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Chapter 39. Ugh... I Just Don't Get This Studying~

"Ugh... Suo-senpai, I can't understand this 'Tozenkusa' story at all~"

"'Tozenkusa' means 'The Tangleweed'. By the way, can you read the title of this essay here?"

"'Makura kusa ko'?"

"It's 'Makura no soshi na'."

"And what about the 'Re' and 'Ichi, Ni' next to these kanji?"

"Ah, that's from there..."

Finally at the family restaurant, studying had begun, but I hit a big wall right now.

"I thought English and math would be fine, but I didn't expect Classical Chinese and Japanese to be the problem." 

Suo-senpai sighed.

"Yuu-kun, you're amazing at English~ Being able to read and speak English is so cool!"

"Yuu, you're good at geometry problems. It's my weak area, so I want you to teach me."

"That's how you girls immediately pamper him... Anyway, what were you doing during classical literature classes until now? Sleeping?"

"I was awake, but it was more like a time to reaffirm the beauty of the sky..."

"Were you daydreaming and looking out the window during class? There's no hope for you in terms of class attitude."

"Ugh..."

That's how it was.

English and math, which are often said to be prone to failing, turned out to be surprisingly okay.

Upon revisiting the problem sets, the surveying knowledge I learned in the military was useful in the geometry section of math. As for English, since I had been traveling around the world, I had acquired broken English.

"English will lose points because of grammar mistakes, and I'll solve math problems with brute force using the memorized trigonometric function table numbers, so it's not entirely safe. But the biggest problem is..."

"Classical Chinese and Japanese. Since it's a unit first touched upon in upper elementary school, it's a field you haven't studied at all, Yuu-kun."

"I learned haiku..."

That's the consequence of being forcibly conscripted into the military at 10, during the 4th grade of elementary school.

Honestly, I thought Japanese would be fine if I read some books casually and left my studies for later when I was on the battlefield.

"In this case, I have no choice but to start over from the basics of elementary school level."

"Recently, you can watch free tutoring classes on the internet, right?"

"Not all classes are uploaded, and some are left incomplete. I'll search for free educational materials online."

"Ugh, thank you... everyone."

Unbeknownst, all three were top students in their respective grades, so my curriculum was getting formulated properly. However, having to start over from an elementary school level was still embarrassing.

"Hmm... There aren't many options for the elementary school level, huh? Many videos are dealing with math, which many students struggle with."

"The situation is similar for free educational materials. There aren't many options for Classical Chinese and Japanese."

While Mina, Suo-senpai, and Kotomi were researching on their smartphones, it seemed they couldn't find anything good.

"During elementary school, textbooks are often the best educational materials."

Suo-senpai said with his arms crossed, wearing a troubled expression.

"It's okay for me with any material."

"No, it's better to study with proper materials for the first time you encounter a unit."

"Suo-senpai, you're really serious even about studying, huh."

While Suo-senpai and Kotomi were considering lesson plans for me, I wondered if going to the drink bar now, leaving them behind, would be impolite. As I pondered this, I glanced towards the drink bar and saw a girl in a summer sailor uniform entering from the entrance of the family restaurant. I was speechless.

"Oh, what a coincidence. Onii-chan."

Suo-senpai's sister, Marin-chan, came straight to our table.

It seemed as if she already knew where we were sitting beforehand.

"Marin?! What are you doing here?"

Surprised, Suo-senpai asked as Marin-chan replied smoothly.

"Suo-senpai, who is this?"

Seeing the middle school girl who came here suddenly, Kotomi, who was meeting Marin-chan for the first time, asked Senpai Suou.

"She's my sister, Marin. She's in the 3rd year of middle school."

"I'm Suo Marin. Thank you for always taking care of my brother."

With a polite bow, Marin-chan introduced herself.

"Oh, you're her brother... you don't look alike at all."

"That's right... Ah, no, I mean, Marin-chan, you seem quite mature for a middle schooler."

When Mina joked with her classmates, Kotomi agreed with a nod, hastily following up.

"If it's okay with everyone, may I join you? I'm thinking of entering the academy next year, so I'd like to hear your stories."

"It's fine, but today we're gathering under the pretext of a study session."

"Is that so? But, big brother, didn't we ever have study sessions during exam periods? Normally, you're the type to study alone."

Although she greeted Meena and Kotomi politely, when it came to addressing Suo-senpai, Marin-chan spoke in her usual tone, which was a heartwarming sight.

