In athletic clubs, the hierarchy between upperclassmen and underclassmen is strict. Isn’t that just common sense? I can’t help but question the environment I currently find myself in. The three upperclassmen in the volleyball club—Eri-senpai, Yui-senpai, and Miho-senpai—are almost impossibly kind and good-natured. I’ve never once been treated harshly by them.
Is this because the (fake) background info about me has spread throughout the school, and everyone sees me as some pitiful kid, so they’re being especially nice?
“Hmm, I don’t think that has anything to do with it? They’re kind to onee-chan (me/Hina) too, you know?”
“Now that you mention it, Hina, you only call yourself ‘Onee-chan’ when you talk to Yuu-chan. Anyway, yeah, they’re nice to me too.”
“Isn’t it kind of an unspoken rule that underclassmen are supposed to handle clean-up for these kinds of clubs?”
“Exactly. At least, that’s how it was in the volleyball clubs I was in during elementary and middle school. But…”
‘We third-years will handle clean-up after this morning’s practice, so you first-years go ahead and head back.’
‘You first-years always clean up before we even get a chance, so let us take care of it for once.’
‘Unlike you first-years, our classroom is on the first floor, so it’s easier for us to get back. Don’t worry and go on ahead.’
That exchange took place after morning practice, and now the five first-years of the volleyball club are in the clubroom changing. Meanwhile, the third-years are doing the clean-up. Unbelievable.
“Speaking of unbelievable, last Sunday I saw you two near the station…”
Sunday near the station? That must’ve been when Hina and I went shopping together.
“Reiko, if you saw us, you could’ve at least said hi, don’t you think?”
“Nah, it was kinda impossible. You two were totally in your own little world.”
“We were just out shopping like normal though…”
“But the way you looked, it was like watching a couple. Hina took the shopping bag from Yuuri and said, ‘It’s heavy, right? Onee-chan will carry it for you,’ and then Yuuri said, ‘What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll make your favorite, Hina-nee.’”
You were listening that closely?! If you were close enough to hear all that, at least say something! Also, what kind of couple talks like that? That sounded more like a married couple who’ve been living together for twenty years!
“Eavesdropping is kind of a trashy hobby, don’t you think?”
Hina perfectly voiced what I was feeling.
“No, sorry. I really just missed my chance to speak up. I mean, at first, I couldn’t even believe someone as close to Yuuri as Hina could treat her so cruelly.”
Huh? Did she do something cruel to me?
Hmm… Oh right! During laundry duty, I had to wash underwear so big it crushed my soul!
“Wouldn’t Ryou-nee’s underwear be even more soul-crushing than mine? I get crushed every time I have to wash hers!”
Ryou-nee is our eldest sister. And also a boob monster. Seriously, that’s cheating. What do you even eat to get like that?
“I wasn’t talking about bras. Hina, I hear you’ve been forcing your old clothes on your sister.”
????????
I don’t really get it, but the air in the clubroom just turned real tense.
“N-no! That’s a misunderstanding! I only gave them to her because Yuu-chan said she was okay with my hand-me-downs…”
“Eh? I didn’t say I was okay with them. I said I prefer your hand-me-downs.”
And just like that, the heavy air instantly turned soft again. …Why?
“Aah… I see. I really underestimated how much of a siscon Yuuri is.”
“E-exactly! She’s always like, ‘Hina-nee, Hina-nee,’ and I just don’t know what to do…”
There are a lot of differences between men and women, but one of the biggest is clothing. When I first became a girl, clothes were a huge problem. It wasn’t just the skirts and feminine designs—it was that I had no idea what I was even supposed to wear.
Add things like coordination, trends, and seasonal fashion into the mix, and you’re basically lost in some inhuman hellscape. I couldn’t keep up at all. And on top of that, it’s insanely expensive. And everyone acts like it’s normal to spend that much. It’s madness.
But if I pretended not to care, my three sisters would go all out and deck me out in the most hyper-feminine clothes imaginable. So as the lesser of evils, I just started copying Hina’s wardrobe. It was cheaper too—hand-me-downs were good enough.
When asking for clothes, I’d flatter her with things like “I want to copy you because you have such good fashion sense” to tug on her big-sister heartstrings. And sure enough, with a big smile, she’d say, “If you want it that badly, then your Onee-chan will make a special exception and give it to you!”
And that’s how I managed to secure my wardrobe.
After half a year of copying Hina’s outfits, my own sense of style ended up becoming basically identical to hers. At that point, there was no need to buy anything anymore. Whatever I wanted to wear was already in Hina’s closet.
Since Hina has two older sisters herself, she’s pretty chill about lending out clothes too.
“Hina-nee, can I borrow this?”
“Sure. Just wash it and return it, okay?”
That’s all it takes.
"Yuu-chan. Let me just confirm something—are all your casual clothes Hina’s hand-me-downs? Even though your heights are pretty different?"
"Ugh... Fine, I’m short and flat-chested, okay?"
"Don’t sulk and try to change the subject. Why are your clothes all Hina’s old ones?"
"??? Um, because the clothes I want to wear just happen to be Hina-nee’s hand-me-downs? And it’s not just old clothes! I borrow from Hina-nee properly too!"
"...Yuuri, you're missing out on life."
Why? Why?! Why am I getting totally ganged up on here?
"Sigh. I’ll give a special lecture just for clueless Yuu-chan. First, the average height of adult Japanese women is about 158cm. Naturally, clothing companies design most of their clothes around that average. It’s only logical—this height range has the most demand and sells the best. So, it also has the most variety. Now then, out of all of us, who fits that average range? Only you, Yuu-chan."
