Chapter 70: Afterstory & Prequel – 9: Putting It into Words

“Damn it…! What the hell is with that annoying little sister? Seriously, don’t mess with me! What’s up with that ridiculous hair…?!”

I flung myself onto my bed and buried my head in my hands, writhing in frustration.

“She’s way too cute, damn it…! It suits her way too well…!”

Maika with her short blonde hair… She’s even more dangerously adorable than before. That charming gap between her flashy appearance and her earnest, graceful inner self is just too much to handle!

I love her…!

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I can’t take this anymore! How can I even think about something like this?!”

The one question I most wanted to ask yet found the hardest to voice—”Why didn’t you come to the baseball team? Even if I told you not to, you’d usually just join on your own anyway, right? Geez, such a troublesome little sister”—in the end, I couldn’t say it. I ran away without asking.

Because it’s too late now. I’m the one who told her not to join. And on top of that, she’s already changed her hairstyle to something unsuitable for the baseball team. She even went so far as to chop off her beloved long hair just to match the light blonde color.

“Why did I have to say something like that…?”

Geez, I’m such a pain in the ass, even to myself.

…No, I get it. I know I’m the one who said it.

I just didn’t want to put the reason into words. There’s no way I could tell Maika. I can’t even bring myself to face it—it’s so embarrassing and pathetic that it makes me want to crawl into a hole.

But now that things have come to this, I can’t keep running away. I need to put my feelings into clear words and figure out what I should do from here.

There are three main reasons.

First of all, I don’t want the guys on the baseball team looking at Maika in a sexual way. I don’t want her getting close to any other guys! I want to keep Maika all to myself!

Of course, if I keep an eye on things, I might be able to manage somehow. But striking the right balance is tricky. If I’m too strict, people might start suspecting that I’m a siscon.

And that brings me to the second reason.

Someone might figure out the feelings I have for Maika. That’s something I absolutely cannot let happen. At school, I need to minimize the time Maika and I spend together as much as possible… but I still want to be with her…!

That’s right! In the end, I just want to be with her! I want Maika to support me in baseball! There’s no way I can make it to Koshien without her!

Even in that case, I’d still have to pretend in front of the team that we don’t get along. Like, “I didn’t really want my sister to join, but if she loves baseball that much, I guess I can’t stop her.” I’d have to keep up that facade… which would be painful in its own way. But having Maika by my side would make it all worth it.

So yeah. The truth is, I wanted Maika to be our manager. Despite that, why did I tell her not to join…?

The simple answer is: I was just embarrassed.

And that’s the third reason.

Even if I told her no, deep down, I wanted her to ignore me and join anyway. I wanted to play it cool, like, “It’s not like I asked for this, but if you’re that determined to support me, then whatever… do as you like.” I didn’t want her to see how happy I’d actually be.

Because that’s how siblings our age are supposed to act, right? And above all, the one person who must never find out about my feelings for Maika… is Maika herself.

No, if I’m being honest, maybe she already has an inkling… or rather, she definitely knows. Just like I’ve got a pretty good idea of how she feels about me. But knowing deep down and actually saying it out loud are two completely different things. There’s a huge gap between the two. As long as we don’t say it, we can still manage to stay on the edge of that line.

If either one of us ever voiced those feelings, we’d never be able to stop ourselves. I’ve known that for a long time. We’ve both known it, and that’s why we’ve been searching for that perfect balance, that delicate distance… and I thought we’d already found it.

So come on, Maika, let’s keep this perfect balance going. Be our manager, damn it…! Why’d you have to go and dye your hair blonde…? Not only does that mean you can’t join the baseball team, but it also makes it so much harder for me to keep my feelings in check. You’re just too damn cute, you know that?!

“Damn it! If it’s come to this…!”

I decided to take the room cardigan Maika left in my room yesterday, bask in its scent and softness, and use it as material to furiously relieve myself. Seriously, why does she always leave her clothes in my room?!

