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The same daily life, a different relationship
…Well, that doesn’t mean that we ended up as lovers or anything.
“…Onii-chan, you still have bed hair. Did you remember to wash your face?”
The morning of the next day, I came down to the kitchen with a yawn. Suzuka gave me a harsh gaze when she greeted me while preparing breakfast.
“Eh? Seriously? Where…?”
“On the right, to the back. It sticks out.”
“Ugh, you’re right… I had no idea…”
“Pull yourself together a bit more, Onii-chan.” Suzuka let out a sigh at my incompetence, the same thing she always does, which I’ve heard countless times.
I quickly headed back to fix my bed hair, and returned back to the kitchen right after. When I did, I found breakfast to have just been finished, and I joined Suzuka awkwardly at the dining table.
“Onii-chan, you’re already a second year in high school. At least take proper care of your body before I have to tell you about it.”
As I sat down, Suzuka took a sip of her black tea, continuing just as before. Those words lowered my confidence and pride as an older brother even further.
“Ugh… B-But that bed hair just now was no big deal, was it? It’s not like I’m neglecting my body or anything.”
I tried to fight back with some short words of rebellion, but…
“Your necktie is crooked as well. It looks like you haven’t picked up on that?”
As you can see, my futile attempt was shot down immediately. After fixing my necktie, I started eating breakfast. Silence filled the room, as only the sound of the tableware was heard. For some reason, it was horribly awkward.
That being said, this was business as usual for the two of us. Even after we managed to make up, things still continue to stay a bit stiff. There’s no real reason to talk during dinnertime anyway, and on the outside, it might look like we’re still the same as we were back when things were cold and awkward.
But the wall between us has vanished. Suzuka is just so much of a perfect superhuman that I on the other hand look like an absolute loser. Thus, this is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s just a snippet of our perfectly normal daily life.
…No, hold on a second. I mean, I get it. I know what you want to say. But just give me a second. You’re probably itching to point out the fact that we had just gone back to normal like nothing happened.
Didn’t you two end up in a mutual love relationship? What even happened yesterday? Was that a dream? Just a dream scenario? Was it all just your pathetic imagination?
…Of course you’d be having doubts like that. If a light novel I was reading had a development like that, I’d be saying that for sure. But, seriously, just wait a moment. There’s some very important circumstances that you have to consider here. It’s a bit hard to explain. But just believe me. What happened yesterday truly happened, and Suzuka and I really confessed to each other. After confirming our feelings for each other, we ended up in mutual love. That is unmistakingly a reality that occurred.
The question is, how has there not been any change between yesterday evening and now? Well, put down your pitchforks and torches, because there is an exceptionally valid reason for this.
—Siblings can’t end up as lovers, you morons!!!
I mean, think about it rationally! This isn’t some manga, anime, light novel, eroge, or any other fictional media here. Blood-related siblings can’t end up as lovers, no matter how you think about it! Impossible, something not allowed to happen.
—It really is, but…
Even so, I love Suzuka, and Suzuka loves me back. That is something that we cannot ignore. That’s why, once we got home last night, we talked about it in great detail. And one result of that—
“O-Onii-chan…”
As I was focusing on my own thoughts, Suzuka called out to me with a slightly different attitude from before. Her cheeks were reddened just a tiny bit, like she looked a bit hesitant, but still possessed a gaze of anticipation and excitement as she gazed up at me. When I saw this cute look of hers, I nearly dropped the toast in my hand to the ground out of shock, but I barely managed to hold on to it. I responded with a nervous “W-What is it?”
“U-Um… I would like to do some Towano Chikai time now…” Suzuka continued, fidgeting nervously. I felt my cheeks starting to burn up.
Or in other words, more directly, I was feeling way too embarrassed. But, since I didn’t hate it of course, I just nodded along.
“B-But, well… what should I do…?”
“T-That’s… since we are lovers, how do I say it… I was wondering if we could spend a more couple-like breakfast?!”
“C-Couple-like breakfast?! I-I mean, that makes sense, but what do you have in mind…?”
“U-Um…since we’re in the middle of eating, wouldn’t lovers normally be doing this ‘Open-wide~’ thing where they feed each other?!”
Suzuka had both her hands grasped together while she asked that, and I assented.
“I guess that really is a thing that couples would do… Th-Then let’s try that. I only have toast, is that okay with you?”
“Y-Yes. Then I’ll prepare myself, so go for it whenever you feel like it…!” said Suzuka. She readied herself.
Is there really any need to prepare herself? But I ignored that and lifted the toast towards Suzuka and slowly approached her with it… Ah, this is actually really embarrassing…!
“S-Suzuka, open wide…!”
“A-Ahhhhnn…!”
Even so, I pulled through. Suzuka’s face was burning red, as she bit on to the toast in an almost desperate manner. After chewing it for a bit and swallowing it, she spoke up.
“I-It somehow didn’t end up with as much of a flirty atmosphere as I was hoping for… And the toast is pretty difficult to eat…” Suzuka said. She was clearly dissatisfied and a bit disappointed.
…Well, I felt the same. The toast is too big to feed someone, which makes it not fit for something like this. But what else should we use?
“Hmph…” Suzuka puffed out her cheeks. “Even though we finally have some time as lovers, it’s not going well… We’ve been acting lovey-dovey this entire time, but now that it’s come to the main event, I feel like something is lacking…”
I felt the same. Even if she calls us lovers now, I’m at a loss as to what to do.
“Ahhh, so annoying! Our time as lovers is limited, so we can’t waste it here!” said Suzuka, almost sounding like she was panicking.
But I knew exactly what to say.
“Calm down. We can just get a feel for it bit by bit. It doesn’t have to be right away. We can take our time.”
Suzuka listened to my words in a daze, only to cast her face downwards with slightly flushed cheeks.
“T-That’s right. We can always become Towano Chikai whenever we want to, so there was no reason for me to panic. Right.”
“Exactly. So let’s think about it together from now on.”
“…Yes, let’s. This isn’t just me alone anymore. The two of us will be searching for ways on how to be lovey-dovey as a couple,” said Suzuka. She smiled bashfully.
“Ah, but, being Towano Chikai in places with people around is no good, so keep that in mind, okay.”
“…Hmph, I knew that. Though I wouldn’t have any problem acting like this even when there’s other people around…”
“I thought we talked about that last night?! When other people can see us, we have to act like normal siblings!”
“I know that…” Suzuka commented, clearly not satisfied at all.
But, just this once, we had to keep this rule. That is the conclusion we made after talking it out last night.
“But that means that we have to treasure our Towano Chikai time even more! But we can do anything lovey-dovey we want here…!”
Suzuka crossed her arms and started thinking like her life depended on it. While I watched her, I couldn’t help but remember just how cute she was, and I thought back to the conversation we had the previous night.
*
“Whyyyyy?!!!”
Suzuka’s scream burst through the silence in my room. After all that had happened, the two of us went home and had an emergency meeting in my room.
“R-Relax, Suzuka. We have to think this through calmly—”
“H-How can I stay calm about this?!” Suzuka leaned her body towards me with tears in her eyes.
I did anticipate a reaction like that, but she’s getting more into it than I was hoping for… Where did you cool character go, huh?
“L-Listen, okay? We are siblings, so we can’t become lovers.”
“And I’m asking you why! Just what exactly is the problem with siblings becoming lovers?!”
“There’s so many problems that I can’t even count them!” I accidentally got caught up in Suzuka’s emotion and responded more harshly than I had intended.
That being said, how could I not respond to that?!
“…E-Even though we finally found out that we feel the same way…! Even though you said you’d throw everything away for me so that you can be together with me forever and ever…!”
“I didn’t go that far…”
It seems like my words have been twisted beyond recognition. I mean, I do love Suzuka that much, so it’s not like I wouldn’t do that, but…
“A-Anyway, Suzuka, hear me out. This is very important,” I cleared my throat to get back on track and showed a serious expression.
It’s very important that both of us are thinking about the future.
“…It’s true that the two of us ended up in mutual love. If we were a normal boy and girl, it would be a happy end. All we would have had to do was flirt to our heart’s content and grow old together.”
“However…” I raised my index finger.
“We are siblings. That is a fact that won’t change no matter how much we argue against it. And siblings are not allowed to become lovers by any means. That’s yet another rule of nature we have to keep in mind.”
“I can’t accept that! Why can’t we?! Even if we’re siblings! There have been more and more kinds of couples in the world, you know?! Why not be the ones to start as siblings?!”
“…Well, I can’t disagree that this idea might be something completely normal in the future. But as of right now, that is not the case. And we can’t just hope it goes away.” I argued, but Suzuka still wasn’t happy.
