Kawaikereba Hentai demo Suki ni Natte Kuremasu ka? Volume 13 Chapter 1

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Put On Your Bear Mask

That day, when Mao arrived at school, she happened to run into her handsome good friend.

“Yo, Mao-chan.”

“Morning, Akiyama.”

Akiyama Shouma spotted Mao, and raised his hand to beckon her over. He had a flawless outer appearance that would make every girl fall for him, but he was a certified lolicon on the inside. Now he had a girlfriend who was actually older than him, but looked exactly like a loli. Ever since he got himself this small girlfriend, he’d been spending his days in enviable bliss. When Mao approached Shouma near the entrance, he tilted his head with a confused look in his eyes.

“Mao-chan, you seem a bit tired.”

“Yeah, the deadline’s close…”

“Oh, for another shoujo manga?”

“Nah, for an actual doujinshi now. Another sale’s coming up, but I’m still working on the manuscript… Want to hear the details?”

“Uuuumm… I think I’ll pass.”

“Really? There’s even a scene with Keeki and Shouto making up passionately after a big fight, but I can’t quite draw it how I’d like…”

“How do you even make up in a passionate way?” Yet again, Shouto—or rather Shouma—made a confused expression at that.

Since this was Mao he was talking to, he had a vague idea of what she might be on about, but he decided to leave this BL talk to the members of the calligraphy club. After making their way to the shoe lockers, Shouma took out his slippers. Mao spoke up again as she did the same.

“Say, Akiyama?”

“Hm?”

“You guys went to the amusement park once, right? For a double date.”

“Yeah, we sure did.”

“How was it?”

“Hm… Koharu-chan was super excited by all the attractions, and she was totally adorable. Almost like a small child. It was great.”

“You damn lolicon.” Mao couldn’t help but retort.

As expected, Shouma was still a lolicon.

“Not that. I was asking about Kiryuu and Mizuha.”

“Ah, them?”

Ever since Mao had figured out the person Keiki had feelings for, she had been trying to work behind the scenes to give them a push together, which was why she had suggested the double date in the first place. She knew that this event had actually happened that Sunday, but she had no idea how things went, nor how their relationship had developed after that.

“Are you interested in what the boy you like is up to?”

“Something like that, I guess.”

“My, haven’t you gotten honest.”

“I decided to stop being stubborn about it. Not to mention the fact that you probably already knew.”

“Well, you’re pretty easy to read, Mao-chan.”

“And still Kiryuu had no idea.”

If anything, the fact that he didn’t notice Mao’s feelings for him after she made so many moves on him was practically rude at this point. She never could confess because she was too scared, so he could hardly be blamed either, but her maiden’s heart still had hoped that he would realize it himself at one point. Mao found this part of his personality quite bothersome.

“So did Kiryuu confess to Mizuha?”

“Hmm, I think the whole amusement park date was a failure. He ended up getting motion sickness at the most critical juncture. I don’t have a clue what happened after that, but… since they’ve always been rather frank with each other, I imagine that he’s probably told her by now.”

“I see…”

“By the way, they were getting along really well during the date.”

“Hmm…”

Mao could already picture that in her head. After all, those two siblings were a severe brocon and siscon. They’d always flirt around beyond what normal siblings would do, so this information wasn’t exactly shocking to Mao.

“If Kiryuu did confess, then they must be a happy-go-lucky couple by now.”

“They both have feelings for each other, after all.”

It was a known fact within the calligraphy club that Mizuha had feelings for her step-brother. When they went on the trip a while ago and got drunk from the alcoholic chocolate, she brazenly attacked her brother at night. Back then, Keiki rejected her advances, but things were different now. He now openly declared that he had feelings for his step-sister. Now that this was the case, it was only a matter of time until they started dating. And that would be the end of Mao’s first love.

“…Jeez.”

Even though she understood this when Keiki rejected her on Valentine’s Day, it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. She tried to suppress the gloomy feelings building inside of her as she put on her slippers and headed into the classroom with Shouma.

“…Hm? Isn’t it a bit noisy over there?”

