No One Should Ever Know That I'm Seriously In Love With My Brother, Right? - Chapter 2
Translator: AJ1703
Editor: Matsu
►Chapter 2 (From My Brother’s Point of View, Senpai is a Troublesome Person, But She’s Not a Bad Person, Right?)
The next day in the classroom. Before morning homeroom.
Everyone in the class was already excited about the upcoming holiday tomorrow.
”Where are you going to play?” “I’m going on a trip…” such conversations were blooming all over the place.
In the midst of all this, I was sitting in my seat, looking at the lock screen of my phone and trying my best to suppress a smile.
(A selfie taken of the two of us after our first kiss yesterday… It’s a great shot. Chimari looks so happy and cute…) [EDN: ALREADY LETS GOO]
“What are you looking at, Chiharu?”
“Ah… it’s nothing!”
I hurriedly hid my phone from Muneshige, who was trying to peek in from the side.
This is something that only we can have. No one else can see it!
“I see. Well, I don’t mind if you didn’t want to show it, but more importantly, Chiharu.”
“Yeah?”
“What happened yesterday when you were called out by Juujigahara-senpai?”
“!!─”
I was asked an uncomfortable topic.
“Listen to me Chiharu, you’ve been in a state of mindlessness since you got back, so I thought I’d be considerate and not ask you. But now it’s okay, right?”
The last part was so loud that everyone in the class could hear it.
And before I knew it, everyone was looking at me! What were you all going to do during Golden Week!? I thought you guys were talking about the activities to do during Golden Week!
“Look, everyone’s wondering about you, so go ahead and spit it out, Chiharu!”
“Ugh…”
When I was pressed, I was at a loss for a response.
Sure it’ll be easy to just say “I was suddenly confessed to”… but I’m not comfortable revealing it because I already know that would surprise the whole class…
Moreover, if I were to say that I rejected her, they would say, “Why!?” “That’s impossible!”, I’m sure I’ll get a lot of angry comments like those…
In the first place, according to Article 21 of the school regulations, I can’t reveal what happened yesterday…
And then, as I was thinking about it in circles.
“─Excuse me.”
Uwaaa~…!! The classroom became noisy at once.
I’ve seen this situation before… and I was afraid to look towards the door.
And then, as expected, there was a beautiful woman who seemed to be the personification of the concept of cool beauty─ Juujigahara-senpai.
“!…”
As soon as our eyes met, she walked towards us in a straight line, with even heavier steps than yesterday.
And then─
*Bang!!* She slammed my desk with her hand.
“…E-Ermm…Juujigahara-senpai?”
I was scared, but I had to ask her.
(I’m pretty sure I properly declined her confession yesterday… but is there still something more to it…?)
I can only assume it’s because she went to the trouble of visiting me again.
But then again, this attitude alone suggests that this “something” is definitely something disturbing…
As I thought of that, senpai looked around the classroom.
“Everyone please cooperate! Don’t let the public morals committee hear us or come in!”
As soon as she said that, the classroom became quiet as if it had been hit by water.
However, the charisma of the school’s most beautiful woman probably played a role in this.
“””””Y-Yes, we understand…!”””””
The whole class straightened up, hurriedly closed the door and set up a guard.
“Thank you all, I appreciate your cooperation.”
“””””No, it’s nothing, don’t mind it!!”””””
It was everyone in the class, waving their hands in unison in front of their faces.
…Well, I know I can’t go against this person in any way, but…
(I have no idea what’s about to happen here…!!)
Just when I thought she was done,
“So… Yuma-kun.”
Geez!
E-Even though she’s a beautiful woman, her glare is too powerful!
“W-What is it…?”
“I…”
Then senpai went on to blurt it out.
“Y-Yeah…?”
Don’t tell me, she’s going to say “I was rejected, but I won’t give up!?”
Furthermore, in this kind of place!? That’s not good, if everyone hears that, it’ll be a big deal─
“You rejected my confession yesterday, and also kissed─”
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah~…!!” [EDN: Ah…sh*t]
I had to forcefully interrupt her with a loud voice.
She was definitely trying to tell me about my kiss with Chimari yesterday, wasn’t she!?
Eh, she saw us!? How!? There’s something that needs to be said for that… but, for now!
“W-Wait! Anyway, let’s talk over somewhere else, not here senpai…!!”
When I got up in a panic, I forcefully pulled senpai’s hand and ran out of the classroom…
For the time being, I pulled senpai to the end of the corridor.
“U-Umm, Yuma-kun, your hand…”
“I’m sorry, just come with me!”
“O-Okay…”
And then, when the crowd finally died down, I let go of my hand and turned myself towards senpai.
“…………”
Senpai wrapped her other hand around the hand that I had been pulling on earlier and fidgeted a bit.
“Oh, um… senpai?”
“…This is the first time I’ve held hands with a man.”
“Huh?”
“Your hands are so different from mine… They’re big and strong…”
So, you’re embarrassed by that…? Senpai is surprisingly naive despite her appearance…?
“And if I’m forced to take your hand like this, I’m going to love you more and more…”
I was confused by the unexpected reaction, but─
“─Well, anyway!”
Senpai’s facial expression changed drastically with a sharp glint in her eye.
“You already have a girlfriend that you’ve kissed!? That’s why you rejected my confession!?”
She cuts in suddenly. She didn’t let me prepare my mind or clear my head!
So I panicked again and started to explain myself.
