Chapter 34: CH 34

(TN: There’s an important detail in this chapter, Chiharu always addressed herself as “Uchi” which can mean I or we, and I always translated it as “I’ because it’ll be confusing otherwise.)

(POV Chiharu)

I have three cute younger sisters at home.

First, there was Chinatsu, the second daughter. She may come off as a bit feisty, but deep down, she’s incredibly kind. She’s able to have smooth conversations with Onii-san, but only when the rest of us sisters are around.

When it’s just the two of them, there is still some resistance and apprehension, yet they are able to converse normally. Chinatsu appears to only talk to Chifuyu in the classroom. She reveals her vulnerability and true self solely to her sisters and no one else, while Onii-san is the only person, apart from her sisters, with whom she can exchange words.

Despite this, Chinatsu seemed to be quite popular in her class. Well, this was not surprising. I often overhear voices of boys exclaiming, “Go talk to her!” finding her rather appealing.

However, she didn’t pay much attention to that and displayed no interest, simply giving them a dismissive glance.

The third daughter, Chiaki, is always full of energy and has the closest bond with Onii-san. As she’s at an age where she wants to be pampered, she often hugs us tightly and engages in the most conversations with Onii-san.

Chiaki, too, was popular. Well, it was only natural. She was adorable. Even among us sisters, she was too cute that sometimes I forgot to breathe and almost suffocated. Of course, that was only natural.

However, Chiaki seemed to be unconcerned about things like fashion, and she didn’t seem interested in romance either. She didn’t pay any attention to Nishino, not Nishida, and didn’t interact much with boys in general. The only time she interacted with them was when she fiercely played dodgeball or decided who got the leftover pudding in the school lunch through a game of rock-paper-scissors.

Moreover, Chiaki probably preferred someone who was not childish but had a nurturing personality. She was likely seeking stability both financially and in terms of a secure occupation… Well, not just Chiaki, but it seemed to be the preference of all of us sisters.

It was only natural for our preferences to lean in that direction, considering the circumstances we had come from, but anyone could develop such preferences in a normal way.

You know, having financial strength and a nurturing personality is the best, right…

Lastly, Chifuyu.

She’s cute. Especially recently, she’s become even cuter. Until now, she didn’t receive much attention from the boys at school, so she wasn’t particularly popular.

Well, they truly didn’t pay attention to her. I often thought about how they should open their eyes wide and see her properly.

But finally, maybe the times have caught up, and Chifuyu’s popularity was gradually rising. Now, she might be the most popular.

Even though Chifuyu is in Class 2, the boys from Class 1 have started talking about her more frequently, and there are boys who come to me asking about her.

Well, even if they asked, I wouldn’t reveal much or introduce them…

Chiaki was certainly cute, and recently, her cuteness had increased even more. I wonder how much cuter she’ll become. Perhaps, like the infinite value of pi, the value of her cuteness is an endless and unanswerable infinite.

Why has her cuteness increased to this extent? It can be attributed to simply being conscious of it.

Chiaki has always been mindful of her appearance, but now she’s taken it to another level… Besides, when a girl falls in love, her aura naturally changes.

In addition, her dedication to both academics and sports was charming.

In short, my sisters were simply adorable. I wonder how many times a day I think that.

Currently, my sisters were writing their essays that they’ll have to read in the upcoming half coming-of-age ceremony during the classroom parent visitation. While watching TV dramas and sitting under the kotatsu, they made quite different progress.

Chinatsu spun her pen absentmindedly while engrossed in the drama, Chiaki placed the pen on both ears and watched the drama, while Chifuyu diligently wrote without paying attention to the drama.

Since I had already finished writing, I was just observing my sisters without doing anything in particular.

“It’s finally over.” Chifuyu said

“Yeah, this one was interesting too.” Chiaki nodded.

“Seriously, I can’t believe that person turned out to be the culprit…” Chinatsu added

“No, Chifuyu isn’t talking about the drama; I’m talking about the essay.” Chifuyu said.

“Huh? No way, you finished yours too!?” Chinatsu exclaimed.

“Well done, Chinatsu. As expected of my younger sister.” Chiaki said.

“Both Natsu-nee and Aki-nee should quickly start writing too. The drama had already ended.” Chifuyu said.

“I-I already know.” Chinatsu responded.

“I’ll start once I watch Ofurosky (a children’s musical singer).”

Chinatsu finally picked up her pen and started writing. It’s surprisingly difficult to express your dreams and gratitude in writing. Especially for Chinatsu and Chiaki, who excelled at expressing things concisely, expanding on a topic was a challenge.

Thank you, as always. This is my dream.

That’s basically how they would put it. The straightforwardness of these two, which allows them to say exactly what they want, was backfiring and causing delays in completing the essay.

Chifuyu, on the other hand, was already done simply because she is smart. She filled the manuscript paper with sentences that developed the story while staying true to its essence.