“I don’t plan on averting my eyes from it. Rather, in this very moment, my determination to stand and face it is the strongest it has ever been. Even if the entire world were against it, I won’t allow anyone to stand between me and Onii-chan!”
“S-Stop already! I know you’re fired up now, but keep a grip on reality, okay?!”
“What are you talking about? I’m very serious about this.”
Just as she said, the gaze Suzuka gave me couldn’t have been any more intense.
“A-Anyway, this isn’t something that can be changed just from getting emotional…”
“Onii-chan, I haven’t been getting emotional in the slightest. I might seem a bit fixated on this, but my thoughts are always calm. For example, becoming a member of Congress and allowing marriage between blood-related siblings… No, just inside Japan is not enough. The international community has to have their eyes opened. I’ll have to start an international seminar to open the eyes of other countries as well—”
…N-Not good, she’s actually thinking about this more seriously than I thought. And, considering that it’s Suzuka, she might actually be able to pull it off.
“L-Let’s leave anything future-related aside! What counts is the present. As siblings, we can’t become lovers. That is the current reality, and that won’t change anytime soon.”
“But…”
“I know, Suzuka. I just wouldn’t be able to take it if people looked at you in a weird way. You might be fine with it, but I would hate it. Because you’re important to me, I want you to hear me out.”
“O-Onii-chan…” Suzuka’s cheeks turned red again as she nodded.
…Yeah, Suzuka really is a good girl. She can be a bit selfish at times, but that’s cute in its own way.
“…That being said, I still can’t accept that. I finally managed to get my feelings through to Onii-chan, and yet we can’t become lovers! This is too cruel! Just when I thought I could be as lovey-dovey as I wanted with Onii-chan, without having to make up excuses…!” She puffed out her flushed cheeks as she voiced her discomfort.
That childish gesture was as lovable as always, and being told just how much she wanted to be lovey-dovey with me made me almost writhe in agony from the cuteness.
“What’s wrong, Onii-chan?”
“N-No, it’s nothing,” I had to cover my mouth to keep the fact I was grinning a secret.
Although there was no need to keep it secret anymore, getting this excited was still awfully embarrassing.
“…Also, are you just fine with that, Onii-chan?”
Before I realized it, Suzuka was staring straight into my eyes.
“W-What do you mean?”
“T-The fact that we ended up in mutual love, but have to stay as we have before. Are you just fine with that, Onii-chan?! Don’t you want to be lovey-dovey and flirt with me?” She glared at me with a deadly pout.
“…As if. E-Even I want to be lovey-dovey to my heart’s content with you,” I averted my gaze as I answered honestly.
The fact that I love Suzuka hasn’t changed. Naturally, I want to do all sorts of couple-like things with her… Ahh, I never thought that I’d be saying something like that right in front of Suzuka…
“Then how can you just give up like this?!”
“I feel the same way as you, Suzuka. So let’s think about what to do, and how to handle this situation, from here on out. Together, okay?”
“Eh?”
Suzuka blinked in confusion.
“I-I told you already, right? I want to do the same as you. We can’t become lovers, but we have mutual feelings for each other, and I’m fairly confident that I won’t be able to hold down those feelings. That’s why we have to think of a way to achieve our desires without letting anybody get hurt in the process.”
If it was just my own feelings, I might have been able to hold them back, and live on. But now that we know our feelings are the same, holding back and locking them away is not something I can do. Thus, we can only move forward. Though it will be a very thorny path if it’s together with Suzuka. I get the feeling that I can do it.
“…So let’s stop pondering about it on our own, and let’s work together on it, okay?”
I finished my argument with that, and in response Suzuka showed admiration, her eyes sparkling.
“I-I see how it is! You should have just told me earlier, then! What a wonderful idea! Working together to create our own beautiful future… Ah?! Is this one of those things where couples start working together?!”
Though I wasn’t sure exactly what she was talking about, when I saw how gleeful and happy Suzuka was, I felt satisfied. Normally, she acts cool and collected, but seeing her energetic like this ain’t too bad either.
“I-If we really don’t want anyone to get hurt, we have to change the rules of this world, after all! So I’ll become a member of Congress! …Though for that, I need even more influence! So more than political power, let’s assume that funds are even more necessary. There will be a time where a business or an enterprise will be above the royal family. So we have to find a way to exploit the current system in order to gain higher approval quickly. And then, when we have the power, we can change the values of the people at will—”
“Okay, stop right there! The way you’re thinking through this actually sounds pretty realistic, so that might actually happen!”
“But, Onii-chan, we have to take this path eventually if we want to get married in the future. Aren’t you aware of that?”
…Don’t just say that with a straight face. Your face is telling me quite clearly how serious you are, and it’s terrifying…
…For crying out loud, just when I felt proud for a fragment of a second, this perfect superhuman started trying to change humanity’s entire course.
“…Cough. I-It might be fine to aim for something of that caliber in the future, but we were talking about the immediate present, right?”
“That is correct, but…”
“What we have to discuss now is what we can do at the current point in time. So let’s think about our situation for a bit. First, since we’re siblings, we can’t be lovers. That’s the crux of it all. That being said, since we found out that we have mutual feelings for each other, we obviously want to end up in a relationship like that. We want to be lovey-dovey and all that. This will be our goal, so to speak.”
“Basically, we have to clear that hurdle and successfully achieve our goal…”
…Well, that’s pretty much it, but when I hear Suzuka saying it with such a straight face, it starts feeling like this is some school science project. In reality, though, we’re trying to think of a way that will allow us siblings to be lovey-dovey like a couple…
“…In essence, we have to act like normal siblings when other people are present, and only act lovey-dovey when it’s just the two of us.”
“I guess that’s what it would boil down to…”
When you think about it, I guess there was never any other method aside from that.
“B-Basically, a forbidden love…! The two of us have eaten the forbidden fruit and have fallen down into a world of darkness…! Ahh, but if it’s with Onii-chan, then…!”
“We’re having this talk right now so that it doesn’t end up like that. Do you understand?!”
Why do you sound so happy about it all?!
“Considering our current situation, this is the only thing we can do, isn’t it? Though I can’t say I’m all too happy about it, doing it in secrecy doesn’t sound too bad.”
Setting aside that odd interest that Suzuka seems to have, she’s right in saying that this might be our only viable approach. That being said, just rushing ahead while screaming ‘Let’s go with this!’ doesn’t feel quite right either. How do I put it… This kind of relationship feels like it’s going to lead us down the wrong path (which it technically is, I guess), but maybe it’s just my own desire to not sully Suzuka in any way. Still, looking at it realistically, there’s no way around it, huh?
“So that’s no good, but I still want to do this… Clearing these two hurdles does sound like the only approach…” Still lost in thought, I crossed in my arms as I pondered.
While I did, Suzuka gazed up at the ceiling for a bit, but she suddenly let out a light snicker.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Ah, no, excuse me. I was just thinking about something in the past.”
“Something in the past… Something back when we were still kids?”
“No, not that. Back when I had just won the light novel grand prize.”
What happened back then…? I was confused.
“Thinking about a method where we can clear two hurdles at once reminded me of that time. Back then, I wanted to write a novel with all my feelings for Onii-chan packed inside so that everyone could see it, but I couldn’t allow Onii-chan to find out about those very feelings.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes. And the method I came up with was to make Onii-chan my stand-in. That way I could release the novel while still keeping it a secret from you.”
“…Now that you mention it, it wasn’t like you were deceiving me, but I didn’t catch on to it in the slightest. Especially after you said that you were possessed…”
Back then, I still thought that Suzuka hated me to the bone, so maybe I just blindly believed her because of that.
“At the same time, I managed to close the distance between the two of us, and I even was able to be as lovey-dovey with you as I wanted. I cleared two very difficult conditions and achieved the best possible result!”
…Oddly enough, Suzuka was full of confidence as she bragged about her past achievement. Seriously, she’s been blessed with everything, hasn’t she? She must be loved by the heavens…
“…But I guess that’s true. Now we have to think of a way to achieve a similar result with our current situation,” I said, having ironically come up with nothing at all.
However—
“…Onii-chan,” Suzuka murmured, sounding slightly different from before.
She had a serious look in her eyes as she gazed up at the ceiling, still lost in thought.
“I just came up with something… Ah, well, strictly speaking, it was always in the back of my mind, but it came to mind just now. Please wait a second. I’ll organize my thoughts.” Suzuka went quiet for a while.
Finally, she looked me in the eyes and nodded in satisfaction.
“Onii-chan, I have an idea. Though I guess it isn’t too different from the aforementioned secretly-going-out idea…”
“What is it?”
“As you said, the problem is that siblings can’t go out as lovers, and from the outside we are but a normal pair of siblings.”
