She Was Actually My Stepsister. ~Recently, The Sense Of Distance Between Me And My New Stepbrother Is Incredibly Close~ - Chapter 9 Part 4

Chapter 9: “Apparently, I’m Protecting My Stepsister”

Translator: AJ1703

　The event that triggered it came quickly.

　It was a few days after I went out with Akira. It seems that Kousei was called to the staff room, and I suddenly had to go home alone.

　By this time, Akira and Hinata often went to school together.

　I had been going home with Kousei for some time because of our friendship, but without Kousei, I had no choice but to go home alone.

　Under cloudy skies, I set out on my way home alone.

　As I walked, I thought about Akira.

　Akira seemed to have adjusted to school recently, and she didn’t seem so nervous anymore.

　Akira once told me that she was spending better time in class than before, thanks to Hinata’s support.

　In the second year, rumors about a beautiful girl transferring to the first year have subsided. As for the third-year students, since Kousei had been glaring at them recently, no one has been coming near them.

　At any rate, I think it is safe to leave Akira alone at this point.

　I had let my guard down like that.

　As I passed the ticket gate of South Arisu Station, the smell of rain was already in the air.

　When I looked up at the sky by the roundabout, I saw that the clouds were getting very heavy. According to the forecast, it was supposed to rain from this evening to tomorrow.

　I didn’t bring an umbrella, thinking it would be fine in the evening, but it might start raining soon.

　As I was hurrying home, I was worried about the sky, which looked as if it might start crying at any moment─

“No! Let go of me!”

“Just come with me!”

　I suddenly heard a loud voice at the end of the road.

　A familiar girl’s voice and a low male voice. Two urgent voices intersected.

“No way! You’re hurting me! Let go of me!”

“Shut up! Just get in the car!”

　In an instant, my body was running already.

　I rushed to the corner of the road and turned.

　There they were, Akira and a middle-aged man who seemed to be a bit of a scumbag.

　No, that’s not the point.

　The middle-aged man grabbed Akira’s arm and tried to force her into a car parked nearby.

　The word “suspicious” came to my mind.

　Immediately, the blood in my body boiled.

“Akiraaaaaaaaa─!”

　My feet were running before I could even think about what I should be doing now.

“Eh!? Aniki!?”

“Huh? Anik─”

　My consciousness had long since left my body.

　My whole body was burning and the sounds around me were fading.

“Let go of Akira──!”

　I grabbed the middle-aged man by the chest with all my might.

“Who the heck are you…?”

　The middle-aged man glared at me from above and grabbed me by the chest with one hand. He had tremendous strength.

　His eyes were sharp and intimidating. If I were to get into a fight with him, I probably wouldn’t be able to compete with him.

　But I couldn’t back down.

“I am Akira’s aniki!”

　─Because I am Akira’s aniki.

“Aniki…?”

　The situation was getting tense.

　Me and the middle-aged guy were still holding each other’s chest,

“Pfft…”

　Suddenly, the middle-aged man erupted and started laughing loudly.

“D-Dad! Aniki! Stop it!”

　Akira said, and the middle-aged man quickly let go of my chest.

“Sorry, sorry, you said you’re Akira’s aniki? I’m Himeno Takeru, Akira’s father.”

“…….Huh?”

　I probably must have looked like the dumbest person in the universe at that moment…