Volume 5, Memories of Summer

[August 31st (1)]

It is the year 2095 AD, August 31st. For the students of magic high schools, today is the last day of summer break. As the majority of science and literary high schools have already begun the new school year, and arts and physical education high schools don't start until mid September, it's an about average length. The Nine Schools Competition which ran from August 3rd to the 12th has already finished, but there is no particular break extension for the representatives.

Even in the 21st century long breaks had inherent problems (homework) to go along with them, something often cried over during the last day of break-- this often as not being literal crying whilst looking over essay files comprised solely of a bunch of titles, a cherished tradition across the nation. However, it has to be said that not all students are such slackers(?). Like a certain pair of brother and sister enrolled in first year of the National Magic University attached First high school, the number of students who leisurely spent their last day of summer break relaxing at home was not in the minority.

"Miyuki, it's done."

"Thank you very much, I'm so sorry, Onii-sama. Bothering you with such a trivial matter......"

"Making crushed ice isn't really anything troublesome."

While placing the ice pick onto the dining table, Tatsuya let out a chuckle at his sister's excessive manner of speaking.

At that, Miyuki gave a graceful smile. In her hands, black liquid sloshed around within the heat resistance glass of the coffee server.

Coffee poured in a dark cascade over the chunks of clear ice Miyuki had used magic to create (by freezing from the bottom of the container upwards, in such a way as to disrupt convection), and Tatsuya had used an ice pick to break it into crushed ice (since if he had used his own magic, it would have ended up as fluffy shaved ice instead).

A fragrant aroma filled the dining room.

To prevent the scent from spreading any further Miyuki cast a pocket of cold air over the large round cup, and soon rose holding a tray with two portions of iced coffee.

At that casual use of a high level skill, Tatsuya narrowed his eyes.

Noticing her brother's gaze Miyuki broke into an embarrassed grin, before airily turning her back.

In the room on the first floor facing the garden-- it had originally been a guest room, but now with the bed removed it had become a spare room-- and lazing around the table, with the thrown open windows and curtains giving the air of an open terrace in a resort, Tatsuya and Miyuki enjoyed coffee time.

That being said Miyuki was bustling around serving Tatsuya hand and foot, such that she didn't even have time to warm her own chair, but as that was because Miyuki found doing so pleasurable, any third person quibbling over the scene would simply be unseemly.

As if finally satisfied, Miyuki modestly took off her white frilly apron and sat down not opposite to Tatsuya from the round table, but next to him.

Beneath the apron, her flawless white arms showed under the wide shoulder straps of her translucent one piece. Tatsuya felt the clear polkadot summer dress was rather familiar.

"Do you remember?"

Sensitively reading Tatsuya's look, Miyuki shyly asked him a question before he could open his mouth.

"Of course. It suits you perfectly."

At Tatsuya's utterly earnest compliment, Miyuki began to blush. "Sheesh. Onii-sama, you're always like that."

"It's because I truly think so. I said it at the start right? Besides, I wouldn't give you anything that didn't match you."

Accompanied by a cool face, at Tatsuya's intense words, completely unsuitable for (in light of the general world view) his sister, Miyuki's face turned completely crimson.

"Eh, uhm...... Thank you very much."

As he caught a glimpse of Miyuki's face looking up at him, both embarrassed yet happy at the same time, she had a rather similar expression when I first brought her that dress Tatsuya thought as he relived the memories of that day.

[August 14th (1)]

August 14th. Two days after the close of the Nine Schools Competition. Tatsuya and Miyuki were going to the shopping tower in the city center.

The two of them are high school students, and in the middle of their summer break. Even for shopping it would seem unlikely to need to go on a Sunday, but of course there was a reason. From tomorrow the 15th to the 18th, Tatsuya has to attend meetings at Four Leaves Technology (FLT) regarding commercialization of the flight device. Next week from Tuesday to Thursday he has field exercises scheduled with the Independent Magic Equipped Battalion. Since his only free time is in the weekend, Tatsuya thought there was little point in taking a break.

