If you like our work, please follow us on our social media, join our discord and consider supporting us on Patreon:
https://discord.gg/e4BJxX6
https://www.patreon.com/CClawTrans
Since I know most of you won’t be reading the Afterword, I’ll say it here. Thank you to everyone who stuck around until the very end to read this series. It was tough at times, but I’m still glad I got to finish it. A big thanks out to my editor Daxar, who edited my translations to make them more readable! Feel free to check out our other projects if you need something new to read now~
And Then
Creak, creak—Or maybe even Ah, ahh—
Sounds like these could be heard from the bedsprings. The sunlight entering the room from the windows created shadows on the sheets. Atop of these, the two of us had our hands, arms, and all sorts of places entangled.
“Senpai, how is this?”
“…H…mm…”
“Is it good? Or not?”
“Well… I don’t… know…” I gave back a meek response.
I was desperately trying to get my breathing under control, unable to respond with any proper words. Yet the oddly assertive Tsukiko-chan made a reaction like a pouting cat, clearly accepting the provocation.
“I understand. Then for your sake, I’ll do something more lewd.”
She took the rubber object in her mouth, tied up her hair with nimble movements, and moved towards my waist. With her snow white fingers, she grabbed that. On this holiday early morning, Tsukiko-chan and I were having lovey-dovey sex.
*
Or so this part of the story begins. ‘Hey now, just because this is the extra doesn’t mean you can just cross the line with that half-assed depiction!’, you might think. However, doesn’t this make you excited? Our bodies are already… you know?
However, if I really put in a scene of Yokodera-kun being absolutely messed up by Tsukiko-chan, then I will likely get absolutely messed up by the editorial department, so sadly I can’t do so. You see, this is more mild than you might have originally thought.
“Hmmm… I thought that by using literary motives, I might make it lewd enough to be to your taste, Senpai.” Tsukiko-chan made a difficult expression as she grasped the pen in her right hand tightly.
In front of her were her university notes, and she was composing literature. What she was aiming to create—was my story. I would like you to remember that reading books is practically the same thing as having sex. To the people who don’t get the reference, I’d ask you to reread our story.
Atop the hill with the single cedar tree, after meeting for the first time in this world, Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko had me read her notes, which were 11 volumes in total. In the end, we did burn those notes, but as you might know, Tsukiko-chan can be quite obsessed. She got hooked on writing after that, and she sometimes lets me read her newest works.
“It seems like I still can’t really satisfy you, Senpai.” Tsutsukakushi pouted.
“Ugh… Th-That’s not… true…” I replied with rough breathing.
I’m recently doing morning training. I might be rotten, but I am a university student, so I need to keep the endurance I’ve built up during my days as a track-and-field club member. Right now, I’m busy doing back muscle training on the bed. Tsukiko-chan is sitting on top of my waist, so it’s a perfect amount of extra weight. She’s as light as always.
However, the bed’s springs and legs were creaking in harmony with my heavy breathing. While listening to this sound, Tsutsukakushi and I tightly held hands. That probably helps her keep her own working rhythm.
“But what am I lacking? Is it literature skills after all? Should I not learn from the structure provided by ‘Run, Melos’ or ‘Sangetsuki’, and instead bring forth the literary elements in the foreground while ignoring the characteristics of the characters therein?” She formed a fist with her hand and shook side to side on top of me as her tail-like hair swayed.
Even so, she kept her gaze glued to the notes in front of her, and looked for points to improve her story. What an impressive little writer she is.
“Tsukiko-chan, maybe you just have the wrong idea about it?”
“Hmm? About what?”
“Literary elements aren’t too related to how interesting the story is. A reader doesn’t want to read something complicated. How about a more cheerful and easy-to-read story?”
“Cheerful and easy-to-read…”
“Basically, an exciting story and romcom where everyone has so much fun they don’t want it to ever end!”
The little Yokodera inside my head spoke like a tactless editor. What a repulsive way to push her. Writing should be more free… or so I thought, but I couldn’t let it go in the very end. I know from experience that the little Yokodera’s ideas are most often correct.
What Tsukiko-chan wants to write, what she does write, and what she should be writing, only I am objectively aware of it.
“Literature can stay as literature. There’s nothing good or bad about it. I do know that you can write something even better, Tsukiko-chan-sensei!”
“Huh.”
“Don’t you want to write something great? Excite the readers some more?”
“So that’s supposed to be a good thing? You just want food to satisfy your gluttony, pervert.”
