A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

“It’s a great pity, we still have a long way to go.” It was Yukino Yukinoshita who made this overly direct statement. Standing to her right with her arms crossed, she said, “We don’t have the ability to break out of our circle and become independent. We are bound by the net of the environment and can’t do anything. Even if we keep repeating in our hearts that we are different from them, we are just continuing to go with the flow.”

This mentality is commonly referred to as arrogance.

"Pfft..." Uesugi Genshin chuckled, which made Yukino Yukinoshita glare at him angrily.

"Let's go then." Uesugi Genshin stopped laughing, took Tsurumi Rumi's hand, and walked in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" Tsurumi Rumi turned her head to look at the crowd that had disappeared around the corner, and followed the two older brothers and sisters.

"Hey, young lady, I see you have extraordinary talent and have decided to take you as my disciple." Uesugi Genshin said something that was probably only understandable to him.

If you can't fit in, so be it. It's not a big deal.

"What?" Rumi Tsurumi asked timidly, trying to pull her arm back, but her hands were clenched tightly.

"I said, be my adopted sister."

Chapter 137: Refusing to be raised as a daughter

"What exactly are you thinking?" Hachiman sat on the dining table, resting his chin on the heel of his hand.

"No, by the way, why did you come along too?" Uesugi Genshin tapped the pot with a ladle, steaming from it. "That child is very cute, isn't he?"

"She's cute, and she even looks a bit like Yukinoshita," Hachiman honestly commented.

"So what's wrong with becoming my sister?" Uesugi Genshin said arrogantly.

“That’s not a problem.” Hachiman paused for a moment. “You… you wouldn’t be envious of me having a younger sister, Komachi, and want one too, would you?”

This is not just a wild guess. Back when he was stuck at Soubu High, Genshin was quite envious of his brother and sister.

“That’s right.” Uesugi Genshin admitted directly, “My family… my parents wanted a second child. I even thought I would have a silly little brother or a cute little brother.”

Is it true that the younger sister is cute and the younger brother is stupid? No, the younger brother is indeed stupid, but Komachi is cute.

"..." But this is a sensitive topic. Hachiman turned his head to look out the window. "Your home is in Hokkaido."

"Yes." Uesugi Genshin's lips curled into a warm smile.

"What kind of place is that?" Hachiman asked.

"Hmm... it's probably like in 'Love Letter.' Hokkaido is a dream. A dream filled only with love. Perhaps because it's cold, we imagine there must be a fireplace there. Perhaps because of the fireplace, we shiver. Do you love me? Please take me far away. Where to? How about Hokkaido?"

"Heh..." Hachiman laughed. "That's a beautiful place. Do you want to go back and see it?"

"I will go back." Wearing an apron, Uesugi Genshin stirred the porridge in the pot with a spoon. "I've been thinking about whether I should find some time to go back and visit."

"drive?"

"How could that be? It should be setting sail."

Cars rely on roads and fuel, making them far less safe than a ship far from land.

“It’s time to go back and take a look.” Hachiman didn’t disagree; it was the right thing to do.

"We'll see," Uesugi Genshin said, without adding anything further.

There was a knock on the apartment door from the outside, a loud "thump, thump, thump," and the voice sounded like someone with a rather unsteady personality.

"Go open the door," Uesugi Genshin ordered, unable to free his hands.

"Yes, yes," Hachiman readily agreed, then got off the stool.

He walked to the entrance, opened the door, and looked to see who was outside.

"Why is it you?" Feng Binhe tilted his head.

"..." Although they said not to use "Sang" in the name, now they're not even calling me by my name? "Anyway, come in first."

"Who? Toyohama?" Uesugi Genshin asked, looking at Hachiman who had sat back down on the stool.

"Hmm." Hachiman returned to his dazed state, resting his chin on his hand.

"What smells so good~" As soon as Feng Binhexiang entered the living room, she smelled the aroma from the kitchen.

"Haven't you eaten?" Although it did smell quite delicious, it was still just porridge, and someone who had eaten a full meal wouldn't be able to smell its faint aroma.

"We wanted to invite you. There's a welcome party on the second floor of the cafeteria, suggested by Ebina and the others. Everyone's here. You probably haven't eaten yet, so we wanted to invite you to join us."

