Tomorrow, I Will Die. You Will Revive Vol 2 Chapter 2

[BOKUs.h.i.+NU V2] CUT 2 – YESTERDAY, MY LITTLE SISTER RECEIVED A CONFESSION, BUT HOW DID I MAKE HER MAD?

Translated by: Bored AF Translator.

Edited by: 恋愛_ing

 

“Ugh…Why did this happen to me?”

As the months grew hotter, I was busy making lunch with tears in my eyes on a certain afternoon.

“That idiot booked the dentist appointment on one of my days.”

I feel that the girl, Hikari Yumesaki, is “the spoiled kid!”, only caring about herself.

It’s because of her eating sweets every day that I with cavities. I wrote in the notebook, “Take care of my teeth in the holidays!”, but that dimwit scheduled all of the dentist appointments on days when I had control. Right now, I’m seriously considering if I should reschedule my dental appointment.

“I told the dentist when I made the appointment, “I may look scary, but I’m really a coward! After today, no matter what I tell you, please don’t change any of the appointment dates! I will definitely muster up my courage and get all my cavities removed!”, so the dentist definitely won’t hold back here. It’s impossible to change the dates now.”

Now I don’t have a way out, d.a.m.n it.

And so, I woke up early and went to the dentist to get my cavities removed. It still hurts so much that I’m sucking for air, and I’m really fed up with it.

“Sorry about that, Sakamoto. However, I scheduled for you to meet a really hot chick as your dentist, so you can just forgive me already. Happy now? Happy now? Heheh, You’re a boy after all, Sakamoto!”

On a side note, Hikari Yumesaki wrote that in the notebook.

Shut up already, you idiot. Looks like you asked during the scheduling, “Please get me a dentist with big b.r.e.a.s.t.s!”. and thanks to that, the dental staff were snickering at me. Even the dentist (with big b.r.e.a.s.t.s) told me, “You should hurry up and find a girlfriend, preferably one without cavities.”

Anyhow, I added an additional rule in the notebook, “Rule 36: Remember to brush your teeth. Next time, I’ll set the appointments!”

(Why is it that I still have to see the dentist when I’m already in high school…)

I let out a big sigh. I’m done, I’ve had enough!

But right now, there’s something more important.

“…” “…”

Yukiko and I are having lunch together, and we’re the only ones at home. We’re having Yukiko’s favorite for lunch: omelet fried rice, and everything fine till this point. However,

“…(Scowls)”

I get the feeling that Yukiko’s really in a bad mood.

Well, actually, she’s always scowling, and I can count how many times she actually showed a smile with with my fingers. In fact, I wouldn’t be able to remember her smiling if I didn’t actually do a Pokemon Drill Run into my mind. But even so, it’s been awhile since I’ve seen her eyebrows scrunched so tight.

I can also tell how unhappy she is from the tone of her voice.

“Pa.s.s me the soy sauce (Hmph).”

“Turn down the TV (Hmph).”

“I’m full (Hmph).”

Although she would talk to me from time to time,, she would let out a “Hmph” and turn her face away whenever she was done speaking. Maybe she’s trying to show me that she’s angry, but honestly though, doing this only made her look really cute.

“Yukiko, is the omelet fried rice good?”

I cautiously tested the water.

“It’s disgusting!”

And there’s the response.

“Hmph…”

Once she said that, Yukiko left with glistening tears in her eyes. Whatever, the me yesterday probably did something stupid; goodness me.

“Just what did the me yesterday do?”

I returned to my room, opened my notebook, and proceeded to vent my frustrations.

It contained one of Hikari Yumesaki’s messages I became so familiar with

“Yukiko got a boyfriend!”

“A boyfriend, huh.”

That was a shocking line I got the first thing in the morning!

Even I was exclaiming “WHHAAA!?” when I first saw this line , but after calming down and thought about it, I realized that it’s unlikely Yukiko could get a boyfriend.

I had expected a more detailed report to follow, but to my surprise, the rest of it was just “Aaaaaahhhhh!” , “Kyaaaaaaaahhh!” , “Waaaaaaaahhhh!” and all kinds of exclamations. Seriously, can I punch that idiot at least once? Why are you so useless? You did this on purpose, right? This was on purpose, right? You blockhead, someone please punch the me tomorrow.

“I’m out of ideas. What should I do?”

I slammed the notebook closed, turned on my computer, and opened up a particular website.

The display shows a particular ma.s.sive Social Networking Site. It’s the famous Twitter.

Recently, when I was searching through Hikari Yumesaki’s browsing history, I discovered that she had actually made a Twitter account to tweets. She would update her Twitter whenever she felt like it. I wanted to ask her for help, and I need to be a little subtle about this, but I think I may be able to get something. Using that as my excuse, I began to search through her Twitter feed.

Feeling lucky, I entered that idiot’s username “s.e.xy dream” ——

“Ah, I did it!”

I saw the recent tweets from yesterday!

“Let’s see, what happened yesterday?”

There’ll probably be a clue somewhere——

“Sakamoto’s pudding is so delicious lololol”

“You b.i.t.c.h!!!”

I thought I finished it! Who could’ve known that you scarfed it!?

“He got some more ero-games filled with busty girls now. Honestly, can’t he just get a girlfriend already?”

“I think I should change it to all the BL anime I recommend”

Stop…

“So bored. I want to pull a prank.”

