CH 2.2

◆Part 2

“Uh, please come in…”

“Pardon my intrusion…”

“Sowwy fwo the intwusion~!”

I walked in as I opened the door, followed by Charlotte-san with a nervous look on her face while Emma-chan had an excited look on her face.

Charlotte-san is probably nervous because she is going into a man’s room, but why does Emma-chan have an excited expression on her face?

She didn’t mistake my room for an attraction or something, did she?

“This is… a boy’s room…”

Charlotte-san observes my room with interest as soon as she enters.

I know it’s rare to see a room of the opposite sex, but I’d appreciate it if you’d give me a break since it’s my room that she’s looking at.

“Um, Charlotte-san? I’ll get embarrassed if you look at my room too much…”

“O-Oh sorry.”

I told her I was embarrassed, and she apologized, her cheeks flushing red.

She moved her body fidgetily and fiddled with her fingers to escape my gaze.

Then, for some reason, she started glancing at me and looking away hurriedly whenever our eyes met.

She was probably a rather shy girl, since she was so embarrassed by my sweat.

―Well, it may seem like I was able to observe calmly in my mind, but honestly, my heart was beating so fast that I thought it was going to burst.

Why does Charlotte-san have such a cute expression on her face when she’s nervous about being invited to my room just for the sake of it?

It’s borderline foul, isn’t it?

I was about to lose my ability to look directly at Charlotte-san, who was blushing red in the cheeks and showing her embarrassment.

“Onii-chan, sit here, will you?”

While I was gazing at Charlotte-san, Emma-chan, who had passed me before I knew it and was now in the center of the room, called me over, tapping her hand on the floor.

This is my house, after all, but this girl is as free as ever.

I sat down in the place Emma-chan had pointed out to me.

“Mhm…Onii-chan, move please?”

I sat cross-legged on the floor and Emma-chan asked me to move my hand away from my legs.

Emma-chan tilted her head cutely and looked at me as if she was expecting something.

I don’t know why, but I did as Emma-chan asked and moved my hands away.

And then―

“Mhm…! Ehehe~”

―Emma-chan came to sit on my legs.

“”Emma(-chan)!”” [TLN: Charlotte only said Emma, while Akihito said Emma-chan]

Charlotte-san’s and my voices overlapped due to her unexpected action.

Who would have thought that she would sit on my legs?

Emma-chan was swaying her body happily, not caring about our reaction.

Then she looked up at me with a cute smile on her face and leaned her back against my chest.

I couldn’t keep up with her actions anymore.

“Emma, don’t do that. okay? Aoyagi-kun is confused, you see?”

Charlotte-san, who had come to her senses before I did, reached out and tried to move Emma-chan off my feet.

“No~…!”

But Emma-chan brushes Charlotte-san’s hand away and refuses to move.

On the contrary, she hugged me as if to show that she would never move out of the way.

“Listen to me already…! Don’t embarrass me any more…!”

“No! Lottie’s being mean!”

“I’m not being mean…! I just don’t want you to annoy Aoyagi-kun…!”

“Onii-chan doesn’t mind! Right, Onii-chan?”

The Bennet sisters were arguing in front of me while Emma-chan was on my feet.

I watched on, not knowing how to react, until Emma-chan, who looked at me with a clingy look in her eyes, asked me what I thought.

Emma-chan looked up at me with her cheeks puffed out, and Charlotte-san gestured with her mouth, “Please say no.”

I don’t know which side I should be on…

Emma-chan is a little girl and I want to listen to her selfishness, but Charlotte-san doesn’t want that.

It’s the ultimate choice to have to betray one side or the other in a situation where you can’t stand up for one side or the other.

There’s no way I could make such a choice…

A third party might say, “The heck are you talking about?” But for me, it was a very serious matter.

I can’t betray either of them…

“Onii-chan…”

When I was unable to give an answer, Emma-chan looked at me with watery eyes.

In those eyes, “Is it not okay…?” is what I can feel from them.

……………………Sorry, Charlotte-san.

“If Emma-chan wants to sit here, she can sit here for as long as she wants.”

I was so taken aback by Emma-chan’s eyes that I ended up taking her side.

Emma-chan’s face lights up, and Charlotte-san, on the other hand, looks troubled.

Perhaps pained by her sister’s selfishness.

“Aoyagi-kun is really a very kind person…”

“Um, I’m sorry…”

“No, it is I who should apologize. I am really sorry that my sister has caused you trouble.”

