Vol 05 Chapter 177-1: Kurosaki Mari I
「Wake up, Mari. Everyone else is already up.」
「…Onee-chan?」
When I saw my sister, Airi Kurosaki’s face, a question popped into my mind. Onee-chan is supposed to be attending a famous university in Tokyo and living separately from us…
「Why are you here?」
「What are you talking about? I came to visit yesterday.」
Oh, that’s right… It’s August, and her university has started its summer break. So she came to visit us from Tokyo.
「Mea is already up. …You’re the only one who is still asleep, as always, you are weak in the mornings.」
「Mm… I’ll get up now…」
Rubbing my eyes, I headed to the sink to brush my teeth. I picked up the facial soap and washing net, and began to lather.
Honestly, it’s a hassle, but according to Airi Onee-chan, if I’m careless, I’ll get pimples, so I have to wash my face properly. I don’t have any pimples on my face, and I’ve rarely had any. I’m pretty sure it’s more a matter of genetics than hygiene…
As I finished washing my face, I felt more awake.
Yeah, I’m good.
I left the bathroom and headed to the dining room. Airi Onee-chan and our younger sister, Mea, were already seated at the table.
「Mari Onee-chan! You’re late! Get ready in thirty seconds!」1
Mea puffed out her cheeks. She’s in her second year of middle school. The most cringeworthy time of her life.
Maybe because of that, she often uses phrases she learned from anime, manga, light novels, and web novels.
To be honest, I don’t understand any of the references.
It seems Airi Onee-chan understands them, though.
「I’m done getting ready. I’m coming now.」
I sat down at the table. The three of us put our hands together.
「Let’s eat!!」
◇
「Hey!! Mea, that’s my sausage! Give it back!」
「Nope, I already ate it.」
Mea opened her mouth wide, showing that the sausage was now in her stomach.
I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened. Mea always steals my food.
She’s always ready to snatch food from others. It must be because as the youngest we have spoiled her too much.
「Mea, how many times do I have to tell you not to take other people’s food? Stop snatching my food!」
Mea then stood up on her chair and took a defiant pose. Pointing to her own mouth with her finger, she shouted,
「Do you remember how many slices of bread you have eaten?!」 2
「Pfft…」
For some reason, Airi Onee-chan burst out laughing.
I’m the only one who doesn’t get the reference… Maybe I should borrow the source from her sometime.
「…Forget it. Do whatever you want.」
「I win! Part 3 is finished!!」3
Airi one-chan burst out laughing again.
◇
After finishing breakfast, we headed to the game center. The plan is to play until noon.
「Take this! Final Flash!!」4
Mea threw a green shell at me from behind. Three in a row, and it wasn’t just random throws. It was a calculated attack, considering even the ricochet.
「Ugh…」
I somehow managed to avoid it. When I play these driving games, my body can’t help but move along.
「Aghhh!!」
Mea screamed. It looked like she slipped on a banana I had placed behind me.
You have to watch the screen properly.
「Mea, it’s a hundred years too early for you to beat me.」
「What… Take this!! Blue Explosion!!」
It wasn’t a special attack. Just the blue flame that comes out during a drift.
「You’re really good though… As expected of my sister. You’re doing well.」
「Fufun, I’ll teach you that the age difference doesn’t make a decisive difference in strength… Well, my boobs are already about to surpass Mari Onee-chan’s though!」
Damn, cheeky little brat. I’ll show you.
I steered my kart towards the item box expecting something that could help me defeat Mea.
Come on!!
「Ugh… another banana…」
「Ha ha! Banana girl!!」
A red shell came flying from behind.
Ugh, how annoying.
But my bananas are the three-burst type. I’ll defend against this!
「Hehe, as expected of Mari Onee-chan. You blocked the first one… but I have two more. You have lost your bananas and are left defenseless! I win! Part 3 is finished!!」
At that moment, my and Mea’s karts were blown away.