“Brainwave!!”

“①Rummage through the floor for garbage
②Take some hair from it
③Take the hair to the bed
④Put it on the pillow☆”

“DAMMMMNNNN IIIIITTTT!!!!”

Dammit, so that’s what happened! I was broken into tears this morning here!

Just you wait, I’ll get back at you!

“Ahaha!! LOL, Sakamoto will probably be in despair once he wakes up and sees the bangs that fell off. Winner!”

“It’s time for some soul-cleansing after all the ecchi things you involve yourself with!”

“I’m so bored, let’s watch some anime.”

“I need to at least watch some quality anime during this rare summer vacation…”

“Yahoo! Elementary school kids are the best!”

“Huh? A guest is looking for little sister? They’re busy talking at the corridor.”

Oh? Is this it?

“Eavesdropping♪Start”

“Th-this is unbelievable! It’s a really cute boy to boot! It’s like a hot babe plus Sakamoto and minus Sakamoto level of pretty! This is amazing!!!”

“Huh? What’s he giving?”

“That’s….”

“WOAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH————————————!?”

What happened? What, you went bonkers or something?

“Woaaahh! Kyaahhhh?! Kyah! Aaaaaaahhhhhh?!”

“Little sister LOLOLOL, she LOLOLOL”

“Little sister———just received a ‘love letter’!”

“LOVE LETTER!?”

Yukiko got a love letter!? For real!?

“Ah, the boy went home. Heh lol, little sister’s face is all red.”

“Hehehe. Little sister showed me the letter and said, ‘I’m totally interested even if you don’t approve, big brother!’ The way she said that was so cute!”

“……Huh? I think I made her mad.”

Huh?

“Eh? What happened? I just said, ‘Have at it, I’ll totally support you two!’”

“Ehhhhhh? What did I do wrong?”

“Whatever! What’s important is to support the little sister’s relations.h.i.+p! You can do it!”

“Hmm…”

Hikari Yumesaki’s ramblings ended there.

After reading through tweets, I crossed my arms and started contemplating.

Having read through a summary of things, I got the feeling Hikari Yumesaki’s message about Yukiko getting a boyfriend is probably just her own opinion. I mean, Yukiko got a love letter, and there’s not much progress beyond that. The problem really confusing me however was——

“Why is she mad at me?”

Was it something that wasn’t written?

“……Let’s investigate a bit.”

Before Hikari Yumesaki does anything troublesome.

 

“Hey, Yukiko.”

“……”

Knock knock.

I knocked on the door, and nudged it open. Yukiko’s busy watching an afternoon drama in the air-conditioned room, and her response upon seeing me enter was to turn her head aside. Sigh, can you give it a rest already?

“Yukiko, it’s about that love letter from yesterday.”

“! ……”

Oh, I finally got a reaction.

“Can you let me see the letter?”

“…Why should I let you see it, brother?”

Her mouth said such words, yet she pointed her finger towards her desk. Over there was an aqua-blue envelope, with a cute letterhead in it.

“I’m gonna take a look.”

I don’t know why, but I was feeling nervous as I gingerly picked up the letter. A cutesy handwriting enter my sights, and my heart raced as I read the words.

“Let’s see,

‘Dear Sakamoto, I apologize for sending you such a letter so suddenly.

However, I can no longer contain my feelings, and so I decided to write this letter.

The truth is, from the moment I first laid my eyes on you, I have always liked you. I don’t know whether this feeling is really love, but nevertheless, this is the first time I’ve ever felt this way I believe it’s definitely a really special feeling.

Therefore, please be my friend, and I hope to understand this feeling slowly. You may take your time with it, but I do hope for your reply.

——Kaoru Kinos.h.i.+ta’

…Huh?”

…Huh.”

Once I read through this appropriately-long letter, I covered my searing face with both hands.

Yeah, this is love.

This is, without a doubt, a love letter. How do I put this… it feels too bittersweet, way too much of what a winner in life will get. What’s wrong with me? I really want to cheer them on. Is it because I’m a man too?

“Is this ‘Kinos.h.i.+ta’ an acquaintance of yours?”

“…He’s my cla.s.smate, although, I don’t really know him that well since we didn’t go to the same elementary school.”

Sigh. Whatever. It doesn’t matter if they’re ready or not. However, the problem was——

“Hmph…Idiot…”

Why is it that this little sister of mine is showing such a tragic look, hugging her knees and sulking away? Huh? Why? It’s one thing if she’s being shy, but why does she look so sad while pouting?

“…Are you really that happy?”

“Huh?”

“You even read the letter…is Yukiko here having a boyfriend really something that makes you that happy?”

……Eh

“Hmph…you were as happy as an idiot yesterday…You don’t understand Yukiko’s feelings at all……Idiot……”

Erm, what’s this…?

“Brother…”

Yukiko had tears in her eyes as her voice lingered

“Brother…What do you want Yukiko to do?”

What do I want you to do? That’s a tough question you’re asking here.

Anyway, you’re probably trying to ask me how to handle this love letter. If so, I guess you should just go with what you want.

“Well anyway, it’s not a bad thing to try going out now, right? I mean, if it doesn’t work out, you just need to break up.”

I said in a very frivolous manner.

I had no romantic experiences myself, and yet I talked as if I knew what I was saying. It’s really surprising. But at this point, it looked like—

“……Uggghh. ‘Anyway’…y-you’re saying that at this moment…!”

