V1 Ch-1 part 3【Me, My Step-sister, and the Gal】 - ◆ Part 3【The Gal Who Kept on Approaching Me was A Better Person Than I Thought】

Translator: AJ1703

Editor: Matsu

◆ Part 3

I thought Takarai’s plan to avoid my confession was half a joke, but it turns out she was serious.

She came to the fire escape stairs every day at lunchtime.

I suspected that she would do something to interfere with my studies, but instead, she generally did what I wanted. In the first place, Takarai comes here only as an excuse to say no when she is called, so it’s not like she’s here during the whole lunch break.

She doesn’t really come here every day, and sometimes her confession appointments don’t specify the lunch break, so she enjoys lunch with her classmates on those occasions.

For Takarai, it was supposed to be a painful way to escape from the clutches of the nasty confession, but somehow she didn’t seem too unhappy when she came here.

On the contrary, she even seemed to be happy.

It was probably just my imagination or hubris.

However, thanks to talking with Takarai, I’ve become a little more courageous when I’m in front of Tsumugi.

This morning, when I asked Tsumugi, who was forced to commute to school by train for some special reason, if I could take her to the station by bicycle, she said, “Yes, please.” She didn’t mind the fact that she had to hold on to my waist because we were riding together.

Perhaps this is the effect of Takarai.

And on this day, as usual, Takarai was sitting next to me.

“Oh, by the way, Nagumo-kun, how is your sister?”

When she said that, I had to turn around to look at Takarai.

How did she know about my family? I’m pretty sure I haven’t told anyone. I didn’t have anyone close enough to me to inquire about it.

“I just remembered that I saw someone like you at the diner in front of the station the other day.”

I had an idea.

When Tsumugi had just arrived at the Nagumo house, we had a welcome party at a diner near the nearest station. The Nagumo family is within biking distance of the school, so I’m sure I’d run into some of my classmates in front of the station, but I had no idea Takarai had seen me.

“You’ve got the wrong guy.”

I didn’t want to get too involved in the conversation about my family. It would bring up the possibility of mentioning Tsumugi.

“Eh? I was certain that Nagumo-kun was the one I saw back then.”

“What do you mean by ‘certain’?”

“You see, there was a big guy laughing really hard, he looked like he was having fun.”

“Old man…”

Those words unintentionally slipped out.

“You call him ‘Old man’?”

“No. I call him Dad.”

“You didn’t have to hide it, you know?”

Takarai chuckled.

“Or rather, Nagumo-kun’s little sister is really cute and adorable.”

“Well, in her own way.”

She’s so cute! I wanted to agree with her, but if I said that to Takarai, who didn’t know what was going on, she would treat me like a person with a serious siscon problem. I’d rather not be treated like a weirdo.

“I’m envious. It’s nice to have a brother and sister. I’m an only child, so I adore having a brother and sister who get along well.”

“I don’t know if we’re close or not, though.”

My mumbling didn’t seem to be heard by Takarai, who was indulging in a happy fantasy of creating an imaginary brother and sister.

I hadn’t interacted with Takarai in any way, but I had overheard her conversation with her friends, and it seemed that Takarai was a high school student already living on her own. Well, as soon as I heard that a popular girl like Takarai was living alone, all I could think of was that she was probably dragging her boyfriend along with her to do all this and that, so I felt even more distant from her and didn’t want to get to know her.

“But thank goodness, Nagumo-kun is answering me properly.”

Takarai, who had returned from her delusion, said so.

“I’ve got a mouth too, you know.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Takarai laughs again.

I’ve never been a big fan of girls, especially girls like Takarai who are loud, assertive and laugh easily, but somehow I never felt uncomfortable.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while, but Nagumo-kun is always studying in class. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I couldn’t do it.”

Surprisingly, it seems that Takarai also had this kind of hesitation in mind.

“The only thing I can do is study. I have to study as much as I can.”

“I don’t think so. There are many other good things about you.”

I guess this was Takarai’s way of being considerate, as she didn’t mention any specific good points.

“If I don’t understand something in class or study, please teach me, okay?”

“Don’t try to use me for your convenience.”

I don’t have time to worry about others right now.

“Nfufu~. Nagumo-kun, you’re so cold.”

In spite of that, her voice was lively. Is she a pervert, or does she enjoy being treated coldly…?

“If you teach me, I’ll do something for you.”

“What do you mean, ‘something’?”

Takarai grinned, regretting her reflexive response to the situation.

