My Big Brother Has Something Troubling On His Mind.

@Koneko38 is online.

@Koneko38: Hey Kaede what's up

@kae_musaszi: Nothing just doing my homework

@kae_musaszi: wbu

@Koneko38: Dad's forcing me to watch the Summer Koshien lol

@kae_musaszi: What's so bad about that?

@Koneko38: he keeps quizzing me on the players' stats

@kae_musaszi: ouch

@kae_musaszi: lol

@kae_musaszi: I should turn it on too

@Koneko38: don't do it Kaede

@Koneko38: Dad's jock disease is infecting you

@kae_musaszi: lol it's not that bad

@kae_musaszi: Whoa that guy from Kyoto Nijo just crushed it

@Koneko38: Yeah I knew that one was gone as soon as it left the pitcher's hand. He tossed a meatball lol

@Koneko38: You can't throw a changeup that catches the entire plate to the cleanup hitter on a 1-2 count

@Koneko38: Idk what he was thinking. The guy had homered in 4 straight games coming from the regionals. I think he's got like 20 total. Pitcher needed to try and get him to chase. He had 2 to work with and threw that

@kae_musaszi: ...

@kae_musaszi: Saya am I talking to u or ur dad lol

[laughing rabbit sticker]

@Koneko38: Lol I went into manager mode for a second there sorry

[sticker of Hello Kitten making a cute pose]

@kae_musaszi: That guy who just homered looks scary. He looks like he's about 30 or something

@Koneko38: I think he's gonna go pro

@Koneko38: oh sorry gtg

@kae_musaszi: See u later

@Koneko38: Say hi to Maid-kun for me

The last sticker Saya sends me is of a character from some P*xiv comic or something that I can't recognize, mischievously giggling. I just flop my head down on my pillow and sigh. She's been way too interested in Niichan lately. It's bad enough dealing with Miku and her hopeless crush, but if my other friend's interested, too, it's gonna be torture trying to separate both of them from my brother. Even if Saya has that guy from Ootori that’s already interested in her. At least I think so. I haven’t heard much from her about them lately.

It's been a pretty boring summer vacation so far. I guess D*sneyland was good, and the beach was okay, but then the Shiritoris suddenly took off before we had even been there for long...not that I minded, but Niichan was acting so weird after they left, it brought me down, too...and I never saw Aikawa-kun again, either. I wanted another excuse to talk to him before we left, but I went back to the snack shack the next morning and there was only this old dude.

My friends' schedules haven't lined up with mine very well, so we haven't had the chance to go do anything fun. Miku's apparently trying to start her own YooToob channel. She's graduated from harassing her fellow students and is now shoving a mic and camera into the faces of unsuspecting pedestrians. I had the misfortune of having to watch one of her videos. She humble-brags about herself for an entire minute to start off the show and then asks these random people the dumbest questions. The whole thing is comically over-edited. The subtitles don't even show up at the right times. I hope for her sake and all of ours that she realizes that she's not getting any views and she deletes the channel and just focuses on the school gossip column that no one reads.

Maybe I should try to do something with Himari-chan? Or maybe Mutsuki? I mean, it might be fun, but I don't really know them well enough, and based on how Himari was acting during the play, she'd probably hyperventilate and pass out if she was alone with me. And Mutsuki's such a ball of energy that she'd tire me out. It's kinda hard for me to get along with others, even the girls in my class, when Saya isn't here...I guess I might be just as gloomy as my brother. We are related.

Time for me to get back to my homework. It's not like I have anything better to do. I'll just leave the Koshien on as background noise. It's streaming on YooToob, so all I needed to do was click a couple buttons on my phone and turn the volume all the way up. I actually work better when I have some white noise going.

The algebra packet goes by pretty smoothly. At least, by my standards. At this rate, I might get done with all my homework a couple weeks before we go back, but it'll be pretty pointless if I don't do anything regardless...

Wait.

That voice actress information session is in less than a week, and I still haven't asked my parents about going!

I kept putting it off because I wasn't sure if I really wanted to go or not, but maybe if Saya and Miku are free, they can come too? I bet my parents would feel a lot better if I was going with my friends, but it's on such short notice...crap.

First things first. I have to make sure my friends want to come. Opening up the group chat, I post, Are you guys free on the 13th?

@Koneko38 is online.

@Koneko38: Yeah, what's going on?

