About the Case of Me Being Reincarnated as a Side Character Who Got Kicked Out Immediately Of The Story, but the Heroine, Who’s My Yandere Fiancée, Won't Leave Me Alone - Chapter 52: Onee-chan

Chapter 52: Onee-chan

“Ah, hello.”

“Oh my! You came!”

I had come to visit the Saijou household to check on Arisu.

I hadn’t told her I was coming this time, so I never expected to be greeted by Ichika-san like this.

“I informed her in advance.”

“Ah, I see…”

It seemed that Sakuragi-san had passed along the message.

Originally, a servant should have been the one to welcome me, but the fact that Ichika-san took it upon herself to do so showed just how much she liked me. That thought filled me with both happiness and an immense sense of reassurance.

“How is Arisu?”

“She’s resting. It’s rare for that child to catch a cold like this, but precisely because of that, she keeps saying she wants to recover quickly and see you.”

“…That makes me happy to hear.”

“Oh my, you’ve become much easier to read, haven’t you? That girl never tells me anything… Say, Akito-kun, would it be alright if I asked what happened?”

Seeing Ichika-san’s curiosity, I hesitated on how to respond.

The situation involved a lot of personal matters between Arisu and me. If she hadn’t told them the details, then that probably meant she had her reasons.

“Well… I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ask for too many details. But… I can say for sure that something happened that made me want to treasure Arisu even more.”

“I see… Fufu, it’s a shame I can’t hear the whole story, but as her sister, I’m glad to see you two getting along. Masaki seems to think very highly of you as well. He even said that no matter what happens, things will be fine.”

“…That makes me happy, but honestly, both you and Masaki-san have really changed the way you see me, haven’t you?”

When I said that, Ichika-san simply laughed as if to say, “What are you talking about now?”

“It is a strange feeling, I admit. But my father, mother, Masaki, and I—we all judge based on the person you are now. And above all, the fact that Arisu—who was practically indifferent to everything—is looking only at you now… Isn’t that more than enough?”

It seemed that this, too, was thanks to Arisu.

I had asked Sakuragi-san to wait in the car, and with Ichika-san leading the way, we naturally headed towards Arisu’s room.

“Ever since she started spending more time with you, that child has been terribly bored whenever she has to stay in bed and rest. Though she might be asleep right now.”

“I see…”

“You can imagine it easily, can’t you?”

“Well… yeah.”

It wasn’t hard to picture Arisu lying in bed, looking completely bored as she tried to pass the time. Ichika-san and I both laughed at the thought.

“She’ll be happy to see you, but she wouldn’t want you to catch her cold. Just say a quick hello and then come back out, alright?”

“Got it.”

And so, I was allowed into Arisu’s room.

I knocked, but there was no response. That probably meant she really was asleep.

Logically, I knew it was a bit questionable to enter a room without permission, even if I was her fiancé. But then again, she had often barged into my room without asking, so I figured it was fair.

“Arisu…?”

Inside, Arisu was fast asleep on the bed.

She’d had a bit of a fever that morning, but judging by her peaceful expression, she seemed to be doing much better.

The stuffed animal I had given her as a present was resting beside her pillow, almost as if it were watching over her slumber.

“Suu… suu…”

“She’s really asleep, huh.”

Knowing Arisu, I half expected her to be faking it and respond in some way.

But since I was already here, I kind of wished we could talk for a bit. A small part of me felt lonely.

Before I realized it, my hand almost reached out to her. Panicking, I quickly pulled it back.

“Arisu… You really are a normal human, huh.”

It was a ridiculous thing to say, something I had even muttered this morning, but even now, she didn’t so much as twitch in response.

“Thanks to you, Sophia and Filia stayed by my side today. But still, without you, it felt a little lonely… Well, anyway, make sure you rest properly and get better soon.”

After saying that to the sleeping Arisu, I quietly left the room.

Leaning against a pillar outside, arms crossed, was Ichika-san, waiting for me.

Even though she looked just like Arisu, her composed and elegant demeanor gave off such a cool aura that I couldn’t help but admire her for a moment.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“If Arisu had been awake and you were taking too long, I was planning to go back inside. But from the looks of it, she really was asleep, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah, she was out cold. Even when I joked that she’s actually a normal human, she didn’t react at all.”

“Pfft!”

Ichika-san burst out laughing at my words.

It seemed she understood exactly what I meant, nodding in agreement.

“To you, does Arisu seem like some kind of superhuman?”

“Well… not in the sense of a hero who defeats evil, but…”

“I know what you mean. That child is naturally talented at almost everything—studying, housework, sports—and she has a charisma that makes people follow her. Given all that, it’s not surprising that you see her that way.”

“Yeah. If I hadn’t gotten close to her, I think I would have always seen her as someone beyond reach.”

In the original story, Arisu had strong yandere tendencies, but aside from that, she was smart, skilled at housework, athletic, and possessed both the charisma and the environment to make full use of her talents. Even from a reader’s perspective, she had seemed like a superhuman.

“Then again, I feel the same about you and Masaki-san.”

“Oh? Well, I won’t ask why. I do have some awareness that I’m not exactly ‘normal.’”

“I figured.”

“Masaki is the same… I wonder when it started. When did we become people who make full use of our positions like this?”

Perhaps, it was all for the continued prosperity of the Saijou family…

Or maybe, it was all to ensure that Arisu could live a long, happy life, always smiling.

(Ah… That makes sense.)

In the original story, Akito had suffered terribly.

If Ichika-san had truly been acting for Arisu and their family’s sake, then it wasn’t strange to think that she would deal ruthless punishment to anyone who tried to take Arisu’s happiness away.

All of it was driven by her love for Arisu.

“Ichika-san,”

“Hmm?”

“You really do love Arisu, don’t you?”

“Of course. She’s my precious little sister.”

Her overwhelming siscon tendencies should have been a bigger focus in the story… Maybe the author avoided it because giving Ichika-san and Masaki too much detail would have made things too complicated.

“…That’s truly wonderful.”

Sibling bonds really are something precious.

I was happy to be by Arisu’s side as her fiancé, but beyond that, I also felt privileged to witness such a beautiful relationship up close.

“Ichika-san, Masaki-san… I know you both will protect me just as you do Arisu. And that makes me incredibly happy. But… if it’s alright, I’d like to be someone you can let your guard down around sometimes.”

“That’s…”

“You carry a lot—Arisu, the family… everything. I want to be someone you can relax around, even if just a little.”

Ichika-san blinked in surprise, rare for her. But the words kept flowing naturally from my mouth.

“You say you use your position to its fullest, but the way you talk about Arisu, the way you interact with me—it’s truly wonderful. It’s… like you’re a kind and caring Onee-chan.”

“O-Onee-chan…!”

Ah.

I might have messed up with that one.

“Oh! Akito, you’re here!”

“Ah, Masaki-san!”

Just as I was wondering how to recover from my blunder, Masaki-san’s timely arrival saved me.

I didn’t ask what Ichika-san thought about my words, but she kept smiling, which was enough to reassure me.