Ore Ga Suki Nano Wa Imouto Dakedo Imouto Janai Volume 10 Chapter 2

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Key to success in making up?

“………”

“Hey, Yuu. Yuu, I said!”

Someone suddenly started shaking my shoulders, bringing me back to my senses.

“Huh? W-What’s wrong, Mai?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask.” Mai gazed down at me with a disgruntled expression. “Look around you for a bit. What’s wrong?”

I did as I was told and frantically looked around, only to be greeted by an almost empty classroom. There were just a few classmates here and there.

“Ah… i-it’s gotten late…”

“Took you long enough.”

“Sorry, I was just spacing out for a bit.”

“Sure looked like it. And not just a bit. You’ve been like this all day now.”

Mai’s words made me feel slightly depressed. I never thought the day would come when Mai would scold me like this. That being said, it’s probably true that I had been spacing out the entire day, so I can’t say she’s wrong.

“Yeah, don’t act so pathetic. You’re Towano Chikai, after all.”

I really wanted to ignore her oddly-pleased attitude, but being called pathetic did hurt more than I thought. After all, the reason I had ended up like this was because my little sister was angry at me. Yes, I’m well aware that it’s quite the pathetic reason. The reason I’ve been spacing out all day was because I was trying to think about how to soothe Suzuka’s anger. However, it’s just as hopeless as before, which makes me feel even more pathetic.

“And?”

I was still pondering this and wallowing in mental despair when Mai stood in front of my seat, as boastful as a holy Buddha, and called out to me. She stood in front of me, but I was still sitting in my chair, so she leaned forward to get into my face. This needlessly emphasized her well-endowed chest—Ahh, what am I thinking about?

“…U-Um…and…what?” I averted my gaze from this poison.

“Do I have to spell it out? I’m asking why you’re spacing out like that. I’ve been curious the entire time, you know.”

…Well, I guess I should have expected that question.

“N-No, it’s nothing.” I decided not to delve any deeper.

I’d rather not talk about what happened with Suzuka, anyway. As I expected, though, Mai didn’t give up that easily.

“And you expect me to believe that? You won’t escape that easily from my investigation, you hear? This was the 17th time you didn’t respond today. I watched you let out a sigh as you stared off into space 29 times. You groaned 8 times. You crossed your arms and hung your head in obvious despair 5 times. It’s clear that something is off!”

“Yes, something is very off here! You’re being a total stalker!”

“D-Don’t call me a stalker!” Mai denied the obvious facts with a beet-red face.

When I heard this, I let out my (apparently) 30th sigh today.

“A-Anyway, there’s clearly something that’s happened with you, so tell me right now.”

“Why are you so adamant about this? Anyway, it’s just some personal problem I’m thinking about…”

“A-A personal problem?! I definitely can’t let this slide!!”

“Normally you wouldn’t press any further after hearing something like that, would you?!”

I knew that the words ‘considerate’ and ‘sympathetic’ didn’t exist in her vocabulary, but it still pisses me off, you know?!

“As a researcher of the man named Yuu, I definitely can’t overlook a situation like this! It makes total sense, right?!”

“Why am I the bad guy now?! Again, when I said ‘personal problem,’ I meant that it’s not related to Towano Chikai, but myself, okay?! There’s no reason to research that!”

“I don’t care about that!”

“Huh?” I looked up at Mai in surprise.

Her cheeks turned a faint red, and she started fidgeting in an embarrassed manner as she averted her gaze.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re Towano Chikai. I mean…it kind of does, but…well…”

For some reason, Mai actually looked a bit hesitant now, and she kept throwing glances at me.

“I-I want to know because it’s you…”

“W-What do you mean by that…?”

“I mean…if you’re spacing out like that…I’ll be worried about you…” Mai’s face turned bright red.

When I saw this reaction, I felt my heart skip a beat as well. The confession from the culture festival flashed up in the back of my mind, and my own face gradually grew more flushed. As a result, it started to feel really awkward.

“Ah, I-I see…”

“Y-Yeah…”

This situation continued on for a bit longer, and Mai finally broke the ice.

“A-Anyway, that being the case, tell me about your worries already!” Mai pointed her index finger at me, screaming with a red face.

Ugh… What should I do about this…? Since this really is just a personal problem, telling someone else about it is a bit awkward… But I doubt Mai will let me off easily if I just make something up… And she might even give me some helpful advice. On top of that, it seems like Mai is genuinely worried about me.

“…The thing is…”

Right as I finished thinking about it, I had already started speaking out loud. As weird as it may sound, I wanted to trust Mai, so I continued.

“The thing is, I seem to have angered Suzuka.”

“Huh? That’s pretty stupid.”

“Give me back the few seconds I trusted you!”

Also, can you not look down at me with that disappointed look on your face?! I was really getting my hopes up here! Now you couldn’t care less about my worries at all?!

“Doesn’t that basically happen all the time?” Mai tilted her head in confusion.

She’s really good at getting on my nerves. I really wish Himuro-san would work on her ability to empathize with other people.

“N-No, this time it’s a bit different… But wait, does it really look like I’m always making Suzuka angry?”

“Were you not aware of it?”

“Don’t just answer my question with a question here! This really hurts, you know!”

Ugh… Well, I was aware of it to a certain degree, but having a third party tell me like this still hurts!

“A-Anyway, the situation this time is a bit different, which is why I’m having trouble.”

“What happened? D-Don’t tell me, Yuu… Did you actually sink your poisonous fangs into her for good this time…?!”

“Completely wrong! Who would do that?! Don’t jump to conclusions! And put your phone away! I don’t want to get arrested, on top of everything else!”

“…Then what is it? What’s different from usual? You probably did something stupid again, right?”

“That would have been great…”

“W-Why are you looking so dead all of a sudden?”

“She won’t forgive me.”

“Huh?”

“Suzuka still didn’t hasn’t forgiven me.”

When she heard that, Mai’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

“Seriously, what did you do this time? How do you anger Suzuka-san that much?”

“Well…” I had trouble finding the right words.

I couldn’t tell her I turned down a light novel award, after all.

“…The thing is, I don’t really know myself.”

Thus, this was the only explanation I could give. Though it’s true that I didn’t know why Suzuka is angry at me.

“That makes no sense. You made Suzuka-san angry for whatever reason, and now you’re fighting?”

“Well, we’re not really—”

—Fighting, but the word didn’t leave my mouth.

Suzuka said that we weren’t fighting, but our current situation is barely any different from a normal fight. I doubt Mai would understand Suzuka’s declaration ‘I’m angry, but I won’t fight with you’. After all, I don’t really understand it myself.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Well, it’s something similar to fighting, I guess.”

“Yuu and Suzuka-san fighting… Yeah, that’s not possible.”

“Huh?!”

Did she just snort at me?! Why are you making fun of me?!

“I mean, it’s you and Suzuka-san. I can’t see you fighting at all.”

“Why would you just assume that?!”

“Because it’s impossible.”

…T-That isn’t a good reason at all. What is her basis for that…?!

“You siblings are so close that it’d make anyone jealous, and Suzuka-san never gave up on her good-for-nothing brother. So fighting…is impossible. Nope.”

Or so she said. She seemed fully confident in this declaration.

“Hmph, don’t underestimate my observation skills. I’ve been watching you two closely ever since we met. Come up with a better lie.” Mai thrust her chest out confidently.

Well, when we first met each other, my relationship with Suzuka was still cold, so her opinion wasn’t all that accurate. But, leaving that aside…

“I’m not lying in the slightest here! Suzuka is still angry at me. She’s not showing any signs of forgiveness at all!”

Now even Mai will have to understand that I’m not joking, right?

“Are you being serious?”

“Why would I lie about something like that?”

In response, Mai seemed like she was thinking about it for a second, and she finally nodded and said “Alright.” It seems like she finally understood. Phew.

“So basically, you’re collecting data about that, right? A sibling fight in the next volume, huh? That sounds great!”

“You don’t understand at all!”

However, she still had the same misunderstanding as before, not realizing that I was fully serious. She was looking at me with sparkles in her eyes, and I was just about out of all energy and motivation for this conversation.

“Again, this isn’t about data collecting! Suzuka is actually angry at me…!”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s just like Towano Chikai. You never break character. I know that very well since I’ve researched you for so long.”

“Again, no! It’s not some fictional setting! It’s actually happening in reality!”

“You don’t have to be so desperate. I know the circumstances, so don’t worry.” Mai put one hand on my shoulder as she nodded to herself.

Shut up! I know I shouldn’t have expected too much, but how annoying can you be to deal with?! Just listen to me!

