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And like that, the older brother decided to run awayPart 1:
The day he was kissed by his little sister. After returning to his own room, Keiki immediately called his parents.
"—Yeah, yeah, helloooo?"
"Hello, Dad?!"
"Uwa?! Wait what, why are you panicking like this? You see, I'm the middle of my job right now~"
"I don't care about that at all."
"Ehhh, isn't that a bit too cruel?"
"I have something important to talk about. I'll just be as direct as possible but… Are Mizuha and I only siblings-in-law?"
"Eh? Ah, yeah, that's right."
"So flippant?!"
Because of the heaviness of this information, Keiki couldn't back his voice.
"How is Mizuha my sister-in-law?"
"No wait, you don't remember?"
"Eh?"
"Ahhh, well it makes sense. Both you and Mizuha were really young at the time… Actually, Mizuha is the daughter of a dear friend of your mother. I guess it's been around 10 years already. You see, Mizuha lost both of her parents in an accident. Since she didn't have any other relatives, we decided to take her in."
Mizuha's parents had passed away in an accident. Hearing of his precious little sister's past, Keiki's chest hurt immensely.
"…So basically, Mizuha was adopted?"
"That's exactly right."
"Why did you never tell me something important like that?"
"Because there was no need for it. Even if we're not related by blood, she was a full-fledged member of our family. Both me and Mother thought of her as a real daughter."
"Dad…"
"And to be honest, a daughter is cuter than a son, you know?"
"I didn't want to hear that at all!!!"
Overwhelmed by anger, Keiki cut the call. For a second, he had actually thought that his father was cool. But not after that last piece of unnecessary information.
"So we really aren't related by blood…"
Now that he had confirmation from his parents, there was no need to doubt it anymore. Keiki and Mizuha weren't related at all. It sounded absolutely impossible, but he had to accept it. The most prominent proof was probably that they didn't look like each other in the slightest.
Keiki looked average, while Mizuha was an incomparable beauty. The older brother's hair was straight, while the little sister's hair had lovable curls. Even that kid they had met in the park a while ago said that they didn't look like each other at all. And ever since he had walked in on Mizuha when she was in the middle of changing in the bathroom, he couldn't help but feel nervous around her. Thinking about it, Keiki's body had probably always seen her as a member of the opposite sex, instead of as his little sister. Feeling your heart skip a beat because of the opposite sex is a completely normal reaction.
"Haaaah…"
Letting out a long sigh, Keiki collapsed onto his bed.
"…I never expected my little sister to be Cinderella…"
He also never suspected that she was adopted and wasn't his blood-related little sister at all. So much information assaulted his brain that he couldn't come up with anything. Nevertheless, Keiki had to think about the love letter again.
No matter how cute she is, Mizuha is still my little sister—
With these thoughts in mind, he wanted to respond properly to Mizuha's confession. Of course, he couldn't have anticipated that she was actually his adopted sister.
"What in the world should I do now…?"
Is it okay to go out with her now that they know that they aren't blood-related? Is it okay as long as she's cute?
And even if it was technically socially acceptable, what about the feelings of the people involved?
"And also, even if they tell me that we're not related after all this time…"
There is no way that he would be able to see her as a member of the opposite sex after having lived with her as family members under the same roof for so long.
It had been around three months since he found that love letter in the clubroom. He had finally found out that the sender was his little sister, and had even found out that they weren't blood related. But the prince's story with Cinderella was still far from over.
Part 2:
Around 2 hours had passed since Keiki declared that he was going to run away, and it was now around 10am. Immediately after the stores opened, three figures including Keiki could be seen seated at a restaurant. Across the table from Keiki, the "Akiyama Shouma and Ootori Koharu couple" (temp) was sitting. While the boys we wearing comfortable clothing, Koharu came wearing a water-colored one-piece with a cardigan instead of her usual hoodie. When Keiki called them for assistance, both of them gathered here without complaining at all.
"So just as you had imagined, Kiryuu-kun, your Cinderella was really your little sister."
"Not to mention that Mizuhchan is actually adopted."
After they all had ordered iced coffees, Keiki explained the recent events and the identity of the Cinderella whom he had been looking for for so long. And of course the fact that said Cinderella was actually his little sister. Just like Keiki, both Koharu and Shouma were very surprised by that grand reveal.
