In a Crowded Room Is Where Silence is Born

Autumn feels unforgiving this time around.

The excitement has finally settled.
The student council president has been announced.

Of course, it’s my sister—Hisame Honoka.
The ever-reliable one.

I still worry about her.
She’s overworking again, handling things that should have been delegated. I don’t really understand what she’s trying so hard to prove—or who she’s proving it to.

That question I asked her back then still lingers in my mind.

I can’t forget the look on her face.

Yaaawn—

“Shinso-kun! Stayed up all night again?”

…Ah. That’s embarrassing. Someone noticed.

“Good morning, Mizuno-san,” I greet her like usual.
“Yeah. I watched a really good anime, then ended up talking about it online.”

“Eh? You like anime, Shinso-kun?” she says, eyes lighting up.
“That’s nice!”

She giggles as we walk.

Then her expression shifts.

“Oh… there they go again,” Mizuno-san says quietly, worry creeping into her voice.
“They’re making it hard for Tanaka-kun to do what he wants.”

Tanaka Kazuki.

He’s earnest. Quiet. Loves reading books.
I don’t really understand why people make things difficult for him.

“Did he do something to them?” I ask.

“I don’t think so,” Mizuno-san replies.
“He just likes novels. And anime too.”

…That’s it?

I glance back.

A group surrounds him—laughter, noise, careless voices pressing in.
And Tanaka stands just slightly outside of it.

Close enough to hear everything.
Far enough to belong nowhere.

My chest tightens.

“Shinso-kun!” Mizuno-san asks brightly.
“Are you excited for the cultural festival?”

“I’m not really sure,” I answer.
“But it’s definitely something to look forward to.”

Things feel heavy lately.

Especially for my sister.

I know this phase well.
These are the hardest days for the student council.

The cultural festival is coming.

And in crowded rooms like these—
silence is born first.

The student council room feels heavier with each passing day.

Everyone is moving—papers scattered across desks, chairs scraping against the floor. Keyboard sounds overlap constantly, sharp and restless.

They’re behind schedule.
Backlogs keep piling up.
And looming over everything—the cultural festival.

I buy coffee and step inside to check on my sister.

There she is.

Tired.
Reliable.
Still not stopping.

“Nee-san,” I say, holding out the cup. “I brought you coffee. You should take a short break.”

“Thanks, So-chan,” she replies without looking up, already reaching for it.

“I can’t right now,” she continues. “I appreciate the concern, but please go.”

She takes a long sip.

“…Ugh. Why did you give me the bitter one?” she snaps.

“That’s your fault,” I say. “You grabbed mine without checking.”

She finally looks at me, clearly trying not to pout. After a moment, she straightens her posture and takes another sip, forcing it down like nothing’s wrong.

Her stare says, You’re dead when we get home.

A chill runs down my spine.

“Wait,” she says.

She gathers the stack of papers beside her.
“I’ll finish this at home.”

Then—

“I’m coming with you, Shinso.”

…She still isn’t stopping.

Thus, my fear has nowhere left to go.

I’ve seen this before.

Reliable people don’t break loudly.
They disappear quietly—one day they’re just… gone.

I couldn’t do anything back then.
I was too young. Too slow to understand what was happening.

Even now, the memory still stings.

And this time, it’s happening to someone close to me.

Someone I grew up following.
Someone who always stood in front.

I might be older than her in some ways now—but that doesn’t change what she is to me.

I feel like I need to do something.

“So-chan!” she calls out cheerfully. “Mom and Dad said they’ll be out for a week.”

She smiles like it’s nothing.

“It’ll just be the two of us,” she continues. “So make sure you cook properly and take good care of your onee-chan, okay?”

…She says it like she isn’t the one who’s already carrying too much.

“Dinner’s ready, Nee-san.”

“Ah—just leave it there,” she says without looking up. “You can eat first.”

This again.

“You said that yesterday,” I point out. “You said you’d eat—but you didn’t.”

She pauses, then laughs lightly.
“Okay, okay. You’re being clingy, you know.”

She grins at me. “If you’re this clingy with me, how are you going to get a cute girlfriend?”

I look at her. “Romance isn’t really for me.”

“Eh? I don’t think so,” she says easily. “I can totally imagine you with one.”