“I mean, you and Suzuka-san fighting could only happen during data-collection, so someone well-informed like me would immediately see through something like that. Still playing along though, huh? That’s Towano Chikai for you. Your data collecting is so thorough that all I can do is admire it!”

“………”

Why are you acting frustrated now, Mai-san? Well, I couldn’t care less at this point. She’s ignoring everything I say now that she’s cemented in her misunderstanding, and trying to explain it any more will just get repetitive. Maybe asking Mai for advice was the wrong idea to begin with… Anyway, let’s just ignore her.

“Well, I’ll be going now…” I quietly said as I stood up from my seat.

“Hold on a second!” Mai grabbed my shoulders, stopping me.

“I’ll help you with that data-collection.”

“Huh?”

What she said was so confusing that I was unable to comprehend what she was saying.

“I know the problem. You must be having trouble figuring out how to write the siblings’ fighting, right?”

“Eh? Huh?”

“You might have decided on the development, but you don’t know how to have them make up, right?”

“N-No, not really…”

“Well, that makes sense. You’ve never fought with Suzuka-san before, so of course you’d have trouble with that.”

“Excuse me? Could you listen to me?”

“But don’t worry!”

“Whoa?!”

“I’ll offer everything I have to help out with this data collecting! There’s no doubt that it will be the best part of the story ever!”

“Why does it have to end like this?!”

“Heh, I’ve seen through everything. That wasn’t the only reason you were having trouble, right? It’s because Suzuka-san can’t help you this time, isn’t it?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“For the same reason as you. Suzuka-san has never fought with you, so she doesn’t know how to properly make up, right? To think that being close with her could eventually lead to a problem like this… How ironic…”

“Um… why are you looking so sad all of a sudden…?”

“That’s why I’ll help you with your data collecting in Suzuka-san’s stead!”

“Ehhh?!”

“Th-This is just out of pure goodwill, okay?! It’s not like I’m seeing this as a chance to raise your affection towards me, so just use me however you see fit!” Mai puffed out her chest proudly. She was just saying whatever she wanted at this point.

Not knowing how to even respond to that, I acted almost like a fish, my mouth opening and closing.

“Th-That way you’ll definitely come up with a good plot development to have the siblings make up with each other. No, it has to happen, if only for the fact that I’m helping you!” Mai was overflowing with confidence.

However, one part of the nonsense she was saying stuck out to me… A-A development to have the siblings make up?! There’s no doubt that Mai still has the wrong idea. Suzuka is actually angry at me in reality, not in a light novel. However, I couldn’t help but wonder about it. Maybe she can give me some advice about how to soften Suzuka’s bad mood…?

“Now that that’s decided, let’s start immediately!”

“Eh, hold—Woah?!”

When I let my guard down, getting my hopes up yet again, Mai started pulling on my arm. Unable to resist the pushy Mai, I could only try to keep up with her. Thinking about it rationally, trying to find a way to lessen Suzuka’s anger through data collecting is way too over the top, but it’s all I could think of.

“I-I can be Yuu’s data collecting partner…! Ehehe! This is a chance I definitely can’t miss…!”

Mai seemed to be muttering to herself, but since I had no other option, I could only follow along in silence.

*

“…And what kind of situation is this?”

“It’s data collecting for the next volume, right? As Sensei’s number one partner, I had to ignore my work to rush here, desu!”

“Exactly! Sakura is always willing to be Sensei’s data collecting partner! Luckily, she had a free schedule today!”

“If there’s a request from Sensei, I, as his pupil, can’t ignore it.”

“Why was I forced to come here too…?!”

Um… maybe I should explain the current situation. We’re all actually in the living room in my house. After the previous scene, Mai dragged me back to my home, and for some reason, Double Peace-sensei, Minazuki-san, Akino-san, and the younger Kanzaka sister all appeared one after another…

“…Mai, what is this about?”

However, I didn’t know any more than that, so I sought help from Mai, who was standing next to me. That being said, I could already guess that she had informed everyone through LINE and told them all to come here.

“W-Well. The more people to help out, the better, right? I-It would have been a good chance, but I can’t just ignore everyone else, can I?!” Mai started an explanation, but in the end it didn’t turn into one.

“Well, with more people here, we might come up with more ideas, I guess…”

“A-And also…” Mai’s face turned as red as a tomato. “…I-If it’s just Yuu and me..I-I might not be able to hold back…”

“…Eh?”

When Mai suddenly whispered these words close to my ear, I remembered her confession again, and my face turned equally red… T-This girl. She acts normally around me, but at times like these, she gets my heart racing by doing things like that! That being said, Mai is cute, so it might have been good for my sanity that everyone else came over.

“Hmmm? What’s wrong, desu? You’re both so red in the face.”

“N-N-N-N-Nothing happened?!”

“R-R-R-R-Right!”

“Hmm… this seems fishy, desu~ Did something happen between Sensei and Mai?”

“N-Nothing at all?! W-What are you talking about, you perverted illustrator?!” Mai shot back, averting her face as it started to burn up even more.

I know it might sound weird coming from me, but this makes it even more obvious that something happened. It’s like she’s asking Double Peace-sensei to keep teasing her.

“…Is that so, desu? Then it must have been my imagination.”

To my surprise, however, Double Peace-sensei flashed a kind, considerate smile, and didn’t press any further.

“You’d better give me some details later, desu.”

“W-What are talking about?”

The two of them exchanged some few words, but the conversation about that ended, leaving me in relief.

“By the way, Sensei. What will we be collecting data on today? Sakura only knows that Enryuu-sensei asked us all to come here, but that’s about it.” Minazuki-san asked.

“That’s what I want to know as well. I’m looking forward to what kind of events we’ll go through today…fufu…”

“Onee-chan, don’t start laughing like that. It creeps me out. But truth be told, I want to know as well. O-Of course, I’ll still be cautious around you.”

Akino-san and the younger Kanzaka sister even joined in, turning their gazes towards us.

“Ah, Imouto-san isn’t here today, is she? What a wonderfully unusual opportunity, desu!” Double Peace-sensei joined in with her usual intensity.

As a side note, Suzuka still hasn’t come home from school. She talked about doing something with her friends, which ended up being lucky for me.

“…Well, the thing is…” I started explaining the situation.

However, I twisted the truth a bit and made it sound like the misunderstanding Mai had was true. I made it sound like Suzuka and I were having a fight to collect data. Trying to explain the truth now would only make it harder, and I feel like they’ll just have the same reaction as Mai. Thus, taking the easy way out now will only help me get results more efficiently, in the sense they might give me some hints as to how I can reduce Suzuka’s rage. Though I feel bad for lying to everyone, I need this ‘data’ at all costs.

“In the next volume, the older brother is going to make his little sister angry, and they end up sort-of fighting… But now I’m having a bit of trouble as to how to come up with ways to have them make up.”

Using the ‘light novel’ excuse really hurts, but this is all I could come up with, so I have to ride on this wave.

“I see, desu. That’s why you requested our help.”

“Yeah, that kind of setting won’t work with Suzuka-chan.”

“There’s no way siblings this close would actually be fighting.”

“Good grief… you sure are helpless at times.”

For a reason beyond my comprehension, all of them immediately nodded in understanding… So everyone thinks that Suzuka and I have always been close siblings like that. I didn’t think that even the normally-sharp Double Peace-sensei would fall victim to such a misunderstanding. Well, that actually saves me a lot of trouble, but it still is a mystery to me.

“It’s just as Yuu said. Since Suzuka-san can’t help him this time around, I called everyone here. Right, Yuu?”

“Eh? A-Ah, yeah, that’s right.” I hurriedly nodded in agreement.

“So what will we be doing now? I guess I can help out for a bit, b-but I’m not doing anything weird, okay?” said the younger Kanzaka sister, her cheeks red as she glared at me.

To be fair, I still have the exact same question, so I could only lower my head and grit my teeth. I actually hadn’t thought of anything that I could do to collect data yet. Ugh… making something up here will most likely just end with me digging my own grave again, so I’d better just say it how it is.

“Um… The situation is actually pretty unclear as of right now…” I chose my words carefully as I continued. “But the one thing set in stone is that the little sister is angry at her older brother… Um… I really wanted to write that kind of situation, but everything else… why the little sister is angry, and how the older brother can cheer her up, I have no idea yet…”

“…Huuuuh? What’s up with that? Isn’t this the main problem to solve before the data-collecting begins?”

Naturally, I had no way to rebut that. But the situation I’m making up in the novel is actually no different from the one in reality. I have no idea why Suzuka is angry at me, nor do I know how to fix her mood.

