Intro 2: Responsibility of the Eldest

"Yuuichi, can you look after your siblings and father if I'm gone?"

“Gone? Are you going somewhere, Kaa-san? Can I come too?"

Inside a white hospital room, a mother and her son sat together on the side of the patient bed.

The woman, dressed in a pale blue hospital gown, only smiled at her son’s innocent question. Her hand reached out and gently stroked his hair.

"No, forget it. Kaa-san won't go anywhere."

"Um..."

The boy’s head swayed slightly with his mother’s hand.

Such a harmonious scene between them was then interrupted by the sound of hurried little footsteps echoing in the hallway. The door opened, revealing four small children and one adult man carrying a fruit basket.

“Mama/Mom!”

The smallest children, one with brown hair, the other with black, ran toward the woman's feet with bright smiles.

"Mama, are you okay now?"

"Do you still feel hurt somewhere?"

The two children asked her with cute concern, while clinging to each of her legs.

"Fufufu."

Instead of resolving the worry of her children, the mother just smiled and ruffled their hair. Their concerned eyes didn’t waver.

"Hmm, I wonder~ fufu,"

"Ehh, Mama!"

"Mom!"

"Ahahaha, sorry sorry, come on! Don't use that face on me. As you can see, I'm fine."

Unable to stand the sight of her children’s almost watery eyes, the mother reassured them with a big smile and flexed her arm muscle, which was, ironically, nonexistent.

But because of her bad teasing earlier, the two children still wouldn't let go of her leg with unchanged expressions.

Throughout this exchange, the other three figures had already settled onto the sofa, and the man set the fruit basket down on the table.

The mother glanced over at the fruit basket and spoke playfully, pretending to be hungry.

"Ahh, I suddenly want to eat some apples now~, I wonder if someone will bring them for me~?"

"I'll get it for you, Mom!"

"Ah Nao, cheater! I'm the one who is going to bring it to mama!"

Finally, with that flimsy acting, both of them released their mother's legs. They dashed towards the sofa, where the other three were peeling the apples.

"Um, I... I'll also go..."

'Grab.'

The eldest child, who had been quietly sitting beside her all this time, tried to get up, but his mother gently took his hand.

"Kaa-san?"

"Nope. Yuuichi must stay with Kaa-san, fufu~"

The mother just smiled at the confused Yuuichi. She scooted closer to him and gestured to him to see ahead. "You see it, Yuuichi?"

The boy followed his mother's gaze. There on the sofa were his 4 four younger siblings and father.

"Haru-nii, let me try peeling it too!"

"No way I would let you hold a knife again! You almost killed me the other day in the kitchen!"

"Ahh, Nao, why are you eating it? It's for mom!"

"Poison testing."

"Where do you even learn that phrase?"

"Mah mah, just let him, Shizu. We still have many for your mother."

In front of Yuuichi and his mother, the five of them bickered cheerfully, filling the room with warmth.

The brown-haired boy stretched to reach the knife the tallest one held high out of his reach. Another child munched on apple slices while the other one pinched his cheeks, and the father tried to calm them both down.

"Moments like this are what Kaa-san loves so much. I can’t stand the thought of being away from all of you, even for a day.”

"Kaa-san...?"

"That's why, Yuuichi...."

The mother raised her pinky finger in front of him.

"Always be there for them, in my stead."

"What do you mean, Kaa-san?"

"...can you promise me that, Yuuichi?"

She didn’t answer his question. Instead, she repeated her request, firmer this time.

Yuuichi, who didn't think much of it at that time, linked his pinky finger with his mother.

But when he looked up again, her face... had started to blur, as though painted over by fog.

“Kaa…san?”

The warmth of the room vanished. The cheerful voices were swallowed by silence. The lights above flickered violently, and the walls around them began to crumble. The air itself warped, twisting like a reflection on shattered glass.

The hospital room cracked apart. Lines of white light split the space, forming fractures that spread in every direction.

Yuuichi gasped. The sofa was empty. His siblings and his father were gone. He didn’t even notice when they had disappeared.

“Ka-?!”

He tried to call out, but no sound came. It felt as though an invisible weight was pressing down on his throat, crushing his voice.

“Thank you, Yuuichi. I’m sorry that I must leave the rest to you.”

Along with that word, the mother let go of their interlocked finger and stood up from the bed and started walking away into the breaking dimension.

"…!" Yuuichi couldn't move his body from the bed, nor could he scream. It felt like his very being was pinned down.

Meanwhile, his mother kept on walking into the darkness. Before her figure was completely gone, she turned around to him, her lips moved without a sound.

'Kaa-san loves you, Yuuichi.'

★

"KAA-SAN!"

I opened my eyes, my left hand reaching upward as if trying to grab something.

No…

Not something.

But someone.

Her.

The figure who disappeared into the darkness, whose face grew blurrier with each passing day.

This ceiling… this bed… this was the inf-

“You done waking up, Old Timer?”

The voice nearly made me jump.

I turned my head toward the side of the bed, only to see a black-haired boy with sharp red eyes sitting on a chair, his gaze fixed on his phone.

“Haruka…”

My younger brother.

Haruka switched off his phone, stood up, and slung his bag over his shoulder.

“If you’re awake, wash your face. Time to go home.”

