With the design work finished and the exhibition apparatus still in production, Chihaya Tetsuya had a rare bit of time off.
As for how to use this hard-earned, brief vacation, he already had a plan.
"You're going to the library, big brother?"
Hearing that her brother was heading out, Chihaya Anon, who had been lying lazily on the sofa, perked up instantly.
"I'm going too! Wait for me, big brother, I'll go change!"
Nagasaki Soyo and Wakaba Mutsumi had both been called over by Togawa Sakiko for a recording session today. For Anon, this was a precious and long-awaited opportunity to go out alone with her brother! Especially after nearly a month of being isolated by his work, she was in desperate need of a date to get a large dose of "brother-time"!
While Tetsuya had no intention of refusing, he still asked, just to be safe.
"Are you sure? Won't the library be a little too boring for you?"
After all, Anon wasn't the type to enjoy reading, and he wasn't sure how long he'd be there. He was worried she'd get bored.
In response to his question, Anon's answer was swift and decisive.
"It's fine! As long as you're there, big brother, it'll never be boring!"
She said, puffing out her chest.
"I could stare at your face all day long and be perfectly happy!"
"..."
Faced with her enthusiastic confession, Tetsuya couldn't help but look away, embarrassed. Anon, meanwhile, had already skipped back to her room to pick out an outfit for their date.
"By the way, is there a specific book you're looking for at the library, big brother?"
"Mhm. This time, I want to find some books on overseas travel."
"Oh, I see... Eh?"
Anon's voice suddenly hitched, and she asked with immense curiosity.
"Overseas travel? Why do you suddenly want to read about that?"
"If I'm aiming to be a world-class designer like Jean-san, then in the future, I'll need to learn about clothing knowledge from other countries, just like he did," Tetsuya replied. "Before that, I want to learn a bit more of the relevant knowledge and common sense."
"Ah... I see..."
Recalling her own failed study abroad experience, Anon nodded with a complicated expression.
"If it's you, big brother, you should be fine... You're great at foreign languages, and your communication skills are strong..."
"..."
Hearing the lack of cheerfulness in her voice, Tetsuya immediately realized what she was thinking.
"Are you still bothered by what happened when you studied abroad?"
"Well, I don't get depressed about it anymore, but it'd be a lie to say I don't care about it at all."
Even now, she would occasionally wonder if she would repeat the same mistakes if she were to go to the UK again.
"But there's no use thinking about it now! Just like you said before, big brother, instead of wallowing in past failures, I've learned how to look toward the future!"
Anon raised her arm, striking a pose as if to rally her spirits.
After listening to her, Tetsuya didn't reply, instead falling into a thoughtful silence...
Until Anon, having changed her clothes, re-emerged from her room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, big brother!"
Anon stepped out and immediately hugged his arm.
Feeling his warmth and touch after so long, the gloom that had been lingering in her heart instantly vanished.
"Haaah~ As long as you're here, big brother, I can get my spirits up again, no matter how many times I'm down!"
She pressed her cheek against him and said in a blissful tone.
"It feels like my very soul is being nourished~"
"...Anon."
Just then, Tetsuya, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
"Do you... want to go to the UK again?"
"...Eh?"
...
To completely erase the shadow cast by her study abroad in the UK, besides letting time slowly wear away the unpleasant memories, there was another effective method.
"I'm not talking about studying abroad again, just taking you on a trip to the UK," Tetsuya said. "We can overwrite those unpleasant memories with a wonderful trip. That way, you probably won't associate going overseas with failure anymore, right?"
"That... probably won't work..."
Although Anon was usually full of energy, whenever the topic of going abroad came up, she would subconsciously grow tense.
"Even the blindly optimistic me from back then couldn't make any happy memories in the UK, let alone now, when I have no more yearning or aspirations for it..."
"But you still want to redeem yourself, don't you?"
Tetsuya ignored his sister's gloom and self-deprecation, directly stating the thought she had been hiding in her heart but didn't dare mention.
"You might be able to fool others, but I'm your brother. If you were truly over the UK, you would have just told me straight up that you weren't interested, instead of making a comparison that you've clearly thought through seriously."
He reached out and gently stroked her hair.
While it was true that she had a tendency to find things troublesome and subconsciously run away from difficulties, she also had her own pride.
"Anon, it's just the two of us right now, so you don't have to worry about what you say becoming a burden in the future because of what others might think. Whether you want to give up or try again, as your brother, I will support you unconditionally."
"So... tell me, do you still want to go to the UK one more time?"
"..."
Anon subconsciously tightened her grip on his arm. Then, she looked up, meeting the same gentle gaze that had held infinite tolerance for her since they were children. Finally, she gave a small nod.
"...Mhm. If it's possible, I want to go one more time."
"Good."
Hearing this, Tetsuya ruffled his sister's hair with a bit more force.