“However,” Suzuka continued, “Under certain conditions, the two of us can become lovers. I’ll call it Towano Chikai Time.”
“Towano Chikai Time…?” Not able to understand what she was saying, I just returned the question.
“Yes. Towano Chikai is a little-sister-loving author who thinks that being lovey-dovey with his little sister is totally normal. Additionally, Towano Chikai is really both of us. Hence, only in this time, we can cross the boundaries of brother and sister and act as real lovers. How does that sound?”
“Additionally,” she continued without allowing me to answer, “I’ve been thinking this for a while. Though we can’t get married as siblings, I’ve always wanted to be Onii-chan’s wife. O-Of course, I still want to, but anyway, I created the character Towano Chikai with these feelings in mind. The promise to become Onii-chan’s wife—Towano Chikai, the “Eternal Vow”—To me, it was a representation of an idea that would allow the two of us to be more than just siblings. So what if we just become true lovers during this Towano Chikai Time?” Suzuka finished her thought, she fixed her gaze on me.
When I heard these words that could qualify as another confession, my heart started to beat faster. So Suzuka has put these kinds of feelings into Towano Chikai, huh? While I was moved by this revelation, I heard Suzuka’s words running through my mind once more. In essence, there’s nothing wrong with her idea. By acting as normal siblings on the outside, we can continue like we have before, allowing us to hide our true relationship. This true relationship will only happen whenever this Towano Chikai Time occurs. A time where we go beyond normal brother and sister and become… Lovers.
In order words, we can be as lovey-dovey as we want without having to hide it, just by slapping the name of Towano Chikai on it. The only difference is that our awareness of our feelings will be different.
“…Well, I guess that could work. This disguise, I mean.”
“Yes, I agree. It’ll be a good disguise.”
The two of us nodded at each other.
“Even if nothing changes on the outside, our feelings inside have changed dramatically. And this way you won’t have to worry about hurting my image in any way, right?” Suzuka asked.
“…?! H-How did you know?!”
“Sigh… I can always tell just exactly what you’re thinking, Onii-chan. J-Just how much do you think I’ve been watching you? When you’re making such a serious expression, it’s obvious you’re just worrying about me… Good grief, Onii-chan is too kind for his own good.” Suzuka sighed in disbelief as she puffed her cheeks and pouted.
“…Sorry. I just said not to worry, but I started worrying again myself…”
“D-Don’t apologize. I know that you were just thinking of me, after all. A-And knowing that you treasure me like this… does make me feel happy…” Her face was burning bright red, and she spoke with a bashful tone of voice.
“I-I see…” was all I could say in return.
…Ugh, being told that straight to my face is really embarrassing…!
“A-Anyway, when you think about our current situation, this might be the only possible way. What do you think?” Her face still red, Suzuka asked for my affirmation.
“…Yeah. What we do isn’t going to change, and it’s just adding a name to it… But it does give meaning in the bigger picture. Becoming lovers only during this Towano Chikai Time… does sound like us. And also—”
“Th-This way, we can also ‘collect data’ as much as we want, right?”
Suzuka got the jump on me and said the conclusion… Seriously, what are we even pondering so seriously…? This is so embarrassing…
That being said, I said something even more ridiculous. “…I-It’s actually unrelated to any of that, and I just want to be lovey-dovey because I love you, so don’t get the wrong idea, okay?”
When I did, Suzuka joined in on my nonsense, almost desperately, like she was trying not to lose. “S-Same for me! I want to be lovey-dovey with Onii-chan because I also love you!”
“…Pfft… haha…”
“…Ehe… Ehehehehe…”
Our gazes met, and we started laughing.
“…Well, you know. Either way is fine. Being lovey-dovey, Collecting data on the side… It all sounds perfectly fine to me.”
“That’s right. Both of these things are very much like us.”
With that, we smiled at each other for a short while as we decided how we wanted to act from here on out. Nagami Yuu and Nagami Suzuka are siblings, so we can’t become lovers. But, during this Towano Chikai Time, we two siblings become one person, as well as lovers.
There is one thing we can rely on. Towano Chikai is like a different world to us, shouldering any forbidden burden that we normally aren’t able to handle. That also means that there isn’t any guilt, either. Because that’s exactly what being Towano Chikai means.
“Then… Suzuka, I’ll be looking forward to this.”
“Yes. Same here, Onii-chan.”
From now on, a new relationship for the two of us will start—or maybe not. The only thing that’s changed is the meaning behind it.
“Umm, Onii-chan?”
While I was thinking that, Suzuka gazed up at me, fidgeting ever so slightly.
“I-I was just wondering… Are the two of us siblings right now? Or can I think of this as Towano Chikai Time?”
“Huh? Oh, hmm. I wonder…” When she asked me that, I was a bit unsure about my response. “I-I think that, if the two of us agree to it then it’s Towano Chikai time?”
I responded with the first thing that came to mind, and Suzuka nodded in agreement.
“Th-Then I would like to make this our Towano Chikai Time right now,” Suzuka said.
Taken aback by the sudden request, I was too flustered to say anything more than a stuttering “Y-Yes.”
“Th-Thank you very much. T-To start off right away, since this is our Towano Chikai Time, I would like to be lovey-dovey as lovers!”
“Y-Yes!”
I could only stiffen up as I responded to Suzuka, who rarely spoke that nervously. Both of us were so nervous that we barely knew what to say or do.
“………”
“…Huh? Suzuka?”
Ironically, right after her bold declaration, Suzuka went quiet and froze up.
“W-What happened?”
When I saw that she wasn’t moving at all, I waved my hand in front of her face, trying to elicit any sort of reaction from her. A few seconds passed before she finally let out a breath of realization.
“W-Well, I was thinking about doing something lovey-dovey as lovers, but I wasn’t sure what to even do in the first place, so my head just went blank,” She said. Her face turned a deep red color.
“It’s weird. This shouldn’t be happening… I’ve fantasized about flirting as a couple countless times up until now… And during our data collecting, we’ve done so much… Just what should I do?!”
“Even if you ask me that, I have no idea either!”
Suzuka suddenly moved towards me, forcing me to take a step back.
“C-Calm down for now, okay? There’s no need to rush things. Just think about what you want to do.”
“T-That’s right. Calm down, calm down…” Muttered Suzuka. She took some deep breaths. “U-Um… I still can’t come up with anything…”
“I-It’s fine. If you calm down, it’ll come eventually.”
“…Ah, I thought of something… Um, then, Onii-chan, could you sit down for a second?”
I followed Suzuka’s instructions, and she sat down next to me.
“…So what are we going to do now?”
“W-Well, I didn’t come up with anything more than this… What about you? W-We’re lovers now, so is there anything lovey-dovey you want to do?”
“M-Me? That’s a bit sudden…”
It’s true that I want to be lovey-dovey with Suzuka, but when she asked me this, my head just went blank.
“…J-Just having you next to me like this is already enough for me, to be honest…”
“I-I feel the same. This is already more than enough for me… Hauuu… B-being lovers sure is amazing…” Suzuka’s face burned bright red like a ripe apple.
I felt the same, and I couldn’t raise my head. We’ve been through something similar countless times before, but now that we’re lovers, it all just feels so absurd and surreal to me. From the looks of it, it was the same for Suzuka. During our data collecting, she would always come up with the most ridiculous things, but now she just sat next to me, the tension visible on her face.
“T-This isn’t good enough… We have to be more lovey-dovey now while we can…!” So she said, but she didn’t move an inch.
Even after this, we went back and forth with ‘Y-You go first, Onii-chan’ and ‘N-No, you can just do whatever you want…’. The final result was that we just sat next to each other the entire time.
With that, the night where we ended up in a mutual relationship came to an end. I was plenty happy already just from telling her my feelings. At the same time, I realized that it would take quite some time for us to get used to this new sort of relationship.
*
“W-We sure have nice weather today.”
“Y-Yeah, there’s no cloud to be seen.”
Two lifeless voices spoke on the morning way to school. Suzuka and I headed to our high school just as we had done before, walking next to each other.
“I’m glad that we have good weather at the end of term ceremony.”
“Y-Yeah. It gives us a comfortable start to winter break.”
The two of us were as nervous as could be, exchanging words with no content whatsoever. We both glanced at each other constantly, but the instant our eyes met, we’d bashfully avert our eyes, only to let the same thing happen again after a short time.
A normal person would comment that we were acting like a new couple, but that’s exactly the point here. It’s like we can’t properly judge our distance just yet. And, the reason things ended up like this is because “Towano Chikai Time” is currently active.
