Haru-Naru ♪♪♪ Love is a Comedy

Another few days passed. When I got back home Naruko was in the living room on the couch, hugging a cushion and burying her face into it. On the table, there was a glass of cola she had drank a bit of. Unlike during summer vacation, it was very clear that she was depressed.

Well, so what? I couldn't even begin to guess what to say to her in the first place. It's not like I was worried about her, but if something was bothering her it's not like I couldn't at least hear her out.

"Hey Naruko… you didn't even turn on the lights…" I began to move to turn on the lights, but I hesitated, and in the end decided to leave the living room in its dimly lit state. I walked to my sister's side. My sister did not make even the slightest movement while her head was still buried in the cushion. After a bit of hesitation, I steeled myself and began to speak. "Naruko. What's wrong? Did something happen at school…? "

"Not really," she vacantly mumbled while her face remained attached to the cushion.

It was incredibly difficult to make out what she was saying. But, I was relieved that she at least responded. If she were set on completely ignoring me, then there was nothing I would be able to do. So, let's take one step forward at a time.

"Did you forget your homework… or something…?" I knew that wasn't the case, but I just wanted to test the waters. Naruko shook her head from side to side. So that wasn't it. "Well then… did Juvia… say something to you?" I tried asking the real question, but this time I got no response. No response whatsoever. Without losing heart, I asked another question. "Could it be that… she broke her promise and spread rumors about your hobby…"

"Juvia would never do something like that!"

I widened my eyes at her angry response. If this were right before Comiket, I would feel happy that her friend was trustworthy… but how should I react to Naruko's words now?

"Did you make up with her?" Once again, no response. Naruko dug her face even deeper into the cushion. Seeing her do that, I could tell that she probably didn't make up with Juvia. Hah, this is going nowhere. I began to pull on the cushion. "Come on, Naruko. Look at me for a bit. If you don't tell me anything I won't know what's going on."

"Leave me alone." Naruko stubbornly tried to hold onto the cushion. Disregarding her attempts, I just pulled more strongly. And then… "Dammit! I told you to leave me alone!" Naruko yelled, suddenly letting go of the cushion. As the pillow slipped out suddenly and I lost my balance, Naruko faced me and spoke even more angrily than she had been speaking before. "What the hell! Just because we've been talking a bit more lately, don't go getting used to it and act like you're my brother or something! Don't think you can just come in here and start acting like my brother after all these years ignoring me! Don't get the wrong idea! You're never cared for me before!"

Ah, is that so? What a pathetic brother I am. I couldn't agree more. But… I tossed the cushion on the floor. Whoosh! With that, I vigorously plopped myself down on the sofa. I sat right next to my sister, our eyes at the same level, so I could listen to her better.

"I don't care if you call me gross. It's fine, so say it all you want. Just go ahead! At any rate, I'm the hentai idiot brother who made the terrible mistake of ignoring his sister after all! I won't let you run away until you tell me what's going on. If you think I'm annoying, then you're best off just accepting it and giving me the whole story."

At my incoherent rambling, Naruko made a strange face. "W-What…are you saying?" She seemed bewildered even though she was angry at the same time.

"So, you didn't make up with Juvia?" Ignoring her confusion, I asked my question. It was a rather forceful way of doing things, but the way things were going, it didn't seem like she would talk about it by herself. So I really had no choice but to interrogate her like this and deduce the situation from the answers she gave. Well, I did only have one guess as to what had happened, and it probably wasn't that far off from the truth. She probably really hates that I'm meddling in something that's none of my business. Who in the world would want to go through so much trouble for the sake of someone like that? But, I had already decided that I would do this. I had already told myself that I would do this. I had no intention of stopping without finishing what I had started. After all, the blood of my stubborn mother ran through my veins.

"Well?"

