I was in a hall which was slightly chilled, facing an iron door. In front of the door were pieces of paper and pens strewn about. They were probably scattered by Kuroha in her anger.
On the other side of the door was, well, our underground library.
The Imose family has produced generations of translators and linguists. We had such a large collection of books and materials that my great-grandfather had built an underground library to store them. The library was past an underground tunnel, almost like a small cave.
“Kuroha,” I said.
Kuroha was holed up in the underground library. Whenever Kuroha got depressed, she had a tendency to go there and read old books.
“Kuroha, come on!”
There was no answer.
All I could hear was the sound of a turning page once in a while from the other side of the door.
“Kuroha!”
“......”
It didn’t look like just calling her name was going to work. In that case...
“Kuroha, if you’re going to sulk, can you do it in the bathroom? Then if you need to pee, you can do it right away.”
“...up...”
“Hmm?”
“Shut up!” she screamed hysterically. “How dare you say I should sulk in the bathroom? I read it in an old book. People with no friends sulk in the bathroom. And they eat their meals in there, too! You’re making fun of me, saying that I’m one of those ‘bathroom girls’! Enough already! I’m never going to the bathroom again!”
Kuroha had gotten herself so worked up that she wasn’t making any sense.
“What’s a ‘bathroom girl’? Is it one of the ‘attributes’?”
“Shut up! Go away!”
There was a sound of something hitting the door from the other side with a thwap. It was probably the book that Kuroha had been reading. Ahh... What is she doing to our precious books?
“You’re scared of Mom and Dad, right? We can apologize to them together, so come out already.”
“No. Why should I have to apologize? I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You made your friends cry, right? And not just once, a bunch of times.”
“But they told me I was ‘reading something weird’! It’s not weird!” she screamed.
“It’s not?” I asked.
“It’s not! There are so many great stories in these old books! And nobody has any idea!”
“That’s because normal people can’t read them. They use kanji, after all.”
“If you study, you can learn how to read them! I’m not special or anything...”
I wonder, though... I don’t think that it’s an easy thing to be able to read all those complicated letters.
“You’re no different from the rest of them, Onii-chan! You don’t know anything, but you say that these old books are no good!”
“That’s not true at all!” I protested.
“Yes it is!”
“I’ll try reading one, then. Let me borrow some.”
“You can’t even read them, sheesh! Don’t get ahead of yourself!”
It was true that I couldn’t read the old books. At this rate I’ll be no different from the ‘rest of them’ that Kuroha was talking about. Well, in that case...
“Kuroha, I have favor to ask.”
“What?” she demanded.
I thought of the inside of the library where books were stacked all the way up to the ceiling...
“Will you tell me the story of one of the books in there? Any one will do.”
“......Huh?”
“I can’t read kanji, see. Even if I wanted to read them, I can’t. So you read them for me and tell me what they are about.”
“Why do I have to do that?”
“Because I want to enjoy all those wonderful stories you are talking about, Kuroha. It’s not fair that you’re the only one who can.”
“...”
“Please, Kuroha?”
Kuroha didn’t say anything for a second, but then replied, “Fine.”
Kuroha told me the story of one of the books.
It was the story of a bird. The bird was named Nighthawk, and it was bullied by the other birds. Nighthawk wanted to quit being a bird, and in the end it became a star.
Honestly speaking, I had no idea what made that a good story. Kuroha had said, “I cried when I thought about how Nighthawk was feeling,” but I could only think of it as melancholic.
“—The end.”
When Kuroha was finished with the story, I clapped. I clapped so hard and so long that my hands hurt.
“Wow, you’re amazing, Kuroha!”
“Did you understand?”
“Yup! I have no idea what makes it good, though!”
“What?! You’re not moved by this story at all?”
“But I understand now that I don’t understand. That in itself is a good thing. So you have to be moved for me, Kuroha.”
“...”
“Thank you, Kuroha. You really are amazing. I have such a great little sister.”
“Really? You think I’m great? ...Okay, maybe I’ll tell you another story sometime.”
If I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t looking forward to listening to a bunch of long, depressing stories. But if Kuroha could be satisfied by telling me all these old stories, I would be happy to listen to her.
“I look forward to it.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re the only one who can say that, Onii-chan...”
......——
“Well, that’s surprising. Your family’s library is underground, just like ours-noda!” the professor said.
“The Choumabayashi library is also underground?” I asked.
“That’s right! My brother was always in there whenever he was at home-noda.”
“Kuroha only did that when she was depressed... But Mr. Bedhead basically lived in there, huh?”
“Yeah. Anyway, you sure did a number on her, Imose-kun.”
“What do you mean?”
“You slayed her good-noda.”
“I don’t really understand what you mean.”
“I have a little bit of an idea now why Kuro-chan is so all over you now-noda. To Kuro-chan, you’re the only one she has-noda.”
“?”
“Nii’s the only one for me, too!” interrupted Miru.
