I laid on my bed playing a game on my SD before Kaede barged in.
"Hey, you should learn to knock before entering someone's room." I said sitting up.
"Are you reading dirty magazines? Well, not like you have the balls to do so." She said.
"You dissed me for no reason." I said turning off the game. "So..... why did you come here?" I asked as she sat on a seat.
"I want to meet some of my middle school friends." She said.
"Okay, so why'd you come to me?"
"Well, mom won't let me go alone." She answered looking away.
"Hmmm, maybe you should just stay back home." I said lying back on my bed.
"Big bro." She called as I looked at her.
"What?" I asked.
"Please, there's another reason." She said.
"Haa." I sighed standing up. "Which time?" I asked as she smiled.
"By 12."
"What?! It's 11."
"Yeah, let's get going." She said before leaving my room.
I changed into a black hoodie and black short.
"Okay, we are meeting here." She said walking into a cafe.
"Hmmm, you guys are meeting in a cafe."
"Oh, that's Mana, bye." She said walking towards her.
"Huh? Bye?" I asked looking at her go as she turned back to me sticking out her tongue.
*Kaede.* I thought sitting on a seat while waiting for her other friends to come.
*I brought my SD, lucky.*
"Sir, what should I offer you." A girl asked as I looked up at her.
"Oh I'll...."
*Argh!!!!!!!! What the hell's she doing here.*
"N-nothing. No I mean coffee." I said looking down.
*Hope she doesn't recognize me.* I thought as she walked out.
The girl from school who I really didn't want to have anything to do with. It looked like she worked part-time in the shop.
*What cursed luck?*
I stayed for a while till I saw Kaede walking out with her classmates. I stood up and walked out behind them.
"Ahhhh, Kaede you owe me one." I said as we walked into the house.
"Why?"
"You dragged me around today." I said as she ran up the stairs.
"You!"
The whole break was just normal. Nothing eventful happened after that day, although I saw my 'neighbour ' leaving the house occasionally.
I also went to arcade with Yusuke most of the break.
"Oh, thank goodness." Yusuke said smiling as I walked into my new class.
"Oh hey Yusuke. Looks like we're in the same class again."
"Here's to another year together." He said as we walked to the last row and sat together.
"I really wish we won't be changing seats for a while." I said bringing out my Steam Deck.
"Huh? I also bought one of those." He said bringing out his own.
"Whoa, that's the new one." I said smiling.
"Okay, let's play games to our hearts content." He said as we began playing games.
The new homeroom teacher came to introduce herself to us and that was all. I didn't look at any other person as I was engrossed in my game. We didn't really do anything on the first day except clean up.
"Hey, do you know Sugawara's in our class?" I heard a guy ask another person.
"Sugawara?" I asked no one in particular.
*Sugawara? I don't know why that name gives me chills.* I thought.
"Oh yeah am aware." Someone else said.
"Yeah, but she's out sick today so she'll come tomorrow I guess."
"Izumi, how about your little sister?" Yusuke asked.
"Oh, Kaede. She's doing great." I answered still trying to figure out where I've seen the name.
"Oh, I can't wait for the new students to come in."
"Yeah, me neither."
*Sugawara. Hmm, I think I've heard the name before.*
The next day was the entrance ceremony for the new students. I wasn't really bothered by the fact that they'll be joining us instead I was thinking of how Kaedes' classmates would feel when they see she has a weird brother like myself.
Not like she'll introduce me to her classmates or anything, she'll be embarrassed to do so.
"Oh, I saw Little Kaede when as I passed the corridor." Yusuke said smiling.
"More like you've been trying to find her class." I said looking at him.
"Does she have anyone she likes, eh? Eh?"
"You're annoying." I said pushing his face away.
"Look, Sugawara came today." Someone said as I looked up.
*Argh!!!!!!!!!* I laid on my desk immediately I saw her.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Yusuke asked as I nodded disapprovingly.
"I'm not feeling well." I said.
"Let's go to the infirmary." He said as I looked up. I noticed her sitting in the front without speaking to anyone.
*She won't recognize me. And I pray Oh dear lord, I don't want to see her again.* I thought, my hands clasped together.
"Huh?"
No classes that day, I was more than happy as I kept playing games with Yusuke.
"You're really good at this game." Yusuke said putting down his SD.
"Oh, I guess so." I said looking at Sugawara.
"You've been looking at her, do you maybe.... like her?" He asked.
"N-no!"
"Good, cause she won't give someone like you the time of the day."
"I feel like you are insulting me."
"No, am not. She doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with other guys."
*Huh? She... didn't I see her...*
"She's really intelligent and beautiful but, they're has some rumors going around that she dates many men at a time."
*No longer a rumor to me though.* I thought.
"You only love playing games, and you're book smart bur even so...."
"Hmmm."
*So some people have seen her before.* I thought looking at her as some girls walked to her and started speaking to her.
When school was over, I messaged Kaede and asked if she wants to go home together. She agreed to join me and asked me to wait in my class for few minutes that she'd meet me there.
"Haaaa, Yusuke just left when I said I was one of the two people who had class duty." I said bringing out my SD and putting on my headphones.
I played some games for sometime before someone walked into the class. I looked up and saw Sugawara looking at me.
*Argh! Has she recognized me?* I thought as my hands began shaking. She walked towards me and I stood up immediately.
"H-hey I...." I couldn't finish as she walked past me. She picked up a broom and walked back to the front.
"Are you the one am supposed to clean the class with today?" She asked with a cold gaze.
"Y-yes." I said shutting my eyes.
"Seems like you're done with it." She said looking around as I nodded.
"I couldn't wait so I went and did it."
*I didn't even check who I was on class duty with today.*
*Seems like she doesn't recognize me.* I thought, my hand on my chest as she left the class without speaking with me.
"Ah, I was scared for a sec there." I said sitting down.
"Scared of what?"
"Argh!" I screamed. "Oh Kaede."
"You are weird." She said as I got up.
"Let's go home." I said walking towards her.
"Buy me a drink on the way." She said.
"Huh? Why?"
"Nothing really, it feels kinda hot and I need something cold." She said.
"Then buy it yourself."
"I want yours."
"You want… huh? No way." I said as she pouted.
Kaede used to be a really sweet girl before I entered highschool. We were quite close before third year of middle school.
Maybe it's cause I changed, I wasn't the cheerful big brother she liked. The playful one, the one with many friends, I wasn't that anymore. And we begun drifting away from each other.
*Kaede…* I thought looking at her from the corner of my eyes.