“If that’s all the info we have, we won’t even know what we have to do. In order to collect data, you have to at least know a general outline of the plot.”

…Yet again, they’re completely right. I have no response for that either. I was hoping for some kind of hint at least, but I guess I was asking for the impossible… I’m sorry, everyone…

“Really… Onee-chan, you say something as we—Onee-chan, what happened? You have that serious expression on your face… and Ahi and the others, as well?”

Before I had realized, everyone aside from me and the younger Kanzaka sister were all lost in thought… W-What’s going on?

“…I see. That’s an idea,” commented Mai.

“…This is a chance I can’t miss, desu,” Double Peace-sensei smirked.

“A golden opportunity…” Minazuki-san’s eyes opened wide.

“…Fu.. fufu, I’m fired up,” murmured Akino-san.

“W-What? What happened, everyone?”

• 

The younger Kanzaka sister was clearly perplexed at this sudden change in atmosphere. The same was true for me.

“Haruna, you haven’t realized? This data-collecting is completely different from anything before.”

“O-Onee-chan? What are you talking about? We haven’t even decided anything yet, so how can we collect data…?”

“Yes, not having anything decided yet is the crucial part…” Minazuki-san crossed her arms as she answered.

H-Her attitude seems much different from usual?

“All that’s been decided is that there is an angry little sister, desu…” Even Double Peace-sensei sounded more deadly than usual.

“Basically, we can decide everything else for ourselves.”

…Why are you all suddenly in perfect sync?

“Um… what exactly do you mean by that…?” I asked, clearly afraid of the answer.

Their combined pressure is a bit too much for me…

“Since you haven’t decided what exactly you want to do, it means that we have the freedom to decide that ourselves! Basically, we can take the lead this time!”

“E-Eh?! But…whaa?!”

“And that’s not all, desu! Imouto-san isn’t with us right now!”

“Exactly. Since Suzuka-chan isn’t here, Sakura and the others can be as lovey-dovey as we want with Sensei, using the data collecting as an excuse…!”

At Minazuki-san’s words, all the girls’ eyes (except the younger Kanzaka sister’s) flashed up, glaring at me like I was some kind of prey… W-What kind of situation is this now…?! It feels like I’ll break from the pressure!

“This will be the real battle.”

In the midst of this pressure, I could faintly hear Akino-san muttering to herself.

“It’s just as Kino-chan says, desu. This is a battle!”

“To see who can be the best little sister, and be the most flirty with Sensei!”

“The battle is on, then! As his number one fan, I’ll be the one to win!”

T-They’re even more fired up than usual…!

“That being said, Yuu! You have to judge whose data collecting method is the best!”

“Just this once, Sakura will give you a special treat, Onii-chan!”

Minazuki-san had already gone into little-sister mode, and she was closing in on me with a fire burning in her eyes. I mean, it wasn’t just Minazuki-san alone, it was everyone besides the younger Kanzaka sister… I guess I really am thankful they’re willing to help me, but the direction their help is taking is a direction that I can’t be happy about.

“What are you so shocked about? You were the one who wanted to collect data, right? We’re taking advant—helping you with that, so you should be grateful, okay?!”

“Huh? Ah, y-you’re right.”

Mai’s red face as she approached me brought me back to reality. R-Right… I asked them for this. Though this flow of events is causing me slight concern, I have to accept their help. All I have to concern myself with is coming up with hints for how to lessen Suzuka’s anger. If not, I’ll be wasting all of their time for nothing.

“Um, please treat me well. I feel bad for how unclear the situation is, but I’d be more than happy to get as many ideas as possible.” I bowed to them slightly.

I feel really bad for using Towano Chikai’s name to start data-collecting for my own benefit only, but I have to see this through for all of our sakes.

“L-Leave it to me! I’ll make you burn for me in a heartbeat!”

“Fufu… I will be the one to make Sensei fall for me, desu!”

“With Suzuka-chan not here, Sakura can finally use her little sister charms to her fullest!”

“It’s a pupil’s duty to be of use for their teacher. And now I can use my charms to make him my victim of love…”

“…Eh? I-I’m not getting swept along again, am I?!”

Naturally, everyone was all excited (more or less), raring to go. Well, less thinking, more action!

“Yes yes yes! Sakura wants to go first! Since this is data-collecting with a little sister, Sakura is the best fit now that Suzuka-chan isn’t here!”

As soon as the ordeal started, Minazuki-san was the first one to raise her hand. Jumping up and down like an energetic bunny, she quickly stepped in front of me.

“Ah, please do.”

“That’s no good, Onii-chan. Right now, Sakura is your little sister!”

“Ah, ugh… that’s right. So, Sakura, what should I do?”

“You just have to play along with Sakura. The theme is that Sakura is an angry little sister, so you have to work hard to make up with her.” Letting out a faint cough, she continued. “Let’s start. Onii-chan, I’m angry okay! Hmph!” Sakura flashed a smile and suddenly hugged me.

“Eh?! W-What are you doing?!”

“A-Aren’t you acting a bit too bold now that Suzuka-san is gone?!”

“Enryuu-sensei, this is our chance! We have to be bold! Come on, Onii-chan, you can’t look at anyone else! Sakura is angry! Ehehe…” With a sparkle in her eyes, Sakura rubbed her cheek against my chest.

“U-Um… Sakura-san? I thought the theme was supposed to be about an angry little sister?”

“And Sakura is angry? Look, hmph! Hmph hmph!”

“No, you might sound like it, but you’re saying all of that with a smile! The anger I’m talking about is a bit more serious…”

“Fueh? What do you mean?”

“Again, well… You have to sound cold with everything you say, and act serious about being angry…”

“………Eh?”

Hey, why do you look so puzzled now?

“Onii-chan… What kind of unreasonable demand is that?”

“No, isn’t that pretty normal behavior when someone is angry?!”

“No no, that’s pretty difficult to do. But if Onii-chan wants her to, Sakura will try her best. Um… Sakura is angry… really angry… seriously angry…” Sakura muttered to herself, and finally nodded. “Okay,” She turned towards me again.

“………”

“…………”

“………………”

“……………………U-Umm?”

Sakura just froze in place without saying another word. W-What happened?

“W-What should Sakura do, Onii-chan…? Getting angry is really difficult!”

“That’s your problem!”

Why are you looking for help from me?! I don’t know myself, either!

“Y-You just have to get angry normally, without thinking about it too much.”

“B-But Onii-chan and his little sister are always so lovey-dovey, right?! So having her seriously be angry at you is impossible!”

She did get angry at me! And there’s so many things that I want to comment on that I suddenly don’t feel like doing it at all!

“Onii-chan… Maybe the whole setup for this data-collecting is wrong…?”

“And you’re questioning me even further! What exactly is wrong, huh?! The little sister is seriously angry at her older brother! And the goal is to figure out how they make up!”

“B-But, Sakura can’t do that! She can’t be seriously angry at Onii-chan!”

…S-So what am I supposed to do with this now? Sakura might have that sort of opinion, but it can’t really be impossible, can it…?

“Ah, I know,” I said, remembering something. “Look, Sakurada-san is your older brother, right? Just remember back to the time when you were fighting with—”

“Could you not bring up that person right now?” Sakura interrupted me with a flat tone.

…S-Scary?! But now she looks angry!

“That thing might be an ‘older brother’, but it’s not an ‘Onii-chan’, okay?”

“Thing…?”

“Anyway, Sakura can’t get angry towards Onii-chan! Why would you be such a teaser?”

“U-Um… s-sorry, I guess…?”

“Even Sakura will get angry if you tease her like that!”

“Eh? N-Now you’re angry?!”

“Ah, Sakura is angry at Onii-chan for real now?! Yay!”

“Or so I thought, but she’s immediately back to normal?!”

“That’s not true! Sakura is absolutely angry at Onii-chan! Hmph!” Sakura said, puffing out her cheeks, but her eyes were smiling as always. “If you want Sakura to stop being angry, you have to listen to what she says!”

“Aren’t you enjoying this a bit too much?!”

“That’s not true!” Sakura said. Yet again she clung to me, pressing her cheek against my chest.

“Now please pat Sakura on the head, Onii-chan!”

“Ah, okay…” Pat, pat…

When I followed her orders, Sakura let out a happy Ehehehe laugh, and immediately forgave me. Yeah, she’s not angry at all. After that, I underwent various ‘punishments’ of hers, doing as she told me. It might have been a good simulation of how to make up, but I wouldn’t have had this much trouble if it was actually this easy. It’s not like that’s Sakura’s fault, though.