"Making up with Juvia…"

Maybe having realized that yelling wouldn't get her anywhere, Naruko dropped her aggressive tone, and glared at me with tear-filled eyes. "There's no way… I could make up with Juvia… after… what happened…"

"Ah… I see." That menacing glare… just thinking back to it gave me the shivers. No matter how close they had been in the past, given how harshly Juvia rejected Naruko, it's no wonder that it would be difficult for them to make up. But, judging from her reaction, what had her on the verge of tears definitely had something to do with the situation with Juvia.

"But… you seemed completely fine the day after you had that argument with her…" And that's why I had assumed that she had quickly got a hold of herself, had called Juvia and patched things up, and that the entire incident had reached some sort of conclusion. So, what exactly happened to her right after the new semester started?

"I mean… I had to go to the invitational track and field training camp… so I couldn't just be depressed all the time."

"What? Was the training camp that important to you?"

"That's obvious, isn't it…? A lot of people other than me wanted to go to the training camp and had trained hard for it… but in the end I was the one selected. Do you really think I would go there depressed and just make it all go to waste?"

And so, she put off her depression until after the camp.

"…in shoujo manga sometimes you'll read about protagonists who don't do well at a big competition after they get rejected by a guy or have an argument with their friends…but screw that, I say. That's that, and this is this. Screw off, I want to say to her… I would never be like that, never."

"I see…"

She said that as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I see… as I thought, my sister might look like a showoff on the outside, but she was strangely tough, hard on herself and on others, and an incredibly serious person.

"Have you called Juvia at any point after the incident?"

"No. I tried a few times… but she would never pick up… and I was also pretty busy."

"So that means… when you saw her today, it's been a while since you've faced her…"

"Yeah."

So it seemed that there was no reason to think that my sister had made a quick recovery from this and didn't care at all. It was just that she had other things she needed to do, so she had just endured it in the meantime. And then the things she had to do got done, the new semester started, and she came face to face with Juvia again. Having to look at the reason for the breakup up close… that was what caused Naruko once again to get depressed? That's why, in my eyes, it had seemed that she had already recovered, but then one day she suddenly seemed to fall into a gloomy mood again? That doesn't sit well with me. I think that's really quite incredible, but no matter how I look at it, it doesn't sit well with me. I can't even explain why it doesn't sit well with me, but it really doesn't. You… why… why did you… dammit! I don't even know how to put it.

"And today? Did you talk with Juvia today? At least for a bit." At my question, Naruko didn't respond, instead biting her lip and looking downwards.

Hm, so she couldn't talk to her, could she? Personally, I'm not very well informed on the details of Naruko's school relationships. But, seeing her walk dejected and alone when I'm used to seeing her always surrounded by a large group of friends… her relationship had probably soured with those people. Naruko and Juvia were probably at the core of that group of girls, so when they saw that Naruko and Juvia had broken away from each other, they too probably also distanced themselves. Her friend who had always, always supported her, in her work, and at school. Juvia had said that of Naruko, and Naruko also had once proudly praised her friend. The bonds between those two were sincerely irreplaceable. That's why she was here, wasting away like this. This just makes me sick. It pissed me off.

"So… what are you going to do?"

"What… am I going to do…? " Naruko muttered weakly.

It seemed that she had completely used up the fierce energy she had used to scream before. Seeing my sister like this was just something I couldn't swallow. I didn't try to patronize her even for a second.

"That's obvious, isn't it? What are you going to do to make up with Juvia?"

"I… already told you… there's nothing I can do."

"What are you saying? What exactly are you saying? She's your best friend, isn't she?" No response. I tried again with a harsher tone. "You're alright with how things are? Breaking up like this."

"Shut the hell up!"

Whoosh . Instead of sending a response my way, she sent a counterattack. Cling Clang! Irritated, Naruko shook off my arm and threw many of the things on the table to the floor. The crystal ashtray was upset, and the bottle of cola violently fell to the floor. The atmosphere suddenly tensed. The explosive situation continued for another few suspenseful seconds.

"Well? Well what!? Haven't I just been telling you to stop meddling…? Just leave me alone! It has nothing to do with you!"

