After I Comforted My Younger Stepsister Who Had Her Boyfriend Taken From Her, She Started Becoming Obsessively Sweet - 3

Chapter 3: The Truth Is… About Onii-chan…

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After spending a whole day at school, I finally knew Shikino had her boyfriend taken away by another girl. Although there weren’t many rumors about her on the second floor, which was where the second year classrooms were, but most of the first year students were talking about Shikino, whether they were at the cafeteria, the school’s shops, the entrance and even when they were just passing by the hallway. 

Well, that was to be expected. Shikino was really adorable and I wasn’t being biased just because I was her older brother. She was even referred to as the “Mizugaki’s Lovely Princess” by some people at school. It was only natural for her to become the main topic of gossip. However, why did her boyfriend let her go when he had the Lovely Princess herself as his girlfriend? So what if Shikino was too clingy? So what if her love was too heavy? That kind of thing would be easy to put up with, especially when you were dating someone as unattainable as Shikino. Well, if someone were to say that I wouldn’t understand the pain since I never had a girlfriend before, then they would be right.

But still, breaking up over that seemed to be an overaction in my honest opinion. At least, they should keep dating for another six months or so… As Shikino’s older brother, I felt complicated. In the beginning, I felt like I had lost my Shikino to someone else. I was a bit dejected, but now I thought they should try to give this relationship a go. They shouldn’t break up this fast. I was well aware of how unreasonable I was, but still. The fact still remained. Shikino was locking herself up in her room at home. The only thing I could do for now was to try to cheer her up. Even if she were to give me the cold shoulder again, I still had to stay by her side, especially when she was feeling sad. After all, that was the duty of an older brother.

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I went home after school ended. Usually, I would head straight to my room to play games, read manga, or tackle assignments, or do whatever I wanted, but today was different. I placed my bag in my room and immediately knocked on Shikino’s door.

“Shikino, I’m home. Did you eat lunch? Are you hungry? I can go grab some snacks from downstairs if you want.”

…

Just as I expected, there was no response from Shikino. I began to worry about whether she was even in her room, but she was probably there. Her loafers were by the entrance, and all her private shoes and sandals were there too. There were no signs that she had gone out.

“…”

Feeling frustrated, I lightly scratched my head. I wanted to comfort my little sister, but I didn’t know how to tell her about it. Just telling her that I had heard about her boyfriend would be way too insensitive of me. Telling her I had heard the rumors would make Shikino feel more uneasy too. 

I pondered my options, thinking how to comfort her in a way that wouldn’t arouse her suspicion and then… I came up with an idea. 

“…Shikino, could you listen to me for a bit? I have something to tell… It’s not a pleasant story to hear, but…”

There was no response, but I continued on. 

“I… I once had someone steal my girlfriend. I was NTR-ed, so to say.”

No response… Or so I thought. I suddenly heard a faint thudding sound from within her room. Maybe… Maybe I managed to get her attention?

“It was rough. Just knowing I had been cheated alone was enough to make me crumble down, but on top of that, the guy who NTR-ed me kept sending me videos of her afterward… It was unbearable. I felt like I was going to die.”

I knew it. I definitely had struck a nerve. The thudding sounds from her room grew louder. It was clear to see I was getting a reaction from her. 

“You might be wondering why I’m bringing this up now, but I had a dream about it during lunch. I was dozing off at my desk and because of that dream, I kept feeling restless. So, Shikino, do you think you can listen to me for a bit? Or… We could talk about you. If there’s anything that’s bothering you, I think it’s best if we—”

But before I could finish speaking, the door creaked open slowly and there stood the girl I had been longing to see. 

“Onii-chan… You too?”

It was Shikino. She was still in her pajamas complete with a soft-looking hoodie with cat ears on the hood. She stood there, looking up at me with red-rimmed eyes. My heart immediately ached. I knew it. I knew just by looking at her that she had been crying alone in her room this whole time. 

“Sh-Shikino… I…”

“Onii-chan too…? Onii-chan had a girlfriend…? And… She was taken from you…?”

“…! Err… Umm… Well, I….”

Shikino leaned in closer than I expected. She was far closer to me than she usually ever would. She was so near, so much so that her chest was pressed a bit against mine. We were close enough to kiss. 

“Why…? How…? Onii-chan… Onii-chan shouldn’t be able to have a girlfriend…”

“Wha-What…?”