“You’re right. It seems like it’s our classroom.”

A large number of students had gathered in front of the classroom for class 2B. There were even students Mao and Shouma hadn’t seen before, and all of them were sneaking glances inside of the classroom. Mao recognized a familiar face in this crowd and approached them.

“Megumi, did something happen?”

“Ahh, Nanjou-chan… Akiyama-shi too…” Their classmate, Onizuka Megumi, turned around to face them.

“What’s all the ruckus about?”

“Well… I guess it’d be easier for you to just take a look than me trying to explain it.” Megumi just pointed inside the classroom.

Mao and Shouma moved through the crowd, making their way closer to the classroom.

“…Hm?”

“…Eh?”

Big question marks appeared above their heads. Sitting in the center of their familiar classroom was a living creature that definitely did not belong there.

“A bear…?”

“Sure is…”

Of course, it wasn’t an actual live bear. Instead, it was an individual who was wearing the head of a bear costume. Judging from the body beneath the head, it was a boy, and Mao felt like this head was oddly familiar.

Isn’t that the one the club prez used during the culture festival?

Sayuki had disguised herself with this costume during the culture festival last year. This bear head had to be from that costume. Naturally, the combination of bear head and normal uniform stood out quite a bit in an average environment like a classroom.

“That’s… Kiryuu, right?”

“Probably… he’s sitting on Keiki’s seat after all…”

Judging from the posture and situation, Mao and Shouma assumed that Kiryuu Keiki was the one wearing the bear head. However, that only led to an even bigger question.

“What is that guy doing?”

Why would someone wear a bear head costume without it being a special occasion? Keiki would sometimes act like he didn’t have a brain in his head, but this was taking it to a whole new level.

“He was already sitting there when I got here. Nobody’s even dared to approach him…”

“Well, I don’t blame them. That sight is pretty terrifying.”

The students already in the classroom were all keeping their distance from the bear, forming a circle around it, none of them attempting to get any closer. Mao wholeheartedly agreed with their sentiment, and would rather not bother with this situation, but…

“I imagine that it’s Kiryuu-shi inside that mask, and I’m sure he has some kind of reason for wearing it, so I’d love it if his dear friend Nanjou-chan decided to try to figure out what’s going on.”

“I’m not friends with any bears. Why not ask our dear man Akiyama for that?”

“Now, now, Mao-chan. It won’t bite, probably.”

“Yeah, yeah. Knock it out with your beauty, Nanjou-chan.”

“If you want me to knock it out, aren’t there people more qualified to punch it in the head?”

That being said, Mao was indeed curious why he was wearing a bear costume. With Megumi and Shouma egging her on, Mao let out another sigh and reluctantly made her way inside the classroom. All the gazes of her classmates focused on her, but she tried her best to ignore them.

“Kiryuu, what are you doing?”

“…Ah, Nanjou.” The bear turned towards Mao and spoke.

The voice sounded a bit muffled because of the head, but it was undoubtedly Keiki’s. After confirming this, Mao moved on to the next question.

“Why are you wearing that? Do you need help figuring out how to invite Mizuha out on a date again? I don’t mind giving you some advice on the subject.”

“……”

Mao asked Keiki quietly enough for their classmates not to be able to hear, but the bear didn’t respond. Keiki just looked downwards, almost like he was ashamed. Of course, Mao had no way of knowing his expression underneath that head, but she could tell that something was wrong. Finally, Mao heard a faint mutter from the bear.

“…ted.”

“Eh? What? I couldn’t catch that…”

Due to Keiki whispering and the bear mask muffling it even further, Mao had trouble understanding what he had said. Seeing no other option, she moved closer to him.

“…I was rejected.”

“…Eh?”

This time, she heard him clearly. However, what Keiki had said made Mao doubt her ears.

“I confessed to Mizuha, and got rejected…”

To Mao’s shock, first thing in the morning classroom, the person she had feelings for said that his own love life had ended in failure.

*

Following Mao’s suggestion, she and Shouma led Keiki to a nearby classroom. Since they didn’t have much time until homeroom started, Mao didn’t waste any time.