He said that flatly before walking away, disappearing behind the infirmary door.

I sat there for a moment, trying to remember why I’d ended up asleep on the infirmary bed in the first place.

When I glanced down, I saw the familiar P.E. uniform. Then it came back to me.

•

Today’s class was volleyball in the gymnasium.

I, of course, just sat outside the field and watched them play. I was aware of my physical ability. That whichever team had me in their team would just lose because I was that much of a burden.

So, it was just right for me to sit there.

Alone.

A bystander who wouldn't get in anyone's way.

But as always, as if fate itself found that boring and said, nope. A stray ball flew straight into my face and I fainted.

•

Now, through the window, the sky had already turned orange, with hints of deep blue creeping along the horizon.

I must’ve been out for a long time.

No wonder Haruka looked so annoyed.

…I failed him again.

With a heavy heart, I got out of bed, washed my face at the sink, and grabbed my bag, which was already placed beside me.

Did Haruka bring it here from class?

When I stepped out of the infirmary, I saw him again, leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone.

“Haruka, you waited for me?”

He turned off his phone once more and slipped it into his pocket.

“Not really. I just didn’t want people saying I’m heartless for leaving you alone.”

“…Is that so? Still, thank you.” (I’m sorry… for being a burden again.)

I only said that last part in my head.

Haruka didn’t reply. He just started walking, and I followed behind him in silence.

Out of the school grounds, on our way home, we reached the intersection.

“I’m heading to work. Tell everyone not to wait for me.”

“Wait, Haru-”

I hesitantly reached out my hand.

But he didn’t look back. He just kept walking in the opposite direction, his figure growing smaller against the dimming light.

My hand hung there uselessly, the early winter wind cold against my skin.

“…We didn’t talk much again today.”

I looked at my raised hand, slowly lowering it before closing my eyes.

That day, I could only go home alone, with the usual heavy heart.

★

Time passed...

On the last day of February and the winter season, the final term test results were out and put on the big announcement board in the main hallway on the first floor.

“This time too, huh? Each year, the Mizuno guys keep getting the top scores again.” 

“Yeah. Last year until now, that Haruka guy never even once dropped from first place."

"The older brother, too, Yuuichi, he's also able to maintain his rank to never fall out of the top 5.”

“And this year too, that freshman. What was his name again?” 

“Mizuno Shizu, the perfect scorer, as always. Did he have a computer in his head or something?”

"All Mizuno at this point are just full of monsters, haha."

“Well, it can't be helped. All Mizuno are just that gifted, aren’t they?” 

Laughter, admiration, envy, each voice echoed through the hallways, filling them with the sound of awe and inferiority all at once.

Amid the chatter stood a boy with glasses, his expression flat and even. He adjusted the strap of his bag and quietly slipped away from the crowd to the floor of his class.

'Gifted .... huh…? If only I were half as gifted as they are.'

He raised his hand, staring at it blankly as though searching for something invisible, something that had always escaped his grasp.

Haruka, his younger brother, barely studied yet understood things instantly.

Shizu, the third, with a brain like a supercomputer, invented all kinds of gadgets in the house's basement. Things that even Yuuichi couldn’t even dream of comprehending. 

Yuuki, the fourth, maybe he wasn't as intellectually gifted as Haruka or Shizu, but he has a unique charisma that drew people to him like gravity.

And Nao, the youngest, had that same effortless brilliance even in his lazy demeanour.

Even his cousin, Ren, was so gifted physically that the school had to limit how many sports he could participate in at the sports festivals. Because if not, all competition would only have him as the sole winner.

He, the first one, on the other hand…

Yuuichi stopped in front of a window. Beyond it stretched a sky so blue it almost hurt to look at. His faint reflection against that endless sky somehow looked far more dignified than the real him.

“The me right now is just holding them back…” he whispered to the glass. “If only I were a little better… a little smarter… maybe then I could understand what they’re feeling.”

Yuuichi wasn’t the brightest in the family. He knew that. But he never allowed himself to wallow in it.

He struggled to grasp things, academically, socially, and emotionally.

Concepts that came naturally to others always took him twice, three times as long to understand. Endless hours of study barely brought him up to average.

His expression was always unreadable, making him seem distant, or worse, indifferent. His face-blindness only reinforced that impression, building a wall between him and everyone else.

But even if he lacked talent, what he did have was abundant stubbornness.

He studied harder than anyone. He worked part-time jobs to lessen the burden on his father. He filled every waking hour trying to be useful, to contribute.

He had no time for friends. They weren’t important compared to the promise he’d made to his mother.

And with his face-blindness, remembering people was difficult anyway. To him, socializing was more trouble than it was worth.

He was the eldest brother. The one who was supposed to be reliable. He never asked anyone for help, not even his brothers. He didn’t want to burden them.

He told himself they should be the ones to rely on him. It couldn’t be the other way around.

He made that promise to her. That he would look after them in her stead.

If there was anyone who could see what was inside his mind, they might just think he was overthinking things. That he was just being sentimental. Or he’s just too prideful of the wrong things.

But to put it bluntly, Yuuichi was an idiot. A stubbornly sincere idiot.

Where did that sincerity and that stubbornness come from? Well…

'Bzztt~'

His phone buzzed in his uniform pocket. He took it out and saw a notification blink across the screen. 