“Oh, that’s not it! It wasn’t that kind of thing. It was my sister after all!”
“You were kissing your sister!?” [EDN: Okay, I’m done.]
Senpai had a change of blood, and asked again as if shouting.
“T-That’s not the case…! That was uhh, well, erm… yeah! I was just cleaning the dust out of her eyes!”
I’m so bitter! It’s too painful for an excuse! But I can’t think of anything else!
As expected, senpai was not convinced─
“I see, so that’s the way it was…”
“…Huh?”
Senpai suddenly became mysterious, nodded and put her hand on her chin.
“The moment I glanced at him, I thought, ‘What’!? I was hiding, and I didn’t see you properly, and the only thing I saw was your back… so I guess I misjudged you?”
“……………………”
“Yuma-kun?”
“Ah, no, y-yeah, what is it…?”
“I apologize if that’s the case. I’m sorry I blamed you for looking at it wrong.”
“…………………………………………”
This person… could be by any chance, she’s fiercely naive or simple? Would anyone be convinced by that excuse!?
“That’s right, it’s not possible for siblings to kiss, and Yuma-kun is a good Onii-chan who loves his sister.”
(She’s actually convinced… no matter how you look at it…)
Yesterday, I didn’t really understand the situation because it was so sudden, but when you actually talk with her, Juujigahara-senpai is such a good person…
Earlier, her reaction to the hand I grasped just a moment ago was out of the ordinary…
(Anyway, this person… she knows about me and Chimari for a long time now? If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have made the comment “I’m a sister-loving Onii-chan”…)
So, should I check on that? There are still a lot of things I don’t understand, like why she came across the kissing scene yesterday in the first place─
“…Then wait a minute!”
Then she flashed her palm at me.
“W-What is it─?”
“If that’s the case, I don’t get it! If you don’t have a girlfriend right now, why did I get dumped?”
“Ah, eh…? What?”
The topic of conversation continues to be too loose and abrupt.
And yet again, I couldn’t keep up with my brain…
Senpai pointed her finger at me and asked me again with a fierce look on her face.
“Explain to me exactly why you rejected my confession!”
“………………..”
E-Even if you tell me that───!!!!
─Let me get this straight.
First, for some reason, this person wants to go out with me─ in other words, she likes me.
But since I rejected her confession, she backed off once.
However, this person witnessed the first kiss between me and Chimari yesterday, which I thought no one saw, regardless of how it happened…
And since it was over my back, she couldn’t tell that it was Chimari. She just assumed it was a girl.
That’s why she came to me again today, like this.
She was wondering if the reason why I rejected her was because I already had a girlfriend.
But since I said (or had to say) that that wasn’t the case…
Then I have to explain to her why I rejected her…
(Otherwise, there’s no way she would just give up… that’s just how it is.)
She continued to stare at me with an angry expression.
But even with this kind of expression, the fact that she is so beautiful that you can’t help but admire her is just amazing…
“…Is it because you don’t like me?”
“Ah, no, it’s not like that! I do think that senpai is extremely beautiful…”
“Eh, ah…well thank you…”
Senpai is the type of person who, when praised, turns red and shrinks.
“Telling me that I’m really beautiful… I don’t want you to tell me that way… although, I’m still glad… I-I think I’m going to lose my mind…!”
Or rather. Isn’t she a little too easy? This person! I’m sure she’s used to being told off like that, but her reaction is so innocent!
I seriously thought.
“Eh? Then why? Why don’t you want to be my lover?”
As if she had come to her senses, she asked me with a straight face.
“It’s because…”
I can’t say it’s because I have Chimari already, but I don’t have any other reason to give.
“I-I can’t go out with you anyway! I’m sorry!”
In the end, I had to bow my head with a bang, just as I did yesterday.
And when I looked up fearfully, I saw…
“………….”
Senpai folded her arms and turned away with a muffled look on her face.
“U-Umm… Juujigahara-senpai?”
“…I’m not convinced with that. You can’t just refuse to date someone without a reason.”
“Umm… why does senpai want to go out with me in the first place…?”
“Isn’t that obvious? It’s because I like you.”
“────”
The straightforwardness of the statement made me choke for a moment, but…
No, even so, why? We’ve never even talked to each other before.
“But you won’t respond to me… You won’t even take me seriously.”
“Ah, no, l-like I said that’s─”
“─If that’s the case!”
Bishi! She pointed her finger at me.
“You’re going to have to stay with me until I’m satisfied!”
“────”
What does she mean that I’ll have to go with her─!?
…And then the bell rang for the start of homeroom.
“Ara, I didn’t know it was so late. I’m going to go back to my classroom. You should go back too.”
“Oh… okay…”
“But! Be prepared, because I’ve already made up my mind!”
With that last remark, senpai walked away with the same graceful steps as ever.
…I felt as if a storm had passed.
And that same storm is clearly going to come back…!
(How should I answer… the next time senpai asks me a question…!?)
With my head in my hands, I had no choice but to return to the classroom.
After that, naturally, every time we had a break, Muneshige and the rest of the class took turns asking me, “What the hell was that all about?”.
I kept my mouth shut about all of it, and I got a lot of negative feedback because of it, but…
There’s no way I can just explain the kiss with Chimari, or what happened with senpai!
(First of all, I need some time to think about it. I’m sure senpai will barge in again around lunchtime to deal with it… No, but even if I say deal with it… hmm yeah…)
However,
“…………”
Lunch break. Even after about ten minutes had passed, there was no sign of senpai’s arrival.