"You were living under the same roof for so long without realizing that you weren't related? How idiotic."
"Well, now that you say it, you really don't look like siblings at all."
"Since you both were in the same year, I thought that you were twins."
"It was totally obvious after I had found out about Cinderella's identity thanks to Koharu-senpai's photo…."
The day the letter was left behind in the clubroom, Koharu had taken a photo. Inside said photo Keiki saw Miharu, at a time and place where she should not have been, which was why he was able to deduce that she was Cinderella.
"And when Keiki was about to turn her down, Mizuhchan revealed that you actually aren't related, huh?"
"Not to mention that she stole your first kiss, which resulted in you not being able to answer her. And now your relationship is as awkward as it gets, right?"
"Yes, that's about the sum of it."
"So Cinderella turned out to be the prince's little sister… now that's a really novel idea, isn't it?"
"Finding out that a family member of more than ten years isn't actually blood-related is just total trouble. And then she confessed her love for me and suddenly kissed me… I have no idea what's happening anymore," Keiki sighed and rested his head on the table.
"But, from what I can tell, Mizuhchan is quite the catch, right?"
"I mean yeah, Mizuha is a beauty. She's cute, kind, worries about me, and does a lot of housework, but…"
"But?"
"Mizuha is my little sister, you know?"
"She's not blood-related though, right?"
"Even so, I can't just see her as a member of the opposite sex."
"Well, I guess you're right. It really is a difficult situation."
After Shouma expressed his sympathy, Koharu spoke up.
"To me, a forbidden relationship between an older brother and a little sister sounds pretty exciting."
"Koharu-senpai really likes gossip, doesn't she?"
"Every girl does."
"I see. So how far have you gone with Shouma, Koharu-senpai?"
"Huuh?!"
Koharu twitched while sucking on her straw at the sudden change of topic.
"…Eh? What's with that reaction? D-Don't tell me, have you already…?"
This girl who looked like a grade school student was actually in her third year of high school. Though she doesn't look legal, she was in fact above the age of consent. Since they were a young couple going out with each other, it might be too much for them to handle, and they could have given in to their desires. After going to the beach together, they might have just stayed at a nearby hotel…
"……Gulp," Keiki gulped.
In the middle of this tense atmosphere, Koharu slowly started talking with flushed cheeks.
"Actually, a while ago, Shoumkun kissed me on the cheek!"
"Are you a grade schooler or something?!"
In response, Koharu put both her hands on her cheeks, letting out an embarrassed "Kyaa~~~", and even Keiki had to accept the fact that she looked really cute.
"Thank God… I was worried that Shouma wouldn't be able to hold himself back if Koharu-senpai showed herself in a swimsuit in front of him…"
"Just what kind of monster do you think I am?"
"You're a lolicon, right?"
"Yeah, well, you're right."
The ikemen freely admitted to the title bestowed upon him.
"Anyway, let's get back on topic. Keiki. You're running away from home right now, aren't you?"
"I couldn't keep up with it all. I really need some time to think."
"I see."
"So I wanted to ask Shouma if I could crash at his place for a while."
"I really want to help you, but right now, the older brother of my cousin is staying over."
"Ahhh… that's not going to happen then, is it?"
Apparently said person was a university student, so he should be on his summer vacation too. Keiki would feel like a total bother if he stayed over at Shouma's house right now.
"Then what about my house?" Koharu offered.
"Eh, would that be fine?"
"Yes, we have a lot of free rooms."
"A home with a lot of free rooms…"
Just what you would expect from the daughter of a company president. The amount of rooms in her home was fundamentally different from a commoner like Keiki.
"Then I'll have take you up on that offer."
"You're going to stay over at Koharu-chan's home…?"
"—?! Is that killing intent I feel?!"
Keiki felt murderous intent crawling up his back, and his friend's face entered his view. Shouma had bloodshot eyes.
"…Somehow, I feel a stare of envy directed at me, so I might have to decline that offer after all."
"Is that so?"
"Koharu-senpai really is loved~"
It looked like the relationship between the couple (temporary) was processing quite well. Since Shouma showed this much concern for Koharu, Keiki doubted that the day when they would start going out officially was that far away. And as a friend to both of them, he felt really happy.