As for what to do to fill in the time, Tatsuya decided to buy Miyuki a reward for her victory in the Mirage Bat event. At the word 'reward' instead of 'present' Miyuki had sulked lightly for a while, but as this was ostensibly a present in all but name anyway she was now happily walking beside him in the best of spirits. In any case, the subtle fact that Miyuki was not pleased with a simple gift, but more than happy to receive a gift from Tatsuya was something lost upon him.

Miyuki's outfit today was a dark blouse with see-through sleeves, an ankle length white skirt, and sandals. On her head was a wide-brimmed straw hat. It was a private outing so he didn't mind all the exposed skin, but as usual, Miyuki's fashion was conservative compared to what she wore inside the house.

On the other hand Tatsuya wore a jacket loosely over a T-shirt, with elastic synthetic pants on the bottom. While the pants looked tight, it was a summer fabric with excellent breathability and despite covering all the way to the ankles, he didn't seem hot at all. However, with the exception that up to his neck and wrists were covered he wasn't that different from his sister.

A woman's love for shopping has not changed even now, something which could even be construed as common sense, and especially among young ladies that love is something which has not diminished as the last decade of the 21st century draws to a close. It is thought that the shopping habits of these girls can be divided into three patterns.

Firstly, those who buy their favorite things first. Secondly, those who buy their favorite things last.

Thirdly, and probably most commonly, those who while having a favorite proceed to go here and there, back and forth all over the place.

Miyuki belongs to the first category. When Tatsuya had asked her yesterday 'what do you want' Miyuki had hesitated only slightly before replying 'a summer one piece dress', probably as a result of the summer dress Mayumi had showed off on the bus back from the Nine Schools Competition. In a short while, Tatsuya presumed they had arrived at their destination. This was because within the fashion boutique Miyuki was currently pulling him into, a wide array of similar dresses were prominently being displayed. Miyuki's current outfit was a relatively trendy design, but it's fine for her to try new things now and again, Tatsuya thought as he glanced at the mannequins in their skimpy summer dresses.

Looking at the same thing as Tatsuya, Miyuki's expression faltered. Well, not exactly the same thing. What Miyuki had seen was the price tag attached to those summer dresses.

"You don't have to hold back, Miyuki. You know my income."

Although it's called a price tag it's considerably different from the century before, being an AR display virtual tag.

In order to check the price it's necessary to use the information terminal everyone carries around and access the AR app, which is how Tatsuya knew what Miyuki had been looking at.

Tatsuya too had engaged the AR app and checked the tag. The price marked did not deviate from his expectations.

This was a shop which had caught Miyuki's eye. There should be no budget stuff in it.

What's more, Tatsuya's words to Miyuki weren't bravado. Expensive as they were, these were ready-to-wears designed for young teens. For haute couture, it's not even a very high price. As a member of Taurus Silver, this amount of money wasn't much to him at all.

The act of dangling their purse before someone would usually elicit an unfavorable response from most people, but Miyuki simply brushed it aside. She probably thought that refraining now would simply be rude to her brother. Abandoning her hesitation, Miyuki began to look over the dresses on the mannequins and hangers.

Having the physical articles in a store instead of simple 3D video displays marks this shop as the real deal. Low price retailers, and even mid range stores, have 3D displays as the norm.

Most of the time even fitting is done via composite video. Being unable to ascertain the feel of the fabric is covered by a returns policy. Being able to try on the sample products, like here, is pretty rare for a shop nowadays.

After looking around all four corners of the shop, Miyuki called out to a clerk and pointed to three dresses. After telling her she wanted to try them on, the clerk nodded with a grin. The reason it wasn't a mere business smile was probably because they wanted to use Miyuki as PR for the shop, Tatsuya thought idly.

It wasn't uncommon for Miyuki to cause such ulterior motives. It was also unacceptable. For example even if they wanted to make just an area limited ad, he wouldn't let Miyuki model. The true reason was simply that Tatsuya did not want to expose Miyuki to countless dirty looks.