[New Figure of Legendary Masked Riser Coming Out Next Month!]

“Holy cow!”

His face stayed perfectly expressionless, but his posture and hands on his head showed his excitement clearly.

Many students in the hallway were startled by his sudden shout and looked at him with confusion.

Realizing many eyes were on him, Yuuichi lowered his hand instantly and walked a little faster toward his classroom.

Mizuno Yuuichi had what you could call a hero complex. The kind you never fully grow out of.

The fact that his moral compass was shaped by an old kids’ TV show said a lot about how immature he really was.

But that mask, the symbol of the faceless hero who never showed weakness or selfishness, never sought reward, never wavered even when alone, that mask became Yuuichi’s creed.

It was why he couldn’t open up. Why he wouldn’t complain. Why he always sacrificed himself quietly without asking for any outside help.

Because that’s what masked heroes did.

And that’s why, no matter how hard he tried, Mizuno Yuuichi would always be a beautiful, hopeless, stubborn idiot.

•

•

The bell rang, echoing across the hallways like the signal to freedom.

Chairs scraped, chatter exploded, and the classroom instantly dissolved into chaos. Students scattered in every direction, some heading home, others toward their club activities, while a few just lingered behind, laughing and joking as they basked in the small joys of youth.

But for Mizuno Yuuichi, that kind of after-school luxury didn’t exist.

He stood by the school gate, anxiety creeping up his spine as he stared at the glowing screen of his phone.

A new message from his part-time boss blinked at him. Apparently, the magazine company he worked for had an urgent assignment, an interview with a hospital charity sponsor scheduled for this afternoon.

Unfortunately, the person originally in charge had been hospitalized due to a minor accident.

And so, the task had been dumped squarely onto Yuuichi.

[Wait, boss. I don’t have any experience with interviews yet.]

[You’ll get double the salary this month if you handle it.]

[Please let me do it!]

He folded instantly. Zero pressure. Zero hesitation.

It wasn’t just about the money… Well, yeah, mostly the money was good. But look, with that double salary, he would be able to pre-order the new figure of Legendary Masker Riser, and would still have a lot left for other things.

Besides, he’d been thinking about using the extra cash to throw a small celebration for Haruka and Shizu. Both had just gotten top scores on their exams.

Congratulating their younger brothers who had achieved something great...

That's what the eldest should do, right?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he spotted Haruka walking past the gate.

“Oi!… No, that doesn’t sound right… Yo!... Ah, forget it. Haruka!”

Yuuichi jogged over, waving his hand awkwardly. His younger brother turned.

“What is it?”

“I was thinking,” Yuuichi began, his tone steady as always despite the faint spark in his eyes, “Since the test results came out today, how about we have a little celebration party tonight? Nothing fancy, just something simple.”

Haruka’s first instinct was to refuse. There’s no need to celebrate something like that, he wanted to say. But when he saw the rare hint of excitement behind Yuuichi’s otherwise blank eyes, the words caught in his throat.

“…Alright. I understand. I'll tell the others.”

Yuuichi nodded once, satisfied. “Thanks, Haruka. I'll go now then. See you later.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Old Timer.”

Hearing that, Yuuichi went on his way to his part-time workplace, thinking he could finish the job as fast as possible so he could be there with his family by dinner time.

•

•

•

However, things didn't always go as one would expect.

Many trouble finding him. One was when Hirasaka Kenzaki, the middle-aged man around his father's age, the big sponsor of many hospitals across the country, the man who was going to be interviewed today, was a little late because of traffic.

When Kenzaki-san came and was ready to be interviewed, Yuuichi made some errors here and there, like taking out the wrong set of questions for the interview, then forgetting to turn on the recorder halfway, which made them have to retake the whole thing… and some other small mistakes.

Fortunately, Kenzaki-san was an easy-going person and never reprimanded Yuuichi over his mistakes.

By the end, when all the questions had finally been asked and answered, Yuuichi bowed deeply, saying his thanks and sorry for all the trouble he had caused today.

Kenzaki-san just laughed, a pure laugh without any hint of mockery.

"Hahaha, don't mind it. Seeing your clumsiness is actually quite refreshing in its own way. You reminded me a lot of my past self."

"Your past?" (That can't be possible)

Yuuichi said the latter half only in his mind.

He and Kenzaki-san were just too worldly apart in every aspect that can be observed.

Kenzaki-san is a very successful businessman, a man of wealth and status. While Yuuichi is just.... a Yuuichi.

As if sensing the complex feeling in the boy, Kenzaki-san opened his mouth to ask.

"Yuuichi-kun, right? Do you have any siblings?"

"Eh? Ah, yes, I have 4 younger brothers, hm no, I have 5 younger brothers…"

"Hoo, so you are the eldest in your family? The same as I was."

"Is that so? ... Hm? ... 'Was'?"

It took a while for Yuuichi to feel something was wrong with Kenzaki-san's statement.

"Yeah, it is a past tense."

"Why is that?"

"Why do you think it is?"

A question that is answered with another question.

Yuuichi pondered a moment before innocently said, "You got a new older sibling?"

"Pfft, hahaha! I see! That is indeed a possibility, haha!"

