My shift ended for the day, and after taking a comfortable shower, I had some lunch, played some games, had a nap, got some milk from the kitchen, and thought about how to deliver todayâs report to Ashida and Natsukawa, when my phone vibrated in my pocket.
âSo, are you done working for the day?â
My, thatâs fast. Itâs my Goddess, Natsukawa-sama. Today, I feel just as uneasy. Before, I didnât know how to explain the case of making Ichinose-san prostrate herself in front of me, but how do I proceed this time aroundâŠ?
No wait, calm down. That is about Natsukawaâs punishment for me, right? In the end, I just had to ask Ichinose-san why she didnât quit work, didnât I. I donât have to give details as to why. Not to mention that itâd be pretty awkward to talk about that with a girl. I just have to tell them that she had a reason to be independent.
âDear Natsukawa-sama, how are you doing during this oppressing heat like it was the first day of Autumn? I cannot thank you enough for your humble presence and kind words.â
âWhat kind of greeting is that?â
Ah, I messed upâŠTogether with the faint hope that she wouldnât contact me again, and full-blown happiness at our exchange, together with my deep faith and respect for her, I just blurted out a retarded greetingâŠ! Crap, right when I relax for a second, this happens. Humble presence and kind words? Iâm just grateful that she was born, is all.
âWell, you knowâŠI just wanted to go above and beyond a bit? The heat wave is just getting to me.â
ââŠDonât force yourself too much.â
H-Huh? Sheâs soâŠkind. Weird, I thought sheâd give me the cold shoulder or something. If anything, her older sister strength has gone up? Maybe she was doing some power leveling over summer break? Maybe she already learned a new skill? Some one-hit kill?
âRight back at you, donât go overboard playing with Airi-chan, Onee-chan.â
âŠâŠâŠ
ââŠâŠâŠâŠHm?â
So, could I get a response by any chance? Eh, was she disgusted by that? No, that shouldnât be the case. Haha, it seems like my younger brother attribute got the better of meâŠFor a second, it really felt like I was her little brother. Thatâs why Natsukawa isnât disgusted, I have faith. I pray, rather. But, I also want to cry.
âDonâtâŠno Onee-chan, please.â
âAh, okay.â
This oneâs serious. I mean, just like Natsukawa absolutely adores Airi-chan to the point of being a siscon, I have my own unfortunate fate with my blood-related Kaede-chan. This is like a complex after all. I love how she eats steamed buns all day, and has the scale scream in agony. Especially the part where she has her navel in the open all day, absolutely defenceless, ahahaha.
ââŠWhat, you were here? Make me some coffee, will you. The cold one. 8-2 milk. One spoon of sugar, with some caramel powder.â
âCould I have one minute?â
âWill it take that long?â
âIt shall take a brief moment, indeed.â
Oh, why did I suddenly speak all polite?
*
After thinking about it, it seems that I really had a punishment weighing down on me. Namely, to ask Ichinose-san, who I had practically forced to prostrate herself in front of me, about her circumstances. Basically, I was told to inquire about those circumstances, come home, and then tell Natsukawa, probably. Despite not gaining anything from it, Natsukawa prioritized my convenience over hers. What, is she some kind of Goddess? Iâm seriously going to fall for herâŠOh wait, I already did.
But, calling her Onee-chan is NG apparently. It really is a shame.
âSorry, I was ordered by Big Sis and couldnât respond.â
âAh, your Onee-san?â
âAlthough it pains me to say it.â
âDonât say that, hmpf.â
Hmpf. So cute. I was sitting in my room, returning a message after I had calmed down a bit, only to get back one from Natsukawa, almost like she was waiting for me. That thought alone had me nervous, unable to come up with any words to say. Just thinking that I am normally texting with Natsukawa has me all weirdâŠAhh, happyâŠIâm so happyâŠ!
âIsnât that just because you said something unnecessary?â
âNo, I seriously didnât say anything.â
My head is going crazy. Because Iâm talking with someone as cute as Natsukawa, just texting is super fun. I can talk as much as I want without having to worry about showing a gross face.
âSo, how did it go?â
âTalking about work? I asked her. Something about wanting to be independent and so onâŠâ
ââŠDoes she have it that rough?â
RoughâŠWell, even if I explained it to girls like Natsukawa or Ashida, I doubt they would understand itâŠAfter all, Iâm having it about as rough as Ichinose-san. I didnât think itâd be that heavy of a reasonâŠNever met a girl who was trying to live separately from her older brotherâŠ
âItâs not some complicated family-related reason, butâŠjust, she wants to aim higher, I guess?â
âIs that true? I donât think you wouldnât work to be independent with a proper reason. Sheâs a docile girl in the same class as us, right?â
âAh, well, right.â
âWhatâs going onâŠ?â
I tried to explain the situation without revealing too much. If not, things would 100% turn awkward. After all, itâs Natsukawa. I confessed to her before. Itâs not something I should talk about with her. At the very least, I want Ashida to be with me. Sheâs like my final trump card, and my only way to get out of it.
