Chapter 52

“Umm… Even if we say we’re going public, what exactly does that even look like?”

“True. After all this buildup, if it’s too plain, it’s gonna feel anticlimactic.”

“You do realize this is a major move that’ll impact our future, not some kind of entertainment, right?”

“Well, maybe a little? From my perspective, the two of you just look like a shoujo manga brought to life.”

I had no idea when or how would even be the right moment to make my relationship with Reika public.

“Don’t you dare do something lame like whispering it quietly to a few people, okay?”

“Hmm, I kinda feel like as long as everyone finds out, it’s fine…”

“What!? If you do that, it’ll just look like you’re not really into it! And then that girl who said ‘she’s controlling’ will look like she was right!”

“Ugh… that’s…”

I had no comeback for my little sister’s pointed argument.

“She’s way out of your league, so you can’t afford to show any weaknesses!”

“You’re absolutely right…”

“And if you’re gonna do it, you’ve gotta go all in with a bold move!”

“Such as…?”

“Do it in front of as many people as possible, and make it something memorable!”

“You say that like you’ve already got a great idea.”

“Hehehe…”

My little sister gave a creepy smug grin.

I had a really bad feeling about this.

“During break time, go up behind Reika while she’s sitting at her desk… and hug her from behind! Let’s go with that!”

“Huh? Outta nowhere? That’s terrifying…”

“What? You’re dating, so it should be fine.”

“Something like that would definitely catch Reika off guard. But more than that, it might make people think, ‘This dude just randomly started acting crazy.’ You know that, for guys, being seen as weird or incomprehensible is like social death, right?”

“Details, details! Reika-oneechan will cover for you afterward anyway!”

“Wait… are you seriously starting to push your absurd ideas onto Reika too now?”

“Either way, something like that would probably go down in the school’s history books. Reika-oneechan is basically the madonna of our school, after all.”

“I’d prefer not to be remembered as the tragic lead of some embarrassing legend.”

“You sure are picky…”

“Why am I getting criticised in this situation…? Or maybe this is all my fault for being a coward? I’m starting to lose track here…”

“Whatever, I’ll try asking Reika-oneechan what her ideal situation would be in a casual conversation. Oh, by the way, did you actually check in on her? She got dragged into that whole messy scene with that other girl, you know.”

“Uh… well, about that… I mean…”

“Wait, what’s with that hesitation? Don’t tell me you came home without doing anything, you jerk!”

“That’s definitely not true. But, uh… well…”

Honestly, I didn’t really want to talk about what had happened.

Even if there was some kind of flow to it, boiled down, all we did was sneak around and flirt in secret on school grounds.

“…Ahh, I get it now! It’s the opposite! You totally flirted up a storm before coming back, didn’t you!”

“No comment, please.”

“That’s basically an admission! I was worried for nothing. So now you’ve reached the point of making out at school!?”

“I plead the fifth.”

“Just fess up. If you won’t tell me, I’ll just bring it up during dinner when Dad and everyone’s around.”

“You… You’re actually threatening me with that!?”

The thought alone was horrifying—just picturing that dinner scene made me shudder.

If something like that happened, I’d be under a spotlight every time I met up with Reika from then on.

“Okay, okay! After I got that girl to leave, Reika came over. Then she  did this whole ‘reenactment’ of what that girl would’ve done if she’d stayed… and, uh… it just kinda went from there. Wait, why am I even saying this!?”

Just saying it out loud made my face burn with embarrassment.

At the time, I hadn’t thought much of it. But once I put it into words, I realized just how embarrassing it really was.

“Ooof, I think I’m gonna get a nosebleed…”

“No sister in the world should get this excited over her brother’s love life…”

“And you two are just using that pain-in-the-ass girl situation as fuel for more flirting!”

“Stop making calm and rational jabs while you’re excited. I’m getting attacked from multiple sides.”

I was taking embarrassment damage from every angle, and my soul was in shambles.

“If you’re already doing all that, then the only difference is whether you do it in public or not. So just do it.”

“No, normal people don’t go around making out in public. What are you even saying?”

Needless to say, ever since this conversation began, her exam review hadn’t progressed at all.