In other words, the two of us are lovers. Normally, we should be using our Siblings Mode (if that’s the right thing to call it) on the way to school, but Suzuka just kept pressuring for Towano Chikai Time until we ran into other students from our school.
…As you might have imagined, I had no real reason to decline. If possible, I wanted to be lovey-dovey if only for a minute longer, so I was thankful more than anything else, but—
““……………””
The situation, however, was much different. We weren’t used to it at all. Though we both were happy!
“W-We can’t go on like this. We’re lovers right now, but we haven’t been flirting at all,” Suzuka said. She formed one hand into a fist.
“I mean, you’re not wrong about that. But I’m plenty happy about this already.”
“S-Same for me. But don’t you want to be even more happy as we flirt with each other?”
She couldn’t be more correct than that. I was more than satisfied already, but if I could become lovey-dovey with my cute sister Suzuka as my lover, I might die from happiness. My heartbeat started to race just from thinking about it, but when it came to the thinking part, I blanked out again. I was fully satisfied with the current situation and loving Suzuka this much, but it seems like these sorts of things can actually become a bother in the long run.
“Uuu… This is just getting worse. Of course, since we both love each other, my level of happiness is always off the charts, but…”
“Well, if we’re putting a level on how we’re lovers, this clearly is level one…”
Maybe we had gone overboard with our previous flirting during the data collecting, but nothing felt any different no matter what I thought of.
“…Is there something you want to do, Onii-chan?”
“H-Hey, don’t push it onto me just because you can’t think of anything…”
“I-Isn’t it fine? In times like these, the man has to take the lead.”
…Ugh, so now you’re bringing that up…
“…I-I kinda want to hold hands, I guess?”
“Hmph, something that simple? Isn’t that the same thing we do every day?”
“D-Don’t complain after you couldn’t think of anything, either. Come on, just give me your hand,” I said, forcefully taking her hand.
…Ah, this is bad. Her hand is so warm and soft that I feel like I’ll pass out from happiness.
“Ha… Hawa…!”
“What? You were complaining, but you’re plenty satisfied by this, aren’t you?”
“I-I can’t help it! Onii-chan’s hand is so warm and reliable! But, still, holding hands isn’t nearly enough.”
I agree with that. Now that we’re lovers, I want to be even closer with her, and it would feel like we’re losing something to be satisfied with just this.
“…T-Then… should we… do a lovers’ handhold?”
“Wh-What is that and why does it sound so wonderful?”
“I-It’s not just holding hands normally, but also interlocking our fingers…”
“That sounds like the perfect thing for lovers like us to do! Let’s do it!”
Since Suzuka consented, I changed my grip.
“…T-This is pretty bad, isn’t it? It’s like… we’re actually lovers!”
“Y-Yes…! Ehehe, we’re finally lovers…!”
I voiced my admiration, and Suzuka let out a blissful-sounding laugh. Thinking about it rationally, we were talking absolute nonsense, but it was impossible for the two of us to realize it, thanks to how giddy we were.
“O-Onii-chan, this is… I think we might actually be flirting like a couple!”
“W-Wait a second, Suzuka. We’re not done yet.”
“T-There’s more?! You’re saying that we can be even more lovey-dovey?!”
“Yeah… This is something you can only pull off during the cold winter season like this. Basically, we’ll keep holding hands, and we’ll put them in my coat pocket!”
“S-Something as bold as that?!”
I didn’t even wait for Suzuka’s response. I just stuffed both our hands into my coat pocket. When I did so, the warmth went up even more, and Suzuka and I met each others’ eyes, our faces blushing even more.
“O-Onii-chan…! This is a wonderful way to be lovey-dovey! We’re real lovers right now!”
“Yeah, this is even better than I imagined! It’s like a whole new world has opened up for me!”
Seriously, what even were we talking about? I’m pretty sure we have no idea what we’re saying. There’s no doubt we’ll writhe in agony looking back on it.
We started getting close to the school, and more and more students gradually came into view. But because we were so desperately acting lovey-dovey, we almost didn’t notice at all.
“…Well, this has to be all for our Towano Chikai Time,” I said with a heavy heart and let go of Suzuka’s hand.
“Hmm… It’s a shame, but we can’t help it. We’ve decided to do it this way,” Suzuka still sounded a bit dissatisfied, but consented to it. “Then let’s put Towano Chikai Time on hiatus for now.”
“Yeah. Now we’re perfectly normal siblings.”
“Close siblings, Onii-chan,” Suzuka corrected me.
Suzuka’s mood changed already, and she went back to being a little sister. At first, I was a bit worried about it, but it looks like she’s going to keep her word.
“By the way, Onii-chan, how did you do on the end-of-term exams?”
“Average, I guess. I didn’t go up much, but I didn’t drop either. What about you?”
“Full score on everything.”
“You say it like it was nothing… I guess there was no need to even ask.”
Suzuka’s atmosphere changed, and so did the contents of our conversation. We were back to our ordinary daily life. That being said, not everything stayed exactly the same. Both Suzuka and I felt incredibly relaxed. Now that we don’t have to hide our feelings anymore, we can relax more in our daily lives.
Soon after, Nikaido-san and Shiina-san appeared.
“Good morning, Suzuka. And Senpai as well.”
“Morning, Suzu-chan and Onii-san.”
“Good morning, Kaede, Kotomi.”
“Morning, you two.”
The two of us greeted the newcomers and headed to school in a big group like we always would. Then again, most of the time Suzuka would be talking with the other two while I listened silently from the sidelines. Thinking that it would end up like this, I started to fall back.
“…Huh?”
Before I could do so, Nikaido-san let out a confused mutter, and she looked between Suzuka and I.
“What’s wrong, Kaede?”
“Ah, well, I just felt like the two of you were acting a bit different from usual…”
When Nikaido-san said that, both Suzuka and I nearly froze in place. Had she found out that the two of us confessed to each other? No no no no no, that’s taking things a bit too far, right?
“I-I don’t think that’s true. Isn’t it just your imagination?” I tried to convince her as calmly as possible, but…
“No, as a swordsman, I pick up on these sorts of things faster. It’s like the presence you give off and such.”
“What kind of explanation is that?!”
She’s acting like I’m supposed to believe that?! And what does being a swordsman have to do with that?!
“Good grief, you say the funniest things at times, Kaede. Don’t you think so as well, Kotomi?”
Suzuka seemed like she was getting a bit nervous, and she tried to brush it off.
“Hmm… I did feel something similar, yes. That the atmosphere between you and Onii-san is a bit different.”
““Ehhhhhh?!””
But contrary to our expectations, Shiina-san agreed with Nikado-san, leaving Suzuka and me bewildered. But why?!
“What, Kotomi, you think so, too?”
“Yup. The two of them are different today, right?”
While Suzuka and I tried to hide our mounting agitation, the two of them nodded to each other in agreement. And, as if they had timed it, they turned towards us in unison.
““Did something happen?””
With their voices overlapping each other perfectly, they asked us point-blank.
“N-Nothing happened at all! A-Also, I still don’t get how you can talk about presence and atmosphere and things like that…?!” Naturally, I started panicking.
I was completely at a loss as to how they could even tell.
“T-That’s right, the two of us are the same as always,” Suzuka chimed in to agree with me, but the two seemed less than convinced.
“No, the atmosphere around the two of you is much softer than before. Like you’re relaxing right now… Up until just recently, it was always really awkward between the two of you, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s like the root cause of something vanished. Something must have happened, right?”
The two of them continued to press their attack, forcing both Suzuka and I to grow quiet… S-Seriously, don’t these too have a bit too much insight? Or were we just that easy to see through? Either way, the two of them seemed to be certain that something had happened, and they weren’t allowing us to try to brush it off. That being said, blurting out ‘We actually found out that we both love each other!’ wasn’t an option.
“…The thing is…”
However, just as I was thinking that, Suzuka already started speaking. I tried to give Suzuka a panicked ‘What are you going to say?!’ kind of look, but she just returned it with a calm look in her eyes, like she was saying that I should leave it to her.
“The thing is… we actually made up yesterday.”
Nikaido-san and Shiina-san said ““Made up?”” simultaneously.
“Yes. Up until yesterday, we had been in a fight of sorts, but we finally made up. Right, Onii-chan?”
“…Yeah, you’re right,” I nodded in agreement when Suzuka put the ball in my court.
What we were saying wasn’t a total lie, either. Yesterday, a misunderstanding that had gone on between us for the past few years had finally been cleared up. As a result, we had made up, though it was just a tiny bit more than that.
“A fight? You two were having a fight? …Did Senpai pull some of his weird nonsense again, Suzuka?”
When she heard what Suzuka said, Nikado-san threw me her usual harsh glare, readying the bamboo sword she had on her back.