“It is a fact that Gin-kun is Miru-chan’s older brother. But he is not all. Your true older brother just showed up a little late. And who might that be? It is I!” exclaimed Odaira-sensei.
“End your existence and become a star,” Miru snarled.
“Oooh...”
......——
After Kuroha finished, it was my turn.
“Okay, this time let me tell you a story, Kuroha!” I cried.
“Huh? Do you have a book with you?”
“No.” There were pieces of paper and pens strewn on the floor, but no books.
“Then what are you going to do?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m gonna make up the story myself.”
“Onii-chan, you can think up a story?”
“After listening to you, Kuroha, I’m getting all kind of ideas.”
Even from the other side of the door, I could sense she was surprised.
“You’re different from me, Onii-chan. When I read a story, it makes me want to read more. But it makes you want to tell your own stories.”
“Yeah, maybe? Anyway, listen... Once upon a time, there was a pair of black pantyhose.”
“...Huh?”
“When the black pantyhose woke up, he did 50 sit-ups to make sure that he didn’t get any belly, as he was concerned about how girls viewed him.”
“Wait. A pair of pantyhose doesn’t have a figure. And it’s not human. I don’t think it could do a sit-up...”
“The village of pantyhose was in a place overflowing with natural beauty. It was SHINRIN park on the TOUBU TOUJOU line in SAITAMA. It was a big park, so le
t’s rent bicycles there.”
“Onii-chan, since when did you get so familiar with SAITAMA? You said it was overflowing with natural beauty, but SAITAMA is still a big city. I heard that from a kid who had moved out from there.”
“The black pantyhose was loitering in front of the train station, wondering, ‘I wonder if my ideal girl is out there, somewhere?’ He was muttering to himself, ‘I want to be put on the legs of some girl, soon.’ He seemed down in the dumps, and his steps were dragging along the ground. Every once in a while, he would scream.”
“This pair of pantyhose seems like trouble. When you say that he screamed out once in a while, do you mean, like, with that sound that pantyhose makes when it tears?”
“The pantyhose noticed a girl that was perfect for him. That girl was angrily reading a book that used kanji in the park, and felt smart about herself after she had told some other kids about how wrong they were. And this cheeky girl was definitely not based on a real person.”
“I-I knew it! I knew that’s what you really thought of me! How cruel!”
“The black pantyhose wanted to be worn by this girl, and fantasized about it. Her skin, so white, so smooth and wrinkle-free, in the spring of her youth... Oh, to wrap such flesh all around... The girl was still young, so her limbs would react to the pressure by trying to grow. Pantyhose would control a young leg’s impulse to get bigger, and the moment when the muscle would twinge would bring him unrivaled pleasure. It would be truly a great joy for him.”
“Th-This isn’t you, Onii-chan! Someone has possessed you! Please, bring back my Onii-chan!”
“The pantyhose wrapped the legs of the girl. The girl thought they were warm. The pantyhose said, ‘Don’t be lonely. No matter how tough it might be, I’ll be with you. Because you have a big brother,’ and then reached out with a hand like a boy’s and petted the girl on the head. When the big brother stood up next to his little sister, she was drawn to the swings. Their shadows grew long in the setting sun. The brother and sister quietly held hands.”
“...The pantyhose turned into a boy like nothing happened at all.”
“The end.”
“The end?!”
I could tell how dumbfounded Kuroha was on the other side of the door.
“At the end there, I added a bit about what I wanted to say. Did you get that?”
“...Y-Yeah.”
“I wanted to say that one of these days I’m going to write a story where the main character is a pair of pantyhose.”
“What?! How was I supposed to get that? It wasn’t trying to cheer me up?”
“The pantyhose won’t become a human. It’ll really be a story where a pair of pantyhose is the main character.”
“......Does it take place in the future? I don’t get it. Tell me a more normal story.”
How selfish you are, Kuroha. But to satisfy the selfish desires of your little sister is the role of a big brother. I went right into my next story.
“Okay. I’ll tell you another one, then. A boy meets a girl, sees her panties, fights with her, makes up with her, and they tie the knot. The end.”
“That’s it?!”
“Yeah.”
Kuroha let out a snort, and started to lecture me. “It’s too short and too easy to understand. The complicated stories in these old books are way better.”
“...I see. But is being easy to understand really such a bad thing?”
Kuroha wasn’t able to respond. I sensed that she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. Her silence went on for too long.
What’s the problem? Fine, I’ll change the subject.
“Kuroha, making stories sure is fun. I would have never found that out if it weren’t for you. Thanks.”
“Because of me?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh...”
I could tell that Kuroha had really calmed down on the other side of the door. Maybe she’ll finally come out now? I waited for a little bit, but she didn’t open the door.
“Kuroha, are you still in there?” I asked.
“...”
Maybe she’s embarrassed to come out? I wonder if there’s some way I can get her to want to come out...
Oh, that’s right!
While we had been talking, I had taken one of the pens and paper on the floor and had written something without really thinking about it. This will do the trick!
“Kuroha, I have something I want to show you. Come on out.”
