Ore Ga Suki Nano Wa Imouto Dakedo Imouto Janai Volume 10 Chapter 1

If you like our work, please follow us on our social media, join our discord and consider supporting us on Patreon:

https://discord.gg/e4BJxX6 
https://www.patreon.com/CClawTrans

‘I am angry.’

“Um… Suzuka?”

When Suzuka suddenly went quiet, I was bewildered. All of a sudden, she was hanging her head low. Thanks to that, I had no idea what kind of face she was making, nor did I know how to interpret this oppressive silence. But I couldn’t blame Suzuka for being this perplexed. After hearing me blurt out something like that, that would be a logical reaction.

—I turned down the grand prize.

That’s what I told her just now. I don’t regret it, and I don’t think that my decision was wrong. I kept wracking my mind about it, and it’s the decision I found myself agreeing to, so I’m not backing down from it. But I am worried about Suzuka’s reaction.

It was my dream of many years to win the light novel grand prize. I kept repeating that to myself a ridiculous amount up until now, and Suzuka knows that most of all. Thus, this reaction of hers must be comprised of worry and anxiety… However, I didn’t expect her to have no reaction at all… This is kind of awkward…. I could feel cold sweat running down my cheek as I faced Suzuka like this.

What should do I if she just responds with “Ahh, I see. Anyway, about tomorrow’s food?” just talking like she always did? I-I mean, that would be a good result, I guess, but it would make me feel a bit lonely, to be honest…

Knowing Suzuka, I was totally expecting the usual “W-What is this about?!” kind of response, where she would close in on me, pressuring me for an explanation—

“………Wha?”

“Eh?”

“…Wha… W-W-W-W-What is this about, Onii-chan?!”

“Woah?!”

And just as I was thinking that, Suzuka suddenly jumped at me with such great momentum that I had to bend my body backwards out of shock. She forced me back to the point where I was being pushed against the wall.

…T-That really surprised me! It was so abrupt that I thought my heart would leap out of my chest! It did turn out as I expected, but why was she quiet for so long before that? Was it just a feint to scare me…?

“E-Explanation…! I demand an explanation!”

But that doubt was immediately blown away after seeing Suzuka’s ghastly behaviour. I never expected that she would be this shocked, honestly. She was desperate to a level that you might think the world would end tomorrow. Her face was burning red, tears were building in the corners of her eyes, and she was giving me a sharp glare… S-Scary!

“T-Turn down… Why would you…?!”

Suzuka grabbed onto my clothes, approaching me even closer. N-Not good! I don’t think I’ve ever seen Suzuka this agitated! I feel like my life will be over right here and now if I say something wrong! However, I could understand her desire for a proper explanation, so I started off with a “C-Calm down…”before I continued.

“The reason I decided to turn down the grand prize is because of you.”

“…W-What do you mean…?”

“If I stopped being your stand-in, you wouldn’t be able to stay active as a light novel author, right?”

After I finished my response, Suzuka twitched in response. My agreement for being her stand-in, namely acting as Towano Chikai in public, would end whenever I managed to debut as an author myself. Thus, if I accepted this grand prize that I had earned, I would stop being her stand-in. But I had already decided against that.

“The novel is as interesting as always, and its popularity is only growing. Many people out there truly love the story you created.”

“…So it’s only because my novel is popular?”

“Of course, that’s not the only thing… It’d be troublesome for you if I stopped being your stand-in, right?”

This was one of the bigger reasons. Suzuka wasn’t the type of person to break a promise. Because it was a promise, she wouldn’t complain once after I stopped being her stand-in. However, I’m sure that she still wants to continue being an author. She’s having this much fun as she’s writing on her own novel. I want to keep watching her like that. I don’t want her to stop. I want her to keep going as a light novel author. That was my honest wish… But I couldn’t tell her the second reason by any means. The novel I won the grand prize with couldn’t be released to the public, no matter what.

“…I thought so.” Suzuka softly muttered to herself.

She once again gazed downwards, contemplating my words. This time, however, she quickly lifted her head again and gazed at me with a calm expression, a fresh change of pace from her usual glare.

“Even if that costs you the dream you’ve always admired and worked towards?”

“Exactly.” I gave her an immediate response.

Just as I’d previously said, I stopped hesitating. Even if she glares at me like that, that won’t change.

“……That.”

“What?”

“I won’t accept it! Just because I would be troubled…? Giving up on the dream you’ve chased for so long, and now that you’ve finally made it, just throwing it away!”

That’s… She’s not wrong about that. What Suzuka is saying is perfectly reasonable, and from an outsider’s perspective, it’s obvious that my reasoning is faulty. Still, I had already decided on it, and I had to play the cards dealt to me so that Suzuka would understand, no matter how long it might take.

“…At first, I was honestly planning on quitting as your stand-in if I won the grand prize.”

Choosing my words carefully, I started talking. This is all I can do to try to convince Suzuka, but it’s also something that I have to do.

“Just like you said, it was my dream to become a light novel author, and once I debuted, I wouldn’t be your stand-in anymore.”

“Then…!”

“But things have changed. After being by your side and seeing you writing on your novel like that, I changed my way of thinking.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“I wanted to see more of you like that, wanted to see more of how you continued to write light novels. You might not realize it yourself, but when you’re writing, you look so lively, as if you’re thoroughly enjoying it, you know?”

“T-T-T-T-That’s! It’s not like…!”

“But, I realized that if I eventually debuted, I would be unable to keep seeing you like that anymore. At first, I thought that it couldn’t be helped, and kept repeating the promise to myself as an excuse, but…”

“But…?”

“…That way of thinking changed. Rather than me pursuing my dream, I felt like it might be better to have you continue writing your novel—No, I realized that this was what I wanted.”

“………”

“The more I thought about it, the stronger the desire became. Eventually, I came to prioritize that over winning the light novel contest myself. Before I had even realized it, I had completely come to terms with this.”

Of course, one of the biggest reasons was that I definitely couldn’t debut with that kind of little sister novel, one which completely exposed my feelings and desires. However, those were also my honest feelings. After working this hard to debut as a light novel author and working towards my own dream, I found myself accepting my desire to protect her career with no room for doubt.

“…Onii-chan.”

After a short silence, Suzuka hesitantly spoke up.

“The Onii-chan that I know is someone who treasures light novels with all of his heart… So much so that it makes me question your sanity at times. That’s how much you adore light novels. You think about light novels 24/7, and you even got someone like me into them, when I had next to no interest in them.”

“I-I’m terribly sorry for bothering you like this…”

“I-It wasn’t a bother or anything…! More than that, it was a good chance for me to—N-No, nevermind that! But I still can’t accept this…!”

Suzuka’s blushed for a second, but her expression quickly returned to normal.

“O-Onii-chan, have you lost interest in light novels, by any chance?” She asked me with a slightly scared expression.

“No, that’s not it at all. I love light novels still. That hasn’t changed,” I quickly responded.

“Then!” Suzuka protested, “What about writing novels? Don’t you still want to continue writing light novels?”

“That’s… exactly it. My enthusiasm towards novels hasn’t disappeared, nor have I lost the desire to write them myself, either.” Although the conversation had wandered off-topic ever so slightly, I earnestly nodded along.

Even if I lied here, my little sister’s sharp intuition would eventually catch onto it, and I don’t want to cover it up, anyway.

“That just shows how weird this is. You like light novels as much as ever, and you want to continue writing as well. That means you haven’t given up on your dream of becoming an author, right? Are you still saying you’ve stopped wanting to become one?”

