Chapter 13
My Stepsister is My Little Sister
“Established facts… Yuzumi, we—”
“You mean we can’t do that, right? Because we’re siblings.”
Yuzumi, who had moments ago blushed and worn a mischievous smile, suddenly shifted to a serious expression as she slipped off her school blazer.
I gave a small nod and said,
“…That’s right.”
If I were to do something like that with Yuzumi, she would no longer have me as her brother. Even if I told her that, she would probably say she didn’t care. And it’s not as if I want to emphasize my own existence as something grand and irreplaceable—but still, after all the places she’s been shuffled around, with her excellent grades, athletic ability, and looks, I believe what Yuzumi truly needs is familial love.
“You’re kind, big brother, so you’re trying to stay as my brother… Not just in the formal sense, but in a deeper, more meaningful way… But, for me right now, that is—”
Yuzumi stopped mid-sentence, shook her head, and chose not to finish.
“Yuzumi?”
“…It’s nothing. Anyway, let’s hurry and make it an established fact.”
Saying that, she reached to unbutton the shirt under her blazer—but I caught her right hand with mine and stopped her.
“Yuzumi, please stop… Deep down, you don’t really want to do this, do you?”
“Are you going to deny my feelings for you again? I love you, big brother! I want to marry you, and I even want to do those things with you! Why can’t you understand—”
“I understand that well enough. Whether I accept it or not is a different matter, but I know that you truly want to marry me, that you want to do those things. So I apologize for belittling your feelings earlier. That was wrong of me.”
“…Then—”
“It’s my fault you felt like you had to push me this far. But still… you don’t actually want to force things like this, do you?”
Yuzumi may truly like me as a man. But for her to push for such a thing, to try to create ‘established facts’ like this—it just doesn’t suit her. Considering her nature, she wouldn’t want it this way. She’s always been kind to me. If she were to do something like that, it would be because of the feelings involved, not force. That’s who Yuzumi is.
And so, the fact that I let things go this far—I realized again that it was my fault.
After my words, Yuzumi looked into my eyes. Then, as though giving up, she let out a sigh and said,
“…Yeah. You’re right. I don’t really want to do that with you in such a forceful way… But how did you know?”
I lifted her gently off me, sat her down on the sofa, and sat up myself, placing a hand on her shoulder as I answered.
“Because I’m your big brother.”
“…!”
Her eyes widened for a moment, then her cheeks flushed as she smiled faintly and said,
“So, I’m still your little sister after all… Maybe just for today, I’ll stay as your little sister.”
“Yuzumi…”
Then she stood up, looked at me, and said with a bright smile,
“But! Starting tomorrow, I’ll be your future bride again, not just your little sister—so be ready!”
“Spare me…”
Even as I said that, I probably looked the same as her—smiling.
It’s hard to put into words, but somehow I felt even closer to Yuzumi than before.
After that, Yuzumi and I finished the half-eaten dinner together, watched a movie, and played cards.
I was really happy that today, at least, we got to spend time like true siblings.
…But because this incident had deepened our bond, Yuzumi’s advances on me would only become even more relentless from here on out.