Such an unexpected answer from Yuuichi brought good laughter to Kenzaki-san.

Yuuichi blinked again, his expression blank but confused, as if a giant question mark hovered above his head. "Eh? Was that wrong?"

The laugh died down, and Kenzaki-san finally looked straight at Yuuichi with a resigned smile.

"Unfortunately, that is wrong. This is a story about me that is never known to anyone, but actually I had 2 little sisters before..."

"'Had', you mean..."

"They both died 15 years ago, because of some difficult diseases."

"..... I..... I'm sorry to hear that. I shouldn't have asked."

Though he was slow in the uptake, Yuuichi was at least aware of the atmosphere that went gloomy all of a sudden, and he felt the regret of asking that thoughtless question to the man in front of him.

"Yuuichi-kun, do you remember what my answer was to your question about the reason for all my sponsors to build hospitals across the country?"

"You said it was because you want to help people get easy access to treatment, no matter where they are."

"Yeah, at the surface, it is my reason. But the truth is, it's just my atonement for my little sisters."

"....."

"You see, at my time, the hospital access wasn't as convenient as it is now. The best hospital could only be found in big cities like Tokyo or Kyoto. Even by then, those hospitals couldn't save my sisters, and they died in the end."

"...."

"After they were gone. I found out in their diary that they just wanted to play with me in the little time they had left, but at that time, I was too focused on the wrong things.

I spent too much time running around trying to find hospitals and doctors that could treat them, but I missed the signs that they just wanted to connect more with me. I'm.... I'm such a failure of an eldest brother."

Halfway through the end of his story, his voice trembling a little, his hands that were placed on his thigh clenched tight.

Yuuichi could only watch in silence and didn't know how he should react.

"Hirasaka-san...."

Hearing that call, Kenzaki-san finally relaxed his hand, and Yuuichi could see a glimpse of red marks or maybe even blood in that hand.

"I'm not really someone with medical skills. All I have on me is just an abundant amount of money from my business.

That's why I give it my all to sponsor the construction of hospitals all over the country, and I also give many scholarships for students in the medical field to further their studies.

All just for my selfish desire of atonement. A kind of childish dream, so there are no more people like me or my sisters in this country."

"....."

“Such a boring story from an old man, right?”

“......No.”

Yuuichi suddenly stood up.

“Eh?”

His left hand reached forward, hesitant at first, but before it could reach, his fingers curled in, forming a tight fist midair.

That hand trembled faintly, still extended, still reaching, as though he was finally able to grasp something that had always eluded him.

His face, as always, was expressionless. Yet in his eyes burned something bright that old man had seen somewhere before.

“Of course not, I don’t think your dream is childish at all! Even if it is childish, so what?! You’re a great man, Hirasaka-san! I know I don’t have the right to say this, but… I’m sure your little sisters are proud of you now!”

For once, Yuuichi raised his voice. The boy who had been so quiet, so clumsy, was now speaking from a place far deeper than mere politeness.

The older man blinked, momentarily stunned. That flat-faced kid who’d stumbled through the whole interview, he hadn’t expected this.

Yuuichi lowered his hand, gaze shifted sideways.

Finally, Kenzaki-san smiled again.

"Thank you, Yuuichi-kun."

"...No, this is... nothing."

"Are you going to use this as part of the interview?"

Yuuichi just shook his head slowly.

"No, I won't."

Yuuichi knew using this story would surely result in hot topics for the magazine company, but he decided to go against it.

It was Kenzaki-san's private life story. And since he said no one ever knew about this story, he most likely would like it to remain that way.

Yuuichi was usually slow in this kind of thing, but he also wondered why he felt that he could understand the man in front of him.

Perhaps it was because they were both the eldest brother.

Yuuichi finished cleaning up all his stuff and stood up and bowed down to Kenzaki-san.

"Thank you for everything today!"

"Don't mind it. Talking with you also brings me a lot of comfort. And by the way, Yuuichi-kun, can I give you a little advice?"

"Yes..?"

Yuuichi straightened his body and blinked in confusion.

"Never be like me. Spend more time with your brothers. Be there for them when they need you. That's what it means to become the eldest. Do you understand?"

It took a few seconds for the words to sink in. And when they did, Yuuichi’s lips curved, just slightly. His first real smile since the interview began.

“Yes!”

•

•

•

After saying goodbye to Kenzaki-san, Yuuichi went back to the company to give the recording of today’s interview to be processed by the editorial team later.

He got paid the promised amount by the boss and got an offer to be the interviewer for next time, too.

Yuuichi just smiled and said he would think about it, and then left the building.

On his way home, he stopped by a nearby pizza shop, ordering a few boxes, and went home by taxi.

•

•

By the time he arrived home, it was already past 8 PM.

Standing before the front door, Yuuichi froze. A heavy guilt seeped into his chest.

He said to Haruka that he wanted to celebrate their score test announcement today, asked him to tell everyone else.

But now… everyone had probably already eaten. Maybe they’d gone back to their rooms, busy with their own things.

He could already imagine it, walking into an empty living room, or worse, calling them out one by one, only to be met with rejection.

"Did I... just fail as their brother...again?"

He muttered to himself. His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the doorknob. It felt unbearably heavy, like the simple act of opening that door was beyond him.

