Hijiri-san looks down in pain.
...But that was only for a moment.
"--Ah! I, I'm sorry... Yohei is easy to talk to, so I might have said something strange. You can forget about it. Or rather, just forget it!"
As if coming to his senses, he smiles and shakes his head.
However, having seen his serious expression earlier, I can't just pretend nothing happened.
"...I'm sure Hime isn't just worried about Hijiri."
My relationship with the Hoshimiya sisters is still shallow.
But even so, there are things that you can notice as a third party.
"Th-that's fine. I'm fine, I don't need any comforting. You see, I'm an idiot, so my only redeeming quality is that I'm cheerful, you know?"
"Yeah. I think Hime likes a big sister who acts cheerfully like that."
I'm not trying to comfort you in any way.
However, I didn't want him to misunderstand, and I wanted to convey what I really think.
"I think it's true that I'm worried. But that's not all. I also want to be with a kind older sister who loves me."
Hime is quite mature for an eight-year-old.
It's not that she's precocious or trying to act older than she is, but that she is truly an adult.
However, they only act mature, but in reality they are just children.
"I guess he didn't want to go overseas and be away from his beloved sister.
I'm sure that's the case.
Listening to Hijiri-san's story, it seems like... the Hoshimiya sisters' parents are strict.
That's why I think the sisters have always helped each other.
I'm sure Kiyoshi always acted cheerfully and tried to cheer up Hime.
As an older sister, I think I have always tried to protect and shield my younger sister.
Hime really loves her sister.
He's only eight years old, and at an age where he wants to be pampered by people close to him.
Thinking about it like that,
"He's not a burden at all. It seems like Hime would be in trouble if he wasn't around."
I couldn't help but feel that Kiyoshi's guilt was unnecessary.
Also, I simply want the Hoshimiya sisters to get along well.
That's why I told you my thoughts.
"..."
Saint was silent.
Without saying anything, she looked at Hime's desk...and then suddenly threw herself down on the desk.
"--I'm not crying."
"I haven't heard anything."
"I, I'm not crying... sniff."
Maybe it resonated quite a bit?
If that's the case, I'm very happy...or rather, relieved.
(I wonder if he had some idea?)
If I didn't understand Hime's love, I don't think my words would have hurt as much.
If they were feeling negative solely because of negative emotions, no amount of positive words would have been taken seriously.
In other words, the Hoshimiya sisters were just slightly at odds with each other.
No, Hime must have honestly expressed her feelings, so it's possible that Hijiri was simply feeling uneasy.
If this is the case, I'm sure the two of them will continue to get along well in the future.
For now, it was good that no friction arose between them.