Can I assume that she’s not coming? I feel as if I have been let down…
(But I mustn’t let my guard down here. After all, senpai is the kind of person who would barge in on you first thing in the morning!)
So I took another precaution and sent a LINE message to Chimari.
『Sorry, I don’t think I can join you today.』
The reply came after about a minute.
『I understand. See you next time!』
…It hurts my heart to imagine the struggles and disappointments behind that cheerful reply.
I can’t help it. I think it would be very dangerous to bump into Chimari and both senpai for now…
“Excuse me.”
Just as I was thinking about her, here she comes! Juujigahara-senpai!
In a way, I’m saved! My decision was the right one!
As I was shouting inwardly, Juujigahara-senpai walked up to me and asked me something unexpected.
“You’re not having lunch with your sister today, right?”
“Eh…? No, well… yes…”
“I see… then, have you had your lunch yet?”
“N-No, I’m about to go to the cafeteria to buy some…”
“I see. I’ll give you this.”
She put a plastic bag on my desk.
I looked inside… and there were several loaves of purchased bread.
“Eh?”
“That’s why I’m giving them to you. I just thought it might be a good idea.”
“…………”
Does this person even understand that she’s being watched by everyone…?
I still can’t get a grip on her… but for now…
“S-Sorry to bother you, but I’ll eat it and thank you very much.”
“No problem. I’ll sit next to you, if you’ll excuse me.”
She sat down gracefully on a vacant seat and crossed her long legs in a charming manner.
For a moment, I was almost attracted to her, but then I realized that this was just a man’s instinct. Chimari is still the best for me! I apologized to my little sister wholly in my heart.
“Juujigahara-senpai, did you finish your lunch?”
“I’m the type of person who doesn’t eat lunch.”
“Ah… is it like a part of keeping your body in shape? *Nom.”
“For that matter, why aren’t you having lunch with your sister today?”
“Nngh!?”
She’s really always cutting in on me like that, this person!
(As expected… I can’t just say to her that I wasn’t able to have lunch with Chimari because I don’t know when she’s going to barge in like this…)
“So why?”
“…My little sister overslept today, so she wasn’t able to prepare lunch for me.”
I had no choice but to lie. Naturally, my heart hurts. Chimari is a good girl who wakes up early every morning…
“I see… that’s surprising. But if that’s the case, then it makes sense.”
And as expected, senpai was easily convinced.
So, we remained silent for a while, me eating my bread while senpai was looking out the window.
I wondered what this mysterious time was all about…
I truly wondered.
“That reminds me…”
“Eh, w-what is it?”
“Just Kii is fine.”
“…Come again?”
“I like my first name better than my last name.”
…So she wants me to call her by her first name instead of “Juujigahara-senpai”?
S-She’s always so abrupt!
“W-Well then…K-Kii-senpai.”
“Kii-senpai…!”
When she was called, she turned red and held her ample breasts.
“You really called me by my name… I’m not your girlfriend, we’re not even a couple… Oh, I’m so happy…!”
I thought she was mumbling something, but─
“‘Kii Yuma’ doesn’t sound so bad, right!?”
“Nggubu!?”
What the hell is this woman saying all of a sudden!?
“Ah! I-It’s nothing, I just got a little ahead of myself!”
That means… No, no, don’t think about it! Don’t pry further!
“Ahem─on a side note, do you not have any friends?”
Another abrupt change of subject.
“It seems that you were alone before I came here.”
“Ah, no… that’s…”
If I had kept my mouth shut about you, it would have been disastrous and no one would have talked to me…
Even now, people are just glancing at me from afar, probably because of Kii-senpai’s overwhelming presence.
Instead, I feel like I’m being listened to very closely…
“So I’ll be your friend. For now at least.”
“Mghufu!?”
Doesn’t that mean we’ll start as friends!?
“Fufu! Friends… that sounds good. We start as friends, and then eventually…”
That’s what I thought!
(I somehow feel like she’s come to gradually remove unnecessary information in her head rather than trying to examine it further…)
“Oh yeah… that reminds me, I’ve been wondering about this…”
I gathered up all my courage and decided to ask her.
Since the other party’s topic is thoroughly abrupt, I thought it would be a good idea for me to talk about it abruptly as well. At least for a little bit.
“W-What is it?”
(Kii-senpai, why do you like me…?)
I whispered into her ear. It was something that had been bothering me.
(We’ve never really had any kind of connection before…)
“…………”
Kii-senpai gracefully brushes her hair and stares straight at me.
(…I’ve been watching you. All this time.)
(Huh…?)
(So, you know. Well, but…)
And then, senpai removed her strong gaze of the light.
(…That’s why I might be a little disappointed today.)
(…………)
I-I still don’t know what that means…!
I shouted that in my mind.
(Your sister loves you, doesn’t she?)
(─!?)
I was choked up by the sudden change of topic again.
(W-W-What do you mean by that…?)
(Exactly what I meant. And you care for your sister very much.)
(Oh, w-well… yes…)
It’s more than “I care for her,” but it’s not wrong, so I nodded.
Then Kii-senpai─ Oh, I’ve seen that soft smile before…
(…I like you like that. Is this okay?)
(Huh…? Eh…?)
(I also have an older brother… but we don’t get along well… “that’s exactly why” is how it is, maybe.)
(…………)
I didn’t feel like she was lying or being evasive.
