Chapter 1: One Minute Before Fate Changes

"Someone's collapsed!"

A voice shouted from somewhere. As I was walking through town, I abruptly stopped in my tracks, and my little sister halted at the exact same time beside me.

"Big bro, over there!"

My sister, Kirishima Shuka, pointed in a different direction from where we were headed. A crowd had already gathered there—clearly, something had happened.

I followed Shuka as she dashed ahead.

Seriously...

Every time we go out on a day off, something like this happens.

"Hey, big bro."

Shuka barged into my room and called out to me in a voice that sounded like she was straining to lower her naturally adorable soprano.

"What? How many times do I have to tell you to knock before entering?"

"That doesn’t matter right now! I’ve got something way more important to talk about!"

Her exaggerated demeanor made me mentally conjure a question mark above my head. Though she stood with her hands on her hips, puffing herself up in an obvious display of authority, her inherent cuteness made it completely non-intimidating.

Her shoulder-length black bob, baby face, and short stature made her look younger than she was—but she was, in fact, a second-year middle schooler.

"What is it?"

While Shuka was blessed with angelic cuteness, as if a real angel had descended to Earth for fun, her older brother—me, Kirishima Ao—was, not to toot my own horn, the epitome of a plain, introverted indoor guy.

"Yesterday at school, my friends were talking about you."

The way she started the conversation made me wonder why she looked so dead serious.

"Wanna guess what they said?"

I humored her and actually thought about it. Crossing my arms, I let out a thoughtful "Hmm..." for a few seconds.

"Something like, 'Your brother’s, like, super plain, huh?'"

"Not even close! It’s way more serious and concerning than that!"

"Well, I got nothing then."

"‘I saw Shuka-chan’s brother the other day, and his clothes were so lame. And he’s already in high school, too!’ That’s what they said!"

She delivered the line in an oddly theatrical tone.

"I wonder when they saw me. Talk about bad timing."

"Stop acting like you’re usually fine and just happened to look lame that one time! You’re lame 365 days a year, no breaks!"

"That’s harsh!"

I’ll admit, I’m not exactly fashion-conscious.

Honestly, I just grab whatever shirt and pants from my closet and call it a day.

In summer, I prioritize staying cool; in winter, staying warm; and in spring and autumn, I just go for whatever feels vaguely decent. Beyond that, I don’t really care.

"Your outfit today is, like, what even is that?"

"Huh, this?"

I was wearing a purple shirt with a skull print. I didn’t see anything wrong with it. If anything, I thought it looked kinda cool.

"What’s the problem?"

"The skull is the problem!"

"Wait, what?!"

Her instant reply caught me off guard.

I thought the skull was a highlight. Did she mean something like a dragon would’ve been better?

"Big bro’s wardrobe is either lame printed shirts or random English words slapped on without any thought. Both are mega cringe!"

"Rude."

But honestly, I hadn’t bought any new clothes in about a year. My allowance mostly went toward books.

"You mean you’ve been meeting up with your high school friends dressed like that? "

"Nah, not really."

"Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t own anything that isn’t lame. Oh, wait—your uniform?"

"It’s more like… I don’t have any high school friends to meet up with."

"It’s already the second term!? Now that you mention it, you spent the whole summer break holed up in your room too!"

"That’s not true. I went to the bookstore."

"That’s just prep for being a shut-in! Ugh, my brother’s such a loner—waaah!"

Shuka fake-sobbed while ranting at me. I wish she’d understand that I, too, have HP. I’m not a punching bag—I’m a human being with actual feelings.

"So?"

Since the conversation was veering off track, I nudged her to get to the point. I didn’t have time to waste on my little sister’s complaints—not when I had a stack of unread novels waiting for me.

"We’re going clothes shopping."

"You need me to carry your bags or something?"

"We’re buying clothes for you! "

"Wait, why?"

"Because you’re disgustingly lame! I don’t want my friends badmouthing my brother!!"

Ugh, what a pain.

Personally, I couldn’t care less about gossip behind my back. If someone said it to my face, sure, I’d think about it—but if I worried about every whisper, I’d never survive being a loner.

…Not that I am a loner, though.

"I’m broke this month."

"Don’t worry, I already talked to Mom and got you an advance on your allowance!"

"Wait, so this is like… a gift?"

"As if! It’s your money."

"Mine!?"

"Duh," Shuka huffed. She was stubborn—once she dug her heels in, there was no changing her mind. And when it came to me, she never backed down. Was she Naruto or something?

…Then again, maybe it wasn’t about stubbornness. Maybe she just didn’t respect me enough to listen.

Either way, once Shuka got like this, there was no stopping her. Honestly, giving in was the least troublesome option.

"Fine. Let’s just get this over with."

"Not while you’re wearing that! "

"You want me to walk outside naked? I don’t own anything that isn’t ‘lame,’ according to you."

"Just wear your uniform."

"…It’s a day off."

Too tired to argue, I grudgingly slipped into my school uniform—on a weekend, no less—and left the house with Shuka.

As we walked side by side toward the nearby shopping mall, a startled male voice rang out from a short distance away.

"Someone’s collapsed!"