“Phew… That sure was fun, but Sakura was hoping to get even more lovey-dovey now that Suzuka-chan is gone, and the theme was so limiting…”

Thus, Sakura ran out of time and stepped down. She seemed a bit dissatisfied. I was hoping that I could have her treat me like Sakurada-san, but maybe not…

“Now it’s my turn,” Akino-san said as she stepped to the front.

As always, her expression was blank as she just looked up at me.

“…I am angry.”

That was the only thing she said to me… Ohh, this atmosphere is actually pretty fitting…!

“I’m angry because my teacher never pays attention to me. I’m sulking now.”

“Um… Could you not bring your personal circumstances into the data collecting…?”

“Then I’m a little sister who’s sulking because Onii-chan won’t pay any attention to me,” she said, puffing out her cheeks.

That look was actually really cute on her, giving me the urge to smile… But, leaving that aside, a little sister who’s sulking because I didn’t pay enough attention to her, huh? Though it feels a bit different from the situation with Suzuka, this might still be helpful to eventually help her cheer up again, so I might as well play along.

“I won’t talk to such a cold and cruel Onii-chan. Hmph.”

“Um… I’m sorry. I know I didn’t pay enough attention to you… What should I do for you to forgive me?”

“…Will you listen to my request?” Akino-san immediately responded.

Her stature was always on the smaller side, so when she’s imploring me like this, she really looks like a little sister.

“Yes. I’ll do anything you want me to do if you’ll forgive me.”

“Then I want to spoil Onii-chan.”

“I understa—Eh?”

Hold on. What did Akino-san just say?

“U-Um… you don’t want me to spoil you. You want to spoil me instead?”

“Yes. I will spoil Onii-chan. Can’t I?”

“N-No, I guess you can, but… the flow of conversation is getting off-track here a bit I think…?”

A little sister not getting attention from her older brother would normally want to be spoiled, right?

“You said you’d do anything you could, right? Was that a lie?”

“No, I guess I will…”

“Then come over here,” Akino-san said as she kneeled down on the floor. She beckoned me over.

When I obeyed her request, she forcefully pulled my head down onto her lap, giving me the well-known lap pillow as she started softly stroking my head.

“Fufu, good boy, good boy~”

“E-Ehm… What is this?”

“It’s a lap pillow. I’ve always wanted to do this. Now if you want me to forgive you, you have to praise your little sister to help fix her mood.”

“Ehh?! This situation doesn’t make sense at all, though!”

“In order to make up with your little sister, you have to let her do what she wants, and do what she wants you to do. I want to give you a lap pillow while you praise me. Please, go ahead.”

‘Go ahead,’ she says?! …W-What is with this confusing situation?! But I guess the only thing I can do is play along here…!

“U-Ummmm… it feels good, yes.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Onii-chan~”

“But it feels a bit embarrassing, if I’m honest…”

“It means that you’re slowly falling in love with my grown-up charm. But there’s no need to hold back. You can give in to me anytime. Fufufu.”

Akino-san’s mood improved immensely as she continued to pat me on the head… No, the real reason I can’t calm down is because I’ve been forced into such a position with a small girl like Akino-san… But, I can’t exactly say that right now. Playing along is my only option. Eventually the girls around us started complaining. “How long are you going to continue this?!” They finally brought an end to what felt like nothing short of torture.

“…Phew, I’m satisfied now. It was like a dream finally came true,” Akino-san gave a satisfied nod.

That’s great and all, but…

“Can I use this as a method to ease my little sister’s anger, then?”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Akino-san tilted her head in confusion at my question.

“I’m talking about the data collecting. I’ll be able to improve Suzuka’s mood by doing this, right?”

“Ah, I completely forgot about that.”

With her usual nonchalant expression, Akino-san dropped that bombshell, taking me off guard completely.

“Y-You forgot?! Then what was that just now all about?!”

“It was something I wanted to do. Look, Suzuka-san isn’t here right now, so I couldn’t waste a chance to fulfill my desires.”

“This isn’t the time or place for that!”

After I voiced my complaint, I could hear coughing here and there from the other girls around me… Hold on a second?!

“Of course I wanted to act like Sensei’s little sister, but before I realized it, I wanted to show you the charm of an older university girl. I have an older sister attribute, anyway,” said Akino-san, who had the body size of a middle-schooler. “I’m sorry. I just can’t act like a little sister. My adult charm just kept flowing out uncontrollably towards Sensei… I’m such a grown-up that it’s scary.” She took a step back as she finished talking.

…I’m sorry, but there’s nothing adult or grown-up about you! You’re more like a cute, younger girl! But it’s not like I can tell her that directly! Anyway, let’s just cross out her ‘Be spoiled’ idea. It doesn’t make any sense.

“Sensei, apologies. Though my older-sister attribute got in the way, I have a perfect stand-in.”

“…Eh? Stand-in?”

“I can offer you my little sister. Haruna, you’re next.”

“H-Huuuuuh?! W-W-W-Why would I have to?!” The younger Kanzaka sister raised her voice in shock when her name suddenly came up.

“You can’t skip out on helping with the data collecting, Haruna.”

“I’m only here because you dragged me with you, Onee-chan!”

“It’s fine. You’ll be able to do it, Haruna. You are a real little sister, after all.”

“That doesn’t explain anything?! And I never once said! Ahhh, for crying out loud!”

The younger Kanzaka sister resisted at first, but after Akino-san’s pushing and prodding, things ended up the same as always, and she was forced to join in. I mean, I really appreciate it, but there’s no need to glare at me now… and don’t cry, okay?

“I can’t help it, so let me join in! Also, since the theme is an angry little sister, I’m perfect, am I not?! I’m constantly angry at you, after all!”

“O-Oh… Now I’m looking forward to this…?”

The younger Kanzaka sister is always angry at me on a continual basis, and she’s also an actual little sister. If I manage to conquer her rage, I might figure out some hints for how to deal with Suzuka.

“Also, you’re—”

“…Haruna. Call him Onii-chan.”

“Grrr…! O-Onii-chan! You’re always being too careless! You’re surrounded by beauties like them, getting to do all sorts of weird things because of data collecting! Why are you like this?! And you’ve even put your filthy hands on Onee-chan!”

“Eh?!”

I was perplexed at the sudden barrage of insults coming my way.

“You—Onii-chan is a light novel author, and I understand that your novel is really important to you. I understand that you need to collect good data for it… but you’re always taking it too far! Are you even aware of that?!”

“W-Well… even if you tell me that…” I was at a loss for words when she came at me with great intensity.

I actually wanted to point out problems with so many things she said in there, but she never gave me any chance to. Though I feel like I might be better off not trying to argue. The younger Kanzaka sister seems to be angry for real. If I keep this going, I might actually come across some hints for how to solve my problem with Suzuka.

“Your methods of collecting data are absurd to begin with! Being lovey-dovey all the time to experience it for real? How crazy in the head do you have to be to come up with that?! Well, considering the type of novel you’re writing, I expected nothing less…”

“………” Yet again, I just listened to her rant in silence.

Since she’s openly voicing what she’s angry about, I should be able to find a way to calm her down. And my job right now is to do just that.

“Ah, b-but, that doesn’t mean that I disapprove of it or anything, okay?! I’m just wondering if there’s any other way to do it! I’m not complaining about the actual thing, okay?!”

…Yeah?

Sigh… “I can’t believe this. How can you write such an interesting novel with such crazy data-collecting? Well, maybe writing a story is impossible if you don’t have such crazy ideas in the first place.”

…Huh?

“Hey, what do you think? Do I have to think about this stuff on a normal basis? I’m aiming to become a mangaka myself. I’m trying to not rely on help from Onee-chan, either.”

“U-Um… Excuse me…?”

“…Rgh, I’m losing confidence here… I’ve been having trouble with that recently… Maybe I have to collect data for myself after all…”

“Hey, listen to me!”

“W-What is it? I’m telling you about what’s troubling me, so listen up, okay?”

“That’s not what I mean… Weren’t you supposed to be angry…?”

“Eh?” The younger Kanzaka sister’s eyes opened wide.

Before she realized it, her anger had vanished as she kept talking on and on about her own problems.

“N-No, I’m still angry, okay?! Totally angry!”

Apparently, she herself didn’t realize it at all, and she immediately tried to speak more harshly. It was a bit awkward, But she really didn’t seem all that angry anymore.

“Umm… so you were angry at me for collecting data…?”

“T-That’s true, but… it wasn’t like I was angry at the basic idea of collecting data…” The younger Kanzaka sister started fidgeting with a red face. “I-I was just thinking that collecting data in itself might be necessary… and that it might actually be worth it… W-What do you think about that, Onii-chan…?”