I knew I was mediocre, but Shikino was being too cruel to me. Sure, I wasn’t a beauty like Shikino. I had a plain face and I was only 165cms. I was almost the same height as her and I wasn’t the popular type either, but still…

“Because… When we were little, Onii-chan said… You have a precious little sister, so you can’t pay attention to other girls but me…”

“…Huh…? What…?”

I said that…?

I tried to remember, but I had no recollection of ever saying anything like that. Shikino’s face looked like she was going to cry. She puffed her cheeks out in a pout.

“Yo-You don’t remember…? E-Even though you really said that….”

“I-I-I-I-I-I remember! Yeah! I definitely said that…! Yeah! Ahahahaha…!”

“Then… Where did you say it?”

“Uhh…”

“3…2…”

Oi,oi,oi! This is bad!

She started counting down.

“U-Ummm!! Th-There!! In the living room at home!”

“…Buuu. Wrong.”

“Ah….”

Shikino’s brows furrowed. She looked genuinely dejected. 

No way… Did I really say something like that to Shikino when we were little…?

“…I knew it… Onii-chan… Toward me…”

“Wa-Wait, Shikino! What’s the correct answer?? What is it??? If you tell me, then maybe I will remember!”

“….I won’t tell you. Even if you remember it now… It’s already too late…”

“Ugh…”

“The correct answer is… When we were taking a bath together…”

“Eh? Wh-what did you just say?”

“Nothing. Onii-chan… You idiot…”

With that, Shikino turned her face away in a huff. No good. I came here to comfort her, but I somehow ended up making her mood even worse. 

“B-But Shikino, why did you bring that up all of a sudden? I mean, I thought you wouldn’t care if I had a girlfriend or not…?”

“…! W-well, that’s…”

“Besides, your boyfriend was taken away by another girl, right?”

The words slipped out before I could think it through. It was too late to take it back now. Shikino looked up at me for a moment. She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. I had just said something I shouldn’t, even though I had been mulling over when was the right time to talk about it, and yet…

“I-I mean… That’s…”

“…Uuu…”

“U-Ummm… I-I just happened to hear it! I just happened to hear it from a friend today! He said people have been talking about it… Ah.”

I did it again. I dropped another bombshell. I had planned on hiding the fact that people at school were gossiping about her, but I ended up telling her instead. I covered my mouth with both hands even though it was already too late. Shikino used her sleeve to wipe her eyes, it seemed she had cried again. 

Just how much of an idiot I am? Good grief..

“I-I-I heard that your boyfriend was taken so… I-I….”

“…Sniff…”

Unable to contain my erupting feelings, I quickly wrapped my arms tightly around Shikino, who was standing so close to me. Then, I shouted.

“So I want to comfort you! I want to cheer you up! I can’t stand seeing my cute little sister being hurt like this! If anyone dares to hurt you, I’ll knock them out! I will be the first one to protect you, Shikino! So please! I know I’m not much, but please let me stay by your side! Please!”

“…!!”

“If it’s me… I promise you. I will never let you be hurt again, Shikino.”

My arms, still wrapped around Shikino, started to tremble. In a way, this was a confession. A confession I blurted as I broke the shell tormenting us both. Since we were little, Shikino had always been distant with me. And here I was, asking to stay by her side. It wouldn’t have been strange for her to say no. She might reject me. Fear was growing stronger inside me, making my hands shake even more. 

“Please… Shikino… let me comfort you…”

“…”

Closing my eyes, I continued wishing in my heart. Then, I felt her weak hand touching my back. Then, her voice trailed to my ears. 

“Is it okay…? For someone like me…. To ask that…?”

“…Huh…?”

“Is it okay for someone like me… To be comforted by Onii-chan….? I’ve always… Always… Acting so cold… A little sister who’s not lovely at all…”

“…!”

Before I could think twice, I was already nodding my head. Then, I answered firmly.

“Of course! I don’t mind about all of that! You don’t need to hold yourself back! Just let me comfort you as much as you need! If there’s anything I can do for you, then I will do it! As your older brother, there’s no way I ever see you as ‘not lovely’! You’ve always been my adorable little sister! My lovely little sister!”

“…Onii-chan…”

And so, we made a promise to each other. As the one comforting and the one being comforted. There was no time limit. This role shall remain for as long as needed.

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