“Let me get straight to the point. What do you mean Mizuha rejected you?”

“Yeah, about that…”

“Ah wait, take off that bear head first. I can’t hear you properly.”

“R-Right…”

When Mao pointed it out, Keiki finally realized he was still wearing a bear head.

“Where did you even get that from?” Shouma asked.

“It was in the school’s storage shed.” Keiki answered, taking off the bear head.

He put it on the desk next to him and started explaining the circumstances.

“I actually confessed to Mizuha yesterday.”

“I mean, I could guess as much since you said that you got rejected.”

“Nanjou, are you angry?”

“Not really…”

Mao’s eyebrows were twitching in fury, giving away her spoiled mood, but there was no time to talk about it.

“I actually planned on confessing at the end of the date, and the atmosphere was great between us, too, but I got motion sickness on the Ferris wheel. Instead, I called her to an empty classroom after classes were over and asked her to go out with me… but…”

“Mizuha-chan said no?”

“Yeah…”

The response to Keiki’s confession had been ‘no.’

“Mizuha gave me chocolate for Valentine’s again this year… She even said that they were her honest feelings…”

Last week on the 14th of February, Mizuha gave Keiki chocolate after classes ended. Not to mention that it was homemade chocolate, with her feelings practically baked into it.

“I really thought that Mizuha and I felt the same about each other…”

Keiki himself felt that the atmosphere between them had been progressing nicely as of late. After the Valentine’s chocolate, they held hands home from school, he found a heart in his lunch box, and they even went on a double date. They took pictures during it, shoulder against shoulder.

Without a doubt, the distance between them had continued to decrease. They even had promised to go on a date during the weekend, and Mizuha truly seemed delighted… and yet this was the result. How could Keiki not be depressed about something like this?

“Odd…” Shouma finished hearing Keiki out, and put one hand on his jaw as he pondered the situation. “You’ve been so lovey-dovey as of late that it made even me embarrassed, so why would Mizuha-chan reject you?”

“I don’t know, but she said that we can’t go out because we’re siblings.”

Keiki still vividly remembered exactly what she had said. Even if they weren’t related by blood, they were still siblings, so they couldn’t become lovers. That was Mizuha’s reason for rejecting Keiki.

“Of course, it’s not like I could just accept that, but…”

No matter how much Keiki pressed the matter, Mizuha wouldn’t explain it more than that, so he was forced to spend a sleepless night in his room. Why did he get rejected? Why would Mizuha be bothered by something like this so late into the game? Keiki didn’t know the answer to these questions.

“I confessed with full confidence, but was so embarrassed from being rejected that I must have put on the bear head to try to hide from everyone…”

“So that’s why you became a bear man…”

“Just to let you know, wearing that thing is way more embarrassing, I think.”

Shouma seemed somewhat empathetic, but Mao couldn’t help complaining.

“She’s still avoiding me… Maybe Mizuha hates me now…”

“Kiryuu…”

“Hm?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Eh…?”

“There’s no way Mizuha would hate you. In what world would a girl make lunch for a boy he hates, sneak into the bed of a boy she hates, and approach the boy she hates while naked?”

“R-Right…” Keiki felt an odd, oppressing pressure from the displeased Nanjou-san.

Mizuha did say that she had feelings for her older brother. After all, there was the whole Cinderella incident and the love letter she left for him. Keiki had no idea why she rejected him when he confessed. However, there was no doubt that she indeed felt something for him.

“It’s fine. I know for sure that Mizuha still loves you.”

“Nanjou…” Keiki felt his chest growing hot from Mao’s support. “Thanks.”

Keiki once again realized what great friends he had. They were supporting pillars during a time his heart was about to shatter.

“I’ll try talking with Mizuha one more time.”

Keiki couldn’t accept things as they stood right now. He needed to find out exactly why Mizuha had rejected him like she did.

“…So? Why do you look like a dirty rag, Keiki-senpai?” Yuika gave Keiki a very dubious gaze as she sat next to him at the reception desk.

She used her small finger to gently poke at her upperclassman’s cheek as he slumped over the desk like a used rag.