“W-Wait! Why did you assume I’m the bad guy five seconds in?!”
“If it’s Suzuka and Senpai we’re talking about, then there can only be one bad guy! There’s no way that Suzuka would create a problem in any realistic scenario!”
…Ugh! It’s true that she’s not exactly wrong, but isn’t she putting Suzuka on a bit too high of a pedestal?!
“Calm down, Kaede. I’m glad that you’re worried about me, but we’ve made up already, so I’m perfectly fine.”
Thankfully, Suzuka jumped in to save me.
“Hmm…well, if Suzuka says so…But are you really fine?”
“Yes. I couldn’t be happier right now.” Suzuka commented with slightly flushed cheeks, flashing a truly blissful smile.
Her smile was so pure and cute that even a female like Nikado-san couldn’t help but blush a bit. And without wasting much time, Suzuka turned towards me. “Isn’t that right, Onii-chan?” she asked. I nodded along with a smile of my own. I was just as happy as Suzuka.
“I-Is that so…? That’s good to hear, then. A-Anyway, Senpai, I won’t forgive you if you cause Suzuka any sort of misfortune, you hear me?!”
“I know that. I wouldn’t dare. I promise.”
“…Hmm? S-Senpai, you seem a bit more gallant than usual—Ah, eh, it’s nothing! A-Anyway, I’ll let you off easy for today!” said Nikado-san. Her cheeks were flushed for some reason.
“Kotomi? Is something wrong?”
Meanwhile, Suzuka had turned towards Shiina-san, who was looking at us curiously almost as if she thought something was off.
“…I see. So that’s how it is.”
Finally, her gaze softened a bit and she flashed a truly pleased smile.
“Good for you, Suzu-chan. I’m glad you managed to make up with Onii-san.”
“Th-Thank you very much…?” Suzuka didn’t know how to react to that, and she just blinked a few times while thanking Shiina-san.
Shiina-san continued with a rather off-putting “However…” and she whispered in a voice quiet enough that Nikaido-san couldn’t pick up on it.
“People might get the wrong idea if you act all happy like that, so be careful, okay?”
“K-Kotomi?!”
Suzuka turned beet red at that. Naturally, so did I.
“W-What are you…?!” Suzuka flapped her arms up and down, but Shiina-san just gave a small devious laugh in return.
…D-Did she see through us? Or was there no deeper meaning to it? I can never tell what this girl is thinking…
“Now, once we arrive at our classroom, we’ll have some proper girl talk, okay?”
“Eh? Eh?”
“Onii-san, it pains me to say it, but we have to split up here. And I’ll be borrowing Suzuka for a bit.”
Before I even caught up with the conversation, we had arrived at the front of the school. All I could do was wave goodbye while the confused Suzuka was pulled away by the still-smiling Shiina-san. The equally confused Nikaido-san followed right after them.
“…I don’t really get it, but good luck, Suzuka.”
Since this was where we always split up, I went to make my way towards my own classroom.
“O-Onii-chan wait a moment.”
Before I could do so, Suzuka came running towards me.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“I forgot to tell you, but be careful of Himuro-san.”
“Be careful of Mai? What do you mean?”
“About our relationship. Onii-chan is easy to see through, and Himuro-san can be quite sharp at times, so you have to make sure she doesn’t find out under any circumstances.”
“Ah, that? It’s fine. I don’t normally talk to her much anyway, and it’s not like that’s a normal topic to come up.”
“…Onii-chan, you might not be aware of it, but you’re awfully easy to read…” Suzuka shook her head at me.
…I don’t expect to be so simple of a man that anyone can see right through me. If I don’t reassure Suzuka now, I’ll lose my dignity.
“It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll do my best to not let Mai find out. Trust me.”
“…I really want to,” Suzuka said, with an expression that openly showed that she didn’t have an ounce of trust in me.
Good grief, she worries about the weirdest things. There’s no need for Mai to doubt me in any way, so how would she of all people be able to tell? It’d be very nice if Suzuka would stop looking down on me.
As confident as could be in the fact that nothing would happen, I walked down the hallway—
“Ah, good morning, Yuu! …Oh, did something happen?”
“How?!”
The second I set foot inside our classroom, Mai gave me an energetic greeting and a dubious gaze.
“W-What do you mean? Nothing happened!”
It took me so completely by surprise that all my confidence and boastfulness from moments ago vanished entirely. That being said, I tried my hardest to still cover it up.
“What are you talking about?” Mai continued. “It’s totally obvious that something went on. You seem to be in a good mood, and the atmosphere around you is completely different.” Mai said something similar to what Suzuka’s friends had said before, which left me unable to hide my confusion.
How could she tell?! Am I really that easy to understand?!
“W-What are you on about? Are you sure it’s not just your imagination?”
“As if. I’ve been watching you all this time, so I’d immediately notice any change.”
“…Ugh, to think that your stalking would come back to haunt me at a time like this…!”
“D-Don’t call me a stalker! And also, I wasn’t watching you just for research, but also because I’m interested in you…” said Mai. She averted her flustered expression from me.
Could you maybe stop surprising me with sudden declarations of affection like that?
“A-Anyway! Something happened, right? Your atmosphere is totally different from yesterday.”
“W-What are you on about? That argument doesn’t even make sense.”
“It’s like… you seem a bit more calm and relaxed today, and you have more kind and considerate vibes to you… I mean, you’re always kind, but it’s like you’re happier than usual, and that shows in this warm atmosphere around you. Something good must have happened, right?”
…H-How sharp can you be…! She’s the personification of clumsiness 99% of the time, and just when I want her to be, she’s betraying me with these dead-accurate guesses.
“I-Is that so? Maybe I just feel better since exams are over.”
“You had perfectly average scores this time as usual, right? You should still be ranked exactly the same.”
“I don’t remember telling you about any of that!”
…Even I don’t know my exact rank! Let me have some privacy!
“…So what happened? Ahh, right, you said you were having a fight with Suzuka.”
When she said that, I froze up.
…H-Hold on, she’s not… catching on, is she? I have to get out of this immediately!
“W-Well… That’s actually it. The two of us managed to make up. That’s probably why it looks like I’m a bit happier.”
I just have to tell her that the two of us made up. That should be enough to deceive her. In reality, it wasn’t a lie, either, and it had been enough to satisfy Nikaido-san as well.
“Ah, really? So you managed to make up with her, huh? Good for you.”
Luckily, Mai seemed to be the same, and she believed me. Thank God, I thought.
“But I feel like that’s not all. Isn’t it something much bigger than that?”
“Ehhh?!”
After seeing my reaction, Mai fixed me with a long stare. But seriously, how?! What kind of forced plot progression is this?!
“…! D-Don’t tell me…!” Mai’s eyes opened wide and she brought her face closer to mine. “…Did something happen… with Suzuka-san?”
When I was presented with this question, I reflexively averted my eyes.
“I-I thought so…!”
As if she had been hit by lighting, Mai froze in place, then she took a step backwards. Realizing that I had fallen right into her trap, I steeled myself for the harsh questioning that was sure to follow, but—
“…Huh? What are you doing…?”
Instead of that, however, Mai took out her smartphone.
“Isn’t that obvious?! I have to contact the members in the Towano Chikai line chat!”
“C-Contact? And members…?”
Mai didn’t even bother to respond to my confused question. Instead, she kept tapping on her phone. Finally, she gave a short “…Alright,” almost like a sigh, and looked back at me again.
“You’ll be joining me once classes end today.”
“Wh-Why? Why would I have to—?”
“The only thing we have today is the final ceremony, so school will be over soon, anyway.”
“That’s not what I asked!”
“It’s fine. I contacted everyone, so they’ll come over, too. Naturally, Suzuka-san will be here as well.”
“Like I said! Can I get some details already?!” I wasn’t quite willing to just go along with this sudden development.
Mai just returned a sharp glare in response to my response, letting out an arrogant snort like I was supposed to know the answer.
“Data collecting, of course. One last time.”
*
“…Onii-chan, what exactly is going on here?”
“…I have no idea.”
The dreaded after-school meeting arrived. Since there was only the final ceremony in the morning, we should have been on our way home by now, enjoying the first day of our winter break. However, for a reason I was having trouble explaining, we ended up in Futaba Park, which was nearby.
“So why is everyone gathered here?”
Suzuka gestured towards the usual crowd who always seemed to ruin my day. Namely Mai, Double Peace-sensei, Minazuki-san, Akino-san, and the younger Kanzaka sister. The five of them had been completely ignoring Suzuka and I for a while now, and were just quietly whispering to each other.
“Can I get some details on how things ended up like this?”
Again, I don’t have the foggiest idea either. All I could do was tell her about the exchange I had with Mai at school.