“What about you?” I shoot back. “You won’t get a boyfriend like this.”

“Hey—that’s rude,” she says, puffing out her cheeks. “Onee-chan is popular, you know? I just haven’t met anyone worth it.”

I’ve heard the rumors.

Confessions turned away with a smile.
Sometimes rejected so gently, they don’t even realize it was a rejection.

That evening, she actually sits down and eats with me.

The food is still warm.

…And I realize how rare that’s become.

I’m reading messages in our group chat.

Koharu is practically begging me to teach her. If I don’t, Shion will—and I can almost hear the desperation through the screen.

Please please please—

“Okay,” I type back.
“Let’s set it up with Mizuno-san.”

Send.

I feel thirsty, so I head downstairs to get some water.

The house sounds… crowded.

The rustle of papers.
The steady clatter of keys.
A rhythm that doesn’t stop.

There she is.

Still working.

It’s almost midnight.

She doesn’t even notice me come in.

I stand there for a moment, watching.

She feels close—
and somehow impossibly far.

So far it feels like she could vanish if I look away.

…I won’t let that happen.

“Nee-san,” I say softly.
“Are you still working?”

She jolts, spinning around like she’s seen a ghost.

“So-chan! Don’t scare me like that,” she snaps, then sighs.
“We’re running out of time.”

Her phone rings.

I don’t understand everything she’s saying—only the part that hurts.

“Okay,” she says.
“Leave it to me.”

Something tightens in my chest.

“I’ll help you,” I say.
“You can’t say no. This is little-brother privilege.”

She shakes her head immediately.
“No. I can’t let you help. This is my responsibility.”

“…Says who?”

She freezes.

Her gaze drops to the desk.

“Just… do what you want,” she mutters.

I start organizing anyway.

Papers everywhere—urgent mixed with things that can wait. Tasks marked now that clearly don’t need to be.

“Nee-san,” I say, sorting them out,
“these need to be done tonight. These can wait. And these—”

I set a stack aside.

“These can be delegated.”

“Mmm,” she replies, barely nodding.

I pick up one of the urgent papers.

“What happens if this isn’t finished tonight?” I ask.

“…Then it gets delayed.”

“I see. Then why is it still here?”

“Because I’m busy.”

“If you’re busy,” I press gently,
“why not let someone else handle it?”

She doesn’t answer.

Her shoulders tense.

“Nee-san,” I continue, quieter now,
“what happens if you don’t do it yourself?”

Silence.

Then—

“If I don’t do this,” she says, voice shaking,
“If I don’t meet what’s expected of me—”

She stops.

Her breath breaks.

“Then what am I?!”

She covers her face, sitting down hard.

“I’m sorry,” she adds quickly.
“I didn’t mean to yell.”

I'm a bit shocked but as I calm down.
I sit beside her.

“Aren’t you my nee-san?” I say.

She looks up, eyes red.

“You’re amazing. You’re reliable,” I add. “But…”

I stop.

The words feel heavier than I expected.

“…You don’t have to be everything people decide you are.”

She lets out a shaky breath.

“You say that so easily,” she mutters.

“I don’t think it’s easy,” I reply. “I just think you’ve been doing it alone for too long.”

She doesn’t answer.

I hesitate, then continue—more quietly.

“Knowing when to stop… or when to ask for help.”

I glance at her.

“I think that counts as being reliable too.”

For a moment, she just stares at the desk.

Then, unexpectedly, she leans against my shoulder—

stiff, awkward, like she immediately regrets it.

“You’re unfair,” she mutters. “Saying things like you’ve already grown up.”

She lets out a weak laugh.

“Are you trying to charm your own sister now? You little lady-killer.”

My face heats up instantly.

“Stop saying weird things.”

She sniffles, then laughs again—quietly this time.

She stays there only for a few seconds before straightening.

“Don’t grow up so fast,” she says, forcing her usual tone back in place.
“I’m your big sister, remember?”

“That’s a tall order,” I say.

I pause.

“But yeah. You always will be.”

The house goes quiet again.

Not because everything is fixed—

but because, for tonight,

she finally stopped.

As things finally settle down, what comes next is the Cultural Festival.

But—

Before that, there’s a problem.

