Well, first of all, this was the route to my former junior high school.

It was already after school, so there were a lot of students coming out of the main gate.

I sat down on a nearby guardrail and waited for a while, and eventually a cute boy who stood out from the rest of the students showed up. He waved and came running towards me.

“Souta ani-chan.”

Iori, of course.
I was meeting up with my cute little brother today.

“I’m sorry, the teacher asked me to help out on the way. Did I keep you waiting?”
“No, I just got here too. Don’t worry, it was not much of a wait.”
“Really? I’m glad.”

Iori smiled cheerfully, as if a flower had bloomed.
I could almost see the stars twinkling in the sky. Even the students who were passing by stopped to admire it.

I usually meet him at Kisaragi’s house, so I don’t really think about it, but when I meet him outside, I can reconfirm from the reaction of the people around. As the younger brother of the superbly beautiful Yuika, Iori was also an incredibly beautiful boy.

“Well, let’s go. It’s all on me today. You could have all the fun you want.”
“Eh, I feel bad. But it’s been a while since I’ve played with Souta Nii-chan alone. Is it okay with Onee-chan?”
“Yeah. I told her yesterday that I’ll be late today.”

Yuika should be writing the novel by now. She said something like, “I’m going to finish a novel in a day!” so I don’t want to be a distraction. …I doubt she’ll suddenly be able to write when she has been slacking off all this time. Well, it’s good to work hard.

So, today I had promised to hang out with Iori.
Of course, I had no ulterior motive. I just want to stretch my wings with my little brother for a while. …No, sorry, that was a lie. The truth was, I have a very good intention.

“Well then, let’s go! I’m sorry about Onee-chan, but I’m going to have Souta Nii-chan all to myself today.”

He put his arm around me and started to walk away.
I caught a glimpse of Iori’s chest and secretly shivered. Oh my god, it was just as I expected.
In my brain, I heard an ominous sound effect: doo doo doo doo doo doo…

Uniform blazer and shirt. Underneath those…Iori was wearing a bandage. Both of my hands are already held mercilessly. Of course he wasn’t injured. Rather it was a sickness. In other words…it was an example of that thing.

“Hahahaha, don’t pull too hard, Iori. It would be bad if we fall.”

It was too early to start talking.
I put on a calm face and walked out with him.

Since we are both growing boys, we decided to eat something at a fast food restaurant first.
While eating burgers and fries, we talked about our impressions of the latest manga.

“I think the hottest thing right now is the Jujutsu Kaisen. The characterization is not half bad, yeah.”
“Rokujo-sensei is so cool. I want him to keep that strongest side, for sure.”
[TLN: It’s Gojo, but the author couldn’t use that name.]

By the way, among me, Yuika, and Iori, Yuika was the first one to immerse herself in the otaku hobby. The reason why Iori and I started enjoying games and anime was largely due to her influence.

On the other hand, I’ve taught Iori a lot about shonen manga, and our tastes match perfectly. Today, we were just talking about weekly manga, and I realized that about an hour had passed.

We left the store and went to the arcade, the holy place for boys.
As soon as we stepped onto the floor, Iori tugged on my sleeve.

“Ah, Souta Nii-chan! There’s figures from the Starfleet game. I want you to get it.”
“Hmm, which one is it…? Oh, I think I can do this. Wait a minute.”

It was a catcher-type game where you had to pick up a box. It was a little tricky, but it was rather easy to get. I tried my hand at it and was lucky enough to get it in three tries.

Iori said, “Yay, that’s amazing!” and jumped up and down excitedly, and hugged my arm like a koala, very cute. Isn’t this nice?

But did you ever play this game? I know you’ve been watching anime.
“Well…I want this as a gift for my sister. I’m going to leave it in front of her room at night since she lent me Souta Nii-chan today.”
“Iori, you are…”
“I wonder if my sister will like it?”
“Of course she will, dummy! She’ll even cry… Actually I’m about to cry now!”

He looked a little anxious as he held the box, so I couldn’t help but hug him with all my strength. The shopkeepers and customers beside me were also moved to tears, and everyone applauded the kind boy.

Finally, we dropped by a bookstore in front of the station.
The figure was a souvenir, so I bought as much of the new manga as I could afford. Thanks to that, I couldn’t get a prepaid card for Yuika, but who cares!

“T-This many? Are you sure you want to buy them for me…?”

“It’s okay. I just got paid for my part-time job today. So buy, buy, buy.”

And all that was left was to return to Kisaragi’s house together.
There was a river on the road from the station to the house. It was close and scenic if you walked along its bank.
We walked side by side, watching the water surface reflect the sunset.
But on the way, Iori suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Hey, Souta Nii-chan. Why don’t we rest for a while?”

There was no reason to refuse.
I walked down the steps of the embankment and went to the side of the river. We stood on the trimmed lawn, side by side, staring at the murmuring water. Iori was the first to open his mouth.

“You know…”
“Yeah?”
“You wanted to talk to me about something…?”
“…You noticed.”

Putting down the bag of figures and manga, Iori laughed wryly.

“I would notice. Because we’ve been together since we were kids.”
“…Sounds right. It should be like that. If me and Yuika are childhood friends, then so are you.”

I knew I was a little nervous, I was aware of it.

I let the glare of the sunset burn into my eyes and turned to Iori.

“Iori, there’s something I want to tell you.”

The boy’s eyes were still staring at the water and the sunset.
Eventually, however, he slowly closed his eyelids and turned to look at me.

“…Yes. I will listen to you. I don’t know what kind of thing you’re talking about, but if it’s something that Souta Nii-chan can tell me, I’ll take it.”

When he opened his eyes again, there was no hesitation.
…I guess it’s the same with his sister when it comes to honorifics at times like this.
It made me smile a little, though a wry smile. However, I quickly cleared my throat and fixed my expression.

A serious talk. No laughing matter.
I breathed and slowly opened my mouth.

“Don’t be surprised. Listen, Iori…”

My eyes stared at the bandages peeking out of his sleeves.
Come on, tell him.

You’re in chuunibyou right now. You don’t have the ability to summon otherworldly powers.

As our shadows stretched out into the sunset, I shouted out with all my might. Then—!