I Was Hired As A Tutor By A Cute Little Devilish Junior - Chapter 45 Reconciliation

The next morning after Momoka-chan came to visit, Kanade’s condition had returned to normal.
At that time, Kanade had been asleep and didn’t know that Momoka-chan had come to visit her, but she was very happy when I told her about it.

We also talked about proper boundaries between siblings that Momoka and I had discussed.
Kanade said that, as I had expected, when she and Momoka-chan went out to play, Momoka-chan pointed out the lack of boundaries between Kanade and me, which made her behave like that.
She looked like she was about to cry and told me that she didn’t hate me, and I had a hard time calming her down.

Then, when I told her about Momoka-chan said that we should just keep our own pace and distance, she looked deeply relieved.

“I-I, I don’t have to hold back anymore..?”
“Yeah, of course. Here.”

As if to prove it, I opened my arms and Kanade jumped into my chest.
I took her in firmly and hugged her tightly.

“Will Nii-san even accept a sister like me…?”
“It’s obvious. I love you because you are my sister.”
“Ehehe…I’m glad.”

Kanade hugged me more tightly than usual, her cheeks strained.
It was the first time in a long time that I felt Kanade’s body warmth, and I felt deeply relieved, probably because I was also lonely for some reason.

If Kanade is the spoiled sister, then I’m just the caring, pampering brother.
So, we don’t have to hold back anymore. All I have to do is spoil her as much as she wants.
With that in mind, I stroked Kanade’s head.

　＊　＊　＊

It was the first day off after Kanade’s fever was gone.
I had to take another day off from Shiina’s tutoring.

The last time I took a day off from Shiina’s tutoring, I said I would make it up to her at the next tutoring session.
However, she wanted to make it up on her day off when she could have more time, and today would have been the day to do so.

“Nii-san. Would you like to go with Kanade tomorrow?”

That’s what Kanade asked me after I came home yesterday.
Momoka-chan wanted to apologize to both of us for the things she had said about our distance when they went out the other day.

Of course, Kanade told her that she didn’t have to do that, but she just couldn’t help her feelings.
In the end, Kanade suggested that the three of us (Kanade, Momoka and I) go out together.

However, Shiina was the one who had plans first.
I had already had a day off last time, so I was going to give priority to that.

However, when I told Shiina about the situation, she replied that she wanted me to give priority to Kanade.
She felt bad about monopolizing me on her days off, and graciously gave me permission to take the day off.

And so here we are today. The three of us were at the shopping mall where Kanade and Momoka-chan had gone together last time.
Unlike the last time, today we met at the nearest station and took the train directly, but Momoka-chan had been nervous ever since.

She was probably struggling with the question of when to start talking to me.
So, as soon as we arrived at the mall, I decided to go to a café.

As soon as I sat down, Momoka-chan opened her heavy mouth, as if she had made up her mind.

“I’m sorry about the other day!”

As Momoka-chan bowed deeply, Kanade and I looked at each other quietly and shared a small smile.

“Please raise your head, Momoka-chan.”
“Yes. Kanade no longer minds.”
“But…”
“As a result, it was a good opportunity for us to understand each other’s feelings. I’m rather grateful for that. Right, Kanade?”
“Yes.”

When I patted Kanade’s head, who replied with a carefree smile, Momoka-chan looked up at her with a timid expression.
We both smiled at Momoka-chan, and she smiled at us too, though still awkwardly.

“But…you’re right. I think Momoka-chan needs to be punished a little.”
“Y-Yes. Anything I can do!”
“Then…”

I stroked Kanade’s head and thought about it for a while.

“Then, I’ll ask you to have fun with me and Kanade for the whole day.”
“Eh, that means…”
“You shouldn’t worry about Kanade and Nii-san, Momoka-san.”

Momoka-chan’s eyes fluttered for a while, then her mouth relaxed, happily.

“Yes!”

She nodded her head with a big smile.

After taking a break at the café, the three of us went around the shopping mall.
We lined up in order from the end, me, Kanade, and Momoka-chan, and walked hand in hand.
Kanade was in the middle, holding hands with both of us, waving her arms in the air as if she was really enjoying the walk.