After bidding farewell to Shouma and Koharu, the runaway young boy was now in a nearby park, lost in thought.
"I ran away in the heat of the moment, but what should I do now…?"
He contemplated this serious problem while sitting on a park bench. Kiryuu Keiki-kun's runaway plan consisted of… nothing at all, and the only items currently in his possession were his smartphone and his slim wallet. Of course, he didn't have enough income to book a room at a hotel to spend the night.
"…It's so hot… I miss the AC…"
Since it was already August, it had gotten even hotter than before, and the sunlight was burning his skin. The UV index was even higher than usual for this time of year. Normally, Keiki would make his way back to his cool and comfortable home immediately. However, since he was the person who had announced that he was running away, that was something he couldn't do, especially not in a situation like this.
I haven't even cleared anything up yet…
What should he do now that he had found out that he wasn't actually related to Mizuha?
What kind of answer should he give in response to her confession?
His feelings still weren't cleared up.
"…That reminds me, Mizuha and I ate some ice cream on this very bench before."
That was back when Yuika and Mao had joined the calligraphy clubroom. He met Mizuha on his way home from school and decided to buy some ice cream at the shop that had opened close by here recently. At the time, he had no idea that the girl held romantic affection towards her older brother.
"Even though we're always together, I didn't understand Mizuha one bit."
Especially that smile she always showed him. What kinds of feelings did she have as she continue to live under the same roof as Keiki? Maybe he had only seen one side of Kiryuu Mizuha up until now.
"—Oh, if it isn't Kiryuu?"
"Ah, Nanjou?"
The person who called out to him was his classmate, Nanjou Mao. She was wearing glasses with plain clothing, and seemed to have given her hair no attention whatsoever that morning. She was carrying a bag from the convenience store in her hand. As if it was the most natural thing to do, she walked up to Keiki and sat down next to him.
"What are you doing in a place like this, Kiryuu?"
"I could ask the same of Nanjou. I'm not used to seeing you looking like that."
"D-Don't stare too much. I can't help it. I pulled an all-nighter last night."
"An all-nighter?"
"I'm sort of in a slump with my shoujo manga, you see. When I wanted to try a change of pace, I worked on a BL manga for an event, and before I had realized it, it was already morning."
"I-Is that so…?"
"And, since I had gotten hungry, I went to buy some food."
"Now that you mention it, it's almost time for lunch."
As soon as the word 'lunch' came up, Keiki's stomach started rumbling.
"Are you hungry too, Kiryuu?"
"I haven't eaten anything this morning, yeah."
"Really? I don't have anything but anpan, but you can have some if you'd like."
(TLC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anpan)
"…Nanjou is a goddess."
"It's just bread. Not to mention that a goddess wouldn't be wearing a tracksuit like this."
With that, both of them started eating their anpan. Maybe it was because he was starving, but Keiki thought that the anpan tasted even more delicious than usual.
"So, Kiryuu, what happened?"
"Eh, what do you mean?"
"Anybody would be able to tell that something is off if they saw you sitting here dejected."
"Ahhhh, actually, there's some weird thing going on between Mizuha and me."
"What, you had a fight? Since it's Kiryuu we're talking about, you probably did something perverted to Mizuha, right? Peeking while she was taking a bath, sniffing her panties, or something like that."
"Just who do you think I am?"
"A hopeless siscon."
"Yeah, that's right."
He didn't have any rebuttal to that.
"Well, fights always happen, no matter how close you are. My mom and I often fight."
"Is that so?"
"When I don't do the laundry right, when the food she makes isn't any good… fights happen a lot because of the smallest reasons. That's something that makes you a family, I think."
"Mizuha and I have never really fought all that much, though."
"Isn't that maybe just because she's been holding back? Mizuha isn't the type of person to be selfish, right?"
"…You might be right about that."
The kind, thoughtful Mizuha would never complain or get mad. Just like Mao said, Mizuha never was selfish, nor did she ever ask for anything unreasonable. Even so, she would always stay firm when it came to Keiki. That basically showed just how important Keiki was to her.
"Mizuha is pretty popular with the boys, you know?"
