Serina, a second-year high school student, has a bit of a weird problem. And that problem is her stepbrother, Kenta. At school, Kenta's a popular and cool art teacher everyone looks up to. But at home? That mask comes right off. He's still super kind most of the time... but sometimes, he gives Serina this really mean look and teases her like crazy. Sometimes in a way that's a little naughty.
At first, it was just heart-pounding fun. But it's been getting more and more intense, and now her heart
Milf cute Mother Obsessed with her step son Alot - The smile in the courtyard pierces me.
A week had passed since the teaching practicum began.
The town of Minase in October was completely wrapped in autumn air. On the morning commute, a cold sea breeze raced up the slope of Tsukimidai. Serina sighed again and again as she pedaled her bicycle.
(It's already been a week, huh.)
Every day this past week, whenever she went to school, Mio Majima's figure had entered her vision.
In the staff room, when they passed in the hallway, and more than anything—near the art prep room.
Always, right next to her brother.
" Haa..."
A sigh that didn't turn white dissolved into the wind.
* * *
Third period was art class.
The art room was on the second floor of the school building, where stable natural light streamed in through large north-facing windows. Plaster busts and easels lined the room, a space where the scent of oil paints and wood gently drifted. Normally, just that smell would calm her down, but today she couldn't feel at ease at all.
Because, in today's class too—Mio was there.
"Today we're continuing with still life sketching—Majima-sensei, anything to add?"
With his usual cool tone, Kenta directed his gaze to Mio standing beside him.
Mio's eyes sparkled behind her large round glasses as she stepped forward.
" Yes! Everyone, please look at the apple. It's red, right? But, it's not just plain red. If you look closely, there are yellowish parts, and parts where a little green remains."
Murmurs of "ohh" leaked from around the classroom.
Serina, in her seat at the back, kept her hands on her lap and stared intently at Mio's back.
Her brown hair, reaching just past her shoulder blades, swayed softly and fluffily with her gestures. The hairstyle, with the sides braided and tied back, bounced slightly with her movements.
" The parts where the light hits and the parts in shadow—they look like completely different colors, don't they? I want you to have fun drawing those color differences!"
At the word "fun," a girl in the next seat giggled quietly.
The atmosphere in the classroom brightened instantly.
Serina bit her lip.
(She's amazing.)
Ever since she first came to this classroom a week ago, Mio's popularity had been incredible.
Her way of speaking was crisp and clear, easy to understand, and on top of that, she seemed like she was having fun. Her laughter wasn't too loud or too quiet, and when her large, double-lidded eyes smiled, the corners crinkled down endearingly, making her seem approachable.
"Majima-sensei is seriously hilarious."
A boy in the front row whispered to his friend next to him.
"I get that. She kinda feels like a friend, you know?"
"And she's cute."
"That's what you focus on?"
The two boys chuckled.
That conversation stung her ears.
(Cute, huh.)
There was no way she could deny it.
Because she really was a beautiful person.
She'd heard in the staff room that she was quite a beauty when she took off her round glasses. Even when she was hurriedly carrying documents at the request of an impatient senior teacher, she looked composed, and every time they passed in the hallway, male students would glance back at her.
More than anything, her cheerfulness was genuine.
Even if she tried to hate her, she couldn't.
That was the hardest part.
"Nanami."
" Y-yes!"
Before she knew it, Kenta was standing right behind Serina.
" Your pencil's stopped again. You've been like that all week. Don't tell me you were mesmerized by the student teacher."
" N-no, I wasn't! I was just thinking!"
Her face turned redder by the second.
Kenta let the corners of his mouth relax just a little, then walked off to the next student.
His face when he teased her was the same as always.
But—
Serina had noticed.
When Kenta talked to Mio, the tone of his voice became just slightly gentler.
When Mio asked a question during class, he properly looked her in the eyes when he answered.
She understood in her head that it was just "a teacher guiding his junior."
But—
(When it's me, he just always teases me.)
She gripped her pencil tightly.
Her apple sketch was a mess again today, too.
* * *
Lunch break.
The sky was a cloudless blue.
In the school courtyard, five cherry blossom trees were planted. Now, in October, their autumn leaves were beautiful, fluttering down whenever the wind blew. Several groups were spread out with their lunches on the six-legged benches.
Serina sat on a bench at the edge of the courtyard, opening her lunchbox.
Next to her was her childhood friend, Rina.
The ends of her bob, cut just above her shoulders, flipped outward, and her bright brown hair color—the so-called "pudding hair." The freckles scattered around her nose were charming, and when she laughed, her double tooth showed.
Rina was in her usual mood today.
" So anyway, yesterday's date was so good!"
" Oh yeah? Where'd you go?"
" That new crepe place on Shiokaze Street! I got strawberry chocolate, and my boyfriend got matcha, and we traded a little and ate it, and then—"
Rina continued talking happily, gesturing with her hands.
Serina nodded along, taking a bite of her rolled omelet.
(Listening to Rina's stories is fun.)
Being endlessly told about her boyfriend made her a little envious, but Rina's voice was strangely calming. Her large, round, dark eyes sparkled, and just watching her made Serina feel warm and fuzzy.
"—and so, I ended up buying new clothes. I'll show you next time—"
That's when it happened.
At the edge of Serina's vision, a familiar figure appeared.
Deep in the courtyard, under the largest cherry blossom tree.
There—Kenta and Mio were sitting side by side.
They had their lunches spread out and were deep in conversation. Amidst the fluttering cherry blossom leaves, Mio said something—and laughed.
" Senpai, you said that before! How many times are you going to make the same mistake?!"