“………I see. So that’s what happened.”
“What do you mean?”
To my surprise, Suzuka seemed like she completely understood. I wanted to ask her for clarification, but…
“We’ve made you wait, huh?”
Right then, Mai and the others finished their hushed conversation and made their way towards us.
“What’s going on? Why did you call everyone here?” I protested, but Mai gave no response. The others just closely observed Suzuka and I in silence.
“…I see. So that’s what happened, desu.”
“Hm… it looks like it.”
“Indeed.”
“…Uhhh, what?”
Double Peace-sensei, Minazuki-san, Akino-san, and even the younger Kanzaka sister started blurting out nonsense.
“…Mai, can I have an explanation?”
I felt like I was at a massive informational disadvantage, so I tried to ask Mai about it directly.
“Again, this is data collecting. From now on, you’ll be helping us.”
“And I’m asking what kind of data collecting we’re talking about…”
“Naturally, this data collecting will be confirming some crucial information for the rest of us, desu,” answered Double Peace-sensei.
“Yes. Crucial information from Sensei, that is.”
“Please join us.”
“I-I don’t really care about any of this!”
After Double Peace-sensei spoke, Minazuki-san, Akino-san, and the younger Kanzaka sister all chimed in.
“Naturally, you have no right to decline.”
“Oh really, now!” I protested loudly, and Mai thrust her well-endowed chest out in arrogance.
First you take me here for some mysterious “data-collecting,” and now I don’t even have the right to go home? Not to mention that everyone seems a little too eager about this…
“…Suzuka, you tell them too, please.”
I quickly sought help from my only ally. For some reason, I barely have any say in situations like this, despite the fact that I’m Towano Chikai to them. However, Suzuka is different. If she just speaks a little bit strongly, the others would normally step down… or so I thought.
“…No, Onii-chan. In this case, you should probably help them.”
To my surprise, Suzuka gave the exact opposite response than I had been hoping for. Normally, she would have protested even more vehemently than I did.
“W-Why? Weren’t you always against this sort of thing?”
“Normally, that is…If my assumptions are correct, this is something very crucial for them, and not something we can avoid in the long run,” Suzuka gave me a rather confusing response.
But just when I went to ask her for details—
“…Suzuka-san, is that really fine?”
Mai appeared next to Suzuka. Her tone of voice was slightly hesitant.
“Yes. I trust Onii-chan, after all.”
Suzuka’s answer couldn’t have been simpler, so Mai accepted it and the conversation ended.
“…Huh? Wait, so what’s happening now?”
“Data collecting, Yuu. We’ve already decided on the order, so we’ll be going one-on-one with you.”
“…Eh?!”
I still didn’t have the foggiest idea what was going on, but I was forced to join them in their mysterious data collecting… And why did Suzuka just agree to it all?
“Well, it’s always been like this, but for some reason, nobody is telling me anything today…”
“Ahaha. Well, it couldn’t be helped, desu. It was an emergency situation.”
In response to my sigh, Double Peace-sensei showed her usual gentle smile as she walked next to me. Apparently, she was going to start the data collecting, so we walked around the park a bit. In the center of Futaba Park, there was a big, wide pond they had created as a sort of nature preserve, and the time it took to walk around it once was going to be all the time each girl was allocated for data collecting… apparently?
“So what kind of data collecting are we doing this time? What do I have to do?”
Now that it’s started, the only thing I could do was to play along and hope for it to end as quickly as possible. Not to mention that, since Suzuka had given her okay, I had no reason to decline either.
“What situation is this even? Do I have to act out some sort of character?”
“Ah, there’s no need for that, desu. Just be yourself and respond naturally to what I say.”
“…Okay? Well, it saves me a lot of trouble by not having to act out some character, but what kind of data collecting is this? Will it be enough?” I tilted my head in confusion.
“Of course, desu. I’ll go ahead and start,” She said with her usual brimming smile. “I like you, Sensei.”
“Well, thanks for tha—Eh?”
When I realized exactly what Double Peace-sensei had just said, I whipped my head around and stared at her. I was greeted by the same expression she always had, and she spoke up again.
“Oh? Did you not hear my confession, desu? I said that I like you, Sensei.”
“…Eh? Well, I did hear you, but…”
“Ah, glad to hear that. Then I’d like to hear your response right away, desu!”
“No no no no?!” My brain was working overtime to even grasp what had just happened. “W-What are you talking about?! A-A confession?! S-Stop with the bad jokes!”
“How cruel of you, Sensei. Calling a girl’s confession a joke is just no good, desu.”
“Ah, I-I’m sorry… Wait, no! I can’t help it, can I!? Don’t just blurt that out like you’re talking about the weather!”
“I was actually pretty nervous, though~”
Or so she says, but the smile on her face was the same as always.
“…Um, were you serious about that? That you… You know…”
“Yes, I really do like you, desu. As a normal girl. I like you, Sensei.” She said it yet again without hesitation.
Double Peace-sensei was usually the type of person who would joke around frequently. Just this once, though, her confession didn’t sound like a jest no matter how I construed it.
“…Um, if it’s because I’m Towano Chikai, then I think that this isn’t the best…” I answered, still slightly bewildered.
I am not Towano Chikai themselves. I’m just the stand-in. I can’t have someone fall in love with me because of that. I don’t even have the right to accept the confession.
“Well, that might have been the reason at first, desu. I was just in love with the novel itself. But, you shouldn’t take this too lightly. If a girl says she likes you, then those feelings are towards the person themselves, and not what circumstances they have.”
“Towards the person themselves…?”
“Basically, I like you because you’re Sensei, not because you’re Towano Chikai, desu. You might not have realized it, but you’re a great person, Sensei,” Double Peace-sensei said with a grin.
When I was told this straight to my face, I could feel my cheeks turning red.
“I-I had no idea you felt that way, Double Peace-sensei…”
“Ah, is Sensei flustered? Flustered after being praised by me?”
“Don’t tease me about it! Of course I’m flustered!”
“Ahaha, I’m sorry. It might not look like it, but I’m just as embarrassed, so I’m just trying to hide it by teasing you, desu.”
I wanted to snap back at her, but when I saw that her cheeks were actually slightly flushed, I felt embarrassed, and I was unable to say anything.
“Well, even though I say I like you, my feelings are probably a bit different from Mai’s. If I had to describe it, you’re more like a younger brother to me, desu.”
“S-So you felt that way…”
“Yes. But I wouldn’t mind some Onee x Shota action, desu!”
“I think you’re treading on some dangerous ground there!”
After I said that, Double Peace-sensei burst out laughing, and our ordinary atmosphere slowly returned. But the fact that she had confessed to me didn’t change.
“…So can I hear your response, Sensei?”
Of course, I had to give a response.
“………I’m sorry, but I already have someone I like.”
“Yes, I know.”
Double Peace-sensei’s words were a surprise to me.
“Y-You know?”
“You end up figuring out a lot about the person you like. I knew that you were going to say that, Sensei. But I just wanted to tell you about my feelings, desu.” Her radiating smile didn’t vanish the entire time.
There was a faint glimmer of sadness hidden behind that smile, or was it just my imagination?
“…I’m sorry.”
“There is no need to apologize, Sensei. Those are my feelings. Still, you’ve once again shown how kind you are,” she praised me again. “Do your best in the future as well, Sensei,” she added in a quiet voice.
“Thank you very much.”
“Now then, since my turn is over, I feel a bit relieved. Like some protagonist who just went through an eroge scene, and got it all out inside of—”
“I don’t need examples like that! Can you please not ruin the mood?!”
My response induced another laugh from Double Peace-sensei. The awkward atmosphere from before had vanished completely, and we were back to normal.
“I’d like to give you a short warning before the next person’s turn, desu. I’ll keep what everyone is about to ask you a secret, Sensei, but you please go along with what they say? Ah, well I guess that’s more like a wish than a warning, I guess.”
“Double Peace-sensei, isn’t that a pretty big spoiler…?”
“Ahaha, for people as dense as you, this much should be fine~” Those were her last words before she walked away.
As I watched her walk off into the distance, an odd sense of warmth filled me. It was like I had been pulled out of a dark, isolated space.
“Sigh… Now that the main event is here, Sakura can’t help but feel a bit nervous.”
The person who switched with Double Peace-sensei was Minazuki-san, who was breathing deeply as she walked next to me.
“Ahahahaha, Sensei probably can guess what Sakura is about to do, right?”
“W-Well…”
“T-That makes sense… Double Peace-san went ahead and did it already… Ahh, Sakura really wanted to be the first to go… But Double Peace-san’s luck was unbeatable.” Minazuki-san sighed in defeat before continuing. “Walking with Sensei like this reminds Sakura of the time we visited the amusement park.”
