Volume 1 - CH 22

My Little Sister doesn’t Know Her Brother’s Feelings

The sky has been cloudy since morning, but it started to rain after school.

However, the sound of the rain can’t be heard in the slightest.

“You can concentrate in a place like this?”

“It’s rather easy to concentrate in a place like this.”

Haruta is sitting on the sofa next to Akiho.

They are in a karaoke box at AIR.

Haruta came here with Akiho after school.

“I’ve never studied at a karaoke before. I usually study with friends at family restaurants.”

“You can’t sing at a family restaurant, can’t you?”

“I knew it, that’s the reason we’re here.”

Akiho doesn’t bring her guitar today, but since she just released a video on her channel, she can’t help but to come to the karaoke and sing.

“You’re the one who wanted to talk with me.”

“Well…”

They don’t have to go to the karaoke box just for Haruta to tell Akiho not to involve Fuyu in anything ridiculous.

Akiho suggested, ‘if you have something to talk, why don’t we study for the test while we’re at it’.

“If you’re going to ask a girl out, isn’t it good manners to take her where she wants to go?”

“I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I don’t know anything about manners.”

“Is that a way to ask me if I’m still a virgin or not by making me say whether I’ve been in a relationship or not?”

“What the h**l are you talking about!?”

“I’ve told you before that I’m a virgin, but you don’t believe me, don’t you? You’re a terrible person.”

“I’m the one who’s terrible…?”

“I’m a U Cuber, so I know a lot about the Internet. It’s called sexual harassment.”

“You know, even if you’ve never been in a relationship before, there’s still a chance you’re not virgin. Well, let’s forget about it, I came here to talk about this.”

“Fuyu-chan?”

“She usually sends me messages at this time as well.”

Haruta turns the screen of his phone to Akiho.

A photo that Fuyu sent earlier is being shown.

It’s a picture of Fuyu wearing a jersey, sitting on the floor of a gymnasium.

“She was forced to participate in club activities at her middle school. She joined the tennis table club because she thought it would be fun.”

“That doesn’t seem really fun”

“Right?”

Clearly, Fuyu is sitting down looking exhausted.

“Her name is not Fuyu anymore…it’s Fuyuno.”

“…ah, I see.”

Fuyu’s jersey has her name embroidered on the left chest.

Her mother’s maiden name is Fuyuno.

Fuyuno Fuyu—that’s her name now.

“Fuyu-chan’s name sounds pretty cold.”

(‘Fuyu’ literally means ‘winter’ in Japanese)

“Fuyu herself said ‘I’m like a snow woman who hides her true identity and lives in human society’.”

“You can’t hide who you are with that name.”

Akiho giggles, and Haruta laughs along with her.

The girl ‘Sakuraba Fuyu’ is no longer with them—

“…come to think of it, this jersey. ‘My jersey is…my jersey is red!’ she also complains about that huh?”

“Ah, that’s is a very typical jersey, the kind you see in variety shows. So there are schools that actually use them.”

“Fuyu said she wants to wear her old middle school jersey, but I don’t think that’s allowed.”

Haruta wants to forget the reality by talking to Akiho.

But every little thing they talked, sharply pricked to Haruta’s heart.

“Is it even allowed to wear jerseys like that in school? Won’t the boys get turned on by it?”

“I’m not sure. Well, there are some people who get turned on by jerseys.”

“Ah, is Fuyu-chan, okay? Is she being troubled by the boys there?”

“Fuyu is a bit shy, and she is not good talking with new people, but thanks to her experience in turning down boys, she is very good at handling them. She has been confessed several times now, but it seems that she had handled them well.”

“It’s not easy being cute, is it?”

“Even Akiho—no, it’s nothing.”

Their conversation seems to be getting back on track again.

“Dating experience…”

“What about it?”

“Well, at least we’ve kissed each other even though we’re not dating.”

“……”

Of course, Haruta wants to talk about that.

“Well, let’s go straight to the point, shall we? Akiho, why did you do that last time—why did you kiss me?”

“Hmm.”

‘Chu’, Akiho leans toward Haruta and kisses him again.

Haruta is too surprised to react in any way.

“Like this, I don’t need a reason to kiss you, do I?”