@kae_musaszi: So listen, I got invited to this info session in Tokyo and I think it might be fun if we all went and did some sightseeing or something. Need to make some summer memories lol

@Koneko38: Where in Tokyo?

@kae_musaszi: big sight

@Koneko38: Oh that's close enough to me that my parents wouldn't mind. I'd be ok with that

@Koneko38: Wait

@Koneko38: comiket?

@kae_musaszi: yeah

Saya really didn't need to send that "Hmm?" sticker.

@Koneko38: didn't know u were interested in that stuff

@kae_musaszi: nr but u remember that lady at the cultural festival?

@Koneko38: Oh right the voice actress scout

@kae_musaszi: that's what she invited me to

@Koneko38: I'm down. Comiket seems fun

@maebaramiku100 is online.

@maebaramiku100: Oh wow, Tokyo?! -=≡Σ(((⊃ﾟ∀ﾟ)つ

@maebaramiku100: └(>ω⁢。)┐-=≡

@maebaramiku100: Can we go up the Skytree?!?!?!?!?!

@kae_musaszi: I guess if we have time but we're headed toward big sight

@maebaramiku100: I wanna go! Otaku are weird, but they're so interesting! I bet I can get all kinds of awesome interviews at Comiket! ╰(▔∀▔)╯ ╰(▔∀▔)╯ ╰(▔∀▔)╯

@maebaramiku100: My favorite cosplayer is going too!!!!!

@maebaramiku100: www.tw*tter.com/coconeco_cosplay

@maebaramiku100: She’s got 500k followers and if she’s there I’ll interview her and get so many views!!!!!!!!!!

@kae_musaszi: they ban cameras

@maebaramiku100: (；☉_☉)

@Koneko38: LMAO

@kae_musaszi: pls don't get us kicked out

@Koneko38: Bet u 1000 she does lol

That was an even worse place to use the smug giggling sticker.

@maebaramiku100: UR SO MEAN!!!!!!!! ( ╥ω╥ )

@kae_musaszi: didn’t know u were a cosplay person Miku

@maebaramiku100: I wasn’t until I found Cocone

@maebaramiku100: it’s a great engagement opportunity

@maebaramiku100: I follow and RT Cocone and then I promote my channel in her replies! It helps both of us! ^_^

@Koneko38: That’s against TOS lol

@maebaramiku100: Not unless u get caught!!! ٩(＾◡＾)۶

Absentmindedly, I click on the link to the cosplayer’s Tw*tter that Miku sent me. There’s nothing that stands out- it seems like every other Tw*tter. Pictures of food, tweeting about her day…She’s made a bunch of posts about what she’s wearing to Comiket and posted a picture of an orange wig and a pair of horns and captioned it “sneak peek”. I have no idea what character that’s supposed to be. Maybe Mom or Dad would know.

Apart from that, there’s barely any photos of her-

There’s one. Whoa, she is tiny. Either that, or the sniper rifle prop slung over her back is gigantic. She’s wearing a red, frilly dress- one of her eyes is piercing, blood red and the other is bright golden. She did a good job with the contacts. Her hair, long and dark, is pulled into twintails, with a ribbon of the same lace as her dress on the top of her head. She gives a sadistic grin as she points a flintlock pistol at the camera-

At that moment, another malicious smile flashes into my mind, so intense that it almost makes me drop my phone.

After taking a second to compose myself, I keep scrolling down the page. This cosplayer’s really good. There’s the blonde witch and the blue-haired girl with two different color eyes, the girl in the long dress with the hime cut, the girl with long dark hair and a futuristic laser slung across her back, schoolgirls of various types…no two costumes look the same.

…It’s nothing. That one cosplay, with the hair and the size and the grin, reminded me of someone I know…and hate.

My phone buzzes, once again.

@Koneko38: Kaede didn't u say that maid-kun was going too

@maebaramiku100: (Ŏ艸Ŏ)

@maebaramiku100: ε=ε=ε=ε=(ノ*´Д｀)ノ

@kae_musaszi: Not sure

@kae_musaszi: I think he said something sort of like that because Shiritori roped him and this other guy who's on his sports team into something weird that she was doing

@kae_musaszi: She mentioned Comiket but I haven't heard anything about it since

@maebaramiku100: ∩ (◣_◢) ∩

@maebaramiku100: Don't talk about her!!!! I hate her!!!

@Koneko38: You've never even met her LMAO

@maebaramiku100: I'm going and I'm taking my Haru-kun from her!