—Amusement park. She was probably talking about Itsukaen Wonderland, which we visited last year.
“The confession back then… Sakura said that it was just a joke, but she was actually serious. Did you notice, Sensei?”
“N-No, I had no idea… Until now, that is.”
Thinking back to it, the atmosphere that Minazuki-san had back then really was a bit unusual. That being said, since I was only thinking of myself as a stand-in, I was certain that her feelings wouldn’t go beyond that, either… And this time, I was sure it was the same.
“Um… Minazuki-san… If you see me in that way because I’m Towano Chikai, then you have to know that you have the wrong idea,” I told her the same thing I had brought up with Double Peace-sensei earlier.
I can’t reveal the fact that I’m just Towano Chikai’s stand-in, but letting her have the wrong idea wasn’t the best option, either.
“Fufu. Sensei, you really are diligent in the weirdest places.”
But Minazuki-san just laughed off my attempt at persuading her.
“O-Of course. This is something rather important, after all.”
“Then are you this serious because you’re Towano Chikai? That’s not it, right?” Minazuki-san continued. “That’s your own personality, and completely unrelated to Towano Chikai. That’s the reason why Sakura fell in love with you. Sensei is her ideal Onii-chan. He’s a person who always treasures her.”
Minazuki-san said this with a smile, but she made a shocked expression and put her hand over her mouth.
“Ah, Sakura confessed already without thinking! Um, please ignore that just now! One more try, please!”
I was a bit overwhelmed by Minazuki-san’s statements, so I could only nod along in silence.
“…Ahhh, Sakura wanted to create the proper atmosphere for a confession! She practiced so many times for it! And now she just blurted it outright…”
“I-Is it fine to just reveal something like that…?”
“Just how much effort do you think Sakura has put into this one moment?! She practiced confessing countless times, trying to make her voice sound as cute as possible, and she checked it over and over! See, she even has the recordings on her phone!”
“I-I get it already! But I still think you’re not supposed to reveal that?!” I replied. “…You see, you’re perfectly fine the way you are, Minazuki-san. Even though you’re rarely serious about things…” I didn’t know if that was a good follow-up, but at least I tried.
“Really, Sensei is just too kind for your own good…” She said, and after being quiet for a second, she raised her head again. “…Sensei, will you listen to my confession?”
“…Yes.”
“Sakura likes you, Sensei,” Minazuki-san said. Her cheeks turned red ever so slightly. “Ahaha, Sakura really hasn’t practiced enough for this…”
“…I’m sorry, but I already have someone I like.”
That being said, no matter how clearly I understood her feelings, my answer was already written in stone. I was filled with guilt from rejecting her like this, so I lowered my head in apology.
“Really, don’t apologize like that, Sensei. Sakura knew about it the whole time,” Minazuki-san’s expression was slightly sad, but she kept her smile. “Ahhh, this is the end of Sakura’s first love. It seems like she never stood a chance…”
“…I’m sorry. I really am.”
“Again, there’s nothing for you to apologize for. This is the reason Sakura fell for you in the first place. In fact, if you had accepted Sakura’s confession, she would have gotten angry at you instead.”
“Eh? W-Why is that?”
“Sakura fell in love with Sensei because you always treasured your little sister. And if you had betrayed her now, Sakura would have scolded you!”
“Ehhhh?! B-But the person I like is someone else, so…!”
“There’s no need to try and hide it. Everyone knows already.”
…H-How?! I never told anybody, and it literally happened last night, so how—?!
“…Now then, since Sakura’s confession is over, that’ll be all for her turn. Still, since it’s all over now, it feels a bit lonely…” Minazuki-san cast her face downward, only to raise it again like she had thought of something. “Um… as a reward… No, as an apology for being rejected, can Sakura ask for something?”
“An apology? Well, if it’s something I can do…”
“It’s something only you can do, Sensei. Could you maybe cheer up Sakura like she’s your little sister? That would really help.”
It was an odd request, but it was very much one that Minazuki-san would make. And considering the circumstances, I agreed immediately.
“…Yeah. Sorry, Sakura, for ignoring your feelings like this. And thank you. Knowing how you felt made me really happy…” I said. I gently patted her on the head.
“…! Yeah! Thank you, Onii-chan!”
Sakura twitched for a moment, but when she finally raised her head again, I was greeted by her usual cheerful smile.
“…Walking around with Sensei like this is a first for me. It almost feels like a date.”
“D-Date? O-Onee-chan! Don’t talk nonsense like that!”
I had parted ways from Minazuki-san, and in her place were Akino-san and the younger Kanzaka sister. For some reason, it ended up with the three of us walking around as a group.
“Now, then. Let’s not beat around the bush. Sensei must already understand what’s going to happen, right?” Akino-san spoke brashly like it didn’t have anything to do with her. “First things first! I won’t be confessing to Sensei. Of course, as your beloved pupil, I’ll fulfill whatever desires you have concerning my mind and body.”
“Y-You! I won’t forgive you if you force Onee-chan down the wrong path…!”
“Again, why are you immediately getting angry at me even though Akino-san was the one who brought it up?!” I protested as the red-faced younger Kanzaka sister shot me a harsh glare.
However, Akino-san didn’t pay her sister any heed. She continued, “All I want to do is ask a simple question. Sensei, do you have someone you like?” Akino-san asked. She gazed directly at me.
Her expression was as blank as usual, and I couldn’t read into it at all.
“…Yes, I do.”
That being said, I had to answer honestly.
“And that person is Suzuka-san, isn’t it?” She said it casually, like she was talking about the weather.
“…!”
For a moment, I tried thinking about how to cover it up, but when I realized that Akino-san had already reached that conclusion, I decided against it. Naturally, she took my silence as affirmation.
“I thought so,” After gazing at me for a moment, Akino-san nodded to herself.
But then the younger Kanzaka sister barged into the conversation, and she spoke in thinly-veiled rage.
“Y-You…! Seriously falling in love with your little sister?! What are you thinking?! I knew you were an idiot, but not that much!” She said. She continued spewing vitriol in anger and disbelief.
She looked awfully desperate, almost as if she really was angry at me this time.
“…Yeah, I can’t deny that.”
Though it did pain me to say so, I also found myself getting happy for some reason, and I started to smile without really meaning to.
“W-Why are you making fun of me?!”
The younger Kanzaka sister looked like she was close to breaking out in tears, and she continued to insult me even more.
“Haruna. Leave it at that, okay?”
Akino-san calmly put one hand on her little sister’s shoulder.
“Sensei, apologies. I just want you to understand. Haruna is saying all of this because she’s worried about you.”
“O-Onee-chan?! I-I’m not really…!”
“You still want to cover it up now?” Akino-san asked. She gently placed her hand on the younger Kanzaka sister’s head.
For a moment, the younger Kanzaka sister had trouble getting her breathing under control after chewing me out. Eventually, though, she calmed down a bit, and she directed her (still sharp) gaze at me.
“…S-Sorry for getting all emotional like that…”
“No, it’s fine. You were completely in the right to blame me like that. And I figured that you were probably just worried at me and were getting angry for my own sake.”
I felt these words from the bottom of my heart. Her reprimanding me like this shows how much she deeply cares about me.
“Y-You…”
For a moment, the younger Kanzaka sister gave me a rather frustrated expression, but that disappeared immediately and she continued talking in a calmer tone.
“…Really, you are the worst. You make the most illogical, unreasonable choices there are… Like a moron.”
“But,” she continued, “I still decided to support you. You’re trying to pull something absolutely stupid here, but I have to respect you for your iron will… A-And to be honest… I kinda felt like we were getting along a bit…” She averted her gaze from me and her face turned bright red.
“…I see. So you felt the same way. The thing is, I was thinking that we see eye to eye more than anyone else… Honestly, it felt like we could be good friends.”
“Wha?!”
To be precise, I felt like it was a bit easier to talk to the younger Kanzaka sister than anyone else out of the group. We were something like friends, almost.
“Wha… whawhawha…!”
“I-I mean, that was just what I thought, so…” Since I didn’t want to force my feelings on her, I made it clear that it was one-sided.
“M-Me too…” She stuttered. “I-I also… think of you as a good friend, so it wasn’t just you…!” Yet again, she averted her eyes from me.
“…Haah, you’re as dishonest as ever.”
“O-Onee-chan…!”
After Akino-san watched our exchange, she sighed in disbelief. The younger Kanzaka sister tried to protest, but Akino-san ignored her and turned towards me.
“Well, I’m glad I got to hear Sensei’s honest feelings. That is the teacher I love and admire.”
