His own little sister, like as in jimai? He’s going to go from being “Gimai Odaira” to being called “Jimai Odaira”!
“Okay, let’s get to it, then. Onii-sama, Onii-samaaaa!” Odaira-sensei buried himself in my stomach.
“Back off, geezer,” said Miru, immediately trying to pry us apart.
“Miru-chan, don’t be so mad. I’ll give you marshmallows,” said a smiling Odaira-sensei, trying to calm Miru down.
At the mention of marshmallow, Miru seemed to look happy. She was placated in an instant.
“Speaking of which...” Odaira-sensei seemed to have remembered something. “I figured out what caused us to travel through time.”
...Whaaaaaat?! I’m shocked! For real?
“It was the marshmallows,” he said.
“Marshmallows... You mean the small white sweet snacks we ate? Those marshmallows?” I asked, stunned.
“Yes, those marshmallows. Think back. We all ate the marshmallows right before we traveled through time, remember?”
Now that he mentioned it, I realized it was true. Both the time when we had travelled to the 21st century and the time when we had come back, we had eaten the marshmallows right beforehand.
“So something happens to us that makes us travel through time whenever we eat marshmallows?”
“No, only with those special marshmallows. They were sent from a scientist friend of mine. It seems like they allow you to travel through time.”
Scientist? Could it be...
“Is it Professor Choumabayashi?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s her.”
I remembered the first day I had met Odaira-sensei. He had spoken on the phone with Professor Choumabayashi.
“They allow you to go to any place and time you wish,” he explained. “She told me something about wormholes and singularities and whatnot, but I’m not a specialist in that field and didn’t really understand.”
“Then, the marshmallows we ate in the past...?”
“They were the ones I had given Miru as a present.”
I see. Miru had Sensei’s marshmallows in her bag when we went back in time.
“That’s nuts. Why didn’t you tell us something important like this earlier?” asked Kuroha, critically.
“I realized it only after we had come back here. I had missed an email I got from Choumabayashi-kun. Those marshmallows were a present for my birthday, it seems.”
“What the hell is she doing giving you a weird birthday present like that?” Kuroha asked in disbelief.
“Oh, it was a present. The email said I could use the marshmallows to go back and meet my first love, but my first love wasn’t 3D.”
“And the way you look now? Is that also thanks to the marshmallows?”
“It’s a side effect that happens to people older than 65.”
“What, is it based on your pension eligibility?” Kuroha laughed bitterly.
I began to laugh too, but Miru asked a question. “Nii, are you gonna go over there to play again?”
“Go play?”
“At Yuzu’s place. We could go with the marshmallows.”
Ah, that’s right! If we ate the professor’s marshmallows, we could travel through time. I could meet Yuzu-san again! I was almost going to explode with glee...
“They’re all gone,” said Odaira-sensei, sadly. “And they’re quite difficult to make, it seems.”
Oh, no... So disappointed... Like, totally disappointment city. My shoulders slumped as much as they could.
There wasn’t anything that could be done. They were almost like magic, after all, so making them must take an incredible amount of time and money. I couldn’t be so selfish and think only of myself. I didn’t want to give up, but right now, it was...
I was about to crush the hope that once again had risen within me, and I shook my head slightly.
Yuzu-san...
plop
A strange sound came from the edge of the yard.
What was that? We looked over at where the sound had come from.
It was a person. A person had collapsed on the grass on the yard. A girl, by the look of it.
I could see that she was blonde and was wearing a black katyusha. She had on a school sweater and a pleated skirt. Isn’t that the uniform for Hakumei Academy?
My heart lept.
I remembered that girl. In fact, I had been thinking about her just now!
“Yuzu-san?!” I ran over to her, and grabbed her in my arms.
She had her eyes closed, and she groaned “Unn...”
“Yuzu-san, Yuzu-san!” After I shook her, she regained consciousness.
“...Gin-san...?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
She slowly opened her eyes, and began to focus.
“Gin-san!” Fully awake, she threw her arms around my neck and held me tight.