In other words, Kii-senpai really likes the brother (me) who cares for his sister…
Then that means… the more she sees me taking care of Chimari in the future, the more she’ll fall in love with me.
I-I feel like that’s extremely bad─!!
…And then, someone intervenes.
“Umm, sorry to bother you…”
Then Muneshige, accompanied by our classmates, approached us.
“Can I have a word for a bit? Juujigahara-senpai, are you serious… that you like Chiharu…?”
They all looked curious.
Or rather, did they hear me!? How did everyone listen so intently!?
“Ah, don’t worry about the public morals committee. I’m on watch again.”
And they’re very thorough. That’s how concerned they are about it.
Well, that’s true… Yesterday and even today, Kii-senpai came to my place in succession..
And so, Kii-senpai, while looking around the class, re-crossed her long, sexy legs.
“Is there something wrong?”
“””””N-No, not at all!”””””
They all reflexively respond to the cold and sharp eyes of senpai by straightening their backs.
…Among them, only Muneshige was normal.
“It’s strange, but it’s unexpected. If it’s senpai, you can choose all the hot guys you want, but I’m sorry to say, it’s Chiharu you chose.”
I know that sounds really rude, but I totally agree with you…
She likes me because I take care of my little sister? Just because of that? Something like that.
No, but he looks like he’s got a soft spot for her… Umu…
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Kii-senpai responded to Muneshige as if she was disgusted with him. If you have a weak mind, you might reflexively say, “Excuse me! I’m sorry!”
But Muneshige, who has a very strong spirit, could not resist.
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Yes, of course. Yuma-kun is the only person I’ve ever seen who can be so kind and care for a person like that.”
“K-Kii-senpai……”
She’s watching me more closely than I thought she would─!
I’m grateful… but, isn’t this bad? If they learned that she had romantic feelings for me, I would be in big trouble…!
“So, Yuma-kun.”
“Oh, huh…?”
“Why don’t you go out with me?”
You’re asking me that right now!? Again!?
“Yeah, that’s right! Juujigahara-senpai is the one who accepted you, you know!? You can’t do anything but accept it!”
Muneshige and the others started to cheer.
If I was in a position to do that, I would have done the same.
“I-I just can’t accept it!”
I had no choice but to yell at them and tried to cover it up.
“…But that doesn’t mean you don’t like me, right?”
You can’t dissuade me!
“W-Well that’s because…”
I had no choice but to look around at senpai’s entire body again.
Beautiful, long, wavy hair. Her appearance is so well-groomed that it’s too good to be true. Large, swollen breasts. Her hips are nubile, even when she’s wearing her uniform. And then there are her beautiful, slender legs….
I’ve heard that she’s a good student, and to be honest, I’d say she’s impeccable.
Of course, she’s the complete opposite of my beloved Chimari, but─
“…I do think Kii-senpai is a very attractive person.”
“A-A-Attractive…!? T-T-Thank you… Oh no, I can’t contain my feelings anymore if you say it like that…”
She was whispering to herself, but I could hear what she’s saying perfectly.
She said, “I can’t control my feelings anymore”… I’m pretty sure I just stepped on a landmine! Yeah!
“W-Wait, yes it’s true that you’re attractive─”
I opened my mouth to speak out before the situation took a turn for the worse.
“Y-You do think I’m attractive, and right now, you don’t have a girlfriend, right!?”
She leaned forward to cover me.
“That’s─!”
I was momentarily at a loss for an answer.
Of course, it’s easy to say “no” here.
But when I see Chimari’s face in my mind, I feel very uncomfortable answering that way…!
No, but wait. Hold on for a bit. If I say yes, Kii-senpai will certainly ask me who it is.
(W-What am I supposed to do!? How am I supposed to answerー!?)
As I was shouting in my mind, Kii-senpai chimed in.
“I wonder if your sister knows…”
“Wait a minute! Wait, please spare my sister!”
I had to say that in a panic.
“Why?”
“I’d like to talk to Chimari about it after I’ve calmed down…”
“…I see. You really care about your sister, you know that?”
Kii-senpai nodded with a hand on her chin and a straight face.
“Fufu, as expected. The Yuma-kun I fell in love with has to be like that…”
And she seemed to be happy about it.
She’s really easy to convince when it comes to these things…!
“Anyway, as far as I know, Chiharu does not have a girlfriend.”
And then Muneshige quickly answered from the side.
I was not willing to say it out loud, so that was a relief…
“I see, he doesn’t have one. If that’s the case─”
When I nodded, Kii-senpai brushed her hair again and looked at me…
“…I’m going to work harder, I guess!”
She said this while her cheeks were dyed with enthusiasm.
Everyone in the class gasped─
And also me.
(S-So cool, but I’m in trouble─!!)
I had no choice but to scream in my mind again─
In the end, Kii-senpai spent the whole time in our classroom and left.
In the meantime, I was still baffled by senpai’s sudden question, and I was left in a panic.
“What are you really doing? Normally, it’s OK, right?”
Muneshige gave me a little nudge (?) and continued to do that…
It was a very tiring lunch break…
Ah, I can’t wait to see Chimari’s face… I want to be healed…
So, after a languid afternoon of classes, after school came up.
“Ah, Onii-chan~!”
Chimari, who had already arrived, jumped up and down and waved to me as I headed for the elevator.
I was so relieved and moved by this that I almost burst into tears.
“What’s wrong… Onii-chan?”
