The Lie and What Follows

On Monday, the classroom was still buzzing with excitement from the school trip. Students were busy sharing photos and stories, while Charao, for some reason, brought a wooden sword and was having a mock sword fight with Tamura-kun. Was Tamura-kun also into this? It’s unexpectedly charming. Watching this unexpected side of usually quiet classmates, I was momentarily lost in thought.

I was contemplating the various ways Kyoto is portrayed in literature, contrasting it with the comedic approach of a certain novel, when Ninomiya-san greeted me with a “Good morning, Endo-kun.”

“Good morning, Ninomiya-san. You’re a bit late today,” I noted.

“Yeah, I stayed at my grandmother’s house last night,” she replied, then quickly fell asleep on her desk. Typical of her.

As I returned to my world of books, I felt someone’s gaze on me. It was Adachi-san from the Ikejo Group, giving me a look that suggested she wanted to say something. I waved back at her, only to receive a sweet smile in return, making me turn away in embarrassment. Then, I accidentally made eye contact with the handsome Kondo-kun, who gave me a refreshing smile. Why is everyone in this classroom so distracting?

Just as I decided to focus on my book, my phone buzzed with a message from Haruka: “Help me after school.” I knew it would be something troublesome.

“I’d rather not,” I texted back, only to receive a firm “Thanks. Wait for me in the student council room” in reply. So much for saying no.

After school, as I was about to leave, Adachi-san caught up with me. “Do you have time after this?” she asked.

I wanted to say yes, but I had already promised to help Haruka. “Sorry, Adachi-san. Haruka called me for something.”

Disappointed, she said she’d invite me again some other time. I felt bad, seeing her struggle with her feelings towards Haruka.

Then, surprisingly, she expressed a desire to talk to Haruka. I was hesitant, but promised to ask her. I knew this would be a difficult step for both of them.

Heading to the student council room, I dreaded the task ahead. Haruka’s tasks were usually physically demanding, and I preferred a future of desk jobs, complete with a donut cushion to prevent hemorrhoids. But first, I had to deal with the present.

In the student council room, only Haruka and the president, Rin-san, were present. Rin-san greeted me warmly, and Haruka quickly got to business, discussing some documents with her. Watching their interaction, I wondered if this was what they called “teehee.”

“Haruka can be quite strict, huh? It was just a little joke,” I thought as I observed the harmonious interaction between the two of them. Although I felt hesitant to interrupt, I knew I had to say this.

“Um, Rin-san, thank you for taking care of Haruka during the school trip.” I bowed my head in gratitude. Rin-san had been watching over Haruka while I was away, and I was always thankful for her help.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rin-san smiled. “I actually enjoyed seeing Haruka looking a bit lonely.”

Haruka shot back with a ‘be quiet,’ and looked my way.

“Endo, come help me carry some stuff now,” she requested.

“Stuff? What stuff?”

“Yeah, some pretty heavy stuff. That’s why I called you.”

“You’re taller than me, though. I’m sure you could handle it yourself, right?”

“Don’t be silly, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

It’s not silly, though. It’s a very important matter for me as a brother, but it seems sad to her.

“Okay, I’ll be going then, President. If there’s nothing else after we’re done, I’ll head home.”

“Sure. Enjoy your time alone with your sister,” Rin-san replied playfully.

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Endo. Come by again sometime.”

I bowed again and followed Haruka out of the student council room.

“So, where are we going?”

“To the club building. We have to clean up because of a club room change next week.”

“I see. What about the other officers?”

“They’re absent or busy, which is really annoying.”

“I want to go home.”

“I’ll treat you to ice cream after we’re done.”

Don’t underestimate me. I won’t be swayed by just one ice cream.

“Can it be Häagen-Dazs?”

“Only this time.”

“Okay.”
Let’s do our best!

The club building was bustling with activity from various clubs.

“Hey, Vice President!”

“Good evening.”

“Student council, huh? Good luck!”

“Thank you.”

Haruka stood out with her nearly 180cm tall, elegant figure. She responded politely to everyone, showcasing her school-style manners. I felt proud as her brother, despite my own shortcomings.

“Here we are.”

We stopped in front of a room on the second floor.

Haruka’s demeanor shifted to a more formal one, likely due to the public setting.

We entered the room, expecting it to be empty, but two first-year male students were inside chatting.

“Hey, isn’t that Endo? What brings you here?”

One of them, apparently named Imada-kun, addressed Haruka.

“We’re here for some student council work to clean up this room. You are Imada-kun, and…”

“Wow! I can’t believe the student council is here! We’ll help too since we also use this room.”

“Great! Such helpful first-year students,” I thought appreciatively.

“Hmm? Senpai? What are you doing here?” Imada-kun asked me, seemingly a bit intimidating.

“Helping with the student council,” Haruka explained. Yes, that’s right, I’m just a brother here.

“Don’t we need Senpai here? Just Endo and us would be enough. Senpai, read the room!” Imada-kun complained.

“No, it’s fine. We didn’t ask these two to help, so Haruka and I can handle it,” I interjected.

“It’s okay, really! Don’t be shy, just the three of us with Endo will be great,” Lin-kun added.

Lin-kun… You know, I’m also an Endo. It seemed like I was an unwanted presence to these two guys.

“Um, well…” Haruka seemed troubled.

Hmm, maybe I should leave to make it easier for them. It’s endearing to see first-year students trying to impress Haruka, even if it irks me a bit. But wait, does this mean no ice cream for me?

“It’s okay, Haruka. I’ll go ahead,” I offered.

“Eh, but big bro…”

“Thanks for your hard work, Senpai! Nice job reading the room!” Imada-kun cheered.

“If you want to be liked by Endo-san, you might need to grow a bit taller first!” Lin-kun joked.

Time to leave.

“…You’ve been quite noisy about my family,” Haruka suddenly snapped.

“Eh?” both Imada-kun and Lin-kun exclaimed in unison.

“This person is my brother. What about it? Your familiar attitude has been frankly unpleasant. Lin-san, you’re not exactly tall either, are you? I think it’s best not to get too carried away. I’d prefer if you left right now.”

Haruka was incredibly angry.

“Eh, Endo-san?” “What’s wrong all of a sudden?” the two boys stammered, clearly intimidated.

“I’ll say it once more. You’re being unpleasant, so please leave,” Haruka stated firmly.

The boys, speechless, just stood there.

“Big brother, let’s do this,” Haruka said, turning her attention away from the boys and starting to clean up.

“Okay,” I responded.

The two boys eventually left the room, glancing back at Haruka as they went.

“Um, Haru…”

“Ugh, so annoying. Seriously annoying. Ugh.”

Haruka was clearly irritated.

“Endo, why did you say you were leaving? Are you stupid!?”

“Sorry, my mistake,” I apologized, not daring to argue.

“Let’s hurry up and get this done. Ugh,” she grumbled.

“Yes, ma’am.”

In the end, I ended up treating Haruka to ice cream… but why?