A Long-Awaited Cherry Blossom Picnic! (With a Side of Chaos) (2)
The engine rumbled to life with a solid thunk as the key turned in the ignition. Even though the car was quite old, the engine noise hadn’t changed much from how I remembered it. Was it because the person who had been driving it all this time had maintained it so well? Or was the car simply built to last? These were the kind of pointless thoughts that sometimes crossed my mind while riding in a car.
“Jiah, do you take the car in for maintenance often?”
“...I do, yeah? It’s pretty worn out after all. I take it to the shop at least once every quarter.”
Riding with my little sister at the wheel was always comforting. She seemed to have grown used to being considerate of her passengers—abrupt stops were something I had hardly ever experienced, and I never felt any violent jolting even when going over speed bumps. So, aside from the vibration coming from the old internal combustion engine, the ride was almost eerily quiet and stable.
That said, it was impossible to completely ignore the characteristic shaking of an aging engine. Hadn’t she herself mentioned being ranked eighth or ninth among the country’s magical girls? Plus she had told me she earned as much as a professional athlete. So couldn’t she afford to upgrade? A sports car, maybe, or a luxury sedan. Even after factoring in the purchase price and maintenance costs of a high-end vehicle that ran into the hundreds of thousands, her bank account would still have plenty of breathing room.
“Is it really necessary to go through all that hassle maintaining it? Wouldn’t it be easier to just get a new car? You make a lot of money, right?”
“That’s true. Buying one new car would solve everything. Of course I have the financial means for that.”
“Then why on earth don’t you buy one?”
At my innocent question, my sister hesitated, looking somewhat awkward. It seemed less like discomfort and more like shyness or embarrassment. She scratched her cheek with one finger for a moment before speaking.
“This car holds a lot of memories.”
“...Memories?”
“Memories I made with you. Back then, you used to drive me to school in this car. Now the roles are reversed… You know what I’m like, right? I have a hard time throwing old things away. Turns out that applies to cars too.”
Vroooom. For a while, the only sound inside the car was the engine.
It felt a bit awkward. After I was discharged and focusing on part-time jobs, our school and work schedules overlapped for a while, so I used to drive her to school in this shabby old car. Even though it must have been embarrassing for a girl going through puberty, Jiah never once complained and was always grateful. …To me it had simply been the natural thing to do, but it seemed that experience had given the car a great deal of meaning for her.
“...Ahem. Still, if you get the chance, get a new one. It was already a few years old when I first got it, so it’s almost twenty years old now. It’s about time to let it go.”
“Okay. When the opportunity comes later… But I don’t think I’ll be able to throw it away.”
Carrying our shared memories, the car moved forward. Along the road, heading toward the future.
After about ten minutes, the car arrived at the academy.
Huh? Weren’t we going cherry blossom viewing? Why stop at the academy?
Because we had to pick someone up. Somehow two students had ended up joining us on this outing.
“Oh. There they come.”
In the distance, two girls were walking toward us. Jiah glanced at me and said with a teasing smirk.
“Hmm~. So you really did make friends?”
“You even went and asked the teacher yourself to confirm. You still didn’t believe me?”
“Of course that person isn’t the type to lie… but my policy is to stay suspicious until I see it with my own two eyes.”
“This overly suspicious personality… I wonder where it came from.”
“From you, oppa. It came from you.”
I was at a loss for words. Just this Wednesday I had texted that I would be late because I was teaching two little chicks. It was so unfair I could have jumped up and down. And while she was waiting for me she had even met with the teacher!
“...Sigh. I have nothing to say to that. Haaaawn.”
When I yawned, unable to fight off the exhaustion, Jiah studied me carefully and asked in a worried tone.
“What’s wrong? Are you sleepy, oppa?”
“Of course I am… But I’ll try to hold on as much as I can today. I even brought the coffee I haven’t touched once since coming back, just for this occasion.”
When I left the house earlier I had grabbed a tumbler—one filled with strong black coffee. Seeing the tumbler in my hand, Jiah made an expression that was hard to read, a mix of disbelief and admiration.
“I can’t decide whether to call that admirable or just overdoing it. Oh, your friends are coming now. Will you do it the way I told you earlier in front of them?”
“You mean… that? The setting where you’re my older cousin?”
“Yeah. No matter what, I can’t call you ‘oppa’ in front of kids who don’t know our situation.”
Just before we reached the academy she had brought it up. Logically speaking, it would be hard for people to accept a girl who looked like a middle-schooler casually speaking to a full-grown adult and being addressed with honorifics. So she had insisted we create a setting—that I was her younger cousin.
It hadn’t sounded too bad when I heard it, so I had accepted without hesitation… but actually trying to introduce Jiah as my older cousin in front of the kids made my head spin a little.
She quickly noticed my hesitation and added,
“But don’t hide your real identity, okay? That would look extremely suspicious. I may not look it, but I’m pretty well-known. Even if I can endure the rumors, it would be really hard on you, oppa.”
“Would reporters actually come to the academy?”
“How did you know, oppa? That’s exactly right.”
…Seriously? Gossip reporters would really show up at a sacred educational institution? Their persistence was the same no matter the world, so I had no choice but to meekly accept Jiah’s suggestion.