W-W-Whoa there, Yuzu-san! I could feel her soft body through her clothes, and it was getting me excited.
“I wanted to see you again, Gin-san, so I...” Scattered around Yuzu-san were marshmallows and a plate.
Yuzu-san must have eaten one of the marshmallows! And not only that, she took the rest of them with her! Good job, Yuzu-san! I was so proud of her, tears started to well up in my eyes.
“I... I was so lonely, I thought I was going to die...”
“I’m sorry. I won’t leave you alone again.”
“Right! It’s a promise!” She hugged me even tighter. We embraced, and I could feel her soft, warm body.
Ah, this is actually real. I was able to see Yuzu-san again! I’ll never let you go!
“Hold it!” Someone was pulling on my arms from behind. It was Kuroha. And she was pulling pretty damn hard.
I let go of Yuzu-san.
“Enough with the clinginess,” Kuroha said. “We need to check whether she’s hurt or not.”
“R-Right. Yuzu-san, are you okay?”
“Yes.” She stood up and stretched her legs. There didn’t seem to be any problems with her physically.
“Hey, Yuzu-kun. We blonde girls need to stick together, right?” Odaira-sensei pulled on his twin-tails, as if showing off his hair to Yuzu-san.
“Oh, hello, Sensei.”
“This time, it’s our turn to take care of you.”
“You will?”
“Of course. What would you like to do, Yuzu-kun? Do you want to live here?”
In other words, did she want to give up her life in the 21st century and live here in the 23rd century? It must not have been an easy decision for her, but Yuzu-san showed no hesitation at all in her answer.
“Yes!”
“H-Hey. Can you really just say that? What about your parents?” Kuroha seemed a bit nervous.
“My parents would be glad that I was gone. I mean, I’m thankful that they raised me and all, but...” Yuzu-san trailed off for a moment, and then continued, “but there is something more important to me here,” with confidence.
Perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought that Yuzu-san had glanced over at me when she said that.
Kuroha winced a little bit, but replied with, “I see.”
“As long as we have the marshmallows we can go back whenever we want, so there’s no reason to think so hard about it,” added Odaira-sensei lightheartedly.
If an adult like Sensei could think it was the right decision, then Yuzu-san should feel confident.
“Gin-san, I’m in your care now.”
“Yes! I’ll do my best.”
Yuzu-san stood in front of me and bowed deeply. I bowed in return, but jerkily, as I was strangely embarrassed for some reason.
But then, Miru tugged on my clothes. “Nii, is Yuzu-san gonna come to our house?”
“I hope so. But we’ll have to convince Mom and Dad.”
“Feel free to use my house if you’d like,” said Odaira-sensei, but Kuroha was against it.
“I wouldn’t want even Yuzu-san to have to live together with Sensei. She can come live with us. That’s for t
he best.”
“Better to keep a close eye on them, right, Nee?” added Miru.
“That’s not it. I’m just worried about her well being, that’s all!” Kuroha dismissed Miru’s statement quite forcefully.
Yuzu-san had not been able to sit still this whole time, and was looking at me on and off. I realized that Yuzu-san wasn’t carrying anything with her at all.
“In any case, it looks like we will have a bit of moving to do, I think. Is there anything you need from your house, Yuzu-san?”
“Yes. Like my jersey and my apron...”
“Yuzu-kun, I have a humble request to make of you. Could you find it in your heart to allow me to bring me your used randoseru?” asked Odaira-sensei.
“My randoseru? I think I still have it, so sure.”
Odaira-sensei’s eyes lit up. “I shall go and help you. I must get that treasure without a second’s delay!”
“I’ll go and help, too,” I said.
“Miru will go!” said Miru.
We all said we’d go, but Kuroha threw cold water on the plan. “Aren’t the marshmallows really precious? We can’t just use them so casually.”
“Well, they are precious, but look at how many we have!” I looked at the plate of marshmallows Yuzu-san had, and saw it was piled high. I showed it to Kuroha.