After all, it was their first official day at the company, signifying their formal joining of Soubu High School. So, Ebina and Miura, these "seniors," spent money to prepare a meal—a private feast guaranteed to be delicious.

"Ha... I'll pass," Uesugi Genshin politely declined.

"Why?" Feng Bin and Xiang stared wide-eyed, somewhat anxious.

"I have something to attend to." Uesugi Genshin pointed to the bathroom where there was a faint sound of running water.

"?" Feng Bin and Xiang were taken aback at first, then exclaimed in surprise.

Uesugi Genshin covered his eyes and sighed, "I adopted a younger sister."

"No!" Rumi Tsurumi, whose hair was being dried by Yukino Yukinoshita, ran out, and Yukino Yukinoshita followed her out.

Rumi Tsurumi is wearing a T-shirt from Yukino Yukinoshita. Sixth-grade elementary school girls develop early and are not too short. In addition, Yukino Yukinoshita does not have any chest problems, so she does not need to buy a large size of clothing. It should be the most suitable size for her.

She herself was wearing her old school uniform, which she had probably just changed into recently, so there was no need to change into new, clean clothes.

Toyohama Kazuka kept looking at Yukino Yukinoshita and Rumi Tsurumi, as if the two were cut from the same mold.

"Don't you want to be a younger sister?" Seeing Tsurumi Rumi shaking her head, Uesugi Genshin asked doubtfully, "Wouldn't the age gap be a bit too small if it were a daughter?"

"I..." The little girl was speechless, and then reluctantly agreed.

"I'm so stupid, please take care of me. I'm your older brother, Uesugi Genshin, remember that."

Hachiman, watching this scene from the side, thought to himself, "My sister has become foolish too."

A voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz came from Tsurumi Rumi's mouth, "N-please take care of me, brother."

"Mmm." Uesugi Genshin took a bowl out of the cupboard. "Brother, I made you some soup. Let's drink it together."

"Hmm." The soft voice came again; the child was still a little shy.

"What about the welcome party?" Toyohama Kazuka asked.

“I’m not going,” Uesugi Genshin said casually, shrugging his shoulders.

Noticing that Toyohama was turning her gaze in his direction, Hachiman called out to Genshin, "Is there any for me?"

"I cooked quite a lot." I originally planned to eat the leftovers with pickled vegetables for breakfast tomorrow.

Seeing that Toyohama seemed troubled, Uesugi Genshin said, "I'm from the student council, I'm your superior. Would my presence make the welcome atmosphere too tense? There's no need to specifically include us in the welcome party that Ebina and the others are holding for you."

As he spoke, Uesugi Genshin looked at Yukino Yukinoshita and said, "By the way, would you like a bowl too, or should we eat at the cafeteria?"

Essentially, Yukino Yukinoshita remains a solitary figure; she doesn't have many friends, which can be described as a unique form of "social anxiety."

Hachiman wants to stay for dinner, so there's no need to let Yukino go alone. Let's ask her what she thinks.

"Ha..." Yukino Yukinoshita looked down at Rumi Tsurumi in her arms, "Give me a bowl too."

“You guys…” Toyohama Kazuka puffed out her cheeks, looking like a child, “I know, I know.”

With a sense of self-abandonment, she shouted, "I want to eat here too!"

"Hey, hey, hey..." Uesugi Genshin was a little speechless. "Isn't this your welcome party? I don't intend to be a hindrance."

“This is my own decision.” Feng Bin and Xiang sat at the dining table and patted the table to signal for the food to be served.

"Ha... I don't care what happens." Uesugi Genshin sighed deeply.

Then he served everyone a bowl of porridge, and took out the pickles made by Mai Sakurajima, poured sesame oil on them, and mixed them.

People in Japan mainly use olive oil and sesame oil, while soybean oil is used very rarely.

The island counter connected to the kitchen couldn't seat many people, so Yukino Yukinoshita and Rumi Tsurumi brought the porridge to the coffee table and knelt on the carpet to drink it.

"Salt is bad for the stomach," Uesugi Genshin casually reminded his sister, not letting her eat too many pickled vegetables.

"I understand, I'll be careful," Yukino Yukinoshita replied, indicating that she would take care of the situation.

