By the time Tetsuya had finished tidying his room, Soyo was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open.
Finding her drowsy appearance rather amusing, Tetsuya turned off the light for her, said goodnight, and left the room.
The moment he closed the door, however, he was startled by the scene before him.
"Anon?"
Anon, who should have been back in her room resting long ago, was standing right in front of him, her eyes fixed on the door he had just come out of.
"Why are you still awake? Is something wrong?"
"...It's nothing. I just saw that the light in your room was still on, so I was wondering if something was up."
Anon shook her head.
"More importantly... Nii-chan, are you really going to sleep on the sofa tonight?"
"Mhm."
Tetsuya nodded.
"I sleep there sometimes anyway, so I'm used to it."
"..."
After hearing this answer, Anon hesitated for a good while before speaking softly.
"Nii-chan, do you remember when the last time we slept together was?"
"Eh? Let me think... It was probably during a summer vacation in elementary school. You watched a really scary movie that day and couldn't sleep, so you came to my room to sleep with me that night."
Tetsuya recalled, rubbing his chin.
"That night, I had to coax you for almost an hour before you finally fell asleep... Eh? By the way, why bring this up all of a sudden..."
But after finishing his recollection, the somewhat sudden question also made Tetsuya realize something.
"Anon, you're not planning to..."
"I see, so it's been that many years..."
A nostalgic expression flashed across Anon's face. She then glanced at the closed door behind Tetsuya before asking:
"In that case, Nii-chan... would you like to sleep with me tonight for the first time in a while? I also happen to have something very important to discuss with you."
"...Huh? W-Wait, Anon?"
Before Tetsuya could even ask what his sister wanted to discuss, he was forcefully pulled into her room.
Thud!
The moment Tetsuya stepped into his sister's room, Anon immediately slammed the door shut behind him.
...
"???"
The moment the door closed, Tetsuya couldn't help but stand frozen in place, a look of utter astonishment on his face.
On one hand, it was because of Anon's decisiveness, acting first and explaining later. On the other, it was because of the expression on her face.
His usually cheerful and sunny little sister's face was now filled with a lingering sense of unease and sadness.
Not only that, but as if to prevent him from leaving the room, she continued to block the doorknob tightly even after closing the door.
"...What's wrong, Anon?"
Seeing his sister's expression, Tetsuya immediately put away his confusion and asked with a worried look:
"Did something happen?"
"..."
Faced with Tetsuya's worried question, Anon first lowered her head and pressed her lips together before saying:
"Nothing happened. It's just that, these past few days, I keep getting this strange feeling that you're drifting further and further away from me, Nii-chan..."
"Further and further away? Why?"
Tetsuya wore a puzzled expression.
"Is it because I've been getting off work later than usual these past few days?"
"It's not about that... It's just a feeling I have."
Anon shook her head.
"You're going to see Hoshino Ai the day after tomorrow, right, Nii-chan?"
"Mhm, that's the plan."
"And you're really going to do what you said before... and reject her properly, right?"
"...Of course. Ah, so you were still worried about that?"
Hearing Anon's question, a look of realization dawned on Tetsuya's face.
"Even after I told you so much that day, you're still worried I'll elope with Ai?"
"...It's not just about Hoshino Ai."
Under Tetsuya's somewhat surprised expression, Anon shook her head.
"Even without her, you're going to date and marry someone else sooner or later, right, Nii-chan?"
"That... maybe?"
Tetsuya said in an uncertain tone.
"But that's not something you can force. Like I said before, my values might not necessarily be accepted by modern women."
"Someone will definitely accept them!"
Anon was very certain of this.
"In fact, a man as amazing and handsome as you, Nii-chan, is definitely the type girls would fight over!"
"That's a bit of an exaggeration."
Tetsuya shook his head.
"It's not like I haven't met other girls before. At least, in all my experience over the years, I've never once been confessed to."
"That's just because you're too dense about these things, Nii-chan! Even if a girl did show interest in you, you'd most likely overlook it!"
Anon frowned.
"Anyway, in my opinion, you'll definitely be able to find a girlfriend in the future!"
"Uh... even if it's true, just like you say, so what?"
Tetsuya asked with a confused look.
"Does something special happen after you get a girlfriend?"
"...When that happens, I won't be able to be as clingy with you as I am now."
At this, Anon lowered her head again.
"You'll spend more of your time on your girlfriend, and you'll keep your distance from me to avoid being seen as having a sister complex. It might even become a relationship where we only talk at scheduled times on weekends or holidays..."
As she spoke, her tone became more and more dejected.
"Just thinking about a future like that is so scary. I always feel like you'll be snatched away by someone sooner or later, Nii-chan..."
"...I see."
Finally, Tetsuya understood the source of his sister's anxiety from her explanation.
Considering her age and the recent events with Hoshino Ai, it was only natural for her to have such thoughts.
So, after a moment of thought, Tetsuya turned around and, under Anon's increasingly surprised gaze, sat down on her bed.
"While I'd love to tell you that this is all just your imagination, words alone probably won't be enough to make you believe me, right?"
At this, he gently patted the bed.
"In that case, I'll answer you with my actions instead... Come here, Anon."
Tetsuya said to her in an incredibly gentle tone.
"Tonight, let's sleep together for the first time in a long while."
"...Mhm!"
Hearing this, the anxiety and sadness on Anon's face vanished, replaced by a happy nod.
"I'll go get you a pillow! Wait for me for a bit, Nii-chan!"
"Mhm, okay."
Watching his sister's light-footed and eager back, a gentle smile appeared on Tetsuya's face.
For the Chihaya siblings, it seemed there was still a little while to go before this long night would come to an end.