Shimotsuki, who had been so energetic and talkative just now, instantly became quiet when my stepsister, Azusa, came home. She was restless and fidgety like a borrowed cat.
Her shyness seems to have kicked in.
I guess she became uncomfortable. She seemed to have decided to leave as soon as possible.
āSo, Iāll see you tomorrow. ā¦ā¦ Bye-bye, Nakayama-kun. Thank you for today, it was fun. Oh, but you canāt flirt with other girls just because Iām going to be gone, okay? Promise!ā
With these words in my ear, she leaves the scene.
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦Eh!ā
But she didnāt feel comfortable walking past Azusa in silence. Her face turned red, but she bowed to Azusa.
āAh, yeah. Thank you. ā¦ā¦ā
When Azusa also bowed lightly, Shimotsuki smiled awkwardly and then ran to the door.
Only Azusa and I remained behind.
It was a rare occasion when my stepsister came home, and she was gazing towards the doorway as if she was following the back of Shimotsuki.
āā¦ I think this is the first time Iāve seen Shimotsuki-san with a face like that.ā
I think Azusa must have a strong impression that Shimotsuki is quiet.
Iāve always thought of her as an expressionless, icy girl, but when she shows me her blushing, impatient face, itās understandable that Iām confused.
āIāve never really been involved with her because she doesnāt talk to me all the time and Ryoma said that Shiho prefers to be alone. ā¦ā¦ Older brother, you are close with her, arenāt you?ā
āOh, yeahā¦ā¦ I guess so.ā
I scratched my cheek and said a few words back to my stepsister.
To be honest, I wasnāt as comfortable as Shimotsuki, but I was uncomfortable too. Thanks to this, I couldnāt even sit down on the sofa and just stood there.
It was the first time we had talked as brother and sister in several days.
We promised each other before that we would be āstrangersā outside the house.Ā After the high school entrance ceremony, right after Azusa met Ryuzaki,ā¦ā¦ she made up her mind to ālove Ryuzaki single-mindedlyā and parted ways with me.
She thought that if she had a relationship with another man, she would never be able to catch up with the distant Ryuzaki.
[āThe ideal Onii-chan that Azusa was looking for is probably not Onii-chan. I think Ryoma-san is the real Onii-chan for Azusa.ā]
Itās only been about two months since she said that.
It feels like a lot of time has passed since then.
Since then, we promised to act as brother and sister only inside our house.
The relationship between Azusa and I has become so weak that she asked me to call her āNakayama-sanā as if we were strangers outside the house.
But then again, Azusa might have been a little uncomfortable with the idea. ā¦ā¦ She started to hate seeing me and started to stay at Ryuzakiās house.
It seems that she stays over almost every day and is spoiled by her favorite āRyoma Onii-chanā.
So I didnāt expect her to come home today.
āWhatās going on? Itās unusual for you to come home.ā
Could it be that sheās not feeling well?
If thatās the case, I was worried that she should be resting ā¦ā¦, but apparently thatās not the reason.
āIām fine ā¦ā¦, but I just wasnāt in the mood today. Thatās why I came home. ā¦ā¦ Iām sorry, did I disturb you?ā
āā¦ā¦ No, this is Azusaās house too, so donāt hesitate.ā
You donāt need to worry about it.
Iām just a fake who couldnāt be your ideal āOnii-chanā, but Iām still a part of the familyā¦
āIf you ever have a hard time, please let me know. If thereās anything I can do to help, Iāll lend a hand.ā
The person I once loved is now far away.
And now sheās falling in love with someone who isnāt me, and sheās going to devote her life to that person.
Iāll never be able to make her happy again.
I can only act as an older brother within the confines of our homeā¦ā¦, but at least inside the house, I want her to spend her time as a younger sister without being bossy.
But I guess Azusa herself doesnāt want that.
She shook her head slowly.
āItās okay. I donāt deserve to be spoiled by you anymore. ā¦ā¦ Donāt worry about it. Iām sorry, youāve always been so nice to me.ā
She seems to have made up her mind a long time ago.
It seems that she has made up her mind to cut off all other men except Ryuzaki and give her all to him.
ā¦ā¦ Oh, I canāt look at her.
I canāt even look at her directly because she is my sister.
How painful it is.
Itās really a sad feeling to watch. The subheroines are, if anything, even more ā¦ā¦ pitiful than the mobs.