“Hi there! Sorry we all dropped in on you like this!” says the first girl, smiling softly. Her expression is reassuring, like a big mug of warm milk, and suddenly I’m not so scared anymore.
As the others greet me in turn, I bow to each of them.
“Here, I brought you a snack. Oh, I see you guys don’t have any drinks... Well, I guess my brother will probably handle that...”
“Hold on a minute — you’re telling me she’s in sixth grade, and she’s already this considerate?! Can me and Taichi trade sisters?!” shouts a girl with long, glossy, reddish-brown hair. Then she moves closer. “I mean, just look at her!”
Suddenly, all eyes are on me. I feel the urge to escape, but I’m trapped.
“W-Well, uh... I’ll be in the living room! I’d like to talk to each of you one-on-one, so come see me whenever you want!”
With a bow, I slip out of the room. Whew, that was close. No sign of Taichi, either — I wonder what’s taking him so long.
Back in the living room, I pour myself a glass of water.
“Whew... That was scary...”
Still, I accomplished my mission. And as a fun bonus, I managed to tell them I wanted to talk to them one-on-one.
“But this next part will be the hard part.”
Just you wait, CRC! That includes you, Taichi!
△▲△
As I struggle to make progress on my stupid homework, I hear someone come down the stairs.
“Hey there!” It’s the pretty girl with the long hair. “Oh, you’re doing your homework? Right on! I’m proud of you.”
I vaguely remember this girl from the photos Taichi showed me, except she wore her hair in a ponytail.
“You’re... Nagase-san, right?”
“What the?! You know my name?!” Delighted, Nagase-san beams at me. “No need to be formal, though. You can call me by my first name: Iori.”
“Okay then, Iori-san it is.”
“Mmmm, you’re so cute!” She wiggles her fingers at me.
But in my opinion, she’s the cute one. She’s so radiant, she makes the sun insecure. Not only that, but...
“Your skin is flawless! What lotion do you use?”
“Just water!”
“What...?!”
I’m still in elementary school, and even I use lotion! You’d think the other girls at her school would make fun of her. But then again, with a personality like that, maybe she doesn’t get bullied.
“I gotta say, you’re adorable, Rina-chan. No wonder Taichi loves you so much.”
“Wait, what? Does he talk about me to you guys?”
“Are you kidding? He gushes about you so much, we’re all sick of hearing it by now!”
Whoa. Now there’s a surprise. I’d expect my brother to conceal my existence like a shameful secret. But apparently not... Honestly, I’m happy to hear it. Heh heh heh.
“Aha. I take it the feeling is mutual.”
“What?! Well, I mean... he’s my brother, so obviously I love him, too...”
“Glad to hear it! Your brother-sister bond is really something special.”
With a satisfied grin, she strokes my hair. Headpats from a pretty girl... I’m in heaven... Wait, what am I saying?! I still have an important mission! Focus, Rina! Now what was it I wanted to ask her again...?
“Oh, right... There was something I wanted to ask you.”
“What’s up?”
“Didn’t you and Taichi have a crush on each other at one point?”
Suddenly, the whole room goes cold.
“Did Taichi say something to you?”
“No, no! He didn’t tell me anything. I just sort of pieced it together.”
“Oh, okay.” She switches back to her warm smile. “Well, it’s a long story. But right now, Yaegashi Taichi is in a relationship with Inaba Himeko.” Her smile deepens, and I can’t begin to imagine the hidden meaning behind it. “Maybe I’ll tell you more once you’re older.”
She’s so cool and mature! My brother couldn’t possibly measure up. If they dated, he’d get a big head about it and completely ruin his chances with her.
“Okay! Could we, um... trade email addresses? I’d like to ask your advice about some stuff, you know, whenever you have some time.”
“Bring it, girl! But I don’t have my phone on me right now. Can it wait until later?”
“O-Of course. That reminds me: What brings you downstairs, anyway?”
“Oh, crap! I was gonna use the restroom! The one upstairs is being repaired, right? Okay, I’ll be right back — wait, where is it?!”
“Go out to the hallway and it’ll be on the left!”
Too bad the upstairs toilet won’t get fixed until tomorrow. Then again, if it wasn’t for that broken toilet, Taichi’s friends probably wouldn’t come downstairs at all. This way I’ll have plenty of chances to talk to them... Well, lucky me! This must be a sign from God that he wants me to make my report!
Subject: Nagase Iori
Beauty: S
Kindness: A
Ditziness: B
Cool Girl-ness: A
Notes: She’s way too much for Taichi to handle, so she made the right choice by not dating him. He’ll need AT LEAST two years of training first.
After Iori-san returns from the restroom, she says, “I’ll tell the others to come visit you!”
I call back, “Yes, please! Just don’t let my brother find out!”
At this, she tilts her head in contemplation... then shrugs and says, “Alright, sounds fun.”
Right as I’m thinking about changing Iori’s Kindness grade from an A to an A+, I hear two people come down the stairs. That was fast.
“Let’s get our snack on!” the tall guy calls out as he walks in, accompanied by another guy. “Oh, hey, Rina-chan!”
“Hey.”
“Hi, guys...”
The tall one is Aoki-san, and the other one... He seems cold and aloof, but he’s a total hottie.
“We just came down to get some snacks, since Taichi said they’re on the table in here,” Aoki-san explains. Truth be told, I’ve actually spoken to him before — he comes over to hang out with Taichi sometimes. I just didn’t realize he was in the CRC.
“Wow. Is my brother seriously making our guests get their own snacks?”
Oh my god, do I need to rip him a new one?
“Taichi’s kinda busy with something else right now. And besides, I wanted to chat with you,” Aoki-san grins.
“Well, okay... In that case, can I start with him?” I point to the other guy.
“Huh? What about me?”
“I want to speak to each person one-on-one. For now, go wait your turn in the other room!”
With Aoki-san out of the way, it’s time for Interview #2. Upon further inspection, I realize this guy has a sorta feminine face. What’s the word? Andro-something?
“What is this about, exactly?”
“Don’t worry about it! Just have a seat.”
First, we start off with a quick self-introduction, and I learn that his name is Uwa Chihiro (kind of a girly name, too, no offense). Come to think of it, I’ve heard Taichi mention some “new first-year members” a handful of times...
“Uwa-san, how do you feel about my brother?”
Unlike earlier, I manage to stay calm and composed. So far, so good.
“Well, uh... I respect him a decent amount, I’d say...”
Taichi’s won the respect of his kouhai? I’m so proud!