“W-Wait...?! Can siblings actually become a couple?!”
“They can,” Yuki-chan stated firmly.
“No, they can’t,” I countered immediately.
“That’s going a bit far...” Sasaki-san added, sounding strained.
To be honest, I’d already suspected that making Yuki-chan as independent as Ichinose-san would be a tall order. Ichinose-san’s mindset was a matter of ‘relying on him because they’re siblings,’ whereas Yuki-chan’s was more like ‘we’re siblings, but that doesn’t matter!’ That said, telling a girl who wasn't even in high school yet to just ‘be independent’ felt a little too cruel.
“...Look, you’re free to think whatever you want, Yuki-chan, but just make sure you don’t go around harming anyone close to Sasaki, okay?”
“Of course. I won’t do anything to humans.”
“You realize creatures classified as female members of the primate family Homo sapiens are also humans, right?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t ‘huh’ me.”
“Hmph...”
She’d been calling them vixens earlier, so she probably didn't even view anyone other than Sasaki as a fellow human being.
If Yuki-chan just turned into a yandere because Sasaki was too popular and he suddenly stopped coming to school, that would be his problem. But I couldn't overlook the possibility that she might harm someone he was actually interested in—specifically, Natsukawa. Well, since she was baring her true colors to us like this, she probably wasn't that serious about it yet.
“...Can I ask something annoying?”
“The fact that you’re asking already makes it annoying.”
“Don’t you have any guys in middle school you think are nice?”
“I go to an all-girls school.”
“Ah.”
Right... she attended Mishirohama, the same as Sasaki-san. She basically had zero opportunities to meet anyone. If she’d gone to a co-ed school, there was a chance she might have met a guy who surpassed her brother. If I’d gone to an all-boys school, I wouldn't have even met Natsukawa, and I’d definitely be a different person than I am now.
“What’s with that look...? It wouldn’t change anything even if I were in a co-ed school. Boys are just brats who spend all their time getting excited over the words ‘poop’ and ‘penis.’”
“That is some extreme prejudice...! Yuki-chan, your image of boys is stuck at the elementary school level!”
“K-Kota-kun is much more refined than that!” Ichinose-san stammered.
“Ugh...”
Regardless of the ‘poop’ comment, hearing the word ‘penis’ suddenly fly out of a girl’s mouth was a shock. I got the feeling that Sasaki-san’s brother, Kota-kun, was just exceptionally well-bred. With an older sister like Yuki-chan, he definitely wouldn't be able to talk about stuff like that carelessly... stay strong, kid.
Also, Ichinose-san seemed to have the absolute lowest tolerance for this kind of talk—I just had a flash of insight.
“Those people they call handsome on TV are only like that because of their hairstyles. My big brother is much cooler.”
“Urgh...!”
That jab pierced right through me. At the start of high school, I’d mistakenly thought, ‘Wait, am I actually kind of hot?’ just by styling my hair with wax. Hearing the raw opinion of a girl—especially one younger than me—had considerable attack power.
“In the first place! There simply isn't a man cooler than my big brother! So, it’s only natural for me to fall in love with him!”
“...Hmm.”
...Wait. From the sounds of it, maybe it wasn't too late yet?
Yuki-chan had reached the age where it wouldn't be strange to fall in love, but she hadn't had any contact with guys from the outside world. From here on, she’d enter a co-ed high school and encounter boys who’d actually matured since elementary school. She might have a fateful reunion with a boy from her past and think, ‘Wait, you’re that guy from back then...!’
It was usually this brand of brocon who spent a bittersweet youth falling for someone without realizing it, unable to understand their own uncontrollable emotions while insisting, ‘N-No...! The only one I love is my big brother...!’ My brain couldn't help but run a simulation of Natsukawa in that role; the excitement was unavoidable.
Considering that Yuki-chan’s youth was only just beginning, maybe it was premature to force her to rethink her distance from Sasaki. After all, that extreme mindset was the result of her thinking about it in a vacuum. Instead of clumsily provoking her, maybe the best plan was to just wait for Yuki-chan to find that kind of person herself...?