“…I wouldn’t do it without a reason.”

“You have no reason to kiss me?”

“I don’t.”

“Then, did you have a reason to kiss Fuyu?”

“……”

Haruta doesn’t answer to Akiho’s question.

Haruta picks up an iced coffee from the table and takes a sip.

Then he puts the glass on table.

“Akiho.”

“……”

Haruta grabs Akiho’s slender shoulders, holds her close, and places his lips on hers.

Haruta is not kissing Akiho gently, but rather he is kissing Akiho intensely.

He tastes Akiho’s soft lips as if he is munching on them.

“Mmmphh…! Nhhnnnn…nhnnn…mmmphhh…!”

When Haruta lets go of Akiho’s lips, she lets out a puff and backs away.

“…you were doing it with no reason just now?”

“It’s true that Akiho is cute, and I’m just an ordinary high school boy. I’m not some saint who would pass up a chance to kiss a cute girl.”

“…I knew it, it’s impossible.”

Akiho mumbled so.

“As I thought, it looked like you got back on your feet, but that doesn’t seem to be the case…”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you love your sister very much, but are you sexually interested in me?”

“…yes.”

Haruta turned himself to the side and nodded.

“Let me ask you something. No matter what Sakuraba-kun thinks, Fuyu-chan is very far away from here, she has a different last name than you, and she wears an ugly jersey. What are you going to do?”

“Fuyu is still cute even when she wears that ugly jersey. I’m not going to let her go.”

Haruta said so.

The depression that has been continuing since the beginning of Golden Week is no longer because of Haruta’s parents, but it’s because of Fuyu.

There are no special or dramatic reasons for it.

But there is one thing for sure, Haruta has thought and decided it on his own.

He will never let go of Fuyu.

Whatever the truth may be, Fuyu is still his sweet little sister.

Nothing else matters.

It’s too obvious that Haruta won’t let go of his little sister.

“But there is nothing you can do about it Sakuraba-kun , you are still in high school. Don’t tell me, you’re not dreaming of taking care of Fuyu and live with her, are you? Even if you start working part-time, you won’t be able to feed yourself, let alone Fuyu-chan.”

“If I really wanted to make money from part time jobs, I’d be doing manual labor. I just want to try working part time job. I’m just a spoiled, naïve kid after all.”

“Even a spoiled, naïve boy can be charming in his own way, can’t he?”

“……”

Haruta can’t say anything back to Akiho.

“But you know, looking at the pictures Fuyu-chan sent you on Line, Fuyu-chan seems to be having quite a bit of trouble in the countryside, but I think she is having a good time as well.”

“Even if she is having a great time there, it won’t change my mind.”

Haruta stands up.

In the end, they didn’t study for the test.

The karaoke fee is a waste of money, but Haruta can’t longer have serious conversations in such a noisy place.

“Wait, Sakuraba-kun.”

“Let’s go home.”

Haruta can feel Akiho sighs and stands up behind him.

“Sakuraba-kun, I don’t think I can stop you from kissing me.”

“Ahh.”

“But you know, no matter how much Sakuraba-kun doesn’t want to let go of Fuyu-chan, I’m not sure about what Fuyu-chan thinks of you.”

“What do you mean…?”

“You know what I mean, you get pictures and messages from her every day, but that doesn’t mean you know everything about her life there.”

Akiho said so calmly.

“Maybe Fuyu-chan has a boyfriend there. Even if she doesn’t, she might have at least one boy she like there.”

“……”

While Haruta opens the door and walks out of the room—

“If Fuyu has a boyfriend she wants to spend the rest of her life with, I’ll steal her from her boyfriend.”

What Haruta said doesn’t sound right in any way.

But that was what Haruta wanted to do, and should’ve done.

“So, you’re saying that you want to be with her until your next life? What are you, a creepy uncle that loves to watch romance dramas?”

“Shut up.”

Haruta continues to walk down the hallway without turning around.

Akiho is following Haruta from behind.

‘I told her a pretty strange story, but I think that is exactly what she wanted to hear. I’m sure she has no complains about it.’

Haruta thought so to himself.

“Well then, Sakuraba-kun.”

“……?”

“Go out with me.”