She Was Actually My Stepsister. ~Recently, The Sense Of Distance Between Me And My New Stepbrother Is Incredibly Close~ - Chapter 3

Translators: AJ1703 (pages 5-20) / Hayme (pages 1-4)

Editor: Xen (page 1-10, 13-20) / Matsu (page 11-12)

Chapter 3: “Apparently, I’m Going To Play A Game With My Stepbrother.”

　A few days had passed since Akira and Miyuki-san moved in.

　It was said that siblings don’t get along with each other, so our awkward days continued.

　Akira tended to stay inside his room, and the only time we saw each other face to face was when all of us ate together or when he came out of his room to do something.

　Today I happened to meet Akira in the living room, however─

“Do you wanna play a game, Akira?”

“Thanks, but the day after tomorrow is the day of the transfer exam, so I’ll refrain for now.”

　─That’s what happened. Somehow, I feel like he was keeping distance from me.

　There’s really no progress in our current situation.

　That being said, Akira had decided to transfer to my school, Yuki Academy. He said it would take him more than an hour to get to his previous school, so he decided to go somewhere nearer.

　If we go to the same school, we might as well go and leave together. 

　If we could go together like the Ueda siblings (even though we’re not that close as siblings), it might be fun.

“Then, do you want me to help you study?”

“I can do it by myself, so it’s alright and I don’t really wanna get spoiled.”

“I see. Well then, good luck.”

“Yeah.”

　He was a bit curt, but I didn’t mind because this was something he always did, and I was gradually getting used to it.

　In other words, Akira wanted to do everything by himself.

　I grew up as an only child, so I could understand that.

　However, I wanted to be a little more intimate with him, or rather, I want to get to know him.

　Because of that, I, the elder brother, asked a person who was used to this kind of thing for advice. 

“─That’s how we are. So what do you think, Kousei-nii? What should I do to get to know my little brother more?”

『I don’t know, and you’re asking the wrong person.』

　True. It was really stupid of me to ask Kousei about this.

『I mean, I have a sister, you know?』

“You’re right, now I wonder why I asked for your advice.”

『I’m hanging up.』

“Waaaaaaait─! If that’s the case, then…”

『What now?』

“What do you think is the best way to get along with younger guys?”

『I’m not interested with younger guys, so how am I supposed to respond on that?』

　He’s really not the best person to ask for advice.

　Well, I expected this to happen, but even so.

『…Or rather, it’s fine to just go with the flow, right? If you force yourself to be aggressive, you’ll get pushed away, y’know?』

“Well, I guess you’re right…”

　Kousei told me to look back at what I’ve been doing lately.

　It’s true that the more I approach Akira, the further away he seems to be getting. I don’t want to entertain the thought, but what I’m doing may have the opposite effect.

『Oh, just in time─』

“Eh? What’s wrong Kousei?”

　I thought I heard a slight pause,

『─Eh? Wai─ Onii-chan…!? H-Hello? Is this Ryouta-senpai…?』

　Suddenly, Hinata was on the phone.

“Hinata-chan? Where’s Kousei?”

『Ahahaha, Onii-chan told me to take over for him…』

　That b*st@rd pushed the problem to his sister again, didn’t he?

『So, what’s troubling you, Senpai?』

“Ahh, nothing, it’s just that─”

　Then I explained to Hinata what had happened so far.

『I see, so you want to get along with your younger brother who’s close to your age?』

“Yeah. Is there any way?”

『How about finding a common hobby first?』

“Common hobbies, huh…”

　I thought about that too, but Akira never told me anything. I don’t know what he was doing holed up in his room. I don’t want to go in there without permission and make him hate me, so how should I find out what our common interests were?

“It doesn’t look like he’s going to even tell me anything about that…”

『Then, what about asking someone who knows about it?』

“Someone who knows about Akira? Ah! That’s it!”

　That someone─ better known as Miyuki-san. Being his mother, I’m sure she knew something about her son’s hobbies.

“I understand. Thank you very much, Hinata-chan!”

『I’m glad I could help you!』

“Thank you for your help. Can you put Kousei on the phone for me?”

『All right. Onii-chan~ Take over for me~』

　There was some slight pause again, and then Kousei was on the phone.

『So, did Hinata’s advice help?』

“Yeah, a thousand times more than you.”

『Then call Hinata directly next time.』

“That’s a little…”

『Huh? Why are you holding back?』

“That’s because… she’s your little sister…”

『So if I wasn’t her brother, would you have been able to contact Hinata?』

　What a pain in the @ss. He knows that I don’t have the guts to call a girl.

“Hypothetically… I mean, what’s it like for you? Wouldn’t you hate it as a brother if me and Hinata-chan kept in touch?”