Chifuyu took a break and gathered the previous eraser shavings. Suddenly, something felt amiss to me. Chifuyu was rubbing the eraser on the paper even though there was nothing to erase.

Chifuyu seemed to be fervently using up erasers, as if she wanted to finish them quickly.

Noticing her behavior, Chinatsu chimed in.

“Fuyu, are you seriously making kneaded erasers? Seriously, you’re such a child.”

“Huh? Oh, w-well, yeah… I wanted to make kneaded erasers.” Chifuyu said.

“Goodness, you’re still so immature.” Chinatsu added.

Chinatsu’s conversation reached Chiaki, who had been watching TV as she joined in.

“What? Chifuyu is making them too?! I’ve made them during class before! But regular erasers don’t turn out so well, you know? They don’t have much elasticity.”

“R-Really…? I see… Then maybe I should stop…”

Chifuyu seemed flustered. As if signaling that the conversation should end, she put the eraser back into her pencil case and then into her backpack.

Judging by Chifuyu’s reaction, it seemed that the reason behind her excessive eraser usage was not making kneaded erasers. If that’s the case, what could it possibly be?

Well, since it seems like she doesn’t want the matter to be pried into, I’ll let it go…

“Chiharu, help me with my essay!” Chiaki exclaimed

“Sure.”

“Huh? That’s cheating; then you should help me too.” Chinatsu added

“Of course I’ll do.”

“No, no, Haru-nee, the essay won’t mean anything if you help them. Everyone has to write it themselves.” Chifuyu interjected.

“Indeed, you’re right.”

“Ehhh, nee-nee, help me, please.” Chiaki pleaded.

“Of course I will.”

“…Haru, you know you can’t agree to everyone’s contradicting requests at the same time.” Chinatsu added.

“True. Denial is important too.”

“Haru, I want you to say no…”

“No.”

Strangely, because my sisters are cute, I ended up affirming everything without hesitation. This won’t do; it’s not good for my sisters. I need to be strict; no, I need to harden my heart like a demon….no, like a dragon.

In the end, amidst various twists and turns, the two of them managed to complete their essays on their own. And then we welcomed the day of our half coming-of-age ceremony.

◆◆

(POV Kaito)

Oh no, I’m getting nervous. Wearing a sky-blue shirt, a black suit, and a blue tie. I usually wear this outfit to work, but here I am wandering around the school building.

It was mid-afternoon, and there were numerous individuals who appeared to be parents, not just me. The crowd was quite large, which was natural considering today was the open house for all grades.

I took a deep breath, trying to ease my nerves, as I checked today’s schedule.

First on the list was attending my daughters’ classroom parents’ observation. After that, when attending the parent-teacher conference, I would have to hold my breath and kill my presence to avoid becoming a troublesome board member. Lastly, I would aim to earn my daughters’ trust by performing well in the parent-child volleyball game.

That was the plan, and I was determined to give it my all, no matter what. However, the nervousness continued to linger, refusing to dissipate completely.

It was remarkable how both excited and nervous I felt about my daughters’ significant day….To add to my unease, the other papas these days seemed fashionable and cool. Being relatively young, I had hoped to impress my daughters quite easily, but it seemed my expectations were far from reality.

Despite feeling overwhelmed by my original disrupted plan, I made my way to the fourth-grade classrooms. The problem here was that Chiharu, Chiaki pair and Chinatsu, Chifuyu pair were in different classrooms. That’s why I had to constantly shuttle back and forth between the two classrooms to listen to everyone’s presentations.

This was going to be a challenging task. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but feel slightly pleased when I heard the comments from other parents saying, “That person looks young.” Well, Even though I’m a papa, I am still 21 years old, so it’s only natural to look youthful.

When I peeked into the first classroom, I spotted Chiaki and Chiahru. Chiaki caught my eye first and brightened up, waving at me. I’m already on the verge of tears. What should I do?

Chiharu waved at me as well, so I waved back. Now, as I was about to go to the second pair, my eyes met another girl’s. She had the same pink hair as Chiharu but different black eyes. There was something in her confident expression that reminded me of someone.

Ah… this girl is a friend character in the game. Her name is Sakura Kitano. Come to think of it, Chiharu mentioned that she had become friends with a girl named Sakura before. I hadn’t paid much attention or thought deeply about it at the time, but I never expected to encounter the friend character in her childhood. Well, thinking about it, according to the setting, since she used to live in Tokorozawa when she was young, it’s only natural that they would meet each other.

In the “Resonating Hearts” game, each heroine is accompanied by a friend character. They are all girls and are set to have a slight bond with the heroines, each possessing distinct personalities. The protagonist’s first step in winning the heroines’ hearts is to seek hints and improve their favorability by interacting with these friend characters.

