「…………hey」


  「What?」


  As usual, Eleonora-neesan came into my room without knocking on the door and called out to me with a puzzled look on her face.

  「What are you making by rolling up a cloth since some time ago?」


  「I’m making a stick.」


  I didn’t turn around to look at Eleonora-neesan, I started sewing the edge of the cloth to the cylindrical stick in my hand. Just twist and press the cloth around the stick and that’ll do.

  Properly sew the tip with the knot so that it will not unravel.

  I was quite used to this kind of work because of the time when I made slippers. If it’s now, I think I can make simple clothes or a muffler.

  Though, this didn’t require such a high quality, it’s good enough as long as this can be used to swing.

  「It’s done!」


  「It’s just a stick with too much unused cloth covering it. If you want something to swing with, you should just use the wooden sword over there, right.」


  Eleonora-neesan said that when I raised the finished cloth stick.

  The wooden sword over there, is the one that is always used when we practice.

  It’s not particularly valuable or anything, so it’s just carelessly leaned against the wall.

  Of course, it doesn’t mean that I make this stick because I like swordsmanship.

  「No, this is not for training, you see. It’s something to play around with.」


  「Play? How do you play with that?」


  In response to the word ‘play’, Eleonora-neesan took the bait.

  Are you expecting something like reversi again? Unfortunately, this time it’s relatively simple to play.

  But, this might unexpectedly suit Eleonora-neesan’s taste I guess?

  「Well, this is played by moving your body, so this might be Eleonora-neesan’s specialty.」


  「Really? Tell me, quick.」


  Eleonora-neesan came to sit in front of me, her reddish-brown ponytail sways.

  The light of expectation filled her red eyes.

  「There’s only two tools to use. This bowl here and the cloth stick. If you win in janken, you can hit the other person’s head with this stick. But if you lose in the janken, you wear this wooden bowl to cover your head.」


  I tried to demonstrate it in an easy-to-understand manner, by actually wearing the wooden bowl that I’ve prepared.

  「But the chest and stomach are defenseless.」


  「The rule is that you can only aim for the head!」


  Good grief, why would this sister of mine want to turn this into a fight.

  Eleonora-neesan wears the bowl while being immensely curious about it, and swings the stick.

  Did you properly listen to what I said?

  「Fuuーn, so that’s it. It sounds like it's interesting. So if I win, I hit you with this stick right?」


  Eleonora-neesan swung the stick with an innocent smile on her face.

  「That’s right. This is important, so I’ll say it again, you can only aim for the head, okay? And you’re not allowed to dodge the stick.」


  I emphasized the rules again just in case.

  That’s because I don’t want to receive a sharp blow to my stomach, even though I’ve properly covered my head with the bowl.

  Well, setting aside using the wooden sword, the stick that was made with a bunch of cloth on it is soft, so I think it should be fine.

  「I know. Rather than that, let’s try it quickly!」


  What do you mean ‘rather than that’……… It’s very important you know……


  It started like that, then Eleonora-neesan and I played the hit and hide jankenpon.

  In front of me were the cloth stick and the wooden bowl lined up, the both of us sat a short distance away from them.

  As a physical handicap, the stick is placed on my right-hand side.

  Both Eleonora-neesan and I are right-handed, so either Eleonora-neesan grabs the stick with her left hand, or she has to move her right hand a lot.

  But well, I can’t expect her swinging speed to slow down by a considerable amount, just because she uses her left hand.

  In our usual practice, her left hand is by no means inferior to her dominant right hand in terms of her sword speed.

  The person herself said 「I won’t be able to fight if my dominant arm is injured. So it is out of the question if that happens, right?」


  Yeah, it is indeed so. But don't you think that you’re too manly?

  「Then, let’s start alright?」


  Eleonora-neesan smile confidently.

  Perhaps she’s confident because of her daily sword training, or maybe because she thought it was her specialty. ‘It doesn’t matter even if it’s on my left-hand side’, she gives off this kind of feeling.

  However, you’re too naive. I knew about it and still challenges you. It’s not as if I didn’t put in any effort or preparation for this you know?

  「Un. Okay.」


  I said that with a fearless smile on my face.

  「「Roーck papeーr, scissors!」」


  Me, paperー.

  Eleonora-neesan, rockー.

  Since I got a good excuse in the name of playing, my reaction couldn’t get any better than this when I reached out for the stick. At this moment, I secretly use Psychic magic to pull the stick to my hand.

  Then my arm sweeps toward her direction, unleashing the sharpest blow I make in this life to her head!

  Supaann!　such a dry sound echoes inside the room.

  It’s a hit, oi!　A direct hit you know!　Direct hit!　A critical hit!

  This might be the first time I managed to hit Eleonora-neesan on the head!

  Serves you right!　I predicted that the simple Eleonora-neesan will use a rock in the beginning.