It looks like I hit Yukiko’s limit.

Ok, why do I have a bad feeling about this?

“Yukiko’s s-so furious…it-it’s too late for you to regret it…Yukiko has decided to settle this!”

“Huh? Settle this?”

What’s with the settle this?

“I will definitely, DEFINITELY make you regret it!”

Yukiko, with tears in her eyes, furiously pointed at me as she ushered an ultimatum. She then leapt at me and shoved me out of her room. Argh, what’s that about? I have a bad feeling about this……

 

Two days later, I was suddenly stuck in my bed, extremely sick.

“Dammit…That no-brain good-for-nothing…! Achoo!”

38°C (100°F). No doubt that it’s a summer cold, and the reason was obvious. The me from yesterday caused this..

“Sakamoto, look at this photo! There was a downpour in the evening, so I went out to imitate ‘The Shawshank Redemption’! You know, just like in the poster! RED————!”

You dolt, are you a frog!?

The notebook even included a picture, and the frame shot looked exactly like the scene from that famous movie. I clicked my tongue at the photo, and grumbled.

Furthermore, Hikari Yumesaki kept the AC on the entire day, slept with my belly exposed, and ate half a watermelon in one sitting… thanks to that, I ended up with a cold. Dammit, the me today had to compensate for the debt acc.u.mulated by yesterday’s me. What kind of twisted logic is this?

“I can’t rely on the me tomorrow. Better find a way to get well today….”

While harboring this thought, I remained in my bed, recuperating.

At that moment, knock knock .

“I’m coming in.”

“……Huh?”

Yukiko knocked on the door, and entered the room.

“I brought you some medicine and an ice pack.”

“Oh, thanks— ….wh-what!?”

Huh? Eh? What? You? Wh-what are you doing!?

“What’s wrong, ‘Dear Patient’?”

“E-erm, why are you wearing a nurse outfit!?”

For some unknown reason, she’s acting as a nurse, entering came in carrying a tray.

“It’s perfectly normal for a nurse to come check on a sick patient. D-don’t look at me like that.”

“No, I would never look at you like…”

“Here’s an ice pack, so just sit still already.”

“Oh”

What a really ill-humored nurse…

Saying that, Yukiko stiffly handed me an ice pack.

…and casually brought her face closer to mine.

“O-once I get a boyfriend, if he gets sick, then I’ll wear this outfit while taking care of him.”

“Huh? Oh, ok.”

“Not only that, but I’ll also cast a magical healing ki-kiss.”

No, please don’t kiss a sick person now, you’ll get sick too.

“Y-you have to tell me now if you want me to stop. H-how about it?”

“Sigh…”

I’m sorry, can somebody please explain to me what exactly was my little sister saying?

Things will probably end badly if I don’t say anything in this situation..

“Grrrrr…! I even purposely chose the third most popular anime from Aniki’s secret collection to cos…”

Yukiko’s face began to darken.

“Arrgh whatever! You stupid patient!”

“Ow!”

She ruthlessly flung the ice pack at my forehead. That hurts!

“Wh-what are you so angry about!?”

“Shut up! You can just wait for your fever to subside!”

Her shoulders huffing furiously, “I’ll need Secret Weapon 2…!” that nurse stormed out of the room,

What is she going to do?

 

“Zzz…”

In the afternoon, just when I was feeling at ease, about to doze off.

“It’s time for some exercise!”

“Huh!?”

The door was slammed open, and I was hammered awake by a thud.

Entering the room at that time was…

“Cat…Cat ears?”

Yukiko was wearing some cat ears for some reason, and on top of that, a white school swimsuit. What’s going on now?

“Turn off the AC! You’ll feel better after working up a sweat and then sleeping!”

“No, Yukiko, I’ll be cured if I just sleep for a bit, so don’t bother me right——”

“You’re too naïve! As someone sick, you need to be more active!”

It’s because I’m sick that I don’t want to move…

Thus, under the orders of the bossy kitty, I turned off the air conditioner, and proceeded to do sit-ups in my room. Why am I working up a sweat while running a fever?

I repeated this motion for 15 minutes.

“Huff…wheeze… Let, let me wipe off your sweat for you. T-Take off your clothes…”

Yukiko was also sweating profusely, and she panted heavily as she up my s.h.i.+rt.

“Wa-wait”

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t get so close to me.”

You’ll catch the flu too.

“H-Hmph, anyway, It’s perfectly normal to have skin contact when I’m wiping sweat off. O-Once I get a boyfriend, I’ll also get this close to him when I wipe off his sweat.”

Again about the boyfriend. Just what are you trying to do?

I’ll ignore it for now. Thanks to Yukiko getting me to exercise, I started to feel a lot better. Heheh, bet I would feel much better if I were to nap.

“Thanks, Yukiko. I feel better now. It looks like you would make a good wife.”

I tried praising her, but…

“……Tsk.”

What? I think I just heard her click her tongue—

“I’M NEVER GOING TO BE A WIFE!”

“Abebu!?”

Yukiko shouted, and then angrily swung the towel at me—Wait a second, what are you doing!?

“I don’t care about you anymore! You can just get back your salt from your sweat!”

The young girl wearing cat ears stormed out of the room, her mouth whispering, “Now that it’s come to this, I’ll have to use my Super Duper Best Cos…”

 

That night.