âShe, well, has an older brother, but in order to live independently from him, sheâs trying to now stand on her own two feet.â
âHuhâŠEh? What?â
She doesnâtâŠget it? Eh, is she lacking information? Maybe itâs too hard for her to understand, since she doesnât have an older brother? Maybe itâs just a shock because she loves Airi-chan that much. Iâm not lying at all, just choosing the information selectively. Let me use a simple example.
âLook, whether itâs brothers or sisters, you sometimes think of them as annoying, right?â
âI donât, no.â
âOh, rightâŠâ
Well, NatsukawaâŠyouâre not the same age. A younger sister Airi-chanâs age can only be cute. Just wait for her to grow up. As for me and Big SisâŠwell, itâs always been a bit troublesome between usâŠWait, is it just the two of us? Are we the weird ones? Do all siblings in this world actually love each other? Love and peace?
âSo, this is just a what-if. Basically, Airi-chan ended up so clingy, you got annoyed by her.â
âI donât get it.â
âOh, huhâŠâ
MaybeâŠmy explanation was just bad? I didnât think I was that bad at teaching others, though. Eh, do I just suck at explaining things? Thatâs not it, right? Itâs just that Natsukawa loves Airi-chan a bit too much, right?
âI donât think such a day will ever come.â
âY-Yeah! Youâre right! Airi-chan really loves her Onee-chan after all!â
âŠâŠHm? Ehm, she did read my message, butâŠ
âStop with the whole Onee-chan thing.â
âAh, my bad.â
Thatâs rightâŠEh? Is it that gross? I feel like that was pretty average of a conversationâŠI mean, gross things are gross after all. Thinking about it rationally, I just called her âOnee-chan~â, rightâŠI see. This is pretty much terrorism.
âAlright, I get it. Iâll give you a different example. Imagine in ten years, Airi-chan brings home a boyfriend.â
âHuh?â
Eeeeek! N-Natsukawa-sanâŠ? Are you really that level of a siscon? Ashida wasnât just joking? I mean, she would let me carry Airi-chan, right? A total siscon wouldnât even allow that to happen, would theyâŠIf I was Airi-chanâs older brother, I would only have her attend girls only schools. I wouldnât even dare to touch her myself.
âWhat was thatâŠabout Airi?â
âAh, wellâŠâ
âYes?â
Ahh, Iâm scared. So scared. This pressure outside words. Like Iâm being crushedâŠNo, wait? Pressure from Natsukawa? Doesnât this mean that I can directly feel her? Moron, shut up. Donât just get washed along the flow. Thatâll never end in a good way. What if you annoy Natsukawa again? I want to avoid that at all costs. So, I need to proceed while considering Natsukawaâs mood.
âN-Natsukawa-sanâŠAre you angry?â
âIâm not. Not at all. So, what? Continue?â
You really donât want me to continue, right? I mean, Iâm the one at fault here, so I gotta give up. It pains me, butâŠI should probably cut off this conversation. Take a nap, and wait for Ashidaâs club to end. Then, she can provide some proper follow-upâ
âHey, continue?â
âAlright.â
Natsukawa wonât let me sleep after all. Ah, that sounds nice.
âSoâŠWell, there might be a chance that Airi-chan could bring a boyfriend home one dayââ
âWhatâs his yearly income?â
âYearlyâŠwhat?â
Yearly income? Sheâs wondering about that? Even in ten years, Airi-chan will only beâŠfifteen, so if she brings a boyfriend over, heâd still be a student. So, using yearly income is a bitâŠNo, this is Natsukawa. She should be aware of that, and probably still asked. You idiot, Sajou. She wishes for Airi-chanâs happiness. And, I didnât even realize thatâŠ!
SoâŠif sheâll bring a boyfriend home, heâs plus minus two years of hers. Assuming that most guys donât work part-time, Iâll ignore thatâŠSo, adding the New Yearâs gifts from his parents for 10.000, and a monthly allowance of 5.000 yenâŠthenâŠNo, adding the other New Yearâs giftsâŠand a bit more than 10kâŠSoâŠ