After I Comforted My Younger Stepsister Who Had Her Boyfriend Taken From Her, She Started Becoming Obsessively Sweet - 27

Chapter 27: Love Can Make You Eat Poison Whole

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“You see, Megumi likes you, Unami-kun.”

At first, I thought I heard her wrong. I was so confused, so much so that a question mark literally appeared above my head. Shikino, who had been sitting next to me, quickly stood up with a loud, cracking noise. She immediately turned her gaze to Sugai, demanding for an answer.

“Wha-What do you mean?! Why?! Why does that woman like Onii-chan? What about Sugisaki-kun? Sugisaki-kun is her boyfriend right now!”

Shikino was completely shaken, understandably so. Seeing Shikino panicking like this, Era started laughing loudly. Sugai then calmly told Shikino to stay calm.

No, but, Shikino’s reaction was logical here. There was no way I could stay calm. 

“There’s now way I can stay calm!”

Shikino shouted, sharing the same opinion as me. Then, Shikino continued on.

“Stop messing around! That woman stole Sugisaki-kun from me, you know!? Since she went out of her way to steal Sugisaki-kun, that means she likes him, right? If she really likes Onii-chan,then why did she go after the guy who used to date me?! No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make any sense! It’s crazy!”

“I agree with Shikino. It doesn’t make any sense no matter how I look at it. Hey, Era-san? Maybe I was stupid for trusting you, even for a little. And, Sugai-san, are you just trying to say whatever comes to your mind regardless of how crazy it sounds?”

I said that and Era clapped her hands together while laughing.

“It’s not like that! Not at all! Just so you know, this girl… She’s not the type to lie, you know? Come on, don’t you get it just by looking at her? She has this cool and refreshing vibe, right?”

Era said while waving her hand around Sugai-san, as if she was trying to flaunt Sugai-san. Just like usual, Era was acting in a merry and nonchalant manner. Seeing this, Sugai-san sighed before she stared at me again. 

“Think whatever you want, but I don’t tell a lie. If there’s a question that I don’t want to answer or something that would harm Megumi, I just won’t answer it.”

“But isn’t it strange?! I can’t believe that woman actually likes Onii-chan!

“It’s not strange. After all, it’s a fact.”

“Even if it’s a fact, it’s still strange! Come on! Try to think about it for a second!”

Contrary to Shikino’s flustered state, Sugai only shook her head calmly. She then continued on.

“I don’t care about your opinion, Shikino-san. Sure, if you think about it logically, Megumi’s way of thinking can be a little off, but to me… You’re pretty off too, Shikino-san.”

“What…?!”

“I’ve heard plenty of things about you. You actually had feelings for Unami-kun, your stepbrother. However, because of your status as siblings, you couldn’t act on your feelings. Hence why you decided to date Sugisaki-kun and used him as a shield to keep other boys from confessing to you, right?”

“T-That’s not…! It was him who—”

“Sugisaki-kun isn’t just good-looking, he’s also kind. He dated you while knowing your true feelings and even said, ‘Let’s just date casually.’ Even if he was the one who confessed first, the thought of using him like that wouldn’t even cross my mind if I was the one being confessed by him. I’d feel guilty and break up with him myself. In my honest opinion, you’re a cruel girl, Shikino-san.”

“..!”

It was clear to see from Shikino’s expression that Sugai’s statement hit the mark. Unable to just sit back and let Shikino be tormented by Sugai’s words, I leaned forward a bit and spoke up. 

“I know you have plenty of things you want to say about Shikino, but we’re not here to talk about Shikino. We want to know more about Megumi Orihara.”

Sugai shifted her gaze to me. Next to her, Era teased me. 

“Oooh~ Look at you acting all cool~”

But I ignored her teasing banter. 

“You’re really protecting your little sister with all your might, huh, Unami-kun?”

“Well, yeah. She’s also my girlfriend now.”

“That too, I guess.”

“Yeah.”

Our gazes clashed. Neither of us was willing to look away first. Beside us, Era clapped her hands together, snapping our attention to her. 

“Ah, right! Did you know, Ayanon? These two skipped class together and to hide in an empty classroom and—”

“Era-san, please be quiet. We’re having a serious conversation here.”

I cut her joke with a serious expression on my face, speaking without looking at her. Sugai glanced briefly at Era-san before she turned her attention back to me.

“What you two choose to do with your time is none of my business. Anyway, Megumi really likes you. I do have to admit, her way of thinking can be a bit extreme, but so are Shikino-san’s. Unami-kun, shouldn’t you admit your little sister’s wrongdoing too? Try to think about it logically.”

“Well, if Sugisaki-kun ended up hiding his true feelings and hurting because of it then yeah. Shikino might have trampled on his feelings when they dated.”

As soon as I said that, Shikino turned her head at me. I knew what kind of expression she had even without looking at her. She was shocked. Her eyes were full of shock. But…

“But despite that, I will accept Shikino as she is. My feelings for her haven’t changed one bit, even after knowing what she has done to Sugisaki-kun. I’m not planning to be a pushover, but I love her, flaws and all.”

“…Ooh… I see. You’re quite good with your words, huh?”

“Of course. Although we’re not related by blood, but I’m still her big brother. I’ve been her brother since we were little. I’ve known about her flaws, long before you all. Don’t underestimate the love I have for Shikino.”

“You’d even swallow poison whole for her?”

“I would. In fact, I’ve consumed so much poison that I’ve built up tolerance for poison, to the point where poison has become my favorite flavor now.”

“Sorry, but… Seeing a real siscon in reality is making me sick…”

“You’re really blunt, huh? Well, I guess to other people, our relationship might be a bit immoral. I can’t say anything about it.”

I gave a wry smile while scratching my cheek awkwardly. I really couldn’t say anything back in return, but when I felt Shikino quietly clinging to my arm with her eyes wet from unshed tears, any insult hurled at me became meaningless. I patted her head and tears began streaming down her face, as if a switch inside her head had been flipped. Flustered, I hurriedly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. Arguing with a senior must’ve taken a toll on Shikino. She had done her best indeed. 

“In any case, cut Shikino some slack. I’ve said it before, but we’re here to talk about Megumi Orihara, not Shikino.”

I said that and Era, who had her hands behind her head, nudged Sugai with her elbow.

“Well, that’s the reason why we called Ayanon here. It’s about time you ask the big question. How come Megumi is in love with this Onii-chan right here?”

“…Despite dating Sugisaki-kun.”

“Yeah. You need to give us some kind of explanation behind this twisted relationship dynamic.”

“…Good grief.”

Sighing, Sugai took another sip of her melon soda, leaving the glass empty with only the ice left clinking inside.

“Alright. I will try to keep it simple and skip the unnecessary part. I will tell you about Megumi’s feelings toward Unami-kun.”

I nodded and leaned forward. Sugai took a moment to prepare herself before she started speaking.

“First of all, Megumi is only using Sugisaki-kun.”

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T/N: I mean, Sugai is Megumi’s friend, so it’s only natural for her to side with Megumi. But?!?!? Megumi is also using Sugisaki! Pot calling the kettle black much?? ( ｡ •`ᴖ´• ｡)