Charlotte-san bowed deeply and apologized for Emma-chan’s behavior.

It wasn’t Charlotte-san’s fault at all, but she is still a serious and serious girl.

“No, it’s okay. I really don’t mind, so I hope you also don’t mind it too much.”

‘Thank you very much… May I sit down, too?”

“Eh!? On my legs!?”

“N-No! I mean, on the floor!”

I was wondering what kind of nonsense Charlotte-san was talking about, until I realized it was only me who thought of it that way.

I don’t know why I misunderstood the conversation, but it made both of our faces turn red.

“Oh, sorry… Just sit wherever you want.”

“W-Well then, I’ll sit here―”

Charlotte-san sat down at a position facing towards me.

Well, I think it is a reasonable position to sit.

If she sits next to me, my heart won’t be able to keep up.

“Onii-chan, let’s play!”

While I was looking at Charlotte-san, Emma-chan, who was in my arms, was pulling my clothes around my chest and urging me to hurry.

She was itching to play, as if to say, “I can’t wait any longer.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting, what do you want to play with?”

“Mhm, I want to play with Onii-chan.”

“Err…”

“I think she wants to say that she can play with Aoyagi-kun in any way you like.”

When I was at a loss to answer Emma-chan’s question, Charlotte-san, who is used to dealing with Emma-chan all the time, told me what she really meant.

“Is that so?”

“Yep!”

Emma-chan nodded her head vigorously.

It seems that Charlotte-san was right, but what should we play then?

I don’t have any games, and I don’t have any toys.

Much less anything that a child this young could play with…

“Charlotte-san, what does Emma-chan often play with?”

I thought it would be more entertaining for Emma-chan if she told me, so I asked Charlotte-san without any unnecessary stubbornness.

“Well, she’s a pretty moody girl, but… she’s been loving dominoes lately.”

“Dominoes…!”

When Emma-chan heard the word “Dominoes,” her eyes lit up.

It seems that she is now ready to play dominoes.

Come to think of it, dominoes often mean toppling dominoes in Japan, but I heard on TV once that the real way of playing dominoes is different.

As I recall, the numbers on the dominoes are similar to those on the dice, and the game is played by connecting the pieces together on a chain of dominoes by playing the first piece dealt― the piece in your hand that has the same number as the number already on the board to earn points.

If the numbers on the corner of the chain add up and are divisible by five, the divisible number of points is awarded.

If the number is not divisible by five, the number divided by five does not count as a point.

There are many other rules, but it seems to be a popular overseas game that is played like playing cards.

I guess that’s why Emma-chan likes it.

They are British, and the dominoes we are talking about here are played more like cards.

“Uhh, I don’t have dominoes…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring them from my room right away.”

Charlotte-san got up and went back to her room.

“Charlotte-san is kind, isn’t she?”

“Yep, Lottie is kind!”

“Do you love Charlotte-san?”

“Yeah, I love her!”

Emma-chan nodded her head, squinting her eyes pleasantly as I stroked her head and talked to her.

I was surprised that she was so fond of her sister, and that alone gave me a glimpse into her personality.

At the very least, she must be a kind and gentle sister.

“―Sorry to keep you waiting.”

A few minutes later, I was chatting with Emma-chan when Charlotte-san returned.

So I took Emma-chan off my lap to play dominoes.

But―.

“Mou~…”

For some reason, Emma-chan looked up at me with her cheeks puffed out.

Since dominoes require that the player shouldn’t show his or her cards to the opponent, I couldn’t do it while Emma-chan was sitting on my lap.

So I let her down, but did Emma-chan not understand that?

“Um, we’re playing dominoes, right…?”

“Hug.”

I asked Emma-chan what she was thinking, and she opened her arms and asked me to hold her.

She seemed to be very, very upset.

“Could it be that she doesn’t want to play dominoes anymore?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean, Charlotte-san?”

Charlotte-san looks like she knows something.

Her expression was very apologetic.

“Well… Emma, shall I line them up myself today?”

Charlotte-san bends down and speaks to Emma-chan in a gentle voice.

Emma-chan also looked at Charlotte-san and shook her head in approval.

Watching this exchange, I understood the meaning of what Charlotte-san had just said.

“Could it be that dominoes are not the ones you play like cards, but the ones you topple over? Also, by the looks of it, Emma-chan doesn’t usually line them up herself?”