『I don’t care, to be honest. It’s none of my business who she contacts.』

“You’re so dry, you know that?”

『You’re complicating relationships on your own. Just think about things in a more simple way.』

“That’s the last thing I want to hear from you… Rather, you should take things in a complicated way, right?

『Oh, I see. Well then, I’m hanging up… Ah and call Hinata once in a while in LIME or something, laters─』

　Kousei hung up the phone after saying so, as if he was about to break into a rant.

　Can I really contact Hinata-chan? I’m not impressed that he pushed everything that troubles him to her like that.

　To begin with, Hinata-chan is really a ‘good girl’ without irony.

　She would answer anything if someone asked her, and she would take care of things that some people don’t want to do if someone asked her. I couldn’t always be lenient with him. Hinata-chan isn’t just some handyman.

　…I thought so but, at the same time I also thought it would be a good idea to consult Hinata-chan when I have a problem with Akira.

＊　＊　＊

(From here on, the TL is only me [AJ1703], the first part was from Hayme)

　After calling the Ueda siblings, I went downstairs and Miyuki-san was just in the living room.

　Since Dad was away for work today, she was sitting on the sofa enjoying a drama by herself.

“Excuse me, Miyuki-san, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“What’s wrong, Ryouta-kun? Are you hungry?”

“No, it’s not that. I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Me? What is it about? Sit here.”

　For some reason, Miyuki-san’s eyes lit up. I sat down next to Miyuki-san.

　It was the first time for us to talk like this. I feel awkward and nervous.

“I actually wanna talk to you about Akira…”

“Oh my God, did she do something wrong again?” [TLN: Let me remind you guys that the Japanese language doesn’t use pronouns. In other words, it’s only on the English TLs you see these.] [PRN: Technically, pronouns do exist in the Japanese language. It’s just that there are also gender neutral words that are used rarely so it is hard to tell who is who without context in those particular chases.

“Ah, no. I didn’t mean that. I just wanted to ask you about Akira…”

“About Akira? What do you mean?”

“I’d like to get to know Akira better. However, I can’t seem to find a good opportunity to do so…”

　Then Miyuki-san gave me a big smile.

“I’m so glad you were thinking of that kid, Ryouta-kun.”

“Yeah, well… Since we are now siblings, even if only as step-siblings, I wanted to ask Akira what he likes and what his hobbies are.”

“I guess so~…”

　Miyuki-san placed her hand on her chin.

“I think her favorite thing to do is to read manga, maybe?”

“Manga?”

“I don’t know about you, but she always reads manga that boys read. And she also enjoys playing video games, you see? She’s always playing games on her phone, you know?”

　What the heck, he’s just like me.

　Then it’s easy for me to talk to him. Next time, I’ll just talk to him about manga and games.

“Thank you very much. I’ve been having a hard time forming a relationship with her.”

“Even as a mother, there are many things about that child that even I don’t understand. But I am sure she’s happy to have a wonderful big brother like you, Ryouta-kun.”

　Miyuki-san told me so, but I was slightly apprehensive.

“I doubt that Akira will be happy to see me. On the contrary, wouldn’t you think it’s a nuisance? Like don’t interfere with my life or something…”

“What makes you say that?”

“You see, when we met face to face, he said he didn’t want us to get used to each other…”

“That’s─”

　Miyuki-san looked embarrassed.

“─That kid, it seems like she’s still carrying around the memory of her ex-father.”

“Akira’s real father?”

“Yes, as you probably heard from Taichi-san, he was a troublesome man…”

“I’ve heard a little bit about that─”

　Miyuki-san’s expression clouded further.

　I felt as if I should not listen to what was to come.

　But Miyuki-san seemed to want to talk about something that had been bottled up inside of her. For Akira’s sake, it was necessary for me to ask her about it.

“Before the divorce, our relationship had already cooled off. We ended up breaking up because of our different values…” ─He was a b*st@rd who neglected his family, I thought.

“But Akira still loves her father, so she seems to be at a loss for what to do with her life. It’s not that Taichi-san and Ryouta-kun are the problem, but…”

　Questions ran through my mind.

　Is it possible that Akira likes her b*st@rd father? Even now? Isn’t it a mistake to say that she liked him?

　If so, does that mean that I had always thought Akira was insecure about men, but could I have been mistaken?

　Miyuki-san continued to answer my question.

“My ex-husband, Akira’s Dad, was an unsuccessful actor who always made excuses for his lack of success, saying he just never had a chance.”

“Your ex-husband was an actor, huh?”