He had prepared himself for the worst, then he heard footsteps from inside.

'Click!'

The door opened, and Haruka was right in front of him.

"What are you doing being silent in front of the door for 5 minutes. Are you already that old that you don't have energy to open the door yourself, old timer?"

"Ha-Haruka? How do you--"

"Is that pizza? Then let's go in, I'm already starving. There is pineapple pizza, right?"

"Wait, Yuu-chan?!"

Before Yuuichi could ask anything, Yuuki appeared, peeking behind Haruka. Seeing the pizza bag in his hand, he ran behind Yuuichi and pushed him inside the house. Along the way, Haruka snatched the pizza bag from him and followed behind them quietly.

Yuuki pushed him into the living room, where there were Ren, Shizu, and Nao doing their own things on the sofa in front of the TV.

"Welcome home. Let's get on with this party."

"Pizza for dinner, huh? I'll get the drinks."

"Ah, I'll help too."

"I want cola."

"You get it yourself."

"Lazy."

The interaction between Ren, Shizu, Yuuki, and Nao is unusually lively. There is no hint of annoyance or rejection, like what Yuuichi expected at first from them.

Haruka went past Yuuichi and spread out all the pizza boxes on the living room table. Along with it, Shizu and Yuuki came back with 6 glasses of juice on the tray and some other light snacks.

Yuuichi couldn't help but ask.

"Why...?"

"Hm? 'Why' what? Eh, pineapple? Who would want to eat this?"

"Me!" (Yuuki)

"I totally forgot about your weird taste."

Without looking at him, Haruka asked back while opening each pizza box for everyone to see.

"No, I thought you guys would already have eaten or maybe be angry at me because I was late."

This time, everyone looked at him weirdly and confused(?). Yuuichi was a little nervous being stared at like that.

"Why would we eat first?" (Ren)

"Yeah, you are the one who said you want to throw a party at dinner." (Haruka)

"Nao-kun already ate the pudding from the fridge, though." (Yuuki)

"Pudding and pizza go to different stomachs." (Nao)

"Here, your glass." (Shizu)

Shizu gave Yuuichi the last glass, and he went back to sit on the sofa.

"Then, let's hear the speech of this little party organizer, shall we?"

Ren held his glass up while looking at Yuuichi. Everyone then did the same thing.

There was an indescribable feeling welling up inside Yuuichi. But he tried to hold it back and said what was meant to be said on this occasion.

"To everyone, congratulations on the final test. You're all doing great. I'm very proud of you all. Kanpai!"

"""Kanpai!!!"""

Everyone held their glass high while shouting it...

...except Nao, who already took a slice of pizza and ate it quietly.

"Oi, Nao, you're doing it again." (Ren)

"I'm hungry." (Nao)

"Come on, Haru-nii, just try a slice!" (Yuuki)

"Bring that cursed slice near me, I swear I'll smack you." (Haruka)

"I wonder if I can mix the caffeine into this pizza without changing the taste." (Shizu)

Yuuichi just looked at them interacting with that indescribable feeling getting stronger in his heart.

The scene in front of him, somehow, overlapped with the one from his memories.

That day at the hospital.

The day when he made that promise to her, to always look after and be there for everyone.

Unconsciously, Yuuichi smiled at the sights, his left hand clenched tightly by his side.

'Kaa-san, I think I understand a little about your feelings.'

"Yuu-nii, you come eat too. If you don't, Haru-nii will eat everything!"

"How dare you slander me, you little brat!"

"Violence is prohibited!"

"This isn't violence, it's correction."

"Gyaaa!"

Yuuichi chuckled, then stepped forward.

"Okay, I'll come."

On that festive night, the family became closer, once again.

★

Graduation day passed, Yuuichi got accepted into Hoshiumi University, one of the prestigious university in the country, in a neighboring city, majoring in the English Language Teaching Educational program.

One day before the new semester started, Yuuichi got news from someone in the online group that his department held a welcoming party for the new students in the yakiniku restaurant tonight. They booked the whole restaurant for this occasion.

So there he was.

When everyone had already bonded with the others, Yuuichi stood out like a sore thumb in the crowds, where he barely talked with anyone.

A senior from the department opened the party with a little speech, and everyone cheered and continued their talks, and some even already got drunk on beers, making the party more lively with laughter.

But Yuuichi just sat there at the corner, sipping his orange juice without any effort in making conversation with anyone.

He opened his phone and started browsing news about the new Masked Riser movie.

"Hee~, that is Masked Riser, right?"

Yuuichi jolted when he heard that sudden voice right beside his ear, and instinctively moved away a little.

When he looked to the sound source, he saw a beautiful woman, a senior, but he couldn't remember her name. All he remembered was that the woman stood right beside the senior who organized this welcoming party.

"Eh? ....Uhh, etto..."

Yuuichi blanked, not knowing how to react.

The woman then smiled.

"The one you were looking at, it was Masked Riser, right? I watched a few movies about them with my brothers before. They are so cool, right?"

"Eh, you watched them too, senpai?"

When he heard that, Yuuichi went 180° in attitude towards her.

"Well, some of them. Like Yuuga, Len-O, Magician, what else?... Oh, right, last week, my brothers and I also watched the Heaven's Regained movie in the cinema."