“I’m sure that your true talent lies within a slightly lewd romcom! Remember that you’re the lewd type! Return to your origins!”
“Such an origin does not exist…” Tsutsukakushi said with a cold voice, but she still looked over her notes thoughtfully.
“…I will try.”
She started writing again, so I apparently had succeeded in awakening her desire as a writer. I’ve never met an actual editor, but I guess that this is what they do. Since I can’t write myself, I can’t help but admire her. Maybe I should do an internship at a publishing company next year.
While I was watching over Tsukiko-chan with a smile on my face—
“Yawnnn… I slept like a turtle…”
I heard a loud yawn coming from above. Azuki Azusa poked her face out from the bed’s upper bunk. Even after becoming a university student, her bad sleeping habits didn’t fix themselves. She made her way towards the small ladder, but her eyes were still half closed.
“You’ll fall down again. Wait a second.”
“Woof…”
She reacted to my words and obediently sat down next to the bed. Seeing no other option, I gently caressed her chin.
“There there.”
“Mmm… more…”
Her hair was fluffy right after waking up, and her eyes were closed. She simply raised her small chin, her body quivering comfortably. Oops, this is going to turn into her 2nd-sleep course. Then again, that much should be allowed. After all, she’s probably the one who’s the most busy out of all of us. She managed to pass the entry exam at a nearby veterinary surgeon university, and she’s busy writing reports and looking things up day in day out. It’s basically a dream come true for her. Since the distance between her university and her living complex is pretty far, she stays over at our home on the weekends pretty often.
*
After graduating from high school, Tsutsukakushi and I rented a place and started living together. It was a second-floor apartment in a flat with roughly 15-minute walking time to the nearest train station, as close as possible to the university we both attended. Although it was an old home, and it had a lot of problems, you couldn’t help but admire such an old home after moving out.
At the same time, the place we lived at was fairly open, despite having only a shared living room, a bedroom, and a dining room. We even had a fairly large bedroom next to that. We were almost worried that it was too big for us, but that worry soon disappeared.
“I-I’m fine on the ladder, or in the corner of the room. Or even on the balcony, or maybe you can hang me down from the ceiling. I only need a hermit crab’s worth of room.”
When she stayed over for the first time because her train didn’t come, Azuki Azusa asked us awkwardly.
“So could you let me stay over in the future as well…?”
“Washing the futon every single time is too inconvenient.”
“R-Right, that makes sense… I’m sorry, just forget about it…”
When the absolute ruler when it came to housework, Tsutsukakushi-sensei, said that, Azuki Azusa showed a depressed reaction. But didn’t she enjoy taking care of laundry and all that?—Just when I was thinking that, Tsutsukakushi brought out a bunkbed.
“That’s why this will be your personal bed, A-chan.”
“T-Tsukiko-chan!”
They’re as close as ever! I watched them embrace each other with tears in my eyes.
“Alright, then! Let me join in, too!” I said and took off my clothes, only for me to be exiled out on the balcony.
The rain is hitting me! At least let me put my clothes back on!
“If we search hard enough, we might find a king-sized bed within our budget.”
Tsukiko-chan brought up the idea of the three of us sleeping next to each other, but Azuki Azusa fought against that pretty strongly, so we kept it as-is. On the lower bunk was Tsuu-chan’s space, and on the upper bunk was A-chan’s. Close but far, far but close. Just as I had told her before, she’s keeping to it.
Anyway…
“Good work yesterday. Let’s try our best today as well.”
“…Wooooo…”
“There there there!” I rubbed Azuki Azusa’s narrow throat more and more.
I’m not making fun of her in the slightest. This is just the result of my year-long research. This is the best method I know of to calm down this girl. Her white skin felt comfortable on my fingers, conveying the girl’s warmth directly. She stuck out her tongue, licking my finger. She’s as energetic as always.
On the outside, A-chan is a doctor for animals, but at home, we always play doctor together! This is two-way communication that benefits both of us!—Seriously, what am I even talking about?
“…Ehehehe.” Still midway between reality and the world of dreams, Puppy Azuki let out a giggle.
The only time I can do skinship like this is when she’s half-asleep in the morning, though.
“It’s totally fine for A-chan-san to stay here as much as she wants. However…” Tsutsukakushi jumped off my waist and started walking across the carpet.
In this ten-tatami room, we had fit a double bed, a dresser, a TV and cushions. Standing in the middle, she put one hand on her waist.
