Betraying My Perfect and Beautiful Childhood Fiancée, I Fell in Love With My Devilish and Naughty Older Sister - Chapter 5 - Stepsister, Hashiro Shiho

Chapter 5 – Stepsister, Hashiro Shiho

Well, Chiharu Maria-senpai said she was going to be my sister.

Being adopted by the Hashiro family means living in the same house.

That day, I went straight home.

That senpai implied she was going to come to my house today.

I want to ask my parents what’s going on.

The Hashiro house is located in the Yagoto area of Showa Ward in Nagoya. The Meibunkan Junior and Senior High School is within walking distance.

This area has been known as an upmarket residential area since before the Great Luminary Catastrophe. Houses of the founding families of Japan’s largest car manufacturers and the owners of local security firms dating back to the pre-war period line the hillside.

One of them is my house.

It’s a large western-style mansion with  a golden weathervane and a red roof that stands out.

It’s the main residence of the Hashiros.

Surrounded by a vast garden, tennis courts, and villas, there is a solemn black iron gate at the entrance, and there is even a guard station.

The property value of the house and land alone is worth several tens of billions of yen.

It’s my house, but I know it’s not a normal house.

If all goes well, this house will be mine—as I will be the head of the Hashiro family.

The Hashiro Group has 400,000 employees nationwide.

Just the thought of the pressure of carrying that group on my shoulders is enough to make me feel overwhelmed.

Do I have the capacity?

I try to be worthy of it, I also think that I’m not incompetent.

It’s just that I was born into the Hashiro family, there’s nothing special about me.

I—

“Welcome home, Nii-san.”

With a thud, I came to my senses. While thinking, I opened the front door of the mansion to find a girl in a school uniform.

She is very petite and pretty. Her hair is dyed a little brown, but she doesn’t look like a gyaru, in fact she even looks elegant.

She is wearing a sailor uniform, the fabric and ribbons of which were all blue, and this is the uniform of a nearby girl’s school.

Her name is Hashiro Shiho. She’s in the third year of junior high school and my stepsister.

Shiho smiled softly.

“You came home early today♪ Was your date with Aika-san not good?”

“Well, something like that.”

“Maybe Nii-san wanted to see me, his cute little sister, as soon as possible?♪”

Teasingly, Shiho said.

I got drawn in and let out a small laugh.

“That may well be the case.”

Saying that, I patted Shiho’s head. Shiho’s face turned red and she mumbled, “Mou~”

Shiho was adopted into the Hashiro family. She is the daughter of a very distant relative who was picked up by the Hashiro family at the age of 9 as a “pawn in a political marriage.”

Because of this, even though we are siblings, her circumstances are quite different from mine, who is the Hashiro family’s legitimate son.

Shiho is not free to decide her future. Hashiro’s family controls her career and whom she marries.

I think it’s unreasonable, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Someday in the future, when I am in power in the Hashiro family, I would like to set Shiho free. On the other hand, I also understand that this is just my own personal sentiment, which is not in the interests of the family.

Shiho, for some reason, is very fond of me.

“Hey, Nii-san! If you’re back early, teach me how to study.”

“Sure, but you don’t have to study so hard.”

“But I want to go to the same high school as Nii-san.”

Shiho twined her arms around me, as if asking to be spoiled. She goes to an integrated junior and senior high school for girls, but she’s going out of her way to take the Meibunkan entrance test for high school next year.

That’s why Shiho studies so hard. It’s true that Meibunkan is the best school in the area, but no matter how hard Shiho tries, she will just be treated as a pawn of the Hashiro family.

But Shiho saw through my thoughts and smiled gently at me.

“I want to help the Hashiro family. It’s better to be a talented and beautiful girl than just a beautiful young lady, isn’t it?”

“Well, it’s true that Shiho is a beautiful girl, but can Shiho really say that about herself?”

“Then Nii-san can just say that I’m a beautiful girl.”

Shiho giggled and laughed. In fact, Shiho is quite pretty. Though a little plain compared to idol-class looking girls like Aika.

I dismissed such rude thoughts, took off my shoes, put down my bag and headed to my room with Shiho…

When a little sister wants to be spoiled by asking their older brother to help her with her studies, no brother would refuse her request.

Shiho was in a good mood.

When I entered the room, Shiho slammed the door behind her. Then she turned to me and looked up at me.

“Fufu… Alone with Nii-san.”

I felt a little nervous. Even though we’re brother and sister, we’re not blood-related and we only met in primary school, so there are moments when I see her as the opposite sex…

I’m not sure about Shiho though.

“Wouldn’t Shiho’s room be better for studying?”

“It’s okay. I wanted to go into Nii-san’s room.”

Saying that, Shiho plopped down on my bed. The blue skirt of her school uniform was a little disheveled and spread out.

Puzzled, I tried to say, “You can’t study in that position.”

But before that, Shiho opened her mouth.

“I said earlier that I wanted to help the Hashiro family, didn’t I?”

“Yes.”

“That was a lie.”

“Eh?”

“Well, not really a lie, but the truth is… I really want to be someone who can support…Nii-san.”

Shiho said in a whisper.

“That’s—”

“Of course, I know that Nii-san has Aika-san. But I want to support Nii-san, who is going to be the head of the Hashiro family, in my own way.”

Shiho said quickly.

“Thank you, Shiho.”

Saying that, Shiho’s face turned red.

I am glad that Shiho looks up to me as her brother.

But I feel again that both Shiho and I are tied to the Hashiro family. It’s the same for Aika. Her marriage to me is nothing more than our family’s decision.

I know I’m blessed. But I want to get out into the outside world.

I want to be liberated from this narrow framework.

But everyone around me only sees me as the next head of the Hashiro family.

There are no exceptions.

As there shouldn’t be. 

But—Suddenly, there was a knock at my door. Could it be a servant?

Shiho rushed to her feet and tried to open the door. Because that’s Shiho’s role.

In the Hashiro family, I, the older brother and the eldest son, am in a higher position than Shiho, the little sister and adopted daughter. There is a strict hierarchy in this family.

No matter how close Shiho is to me, her older brother, she has to do the chores.

But I don’t like the Hashiro family’s rule. This is my room, too, and Shiho doesn’t have to go to the door.

“Shiho, just stay put.”

“But—”

“Shiho can rely on me more.”

“Y-Yes.”

Shiho nodded happily.

Anyway, I opened the door to my room.

And there she was, a beautiful red-haired girl with an overwhelming presence.

“Long time no see. Have you been well?”

Chiharu-senpai giggled and looked at me with her blue eyes.