The Sickly Maiden’s Act and a Brother’s Dilemma

[This is Ye Sakaki’s perspective]

‘It’s truly a shame about these poor genes…’

I was seated in the leftmost part of the front row, diagonally opposite my little sister, Ye Qi.

I yawned, my eyes half-open and listless as a dead fish, completely devoid of spirit.

A dull ache persisted at the crown of my head, a pain that hadn’t subsided in the slightest over two days.

Even with my exceptional constitution, I likely couldn’t have endured the utterly horrifying ‘accident’ that day.

‘So what kind of strange setup is this? A sickly maiden?’

I found myself utterly uninterested. After all, today, I had no idea what my little sister was truly thinking.

And then there was that peculiar ornament. While I personally thought it looked quite striking, was that thing truly an ornament?

Having observed it up close, I knew I couldn’t be mistaken.

The ‘ornament’ had no opening whatsoever. The only way to wear it would be to process a person directly in a furnace alongside steel. There was no other method.

‘…And no matter how I think about it, little sister would just turn into ‘sister juice,’ wouldn’t she?’

Moreover, while I held no prejudice against any type of ornament, I strongly felt that my little sister should only wear that particular item at home, solely for my viewing pleasure.

A crimson aura suddenly enveloped my heart.

‘Ah, what’s happening? What am I even thinking? I, Ye Sakaki, am absolutely not a siscon!’

The reason, perhaps, was a mentality best described as ‘not letting good fortune flow to outsiders.’

My gaze fell upon the podium once more. In that moment, the entire world seemed to grow unfamiliar.

‘Classmates, I am truly sorry. Even after being elected to the Disciplinary Committee, I—I still concealed… the fact that I have a hidden illness. In any case! Please be understanding!’

Ye Qi clasped her hands tightly beneath the wide hem of her male school uniform, making her appear incredibly pure and adorable, like an innocent, budding young girl.

Yet, this aura of purity, combined with the metallic anomaly around her neck, somehow made the latter stand out even more conspicuously.

From my perspective, Ye Qi on the podium looked like a character in a manga, surrounded by speed lines, making it impossible to tear one’s gaze away.

In my mind, my little sister seemed to be saying: ”Onii-chan~ I’m truly, truly sorry~ Even if my cooking isn’t good… I—I just wanted to… to make you happy, Big Brother! In any case! Onii-chan (BEEP———)~”

Cough, cough, cough!! Pfft!

‘My little sister could never be this cute!’

I slumped weakly onto my desk.

‘What exactly am I thinking?’

‘How could I be a siscon~

****

“Oh, right, classmates, allow me to add something else~”

The Ancient Chinese teacher walked past Ye Qi and picked up a folding fan that had been hanging beneath the podium.

“Actually…”

“Student Ye Sakaki is actually Ye Qi’s biological older brother~”

A wave of incredulous murmurs immediately swept through the classroom. After all, judging by appearances, the disparity between these siblings was simply too vast.

One could say that aside from their school uniforms, they shared absolutely no similarities! Neither physically nor psychologically!

“However, your sibling relationship truly seems wonderful~ Even I, your teacher, feel a little envious.”

‘Where on earth did he get that idea from?!’

****

[Returning to Ye Qi’s perspective]

It had to be said, my strategy was proving effective.

Even the boys in the audience who had previously harbored deep ‘hatred’ for me now had flushed cheeks, their eyes subtly brimming with visible sympathy.

Having concluded a speech whose veracity would make even a percentage sign seem generous, I walked back to my seat with delicate, small steps.

As for the matter of a girl wearing a male uniform being against the rules, that had long since been overlooked by my classmates.

‘How simple-minded they truly are, these junior high students. A mere bit of deception was enough for them to completely abandon another issue.’

Meanwhile, some students in the audience had already begun to educate their deskmates about a condition called ‘Congenital Cervical Osteoporosis.’

‘Did you know, in reality, Congenital Cervical Osteoporosis is caused by a functional deficiency in the nineteenth chromosome of human chromosomes? This involves genetic theory…’

‘…Such profound insight!’

Whether these theories were true or false was a matter for each individual to judge; the benevolent would see benevolence, and the wise, wisdom.

Nevertheless, this situation brought me a slight sense of relief.

‘…Once this hurdle is cleared, who would dare bring this up in front of me again? Who would risk incurring the wrath of the Disciplinary Committee Head for such a thankless task~’

****

“Ah, that’s right… Student Ye Qi~”

The Ancient Chinese teacher’s voice suddenly rang out from behind me.

A jolt!

‘I didn’t hear anything, I didn’t hear anything, none of this concerns me…’

“Student Ye Qi…”

“I’ll believe what you said earlier… However… regarding the school uniform…”

“Just… this… one… time… okay…………”

“Ye! Qi! Stu! Dent! If you pretend not to hear me again, then tomorrow, your teacher will… personally… dress you up~”

Snap

I stiffly turned my head.

I gazed at the Ancient Chinese teacher, who was clad in a 1900s Zhongshan suit, holding a 1980s folding fan, sporting a 1940s hairstyle, and wearing Renaissance-era round spectacles on his face.

“I… I understand…”