“Heeey, Keiki-senpai?”

“……”

“Anybody home?”

“………”

Because of certain circumstances, Keiki didn’t even bother to respond. As a result, Yuika pouted.

“You sure have some nerve to ignore Yuika.”

“……”

“If you continue this act any longer, Yuika will tickle your sides just for you, Senpai.”

“What do you plan on doing?” Keiki had an odd feeling of danger and raised himself upright.

When he looked over at Yuika, she was wiggling her fingers in a grotesque way. Keiki felt a shiver run down his back.

“So what’s wrong? You’re obviously depressed about something, Senpai.”

“The thing is…”

He explained the circumstances in the same way he had with Mao that morning.

“Eh?! Keiki-senpai, Mizuha-senpai rejected you!?”

“Woah, Yuika-chan, you’re too loud!”

“Ah, sorry… Yuika was just so shocked.” Yuika grew flustered and put one hand over her mouth.

She glanced around at her surroundings and moved a bit closer towards Keiki.

“But isn’t that weird? Mizuha-senpai is always talking about how much she likes you, so why would she reject you?”

“Shouma said the same thing.”

“So that’s how you ended up looking like a dirty rag.”

“No, that’s not the main reason.”

“What do you mean?”

“I couldn’t accept it, so I tried to talk with Mizuha one more time. So I sent her a message, but this was her response…” Keiki explained and showed Yuika his phone screen.

When Yuika saw what was there, she let out a shocked ‘Woah’.

‘Do you have time during lunch break? I need to talk to you about something.’

That was the message Keiki had sent upon returning to the classroom after Mao gave him advice. In response to that, his little sister responded:

‘Sorry, but please don’t talk to me at school.’

It was clear that Mizuha’s affection for Keiki had taken a severe downturn. That was the kind of message you’d send to someone you don’t even want to see. And yet, saying ‘Sorry’ at the beginning was proof of her kindness despite that.

“What do you think?”

“She’s definitely angry about something.”

“Right…”

“It’s pretty rough to ask that you don’t talk to her at school. Did you do anything that would make Mizuha-senpai hate you, Keiki-senpai?”

“I don’t think I did…”

At least not anything he remembered for the past few days. If anything, Mizuha seemed to be happier than ever before, considering their plans for their date over the weekend and all.

“Well, knowing how dense you are, Senpai, you probably angered her without realizing it.”

“Dense…”

“Since even someone kindhearted like Mizuha-senpai is acting like this, you must’ve done something pretty bad.”

“Probably…”

Mizuha wasn’t the type of person who would get angry for no reason. Just as Yuika had said, there must be some special reason for it. But it still didn’t help Keiki. Why would his little sister suddenly start avoiding him?

“Ah…”

While he was following this train of thought, a possible explanation came to Keiki’s mind.

“What? Do you have an idea what it might be?”

“Maybe…”

“Maybe?”

“She might have found my secret ‘Yuika-chan Collection’ on my phone…”

“Your what now!?” Yuika was taken aback. “What is that supposed to be!? Yuika can’t ignore that!”

“I created a picture folder on my phone that has lots of different pictures of you. For example, in a bunny girl outfit, a maid uniform, pajamas, and so on.”

“Oh, yeah. You tend to take a lot of pictures, Keiki-senpai…”

“It’s because you’re so cute. I can’t help myself.”

“Wha!? …R-Really now…?” Yuika’s expression did a complete 180, from staring at Keiki in contempt to blushing.

She cleared her throat and got back to the previous topic of conversation.

“S-So? What’s this about a ‘Yuika-chan Collection’?”

“Well, we were looking at the pictures we took during our date on Sunday, but I actually left my phone unlocked when I went to take a bath. It was a pretty long bath, so there’s a chance that Mizuha might’ve seen my Yuika-chan Collection.”

“Even if she happened to see it, Yuika doubts that Mizuha-senpai would get this angry because of that.”

“You think so?”

