“The Natsukawa Sisters are immortal.”
One more time. I never imagined I’d end up declaring their immortality twice in one go... Though, regardless of Natsukawa herself, I might lack the experience points required to speak on the Natsukawa Sisters as a unit. Man, love really is blind. Back when I had eyes for no one but Natsukawa, I didn’t give a damn about her younger sister, Airi-chan. It was like, as long as I had Natsukawa, nothing else mattered. Looking back, that “love” of mine really was a piece of trash. There were definitely stalkerish elements to it. I’ll at least give myself props for the restraint I showed in not following her all the way to her front door just to avoid ruining her mood.
“Th-That’s not it…”
“Eh, it’s not? Wait, why are you grabbing my earlo—owowowow.”
Despite my reaction, her grip wasn’t actually that strong. How naive; she shouldn't have thought my earlobes, forged in the fires of my Nee-chan’s discipline, would give in to something like that. They’d likely already been stretched to their absolute limit anyway. I mean, why did she even pull them? It was actually a sort of painful pleasure.
If I thought about it calmly, wasn't having Natsukawa pull my earlobes kind of incredible? I wanted to experience this on a regular basis. It was strangely addictive, like some kind of massage therapy. And the fact that she’d probably do it if I just asked was the truly dangerous part. I see, so this was an option…! Get a grip, me.
“Eh? Sorry. Which part did I get wrong?”
“I-It’s fine already!”
“O-Oh…”
Did she get mad after all? I guess she wouldn't let anyone but Airi-chan call her “Older Sister.” No matter how much of a Siscon she was, a gentle ear pull was all I got. Still, not bad… At this rate, calling her “Older Sister” on purpose might yield more “One More Earlobe Chances” than asking her directly. I was probably the only person in the world right now seriously strategizing how to get a female classmate to pull his earlobes.
“……”
“……Um.”
This was no time to be thinking about stupid things. I glanced at Natsukawa’s profile. Red—her face was so red! Was she gradually getting more and more pissed off? Please tell me she wasn't about to hit me.
Was she holding back because of Airi-chan…? Like her pride as an older sister wouldn't let her resort to blatant violence. I see, I was starting to understand.
“Man, Airi-chan is so lucky to have a sister like you, Natsukawa.”
“……Eh?”
“Compared to that monster I have for a sister, the difference is like heaven and earth.”
“Th-That’s not true, I’m… compared to your older sister…”
Eh? Sister-in-law…? No, that wasn't it. She definitely didn't call her that. It was more like "Sajou Wataru’s older sister." I couldn't let my delusions get the best of me.
Wait, what did she mean by "compared to my sister"? Did Natsukawa know any "older sister-like" qualities in Nee-chan…? Impossible. She didn't possess those attributes to begin with. That thing was just a "sister" in name only. She was a singular existence known as Sajou Kaede. Just like Godzilla.
“I’m jealous of Airi-chan.”
“～～h～～～”
Oh, did Operation Flat-out Praise succeed? Her face was still crimson, but seeing her look down awkwardly, it seemed Natsukawa was weak to being praised for her "older sister" qualities. That was good to know. God, she was cute. She was too damn cute…! I couldn't even look at her directly.
I hoped this would put her back in a good mood. Lately, she was at her most expressive when we were talking about Airi-chan. Was there also a part of me that just wanted to see those expressions…?
“Hey, um……”
“Yeah?”
“Ho-how are you, you know… with your older sister at home……?”
“Eh?”
Me and Nee-chan, at home? What did she mean by that?
Was it that? The same thing Kai-senpai asked me yesterday? Wait, hold on—did that mean Natsukawa wanted to know how I behaved around Nee-chan…? Kai-senpai had asked because he was intensely obsessed with Nee-chan. So, did that mean what I thought it meant? Was Natsukawa intensely interested in me!?
C-C-Calm down! There was no way, you idiot! Based on what she’d said, Natsukawa had a high opinion of Nee-chan, right? It was probably that. She was likely trying to pry stories about Nee-chan out of me to use as a reference for what a "sister" should be like! That had to be it…! Even though she wouldn't find anything worth emulating in her!
