I was sickly from birth.
I couldn’t play with the neighborhood kids, and I was always left behind when my family went on trips.
When it came to school excursions or trips, I could only feel like I went by looking at everyone’s photos.
(I want to be able to move my body to its fullest too…)
My only enjoyment was things I could do while lying down.
I loved looking at gal fashion and online videos. While doing so,
I became hooked on a gal dancer’s live streams. I want to try that too, once I get better…!!
“Ah, Mr. Roppongi, that’s my older sister’s merchandise, isn’t it?”
“Huh? You’re AYU-JULIA-sama’s younger brother?!”
“To me, he’s just Ayumu Hamada.”
During middle school, he said that to me, a chubby boy who looked exactly like an ‘otaku’…
To think that he was the younger brother of AYU, the gal dancer I admired online!
“…Do you have proof?”
“Look, here’s a photo my little sister took of me getting hit with a wrestling move in my room.
I have a video too, but I can’t upload it online.”
His room was filled with anime posters and figures,
exactly like an ‘otaku’s room’. However,
the one executing a joint lock on the otaku in front of me on that very bed was undoubtedly AYU-sama!!
“I, I’ve been a fan of AYU-sama for so long!”
“Yeah, I do have some fans who come over and bother us, it’s a bit of a problem.”
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… ugh…”
I got too excited and curled up on the floor…
“A-are you okay?!”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just got overexcited. Sorry, I don’t have much stamina.”
“Do you want to go to the nurse’s office?” “No, I’d rather hear stories about AYU-sama…”
That’s how it all began.
Of course, I also had an ulterior motive of wanting to get closer to AYU-sama, but
for me, who struggled to keep conversations going both at home and at school, he became an excellent conversation partner.
“Hey, can I come over to your place sometime?”
“No way, you’re just after my older sister, right? How about this instead, there’s a fun online game.”
“What is it?” “My sister plays it too. It’s called ‘Babylbarz Towers’…”
And then, in the game,
I was able to meet AYU-sama, whom I admired!
“Yo yo~, my registered name is Julian, but I’m AYU~”
“R-re-really, are you the real one?!”
“Then shall we talk~? My brother’s fine too, you know~”
The game was fun.
And the dance videos AYU-sama recommended were fun too.
My life, no, my entire life, became filled with online games and dance videos…
“Maina-chan, we’re in the same high school now.”
“Yeah, and those people behind you…”
“They’re my otaku friends. Look, here are Yuki, Nuhefu Goro, and Takayama P from Babylbarz Towers too!!”
Thus, in the real world, so to speak,
I also interacted with otaku boys in high school.
It was fun. I was genuinely happy that I could live a life like this.
“My sister’s gotten busy and only plays about once every two weeks. I’m raising her character while she’s away.”
“That’s right. They say they’re implementing an Angel Race. But Maina-chan, you’re raising a Dancer, aren’t you?”
“Gah, gah, gah! Apparently, they’re going to collaborate with that rhythm game soon, and T-toyo, T-Toye sama is cominggggggg!!!”
Some girls with sharp tongues would say things like ‘How can she stand being with guys like that…’,
but to me, they were irreplaceable male friends. That’s exactly why I treated them preciously and kindly.
“Seriously though, Maina-chan, you’re such a gal who’s kind to otaku.”
“Th-thanks.” “But you’ve been absent from school a lot lately, are you okay?”
“Is it our fault? Hey, is it our fault?!” “No, it’s not!!”
Yes, around this time, I had contracted an illness. It was…
“Leukemia.”
A cancer of the blood, and I was told I might not even make it to graduation.
Even so, I felt the opposite way; if that’s the case, I want to fully enjoy my high school life.
In fact, I felt better when I was at school.
“Hey Maina-chan, you’re going to be a third-year student soon. Will you dance at the school festival?”
“Yes, I’d be happy to. But starting in the spring, I’ll be hospitalized and attending school from the hospital…”
“I’ll ask my sister to give you dance lessons.” “Really?!”
…My final year.
After becoming a third-year high school student, I was barely able to attend school.
However, one day, in my hospital room…!!
“Yo yo~, it’s nice to meet you in person. I’m AYU~” “AYU-sama!!”
“It’s your little brother’s important request, you know~. Ah, I know you’re not his girlfriend or anything! “Older Sister…”
“I-I’m so happy… I somehow felt like I shouldn’t be meeting you.” “That’s not true at all.”
So, AYU-sama would come to show me her dance from time to time.
Breakdance… Breakin’ even has world championships now,
and AYU-sama participates in them, so she’s busy, but she always stopped by when she returned to the country.
“Oh, right, I have a present for you~”
“Huh? I’ve already received so much, like Babylbarz Towers gear and items.”
“Ah, that’s apparently ending service soon. Not that!”
On my head, where my hair had fallen out from chemotherapy,
AYU-sama gently placed a knit cap.
“Th-this is…”
“This is the cap I wore when I took third place in a competition in America. And then,
since you’re going to dance at the school festival, how about being my backdancer?!”
Me? I’m going to be AYU-sama’s…?!
“I-is it okay?” “Of course! But the lessons will be tough!”
“Don’t push my sister’s buttons. When she gets angry, she throws bloody N(censored)s and hits you in the face.”
“Don’t say unnecessary things! You’re the only one she does that to.”
So, lessons via video calls,
and sometimes AYU-sama herself would come and teach me.
Even though I could barely attend school, I held on to my life until the school festival…
(And then, on that school festival day…)
“Today, I’m going to show everyone my, AYU’s, dance~.
And I have a wonderful backdancer with me! MAINA, come on!!”
Amidst the cheers, my otaku friends pushed my wheelchair onto the stage…
For the first time in a long time, I was able to stand in front of everyone, and I took my place behind AYU-sama, wearing the knit cap.
“I’m MAINA! Everyone, everyone, it’s been a while!”
“Okay, let’s get started! Music, come on!!”
…What happened at that time was uploaded as a video and went viral.
More importantly, my friends, the otaku, cheered me on incredibly…
What I did was hardly what you’d call a dance, but I did my best, and then…
“Thank you, everyone~! MAINA, you did great too.”
“Y-yes!!”
“From now on, MAINA is my disciple. You can say that when you audition for a dance company after graduation!!”
…However, I think I overexerted myself.
The next time I went to school was for the graduation ceremony… even though my attendance days weren’t enough,
given my condition, I was specially allowed to participate. But by then…
“Maina-chan, here! A graduation congratulatory video from your older sister!”
“Tha…nk… you…”
“Is there anywhere else you want to go? We’ll push your wheelchair wherever you like.”
Holding my diploma, I couldn’t muster any strength…
“The sa… ku… ra… I want to see…”
“It’s still a little early, isn’t it?”
“I think some are already blooming, so let’s go, even if it’s a bit of a detour!”
The photos we took together then…
were filled with the biggest smiles… And then, after that…
I closed my eighteen-year-long life.