As expected, Suzuka leaned forwards, as if to say ‘See?! I told you!’ but I just averted my gaze.

“…To be completely honest, I still want to become a light novel author.”

The best way to deal with Suzuka once she had come this far was to be completely honest. In response, Suzuka’s face lit up with a ‘I thought so!’ expression. She smiled broadly at me. It seemed like she was even relieved.

“I mean, of course. It’s been my dream for what, years now? I can’t throw it away that easily. Honestly, I was constantly trying to come up with a way to debut as an author that would also enable you to stay an author yourself.”

“I-I see, so that’s what it was… Then I have an idea, myself! This time, I just have to become Onii-chan’s stand-in!”

“You’re getting your priorities backwards here! Why did you think I became your stand-in in the first place?!”

“T-That’s because I was the Hakuou student council president, but not anymore! That problem has already been taken care of!”

“That’s great and all, but what about our parents? That’s still the same as before, right?!”

“Ah?! T-Then, um…! I-I know! Just debut while staying my stand-in! Wouldn’t it be a great touch if the newest grand-prize winner was actually Towano Chikai himself?!”

“No, it wouldn’t be! It would be against the rules in the first place for a professional to participate in a newcomer contest! That would put the publisher in deep water, wouldn’t it?!”

“Eh? Ah… uhh… that’s…!” Suzuka faltered at my response, which was a rare sight.

Since this idea had countless problems with it, so much so that I never expected Suzuka to come up with it, I swallowed my own breath. That being said, since Suzuka was starting to get as desperate as I had thought, it surely wouldn’t take very long until she would come up with a good idea.

“…There’s no convenient idea like that. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, you know.”

Thus, I quickly cut off her thoughts. I felt grateful that she would try this hard just for me, but there’s a time when it just becomes a waste of energy.

“No, I can’t accept this. There has to be something that we can do… For example… Onii-chan could suddenly awaken to a shapeshifting ability that enables you to change into whoever you like!”

“…………”

…How do I put this? I know that she isn’t being 100% serious right now, but… Before, whenever I was rambling on about light novels, she would give me a cold stare that said something to the effect of ‘What absurd fantasies are you talking about, Onii-chan?’ but now are roles are completely reversed. Thanks to that, I’ve finally experienced what it was like to be on the receiving end. Suzuka is really kind for not getting totally angry at me every single time.

“Suzuka.”

“Y-Yes?! What’s with that pity-filled expression?!”

No, I’m actually thankful for your kindness. I don’t think you’re pitiful. If Suzuka sees it that way, then it’s just her misunderstanding. She probably already knows that doesn’t make any sense right now. But never mind that.

“Thanks, but it’s okay now. Really.” Putting as much appreciation and thankfulness into my words as I could, I tried to reassure her.

“Eh? W-What do you mean it’s okay now?”

“You don’t have to worry about my dream anymore. This is the conclusion that I’ve ended up with, and I’ve come to terms with it.”

“Y-You’ve come to terms with it…?”

“I want you to keep being a light novel author. I’ll give up on my own debut for that. There’s no use arguing about it. That’s my decision.” I realized that my tone had gotten a bit sharp.

However, if I don’t get a bit more aggressive here, my gentle little sister will never step down.

“I just don’t understand.” Suzuka formed fists with her hands and continued with a shaky voice. “You said that you liked light novels the same as ever!”

“I sure did.”

“A-And that your desire to write them hasn’t gone away at all!”

“Yep.”

“…! S-So, you’re still saying that you’ll give up on your dream of becoming a light novel author?!”

“Yes, I’ll give up on it,” I replied with no hesitation.

When I said this, Suzuka shook her head back and forth. “I don’t understand…” she muttered.

“No matter how many times you tell me, I can’t understand it! You like light novels, and you want to write them, so why would you give up on that now that you’re at the finish line?! It doesn’t make sense at all!”

Since she still didn’t show any signs of understanding my desire, I could only continue speaking. I had to tell her at a reasonable level that I prioritized my little sister more than my dream.

“I started thinking that, if it’s for your sake, I would be fine giving up my dream.”

Suzuka’s body shook.

“As I said before, ever since I became your stand-in, I’ve been watching you constantly as you were working on your light novel. Your novel is as popular as ever, so it only makes sense that I would want you to continue writing, right?”

“But I…!”

“That’s not the only reason. After all the data collecting we went through, we finally managed to make up, right?”

“I-I didn’t do that because we were…!”

“W-Well, setting aside the small details, we managed to finally get back to relative normalcy. There’s also one of the biggest reasons why I accepted it back then as well…”

“…What do you mean?”

“I can’t put it into words very well, but it felt like I was finally doing something worthy of being called your older brother. If I can help my little sister, I’ll do all I can. No, I want to do all I can. That’s what I started thinking completely on my own.”

“………”

“Since I’m your older brother, I wanted to be able to help my little sister. Since you wanted to write this light novel, I decided to help in any way I could. While doing so, I eventually started thinking that my dream wasn’t so important anymore.”

To be perfectly honest, I was surprised to find myself thinking this so naturally. I’m the one who knows best how much I want my dream to be realized. I had worked as much as I could to achieve my dream and had prepared myself for whatever was necessary. I can’t blame Suzuka for being surprised that I gave it all up this easily. However, at the same time, this decision felt natural to me, and I had no qualms about it whatsoever.

This confidence, this belief wasn’t anything special either. It was just about an older brother wanting to help his little sister. That was the absolute truth as far as I was concerned. There was no room for doubt or counterarguments, and I wasn’t planning on debating this point, either. It was because I had this exact mindset that I was able to give up on my dream so easily. This is no big deal, since it’s for my little sister, for Suzuka’s sake. On the contrary, it was completely reasonable and self-explanatory. It wasn’t even a matter of sacrificing myself. I’m not doing this because for that reason by any means.

“That’s why I decided to turn down the grand prize and continue being your stand-in.”

After I said these words, my explanation was over. Suzuka was hanging her head low. She hadn’t uttered a word for a while now. She was probably mulling over everything I had said inside my head, seeing if there were any irregularities. Now what kind of reaction will you have, Suzuka? I do think that, eventually, Suzuka will accept my decision, but there are parts of it she probably can’t accept, of course. It’s surely against everything that Suzuka stands for that while I want to write novels, I’ve given up on my dream of being an author myself.

On top of that, considering how kind Suzuka is, she’s most likely going to feel bad that I’m prioritizing her over me. But Suzuka is a clever girl, so I’m sure she’ll eventually understand my feelings. She’ll think that I’m being selfish, and will glare at me quite fiercely, but I believe in her ability to accept the desires of an older brother who wants to prioritize his younger sister.

“…Onii-chan.”

However, Suzuka showed no signs of that when she opened her mouth.

“I am angry.”

“Eh?”

“I am angry. Very, terribly angry.”

For a second, I didn’t understand what she was saying. Or more precisely what she was saying and the atmosphere she was giving off were completely different. Even now, she looked close to breaking out in tears. At the very least, that’s what it looked like to me. Her face was burning red like a ripe apple, tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes, and she puffed out her cheeks as she threw me a sharp gaze.

It was her usual expression she would make whenever she was displeased about something. However, she wasn’t screaming in rage. It was more like she was holding herself and her voice back and trying to calm herself down. Her expression and voice, the tone of her words, everything left me in confusion as to what she was trying to say. Since this was the first time I had seen her like this, I had no idea how to deal with her.

