C94: Is Big Sister Going to a Celebration Feast or Kneeling on a Washboard?
A gentle rain fell today.
It wasn’t the kind of torrential downpour that blankets the sky with oppressive dark clouds, but rather a light drizzle, pattering on the verdant leaves outside the window.
The sky remained a clear blue, though a faint shadow seemed to veil it.
As the saying goes, a spell of autumn rain brings a chill, and wearing her thin summer school uniform, Shion couldn’t help but sneeze.
Perhaps that sneeze had saved her.
Pinching her nose, Shion refocused her thoughts, which had been wandering to who knew what distant planet, back onto the exam paper before her.
“The author… ate… what flavor of… dolphin?”
Shion painstakingly translated the passage before her, word by word, desperately trying to assemble the individual words into a sentence that held at least some semblance of meaning.
“Shion-chan, that’s dumplings~”
Shion distinctly heard Rie’s voice whispering a reminder in her ear.
She quickly re-examined the word.
‘Hmm… indeed, it was dumplings.’
Regaining her focus, Shion resumed writing.
Japanese in the morning, math in the afternoon, and English right before dismissal…
This grueling schedule, even for Shion—who had been thoroughly seasoned by countless exams before arriving in this game world—made her want to vehemently complain about such an utterly preposterous arrangement.
Her stomach had already begun to rumble.
When Shion had woken up that morning, her late start meant she only had time to prepare Ayane’s breakfast.
For herself, she had simply scrounged together a few leftovers.
Yet, even those meager leftovers, she hadn’t properly eaten.
The lunch break was exceptionally brief, and utterly exhausted after completing her Japanese exam, Shion had simply collapsed onto her desk for a nap.
Shigure, sitting behind her, finished her own meal at Shion’s desk with a hint of worry, gently poking Shion’s sleeping cheek with her small hand.
But Shion… she was sleeping as if in hibernation.
Worried about disturbing Shion’s rest, Shigure hadn’t woken her.
And so, Shion endured the afternoon with an empty stomach, listening to her own belly rumble while simultaneously trying to comprehend an English listening comprehension test that sounded like utter gibberish.
‘This gibberish, I might as well not listen at all!…’
‘No, I should listen. The thought of getting around thirty points after the exam and then being mercilessly ridiculed by Ayane…’
‘Ah, anything but that!!’
Shion quickly refocused her mind, channeling all her attention back to the exam paper.
While taking an English exam was undeniably a particularly dreadful ordeal for Shion, failing and facing Ayane’s censure, or worse, letting down everyone who had tutored her for so long, would be an even more unbearable burden.
‘Next up, the essay…’
Shion muttered to herself.
Rie had taught her that English essays had a template, and Shion had diligently memorized it.
Therefore, all that remained was to…
Shion took a deep breath, silently reciting the template she had committed to memory.
‘Good, this is manageable.’
Shion diligently repeated the memorized template, then attempted to transcribe it from her memory.
Time ticked by.
‘Oh no… are they already collecting the papers?’
Shion happened to glance up, her eyes falling on the ticking clock on the wall, and a wave of anxiety washed over her.
‘Don’t rush, don’t rush, Hoshimori Shion.’
Shion continuously chanted to herself, trying to calm her racing heart, before resuming the task of copying her memorized model essay with her black pen.
****
The bell signaling the end of the exam rang.
Shion gazed at her thoroughly filled-out exam paper.
Though she couldn’t quite grasp why—given it was an English exam where typically only one answer filled each blank—her paper was nonetheless crammed with writing…
Once the papers were collected, Shion promptly collapsed onto her desk.
‘I’m burnt out, truly burnt out…’
‘I’m so exhausted, I might just dissipate into a Hoshimori Shrine omamori (TL Note: A Japanese amulet or charm, often sold at Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples, for good luck or protection) if Shigure isn’t looking.’
To avert this very scenario, Shigure reached out and gently poked Shion’s back with a pencil.
Seeing no reaction from her, Shigure moved to the desk in front, poking Shion’s head once more with a touch of concern.
Still… there seemed to be no response at all.
Shigure poked her own head, as if a tiny lightbulb had flickered on above her.
She then retrieved the small cake she had brought for breakfast from her school bag and placed it in front of Shion.
“Shion-chan, there’s cake to eat~”
Shigure leaned close to Shion’s ear, whispering softly.
At that moment, Shigure’s whisper was like heavenly music to Shion’s ears.
She instantly returned to her body from her out-of-body state, abruptly lifting her head and startling Shigure, who had just been leaning in.
Though startled, Shigure couldn’t help but smile upon seeing Shion regain her vigor.
“Shion-chan,”
Shigure, gathering her courage, rubbed against Shion’s hair like a small golden kitten.
“Why don’t you eat a cake and rest for a bit first?”
Shion took the small cake Shigure offered and popped it into her mouth whole.
She was absolutely ravenous now.
Shigure had clearly put a lot of care into making the small cake, but the famished Shion had no mind for savoring its delicate flavors.
Shigure rubbed against Shion’s white hair again.
Shion seemed to recall Ayane doing the same thing at home, so she reached out and gently ruffled Shigure’s head.
“Eat slowly, Shion-chan. I have plenty more in my bag.”
Shigure said with a smile, her voice carrying a slight tremor, much like a tiny yawn from a kitten purring contentedly under a gentle caress.
Shion stretched, then asked, “Aren’t you going to ask how I did on the exam, Iori-chan?”
Shigure shook her head.
“I feel like asking that would be a bit of a buzzkill. You’ve studied so diligently for so long, Shion-chan, I’m sure you’ll get excellent results. I trust you, so there’s no need to ask further.”
Shion chuckled foolishly.
“I knew it! Only Iori-chan truly believes in me.”
Shigure’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“Of course I believe in you, Shion-chan. I always, always will.”
Suddenly, Shion’s phone screen lit up, a message notification bubble softly glowing.
[Sister, Sister!]
Shion instinctively looked up towards the doorway.
Amidst the bustling crowd of students preparing to leave the classroom, Sakuya and Ayane had already arrived.
Ayane, standing on her tiptoes, waved enthusiastically at Shion.
Her long white hair stood out strikingly amongst the throng of people.
Presumably, thinking that calling out might be inappropriate, Ayane had simply sent a message instead.
‘Anyway… she’d see it eventually, right?’
Yet, Ayane had been bouncing around there for so long, she was practically on the verge of calling.
“How did you do on your exam today, big sister? Are we celebrating with a feast tonight, or are you kneeling on a washboard?”
Ayane asked, blinking her adorable large eyes.
Truly her younger sister, to immediately plunge into the very minefield Shigure had so carefully avoided.
Sakuya and Shigure both cast an unspoken glance towards Ayane.
Shion’s eyelid twitched.
“Uh… well, how about this: we have our celebration feast tonight, and then I go home to kneel on the washboard?…”