There was a certain couple who was having a conversation.
âHey, didâja hear?â
âHear what?â
âThereâs this girl who just moved in next door, and sheâs one hell of a beauty.â
ââŚYou know, you must really have some nerve to say that in front of your girlfriend.â
The woman responded to the manâs words in a disgusted manner. It was certainly as the woman had said; calling another woman beautiful despite having a girlfriend wasâŚwell, it depended on the situation, but it was certainly something to be frowned upon.
The man apologized and proceeded to explain why heâd brought this up.
âBut, you know, it looks like she actually has a partner.â
âHmm? And?â
âHer partner is, wellâŚbasically, the complete opposite of the girl. He looks like a total delinquent.â
This was what the man said. The woman who moved in next door was a college-aged girl, and she was very pure and innocent looking. However, despite her pure and tidy appearance, her body was said to be incredibly lewd and dirty.
âIs that part really necessary?â
âOww?!â
Well, it was only natural that the woman would hit him. But, that wasnât the point. The manâs story continued.
âI saw her partnerâŚand, well, heâs really the complete opposite of her, yâknow? At first I found it suspicious, but then I saw that the girl was really head over heels for him too.â
âWell ainât that great?â
ââŚAt first, I thought she was being pressured or threatened, but maybe I was wrong.â
âSo she hated him at first, but then he made her fall for him and now sheâs head over heels for him? Something like that, you mean? Thereâs no way such a manga-esque story is possible.â
âThought so.â
But well, the difference in appearance and atmosphere between the man and woman he was referring to was quite a ways apart from each other, so the manâs thought process wasnât unjustified.
Nevertheless, perhaps because of what sheâd heard from her boyfriend, the woman got a little curious too, and she hoped she would be able to see the mysterious couple someday⌠And it just so happened that, whether God was playing a prank or not, that encounter would happen on that very same day.
âCâmon, letâs go.â
âAll right.â
They left their room with the intention of having dinner outside, but it was at that moment that the mysterious couple came out from the room beside them.
âAhâŚâ
ââŚI see now.â
The woman looked at the two and immediately understood. The man looked every bit like a delinquent, but the woman was really meek and gentle looking, and it was no exaggeration to say that the two were polar opposites.
âŚHer boobs are massive.
She was dressed comfortably and coolly for summer, but the girlâs breasts were so overwhelmingly large that their size could be easily grasped even through her blouse. The woman then glanced down at her own chest. It wasnât as if hers were as flat as a wall, but in the face of such overwhelming might, it was absurd to even compare them.
âI see. So Shizuna-chanâs together with Sakie-san today.â
âYep. Iâm kind of scared to think about what theyâre going to talk about, just the two of them.â
âFufu, itâll probably be about you, Ryuichi-kun. âŞâ
ââŚYeah, probably.â
The man had a sort of yearning expression on his face. His melancholy look was somewhat heart-stirring, and the woman had a vague feeling that he was probably popular with older women.
âThanks for today.â
âNo, no, I wanted to be with you too, Ryuichi-kun.â
The girl walked with him, leaning against his strong, dependable body. Even though it was still a little hot at night, the woman was smiling as she wondered how much the girl mustâve liked hugging the man.
âWe should get going too.â
âYup.â
We wonât lose to that couple; weâre just as lovey-dovey as them, the woman thought as she held hands with her boyfriend.
Now, unaware that he was being watched by total strangers, Ryuichi ventured out into the city with Satsuki. As heâd mentioned earlier, Shizuna was not by his side today. Ryuichi was thinking of spending the day alone, but he never wouldâve thought that Shizuna would have contacted Satsuki. Incidentally, it seemed that sheâd also contacted Chisa, but Chisa was going back to her parentsâ house today.
âItâs pretty hot even though itâs nighttime, huh?â
âYeah. Us linking arms makes it even hotter, though.â
âBut you donât hate it, right?â
ââŚDamn, you really know me well, donât you?â
Ryuichi was half-joking when he said it made it even hotter. A cool breeze blew by from time to time, so it wasnât hot enough to make one sweat, and it was actually just the right temperature for nighttime.
âLetâs have some sushi.â
âSure. Iâm pretty sure thereâs a sushi restaurant around here that Iâve heard is pretty goodâŚâ
Walking with Satsuki, he looked for the sushi restaurant and soon found it. They entered the restaurant and sat at the counter together; after ordering tea, they took the plates from the belt as they flowed by. While they enjoyed their sushi, Ryuichi suddenly mentioned this.
ââŚNow that I think about it, I kinda donât know anything about Chisaâs parentsâ home.â
âReally? But now that you mention it, neither do I.â
Although Ryuichi has been to the apartment where Chisa lives now, he hasnât heard much about her parentsâ home beforeâŚor perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he hasnât heard anything at all.
âIâm pretty cool with them, yâknow? ButâŚthey do seem to have a problem with how free-spirited I am.â
He remembered having this sort of conversation with her, but no matter how much he dug up his memory, that was the only instance he could think of. He wasnât particularly worried because at least her family wasnât a broken one like his, but Chisa has helped him many times, so if anything were to happen to her, Ryuichi would definitely try to help her.