Still, Suzuka didn’t even give me any time to figure that out, and she continued speaking with a calm voice.

“There is one thing I really want to say right now. Do you know what it is?”

“N-No…”

“It’s ‘Onii-chan, you idiot!’you know.”

I gulped. Those were the same words that led to the several-year-long awkward relationship between the two of us. The words still echoed in the back of my mind.

“But I won’t say it. I don’t want to go through the same thing again, and I don’t want to fight anymore, so I’ll hold off of saying those words here… However, I still am very angry… Onii-chan, you…” Suzuka hesitated for a second, but quickly continued. “This current situation is almost exactly the same as the one back then when we talked past each other. Have you realized that?”

“W-What are you talking about?”

“…So you haven’t.” Suzuka’s expression tightened.

Just as she said, I had no idea what she was trying to tell me. The situation back then when we talked past each other? W-What is she talking about? Is she talking about the event that caused our relationship to end up so cold and awkward?

While I was running my thoughts trying to grasp Suzuka’s words, I have to confess I didn’t remember it too clearly to be able to argue back. All I could gather was that I had said something to make Suzuka angry, and to make her cry. That was when our awkward relationship began…

“Hey, Suzuka… What do you…?” I spoke up to ask Suzuka with a serious expression.

“………!”

The second I opened my mouth, Suzuka glared at me, close to tears again, which left me no choice but to shut my mouth again. I really can’t tell what she’s trying to say, but my instincts told me that saying something bad here would only make things worse.

“…Let me repeat myself, I am angry. I am incredibly angry, but I will not fight with you. I won’t, but I am terribly angry.” Suzuka kept repeating the words ‘angry’ and ‘not fight’ quite a lot.

Unlike the usual, always-logical Suzuka, she seemed more like a little child right now, trying not to throw a fit.

“…Onii-chan hasn’t changed at all from back then… You’re always too kind for your own good, angering me in the process…”

“…Eh?”

“Nothing at all. All I will say is that I am angry.”

Asserting that fact one more time, Suzuka averted her gaze and pouted. It didn’t look like she was rejecting me. Indeed, her back was slightly shivering, as if she was weak and waiting for me to take action, as if she was lonely. However, before I could call out to her, she let out a curt “Excuse me,” and stepped out of my room, as if she was trying to run away.

“…Suzuka.” Left alone, I could only gaze at the door in confusion.

I was just thinking about explaining my decision to turn down the grand prize to Suzuka so that she would understand, so why did it end up like this? Of course, I had prepared myself to be relentlessly questioned about my decision, and I knew that she wouldn’t consent to it willingly. However, I was sure that she eventually would give in when she saw how resolute I was. So, why…?

—I am angry.

That reaction was completely outside any assumptions I had. And her reaction… was like I couldn’t understand anything about her at all. What exactly is she thinking…?

“Shit!” I sat down on my bed and put my head in my hands.

No matter how much I wracked my brain about it, I couldn’t come up with any reason why Suzuka would suddenly have that kind of reaction. However, there was one thing clear in the foggy mist of this situation. Suzuka was really angry this time.

“Really, what’s going on…?” A feeble plea escaped my lips, but it disappeared without reaching anyone.

*

“Onii-chan, you idiot!”

After returning to my room, a whisper was all I could muster. I fell down to my bed, tightly embracing my pillow. I could feel my nose starting to run, and tears would start flooding out if I didn’t hold them back, but I tried my best to endure it. This really wasn’t the time to be crying.

“Onii-chan, you idiot! Idiot! Why would you do something like that?!”

I ran the words he had said over my mind again and again and softly bit my lip. He was going to turn down the grand prize. His love and passion for light novels hasn’t disappeared, but he still decided to give up on becoming a light novel author. Just so I wouldn’t suffer in any way.

This is what Onii-chan meant to say. The idea hurt my chest so much that I could feel the tears about to spill out just from remembering it.

“…Just how much of an idiot can Onii-chan be?! His dream he worked so hard for is finally within reach, and now he wants to throw it away so carelessly!”

He’s an idiot. An absolute idiot. An unhelpable and incurable idiot.

“Idiot idiot idiot! Why is Onii-chan always, always, always so kind?!”

The words I couldn’t say to him in person were now all flowing out. Onii-chan is too kind for his own good. He decided to give up on his dream, just because I would suffer from it. After all his love and hard work. For a reason like this.

“…Uuu… Uuugh!” I yet again tried my best to hold back my weeping.

But I wasn’t weeping out of sadness this time. To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t be happier. I’m so happy that my chest is starting to hurt. I’m so happy that my heart skips a beat every time I think about him. I’m so happy that I’m actually agonizing right now. Onii-chan thinks about me this much. He’s prioritizing me over his own dreams! Just this fact alone wrapped me in a feeling of happiness I’d never known before. My entire existence overflowed with love for Onii-chan. My face loosened into a smile without me being able to help it.

But… Even so, I have to fight this. I’m happy. I really am, but this isn’t the time to enjoy this feeling. Because, just as much as I’m happy—no, even more so—I’m incredibly angry at Onii-chan. Anger is the main emotion that’s filling me right now. What am I angry about? Exactly the same thing that I am happy about—About Onii-chan’s feelings towards me.

He decided to give up on his dream for my sake. Naturally, I’m happy about that. Happy beyond belief. So much so that I could break out in tears right now. I want to jump into Onii-chan’s arms and thank him again and again. However, just as much, I can’t forgive him. Sacrificing his happiness for my own—I can’t allow that.

After all, this was the exact same thing that happened back then. He covered for me, was scolded by father, and still showed me a smile as if everything was perfectly okay. I probably feel the exact same way right now as I did back then. Unsure between happiness and anger, my head just went black, which led to me screaming at him. Onii-chan you idiot!

However, I’ve grown since then. I managed to swallow it down and not lash out at him. I managed to avoid the worst possible situation of our relationship ending up the same way as it did before. I will not fight with him. Never again.

“…But.”

That doesn’t mean that my anger has just completely vanished. It still remained, burning hot inside my chest. No, the more I try to calm myself down, the more hot this anger starts to grow.

“He would turn down the grand prize just for me…? What is Onii-chan thinking…?! As if I could just accept that!”

I was so close to venting all this anger out on Onii-chan. You gave up on your dream because I would suffer? Are you serious?! Think about your own happiness first! Stop joking with me!

…Those were the things I wanted to say directly to his face. And I wanted him to accept his grand prize, no matter how long I would have to pressure him to take it. Still, I couldn’t. As I just said, I didn’t want to start a fight with him. But there was an even bigger reason than that.

“The reason… Well, calling it selfishness would be more accurate,” I muttered to myself, still agitated.

But even more than how angry I was that he’d go so far, I was even more frustrated because he didn’t even know why I was angry in the first place. That is the one thing I cannot ignore or forgive. I can’t forgive Onii-chan, who almost let the same thing happen again, the same event that caused the rift between us. Naturally, I’m fully aware that Onii-chan didn’t mean to do so.

But even if it was unconscious, not intentional, I still can’t forgive him. This kindness that makes me want to break out in tears because he isn’t aware of it at all. I can’t allow it. Even more than that, Onii-chan seems to think that this was just how things were supposed to end. That’s why—

“Augh… I want to scream to his face why I’m so angry at him… But I just can’t tell him on my own!”