“Nothing, it’s just Chimari’s here now… I’m so relieved…”
“Hmm??? I don’t get it, but it’s Chima. Ehehe~, Onii-chan are you more relieved now?”
She looks so happy to meet her Onii-chan with the way she smiles as she looks at me! Look how big it is!
…If this weren’t the elevator, I’d be hugging her. Or maybe even a kiss.
“Anyways… I’m sorry about lunch, okay? We couldn’t be together earlier.”
“Don’t mind it. Was there a problem? Otherwise, Onii-chan wouldn’t have cancelled the lunch meeting with Chima.”
“Yeah… thank you for understanding… That’s Chimari for you…”
“Ehehe~. …But do you want to tell me what happened?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll tell you while walking─”
As I was just about to head for the shoebox.
“Is it my fault, by any chance?”
“!?!?!?!?”
I was suddenly asked from the side, and I jumped up by surprise.
I’m not sure how long she’s been here, but Kii-senpai is right here!
“S-Senpai, did you by any chance follow me here…?”
“Hmm??? No, I just came to the elevator to go home.”
I couldn’t help but ask her about it, and her response was with a slight tilt of her head.
In addition to being a nuisance, this person may have some kind of attribute that lets her come to me easily… Now and then, yesterday’s kiss, or even the lunch break incident…
“I can’t believe I bumped into you here… Is it fate? I wonder if it’s fate…”
And she’s saying that in a whisper. I think she’s a little bit too smart for her looks…
(Oh, um, Onii-chan, could this person be…?)
So Chimari hid herself behind my back and asked me a question.
(O-Ohh… well, uhh…. this person is Kii Juujigahara-senpai, but…)
(Fuwaa~… she’s very beautiful… mature… and cool…)
It was a gaze of envy.
For Chimari, who is still a child, Kii-senpai, who’s in her second year of high school and already has the aura of being an adult, would certainly be admired…
As far as I’m concerned, the current Chimari is enough, or rather the most attractive one in the world.
(But Onii-chan would rather have Chimari than this beautiful senpai, right!?)
(Y-Yeah! Of course, Chimari is the only one for me!)
(Ehe~, Ehehehe~! Onii-chan…♪)
Ah, that’s so cute─ wait, now’s not the time for that!
“I knew you guys were close.”
Now we’re dealing with Kii-senpai!
No, it’s kind of like she’s squinting her eyes and looking happy…
“So the reason you two weren’t eating lunch together wasn’t because your sister didn’t pack a lunch, but because I might have barged in on you two?”
She really switched the topic and cut right to the chase when I wasn’t expecting it!
“N-No, it’s not like that…”
I was forced to answer in a hurry.
However,
“Tell me the truth.”
Ding!
Her eyes were so intense…! It’s too powerful for a beautiful woman…!
“Ugh… y-yes, actually, I think it would be best if senpai and Chimari didn’t meet, so I’ve decided that on my own…”
I succumbed to senpai’s glare and admitted my mistake to her.
D-Did I make her angry? Or rather, why did I think it would be better to avoid meeting her─
“That’s outrageous.”
I knew she was mad!
But, as I thought of that…
“Why would I interfere with the two of you getting along?”
“…Huh?”
I was taken aback by the unexpected words that followed.
“By the way, this is the first time I’ve talked to your sister, right? I’m Kii Juujigahara, a second-year high school student.”
“Ah, yes! Thank you very much for your kindness, Chi-… that’s not it, I’m Chimari Yuma, a 2nd year middle school student. Nice to meet you Kii-senpai!”
“Fufu, that’s a nice greeting. It’s nice to meet you too, after all─”
And then senpai smiled more and more gently.
“I’m the woman who’s going to be your sister.”
“”────!?””
This woman is always jumping from one extreme to the other!
“Even though your brother hasn’t shown any signs of being attracted to me… he’s been letting me do whatever I want…”
“T-That’s Onii-chan for you…! Senpai is certainly a very, very beautiful woman, but he’s not the kind of person who would be attracted to that alone.”
“You like that kind of Onii-chan, don’t you?”
“Yes!”
I’m flattered by her honest reply, but it’s not good─
“I know what you mean. It’s nice that you value what’s inside, not what’s on the outside.”
“Ah… y-yeah! You understand that, don’t you, Senpai!?”
“That’s true. If it wasn’t for that, I would have won your brother’s heart a long time ago.”
Ah, she’s so confident about her appearance… this woman… Well, it’s not unreasonable…
“So you like what’s inside Onii-chan, too, Senpai?”
“Y-Yeah, that’s right. Especially the fact that he cares about you so much.”
“Oh… yes, he takes very good care of me.”
“It’s nice, isn’t it, having a brother like that?”
“Yes! I love him so much!”
“Y-Yeah, that’s right. I know.”
“I’m glad you understand, ahaha~!”
“Ufufufu!”
Wait… these two are surprisingly getting along well, aren’t they?
I don’t know what to do here. I don’t know how to react or deal with this…
“Well then… Onii-chan!”
And then Chimari jumped up and down.
“Chima wants to talk to senpai even more, so can I invite you to Onii-chan’s room?”
Why would you do thatーーー!?
“Oh, that would be great too. If lunch between the two of you was ruined because of me, I want to make it up to you.”
Senpai nodded her head with her arms crossed.
And then─
“I’m going to have a talk with Chimari-chan and show her how the two of you get along.”
