After I Comforted My Younger Stepsister Who Had Her Boyfriend Taken From Her, She Started Becoming Obsessively Sweet - 16

Chapter 16: Kissing in Front of Everyone

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The next morning, at around 7:20 AM. Standing in front of Shikino’s room, I gave the door a light knock. Twice, thrice. Her reply came almost instantaneously. Her voice was barely audible and yet, it sounded like she had been eagerly waiting for me. Her voice carried a strangely alluring tone. 

“Come on in, Onii-chan. It’s okay to come in.”

With Shikino’s permission, I pushed the door open.

The room’s interior soon came into view. I saw my little sister sitting on the bed, clad in a blanket up to her knees. Behind Shikino, the curtains glowed in a soft dim, illuminated by the morning light. Opening the curtains would instantly change the dim atmosphere of the room, but Shikino simply waited for me to arrive within this faintly lit room. She waited, just like what I had told her last night. 

“Good morning, Shikino. Shall we get started right away?”

“…Mmh. Okay.”

With a hint of a blush adorning her cheeks, Shikino nodded. Even though I was the one who had suggested this, but watching her like this made me gulp audibly. I had planned on acting composed, but well, some things were simply hard to get used to.

Maybe planning to act more like a lover is a bit too fast for us right now?

I briefly questioned myself, but I quickly changed my mind. I had to go this far if I wanted to leave an impact on Orihara-san. She was able to keep meddling between us precisely because of my indecisiveness. If I could make it clear that Shikino and I were truly together, surely the distance between Orihara-san and us would naturally become bigger. I was putting my bet on this plan. 

“Alright. Let’s go downstairs then.”

“…Okay.”

Taking Shikino’s hand, I led her out of the room. We went downstairs and entered the living room, which naturally garnered a look of shock from Dad and Mom. 

“Wh-Why are you two holding hands…?!”

“Yo-You look like a couple, you know…?!”

I let out a forced, nervous smile and scratched my head lightly. 

“I-I just thought it wouldn’t be bad to be extra close than usual sometimes….”

I tried to play it off and Shikino, who was standing beside me, stayed silent, but she nodded along. However, her downcast face had a faint blush, which made things look more suspicious. Visibly shaken, Mom said again. 

“Co-Could it be… You two are dating or something…? Even though you two are siblings…?”

“…!!”

“A-Ahahaha! No, no! No way, Dear! It’s Mamori and Shikino we’re talking about! They were at odds not too long ago, so for the two of them to date… I-I mean, it’s impossible, you know? Ri-Right?? Mamori??”

Thinking Mom was starting to catch on, I was starting to panic when Dad stepped in to break up the awkwardness. However, his question wasn’t exactly easy to answer either. We had promised to act more like a couple in front of other people, so it was hard to outright say,”We’re not dating.” 

Trying to brush it off, I changed the conversation. 

“We’re just trying to improve our relationship as siblings. I thought we could start with casual and friendly gestures like this.”

“Ri-Right, b-but Mamori? Dad asked you a question earlier… Yo=You two aren’t actually da-dating—”

“So! What’s for breakfast, Mom? I think I smell bacon and eggs?”

It was very awkward, but I somehow managed to get through this predicament. It wasn’t easy to outright say “We’re dating,” especially to Mom and Dad. This was even harder than showing off our relationship at school. 

We need to practice a bit more for this.

“We-Well, we’re off to school now! Off we go!”

“…Off we go…”

While still sticking close to each other, we headed toward the front door. Curious and concerned, Mom and Dad followed us all the way to the entrance to see us off.

“Ta-Take care…”

The two of them looked a bit pale as they watched us go. 

No,no… Seriously, what’s the best way to come out clean to Mom and Dad…?

Shikino leaned against me from the left side. The warmth of her body could be clearly felt as I glanced up at the sky.

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And so… Shikino and I walked to school together, hand in hand. We were so close to each other and as we got closer to school, I could feel the gazes of our schoolmates growing more intense. But… Well, their reaction was understandable. This was Shikino we were talking about after all. With her exceptional beauty, Shikino alone was already enough to draw people’s attention, but now… She was holding hands with a guy. Her own big brother, no less. Of course people were bound to stare. However, this was exactly what I wanted. No. It had to be this way. 

We had to create enough spark to incite rumors. Rumors like,”Are those two dating even though they’re siblings?” and the rumors had to spread wild enough for Orihara-san to know about it.

Besides, I am dating Shikino. 

Sure, our relationship might be unconventional, but we were not related by blood. Biologically speaking, our relationship wasn’t that odd. 

Let them see. Let everyone see the relationship between Shikino and me. 

“Shikino.”

“Hm? What is it, Onii-chan?”

“There’s something in your hair. Let me get it for you.”

“…Huh? Oh… okay.”

With that, I slowly ran my fingers through Shikino’s hair, deliberately making a show of it. Everyone around us watched with bated breath, clearly rattled by our obviously abnormal closeness. Shikino was squirming a bit. Her voice took on a faintly alluring tone as if my touch tickled. This only further increased the shock among the onlookers. Whispers grew louder, to the point I could hear it. 

“Aren’t they brother and sister?”

“…Do you think they’re dating or something…?”

“A forbidden love…?”

“No, but I thought Unami-san was dating someone until recently?”

“Oh, nah. I heard Orihara-san snatched Unami-san’s ex-boyfriend.”

“Whaaat…?!”

Everyone seemed to be excited by this development. Well, I was the one that put on a blatant display, so I really couldn’t complain about what others might say about us. But… 

Why not show them something more outrageous?

While suppressing my pounding heart, I boldly leaned my face closer to Shikino’s. She hesitated for a moment, but soon she closed her eyes and accepted me. 

“Shikino, you look so adorable today.”

After saying that somewhat cheesy line, I kissed my little sister on the cheek. 

“””WHAAAAT?!?!?”””

The heat reached its peak. Everyone present gasped in unison, surprised by the sudden turn of events.

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