If Onii-chan himself doesn’t realize it, then there’s absolutely no meaning to it anyway. If he doesn’t grasp why I’m angry, he’ll just do the same thing again and again. Throwing away his happiness for my sake, showing me such a devastatingly sad smile…

“I don’t want that anymore! I can’t stand this any more!”

Thus, I had no other choice but to remain selfish here. Of course, I tried my hardest to find another way, something I could do to indirectly make Onii-chan conscious of it. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about something this desperately before in my entire life. But it didn’t work out. I wasn’t able to come up with a single worthwhile idea. At the very least, I couldn’t come up with a way to approach Onii-chan myself in order for him to realize it. Indeed, I realized that it’d be impossible.

Because he’s too kind. He’s way too kind for his own good. I’m sure that Onii-chan would understand if I truly talked it out with him. If I told him how dearly I want him to realize it, he wouldn’t make a single complaint. Eventually, he would even take back his decision to turn down the grand prize.

However, that would mean that he would be doing it not for his own good. It would just be because I asked him to. In order to save me from crying yet again… And that isn’t what I want. Nothing would change. The result I could not allow to ever happen again would repeat over and over. That was why all I could say was ‘I am angry.’ Onii-chan himself had to realize why I am angry in the first place. Otherwise, everything would just rinse and repeat.

“…Haaaah.” A long sigh escaped my lips.

I know that this is a harsh way of dealing with things. I know that I’m being selfish here. But this is all I can do. There’s nothing else, trust me! I have to become this hate-filled little sister… Not saying why, just sulking and troubling Onii-chan…

“…This time, he might really start hating me for good.”

Just thinking about it made my chest tighten, making it harder to breathe. I want to run over to Onii-chan’s room and take back my words. However, I can’t succumb to such temptations. This is an important event for Onii-chan’s—No, for our future together, so I can’t falter here.

“I am angry… I really am, but I won’t fight…” Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to remember my current stance.

I can’t get emotional. I have to come to terms with all my feelings and live with them until Onii-chan realizes why I’m angry on his own. We can’t end up fighting again. I’m angry with Onii-chan, but I would never hate him because of this. I have never once in my life hated Onii-chan. That is one thing that I can say with confidence. On top of that, Onii-chan and I finally made up and became proper siblings. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if we returned to how it was a few months ago. Just imagining it makes me want to cry.

“…My treatment of Onii-chan is going to be quite warped from now on, but that can’t be helped, right…?” I muttered to myself.

How I should interact with Onii-chan from now on was the more important question. I have to constantly make it clear that I’m angry with him, but by no means should I cross the line where we would be fighting. We’ll eat breakfast together like always, go to school together like always, go home together like always, act like a 2-in-1 light novel author as always… Yes, our daily life will be exactly the same. I can’t let that change.

That being said, I have to constantly show him that I’m angry. I am actually angry, after all.

“This is all Onii-chan’s fault…”

I turned my body towards the wall where Onii-chan’s room was and made up my mind.

“Ah, that reminds me… I have to behave the same as always…”

The things we’ve always done up until now, the actions that make us a 2-in-1 author. This time around, I should really avoid using this pretense, but we have to do it in order to make it seem like we’re the same as always. The problem, however, is—

“Ugh… Will I be able to keep acting angry during situations like that?” Doubt flared up within my mind.

…I don’t really have any confidence that I’ll be able to.

“N-No no no! I can’t give in here! No matter the situation, I have to camly yet proactively show Onii-chan that I’m still angry at him!” Embracing my pillow even more intensely, I rolled around on the top of my bed.

Either way, I can’t back down from this. I have to practice right now so that I can constantly show my anger. Thus, I started fantasizing.

“…Ugh, this might be my hardest challenge to date…”

All day, late into the night, I continued having fantasies and continued my image training. Let me be honest here, though, and tell you that it took me a long, long time before I was able to keep a straight face instead of breaking out into a giddy smirk.

“Really… Just how weak am I against Onii-chan’s seduction?!”

*

“Fwaaah… My head feels so heavy…”

It was the following morning. After changing into my uniform, I reluctantly made my way downstairs to the kitchen. It was a clear, beautiful morning outside, but I had a horrible headache. Naturally, the reason for that was the exchange with Suzuka yesterday, which had left me sleepless.

After that incident, I spent my night awake, playing Suzuka’s words back in my mind over and over. The most important part was, of course, how she had said “I am angry” multiple times. But no matter how much I wracked my brain about it, I couldn’t grasp why exactly she was angry. At first, I assumed it was because I turned down the grand prize. Of course, that was probably a big part of it, but… how do I put it… I feel like there’s a more fundamental reason for her anger this time.

“…That being said, I couldn’t come up with any comprehensible reason.” I had spent the whole night thinking, but it was all wasted.

Basically, what I’m trying to say with all of this is that I couldn’t find anything that would explain my sense of discomfort about Suzuka’s anger. There’s nothing I can do. What now?

“M-Morning…”

When I entered the kitchen, Suzuka was making breakfast like always. She was wearing her uniform with an apron above it, taking the ingredients for said breakfast out from the refrigerator. That in itself was the same as usual, but the atmosphere she was emitting was very different from usual, which was the reason my greeting turned out a bit stiff.

…It’d be great if everything yesterday had just been a dream, and if Suzuka would just act like usual…

“Good morning.”

However, reality wasn’t so kind, and the incident yesterday was not a dream. Suzuka’s expression when she turned around was as cold as I had expected. It was exactly the same as yesterday.

“Um… So you’re still…”

“Yes, I am still angry.”

I tried my luck, but Suzuka’s answer made me droop my shoulders in defeat. Suzuka continued to focus on the cooking without turning around a single time, a cold act which completely matched the words she was saying.

Ahh, what do I do about this, for crying out loud? I sat down at my seat at the table and let out a short sigh, too quiet for Suzuka to hear. Sadly, the atmosphere between the two of us had returned to the same as it had been a few months before I became Suzuka’s stand-in. Though it was invisible, there was this sensation of a wall between us. Come on! How did things end up like this?!

After I became her stand-in, the distance between Suzuka and I closed and we finally managed to make up, going back to being normal siblings. Going back to the time before then would be really depressing! Now that I’ve learned to love the warmth of a little sister (don’t take that the wrong way!), going back to how it was before then would be crushing. I probably wouldn’t be able to stand it! I don’t want to lose what we have!

“………”

As I was desperately clinging to these feelings in my mind, Suzuka continued making breakfast, acting as if I wasn’t even in the same room. She did say that she wasn’t going to fight, but what exactly did she mean by that? Isn’t fighting just as bad as staying in this awkward situation?

“No, anyway…”

I can’t stay so depressed all the time. I have to somehow solve the mystery behind Suzuka’s anger, and I need to do that as quickly as possible. If not, we’ll run the risk of going back to our previous relationship, which would make all the progress from the past few months go completely to waste. I probably wouldn’t be able to survive a situation like that. It’d defeat the purpose of giving up the award if Suzuka gave up on me. I know that I’ve turned into a complete siscon, but this isn’t the time to be angry at myself about that.

“Onii-chan.”

“Y-Yes?!”

Just when I was thinking about that, Suzuka suddenly called out to me, which completely caught me off-guard. I fumbled over my response. I had thought that she was going to completely ignore me for the rest of the day, so having her start the conversation was outside the range of my expectations.

“W… W-W-W-W-What do you need from me?!”

“Why are you panicking this much? Tell me how you want your eggs.”