"Is that so?"
"She's not the type to stand out, but she is cute. She's polite, kind to everyone, and the type of person who's liked by both boys and girls. Ever since she entered high school, she's been confessed to countless times."
"Seriously…?"
"Well, she never once accepted any of them, though."
"O-Ohhh…"
"Why do you look like you're relieved? You're such a siscon."
"I'm sorry for being a siscon."
—But I wonder why?
When Keiki imagined the scene of Mizuha getting confessed to, he felt a really unpleasant feeling in his chest. Since this had never happened before, he was also at a loss.
"By the way, I actually need some advice from Kiryuu. Do you mind if I ask?"
"Advice?"
"It's not that big of a deal, okay? I would be happy if you gave me a bit of your time, that's all."
"Well, I don't mind."
"Really? Yay~!" Mao said with a child-like smile on her face.
And before Keiki had a chance to react, a sketchbook and pencil appeared in her hands.
"Then I'll make you pay for the anpan — With your body."
"Eh…?"
"Now, be obedient and take off your underwear!"
"W-Wait a second, what are you saying?"
"Really, you're so dense. I need you to do this so that I can properly draw a penis."
"Seriously, what are you saying?!"
"Fu fu fu… I don't get a chance like this very often. I'll make use of Kiryuu's banana, and turn it into some great material for my new work!"
"I wholeheartedly decline!"
"What are you getting embarrassed for? That's weirdly cute, you know? Kehehehehe. I'll make you strip even if you don't want to!"
"This isn't good. Is she completely off her rocker because of her all-nighter?! W-Wait! Don't put your hand on my pants!"
People who are suffering from sleep deprivation have a high chance of losing their grip on reality. She was pretty weird normally, but the current Mao-sensei was in even greater spirits than usual.
"Isn't it fine isn't it fine~!"
"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?!"
Before his female classmate was able to pull down his pants in a public park, Keiki desperately ran away.
"…Haaah… Haaah… I wasted precious energy…"
Around 5 minutes had passed. Keiki put one hand on a telephone pole to steady himself and deep breaths. Luckily, the fujoshi wasn't chasing after him.
"…Why did I even run away from home?"
Why did Keiki run away — from Mizuha? The reason for all of it was because she turned out to be his Cinderella. After he found out that his longed-for Cinderella was his little sister, he was confessed to by her, and he found out that they weren't actually connected by blood. Since she had confessed, they wouldn't be able to return to their previous relationship. Whether he accepted her feelings or not. He wouldn't be able to treat her the same way he did before. They probably wouldn't be able to return to being normal siblings. Realizing that was more painful than Keiki had ever imagined.
"Ahh, I see. I'm just scared of giving her an honest answer."
The time he had spent with Mizuha was so much of a blessing that he had believed it would last forever. However, finding out that she was Cinderella had brought those peaceful days to an end. Whatever answer Keiki came up with, their current relationship would shatter, never to be repaired again. Even though he should've been able to make up his mind when he confronted her that day at the pool. But he didn't even give her a response.
Before Keiki had even realized it was cloudy, it had started raining.
"Rain, huh…"
Even though the weather had been so sunny and hot earlier, the sky had suddenly turned an ominous grey, and the world was wrapped in darkness.
Of course, Keiki didn't have an umbrella. He couldn't exactly check the weather forecast this morning, after all.
"…I guess I'll go home."
Like that, the young boy's running away from home ended after around half a day. Of course, he was completely drenched by the time he got back home.
Part 3:
The following morning, Keiki was lying down on his bed.
"—38.5 degrees. You have quite the fever," Mizuha said in a worried tone after checking the thermometer.
The reason for his cold was without a doubt the rain from the previous day.
"I made some rice porridge, so try to eat a bit. If not, you can't take your medicine."
"……I'm sorry, Mizuha."
"You're sick, so it's fine."
With her usual kind smile, she started feeding him some porridge. Keiki didn't even have the energy to feel embarrassed about it, so he allowed himself to be fed, drank the medicine, and laid down again. When he closed his eyes, he could hear the faint rain still coming down outside. Since it had been raining since the previous morning, it was colder than you would expect it to be, since this August had been rather warm so far. Or maybe it only felt cold because his body was undergoing a fever.