“Compared to this big person here, she doesn’t take up much space at all.” Tsukiko-chan looked down.
“Hm? Are you talking about me by any chance?” A voice came back from near her feet.
Steel-san looked up at her, clearly confused. Her head was jammed into the floor cushion like a totem pole, standing up in an upside-down fashion.
“I’d love for you to become more independent, Nee-san.”
“I couldn’t be standing more independent right now!”
“Is that so? What a wonderful thing. So, let me just ask: In what world and what way under what circumstances influenced by what exactly did you end up in the position that you’re in right now?”
“I’m playing and studying at the same time! I’m training my body and my blood circulation. With one fist, I can get two birds with a stone!” She spoke with almost-wise words without sounding wise at all.
She really hasn’t changed at all from her examinee days.
“More importantly, Tsukiko,” Steel-san turned around. “Could you move out of the way? You’re blocking my view of the screen slightly.” She was holding a game controller in her hand.
On the screen in front of her, I could see a tennis game where Princess Peach was currently beating Mario to a pulp. As was the norm, Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi was busy playing games even this early in the morning. Terrifyingly enough, her position hadn’t changed at all compared to last night. She’s like a mountain that became too focused on playing games to even move.
Thanks to her attire, namely shorts and a t-shirt, I could see her navel. Her t-shirt had ‘Unparalleled Vainglory’ written on it, which totally didn’t make sense at all.
Having been raised without any form of contact with these pleasures before, Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi had started to grow more interested in them. Console games are one of her favorite pastimes. Every single weekend or holiday, she would play whatever sports game she could find for a solid 30 hours. There’s no need to mention how that isn’t healthy at all, especially considering her posture. For both body and mind.
“I don’t think you’re one to talk about a healthy mind, Senpai.”
“Tsukiko-chan!?”
“You’re too soft on Nee-san. Make her stop playing already.”
Or so she said, but whenever Steel-san came here to stay over, she waited on her hand and foot. When Steel-san went overseas to study, there was a time when Tsukiko-chan was constantly absent minded. She would only eat three meals a day and not her usual seven. I was really worried. When she didn’t hear from her Onee-san for a while, she even burnt some food. Unthinkable. However, the Steel-san in question had no notion that this happened.
“There, gah, grr…” She was glaring at the screen, moving her controller left and right. “That settles it! Alright, I won! Guhahaha!” She made a victorious pose as Princess Peach on the screen fired off a victory shot, and made a V-sign.
She probably liked that character, as she’s almost always using it. Does she think that she’s Princess Peach or something?
“What’s up, Yokodera? Would you like to fight against me?”
“Hmmm… you’re pretty strong, club president.”
“I told you to stop calling me ‘Club President’, did I not?” Steel-san started pouting. “How many years has it been since I retired? We’re both university students, so call me whatever you see fit.”
“For example?”
“T-That’s… Something for you to think about!” She started fidgeting, fiddling with the controller in her hand as she averted her gaze.
As a side note, Princess Peach in the game wore a custom costume, namely a wedding dress.
“I understand. I’ll play against you.”
“Hm?”
“If I lose, I’ll call you by your name.”
“O-Ohh… Ohhh…” Her back shook as I spoke those words.
She almost fell over because of that.
“A-Alright. Not bad! B-By the way.”
“Yes?”
“Would you… just… like to try it once? As practice?”
“No can do~”
“Unfair! Devil! Demon! Yokodera!” Steel-san kicked her legs wildly around in the air, but she still seemed pretty happy.
She laughed happily, her cheeks slightly red. I thought I might just have a chance then, but…
“Then let us begin this deathmatch.” Her eyes burned with a strong passion, making me realize that this was a lost cause.
I gave up on this battle, and sat down on the cushion. Naturally, I ended up giving Steel-san a lap pillow like this. Her long black hair tickled my skin, forcing me to let out a comfortable sigh. We felt each other’s warmth, and right as the first game was about to begin—Bzzzt, a blackout.
“A-Ahhh!? What are you doing!?” Steel-san let out a roar of agony.
The one holding the remote with her finger on the button was—not Tsukiko-chan, actually.
“What, that was the power button? I had no idea.”
“Put it back on!”
“Shut up, Yokodera. Only a pervert starts their day by playing games.” A voice mixed with anger and annoyance came from our beloved MaiMai.
What a lack of expression, what overflowing rage! She seriously doesn’t think she’s in the wrong at all! I’d love to play a game of animal training with her. I guess she was right about the whole pervert and game thing.
