32 Overlapping - My Little Sister Is Only Ever Cold to Me, Yet Recently She’s Been Strangely Clingy

Episode 32: Overlapping As we walked along the path at dusk, our hands were intertwined, while matching scrunchies swayed on the opposite sides of our joined hands. The orange-hued scenery and the warmth conveyed through our connected hands inevitably brought back memories of the past. Days returning from after-school care, and later, from the after-school club as we grew older. Days we used to head home together. Back then, Ren was still smaller than me. I gazed at Ren beside me as if overlaying her with my memories. Her expression, her body—everything about her was different. "Even so, Ren, you've really grown up," I remarked. "What are you saying all of a sudden?" she questioned. "When we were in elementary school, we often walked home together like this. Compared to back then, it feels like you've grown into such an adult now." "Well, yeah," she replied. "You used to be so tiny and a crybaby, always coming to me in tears. I couldn't even imagine you going to and from school on your own. Then you started going to a club in middle school and suddenly grew so tall. You really have grown up." "…Why do you only remember the lame stuff?" she complained. Her hand squeezed mine tightly, as if showing her dissatisfaction. I couldn't help but smile. Ren had changed. Her expression, her body, everything had changed. Yet somehow, it felt like her silhouette hadn't changed at all. Our relationship—born in the extraordinarily close bond of being family, drifted apart, and was now starting to draw close again. I don't know where it's headed. But, my wish will always remain the same. The promise that was born that day will never change. I want to protect Ren. And so, I reflected on the things that had changed and those that had not as we walked. Because if I don't look closely at the everyday life that I want to cherish, it might change shape without me noticing. Just like how our father drifted away from the family, or how Ren drifted away from me. That’s why I wanted to treasure the present, and keep walking forward. I squeezed Ren’s hand tightly. My fingers brushed over the matching scrunchies on our wrists, dyed crimson in the sunset. Because today was so much fun, I held the growing loneliness gently against my heart. Let’s go again. Those words lingered in my throat. Because I was happy now, the expectation of “again” felt slightly scary. The thought of Ren leaving my side “again” frightened me. At some point, I had woven such a protective line around myself. But it was Ren who broke through it. "Um, next week, my club has an important tournament called the rookie tournament... Would you like to come watch, Onee-chan?" "I'll come!" I looked up at Ren and replied without a moment’s hesitation. Surprised by my enthusiasm, she blinked and then muttered, "Thanks." Without worrying about the people around us, I hugged her tightly and declared, "I’ll definitely come to cheer you on, so do your best." I gazed straight into Ren’s eyes. Our relationship had suddenly grown closer and I didn’t know where it would lead. However, at this moment, I wanted to cherish the change created by Ren’s invitation. Her club was the place Ren had found after drifting away from me. Being invited to that place meant something special to me. As the sun and moon converged, scrunchies of opposite colors swayed together, overlapping.