After I Comforted My Younger Stepsister Who Had Her Boyfriend Taken From Her, She Started Becoming Obsessively Sweet - 1
Chapter 1: Prologue
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Out of the blue… Ah, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mamori Unami and I have a young sister, who is in her first year of high school. Her name is Shikino Unami and unlike me, who is both average in looks and abilities, Shikino is incredibly beautiful.
She was known as a beautiful girl throughout grade school and middle school. Not to mention, she was always at the top of her class in terms of academics. That being said, she was a bit clumsy when it came to sports, but that weakness actually seemed to make her even more adorable. It was charming, in its own right.
Back when I was still in middle school, I would often overhear the guys saying things like,”Isn’t it cute how she’s not good at sports? Her little flaw makes her so adorable.” Of course Shikino knew about these kinds of rumors too. She just blushed and looked down shyly.
Shikino was not the brave type. She couldn’t voice her thoughts openly and generally speaking, she was on the quiet side. She was always behaving gracefully and elegantly. Compared to my exceptional sister, I was the epitome of mediocre. People would ask why I was so mediocre and well, the answer was simple.
It’s because Shikino and I aren’t related by blood.
Yes. When I was in fourth grade and Shikino was in her third grade, our parents remarried. We became step-siblings. Of course, I was thrilled at first. Even though we weren’t related by blood, I was excited to have a sibling close to my age. I could have someone to play with and above all, I would become an older brother. I was really excited to meet my future sister.
Then, our first day meeting came. I still remembered the moment I saw the girl who would become my younger sister. My heart was pounding wildly. Young Shikino looked so delicate. She was as beautiful as an intricately crafted doll. She was hiding behind her father as she gazed at me intently.
“Come on, Shikino. Say hello to your new big brother. Say, ‘Nice to meet you.’”
“…”
My stepfather chuckled.
“Ahahaha, Sorry, sorry about this, Mamo-kun. She’s really shy and a bit of an introvert. I’m sure she’ll warm up to you soon enough. Can you please bear with her for today?”
I still remembered Dad said that. At that time, I wholeheartedly believed that although Shikino refused to speak to me, but we would gradually become close. I was determined to become a big brother that Shikino could rely on, the brother that he could look up to.
…But, things didn’t go as I’d hoped.
Six or maybe seven years passed. We were both in high school. I was in my second year and Shikino in her first year. Our parents were still getting along well, showing no signs of strain in their relationship. In fact, their lovey-dovey behavior was almost too much to handle sometimes. Looking at how affectionate Dad and Mom were, I wish I could say I had become closer to Shikino too, but… The reality wasn’t that beautiful. The close sibling relationships I yearned for was nothing more than a fantasy. In reality, my relationship with Shikino hardly improved. Maybe I could even say we were on a bad term.
Sure, Shikino didn’t ignore me completely. She still responded when I tried to talk to her, albeit curtly. She was so cold to me and whenever I tried to help her, she would mumble something in a tiny voice before distancing herself from me even more. The more I tried to get closer, the harder Shikino pulled away from me. Maybe she didn’t want to have someone like me as her older brother. She probably saw me as a shameful guy. A weak and mediocre guy. That must be what she thought of me.
We exchanged morning greetings and while we still made eye contact every day, I could clearly see how cold her gaze was on me. Her response was always barely audible, like she didn’t even want to talk to me in the first place. I guess she wanted to keep her distance from me as much as possible. This situation left me feeling dejected. I still wanted to get closer to Shikino, but it seemed my feelings were one-sided and would only lead to emptiness. As painful as it was, I was aware the truth wasn’t kind to me.
Shikino had gotten herself a boyfriend when she entered high school. Shikino shared this news while the four of us were sitting on the table to eat dinner. It seemed she finally found her first love. It was a happy occasion.
Yes… It was a happy occasion, but I couldn’t be genuinely happy for her. My little sister never opened her heart to me, but I still held onto the hope that one day she might. I felt like something precious was stolen from me. My little sister… The girl I wanted to cherish more than anything else was taken away from me just like that.
But even so, there was nothing I could do about it. As her older brother, I only wanted Shikino to be happy. Dad and Mom gave Shikino their blessings and I also forced a smile to appear on my face as I congratulated her.
“Congratulations.”
However, just as I expected, Shikino didn’t feel ecstatic with my response. She only stared at me meaningfully for a moment before she turned her gaze away and gave me a quiet reply.
“Thank you.”
I would learn another shocking truth a few months later, but that was a story for another time.
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