“N-No, look. I’ve told you about Nee-chan a few times before, right? It’s just like that.”
“N-Not about your older sister…!”
“Heh…?”
Not about Nee-chan…? Then who…? Eh, me? Natsukawa was trying to ask about me? Natsukawa?
No, wait, what was I supposed to say even if she asked? That I spent my days bowing and scraping to my sister? Well, that hadn’t really changed since the last time I mentioned it. But Natsukawa loved this topic… She actually giggled and laughed at it, which was just—man, seriously. My vocabulary was failing me. This was Natsukawa we were talking about. Just seeing that face was enough to fully restore my HP.
“I was wondering… what kind of younger brother Wataru acts like…………”
“Younger bro—eh?”
Hm…? Acting like… a younger brother?
I see… No, I didn't get it at all. Was this some kind of philosophy? In the first place, was being a younger brother something you did? Eh? I’d never even considered that before. Was it just me…?
Well, I suppose so. People in human-interest stories often pondered whether they were "being a good father" or "being a good older sister." Whether they were properly leading the way or not. Come to think of it, Nee-chan had said something along those lines before Summer Vacation—ugh, my head…! I didn't want to remember that anymore…!
Wait… was it possible I was really the only one who wasn't conscious of that? Did Airi-chan think about whether she was “acting like a good younger sister”…? Eh, I kind of hated that idea. If all that innocence was just Airi-chan playing a Role, I’d probably lose my faith in humanity.
If anything, Yuki-chan was trying to quit being Sasaki’s “younger sister”… Ah! But wouldn’t Ichinose-san think about that a lot? Her big brother got a girlfriend, after all. I bet she was very conscious of how she should act as a “younger sister” now.
But what did it mean to be a “younger brother”…? What did I have to do to "be" one? For older brothers and sisters, it was about taking care of their younger siblings or being a good role model. I think I kind of understood it for younger sisters, too… maybe it was about maintaining a good distance while still being able to rely on them…? Eh, did that mean a younger brother was the same as a younger sister? Me… relying on… Nee-chan…?
“—I… I haven't been acting like much of a younger brother………”
“Ehh…!? What do you mean you haven't been able to!? Is that even something you can fail at…!?”
Relying on Nee-chan…? How could I even do something like that? It was already too late for us. Was it that? Because I was the younger brother myself, I couldn't see it? Maybe someone on the outside would notice those things better than the person involved. I should have Natsukawa teach me what a "younger brother" was supposed to be.
“What is a ‘younger brother’ even supposed to do……?”
“E-Ehh…!? Even if you ask me that……!”
Ah…! That was right. Natsukawa had asked me because she didn't understand it herself. If anything, she was the one who wanted to know. Eh, but even though I was a younger brother, I wasn't acting like one? Wasn't that bad…? Was I okay? Was I going to have my family registration revoked?
“U-Um……!”
“……!”
Ah…! This was bad! Natsukawa’s face was turning bright red again…! She was trembling! She was definitely pissed! She was mad that I was failing at my role as a “younger brother”! That had to be it; she’d gotten furious before when I was talking tough about Nee-chan! Was “younger brother” such an important title…? I’d never given it a second thought…
“I mean, it’s not exactly something you ‘do’… it’s more like things that are ‘done’ to you……!”
“Done to me……?”
Done to me… the passive voice? She didn't just switch to formal speech with me, did she? I see—if you're a younger sister, you go to your sibling to be pampered, so naturally, your older brother or sister will pat your head or be kind to you. In other words, Natsukawa was asking if I "let myself be doted on." Wasn't that a problem? In the end, I still wasn't acting like a “younger brother.” It was physically impossible for me to go be doted on by Nee-chan. What the hell was I supposed to do…
“For example?”
“F-For example!? U-Um……”
In Ichinose-san’s case, she gained a sense of security and warmth by using her brother’s stomach as a backrest. I see… So that was her acting as a “younger sister” to get warmth from her brother! The bond between siblings was so deep…!
“—L-Like, cleaning your ears……?”
“Ear cleaning?”
I see, ear cleaning… Cleaning my ears, huh……
I had a feeling my eardrums would just end up being punctured.
Thrust. “Oops.”