"In that case, let's focus on finding some books about the UK today."
"W-wait a minute..."
Faced with his sudden enthusiasm, Anon looked a little embarrassed.
"You don't have to be in such a rush! It's true I have that thought, but we should at least wait until I graduate high school..."
"So, two years from now..." Tetsuya pondered for a moment. "By then, your band might have developed to the point where you can perform overseas."
"Huh? O-overseas performance?"
This possibility she had never considered made Anon freeze on the spot.
Tetsuya continued, his expression unchanged.
"You have a street performance coming up soon. You can use the experience you gain from that to perform on a famous plaza overseas. Even if you're still afraid to talk to them, as long as you can earn the applause and recognition of the locals with your music, you probably won't feel so resistant to the place anymore."
"..."
For a moment, his words conjured a flood of images in her mind.
Because she had been all alone during her time studying abroad, that foreign land had become subconsciously linked with the word "loneliness." But... if she went with her brother and the rest of the band, and they even performed on the street together...
"How about it? It would be a trip to look forward to, right?"
Seeing the ever-brightening light in his sister's eyes, a smile appeared on his face.
"So, to make that trip go more smoothly, shouldn't we do some preparation together?"
"...Mhm!"
Anon nodded, the tension and gloom on her face completely gone.
Then, to speed up their pace, she stopped clinging to his arm and instead switched to a hand-holding posture that was easier for walking. Tetsuya cooperatively clasped his hand back, their fingers intertwining.
When I go out with my brother, he always matches my pace and actions.
Just like now. Even though I didn't say anything, he's always thinking about my happiness and my future.
"Being with you really is the best, big brother!"
"I'm happy too."
"Hey! I'm definitely the happier one!"
"I'm not trying to compete with you over that."
"Hmph hmph~"
Having won a one-sided victory, Anon set off for the library in a completely different mood from when they had first left.
...
Upon arriving at the library, the two were guided by the librarian to the section for overseas travelogues and guidebooks, and they began to search for their targets.
Just as Anon finished reading a travelogue about touring the UK and was about to share her findings with Tetsuya, she was startled by the scene before her.
Unlike her, who was focused only on books about the UK, Tetsuya had gathered travelogues from a dozen different countries and arranged them in front of him in the order of Jean's past travels. He was carefully flipping through them, taking notes on any knowledge that might be valuable to him.
(Is it my imagination... or is my brother getting cooler and cooler?)
Before she had become aware of her feelings, or rather, before her romantic feelings had blossomed, her main impression of him was one of reliability and kindness that made people subconsciously depend on him. It was only after she had fully realized her feelings that she gradually became aware of just how dangerously attractive the brother who had always been by her side truly was.
Besides his undeniable handsomeness and reliability, his frank honesty with everyone, and the carelessness that made it seem like anyone could get their hands on him at any moment, had ultimately led him to attract this huge, troublesome romantic mess...
It's a shame I was so dense in the past. If I had awakened to my romantic feelings sooner and made a move on him first, the rest of this story probably wouldn't have happened...
Ugh... well, maybe Hoshino Ai's situation was unavoidable. In that case, it would have just been the two of them...
No, wait. Without my brother, wouldn't Sakiko-san's life have been really difficult?
And it's the same for Soyo. Without him mediating, would she and Sakiko-san have ever been able to reconcile? And would I have ever been able to find a place where I truly belong?
(Well, thinking about it like that, the current situation is actually pretty good... My brother's love for me hasn't diminished at all, and it's pretty fun being with everyone.)
Anon propped up her chin.
(Most importantly, if it were just me, I probably wouldn't have had any chance to make a move on him, but now... in just another month, I'll get to do that with my brother...)
Looking at his focused expression, Anon began to fantasize about being intimate with him in the future, a lovesick look appearing on her face.
Just as she'd said before leaving, she could stare at his face all day. But while she admired her brother, she hadn't forgotten the words he'd said earlier.
(By the way, if my brother really plans to travel abroad like Jean-san in the future, he probably won't be able to take all of us with him...)
Putting aside the busy Hoshino Ai and the multi-tasking Soyo and Sakiko, even she, with just one band, would find it difficult to be by his side for every single trip abroad.
If that was the case, then... during his solo travels, with no one around to keep an eye on him, might he attract even more girls...?
At this thought, her expression subconsciously became serious.
Come to think of it, just recently, he had suddenly connected with that new idol and Nyamu-chan in a single day... They had only given him a tiny bit of time alone, and he had already gotten involved with two strange girls with terrifying efficiency. If they really let him go abroad by himself for a while, there was no telling if he'd come back with a few super cute foreign beauties!
That's it, Sakiko-san's plan is absolutely necessary!
(I absolutely have to claim him before he goes overseas!)
Looking at his unguarded side profile, Anon reaffirmed this conviction in her heart.