C6 The Sweetest Apology
“Ayane, Ayane! Slow down!”
On the walk home after classes, Hoshimori Shion had to chase for quite some time before she finally caught sight of Hoshimori Ayane, who was striding ahead. Fortunately, the path back to the shrine was a direct one; any other route would involve a significant detour. Thus, when Shion went to Ayane’s classroom after school and found her absent, she immediately rushed out of the school building.
Sure enough, she found Ayane briskly walking back towards the shrine on the way home.
“Ayane, my old bones aren’t as nimble as they used to be! How am I supposed to keep up with you when you walk so fast?” Shion, breathless from the chase, finally managed to match Ayane’s pace.
Ayane huffed, turning her head sharply away, refusing to meet Shion’s gaze.
“Ayane, don’t be mad. I’ll eat lunch with you again tomorrow, alright?” Shion tried to coax her upset younger sister.
Still, Ayane ignored her, quickening her pace until the distance between them began to widen once more.
“Can I make your favorite hamburg steak for dinner tonight?” Shion quickly picked up her pace, pressing the question.
Ayane seemed to waver for a moment, almost turning her head before twisting it back.
“I just bought you a strawberry shortcake from the new café nearby. If you don’t eat it, I will, you know.” Shion pulled a small box from her school bag, and the enticing scent of strawberries and cream instantly wafted towards them.
Though Ayane still kept her head averted, Shion thought she faintly saw a trickle of drool at the corner of her mouth, swiftly reabsorbed.
“A chilled strawberry shortcake won’t last long, especially in this summer heat. It might spoil before we even get back to the shrine, so we should really eat it now.” With that, Shion began to unwrap the box.
“Stupid Big Sister can’t eat it, I want to eat it!” Hearing about the cream cake she loved, Ayane finally reacted, snatching the cake from Shion’s hand like a nimble kitten.
Shion flashed a mischievous grin, her ploy successful. “I knew my little sister couldn’t resist sweets and hamburg steak.”
Blushing, Ayane opened the box to reveal a fragrant little cake.
“Big Sister, where’s the spoon?” Ayane asked.
“If my adorable little sister can say, ‘I’m sorry, Big Sister, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have run off after school without waiting for you,’ then I’ll give you the spoon for your little cake,” Shion said, shaking her head playfully.
Ayane glared at Shion, then, deciding against using a spoon, took a direct bite. Cream smeared across her face, making her resemble a white-faced kitten.
“You idiot, you actually ate it like that? I was just joking!” Shion said, pulling out a tissue with one hand to wipe Ayane’s face, while with the other, she retrieved the small spoon she had hidden and placed it in Ayane’s hand.
“Big Sister is so mean-spirited.” Ayane, holding the spoon, took a bite for herself. Then, scooping up another piece, she carefully placed half a strawberry on top and offered it to Shion.
Shion unceremoniously took a bite. “Hmm, the taste isn’t bad, though it seems… a little too sweet. But I suppose that’s just how you like it.”
Ayane said nothing more, simply lowering her head and quietly eating her cake.
“Oh, my sweet little sister, my cutest, most adorable sister, don’t be angry anymore. You won’t be mad once you finish your cake, okay?” Shion continued to gently coax her sister.
Ayane turned to look at her sister, stating her terms of negotiation with utmost seriousness: “I want two servings of hamburg steak tonight.”
“Alright, alright, anything you say,” Shion conceded, raising her hands in surrender. “I’ll make you an extra one tonight. And I promise to eat lunch with you tomorrow.”
Ayane nodded, resuming her cake.
Then, Shion thought she heard Ayane murmur softly, “You don’t have to eat with me, Big Sister, but you should at least tell me beforehand.”
“Okay, if I ever have something going on during lunch and can’t eat with you, I’ll definitely let you know,” Shion said, ruffling Ayane’s hair.
“Did Big Sister eat lunch with the senior you met this morning?” Ayane suddenly asked.
Shion nodded. “That’s right. How did you know, Ayane?”
Ayane took another fierce bite of her cake. “I went to look for you after class this afternoon and found you weren’t in your classroom. I thought you’d gone to the restroom and waited for a while, but when you didn’t show up, I asked some of your classmates. They told me that Igarashi-senpai (TL Note: Senpai is a Japanese term referring to a senior student or colleague.) from the second year came looking for you. So I guessed it must have been the same senior from this morning.”
‘Igarashi-senpai’s visit must have been quite conspicuous,’ Shion mused.
Ayane continued, “I thought Igarashi-senpai was just coming over to say thanks or something, and that you’d be back soon. So I waited a bit longer. Then they told me you had taken your bento and gone out with Igarashi-senpai, and probably wouldn’t be back until after the lunch break.”
“Ayane waited for me that long?” Shion felt a pang of surprise.
Ayane nodded emphatically. “Yes, I waited for Big Sister for a very long time today. Though I was eating a rice ball while I waited, and then I sent you messages.”
“Uh… and then what happened?”
Ayane continued, “Then, you didn’t reply to my messages. I figured Big Sister must be having a lot of fun, so I just finished my rice ball outside your classroom and went home.”
Shion could almost picture it: Ayane standing alone outside her classroom door, silently eating her rice ball, her eyes wistfully fixed on the entrance, longing for Shion’s return.
“I’m so sorry, Ayane! I promise I’ll eat lunch with you next time! You’ll never eat alone again!” Shion quickly clasped her hands together, apologizing to Ayane.
Ayane shook her head. “I have plenty of friends in my class, you know. I can eat lunch with them whenever I want. And it’s not like I *have* to eat with you, Big Sister. It’s just that today, you didn’t say anything to me and just went off to eat lunch with Igarashi-senpai by yourself. I felt a little… unaccustomed to it.”
It was rare to hear Ayane speak so earnestly, and Shion was momentarily at a loss for words.
So, she simply embraced her sister.
“B-Big Sister?” Ayane’s face instantly flushed as Shion suddenly pulled her into a hug. “The cake will fall! And we’re still on the street! Can’t we talk about this back at the shrine?”
“It’s nothing, really. I just suddenly wanted to hug my sister,” Shion said with a smile. “I never expected Ayane to have this side to her.”
“What do you mean? You’re such a mean-spirited Big Sister, a stupid Big Sister!” Ayane stamped her foot, her little leather shoes making a surprisingly crisp, rather than intimidating, sound on the asphalt.
“Even if I’m mean-spirited, aren’t you still going to eat the hamburg steak I make tonight?”
“Honestly, you stupid Big Sister!”