Aaahhhh, I’m finally feeling better. This is good; if this continues, after a good night’s sleep, I’ll definitely be—

“Brother! I’m here to check on you!”

“Please, I’ve had enough! What is it this time!?”

Yukiko began her third entrance, and this time, the outfit was…

“…Yukiko, what are you doing?”

The naked ap.r.o.n. Yukiko undoubtedly felt embarra.s.sed wearing such a revealing outfit, moving in a distinctly coy manner.

“I’m here to check on you! I need to inspect your heartbeat! Pull up your s.h.i.+rt!

“There’s no need, I’m perfectly fine now…”

“Hurry up!”

Uh…

Left with no choice, I reluctantly pulled up my s.h.i.+rt, and then Yukiko proceeded to place her ear right on my chest. Wait a second, is this girl for real?

“I’m fine now. I just need a little more rest”

Well, that was what I had planned

“Ok…”

Yes, now then—

“Yukiko wants a diagnosis too.”

“What!?”

Yukiko pulled her ap.r.o.n as high as she could, her face beetroot as she looked away. I couldn’t help but quietly retort:

Alright, I’ve had enough! Just what have you been trying to do since morning!?

“I-I’m practicing some afternoon family drama skit fo-for when I get a boyfriend! If you don’t like me doing these kind of things, then you have to tell me to stop, right now!”

“Yukiko… what’s wrong with you…?”

I kind of asked that question in an exasperated tone. After being pushed around all day, I was extremely exhausted. Yukiko probably noticed something from my expression, and she stood up with a displeased look before she proceeded to walk out of the room with a teary look.

“Why didn’t it work…? Do I need big b.r.e.a.s.t.s after all… Sobs…”

And she said those words as she left.

 

“………”

That day, I woke up on the floor in my room.

For some reason, the lower half of my body was naked.

I surveyed my surroundings; It looks like Hikari Yumesaki went on a rampage, since the room was a total warzone from how I last saw it.

“Oweoiwlnvklcxoifeiwonadkalsdjslah”

And meanwhile, there was an incomprehensible dying message written on the floor.

“What did she do this time?”

I opened the notebook, and the first line entered my eyes..

“My b.a.l.l.s hurt…”

“A girl shouldn’t be using such a vulgar word…”

What’s with that out of a sudden?

“Why? I was only trying to look through Sakamoto’s secret anime collection, and then tell little sister which postures would please her boyfriend best … Why did she kick me so hard right there…?”

It looks like another event occurred. On the other hand, why are you always looking through my secret collection? It’s not a secret anymore, is it?

“It hurts… it still stings even when I ma.s.saged it in the bath… It looks swollen…”

Stop touching there. It’s embarra.s.sing.

“Sakamoto will have to stay a virgin forever. Well, it was always this small and flaccid…”

I’m gonna cry!

“It’s no use, it really hurts. I should probably rub on some medicine. Some Mopiko should do…” (T/N: A brand of anti-itch cream)

“…Eh?”

H-hey, wait…

“I’m sorry Sakamoto. I put the Mopiko cream on your desk. If you wake up and it still hurts, you should probably rub some on.”

W-Wait a second, d-does that mean…

“Now I can finally go to sleep. Without further ado, good night~”

S-stop–

The entry ended there. Once again, I took a look around the wrecked room, and then settled my gaze on the last testament left behind. Sigh… Just this once, I can sympathize with her.

“What an idiot.”

Having said that, I began to worry about the area between my thighs, and I dashed out of my room.

That was careless of me.

“Woah!?”

“Ah!”

I nearly b.u.mped into someone, and I stumbled.

“W-Watch out!”

“Ow!”

The next thing I knew, I was embracing the person I almost knocked over. Huh? Is this delicate figure Yukiko’s? Her shoulder is pretty wide—

“Oh, uh, good morning…”

“Huh?”

I looked down, and realized that there’s a beautiful, young girl in my clutches.

Her ears were hidden under her short black hair, and her exquisitely pretty face, decorated with two large eyes, was flushed red.

“Kaoru! What are you doing!? Brother, you too!”

“Ah, Yuki-Yukiko”

At that moment, Yukiko poked her head out of her room and lashed out at us. Huh? Kaoru? I feel like I’ve heard of that name…

…

“You, you’re the Kaoru Kinos.h.i.+ta who wrote that letter!”

“Eh—!? Oh, uh….”

Oops, I messed up. I shouldn’t have mentioned that.

I quietly whispered an apology to the flushed Kinos.h.i.+ta. I’m sorry.

“We-well anyway, I heard you’re a boy?”

“Y-Yes…Kaoru Kinos.h.i.+ta. Please take care of me…”

Again, I size up the girl…no, the boy before me.

His pet.i.te frame was just a little bigger than Yukiko’s. The black short hair was actually quite long for a guy. But what really captivated me was that beautiful youthful face.

Is that really a guy? Oh dear.

“Way too cute…”

“Huh!? Uh-um…!”

Don’t give me that now. But really, what was I saying? He’s a guy, and it’s rude to say that.

I cleared my throat, let go of his body, and re-inspected him.

“So, erm, did you come over to play?”

“Y-Yes. Because Yukiko invited me to visit—”

It’s finally the day that Yukiko actually brought her boyfriend home! Well, it’s understandable. It’s no wonder that Yukiko’s heart would waver after receiving a love letter from such a beautiful guy.