W-what…
「That’s what happens when you use the same reference twice.」
It turns out Airi Onee-chan, transformed into a missile, had knocked us both out!
Airi Onee-chan always has such good luck…
After that, Airi Onee-chan won with an overwhelming lead over us.
「Goal in! I win!!」
Despite being twenty years old, Airi Onee-chan raised her arms in a victory pose.
First place was Airi Onee-chan. Next, it was the battle for second and third…
In other words, a showdown between Mea and me!
I charged towards the item box while praying.
Come on! No bananas! Come on! No bananas… Got it!!
This will clinch it!!
「Yes, I win!!」
「I won!!」
Mea shouted at the same time as me.
Hmm, did Mea also get a good item?
「Hehe, Mari Onee-chan, are you ready to lose?」
Mea kept drifting, closing the distance rapidly. I also drifted to increase my speed, but… frustratingly, Mea was better at drifting.
Before I knew it, Mea was right behind me.
「Take my Hamon!!」5
At that moment, the character Mea was controlling turned rainbow-colored.
Damn, if that hits, I’m done for.
「ORA ORA ORA ORA ORAAA!!」6
Mea zigzagged left and right, trying to knock me off.
Kuh! Hang in there, avoid it somehow, me!
「MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!! Just die quietly!!」 7
「Mea, your character is all over the place,」
Airi Onee-chan gave Mea a weird critique while looking pleased with herself, but I don’t care about that.
I have to focus solely on dodging!!
「Phew… barely made it!!」
I managed to avoid Mea’s fierce attack. Now Mea was out of tricks.
「Well then, Mea. It’s your turn to die.」
Without hesitation, I used my star.
「You… you also had the Hamon…?」
Mea was blown away. I crossed the finish line.
Victory!!
「Ugh… It’s not a big deal where we are placed. Whether it’s first place or last place, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is finishing the race. Compared to that, ranking isn’t important.」
The howling of the sore loser continued for a while after that.
◇
「Where do you want to go next?」
「I want to go to Harajuku! I want to buy clothes!!」
Airi Onee-chan is a weirdo who can recite the Six Codes and the Japanese Constitution by heart and reads the Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf in their original language. Mea is a girl in the throes of chūnibyō, full of cringe.
But I’m just an ordinary high school girl who loves fashion. At least, I think I’m normal. So I want to go to Harajuku!
「Ehh?! Let’s go to Akihabara. Akiba! Akiba! Akiba!!」
「No way! We went there yesterday!!」
「We haven’t seen everything yet. Besides, Mari Onee-chan, you were so into it when you wore the magical girl cosplay.」
「Th-that was because Airi Onee-chan and Mea forced me…」
Images of us cosplaying as Magical Girl Airin, Marilin, and Mealin flashed through my mind. I forcefully erased that embarrassing memory from my head.
「Anyway! Today we will go to Harajuku!」
「Alright, alright, Harajuku it is. Mea, we’ll go to Akihabara tomorrow.」
「Ugh, fine…」
Mea backed down easily. She probably knew from the start that no matter how much she sulked she wouldn’t be able to convince us. That’s just how Mea is.
She throws a fit whenever she wants something, even if it is a long shot, but backs off quickly when she realizes it’s futile. I envy her for that kind of skillfulness.
「Okay, let’s go!」
「Yes!!」
TN1: This is a reference from Castle in the Sky Laputa from Studio Ghibli.
TN2: This is a reference from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure second part, Battle Tendency.
TN3: Also from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, but from the third part, Stardust Crusaders.
TN4: This is a reference from Dragon Ball Z, is one of Vegeta’s iconic phrases.
TN5: Another Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure reference, this is from the first part, Phantom Blood.
TN6: More Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure references, this is from Kujo Jotaro, the protagonist of the third part, and his Stand, Star Platinum.
TN7: Another one from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, this one is from Dio Brando and his Stand, The World.
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