*
Maimaki Mai, who had been extremely clingy to the Steel King back in highschool, was growing oddly rebellious towards her idol as of late.
“Tsukushi, you should exercise some more. You’re getting fat.”
“How rude!? Without evidence, your statement will not hold up in court!”
“Then what is this?”
“Ah, no, stop! That’s a spot you’re not supposed to touch!”
“There, there there there there.”
“Noooooooooooooooooooo!”
I still remember Steel-san’s scream reaching my ears even though I was far away from the changing room. So Steel-san can let out that kind of voice, huh? Of course, it’s not like MaiMai suddenly started disliking the club president. If anything, she loves her even more, but just stopped treating her like a goddess. From what I can tell, MaiMai absolutely sucks at games, so she probably is just jealous that she can’t really play against Steel-san.
Instead, she continued her track-and-field practice. As of late, she’s been letting her hair grow out, but when she’s inside the home, she still ties it up in a ponytail pretty often.
“Listen to Tsukiko some more, would you? Exercise outside. A-chan, don’t always offer your chin to that pervert. Protect your chastity.” MaiMai barked orders left and right.
“…Woof?” Azuki Azusa let out a confused howl.
“Hm…” When she was told that by someone who had followed the path of track-and-field longer than her, Steel-san didn’t have much she could say.
It appears as if a great change in power balance is about to happen here at the Tsutsukakushi Household Group. However, as they say, there is always a bigger fish.
“MaiMai~” Along with a cheerful voice, someone latched onto MaiMai’s arm. “Don’t be jealous like that~”
“I don’t even know what you’re saying, but can you stop touching me there?”
“I’ll teach you the greatness of real-time sports games in the early morning~”
“I don’t see any reason why you would need to cling to me like that. And don’t stare, Yokodera.”
Cozy-sama was clinging to MaiMai, touching her wherever she pleased.
“Seriously, stop that, please. I beg of you.”
“Fufufufufu~”
“Ah, gah, ah!”
Cozy-sama put a towel over MaiMai, and then the party began. I don’t know how, but whenever MaiMai comes over to play, she immediately gets a call from Wakamoto-san, who appears soon after. I don’t have any reason to ask her not to come, either, and it makes things more lively.
“Alright, preparations are complete! Here’s one steamy MaiMai!”
“Ah… ugh…”
Cozy-sama showed herself from beneath the towel, from beneath which I could only see MaiMai’s toes twitching and quivering. After that, Cozy-sama gave me a wink.
“Ouji-kun, wanna join in?”
“With pleasure!”
Another day, another chance to explore the great MaiMai continent! I jumped up, ready to dive in head-first, when—
“Ack!”
Right when I was about to land between those delicious melons, someone grabbed me by the throat, pulling me back. When I turned around in fear, I was greeted by the Demon Lord’s right hand.
“……”
It was Last Boss Moon Child-chan, a boss battle where even the ‘Run’ command wouldn’t work, who was holding me by the collar.
“Th-This isn’t what you think it is, Tsukiko-chan!”
“Is that so? What a pervert you are.”
“I wasn’t thinking about anything lewd at all. I was just curious, and as a member of adult society—Also could you at least hear my excuse before calling me a pervert!?”
“Is that so? What a pervert you are.”
“What kind of pre-final boss dialogue is this!?”
“Is that so? What a pervert you are.”
It’s not just Last Boss-chan alone who has me. My lower body won’t move either. Steel-san is clinging to my legs. I thought she was busy sobbing because her game was turned off, but it seems like she’s pretty energetic. Thanks to her steel power, my legs can’t move an inch.
“I-I can’t… Both throat and thighs, they’re locked up…”
“Why not lock you up for life?”
“Let’s lock you in the drawer.”
“Can you not go all sisters-combo on me!?”
Unable to break free from this double-sisters’ hold, the powerless Yokodera-kun fell backwards.
“This is…!”
A kind girl pulled on my sleeve to help me stay upright. This time, I didn’t even need to look over to understand. Let’s shout the answer all at once… Save me, Azuki Azusa!
“…Afu…”
…Azuki Azusa? What are you doing? I could only hear faint sleep noises from her. Her eyes were shut as tightly as before, and she was rubbing her head with the palm of her hand. She didn’t want to save me, she just leaned against me. I should have known!
As I resigned myself to my fate, falling backwards, I looked up at the ceiling, when I heard a loud gong.