Mizuha could be quite jealous if she wanted to. After all, she had felt jealous and pressured when seeing her beloved Onii-chan getting along with the girls from the calligraphy club, which caused her to attend school without wearing panties as some bizarre form of stress relief. If she found out that Keiki had kept a fair amount of pictures of another girl on his phone, there was a big chance she might erupt in anger.

“But you’re right. If that collection really was what caused her behavior, then she would have called an emergency family meeting instead.”

It was hard to imagine that Mizuha’s anger was instigated by the Yuika-chan Collection. Not to mention that Mizuha was still in a good mood on that Sunday. But if that wasn’t the reason, then what was?

“Hmm… So is this what Yuika thinks it is…?”

“Hm?”

“Since Mizuha-senpai rejected you… That means that Yuika has a chance again, right?”

“Bueh!? Y-Yuika-chan!?”

“Fufufu…” Yuika made a bewitching smirk as she put her hand on Keiki’s lap. “You can switch to Yuika whenever you want, you know? The fact that you secretly kept these pictures is a bit worrying, but Yuika is also pretty happy about is, so she might just forgive you right now.”

“Say what?!”

Yuika gently whispered into Keiki’s ears while rubbing his thigh, and a cold sweat ran down his back. Koga Yuika was a very cute yet assertive girl. Ever since she confessed to Keiki on that Christmas night, she had made his heart race many times. Of course, Keiki didn’t dislike her assertiveness, and having a younger girl like him didn’t feel bad at all, but he had already offered his heart to someone else.

“I-I haven’t given up on Mizuha yet…!”

“Tsk, Yuika really thought I could get you with that…” Yuika clicked her tongue and pulled herself away from Keiki. “Yuika will hold herself back for now.”

“…Phew.” Freed from this troublesome stimulation, Keiki let out a relieved sigh.

And that was the moment he realized something felt off.

“…Hm?”

“Well… for a second, it seemed like someone was watching us…”

Several other students were present in the library. A boy was reading light novels in front of a bookshelf, a group of girls were seated at a desk looking at reference books, and a boy and a girl were talking near the entrance. It was hard to judge who was most suspicious, but Keiki had definitely felt an odd gaze just now.

“Maybe they were just jealous of you? After all, you get to be this close to a beauty like Yuika.”

“No, I feel like that’s not it…”

The intensity of the gaze felt like something more than just simple jealousy.

“Hmm. Did you say or do anything weird today, Senpai?”

“No, not really? All I did was walk into the classroom while wearing a bear mask, and then everyone started acting all weird.”

“That definitely is something that would attract a lot of attention…” Yuika made an exhausted expression. “Maybe that’s why?”

“Hmm…”

Was that really all it was?

“Well, that’s probably okay, then…”

Keiki tried to forget about that gaze he felt. However, contrary to the curiosity Yuika mentioned, it felt rather cold and distant… and unpleasant to Keiki.

*

What should one do in order to fix a girl’s mood? Girls are complicated living beings, so trying to understand them when they have a spoiled mood is unfathomably difficult. Normally, you would want to avoid them until they’ve calmed down, but sometimes that option isn’t available.

“After all, I might have made Mizuha angry without knowing about it.”

After classes ended, Keiki pondered about how to fix Mizuha’s mood, and eventually decided to go with some western sweets from a store in front of the train station. The contents of the small plastic box Keiki carried were the result of an entire afternoon classes’ worth of thinking. It was, to put it simply, a weapon to defuse the situation.

“I hope Mizuha cheers up with this…”

Generally speaking, Mizuha was very forgiving and kind-hearted, but she probably had complaints she was keeping to herself when it came to her shared lifestyle with Keiki. That was where the cake he had bought came into play. After some thorough research, he decided to buy Mizuha’s favorite cake, a Mont Blanc, from this sweets store. The plan was simple: To improve Mizuha’s mood with this cake.

He even bought some cheesecake for himself, so an invitation to eat together would be a great conversation starter.

If everything works out, I’ll ask her to go out with me one more time.

Determination burned inside Keiki’s chest. However, he stopped in his tracks the moment afterwards.

“…Ah, is that Mizuha?”