“E…gg…s?”

“Why are you acting like you’ve never heard that word before?”

“W-Well… what about the eggs?”

“How do you want me to cook your eggs?”

“Cook my eggs…?”

“…Are you playing around or something?”

“N-No! That’s not it! I really don’t know what you’re trying to say…!”

“I’m asking how much you want me to cook your fried eggs. Do you want the yolk runny or fully-cooked? You always switch it up every day according to how you’re feeling, right? I’m just asking you how you want them today.”

“………”

“Should I wait until they turn into burnt charcoal?”

“H-Half-cooked is perfectly fine, thank you very much!”

Suzuka was starting to stare at me, so I had to blurt something out or I would most likely be turned into charcoal as well. With a “Really…” and a fed-up expression, Suzuka returned to her cooking, leaving me in such inner turmoil that I couldn’t think clearly.

…Ehh? What’s going on? Why would she suddenly ask that? I thought she was angry? Putting her pouting expression there aside, her words were the usual things she would say to me. At the very least, this kind of conversation hadn’t ever happened back when our relationship was all cold and awkward. They were only part of our daily conversation after we made up.

“What’s wrong Onii-chan? Why are you spacing out like that?”

“Ah, umm…”

“If there’s something you want to say, please speak up so that I know.”

“…Um… you are… angry at me, right?”

“I am angry, yes,” Suzuka immediately replied.

However, that response only confused me more, so I continued questioning her.

“S-So you’re angry, but you’re still asking me how I want my fried eggs?”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Not really, but… Why?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said that you’re angry, but you’re still being considerate like that. It kind of doesn’t add up, does it?” I gingerly asked.

I knew all too well that I was walking into the lion’s den here. Let me just tell you up front: I don’t always talk so politely when I’m confused like this. That just happens whenever I have to ask something of Suzuka. I’m not completely without my pride and dignity by any means, so remember that. However, putting that aside—

“It seems that you have the wrong impression about something, Onii-chan.” Suzuka shrugged, exasperated. “Let me ask another way. Why is it so strange for me to show you a normal amount of consideration?”

“Because you said you were angry…”

“Yes, I am angry. What about it?”

“Something clearly isn’t adding up here!”

“Onii-chan. I think I told you earlier, but I won’t be fighting with you just because I am angry.”

“Y-Yeah, you said that, but what do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. I’m angry, but I have no plans to end up fighting with you. Thus, I will act the same as usual with Onii-chan, while I am still angry. That’s all there is to it,” She still spoke with a cold tone.

“I-I don’t get it… Am I just too dumb to understand?”

“That’s probably what it boils down to.”

“Could you maybe not say that so openly and calmly like that?! Being angry at me while treating me like you always have is really weird no matter how much I think about it!”

“What might you be referring to?”

“B-But if you were angry you’d be talking more angrily, and wouldn’t really care about our relationship. But you’re still forcing us to have a normal everyday conversation…”

“Do you want our relationship to get worse, Onii-chan?”

“Of course not!”

When I gave my honest response, Suzuka’s eyes opened wide in shock, and she quickly averted her gaze.

“I-Is that so…? I’m… glad to hear that…” Suzuka muttered in a relieved tone.

However, her previous expression returned immediately.

“Cough. Then what’s the problem here? Both Onii-chan and I feel the same way. We don’t want to go back to our previous relationship, so I’m acting angry while treating you like always. It’s a perfectly logical conclusion, I think.”

“It might sound so at first, but it’s actually completely unreasonable…” Though her argument made me all the more confused, I somehow understood what Suzuka was trying to say.

…No, it was more like she meant exactly what she said. Being angry at me but not fighting basically meant that she’ll be open about her anger while treating me the same as usual. It’s actually rather simple. It really is, but it’s even more uncomfortable. I don’t even know how to react to her, and I’m way too scared to. The pressure is more extreme than usual.

“Um… Suzuka-san…? Considering my position in this, being able to act normally will be very difficult…”

I really wanted to avoid anything like this as much as possible. My nerves had started going all over the place just from that one exchange.

“…I’ll behave the same as I always have,” To my misfortune, Suzuka showed no intention of budging from her position. “Rather, your current behaviour is indeed troublesome, Onii-chan. We have to do what we’ve always done and behave the same as always.”

“Do what we’ve always done… S-So even going to school and all that?”

Ugh… Just imagining it makes my head hurt… Think about it. That entire time, she’ll talk to me with her ‘I’m angry’ disgruntled face. It’ll be like walking on pins and needles the whole time! I’d be more inclined to call it torture.

But while I was busy worrying about the rest of the day, and if I would be able to survive it, Suzuka’s expression abruptly turned a bit red.

“A-And that’s not all…”

She started fidgeting, and I quickly realized that the next thing she would say was going to be something completely unreasonable.

“Since we’ll act the same as always, we’ll naturally also… well, collect data.”

“…Huh?”

…Hold on, what did she just say?

“C-Collect data? For your… light novel?”

“Of course. It’s for an important scene for my next volume.” Suzuka answered as calmly as always.

…N-No, wait just a second!

“W-We’ll still be doing that in such a situation?! You’re angry at me, right?! I can tell that you’re angry at me just from your expression! And you still want to collect data like this?!”

“Didn’t I just tell you that we’ll be acting like we always have? Of course we’ll still be collecting data.”

“I-I mean, will we even be able to pull that off? Oh yeah, and what kind of data are we even talking about?”

“It’s the same types of lovey-dovey flirty scenes between the siblings like always. On top of that, the relationship between the siblings will be progressing, making it even sweeter and more heart-throbbing.”

“The gap between that and reality is a bit too far, if you ask me?!?!?!?!”

A-Are you seriously saying that?! In our current situation, with such discomfort between us, you’re trying to pull off collecting data on something like that?! That’s way too unreasonable. That’s as unreasonable as trying to pull off a picnic while it’s raining and thundering outside. Also, how can you act even sweeter and more heart-throbbing while you’re angry at me?

“It’ll be fine. I don’t mind.” Suzuka commented, her face as sour as before. “No matter what the situation might be, we will collect data on whatever we need. That is what sets the professional light novel author Towano Chikai apart from everyone else.”

“A-And be even more flirty than before?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“…I know I might sound like a broken record, but let me ask one more time…”

“Of course, I still am angry.”

…Seriously, what should I do about this?! Honestly, this whole situation is too much for me. I’m already feeling demotivated. However, Suzuka would definitely not allow me to escape from this burden.

“That being said, let’s start immediately. We still have some time, and there’s a flirty scene before school in the novel as well, so let’s collect a bit of data while we can,” Suzuka said. She pulled my arm, forcing me to sit down.

“U-Um… What should I do…?”

“The situation is as follows: the little sister is busy preparing breakfast, as the older brother comes in. Then, he… um… is so fascinated by his little sister’s lovable back that he starts flirting with her unconsciously.”

…Shit. I mean, the scene in itself is pretty tough to do (also since when did the protagonist turn into such a siscon? I mean, I know what it feels like when your little sister is so cute you can barely stand it, but hold yourself back a bit, okay?!), but it’s even worse in a situation like this. The atmosphere between the two of us is already quite awkward, but I can’t handle being lovey-dovey on top of that. I’m already walking on pins and needles.

“Can we at least put it off for another day…?”

“Rejected.” Still as displeased as before, Suzuka was somehow brimming with energy.