*
That wasn’t a hallucination, by the way. I can still hear it. It was like a loud gong announcing the end of a round, or the arrival of heaven’s angels on earth. It came from the dining room.
“Hey you good-for-nothing university students, it’s time for breakfast, so get changed already.” The one banging the frying pan was none other than Emanuela Polarolla.
That grown-up hairstyle sure is as cute as always! The university we attend is the place where Emi’s Papa is teaching, so when she gets the chance to join at a seminar, she comes over to visit us as well. The idea of wanting to become a good wife by practicing her cooking and doing breakfast instead of Tsukiko-chan is very popular in the lolicon society.
It’s still too early for you, Emi-chan! The resistance will be forced to hold an all-out war against this society if you keep going!
“By the way, Emi-chan, that uniform sure is cute. Is that a girls’ only middle school cosplay?”
“I’m the real deal, you cabbage-head. I’ve stopped cosplaying.”
At her middle school, Emi is part of the chorus club, and she’s always busy with her club practice on Saturday and Sunday. She’s probably heading there later. The short skirt along with the sailor uniform, as well as the apron with rabbit pattern on top looked great on her.
“The real deal… So that means I can take it off without any problems!?”
“You’re a real dangerous fellow, huh?” Emi let out a sigh.
She used the frying pan as a shield while making scrambled eggs… Ahh, hot hot hot! Are you planning on turning my head into scrambled eggs as well!?
“Go wash your face already, you perverted cabbage-head.”
“Y-Yeah…” I started tearing up.
As of late, Emi-chan won’t play with me at all. I guess this is what happens when your child grows up and becomes busy with life themselves. It seems as if, along with her physical body, her mental age has grown as well, leaving us ordinary citizens behind.
“So what are we having for breakfast today?” Steel-san asked.
“Egg sandwiches, egg soup, and omelettes.”
“Yay, my favorite!”
“Isn’t anything your favorite as soon as it fills your stomach, Nee-san?”
“Tsuu-chan, are you really saying that~?”
“I don’t think Tsukiko likes desks or tables.”
“We’re not counting that as food, are we?”
“What are all these insults about? I’ve been keeping a diet as of late.”
“Eh, no way!?” “That has to be a lie.” “I sense falsification.” “Let’s laugh at her~”
“Just shut up and eat already, you worthless university idiots!”
Dealing with six girls sure can be exhausting. While I was waiting for my turn to enter the bath, I took a peek at the sink in the kitchen. Most of the plates inside were splattered with ketchup, looking like some kind of last message written in blood, but I noticed a particular pattern in there.
“…It’s a rabbit!”
It looked like someone had been practicing their drawings on empty plates, but failed many times. I could even see names like ‘A-chan,’ ‘Tsuu-chan,’ and all that written on there. How cute!
“You’re not getting a name, though.”
“Why!?”
Emi appeared next to me and let out a snort as she laughed. She proceeded to quickly wash the plates to remove any evidence.
“You’re right! There’s nothing for me, no message at all!? Why only me!?”
“Because you’re a pumpkin.”
“No ‘For Yokodera-kun’ here… But I see a lot of ‘For Onii-chan’ ones for some reason. What exactly is that about? Hm?”
“…Huuuuh!? W-Where are you looking!?” Emi started blushing furiously, and water sprayed up from the sink.
“I am your Onii-chan, Emi-chan!”
“Nyaaaa!?”
“Kyawawawa! Thanks for always helping Tsukiko-chan make that delicious food! I’ll give you lots of kisses in return!”
“Gya, let go! Y-You pumpkin! Don’t touch me there!”
I embraced her from behind, lifted her up, spinning her around inside the kitchen. Emi tried to resist it with a beet red face, poking a broken eggshell into my side. Man, her middle school version is still cute! She never changes!
*
“Thanks for the food!”
Sitting in a group with the delicious-looking food in front of us, we all clapped our hands together. Of course, the dining table couldn’t fit all of us, so some of us had to sit down on the floor on top of cushions, by the kitchen sink, or even upside-down. For now, it’s important that we all eat it together, don’t you think? That’s what mornings are for.
“The deadline for the report is close, but I haven’t made any progress at all. I’ll have to pull an all-nighter like a bear during a summer reason, and hole myself in at the library. I’ll be home late again, probably.” Azuki Azusa said with a yawn.
In one hand she held a sandwich, and in the other she was checking the glasses on the desk in front of her. Whenever she’s busy with her studies, she puts on glasses, which greatly increases the possible roleplay scenarios we can have at night, I have to say. I’d love to look into all sorts of things.