"Really? You already watched it? What do you think of it, senpai? Ah, wait, no! Don't spoil it, I haven't watched it yet."

This time, Yuuichi himself was the one moving closer to her with some spark in his eyes.

"Hmm, in that movie Yakumi actually--"

"Ahh! No, don't! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to get spoiled!"

"Fufufu, what a lively kouhai."

Yuuichi closed both of his ears and shook his head, moving a little away from the female senpai who still wanted to tease him with spoilers.

"Alright, alright, I won't spoil you. So, want to talk with me? By the way, my name is Haneda Chisa. Just call me Chisa. Nice to meet you."

"Um, uh, Mizuno Yuuichi, nice to meet you too, Chisa-senpai."

"Then Yuuichi-kun, which Masked Riser is your favorite?"

"Oh, favorite, huh? From which era are we talking about here?"

"Huh? Era....? What is that?"

"Riser itself is divided by the era they were made. For example, all the names Chisa-senpai said before all are Heisei Riser. My favorite from the Heisei is Yuuga. Though it is the simplest Riser among other Risers in that era, its simple yet cool design, and the serious story theme that make it more of a J-Drama instead of a Sunday morning show are just perfect from many aspects.

But personally, my most favorite......"

Like his switch had been activated, there was no more trace of that quiet kid who sat in the corner, but instead a slightly adult boy who passionately talked about his favorite shows and characters.

Even Chisa was a little taken aback by how energetic Yuuichi had become.

'Ara? Did I just step on his activator engine?'

Though she was surprised by his great change in personality. Looking at him continue talking on and on without any signs of stopping, Chisa just smiled and listened quietly.

'Very much like my brothers, so cute, fufu.'

Unbeknownst to them, eyes were locking at them with disdain and hatred from the other corner of the restaurant.

•

•

"Who is that brat talking so closely with Haneda-senpai?"

"Didn't he know that she is the flower on the high mountain of this department?"

"Haneda-senpai smiled so blissfully at him!"

"So envious! Is he really her type?"

"I won't accept this!"

"She is the reason I enrolled in this college and department. I won't take this lying down!"

"Let's embarrass him in front of our Haneda-senpai."

"Oh, do you have an idea?"

"I bought this drug out of curiosity from some suspicious ads that say 'just one dose will make your enemy regret their action so much'."

"You sure this is safe? He won't suddenly die of poisoning, right?"

"I don't know. But do you have any other idea?"

"Bring a glass of beer here, put the drug in, I will give it to him."

Just a random talk from a bunch of first-time drunkard college students.

•

•

".... and then there is one from the Reiwa era that I currently follow, have you watched it, Chisa-sen-"

"Hey there, Mizuno-san, right? You remember me? We are from the same high school and even the same class in our second year. By the way, what are you doing here alone with Haneda-senpai? Come on, join in with everyone!"

When Yuuichi was still enthusiastically talking about Masked Riser, someone came up and talked to him.

Yuuichi looked over and saw a guy suddenly sit at the seat in front of him, with a face red from alcohol, very much likely to be drunk.

Anyway, Yuuichi didn't recognize who this guy was. He said they were classmates, but Yuuichi didn't have any impression of him.

Maybe they were indeed once classmates, but Yuuichi just wasn't the type who actively made friends, or maybe they had talked before, but his face blindness prevented him from recognizing the other person.

"As expected, you didn't remember me, huh?"

That one line hit him harder than it should have. He’d heard it many times before, but it never stopped stinging.

“Eh… uh… s-sorry…”

The guy grinned wider, though there was something off about it.

“Hah! Can’t be helped, I guess. Then, as punishment for forgetting me, you have to drink!” He shoved a glass of beer in front of Yuuichi.

Yuuichi hesitated, his hand halfway toward it, until another hand slid in between.

“Hey,” Chisa said, firm but calm. “This kid doesn’t drink. Don’t push him.”

“What? Come on, he’s not a kid. Mizuno-san, you’re legal, right? Just one glass, and I’ll forgive you for forgetting me.”

“Why does he need your forgiveness?” Chisa snapped, her eyes narrowing.

“Chisa-senpai,” Yuuichi cut in quietly. “It’s fine. I’ll drink it.”

“Yuuichi-kun-”

“I’m actually… curious what beer tastes like,” (I guess I kind of deserve this…)

He doesn't want Chisa-senpai to be in dispute with the other guy. It's just not worth it.

So while Chisa-senpai looked over to him with concern, and the other guy smiled in triumph, Yuuichi bottomed up the whole glass.

How to describe it?

It's sweet, but sour, or maybe bitter? It felt hot in your throat to your stomach, and Yuuichi could feel his heart beating faster, and his head started spinning.

From the outside, Chisa and the guy who gave the drink can see Yuuichi starting to get lightheaded, his face getting red, and his eyes unfocused.

"He is really a lightweight, huh?"

"If you know it, why do you make him drink? Weren't you classmates?"

"Wait, I didn't know about that. I didn't even know him until today....shit!"

The guy suddenly covered his mouth with his hand with a panicked expression. Chisa didn't let that slide and started questioning him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Um, I will just go back to my group. Nice to meet you today, Haneda-senpai."

Without explaining anything, the guy stood up and ran away to the other corner of the restaurant.