(Ah… again…)
That soft, gentle smile was so uncharacteristic of this person.
And when I saw that, I felt uncomfortable─
“Besides, I’d like to visit Yuma-kun’s house… and being invited to his house is like being his girlfriend… oh my god… I’m so excited…”
No, those biting words make me uncomfortable in a different way, but…
“Ahaha. …It’s fine right, Onii-chan?”
Whatever the case may be, once Chimari’s adorable upward glance hit me, I had no choice but to nod my head─
So, the three of us, a mysterious combination from an outsider’s point of view, made our way home.
“Pardon the intrusion, welcome back Onii-chan, and welcome Kii-senpai.”
“Y-Yeah, I’m sorry to bother you. …But isn’t this some kind of office?”
“It’s the office of the construction company that my father runs. At night, the place is deserted, so I rent it out and live here alone…”
I opened the door and took off my shoes as I spoke.
“””Isn’t this a haremーーー!?!?”””
As usual, Muneshige and the others, who had left before me, made fun of me.
However, perhaps because Kii-senpai was here, everyone got up in a hurry after the joke and started clearing the sofa and dusting it.
“Not good, this is not good! I can’t believe that Juujigahara-senpai even came here!”
“Yuma, you’re amazing! Thanks to you, the percentage of girls here is going up rapidly!”
“So that means we’re all full of life? We’re getting more and more popular, aren’t we…? Yoo-hoo!”
They’re whispering to each other and getting excited about it.
…These regulars, aren’t they idiots?
No, I don’t hate them, but that’s the way it is! It’s just that they’re the ones who hang out at my house! That’s why I’m the owner of this place, in a way!
“A-Anyway, please take a seat, Juujigahara-senpai…!”
One of them, Tabuse, reverently (and furtively) pointed to the sofa with the palm of his hand.
He seemed to have decided to go into full-on hospitality mode.
“Oh my, I apologize. Let’s sit next to each other then, Chimari-chan.”
“Yes, excuse me then…”
Kii-senpai gracefully sits down on the sofa, while Chimari cheerfully sits down on the sofa.
“Wait, it’s nice that we got to sit down… but what about you guys? It seems that you guys are in the middle of a game.”
“””We’ll just sit on the floor!”””
In response to senpai’s question, all of them, Tabuse in particular, shouted, “I swear! I swear!”
Hmmm, I’m afraid to say that Kii-senpai… made not only my class, but also my friends who are always doing whatever they want to do in my house, react this way.
“Hmm, but what’s the matter? The three of us are all together.”
The only one among them, Muneshige, followed the example of the others, though he was still as light-hearted as ever.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, That’s an amazingly beautiful woman… She looks like a celebrity… Could it be that she’s the Juujigahara-senpai I’ve heard so much about?”
And Miyuka, as expected, looked up from the book she was reading and began to panic.
It seems that even from the eyes of someone of the same gender, Kii-senpai is instantly recognizable as exceptional.
“I don’t know anything about the rumours that’s circulating around, but I’m definitely Kii Juujigahara. Who are you?”
I’m Chi-kun and Chi-chan’s childhood friend, Miyuka Tsui.”
“So it’s nice to meet you from today. Please feel free to talk to me if you need anything.”
“O-Okay… uwaa so dependable…! As expected of a beautiful woman, you look like a character straight out of a novel…”
“You’re pretty too, aren’t you?”
“N-No, that’s just! I’m not as slender as you! The only thing I’m good at is reading…!”
“So you’re a reader, that’s wonderful. I’d like to know if you have any good books.”
“!! Y-Yeah…! I’ll think of something to recommend!”
“Yeah, thank you.”
At any rate, the girls seemed to have made fast friends with each other.
Well, maybe it’s a good combination of a little shy Miyuka and a pushy Kii-senpai. Their personalities seem to mesh well with each other…
“S-So what happened today? Juujigahara-senpai, I didn’t know you knew Chi-kun and the others…”
“Well, there’s a lot to be said for that… Anyway, today is the first time Kii-senpai and Chimari have met.”
“You see, I wanted to talk more with Kii-senpai. So I thought of asking to borrow the place for today.”
“And since Chimari is coming to my house anyway, we decided to bring Kii-senpai too.”
I supplemented Chimari’s cheerful explanation, feeling a little overwhelmed.
“So that’s how it is. Then we’ll just play the game without worrying about it.”
“It would be great if you could do that. Do you want to join us, Miyuka…?”
“I’m reading a book, so I’ll pass. I don’t want to bother you guys if you want to talk.”
“I’ll talk to you some other time, Tsui-san.”
“Yes! Thank you very much!”
“Well then, Chima─ I’ll go make some tea.”
And then Chimari cheerfully stood up.
“Oh my, thank you, you’re so thoughtful. But─”
“Yes?”
Kii-senpai put her thin fingers to her chin and looked at Chimari.
“I wonder if Chimari-chan usually refers to herself as ‘Chima’?”
“Ah…”
Chimari was blushing.
It’s true that she almost said “Chima” a few times in front of senpai.
“Well, I mean, usually, when I’m in front of Onii-chan… I’m naturally… like this ever since I was a kid…”
“…I see.”
Oh, that smile again…
“Then I’ll ask Chima-chan and her brother to prepare the tea.”
“Eh? Ah, okay… that’s fine with me, but…”
As I nodded my head in agreement, I had a feeling.