“Yes… He got a few drama jobs, but they didn’t work out… He ended up drinking and the rest is as Taichi-san told you.”

“So that’s when it all went downhill…”

“Yes. However, he was a good dad only in front of Akira, even though he had some laxity. He bought her all kinds of things and took her to all kinds of places…”

　I thought it was a common story.

　A gap in values between husband and wife. Even I, a high school student, can somewhat imagine it.

“But it would be difficult to tell an eight-year-old Akira that it was because of a difference in values, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, yes, that’s true. What are values? I guess that’s what it’s like…”

“Akira and I were caught in the middle, and our problems had nothing to do with each other. She grew up without really knowing why… Before I knew it, she stopped saying Dad…”

“I could see that was the case…”

　I’ve had similar experiences myself.

　When my parents first divorced, I once asked my dad why.

　But all he said was, “We’re divorced.”

　There was no way he could tell his seven-year-old son that it was because his mother had a lover and wanted to be with him.

　But he was wrong about one thing.

　The word “divorce” is not something that is convenient for adults to talk to their children about without a reason.

　Adult circumstances.

　It doesn’t matter to the kids, they just get swept along.

　I knew what was going on, so I just hated my mother for abandoning me and didn’t ask my father any more questions.

　I felt bad because I felt like I was blaming my father for telling me that I was his child and that he was going to raise me.

　In fact, I wondered about Akira.

　Are they coming to terms with it in their hearts?

　I hope she doesn’t hold a grudge against Miyuki-san…

“Still, I was surprised to hear that Akira likes his real Dad.”

　When I say so,

“He’s just like her, clumsy and unsociable.”

　Miyuki-san laughed a little.

“He must have influenced her tone of voice, too. Even though I know she didn’t do it on purpose, sometimes I still feel as if she was trying to make an excuse for me. I’m really afraid that she might hate me…”

　Miyuki-san looked sorry and anxious.

　She wondered if Akira might resent her for divorcing and separating him from his father.

　She is probably still carrying that kind of guilt.

　She may have given up trying to convince Akira in the first place.

　Miyuki-san seemed to have decided that she would continue to carry the guilt of imposing her parents’ convenience on her from now on.

　They say that regrets don’t come first, but I guess some regrets inevitably linger.

“Do you resent your parents who divorced, Ryouta-kun?”

“No, I am grateful to my father. It’s just─”

“It’s just?”

“Not a day goes by that I don’t hate the person who was my mother.”

“I see…”

“But the situation is different, and I think I understand Akira’s feelings a little bit.”

“Eh?”

“I am sure that Akira does not resent Miyuki-san’s decision. He’s already a high school student, so I think he thinks it can’t be helped. I feel kind of like that…”

　When I said this, Miyuki-san laughed emphatically and said, “I hope that is the case.”

＊　＊　＊

　After that, Miyuki-san went to buy dinner, and I decided to play video games in the living room.

　By the way, I am not a gamer. I just play games to pass the time, and I prefer to read novels and manga.

　When it comes to games, I buy the most popular software, but most of the time, I start playing halfway through it and never get to finish it.

　I am not bored, but I am not that picky either, so nothing I do lasts.

　This is the same with other things, but I am aware that it is my fault.

　At any rate, I reached for “EnSam 2” that caught my eye.

　”End of the Samurai 2″ is a fighting game set in Japan at the end of the Edo period.

　The characters in the game are mainly Shinsengumi fighters, but there’s also Sakamoto Ryoma, Okada Izo, and other swordsmen who are a bit of a maniac.

　I have Hijikata Toshizo, but I often use Katsu Rintaro as well. I like Katsu Rintaro’s super special move “Kanrin Maru Simultaneous Cannon Firing” because it is quite spectacular. [TLN: Kanrin Maru is a warship btw.] 

　However, I still don’t understand why warships appear on land.

　Also, I can get Perry out with a back-up technique, but is he a Samurai? I was surprised to find that the game is full of Tsukkomi (?). It is the charm of this game. By the way, Kousei said this game is a “sh*tty game”. [TLN: To save clutter, just click tsukkomi for meaning.]

　After playing for an hour or so, Akira came into the living room.

“Um, where’s Mom?”

“Miyuki-san went out for shopping.”

　No further conversation ensued─ but Akira stared at the TV screen with interest.

“You wanna try?”

“N-No… I didn’t mean to look at it that way…”

　It sounds like he wants to play it.

“Just come here. I was just getting bored of playing by myself.”

“But I’ve never done it before…”

“Don’t worry, the controls are pretty much the same as in any other fighting game, and I can do most of them if I just try them out.”

“But I’m about to take my entrance exam, so…”

“You need a break, right? Just one for now! What do you think? Can you play with me for a while?”