"…My head hurts… I'll just sleep…"
Inside the comfy blanket that Mizuha had given him, Keiki slipped away into the land of dreams.
And when Keiki opened his eyes again, it was already past noon.
"…Huh?"
What greeted him wasn't his little sister sitting next to the bed, but a girl with long black hair. She was wearing a skirt and a matching blouse. Politely sitting on a pillow, Tokihara Sayuki noticed that Keiki had opened his eyes.
"Ah, you're awake. How are you feeling?"
"Uhm… a little bit better."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"Sayuki-senpai, why are you here?"
"I met Mizuhsan in the supermarket. She told me that Keiki-kun had gotten a cold. Ah, Mizuhsan should be making some lunch right now. She really is a wonderful little sister."
"That's right… She is."
Ever since his parents had gotten too busy to stay at home, Mizuha would always look after Keiki when he caught a cold. Remembering those times, he felt his chest getting warm.
"And I will be nursing Keiki-kun until lunch is done."
"No, there's no need for Senpai to go this far…"
"It's fine. We have to help each other out when we're in trouble. I'll start nursing you immediately."
Saying that, Sayuki stood up and took off her panties.
"Senpai?! What are you doing?!"
"What am I doing…? I'm taking off my panties."
"Why?!"
"In order to help Keiki-kun regain his energy. There's no way that a boy wouldn't get his energy back after receiving a girl's freshly-worn panties."
"Panties aren't some sort of energy drink, you know!"
"Now then, enjoy my panties to your heart's content. You can sniff them, lick them, or even try putting them on."
"I won't?!"
"Impossible… I thought that Keiki would totally be the type to bite into them with no remorse at all."
"Just what kind of opinion do you have of me…?"
"Hmm. It seems like panties were the wrong choice. Then would this be the right way to go about it?"
"Right way to go about what?"
"I'll just do this."
After pulling her panties back on, Sayuki snuggled up in the blanket next to Keiki, like a cat who wanted to be spoiled.
"Senpai… What are you doing?"
"We're sleeping together. Since it's a bit cold today, I'm going to warm my master up."
"It's true that it's warmer this way, but still…"
"Until lunch is ready, we can just relax a bit like this. I'll do this for you until you fall asleep."
"Even if you say that…"
He wasn't sure if it was because of the embarrassment or the tension, but Keiki was now wide awake.
"Fufu, Keiki-kun, your face is getting red, you know?"
"Whose fault do you think that is…?"
His complaint was ignored, and Sayuki started stroking Keiki's hair.
"Senpai?"
"Keiki-kun. When we were at the pool, you saved me when my bikini top got washed away, right?"
"Ahh, something like that happened, yes."
When the whole crew had gone to the pool, he tried to hide Sayuki's bare upper body by tightly hugging her. In retrospect, that was quite a bold move from him.
"You're always saving me. You saved me when the calligraphy club was about to be abolished, and you saved me that time at the pool. I can't do anything but calligraphy, and I can't cook like Mizuhsan. Staying by your side like this is probably the only thing I can do. I want to do something for Keiki-kun, you know."
"Sayuki-senpai…"
Those words echoed inside Keiki's head. He was unable to give up on her entirely precisely because she said things like this from time to time.
"So If Keiki-kun wishes for it, you can even bury your face into my breasts, you know?"
"Please give me back my admiration. But if that's the case, then can you stroke my head a bit more?"
"Your wish is my command."
Seeming to be happy that she had the chance to spoil him, she had a gleeful smile on her face. Keiki was about to close his eyes and give in to the warmth surrounding him—
"…Suuu… Suuu…"
"Senpai completely fell asleep."
It had only been a few moments since they had started lying next to each other. While Keiki was busy thinking about how to deal with this situation, the door to the room slightly opened.
"Nii-san, are you awake?"
"Ah…"
The worst timing possible. What his little sister could plainly see was her beloved older brother sleeping with a back-haired beauty next to him. After an awkward pause, Mizuha, holding the tray with Keiki's lunch on it, turned around on her heel.
"Please take your time~"
"You're wrong! You're really, really wrong!"
Stopped by her older brother's desperate plea, Mizuha let out a sigh and turned around once more.