Chisa didn't chase him, but attentively made sure Yuuichi was okay, like checking his body temperature and his eyes' focus.

Yuuichi also almost vomited a few times, but he held it back so well. Though his condition was already not very great.

"Not good, he's completely drunk. Yuuichi-kun, can you hear me?"

"Hmm, ahh, yeah, I hear you, Chisa-senpai, hic!"

While dazed, Yuuichi was still able to respond quite clearly.

"Can you tell me where you live? If it's near my place, I'll take you home. If it's not, well, I'll ask someone for help."

"Yes, it is in....."

The address of oneself should not be easily divulged to anyone unless you trust the other person very much, but since Yuuichi had already drunk enough and he felt comfortable enough with Chisa-senpai that he just blurted out the whole thing.

Chisa wrote it all on a small piece of paper and wondered for a moment.

"Ryuuseimachi.... Ryuusei.... ah, yes!"

Chisa looked around the restaurant until she found the one she needed at this moment.

"Hayato! Can you come here for a second?"

She's waving to the guy in the senior group who was just quietly reading a book while the others were busy playing Uno.

Chisa's shout didn't just get Hayato's attention, but everyone in the whole restaurant.

Hayato closed his book and stood up, walking towards Chisa and Yuuichi's table.

"What?"

"You live in Ryuuseimachi too, right? Can you give this kid a lift with your car? He lives just a few blocks from yours.

And you can't refuse! I can see you also don't want to be here anyway, so just get this kid home, and you can also be free of your duty for tonight. How about that?"

Even before he could say anything, Chisa blocked all his excuses with her offer. Hayato sighed and accepted.

"Sigh, alright. Come on, hey, can you stand up? Need help?"

★

Ugh, my head felt heavy.

My vision was blurred, even though I was already using glasses.

It's my first time drinking beer, but I never expected my tolerance would be this low. Next time, I definitely wouldn’t drink again.

Anyway, where was this...?

I could see my house through the car window.

‘Hm, car window?’

While I was confused about my situation, the door opened, and a guy came up to me.

"Oh, you finally woke up? Can you stand? Ugh, forget it, let me help you."

Without giving me time to respond, the guy, whom I couldn't see clearly, helped me unlock the seatbelt, helped me stand on my two feet, and supported me all the way to the front door.

He pressed the doorbell, and I could hear the loud, rapid footsteps, "Yes, wait a second." Someone shouted from the inside.

‘Hmm, this voice...’

The front door opened.

"Oh Yuu-nii and umm who?"

... as expected, it's Yuu-chan. I couldn't see his face, but I recognized him even in this blurry vision.

"Konbawa. I'm a senior from the same department. My name is ********* Ha***o. I'm just giving him a lift."

Wait, what was his name again?

There was this loud noise in my head that I couldn't quite catch his name.

"Ah, thank you so much, Senpai! I'll handle it from here."

I felt my body being handed over to Yuu-chan.

"Do you want to go inside first, Senpai?"

"No need, I still have some other business somewhere else. Well then, see ya."

"Once again, thank you, Senpai!"

I felt my body wobble. Did Yuu-chan just use my hand to wave to that guy? No, what was his name again? I really wanted to ask that...

"Well, then, let's get you to your room, Yuu-nii. Sniff sniff, ugh, you smell like alcohol. You really shouldn't drink again."

‘How rude!’

I only drank a glass of beer, but well, I agree with the latter part. I really shouldn't touch anything with alcohol content.

Yuu-chan helped me upstairs and guided me to my room.

Then he gently removed my outerwear, my hoodie, and jeans, until I was left in just my T-shirt and shorts.

He then put me in bed and covered me with a blanket.

“I left some warm water on the nightstand beside your bed. If you feel unwell, just call me, okay? Well then, good night, Yuu-nii.”

After saying that, Yuu-chan stood up and walked to the door, turned off the light, and disappeared behind it as it closed.

....

....

‘What the heck is this.... I'm the older one here, but I let myself be taken care of by Yuu-chan. This isn't how the eldest should be. The eldest should be someone who others can rely on.’

However....

Haruka, Ren, Shizu-chan, Yuu-chan, Nao-chan, they all could live their life even without relying on such a useless sibling like me.

Tonight, I even bothered Chisa-senpai and that senpai who took me home.

Forget being relied upon, the me right now was no different from a burden for everyone.

‘I hate myself.’

‘I hate this version of me.’

‘I despise the me who cannot become a figure everyone can be proud of.’

...

...

‘If only I could change myself. Like those Masked Riser who transformed into their most powerful form. I want to transform into someone they can rely on.’

‘Someone very reliable....

... like Kaa-san.’

I felt slight discomfort in my body. Like the inside of my body was burning from the inside, was it from my chest, my stomach, or my lower region?

Yuu-chan said to call him if anything was wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

It just... not how the eldest should be.

With that thought in my head, my consciousness slowly faded into darkness.

•

•

•

'Tok tok tok!'

"Yuu-nii, time for breakfast!"

The sound of the door's knocking and that loud shouting brought my consciousness back from the void.

I still feel my head heavy from last night. Fragments of memories, one by one, returned to me.

...

So embarrassing!!