“Since I have time today, I’m going to go buy some games at the game shop—”
“You’ll be locked up in a dark room so that you can study, Nee-san.”
“Why!?” Steel-san protested, but was left unheard.
When asked what she will do in the future, Steel-san is still a bit unsure, which is why there might just very well be a 36th Tsutsukakushi Family Meeting soon. As a side note, last week was the 35th.
“There’s no need to worry. I’m properly thinking about the future. I have a plan!”
“…Oh? Let’s hear it.”
“I just have to work for a good man for all eternity!”
“You haven’t grown at all…”
I still remember Tsukiko-chan’s defeated expression from back then. Seeing no other option, I decided to praise her lots that night. Honestly, a weeping 20+ year old Tsutsukakushi Tsukushi-chan sure is cute… Wait, am I pervert?
“Admit it already, you moron.” MaiMai commented, as she poured mayo on her omelette.
I feel like she’s slowly turning a member of our family here.
“You don’t need dinner today, right?”
Shopping for ingredients is my job. When I asked MaiMai that, she nodded.
“I have club in the afternoon, and I’m going drinking with the circle. I’ll be going home after that.”
“Then maybe I should show up there and we can go home together~” Cozy-sama tugged on MaiMai’s sleeve.
She sat on the cushion next to Maimai, giving her a cozy wink.
“Don’t worry. I’ll kill off all the boys who try to get too close to MaiMai~”
“Ahh, I’m so relieved~” I raised both of my hands.
It might look like Cozy-sama is telling a cozy joke in this cozy atmosphere, but she’s super serious. Contrary to what you would expect, MaiMai is part of the photography circle, and the number of boys in the circle dropped to zero in barely half a year. I don’t know where they went, but it’s quite possible that Cozy-sama has been going around assassinating them one at a time.
“…Well, I don’t need a boyfriend right now anyway.”
“Maimaki, you have the mindset of a professional, so I’ll praise you for that.”
“I never really cared. I’m busy with track-and-field right now anyway. Let’s run together sometime, Tsukushi.” MaiMai narrowed her eyes.
I guess that she must have her own opinions about Steel-san’s current path and her departure from track-and-field.
“Mmm, but MaiMai, you’re already doing everything you would with a boyfriend anyway, so it’s not like you need one, right?” Cozy-sama got up to get more juice. “Right, Ouji-kun?” she whispered into my ear as she walked past me.
“A-About what!?” I moved backwards, but she tapped me on the shoulder.
Her long sleeves were slowly wrapping around my neck. Can you not? It feels like I’m in some kind of horror movie! Cozy-sama really loves removing all unnecessary insects with some backhanded tactics. I don’t know why she’s keeping me alive, but I should try my best to not foul her mood.
“Will you be going to your Papa’s place after club work, Emi-chan?”
Since I had been invited by Emi’s Papa for some field work, it might be a good idea to meet up before shopping.
“I don’t really care either way, but are you fine not preparing?”
“Preparing?”
What preparations? Buying new clothes for Emi-chan?
“Disgusting…”
“I didn’t even say anything yet!”
“Your eyes tell enough.”
“So you love me?”
“Yuck…” Emi-chan’s expression looked more and more disgusted.
I know that it might not look like it, but she loves giving me presents. After all, her backpack from grade school and her yellow hat have found their permanent home here in our closet.
“So, what preparations were you talking about?”
“Isn’t she coming over tonight?” Emi looked at the side.
Everyone else followed suit, and looked at the magnet-type calendar hanging on the fridge. Each one of us has their own color to mark their plans. Tsukiko-chan’s color is orange, Steel-san’s is blue, and mine is red. Since today’s date has a black color to it—
“Sis Yotsuba’s Visit”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” “Aawawawawa!”
I jumped up from the chair, and even Tsukiko-chan, sitting next to me, jumped a solid 30 centimeters into the air. She was like a startled cat.
“I totally forgot! That’s right! Sis is coming to visit us today!”
“The God of War is coming from Hell to visit us!” Steel-san grew pale.
“Since these are family matters, maybe I should go home after all…?” Azuki Azusa blinked awkwardly.
“Oh right, I think that was the reason I decided to join the party later today.” MaiMai nodded with an indifferent tone.
“It’s been quite some time since we last saw her. What was she like again~?” Cozy-sama tilted her head.