I am Jiah’s younger cousin. Jiah is my older cousin. From now on, I am Jiah’s younger cousin.
“Hey! Jihye, hello!”
“U-um, hello…?”
While I was busy brainwashing myself, the two little chicks approached and greeted us. But even though my reason accepted it, my instincts kept rejecting the idea. Did I really… have to introduce Jiah as my older sister? This kid I had raised… as my noona?
Just close your eyes and do it, Kim Jihoon. You can do this.
I took a deep breath, swallowed the churning in my stomach, and introduced Jiah to the girls.
“Hello. As I mentioned before, for today’s cherry blossom viewing I’ll be going with my… older cousin here. Is that okay?”
“Of course, Jihye! Hello, I’m Jihye’s friend Shin Seyeol! Um… I’m really a fan! Please take care of me!”
“I-I’m… Jihye’s f-friend Baek Miju… I’m a fan of Blossom-nim… I even have that. Photo books with autographs and albums… and I have so many other goods that I’m a huge f-fan!”
The two were treating Jiah like a celebrity. It seemed what she had said about having recognition wasn’t a lie. Being in the single digits of the rankings really did mean she was that famous and renowned.
But after hearing Miju’s words, one question popped into my head. Photo books and albums? Why on earth would a magical girl release those?
“Nice to meet all of you. As you know, I’m Blossom, who works with the Magical Girl Association. You can comfortably call me Jiah unnie. Since you’re all Jihye’s friends, it’s okay for me to speak casually, right?”
“Yes! Jiah unnie. Feel free to speak comfortably.”
“O-of course! Jiah unnie.”
Jiah led the conversation naturally, as if this kind of thing happened often.
“As our friends know, Jihye has a rather weak body. So I was always worried whenever I sent her to the academy, but I’m relieved she has such good friends like you. You’ve been taking good care of our Jihye, right?”
“Yes. As the class president, I’ve been looking after her every time. Even though she sometimes skips practice by secretly sleeping in class… I’m trying my best to make sure it’s not too inconvenient for her to attend the academy!”
“Oh… You’re Seyeol, right? Thanks to you, I feel at ease. Please continue to take good care of our Jihye. Of course, you too, Miju?”
“Leave it to me!”
“M-me too!”
Look at these kids getting along so well. And in the middle of it, Jiah was having the time of her life. Since I had set the stage, she was calling me “our Jihye” without hesitation. And the kids were accepting it without a second thought. Are you happy being praised and fawned over by the little chicks, sis?
I had a lot I wanted to say but held it in. The class president seemed to sense something from my silence and quietly came closer to ask,
“Blossom-nim… I mean Jiah unnie, is she your real older sister?”
“No… she’s my cousin.”
It was good that I had come up with the detailed setting of “cousin.” If I had just said she was an older sister I knew, it would have been hard to explain.
My sister looked at the three of us for a moment before speaking shamelessly.
“Is it burdensome that I’m tagging along for the cherry blossom viewing today?”
“Not at all. Rather, it’s an honor that you’re joining us, unnie.”
“R-right. Cherry blossom viewing with Blossom-nim… I’m so happy.”
I was surprised that she was handling the kids more comfortably than expected, but thanks to that sly tone I kept sensing… something stirred in my chest. Even though it was originally supposed to be a cherry blossom viewing just the two of us, she spoke as if she were the one who had intruded, smoothly taking control of the conversation and lightening the mood. When did she learn such advanced conversation skills? It made me wonder if this was really the same sister I knew.
Well, kids do grow up a lot when you’re not looking. For Jiah, who had to survive nine years without me, such changes were probably natural.
…Still, it was a bit irritating.
“Let’s stop the chit-chat here and get going, shall we? Everyone, get in the car.”
With a clunk, the kids started getting into the car at Jiah’s instruction. Fortunately, even though the car was old, it wasn’t too cramped for four girls. Watching the class president and Miju climb in first, I thought:
I can count on one hand the number of times more than three people have been in this car….
“...Are you thinking the same thing?”
“Eek. You scared me. I told you to turn on your blinker when you come in.”
Jiah tried to suppress her grinning lips, but they kept twitching as if they had a mind of their own. I snapped at her in a deliberately petulant tone.
“You kept calling me ‘our Jihye’ back there. Did that make you really happy, Kim Jiah?”
“But it was fun. When else would I get to call you that?”
“Don’t talk like this is your only chance when you’re going to keep calling me that from now on too.”
“Tsk. You caught me. As expected, oppa is quick-witted.”
Hmph, tch. I lightly elbowed the girl who was making sounds like she was pouting.
“Was this what you wanted?”
“What?”
Seeing her make a dumb face as if she didn’t understand what I meant.
“...Never mind. Let’s just get in the car quickly. Otherwise it’ll be lunchtime already.”
I hastily glossed over it and sat in the passenger seat. My sister got in a little after I did. As if nothing had happened, she fastened her seatbelt and looked at the little chicks in the back seat.
“Alright then, shall we go cherry blossom viewing?”
“Yes!”
“Y-yes!”
“Haaaaawn.”
At the signal, Jiah started the engine. Vrrrrm. The car’s vibration was less than before. Maybe because there were more people in it. I wasn’t sure.
The car carrying four people headed toward Seoul like that.