Not just the fact that I got drunk, but getting taken care of by the second youngest one in the house, and even before all of that, I enthusiastically talked about Masked Riser to Chisa-senpai one-sidedly.

I didn't even know if she really liked it like I do, or if she was just using it as a formality to get me to open up to her.

I didn't know how I could face her after this.

... or even if we had a chance to meet again.

Urgh… Her face was already starting to blur…

I also forgot to say my thanks to that one senpai, and I didn't even know his name.

Maybe I should ask Yuu-chan later.

Anyway, let's get up first and grab a bite from downstairs. I haven't eaten since last night.

When I walked to the bathroom, I felt my balance was somehow odd. Did I just shrink a little?

And what was this soft feeling on my chest? Was this also the effect of alcohol?

Just how many side effects were there in one kind of drink? I definitely wouldn't touch it anymore.

Alcohol is enemy!

When I was going downstairs, I could hear some noise from the kitchen.

Urgh, my ears were still ringing, and everything sounded higher-pitched

"What happened...?"

"....when I wake up, I'm already like this."

"I don't remember anything either..."

When I reached the entrance to the kitchen, I saw three blurry figures inside. I couldn’t make them out. Their voices sounded a bit squeaky to me.

But from their tone and speech patterns…

"Haruka, Shizu-chan, Dad? What are you guys talking about loudly in the morning?"

I could see the blurry figure of Haruka facepalming.

"Not you too."

"At this rate, it is safe to assume everyone in the house also got it."

"I'll go check Nao."

One figure went by me, by the voice, it should be Dad. It seems he’s going upstairs to get Nao-chan, who most likely overslept.

"So what is it about, Haruka? What do you mean by 'Not me too'?"

"First, wear your glasses."

Ah, I forgot my glasses on my bedside table, so that's why my vision was blurry all the way here.

"Here, you can use mine for now."

"Ah, thank you."

Shizu-chan approached me and put an object in my hand. This was... glasses, right.

The moment I put it on, my vision finally returned to normal.

I saw a tall, short-black-haired girl, and a short, white-haired girl with cat ears.

Eh.... cat ears?

"Who are you two? Where are Haruka and Shizu-chan?"

The black haired girl rolled her eyes and said with an annoyed face.

"I'm Haruka. You already recognized me by my voice before, so why are you asking again? Has your memory deteriorated already, old timer?"

"That voice and tone of speaking... Y-You're really Haruka?! Then this one here...."

"I'm Shizu."

".....Oh."

"...."

"Ah, I see! This pair of glasses is Shizu-chan's creation that can alter other people's appea-"

"That is just normal glasses."

"Don't cut me off when I try to escape from reality!"

Wait, was this even really a reality? Maybe I was still drunk, and this was all just a dream. I mean, there was no way 2 of my brothers would suddenly just turn into girls in the morning.

Yup, this is a drea-

"This isn't a dream either."

"Don't just casually read my mind!"

Okay, okay, calm down, Yuuichi.

Let's slowly accept that this was indeed reality and inquire about the other question.

"You said before something about 'Me too'. What does that mean, Haruka?"

"Grab your chest."

"Huh?"

"Grab your chest and squeeze!" Haruka said seriously.

Startled, I followed her order.

"Yes! Ugh~"

"....."

"....."

".... Oh, I see."

•

•

•

•

In the living room of the Mizuno household, all members, 6 people, were present except one, Yuu-chan.

When Dad and Nao-chan came to the kitchen, they apparently also had changed into girls, while witnessing me squeezing my chest, that was hella embarrassing!!

And it was so mean of Haruka to laugh at me at that time.

After that, everyone decided to eat breakfast first before discussing the situation.

Not like anyone could go to school or work with how we were now.

Ren came back a few hours after breakfast, and as expected by Shizu-chan, Ren, too, had become a girl.

With this, all six members present in the living room were all girls. It still felt unreal, but I could only accept it with a heavy heart that this was, indeed, reality.

Now, the only missing member was just Yuu-chan. By now, the school should already be finished, and he had to be on his way home.

We all heard the 'click' sound of the front door and a loud "Tadaima" from the entrance.

The moment the footsteps reached the living room, Yuu-chan, fully wearing a girl's uniform, also a girl now, froze when he(she) saw us.

"Ah? Did I get in the wrong house? Sorry, I'll take my lea--"

"Haruka."

"Roger that."

Just when Yuu-chan was about to take a step back and flee, Ren quietly called Haruka, and Haruka moved fast to grab Yuu-chan by the back collar of his(her) uniform.

"Nope, you're not going anywhere, 'young lady'."

Yuu-chan trashed around trying to escape, and I couldn't help but ask.

"Is she really Yuu-chan?"

"100%, she is our Yuuki."

Shizu-chan answered matter-of-factly.

I mean, I understood somehow. Just from the way that girl reacted and everything, she really was our Yuu-chan.

But why did Shizu-chan seem so confident? And what was she doing with that monitor on her lap?

"Pffttt! You guys got changed too?!"

"Haruka, smack her."

'Slap!'

Such a melodious sound echoed from the friction between Haruka's palm and Yuu-chan’s butt.

"Kyaaaaaaaa! That's sekuhara!"

"Shut up, you brat!"

What a day.

I really wonder what was happening to all of us right now.