I have no idea how to respond to that… But the amazing light novel Suzuka created thanks to data collecting is proof in and of itself, so I could only answer honestly.

“It’s definitely worth it. There’s no doubt about it. At the very least, for how I write my novels, collecting data is a necessary step. Also, while I’m at it, thanks for always helping me out.”

“H-Hmph… Maybe I should give it a try too, then.”

“I think everyone has a different method. For a manga, the story is just as important, but I’m sure that you’ll be able to find something that works best for you.”

“I-I wonder about that.”

“Of course, let me know if you need help with anything. I’ll gladly help you out as thanks for all the times you’ve helped me.”

“Ah, okay. Thank you…”

“………”

“………………”

“…………Eh? That’s it? Weren’t you angry?”

“Ah, huh? I-It’s probably gone now…”

It seems like I succeeded in soothing her anger (?). Good job, me………… Wait, hold on! I didn’t do anything!

“Heh, it seems like using Haruna was the wrong choice. My judgement was false, it seems.”

“Akino-san?!”

“Haruna is a little sister, but above all that she’s a tsundere through and through. It’s pretty difficult for a tsundere to get angry for real.”

“W-W-W-W-What are you talking about, Onee-chan?! I’m not a tsundere or anything!”

“Then what was that just now? There was dere mixed in right from the start.”

“N-No there wasn’t! I was voicing my complaints to him, but before I realized it, it ended up like that! …A-Ahhh…! Don’t get the wrong idea, okay?!”

“B-But, I managed to alleviate your anger, right…?”

“I-I don’t care anymore!” With a red face and a glare, the younger Kanzaka sister took a step back.

Akino-san wore a dissatisfied expression on her face as she shook her head. All I could do was stand there in awe, pondering on how easy it would be if only Suzuka was as angry as that.

“I-It’s finally my turn, I see!”

While I was thinking that, Mai hurriedly stepped towards me. Her cheeks were already a bit flushed as she looked up at me like a dog wanting to be fed. It was kind of cute in its own way, but I felt nothing more than danger from her gaze.

“I’m also really angry at Onii-chan! There are lots of things I want to say!”

“W-What might they be?”

“You have nothing but beautiful girls surrounding you! I mean, I understand that it can’t be helped, since you’re the super-popular light novel author Towano Chikai, so a real life harem surely isn’t that far-fetched.”

“No, please don’t assume that’s normal…”

You wouldn’t get a harem just because you’re a popular author… Right?

“It’s not weird at all. Towano Chikai’s name will soon be known all over the world! And everyone will look up to you! Anybody would want to experience something like the flirting that is happening in your novel!”

“Um… So basically, the fact that I’m that popular light novel author is making you angry…?”

“O-Of course not! How could I complain about you being Towano Chikai?! Your novel is the best one I’ve ever read, and it’s completely changed my life! Not to mention, even though you’re such an important person, you’re not arrogant at all. You’re considerate, you’re kind, and just having you next to me is relieving! When I found out that Towano Chikai was someone as wonderful as you, I couldn’t find it in myself to be angry! Instead, I should be thanking the gods!”

“W-Well thank you very much for that, I guess?”

She sounds like she’s angry, but the words she’s spitting through her lips are nothing but praise, and having to listen to her saying all this is crazy embarrassing. On top of that, she’s not just praising Towano Chikai, but also me as a person. I’m surprised she can say something so embarrassing so easily!

“Really, are you even conscious of your position?! You became a legend right after your debut, immediately rising to the top of the industry! And even so, you’re willing to prioritize someone else all the time! Of course, that’s a good trait to have, but I wish you’d be a bit more dignified and confident! I-It’s not like I’m an M or anything though! Still, it’s not too bad that I fantasize about you looking down on me, and—”

“H-Hold it for a second, okay!” I stopped Mai as she grew closer and closer to overheating.

W-What is this? I’m too embarrassed to keep listening! Is this some new form of torture?!

“What is it? I haven’t even said half of the things I wanted to tell you!”

Seriously? Please don’t! If you keep going like that, I might actually die!

“I-I mean, is this the reason you’re angry at me?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Are you angry because I’m Towano Chikai?”

“Ah… No?”

“No?!”

Then why were you praising me like that?!

“That just now was… the prologue of the story. That you are a wonderful person and the coolest boy and—”

“I-I get it, so stop already!”

“A-Anyway, I just got a bit too fired up. I probably could have gone on for an entire week if nobody stopped me.”

Seriously, what kind of torture is this?! And you’d definitely collapse in the meantime!

Cough. “…Anyway, what are you angry about now?” I tried to change the topic.

“…I-I want you to pay more attention to me.”

“Eh?”

Her tone took a complete shift, and her voice grew weak and feeble.

“I know that you’re a popular light novel author, with all these beauties surrounding you, but I still want you to pay more attention to me…”

“T-T-T-That’s…?!”

“O-Of course, this is just my point of view as an angry little sister, and is in no way related to my personal desires, okay?! A normal little sister would surely be angry about something like this!”

…I-I see? That does make sense, I guess?

“A-Anyway, you’re going to have to fix it now, but this has nothing to do with my own desires, okay!”

“Wha?!”

Mai suddenly forced me to sit down on a sofa and seated herself on my lap.

“W-What are you doing?!”

“I-It’s data collecting! Since you don’t pay enough attention to your little sister, you have to do this or I’ll be angry at you forever!”

“A-And what is the meaning of this position?!”

“It’s necessary for you to help relieve my anger! You have to embrace me and softly whisper your love for me—I mean for your little sister—into my ears!”

Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh?!

“L-Love… why?!”

“If you do that, all traces of anger will disappear immediately!”

Ehhh?! B-But… Ehhhh?! Seriously?!

“W-Will that really do anything…?”

“O-Of course! Any girl would forgive you if you did something like this,” said Mai. She glanced around nervously.

“Wow, that’s Mai for you, desu…!”

“How nice! Sakura should have gone with that kind of approach, as well!”

“That is indeed every girl’s dream. Enryuu Homura is a fearful enemy.”

“S-Seriously? Well, it’s not like I don’t get where she’s coming from…”

E-Everyone is actually agreeing with her…?

“C-Come on, I told you exactly what to do, so hurry up.”

Still sitting on top of my lap, Mai looked up at me with a beet red face. The soft feeling of her female body and her cute behaviour both assaulted me at the same time, and I was once more reminded of the confession, but I shook my head to rid myself of these thoughts.

…Ahhh, to hell with it! This might be an important hint for how to deal with Suzuka, so there’s no other choice but to try it out…!

“…Mai.”

“Hya?! Y-Your breath is tickling me…!”

“Sorry, okay? You must have been lonely, right?”

“Y-Yes, I was. I won’t forgive you if all you do is apologize, so—”

“But you’re the most important person to me…”

“I forgive you!”

The people around us said retorts like “So fast!” and “So easy!”, but I ignored them and continued.

“If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, just tell me.”

“T-Then…! Stroke my head… as softly and as kindly as possible…!”

“Yeah, of course. What else?”

“U-Um… I want you to hug me tightly…!”

“Alright, there… And?”

“Ehe… ehehehe… P-Praise me for how cute I am…!”

“You’re so adorable, Mai.”

“—!!!”

When I finished saying that, steam started rising out of Mai’s head, and her face burned up. Her mouth let out inaudible moans like “Funyaa…” and weird laughs like “Ehehehehehe.” This might’ve been the first time I’d ever seen her like this.

“…H-Hey, was that good?” I asked Mai in a quiet voice. I was a bit perplexed.

“Fueh…? T-That was perfect, of course…”

“R-Really? If you say so…”

“N-No girl would be able to shtay angry if you say shings like that…! Eheheheh…!” Mai gave her seal of approval as she rested her upper body on me.

…W-Well, I guess that it worked. Maybe Suzuka will forgive me if I do something like this? Though I’m not sure if I can get her to sit on my lap in the first place.

“H-Hey, Yuu…?”

While I was thinking that, Mai suddenly looked at me with moist eyes, completely forgetting to call me Onii-chan. She tugged my clothes.

“S-Say more about me…”

“Eh? W-We’re still going?”

“I-It’s to collect data, so we have to do it as thoroughly as possible. So keep going… please…”

Ugh… I never thought that the pushy and selfish Mai would ever be this honest… and her gaze is practically hurting me! Unable to turn away from this sudden assault of cuteness, I had no other choice but to oblige her request as she continued to urge me to keep going.

“H-Hey Yuu… what exactly makes you think I’m cute?”