“What do you want me to do? I’ve intruded on Nagumo-kun’s most important place, and I should be able to repay you in some way.”

With both elbows resting on her knees and her cheeks resting on her hands, the way she looked at me was just like a demoness.

In addition to being a very popular and beautiful girl, Takarai’s overdressed and overexposed school uniform gave me the impression that she would not mind doing something erotic, even outdoors.

“Then, be Tsumugi’s…”

As if to escape the fear of being sexually devoured by Takarai, the thought of Tsumugi came to mind.

“…No wait, it’s nothing.”

I was surprised that I had even thought for a moment to ask Takarai for help with Tsumugi.

Just because she was of the same sex with Tsumugi, I was going to ask the still mysterious Takarai for help? Is that how much I’m backed into a corner?

“You can’t just stop there. Who’s Tsumugi-chan?”

“…Like you said earlier, she’s my little sister. The one Takarai saw.”

“Oh, so that’s her.”

For a moment, I was going to tell her that she was my cousin, but then I thought I’d have to tell her about Tsumugi’s situation, so I decided to just say “little sister.”

“Could it be that the ‘important person’ you were talking about the other day is that girl?”

“Yeah.”

I was embarrassed to be pointed out by someone else, but I couldn’t help but nod my head as Takarai smiled full of compassion.

I felt guilty about hiding the fact that she was my sister, so I felt better about revealing it.

“Ah, I knew it. You guys are really close~.”

“What now? You look at me like I’m a siscon…”

“I’m not making fun of you. It’s perfectly fine if your important person is a sibling. Or rather, it’s amazing that you can get along with your sister in high school. Normally, they fight all the time, don’t they? Rumi… my friend said that she and her brother fight all the time.”

Takarai had a serious expression on her face.

I’m not sure what to make of that.

“So, what did you want me to do with this Tsumugi-chan?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

She seemed to understand me better than I thought, but it was not something I could just talk about with a person I had just met in class.

Besides, Takarai thinks that me and Tsumugi are getting along well. That’s my ideal, and even if it’s only in Takarai’s mind, I want to maintain the world where we are on good terms.

“What’s up with that~, you’re making me curious~.”

Even though Takarai lightly pinched my cheek, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the details.

This is my problem, the Nagumo family’s problem.

★

Takarai thinks that Tsumugi and I are on good terms.

Of course, that’s a lie.

A little while after I got home, Tsumugi came home.

Recently, Tsumugi has been coming home late.

Because of her somewhat unique commuting environment, she often comes home after school to hang out with her friends.

I was happy to see that Tsumugi’s friendships were as good as ever. It was good to have an environment that was the same as before, even after the loss of her mother.

“Tsumugi, you’re late.”

I said, pausing in preparing dinner to probe her. If I pestered her too much, she would get annoyed and it would have the opposite effect.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t have to apologize, but…”

It would have been easier if she had just said, “Shut up, Shin-nii has nothing to do with this,” just to show her true feelings.

“Shin-nii always comes home early, but…”

Tsumugi said, squirming.

When Tsumugi speaks to me, I focus all my attention on listening to her.

“Nevermind, it’s nothing.”

Tsumugi smiles annoyingly and sits down on the living room sofa without saying anything.

Tsumugi carries a smartphone with her as she commutes to her middle school by train.

Unlike me, who only uses my phone for social games and the Internet, Tsumugi seems to be more than familiar with the functions of her phone, and I often see her staring at the display and smiling.

To be honest, she seemed to be having a lot more fun than when she was facing me.

I didn’t think it was a bad thing that she was using her phone to communicate with her friends, and that it was helping to keep her from feeling lonely.

So, I didn’t mean to be sarcastic.

“Tsumugi likes smartphones more huh. Well, it’s higher spec and more reliable than me.”

“…………”

My casual comment seemed to have been taken more seriously than I had expected, and Tsumugi’s expression faded as she quickly tucked her phone into her pocket to hide it.

“Shin-nii, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that…”

Tsumugi panicked, and the air was heavy.

The unexpected reaction froze me in place.

It was just a joke, I just wanted her to laugh.

I hadn’t said it to make her look so serious or to make her apologize.

Self-deprecating jokes are also only possible when there is a reasonable level of trust. The fact that she didn’t take it as a joke brought out the danger in my relationship with Tsumugi, and I went back to chopping carrots as if I were running away.

“Shin-nii, it’s not like that~.  Don’t thump the carrot as if it were me~.

“No, that’s not what I meant though!?”