If they didn't know about Marin-chan's true nature, it would be just a casual observation.

"I have to look after her this time."

"I-I'm relying on you, big brother."

I greeted Marin-chan in a low voice.

"Why does Yuu-kun seem so timid around Marin-chan?"

"N-No reason..."

Although Meena looked puzzled, I answered casually, avoiding eye contact with Marin-chan and Mina.

She probably already knew about my secrets, being an excellent spy for the military.

"Huh?! Could it be that Yuu-kun, despite being younger, has a thing for older sister-like girls like Marin-chan?"

"Really?! Yuu-kun?! He's been fond of pampering cats lately, but maybe he's starting to lean towards this type."

"Don't talk about such vivid things in front of your older brother!"

Ugh, how troublesome.

It's getting complicated. For now, I have to ignore both Mina and Kotomi.

Because, you see,

[I'm sure you understand, but I would like you to pretend that you are meeting me for the first time, Kamiya-senpai]

Right now, I'm being spoken to in my inner world by Marin-chan's Soul Armor ability.

[Hey, Kon. Can't you cut off this annoying telepathy?]

[Unfortunately, this soul ability called Espio has a higher interference ability than mine when it comes to inner thoughts. While I won't manipulate, I can't shut out being spoken to either.]

[Can't even rely on God here...]

[Then please, instead of calling me Kon, use my proper name when referring to me.]

[Remember, both of you, that your conversation is fully audible to me.]

Oh, right, that's how it was.

[Today, I have come up with a request. To be blunt, I would like both myself and Espio to be placed under the flags of Kamiya-sama and Kon-sama, similar to my brother.]

I glanced at Marin-chan for a moment.

Marin-chan quietly closed her eyes and returned a respectful bow to me.

[...I'm the one who sent Marin-chan's beloved brother flying in a duel, you know?]

[Immediately after learning of my brother's predicament, I began devising plans to utterly crush you.]

[Scary...]

[However, simultaneously, it became a good opportunity to strip away the entanglements of the private enterprise body that had bound your brother. And...]

[And?]

[...It's because having you as a support makes both me and my brother feel secure. I apologize. I think it's dangerous to say more from my side. Espio agrees with me.]

[I see... So you know that much. And you're siding with me because of that?]

[Because you, as a support, allowed me to... expose Espio's ability to the world. While using Espio's ability to eradicate the vermin infesting my brother was out of the question, doing so would inevitably separate me from important people. Just like during your time.]

[............]

[Quite a crafty daughter and soul, aren't they, Master? What will you do?] 

I pondered for a while at Kon's question.

While I remained silent, Marin-chan waited silently.

[Fine. Then, from now on, consider us allies.]

As I said that, the connection from Espio, the soul, which spoke directly to my inner thoughts, was cut off.

"Phew! Haa..."

"What's wrong, Marin? You suddenly went silent."

Seeing Marin-chan breathe out heavily, Senpai Suou, worriedly leaned toward her.

"I-I'm fine, onii-chan. I just forgot to breathe for a moment."

"From what I can tell, you're not fine?!"

Probably, the tension thread broke.

She hinted at holding a secret and dove into my heart.

Probably knowing the full story about my and Kon's true power, Marin-chan approached us for negotiation.

It was a bold move, but it also carried a significant risk, as it could turn out to be a dangerous bet.

"It's suspicious to stare at each other in silence..."

"Yuu... If you like little sister characters, I'm more orthodox!"

Come to think of it, Meena and Kotomi had left their misunderstanding about the relationship between me and Marin-chan unattended.

"You don't have to worry about anything. Marin loves her big brother, so I'm not in her thoughts."

"Yeah. I'll be onii-chan's bride in the future."

As Marin-chan, who corrected her breathing irregularities, dropped the bombshell suddenly, just as she had said she was planning to take the entrance exam for the academy next year, she dropped the bombshell as if it were a matter of course.

""Eh...?""

Mina and Kotomi were left speechless.

Although it was merely an intuition, both seemed to sense that Marin-chan was dead serious about what she said.

"Oh, please don't worry about it, everyone. It's just a joke that Marin has been saying since she was little."

Suo-senpai tried to change the atmosphere, accustomed to such situations.

If she's been saying it since childhood, doesn't that mean it's not just a joke?

That's what I thought, and likely what Mina and Kotomi thought too, but it was better not to say anything definitive, as it could become a decisive blow if said aloud, so we all remained silent.