“W-Well… it’s not a matter of one thing specifically… Everything about you is cute…”

“Ehehehehe… Sho happy…”

Mai had completely broken character by now and was just talking normally. Maybe she was bugging out from the data-collecting. I thought that we had done more than enough, but Mai showed no signs of getting up, so I played along until—

“…Too long, desu.”

I suddenly heard a voice above my head, and even Mai twitched at the pressure emitting from it.

“P-Perverted illustrator?!”

Looking up, We saw that Double Peace-sensei’s previous kind smile had vanished somewhere, and she was glaring down at us.

“Really, how long are you planning on keeping that up, Mai? Switch with me, desu.”

“Ah, no, just a bit longer…!”

Double Peace-sensei completely ignored Mai’s pleas and forcefully dragged her off of me. Double Peace-sensei stood in front of me, pouting as she gazed down at me. This was the first time I’d seen her like this.

“Yuu-Onii-chan, I am angry. Do you know why?”

“Umm… Because my data-collecting with Mai took too long…?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Eh, it’s not?! I totally thought this would be a totally normal reason?!

“Well, to be honest, seeing Mai acting that honest sure surprised me, and I did feel jealous, but that’s not the reason I’m angry, desu.”

“T-Then, why…?” I carefully asked. In response, Double Peace-sensei’s eyes opened wide.

“After being this flirty with everyone, why won’t you take it a step further?!”

“………Huh?”

Umm… What is she talking about? A step further…?

“I’m sorry, but what exactly are you referring to…?”

In response, Double Peace-sensei just shook her head in disbelief.

“You have the ultimate secret technique that can immediately ease any girl’s anger, and you aren’t even trying to use it. What a disappointment.”

“U-Ultimate secret technique?!”

“Three little words have more charm right now than anything else in the world!”

“A-And what are they?!”

“From that reaction, it seems like you really haven’t realized it, desu. Good grief. How dense can you be, Yuu-oniichan? I know you have a fiendishly perverted soul inside of you.”

“U-Um… could you not badmouth me in the middle of this?”

“Well, that part of you is really cute, and it makes my body all hot!”

“You’re making it even worse now!”

“Anyway, I am angry because Yuu-oniichan hasn’t caught on to this technique, desu. In order to soothe my anger, your only choice is to use this secret technique on me!”

…Umm, so she’s going to teach it to me…? A technique to immediately dissolve all anger… Using this technique, I might be able to make progress with Suzuka. I had no idea something this great was right in front of me.

“A-And what is this technique?” I asked Double Peace-sensei, gulping audibly.

“Hmm, indeed. Then let’s try it out right now.” She flashed me a mischievous grin. “Go ahead, Yuu-oniichan! Push me down!”

“…………Eh?”

“What are you hesitating for? Come on! Push me down! Right here, right now!”

“E-Ehm… What are you talking about? What about the secret technique…?”

“What do you mean, desu? Pushing me down right here is the said secret technique.” Double Peace-sensei opened her arms, beckoning me.

…No no no… No no no! Absolutely not!

“H-How is pushing you down related to a secret technique?!”

“How could it not be a secret technique?!”

“Why are we even arguing about this?!”

“Yuu-Onii-chan! No matter what kind of fight it is, pushing the girl down and getting kinky will solve every problem!”

“Ehhhhh?!”

“Why are you so surprised about this?! Your fiendish soul is wasted on you, desu! Well, I can’t say I dislike your piety, either, I suppose.”

“E-Enough of that already! And are you actually being serious right now, Double Peace-sensei?! J-Just pushing you down will solve everything…?”

“Of course I am! It always works in eroge, desu!”

“Your source of information is eroge?!”

“No no, it’s not like it only works in eroge, desu. Because it is the true solution to all the world’s problems, we can use it in eroge, yes!” Double Peace-sensei crossed her arms and declared emphatically.

D-Don’t be so ridiculous! Even if that was true, I can’t just push down Suzuka and—

“Let me help~”

“Woah?!”

While I was lost in thought, Double Peace-sensei grabbed my arm and held it against herself to make it look like I was pushing her down.

“Wah?! Careful…!”

“Ahnnn~”

I tried throwing out my hand to keep my balance, but right when I did that, I heard a soft moan coming from her, and I felt a voluptuous sensation on my hand… Th-This sensation is…! Not too jiggly, but also not too flat. A perfect mixture of volume assaulted my hand as it sunk deeper into… D-Don’t tell me…!

“Y-Yuu-Onii-chan sure is bold, desu. Even someone like me would be a bit embarrassed by this…”

Filling my view was an oddly-flustered Double Peace-sensei, as well as my own hand buried deeply in the middle of her chest—

“I-I-I-I-I’m sorry?!”

Finally realizing the position we had ended up in, I hurried to try and get up.

“Ah, you can’t do that, desu. You have to push me down properly.”

However, Double Peace-sensei wouldn’t let me escape that easily. She continued to pull me down.

“W-What are you doing?! Let me go!”

“Then you wouldn’t be able to collect any proper data on this, desu. You can’t chicken out. You have to make up with your little sister.”

“But still! This would probably just make her more angry than she already is!”

“You really don’t get it, desu~ Isn’t there a saying for this in Japanese? ‘Saying no is also an expression of fondness,’ right?”

“I don’t think that this really applies here! Also, there are limits to what I can morally do during data-collecting!” I desperately tried to resist Double Peace-sensei’s pull.

I had steeled myself to do anything in order to fix Suzuka’s mood, but this definitely crosses the line of ‘anything’!

“Ughhhh…!” I put as much strength as I could into it.

“I can’t help it then, desu. Let me assist you.”

“Eh? —Ah?!”

Double Peace-sensei suddenly let go of my hand, and I fell backwards from the momentum.

“Ouch… Wait, what are you doing?!”

Before I had even realized it, the roles were reversed, and Double Peace-sensei now gazed down at me. She had a fiendish smile on her face like always, and she was wriggling both her hands about.

“Fu fu fu, I guess it’s time to turn your thoughts around. Now I’m the one pushing you down, desu.”

“W-Why?!”

“Well, it all ended so abruptly, so I was a bit dissatisfied, desu.”

“You’re not even trying to make valid excuses?! Wait, that’s not important right now! Why did you reverse the situation?! What about the little sister being angry?!”

“…Hm? If the little sister pushed you down, it’ll help her anger out, desu! There’s no doubt about it!”

“That doesn’t make any sense! What exactly is this situ—Woah?!”

Before I could even finish my sentence, Double Peace-sensei actually pushed me down.

“It’s fine, desu! By doing this, her anger will be blown away, and she will be unable to do anything but look straight at Yuu-Onii-chan!” Double Peace-sensei got even more into it, sitting on top of me.

She was leaning downwards, and her two well-endowed bulges were pressing against my face—I can’t breathe…!

“S-Someone stop her—!” I frantically looked at the other girls.

However, Mai, Minazuki-san, Akino-san, and even the younger Kanzaka sister were all standing around us. There was an oppressing atmosphere building.

“I-I think that this kind of data-collecting is taking it a bit too far…?”

“Exactly! Sakura thought that she had to hold herself back!”

“No hoarding things like this to yourself.”

“Y-You… What are you making Ahi do…?”

W-What is his bad premonition…! Ahh, I see. I’m so tired I’m seeing fantasies. The other girls are now also moving closer to push me down… Wait, it’s not a fantasy?!

“No, hold on?! What are you all doing…?!”

They reached forward to grab my arms and legs, and I could feel their soft bodies pressing against mine all over. Ahh… What will happen to me now—?

“What are you doing…?”

In a mere fraction of a second, the tension in the room iced over. I stiffly turned my head towards the living room door.

“S-Suzuka?!”

“I just came back, but…”

• 

The sight that greeted me was Suzuka, still wearing her school uniform, with a terrifically cold glare directed at me. Her expression was dead, her eyes lifeless, and her hands were balled into fists. Her entire body was shaking.

“No, wait, this is…!” I tried to say something, but I was unable to find the right words.

Seriously, how do I explain this situation?! But before I could even hope to do so, Suzuka directed her gaze towards those pushing me down.

“Ah, sorry for intruding, desu!”

“Hello there, Suzuka-chan!”

“…Welcome back.”

And the group of girls each greeted her like everything was normal?!

“O-Oh…!” The corner of Suzuka’s mouth twitched, as she directed her glare back at me. “I see… So while I was angry at you, you went ahead and started flirting around with everyone else…!”

“Ehhh?! N-No, you’re wrong…!” I frantically denied Suzuka’s assumption as a dark aura started to build up behind her.