The infamous Midterm Exams.

Every student has to face them before they’re allowed to enjoy anything fun.

I stop by the Student Council Room.

And there—
I finally see my sister again.

Nee-san is already in command, moving through the room like a general. She’s giving instructions, assigning tasks, making sure everyone knows what they should be doing.

An entire army, neatly organized.

It still needs some polishing—but the atmosphere feels lighter than before.

“Hisame-kun!”
Fujimoto-san waves at me from inside.

“What are you doing here?” she asks.

“Ah—nothing,” I reply. “I was near the faculty room, so I thought I’d check in.”

Then I lock eyes with my sister.

“So-chan,” she says, narrowing her eyes. “Are you here to check on me?”

There’s a teasing glint in her gaze.

…She’s definitely bringing this up later.

“I just passed by, Nee-san,” I say quickly. “Good luck.”

I turn and leave before she can say anything else.

“Hey! No running in the hallway!” she shouts after me.

I meet up with Koharu soon after, and we head to a café with Mizuno-san.

“Shinso-kuuun,” Koharu whines. “Won’t you teach me this?”

“I am teaching you,” I say. “You just aren’t listening.”

“But I still don’t get it,” she replies, shoulders drooping.

“…Fine. What don’t you understand?”

“…Everything.”

This brat.

I glance at Mizuno-san, who’s quietly solving problems beside us without issue.

“Hey, Shinso.”

I look up to see Souta.

“Souta-kun! And Shion-chan!” Koharu beams.

“We thought we’d join your study session,” Souta says. “I think Shion might be able to help.”

“Ah—y-yes,” Shion adds quickly. “That’s fine with me. But teaching Koharu is hard!”

“Hey!” Koharu protests. “You’re all being cruel!”

Mizuno-san stands up a moment later.

“Hisame-kun, I should head home now,” she says. “My mom needs help preparing dinner.”

“Oh—okay,” I reply. “I hope this helped.”

“Yes,” she says with a soft smile. “It really did.”

As she leaves, I feel the others’ eyes on me.

…Why are you all staring?

Anyway, I turn back to Koharu.

Again.
And again.

“Hisame-kun,” Shion says after a while. “You’re actually really good at teaching.”

“Huh?”

“It took me several explanations to get Koharu to understand,” she continues. “You explained it properly in five minutes.”

“Right?” Koharu says proudly. “That’s why I let him teach me!”

“Is that supposed to be an insult?” Shion replies smugly. “At least I know I won’t fail.”

She really is an ojō-sama.

I glance over at Souta—and notice how carefully Shion speaks around him.

…Oh.

I think I’m seeing something interesting.

And somehow, I get the feeling this group is only going to get louder from here.

“Hey. You don’t get to take my lunch.”

I say it a little sharper than intended.

“Eh? What’s the problem?” Koharu grins, already reaching for it. “Just a bite. You cook really well!”

I can feel the eyes on me.

“You still have to ask,” I protest.

Before she can reply, raised voices echo down the hallway.

We both freeze.

Then we run toward the sound.

“Just because you get good grades doesn’t mean you can act all high and mighty.”

A boy with a flashy haircut sneers.

“Yeah,” a girl adds. “Stay away from us, creep.”

Another voice follows.

“Don’t even bump into us, you gross otaku.”

I see him on the floor.

Tanaka Kazuki.

“I—I wasn’t even planning to go with you,” he says, voice shaking.

One of the boys lifts his foot.

People whisper. Someone mentions calling a teacher.

No one moves.

They’re popular.
Everyone knows that.

…So this is how the hierarchy works.

I step forward.

“Oh,” I say calmly. “That’s actually a pretty interesting thing to say.”

The boy turns toward me. “Who the hell are you?”

“That doesn’t matter,” I reply. “I’m just curious.”

I glance around.

“Is this really the best you can do?” I ask lightly. “Ganging up on someone who’s already on the ground?”

He clenches his jaw. “What are you even talking about?”

I tilt my head.

“Look around,” I say. “Everyone’s watching. So—what’s your next move?”

The hallway goes quiet.

Uneasy.
Restless.

“Tch. Whatever,” one of them mutters. “Let’s just go.”

The girl stares at me a moment longer before turning away.