　Akira thought about it for a moment, then reluctantly sat down next to me.

　I switched to normal game mode and handed Akira the controller.

“Here, you’re 2P, okay? Have you used this kind of game console before?” [TLN: 2P or Player 2]

“Yes, I have. I used to play with it at my friend’s house before…”

“I see. Then you can use ours freely from today, so don’t hesitate to use it, okay?”

“Oh, thanks…”

　Akira is a little embarrassed, fiddling with the controller.

　I had invited him to play before, but he had been reluctant to do so.

“Well then, let’s give it a try right away.”

　By the way, I chose Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Next to Katsu Rintaro, he is my second most used character.

　As for Akira…

“Ho~, you’re going to play as Nakazawa Koto…”

　Nakazawa Koto── a female swordsman who dressed as a man and participated in a Ronin squad called Shinchogumi, despite the fact that she was a woman. The Shinchogumi itself is quite fanatical and not well known to the general public.

“You’ve got good taste, huh?”

“I just chose this one because she looked kind of cool.”

“Really…? Then I’ll leave the stage to you─”

　The battle location that was automatically selected was the Goryokaku.

　The fact that the Tokugawa Shogun’s Yoshinobu is going to fight the Shinchogumi’s Nakazawa Koto is absurd, but the location chosen, Goryokaku, is just not right for the history buffs. Well, that’s amusing in its own way.

“I’ll tell you first, I’m not skilled enough to take it easy on you, okay?”

“Ehh~… I’m just new to this game~…”

“No questions asked! Let’s go!”

　Even if my opponent is a beginner, once I have the controller in my hand, I will not let my guard down and go easy on him. If it’s my brother, I’m not going to cut corners.

“I will show my pride and dignity as a big brother here.”

“I think giving up a win to someone younger than you is also something an older brother would do…”

　That’s sweet. As the older brother, I cannot lose only to my younger brother─

　─20 minutes later.

“─Whoa! Hey, Akira-san, stoppu, stoppu! That’s not fair!”

“Tei!”

“Whoa! Wait… guard that─ Wow, I lost…”

　I totally got beaten to a pulp.

　I won the first round, of course. I guess that’s the difference in our experiences.

　However, Akira, who had gotten the hang of it after only a few minutes, showed that he was as good as me in the second fight.

　I managed to win the second game as well, but in the third game, Akira overwhelmed me with only a single punch left.

　I wasn’t letting my guard down or going easy on him. In fact, I was determined.

　After only three fights, Akira seemed to be completely on the same playing field as me. It was not so much that he was strong… but rather that I was simply weak.

“D@mn, you’re good, Akira…”

“Ehehehe~, It’s my win~!”

　Suddenly, Akira smiled.

　As I had not seen Akira’s smiling face recently, I was satisfied that I could bring out that expression.

　But as an older brother, or rather as someone who is a history enthusiast, I couldn’t afford to lose in EnSam 2.

“Akira, one more time.”

“Yes, yes.”

　I chose Hijikata Toshizo as my character.

　Akira seemed to be satisfied with Koto Nakazawa, and he was going to keep using her.

“My Hijikata is very different compared to the other characters.”

“Oho~. Then why not show me?”

　However, as the fourth and fifth rounds went on, Akira was getting stronger and stronger, while I was getting weaker and weaker. I can no longer imagine winning against him.

“A-Akira-san… Can you go a little easier on me…?” [TLN: Idk why this had “-san” in it while the earlier one didn’t.] [PRN: That’s because Akira had him beat and as he is asking for a request, it’s natural to add honorifics.] [TLN#2; Makes sense.]

　There was no pride and dignity as an older brother who had been bragging that he wanted to show his skills.

“I’m not so skilled that I can go easy on you, either. ─Take this!”

“Whoa!?”

　……The result was all right, wasn’t it?

　The goal of this game was to get along with Akira.

　I achieved my goal.

　I was able to bring a smile to Akira’s face, and Akira seems to be enjoying herself in the game, which is a satisfactory result…

　But what is it? What is this dissatisfying feeling?

『─I’m not going to marry someone who is weaker than I am. If you desire me, you must defeat me.』

　Nakazawa Koto’s line after her victory is strangely annoying.

“Ahahaha, I won again!”

　I wonder if Akira is just having fun ragging on me?

　Is he just letting off steam from her daily frustration with me in the game?

　I don’t want to think so, but from the way he is enjoying himself, it’s possible.

“Hey, Akira, how about playing another game? You know, the kind where we play together to win.”

“Ehhh~? Just when I was getting used to the game.”