But as expected (relatively) of such a high class establishment, the clerk wasn't rude enough to bring the matter up all of a sudden. Rather she left for the stock room smiling all the while, returning swiftly with samples for fitting. Although they're samples there are mechanisms which automatically clean and sterilize the articles each time, so there was no hesitation in taking them. Holding the samples, Miyuki was guided by the clerk to the dressing rooms.

Meanwhile, Tatsuya sat down on a bench inside the shop. If something came up the clerk would come calling, and even if not should something happen to Miyuki he would know immediately. To kill time, he opened a publication website. However, he never got the chance to pick up the strings of text displayed on the mobile terminal. The reason was the moment he opened the site the clerk from earlier was standing obliquely before him, as if trying to read his expression.

"Is something the matter?"

He would have been content to wait until the other party began talking, but as he had assumed the pose of one waiting for his partner (well more precisely, his companion), it would be difficult for the clerk whose hospitality manners had been so firmly ingrained to do so. Thinking that, Tatsuya had therefore decided to lead her on.

"I have a little matter I'd like to talk with you about......"

"Should we move somewhere else?"

This is probably something confidential, Tatsuya had thought, although going that far did seem a bit much.

"No, this will just take a bit of time."

At Tatsuya's slight nod of acceptance, the subtle tension in the clerk's face came away.

"If you don't mind, about the dress your companion is purchasing."

"We haven't decided if we're going to buy it yet, but go on."

At Tatsuya's curt interruption of her dialogue, the clerk gave a hasty nod.

"Certainly! This is all considering if you would like to purchase the goods from our shop."

"Of course, if my sister likes it then we'll buy it."

"Thank you very much!"

Tatsuya wasn't really intentionally trying to harass the clerk. As a matter of course he had all manner of comebacks prepared and ready, but at the clerk's overreaction it was Tatsuya who felt troubled. He may have had some more things to say, but at this point it didn't matter.

"So, what is it you were saying?"

The one who interrupted had been Tatsuya, but now he gently urged her on. "Oh, right."

The clerk didn't show a single hint of discomfort. The results from the training boutique employees receive is formidable indeed. Or maybe she was simply completely at a loss when it came to dealing with him.

"If the articles instore are to your fancy, would it be possible for the clothing in question to be worn from the outset?"

In any case, the fact the clerk came for "consultation" was somewhat strange at first glance. In itself, the contents of the request weren't unusual. A ready-to- wear, and easy to maintain sleeveless one piece summer dress. Wearing that straight from the shop, especially considering the shop has the articles physically in the stockroom, is not uncommon. What was strange was that the clerk had specifically asked about it.

"You want us to wear the dress from here around, is that what you mean?"

However, Tatsuya didn't ask the reason. The clerk's, or rather the boutique's intention was pretty clear. They probably wanted Miyuki walking around in the clothing from this shop as a kind of moving advert.

"Yes. In return, we will recalculate the price for you."

The clerk also seemed to have realized Tatsuya had deduced their purpose. Quickly bringing in the matter of a discount, this woman had a formidable mercantile streak belying her youth.

Tatsuya had no interest in the discount itself. However, he was concerned in another aspect of the clerk's request.

"Is that it? Shoots are No good."

"Of course. We will not engage in any activity which may infringe on the customer's privacy."

"Could you show us clothing instore besides the ones on display?"

"With pleasure."

Not bad, Tatsuya thought.

After the negotiations with the clerk were settled, a different clerk came over. It seemed Miyuki wanted him. Without a hint of irritation, he stood up. This was to be expected after all, and even if not there was nothing to resent. "Onii-sama, what do you think......?"

The fitting room door was open. With a three way mirror in the background allowing viewing of all sides (to prevent voyeurism, no cameras were allowed inside), Miyuki shyly asked his opinion. She was wearing a pale grey toned jumper skirt.

"It suits you extremely well. Still, I think you can go with something a bit more dashing."