Hmm, it’s not ideal to solely judge them based on my game standards. It’s better to perceive them as unique individuals resembling friend characters, right? Although I try not to rely too much on my game knowledge when perceiving this world as reality, I find it difficult to escape those underlying assumptions. I should make an effort to change that mindset.

Sakura Kitano is simply Chiharu’s friend. I hope Sakura continues to be a good friend to Chiharu in the future.

After taking a quick glimpse into the first pair’s classroom, it was time for the second. As I peered inside, my eyes immediately met Chifuyu’s, and she bashfully waved at me. How adorable.

And why are the boys in this class giving me such intense looks? Could it be that Chifuyu is popular? Well, with her cuteness, it’s only natural. I recall hearing once that Chifuyu wasn’t very popular. When I heard that, I couldn’t help but briefly consider that all the boys in her class might have poor eyesight due to pollen allergies or something. I even contemplated bringing some good eye drops as gifts at that time, but it doesn’t seem necessary after all.

Chifuyu… she’s changing, in a good way. She had always been hardworking, but then she seemed to have gained confidence in herself, always looking forward. That made me happy. However, there was one thing that worried me… well, let’s put that aside for now.

Chinatsu also noticed me and nodded her head slightly instead of waving. She still had some stiffness, but she had softened quite a bit.

Oh no, I feel my heart warming at the way the four of them responded to me. And before I knew it, the class had already begun. Now then, as I wandered between the two classrooms, I couldn’t help but think about how many different kids there were.

Youth was truly diverse. Each person seemed to shine in their own unique way.

As I entertained such old-fashioned thoughts, Chiaki stood up and started her presentation, so I bowed lightly and entered the classroom, making my way towards Chiaki’s seat.

“My dreams and my gratitude for Kaito. Kaito prepares my meals every day, does my laundry, and takes care of many other things for me. He is capable, kind, and I love him dearly. However, I often find myself relying on Kaito too much, and sometimes I forget to express my gratitude for our happy everyday lives. I want to remember that happiness is not a given and continue to appreciate Kaito every day. I hope we can be together from now on. And my dream is to always be with Kaito like this. Even as we grow older together, becoming adults and eventually grandparents, I hope we can always laugh by each other’s sides. I love Kaito so much. Thank you, as always.”

…Tears well up in my eyes. But it’s not just me; the other parents around me also lifted their heads, trying to hold back their tears. But the tears had yet to fall. It felt uncool to cry in front of my daughters, so I stopped them.

However, just as I suppressed my emotions, Chinatsu’s presentation began.

“My dreams and my gratitude for my Onii-san. I can’t express enough gratitude to Onii-san. He provides my sisters and me with the necessities of life: food, clothing, and shelter. As we have come to take our privileged lifestyle for granted, we have started to see things that were previously hidden, leading to various changes among us sisters. Each time, Onii-san has made maximum efforts to do what he can. Thanks to him, I can see significant transformations in my sisters, Chinatsu, Chiaki, and Chifuyu. I firmly believe that these changes will become invaluable treasures for them. While our bond as sisters has been the main focus, we cannot solely rely on that. Sometimes, I feel a slight sense of loneliness seeing the three of them trying to spread their wings and venture outside. However, I also find joy in witnessing their growth. All of this is thanks to Onii-san’s unwavering support. Thank you very much. I hope we can continue to have a good relationship. As for my dreams, I don’t have anything particular. If the three of them are happy, that’s more than enough for me. Sincerely, Chiharu Hitsuji.”

Since this was a letter, Chiharu changed her use of the first person from “uchi” (we) to “watashi” (I).

Everyone would think she’s a good child after hearing this, and I couldn’t hold back those tears anymore… But from her letter, I could sense her mindset of putting herself last. This wasn’t something I deduced from my game’s knowledge, but was something I had felt throughout our life together. Chiharu Hitsuji always seemed to be the best child living with me, but I couldn’t help but wonder if she was the one who changed the least.

And now, I realized that nothing I say here would make a difference. Her essence would probably remain unchanged. It was something not easily altered, and I was hit with a cold realization.

I wanted her to express her own desires more. I needed to be there for her, to bring about those changes, so she could say “me” and assert herself…

Chiharu’s essay, which she wrote for me and her sisters, was truly magnificent. But at the same time, it made me feel a sense of loneliness. I can’t say anything grand or profound; I can only express things beneath my own capabilities.

But I will grow and become capable of doing more than what I can do now. Chiharu, just wait and see.

***********

TN: When Kaito says that Chiharu should change and start saying “me” he probably meant that she should think about her own happiness and be more selfish.

TN: Another thing and this is just an observation from my part: is that Chiharu resembles Kaito a lot, in their thought process and how they think about the same thing in same day, I think that’s why they have the most POVs.

For instance in this chapter Chiharu thought how the boys should open their eyes wide if they didn’t find Chifuyu cute; Kaito said something similar as well.