a piece of advice from one of brother 2

On Saturday mornings, breakfast was a self-service affair to give their father, who usually handled the meal preparation, a break. Hiro also woke up later than usual and was sluggishly munching on toast in the living room.

After quickly finishing his meal and cleaning up, Sakura entered the living room at a sluggish pace.

"Oh, look who it is! If it isn't the star student! Just one slice of toast for breakfast? Are you too busy studying to prepare a proper meal? That won't do; your brain will run out of nutrients! Or does it mean you have so much extra time? Are you trying to show me how far ahead you are?" Ever since Hiro informed Sakura of his good grades, Sakura has been like this constantly. Hiro, for his part, had only wanted to express his gratitude for the good advice, but it seemed he had ended up hurting the rōnin's sensitive heart.

All Hiro could do was resolve never to mention his grades in front of Sakura again. However, during the weekend, Hiro knew that no matter how firmly he resolved, he could not protect Sakura's heart.

"Hello, brothers! The popular guy of this house is back! The only star of hope rising from this stagnant countryside has arrived!" It had arrived. Sakura flinched and tried to leave the spot, but he was held in place.

The person who grasped Sakura was Kano, the brother closest to Hiro in age. He currently lived in a dormitory as he attended a school far from home. Returning on weekends was his routine.As for why he was living away from home—

"The family member who was unfortunately too talented to find a suitable school locally and had to leave home has returned! Shouldn't we cherish our time together more? Oh, wait, An-chan is busy, right? Because he failed the university entrance exam! Though I can't understand why he would fail to get into a university of that level. Did he stop to save a pregnant woman who was ill on the way to the exam or something?"

As the person himself claimed, Kano was academically superior not only among his siblings but on a national level. Having passed the entrance exam for a high-level high school that he personally deemed worthy, he had left home this spring. Even though his very existence was enough to provoke the rōnin's inferiority complex, his personality made him simply unbearable for Sakura.

"We had the same conditions, so there's no reason An-chan shouldn't be able to study..." "Ani-kun! Are there things you wish you had done, or wish you hadn't done, when you were in junior high school?" Unable to stand seeing Sakura being unilaterally tormented, Hiro cut in and steered the conversation to a new topic.

Hiro introduced a new subject, cutting into the conversation, as he couldn't stand seeing Sakura being unilaterally tormented.

"Huh? For me, a man currently enjoying great success, such things are..." Kano raised an eyebrow, grinned mockingly, and settled heavily onto the sofa.

"That was Dad's advice: that if I get advice from someone older, I gain the same advantage as if I were reincarnated, so I've been asking everyone what they regret. An-chan told me that classes get a little harder starting in junior high, so I should study, and my grades actually improved because of that." Though Hiro had intended to praise Sakura for giving helpful advice, he was only met with a stifled laugh from Kano. "Why bother studying? You should understand it just by sitting and listening to the class, right?"

Indeed, Hiro had never seen Kano study at home for tests or high school entrance exams. Yet, the fact that he achieved better grades than anyone else was a jab even to Hiro, who had not attained the top spot despite staying behind at school to study.

Furthermore, it resulted in a groan from Sakura, who had been trying to slip away while the two of them were talking. And that, in turn, triggered his counterattack.

"Hold on a minute, you talk as if you've never made a single mistake in your life. But you have, haven't you? Why don't you explain to me why you bother coming all the way home every single break?"

Kano was visibly shaken by this. He dropped the smartphone he had been fiddling with, and in an attempt to retrieve it, he tumbled off the sofa. "What's the big deal? It's fine for me to come home, isn't it?" Seeming to sense Kano's panic, Sakura turned his body back toward the room—which he had been about to leave—and smirked with a spiteful look on his face.

"It's right after the start of school, a time full of new encounters. Why don't you spend time with the friends you've made at high school? Why do you bother coming home every single time? Go on, say it! Say, 'My personality is so bad I couldn't fit into the new environment.' Say, 'I was getting cocky because I was smart, but now that I'm at a high school where everyone is on the same level, I've lost my identity!'"

Kano's eyes immediately filled with tears. "It can't be helped! Even if you call it a new environment, not all the students are in the same situation. Only two other people besides me came to that high school from this kind of countryside, but the kids from other areas are already solidified in groups from cram schools and whatnot. I didn't need to study specially to pass the exam, so I've never participated in study groups, and I won't need to go forward, either!"

"I held study sessions with my friends where I taught them, and it was fun," Hiro cut in. Kano immediately glared at him. "Don't compare them to your stupid friends." Hiro was angered by that remark, but he didn't need to counterattack himself.

"Don't compare them? Compare Hiro's friends to yours? You're right, there's no way they could ever be compared! Because you haven't made a single friend even once, not just since you left the area for high school, but even here!" Kano's eyes were filled with tears and he was biting his lip, yet Sakura showed no sign of letting up.