The knee-length simple design greatly complimented Miyuki's beauty, but it's a bit too drab, Tatsuya thought.

"Is that so?... Then, please wait a bit."

She nodded and closed the door. The faint sound of rustling clothes could be heard. The moments of silence were probably her working on her hair and skirt.

"Sorry for the wait. How about this?"

Seeming far more embarrassed than shy this time, Miyuki solicited his opinion whilst avoiding making eye contact.

It's probably because it's so different from the clothes she normally wears outside that she's unnecessarily self conscious he thought.

Miyuki's outfit this time was a checkered camisole one piece. From the neck to the shoulders was totally bare. The skirt also rose tantalizingly above the knee in excess of five centimeters, such that even innocents would be caught and enraptured.

"Yeah, that's great. I can't take my eyes off you."

"That's......"

At Tatsuya's straightforward opinion Miyuki turned scarlet. That being said the considerably older clerk was blushing even more furiously, though whether it was at Miyuki's stunning figure or Tatsuya's far too honest words was unknown.

"There was one more right? Did it not interest you?"

"No......

Then, shall I show you that one as well?"

The process of changing clothes was repeated.

The summer dress this time was pretty much exactly halfway between the first and the second in terms of exposure level. It was a silhouette which focused on the waist while emphasizing the bust line and hips.

"Um...... How is it.....?"

Despite having less exposure than the second dress, the sex appeal in this one here was top notch. She must have realized that while putting it on, which probably accounted for the extent of her embarrassment.

It was a design which would be awkward if there was insufficient volume around the chest and hips, but it fitted her surprisingly well. As the one who saw her in her underclothes on a weekly basis during her CAD adjustment Tatsuya should have been perfectly aware of his sister's growing body, but seeing it objectively like this really drove home the point that she was drawing closer to being an adult than he had ever thought. It exuded a totally different, probably age specific, unbalanced charm from the previous camisole dress.

"This is rather troubling. Even I might lose my reasoning with this."

"......"

At Tatsuya's unapologetic compliment, the color of Miyuki's face deepened even further, and she closed the door of the fitting room in silence.

After that Miyuki's fitting (or in other words, fashion show) continued. Each and every time Tatsuya praised his sister straightforwardly as if unaware of what shame was, and for her part Miyuki was exceedingly embarrassed each time (almost as if making up for her brother). Still she requested to be able to try on even more outfits, seeming to value her brother's praise far more highly than the well-being of either her heart or facial blood vessels, so that was that.

Miyuki had no modelling experience. Although she had looks which would have given any international top model a run for their money, she had no professional modelling skill. She couldn't manage rapid clothes changing or anything like that.

In short when all's said, this repeated fitting alone took a considerable amount of time. Of course when the fitting room door was shut it was impossible to peek inside, but when Miyuki came out to show off a costume to Tatsuya, they were visible from the store's exhibition space. Occasionally Tatsuya would request her to spin around or strike a pose, and a crowd began to form around the dressing room.

Still, it's not like they senselessly crowded around gawking. Tatsuya would never have permitted that, and the clerks in all likelihood tactfully did their work before he had to make a move. Instead, the youths were simply glimpsed in the surroundings from a distance. Still however much they shuffled around and pretended to look at the mannequins, they just couldn't seem to avert their eyes.

The word youths did not simply imply young men. Although there were guys in their number, numerically speaking the girls were superior. Well, honestly speaking the very nature of the shop meant that there was a high entry threshold for guys. In fact, the males were in the minority outnumbered three to one and comprised mainly of college students with their girlfriends or those dressed as young businessmen; Tatsuya was probably the only high school student on the premises. Although there weren't many with the insight to see that he was actually a high school student anyway.

One of the girls, or rather the girls in the group one by one would look at Miyuki with a mixture of admiration and envy before quickly looking away. At the sound of the dressing room door closing sighs of relief could be heard, then upon the sound of it opening again as if charmed they'd hide then peek out for a glimpse.