(I think I’m beginning to understand. She’s really happy when Chimari and I get along… She’s smiling at us…)
“K-Kii-senpai, please don’t call me ‘Chima-Chan’!”
“Oh my, are you embarrassed?”
“Because Chima is not a child anymore.”
“You just said ‘Chima.'”
“Ah!… Ahh, fuuu~, Onii-chan~!”
“The only thing you can do now is just embrace it… for now, in front of senpai…”
“Uuugghh~… but Mune-kun and the others are here…I’m so embarrassed…”
“Fufu! Chima is really cute, I can see why Yuma-kun would want to take good care of her.”
“Yes, that’s right!”
I couldn’t help but join in.
“The most embarrassing person is Chiharu, who is a siscon at his age, but I don’t think he’ll mind.”
“Leave me alone!”
When Muneshige pointed out something outrageous as I was about to leave the room, I got pissed off and said something back.
No, but he’s right, I’m relieved if I’m only seen as a siscon.
Anyway, I went with Chimari to the hot water room to make some tea.
“Onii-chan, Chima still can’t believe it.”
As the voices of the others faded away, Chima whispered to me as she leaned closer.
“Hmm? About what?”
“Kii-senpai forced Onii-chan to have a relationship with her.”
In Chimari’s mind, it seems to have become ‘forcibly pressed’.
Well, it’s not too far from the truth.
“It seems that Senpai is cheering for Onii-chan and Chima to get along.”
“Ah… yeah, I’ve felt that too, but…”
“Right~? And she’s also so sweet and easy to talk to, I can’t imagine her forcing herself to be in a relationship with Onii-chan.”
Certainly, in front of Chimari, senpai has not shown much of that abrupt change of topic to cut to the chase.
After all, she even mentioned some of her good points about her, and they hit it off. She also had a calm attitude toward Miyuka.
So it’s not unreasonable for Chimari to think so.
But still─
“Well… to be honest, I’m also a little confused by the difference in
her attitude between me and Chimari.”
“…Is she really that different?”
“No, it’s basically the same. It’s just… when it comes to me, she’s a lot sharper… or she’ll suddenly throw in something out of the blue.”
“F-For example?”
“I hadn’t told Chimari yet, but─”
I told Chimari about the morning when she came in, and about lunch.
“~~~~!?”
Then Chimari shrank back, her ears turning red all at once.
“I can’t believe we were seen… Chima’s first kiss…”
I’m very sorry to say this, but the embarrassed Chimari is cute too…
And then I remembered how soft and sweet Chimari’s lips were… I want to kiss her again…
“I’m sorry about that Onii-chan, Chima didn’t check properly and did something like that.”
But, that’s not the point right now! Switch, switch, switch! *Suu-haa~ [TLN: Suu-haa= Breath in/out sfx.]
“No… it’s my fault too. I want Chimari to be who you are. I think it’s my role to take care of that.”
“O…Onii-chan…”
“I’m sorry for being like that.”
“Uuu…Onii-chan!”
*Thump
Chimari jumped on me as if she couldn’t control her emotions.
I took it in firmly and inhaled my sister’s sweet smell into my chest.
(Yeah… this is how it’s supposed to be. Chimari is the cutest to me because she acts on these emotions so honestly…)
It’s a little painful that I can only do this when we’re not under someone’s watchful eye.
But in a way, this makes it more rare, and makes me feel like I want to cherish this precious moment…
“Fuwaaa~, thank you, thank you very much, and I love you, I love you so much…!”
“Yeah, I love you too… Chima─”
“…S-So you two turned out to be a lot more passionate than I thought you’d be.”
“”!?!?!?!?””
Kii-senpai is Kii-senpai because she appears at these places at just the right time every time!
“WHA-WHA-WHA-WHA-What’s wrong, Kii-senpai!?”
Chimari hurriedly pulled away from me, and with the momentum of the moment, Chimari was in front of me.
“Nothing, you see, I don’t want to say in front of Yuma-kun… but I was just trying to find the bathroom… and I asked Tsui-san where it was… and when I got here, I saw this…”
If you ask me, the bathroom is this way! Well, there was that possibility, too!
“More importantly─”
And then Kii-senpai’s eyes changed.
I’ve already gotten accustomed to seeing her sharp gaze…
“Now matter how close you siblings are, isn’t that a bit excessive!?”
“”T-That’s not the case─!””
“It’s like a lover’s embrace! I’m not sure what the hell is going on here, but even siblings who are close never go that far!”
“Well, that’s─”
I was just trying to choose my words.
“We do!”
Chimari assured me, grasping my hands.
“Eh…? I-Is that so?”
As expected, Kii-senpai was puzzled by her vigor.
“Yes! I don’t know about the other siblings, but at least between Onii-chan and Chima, it’s normal! It’s been like this for a long time!”
Well, it was actually quite a painful process of hiding the fact that we were seriously in love with each other, but… that’s about it.
“I-I see… If that’s the way it’s always been, then it’s certainly normal for the two of you…”
As expected, Kii-senpai staggered, demonstrating the same kind of weakness only in these areas.
…Aren’t we safe from this person?
As one could see, it’s easy to talk her out of it every time, even though she encounters places that are inconvenient for us, or she rushes in and suddenly makes things difficult for us without paying attention to her surroundings.
(I’m sure she’s really good and simple at heart… She looks flashy and unapproachable, but… maybe that’s also why she’s so easy to get along with…?)
