This chapter is shorter than the last, but still as important. Ah, I love the author because she’s really good at describing the complex emotion, the development/changes of each characters. Enjoy the chapter!
TL: clover
ED: clover
Perhaps I was a siscon.
While doing my homework on the dining table, I looked at Nee-chan who was lying on the sofa, I felt troubled.
Since that day we went to play at the sea, for some reason I was acknowledged as a siscon by my surroundings.
I felt like such an idiot.
I didn't particularly like Nee-chan - no, I couldn't say that I didn't like her.
Either way, I liked her.
I was saved that she cooked rice every day and helped me study.
Nowadays when I looked at Nee-chan's face, I felt relieved somehow.
No, rather, there were times when I couldn't feel calm without looking at Nee-chan's face.
I see. So I was a siscon.
Admitting it, I put my pencil and stopped doing my homework that couldn't advance at all.
No way, I didn't expect to wake up as a siscon at the age of 12.
Perhaps this was a reaction to me being starved of familial affection.
Siscon. Siscon, huh.
As for that title, I guessed it would be hard for a man to become a junior high school student from now on.
"Soutarou, you've been grunting loudly for some time now, is there any problem with your homework?"
When I was holding my head, Nee-chan who could be said to be the cause, raised her upper body from the sofa.
"No, it's not like that."
"Is that so? Tell me if there's something you don't understand."
Nee-chan was stupid about her behaviour, but her head was not bad.
I didn't dislike having Nee-chan help me studying.
"—Then, can I ask you to help me for a moment?"
"Yosh, leave it to me!"
Nee-chan briefly made a guts pose, approached the dining table and sat next to me.
From Nee-chan's hair, there was a fragrant smell of her shampoo.
While feeling a bit flustered, I opened my textbook and showed it to her.
"So, which one do you not understand?"
"Aah, umm……this one."
To be honest, there was no problem in today's homework that I couldn't understand.
But I enjoyed having her careful explanation about the problem, and there were a couple of problems that I didn't fully understand.
"Aah, this problem is wrong–"
While listening to her explanation on the problem, I was watching Nee-chan's lips move.
I thought it was fun to be taken care of by Nee-chan like this.
As expected, I only had to admit it.
Apparently, I love Nee-chan, I was a siscon.
"Today is Soutarou's favorite beef stew!"
I might be a siscon, but I thought that Nee-chan was pretty brocon as well.
Looking at Nee-chan who was smiling as she prepared my favorite dish, I thought about that.
Nee-chan was sweet to me. I thought it was safe to say that.
If I said I wanted to eat something, that dish would come out the next day, and if I said that I wanted to go somewhere, she would take me there as long as her schedule was free.
We were a siscon-brocon pair.
That wasn't so bad.
"Itadakimasu."
I clapped my hands in prayer and drank the beef stew that Nee-chan had made.
There was richness in the soup, it was very delicious.
"So, is it delicious?"
"Yeah, it's delicious. Perhaps the dish that I love the most is the beef stew made by Nee-chan."
"Really? It's worth the effort to practice~!"
When I looked at Nee-chan's smile, her smile was infectious and I laughed too.
I like Nee-chan.
I thought that it was really nice to be one family with Nee-chan.
Because I was a siscon, it was what it was.
What was wrong with liking Nee-chan. So what if I was a siscon.
Perhaps I could do whatever I want to protect my family and Nee-chan.
"Shall I make something for Nee-chan next time?"
"Eh?"
"Because you're always cook for me. Once in a while, I'll cook, too."
As I said that, Nee-chan's expression became brighter.
"Is it really okay!? Soutarou's cooking for me, I'm very happy!"
"I should do my best then. Nee-chan, what do you want to eat?"
When I asked, Nee-chan pondered about it for a while.
"Well then, hmm, um……fried eggs!"
"Eh, is that okay with you?"
I was surprised to hear a simple dish when I thought of cooking complicated dishes.
Rather, if it was just a fried egg, I had made it several times during breakfast.
Nee-chan smiled honestly when I was stumped.
"Yeah. Actually when Soutarou cooked eggs, sometimes you messed up."
Yosh, I will buy eggs later on the way home. Let's buy the expensive red eggs.
"Is that okay with you? Then, I'll make it for you tomorrow morning."
"Really!? I'm so happy. Thank you, Soutarou."
Nee-chan was smiling from ear to ear.
—Yosh. Every day from now on, I would make eggs for breakfast.
I would use a lot of eggs from now on, so it would be okay to buy two packs.
"Other than that? Is there anything else you want me to make?"
"No, it's alright. Besides, I will still make dinner."
"But, it's hard to do that every day, right?"
"Not really. Soutarou always eats them deliciously, so it feels pretty fun making it."
When I saw Nee-chan laughed, my heart became warm.
There was nothing that make me happier than getting this person as my sister.
I wonder if it was okay to feel this happy.
When I carefully reflected upon this happiness, the image of my father who left the house suddenly appeared in my mind.
—No matter how happy I was, there would be a moment when my family broke up.
I pushed back the single anxiety that came up to the back of my chest.
It's alright. Surely, it will be fine.
Dad was different from that father. He didn't gamble, he was a serious person.
There was no element to be broken in this family.
That was why we had to be able to stay with our family forever.