CH 2

Chapter 2: Beloved Sister 

“Onii ~tsu!” 

“Tsuu?!” 

I was knocked out of my dream world by a fierce weight I felt on my abdomen. 

I looked up with sleepy eyes to see the enlarged face of my younger sister, Mio, wearing an apron over her school uniform. 

Her glossy black hair, tied in two knots, sways with each movement as she straddles on me.

Even in a situation that would make any man in the world react with sensitivity to his partner, I am completely unperturbed. 

In front of the angel that reigns in this world, Mio, all kinds of evil thoughts are vanquished. 

If I say something like, “You’re the cutest thing in the world today too……” I’ll get a creepy look on my face, so I’ll just keep it to my heart. 

If by any chance I heard something like, “I hate my brother!” I might the destroy the world in a fit of self-doubt. 

Nope, I was just kidding. 

The point is, that I would be shocked to that degree.

The dazzling, morning sun shining through the window gradually awakens my consciousness. 

Last night, I returned home at midnight after work and fell asleep without even taking a shower. 

Looking at the clock on the wall, I see that it is just before 7:00 a.m. 

Three hours of sleep is definitely bad for your body. 

“Brother, are you awake?” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m up, I’m up.” 

I responded blankly to Mio’s question. 

Mio doesn’t seem to have the idea of allowing me to fell asleep for the second time again. 

I let out a big sigh and sat up, but there was no sign of Mio retreating from my body.

She was staring at me with almond-like eyes that were filled with anxiety and worry. 

It’s always like this the morning after I get home from work. 

Mio knows what’s going on, and we’ve talked about it many times, and she already approves of me doing that kind of job.

But that’s not the same thing. 

“I’m sorry for worrying you.” 

“Yes……” 

As usual, I put my hands behind her back and hugged her lightly, and she buried her face in my chest. 

We shared a quiet breath, a faintly sweet and soothing warmth. 

A few seconds of silence. 

It is a ritual for me and Mio to confirm our daily life. 

This is how we finally feel that we have returned home. 

After a few moments, Mio pulled away and smiled radiantly, as if the previous possession had fallen from her. 

It’s the kind of smile that is like the sun, which spreads warmth to those around her. 

“All right! I’m going to make a breakfast. Go take a shower before I’m done!” 

“Yes. Thanks for coming every morning.” 

“It’s okay. I enjoy taking care of my brother’s mental health. It’s like a diary of a bad person.” 

“I’m sorry for that.” 

With a comfort pat for me, Mio left the room. 

Well, I too have to get  ready for the morning. 

If Mio’s joke becomes a reality, it will shatter my tiny pride as an older brother. 

After a quick shower and getting ready for school, I went to the living room, where breakfast was just about ready. 

“Oh, good place [timing]. Please help me bring these to the table.” 

“Oh, Japanese food today?” 

“Salmon fillets were cheap. And I also have boiled a bowl of spinach and miso soup. By the way, the ingredients are deep-fried tofu and daikon radish, which my brother likes.” 

“You’re the best, Mio. You know what your brother likes.” 

“Here, here, eat more so that you can can praise me more, right?” 

While the two siblings were having a manga dialogue, a few piping hot freshly made dishes, prepared for breakfast quickly lined up on the table. 

We sat down, clasped hands, and said “Itadakimasu!” togethes, before putting on our chopsticks first. 

The salmon was freshly grilled and the saltiness of the fish whetted our appetites, and we began to eat the white rice eagerly. 

We took a break after eating the boiled vegetables and miso soup as if the taste of the meal was just flowing. 

“Oh …… it’s really delicious.” 

“See, I hold my brother’s stomach in my hands.” 

“It’s kind of frustrating that you’re not wrong.” 

In fact, it is Mio, who take cares of all the household chores. 

Although she is only in her second year of junior high school, Mio’s skills are probably no less than those of a housewife with a long history. 

Her cooking, in particular, is outstanding. 

She is a hardcore who can make Christmas cakes and New Year’s dishes by herself, and they are all super delicious to boot. 

She is so good that I can hardly believe she is my sister. 

In addition, she is a lovely girl who is a priceless treasure. 

I wanted her to share her face deviation with me, who was finally below the average person after rounding up to the nearest hundredth of a percent. 

We finished eating breakfast while talking about miscellaneous things, and we washed the dishes together. 

Even though Mio is an all-around housekeeper, it won’t be fair if I were to leave everything to her.

This is especially true on weekday mornings when school is in session. 

I went back to my room to get my backpack, and at the same time, I checked my smartphone to see if there were any messages. 

I turn it on and a few messages pop up on the screen. 

Three of them were about news, weather, and other announcements. 

But the last one was different. 

The sender was Arisugawa. 

The content was brief: “Please remember me.” 

“You’re too scary.. ……” 

The fact that it contains no extraneous information at all is, on the contrary, a foreshadowing of a ticking time-bomb.

Arisugawa is calm and quick-witted, but why does she have such a quick temper? 

……Calm and short-tempered are, infact, contradictory, aren’t they? 

The word that seems to best describe Arisa Arisugawa is “an ice woman who goes by the rules of unreasonableness”. 

She’s particularly hard-hitting with me, and I don’t understand what just tugs at my heartstrings even though I’ve already known her for a reasonable amount of time. 

In my mind, she’s categorized in the type of a person as dangerous as a sudden boil. 

But still….. 

“Did I do something to offend you?” 

I twisted my brain hard, but I couldn’t think of anything that seemed to be the case. 

The most recent thing was that I left Arisugawa behind to finish the work on my own.

It’s also possible that I messaged her, but she didn’t see them, right? 

“……. I couldn’t see it.” 

I look at the screen of the conversations I had with Arisugawa and realize. 

The message that I had sent to Arisugawa to let her know that I had finished work, had not been sent and had disappeared into the electronic sea due to an operational error on my part. 

In other words, Arisugawa spent idle time in the building, where the case has already ended and everything has been packed up. 

……Yeah, I’m totally at fault for this. 

I’ll have to apologize properly when I see her. 

I’m sure she’ll at least listen to my explanation. 

Whether she will forgive me or not depends on how Arisugawa’s mood.. 

“Brother! If you don’t leave soon, you are going tol be late for school!” 

Mio, dressed in her junior high school uniform, stormed into the living room to wait for me. 

Her straight healthy legs, unsparingly exposed, is probably unique to the spring.

As her older brother, I’m concerned about her skirt, which is above her knees, as if she is growing taller because she is old enough. 

I can see your pants, you know?　Is it okay? 

“Ah, why do you have to wear the shirt that’s not ironed yet?” 

“Oh …… that’s right.” 

“You’re being too careless. Go change first, I’ll be waiting outside.” 

Without even waiting for his reply, Mio left the room with a fluttering wave of her hand. 

Maybe I am indeed distracted. 

I changed my shirt, put my blazer back on, and checked in the mirror to make sure my tie was tight. 

If I don’t make a conscious effort to keep my appearance in order, Mio’s efforts won’t come to light. 

Above all, if I keep my appearance clean, my own poor face looks a little better if compared to our company (my sister’s).

When I arrived at the front door, Mio was waiting for me with her shoes on and her hair in a state of readiness. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” 

“It’s okay. Let’s go.” 

With that, Mio led me by the hand and I walked to school feeling a little embarrassed and happy.