"Did something happen to you...?"
"Huh...?"
"Huh...?"
"You two, stop glaring at each other the second you start talking."
Ever since Haru’s comment made me feel like I’d been yanked out of a lukewarm bath, I’d been driven by a strange sense of irritation. As I ate my meal with my head down, feeling dejected, Nee-chan spoke to me, and I unintentionally gave a curt response. That apparently seemed defiant to her, so Nee-chan brought out a bit of her old persona to intimidate me. While I was internally wondering how to handle the sudden shift in the atmosphere, Dad stepped in between us with an exasperated look.
"No, it just came out of my mouth unconsciously."
"Rude. I ended up intimidating you without thinking."
"What's with intimidating people as a reflex...?"
It was strange, but lately, I felt like I finally understood why Nee-chan and Shinomiya-senpai seemed to get along. It was because they both possessed some kind of fantasy-like aura. In fact, once I made my excuse, I could tell that the tense, piercing pressure Nee-chan was emitting had dissipated. What was she? Had she actually been undergoing rigorous training somewhere without telling the family?
"So? Did something happen?"
"Eh, no, why?"
"I mean, you’re clearly different than when you were in the Student Council Room earlier."
"......"
That was rare. For Nee-chan to be concerned about how I was doing... Was she always the type to observe like this? Well, my mood was certainly different from when I was in the Student Council Room. I didn't even have to think to know the reason, and if someone told me I looked strange from an outside perspective, I probably did.
"No, I was just thinking."
"Hmm."
What was with that "hmm"? She sounded just like me when I had absolutely no interest in Haru.
Still, didn't Nee-chan seem relatively "sister-like" just now? Her ability to sense her younger brother's subtleties and ask if something happened deserved a pretty high score. What do you know, Nee-chan actually had that side to her! This older brother is moved! Even though I'm the younger brother.
"......"
"......"
"......"
...Is she really not interested? I could feel her glancing at me over and over. She was definitely curious... As for Dad, he was sipping his miso soup while watching how things played out. This guy... was he planning to just remain a bystander? He’d always been secretive, so I never really knew what he was thinking. In a way, he might be the one with the nastiest personality here. As for Mom... she was watching TV.
No, no. These were rather personal circumstances, and while I might tell Nee-chan, telling Dad was at a level where I'd rather die. I absolutely would not tell him.
"...Thanks for the food."
"Huh?"
"Ugh."
When I finished my miso soup and tried to get up from my seat, Nee-chan let out a sound that could only be described as delinquent. Or rather, Dad got startled by her voice and made his chair creak, which surprised me and made me let out a weird noise. By the way, back during Nee-chan’s peak rebellious phase, this damn old man was the one who most consistently feigned ignorance, sticking to the philosophy of "letting sleeping dogs lie." And the biggest victim of that was me. I would never forget this grudge for as long as I lived.
More importantly, Nee-chan was looking at me with a "No way, I can't believe you" expression, which was like a bolt from the blue. ...Eh? Did I forget to eat something? Even though she was usually careless, she’d always been relatively strict about things like leaving vegetables behind... though it might just be that she wanted to pick on me.
"Are you not going to have seconds?"
"Excuse me?"
Wait, what was with that line? She sounded like a grandma sixty years younger. Huh? Did I usually have seconds? She said it so naturally that I completely forgot. What did we even have for dinner yesterday?
Still, we were having tonkatsu today, weren't we? There weren't even any seconds left of the main dish.
"There's still miso soup and rice."
"We really are living in an age of abundance, huh..."
"Huh?"
"Hieee."
Her bloodlust wasn't even hidden! At this rate, I’d be discovered by the enemy—meaning Shinomiya-senpai!
Wait. Was I the one being stupid just now? Would a normal person recommend seconds when the only leftovers were rice and miso soup? It would be different if there was tonkatsu left over. What was wrong with Nee-chan? Was it her period? She was saying things that were more incoherent than ever before. I hoped she wouldn't start screaming at the scale again; she’d look like one of those crazy old men you occasionally see on the train.
"No, I'm perfectly satisfied."
"......"
I placed my empty glass on top of my empty bowl and was about to put my chopsticks down with a clatter—wait, what?
"......"
"......Nee-chan."
"......"
On the flat plate I was about to clear away sat two pieces of tonkatsu. It was an exquisite amount that, if eaten sparingly, would allow one to manage another bowl of rice. I was supposed to have finished eating, yet for some reason, they were on my plate.
"I ate a meat bun earlier. You take them."
"Then I'll give them to Dad—"
"He's at the age where oily food is already too tough on him."
"......! ......!"
Daaaad!