“Calm down, we’ll play EnSam 2 some other time─”

“No, just a little bit more─”

　I was about to stand up.

　Akira grabbed my arm and I staggered.

“Whoa!”

　I was caught by Akira’s arm and I stumbled.

“Hey… Aniki…”

“Ah, sorry. Are you hurt?”

　The next thing I knew, I was pushing down on Akira.

　Akira’s eyes widened and she froze.

“I think I’m fine? I’m sorry, I pulled you down…”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

　Akira’s face is a few centimeters away from mine.

　As my eyes came into focus on Akira, I almost sighed.

　Akira’s face is so beautifully shaped that I almost felt jealous. Up close, this beauty stands out even more.

“…Hey, Akira.”

“W-What is it, Aniki?”

　I stared into his clear eyes under his long eyelashes, and he immediately turned away.

　His eyes began to moisten somewhat, and his translucent white skin was soon smeared with vermillion.

　Akira’s breathing became a little hoarse, and I could see that he was nervous.

　I felt like I was being somewhat mean to him, and I couldn’t help but grin.

　No, maybe I am really mean.

“I knew it, you have a beautiful face, huh?”

“─!?”

　Akira’s face lit up.

“Ahahaha, don’t blush on me. You’re making me embarrassed here, too, you know?”

“Oh, Aniki, aren’t you ashamed to say such a thing?”

“Well, we’re siblings after all.”

“E-Even if we’re siblings, that’s too sudden…”

　He doesn’t seem to resist, even though he said that. It’s kind of like he’s confused because he doesn’t know what to do.  

　Perhaps, I might be able to go on with this.

　I’m not sure if I can resist this desire.

　I decided to do what I had wanted to do ever since I started spending time with Akira.

“Akira, close your eyes for a minute.”

“Eh!? Wait… what are you going to do!?”

“Just do it.”

“N-No!”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon.”

“Aniki, it’s just, I’ve never done this before…”

“Shut your mouth and close your eyes. I won’t hurt you─”

　Akira finally gave up and closed his eyes, his face turning bright red.

His lips, which had been tightly knotted, were gradually loosened and his full, pouty lips turned upward.

　I reached out my hands to Akira’s bright red cheeks.

　And then I─

“Mugu──!”

　─I pinched Akira’s cheeks lightly.

　The soft flesh of Akira’s cheeks rose up as I held him up, and his lips became long and thin.

“…Nh-Nhanikhi, nhat nya nyo nyoing? (Aniki, what are you doing)?”

“Confirming that you do have soft cheeks, I guess?”

　Akira shook off my hand.

“What are you doing─?”

“No, I’m just saying, if your facial muscles are soft, you can make a lot of different facial expressions. It’s a shame that you’re always wearing that pouty face.”

　It’s plenty enough for Kousei to pout so much; I want Akira to smile more.

“You should smile more like you did just now. I think it suits Akira better.”

“A smile… suits me better…”

　Akira looked a little uncomfortable and turned his gaze away from me.

　It may have been a little too much.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“D-Don’t mind it… I just got really nervous…”

“You have such a beautiful face, I felt like teasing you a bit.”

“Don’t tell me I’m beautiful… I’m not that beautiful…”

　Do you lack confidence in yourself even though you have such a beautiful face? Or is “beautiful” not an appropriate compliment for a man?

“At least, I think you’re beautiful though?”

“I-I’m not happy to hear Aniki say that! ─Aniki no baka, baka!”

“Woah!”

　Akira pushed me back and ran up the stairs like he was running away.

　Who would you be happy if someone said that to you?

“Or rather, saying ‘Baka baka baka,’ what are you, a grade schooler…?”

　Just as I was feeling something that didn’t add up, Miyuki-san came home just as Akira and I were passing each other.

“I’m home~. ─Um, Ryouta-kun? Akira went up with a red face, what happened? Did you guys get into a fight or something?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing serious, so don’t worry about it.”

　─No, in hindsight, it was a big deal…

　What could I have said to Akira?

　And because of that, I’ve made a big mess.

　I can’t regret it at this point…

　However, at that time, I thought I could get a little closer to Akira.

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Translator’s Afterword (AJ1703): Man, I didn’t expect it to take this long, mainly because of the atrocious 2-3 pages full of historical names of warriors and such. Yes, they are real people, and I’m not even sure of the translation for the special move character of the sort of the one mentioned there. It was hellish to TL that’s why it took longer than expected. I’m sorry in advance if a reader who actually knows stuff about these found something wrong with it. Please refer to it in the comments so I could fix it, thanks! Also, I attended a con and had a bit of small debt to my friend.

I got my dream of being able to get a picture with a Love Live! Cosplayer come true <3