And then...
With a clatter, the lock opened and Kuroha came out from the underground library. Kuroha’s eyebrows were arched, and she was looking up at me. Maybe she was embarrassed with her eyes still puffy from crying, because she rubbed her hands in the corner of her eyes a number of times.
She doesn’t usually come out when crying.
“Here, I wrote this while we were talking.” I handed Kuroha the piece of paper I was holding.
I had written my own style of character for a boy and a girl.
“What is this, some sort of illustration?”
“It’s not an illustration. It’s prose. It’s the last scene where you and I are holding hands in the sunset.”
As Kuroha took the paper from me, she crossed her eyes and looked at what I’d written.
“I wouldn’t be able to tell if you hadn’t said so. Actually, even now I don’t really get it.”
“You can understand once you get used to it.”
“Are you telling me to learn how?”
“Yeah.”
Kuroha didn’t seem particularly satisfied with that and cleared her throat, but then quickly smiled.
“Fine, then. I’m probably the only person who could understand your stories anyway, Onii-chan.”
......——
Back in the family restaurant, everyone was quietly listening to my story.
“And that’s how it happened. Well, things like that happened quite a bit, actually,” I finished.
“Kuro-chan was right on the edge, wasn’t she-noda?” the professor asked. “If you hadn’t been there for her, Imose-kun, she might have turned out like my brother-noda.”
“When you say ‘like your brother,’ what do you mean exactly?” I asked.
“Saying, ‘It’s not me that’s wrong, it’s everyone and everything else around me that’s wrong.’ That’s the kind of person he is-noda!”
The professor sure doesn’t mince words when it comes to Mr. Bedhead. They seemed to have almost completely cut off relations, a stark contrast to my relationship with Kuroha.
It’s true that Mr. Bedhead is wrong, but yet...
“Don’t you think you should try to understand Mr. Bedhead a little better?” I asked.
“No. My brother’s decided to walk his own path, and there ain’t anything I can do about it-noda!” The professor clearly didn’t have any intention of attempting to repair her relationship with Mr. Bedhead.
“It’s a tough position to be in when your little sister doesn’t understand you,” Odaira-sensei cut in. “In my case, my little sisters all understand me, since they’ve stayed with me for all this time! Sometimes they disagree with each other, and then they’re all running around in confusion and need a little adjustment. When that happens, I always end up having the hardest time consoling them and getting them back in line.”
Odaira-sensei was wiggling his body back and forth in a gesture that was probably supposed to be him being pulled from the right and left by his little sisters.
“Nii, let’s ignore the geezer’s self-delusions,” suggested Miru.
Of course, I have no intention of getting in the way of his creative process. I turned from Odaira-sensei back to the professor. “...Where do you think Mr. Bedhead is?”
“When you consider his personality, I doubt he came to this time period without a map of some sort-noda,” the professor said. “He’s probably planning something...”
“What should we do if we end up not being able to find him?” I asked.
“If it comes down to that, then I’ll have to make new marshmallows-noda. I can make them two more times-noda. Once the marshmallows that he has go past their expiration date, he won’t be able to act any more-noda. Then we can finish it-noda!”
It seemed like Mr. Bedhead wasn’t aware of the expiration date, either. The professor looked confident in her plans for victory.
“Ah, yes! Why don’t I show you the marshmallow-making equipment as a special treat-noda?” added the professor, who then stuck her hand into the little bag she had on the front of her waist.
“Huh...?” She turned pale. “I-It’s not there-noda!”
I was left speechless. You’ve got to be kidding me! I started to grin despite myself. I mean, you’re telling me that of all the most crucial, important things she could lose... This had to be some sort of a prank.
Pale as a ghost, the professor continued to rummage around in her bag muttering, “It’s not there, it’s not there...”
She really lost it?!
“It’s not there... You mean we can’t go back to the future?! What kind of equipment was it?”
“It’s the Meguri Gun-noda.”
“What?! That gun you had?”
“That’s right-noda. That gun was actually the equipment I need to make the marshmallows-noda...” The professor bit her lower lip.
“Naotaro’s apartment,” said Miru, calmly, as she looked at the professor with a cold stare.
That’s right... When the professor was trying to make friends with Naotaro-san, she took out a bunch of her items.
“I remember that, as well. I suspect you forgot it in his room,” added Yuzu-san.
The professor brought her hand to her chest, and let out a deep sigh. “Sorry for freaking out there-noda. I thought my heart was gonna stop-noda!”
“You’ve always been the forgetful sort, Choumabayashi-kun,” commented Odaira-sensei.
Everyone felt quite relieved. But then, we heard a ringing sound.
Is it someone’s cell phone?
Yuzu-san answered her phone with a, “Yes?”
Yuzu-san looked around at us and asked, “Um, which one of us is our ‘leader’?” for some reason.
We haven’t really decided on anything like that, but if you forced me to choose, I’d say it was Odaira-sensei, as he has seniority.
My Little Sister Can Read Kanji: Volume 2 Page 9