Even Though I Loved You First

~2:30 p.m. [After School]

“…I finished later than I expected…” I sighed as I walked through a familiar path.

Walking back from school after finishing my assigned tasks, I looked around out of boredom. Back when I was doing my task along with a classmate, I received a message from Kotone stating that they’ll be a little late.

“What to do— Oh?” As I was looking for entertainment, I saw two familiar figures in the distance. The two of them seem to be in a… disagreement… to say the least…

“…mountains or the ocean? Choose.”

“H-hah? I’m more of a mountain person…” What are they talking about? I wondered as I got closer to them.

“Then wait till we get home. I’ll tie you up and throw you in the middle of a mountain range.” Eh? Throw? Mountain range?!

“Oi, Sis?!”

“What are you two talking about? No… I don’t even wanna know…” (Kei)

““Hm?””

“If it isn’t Kei!”

“Kei. It ‘s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, Aiku, Asahi.” I politely greeted both Aiku and Asahi Kamihate, Arisa ‘s siblings.

“It’s been a little over a month since we last saw you, hasn’t it?” (Asahi)

“Is Arisa doing well?” (Aiku)

“It has been a while. Arisa ‘s doing well. Though I believe she should be with my sisters now.” I replied.

“I see. I’m done threate— negotiating with Aiku right now, want to join us for lunch?” (Asahi)

“You were about to say ‘threatheing’, weren’t you!” (Aiku)

“My, you’re just imagining it.” (Asahi)

“Oi!” (Aiku)

How should I put it…? They really get along, don’t they? I couldn’t help but smile at their interaction.

♡

~Family Restaurant

2:50 p.m.

It hasn’t been even a day and I’m back here… I thought as I sipped on my orange with carrot juice. After placing my order, I waited for Asahi and Aiku to finish their order.

“By the way, you two don’t live in this city, right? What were you doing here in the afternoon?” (Kei)

As far as I can recall, their university isn’t close to here, and if I’m correct, the one they attend is about three and a half hours by train. So, it was weird to see the two of them here.

“We had the day off. So we decided to go ahead and get some errands done. We also had an acquaintance we needed to visit today as well.” Said Asahi, as she handed the menus to the waitress.

“I didn’t want to come at first, though… I wanted to spend my time lazing around…” Aiku lamented.

“What about Kei?” (Asahi)

“Me? I had some things I needed to do after school. So I stayed together with a classmate to finish the tasks. They also happen to be a part of the student council of our school so I managed to finish way earlier.” (Kei)

“Such a diligent kid! Well, the responsible type are the ones that can attract much attention.” Aiku chuckled.

“The opposite of you…” (Asahi)

“I’m passing my classes thank you very much.” (Aiku)

“Arisa ‘s very lucky.” (Asahi)

“Gufu–?! cough cough… E-eh…?” Having Arisa’s name brought up all of a sudden made me choke on my drink, and as I cleaned up with my handkerchief, Aiku finished.

“I mean, you like her, don’t you?” (Aiku)

“…how did you…?” I frowned.

“Intuition.” Asahi said.

“…women are scary…” (Kei)

“I couldn’t agree more.” Aiku nodded helplessly.

I’ve always wondered what was this ‘women intuition’ that either my sisters or Arisa would bring up. Some of my classmates also answered with this so-called ‘intuition’ sometimes.

Are they some omnipotent beings or something?

“Actually… Since we’re here, I want some advice…” (Kei)

They silently nodded, and looked at me as if to say ‘go on’.

“I’m going on a date with Arisa this Saturday and I want to prepare a gift beforehand… because… well… you see…” Even though I’ve told the others about what I’m planning, saying it straight to her older siblings felt… intimidating.

“…I’m actually planning on confessing at the end of the day… To make things… official, you know? So, I want to give her something once she accepts my confession.” (Kei)

“You really make it sound like she’s going to accept…” (Aiku)

“Am I wrong in assuming so?” (Asahi)

“No. Though I could only catch a glimpse of the distance between you two, I can clearly say that you’re really someone important to her. I’m glad you’re not one of those super-dense guys, Kei.” Asahi wryly smiled.

“He’s not an average rom-com protagonist you know…” Aiku chuckled.

As we kept talking, the food arrived, and as we received it and prepared for it, Asahi continued.

“Eat slow, ok? Let us tell you even more about Arisa,” She paused for a moment, then, “future brother-in-law.” She said with a teasing grin.