Mio's laughter faintly reached across the courtyard.
The air changed.
Kenta retorted something, shrugging his shoulders. On his face was a faint smile. A natural smile he almost never showed at school.
And then—
Mio lightly touched Kenta's arm.
" Jeez, get it together, you're the supervising teacher!"
Probably just two seconds.
A momentary contact.
But to Serina—those two seconds played out in slow motion.
Mio's fingers touched the sleeve of Kenta's white shirt.
Kenta didn't brush it off.
He just laughed quietly and said something.
Deep in her chest—something crumbled with a sound.
(Ah.)
No voice came out.
The chopsticks in her hand made a small click.
" Seri-chan? What's wrong?"
Rina's voice snapped her back to reality.
Serina hurriedly put on a smile.
" N-nothing. I was just thinking about something."
" ...Really? You look kinda pale."
" I'm fine. More importantly, what about the rest of the crepe story?"
" Ah, right, right! So, we made plans to go see a movie next week—"
Rina started talking again.
In her heart, Serina desperately tried to tell herself.
(It's fine. It's fine. Because my brother is my brother—)
But she stole one more glance at the courtyard.
Kenta and Mio were still sitting side by side.
Mio said something, and Kenta nodded.
The distance between them was as if—
(Much closer than I am.)
The hand holding her chopsticks trembled.
She shoved the rest of her lunch into her mouth without tasting it.
It wouldn't go down her throat.
Her heart had been restless this whole time.
* * *
She couldn't absorb any of the afternoon classes at all.
The voice of the Japanese teacher reading the textbook, the formulas the math teacher wrote on the blackboard—it all sounded distant.
Serina kept replaying the scene from the courtyard in her head.
The hand that touched.
The laughing face.
The distance that was too close.
(Something I don't have.)
Unconsciously, she ran her pencil along the edge of her notebook.
When she came to, she had drawn a mess of scribbled lines.
(What am I doing?)
She took a deep breath and secretly erased them.
* * *
After school.
Having finished her cleaning duty, Serina walked the second-floor hallway without any real business.
Her own classroom was on the third floor, but her feet naturally carried her to the second.
(The art prep room...)
At the very end of the second floor of the school building. A room about eight tatami mats in size, mixed with the smell of oil paints and wood. Kenta's de facto base of operations.
Until a week ago, it had been a place of peace for Serina.
After school, if she had any troubles, she would go to Kenta for advice. Even without any real business, just being there calmed her down.
But now—
" So, it's because you didn't submit it properly, Senpai!"
" Shut up. I told you I submitted it."
" But XX-sensei said it was right at the deadline, you know? Ah, this way of writing the teaching plan, maybe this way is a bit better—"
From beyond the door, she could hear their voices.
Kenta's low voice. Mio's bright voice.
Laughter mixed in occasionally.
(They sound like they're having fun.)
Serina stood rooted in front of the door.
Her hand, about to knock, stopped midway.
(If I go in, what would I say?)
That I came here for no reason—
(I can't say that.)
That I just wanted to see my brother's face.
" Ah, your handwriting in this part is super messy, Senpai! Can the students even read this?"
" Shut up. You're one to talk. You were practically in tears getting your reports corrected back in university."
" Hey, we promised not to talk about that!!"
" I didn't promise anything."
Laughter, once more.
Serina pulled back her outstretched hand.
A sharp, stinging pain throbbed deep in her chest.
(I can't open it.)
Just like that, she turned back down the hallway, careful not to make a sound.
Looking outside from the window, the evening sun was still bright, and the sky was gradually beginning to be dyed orange.
She felt like she was the only one in a dark place.
" ...Huh? Seri-chan!?"
Suddenly, Rina appeared from around the corner of the hallway.
She had a mop in her hand, apparently in the middle of cleaning.
" Eh, Rina... you're on cleaning duty?"
" That's right! I mean, Seri-chan, your face looks like a ghost!"
" ...That's so rude!"
She couldn't help but retort.
Rina blinked her large eyes, then grinned widely.
" Oh, you perked up a little."
" ...Huh?"
" You've had a gloomy look on your face for a while now—so I was worried."
Rina leaned the mop against the wall and walked over to Serina.
She rubbed her freckled nose a little, then said in a gentle voice.
" Well, if you're worried about something, I'll listen if you want. I won't force you, though."
" ...Thanks."
Serina smiled a little.
The smile she'd forced until just now, but this one—was just a little bit real.
" But I'm okay. I was just... thinking about some things."
" ...I see. Well, don't push yourself."
Rina didn't pry any further.
That was her kindness.
(I'm really grateful for Rina.)
Serina said "thanks" once more and left the school building.
* * *
Returning home.
The detached house in the residential area of Tsukimidai was quiet today as well.
No one was in the eighteen-tatami-mat LDK living room. Serina's mother and Kenta's father both worked, and they always came home after 7:30 PM.
Serina put down her school bag—not a randoseru—and headed to the kitchen.
She opened the refrigerator and took out the ingredients for dinner.
(I'll make curry today.)
As she peeled the potatoes, she suddenly recalled the events of today.
The scene in the courtyard.
The laughter in the prep room.
—She couldn't get it out of her head.
The rhythm of the knife gradually became erratic.
Click, click, click—
(Why does it hurt so much?)
Clunk.
The knife hit the edge of the cutting board, making a strange sound.
" ..."
Serina stopped her hands and took a deep breath.
That's when it happened.
"I'm home."
Kenta's voice came from the direction of the entrance.
Her heart leaped with a thud.
" Welcome back."
She repl
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