…I-I’ll die. I’ll seriously die. She’ll hate me for sure. This is bad. I’m scared. I’m terrified…!

“……!!”

Because of the immense pressure, I could only close my eyes so I wouldn’t see my end coming, but nothing happened… H-Huh…? I’m still alive…?

“Uuuuu…! I-I’m still angry! Even more angry than before…!” Suzuka just continued to glare at me, tears in her eyes.

With an expression like she was trying to suppress something.

“I-I… I don’t care about you anymore, Onii-chan!”

Lastly, with an expression akin to a sulking child, Suzuka dashed out of the living room.

“Suzuka…?” I was truly perplexed by her response.

I’ve never seen a reaction like that.

“H-Huh…?”

Following my response, even the other girls, who were still pushing me down by the way, showed equally flabbergasted expressions, standing up all at the same time. I followed suit, and asked “What happened?” In response, everyone turned towards me with deadly serious expressions on their faces.

“Why are you so relaxed, Yuu?!”

“Exactly, desu. Imouto-san seems seriously angry. Just what did you do this time?”

“I’ve never seen Suzuka-chan like this. What happened?”

“This isn’t something to laugh off. Emergency situation.”

“Seriously, this isn’t the time to be collecting data!”

“E-Ehhh?!”

Everyone suddenly started scolding me.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner about this, Sensei? Why did you lie about collecting data, desu?”

“W-Well, that’s…”

“Exactly. If we knew that Suzuka-chan was seriously angry at you, we would have given you some good advice, you know?”

“B-But, I had some reasons for that…”

“Exactly. If we knew about this, we wouldn’t have used this time to be as flirty as we wanted, you know.”

“Ehhh?! B-But… huh?!”

“Didn’t you realize it? Everyone else was selfishly using this data-collecting for themselves… A-Ah, I was different, okay?!”

“I-Is that true?!”

…And here I had just honestly believed them… Well, I knew that something was off, but that’s the case most of the time!

“So why did you keep quiet about this? All you talked about was the data collecting, desu.”

“W-Well…”

“Right. How can Towano Chikai be so pathetic?” Mai said.

“Mai?! You’re the reason this whole ordeal happened in the first place!”

“H-How is it my fault?!”

“I came to ask you for help because Suzuka was seriously angry at me, but you just played it off, saying that I was just collecting data like always! That’s why I couldn’t say any more than that!”

“Ugh…! B-But I thought it was impossible! I couldn’t help it!”

Mai and I both glared at each other, and Double Peace-sensei interrupted us.

“Now now, just calm down you two, desu. We understand the circumstances, and I can understand how Mai didn’t believe it.”

“But this time, the impossible actually happened,” Mai showed a wry smile.

“Things just got more serious,” Akino-san commented.

“Well, we definitely have to do something about this,” Even the younger Kanzaka sister nodded along with everyone.

It’s great that everyone has finally started to believe me, but what was that data collecting just now for, then…?

“…It’s just as you can see. I seem to have angered Suzuka, so I need to make it up to her… but I don’t know how…” I gave a brief summary of the situation, lowering my head as I did.

Double Peace-sensei watched me with a kind expression and let out a sigh.

“Hmm… We can’t help it, desu. If Sensei is asking us this earnestly, we have to do our best to assist him. Though this might have been our one and only chance to win over Sensei.”

“It’s a bit frustrating, but Sensei and Suzuka-chan have to stay as the close siblings they are right now. Sakura will help out, as well.”

“Yeah. We can’t have Sensei fighting with his little sister.”

“Now this sounds like a chance for me to actually help out.”

Everyone spoke up, voicing their agreement. Naturally, the same was true of Mai.

“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t think that things could end up this serious. I’d feel bad using this opportunity for myself, so I will help you as well.”

“…Everyone, thank you.” I lowered my head again in thanks.

“Yuu, can you give us the details about when you angered Suzuka-san?”

“Yes, I agree, desu. We have to know what happened so we can help.”

“Y-Yeah.” I nodded, and gave the details just as they wanted.

That being said, I couldn’t bring up the fact that I had turned down the light novel grand prize. I’m currently pretending to be Towano Chikai, after all. I have to fulfill my duty as a stand-in.

“The thing is, I don’t actually know what I did to make Suzuka angry. All I did was try to act for Suzuka’s benefit, but…”

“You were acting for Suzuka’s benefit… What did you do?”

“Well, I can’t go into detail, but I decided to prioritize Suzuka’s well-being. And this decision was completely unrelated to her as well…”

“…………Don’t tell me, is it…?”

“Shh, Haruna. Not yet.”

The younger Kanzaka sister was about to say something, but Akino-san quickly stopped her.

“And that’s how Suzuka-san ended up like this?”

“Yeah. All I know is that she’s angry at me…”

I nodded in response to Mai’s question, and the girls all looked at each other.

“Hey, Sensei. This is just an assumption, but… I doubt that we’ll be able to figure out why Imouto-san is angry as it is either, desu. However, I understand the reason she’s saying that she’s angry.” Double Peace-sensei said.

“Eh? What do you mean by that?”

“She wants you to understand why she’s angry, Yuu.” Mai followed gave the conclusion.

“Eh? B-But, again, I have no idea why she’s angry… Rather, I’d really appreciate it if she just told me what she’s angry about.”

“Phew… you really are dense.”

“I’m assuming that she wants you to understand that as well.”

…She wants me to figure out what she’s angry about in the first place…?

“B-But, even if you say that, I really have no idea.”

“If you really don’t, Sakura thinks it would be best to just tell Suzuka-chan honestly, and have her tell you.” Muttered Minazuki-san.

“Ask Suzuka directly…? B-But, if she wants me to find out, will she really tell me…?”

“But, rather than having Sensei never understand, this would be much more beneficial. Since Suzuka-chan is acting like this, she must want you to understand. Since you don’t realize it yourself, you have to apologize to her no matter how many times it takes until she tells you.” Minazuki-san showed me a kind smile. “Sensei can actually be quite the troublesome Onii-chan. Sakura feels like she can kind of understand Suzuka-chan’s feelings.”

“Well… I’m sorry…”

I felt a bit sad when she called me a troublesome older brother. But since I had no room to counter-argue, I could only accept her evaluation. Well, I guess the only thing I can do is ask Suzuka directly.

“Everyone… Thank you. It’s so obvious that I couldn’t have come up with it myself, and I even asked you for advice…”

“…That just shows how much you treasure Suzuka-san.”

“Eh?”

“Nothing.”

Mai just shrugged her shoulders in response to my question. On top of that, the others wore similar looks on their faces as Mai did.

“I guess it’s time for us to head back, desu.”

“Yeah. It’s a shame, but this time we’ll return Sensei to Suzuka-chan.”

“It was a good chance, but wasted.”

“Onee-chan, just forget about him already…”

With this, the group of girls all left one after another. I accompanied them to the entrance, and Mai turned around one last time.

“…You’d better make up, okay?”

…I’d better make up, huh? Suzuka said we weren’t fighting, but we’re still in a situation where we have to make up. And since the problem lies with me, she wants me to figure it out by myself. That’s why she’s doing this. Sadly, I’m such a pathetic older brother that I can’t figure it out myself. There’s only one last thing I can do.

“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll have to get down on my knees and apologize and have Suzuka tell me what it is…” I formed fists with my hands as I steeled my resolve.

Of course, what I’m planning on doing is absolutely uncool, and the power balance between Suzuka and I has always been like this! I know, just laugh at me! Though keep it at a moderate level, or I’ll seriously cry! Anyway, enough of that. It’s time to head up to Suzuka’s room!

“Hm? W-What…? Shinozaki-san?”

But, before I could move any further, my smartphone vibrated, informing me of an incoming call. Wondering what it was, I picked it up.

“Ahh, Sensei? Do you have some time right now?”

“Ah, yes, a bit should be fine…What happened? I don’t have much time, so if you could, I’d like to keep the small talk for later…”

“Unreasonable. There is absolutely no small talk when I call you.”

“Our conversations normally go on for an hour or two about whatever light novel comes to your mind, you know?! There are even times when you’re in the middle of drinking alcohol or taking a bath!”

“It’s my duty as an editor in order to build up a more familial relationship with Sensei. Good grief, how many times do I have to tell you until you understand?”

…Just how many times do I have to tell you until youunderstand…?

“Well, enough about that for now. This time, I do actually have something to talk about.”

“Eh? D-Did something troublesome happen?”

“Ahh, it’s not that big of a deal. I just want to check on something. I sent you a work-related email yesterday, but you haven’t responded yet, so I was wondering if something happened. Normally I always get a response immediately.”

