chapter 32
32. Uguisu and Himawari
*
“I’m sorry, big brother. Big brother. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, big brother.”
In this base, where it was rare to meet anyone, Koshiba-san, whom I happened to see, was muttering these words strangely as she headed somewhere.
“If big brother doesn’t love me, if I don’t go see him soon, he might forget about me, big brother, hurry, big brother…”
Sora-san is currently at Dr. Gentian’s place, talking to him for me. I was about to prepare lunch for such a kind husband when I met her, and her words were unbearable for me, who was waiting for Sora-san’s return.
“Koshiba-san.”
When I called out to her from behind, she turned around slowly. Her limbs hung limply, and for some reason, she had a belt around her neck. She glared at me with a lifeless, gruesome, and ominous look, like a zombie monster from a story. It was as if she was blaming me for calling out to her.
“Who are you talking about when you say ‘big brother’?”
But today, I will not lose. It’s okay. Koshiba-san is not as violent as Suou-san, nor is she as cunning as Sekich
“Yes, that’s right. So, by ‘older brother,’ do you mean… Sora-san?”
Sora-san. Asagi Sora-san is my husband. When we first met, he proposed to me, saying that he would always protect me, and we happily became husband and wife. Since it hasn’t been long since we met, we ‘ve postponed living together and registering our marriage, but just a little while ago, I confirmed my bond with Sora-san and was able to reaffirm my resolve as a wife.
However, Sora-san is so charming that he’s too good for me. It wouldn’t be strange if other members of the team were eyeing him with lustful gazes. Surely this young, harmless-looking girl, Kuzuha-san, is one of them.
“Yes, that’s right.”
She answers without batting an eye. It seems my bad premonition was correct.
But what does she mean by ‘older brother’? Surely they’re not actually siblings. Is it some kind of role-playing? My husband loves children, so I wouldn’t mind if that were the case, but I know that Kuzuha -san, though not to the extent of Suou-san and the others, is a foolish woman who has become intoxicated by the power of heroes. She’s not the innocent girl she appears to be, but a wicked woman.
Considering that fact, I have to interpret the meaning of the word ‘older brother’ she used differently. Could it be that kind of play? If so, please tell me, and I’ll gladly cooperate as much as I can. Perhaps I ‘m not suited for such play because I’m a year older than Sora-san and don’t look like a young girl, so he had no choice but to choose her instead. Is that it?
Oh dear, there’s nothing I can do about my age or. I’m willing to do my best to accommodate Sora-san’s preferences, but it will be difficult for me to become a younger sister who can win appearance against a real junior high school girl. Besides, I’m not a younger sister, but a wife. I don’t think I can completely immerse myself in a role like Kuzuha-san can. Because of the overflowing love I have for him, I may not be able to become the younger sister Sora-san’s desires.
“If you don’t need anything else, I’ll go now. I have to go get some love from my older brother.”
“Ah, love!?”
Love. Love. Love.
Does that mean what I think it means? Is the relationship between Sora-san and this girl not just a pseudo-sibling relationship?
“D-does Sora-san know about this?”
“No, he doesn’t. But I’m sure my older brother will be happy if I do this.”
She answers confidently. She doesn’t seem to be lying.
“…I see.”
Sora-san will be happy. Ah, there’s no mistake about it. This girl is in love with Sora-san too. I don’t know how she did it, but she’s managed to sweet-talk Sora-san. That means she’s a mistress, a homewrecker, a sly fox. This girl must have used her youthful appearance as a weapon to get close to Sora-san. A weapon that I, his legal wife, his one true love, his only partner, do not have .
“Hurry, hurry, or I won’t make it in time. Older brother, wait for me. Hurry and love me lots. Older brother, don’t forget about me, don’t hate me, love me lots, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry.”
Her abnormal gaze was like that of a wild dog driven mad by illness, and she looked nothing like a woman filled with love. Of course not, this girl is just a mistress and a younger sister. Sora-san must have been tempted by her charms, which his wife does not have, but there is no love there. No, perhaps Sora-san didn’t even feel that way about her, and he may have just taken pity on her after being deceived by her childish, wretched bragging Sora-san is such a kind person that it worries me, so that’s a possibility.
“Excuse me, Kuzuha-san. You should stop trying to seduce Sora-san with such underhanded tactics. He doesn’t truly love you, and you’ll only end up feeling empty.”
She may be an impudent little girl who has set her sights on another woman’s husband, but I’ll let it slide this time, as befits a wife. It’s clear that Sora-san isn’t interested in her.
“Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up. I have to be loved by my older brother. I have to be a good girl. I’ll do whatever my older brother wants, even if he doesn’t tell me to . If I don’t, my older brother won’t like me.”
My words must have sounded like nothing more than sarcasm to her, because she muttered those words with dead eyes, turned on her heel, and walked away.
Should I stop her? If Sora-san is being harassed by her, then it would be better to do so. However, if she’s Sora-san’s mistress, then I’ll end up becoming the kind of wife who gets rid of her husband’s mistresses behind his back. What do you think about that? Isn’t that the kind of wife you hate?
If possible, I want to be Sora-san’s one and only woman. However, if Sora-san wants to be with many women and have intimate relationships with other women even though he’s married, I’ll become a jealous and troublesome wife. Sora -san might end up throwing me away. I don’t want that. Sora-san is my one and only home, and he’s the one I’ll spend the rest of my life with. I can’t arbitrarily get rid of his mistress without him asking me to.
With a sense of frustration, I watched Kuzuha-san’s back as she walked away, and I was left alone in the stark white, sterile hallway.
Even after Kuzuha-san disappeared from sight, my chest still ached. I don’t want Sora-san to go to other girls, but I don’t want him to hate me either. Two conflicting emotions that I can’t reconcile are swirling around inside me, and my head is filled with sad delusions.
I want him to look only at me, to care only about me. I want us to be in a world of just the two of us. My heart is already so exhausted that I find myself making such unreasonable wishes. The women around him aren’t ‘t just ordinary women, but wickedly righteous heroes, and the fact that such women are after Sora-san makes me anxious as his wife. I really want him to distance himself from them right away.
However, Sora-san is so kind that he could be called a pushover. Sora-san’s kindness emboldens other girls and gives them an opening to take advantage of him. I love his kindness, but his kindness worries me. How happy I would be if he were kind only to me.
“That’s right…Sora-san, will he understand if I talk to him?”
If I can at least make him understand that Kuzuha-san and the others are dangerous and that I’m the ideal wife for him, then this situation might improve.
After much deliberation, I decided to try a gentle approach to persuasion.