CH 52

The Ideal “Onii-chan”

It seemed that Azusa had an older brother who was two years older than her.

He was not a stepbrother like me, but a real brother by blood.

This was before we became step-siblings.

I heard from her father that Azusa loved him very much and was always with him no matter what.

“I’m going to be your wife in the future!”

That’s all she said, and it seemed to annoy her family.

But those days came to an abrupt end.

When Azusa was in the sixth grade, her brother died in an accident.

Azusa, who lost her beloved brother, was of course sad ……, but rather, she was very confused.

It’s not like she could understand that she would never be able to see her beloved brother again.

“Onii-chan is just going somewhere far away, isn’t he? I’m sure we’ll meet again someday, if …… Azusa is a good girl.”

Somewhere in her heart, she must have understood that her brother was dead.

But she refused to acknowledge it. She stubbornly continued to wait for her brother’s return.

Even as a high school student, she still wore her hair in twin tails, as she did in elementary school, probably to make her brother recognize her.

Then one day, …… Azusa’s father decided to remarry. The other person had a stepson, a boy.

That’s me.

“…… Are you my Onii-chan?”

I still vividly remember the first time I met her.

I was in the first year of junior high school at the time, and I too was confused by the sudden arrival of a family member my age.

So, I couldn’t really think about her question.

I asked her when her birthday was, because I thought it would determine if she was my older or younger sibling …….

And she shook her head, because mine was slightly earlier.

“Yeah, I guess you could say I’m your Onii-chan.”

When I told her that, Azusa instantly started to cry.

“Gusuu … I’ve been waiting for you all this time. Welcome back, Onii-chan! “

I didn’t know what to do with my stepsister who hugged me while saying that.

It was right after that that I heard everything from her father.

“Azusa has been waiting for her brother’s return.”

I thought I knew that.

She knew that she would never see him again, but she pretended not to notice and put her brother’s image on mine.

But I couldn’t stand to see Azusa like that, so …… I pretended to be her brother.

At the time, I didn’t think of myself as a mob character, so I was proud that I could save Azusa.

Thus, even though we were the same age, we started to spend time together as brother and sister.

When we first became brother and sister, Azusa seemed to be very happy every day. She walked behind me all the time and crawled into my bed at night.

To be honest, I was happy.

I couldn’t help but think how cute my little sister was, how much she missed me.

If she wanted, I could be her “Onii-chan” forever.

I loved Azusa so much that I even thought about it.

But it seems that I was the only one who thought so.

“…………?”

If I think back, I think Azusa had a puzzled look on her face even then.

She suddenly looked at me and tilted her head, “Huh?”

It was as if she had realized that I was not the “Onii-chan” who she was waiting for to come home.

The feeling of discomfort must have been getting stronger day by day.

And finally, on the day of the entrance ceremony, …… she met that guy.

Ryoma Ryuzaki.

At first glance, Azusa seems to have realized that I am a fake.

Because Ryuzaki looks a lot like Azusa’s own brother.

I was surprised when I saw the album. I wondered if there was anyone in the world who looked so much like him.

In other words, she had finally found her “ideal Onii-chan”.

Ryuzaki, who resembled her own brother, had instantly stolen her heart.

And I, who was a failure, was cut down.

“Azusa’s real Onii-chan might be Ryoma Onii-chan.”

The parting words were abrupt.

I lost my precious sister before I had a chance to sort out my feelings.

Because she wanted Ryuzaki to look back at her, she only talked to me inside the house and called me “Nakayama-kun” outside. I was only her brother in the family register, and I could only act as her brother in the limited situation of inside the house, and I became distant from Azusa.

Throwing everything away, Azusa single-mindedly pursued Ryuzaki.

Eventually, her thoughts turned to love as a member of the opposite sex instead of love for her brother …… and this completed her as a harem member.

She really is the epitome of a subheroine.

As a subheroine, she loved Ryuzaki, as a subheroine, she devoted herself to Ryuzaki, as a subheroine, she encouraged Ryuzaki, and as a subheroine, she fell in vain.

It was an utterly …… disgusting romantic comedy.

In the end, what did she get out of it?

Did you get the “ideal Onii-chan” you’ve been seeking with all your heart?

Azusa…… you didn’t get any reward.

You just fell down hurt, crying, and in pain.

It really was painful to watch—

“Higu, Ugu … Ua”

She is still crying after being rejected by Ryuzaki.

Azusa’s sobbing voice was echoing in the forest at night.

I can’t hug her like that.

I’ve been disqualified from being her big brother, and I’m now just her older brother in the family register.

I’m not even related to her by blood, and I’m almost a stranger to her out there.

It’s impossible for me to comfort her or heal her.

Azusa has gone beyond my reach.

But ……, family is still family.

There is an inseparable bond with this girl.

That’s why I tend to be lenient with her.

“……I know it’s very, very painful right now.”

I send words to the sobbing girl.

It was a shout out from me, as much as I could.

“Azusa will be able to get over this pain. You’ll be able to think about things from a different perspective when you do……. It’s not over yet.”

–You’re not done yet.

–Get up.

–Use the pain and sorrow as sustenance and take a leap forward.

That is the only way for Azusa to be happy.

The only way for a subheroine who loves a harem protagonist to be rewarded is to overcome a lot of pain, compromise, and accept.

If you don’t like it, give up.

I want you to be a normal girl, fall in love with a normal boy, and be satisfied with normal happiness.

However, Azusa is a girl who is not satisfied with such “normal”.

I’m sure she’ll get over this pain.

“Good luck. I’m rooting for you……. Onii-chan will always be watching over you.”

“――――”

I don’t know what Azusa is feeling as she is still crying.

Now there’s nothing more I can do.

“Well, I’m going to go now. When you stop crying, come back.”

I gave her a final gentle pat on the shoulder and turned my back on Azusa.

This is the end of the story of the subheroine.

Whether or not Azusa will be able to come back to the table in the future is up to …… her.

If she does, she will probably have matured and become a stronger subheroine.

Maybe she’ll become so attractive that she’ll take the main heroine’s place.

Let’s hope so.

“…… Now, what should I do?”

Finally, I’m going to have to face it.

What should I do about the awakened protagonist?

At last, the story comes to a climax–