“In England, it is more common to play dominoes like playing cards, as Aoyagi-kun expected, but Emma doesn’t play that way. After seeing dominoes on TV once, she loves to play by knocking them over. She just watches them fall as they get knocked over and never wanted to line them up herself.”

Well, apparently I had made a premature assumption.

It seems that I had half subconsciously singled out the girls because they were British.

That’s not a good thing to do, so I’ll have to change that in the future.

But still, isn’t this kind of thing usually fun because you put them together and knock them down yourself?

Maybe Emma-chan thinks it’s a hassle because she’s too young.

“I see… so it’s like she wanted me to line them up while cuddling?”

“No, in this case… I think she probably wanted me to line them up for her.”

“Mhm.”

Emma-chan nodded vigorously as if in affirmation.

The smug look on her face is cute, but I think I caught a glimpse of her strength due to her young age.

“Even if you didn’t mean to, you seem to be spoiling Emma-chan a lot…”

“She’s so cute, I just can’t help it…”

“I know, right? Yeah, I can tell.”

If Emma-chan gives me a pampered or beguiling look, I’m going to do whatever she says.

Or rather, I would probably listen to it unless it is absolutely impossible.

Not only is she young, but she is also Charlotte-san’s younger sister, so she has a well-defined face and is extremely cute.

“For now, can Charlotte-san hold Emma-chan? I’ll be the one arranging the dominoes.”

It was bad manners to just sit here and watch a girl putting the dominoes together, so I decided that if Emma-chan wanted me to hold her, I would let Charlotte-san do it.

However―.

“Mou~…”

Again, Emma-chan gave me a disgruntled look.

“Huh…?”

“Emma would like Aoyagi-kun to hold her in his arms…”

“Yup!”

It’s not that she just likes to be hugged, but that she wants me to be the one doing so…

Apparently, she adores me quite a bit.

Well, if that’s the case―.

“Emma-chan, then why don’t you line them up with me?”

“Hmm?”

“I think it would be more fun to line them up and then take them down by yourself, rather than just taking them down.”

If Emma-chan is so friendly to me, I’ll try to induce her to do it voluntarily.

Perhaps she might even be willing to line them up if we do it together.

With this in mind, I tried inviting her that way but―.

“No!”

―It’s not that simple, apparently.

“A long time ago, Emma once lined them up, too. But when she was almost finished lining them all up, she knocked them down… Since then, Emma has never lined them up by herself.”

“I see… It would certainly be a shock if it collapsed just as she was about to finish.”

That’s why Emma-chan bent over backwards. [TLN: I have no idea why and what this means either.]

So it would be difficult to get Emma-chan to do it.

“Because she was crying a lot at that time and flailing around. But she still loves it when the dominoes fall, so I’ll line them up for you today.”

“Sorry about that, Charlotte-san.”

As expected, I couldn’t hold Emma-chan in one hand, so I decided to leave it to Charlotte-san to line them up.

Normally, I would have expected Emma-chan to be uncomfortable with this, but instead of looking dissatisfied, Charlotte-san started putting the dominoes together with a smile on her face.

I couldn’t imagine what kind of family environment she must have grown up in to be such a nice and kind girl.

“……♪”

Charlotte-san, who put the dominoes in order one after another with an air of familiarity.

The little angel in my arms was looking at her in a good mood.

That little angel, the pampered Emma-chan, was humming an unfamiliar tune while swaying her body from side to side.

Was it a British song?

The humming, with its high pitch peculiar to young children, was somehow comforting to listen to.

I was having a hard time keeping my eyes on Charlotte-san, so I decided to enjoy the humming while looking at this little angel.

―Emma-chan and I waited for the dominoes to finish lining up, but then she got tired of humming and started leaning against me, rubbing her head against me and being sweet to me.

Sometimes she would change her posture to face me and stare at me silently.

Then, when she looked back at me, she would smile good-naturedly and turn her head back to face Charlotte-san again.

For Emma-chan, this seemed to be a kind of game, and she repeated it over and over until Charlotte-san called out to her.

“Fufu, you are such a good friend, aren’t you? I haven’t seen Emma looking so happy in a long time.”

“I’ve been wanting to spoil Emma-chan because she’s so adorable.”

I smile back at Charlotte-san as I gently stroke Emma-chan’s head.