Koharu rushes over.

“Hey, idiot!” she hisses. “That was scary!”

I nod toward Tanaka.

“You should check on him.”

Then I walk away.

Behind me, Koharu’s voice cuts through the noise—bright, natural.

“Wait—what? You read this too? I like that one! I have a copy, but I haven’t read the latest volume yet.”

A pause.

“Do you want to be friends, Tanaka-kun?”

“…Is that really okay?”

“Of course it is,” Koharu replies. “That’s not weird at all, right?”

I don’t hear the rest.

I’m already down the hall.

But when I glance back once—

Tanaka is standing again.

And Koharu is talking like nothing strange ever happened.

Tomorrow, there will probably be rumors about me.

…That’s fine.

I can feel the heat of exam week now.

Everyone’s under pressure.
Everyone’s tense.

And here I am, meeting Koharu and the others to help them study.

“Shinsoooo-kuuun!”

Koharu’s voice cuts through the hallway.

Beside her is someone familiar.

Tanaka Kazuki.

…it looks like they really did become friends.

“Shinsoooo-kuuun!” she shouts again.

“Shut up,” I say. “You’re being way too noisy.”

“Eh? That’s cruel!” she pouts. “Anyway—can Tanaka-kun join us?”

“Of course,” I reply. “Why wouldn’t he?”

As we stand there, I start to notice it.

Whispers.
Side glances.

Eyes drawn toward me.

So this is it—the thing I knew would come after what I did.

…That’s fine.

“Hisame-kun,” Tanaka says quietly. “I’m sorry, beca—”

I stop him with a small gesture.

“You don’t have to,” I say. “I just did what I thought was right. That should be normal.”

He looks at me strangely.

For a moment, his eyes almost seem to shine.

“Shinso!”
“Shinso-kun!”

Two voices call out at once.

Shion and Souta.

Of course—they’re joining too.

“Man,” Souta says, rubbing the back of his neck, “what you did caused some trouble.”

“I had to talk to a few people about you,” he continues. “Honestly? You should be more careful next time. Or at least… do it smarter.”

“Yeah,” Shion adds quickly. “I even had to stop people from talking trash about you. It was annoy— I mean, I wasn’t worried.”

…She’s definitely worried.

“Thanks,” I say. “I’ll think about it.”

Then the last person arrives.

“Hisame-kun!”

Mizuno-san jogs up to us, slightly late.

“Sorry—did I keep everyone waiting?”

The moment she speaks, something settles in my chest.

A quiet calm.

Something stirs—something I don’t fully understand yet.

But for now…

“Let’s find a place to study,” I say.

We move to an empty room.

As the door closes behind us, the noise fades.

The crowd disappears.

And in the silence I made—

the pressure finally catches up.

The evening before the exam is here.

Lately, we’ve become a bit more self-sufficient. Our parents’ schedules finally overlap, so tonight, Mom and Dad are both at work.

“So-chan,” Nee-san says, “I heard about the rumors at school. What did you do?”

“Well,” I reply, “it’s probably exactly what you heard.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question,” she says.
“Aya only told me bits of it. Everyone’s saying you’re… scarily weird.”

“People tend to fear what they don’t understand,” I answer.

She sighs softly.

“I know. And I know what you did was right. But you should still be careful about how you act. I know you well enough to know you always have a reason.”

She smiles after that.

“You know, I’m your onee-chan. You can tell me everything. I’ll help you too. Aren’t we siblings?”

“I don’t need help for now,” I say. “I think I’m good.”

She hums.

“Well, if things escalate, you can always call me. Or maybe use my name,” she adds, giggling.

I serve dinner.

As we eat, she banters about student council work.
It sounds like things are working fine for now.

But exam week is coming, and I need to prepare for it.

While I’m fixing the dishes—

“So-chan, clean them, okay?” she says, winking.

…Seriously?

I already cooked, and now I’m washing the dishes too.

When did I become this nice?

Still, I wash them.

My phone vibrates.

It’s Koharu, messaging about the anime she’s watching.

I reply:

“Hey. Don’t stay up too late tonight. At least review a little.”

Sent.

I hope she actually listens.

During our review session, I can still see how worried Souta and Shion are about me.
I keep reassuring them that everything’s fine.