"Nii-san, how did it come to this?"
"Senpai just did this on her own. Don't tell me… Are you mad, Mizuhsan?"
"Not really. It's Nii-san's business after all."
"O-Okay…"
"Come on, you have to hurry and eat so that you can take your medicine."
"Yes…"
With this tension-filled atmosphere, Keiki ate some dinner. After making sure that he had swallowed the medicine, Mizuha took the tableware with her and left the room.
"…Ahh, my head is spinning again…"
Since he didn't have that much of an appetite, he couldn't eat much dinner.
Keiki hadn't gotten a cold since he became a high school student, so he had completely forgotten what it felt like. By the way, Sayuki was still next to him, sound asleep.
"She's just doing her own thing as usual…"
While he started poking at the girl's cheeks, the door once more opened and a girl with a small stature poked her face in.
"…Yuika heard that you weren't feeling well, but you seem to be in high spirits like usual."
"Yuikchan?"
It was Koga Yuika, a fellow member of the library committee, and Keiki's kouhai. She had blonde hair, and she looked straight at Keiki with her blue eyes as she entered the room.
"Did you do something with Witch-senpai?"
"I didn't do anything. She just crawled into my bed and fell asleep. Yuikchan, why are you here?"
"Yuika got a email from Witch-senpai saying that Keiki-senpai wasn't feeling well, so she came to check on him."
"It's just a cold, though."
"Don't pretend to be better than you are. Keiki-senpai looks terrible."
"Well yeah, I'm really not feeling up to much."
"Ahh, you really became a weakling… But a Senpai like this isn't too bad, either."
"Yeah, sorry. I don't feel like playing along with that at all."
Having been restrained by that phrase, the girl quietly sat down next to the bed.
"For now, Yuika has brought you some souvenirs."
"You didn't have to do that."
"No no, Yuika thought of bringing them now that Senpai is so weak."
What Yuika took out of her bag was a red collar. For some reason, it was the sort of collar that you would see on a dog's neck.
"…This is?"
"A collar for pets."
"I'll ask this up front, but why a collar?"
"It's fine. Just leave everything to Yuika. She will personally turn you into a proper pet."
"What exactly is fine about this?! It doesn't feel like there's anything fine at all?!"
"Should Yuika put it on you herself?"
"I won't wear it, okay!"
His Kouhai was as crazy as ever. She's crazy enough to try to force her male Kouhai to wear something like that.
"Ahaha, Yuika is only joking about the collar. This is what she brought for real."
Putting the collar away, Yuika took out several paperback books.
"You have a a lot of free time when you're sick, after all. That's why Yuika chose the books that Senpai was most likely to enjoy."
"Ohh, thank you."
"Fufufu, there are actually books that curse you when you read them, you know?"
"Please don't waste them on me. Take those ones back home with you."
"Ehhh? Please give them a try~ If you do, you might be unable to go to the toilet at night just like Yuika."
"No thank you."
"That's a shame, but Yuika can't help it, it seems. How about we finally wake up that big-breasted ghost over there?"
"Eh? Yuikchan?"
The blonde-haired girl lifted herself up and stood up next to the bed. She grabbed the shoulders of the sleeping upperclassmen—
"—Here we go!"
—And pulled Sayuki off the bad with all her might.
"Ouch?!"
After falling to the floor, Sayuki's eyes shot open.
"What are you doing, really…?" Sayuki rubbed her butt as she slowly got up.
In response, Yuika flashed a victorious smile.
"Good morning, Witch-senpai."
"Oh? Just when I was wondering who it was. It's Kogsan. Why are you here?"
"Wasn't Witch-senpai the one who sent Yuika the email? 'Since Keiki-kun can't resist today, we can do whatever we want,' it said."
"…Sayuki-senpai?"
"Don't look at me with those eyes, Keiki-kun. It was just a joke," Sayuki averted her eyes when Keiki glared at her.
"That being said, Yuika will be the one taking over the duty of nursing Keiki-senpai. This big-breasted useless girl can go home already, since she wasn't helping at all."
"What did you say…?"
"You two. Can you not start a fight right here?"
Tension started to fill the room.
