'R-Really kissed him?', Outside the door, Ijichi Seika's steps came to a halt.
She was still holding two cups of water, both fetched from the living room.
Originally planning to bring them back to the bedroom, but when she approached the door, she saw something extraordinary.
Nijika, like a newborn baby, was tightly hugging a boy's neck. The distance between them wasn't just close, it could only be described as cheek to cheek.
In this kind of situation, suddenly pushing the door open and going in would only make everyone embarrassed.
The tsundere store manager thought to wait a bit at the door first. After all, there were still people at home. These two couldn't possibly hug each other until the end of time, right?
After they separate, she could pretend nothing happened and walk in, no rush.
But...
'Since when did my little sister become so bold?'
———
"T-That… Kaito-kun, don't misunderstand!", The air in the room was very quiet. Nijika, flustered, broke away from that embrace she was reluctant to leave, like a startled baby animal, stammering, "It's just… just gratitude! The reason today's live was such a big success is all thanks to your help, so… so…"
Her voice got lower and lower, her pretty face like a freshly cooked shrimp, and she didn't even know how to smooth things over anymore.
'The last person who kissed me secretly and stubbornly claimed it was just gratitude was Kita.'
'And then… that friendship changed in nature.'
Although he used to always be called dense, Kaito was no longer that emotionless robot. Not to mention he had already experienced this kind of thing once before, if he didn't react now, it would seem like he was pretending to be clueless.
'But… can someone tell me…'
'When did Nijika's friendship toward me start changing?'
'This kind of "I thought we were friends, but you want to X me", feeling is kind of subtle.'
'Not that it's unpleasant, of course, who can really dislike a gentle, kind, considerate girl, like a little sun full of vitality?'
Kaito's current mood was mostly contemplative.
'If things keep going this way… will Bocchi be next?'
'No no no, that little social-phobic clearly doesn't have the guts.'
'If she really had the courage to do something like this, she wouldn't have gone all three years of high school without making a single friend.'
'Then maybe Ryou?'
'Hard to say.'
'Even though Gremilin Ryou always runs her mouth, she rarely takes real action. To this day, she's still maintaining a pure friendship with me, practically the last line of defense in the band. Glorious, nothing more needs to be said.'
'Oh well, leave future matters to the future me.'
Kaito threw these trivial thoughts to the back of his mind. After thinking for a moment and just about to speak, from behind the door not far away suddenly came a small "creak."
"Sis… Sister? When did you get here?", Nijika didn't hear that faint sound, but followed his gaze, and just so happened to meet a pair of familiar eyes.
Store Manager Seika was a little regretful. If she had known, she wouldn't have secretly pushed the door open wider to watch the show. Now she didn't even get the juicy part and instead got exposed herself.
But facing her sister's gaze, she could only show an awkward yet polite smile, raising the cups in her hand, "Just went to the living room to get two cups of water… I didn't see anything, don't mind me."
'People who say things like that usually saw everything, right?', Nijika covered her face, feeling the urge to end the world right there.
'To be seen by my sister while forcibly kissing a boy… and then giving such a clumsy excuse afterwards…'
'What kind of weird social death challenge is this? This is, like, totally, maybe even 90% pure shame.'
'Surely… it's all just a dream, right? The sister is fake, Kaito-kun in front of me is fake… Actually I haven't even woken up yet, it's all just a delusional fantasy of Alice.'
But the ironclad reality will never shift according to one's will.
Seeing Nijika turning pale like she had lost the will to live, the tsundere siscon store manager quickly comforted her little sister, "Actually, this kind of thing isn't a big deal. Girls at this age inevitably have impulses like that. Proper venting is good for mental and physical health…"
"So, have you done things like this too, Sis?", Nijika asked quietly.
Ijichi Seika, twenty-eight years old and single since birth, had nothing more to say.
Don't be fooled by how the tsundere store manager usually puts on a cold and hard-to-approach face. Inside, she's surprisingly pure. Nearly thirty, yet still has to hug a plush toy to fall asleep at night.
As for romance… she's never even held a boy's hand in her life, let alone forcefully kissed someone, that's way too punk rock.
Although she's had a few moments of self-generated fantasies, they were just fleeting indulgences to satisfy curiosity. After that, she rarely ever did such things again.
Seeing the atmosphere getting more and more silent, Kaito had no choice but to step up and break the awkwardness, "It's already late. Since Nijika's sobered up, I'll take my leave now."
"Oh," As a working adult, Ijichi Seika quickly seized this opportunity, "Then I'll walk you downstairs."
After the two of them left, one after the other, the girl with the yellow side ponytail suddenly dove into the blanket, rolling around in shame and frustration, then suddenly sat up. Her slender hand unconsciously touched her cherry-pink lips. Not sure what she remembered, her pretty face slowly turned red, and she spaced out while staring at the wall.
———
Close to 11 o'clock, Kaito finally returned from Shimokitazawa to his home in Ikebukuro.
He opened the door and stepped into the entranceway. Just as he was changing his shoes, Wakaba Mutsumi, holding her bear plushie, came forward with Kirara.
"Welcome home, Onii-chan," The girl with long light green hair lowered her eyes gently.
'Quiet and beautiful, such a little sister who obediently welcomes her brother home is truly a treasure in this world.'
Kaito couldn't help rubbing her head, feeling a bit more relaxed.
"No need to welcome me like this every time. If it's too late, you can go rest early."
Wakaba Mutsumi just gently shook her head, "Just sleeping a little later is no problem."
For modern young people, sleeping around 11 or 12 really isn't considered staying up late. Seeing Mutsumi so firm in her attitude, Kaito didn't push it. Since he was there, her health wouldn't be an issue. So he casually scooped up Kirara nearby and asked, "Hungry? Want me to make something for you?"
Mutsumi shook her head again.
She ordered takeout for dinner. While it didn't taste as good as what her brother made, it was enough to fill her stomach.
'Compared to that…', The girl bit her lip lightly, hugging her teddy bear tighter. After hesitating for a long time, she finally asked very softly, "Onii-chan… at night, can I… continue sleeping with you?"
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