I was light on my feet. My jumping power was greater than usual, allowing me to hit the high-flying ball with ease. I shot the ball into my opponent’s court with a resounding boom. At that very moment, the bell rang.

     「Kurumi, you’re pretty fired up today. Something happen?」

     「My parents aren’t gonna be home.」

     「Hmm… Wait, hold on. Does that mean you’re dating someone?」

     Yume asked in surprise. I laughed.

     「No, no. It’s just been a while since it’s been just me and Mizuki, so I was thinking about what to make for dinner.」

     「I’m… surprised. So that’s what you meant.」

     「What do you…?」

     「I mean, does getting to cook for your little sister really get you that pumped?」

     「Yeah. It’s been a while, after all.」

     I hadn’t been able to have a nice long chat with Mizuki in a while, so I was looking forward to the occasion. I hadn’t had many chances to speak with her alone ever since our parents started coming home at normal times and took over my cooking duties.

     It didn’t seem like she had anything particular to do today either, so I planned to go home early to prepare for dinner.

     Since it was a rare occasion, I wanted to take the opportunity to make her favorite, Hamburg steak. She liked potato salad too, so I added that to the menu.

     「You certainly love her a lot.」

     「Well, yeah. We’ve been around each other for a long time.」

     Back when our parents came home late every day, I spent every day together with Mizuki. It’s why I didn’t have many friends, but I didn’t mind because I enjoyed my time with her so much.

     I certainly did enjoy hanging out with my friends, but even now that I did have time to spare for them, I was still a little lonely. Mizuki was going through her rebellious phase.

     「Hmm. I’ve got a big sister too, but we don’t talk much. I’m kinda jealous of your sisterly bond.」

     「Recently, though, Mizuki’s been getting a bit rebellious.」

     「My. What a predicament, Kurumi Onee-chan.」

     Come to think of it, I personally never went through a phase like that. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have anyone to rebel against, though.

     I got changed and headed back to class. As I was, I saw Sorahashi-san walking ahead of me. She was, like usual, surrounded by friends, with plenty of students from different classes calling out to her as she simply walked down the hallway.

     She was flashing the same beautiful smile as the sort she showed to me. I didn’t think I was particularly special to her, but I had the thought that she treated everyone the same way after all.

     Just a little, I felt a strange feeling in my chest.

     「Sorahashi-san’s as popular as ever, I see.」

     Yume said.

     「Right? I wonder how she gets along with so many people.」

     「For real. I’m putting in all my effort just to be buddies with you, Kurumi.」

     「Am I really that difficult to get to know?」

     「Well, I didn’t mean it like that…」

     Sorahashi-san stopped to talk with someone from a different class. The moment that I passed by her, our eyes met. She smiled and gave me a small wave. I was a little surprised, but I waved back in response.

     「…Are you friends with her?」

     「We’re somewhat acquainted.」

     「Acquainted, huh… Kurumi, don’t betray us, okay?」

     Yume leered at me suspiciously. There was no way I could say that I had become Sorahashi-san’s owner. The only thing I could offer her was a vague laugh.

     Lost in thought about what to put on tonight’s menu, the whole day passed by in an instant. Sorahashi-san hadn’t invited me out today, so I went to the local supermarket as soon as school was out.

     If I made dinner too extravagant I’d be told off for overdoing it, so I took care to select just the right ingredients as I shopped.

     It really had been a while. It was nice to have my mom or dad cook for me, but in the end, I still wanted to be the one to make the food. It was what I was more used to.

     I bought enough to make food for two and then headed home.

     Mizuki hadn’t come home yet, so the house was empty. It was too early to start cooking, but it wouldn’t hurt to start up the prep work, so I got some water boiling and began to stir-fry some onions.

     After a while, I heard the sound of the front door opening and turned down the stove for a moment.

     「Welcome back, Mizuki.」

     「…I’m home, Kurumi.」

     Like usual, she called me by my first name. Thinking about how she used to call me Onee-chan all the time was something that made me a little sad, but today, I didn’t feel it that much.

     I smiled at her.

     「You must be cold. Want something warm to drink?」

     「Nah. I’m leaving again soon.」

     「…Huh?」

     「My friend invited me to a sleepover. Sorry, but I’ll be staying at their place tonight.」

     「Ah… I see. Have fun. Watch the road while you’re walking.」

     「Yep.」

     With that, she went to her room.

     I went back to the kitchen and aimlessly turned the stove back on. The prep work was already partway through, and I had already boiled more potatoes than I could eat on my own. While wondering what to do, I heard the door close.

     I supposed that she had already left.

     I wanted to at least see her off, but maybe that was too much of a bother.

     I lost the will to finish cooking and collapsed onto the couch.

     Yeah, I mean…

     Mizuki was already in middle school. Of course she’d be doing things like sleepovers. It’s not like we had made any promises to eat together at home tonight, and in the first place, it wasn’t abnormal for plans to change.

     …At least, that’s what I tried to tell myself.

     I was feeling a bit gloomy. I had been hoping that we’d be able to eat together for the first time in a long while, and now that I was alone, I didn’t know what to do with myself.

     I didn’t have any friends that I could call up during times like this.

     I figured I could eat what I was able to today and save the leftovers for tomorrow morning. That’s what was going through my head, but I couldn’t find the strength to get up.

     「…Ugh.」

     It’s not like I didn’t have a place to belong. Even if I didn’t get to look after Mizuki, I was still my own person. The house was more lively than it used to be, I was able to spend time with my family, and I had friends I could hang out with. Those things should have made me happy, but it just didn’t feel right.

     The seats where Mizuki and I used to sit were now where my mother and father sat.

     The duty of cooking that had once belonged to me now belonged to my parents.