"That's right. How about a truce for as long as Keiki-senpai isn't feeling well?"
"You say that, but what exactly are you doing, Kogsan?"
Yuika climbed onto the bad and hugged Keiki's arm.
"Fufu, this time Yuika will be sleeping together with you, okay?"
"I will be the one to warm Keiki-kun up, like a loyal pet."
Maybe because she didn't want to lose to her Kouhai, Sayuki followed suit and grabbed Keiki's other arm.
"Hey, Keiki-kun? You like big breasts, so you won't be satisfied by Kogsan, right?"
"You really deserve the name 'Witch-senpai!' Are you trying to seduce Keiki-senpai with your body?"
Both of them started fighting while lying next to Keiki.
"Uhm… I'm actually sick right now, so can you fight somewhere else, please?"
His body started feeling even more hot, and he could feel his soul leaving his body.
"—A flower in either hand, I see, Nii-san."
"Ah…"
All of a sudden, the door opened, and Mizuha was standing in the doorway.
"Now now, you two. We wouldn't want this poor Nii-san to suffer any more than he has to."
"That's also true."
"Yes~"
"Why do you two listen to Mizuha and not me?"
Since neither of them had listened to him at all, Keiki was still less than satisfied. Whatever the reason, he had been saved from that situation thanks to Mizuka, and could now let out a relieved sigh.
Part 4:
After that, Keiki had a dream.
It was an incident that occurred more than 10 years ago, when Keiki was still only 4 years old. On a certain day, his parents suddenly came home with a girl he had never seen before. She looked to be about the same age like Keiki. His father said "This girl will become a part of our family from today onwards."
"Family?"
"That's right. Since your birthday is before hers, she will be your little sister."
"Little sister…"
When Keiki looked at the girl again, she whispered these words with a sad expression.
At that time, Keiki didn't know why she had suddenly become family, or why she had made such a face. But he didn't want the girl to keep making that face.
"What's your name?"
"…………Mizuha."
"Mizuha, huh? I'm Keiki. Mizuha's Onii-chan."
"Onii…chan?"
"Yeah, I'm your Onii-chan. Since we're family now, we'll be always together from now on."
"…Always……….together……" Mizuha looked dumbfounded as she opened her mouth. "…Wahhhhhh…!"
And she suddenly started crying.
"H-Huh? Why are you crying?!"
Keiki panicked, trying to stop her from crying. He didn't know why the girl was crying. Since he was just a child, he could only softly stroke her hair and try to comfort her.
That was the first memory Keiki had of Mizuha. The long-ago day on which they became family. The day they became siblings. A very important memory.
When he opened his eyes, bright moonlight peeked through the gaps of the curtains. He forced his body to stand up inside the dark room and reminisced about the dream he had just had.
"Why did I forget about that…?"
The dream was about the first time that Keiki and Mizuha had met.
"At the time, I told Mizuha that I would become her Onii-chan."
Wanting that sad expression to turn into a smile, he had said those words. When she started crying, Keiki could only stroke her hair and try to calm her down. In response, she stopped crying, and she hadn't separated from him for quite some time.
Thinking about it, that had probably been right after the girl lost her parents. Her parents must've meant everything to a small child like her. Since she had lost her everything, it wouldn't have been odd for her heart to break into pieces. The girl must surely still remember that scene as well.
"…I've decided. From now on, I'll stay as Mizuha's Nii-san."
Until now, they had been living under the same roof as family. For more than ten years, they were family.
Even if we're not related by blood, Mizuha and I are family. We're siblings.
This has to be the right choice, Keiki thought. When morning came, he would act as an older brother, the same as always. Though they might not go back to exactly how they were, he wanted to make an honest effort. He wanted to make sure that they both could continue being close siblings just like they were before.
"…Still, what a weird time to be so clear-headed."
When he checked the time, it was 1 am in the morning. Since he had slept since lunch, his body felt better and his fever had gone down drastically.
"I guess I'll go wash my face."
Though he wanted to take a shower, he decided not to since he still wasn't completely better yet. After stepping out of his room, Keiki headed towards the bathroom. He went down the stairs and opened the door.
"…Huh?"
Even though it was this late, there was still a light on in there. When he looked around, he saw a naked girl, having apparently just finished her bath.