We’re talking about my older sister, Yokodera Yotsuba. She always loves taking pictures, and often goes out to take them herself—perfectly rational behavior for a girl. However, because of her special senses as a wild animal, Steel-san is oddly terrified of her, MaiMai still is a bit bad at dealing with her, Tsukiko-chan sometimes gets in a bit of banter because of household stuff, Emi always gets toyed with, and Azuki Azusa is probably the person Sis likes the most.
Since she mentioned she wanted to visit the home her young brother is living in, I gave her the okay a long time ago.
“I see, then we gotta clean some more…”
We looked around at the room we were sitting in.
There’s a lot of things to be taken care of, but the biggest problem is probably the sheets and towels hanging out in the sun and filling the entire room. The walls looked white, and so did the floor, and everywhere else you looked. It was like we were living in a sea of white, an endless paradise, our own little Eden.
“Hmmm…” I looked around and scratched my jaw. “Well, I guess she should be fine with this much.”
“How!? Why would you think that!?” Emi grabbed my head and shook it.
You’re going to turn my brains into a milkshake!
“This is a lost cause at this rate! You can’t show her this!”
“Isn’t this kind of normal for university students?”
“Not if it’s reached critical levels like this! Especially since you’re not even aware of it!” Dear Emanuela-san grew pale, showing that she was quite the self-sufficient middle school student.
However, I think she’s too desperate to keep up appearances. As someone older than her, it’s my duty to get her to face reality.
“Listen carefully, Emi-chan.”
“…What?”
“When boys and girls live under the same roof, this is what happens.”
“Again! Enough with that rotten logic!” Emi started throwing a fit, and she slapped my forehead.
My brains are going to turn into jelly!
“It’s not that bad, is it?” I looked around me, seeking assistance.
“…Um, well, I feel like I have to apologize. Those are probably mostly mine…”
“No, same here. I’ve been slacking with the laundry as of late…”
Both Azuki Azusa and Tsukiko-chan averted their gazes, and so did everyone else in the process. They looked like they had eaten the forbidden fruit in paradise. Weird. Am I the odd one out?
“I don’t know how your older sister feels about cleaning… but she’s probably worried about you either way, so we shouldn’t add more to it!”
“You think so…?”
“Also, don’t you think she maybe wanted to come visit you precisely because she’s worried about that?”
“I don’t think so. I mean, she doesn’t know that we’re living together, after all.”
“…Huh?”
“Of course, I told my parents about it, but I’m not sure if she knows. She’s super busy, so she barely comes back home.”
“Uh…”
“She probably just wanted to chill here with her younger brother, so that’s why she brought it up.”
“Awawa…” Emi-chan started shaking.
It was almost as if she were witnessing the end of the world with her own two eyes. So cute! In response, we all put our heads together.
“This is seriously bad! Super bad!” Emi started us off.
“I-I’ll stop working on my report for the day! There’s much more urgent matters!”
“I didn’t realize how dire the situation was. I will proceed with cleaning right away. The sheets and pajamas will go into the laundry, the trash outside. Erase all that remains.” Tsukiko-chan agreed.
“D-Don’t I have to meet her properly again? I don’t have any formal clothes to wear for the occasion!” Steel-san panicked.
“I’ll make sure I was never here to begin with. I’ll burn every shred of evidence that I was here. To take responsibility, I’ll burn Yokodera as well.”
Everyone started their own cleaning operations.
“…Ouji-kun, either you’ll have crazy success in the future, or you’ll fail miserably~” Since Cozy-sama was unrelated to the situation, she simply watched us with a cozy smile. Scary.
*
Around the time they started cleaning up the more sensitive things, I was kicked out of the room and forced to clean the bath. After wiping everything clean, I went ahead and poured detergent down the drain. When I glanced over, the shelves were filled with shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and all sorts of girlish beauty products. I couldn’t even imagine how many people this would be enough for.
“Yeah, this looks like some kind of animal shelter for people…” I reflected on my previous foolish thinking.
Someone knocked on the door of the changing room. “…Excuse me.” Walking inside was a girl with her trademark tail-hair.
She wore a shirt allowing for easy cleaning, and she started scrubbing the sink. Her back looked small and tender, almost like it would break if you would simply touch it, but for some reason, her expression looked like she was angry. I know the meaning of this expression. Tsutsukakushi Tsukiko is dejected right now.
“…I’ve been way too naive as of late.” She said, her voice almost drowned out by the sound of the water coming from the tap. “I have to be more careful. At this rate, you’ll be fed up with me like I’m some kind of good-for-nothing girl.”