This sister of mine... she just slashed him from behind like it was nothing! Look! Even though Dad was pretending to watch TV, he was shaking a little! He was definitely hurt! Being treated like a middle-aged man suffering from high blood pressure and blood sugar levels by his daughter must be a total shock! I’m pretty sure he loves tonkatsu! This guy loves his LDL cholesterol!
"Are you going to eat them just like that? Why don't you have some more rice, too?"
"......"
...In any case, I understood that she had no intention of letting me escape. The fact that it was already decided I would eat the tonkatsu... she was trying to pry information out of me no matter what. Was this just a whim? It couldn't be that she’d just grown stubborn because she didn't like me dodging the topic...
As I thought about this, I served myself another portion of rice. Stay strong, me.
"And so...?"
"This is the first time I've had someone go to this much trouble for a 'please continue'."
"Well?"
"......"
Still, she’d grown up in her own way. Until a little while ago, she would have been straightforward enough to kick me under the table while saying, "Hurry up and say it." The fact that her foot wasn't flying at me immediately was an improvement. Though the fact that I wasn't being given a choice hadn't changed at all.
That said, what should I do? I’d rather die than talk about it candidly. That's it—if I looked like I was troubled by something, I just had to say something else that sounded plausible. Or should I just flatly tell her that I couldn't tell her anyway?
"No, look, even if I said it here, there’s nothing that can be done about it."
"Huh? What's that about? Is it about school? I'm the Vice President, you know?"
"No, it's not really school... hm?"
...Wait a second. Nee-chan... she was my sister. She was surrounded by handsome guys in the Student Council, but how was it really? Yuuki-senpai was apparently rich on top of everything else, so didn't she feel an inferiority complex or something? Wait. Maybe telling Nee-chan wouldn't be useless after all.
No, but look at the situation. We were in the middle of a meal. Right nearby, Dad and Mom were—wait, Mom, why did you just lower the TV volume? Aren't you straining your ears while pretending to focus on the screen? Crap, everything around me is starting to look suspicious!
"Ah, it's just that I couldn't keep up with the conversation at school."
"Hah? What's that... I wasted my time worrying. You’re just a socially awkward person."
"How rude. It's not like it's entirely unrelated to you, Nee-chan. It was that... uh, Sibling Talk."
"Huh? Sibling Talk...?"
"It was a Sibling Episode Talk. The conversation turned to our positions within our families, like what it means to be an older brother, or episodes we had as younger siblings. Rather than interesting stories... it was more like everyone was showing off how well they get along. You get it, right? The reason why I could hardly say anything."
Even listening to Natsukawa's stories about her good relationship with Airi-chan, it felt like stories from an entirely different world. What was that, heaven? The idea of "well, what about me and Nee-chan" wouldn't even cross my mind in the first place. It was about time she reflected on her daily tyranny.
"......"
Oh, now was the time.
While Nee-chan was lost in thought, I shoveled down the tonkatsu and rice that had been thrust upon me. My only goal was to withdraw from this place. Nothing besides games could satisfy my heart! Just you wait, boss! In games, I'm more handsome than anyone else!
"—Thanks for the food! I'll be in my room."
Leaving aside Nee-chan, who was lost in thought, and leaving behind Dad, who had completely missed his chance to escape, I succeeded in making my getaway.
◆
"...Hm?"
While I was clutching my controller and in the middle of Power Leveling, there was a knock on my door. In the first place, the culture of "knocking" didn't exist in this house, so it confused me. When someone entered a room, they usually just called out from the outside.
"What is it? Who is it?"
"It's me."
Why?
I reflexively let go of the controller and braced myself. Given the possibilities, I thought it might be Mom if someone was knocking, but it was an unexpected miss. Nee-chan? No way, was this a sign of some cataclysm? Was Nee-chan a creature capable of knocking?
"Eh, what. Scary scary scary scary."
"I-It’s not scary. You got a problem...?"
It was scary.
She’d actually come inside. What was going on? It had been a long time since Nee-chan had been in my room. It was the first time since back in middle school when she snatched away the new volume of a manga I’d just bought. It was a bit better back then because she’d return it to my bookshelf eventually.
"No, really, what? Eh?"
"......"
She naturally sat down on my bed. Nee-chan, dressed in her post-bath clothes, sitting on a guy's bed. If I took a picture and sent it to Yuuki-senpai, he’d probably upgrade my lunch. Couldn't I somehow find an opening to take one...? Hey, don't go staring all over my room.
"...What's with that floor chair?"
"I won't let you take this, at least...!"
"I'm not taking it."
What Nee-chan focused on was my handmade Gaming Floor Chair that I’d modified myself. Its original form was a round mini-sofa. This was the one thing I couldn't let Nee-chan take from me. When I got down and protected it as if embracing it, Nee-chan told me she wouldn't take it. What did she mean by "told me"? Why did I feel grateful just for not having my things taken? Isn't that bad?
It's bad.