"…Mizuha?"
"…Nii-san?"
Both of them froze and stared at each other. Returning back to her senses a bit faster than Keiki, Mizuha hid her body with the towel in her hands.
"Ah, s-sorry!"
Shortly after, Keiki also realized the situation he was in, and hurriedly turned his back to her.
"…I'm really sorry. I didn't think that you would be taking a bath this late."
"Ah, yeah… It's okay. I'm fine if it's Nii-san."
"No, you can get angry at me. It was my fault."
"I won't. It's embarrassing, but I don't mind being seen by the person I like."
"Ah, uhm… Thanks for the treat…"
Keiki became flustered by Mizuha's bold words. Even if an older brother shouldn't ever get excited by his little sister's naked body, he couldn't stop his heart from racing.
"…I'll be waiting in the hallway, so call me when you're ready," Keiki said and left.
He stood outside the bathroom in the hallway and rested his back against the closed door, trying to cool his head. Though he could hear the sound of rustling clothes behind him, he tried not to think about it.
"That reminds me. Nii-san, is it fine for you to be up already?"
"Ahh, yeah, my fever went down quite a lot, so it's all good."
"Then it's fine, but don't overdo it, okay?"
"…Ahh, I see."
While they were talking through the door, Keiki realized why she was taking a shower this late. She had probably been watching over him, always by his side.
"…Nii-san."
"Ahh, yeah, I know. I won't exert myself too much."
"Mmm, it seems like you understand," Mizuha said with in a satisfied tone. She then changed the topic. "But still, you must be very lucky to have a flower in each hand like you did this afternoon. Any boy would be envious of you sleeping with those two cute girls."
"Honestly, I wasn't even able to enjoy it at all because of the heat."
"I wonder about that. You didn't seem all too displeased."
"You seem to be quite displeased, Mizuhsan."
"…Not really."
This way of talking was pretty rare for her. And she had been like this ever since Sayuki and Yuika went home.
"If I recall correctly, something similar happened before when both of them came over to play. Mizuha was weirdly displeased, and she said something like 'Nii-san is my Nii-san only, okay?'. It was so cute."
"….."
"…? Are you there? Mizuha?"
When he called out to the girl who had suddenly become quiet, the door opened. The sight that greeted him was Mizuha, wearing a shirt and shorts. Her face seemed to be somewhere between a frown and a pout as she focused her gaze on Keiki.
"At the time, I thought that they were going to take Nii-san away from me…"
"O-Ohh…"
Normally, he would take these words to be a conformation of love for her older brother, but now that he knew her real feelings, he understood their true meaning. She was nervous to see her loved one being lovey-dovey with other girls.
"…Nii-san, I'm sorry."
"Eh? For what?"
"I'm the reason why Nii-san caught a cold. Because I was being selfish, Nii-san ran away and got wet because of the rain."
"No, that was because I wasn't acting like a grown-up."
"But please don't worry. I won't kiss you anymore if you dislike it that much. We can just do it even more once I've gotten Nii-san to fall in love with me."
"Mizuha…"
That soft smile of hers tugged on Keiki's heartstrings. Keiki thought that this honesty was the most charming part of her.
"Ah, that reminds me. Can I use the prize for that pool competition now?"
"Ahh, that order."
Sayuki had thought of a prize to make everyone take part in a competition at the pool. This prize was the right to say an order that Keiki had to follow. And since Mizuha was the winner, she had won the right to order anything she wanted from Keiki.
"I'll say this up front. I won't give you my savings. I won't crawl around the city on my hands and knees. I won't do anything like that, okay?"
"I won't ask for something that weird," Mizuha said with a bitter smile and a deep breath afterwards.
She lifted her head and gave her order with a serious face.
"Just for tomorrow, please become by boyfriend. I want you to go on a date with me. Not as siblings, but as lovers."
After she finished saying her piece, Mizuha's cheeks were coloured a vivid red. You could clearly tell that this was the gaze of a maiden in love who wished to spend time with her beloved—
Again, why is my heart beating so fast…?
Even though this was his little sister. The girl who had been his family for as long as he could remember. At that moment, Keiki felt the decision he had made inside his heart starting to crumble.