@Koneko38: Do your best Miku-chan

@Koneko38: LOL

[Yet another smug giggling sticker]

@maebaramiku100: LOOK AT THIS LARA NEW ALBUM EXCLUSIVE MERCH ONLY AT COMIKET ASDGASDG

What a 180. It’s like my brother and Shiritori never existed.

@kae_musaszi: Really????

@maebaramiku100: She’s signing 300 limited edition CDs we have to get them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@kae_musaszi: how much

@maebaramiku100: 7500

@kae_musaszi: I don’t have that kind of money…

Ugh. Lara has never done a merchandise release before, and this one is a genuine collector’s item. If I could afford this CD, I’d be able to get my hands on her latest album a whole month ahead of everyone else…but I don’t have enough allowance money left over for that.

At least my friends are happy to go with me. Even if I can’t afford the limited edition signed Lara CD and the info session goes terribly, I’ll probably still have fun. Now, the only hurdle left is my parents...I think Dad's working, since it's the middle of the day, but Mom probably won't be busy.

When I come down the stairs, I expect to see her merrily cooking or cleaning away, but there's no sight of her, or any life except for the TV in the living room blaring. There's some kind of anime on it that looks like it's from the early 2000s- it's got girls with cat ears and dog ears, and the theme song is terrible. Their breasts are massive, too. They don't even look real. It looks like someone took balloons and stapled them to their chests.

"Mom, are you down here?"

"Aah!" Suddenly, the TV immediately switches to the weather, and Mom jumps up from the couch. She's so tiny that I can only see the top of her head until she dashes out from behind it. "W-what are you doing down here, Kaede? I was just...uh...testing to make sure that the home theater was working!" She's not got on a maid outfit today, just a normal shirt and skirt. Well, she hasn't worn that costume in quite a while, actually.

"You know, I don't care what you were watching," I sigh. "I'm not Niichan."

"Oh, right...haha...so what brings you down here? Is your...uh...homework done?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay...well...I think I need to go grocery shopping or something...pardon me..."

"Wait. I needed to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"This lady at my school asked me if I wanted to attend an information session at Comiket for voice acting." I hold out the flyer to her. "It's this weekend...sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but my friends will be going, too, so I think it'll be safer than just me by myself...but if you don't want me to go that far, it's fine too..."

"Huh? Didn't Haruto already ask you to go with him?"

"What?" Niichan hasn't said a single word about it to me. He occasionally gripes about how Shiritori roped him into helping out with her doujinshi, but I didn’t realize that they were going to Comiket, too. For Shiritori, it makes sense, but it’s not something I’d expect my brother to want any part of.

"I assumed he had told you...uh, sorry...it just slipped our minds...but it's perfectly fine for you to go. Since Haruto is going, too, you'll be fine. Aya-chan's going too, and Tora-kun, and the Suzurans' little girl...you remember that family that owned the bakery on the corner a long time ago? She's Rei-Rei's sister. You remember her, right? 'Bakyun! Bakyun!' She was the cutest little thing, especially when I made that costume for her and she wore it...she looked a lot like Shiiko, now that I think about it...kya- Oh, sorry."

"I guess I remember her a little."

I lied. I remember her more than a little, and I really wish I didn't. As soon as my mom said that, a very unpleasant memory of a loud little girl in a frilly outfit popped into my head.

Hey, you! You in the front row! Sing along with me! ♫ I wanna make the tastiest pastries in the world... ♫

Waaah, Niichan, help me!

"Isn't it crazy how all of Aya-chan's circle are childhood friends? You couldn't write a better script!"

"Mom, how'd you figure that out?"

"Aya-chan told me."

"Figures." For the sake of this country, no one should ever give Shiritori top secret information, or she'd immediately spill it to everyone.

"Anyway, we're totally fine with you going. Just make sure you stick with your friends, and if you go off away from your brother's group, make sure they know where you're going. He said he'll LIME you about every 30 minutes or so, so make sure you're checking in."

I can't help but frown a little bit. I know Niichan's just trying to keep me safe, but I'm only two years younger than he is and he's still treating me like I'm a little kid. "Fine."

"Most importantly, stay out of the doujin floor with the red tape around it. If anyone says something about 'Yorunagi', get out of there."

"I don't know what that means, but I'll do that."

