Chapter 4. My popularity!? (4)
Chapter 4. My popularity!? (4)
"Hmm? No, I didn't watch the broadcast either."
When I went home and asked hesitantly, Soi answered flatly.
"Huh? You didn't watch the talk show?"
"I was right next to you, wasn't I? We share the same room anyway."
"M-my room is separate, though..."
"Only your clothes are in there. You use the same room as me when you come home anyway, right? We even sleep in the same bed."
"..."
No, isn't it a bit weird when you put it like that?
...
No, wait, it's weird even if you don't put it into words. We're middle schoolers now, aren't we? Of course, sometimes siblings end up sharing a room if they happen to live in a cramped house, but that's definitely not the case for Soi's family.
In fact, there are three unused rooms in this house. On the first floor, there's the master bedroom that Soi's parents share, Soi's room, and my room, plus a dressing room—four in total.
If you only look at the first floor, it seems like all the rooms are being used, but this house has a second floor too. Since there are three more rooms on the second floor, the truth is, they aren't even using half of this house.
"O-oh, come to think of it, Soi."
"Hmm?"
As I called out to Soi while sitting in my chair, she answered half-heartedly while lying on the bed, staring at her smartphone.
"We have separate rooms, so maybe now, slowly..."
"Slowly?"
Soi reacted immediately and rolled over to face me, causing me to shut my mouth without realizing it.
How should I put it, her intensity is overwhelming.
But still, I feel like I have to say it.
Isn't weird, weird?
Let's assume that when Soi was little, being alone was so lonely that it almost became a trauma. Of course, considering Yujin-ajumma and Dohyun-ajeossi, that probably wasn't the case, but let's just assume it for a moment.
Even so, that was when she was really young. By the time you're a middle schooler, you barely remember your kindergarten days. In other words, it's highly likely that in Soi's mind, I'm truly cemented as her younger sister. Sisters who have been together since their earliest memories.
No, well, if you ask me if we're close precisely because we're sisters like that, I wouldn't have anything to say.
Still, people usually want a private space that isn't invaded by others, right?
...Not that I dislike it, though.
"Slowly..."
"Slowly?"
"Yeah, it's nothing."
But in the end, I couldn't say it.
What if, just what if, Soi gets offended? I don't want to ruin our relationship for no reason. We've barely ever fought, so if we fought for no reason, I wouldn't even know how to resolve it.
We're not going to live stuck together forever anyway, so isn't it fine? We can't share a room even after we become adults.
We'll naturally drift apart as time passes.
Although, for some reason, it feels like I've thought this many times before!
"..."
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
Seeing Soi's eyes narrow, I asked, feeling a little scared.
We haven't awakened our Superpowers yet, but Soi's physical abilities have already transcended mine. She doesn't even do any special exercise, so seeing that, I'd say it's innate.
"School uniform."
"Hmm?"
"Lua, isn't there really a problem with that school uniform?"
"A, a problem?"
Soi had been rolling around on the bed without even changing out of her uniform, complaining that it was a hassle to do so after coming home. And I, having followed her into the room on a whim, completely missed the timing to change.
That was why I wasn't in comfortable clothes even though I had come home after school.
"It's wa~y too baggy."
"Baggy?"
I looked down.
It doesn't really seem like that, though?
Usually, middle schoolers get their uniform sizes a bit loose. Because we're still at an age where we're growing.
But Yujin-ajumma and Dohyun-ajeossi didn't really do that when they got our uniforms. Actually, they're the type of people who have never even thought about such things.
Clothes? If the size doesn't fit, can't you just get new ones? Is there any need to wear them looking all frumpy?
Aren't they rich enough to think that way?
So my uniform isn't particularly bigger or smaller. The skirt comes down to my knees, and the shirt is just the right amount of loose.
"No. It's baggy."
"Soi, your uniform is similar, though...?"
"Yeah, that's right. That was it. I thought something was a bit weird."
"Huh?"
But no matter what I said, Soi just kept talking to herself and then jumped up from her seat.
"Let's go out."
"Where?"
"To the tailor shop."
Soi's expression as she said those incomprehensible words was so firm that I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
*
And so, we ended up getting our uniforms taken in.