Emma-chan seemed to like being stroked and was sitting quietly on my lap, squinting her eyes pleasantly.

She was wearing a cat-ear hood, which made her look as cute as a cat.

“Emma is lucky to have an older brother who can spoil her.”

“Mhm!”

Emma-chan nodded her head in a cheerful manner.

I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks relax as I looked at her.

“Emma, I’ve finished lining up the dominoes, let’s knock them down.”

“Emma will knock them down…!”

“Yes, Emma will knock them over.”

Emma-chan seemed to really like knocking over dominoes, and when she realized that she was ready to knock them over, she got off my lap and started appealing to Charlotte-san.

Charlotte-san responded to her sister with a kind smile.

Although they may be apart in age, they are really close sisters.

Watching them warms my heart and makes me want to watch them forever.

Emma-chan looked up at Charlotte-san’s face with excitement when Charlotte-san took her to the lined-up dominoes.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

And then, with Charlotte-san’s permission―.

“Eiii!”

The first domino toppled over cheerfully.

The dominoes fell in succession as the first one toppled over.

Emma-chan was very happy to see the dominoes falling with a pleasant sound, clapping her hands.

However, since we were in a room and the dominoes we had lined up this time were small, the game soon came to an end.

Emma-chan looked sad and stared at Charlotte-san with clinging eyes.

“Lottie…”

“One more time, right?”

“Mhm!”

Emma-chan’s thoughts are taken in, and Charlotte-san begins to put the dominoes together again.

Then Emma-chan walks back to me and sits on my lap again.

“Are you waiting for Charlotte-san to line them up?”

“Mhm! Lottie used to!”

I guess she was trying to say that Charlotte-san was used to it and that she would take care of it, but I felt a little uncomfortable when I thought about why she was used to it.

Charlotte-san, I guess you’re always working hard…

―Even so, only toppling dominoes…

It would be interesting to see some letters or pictures emerge after they fall.

Emma-chan might be more than happy if that were the case, and I simply want to try it myself.

I’ll see if I could come up with something interesting next time.

“Hey, Onii-chan.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Ehehe~, nothing~!”

When I turned my head to look at her, Emma-chan laughed and buried her face in my chest.

What is this girl!?

An angel!?

Is she an angel!?

I almost forgot about myself by having such an innocent and precious being in my arms like an angel.

“Fufufu, you can spoil her all you want.”

Charlotte-san smiled tenderly at her innocent little sister, as if she had been watching us while we were arranging the dominoes.

It is a gentle smile that is somewhat motherly, and combined with the fact that Charlotte-san is a superbly beautiful girl, it gives off an irresistible level of charm.

I’ve hardly ever felt this way before… but I’m very, very happy at this moment.

“I’m a lucky guy.”

“I think the lucky one is Emma, she was able to meet an older brother who accepts her kindly. Isn’t that right, Emma?”

“Mhm! Emma loves Onii-chan!”

Ah sh*t, I’m about to cry.

I didn’t think she would say such nice words to me even though we just met today.

“Hey, Onii-chan, what’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

Emma-chan looked up at me with an anxious expression, realizing that I was a little tearful.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. But more importantly, the dominoes are about to be lined up.”

“Yes, I’m almost done.”

Charlotte-san looked a little surprised to see my expression, but as soon as I shifted the topic to the dominoes, she responded with a smile.

Perhaps she was just being considerate.

If I am not careful, I might give them the wrong impression.

I should try to smile as much as possible when they are around.

“Dominoes♪ dominoes♪”

Hearing that the line is almost finished, Emma-chan starts swaying her body happily.

She was smiling and in a good mood, and just watching her made me happy.

And when the dominoes were lined up―.

“Eiii!”

Emma-chan immediately went to the dominoes and knocked them down with the same vigor as before.

Then, when it fell over again, she put on a sad expression and started begging Charlotte-san to put it back in line.

Thanks to this, the loop of Charlotte-san lining up the dominoes and Emma-chan knocking them down was repeated several times.

After about five repetitions, Emma-chan returned to me without begging.

And then she started chatting with me in a good mood.

So I smiled and became her friend, while Charlotte-san, who had finished cleaning up the mess, watched us in silence.

I thought about asking Charlotte-san to join in the conversation, but the look on her face made me shut my mouth.

Then Emma-chan asked me to talk about the next topic, so I decided to stay and talk to Emma-chan.