I turned around, astonished at Tsumugi’s idea as she clung to my waist, half-crying. Of course, I had to put the knife on the cutting board properly.

It seems that I have once again caused Tsumugi unnecessary concern. I was supposed to be making the famous Nagumo house the most comfortable place in the world for Tsumugi, but here I am.

It’s not that Tsumugi and I don’t get along outwardly. We even talk when we see each other.

It’s just that sometimes we get reactions like this that I don’t expect.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t communicate with Tsumugi in any way.

Now that Ayaka-san is gone, I’m the only person in our family who she can talk to. Whenever we have problems, we need to have someone in the house to talk to. We still have my father, but he can only come home once in a while because of his work.

So, I had to do something about it.

Despite my enthusiasm, this is what has happened.

It’s too late after something has happened.

I had thought that I should be the one to watch over Tsumugi, but perhaps I can’t do it alone any longer.

★

After two weeks of escaping during my lunch break, I’m getting used to it, even if my opponent is a good person.

I decided to give it a try and asked her if she seemed to be enjoying herself, even though she had to run away to this place.

Takarai always sits next to me, even though she can choose where she wants to sit. This day was no different.

“There’s something about Nagumo-kun that’s different from the others.”

Takarai said.

“I feel safe when I’m with him.”

I’ve often seen Takarai talking with the boys in our class. From my point of view, I can’t see her having any trouble with guys who make her feel safe, so why me?

“Because Nagumo-kun, you’re definitely not going to confess your love to me, are you?”

“…Eh, that’s the reason?”

I have the ability to fall in love with people too, but…

“You’re a siscon.”

“I’m not a siscon.”

Tsumugi is my cousin. In the family register, Tsumugi is not yet a member of my family, so she is not my “little sister”.

“I just saw from the side that Tsumugi-chan is the wallpaper on your phone, the one you showed me the other day.”

“Don’t sneak a peek.”

She’s a woman, so she doesn’t know the etiquette of a companion, which is not to peek at each other when you’re doing your business next to each other. I wonder if that’s why she does such rude things without hesitation.

During our lunch break, when we were alone, I showed Takarai a picture of Tsumugi as we were talking. I don’t remember how it happened.

“This is proof of a spell that I can do my best even if I’m lonely at school as long as Tsumugi is watching over me.”

I’m sure she’ll laugh at me anyway. But I’m serious about this.

Tsumugi is the one I have to protect. To make sure that my vow of “Never run away, never lose, never give up” will be confirmed soon, I’ve been using Tsumugi’s image as my wallpaper, a perverted and sometimes outrageous act. Of course, the image is a wholesome one of Tsumugi smiling at me from her elementary school days. I’d love to have a picture of her as she is now, but I’m not really in a position to ask for one.

’Come on, laugh at me,’ is what I thought, mentally preparing myself to endure the mockery.

“That’s the kind of thing that makes me feel safe around Nagumo-kun.”

Takarai looked at me with compassion.

Even I, a coward, couldn’t interpret it as mockery, but it was such a warm gaze.

“I like people who take care of their family like Nagumo-kun.”

Normally, people of my age would be reluctant to mention the word “family”. I don’t like to talk about my father too much outside the house.

But Takarai said it without any embarrassment.

Apparently, Takarai is already living on her own as a high school student. Perhaps she has some kind of feelings for her family.

“Is it the warmth of humanity? I can feel it…”

Takarai smiled as she swayed back and forth, holding her legs.

Takarai told me before that she had seen me in a diner with Tsumugi and my father.

That day was the first day that Tsumugi came to live with us, and we were there for her welcome party as well. From that time on, Tsumugi was reserved, but thanks to the presence of my father, who was as cheerful as usual, it probably looked like a fun place from the outside. I guess that’s Takarai’s image of me, including her attitude towards Tsumugi, which seemed better than it was.

“…Well, I guess our family doesn’t get along too badly.”

My father and I have been living together for a long time, and we’re on the same level. It’s more like we’re friends than parents and children. It was my father who kept me company from elementary school until now.

“But I don’t have the warmth that you think I have, Takarai.”

If I really was what Takarai thought I was, I would have been able to get along with Tsumugi just fine. And that’s what I’m talking about. If we’re that close, a joke would actually be taken as a joke.

“Why? Don’t you get along with Tsumugi-chan?”

“…We don’t get along well.”

I actually wasn’t sure how to answer this.

Tsumugi’s situation is unique, and I don’t want to talk about it with anyone outside of my family.