Now that it’s come to this, I have to follow her lead as her stand-in. It’s my duty to help her collect data, and if I were to step down now, I might run the risk of angering her even further, so that’s an absolute no-go.

“Ugh… Alright, I understand. What exactly do I have to do, then?”

…Ahh geez, collecting data is always so much trouble, but this is the first time I’ve actually wanted to stop the data-collecting right away!

“T-Then, I’ll be working on the breakfast again, so you embrace me from behind, Onii-chan.”

“Seriously…?”

Please, older brother in Suzuka’s novel, pull yourself together. I know, I know, your little sister is cooking in front of you with an apron on, and she’s too cute not to hug, but please. Still, now that we’re here, I have to follow suit. Continuously telling myself This is to collect data, this is to collect data, I reluctantly walked towards Suzuka and gently embraced her from behind.

“…!”

Though Suzuka’s body twitched ever so slightly, she showed no further reaction. Her small stature fit perfectly between my arms, and I could feel her gentle warmth. On top of that, her fragrance was akin to a beautiful flower… wait, I can’t let myself get any more perverted than that!

“U-Um, Suzuka?” I shook my head to rid myself of these evil thoughts and called out to Suzuka.

“………”

No response came. Nor did she move a muscle. What happened to her? I tilted my head in confusion and called out to her again.

“…?! Y-Yes, what is it?”

After twitching yet again, a similarly displeased tone of voice returned.

“Well, I was wondering what I should do now.”

“A-Ahh, that’s right… That was dangerous. I was so desperately trying to hold myself back that I completely forgot the situation I was in…”

“Eh?”

“N-Nothing at all. Um… The scene is supposed to be about the Onii-chan having some extensive skinship in the morning with his beloved little sister, so I’d appreciate it if you could play along for a bit here, Onii-chan.”

“Extensive skinship in the morning…”

Suddenly embracing his little sister? Ryou, the protagonist of this novel, is quite a pervert, to be honest. I understand his feelings, but you just can’t do that, man.

“Um… good morning, Suzuka. It’s a wonderful morning, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“This smells really good. I’m so glad that I get to eat your delicious food every morning.”

“Is that so?”

“Thank you, Suzuka. I couldn’t live without you.”

“No problem.”

“……”

“…Hm? What’s wrong, Onii-chan? This won’t turn into good data if you just get quiet.”

But, you… If you keep your responses so short, I just feel like an idiot who’s talking to himself. Also, her expression is still as cold as before. Of course, she’s busy trying to make breakfast, but still…

“Suzuka, are you actually going to stay angry even during our data collecting…?”

“Of course. But you don’t have to pay any attention to it, just focus on the data collecting.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! What kind of absurd setup is this?!”

“What’s wrong, Onii-chan? Hurry up and continue.”

“P-Please, no more…! Can you actually collect data in a situation like this?”

“It’s perfectly fine. I might be angry, but I can still enjo—I can still collect data nonetheless! Aside from being angry, I’m the same as always.”

“…Is the little sister actually angry in the next volume, and that’s why you’re acting like this?” I had a faint glimmer of hope as I asked that question, but Suzuka just shook her head.

“No, that’s not the case. This anger is mine alone, and it is in no way related to the novel itself.”

“Then at least when we’re collecting data…”

“However, there might be a time where that might be the case. Either way, we will continue collecting data like this, just like always, yes.” With those words, Suzuka turned forwards and resumed her cooking.

As always, I couldn’t read Suzuka’s true intentions, but I understood full well that I had to continue this data collecting or I would never hear the end of it… Still, at least let me complain. What kind of situation is this? The things we’re doing aren’t different in any way from usual, but at this rate, no matter what I do, Suzuka will just let it happen without playing along.

I mean, the way she bugs out all the time is enough trouble, sure, but what should I do if there’s no response at all—?

“…Hm?”

Then a sudden idea popped into my mind. If it’s a problem that Suzuka isn’t bugging out anymore, how about I force her to? At the very least, that would stop this one-sided conversation, and she would show some kind of reaction. That’s it! That’s all I can do! Well, thinking about it rationally, there are many issues with that idea. But given my situation, I’ll just have to ignore that. If I don’t, I’ll get more and more embarrassed all on my own, and eventually I’ll just die of embarrassment.

“Onii-chan, what are you doing? You’ve stopped moving, you know. Please take the data collecting more seriously.”

Either way, I have to somehow pull Suzuka down with me into the usual data collecting course of events. That’ll solve this terribly awkward atmosphere! I steeled my resolve. Still, there’s one wall I have to overcome now: Suzuka’s anger. If I do this wrong, anything I try from now on will only serve to pour fuel on the fire of her burning anger. Hence, to avoid that, I have to—just as she said—take this data collecting more seriously. Even if that means… ahh, to hell with it!

“…Suzuka.”

“What? Could you continue with our data collecting now—Funyaa?!” A cute shriek escaped from Suzuka’s lips.

Her expression until now looked like she could turn me to stone just by looking at me, but now her face was burning with a bright red color. It was a complete 180-degree change.

“Wha…? Wha!”

But who could blame her? After all, I had abruptly put more strength into my embrace, and I softly blew into her ears as I whispered seductive words.

“Phew… Your scent is as lovely as ever, Suzuka.”

“S-Sce—?!”

While I said that and brought my face closer, her body jolted upwards.

“W-W-W-What are you talking about?! D-Don’t bring your face so close while you blow into my ears…!”

“Sorry, okay? But sniffing your scent like this is just too calming.”

“Nya nya nya?! It calms you down that myuch?!”

“Even though we use the same shampoo, Suzuka’s scent is always worlds apart from mine. I want to be wrapped up in your scent forever…”

“Auuu?! N-No… Uuu! I-I don’t smell that good or anything! Rather, Onii-chan’s smell is always so kind and relaxing, and—wait, that’s not it, okay?!”

Suzuka’s face was as red as a tomato, and she looked about to explode. At the same time, her eyes were moist.

“W-W-Wh-What are you doing out of the blue like that, Onii-chan?! Doing something so delightfu—No, embarrassing—this abruptly!” She frantically demanded an explanation.

Who could blame her? But I just replied calmly.

“I did it because you told me to. You wanted to collect data on a lovey-dovey morning scene between the siblings, right?”

Naturally, that wasn’t a lie. My goal has just changed to helping her as best as I can. Maybe even a bit too much, which should result in her bugging out. Just for that, I’ve been spewing sexual harassments at her, acting completely unfit to be an older brother! How else would I be able to stand the embarrassment?!

I have to help with Suzuka’s data collecting no matter what, but if she keeps up her sour responses, I won’t be able to handle the awkwardness. That means that I have to be even more flirty than ever, so much that she won’t be able to handle it. It’s two birds with one stone. The perfect plan!!!

…No, I know. Don’t say anything. I know exactly what you want to say, I really do. If I looked at myself from an outsider’s perspective, I’d only see a creepy and perverted older brother. I have no excuses there. The calm portion of my mind keeps screaming at me “What are you doing to your little sister?! It’s true that she has a nice smell, though!”, and I have to agree. However, I have to do away with my reasoning for the sake of the greater good now.

“…Suzuka.”

“Yesh?!”

Yet again, I made up my resolve and started rubbing my cheeks against Suzuka’s.

“Your cheeks are so soft, Suzuka. I want to keep doing this forever.”

“Awawa… awawawawawawa…!” Suzuka’s body and voice both started to tremble.