Now that it was just the two of us, her words came rushing out. She’s fairly easy to understand. I stopped cleaning for now and stepped into the changing room.
“…That’s not the case.” I gently embraced her from behind, and shook my head.
Inside the mirror, I could see myself, acting cool, and a calm, slightly sad Tsukiko-chan. When you start living with someone, you see all sorts of new sides to them. Back when Tsutsukakshi lived all alone in her empty home, she was just cleaning to waste time. I was probably more of a neat freak.
Whenever she seasons the food, she tends to put too much salt in it. The balance between actual food and side dishes is crazy at times. Sometimes she stays up a long time at night and barely talks at all the next day. You pick up on all these small things. All of these things I would never have found out if we didn’t move closer together, and there’s many more things I had never even tried to find out.
That’s why ‘a hundred-year love will cool down at the summit’—will never happen. We don’t even need these emotions anymore. We’re more or less twenty right now. We’re not in the middle of our youth, where our fragile love would waver at the smallest things. There was never a need for a maiden in love.
“That’s right. I am not a maiden anymore.”
“Tsukiko-chan?”
“Thanks to Senpai.”
“Tsukiko-chan!?”
“Because you’ve taught me all sorts of things.”
“Tsukiko-chan!!”
I covered Tsutsukakushi’s mouth, just before she could start saying unthinkably lewd things. I could still hear a thing or two coming from the gaps between my fingers. Can you just stop already!?
This girl might look prim and proper, small and innocent, always in the clouds, but she can actually be more perverted than me at times, showing every single thing on her face. And right now I live with this girl.
“Mguh?”
“Gyaaah! No biting, no licking!”
She slipped out of my grasp and turned towards me.
“What we talked about just now doesn’t sound as bad, does it?”
“Just now?”
“When we were connected on the bed.”
“Can you not say something that could easily be misinterpreted!? We were just holding hands as you talked to me about your novel, right?!”
“As always, you think about perverted things, you pervert.” Tsukiko-chan wore a serious expression.
As of late, she tends to phrase things weirdly like this. Is it really true that an average girl can be this lewd?
“I just thought that writing a story like this might be a good idea.”
“Like this… So our current situation?”
“That’s right. Living together with everyone, playing around, creating a ruckus.”
“An author writing about their own private lifestyle…”
“But you like this sort of thing the most, right Senpai?” Tsutsukakushi gave me a natural smile.
I couldn’t even argue against that. That’s right. I always wanted to read about Tsukiko-chan’s life the most.
“I once wrote about ‘Evertt’s Many-Worlds Theory’, right? Do you remember that?”
“Yeah, about a lot of different worlds existing at the same time.”
Tsutsukakushi nodded.
“Sometimes I think about this. Once a story comes to an end, the possibilities of what happens after that is as endless as how many readers there are. There must be countless other worlds with different lifestyles about what we experience and what I can write about.”
The various Tsukiko-chans existing in these endless worlds have their own Yokodera-kun story—
—For example, something like this. A lot has happened, and a lot will be going on. For me, Tsutsukakushi, Azuki Azusa, Steel-san, MaiMai, Emi, Cozy-sama, Ponta, and anybody else. We all can choose our own favorite world. That’s probably what Tsukiko-chan is saying.
“…That doesn’t sound that bad.” I smiled.
Paradise is right here. Everything moves towards the future. The story that’s untold still continues. This lifestyle is but one of many, but it is ours alone. And only we ourselves can take what’s in front of us.
“Hey hey hey, the sky is blue enough for a whale to swim in it today!” Azuki Azusa showed up, beckoning us over. “Ma-chan told me we should move the laundry to the riverbed! Emi-chan is making sandwiches for us!”
Behind her, I could see Steel-san carrying a mountain of sheets. Tsukiko-chan and I looked at each other and nodded.
“I’ll help you!”
“I will help with the food.”
We both headed towards the entrance and kitchen respectively, only to quickly come to a halt again.
“Before that.”
“Right.”
We turned towards a juice box, and looked at the picture on top of it. Facing Mother, we wished for clear weather and a healthy future again today.
‘Yup.’
I imagined Tsukasa-san muttering like that with a smile on her face, and I waved at her with an ‘I’m going’.
I’m sure that the Gods watching over us are doing the same.
“Alright, let’s go!”
I put on my shoes and opened the door. A comfortable breeze blew past me into the house.
CClaw Translations 