Side Story
Volume 3
One Sunday morning.
Ichiya stopped studying and checked the clock on his desk to see that it was almost time for his appointment with Nachi Chiaki.
The plan was to meet Nachi before noon, have some fun outside including lunch, and then bring him home.
He quickly changed into his going-out clothes and changed his glasses to ones with tinted lenses.
He left his room and headed for the main house. Everything about the house was pure Japanese style.
Ichiya Toya was born to the mistress of the master of this house and was taken in after his mother died.
His father has three mistresses and provides for each of them well, so he is not sure how to evaluate him. But he loves Ichiya as much as he loves his wife’s children. And even agrees to Ichiya’s wish to keep the surname Toya.
However, it is his wife who is not amused. For her, Ichiya is a child that her husband bore with another woman. There is no way she would be at peace with having such a child in her home.
She pretended that everything was fine on the surface, but she showed her blatant rejection in many places.
One such example was the detached house given to Ichiya.
It had two rooms, a bathroom, a toilet, and even a kitchen, all designed kindly by giving a variety of reasons. This was just a way of telling him not to set foot in the main house too often.
Thanks to this background and the current environment, Ichiya has always had a sulky personality towards the world, and now it is almost solidified.
[Oh my, Ichiya. Are you going out?]
It was the eldest of the three step-sisters who called out to Ichiya as he walked down the corridor of the main house. Naturally, the stepmother did not speak to him unless she had something to say.
She was dressed in a pants suit. Looking at her, she looked like an office worker. But actually, she was enrolled in a doctoral course at a top university.
[Is elder sister going to the lab?]
(TN: Ichiya used the word Gishi-san (義姉) which means elder step sister. But it didn’t sound good here. So I changed it to simple elder sister.)
[Yes. I’m in the middle of something, and there’s no such thing as Sunday. It’s hard.]
She said with an exaggerated sigh, but she seemed to be enjoying her work.
[Have a safe trip.]
[Yeah. You too.]
With that, she walked quickly down the hallway.
They were going to the same entrance, but by the time Ichiya turned the next corner, she was already out of sight. There seemed to be a big difference in their walking speed.
[Hmm? Ichiya, are you going somewhere?]
The next person to appear was his second sister.
She had a fashion sense that was outstanding among her sisters, and today she was still wearing the latest trends.
She seems to be allowed to do as she pleases, partly because her eldest sister is on the path to becoming an upright woman and has declared that she will eventually help her father with his work. After graduating from high school, she is attending a vocational school in the fashion industry.
By the way, both the first and second sisters were graduates of Seirei Gakuen. This was the result of her father’s principle and obsession, and it could be said that half of Ichiya’s career path was determined by this.
[Well, that’s pretty much it.]
Ichiya’s speech crumbled at once as he responded.
[Ohh? Maybe it’s a date?]
She stood in front of Ichiya with a curious look on her face.
[I’m just meeting some guys from my class.]
[Well, then, the clothes I picked out for you the other day, wear them]
[That conjunction is wrong. …. That is for another time.]
He replied in a troublesome tone and tried to slip past her. But she quickly blocked his way and stood in front of him again.
[……]
[……]
Once again, this time from the other side, Ichiya tried to get through. But once again, his sister jumped a large step ahead of him.
[……]
[……]
[…… Okay. I just have to wear it right?]
Eventually, Ichiya gave in and he had to head back down the hallway.
He went back to his room and changed again.
He wore a sleeveless shirt and pants with a pleated wraparound waistcoat.
Although he didn’t know exactly what was good about it, he was sure that it would look good on him, since his sister had bought it with confidence. He trusted her sense of style in this area.
When he left his room, his stepsister was politely waiting for him outside. She smiled contentedly at the sight of Ichiya.
[Well, have a safe trip.]
And then she left.
[……]
Ichiya scratched his head.
He could change back into his clothes again, but he had a feeling that he might be ambushed again somewhere. And more than that, changing clothes is a hassle.
Ichiya decided to go out as it is.
He walked down the corridor he had walked down a few minutes ago and headed for the front door. This time he made it without seeing anyone.
He sat down in the doorway and put on his boots.
