After I Comforted My Younger Stepsister Who Had Her Boyfriend Taken From Her, She Started Becoming Obsessively Sweet - 6

Chapter 6: ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY 

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Fortunately, I managed to keep my relationship with Shikino a secret and somehow made it to my seat in the classroom before homeroom started. 

“Haah…”

Letting out a heavy sigh, I buried my face in my arms on the desk. Rumors about Shikino were starting to circulate even among the second year students. I could hear whispers about my sister in the hallway. It was outrageous how they had the audacity to talk about her so freely like that when her big brother was right here. Good grief. 

“..Onii-chan. Wake up. You haven’t given me a good morning kiss yet.”

Just when I was getting exasperated with the gossip in the hallway, a sickening sweet voice whispered into my ear. I immediately lifted my head, fully aware of who it was.

“Oi, Takumu. Do you want me to shred you to pieces or strangle you to death? Choose one right now.”

“No! I want to be sentenced to spend my whole life with Onii-chan!

“Stop saying that while twisting around… You disgust me… Also, please don’t say living with me is a punishment. My heart would be hurt if Shikino said that to me.”

I sighed again. My best friend, Takumu, was already bothering me first thing in the morning.  He was teasing me by pretending to be Shikino, just like always.

“So, how was it after you got home yesterday? How’s your beloved little sister doing?”

“Shikino, she’s…”

“You know, it thought it was just another baseless rumor spreading among the first year, but it’s starting to spread among the second years too. This incident is getting pretty big.”

“…”

“Or is it… That? You don’t know anything because your little sister hates your guts? Maybe she refused to talk to you?”

“It’s not like that. I’ve heard about it.”

Ah.

After I said that, I immediately covered my mouth with my hand. I accidentally said the truth because I was getting a bit defensive. Takumu grinned in return. 

“I see, I see… So you’ve heard about it… Then, let me hear the details right from the source! I’m super curious!!”

“Ugh…”

“I mean, you two used to be in a cold war, right? Amazing, Mamori! You managed to cross the bridge!”

Takumi exclaimed while leaning forward. Thinking back, it was a bit sad that I was praised just because I managed to talk to my little sister. 

“We weren’t in a cold war or something. I never hated her and Shikino… Well, she’s just being Shikino.”

“Hm…? What do you mean Shikino-chan is just being Shikino-chan?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing, really! It’s just… She was just struggling with her own troubles, that’s all…”

“Struggling? Shikino-chan is struggling? What is she struggling with? The creepy stares from her older brother who lives with her?”

“It’s not that. Why is she struggling with that?? Stop trying to turn me into a pervert.”

“I mean, even if she’s your little sister, but you guys are not related by blood, right? I’m just saying~ Based on my analysis, it’s not weird for you to have various reactions to her.”

Takumu placed his head on his head, imitating a smart fictional character while staring at me with a smug expression on his face. Well, what came out of his mouth was anything but smart. 

“Anyway, it’s not like that. Nothing of that nature is happening between us. We siblings have our own struggles too. We’re human too.”

“Tch. What do you mean? Anyway, are you not going to tell me about the rumor?”

“Nope. I’m not going to tell you anything. Well, I might tell you something after the heat dies down, but not now… Especially given the current conditions…”

“I won’t tell anyone, I swear. Come on, we’re best friends. You can tell me!”

“No. If I tell you and someone overhears us, the rumors are going to get even crazier.”

Takumu puffed out his cheeks exaggeratedly, sulking. No matter how much he insisted, there was one thing I absolutely couldn’t tell him. The fact that I had started dating Shikino right after she had her boyfriend NTR-ed from her.

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Time passed and it was now lunchtime. I was using a slightly awkward empty space behind the school building so I could have my lunch alone. I was enjoying my meal on my own. Takumu would be here with me usually, but it seemed he had a makeup test today, so we couldn’t eat together. Since I didn’t have any other friends I was close with, I found myself eating my lunch on my own like this. I felt lonely and empty, but this wasn’t anything new to me. I slowly brought the rolled egg and sausages to my mouth. 

The sunlight was perfect. The comfort of the warm sun actually gave me a small relief. While munching away, I nonchalantly looked up at the sky and the moment I did.. 

“-?!”

Even though I hadn’t sensed anything beforehand, but someone had come and covered my eyes with both their hands. The gentle warmth of the hands felt somehow familiar.

“…Guess who?~”

The calm voice of a girl I often heard at home resonated. 

“Shi-Shikino-san…?”

“Yeah, that’s right. As expected of my Onii-chan. You got it on the first try!’

Well, of course. In fact, I could somewhat tell from her body temperature. Not that I would ever say that out loud though.

“By the way, if Onii-chan were to blindfold me and ask me to guess who, I’d be able to tell from the warmth of your hands.”

“Re-Really..?”

“Not just that. I can tell you’re getting closer from your scent alone.”

“Oh, is that so…?”

Sorry. I’m not that strong. I admit defeat. 

I waved white flag in my mind as Shikino removed her hand from my eyes. Then, she popped up right in front of me from behind. She looked somewhat intoxicated. She had an alluring smile that I had never seen before. Maybe something had changed in her because she had revealed her true feelings to me?

“Umm… Shikino-san? What brings you here today? I thought it’s going to be a bit bad if the two of us are alone at school right now…?”

“Why? I just want to eat my lunch together with Onii-chan. That’s all.”

Shikino said as she plopped down next to me. However, the distance between us was too close. Not the kind of distance you usually had while sitting next to someone. We were pressed tightly together. Yes. The distance between us was practically zero, making it hard for me to move my arms freely. 

“Yo-You see… Maybe you didn’t know because you were absent for a few days, but for some reason there’s been some gossip floating around recently… You know… About how you got NTR-ed…”

“Yeah, I was a bit surprised to be honest.”

She said as she rested  her head on my shoulder and snuggled closer. She didn’t seem surprised at all, but I believed she must be being honest about what she said, so I let it slide.

“So-So… Shikino? People are watching you, so it’s better if we don’t get this close at school… The rumors could get even worse…”

“Hey, Onii-chan?”

“…Yeah?”

“I like you. Can you hug me tight while calling me ‘Shii’?”

“Shikino-san??? Were you even listening to what I just said?”

Not to mention, she wanted me to call her by her old nickname now??

“Alright. If Onii-chan is not going to do it, then I will help myself. Huuug!~”

“…! Wai-?! Shi-Shikino…! I told you, not here…!”

“Nope. I’m not going to let you. I will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, never let you go.”

“Shi-Shikino…”

“Onii-chan, I’ve decided to become honest about my feelings.”

“..Huh?”

“Otherwise, what’s mine is going to be taken away.”

“…”

The grip around me tightened as Shikino continued on.

“And next time, it’s going to be something truly important to me that’s taken from me.”

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