On that note, the female customers being escorted by a guy-- or rather being waited upon-- kept a better state of mind. As their boyfriends stared at Miyuki with worshipful eyes (showing there wasn't a single unconditional lover among them) they either stamped them on the foot or nudged them in the ribs or the like. On the one hand they would enviously look upon Tatsuya who was shamelessly and unhesitatingly heaping Miyuki with praise, then unreasonably take their anger out on their hapless lovers. In short, they restored their emotional balance by using the next convenient guy as a doormat.

Of course, both Tatsuya and Miyuki were fully aware of all the attention they were getting. He was mentally sorting out the harmful and harmless gazes, automatically categorizing them without even being aware and especially putting the non hostile intents out of mind, while she naturally filtered out all the looks-- she would never even be able to walk down the street normally otherwise-- so it never got to the extent they had to suspend shopping.

Nothing but words of approval came out from Tatsuya's mouth, yet each time was different. Monopolizing Tatsuya's complete attention Miyuki's feeling of happiness was almost intoxicating, such that she wasn't able to differentiate the subtle nuances in his words. As the number of tried on dresses passed 20, Miyuki ended up holding a polka-dot dress that had been kept in the fitting room. It was a sleeveless, knee-length camisole summer dress. The wide shoulder straps were frilled with lace, and around the chest and hem of the skirt plenty of lace was in abundance too. It combined a generous amount of exposure with an air of elegance, the iridescent ivory polka-dots lending a very age appropriate cuteness.

"Onii-sama, I was thinking this one

......?"

"I reckon that's the best as well. It really is cute."

She had picked this dress because it was the one that had been most popular with her brother, but upon hearing him saying 'cute' again, she made up her mind in an instant.

"Then......

Could I get this please?"

Miyuki didn't bother with hesitant language this late in the game. Instead, she gave a heartachingly beautiful smile-- with utmost sincerity, a look suitable for receiving a gift from her brother-- and asked his permission.

"Sure."

For his part, Tatsuya didn't really have a say in the matter-- he would never have been able to say 'no'. Being able to buy these things his sister liked was the most meaningful use of his income anyway, he had always thought. Whether he himself was aware of that thought was a moot point.

At Miyuki's lovely 'please', the consciousness of the watching men seemed to freeze.

At the same time the women gave a collective sigh of envy at Tatsuya's natural generosity.

"Then this dress and, along with dresses number two and seventeen please. She'll be wearing this back, so could you please send my sister's current clothes back along with the other items?"

"Certainly. Please come back again anytime. Thank you for waiting." Then to these unexpected VIP customers, the clerk gave a solemn nod.

[August 31st (2)]

"Still, I never thought we'd end up buying three. Even if the price was very reasonable."

Miyuki must also have been reminiscing about that time. She had a happy grin on her face, as she spoke to Tatsuya in a teasing tone.

"I would have been more than happy with just this one. Onii-sama? Is this what they call 'adult's shopping'?"

"It would have been a shame to let your 21 tryouts go to waste. It was finally our long awaited summer vacation, but I was only able to take you out shopping in the end. Or, was it unnecessary trouble for you?"

"Not at all!"

Miyuki line was simply teasingly accusing her brother of 'splurging', yet at this frontal attack, she hastily raised the white flag.

"That, I...... Was very happy."

She had been taken down a peg by Tatsuya, but Miyuki wasn't distressed at all. Rather she shyly looked up at her brother's face, and as she did so, the distance between them diminished even more than earlier.

"It really was a long awaited opportunity huh...... To be honest there were other things like yukata and various other summer activities I would have liked to leisurely do with you, but."

Tatsuya's face, which had been smiling in satisfaction at Miyuki's good mood, suddenly clouded as he muttered in a bitter voice.

"......It wasn't Onii-sama's fault."

Miyuki's whisper was tender as she took his hands from the table and gently wrapped them in her own.

[August 14th (2)]

Although they had finished choosing clothes, there was still time to spare before lunch. As she was finally able to come out alone with Tatsuya, Miyuki didn't want to just go home and let the occasion go to waste.