“By the way, Sajou-san is out of the question.”
“You didn’t need to add that ‘by the way.’ Don’t go out of your way to update my Record of Defeats.”
“The... Record of Defeats...”
Total losses across the board. I really needed to apologize to my parents for my existence soon. At this point, I’d rather just be an anpan and swap faces periodically. I’d use the strategy of giving away parts of my face to win over people’s hearts through their stomachs. You don't need skincare either, so I’d recommend it. If I had to name a downside, it’d be having to take it off when taking a bath.
“...Well, at any rate, I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”
“Y-Yes, me too.”
“...”
Sasaki-san nodded as if nothing had happened. Beneath her words, I sensed an aura of ‘I didn’t hear a thing.’ If I could pretend I hadn't heard anything, I’d do the same. Ichinose-san was still frozen, her mouth hanging open in total stupefaction.
Yuki-chan was starting to regain her composure. When I’d heard she was at the gazebo behind the school buildings, I’d wondered what was wrong, but in reality, nothing definitive had happened to Sasaki yet. I was relieved Yuki-chan seemed more stable than I’d expected. All’s well that ends well. I should probably pull back before I learned about any more darkness and got mentally exhausted. If you peer into the abyss, the abyss will punch you without mercy.
“—Wait, it is not fine. The vixen problem surrounding my big brother still remains.”
“Dealing with that is up to Sasaki himself, not you, Yuki-chan.”
Regardless of whether the blushing Sasaki was innocent or not, it was better for him to experience romantic relationships, whether they succeeded or failed. I’d done nothing but fail, but if I were asked if I wanted to go back to middle school and start over, I wouldn't necessarily say yes. Even if I did go back, I didn't think I’d be able to get involved with Natsukawa, who had been in a different class, all over again. There were parts of my reckless self back then that were actually worth praising.
“Sasaki might be one thing, but if you start interfering with his acquaintances, he’s going to hate you.”
“Gnuuu...”
She was a handful even from my perspective. Sasaki was undoubtedly even more fed up with her. But he could forgive it because she was his sister and the trouble only affected him. If she directed those actions toward people other than him—especially someone who liked him—he would eventually snap.
“...So, what about you, Sajou-san?”
“Huh...?”
“You said before that you have an older sister.”
Yuki-chan had originally connected with me solely to keep tabs on Sasaki. But for me, getting excited over talk about another guy was nothing but painful. When I’d suggested we should try communicating normally for once, she’d asked if I had siblings, and I’d mentioned my Nee-chan. We’d only had a handful of proper small-talk conversations, so I remembered it clearly.
“Eh...?! Sajou-senpai, you have an older sister?!”
“I do, unfortunately...”
“...Why do you sound... so disappointed...?”
In a rare move, Ichinose-san called me out. I couldn't help it; the number of times she’s made me cry far outweighs the number of times she’s been kind to me. I wished I could swap her for Sasaki-san. At this point, I wouldn't even mind a younger ‘older sister.’ I was ready to transcend the laws of the universe.
“For example, let’s say some total stranger from who-knows-where approached your sister, Sajou-san.”
“A total stranger.”
That was a pretty old-fashioned way for a modern JC to put it. That was probably how she viewed any girl approaching Sasaki. Maybe in her head, she was using a more modern term for it. Like ‘stranger-bone’ or something.
Even so, my sister and a guy... huh. The image of the Student Council’s K4 was too strong. But if it were them, the identity of the ‘stranger’ would be too clear. Should I imagine someone like a college student...?
“You wouldn't even know what kind of person he is, and yet she says she’s going to date him? As a younger brother, wouldn't you be worried?”
“Not really.”
“...Oh, come on.”
“No, I’m serious.”
“She’s your own sister, isn't she?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s no way you wouldn't feel anything...”
“I really don’t.”
“Don’t you think that’s cold?”
“Not particularly.”
“Not even a little bit?”
“Not at all.”
“...But really?”
“Please, someone just take her away.”
“That’s a lie!!”
No, I was dead serious.
It wasn't a lie.