  I was scared, like really scared about what would happen later……but after doing it, I feel so relieved.

  It was as if the mist inside my heart had cleared and when I was drunk in such an indescribable, pleasant feeling, Eleonora-neesan’s white arm reached out to me.

  Then she grabbed my arm, my feet were hanging in the air and then I feel down

  After that, Eleonora-neesan sat on top of me and brought down the stick, it will hit me if it continues like this ――.

  「Wait!　Eleonora-neesan!　We’re playing aren’t we!」


  Eleonora-neesan’s arm suddenly stopped in response to my scream-like voice.

  「……that’s right isn’t it. It's the first time Al manage to hit my head, so I subconsciously…」


  Eleonora-neesan exhales to calm herself down, and she gets off from on top of me.

  If I had a wooden sword in my hand when we practiced, she probably wouldn’t stop. Good thing we’re playing. And it’s also a good thing the stick has cloth wrapped around it.

  Even so, the process of her throwing me down was not only fast. But I could hardly see it.

  When I was still thinking that she grabbed my arm, my view of above and below has been turned upside down, and the stick has already reached in front of my eyes.

  I probably won’t be able to escape even if I used Teleport. As even though it’s called a Teleport, and moves you in an instant from one place, there’s a slight time lag after the activation.

  Truly a frightening older sister.

  「Even so, somehow your attack from a while ago is the fastest from all your attack until now, isn’t it?」


  「Re, really?　I guess it’s easy to swing since it has an average weight because of the clothー?」


  I manage to give a suitable excuse as Eleonora-neesan turns her eyes and stares at me.

  But of course, this stick was made to fit my own physique and strength.

  And besides, I’ve been practicing for this day, this moment, for many times, training my reflexes, making the process of activating magic into the actual phenomenon an instant.

  So it was natural that it became my fastest sword strike to date.

  Well, even I thought that it was pretty fast.

  「………hmm, fine then. Because it will not happen again.」


  「Wait a minute, Eleonora-neesan!　Don’t change the cloth stick to a wooden sword!」


  Eleonora-neesan was grumbling, saying things like 「The wooden sword is easier to swing」 or 「This is more practical and effective for training」 and she wanted to change the stick, but I managed to persuade her and continue without changing the stick.

  As for me, I was already satisfied being able to hit Eleonora-neesan.

  「「Roーck Papeーr, Scissors!」」


  Me, Rockー


  Eleonora-neesan, Scissors.

  「Die Eleonora-neesan!」


  I swung down the stick along with a loud, blood-curdling scream.

  「Too naive!」


  It appears as if the stick hit Eleonora-neesan's head hard, but it hit the bowl covering her head.

  A dull thud echoed as the stick hit the wooden bowl.

  「……chi」


  Damn!　My desire to hit her with all my might is so strong that I unintentionally made a large swing.

  Even my magic activation has deviated slightly.

  Calm down Alfried. I understand your feeling, but you can’t be impatient.

  You have to hit her accurately and in a more compact manner. Remember your practice.

  「Wait a minute, Al!　Just now, you said ‘die’ right?」


  Eleonora-neesan removed the bowl from her head, and her face came near me.

  Her shapely eyebrows were moving as if they were twitching *pikupiku*.

  「I didn’t.」


  「You said it!　…… fine, whatever. I’m starting to getting the hang of how to play this, I’m going to hit Al’s head next time.」


  「Same here, I’ll hit you after this.」


  Anyhow, if I miss this opportunity, I might not be able to hit Eleonora-neesan’s head again.

  We both look at each other and smile, and we raise our voice to start our second battle.

  「「Roーck Papeーr, Scissors!」」


  Me, Scissors.

  Eleonora-neesan, Rockー.

  Naa!?　This is not a Mu○○○kingya' know!?

  When I’m still slightly flustered, I feel a sudden killing intent.

  That would be something similar to a sixth sense.

  The stick that was in the hand of Eleonora-neesan was going to descend on my head and cut it……at that moment I envisioned that scene happening.

  「Seiiiii!」


  I picked up the bowl and wore it in accordance to my sixth sense, and tumbled to the ground.

  Dangerous!　That was really dangerous.

  If I did nothing back then, it would happen as I had imagined back there… I have that kind of feeling.

  「Hey!　You said we’re not allowed to dodge!?」


  As if pouring salt on a wound, Eleonora-neesan kept chasing after me - who was rolling on the floor while still wearing the bowl on my head - and hit me with the stick *peshipeshi*. It seems that she’s pretty much only aiming accurately at my head.

  Though I’m thinking like that, but looking objectively isn't this just bullying?

  「……just what are the two of you doing really?」


  A gentle third party’s voice called out to us.

  Eleonora-neesan’s offensive also stopped suddenly.

  And when I lifted the bowl covering my head to take a look at the source of the voice, there was Sylvio-niisan standing there with a wry smile on his face.