The long summer break finally hit its last day, and tomorrow school resumed. During the day I’d been studying for the back-to-school placement test with Reona and Riona; it was now evening and I was on the couch watching TV.
The feeling of dread that creeps in on Sunday afternoons in anticipation of Monday — there’s a term for it, Blue Monday syndrome — was rolling through me.
Or rather, given four weeks off plus a placement test tomorrow, it was several factors worse than a typical Sunday. A week into the new term the summer-brain would presumably wear off, but the opening days were going to be grueling.
“Ugh. A typhoon should hit tomorrow and the school break gets extended. Or an off-season flu epidemic shuts down the classes.”
“Onii-chan, you look truly depressed — I’m getting depressed just looking at you.”
Mio, just out of the bath, had heard my muttering and replied with a flat look.
“Reverse question: Mio, are you not depressed?”
“I mean, sure, that’s part of it — but I’ll see my friends at school.”
”…Right, completely incompatible perspective with a loner’s.”
Mio, who’s implausibly cute given that she’s my sister, of course has friends. We will never agree about back-to-school.
“You’re not a loner anymore — you have Reona-san and Riona-san.”
“They’ll get bored of me at some point. Then back to loner.”
“Genuinely cannot picture Reona-san and Riona-san getting bored of you.”
That was Mio’s response. Between us, I couldn’t picture it either. To be clear, after the birthday party I had explained to Mio (multiple times) that her misunderstanding was a misunderstanding.
I have no idea if she actually bought it. As for Reona and Riona’s parents — I had no opening to clarify, so I’d given up. Maybe next time we met. Whenever that was.
“Right — second-year, school trip’s right after summer break, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, school trip in September, festival in October. Stacked event calendar.”
“You should make sure to enjoy it, Onii-chan, or you’re wasting it.”
“Yeah, I’ll try, appropriately.”
I had no intention of enjoying either, given my baseline, but I gave Mio the safe answer. I brushed my teeth, went back to my room, and started packing for tomorrow.
The summer homework was due tomorrow, so I had to make sure it was in the bag. After Riona’s heroic efforts to finish it, forgetting to bring it in would also tank my conduct grade.
“This summer was eventful.”
Tokyo Aqualand on day one, Okayama City University open campus, Kisarazu fireworks, the birthday party — even briefly thinking back on it, the list was long.
A massive change from previous years, where I’d basically been a hermit. I’d had the kind of summer I generally despised normies for having.
And Reona and Riona had been part of every single thing. This summer was a record full of us-three moments, with Mio occasionally folded in.
While I was thinking that, I finished packing for tomorrow and sat down on my bed. I’d been sleeping in during break, but tomorrow I had to get up early again. Depressing.
I needed to not oversleep through the placement test, so I started setting extra alarms. Phone rang mid-tap. Tsurugi Reona.
”…Hello?”
“Ryouya-kun — earlier today, but how’s your mood?”
“School tomorrow — not great, obviously.”
“Yeah, knew you’d say that.”
“Sounds like Ryouya.”
Riona was audible on the other end too — speaker mode probably.
“Why’re you calling, though?”
“Felt like talking with Ryouya.”
“Does Riona-and-I-need-a-reason-to-call-you, Ryouya-kun?”
“I mean, no, I guess not.”
A loner like me doesn’t generally call people without a reason; popular kids like Reona and Riona presumably call people on a whim all the time.
“Anyway, we’ll come pick you up tomorrow, be ready.”
“If you ditch me and Nee-chan, you’re in trouble.”
“Got it.”
In practice they’d probably be in my room before I even woke up, so the risk of me ditching them was zero. The reverse was a real risk.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, go easy.”
“I’ll take it under advisement.”
I’d asked them to not be all over me at school, but the response was, in Riona’s standard phrasing, I’ll do whatever I want.
I hung up and lay down. Tomorrow brought worries and uncertainties; it would go how it went. Holding that mildly defeatist outlook, I drifted off to sleep. This version of me had not yet caught even a hint of Reona and Riona’s plan.
———
This concludes the front half of the novel. Thank you for reading this far.