Then, the apartment door opened directly, and someone outside opened the door with a key. He remembered that besides giving his key to Yukinoshita, it seemed that Kasumigaoka had taken it. And... who else?

"You're here," Hayasaka Ai said helplessly.

"Ah..." Toyohama Kazuka was completely unaware of her surroundings.

“Your sister and the others sent me to check on you. They’re about to begin,” Hayasaka Ai said to the prisoner.

"I'm sorry." Toyohama Kazuka silently apologized to her sister, who was far away.

"..." Hayasaka Ai gave him a knowing look. "I've already conveyed the message."

"How about we eat something together?" Uesugi Genshin casually suggested.

"..."

"You actually ate it?" Feng Bin and Xiang were dumbfounded.

“That was a welcome party. I’m just staying here temporarily.” Hayasaka Ai explained, handing the key to Toyohama Kazuka, then looked at the culprit who had kept her so busy, Uesugi Genshin.

"Who will go and tell my sister I'm here?" Feng Bin and Xiang thought to themselves.

The crunchy sound of the radish is very pleasant, and it tastes great too.

"Your sister did a great job." In front of someone who was half involved, Uesugi Genshin praised her without reservation.

"Of course, hehe." Fengbin and Xiang laughed happily. She would become like this whenever her older sister was praised.

She ate as well, remarking, "The porridge tastes a bit bland."

"Ah... I was thinking of making savory soup, but savory soup might not be good for Liu Mei's stomach."

The mention of "returning to America" ​​made the little girl sitting there stiffen. Yukino Yukinoshita gently patted her head, seemingly quite fond of the child as well.

“Salty soup, huh?” Toyohama Kazuka said longingly, “There’s no salty soup in Japan. I want to eat your cooking.”

"No materials available." Uesugi Genshin refused outright.

The school does not encourage students to cook for themselves, so if they really want to buy ingredients, the price will be significantly higher.

"Eh~~~, but I really want to eat it." Toyohama Kazuka said regretfully, "Gen Shin, your Chinese food is really delicious."

"Chinese cuisine?!" Hayasaka Ai suddenly looked up, her mouth still full of porridge.

Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with shock; she never expected that this guy could cook the Chinese food she had been longing for.

I really didn't expect that...

Chapter 138: Hosting a Party at Someone Else's House

Then, then, everyone came looking for them.

As Mai Sakurajima's younger sister, a member of Sweet Bullet, and Utaha Kasumigaoka's roommate, Kazuha Toyohama's unannounced absence had far more serious consequences than she had imagined.

"So you're saying that the station is too small for you to handle! The way you handle things is too much for me to bear, too much for you to handle! The way you handle things is too much for me to bear, too much for you to handle! The way you handle things is too much for me to bear, too much for you to handle! The way you handle things is too much for me to bear, too much for you to handle!"

She looks even cuter this way. Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately hugged her, "Ichimoku-san, what's your name?"

"Rumi Tsurumi." Rumi Tsurumi looked towards Yukino Yukinoshita on her left, hoping that this older sister could help her out of the predicament.

However, Yukino Yukinoshita helped set up the table.

The reason for the absence of several people led everyone to decide to hold the welcome party at Uesugi Genshin's house.

They brought all the food, as well as drinks and snacks.

"My name is Kasumigaoka Utaha. I'm your brother's best female friend. You can call me older sister."

Uesugi Genshin, who was listening nearby, had no objection. It was indeed her best female friend, after all, she was the first friend she had made close friends with. Hachiman ranked second, because they were not in the same class at all in their two years of high school, so their friendship progressed much slower.

Although the Chinese words for "female friend" and "girlfriend" differ by only one character, the Japanese pronunciation of the first part is different. The addition of the phrase "best friend" in Japanese actually evokes more romantic interpretations.

"Kasumigaoka-neechan?" It sounded like a child calling out to a relative at the end of the year.

But this made Kasumigaoka Utaha smile and hug her even tighter.

"Ugh..." As Tsurumi Rumi's nose was completely blocked, "I... I can't breathe."

"Senior, you're hugging too tightly." Kato Megumi, sitting to the right of Kasumigaoka Utaha, stepped in to stop her senior's unintentional "violent act."