Maybe out of embarrassment, or maybe because she was disgusted with my perverted behaviour. Either way, since she had started to panic, I decided to press her further, but—

“H-Hold on! T-Time out!”

“Eh?”

Screaming out these words out of the blue, she nimbly escaped from between my arms, letting out a soft “Uuuu…!” as she formed fists with her hands… W-What? She’s even stomping her feet? She quickly headed towards the chopping board.

“Uuuu…! Uuuu…!”

Still letting out what sounded like a groan, she started cutting the lettuce and tomatoes, albeit looking a bit unwilling… Is that for the salad? While she did so, I could see sweat beading up furiously on her forehead. Isn’t it winter right now?

“Phew… Phew… Okay, I somehow managed to calm down… I really need to be careful… It was so stimulating that I completely forgot to act angry…”

“Suzuka?”

“Pya?! W-W-W-What is it?! I’m perfectly calm, you know?! I wasn’t totally about to be enraptured in Onii-chan’s perfect data collecting or anything?!” Or so she said, but her face was still red. She clearly didn’t look calm in the slightest.

She proceeded to throw a glare at me, which told me that I had been very close to getting her to bug out. Ugh… So close!

“Uuu… I was trying to calm myself down, and the vegetables bore the brunt of it… Since this won’t be able to be used for a salad, I have to think of another way…” With her back still to me, Suzuka brought out the eggs and started frying them.

Not good. At this rate, she’ll completely return to normal, and she’ll calm down. If that happens, all my pain and suffering just now will have been completely in vain. I have to take the offensive again! Thinking that, I stretched out both my hands and started softly touching Suzuka’s hair.

“Hya?! O-Onii-chan?!”

“Your hair is so beautiful as well. It looks so smooth. There aren’t any split ends at all…”

“H-Hey?! You’re tickling me, so please stop!”

“This is the best sensation ever. I want to keep doing this forever… This way I’ll be able to enjoy your fragrance as well, Suzuka…”

“I-I-It’s nothing special… it’s just… n-normal…!”

“That’s not true. I really like your hair, Suzuka. It’s so cute…”

“C-Cu—?! A-Ahhhhh…!”

Suzuka’s back arched in response to my soothing words, and she froze in place. She let out inaudible sounds like she was nervous as well, and she turned bright red up from her neck to her face… Isn’t this going pretty well? If I push a bit further, she might actually bug out completely! At least, that’s what I was thinking, but…

“Ahhhhhhh! Enough, enough, enough!”

“Woah?!”

Suzuka suddenly let out a loud voice. She cracked the eggs perfectly and dumped them into the frying pan. With quick and nimble movements, she put salt and pepper in them and started scrambling them—Wait, wasn’t she planning on making fried eggs?

“Fuu… Fuuu… Fuuu…!”

Finally, seeming apparently tired after this hard work, she started breathing heavily, her shoulders heaving up and down. This reaction caught me completely off guard, which again made me forget about my own goal of pressing my attack.

“Ahh, that was really dangerous… Onii-chan was saying all those things, and I almost forgot about being angry again. I was so close to jumping into his arms right there!”

“U-Um, Suzuka-san?”

“Eeeek?! N-N-N-Nevermind that! I’m totally calm over here! I didn’t forget what I was doing because Onii-chan was acting so wonderful, or anything! A-Also, I’m angry, okay?!” Suzuka screamed, her eyes darting all over the place.

…Well, I don’t really get it, but it seems it didn’t work out yet again. I really thought I had landed a good blow on her there, but it apparently wasn’t enough to have her completely bug out. Rather than that, she was bringing up her anger again, which was a clear step backwards.

“Uuuu… I turned the eggs into scrambled eggs because I had to distract myself… I-I can’t help it, I’ll use the vegetables with these to make a sandwich…”

Breakfast ended up being done right after that, so I couldn’t press my attacks any further… Even though it was so close… However, since our data collecting continued, I had to keep using that to my advantage. While eating, and as she was cleaning up, I continued my perverted older brother act, making passes at her in various ways in an attempt to make her go crazy.

“Uuuuu… Restrain yourself, Suzuka! You can’t give in this quickly!”

“Why did you start cleaning the kitchen right after doing the dishes?”

“I-I’m serious about this, okay?!”

However, every single time, while still panicking, Suzuka somehow managed to pull back, keeping her sanity. It was as if she knew what I was planning. Every time my plan failed, I secretly clicked my tongue. If this continues, I’ll be the one who goes crazy.

“Phew… Y-You really are doing a lot of work today, Onii-chan. I am very grateful for that. I’m still angry at you, but I appreciate your enthusiasm.”

We left the house, and as we walked next to each other on our way to school, Suzuka was as displeased as before. Really, if you’re that angry, then just don’t walk to school with me. But whenever I told her that, she would just bring up the “We’re not fighting” excuse, which I didn’t have a good response to.

“On top of that, we’re still in the middle of collecting data, so we can’t walk separately,” she added.

I tried thinking of other ways to make her bug out on our way to school, but I couldn’t come up with anything worthwhile. Just how can I make Suzuka go back to normal?

“Ah, Suzuka, good morning! You too, Senpai.”

“Good morning, Suzu-chan, Onii-san.”

Interrupting my thoughts were Suzuka’s two friends, Nikaido Kaede and Shiina Kotomi. We usually ran into them every single day on our way to school.

“Good morning, Kaede, Kotomi.”

Suzuka greeted them, and I found myself in a predicament… If the two of them are with us, I can’t continue with my plan to act as a perverted older brother like I did before. Even though it might be acting, I can’t show this to anyone else, and first and foremost it would trouble Suzuka. And even if we did collect data, she might just be baffled more than—wait a second?

With the two of them here together with us, if I continue doing what I did before, Suzuka would bug out even though she’s displeased, right…? Thinking about it rationally, it was so stupid I could only laugh, but in my current situation, it might be my last chance to deal with the situation. I mean, the one suffering the most would probably be me, having to act like a pervert of an older brother right in front of Suzuka’s friends, but it’s still way better than having to go through this awkward data collecting again. That’s why—

Pull.

“Eh… O-Onii-chan? ……Ehhhh?!”

“Wha—Senpai?!”

“Oh my~”

The surprised voices of Suzuka and her friends filled the silence. And who could blame them? I had just put my hand around Suzuka’s waist, pulling her closer to me.

“Wha…? Wha…?!”

“W-What are you doing with Suzuka, Nagami-senpai?!”

When I suddenly did that, Suzuka couldn’t distinguish left from right or up from down. Her eyes just darted between me and her friends, while Nikado-san immediately spoke up for her.

“Is it wrong for me to love my precious little sister?”

However, I had already entered data-collecting mode, and I calmly responded like I was doing nothing wrong. Hearing my response, Suzuka’s face immediately burned red like a ripe tomato, and Nikado-san quickly started supporting my statement for some reason.

“Fufu, Onii-san and Suzu-chan are as close as ever.”

“Exactly. Though there are times when I can barely hold back because we’re so close.”

“H-How can you keep calm while blurting out indecent things like that?! S-Separate yourself from Suzuka immediately!”

“Eh? Why? Do you hate this, Suzuka?”

“W-What?! I-I don’t really! Rather!” Suzuka completely lost her grip on reality after my surprise attack.

Alright, I’ll make her bug out this time for sure. Thinking that, I continued pressing my attack, though I was close to breaking out in tears, myself.

“Your face is red, you know? Do you have a fever, Suzuka?”

“Fweh?!”

