It was a beautiful day with clear skies. Tachibana Chizuru had scheduled a PE class, and the students of Mihama Academy changed into their gym clothes to stretch their bodies on the vast athletic field.
Jhin admired the sight of the girls in their gym shorts. Their fair, toned, and youthful thighs, combined with their cheerful laughter, painted a truly beautiful picture.
'Ouch!' Suou Amane fell to the ground, clutching her ankle. While trying to catch a ball thrown by Irisu Makina, she hadn't noticed a protruding rock and tripped over it.
'Amane-nee! Are you okay?' Irisu Makina jogged over to Suou Amane's side, worried.
As the only boy, Jhin naturally took on the responsibility of taking Suou Amane to the infirmary to treat her sprained ankle. He lifted her in a princess carry; despite her curvaceous figure, she was surprisingly light, and he wondered how she maintained it. Tachibana Chizuru told the others not to worry and to continue with PE class.
Suou Amane buried her head in Jhin's chest, whimpering softly. It was unclear if it was because the sprained ankle was truly that painful.
From Jhin's perspective, however, it didn't seem like she was in pain. It felt more like she was burying her face in his chest like a pervert, sniffing his scent.
He carried her steadily to the empty infirmary. Mihama Academy was quite large, but this was one of its drawbacks: many of its facilities were often unstaffed. The infirmary was a prime example. When a student got injured, they had to rely on their own knowledge to handle it. For anything truly serious, they had to find Tachibana Chizuru, the principal who also held numerous other roles.
Suou Amane sat on a chair while Jhin silently helped her take off her shoe. He frowned upon seeing her clearly red and swollen ankle. He searched the infirmary for a while before realizing that, of course, Japan wouldn't have something as useful and convenient as safflower oil for reducing swelling.
Jhin took out a can of analgesic and anti-inflammatory spray, applied it to Suou Amane's swollen ankle, and then gently pressed the red skin with his finger.
'Ah! That hurts!'
Jhin glanced up at the yelping Suou Amane before looking back down to wrap her ankle in gauze. 'So you know it hurts? Why didn't you think of that when you twisted your ankle on purpose?'
Suou Amane fell silent for a moment, then said with a wry smile, '...I guess I couldn't fool you after all.'
Ever since what happened that morning, she had noticed that Jhin was constantly avoiding being alone with her. Whenever a situation arose where they might be alone, he would find an excuse to leave. This filled Suou Amane with confusion and anxiety.
They had already done that, so shouldn't her relationship with Jhin have progressed? Why was it turning out so differently from what she had planned? Having no other choice, Suou Amane resorted to this desperate measure to create an opportunity to be alone with Jhin.
'Amane...' Jhin finished bandaging her ankle and helped her put her shoe back on, then sat down beside her. 'I'm not the good man you imagine me to be. I can't be faithful to you alone. Do you understand?'
'I...' Suou Amane was about to say she didn't care, but Jhin stopped her with a 'halt' gesture.
'Don't say you don't care. You don't have to ruin your body like this for Kazuki's sake.'
Suou Amane froze on the chair as if struck by lightning. Jhin watched her calmly with his sky-blue eyes, his gaze strikingly similar to the one Kazami Kazuki had given her when she saw her off all those years ago.
Why... how did he know who she was...
Fear, agitation, unease, and dread all mixed together. In that moment, Suou Amane even began to regret being alone with Jhin. In her plan, she was going to give the rest of her life and this body to Jhin, all to atone for the sin of being the only one who survived.
All of this was based on the premise that Jhin knew nothing about her past. She wasn't ready to tell him about that accident yet. In her mind, perhaps many years from now, she would be able to face it all with a smile, lying in his arms and recounting her sins.
Jhin decided to lay his cards on the table with Suou Amane because he couldn't stand seeing her harm her own body just to be alone with him. This time it was a twisted ankle. What about next time? And the time after that?
'I've been avoiding you because I don't want you doing those things for me out of a sense of atonement. You are a living person, not a walking corpse trying to pay for your sins, understand?'
'But... but... besides the rest of my life and this body, I have nothing else of value to give you!' Tears streamed from Suou Amane's eyes as she sobbed and grabbed Jhin's sleeve.
Jhin wrapped his arms tightly around Suou Amane, patting her back gently to soothe her. 'Amane, if you're willing to interact with me normally, and not with that attitude of letting me do whatever I want to you for the sake of atonement, then... I will accept responsibility for your life from now on, okay?'
'Really?'
'Really.'
'Then... can I be your big sister?'
'Whatever you like.' Jhin knew his promise was only enough to stop Suou Amane from harming herself in this way. The one who could truly help her move on was the person who tied the bell on her all those years ago—Kazami Kazuki.
The other students at Mihama Academy noticed a distinct change in the relationship between Jhin and Suou Amane after he took her to the infirmary. Although no one had said it out loud before, everyone had sensed that Jhin was clearly avoiding her.
After coming out of the infirmary, Suou Amane was no longer as clingy with Jhin as before, where it was obvious she had designs on him. Instead, she began calling herself his older sister and diligently fulfilled the duties of one.
This included morning milk and occasionally asking Jhin if there was anyone else at school he wanted to date.
Suou Amane's various actions reminded Jhin of a young Kazami Kazuki, and he inwardly despaired at how profound her influence on Amane must have been to still see her shadow so many years later.
'Jhin, time for lunch!' Suou Amane and Irisu Makina walked up to him carrying a huge, deluxe bento and pushed three desks together.
'I've told you not to make it so fancy. I'm not some young master from a noble family.'
'Since I'm your sister, I'm responsible for your diet and health! You're still growing, so you can't lack nutrition!'
'Right, right! You have to eat a lot, big brother, you're a boy!'
'If you know I'm still growing, why do you wake me up every morning?'
'Isn't it perfectly natural for an older sister to wake up her little brother? I just bit you a little to wake you up. It's not like you lost any flesh.' Suou Amane said matter-of-factly, puffing out her large chest.
'Alright, alright. I'll make you dessert next time, so just let me sleep in, okay?' Jhin was forced to bargain. Once in a while is one thing, but waking me up every day? Who can stand that?
'Deal!'
Irisu Makina ate her meal quietly. Getting bitten by Amane-nee must hurt a lot, right? She glanced at the perfectly white and even teeth behind Suou Amane's red lips and shivered.
The other people in the classroom listened to the bits and pieces of daily conversation between Suou Amane and Jhin and felt as if their faces had just been run over by a large truck.
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