“...Fine, then.” Kuroha gave in, defeated.
“Then it’s moving time, or rather, moving-through-time time!”
☆
Yes, even I was completely amazed by what I had witnessed.
Odaira had transformed into a little girl, barely weened from her mother’s breast, and then another girl had appeared out of thin air. Based on what I had seen before my own eyes, though yet mere conjecture, I could believe that their story had not been a lie.
Odaira had said, “Ever since I went to the past, my thinking has changed.”
Could he have been any more arrogant? It was nothing but the majority taking pity on the minority! Despicable, the lot of them.
And that brat, with his uniform clearly out of place in this time, really gets my gut. He seemed oh so jovial surrounded by all his little girls. The worst of all was how he was so beloved by his little sisters.
Take my own little sister, for consideration. Could anything in this world be a more unfair comparison?
No, it matters not anymore. Nor do I need to blackmail Odaira. For I have obtained some crucial information. I must thank the fools for spilling their secrets outdoors.
I Want to Have Onii-chan’s Baby — Just saying the name of the book makes me ill. The contents were the most banal as they come, but its effect on the world was enormous. And it was a turning point not just for literature, but for our entire culture.
What if something else had been born from this turning point instead?
Until a moment ago, I could never have imagined such a possibility. But their conversation has laid open a new path before me. All I need is to do something to that manuscript which became the basis for the novel. I, yes I, shall correct the culture of Japan. I shall restore the great will of my ancestors, and the world shall once again recognize my own talent.
I can obtain for myself that small white confection. And then, what I must do is clear. Now is the time when I do my duty to change fate.
Now, we rebel!
Chapter 5 - Stories Transcend Time
We travelled through time once again to Yuzu-san’s house. The first thing she did was to write a letter to her parents. Odaira-sensei suggested she write that she was going “on a long journey.”
As in, life is an endless journey? Sensei sure is a poet!
After that, we all went to Yuzu-san’s room and helped with the moving. It didn’t take long to collect all her things. Yuzu-san really wasn’t very picky about what she was bringing, and we managed to fit everything into a single suitcase.
“And then, before I forget...” Yuzu-san took out a red book bag from the back of the closet. “Sensei, here you go! My randoseru.”
“Ooooooooooooh!” Odaira-sensei was on cloud nine. He immediately put on the randoseru and began running around the center of the room with his arms outstretched like an airplane. It was like he was still a kid on the inside. He was actually kind of cute.
“Okay, now it’s Miru-chan’s turn!” he said. “Put on the randoseru!”
“No. It’ll just get in the way.”
“Please, just do it! If it’s getting in the way, then you can just take off your clothes instead, okay?” Odaira-sensei pleaded to Miru with both hands clasped.
It’s rare to see Sensei this desperate.
“Miru, this might help Sensei with his work. Just put it on,” I said.
“...If you say so, Nii.” Miru put on the randoseru.
Odaira-sensei’s eyes went bloodshot and bulged out of his head when he saw Miru. “Th-Th-This must be captured for posterity! Yuzu-kun, do you have a camera, perhaps?”
“I think my brother had one. Please wait here.” Yuzu-san left the room. After a little bit, she returned holding a square black camera. It seemed like a polaroid that he used when playing “little piggy.”
When Odaira-sensei took a picture with it, the camera spit out the photo immediately. He grabbed it without hesitation. “Hahhh... I can’t get enough... I think I might be turning...”
Odaira-sensei put the photo up to his cheek, and then grabbed a pen on top of the desk. After confirming the date and time, her wrote them on the white margin of the photo.
201X/6/17 3:33 PM Taken by Onii-chan (currently in body of girl)
“Today was Miru-chan’s first time. How bittersweet. Why doesn’t everyone write something?” asked Odaira-sensei.
“Honestly, I don’t even know what to say,” Kuroha said, staring at Odaira-sensei with exasperation, but her expression changed and she looked toward the corner of the room. Following her gaze, I saw a silver box laying on the floor.