     They had told me that they had set a difficult responsibility on my shoulders, so it was their turn to do the work. But that didn’t make me happy at all.

     My role had been slowly taken away, and now I had nothing to do. Even to Mizuki I was no longer “Onee-chan”, but rather, just “Kurumi”. Somehow, even though I was home, I felt a sense of rejection. It was like my family laid on the other side of a pane of glass.

     Those were just my own selfish thoughts, though.

     At the very least, my parents cared about me.

     It was cold. Come to think of it, I hadn’t turned on the heating yet. It was kind of a hassle to do so, though. I felt a weight in my stomach and couldn’t bring myself to stand, so I just absentmindedly played around on my phone.

     Suddenly, my phone vibrated.

     I looked at my notifications to see a message from Sorahashi-san.

     『What are you doing right now?』

     It was the first time I’d received a message from her like this. In the first place, I didn’t recall exchanging contact info with her. I was in the class group chat though, so maybe she had found it through that.

     I sluggishly typed out a reply.

     『Just spacing out.』

     『How unusual for you.』

     Was it really?

     I wondered what kind of person she thought I was. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I got up and went back into the kitchen. I had planned to make potato salad, so I figured I should at least mash the potatoes.

     If I didn’t get that done while they were still hot, it would be a bother to do it later.

     I enjoyed doing this kind of thing when I was making food for others, but I found it pretty tedious to do it for myself.

     As I peeled and mashed up the potatoes, my phone vibrated again. I thought it was a message, but it was actually a call from Sorahashi-san. I hesitated for a moment and then tapped the screen.

     「Sorahashi-san? Is something the matter?」

     「Nope. There’s nothing to it. I just wanted to hear your voice.」

     I could hear some sort of commotion over the phone.

     It seemed like she was still out, but it wasn’t that surprising since it wasn’t all too late yet.

     I held the phone between my head and shoulder while continuing to mash the potatoes.

     Mizuki preferred them mashed until smooth, but she probably wouldn’t be eating any, so I left them a bit chunkier.

     「Is that so?」

     「Yeah.」

     Silence fell.

     I didn’t have anything to talk about at the moment and Sorahashi-san didn’t seem to have anything in particular to say either, so the conversation naturally failed to continue.

     My arms began to get a bit tired, so I briefly halted. I thought to just make some croquettes instead, but decided against it.

     「Is it cold outside?」

     I returned to the couch and tried asking something random.

     It was freezing cold in here without the heating on, but it must have been even colder outside.

     「I’m fine. I’m wearing a scarf.」

     「I see. If you’re out for too long, you might catch a cold. Be careful, okay?」

     「You’re such a worrywart, Kurumi.」

     「…Maybe so.」

     Lately it had been quite lively inside this house, but right now, it was dead silent save for the ticking of the clock on the wall.

     I wondered if I should head out somewhere too. I didn’t do that often, though, so I had no clue where I’d even go.

     「Are you home right now?」

     「Yeah, I am.」

     「I see. You’re alone with your little sister today, right?」

     Had she been listening in on my conversation with Yume?

     I didn’t think she was nearby when we were talking. Maybe she had really good hearing.

     「That was the plan, but Mizuki has a sleepover tonight so I’m by myself.」

     「I see. Is that why you sound a bit down?」

     「You can tell?」

     「Quite easily.」

     It was only because I heard it from someone else that I could now feel this pain in my chest. I felt stupid to be hurting so much over something like this. I wasn’t a kid anymore. I should at least be able to handle being by myself.

     I softly sighed.

     「Kurumi, are you free at the moment?」

     「Huh? I am, but…」

     「In that case, would you like to spend some time with me?」

     「Well, I mean…」

     「Just come to the place I’m about to message you! Let’s see here…」

     She was coming on pretty strong. With seemingly no doubt that I would be coming, she sent over where she was. Fortunately, it was only a thirty minute train ride away, so I wouldn’t have any trouble getting there.

     「Alright! I’ll be waiting!」

     「Wai…」

     She hung up without giving me a chance to say anything else. I hesitated in the living room for a bit and then got up. I put plastic wrap over the rice I had made before leaving the house. Lately, there had always been someone home, so it had been a while since I’d locked up as I left.

     I looked up at the sky.

     It was already pretty much completely dark, but I could see traces of dusk in the distance. The air instantly turned white as I exhaled. Just looking at it made me shiver.

     「…It’s cold.」

     I buried my face in my scarf and hurried to the station. It had been a while since I’d been there this late, so I was feeling light on my feet.

     My heart was beating awfully fast.

     Whether it was because of grief or some other emotion, I couldn’t tell.

     The only thing I could think about was how I wanted to see Sorahashi-san’s face.

     With a sway of the train, I arrived at my destination. She said she’d be waiting by the ticket gate so I walked through, pushed along by people in suits all on their way home. I tried to look around for her, but it seemed there was no need.

     She stood out.

     Both at school and outside, she attracted everyone’s attention. Because of that, I was able to find her just by following the commotion and looking where everyone else was looking.

     Our gazes met.

     Her eyes, with colors that changed along with the angle you saw them from, were so beautiful that I thought they couldn’t be from this world.

     I wondered what this indescribable feeling was, the sort that one felt when spotting someone you knew from school outside. She seemed bored, but the moment our gazes met, her face transformed into a smile like a flower in bloom.

     「Kurumi! Over here!」

     She had carried a mature expression just before, but as soon as she saw me it became childlike and she began to excitedly wave her hands around. It made my heart churn.

     It was pounding in the same way that it did when Mizuki smiled after eating the Hamburg steak I made for her.

     What sort of face was I making right now? I wondered for a moment as I waved back. Just that alone warmed up my heart.

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