"That's true… it's not like you needed to tell me that. This situation really had nothing to do with me. It wasn't as if I was trying to turn this into a life counseling session like before, to let all the progress I had made for you go to waste. Right now, this was just an issue between you and your friend. However… I don't like it."

"H-Huh?"

"I don't like it, I said! I don't like seeing you give up so easily! She's your close friend, isn't she!? Your best friend!? Didn't you say that yourself!? But, then, how can you give up so easily!? There's no way you can be satisfied with how things are! For you, that's how you think about Juvia… right?"

I couldn't say that I fully understood what Naruko's relationship with Juvia was like. I also couldn't say that her relationship with Juvia was the same as my relationship with Yang or Erza. But… it was close at least, right? Didn't she say that Juvia was a close friend, that she was her best friend?

"And if that's true, then this must be really hard on you. From the end of Obon until now… how many days have passed? And in that time, you couldn't see her, she wouldn't pick up the phone… it was clear she didn't want to talk with you…"

If it were me, I wouldn't be able to take it. It would be intolerable. I didn't even want to think about it. And so, I really couldn't swallow the fact that Naruko was giving up like this.

"But even then, why are you giving up so easily!? That's not like you at all! The Naruko I know would fight against this! No matter how ugly the fight would get! No matter how unfavorable the odds were! Getting depressed like this at a time like this, and especially lashing out in anger… is that honestly something you would do!? You're acting just like a loser!"

"It's none of your business!"

Bam! Something suddenly hit my face. Naruko had picked up the cushion, and struck my head with it as strongly as she could. It didn't exactly hurt, but for a second I couldn't breathe.

Not even getting a chance to recover, this time an attack came to my stomach. I could almost hear a thud as a violent front kick was sent to my abdomen. Not being able to bear the attack, I crouched, and Naruko swung the cushion down at my head at a steep angle.

"W-Wait… stop…"

"Shut up!"

Bam!

"Do you have any idea how I felt going through summer vacation like that?!"

Bam!

"Why are you telling me that I shouldn't be OK with the way things are!? Don't you think I already know that?!"

Bam!

"But what the hell can I do!? I did something and now Juvia hates me, and she doesn't plan on giving in! I have no idea what I should do!"

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Again and again and again, with every overflowing bit of emotion, she struck me. I continued to endure my sister's strikes… dammit. That hurt. Both physically and mentally.

"Don't give up? Struggle even if the odds are against you? That's not like you? Don't screw with me! What the hell do you think I should do!? Don't think it's that simple!" Between her sobs, Naruko continued to beat up on me. "Do you think I didn't try to do anything about this!? Do you think I didn't try to fight against this? You don't know a damn thing! Not a damn, single thing! Not a thing!"

Each time I was hit, I had a feeling that I understood Naruko's true feelings a bit more. At the same time, a new source of anger welled up in me. This idiot. Why couldn't she have just been straight with me before? Why did she have to be so uncooperative? As I thought, she was hit pretty hard by this. She was just acting strong and hiding her real feelings. And then she says she was able to put up with her feelings during summer vacation? Bullshit!

And then there was me. Why the hell was I such an idiot? Just because she isn't straight with me, I can't understand what my own sister is feeling? Even though I should know better than most the pain that comes from feeling like you had a break with someone precious to you! I guess I was still an immature good-for-nothing brat. She was my own sister, so why did we have such a hard time understanding each other?

Tightly closing both her eyes, Naruko clicked her tongue vehemently. As if she was trying to dispel her tears through pure anger. I suddenly realized that her attacks had stopped. Naruko breathed heavily, and lowered the cushion loosely to her side while biting her lower lip tightly. She looked like she was trying to keep herself from crying further. Finally… in a voice I could barely hear, she muttered haltingly.

"Brother… help me…"

Even while she tried so hard to hide her weakness and look strong, she couldn't hide the tearful tone of her voice.

"Say that sooner. Have you forgotten that I'm your brother?"