After talking about school for a few minutes, Teruaki and I left the cafe.
Teruaki said he was going straight home and we parted ways, but now what should I do?
I checked the time and it was 5:30pm. My mom probably wouldn't have cooked dinner when I got home, so I decided to just wander around the area.
I was walking aimlessly around a park when a familiar face called out to me.
Aika was wearing a black gothic dress, with a frilly skirt that swayed in the wind.
"Aika..."
"Are you on your way home now?"
"ah"
"Then let's talk for a bit."
With that, he walked towards the bench.
Seeing him from behind like this, it's hard to believe he's the same age as me. He's so thin you could mistake him for malnourished, and it's no exaggeration to say that his height is that of an elementary school student.
"Don't you have a sister?"
Aika said as I sat down next to her.
I say with a wry smile.
"Just because we're siblings doesn't mean we'll be together forever."
"..."
She had such a blank expression that it was hard to tell if she was even listening to what was being said, but it seemed like she was listening carefully as Aika spoke up.
"Aren't you two really brother and sister?"
"Where did you get that from?"
"It's okay."
"We're brother and sister. We're just not related by blood."
"Is that why you two get along so well?"
"I don't know. Besides, they fight all the time."
Strictly speaking, the problem is that Shiori loves me so much that she gets out of control.
"Aika, do you have any siblings?"
"I had an older sister."
"There he was... I see, that was inappropriate."
"It's okay. I know you don't mean it like that."
"a..."
Aika said with a slightly happy look on her face. For a moment, I was captivated by her cuteness.
"Smiling face..."
"...?"
"Your smiling face is so cute. I wish I could show it to everyone in class."
"Wh, what are you talking about..."
Unusually, Aihana spoke in an anxious voice.
"Well, you're a good guy. It's a shame you have such a blank expression."
"I don't really mind... I'm fine with it the way it is."
"That will only tire you out. Laugh when you're happy and cry only when you're sad. I think that will make the people you care about happy."
"......"
When I said that, Aika looked down in silence. However, it didn't seem like she minded.
"Ah, hey, by the way. What's the story?"
"Susumu"
"Hmm? ... Ow!"
Aika hugged me to her chest.
"Hey, hey... what's wrong?"
Aika said while clinging to me.
"Sooner...with you..."
"Aika..."
He gently put his arm around her shoulders, but Aika was trembling.
"Ugh...ugh."
"What's wrong, Aika? Did I say something wrong?"
"......"
Without answering anything, Aika continued to cry on my chest.
I embraced her small shoulders.
"Have you calmed down?"
After a while, Aika stopped crying, so I told her. Aika nodded and moved a little away from me.
"Sorry... was that a bother?"
As she said this, she looked up at me. I thought it was a side of her that I had never seen before.
"That's not true. I also got to see the real Aika, which is something you rarely get to see!"
As she said that, Aihana's cheeks turned a little red.
"Because it's Susumu... I showed it to him."
"The guys in my class are all good people. The lighting is a bit of a fool, but they're not bad people at all."
"As long as I can continue, that's fine."
Oh no... he's staring at me with slightly moist eyes. So incredibly cute.
"Ah, ahem! So, what exactly is this story?"
"Answer...Have you thought about it?"
"Oh, that's it. I've been thinking about it since yesterday."
"Yeah"
"As I said before, I don't know anything about Aika. But I'm starting to think you're a pretty good person."
"So, will you go out with me?"
"Well... I guess so. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and get to know each other."
To be honest, I don't dislike Aika. There are some things I don't understand about her, but even with that in mind, I thought it might be okay to date her.
"Susumu"
Aika stared at me with her big eyes.
"You'll go out with me, right? With me?"
"Yeah. I'll go out with Aika."
"I'm happy. I love you, Susumu."
Aika's face looked very young as she said that and laughed.
"We'll be together forever from now on, okay? We'll never be apart. After all, we're lovers."
"Well, it's a test."
I told him to check.
"Also, even though I said I'd go out with you, I'd only say that in front of Shiori... Could you please try to act as normal as possible?"
"I don't want that."
Aika quickly shook her head.
"She's just a relative. She has no right to come between us. And—"
"Hey, wait a moment."
I interrupted Aika.
"You may not think highly of Shiori, but please do as I say."
"Why? We're lovers."
"Brother, that's why"
"...?"
"I'm his older brother."
"Because you're siblings, do you have to keep your relationship a secret?"
Aika asks sharply.
"Just don't worry about it. They'll give up eventually."
"It's not that simple. I'll just do as I please with this."
"Susumu. We're lovers, right?"
"Yes. I will try my best to like you. To do that, I want to know more about you. So I want you to understand my situation as well."
"There seem to be a number of circumstances. But..."
Aihana's eyes flashed eerily for a moment...or so I thought.
"Don't cheat on me. If you do, I'll kill you."
"Jo, are you kidding me?"
"If that's what you think, why don't you try it?"
Aika smiled cruelly, revealing her white teeth.
"I'll stop now. Okay."
Could it be that this guy is just as jealous as Hyou?
"Well, well. Let's discuss how we should go about it."
"Okay. Now that we're lovers, let's go to my house first."
Aika said this while quickly standing up.
"Aika's house? B-but"
"You're dating, so it's only natural, right? Besides, your father will be here today, so at least say hello."
"Dad? Ah, yeah. That's right. Say hello, say hello."
"Maybe you were imagining something strange?"
"S-There's no way I would do that! That's just how it is!"
"It's fine for me. I don't care what Susumu does to me."
Aika whispers a bombshell statement.
By the way, Father, is Aika's family rich?
With that in mind, Aika pulled me by the hand as we walked for several minutes. Our destination was an incredibly large mansion.