It’s not like the world is going to end.

And so the day ends, with me turning off the lights.

Hell week has just finished.

I remember seeing Koharu’s soul nearly leave her body during the math exam.
I also saw Mizuno-san taking the test seriously.

…She was really cute then.
But whatever.

The rankings are posted soon enough.

Koharu grabs me and pulls me toward the bulletin board.

At the top—

Saionji Shion.

Of course. First place, as always.

Right below her—

Hisame Shinso.

“Wah! I thought I could beat you, Shinso-kun!” Koharu says, laughing.

“You could,” I tell her, “if you took studying seriously.”

Mizuno-san arrives a moment later. She’s in the top twenty.

“Thank you, Hisame-kun,” she says. “I learned more this time because of you.”

“Ah! Shion-chan! First place again, as usual! Congratulations!” Koharu says when she notices her.

“Of course,” Shion replies, looking away.
“It was as easy as it looked.”

“Well, Shion studied with us too,” Souta adds.

“Oh! I’m top fifteen,” Souta says after checking.
“What about you, Koharu?”

“Let me see…” Koharu mutters.
“Oh! I’m top fifty now!” she says proudly.

…How fascinating. People really can be this shallow.

“Well,” Souta continues, “everyone’s going to start preparing for the cultural festival now.”

“The principal said that since it’s the school’s fiftieth anniversary, we’re allowed to go all out.”

…Seriously?

They’re letting middle schoolers go all out?

Are they sure about that?

“Anyway,” Souta grins, “let’s do our best. Shinso, we’ll be competing to see who’s the best!”

“We won’t lose!” Koharu shouts, fire in her eyes.

“Oh! Tanaka-kun!” Koharu suddenly says.
“What rank did you get?”

“I’m top fifty, you know?” Koharu adds proudly.

“…I’m top seven,” Tanaka replies. “I kind of dropped.”

For the first time, Koharu freezes like a statue.

“Koharu,” I add, “Tanaka’s actually really smart. I’ve seen him place in the top three before.”

Tanaka looks at me again, eyes shining.

This is where preparation for the school event begins.

For some reason, our class chose a café booth.

A lot of students protested, wanting a horror booth—or at least a maid café—but those ideas were shut down immediately.

I can still hear the boys complaining.

“We want moe!”
“Give us moe!”
“You can’t just deny moe culture!”

Our class representative shuts them down again.

…She’s pretty harsh.

Anyway, it looks like preparation will start tomorrow.

So, the class rep assigns me proposal writing and paperwork.

Well, I’m good at that anyway.
After all, this is basically my second life.

I’m already on my way back to the classroom after submitting the proposal to the student council.

My sister keeps asking me questions along the way—
questions that aren’t even related to the proposal anymore.

…Annoying.

Is she losing control of her dual roles now?

When I return, the classroom is loud.

Everyone’s talking at once, shouting ideas about what needs to be done.

I spot Koharu moving around, trying to ease the tension.
But there’s only so much she can do.

“This should be the menu!” says one of my classmates—the one with glasses.

“That’s way too expensive,” the class rep shoots back.

“I think this one could work,” someone else says.

“Pass it over here!” another voice adds.

Chaos starts to settle in.

I guess this is the sad side of democracy.
It invites disorder before it finds direction.

Anyway, I’ve already done my part.
I decide to step back for now.

That’s when I notice—

She’s not there.

Mizuno-san’s seat is empty.

My chest tightens slightly.

Did she leave?
She was here just a while ago.

The discussion continues, still trying to reach a consensus.

“Alright!” Kurokawa-san says firmly.
“This is what we’re going with.”

She’d make a good student council president once my sister steps down.

Kurokawa Kaede.

She has that kind of presence—the kind that makes even troublemakers straighten up.

And beside her is Ishida Daiki, calm and reliable.
A solid vice president.

“Then it’s settled,” Ishida concludes.

Koharu suddenly leans toward me.

“I heard Mizuno-chan left after talking to a teacher,” she whispers.
“I just thought I’d tell you… since you keep looking at her seat.”

She winks.

“I’m not,” I reply quickly.
“…But okay.”

This really is a crowded room.

And yet—

silence still lingers.