What’s more, this kid isn’t s.h.i.+vering after seeing my face. That’s a rare one. Is he actually holding it in because he thinks that being scared of me is disrespectful? If that’s true, then he’s a really nice person.

“Oh, well, you’ve been taking care of Yukiko for me. I’m her brother, Akitsuki. Please take care of me.”

“O-Of course! Please take care of me! It should be me being cared for!”

Kinos.h.i.+ta hurriedly bowed his head to return the greeting. Hoho, he has proper etiquettes too. Not bad.

“I-I’ve heard about you from Yukiko. She said that you’re a very kind, cool, reliable older brother. At school, she’s always bragging—”

“Sh-Sh-Sh-Shut up! Don’t say anymore!”

Yukiko stomped over with fury, and interrupted Kinos.h.i.+ta with a shout.

“I- I’m sorry, Yukiko. B-But, it does look like you’re right. Your brother does look really reliable…really…”

“Eh? I-is that so?

I couldn’t help but let out a smile after receiving a rare compliment.

W-well, this kid’s not bad. Yukiko, how about marrying this guy?

“B-brother, Yukiko will be with Kaoru in her room!”

“Huh? Oh, ok.”

What’s this about?

“A-And we’ll do tons of inappropriate things!”

Inappropriate things?

“Yu-Yu-Yukiko, wh-what are you saying?”

“You’re annoying, shut up already, brother! Starting from now, Yukiko’s going to do things in her room that she doesn’t want other people to see! Yukiko will open the door slightly because it’s going to be hot, but you mustn’t peek! I-If you do, we’re officially estranged! Do you hear me!?”

“Eh, ah, okay.”

“Yu-Yukiko…!”

Yukiko dragged Kinos.h.i.+ta while the latter flailed his arms in protest, looking back at every single step. Well, f you don’t want anyone to see, then just shut the door. Plus, you already told me not to look, so I won’t.

Moments later.

Yukiko spent the entire afternoon with Kinos.h.i.+ta. But, for some reason, she would occasionally run to the front of my room and yell,

“A-ahh~! It’s so hot, why don’t we be in our underwear only~!”

“K-Kaoru, yours is so big, so different from big brother! It’s so big! Look, it’s about to erect! Now’s the only time to stop it!”

She was yelling stuff like that. I ignored all her words that they were confusing me. She then sobbed and gave me a kick for some reason later on. What was that about…?

 

Later, at sunset,

“Brother, are you sleeping?”

“………No response.”

“Then he’s probably asleep.”

“………Heheh” (gulps)

“Hey, don’t sleep in your room with your belly exposed while the AC is on! D-Don’t be mistaken, it’ll be troublesome for Yukiko here if you get sick again, so Yukiko is here to warm you up for a while!”

“Yukiko felt lonely, but it’s definitely not because you didn’t bother stopping Yukiko from getting a boyfriend…and stuff…”

“Brother, you belong only to Yukiko…”

Squirms

“Just for a while…this blanket is a hinderance right when he’s asleep…”

“It’s so warm… brother’s scent…”

“Ah, I can feel his breath from here… It smells so sweet….”

“Just for a while……Just for a while……”

“Zzzz—”

…………………

…………….

………..

I quickly opened my eyes.

“Sigh.”

I originally planned to fake a nap until dinner time, but I got up. I had intended to pretend to be asleep because I thought that it’ll be too much of a ha.s.sle to deal with Yukiko, but I never expected things to take a turn for the unexpected.

“Could it be that—”

No, truthfully, I already had this feeling right from the beginning.

“Yukiko wants me to stop her from getting a boyfriend?”

Well, that’s probably it. It’s like when a stubborn dad would angrily yell, “My daughter doesn’t need a person like you!” when their daughter brings home a boyfriend. Yukiko probably wanted such a scene, and she chose me to play the dad role here.

“I see. That’s how Hikari Yumesaki made her angry.”

Of course, it was just a hunch.

For me, the idea of the older brother interfering with his little sister when she receives a love letter was just absurd. If the guy she brought home was completely unreliable, then of course I would do my best to stop him. But if it’s Kinos.h.i.+ta…then I guess there’s no problem.

“Don’t sleep with your stomach exposed.”

I pulled the blanket over the sleeping Yukiko beside me. Still drooling while you sleep… Sigh, it’s even dripping onto the bedsheets. Whatever, at least she’s my little sister.

“Now then, what should I do?”

I muttered as I tenderly stroke Yukiko’s head. I had absolutely no idea what I should do.

That night, the biggest surprise attack thus far was pulled on me

“Hahhh~…”

I was taking a bath.

Since it was really hot, I initially decided to just take a shower, but as soon as I laid in the bathtub, I found it exceptionally comfortable, and so I slowly began to relax in the nice warm bath—

“Brother, how’s the bath?”

“Hmm? Oh, wait a sec, I’m almost——”

Yukiko’s question could be heard from the dressing room, and I hurriedly gave my response. Why did she ask me now——Creak——Nonono!!!? (T/N: In most Asian households, the bath and shower are separated from the sink/dressing room which are right beside them, kind of like the bathroom for most master bedrooms.)

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!? Wh-why are you coming in!?”

“Yu-Yukiko wants to take a bath too! If You can just get out if you don’t like it, brother!”

