Foolish Younger Sister

Miyu's POV 

“Hey, Sato-chan, can I tell you something?”

A girl with purple pigtails said as she looked at me with an interesting smile. Her name was Kurumi — my best friend. Or at least, that’s what I thought.

But I’ve learned that friendship isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Friends are supposed to have your back, to be with you through thick and thin. They’re supposed to be like family. That’s what the majority of people believe, including me.

“Drop dead already… you worthless pawn!” Kurumi muttered, her tone filled with disgust.

Turns out, we were all naive about the true nature of friendship. The fact that the last three letters of friend spell e-n-d means that, sooner or later, the so-called friendship will come to an end. And as Lady Luck would have it… my so-called friendship finally reached its conclusion.

She stood in front of me and frowned, her eyes furious like hot flames. For some reason, she was upset, and I couldn't think of anything I might have done to Irk her; which begs the question… was she ever really my friend?

Confused, I questioned her, my tone laced with worry and concern. “What? What are you talking about, Kurumi? Did I do something that upset you, or…?”

The two girls standing behind Kurumi laughed, their faces looking amused and a lot more pleased than usual. Kurumi pushed me with all the force she could muster, and I fell on my booty. Then, she snapped.

“Get with the program already, will ya? You and us — we aren’t friends, and we never will be. We were just using you for our own benefit. Leading you on was fun for a while, but now I just feel pity for you, so we’re cutting you off. You’re not fit to be one of us. You’re just a pathetic loser, Sato!”

I couldn’t look away. Yeah, I’m aware of how that sounds. It sounds like I was captivated, right? For those of you who thought that, shame on you. I’m not that type of girl. I’m very straight. I couldn’t look away because I was shocked; for some reason, I knew they were pretending, I just didn’t want to believe it.

Why would I, when I had so much fun with them? Ahem. They made school fun, and hanging out with them had always been a blast.

Being friends with them… it distracted me from the loneliness my big bro left behind when he started living with Dad. He was everything to me: my true best friend, my lovable older brother. Platonically, of course. Uh-huh, I see you — you thought I had a brother complex. Well, I don’t. But I will admit that I love my brother more than most sisters do.

The people passing by us on the street stared. Their eyes judged the girl on the ground. My expression at that moment was that of a horrified child, but then, I smiled and laughed. I’m not crazy, I swear.

“Uh-haha… hahahah! Well, to be honest with you guys, I knew all along that you were pretending. Because what would such popular girls want from someone like me besides money?”

“What?! If you knew, then why didn’t you say anything? Are you a psycho or something?”

“Not especially, but maybe I could be. Would it be fun to use a psycho like me? Probably, right?”

“It was—” Nagisa, the girl on Kurumi’s left, uttered, her tone distasteful. But before she could finish her sentence, I cut her off.

“That was rhetorical, you idiot.”

“What! Who are you calling an idiot, you slut?!”

“Whoa there, language, sister. And you are an idiot; the fact that you’re calling me something you are confirms your idiocy.” I snickered, gesturing comically at her stupidity and her fat head. Classic rage bait, am I right?

She approached angrily and picked me up roughly from the ground. Yeah, I had been sitting on my butt the entire time.

“No wonder we used you! You loud-mouthed nobody!” she shouted straight into my face, her words literally raining on my cute face.

“Say it, don't spray it. Jeez. Now kindly let me go, please, with cherries on top and your cherry at the tippy-top.”

“What’s wrong with you, you freak! You know what? Forget it. Let’s go, you guys, before her stupidity rubs off on us.” She shoved me away as she blushed and a vein popped on her forehead.

“I think you mean before your stupidity rubs off on me.”

I watched as the three ninjas — or better yet, the three musketeers — tucked their tails between their invaded legs and left me standing there on the sidewalk. My plastic bags full of clothing were resting right behind me.

I’d say I handled that well. What a bunch of jerks, I pondered silently, gesturing at my plastic bags and their flat rears.

Yes, they are flat — unlike mine. I’m packing some serious booty, if I do say so myself. Am I narcissistic? Absolutely… not. I’m just better than them, and that’s a fact. I bet the reason they did this is because all their boyfriends have the hots for me. 

At school, I nerf myself drastically. I wear nerdy glasses, the perfect length skirt — the works. Mostly because I don’t want to stand out. Because the best beauty is concealed beauty… and inner beauty.

But I flopped that one time when I was shopping, naturally. Then Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest saw me out of my uniform. Ever since then, they’ve been after me non-stop, like dogs in heat. Okay, I gotta turn it down a notch now. I feel mean.

As you’ve probably noticed, I’m a little dirty. But hey, it’s better to have a woman who understands the assignment, am I right?

I picked up my bags, dusted myself off, and walked home. The show must go on, right? As I walked, I passed by Takinoue Park and kept going until I could see Gran-gran’s house. Even though I was acting tough, their melodrama hurt more than I expected. This is why I’d rather be one of those loner edgelords you see in anime and manga.

Just then, I made it to the front door and stood for a moment as my sad outlook was slowly concealed under my bright, radiant smile. Then I opened the door, and there he was. I wasn’t expecting him; I had even forgotten him for a while. It had been two years since the last time I saw him.

But to my surprise, he was right there in the kitchen. He was chopping something — most likely veggies. I dropped my bags as my eyes widened. They have it rough, I know.

“Is that you, big bro?”

He looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Of course. Who else would I be?”

He said that with such a high and mighty voice — or maybe that was just me hearing things. But the care and affection behind it couldn't be denied. He left the kitchen and walked up to me; his goofy grin was just as I remembered. His hazel eyes were a little creepy, but they were still full of kindness, that I know.

“Why are your bags dirty?”

“Big bro!!!” I blurted, running and hugging him tightly. It was as if I wanted to squeeze the life out of him as my tears of joy were finally set free. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a crybaby; I’m just a younger sister who’s glad to see her onii-chan again.

“Whoa, did you miss me that much? Weren’t you the one who said they didn’t want to see me again?” he asked, his expression full of amusement.

“I only said that because you left me for Tokyo,” I mumbled. “Baka.”

“It’s good to see you haven’t changed.”

I let go of him and wiped my tears.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming, you jerk?”

“You don’t have a phone, genius.”

“Oh—right. Uh-haha, I forgot.”

“Of course you did. Anyway, I bought you souvenirs.”

“Really?!”

“Yep. Now, praise your big bro.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you cop a feel of these.”

“Hell no!”

“Hahahaha! I was joking.”

“I take it back. It’s not good that you haven’t changed.”

He sighed while heading back to the kitchen, and I followed closely behind. He took a plastic bag and handed it to me.

“Here. Happy belated birthday, you little fool.”

“I’ll let that slide this one time because of the souvenirs. Next time, I’ll drop-kick your family jewels.”

“How can someone with such a cute face be so dark? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I see Mom in you.”

“She and I are basically the same person, so I’m not surprised.”

While we were chatting, Mom entered the kitchen. “I heard my name.”

“Your name’s not 'Mom,' Mom.”

“Oh, hush. Leave your mother alone.”

We laughed as I opened the plastic bag and looked at all the amazing snacks. Then, we went to the dining room and ate, talking and laughing together just like the old days. We hadn’t seen him in two years, and yet… it was as if he had never even left.

[To be continued...]