"It's better that you don't know." Now Mom's smile is worrying me a little. "Anyway, you're gonna have so much fun! I wish your father and I could have come, too, but the adult world is standing in our way...tell me all about the voice acting stuff! Maybe you'll become as famous as Hana Kanezawa someday..."

"Mom, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself..."

She fidgets a little bit. "Oh, right...I should have told you...I saw the flyer on your desk a few weeks back when I was cleaning...sorry for snooping around in your stuff...I couldn't find a good time to talk to you about it."

"It's really not that big of a deal."

"Kaede, I want you to know something. If you want to become a voice actress, your father and I will be supporting you all the way. Ten billion percent. But if you realize it's not something you want to do, we'll still support you. Whatever path you choose...we'll be with you."

"Thanks, Mom."

Well, that was a lot easier than I expected. I guess Niichan was coming all along, too. Maybe if we have some time, we could go around together and see the cosplayers or something...but then Shiritori will be there too. Ugh. And I hope that Suzuran girl isn't as annoying as her sister.

I have got to keep Saya and Shiritori apart. Under no circumstances can they be allowed to meet. The results would be disastrous, not just for me, or my brother, but for the entire city. Maybe for all of humanity. Letting an instigator get close to an idiot is like throwing gasoline on a bonfire.

When I make it back up to my room, I quickly whip out my phone and fire off a message.

@kae_musaszi: So I talked to my mom and she said I can go. My brother's going with his friends, too, and they're older. There's 4 of them.

@maebaramiku100: (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

@maebaramiku100: Kaechan help me...how do I talk to him?!

@kae_musaszi: idk

@kae_musaszi: go up and do it?

@maebaramiku100: Σ(♡＠﹏ ＠☆)ﾉ"

@Koneko38: Shiritori will be there too right

@kae_musaszi: what do u think lol

@Koneko38: Better luck next time Miku-chan LMAO

@Koneko38: I wonder if Maid-kun and her will sneak off somewhere and

@Koneko38: u know

@Koneko38: do it

@maebaramiku100: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

@kae_musaszi: Saya leave her alone

Yet again, the giggling sticker comes out.

@kae_musaszi: Anyways let's plan to meet up at Funabashi Station on the morning of the 13th

@kae_musaszi: I'll talk to my brother and find out what time

@Koneko38: Deal

@kae_musaszi: ttyl

Time to get back to work. I think I'll put the Koshien back on and turn up the volume. Maybe if I work really hard, I'll finish the entire math packet tonight.

Is that the guy from Kyoto-Nijo who knocked it out of the park? I think he's back up to bat.

9-0. Rest in peace, team from Yokohama. I think it's over.

Okay, enough of that. Back to math.

"Kaede, you got a minute?"

My brother's voice is so sudden and unexpected that I instinctively shoot up and draw my feet into my chest, flustered. "Niichan?! W-what are you doing here?!"

"Uh...I just got back from practice, and I needed to ask you something..." My brother suddenly looks away, a bit embarrassed. Suddenly, the scream of the announcer fills the room. I forgot to turn my phone's volume down.

"Is that the Koshien?" Niichan's gotten closer and is peering down at my phone. "Whoa, Aburashi's getting killed. That guy who just homered looks like a gorilla."

"Yeah...he hit one earlier, too." I quickly flip the phone to silent. "So what did you need to ask me about?"

"Well...this is kind of a weird question...but do you remember Ayame's little brother? Ryou?"

"Just barely. I don't think his mom ever let him play with us as kids, so it's not like we really interacted much." That makes the second time in thirty minutes I've had to recall something from my childhood. It's weird.

"Well...he goes to Shinchoushi, too. He's a year below you."

"Makes sense. What's it got to do with me, though?"

"Not a lot, but you're the only person I can talk to about this...sorry."

"I'm not mad at you! I was just curious..."

"So anyways, Ryou-kun got hit with an indefinite suspension."

"Why? What did he do?" I've never heard of anyone getting that punishment, ever. Not just at Shinchoushi- anywhere in Japan. You basically have to commit an actual crime to get a suspension- and sometimes not even that does it. And even though we didn't interact a lot when we were kids, he was pretty shy and well-behaved. I can't imagine anyone at Shinchoushi doing something so awful that the administration would indefinitely suspend them, much less him.

"Well, that's the thing. From what Ayame told me, he didn't actually do anything that would warrant that kind of punishment. They suspended him for something that didn't happen. I'm not even sure they can legally do that. We have a right to education until the ninth grade in this country."

