Bump in the Mall

Despite my interest in music, I hate loud noises more than anything. Put me in a concert, I'll find any way to block off my ears. That's just the way I am. Am I weird for that? Most likely. Even then, I'm walking dead in the center of a bustling mall. An astute observer would question why I'm here, and there's only one reason.

"You know, if you're gonna look that bored, you can just go home, Big Bro," Nae muttered.

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you just gonna keep following me until I'm done?"

"That was the plan."

"Then why bother coming at all?!"

"To keep you out of trouble."

That's right. Like a good older brother, I came to the mall with my little sister because she wanted to go. Why did she want to go? Because a new volume of her favorite manga just released, and she's itching to get her hands on it.

"You need to get out more," Nae said in a scolding manner. "How is it that I'm such an outgoing person, while my big brother is an actual troglodyte?"

"You're not the first person to call me that."

"Who else called you that? Suguha Suzu? Speaking of which, you should invite her out sometime! With me, of course. I'd so~ wanna meet her."

"I thought Yoshino Yoko was your favorite."

"She is my favorite, but that doesn't mean I don't like the others."

"Pick a bias and stick with her like a true braindead fan."

"Who are you calling braindead?!"

She threw a series of slaps on my arm, but I didn't even react.

"Oh, was I supposed to feel something?" I asked.

"Yeah. My Black Flash that could send you flying away! You're just not worthy of it."

I paused in my tracks, slowly shifting my gaze to Nae. She was striking an action pose, and many eyes stopped to look at her, but she was dead set on whatever this clown show was. If social anxiety was a person, they'd be afraid of her.

"You're weird," I said. "Stay away from me."

"Eh?!"

"Oh. There's the manga store. Now, hurry up."

"Tch..."

While Nae stomped over to the store, I leaned back on a sign with arms crossed. That girl is far too wild and hyper. I sometimes find it hard to believe that she's my blood sister. But... at least she's happy. That's enough for me.

Suddenly, someone stopped right next to me. At first, I figured they were just pausing to look around, but they lingered far too long for me to ignore. Reluctantly, I glanced up, and instantly regretted following Nae. Right now, I'd rather risk her getting into trouble than deal with this.

Everyone wears bucket hats nowadays, but not everyone has light pink hair and a deathly gaze that could be felt through those sunglasses.

"There's no way this is real," I muttered. "Why are you here?"

"I'm the one who's supposed to be asking you that," Mitsuki scoffed. "Are you sure you're not a stalker?"

"At this point, I might as well be. Are the others with you as well?"

"I'm alone today. Practice ended early, and I didn't want to sit around doing nothing. Shopping is usually my go-to option, so... You can probably figure out the rest on your own."

"Does Manager Na know that you're here?"

"Nope. What, you going to snitch on me?"

"Why would I? What you do during your free time has nothing to do with me."

Just my luck. Out of all the people I could’ve run into, it had to be Mitsuki Mira. Any of the other girls would’ve been easier to deal with. Well, maybe not easy, but definitely better than her.

"Speaking of which, why are you here, Yozora?"

"Ah. I'm just here with—"

"Big Bro!" Nae called out.

We both turned to see her bolting at us with a massive grin.

"Look, look!" she exclaimed as she rose her new manga. "Volume twenty three! Newest edition! Even the cover art looks cool. Isn't it... n-neat...?"

Nae paused to look at the strange woman who was dressed very elegantly. At first glance, Mitsuki does seem like a celebrity in disguise, and she's not even trying to hide it. Maybe that's just a part of the disguise—hiding in plain sight, or something like that.

"Hello, there," Mitsuki smiled.

"H-hi... Erm..."

Nae quickly rushed over to my side, leaning in close and standing on her toes, making sure her voice reached my ears.

"Who's this?" she whispered. "Is she... your girlfriend?"

"What? I don't have a girlfriend."

"Then why is she standing next to you?"

"Ask her yourself."

It took her a while, but she finally stepped out after a deep breath.

"H-hi... I'm Nae. And... y-you are?"

I almost laughed. I don't do well with people in general. That's a known fact, but Nae isn't too far behind. She doesn't do well with strangers, and it's definitely showing right now.

"Oh, me?" Mitsuki giggled. "Hm... That's a bit of a secret. But I'm willing to tell you only if you promise to keep it a secret. Can you do that?"

Nae hesitantly nodded her head. Mitsuki took a step forward, bent over to Nae's height, and lowered her sunglasses. The moment she saw those eyes, I saw Nae's body tense up.

"I'm Mitsuki Mira," she whispered. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"W-wh... What... Mi... Mi-Mi... Mi-Mi-Mi-Mi—"

It's been a good ten seconds, and she's still going strong. I waved my hand in front of her, but there was no reaction. Mitsuki shot me a nervous glance, and I gave her a nonchalant shrug in response.

"I'm... assuming this is a normal occurrence," she said.

"Nope, not at all. I think she's just short-circuiting because a member of her favorite idol group just introduced herself."

"She's a fan of ours?"

"Oho, yeah. More than you could possibly know. Hey, Nae!"

"Mi-Mi-Mi... Mitsu—Mmm!"

I push my hand onto her mouth before she could say her name out loud.

"Don't blow her cover," I said, to which she rapidly nodded her head.

When I let go, however, it took her not even a second longer to throw herself in front of Mitsuki, eyes wide with a massive grin.

"H-hello!" she squealed as quietly as possible. "I'm... I'm Yozora Nae!"

"Yozora Nae... Is it okay if I just call you Nae?"

"Eh? W-what? I mean...! Yes! Y-you can call me whatever you want!"

"Hehe. In that case, Little Nae, It's nice to finally meet you. Yozora here has told me quite a bit about you. I was wondering when I'd get the chance to see what a cute little girl you were, and you certainly did not disappoint."

That was a straight up lie. I only mentioned Nae once, and that was well over a month ago. But, it seems like they're having a good time, so I'll just keep my mouth shut.

"Nae, are you finished here?" I asked.

"Huh? Well, yeah. I got the manga that I came for."

"Then we should go eat now."

"Eh?! B-but..."

"We've taken up a lot Mitsuki's time already. She's a busy person, after all."

"Actually..." Mitsuki said.

I turned around and was met with her devious smile, sending an immediate chill up my spine. I’ve known her long enough to recognize that smile—a sure sign she’s up to something. Historically speaking, it was never anything good.

"I'm pretty much done," she said. "Bought some new clothes, so I'm free right now. Oh! I have an idea. How about I join you and little Nae for lunch?"

"No."

"Eh?!" Nae gasped. "Come on, Big Bro! There's no way you would decline that! Can Miss Mitsuki come with us? Plea~se?"

There she goes again with that face, the one that makes it impossible to keep saying no. I want to give her what she wants, I really do, but this? Mitsuki Mira? Joining us for lunch? That's a situation I’d rather avoid.

"Your little sister is practically begging you, Yozora," Mitsuki snickered. "You wouldn't want to disappoint her, right?"

"God..." I sighed. "Fine."

"Yay!" Nae cheered as she threw her arms around me.

She quickly ran over and grabbed Mitsuki's hand, dragging her along while I trailed behind. As we walked, they chatted like old friends, but I didn’t bother listening in. All I could think about was how today, which was supposed to be a day of relaxation, had suddenly turned into a massive headache.