As we continued to eat, Asahi and Aiku kept telling me stories about an Arisa I didn’t know before. Along with more of her likes and dislikes that I had yet to know. All the time I kept writing myself mental notes on the things I found useful, the more I knew about someone, the easier it’ll be to close the distance,

That’s how I operated.

♡

~4:00 p.m.

“Such a vast amount of knowledge…” I wondered.

“A-Asahi… Is it just me or…” (Aiku)

“I-I can see it, Aiku… somehow… I can see a halo on Kei’s head…” (Asahi)

“He has ascended… Even though we only told him stories of little Arisa…” (Aiku)

After we finished eating, we kept talking for a while. Needless to say, everything I heard from Arisa just sounded way too cute to be true. I felt like I just stumbled upon an omniscient source of power.

“I can see it…” (Kei)

“S-see what…?” Asahi asked with a hint of concern.

“Little Arisa ending all wars…” (Kei)
“He broke…” (Asahi)

“Indeed…” (Aiku)

♡

~Train Station [4:50 p.m.]

“I’ll go look at the schedule, then.” Aiku waved as he went down the stairs leading to the station.

“I’ll be with you in a minute.” (Asahi)

As Aiku left, it was only me and Asahi left, after a brief silence, she turned to me.

“Kei.” (Asahi)

“Yes?” (Kei)

“Arisa… isn’t exactly honest every time, they’re things that she’ll likely keep to herself. For her, they are merely personal struggles, things she has to deal with on her own.” (Asahi)

“…” I kept silent, and let her continue.

“As the oldest of the three, I’ve seen not only Aiku, but Arisa grow up. I’ve seen her deal with her loneliness alone. For her, who didn’t want to bother our parents nor wanted to be a burden to us, that was everything she could do.” (Asahi)

“Asahi…?” (Kei)

“Mom and dad, you see… are quite busy with their work. Of course, whenever they had a day off, they would absolutely prioritize Arisa. Even if they were required to unexpectedly clock in during their days off, at least they had the heart to refuse, and spend time with her instead.” She paused,

“Nowadays, their days off are getting more scarce, which results in them growing apart… So, let me tell you this—” At that moment, Aiku called out.

“Sis! Next train will be arriving in about five minutes! Pick up the pace!” He shouted

“Hold on!” She shouted back.

She placed her left hand on my right shoulder, and gave me some parting words. “Kei. Please, once Arisa grabs your hand, don’t let go. I don’t want her to be in pain again…” (Asahi)

I didn’t hesitate in my answer, “Leave her to me.” I nodded. She gently smiled, it was a smile that really reminded me of Arisa, no wonder they were sisters.

She patted my shoulder and went ahead to board the train. Looking over her shoulder, I could see Aiku waving at me, to which I waved back.

Once the train arrived and I saw them off. I turned on my heel and headed home, feelings way more motivated than usual.

Days Until Date: 2 Days

♡

Third Person POV~

As the pair of siblings rode the train, Asahi looked back at her conversation with Kei, and muttered.

“He’s a really good guy, huh?” (Asahi)

As an older sister, Asahi wanted to know that her little sister, who used to be all alone after the two of them entered university, was left in good hands. Her conclusion was that she was indeed in good hands. She even couldn’t help but feel jealous.

“Probably hearing his older sister’s mutter, Aiku spoke.

“Who, Kei? He really is, isn’t he? If they were to tell me that they plan to get married right after graduating high school I’ll give my blessings ASAP.” Aiku leaned on his seat, with a satisfied smile.

“To be fair, I thought you would feel at least a little bit jealous.” Asahi teased.

“Jealous because he at least has the courage to confess to the woman he likes? Yup.” (Aiku)

“I was saying due to that time when Arisa was a child, saying something along the lines of ‘I’ll marry big brother when I get older!’ You know?” She chuckled.

“That was nothing but child’s play… Rather… Arisa might put me to sleep if I bring it up now…” (Aiku)

“Back to what you said earlier, why don’t you just confess to her?” Asahi asked.

“I bet she probably sees me as a younger brother… I mean, not only are we four years apart but we are a bartender and a customer, you know?” (Aiku)

She’s clearly into you, though… Asahi couldn’t help but sigh at her brother’s denseness. However, in the near future, not only will she be welcoming a brother-in-law, but she will also meet her sister-in-law.