But now that I can’t seem to come up with a solution on my own, the only person I can turn to is Takarai.

“…I’m so untrustworthy that I can’t even get Tsumugi to take a joke as a joke.”

After some hesitation, I ended up doing something that would test Takarai.

I told her about the last time I had made Tsumugi feel uncomfortable.

Takarai smiled compassionately, as if to say, “It can’t be helped,” even though the mere mention of it made me feel uncomfortable.

“But, you know, the fact that Tsumugi-chan was with Nagumo-kun means that Tsumugi-chan wanted to talk to Nagumo-kun too, right?

“That’s…”

“I think Tsumugi-chan is worried about not being able to communicate as well as Nagumo-kun, right? Don’t worry, Tsumugi-chan really likes Nagumo-kun, too.”

I didn’t feel bad at all when Takarai talked about Tsumugi in a way that made me feel like she knew her, even though they had only met at a diner.

I felt that if Takarai said it, then it must be true.

After all, she’s much better at communication than I am.

She’s probably seen a lot of people, so she’s probably much more reliable than I am.

I felt like I could talk to Takarai about the situation with Tsumugi.

The question was whether or not Takarai, who was very busy, would be receptive to my advice…

“There’s something I’d like you to hear regarding Tsumugi… I’m going to talk about something heavy, okay?”

“Sure.”

Takarai answered immediately.

“You’ve done me a favor and now we’re even, right?”

There was not a single expression of disgust on her face.

I don’t know if it’s because she’s a real person or because of Takarai’s human nature, but it did give me a push.

“…Tsumugi is not my little sister, but rather, my cousin. She used to live with her mother until last year, when her mother died, so she came to live with us.”

I said so, determinedly.

“I’ve been living with my dad all my life, so I don’t know how to deal with living in the same space with a middle school girl. I know she really wants to go back to her old life, but since that’s no longer possible, I’d like to at least make the Nagumo family a little more comfortable place for her.”

Takarai didn’t make a joke about it, but listened intently.

“What’s up with that? Tsumugi-chan is much tougher than I thought…”

Shortly after, she began to shed tears.

It was the first time I’ve witnessed someone crying since I became a high school student, and I was surprised at how flustered I felt.

I don’t think she has any connection with Tsumugi, so how can she be so emotional that she even cried?

However, my guard is down when I’m confronted with someone who is willing to cry so much for Tsumugi.

“Huh, I don’t know why they’re coming out like this…”

Takarai, in a tearful voice, tried to wipe her eyes with her fingertips.

“Not here, just anything… Here, you can use it if you want. It’s the one I haven’t used yet.”

I finally managed to keep my cool and handed her the handkerchief I had taken out of my pocket.

“All right, Nagumo-kun, I’ll cooperate with you! I’ll help Nagumo-kun get to know Tsumugi-chan!”

Takarai said, looking up from the handkerchief covering her eyes.

“Are you sure?”

I’m just spending my lunch break with Takarai, which is probably more work for her than for me.

“Yeah. We’re friends, that’s all there is to it!”

“That’s all there is to it, huh…”

I envy Takarai’s aggressiveness in saying that.

However, what on earth is she going to do though? I’m deeply worried about that.

Because it’s Takarai we’re talking about here, she’ll come up with a hard-line strategy, such as having a “Hundred Gal Committee” where I’ll talk to them in turns and become used to girls. I wonder if she’ll make me do something like that.

The bell rang.

Takarai stood up before me and walked up the stairs, making a light, clanging sound.

“Ah, I’ll wash the handkerchief and return it later~.”

She leaned over the railing and waved her handkerchief in the air.

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Translator’s Afterword: Hello, AJ1703 here! I’m the new translator for this series who’ll take Mowaso’s place for this novel. I made some minor changes such as changing “Junior High School” to “Middle School” . My reasoning for that is, it’s to have it become a more JP-ish feel of a novel to it. Moreover, it’s less of a task to type so kekw.

As much as possible, I’ll try to do weekly updates on this series, as I’m currently working on 7 different series including this one. This one is not my top priority, but nonetheless, I may even update two chapters in a week if there’s nothing to obstruct my workload. If anyone else is curious, here’s the other series that I’m working on (you may click to be redirected):

Losing Heroine

Lonely Otaku

Transfer Student

Little Sister’s Friend

Tenkosaki (WN)

Chuuni Couple

All of them are under the romance genre btw.

If you guys want to support us, you can do so by donating to us through Ko-Fi. If you even state what series you came from, it might get more attention from me to work on. ^_~