On the opposite side of the street, he spotted his younger sister walking on the sidewalk.

“What is she doing here…?”

Since she was still wearing her uniform, she must be on the way home, but it was rare to see her shopping for dinner like this. Not to mention that the local supermarket was closer to their home, so if she didn’t have any business near the train station, she wouldn’t be around here….

“……”

Keiki hesitated for a moment, then crossed the nearest pedestrian crossing and started tailing Mizuha.

“…Where is she going?”

With her student bag on her shoulder, Mizuha wasn’t exactly rushing anywhere. She was just calmly walking down the street. However, since she never hesitated, she must have some location in mind.

“Also, why am I hiding from her?” Keiki wondered to himself as he hid in the shadow of a telephone pole.

If he was curious, he could just ask her directly. She had only said to not talk to her at school, and there was nobody around to interrupt them, either, yet he couldn’t take that single step because he was terrified of being rejected again.

“…Keiki-kun?”

“Eh?”

When Keiki turned around towards the voice that called out to him, he was greeted by a beautiful sight. She was wearing a coat on top of her uniform, her long and glossy black hair flowing out—

“Sayuki-senpai?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah, well, that’s…”

Not sure how to explain himself, Keiki’s gaze naturally drifted towards Mizuha. He immediately realized that this was a mistake, but it was already too late. Sayuki had already guessed what was going on.

“Stalking your little sister is quite an extreme interest to pick up, Keiki-kun.”

“That’s not what this is, okay!?”

“But you really look like a stalker right now, you know.”

“Urk…”

Keiki couldn’t argue against Sayuki’s logic. Watching a high school girl from the shadows of a telephone pole would be something that would earn him the right to be reported.

“Oh right, Senpai. Congratulations on getting accepted to a university.”

“Oh my. Thank you very much.”

“I bet getting accepted to your university of choice must have been easy when you’re so talented and clever.”

“Indeed, it was even simpler than putting on my underwear with one hand—So anyway, why are you stalking Mizuha-san right now?”

“So it didn’t work…”

Keiki attempted to change the topic, but failed. Also, and it’s not like it mattered, but putting on your underwear with one hand sounded like it would be quite difficult.

“I’ll lose sight of Mizuha at this rate, so can we talk while we follow her.”

“Fine by me. It makes me feel like I’m some kind of detective.”

With his new comrade, Keiki continued to follow Mizuha in the shadows.

“Still, this is quite the surprise. I’m out buying ink, and I find out that Keiki-kun has turned into a stalker.”

“Well, there are reasons for this…”

Since he didn’t want to be regarded as a stalker until the end of time, Keiki explained the gist of what was going on.

“…What? Mizuha-san rejected you?”

“Indeed, and pretty harshly.”

“Hmm…”

“Sayuki-senpai…?”

“Basically, that means you’re still free, and there would be no problem if I go on the offensive now, right?”

“Why would you arrive at that conclusion…? Also, why are you opening up your blouse!?”

“I was thinking of trying to seduce you.”

“Right here?!”

“I was joking. I wouldn’t start stripping in broad daylight like this, you know. I can’t be thrown out of university because of public indecency.”

“So you say, but I still remember that you didn’t wear panties on that date that one time.”

Tokihara Sayuki undoubtedly was a hardcore masochist and a pervert. She was the kind of person who wouldn’t hesitate to flash her breasts in public.

“So I bought a cake to help us make up. I saw her on my way home, and thought that it was weird for her to go home this way, which was why…”

“…You decided to stalk her.”

The way she phrased it stung, but he couldn’t disagree either.

“But this really is a surprise. I would have never imagined Mizuha-san would reject your confession, Keiki-kun.”

“You think so too, Senpai?”

“Did you do anything that could make her hate you? Did you peek at her in the bath, sniff her used panties, or something of the sort?”

“I’m not a pervert, and Mizuha wouldn’t be angry if I peeked at her in the bath.”

Since Mizuha was an exhibitionist, she would probably be quite happy if Keiki did that.

“I was just thinking that maybe she got tired of you for always being such a dense siscon?”