―I’m not sure why I hesitated to talk to Charlotte-san.

Maybe it was because Charlotte-san was looking at Emma-chan sitting on my lap with an envious expression on her face.

―I continued to accompany Emma-chan for the rest of the evening.

Charlotte-san sometimes joined in the conversation, but she seemed to be careful not to interrupt her younger sister’s speech.

And I, too, tried to be a good listener so that Emma-chan could talk about what she wanted to talk about.

Emma-chan told me about her first airplane ride, the cat video she saw today, and many other things.

While she was talking, she was also sweetly pressing her own head against my chest and taking my hand and starting to play with it, which made me feel very happy to watch.

As I was doing this, Emma-chan started to doze off.

It was already late and she was probably tired from the many things that had happened today.

I let her sleep.

Charlotte-san and I decided to watch Emma-chan silently until she fell asleep.

After a little while, we heard Emma-chan’s cute sleeping breath.

It seems that she is completely asleep.

“―Thank you very much, Aoyagi-kun.”

Charlotte-san thanked me for the umpteenth time today.

I looked at Emma-chan, who had a very sweet expression on her face.

Charlotte-san now looks like a big sister looking after her little sister with tenderness.

I can see how much she means to Charlotte-san.

“I didn’t do anything for which you could thank me.”

“That’s not true. I’m very happy to have you as Emma’s friend.”

“Ahaha, I’m glad to hear that. I had a good time today.”

I felt like I was being pushed around a lot, but I actually enjoyed being Emma-chan’s friend.

I envy Charlotte-san for having a sister like Emma-chan.

Because she’s so cute, really.

“I am sure Aoyagi-kun is a hero to her. When no one could help her because of her language barrier, Aoyagi-kun called out to her. And you were kind to her with a smile on your face. I can understand why she is so attached to Aoyagi-kun.”

What should I do?

I didn’t do that much, but I’m getting such high praise.

I’m too embarrassed to look at Charlotte-san’s face…

I was so embarrassed that I involuntarily turned my face away from Charlotte-san.

But while I was looking away, Charlotte-san’s story continued.

“People in a strange land, people who don’t speak the language as her. I think Japan is a very scary place for her. So I was wondering if you would be willing to be her playmate while she adjusts to Japan.”

“Playmate…?”

I looked at Emma-chan, who was sleeping peacefully in my arms.

I know what Charlotte-san is talking about.

Not being able to communicate in one’s own language can be very unsettling, especially in an unfamiliar place.

For a young girl like her, these feelings are probably greater than for anyone else.

But I have my own reasons.

Usually when I come home, I’m prepping for or reviewing my classes.

That’s because I have certain goals, and I don’t really appreciate cutting into that time.

But―.

I glanced at Charlotte-san’s face.

Charlotte-san is staring at me with a serious expression on her face.

Although I had just met her for the first time today, I think I understand a little bit about what kind of girl she is.

She is a kind girl who takes care of others and puts herself on the back burner.

Such a girl is asking me for a favor for her sister, even though she knows it will cause me trouble.

Considering the significance of such a request, it would not be easy to refuse.

Above all, I don’t want to give Emma-chan anxiety.

If I could take away her anxiety by being her friend, then the answer was obvious from the very beginning.

“Sure, that’s fine. I know it’s hard to do it every day, but I’ll try to keep my schedule open.”

“Thank you so much!”

I nodded my head, thinking about what to do, and Charlotte-san thanked me with a very happy expression on her face.

It was probably a good decision just to see her smile.

And I’m happy to spend more time with them.

And as for studying, it wouldn’t be a problem if I cut back on sleep.

A little less sleeping time won’t kill me, after all.

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Translator’s Afterword: Ahhh, I’m really sorry to all the readers for the lack of updates. I have been soooooo busy with my College studies and still be on the verge of failing cuz Differential Calculus is too hard while online classes smh. However, our 2nd semester will now be mostly face-to-face so I hope I’ll be able to last through Integral Calculus and I guess that’s very pog since that’s what I have been waiting for. I even stopped for one year just for it (hence, why I was more active last year than now).

I am thankful for your support for my translations despite the lack of being consistent on them. I’ll try to update more of my series before the year ends so I hope you guys will stick with me as I try to finish them all.

And more importantly, Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you guys have a good one~

If you guys donate, I’ll most likely have the gas to actually speedrun through all of my series, jk