"So you're saying...it's a miscarriage of justice?"

"Well, not technically, since there wasn’t any crime committed, but yeah, that's the spirit."

It just doesn't make sense to me. The Shinchoushi administration is fair, for the most part. They've stuck up for me and my friends against Senjuuin and her posse more times than I can count. I can't imagine them punishing a student for something he didn't do.

"Niichan, what exactly happened?"

"So, this is gonna be a really weird story. Just bear with me. When I first heard it, I didn't believe it. You know the old school building, right? Where all the clubs are in now?"

"Yeah.”

“So anyway, on the last day of school before the break, right after the ending assembly and everyone got let out, he sees this girl from a grade above him heading toward the old school building with a girl from his grade, and he follows them, because he thinks something suspicious is going on. He tails them all the way to the third floor, where they go inside a room."

Wait a minute. This sounds really familiar. "What happened next?"

"So the first-year girl bolts out of the room, and then the student council president shows up. I think her name was something really over-the-top old money. She's small and looks a lot younger than she really is. Nakanoin? Senjuu-something? Honestly, this was the most unbelievable part of the whole story, and I'm not even sure if she's real or not, but I want to trust Ryou-kun's story..."

"Nope. Asako Senjuuin's real."

"You’re kidding, right?"

"I wish she wasn't, but she is."

Niichan sighs and puts a palm on his forehead, like he isn't sure how to proceed. "So Senjuuin goes inside the room. Ryou-kun gets closer and hears that she's threatening the girl from the grade above him. I'm not gonna repeat what she said, but it was some awful stuff."

No way. This isn't what I think it is, right? It can't be.

My brother takes a breath, then continues. "So Ryou-kun thought this Senjuuin girl was threatening violence against the girl in the grade above him, so he ran outside and threw pebbles at the window and yelled at Senjuuin in order to distract her so the other girl could escape. Then the rest of the Student Council show up and try to restrain him or hurt him in some way, so he defends himself. He doesn't know if the girl he was trying to protect got away. The next day, on Saturday, the school suspends him and claims he attacked the entire Student Council unprovoked and hit Senjuuin over the head with a rock, seriously injuring her. Sounds crazy, right?" Niichan laughs nervously.

I'm so stunned, I can't say anything. It does sound completely insane...but I was there. I watched the whole thing. It happened. I knew it. And that guy who saved me...that was Shiritori's brother.

And he got in trouble...because of me.

Niichan sighs. "We're trying to figure out who the girl was, so we can get her side of the story...maybe if we find that out, it'll exonerate him. I know you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but since this girl's apparently in your year, you're the only person that I know to ask. Sorry for such an unreasonable request."

"No." My voice is soft. "I know exactly who she is."

Then, my shock is replaced with white-hot rage, instantly. Ryou Shiritori protected me, and Asako Senjuuin took it out on him, because he got in her way. He didn't do anything wrong. Neither did I. Senjuuin lied because she was mad that he foiled her plan. She had to have lied, and she got her minions to lie too, and now this guy's future is in jeopardy...all because he protected me. Just because he stood up to a bully and did the right thing...his life is ruined. That's what I hate about this country. You put one foot wrong and the system never forgives you.

"Niichan, did Senjuuin tell that girl to lick the floor?"

"Huh?" His eyes grow wide. "How did you know?"

I said one thing wrong. I said that Ryou Shiritori stood up to a bully. He didn't stand up to a bully, he stood up to a monster. Or a demon. A creature of pure hate that decided I was the person she was going to make an example out of.

I've always wondered what could make a human angry enough to kill someone. It seemed like a feeling I couldn't comprehend.

Now, I understand.

Ryou Shiritori paid the price for doing the right thing, and I never even realized it until my brother told me.

I need answers, and I need them now.

I quickly stand up, dusting off my pants, then grab my phone and put it in my pocket. "Niichan, I'm leaving."

"What?" His voice is frantic. "Where are you going?"

"To school!"

"Hold on! Why are you so angry?"

Oh, God. He can be really oblivious sometimes. "You really haven't realized yet?!"

"No! You got mad all of a sudden, and it's freaking me out!"

"You know why? Because the girl that Shiritori-kun was talking about was ME!"

I don't even wait for his reaction. Instead, I run down the stairs, put my shoes on, and rush out, letting the door slam behind me.