Although the mist from the bath was quite thick, I could tell from the atmosphere that Yukiko’s face was probably blus.h.i.+ng furiously when she answered so quickly and shrilly. This was way too reckless of you.

And so, through the mist, Yukiko’s snow-white skin was bared right in front of me. Even though her body was exposed, Yukiko was brazenly…wearing a bikini.

Whew, that scared me for a second. No, don’t get me wrong, but—

“You really went through the effort to choose that bikini…”

“Th-this was meant for my boyfriend to see. D-Don’t look at me with those perverted eyes!”

I’m not.

Yukiko suddenly a.s.saulted the bathroom, and the swimsuit she was wearing was a two piece set, revealed lots of skin, and really was one that grabbed a lot of attention. The fluffy tulle skirt completely emphasizes her cuteness. She really chose a good one there.

Yukiko entered the bathtub directly, and we sat with our backs were facing each other. Wait, speaking of which, I don’t mind that you’re wearing a swimsuit, but I’m naked here. Doesn’t this mean that I can’t move now?

“……brother?”

“What is it?”

“…Do you still remember that time when Yukiko was being bullied?”

“Huh? Why are you bringing this up now?”

That incident still remains fresh in my memories.

It’s an exaggeration to say that she was bullied, but she was often teased by some naughty punks when she was younger. She has always been small, and doesn’t like to smile even though she’s a girl, but back then, she was also really weak.

“Yukiko was always s.p.a.ced out, always being bullied…But you came to save me at that moment, brother, and even carried me home. To Yukiko, brother is a hero.”

“I’m not that amazing.”

On a side note, why is it that I have a deep impression on this incident? That’s because I had walked over to them with a smile, trying to settle this amicably, but for some reason, the bullies yelled “Woah, who’s that guy!? He’s terrifying! We’re gonna die!” That gang of brats, at least 5 of them, then scampered away wailing. It’s really a bittersweet heroic tale, and the reason why I had my back facing Yukiko was because I didn’t want to let her see me so heartbroken. It’s not too much of a stretch to say that it was that moment when I was terrified of smiling. That was the start of my trauma…woah, stop stop stop! I’m about to cry again!

But there was another reason why this had a deep impression on me

“……When I had just entered middle school—”

“Hmm?”

While remembering all of the trauma quietly, Yukiko s.h.i.+fted her weight away from my back, and whispered,

“When I first entered middle school, people made fun of me for writing light novels in cla.s.s.”

“Huh?”

“The fact that I became a light novelist was never known…but those annoying girls in cla.s.s were mocking me for doing that. They say that writing novels really fit my pessimistic personality.”

“Ah, there was such a thing?”

What’s going on? You got to be kidding me. What’s so funny about that? Aren’t you amazing for being a novelist at such an age? You’re in middle school, you know?”

“But at that time, Kaoru protected me. After I got home, he even sent an encouraging letter to me. He may look that way, but he’s a rather courageous guy, and has a strong sense of justice. He’s really like you in that sense, brother.”

Yukiko didn’t look back as she kept leaning her back on me; I wasn’t able to read her expression.

She continued,

“…Kaoru’s a nice guy, decent at studies, and though he’s a little bad at sports, he’s still courageous, kind, an-and…”

Yukiko then swallowed what she said. At that moment, I got the feeling that she’s crying, or that’s probably just me.

“Brother.”

“Hm?”

“I’ve already noticed what’s going on. I’m no longer at the age where I daydream anymore.”

“Daydream?”

She finally turned her head, and her face—

“…….Can Yukiko really have a boyfriend?”

“………”

It was an unprecedented, stern, anguished sidelong face she showed, and I had the impression that she somehow matured little by little in this pa.s.sage of time, showing traces of frailty and charm of a young girl.

…….A boyfriend, huh?

“……I believe that the most important thing is to be with person you love. It doesn’t matter how this love came to be, nor does it matter if other people accept it or not… you should stay true to your own feelings.”

I had a vague answer as to what Yukiko was hoping for when she said those words, but that was all I could only say. I too experienced a love that would never blossomed. Stop giving me that grieving look there.

“…….I understand. I’ll think about it for another day.”

Yukiko’s turned her face away as she answered..

After that, she did not say anything extraordinary. She showed no signs of getting up from the bathtub for such a long time, and I suffered from a rush of blood into my head.

Once I was done, I patted my burning head and cheeks with my hands, recalling the matured sidelong expression Yukiko showed back then.

……It’s definitely only because of that rush of blood, ok?

 

“Yukiko…Yukiko looks like she’s suffering today…Like she would cry if she watched the sunset…”

“Yukiko…”

Two days later, I read through the entry Hikari Yumesaki wrote, and that image appeared in my mind. Surely Yukiko’s feeling troubled. It’s the first time she received a love letter, and fell in love. That pet.i.te body’s going through such great pain, with that stinging—

“Yukiko…I couldn’t help but make a picture of the troubled Yukiko my phone wallpaper…”

Yukiko……

“Yukiko……Yukiko……Lick…Lick…”

Yuki……

“Oops, I was licking Yukiko’s picture, and I got seen by aunty there. Great save!”

“What did you do!!?”

Like h.e.l.l it’s a save!! That’s way out of the ballpark!! No wonder my mom wouldn’t greet me at breakfast, you idiot!