ââŚâIâll definitely protect herâ is what your face seems to be saying.â
âHuh?â
âI think itâs really cool, Ryuichi-kun.â
Apparently sheâd seen the look of determination on his face. With a giggle, Satsuki brought a characteristic egg sushi to her mouth and smiled widely at its deliciousness as she slowly chewed it.
âOf course, that goes for you too, yâknow? Now that weâre a thing, Iâll make sure to protect you.â
â! âŚCough!â
âHey, heyâŚâ
The unexpected blow made Satsuki choke on her food. Ryuichi chuckled exasperatedly and offered her a cup of tea, which she hastily accepted and chugged down her throat. With the sushi safely down her throat, she took a deep breath in and out as if to calm herself down.
âIt isnât that surprising, and itâs not like you arenât used to hearing that, are you?â
âI-Itâs not that!â
âWhat do you mean?â
âLately, youâve been very gentle, and your expression has beenâŚvery kind, like it is now, Ryuichi-kun! Thatâs why I was more startled than surprised!â
âO-Oh⌠Well, just calm down for now.â
He somehow managed to calm her down by putting his hand on her shoulder, because he knew causing a ruckus here would disturb the other customers. However, Ryuichiâs expression was gentle enough for Satsuki to say what she did to him again. Naturally, he could not see that himself, so he could only reply to her what he did to Shizuna when Shizuna said the same thing to him.
âI donât think Iâm that different from my usual self, though.â
âTry looking at yourself in the mirror real hard, and youâll see what I mean.â
âHell no, thatâs gross.â
Ryuichi didnât want to stare at his own face for that long.
After that, he and Satsuki, who had regained her composure, had a nice chat, filled up their bellies, and left the restaurant feeling satisfied. All that was left to do was drop Satsuki off at her apartment since they had nothing more to do, but it seemed that today was truly a day of destiny, this time in a different meaning.
ââŚAh, Onee-chan.â
âEh?â
It was a familiar voice. They didnât even have to think about who it could be to know it was Akira.
âŚI canât believe heâd chase her all the way hereâŚthough on second thought, that doesnât seem to be the case here.
After thinking things that far, Ryuichi shook his head in dismissal. Although he still had distorted feelings for Satsuki, it seemed that Satsuki was being careful about what was going on around her, so naturally, Akira couldnât have known about her apartment. He had likely been on his way back from having dinner with his friends for summer vacation.
ââŚYou!â
ââŚDamn, youâre such a pain in the ass.â
As Akira was glaring at him, Ryuichi took his gaze away from Satsuki and glared right back at him. Although he wasnât consciously aware of it, his stern glare, which was already intimidating under normal circumstances, seemed even more intimidating than usual, and Akira took a step back as if frightened.
âAkiraâŚâ
Satsukiâs voice had completely changed; it wasnât one that thought of him as a younger brother, but one that sounded dismayed at him. It was as if she was implying that the evening was supposed to end on such a pleasant note after eating delicious sushi and having a good time, yet his appearance had completely soured that moodâŚRyuichi, however, nodded his head and thought that this might be a good opportunity.
âCâmere, Satsuki.â
âRyuichi-kun?â
Hiding Satsuki behind his back, Ryuichi looked straight at Akira. He couldnât let this drag on forever. He wanted to give Satsuki peace of mind, and more importantly, he wanted to show Akira the reality of the situation, even though Ryuichi had no obligation to do so.
âFor Godâs sake, stop lusting after your sister like a woman.â
ââŚWhat the hell?!â
âDonât you realize? Because of what you did, Satsuki doesnât see you as her brother anymore.â
Akira looked shocked at Ryuichiâs words. Ryuichi understood his feelings of disbelief and his desire to cling to the illusion that it couldnât be true, but he was too far gone if he couldnât tell what Satsuki thought of him after she was almost attacked by him, her own brother.
ââŚAkira.â
âOnee-chanâŚâ
Akiraâs body shuddered at her overwhelmingly cold voice. Satsuki then told him directly⌠Those words sheâd never said this whole time, words that urged them to part ways, even if it was painful.
âThat incident has created an irrevocable rift between you and me. So please, donât bother me anymoreâAkira-kun.â
âWha?!â
Satsuki turned her back to Akira. Just like that, she pulled Ryuichi by the hand and walked away, but Akira made no attempt to follow them.
âI think things will be okay now that Iâve said that much. I donât think heâll let his emotions get the better of him and try something. He doesnât have the guts.â
âI see.â
ââŚItâs a bit sad, but as his sister, I at least know that much.â
Because heâd watched his own family fall to ruin before his very eyes, Ryuichi believed that if a little talking could help them make up with each other, then thatâd be good. However, there were some family relationships that became strained precisely because they needlessly spoke to each other. He felt like heâd learned once again that having relationships with other people was a happiness that not only he felt.
âOh, right!â
âWhatâs wrong?â
âShizuna told me that you rubbed her breasts to push her partner to give up.â
ââŚOh yeah. That did happen.â
âI was just thinking that things wouldâve gone much more effectively if youâd done that back there, too.â
It seemed that she had held a small hope for him to do that. As expected, Satsuki, too, seemed to be a bad girl in a different way from Shizuna.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!