"The answer is obvious just from the fact that you shut yourself up at home on your precious days off without any plans. Your only playmates are your brothers... Urgh." The blade of his merciless, sharp words seemed to have deeply wounded Sakura's own heart as well. He groaned and then fell silent. It made Hiro sad just to watch, so he decided to cut in once more. "So, is Ani-kun's advice 'Make friends,' then?"

If he had been told to "Make friends," Hiro would probably have been troubled. "I do have friends. They don't stay behind to study with me on weekdays, but we've made plans to hang out during the break. Although the errand to go choose clothes that appeal to girls makes me go 'Ugh,' though."

"Well, normally you wouldn't like that, would you? I was worried when you were alone again, but I'm glad to hear you're managing fine." Shiga-sensei chuckled lightly while finishing up some work at the neighboring desk. "So, what advice did your brother actually give you?"

Since Hiro was soliciting advice in the form of something the person regretted, if Kano had said "Make friends," it would have meant admitting his own regret about the matter. Due to his pride, Kano refused to say it.

"He said, 'Get a girlfriend.' It's a difficult assignment—how I should interpret that and apply it to myself, especially since I've already had a conflict with my friends because I don't understand that kind of thing."

Having spent several days together like this, Shiga-sensei had come to understand that Hiro possessed a somewhat childish side. She nodded with a cheerful smile. "He still finds it more enjoyable to hang out with guys than to hang out with girls, doesn't he? Or perhaps he just doesn't know what he's supposed to do with a girl?" Remembering that there was a time she consciously avoided similar things herself, she listens with an amused smile.

"I feel like I should be getting a girlfriend or boyfriend when I'm much older."

Shiga-sensei almost reflexively blurted out, "Just because you're an adult doesn't mean finding a partner is easy," but managed to restrain herself at the last moment. It wasn't a topic to broach with a student, and any discussion stemming from it would only devolve into complaining.

Fortunately, Hiro continued speaking without noticing her hesitation.

"But he told me that was wrong. He said that partners you meet as an adult might not be who they seem, and you can never be sure what kind of past they have, so it's better to stick with someone you've known since you were a kid." Shiga-sensei let out an exasperated sigh. "But your brother is still a high school student too, isn't he? He's definitely still a kid." "Apparently, he just doesn't like the idea that she might have dated someone else before him." This time, she let out an even deeper sigh. "You probably don't have to put too much faith in what your brother says."

For Hiro, this was roughly the kind of advice he couldn't accept. Kano had argued that you couldn't trust someone unless you had known them since childhood, but for Hiro, the scarier point was that "no matter what kind of kid someone is now, you never know what kind of adult they'll become." The issue that constantly surfaced was adolescence itself.

No matter how thoroughly he knew, trusted, and cared for a person, the wicked wizard known as adolescence could suddenly transform them into someone else. If that were the case, building relationships now felt inherently hollow.

"But then again, I suppose he’s not entirely wrong." Hearing the unexpected words, Hiro looked over in surprise.

"I don't necessarily sympathize with his reasoning, but wouldn't you want to meet someone special as early as possible? You could even say that the very expectation that they'll remain important to you in the future is what makes the relationship special in the first place." Since Hiro also vaguely assumed he would "Get married to someone someday." This made sense to him. "So that's what Ani-kun meant." he thought. Misunderstanding slightly, Hiro managed to swallow the advice he’d been given.

"Isn't there anyone in your class who catches your eye?" "...Not really." Just because he now understood the logic behind finding a partner didn't mean he could get started right away. His immediate surroundings were a literal melting pot of adolescence, and even if he were to form a special bond with someone, he might lose it all one day. Recalling the trauma of being abandoned in the past, Hiro shivered and curled into himself.

"What about Nami-san? You guys call each other by your first names, so you must be pretty close, right?"

Normally, you wouldn't call someone by their first name unless you were on very good terms. It was even more significant between a boy and a girl.

"It’s only because we have the same last name. It’s not like we’re actually close or anything. Even though we aren't related, that surname is so common around here that no one would know who you’re talking about if you used it. Even the teachers call me by my first name, don’t they?" "Oh, right. I forgot about that ... .Don't you have a 'type?" "Hmm..."

What kind of type they are isn't the issue, as long as they were in adolescence, the risk of losing them suddenly was infinitely high. In other words—it would be fine as long as they weren't in adolescence.

Hiro snapped out of his thoughts, opened his eyes and gazed at Shiga-sensei beside him. A woman who had already finished adolescence. An adult.