These boots were also forced on him by his stepsister. Realizing that he was going out of his way to wear them with his clothes, he chuckled.
Both of them are very fond of Ichiya.
This had been the case since the day he was welcomed into this house. They take care of him so that their half-brother, Ichiya, can blend in naturally. This is all the more so because of their mother’s attitude.
It’s a bit annoying for him, but he can see how they feel about it, so he does what he can to accommodate them.
Then…
[Ichiya-san.]
He was called out for the third time.
Ichiya was slightly surprised to find that she was standing behind him before he knew it.
[Are you going out now?]
[I have an appointment with a friend.]
He replied with his back turned. He finished putting on his boots, stood up, and turned around.
Standing there was his third stepsister, who is two years older than him.
Her neatly made figure, long black hair, and overly quiet demeanor made the overall appearance seem artificial. She looked like a Japanese doll, perhaps because she looked good in a kimono.
[Oh. Then come home quickly and don’t be too late. Mother will be in a bad mood again if you’re late.]
Indeed, something like that had happened to him before, and he remembered that he had been called a lot of names.
[It’s okay. I’ll be back with him in the early afternoon.]
[Your friend means…… Chiaki-kun?]
[…… Well.]
She frowned slightly for a moment.
The fact that Nachi’s name came out of her mouth created an emotion that was hard to describe.
[I see. That’s a good thing. I’ll have some tea cakes ready for you, so give me a call when you get back.]
[… Understood.]
Ichiya wasn’t very good with her. However, when it comes to being not good with, the two stepsisters above her are also similar. But more than that, the girl in front of him is the one he is most uncomfortable with.
Looking back, she was the first of the three stepsisters that he met face to face.
Four years ago…
It was when Ichiya was in the sixth grade that his mother was involved in a traffic accident and passed away without warning.
Many of her relatives disliked her as the mistress of a businessman in an old family with a long history.
After everything was over, In the apartment given to Toya and her son. (TN: Toya here refers to his mother. Her first name was not given)
In the living room, the relatives were discussing what to do with the remaining child, in other words, what to do with Ichiya.
Ichiya had been a clever child even then. He understood to a certain extent what his mother’s position was, and even though his tears had dried up and he was huddled in a corner of the room, he understood that the topic of money was sometimes mixed in with what he was hearing.
How much money will the insurance payout? And, can we get some money from the rich man under some pretext?
— It doesn’t matter …….
Just when he was thinking about it, that man jumped into the room.
The man, dressed in an expensive business suit, was Ichiya’s father.
He had only met his father a handful of times in his life. His mother had arranged to meet him many times, but since Ichiya had not been very proactive, it had gradually become the norm for them not to see each other.
It wasn’t that he hated his father. That being said, forget liking, it was just that he seemed to be a person from another world who had nothing to do with his life.
He didn’t pay any attention to the relatives of Ichiya and headed straight for the Japanese-style room where the remains and the altar were placed.
He heard a voice. “What a disaster this is! While I was away from Japan!”. And he was apologizing profusely. He must have been in a foreign country and heard the news as soon as he came back to Japan, so he flew here.
At that moment, someone came up to Ichiya.
“Are you Ichiya-san?”
When he looked up, she saw a girl with long black hair who looked like a Japanese doll. She must have been a junior high school student and was wearing a sailor suit.
And then.
“You did great on your own. Come to our house.”
She took Ichiya’s hand and smiled gently.
She must have followed her father because she was worried about Ichiya that he would be left alone and would be at a loss. That’s why she was the first to call out to him. That’s how she welcomed him into the house.
However, it is she who is most difficult for him to deal with.
He decided to leave the place quickly.
[I’m off.]
[Have a safe trip. Come home early.]
She also didn’t waste time prolonging the conversation with such Ichiya and honestly sent him off.
(This is the kind of thing…)
Once again, he thought – I still have trouble with this sister.
She is the kindest of the three, but she doesn’t force it on anybody, she scolds when necessary, and she is always there to watch over him.
Ichiya opened the door and walked out —
TN: This chapter was somewhat difficult due to the language used. Might have few issues here and there. Let me know if you find any.
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