“On the contrary, Chimari-chan’s ‘I love Onii-chan!, So Yuma-kun is the brother who accepts her that way.”
“Yes, that’s right! He’s the best Onii-chan.”
“You’re the best Onii-chan for your sister… I think I understand…”
“…Could it be that Kii-senpai also wants to get along with her brother?”
“Eh!?”
Kii-senpai looked as if she had been caught off guard by the question posed by Chimari.
“Did I tell Chima-chan that I have a brother?”
“No, I didn’t, but I was wondering if that might be the case,”
Senpai’s eyes rolled back in her head more and more. I mean, I was surprised as well.
…Chimari sometimes has very sharp intuition.
Maybe it’s because she has an honest way of looking at things that she’s able to see things better than others.
“…Y-Yeah, that’s right, I have a brother too.”
With a huff, Kii-senpai puts her hands on her hips.
“Wow! So Chima and the others─”
“Unlike you two though, we don’t really get along.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yeah. …I wonder if that’s why, when I think about it. That’s why I fell in love with your brother.”
“……What?”
Us siblings were all surprised by the sudden change of topic, which is typical of this person.
Kii-senpai smiled at us and said,
“I think it was about half a year ago. Anyway, the first time I saw it was by chance… A friend of mine in the tea ceremony club invited me to their tea ceremony room, and I was on my way there when I found you guys eating lunch together on that bench.”
Chimari and I looked at each other.
─I didn’t realize it had been that long ago.
“At first I thought you two were a couple. But, as soon as I saw you two frequently, I knew you were brother and sister. Both of you look and behave very much alike… and more importantly, your vibe doesn’t seem like a couple at all.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes, especially Yuma-kun’s attitude. You can feel from a distance that he is really taking good care of you, as if he were touching a fragile object, but in a gentle and caring way…”
I felt a little embarrassed when she said that.
S-So that’s how she sees me…
It’s true that half a year ago, when I was desperately trying to suppress my love for her, I was very careful not to let her know that I was in love with her… but I still wanted to be in contact with Chimari, and that’s why we were having lunch together.
That’s just how Kii-senpai is…
“I thought it was a pleasant sight… And what I thought more than that was─”
She looked at me in the eyes, dead straight.
“I want to be taken care of like that by your brother.”
“────”
“I want to be loved like that. …Once I realized that feeling, I was screwed. I knew I was in love with that brother of yours.”
“Ah… so that’s how you feel… about me…”
Doki-doki. Doki-doki. Doki-doki.
My heart was beating noisily and faster.
My face is so hot that it feels like it’s going to burst into flames.
Because, because. Then it’s as if─
(It’s as if you’ve fallen in love with my very existence…)
“After that, it became a habit for me to go and watch you guys having lunch… Every time I saw you, I got more and more nervous and thought about you…”
“E-Even during that one month gap?”
“Yes. No matter how many times I went to the corridor, I couldn’t find the two of you. I was on the edge of my seat wondering if you guys had a fight or something. But… you two made up, right? The day before yesterday, the two of you were together again… and you looked even closer together than before…”
“Y-Yeah… that’s just how it is… yes…”
I nodded my head while breaking out in a cold sweat.
In fact, we weren’t really fighting, and we didn’t make up, but we became lovers, so I don’t know what kind of face I should make…
Chimari, on the other hand, seemed to be happy.
“Ehehe~, that’s right~! We’re getting closer and closer, Chima and Onii-chan! Hey, hey, listen to me, Kii-senpai!”
“Yes, let me know. What is it?”
“Onii-chan, accepted all of Chima’s feelings! That’s why we can eat lunch together again.”
Chimari! That’s a bit brave of you to say─
That’s what I thought at least.
“Fufu, as expected of Yuma-kun… that’s what’s so wonderful about you…”
“Yes! He’s the best Onii-chan, I love him!”
“Fufufu…! I know. No wonder, I’m falling for him even more…”
“That’s right~.”
Wait, what do you mean by that, Chimari!? It feels like Chimari is admitting that she likes me!?
And just when I was about to panic─
“Speaking of which…”
Senpai’s expression suddenly tightened again and she spoke up.
I tensed up reflexively and stretched my back.
What is it this time!? What is she going to say─
“Oh, I was supposed to go to the bathroom, what am I doing! I’m in a bit of a pinch, so if you’ll excuse me, I have to go now…!”
Kii-senpai changed her expression and dashed to the bathroom.
Chimari and I looked at each other…
“W-We’ll just make the tea for now.”
“Y-Yeah… I guess… But still…”
Chimari squeezed her body and said,
“Kii-senpai’s a good person, right!?”
…I agree with her, though. Somehow.
I still have no idea what’s going to happen next, and that’s still a problem…
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Translator’s Afterword: Sorry for the slow update for this series, I was too busy to work on it due to a lot of irl stuff. Also, it took a few days for Matsu to finish editing this chapter. I may have picked up these 3 new series: “How Could You Like Another Girl When You Already Have A Cute Fiancée Like Me?” ; “She Was Actually My Stepsister. ~Recently, The Sense Of Distance Between Me And My New Stepbrother Is Incredibly Close~” ; “My Sister’s Best Friend? My Female Friend Already? Then, What’s Next―?”, but they’re not the reason why it took me long to upload this chapter. I can somehow balance all of them so let’s hope I can keep up the momentum in doing so. Please give the other series a read too in the meantime while this has not been updated yet.
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Finally, luv it as usual♥