Hikari Yumesaki finished by writing: “Since Sakamoto is a delinquent, everything should be fine.” Once I had finished reading, I couldn’t help but let out a heavy sigh, and slammed the notebook shut. Ah whatever, she can do whatever she wants. I don’t want to get involved with such an idiot.

“I guess it’s about time to head out.”

I changed my clothes, headed towards the front door, and saw someone there waiting for me.

“……….You’re too slow.”

Hikari Yumesaki had bought a snazzy dress for her, saying “It’s for your boyfriend”. It’s a casual white one-piece dress, and gave her the appearance of a princess.

“Let’s go.”

“……Yeah.”

Yukiko got on the back of the bike, and we headed towards the middle school.

A few moments back, Yukiko sent a message to Kinos.h.i.+ta, “I hope that you can head to the pool in our middle school”. Now, why did I end up being her chauffeur? That’s because she asked me to come along. I thought that I would be disturbing them if I was present, so I refused, but after she fawned and begged, I tagged along. I guess I’ll listen to that level of stubbornness from her. Kinos.h.i.+ta will probably forgive me.

I continued to pedal forward like a plane pa.s.sing through the expanses of a cloudless sky. I guess the difference from the sky however is that one is booming and the other is silent.

With a warm sensation on my back, I continued pedaling for another 15 minutes or so, and we finally reached the nostalgic main entrance of the middle school. It was only a few years back that I had attended this school myself. I rode the bike past the entrance, stopped, and locked it up. I then walked side by side with Yukiko to the back end of the swimming pool, and to follow Yukiko’s pace, I slowed myself down.

“Ah…….”

Sweat dripped down her forehead, and it’s probably not simply because she had been out under the sun for so long. He—Kinos.h.i.+ta was standing under a cool shadow, his cheeks showing a scarlet red.

“H-h.e.l.lo, big brother Sakamoto.”

“Sup. I’m sorry for tagging along.”

“Huh……?”

I apologized out of the guilt I was feeling. To my surprise, Kinos.h.i.+ta looked more somber than before. Ah yes, that expression’s basically saying, Now is not the time to discuss this. That is the case, since what comes next….is to hear the answer from the person who received the confession.

“……Kaoru.”

“Y-Yes?”

Upon hearing Yukiko speak up, Kinos.h.i.+ta hurriedly straightened himself.

“S-Since I’m going to give you my response…I wanted to hear you say it out again…”

“Huh…Uh…”

Kinos.h.i.+ta blushed as he turned towards us, and after letting out a teeny-weeny voice, he again lowered his head. Hey…Yukiko’s going to ask him to confess again…and in front of me?

“O-okay…I understand.”

However, Kinos.h.i.+ta didn’t show any fear. He lifted his head confidently, his fists clenched firmly,

“I have always, always liked you…….From the moment I first saw you.”

The confession began.

Yukiko silently glanced at me.

Just what did she want to do? I had no way of knowing for sure, but after seeing her being so persistent in wanting me to come, I think I have a slight guess of it. However.

“I first met you by accident, when you siblings were walking on the street side by side… At that time, I knew that you were my type.”

What exactly was Yukiko feeling at this point? What sort of emotions did she have standing here, and what was she thinking before she arrived?

“Erm, well, it’ll make you angry…but I stalked you afterwards…you were scowling, but you were the first to give up your seat in the train, and even showed a cute smile like an animal. You spoke to the kids, and that dejected, teary look of yours was really cute when you scared them away…after that, I started to realize my feelings for you. That’s when I wrote that letter.”

To Yukiko, or anyone else, receiving a confession is an ordeal with no clear answer.

“Later on, when I was invited to your house just a while back… as I expected, your appearance, and your inner character are very beautiful. You’re someone who’s willing to accept me… And so, I confirmed my feelings.”

Well, Yukiko, you’re no longer a kid. Your brother can’t always be protecting you here. That’s why you should come up with your own answer. Don’t worry. No matter what answer you choose, Kinos.h.i.+ta will definitely accept it.

“So—”

So—

“Please go out…w-with—”

Yukiko—

“PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME! BIG BROTHER!”

Come up with your own answer!

……………………..

……………..

………

“Huh?”

While the cicadas chirped, us siblings blurted out our confusion in unison.

“………..!”

Kinos.h.i.+ta’s face was completely red, his eyes tightly shut as he reached his hand towards me.

……..

…Towards, me.

“……Kaoru.”

Yukiko’s cold voice rang out.

“Y-Yes…?”

Kinos.h.i.+ta’s cute voice trembled in response.

“You gave Yukiko that love letter..”

“Right, thank you Yukiko, for helping me pa.s.s that letter to bro.”

“Huh? P-Pa.s.s on?”

“Huh? Didn’t I already tell you? I said it was a ‘request for bro’.”

“……Yeah, it was a ‘request for bro, to acknowledge our relations.h.i.+p’ right?”

“Huh?”

Kaoru’s cute little face showed a skeptical look.

Huh?

“……K-Kaoru, you said that you first met me on the street that day.”

“Mmhm… I saw you walking besides Yukiko, brother Akitsuki and…f-fell in love on first sight.”

Huh?

“Kaoru…you know brother’s a guy right?”

“Mmhm…no problem. Since I’m a guy too…”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

Huh?

“Kaoru…you know brother’s a guy right?”

Yukiko asked again.

“Mmhm…no problem. Since I’m a guy too…”

You don’t have to give the same answer twice!

“……….”

“……….”