“No, I’d love it if you stopped treating me like your teacher…”
She completely ignored me, as she always did, and nodded to herself in a satisfied manner. Finally, the two of them left, leaving some words behind.
“Excuse us.”
“A-As my friend, you better work your butt off!”
And with this, the final boss Mai approached.
“I still like you, of course.”
Right when she arrived in front of me, she blurted out this confession. Her attitude was as arrogant as always, but her reddened cheeks and slightly upturned gaze made her look more gentle.
“…Thank you. But I can’t reciprocate your feelings.”
Though I had already given my response before now, I made sure to repeat myself. Even though this has been happening all day long, I still can’t get used to it.
“Yeah, I knew already, so it’s fine. I just wanted to say it one more time.” Mai just calmly accepted my response. She started walking next to me as we walked through the park.
For a short while, a rather awkward silence filled the atmosphere. Mai finally spoke up again.
“Hey, everyone else already confessed to you, right?” She sounded like she didn’t want to ask in the first place.
“…W-Well, not everyone, but…”
“Sigh… Seriously, how did everyone fall in love with someone like you?”
“That’s what I want to know. What about you?”
“M-Me? B-Because you’re Nagagmi Yuu, of course…” Mai said, blushing furiously.
…Again, having her say it so bluntly is seriously bad for my heart…
“…You’re pretty amazing, you know. You’ve got a group of beautiful girls like us falling for you, and you’ve gone so far as to reject all of them.”
“…Yeah, I don’t know why, myself. I doubt such a popular time will ever come for me again.”
“Probably not. Not to mention that you threw away that big chance just like that. You’re such an idiot. A big, big idiot.” Mai sounded disappointed, but a smile was on her face as she said this. “On top of that, you chose Suzuka-san in the end… something like that wouldn’t even happen in a light novel.”
“……I can’t deny that.”
I was unable to hide it this late into the game, so I could only give her a wry grin.
“So?”
“Huh?”
“You’re not regretting it, are you?”
“Of course not.” I gave an immediate response without hesitating.
“Haaa…” Mai let out a sigh. “…Seriously!”
Mai started holding her head and stomping the ground.
“W-What’s wrong?” Naturally, I was perplexed.
“I’m irritated! Do you have any idea of the trouble that’s been haunting me all this time?!”
She’s making it sound like I can read other people’s minds…
“Because I love you! I want us to become lovers and be lovey-dovey as much as we want! But… the very reason I fell in love with you forbids me from doing this sort of thing…!”
“W-What are you on about?”
“Isn’t that obvious? The person I fell in love with is the Nagami Yuu who’s standing in front of me right now. A helpless little sister lover, who wrote a little sister novel even though he has an actual blood-related little sister. Someone who would reject an entire harem of beautiful women to choose his little sister. He’s the stupidest man to ever exist. You’d make the entire world your enemy for the sake of your little sister, and knowing you, you’re probably even thinking about doing that.”
“That kinda hurts, you know…”
“W-Who cares! I like you, so I can say whatever I want!”
“Man, I wish I was that arrogant and inconsiderate.”
“Anyway, the person I fell in love with is like that! But if you’d chosen me instead of Suzuka-san, you would have stopped being the Yuu I like. The Yuu I fell in love with would always prioritize his little sister. Even if I wanted you to choose me, I should have known that it wasn’t possible.”
“Mai…”
Mai crossed her arms and looked away.
“…Good grief, how ironic.”
“U-Um… I-I’m sorry…”
“I-It’s not like you have to apologize. It’s my fault for falling in love with you,” said Mai. “Seriously, what kind of man did I fall for?” she added in a defeated tone.
She stretched, almost as if she was trying to clear the awkward atmosphere.
“Well, I don’t regret anything.” She stuck out her tongue and gave me a spiteful expression. “Let me make sure one last time. You won’t ever regret this decision, right?”
“Yeah, that much I can assure you.”
“Then it’s fine. If you said you regret your decision, I would have tied you to a chair and forced you to write an entire manuscript in three days or less.”
“That punishment sounds awfully realistic…”
“It was a harsh experience, I tell you…”
“You went through that yourself?!” I asked, to which Mai let out a snicker.
“…Heh, you really are the Towano Chikai I respect, and the Nagami Yuu I love,” she whispered in a relieved tone while wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Since it was time for us to return back to everyone else, we started walking again, but—
“Ah, what’s that over there?”
“Huh?”
When Mai said that, I looked towards she pointed, and in that moment—
Kiss.
“Wha?! Y-You…?!”
I felt a soft and warm sensation on my cheek, and I frantically turned around to look at Mai.
“I-I didn’t do it on the mouth, okay? S-So you’d better be grateful!” Her face was burning bright red like a ripe apple. “A-Anyway, let’s hurry back to the others so we don’t keep them waiting!”
“Ah, h-hey!”
Mai ran away from me, only to stop mid-way and turn back towards me again.
“I-I said I wasn’t going to give up, right? That hasn’t changed, even now.” She declared. After that, she ran away for good.
Having been left alone, I just watched in a daze as she grew more distant.
“…For crying out loud.” I made a bitter smile and walked after her.
“Welcome back, Onii-chan.”
When I returned to the entrance of the park, Suzuka greeted me right away. Mai and the others were still there, but they watched our exchange from a safe distance.
“Yeah. Sorry for making you wait.”
“No, it was something important, after all,” Suzuka shook her head as she calmly responded.
I wanted to explain to her what had happened, but—
“…Suzuka?”
Before I could do so, Suzuka put her index finger on my lips, shushing me.
“There’s no need to say anything. I trust you, Onii-chan,” she said with a smile.
…From the looks of it, Suzuka had already seen through everything. All I could do was mutter a short “I see” and put my hand on her head to gently rub it. There was no need to say anything else.
“Oh my. It seems like they really understand each other, desu~”
““Eh?!””
A voice came from behind us, and when we turned around, Double Peace-sensei and everyone else flashed grins in our direction… N-No, it was more than that. It looked more like they were smiling at us…
“She said that it’s because she trusts Onii-chan. Sakura would love to be able to say something like that!”
“Suzuka-san has become an adult.”
“O-Onee-chan, that phrase could be taken the wrong way…”
Minazuki-san, Akino-san, and the younger Kanzaka sister all commented on the scene in front of them. When we heard this, both Suzuka and I blushed.
“…Good grief. You’re a helpless siscon, Yuu.” Mai gave us a fed-up smile and continued. “But Yuu wouldn’t be Yuu if he weren’t a little sister lover, so it can’t be helped.” She shrugged and sighed.
The other girls reacted similarly, giving wry smiles at the circumstances.
They all completely saw through us, huh? I directed my gaze towards Suzuka, and she looked back at me. Though she was obviously embarrassed, she was smiling, and that was all that counted.
“Well, I had to give up on being your girlfriend, but if you ever need a slave you can give a pounding, just give me a call, desu~!”
Cough?! I spontaneously choked after hearing the ridiculous nonsense that Double Peace-sensei was blurting out.
“Ah, wait a second! If that’s allowed, then Sakura wants to become his little sister! There’s an open seat there now that he has a girlfriend! It won’t be any problem at all!”
“H-Hold on, Minazuki-san!”
“…Hmm, then I’ll be his mistress. While he remains pure with his lover, he’ll taste an adult relationship with me. I won’t cause any trouble for the true wife.”
“O-O-O-Onee-chan?! …A-Ah, don’t get the wrong idea, I’ll gladly stay as your friend!”
The Kanzaka sisters added to the nonsense, as the place was soon engulfed in chaos.
…W-What kind of development is this?! I thought that it was all over after their confessions?!
In the middle of this, I happened to lock eyes with Mai.
“I told you I wouldn’t be giving up, right? You know how stuff like this happens quite often in light novels? This might actually be a good new genre to work on. I could find ways to steal you…”
“Can you stop saying weird stuff that’ll prevent me from sleeping at night?!”
She’s definitely still the most dangerous one out of all of them. She’s even writing in her ‘Nagami Yuu Research Notes’ again… What should I do about this?
“…Onii-chan.”
I heard a freezing cold voice from Suzuka, and I turned towards her in panic.
“S-Suzuka-san…?”
I was met with Suzuka pouting at me.
“W-We really can’t trust these people…! Even though I’ve already won! Onii-chan, we have to be even more careful in the future!”
“Ehhh?!”
Suzuka clung to my arm desperately as if showing that she wasn’t going to hand me over to anyone. She glared at the group of girls, and then up at me. This is just like the normal data-collecting sort of thing we always do…
…In the end, the relationship between Suzuka and I, as well as the relationships between me and the others did change ever so slightly, but also not really…
“…But, why?!”
CClaw Translations 