Shiga-sensei remained oblivious to his gaze. "You know, even if you don't feel anything for them at first, as you see them over and over and talk to them every day, feelings can start to grow. That’s just how it happens sometimes…You there?" "Then it should be you, Shiga-sensei." "Who, me?" Shiga-sensei lifted her head, then she looked closely at Hiro.

As far as she could observe, there was no sign that he was joking. However, it was not that he was being intensely serious. "The one I see every day and talk to the most is you, Shiga-sensei. If we spend every day like this, wouldn't special feelings start to grow, and wouldn't we end up in a 'special relationship'?" he was simply saying whatever came to mind without giving it much thought. Because he hasn't entered adolescence yet. In that case, the adult thing to do was to simply brush it off.

"Now, listen. If a teacher who interacts with dozens of students every day feels like that every time, we’d have to form 'special bonds' with the whole classroom, wouldn't we? That's why it doesn't apply to teachers—or anyone acting in a professional role, really. It’s about the positions we hold, not about us as individuals." "I guess you have a point." Seeing Hiro nod in immediate agreement, she felt relieved by how easy he was to handle.

"Someday, you’ll meet someone close to you and think, ‘They’re wonderful.’ You never know what the trigger will be—maybe you'll just find them cute, or something simple like that." However, Hiro remained stubborn.

“I already know that you’re wonderful, Sensei. I think you're cute, and you’re beautiful, too. I think you're the best-looking person in this school—actually, maybe even in the whole town. Anyway, out of everyone I know, you’re the most beautiful.” There was no hidden meaning in his words, so he showed no sign of blushing. Since he wasn't trying to seduce her, there wasn't even a hint of an ulterior motive. Being praised so head-on, Shiga-sensei felt herself becoming slightly shaken.

"Thank you for the compliment. However, I don't exactly approve of judging people based on their looks." "But you're the one who said it, Sensei. Things like 'finding someone cute' can be a trigger." He was right.

Shiga-sensei looked away from Hiro for a moment, trying to regain her composure, but distracting thoughts began to cloud her mind. I wish an adult man—not a student—had wooed me like this... No, wait. If that happened, I’d probably just get on guard and avoid him anyway.

Even so, the fact remained that she had to avoid this situation. Snapping back from her brief escape from reality, Shiga-sensei offered Hiro a gentle smile. "Thank you," she said, before turning her attention back to processing the documents.

"Does that mean you'll be my girlfriend, Sensei?"

"Hardly. Teachers and students do not have those kinds of relationships."

"I don't mind waiting until graduation."

"Goodness, you're certainly being persistent!"

Hiro seemed to have no doubt about his own words and actions. Instead, he furrowed his brows as if he couldn't comprehend her reaction at all. Shiga-sensei let out a sigh and resolved to explain it from the very beginning.

"Listen. I think your attempt to avoid the kind of regret your brother faced is... interesting, in its own way. However, no matter the reason, I cannot be your girlfriend.” Shiga-sensei concluded that she was simply the most accessible person who fit his criteria. There was no need to spare his feelings with vague, gentle words. For someone like him, she decided that being blunt was the only true form of sincerity.

“Even if you are serious about waiting until you grow up, I have no intention of waiting for you. After all, there is absolutely no guarantee that you won't have a change of heart by then." She sat with her hands folded in her lap, looking him straight in the eye as she spoke. Hiro’s face clouded with resentment at first, but then, a sudden realization flickered across his eyes.

"Oh, right. That makes sense." He seemed to have understood, and for a moment, Shiga-sensei felt a sense of relief—but she was wrong. His eyes welled up and overflowed without a sound.

To Shiga-sensei, it looked as though her words had crushed him, and that she had fatally misjudged the depth of his feelings. But the truth was different. For the first time, Hiro truly grasped the weight of adolescence: the fact that everyone must face it, and that he was no exception.

"I see. So no matter what I say now, I won’t be taken seriously. Because I’m just a kid."

For the exact opposite reason Hiro preferred Shiga-sensei over his classmates, he realized that any words he spoke about the future—as someone who hadn't even reached puberty yet—held no more weight than a toddler saying, "I want to be a toy store owner."

What on earth had he been talking about so proudly and shamelessly in front of an adult who could see right through everything? He felt like his face was about to burst into flames.

"Wait, what? Are you... crying? No, it’s not that I dislike you or anything! I just meant that my position as a teacher is reason enough to—wait, are you serious? That’s just because everyone goes through a phase of admiring older people—hey, wait!"

Hiro hurriedly packed his things and rushed out of the classroom. He was simply overwhelmed by the unbearable shame of his own immaturity, but to Shiga-sensei, it didn't look that way at all.

"Seriously... what was I supposed to do there?"

Shiga-sensei stood there dazed, staring at the empty classroom doorway where he had just disappeared. There was no one left in the room to answer her question, nor anyone to turn this failure into a piece of advice.