“I would like to think that’s not what it is…”

“She might have come here to meet another man or something.”

“…Wha?” Keiki froze in his tracks. “What did you just say?”

“Maybe Mizuha found someone else she likes?”

“…Eh?”

Mizuha has someone else she likes? What’s up with that? Unbelievable.

“No no no, that can’t be… You’ve watched too many dramas, Senpai. Mizuha of all people wouldn’t…”

“You never know. The world is filled with good men who are more handsome than you, have better future prospects, and aren’t half as dense as you.”

“No way!?”

However, that would explain why Mizuha had suddenly rejected Keiki’s confession. The shock of the fact that her feelings for her brother might have decreased since a long time ago was strong enough to make Keiki’s legs shake.

“People change, and so do their hearts. Of course, my love for you won’t disappear that easily, Keiki-kun.”

“Why are you trying to gain bonus points now?”

“From the way I see things, you should probably give up on Mizuha-san and choose the Sayuki route. What do you think?”

“You’re not stopping!?”

Sayuki moved closer towards Keiki, grabbing his arm like she was a spoiled cat.

“Sayuki-senpai!?”

“I know it might sound weird coming from me, but I’m really beautiful, I have big breasts, and I’m quite clever with a promising future. You definitely won’t regret choosing me.”

“Oh crap, she’s not letting up at all…”

That’s the type of person she was. Always pushy, always honest with her own feelings… At this moment, Keiki felt quite jealous of this strength.

“I’m happy about your feelings, but I don’t plan on giving up on Mizuha.”

“Tsk. I knew you’d say that, but it still hurts to hear it directly.” Sayuki pouted and moved away.

But what if Sayuki-senpai is right?

What if Mizuha fell in love with someone else, and is now on her way to meet him?

I don’t want to believe it, but…

Everything had worked out fine with Mizuha in the past few days. They sat on the living room sofa, shoulder to shoulder, looking through the pictures from their date. Keiki couldn’t believe that the smile Mizuha showed back then was fake.

“Ah!? Where’s Mizuha!? I lost her!”

“No problems there. I just saw Mizuha walk into that store.”

“Which store?”

Unlike the clumsy Keiki who lost his target, Sayuki had kept a keen eye, and pointed at a single-floor establishment. From the looks of it, it was a simple cafe you could find anywhere.

“Maybe she’s meeting someone there?”

“I’d love to find out, but walking inside there would make it easy for us to get found out.”

“Let’s check the situation from the window.”

Now they were acting like true detectives. Keiki would have preferred some time to cool his head, but reality never waits. Going home wasn’t an option either this late into the game. Thus, the two of them hid in the corner of the window, confirming the situation inside.

“Ohh, this place is pretty fancy.”

“It seems like this cafe is pretty popular with girls from our school, so they visit it a lot.”

“Oh, really…… Hm?”

“Keiki-kun? What’s wrong?”

“……”

Keiki couldn’t answer Sayuki’s question. What he saw inside the cafe was something he could never have imagined.

“Why are Mizuha and Rintarou together?”

Mizuha had taken off her coat, and was seated at the same table as the male student Mitani Rin. They sat facing each other, with beverages in their hands, talking together, smiling together, laughing together…

From an outsider’s perspective, they looked like a couple in the prime of their youth. When Keiki saw this, he subconsciously formed a fist. Judging from their behavior, this didn’t look like a coincidental encounter. They had most likely planned to meet up here. Though Keiki didn’t know why they had decided to do so…

“Ah, um… Keiki-kun? As I told you earlier, there’s no way that Mizuha-san would run off and have a secret rendezvous with another man. This is a stylish establishment, so I imagine Mitani-kun had trouble going in there alone, so she agreed to go with him. Maybe?”

“……”

Sayuki’s considerate words didn’t reach Keiki’s ears. Everything in front of him turned blank, and he found himself unable to think about anything.

“…Sayuki-senpai, feel free to take this.”

“Eh? …Wait, Keiki-kun!?”

Keiki shoved the cake he had bought into Sayuki’s arms. All she could do was watch him run off. He just continued to run along the asphalt, almost as if he wanted to escape this location, or this reality, as quickly as possible.