Well yeah, but who decided being average was such a great thing?
"When it comes to clothes, average is best! You might not realize it, but once you’re over 170cm tall, cute clothes practically don’t exist! And even if you find them, they look weird and don't fit right!"
Asuka declared passionately. Hina nodded in agreement. Even Reiko seemed to support this view.
"Being short is no good either. In my case, I'm practically elementary school height, so anything I wear instantly looks childish. And a lot of clothes won’t even fit me in the first place, so my options are even more limited."
Yuki lamented her own fate. But let me say one thing—those massive things of yours should just fall off already!
"Anyway, Yuu-chan, you’re the only one among us who has the freedom to pick any clothes you like, so you have to look cuter!"
"But for me, pursuing ‘cute’ means wearing Hina-nee’s clothes..."
"Okay, let’s fix that mindset first."
"? What do you mean? If you’re saying Hina-nee isn’t cute, that’s the same as starting a fight with me."
"Hina and Yuuri are different in both height and build, and frankly, you’re practically different races. I know you respect Cisco—er, Hina—but aside from that, you need to find clothes that suit you."
Huh, unexpected. I didn’t think Reiko cared about fashion. I never would’ve guessed she'd speak so passionately about it. Not that I’m going to say that out loud.
"No, I mean, can’t I just wear whatever I like—"
"Oh? You guys are still here? Were you waiting for us?"
The third-years who had been packing up the poles and nets returned to the clubroom. In hindsight, maybe we should’ve just waited in the gym until they finished.
"Eri-senpai, listen to this! Yuu-chan is being ridiculous!"
Wait, I’m the one in the wrong here?!
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・
"Yuuri is totally at fault."
"Ehh~?! What did I do wrong?!"
"Exactly that—you don’t even realize it!"
Once I explained the situation, Yui-senpai got mad. I don’t get it. Is this seriously the first time I’ve been unfairly yelled at since joining the volleyball club?
"You might not know this, Yuuri, but there’s a serious lack of clothes for girls over 170cm tall..."
Miho-senpai said with a wry smile.
"In our club, Yui, Asuka, Hina, and Reiko are all tall, so they probably have a hard time finding clothes that fit. As for Yuki..."
"I’m the opposite—too short, so I have to shop in the juniors section. Don’t worry, Eri-senpai. I’m well aware."
"Ah, yeah. Sorry. Anyway, the only ones who can wear basically anything are Miho and Yuuri, who are around average height. Even I sometimes find stuff I like but it’s too small for me to wear."
Eri-senpai’s about 165cm, right? And even she has trouble finding clothes?
"But like, all the models in fashion magazines are tall and look super cool..."
"Yuuri. Get real. People like that—with tall height and big chests—don’t actually exist—"
"Hmm."
I pointed. Hina and Asuka stood there.
"No, no, you can’t compare yourself to those freaks of nature! Be more realistic!"
So they are freaks of nature...
"Anyway, Yuuri, you need to find clothes that actually suit—"
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
"Ah, the warning bell!"
"Crap! Everyone, hurry and change! If we don’t get to class in five minutes, we’ll be late!"
After that, all us first-years sprinted up four flights of stairs and barely made it on time.
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"Anyway, Yuu-chan, you really should care more about fashion."
"Eh? We’re still on that? That was during morning practice!"
It was already 4:10 PM. School was over, and we were in the middle of stretching before practice. By the way, Reiko, who supposedly did gymnastics for years, casually demonstrated a full 180-degree split. I’m pretty sure her joints are broken.
"They’re not broken. You’ll be able to do this too if you keep at it long enough," she said.
"Yuu-chan! Don’t change the subject! This is important! You’re the only one among us first-years who can really enjoy fashion to the fullest! Don’t waste that!"
"But for me, if I express myself freely through fashion, I end up dressing like Hina-nee..."
"Oh no~ You're gonna make your big sis blush~ So my style is your ideal, huh?"
"Hina and Yuuri are total siscons."
"If having a good relationship with my sister makes me a siscon, then I’ll proudly be one for life."
"Same here, I’ll take the title happily."
"Gah. These siscon sisters..."
Clap clap
Eri-senpai clapped her hands.
"Okay okay, first-years, enough chatter. Let’s start getting serious about practice."
"Yes, ma’am!"
We're all pretty serious about club activities, but we still sneak in some fun here and there. Still, we know when to focus. It’s already mid-May.
Only three weeks left until the Inter-High preliminaries.
Side Note
After practice that day, Hina exposed the fact that since I came to Japan in winter, I didn’t have any clothes for the rainy season or summer. As a result, an extremely bothersome event called “The First Let’s Help Yuuri Build Her Casual Wardrobe Party” was instantly organized.
Following that, it was decided—without any regard for my wishes—that we’d go shopping after Saturday’s practice (which ends at 4 PM) at the stores near the station. Not just the first-years, but even the third-years joined in, excitedly.
Come on, the shops around the station are kind of lame. They don’t have that much variety. Isn’t it gonna be tough picking stuff there? My objections were shot down.
And so, after practice on Saturday, just as declared, we all went window-shopping together near the station, laughing and chatting like idiots.
As for the clothes they picked out for me—yep, they recommended something all frilly again. Apparently, because I’m “cute like a doll,” it’d totally suit me. Ugh. Saw that coming a mile away. I’ve been given similar stuff before by my three sisters. Wait... I get it now. All three of them are tall too. They push these clothes on me because they can’t wear them!
While munching on crepes, it hit me.
Ah... I’m actually living a proper youth right now.
Too bad I’m a high school girl, though.
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