes, that’s right. I do have a older brother! I’m the younger sister!”
I hurriedly corrected myself, and Honoka let out a small laugh.
“I always thought you seemed more like the eldest child, Onee-sama… So you’re the middle child. That’s surprising. I haven’t seen that picture of your brother on Rain, but what kind of person is he, Onee-sama? Hina-chan kept saying he’s really cool.”
“W-Well… If I had to describe him in one word, it would be… Siscon, maybe…?”
Since he’s the archbishop of the Rurika religion, that’s definitely accurate. Yeah.
“I see. With a beautiful little sister like you, Onee-sama, it’s no wonder your brother would be a Siscon~.”
Actually, I’m the one who’s a Siscon… but that’s something I definitely can’t say.
“Come to think of it…”
Now that I think about it… Isn’t it pretty bad for me to be at Honoka’s house?
I mean, I’m really a boy, right? And here I am, cross-dressing, in the home of a girl who’s afraid of men… What kind of creep am I?
After everything that happened with my dad, I must’ve been so flustered that I completely lost sight of my surroundings.
“I-I’m sorry, Honoka-san. It’s really late to say this, but… I think I should head home now. My sister is waiting for me at home.”
As I turned on my heel and tried to head for the entrance, someone grabbed my wrist from behind.
When I turned around, there was Honoka with a beaming smile.
“Onee-sama~? You’re not getting away~! We’re having a girls’ night tonight. It’s decided.”
“Wha-?! No, wait, w-wait a second!”
And with that, Honoka pulled me by the hand, half-forcefully taking me upstairs (Second Floor).