Overwhelming silence.

Surprisingly, the person who broke this silence was neither me, nor was it Kinos.h.i.+ta.

It was the young girl who was yearning for love. However, that romantic and sentimental look had long disappeared from her face—

 

“IT’S FINALLY HERE———————————————————————————!!!!”

 

……Standing right next to me……was Yukiko being her usual self.

“K-Kaoru!! You’re that type of guy!? Huh!? Huh!? Hhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!? Is it true!? I-I’m not holding back!! D-D-D-Do you love brother in that place!?”

Where did that melancholic girl just now disappear to!?

The young girl’s eyes dazzled like the bright rays of the summer sun, drooling as she shook Kinos.h.i.+ta’s shoulders with fervor as she interrogated him. Then what about me? No wait, what am I supposed to do?

“Oh…about this”

What’s wrong? K-Kinos.h.i.+ta? Why do I feel like there’s a weird look in your eyes? They’re swirling around, and so hollow like a deep, empty void—

“Bi-big brother Sakamoto looks really scary right? He’s really tall, has a sharp look in his eyes, and looks like an intimidating wolf. However, even though no matter how I look at it, he’s just a pitifully timid person and his whole body gives off the feeling of a virgin who wants to tightly hold a girl’s hand with all of his strength, which is what really attracted me in the first place since I really wanted to tease this kind of person and I felt that if I get to trample on his emotions then I would be able to satisfy my s.a.d.i.s.tic tendencies and once I thought of this I just couldn’t sit still and so I decided to confess to him, which is why I’ve also already made my decision that if I didn’t receive a satisfying answer here then I would put a collar around bro’s neck and forcefully take him and so Yukiko, please make sure to join me in my effort.”

“OKAYOKAYOKAYOKAYOKAY! Yukiko! I’ll leave the rest to you! I, I just remembered that I had some other things to take care of!”

I loudly cut off Kinos.h.i.+ta’s curse. The scorching sun was visibly beating down from the empty sky, but my body was breaking out into cold sweat. I wasted no time to wipe off my sweat as I hastily turned around. Danger, Danger, Danger, Danger. This situation was too dangerous. Never would I have expected this development. I was careless, way too careless. Yep, I messed up big time. My days of youth were over, just like that idiot girl who also screwed around—

Grab——!

“Eeks——!”

Two hands grabbed my shoulders from behind.

One of them belonged to my beloved little sister.

The other one belonged to—

“Big brother, why are you running away? Didn’t you tell me before?”

“Uh, w-what…?”

The pupils in his eyes lost all l.u.s.ter.

The sun appeared to be covered up by the moon, and I felt the same mysterious, tingling sensation from a solar eclipse that—

 

“You told me before, that—I’m really cute.”

 

“Oh……”

…No, even though I did say that, it was actually just a……

“Brother, just accept it already. You also said this before, that the most important thing is to be with the person you love, and that it doesn’t matter how this love came to be, nor does it matter if other people accept it or not…that you should stay true to your own feelings. I believe that Kaoru is also just being honest with his feelings.”

No, but——

“Bro, from now on, I’ll call you brother, heheheh~”

But——

“Brother, stop denying it, just accept it already.”

——

“Brother” “Brother”

Crack crack , the two middle schoolers’ slender hands gripped my shoulders.

I fixed my gaze on their two hands, and thought.

——Hikari Yumesaki, please take over for me……

 

“IT’S HERE———————————————————!!”

“Dammit……”

I firmly believed that I would be ridiculed by Hikari Yumesaki, so I chose not to write about that event in the notebook. However, it was quickly exposed; t was probably Yukiko who told her…

“That development was so unexpected! Congratulations Sakamoto! I’m so happy for you! So this was the reason why you refused Kasumi’s confession! It looks like you were that type of guy after all! Congratulations on dropping your virgin status!”

“Don’t you think that this involves you too…?”

I took a glance at my cellphone, and looked at the wallpaper, a photo of me and Kinos.h.i.+ta, being way too close to each other, staring into each other’s eyes (The expression in Kinos.h.i.+ta’s eyes was very dangerous, his eyes swirling around). That moron…went as far as to use someone else’s body and taking such a picture.

“Thank you for the food. Hmhm~ ♪”

On the other hand.

After Yukiko happily finished the omelet fried rice I made, she clasped her hands together and said thanks. Dammit. You were so p.i.s.sed just two days ago. You really are a finicky person. Your mouth is covered with ketchup you know.

“Dinners made by you are really delicious, brother. The best.”

Oh, thanks.

“Brother.”

“Hm?”

I dejectedly lifted up my spoon to sc.r.a.pe up some of the omelet fried rice covered in ketchup, and I boorishly grunted. Yukiko’s tilted face looked nothing like it was two days ago before, entirely devoid of that painful expression, but it still had that mature flair to it. She put her index finger on her lips, and said:

“I’ve decided that I don’t want a boyfriend for now.”

“Huh?”

And then—it’s been a truly—truly long time since I’ve seen it——

“Yukiko feels that she is the happiest as she is right now.”

It was really nostalgic, engraved into my mind, but a far reminiscence.

I’ve seen it before when I saved Yukiko from that group of bullied. It was a fleeting, but definitely unforgettable, distant memory.

That was probably a precious gem that only an older brother could see.

The little sister’s bright smile s.h.i.+ned under the summer sun, glimmering with radiance.