Fortunately, Tatsuya wasn't exactly the indoors type either. In addition, Tatsuya had come out today with family service (sister service) in mind. Without any particular words between the two, they decided to hang out like this until evening.

The building they were currently in specialized in fashion for young women. They didn't carry just clothes but also shoes, hats, accessories, various knick- knacks, swimsuits and yukatas according to season; this building had such goods for the entirety of it's 14 floors. Even the food stalls were snacks and sweet shops catering to young women. It was a rather formidable atmosphere for men, but another thing altogether for women and couples. Even if his companion was his sister, no one would suspect a thing.

In fact, without listening in to the conversation between them it would be nigh impossible to perceive that they were siblings. Or rather, if one didn't pick up on Miyuki's utterance of 'Onii-sama', even if they were close by they wouldn't be able to tell.

With her arm happily entwined around Tatsuya's, Miyuki's nestled appearance no matter how you looked at it gave the perfect impression of a girl in love. Those with some bias may think they were an 'unbalanced couple'. That line of thought was probably restricted only to the male populace, after which they would be accused by their accompanying lady as 'ogling another woman' and appropriately chastised. Well, it was a kind of expected harmony.

As previously mentioned, this building was pretty much a women only store. It held nothing of interest in particular-- the majority of those with girlfriends or those they wanted to make girlfriends seemed only to be here to make their partner happy-- for men. A man with thoughts like that, putting their own enjoyment aside, could probably spend a considerable amount of time in here, but Tatsuya was not that type to say the least.

However as Tatsuya accompanied Miyuki in her window shopping, he displayed no sign of unwillingness whatsoever. As Miyuki's eyes animatedly brightened or filled with frustration, Tatsuya's own eyes twinkled warmly. Whether inborn or acquired, imprinted by others or nurtured by himself, the fact was as long as Miyuki was there it wouldn't matter if they were in the city or in the mountains; he would be the same.

It was the one thing he truly wanted. As long as she was beside him, whatever the conditions didn't matter; this was something anyone who knew his circumstances could understand full well. Both Miyuki and Tatsuya depended heavily upon one another, but perhaps more on Tatsuya's side than the other.

Still if you actually asked them, they'd probably just reply 'it's none of your business (not your concern)' in unison. A punishment more painful than being kicked by a horse may also be forthcoming.

That-- the harsh handling-- wouldn't really be due to the blunt question in particular.

It would also apply to the rude intrusion.

Having an early lunch at a pasta house, the siblings glared coldly at the young man at the table next to them.

Tatsuya and Miyuki had entered that shop by coincidence, or rather on a whim. When eating out, the two of them would rarely choose a place with such an unobstructed layout as this. They'd mainly go for places with private rooms, or at least booths with partitions between tables. If they didn't, they'd garner far too much unwelcome attention, most of it naturally on the part of Miyuki.

Due to the occasion today, they probably decided that most of the customers would be women, and the men would most likely be accompanied by women anyway, well, it ended up being quite the piece of wishful thinking.

The moment Miyuki entered the shop, followed by Tatsuya, the bustle inside was frozen in an instant. Even the clerk-- unusually for such a casual establishment as this, a waiter not a waitress-- was paralyzed breathless. Even Tatsuya had not expected such a hypersensitive reaction. He had thought that a place which dealt with fashion on such a regular basis should have at least some resistance to Miyuki's beauty, but actually, precisely because this was a place which dealt with fashion there were probably few opportunities to see a true beauty of Miyuki's caliber.

The waiter regained his senses just as Tatsuya was on the verge of turning right around and walking back out. He probably sensed Tatsuya's dismay and intent to leave, clearing his mind in the process. Whether professionalism as a waiter or a lack of subtlety, he certainly did at least succeed in keeping two customers.

Even if they were picky, in all likelihood they would meet a similar response in any other establishment. So, Tatsuya quietly followed the waiter as he escorted them to an empty table. For her part, Miyuki would normally shy away from such attention but bore it. A-->>

next page