Why is she avoiding me but meeting up with Rintarou?

He didn’t want to watch Mizuha gleefully chatting with another boy. You could call it greed, or a desire to monopolize. Jealousy? That too. In the end, Keiki wanted the girl he liked to only have eyes for him. This of course wasn’t an emotion you would have towards your little sister, but rather a symbol of romantic affection towards Kiryuu Mizuha, the girl he could now only see as a member of the opposite sex.

I guess I really do like Mizuha…

This hot feeling burned in his chest. If this feeling wasn’t love, then what was it?

*

That night, Keiki had changed into some more comfortable clothes, and was now standing in front of Mizuha’s room.

“…Maybe giving away the cake was a bad idea after all.”

Instead of the cake box, he was holding two cups filled with hot chocolate. It hurt that he couldn’t give her the cake that he had originally planned on, but using what he had at his disposal at home should be enough to start a conversation.

“…Let’s go.”

Keiki took a deep breath and knocked on the door. After that, he received a calm ‘Yes’ in replay, and the door opened.

“Nii-san? What’s wrong?”

“I made some hot chocolate, so I thought maybe we could drink it together.”

Mizuha was in her pajamas when she opened the door, and her gaze dropped down to the cups. The reason he had already made it before asking was simply so that she couldn’t reject him. Since Mizuha had stayed in her room the entire time after finishing dinner and taking her bath, this was probably the only chance to make her open up in any way.

“There’s some things I want to talk to you about, too, Mizuha.”

“…Alright. Come in.”

“Thanks.”

Keiki got his permission, and he entered the room. Mizuha often hung out in her older brother’s room, but Keiki barely visited her in her own room. Unlike Keiki’s ‘typical boy’s room’, Mizuha’s room was girly and arranged in an adorable way. It even smelled like Mizuha. Now that Keiki had become conscious of Mizuha as a member of the opposite sex, even coming in here made his heart race.

“You can have a seat on a floor cushion.”

“Thanks.”

Keiki put the tray down on the low table and sat down on the cushion. Mizuha sat down across from him, and they both reached for their cups.

“Thanks, Nii-san.”

“You’re welcome.” Keiki answered, and took a sip from the hot chocolate.

It was still a bit hot, and Mizuha was blowing on it so as to not burn her tongue.

“Be careful, okay?”

“Yup, will do.”

“Also, well…”

“Hm?”

“Um…”

There were a lot of things Keiki wanted to ask. Like the reason his confession had been rejected, why she didn’t want to talk to him at school, and why she met up with Rintarou after school… However, he chose what he believed to be the most important topic to bring up right now.

“Say, did I bother you or anything?”

“Eh?”

“I mean, you’ve been avoiding me all day, so I didn’t know if I’d hurt you or made you angry or anything… I was thinking that maybe that was why you had rejected me too, so… If there’s anything I did wrong, could you tell me so I can apologize?”

“Nii-san…” Mizuha’s eyes grew a bit wet.

She put down the cup and raised her head.

“…That’s not what it is.”

“It’s not?”

“The one who has to apologize is me.”

“Eh?”

“I thought I had feelings for you, but I was actually mistaken.”

“…What?” Keiki doubted his ears.

Mizuha’s response was completely outside of Keiki’s expectations, and it felt like his whole world had shattered into pieces.

“Because we were always together, I probably just misunderstood my feelings. If you think about it, there’s no way family members could fall in love with each other.”

“Mizuha… What are you…?”

“I’m saying that the feelings I have for you are not love.”

“Wha…?”

Upon being told this to his face, Keiki blanked out. He had assumed that Mizuha had rejected his confession because of certain circumstances. That she didn’t come to hate him, but had a different reason to say no. However, this small glimmer of hope was crushed by what Mizuha said.

“But then… what should I…?”

Keiki had just awakened to his own feelings. How should he face his feelings for the girl in front of him from now on?

“We just have to go back, Nii-san.” The girl explained with a cold and distant voice. “Go back to being normal siblings.”