Actually, I never even wore a tailored uniform in my past life. There were many male students who wore their uniforms strangely tight, but unfortunately, if a student who wasn't exactly part of the 'cool crowd' wore their clothes like that, it would be, in many ways, a bit...
Well, I've never actually seen anyone get picked on because of that. I guess I just didn't want to. At least, my friends and I didn't do that.
I also thought it was strange that girls couldn't wear them tailored. It looked a bit bizarre to see them with white makeup on their faces and wearing their clothes so tight.
Come to think of it, I think I just tried not to pay attention to them because they lived in a different world than I did. If I got involved for no reason, I'd just end up getting bullied.
"It's too tight..."
"No, no, it's fine! It suits you, it suits you. This eonni guarantees it!"
Soi, giving me a thumbs up, was wearing clothes that clung to her just like mine.
It was embarrassing for me to wear it, but it's even more embarrassing to see Soi wearing it. Is it because we've known each other since we were little?
Unable to even make proper eye contact due to embarrassment, Soi grinned and draped her arm over my shoulder.
"What's wrong? As expected, my little sister is shy. Come on, let's think of it this way. Everyone wears it like this anyway, right? If we were the only ones walking around in baggy clothes, how would the other kids see us? Maybe we were the ones who were dressed strangely?"
"Even if you say that..."
Embarrassing is still embarrassing.
But what can I do? The clothes were already tailored before I could properly refuse.
"If Yujin-ajumma sees us..."
"Ah."
As I muttered that, Soi stiffened.
That's right. Yujin-ajumma generally tends to let us be free, but she doesn't exactly like it when we go down a delinquent path.
And, being a bit old-fashioned, she also had a somewhat strict side, just like many conservative parents.
So, I guess you could say she hates the 'delinquent stereotype.' Of course, since she was a Hero and has lived in society for a long time, she doesn't judge people solely by their first impression.
She was quite strict about us 'looking like that.'
"Um, w-wouldn't it be fine?"
She decided on a whim, but it seems she's worried after all.
"We still have the normal uniforms, so it'll work out somehow."
And the conclusion she finally reached was a bit of an escapist one.
Well, it's not like we can undo the tailoring now. By the way, the tailoring speed is incredibly fast. Seeing that it took only a few hours, I guess they really are experts.
If we had been caught by Yujin-ajumma after dropping them off, we could have just gone and picked them up quickly.
*
We had to 'carry' the clothes to drop them off anyway, and of course, we had other clothes to change into besides our uniforms.
In the end, following Soi's suggestion that if we were going to get caught, we shouldn't bother hiding it, we just went home confidently while wearing the uniforms.
No, actually, I wasn't very confident. I was hiding behind Soi.
"You two...!"
Yujin-ajumma opened her eyes wide as if shocked when she first saw us, then,
"Pfft...!"
She burst into laughter.
Is this a good sign, or not? At least it's better than her yelling, right?
After judging the situation by making eye contact with Soi, I thought it would probably be fine for now.
"Well, all the other kids wear it like that too. Yeah, I guess it can't be helped even if I try to stop you..."
Yujin-ajumma muttered that.
"Mom?"
"Mom was like that when I was your age too, so I won't say anything this time."
"Mom was like that too?"
Soi asked, looking pleased.
"Yeah, well, I was."
"..."
And Dohyun-ajeossi, who was sitting nearby, was staring off into the distance for some reason.
"..."
The atmosphere between Yujin-ajumma and Dohyun-ajeossi somehow turned pink, so Soi and I looked at each other.
Soi's expression is incredibly subtle. It's a face that's trying to manage itself because she dislikes the atmosphere but can't openly show her disgust.
Should I say we stepped on a landmine?
Everyone knows theoretically how they were born.
But naturally, no one wants to hear or confirm that process with their own ears.
If you calculate the age, of course, Soi wasn't conceived then, but it must be a story from when the two of them were in the prime of their passion... It's probably a story about how, if things had gone slightly wrong, an older sister for Soi might have been born.
We went back to our room without a word.
Only after returning to the room did Soi wipe her face.
"We got permission, didn't we? Let's think positively."
I decided to replace my answer with just a nod to Soi's words.