I lifted Suzuka’s bangs up and rubbed my forehead against hers. You see this sort of thing often in romcoms. There’s nothing more embarrassing than doing this. With Suzuka this close, I can feel her breath hitting me. Though I can feel myself going crazy as well, this should surely be enough to make her bug out completely, so I calmed myself down and continued ‘collecting data’.

“Hmm… It seems that you have a slight fever.”

“Nya…aaaaa!”

“Doing something so enviable with a pure mind like this?! S-Senpai! Did your brain burn to a crisp?!”

“Oh, Kaede, do you like this sort of thing?”

“Kotomi?! W-Who cares about me?!”

Thankfully, Nikado-san started panicking as well, so Suzuka started being influenced by her, her face growing even more red. Though I was really scared about the eventual outcome, in a lot of ways, this was going swimmingly.

“Auuuuu…!”

Suzuka then seemed like she was finally starting to bug out, and she leaned against me heavily. This is my chance. I have to finish this right here.

“Hey, are you okay? Wait a second, I’ll help you.” I put my hands around Suzuka’s back and waist, swiftly lifting her up.

“O-O-O-Onii-chan?!”

To be precise, I gave her a princess carry. It took her a second to realize the position she was in, but shortly after, her eyes opened wide and she stared at me. After suddenly being grabbed around the waist and having my forehead pressed against hers, she was being carried like a princess, right in the middle of the street. Since I was so embarrassed I wanted to dig a hole and hide in it, the same must be true for Suzuka! From now on, she’ll respond with her usual ‘Funyaaaaa?!’ and she’ll blank out. It’ll be a success for her data collection, and she’ll completely forget herself. This is going to work!

“Fufu, what’s wrong, Suzuka? Your face is burning up, you know. Is this a fever, I wonder?”

“O-Onii-chan!”

I kept pushing forward, ready to deal the killing blow, blurting out weird things I wouldn’t even be able to say normally. This will definitely turn into part of my dark past. However, I would have been fine with that if my goal was accomplished…

“…Senpai. How much are you planning on playing around with Suzuka before you’re satisfied?”

“Eh?”

For some reason, Nikado-san was the next person to take action. She pulled out the bamboo sword she was carrying on her back.

“Doing something disgraceful to Suzuka in public like that!”

She raised the sword towards me, emitting pure killing intent—Wait a second?! Why are you suddenly so angry at me?!

“C-Calm down! T-This is just… an accident!”

“Even if it was, I won’t allow you to make Suzuka suffer in any way! I-I keep warning you that if you ever need to vent out your lustful desires, I’ll volunteer to take Suzuka’s place!”

“Again, this has nothing to do with lustful desires! Also, you were the one who started acting like it was disgraceful!”

Not good! I went too far, and I’ve agitated her in the process! I feel like I can see some ominous aura emanating from behind her!

“Oh my, you sure have it rough.”

Shiina-san, could you maybe help me out here instead of just enjoying the sight?! Is this the right time for jokes like that?! W-What should I do?!

“W-Wait a second!”

“Suzuka?!”

To everyone’s surprise, Suzuka suddenly spoke up. Her face was still as red as before, but she’s fairly sane compared to before, and she can at least talk properly.

“Um… Onii-chan, can you put me down?”

“Y-Yeah…”

When Suzuka asked me that, I gave in and let her down as she requested. Standing on her own feet again, Suzuka let out a cough as she turned towards Nikado-san.

“Please calm down, Kaede. This is part of our usual data-collecting, and Onii-chan has no ill intentions.”

“Hmph… I understand about the data-collecting, but doing something like this is…!”

“It’s fine. It’s true that I also… was a bit taken back, but that was still a good—Not quite! I-I don’t mind it at all.”

“B-But, Suzuka… Doing something so shameful in public is…”

“I-I’m perfectly fine. This is my duty as a little sister. So please don’t let it get to you, Kaede.”

When Suzuka said that, even Nikado-san had to give in. “If you say so,” she said as she put down her bamboo sword, throwing me a harsh glare.

“Fufu, there is no way that Suzu-chan would dislike Onii-san doing this after all~”

“K-Kotomi…! Cough. Anyway, I apologize for causing such a ruckus, but we both agreed to this beforehand, so please don’t way too much attention to it.”

Thankfully, Suzuka’s words managed to pacify Nikado-san, but after the two of them started walking again, she pulled on my arm, beckoning me over. At the same time, I realized that I had yet again failed to make Suzuka bug out… I was so close this time!

“Onii-chan, that just now… Wasn’t too bad.”

“Ugh… I see. I-I’ll work hard next time to help bug—to help make this data-collecting a success, too!” I said, gritting my teeth so that Suzuka wouldn’t see the look on my face.

“N-No. About that. I was thinking of stopping the data-collecting here.”

“Eh? W-Why? I was so close…”

“Close to what exactly?” Suzuka tilted her head in confusion.

Th-That was way too close! I almost revealed the fact I was trying to make her bug out so that this data collecting would end! Wait a second… stop the data collecting? I was doing all of this to make her stop in the first place… so isn’t this exactly what I wanted? Though I feel that the path towards my goal has been all over the place… Well, I guess I should just accept it. In the end, I’m freed from this torture, after all.

“I don’t mind, but why? Was it satisfying enough for you?”

“Y-Yes. The data collecting was perfect. Onii-chan has been more passionate than ever, as well…”

…I can’t tell her that I was desperate because I wanted to be freed from the data-collecting…

“But it wasn’t just that. At this rate, I’ll completely forget about being angry, so we’ll have to take a short break.”

“…Huh?” Her words took me by surprise.

W-What did she just say?

“Y-Your anger… What?”

“I was in danger of forgetting about my anger because I was so engrossed in the data-collecting.”

“Not that… W-Why can’t you just forget about being angry?”

“That I can’t do,” Suzuka responded immediately with a serious expression on her face.

—Why?!

“I can’t forget this anger inside of me. It is way too important.”

“H-Hold on a second…”

“Don’t worry, Onii-chan. I’m still angry at you.”

“What part of that sentence would stop me from worrying?!”

W-What’s going on here? I have no idea what Suzuka is talking about… Also, would you normally say something like that to the person you’re angry at?! Seriously, how do I even take this?

“I can’t just forget things during our data collection… Thus, we’ll take a short break on it as of right now. Please be ready when I need your assistance for more.”

“Ugh… Well, it’s absolutely ridiculous, but I’m glad that it’s over for—”

No, wait just a minute. I just feel like Suzuka said something truly terrifying in there…

“H-Hey, Suzuka…?”

“What is it?”

“Did you just say a short break…? And more… Does that mean we’ll continue later?”

“Of course. There’s still a lot of scenes I need to collect data for. This evening, too.”

“…A-And all of that while you’re still angry at me?”

“Yes.”

With just that three-letter word, despair closed in on me yet again, swallowing me whole. Come on now! Does this mean that even if I make Suzuka bug out, she’ll still want to continue the data-collecting sooner or later?! Where’s my reward for my hard work and embarrassment?

“What happened, Onii-chan?”

I was baffled. At the same time, Suzuka left me with a “That’s decided, then,” and walked on ahead towards Nikado-san and Shiina-san.

“…W-What’s going on?” I could only mutter in confusion.

In the midst of all of this chaos, there was one thing that I had absolutely no doubt about. If I don’t do something about Suzuka’s ‘anger’, this situation will continue for an awfully long time. I need to take action as quickly as possible.