Having returned to my bed after putting Sharte to sleep, I woke up after 1 hour.

Looking at my desk while lying on my bed, I happen to see Aizawa’s pink notebook. I took a look before I went to bed, around 20 strategy plans to prevent the club’s abolishment were written down there. Moreover it’s packed with cute pictures drawn by hand using colorful pens.

While I had given up, I knew that Aizawa wrote something in this note in the clubroom. But this many, perhaps unless she also did that at home, I’m sure that this wouldn’t be completed.

「Ku……」

To stand out and speak in front of all students is scary. To become s.h.i.+nonome’s is scary. But I want to help Aizawa…… Jaa, as expected I have no choice but to confront s.h.i.+nonome?

But there’s no way that I can match that fellow. The very clearheaded s.h.i.+nonome is one or even two times more skillful than me. [11]

The matter this time is that s.h.i.+nonome wants to obtain me by any means, she must have used a boy who is doing whatever she said to follow Aizawa, I’m sure he took the picture at that decisive moment. Undoubtedly in Ten-nee’s case, I’m sure that the gaze I felt at that time before the audiovisual room was also of a man under her control. She grasped my weakness that Aizawa was an indispensable club member, and finally intended to threaten me…… Getting along well with Aizawa, everything must be an act in order to obtain me.

I’m thinking of a way to help Aizawa with my head only half awake. But nothing good come to mind.

I think of calming down by drinking hot milk first, and am about to get up but,

「A, are? My body, can’t move……」

Maybe because I was thinking the whole time , until now do I realize that something got on my stomach.

I quietly turn the futon over.

「Aa, Nii-saa〜n♪」

and quietly pull the futon back.

I think it’s surely because I’m half awake, I rub my eyes and once again turn the futon over.

「Kunkun……aa, as expected just sniffing Nii-san’s smell is unbearable♪」(Kunkun = sniff-sniff) 

Wearing a white s.h.i.+rt, a silver-haired beautiful girl is *surisuri* rubbing her cheek against my chest. (すりすり = surisuri = rub-rub) 

She who was always expressionless like ice is closing her eyes happily, heart marks seemingly scatter from her.

「Oi Sharte, what are you doing?」

「a」

Then, my imouto finally notices me, slowly sits up.

She immediately keeps up the usual expressionless face, her vacant eyes in which you can’t feel life twinkle.

「Nii-san. Just because your imouto do a night crawling, please do not have such a slovenly face」

「Night crawling and yet acting so self-important, what a girl!」 [12]

A few minutes later, I and Sharte lie down side-by-side on the same bed. Although such things like counting the stains on the ceiling don’t happen, because we slept together since we were small, rather than uncomfortable, there is a feeling of relief instead.

Then, to break the silence Sharte asks with a calm tone.

「Nii-san, recently your spirit (元気) seems strange, did something happen?」

「Uu……as expected, Sharte finds out, isn’t it?」

「Of course. I’m always besides Nii-san, right? I’m aware that recently nii-san doesn’t think about scenario game (シナリオゲー?) or nukige (抜きゲー), you are in the process of being in heat and are thinking of jumping immediately at the opposite s.e.x for ecchi thing. ……Nii-san, how about using me to let it out?」 [13]

「Why did it become like that!?」

I mean, while I was not here did she check my room?

Although she’s my cute imouto, that point of her is really of a b.i.t.c.h.

「Nii-san, I don’t mind if you think of me as a Dutch wife. Therefore……」

「Iya, listen up, don’t talk about that anymore……haa」

「……As expected, something that makes you worry happened, isn’t it?」

Showing my imouto my weak self like that is not cool. But right now I want to talk with somebody.

「To be honest……tomorrow, a girl will be expelled…… To prevent it for her sake, I must do my best in front of all the students in the school」

「……」

「……E, Sharte?」

My face is buried into her chest as I’m hugged tightly. [14] Through the thin s.h.i.+rt, warmth from her small, slender body is transmitted, the nice shampoo fragrance makes my heart beat faster.

「Nii-san, please do not sacrifice yourself for somebody else’s sake anymore」

It’s the same voice without feelings as usual. But, I understand that somewhere, it seems to be sad.

「Nii-san, during the time in primary school, had sacrificed yourself just to protect me. But by the result, you had suffered the pain for the remaining 3 years…… Then Nii-san became very scared of standing out, I knew it」

It was the story at the time Sharte was a second grader in primary school, in other words I was a third grader.

One day, I was astonished to see Sharte’s appearance when she came home. Her pretty silver hair was cut here and there by scissors or something, her face was dirty with mud, on youf.u.ku (western-style clothes) and randoseru‘s body, various insults were scribbled using crayons with different colors. According to Sharte’s story, the girl leader of the cla.s.s said that her silence just like a doll was disgusting, the whole cla.s.s began to scold her. Moreover her cheek was strongly slapped many times, one side became very red and swollen.

Because of the shock from losing her family, Sharte was unable to show her up and down feelings. Therefore, although she didn’t cry, Sharte’s body which trembled faintly simply told me that. My important family member who was by my side to make up for my parents was injured.

I felt extremely anger to the point that my blood was boiling. (remember, his parents rarely stay with him because of their job) 

Next day, an event about bullying was decided, all the students were gathered in the gymnasium, there was a time for us to heard the lecturer’s story. I, at that time, came up to the stage and denounced the girl who was the culprit of Sharte’s bullying case, she apologized while crying.

But it didn’t end there. The girl bullying Sharte, she was a little sister of a cute, popular girl in my cla.s.s called Okada (岡田). I who was popular in our cla.s.s, originally didn’t think good of the show-off Okada, I took the truth of her sister’s case too seriously, she made everyone in my cla.s.s believe so [15]

At the beginning, I was able to endure that. But the situation changed halfway.

Despite being a third grader, I brazenly came onto the stage and did a selfish thing, the upper cla.s.sman didn’t think good about me. On the corridor, when I pa.s.sed by during break time, it began with clicking tongue, gradually I was kicked and soon it reached the point where I was. .h.i.t.

Being isolated in cla.s.s, I who had no one to talk to gradually lost my past confidence, Okada who played the key role had done the same cruel things that was done to Sharte. [16] The after-effect continued even when I changed cla.s.s, that’s why the remaining 3 years was a h.e.l.l for me.

「……I know that Nii-san is kind. But Nii-san is already……」

A voice without emotion as usual. But her body trembles faintly just like that day.

I’m so useless. Making my important imouto worry…..

「Nii-san, if it’s painful you can run away you know? I will always be by Nii-san’s side」

「Un……arigatou, Sharte. I don’t overdo it particularly」

My courage grows after hearing the words. And, I pat Sharte’s head kindly.

Soon, Sharte seems to think I’ve already slept,

「But Nii-san, you always choose that way, don’t you……」

Whispering with a voice with both happiness and sadness, she hugs me a bit stronger.