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Chapter 70: Afterstory & Prequel – 10: The Moment I Learned About the Concept of NTR

The next day.
As expected, the rumors about me and Nakano had spread throughout the school. The story going around was that Nakano had fallen in love with me back in middle school, confessed her feelings, and I dumped her after using her.
Hey, hold on, Fourth Keeper. You’re mixing things up here. Even Nakano herself denied the part about me using and dumping her! You better not go into journalism in the future!
“…This sucks…”
I muttered unconsciously while sitting in the dead center of the classroom.
Until lunchtime today, the stares from all the girls in the school had been unbearable. The whispers scared me. How many times had I overheard the word “worst” muttered from a distance? And yet, I’m a virgin. I’m a guy who can only get it up for my own sister. A total freak.
“Tough break, Kyugo…”
I looked up at the low voice addressing me and saw Ohbayashi, our main catcher, standing beside me. Dark circles were deeply etched under his eyes. Had I worried him? Ohbayashi…!
“Yeah, looks like you’re the only ally I have left in this class.”
We’re the only two baseball club members in this class, after all. The girls all seem to see me as the enemy, and the guys probably don’t want to get on the girls’ bad side by defending me. As for Takase, he’s the Fourth Keeper, so forget about him.
Seriously, man, I’m so glad you’re here…! You really are my partner in this…!
“Sorry, Kyugo. I can’t help you either. I’m not in the right headspace for it.”
“What?”
“I still haven’t recovered from the shock of Tachikawa-chan being stolen from me…”
What the hell is this guy talking about? Is that why he has those dark circles?
“Stolen? You weren’t even dating Tachikawa-san in the first place, were you? You were just a player and a manager. That’s all there was to it.”
“But I liked her first…”
“What the hell are you even saying?”
“There’s a genre in NTR that’s exactly like this. Now that I’ve actually experienced being in this position, imagining Tachikawa-chan doing stuff with the basketball team captain got me so worked up that I… you know. I went at it so much I feel sick. I don’t have the energy to worry about anyone else.”
“Starting today, you’re banned from using your foul cup.”
Or maybe Senior Ogikubo should put you under “release management.” Seriously, I don’t understand how anyone can get off to NTR.
I only recently learned about the concept of NTR from this guy, and it completely grossed me out. I don’t want him catching my pitches with hands he used to… well, you get the idea. Don’t defile the sacred white ball.
But still. I guess that’s not as bad as me getting off to thoughts of my own sister…
After giving me his unsolicited report on his “activities,” the catcher swiftly made his exit.
I sighed in my lonely seat and pulled out my lunchbox.
“Hm…?”
The bento box I pulled out of the pouch was oddly small. It was less than half the size of the lunches I’d been eating for the past year. Actually… this is Maika’s.
She must have mixed them up, now that she’s started bringing her own lunches.
Damn it, that little sister of mine… We’re in the middle of a fight, barely speaking, and she won’t even look me in the eye. Yet, she still hands me a homemade lunch. How can she be this lovable? On the other hand, I could do without her silently cleaning my room and changing the trash bags during our fights. While I guess there’s no real harm in her seeing the tissues I’ve… used, it’s still unsettling. The idea of Maika carrying out something connected to what I did with her in mind fills me with a twisted sense of guilt and excitement that I really wish I didn’t have. I’m such a damn pervert.
Anyway, what should I do about this? Along with lunch, Maika probably also has the banana and protein I need before practice. We mixed them up, and now I’m short on protein and carbs. Meanwhile, Maika might get labeled as a gluttonous gal in her class on her first day because of this.
…For now, I guess I’ll send her a message and arrange to trade in a place where no one’s watching. If she’s not going to be our team manager, I might as well cut ties with her at school. Especially now that people think I’m some lowlife. I can’t let her get stuck with the reputation of being friendly with a guy like me.
“Guess who, Kyugo-senpai?”
“Wha—”
Just as I took out my phone, my vision was suddenly blocked. Something soft and warm covered my eyes from behind.
Yeah, this sensation and calm tone—it’s exactly like yesterday. I didn’t figure it out then, but now I know.
Once these hands move away, the girl who’ll appear in my line of sight is…
“Nakano, right? Move your hands.”
“Okay.”
Nakano obediently moved her hands away.
And the first thing to come into view was, of course…
“…Maika?!”
“…Tch.”
Arms crossed, glaring down at me with a sour expression, was Maika. Obviously, the first thing I’d see is what’s in front of me.
As I briefly glanced back, wanting to confirm Nakano’s presence behind me, my attention was immediately drawn back by the short skirt and plump thighs right in front of me. Despite Nakano undoubtedly standing behind me, my gaze couldn’t escape the figure dominating my view. Dangling from her hand was a pouch matching the one on my desk, though it was a different size.