Suzuka would normally take care of all the emails and such in the background, while I would be the official face of Suzuka, but we always had constant communication about everything. She probably hadn’t had any time to check after everything that had happened yesterday.

“I-I’m sorry. A lot of things happened, so I didn’t have the time to check… Did you have something urgent to ask?”

“Ahh, no, it wasn’t anything important. You can just check it later. But if you’re having some kind of trouble, I can’t ignore it. Did something happen?”

“N-No, just a thing with my little sister, and—” I quickly stopped myself mid-sentence.

However, Shinozaki-san picked up on it anyway.

“What?! Something happened with your little sister?! That’s a big problem, isn’t it?!”

I was left unable to even cover it up… I-I was careless. But now that I’ve said it…

“I-It’s not that big of a deal. I just happened to make my little sister a bit angry…”

“You made your little sister angry?! What are you doing, Sensei?! You siblings were like one body, one soul! Without your little sister, you won’t be able to write your wonderful novel anymore! Go to your little sister and apologize immediately!”

…Woah, she doesn’t even know the circumstances, but she’s still immediately making me out to be the bad guy…

“T-That is my plan of course. I was actually about to do that.”

“Hm, I see. It seems like I’m bothering you, then. Let’s stop this call right here so you can head to your little sister immediately”

Well, the faster the better, I guess. Or so I thought, but right when I went to end the call, Shinozaki-san spoke up again, stopping me.

“Sensei, your novel is as popular as ever, so I hope that we can continue to sell more and more copies.”

“I-I’m glad to hear that.”

“In order for that to happen, we need your little sister’s help. This won’t turn into a problem where you’ll end up unable to continue writing, will it?”

When I heard that, I grew silent for a second. She probably didn’t mean it this way, but in order for the ‘Story about a little sister who loves her big brother way too much to cope’ series to continue, Suzula’s help is definitely needed. In order for her story to continue, I gave up on my own dream. Thus, my answer was already decided.

“…Yes, I will continue the novel no matter what.”

“…Very well. That response gives me relief. I’m counting on you, Sensei.” With these words, Shinozaki-san hung up.

I continued to gaze at the phone for a bit, reminiscing about her words, but I eventually stopped and put the phone back in my pocket.

“For the sake of Towano Chikai’s novel as well, huh…?”

I have to calm Suzuka’s anger at all costs. Even if I have to go down on my knees and apologize. Either way, I gave up on thinking too deeply about it, and instead acted according to my heart. When I arrived in front of Suzuka’s room, I knocked, but no response came.

“E-Excuse me… Suzuka, are you there…?” Carefully opening the door, I stepped inside the room.

“……!”

When I did, I was greeted by Suzuka, who was sitting on top of the bed, tightly embracing her pillow. She started glaring at me with watery eyes, but that quickly changed and she averted her gaze… S-She’s clearly sulking. I was a bit perplexed by her rather childish attitude, but I quickly steeled my nerves as I set foot in the room, closing the door behind me.

“H-Hmph! Why did you even come here, Onii-chan?! You just gave up on me and started flirting with the others, right?!”

Normally, Suzuka would never say words like that. I guess that just shows how angry she is right now…

“W-What is it? What did you come here for? I am angry at you, so just leave me alone and—”

Before Suzuka could finish her words, I quickly lowered my head and began.

“I’m sorry, Suzuka!!”

“Eh? Ehhh? W-What are you—?!”

“I thought about it a lot… I thought about why you would be angry at me, but I couldn’t figure it out…! I had everyone come over to give me some advice, but that didn’t help either…!”

“…Eh? S-So, that just now with everyone was…?”

“But they did tell me one thing. If I don’t get it myself, I just have to apologize to you directly and have you explain it to me. It doesn’t matter what I did, just… Please tell me! Can’t you tell me how I can make it up to you…?!” I tried my best to convey my feelings to Suzuka as I once again lowered my head.

I’m probably the most uncool older brother in existence. After all, the only thing I can do is hope for her to tell me about something I did to anger her, while not being aware of it myself. However, I don’t have the leisure to be picky about it. No matter how uncool and pathetic I am, I have to know the reason that Suzuka is angry so that I can make up with her.

“Wha…?!”

Suzuka suddenly swallowed her breath at my words, but that reaction was to be expected. The problem now is how she will answer…

“………”

“…………”

“……………”

Suzuka just kept quiet, not uttering a word. So did I. I just waited in silence for her response. As a result, the room fell deathly silent, as if time itself was standing still.

“…Onii-chan.”

Finally, carefully choosing her words, Suzuka opened her mouth.

“Onii-chan, do you know why our relationship once was stiff and awkward like it was a few months ago?”

“Eh?”

However, the words she were outside my range of expectations, and my eyes opened wide in confusion. Why would she bring up a story from the past now, I wonder…? Knowing Suzuka, she wouldn’t just bring this up for no reason… But what was the reason our relationship turned so cold back then?

“A-And?”

“Well, wasn’t that because I made you cry…?”

“And why did I cry?”

“…Um… That’s…”

I tried to remember, but my memories were too vague, and I couldn’t place it. All I remember is that I made Suzuka cry by doing something, and she got angry at me, screaming “Onii-chan, you idiot!” at me, which resulted in our relationship getting worse and worse.

…What did I do back then?

“Is that so…?”

Suzuka didn’t go further than that. She just rested her head on the pillow. But right when I tried to ask her for the details—

“Then…”

Before that, Suzuka opened her mouth yet again.

“Do you remember when we, as a family, went to the amusement park a long time ago?”

“Eh? A-Amusement park…?”

“The Itsukaen Wonderland. W-We went there last year to collect data as well…”

…A-Ahhh, now that she mentions it, I vaguely remember going there as a family, but what does that have to do with anything? This conversation is jumping so quickly that I can’t really keep up…

“W-Well, I do remember, I think,” I said.

“Back then, I got lost all on my own. Do you remember the reason for that?”

“Th-The reason? …I remember you getting lost in the park, but not why that happened in the first place…” I tried my best to dig up any memories related to that, but to no avail.

It was like my memories were wrapped in a thick haze, not allowing me to remember.

“Nor about the conversation we had right before that…?” She prodded.

“Did I say something to you back then?” I asked.

“………”

Watching my reaction, Suzuka softly shook her head as if she had given up trying. Th-This is bad. Is she completely fed up with me now? I don’t know why she would suddenly bring up the past, but at this rate…

“Onii-chan.”

“Y-Yes.”

When she suddenly spoke to me, my back twitched. W-What now? What if she asks me to leave her alone—

“Tell me about your memories from back then.”

“………Huh?”

Her next words took me by surprise.

“…Um, my memories?”

“Yes, your memories.” Suzuka was serious.

This wasn’t the atmosphere to be telling jokes. But… why is she asking me this all of a sudden?

“Onii-chan, you want to know the reason why I’m angry, right?”

“!”

All my confusion was blown away by these few words. Is there a connection between the past and her current anger…?!

“Y-Yeah. So if I tell you about the past, I’ll figure it out?” I asked, getting a bit more enthusiastic.

“I don’t know for sure… However… I want to know. I want to know about back when our relationship started to turn all cold like it was. I want to find out about Onii-chan’s memories; how you experienced it.”

Suzuka spoke with a tone as if she was praying, a serious expression still on her face.

“Suzuka…”

I have no idea what Suzuka is thinking. I can’t imagine there being a connection between these two things. However, now that Suzuka is looking this serious, it has to have some special meaning.

“…I understand.”

Though I still had a few doubts, I decided to trust Suzuka.

“But I don’t remember much about the past. Not even why our relationship ended up that cold…”

“Just try to remember whatever you can. It doesn’t have to be related to that. I just want to know. I want to know what the two of us looked like from Onii-chan’s point of view.”

“…It’s mostly just memories like ‘Oh right, that happened back then’…is that okay?”

“Yes, that doesn’t matter. I want to know how it was back then when we slowly started to drift apart. How it looked from Onii-chan’s perspective…”

Basically, my memories from right before our relationship turned sour… Honestly, I’ve never tried to remember the time back then. But it feels like I might be able to remember something now, thanks to Suzuka’s words stimulating my memory…

It wasn’t anything special. It was a memory from just around the time when we were close and friendly siblings. It was a fragment of our everyday life.

“Um… if I remember correctly…” I slowly opened my mouth, deciding on one memory to talk about.

My consciousness jumped back into the past, reliving a memory I had kept in the back of my head for a long time. Back then, I was still only nine years old, and Suzuka was eight…