“Aah damn, damn it”

　On the way home.

　I was roughly scratching my head.

　Asuka’s crying face was burned into my mind and I couldn’t get rid of it.

Asuka is a bit of a crybaby.

　She cries at every emotional movie, and if she falls down for a second, she bursts into tears.

　However, this was the first time I had ever seen her break down in tears like that.

　I wondered if she was at least a little sorry for what she had done.

“What’s the point of being remorseful?”

I muttered to no one in particular.

　It is good to reflect.

If Asuka has really changed her mind, she will not use “breakup” as a threat in the future.

　But that’s something she should be aware of when she gets a new boyfriend.

　My relationship with her is already over.

I don’t want to get back together with her just because she feels sorry—-

“Oh, brother!”

　I was walking with my head down.

A familiar voice came from behind me.

“…… Reina.”

　Reina Suginami.

　She has shiny black hair with a short cut. She wears her bangs up in a catsuit.

She looks like my mother, who is a beautiful woman, and nothing like me, her older brother.

　She attends a private junior high school and is well known as an honor student.

“Huh? You are alone today. Did something happen to Asuka-san?”

“Didn’t Mom tell you?”

“Eh?　About what?”

“From the looks of it, you don’t seem to know.”

　I reported to Mom that I broke up with Asuka.

It would be troublesome if she came to my room via my mother like the last time.

　But I didn’t tell Rena.

　It’s not that I didn’t tell her intentionally. She was busy with club activities and socializing with her friends, and our life rhythms didn’t match. That’s why I missed the opportunity to tell her directly.

“I broke up with Asuka.”

“Ha?”

“Like I said, we’ve broken up.”

“Eh, uhm, you’re joking, right?”

　Rena made a smile awkwardly and shook her cheeks jerkily.

“Isn’t that too tawdry to be a joke?”

“…… Right”

　Rena and Asuka are very close.

　They were almost like sisters.

They even went hanging out together without me.

　For Reina, it must have been a shock that Asuka and I broke up.

“Did Asuka tell you that she wanted to break up with you?”

“I broke up with her”

　To be precise, she used to threaten to break up with me many times.

　But the deciding factor was me.

“What’s wrong with Asuka-san, …… brother?”

Reina asks me as if in a whisper, pushing through her complicated heart.

I could tell her how we ended up breaking up, but I’m sure that’s not what Reina wants to hear. ……

“It’s none of Reina’s business.”

“…… I see.”

　Reina bit down hard on her lower lip and her voice sounded as if it was about to fade away.

She remains silent for a while, then heads for home with sparse steps.

Just when I was beginning to see the top of my house.

　Suddenly, Rena stood in front of me and stuck her bishy index finger in front of me.

“U-uhm, brother!”

“Hmm?”

“Can I be selfish?”

“Eh?　ah, ou”

I was a little confused by the outlandish cut.

Rena’s eyes swam as she scanned the place, and then she seriously looked me in the eye.

“Please keep being friend with Asuka-san!”

　A question mark floats above my head.

　I stood there rigidly for about three seconds, and then I raised my eyebrows to the center of my head.

“Wait, I mean, I don’t really understand what you mean.”

“It’s just as I said. Since it’s brother, I think you’re trying to form a near-insulated relationship with Asuka, aren’t you?”

She questioned me one after another.

I was surprised that my sister pointed this out to me, but it made me unsettled.

“I don’t understand why brother and Asuka broke up. I will not ask you to get back together. I will not ask you to get back together. ……But please at least keep being friends. Otherwise, how am I supposed to treat you, Asuka-san?”

“That being said…….You’ve got to let that part of it go.”

“I can’t have that!　Because I love Asuka-san.”

“…………”

“This is your sister’s once-a-year wish. Brother will make it happen, right?”

　Reina gripped the sleeve of my uniform tightly, staring into my eyes and pleading with me.

　I let out a small sigh.

“What is impossible is impossible. For once, just give up.”

“……Does brother have nothing but bad feelings toward Asuka?”

“Ha?”

” I don’t think so. Since you have broken up with her, I think you are seeing only the bad parts of Asuka-san now. Asuka has a lot of good points. That’s why you fell in love with her, didn’t you brother?”

She speaks softly to me in a manner as if she is admonishing me.

………….

….Even I know that much.

　I’m not trying to make Asuka a bad person.

　She is the first girl in my life that I fell in love with. I know the best things about Asuka.

But until Reina told me, I had completely pushed them out of my memory.

　Asuka is a selfish girl who treats me in a convenient way, and always makes it a point to “break up” with me. That was my perception.

　But that’s not it. It was more than that.

　Asuka is the cutest girl in the world when she smiles, she is a good cook and makes me lunch when she has time. She makes me handmade scarves for my birthday and other things that require a lot of time and effort, and she’s a very sweet person even though she’s usually very bossy. She always takes the lead when I’m shy, and when I’m sick, she spends every waking moment nursing me back to health.

　If I were to list Asuka’s good qualities, the day would be over.

“But I don’t know if I like Asuka anymore.”

That is why I am not asking you to get back together with her. I want you to be her friend. I’m your younger sister, and in order to avoid any awkwardness with Asuka, I ask that you take a stab at it.”

　Rena smiles softly and takes both my hands in hers as if to wrap them around her.

　I looked away and shook off Reina’s hands without saying a word.

　As we head for home one step ahead of her, Reina mumbles.

“If brother really wants to distance himself from Asuka, I will give up. …… However, brother has a habit of becoming stubborn when his feelings grow strong. Please be careful about that. By the time it’s too late, it’s already done.”

　Reina told me about a habit that I wasn’t even aware of.

It’s none of your business.

In fact, it’s already too late, I’ve already broken up with her.

I started to walk with a larger-than-usual step, keeping a blurry feeling in my heart.