The first place we entered was a clothing store that had a large selection of fashionable clothes.
Naturally, there are many clothing stores in a large shopping mall, but I heard that this was one of the most popular ones.

Spring has already passed, and summer clothes are starting to be sold, with many t-shirts and blouses catching my eye.
Once we got to the women’s clothing section, there was no room for me to intervene, and the two girls were having a great time.

After a while, I was asked to come to the front of the fitting room as they try on some clothes.
I waited for Kanade and Momoka to finish changing in front of the two fitting rooms.

Momoka-chan was the first one to finish changing, and she opened the curtain and came out.

“W-What do you think, Onii-san?”
“Yes, it suits you well, Momoka-chan.”
“Thank you very much…”

It seemed that the two of them brought clothes that they thought would look good on each other.
Momoka-chan seemed to prefer a rather stiff image in her casual clothes, but the brightly colored blouse and skirt that Kanade had chosen suited her well.

Kanade came out next, wearing a beautiful light blue colored dress.
Momoka’s choice was a good one, as it seemed to add to the charm of Kanade’s reserved personality and fragile image.

“You look cute, Kanade. It looks great on you.”
“Ehehe. Thank you, Nii-san.”

Kanade happily fluttered her dress and spun around on the spot.
As I was patting the excited Kanade on the head, I felt her eyes on me from the side.
When I turned to look at her, I saw Momoka-chan with an indescribable look in her eyes, as if she was expecting something.

“What’s wrong? Momoka-chan?”
“Ah, no. I’m just curious because Kanade said that your brother’s petting is the best in the world.”
“Kanade, did you say that?”
“It’s true that it feels good. Momoka-san should try it.”
“Eh? Ah, wait a minute.”

Then Kanade grabbed Momoka-chan’s arm and dragged her towards me.
Kanade brought her to me and turned her head to me as if to say please.
Momoka-chan, who came right next to me, was dumbfounded, wondering what to do.

After a moment of hesitation, I boldly put my hands on top of each of their heads.
Kanade squinted her eyes as if she felt good, while Momoka closed her eyes tightly as if she was nervous.

Momoka-chan didn’t seem to mind, so I stroked her head as usual.
It was the first time in my life that I had stroked both of their heads at the same time with both hands, but it was surprisingly not bad.

There is a saying, “A flower in each hand,” and perhaps this situation is the true meaning of that saying. (EDN: JP idiom)

“How is it? Momoka-san.”
“K-Kind of a weird feeling…but I feel very calm.”
“I hope it’s not a bad feeling.”

I was worried about how she would react to having her friend’s brother patting her on the head, but I was relieved.
After stroking her head to my satisfaction, we both bought the clothes we had tried on and left the clothing store.

“Speaking of which, Nii-san. Was it fine for you to take a day off from tutoring Shiina-san?”
“Yeah, she graciously gave me the day off. She said she didn’t want to deprive Kanade of your time with me.”
“Shiina-san is very kind after all.”
“That’s what Shiina is like. I should thank her some time.”
“In that case, I’ll join you.”

Of course, I shouldn’t have lied about spending time with Kanade, but I’ve skipped out twice.
To make it up to her, I would have to be very prepared.

When I looked around to see if I could get her a gift to start with, I saw Momoka-chan looking at me with a curious look on her face.

“Momoka-chan, what’s wrong?”
“Well, is Shiina-san a friend of Onii-san?”
“Well, technically she’s a kouhai in my high school, what’s the matter?”
“Ah, I have a cousin with the surname Shiina. Is her first name Azusa, by any chance?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Haha, that’s amazing. What kind of coincidence is that…?”

Wait a minute. Momoka-chan, Shiina’s cousin…
She mentioned a while ago that she had a brother…Wait, no way…?

“Hey, Momoka-chan has an older brother, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I’m going to ask you a weird question. What’s your brother’s name…”
“My brother’s name is Kohei…Onii-san?”

The moment the name came out, I couldn’t help but hold my head.
Indeed, if you put it that way, Momoka-chan’s well-rounded face seems to resemble Kohei-kun’s in some ways.

But that was beside the point, all I could think of now was why is the world so small.
As I thought about this, I made sure not to tell Shiina that I had stroked Momoka-chan’s head just now, just in case.