It was Yuzu-san’s treasure box.
Kuroha asked Yuzu-san for permission, and then opened the box to look at what was inside.
“Kuroha, what are you looking so intently at?” I asked.
“Yuzu-san’s picture and the manuscript for Ani MAJI Mania. Both of these are crucial for what will become Oniaka. I want to make sure that Gura writes it, after all.”
“Um, what was Oniaka again?” asked Yuzu-san. “Gin-san said something about it before, I think.”
“The full title is I Want to Have Onii-chan’s Baby, and —” Kuroha explained, but Yuzu-san suddenly interjected in a loud voice.
“Kuroha-san, I didn’t think you’d say such a thing already!”
“What? No, it’s a novel, a novel! That’s the book’s title!”
“Oh, yes, that’s right. Sorry, I got a little anxious there.” For some reason Yuzu-san seemed relieved.
Okay! We’re all ready, so it’s about time to go back.
“Miru, you’ve got the marshmallows?” I asked.
Miru nodded, and took them out of her backpack. I took one from her, and was about to eat it.
Hmm? I felt like someone was looking at me from behind in the hallway. After looking around, everyone was in front of me. Then who was it I felt looking at me?
I turned around, but no one was there, just an empty hallway. We were the only ones here, so perhaps it was just my imagination.
“Nii, what’s wrong?” asked Miru.
“Nothing.” I popped a marshmallow into my mouth.
We returned to the 23rd century. When I regained consciousness, I was in Odaira-sensei’s living room.
I must have begun to get used to time travel, because I was barely out at all. Humans are very adaptable creatures. However, Yuzu-san had time travelled three times in rapid succession, and it seemed to have taken a toll on her. Odaira-sensei suggested that we take a rest on the couch, and we all plopped down.
I was worried about Yuzu-san, but when I looked at her, she smiled energetically at me.
“I’m going to be liv
ing in the same time period as you from now on, Gin-san.”
“Yeah. There are plenty of things you can’t get in the 21st century here. For instance — Sensei, I’d like to let her read Oniaka. Could I borrow a copy?”
“Sure. I’ll bring it here,” said Odaira-sensei, and he left the living room. I figured he was going to get the book from his library.
“The heroine of Oniaka is named Homyura, you see. I bet you’ll be really surprised when you see her picture, Yuzu-san.”
“Why?”
“Just wait, and you’ll see.”
“She’s a girl that Onii-chan really got into, you know...” added Kuroha.
“Oh, my... So if I look at her, I’ll be able to find out what Gin-san’s type is?”
Is that the case? Homyura looked exactly like Yuzu-san, but her personality was different. She was a little loud-mouthed and not honest with herself.
“Gyahhhhhhhhhh!”
Wh-Wh-Wha...?
Without warning, a scream rang out from the hallway. Was that Sensei’s voice?
Immediately afterward, I heard the sound of footsteps running down the hall, and Odaira-sensei dashed into the living room.
“L-Look at this!” Sensei brought out a book as he sat down on the couch.
A girl that looked like Yuzu-san was on the cover. At first I thought it was Oniaka, but I was wrong. The picture was a lot more plain and simple. I would almost call it cold.
The book was titled 星辰 (seishin/the stars).
I can’t read it.
Odaira-sensei flipped through the pages, and we looked inside.
The innumerable stars twinkled in the sky, bathing the land in their light.
My heart churned with such force, I could do naught but stand there, motionless.
The wind bellowed and blew, but I was not cold. It was just an all-too-familiar, unwelcome wind accosting my cheeks.
“I can’t read it at all... Is this modern literature, perhaps?”
“This book has replaced my copy of Oniaka. I’ve never seen it before.”
“And Oniaka wasn’t there?”
“No.”
“Geezer’s finally lost it,” said Miru.
“It wasn’t just Oniaka... More than half of the books on my bookshelves have changed. Most of them now have kanji in their titles.”
My Little Sister Can Read Kanji: Volume 1 Page 15