I’m an Introvert, but After Taking Care of the School’s Most Beautiful Girl Who Lives in an Apartment When She Was Sick, She Became Attached to Me and Started Inviting Me Over to Her Place! - Chapter 20-21

Chapter 20

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“Then… See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

They were at the entrance. The light of dusk fell, and outside gradually began to be dyed in the colors of night. The lights of the houses throughout the city flickered on, and the warm spring breeze had changed into a cool night wind. As he briefly let the wind brushing against his skin wash over him and then turned back toward the entrance to exchange their goodbyes, there stood a silver-haired girl who had come to see him off, her steps still a little unsteady.

Natsuki’s condition had improved far more than it had been yesterday, when Suzuya first came here, and there was no longer any sign of her being delirious with fever. Being able to finally leave this place without worry made Suzuya feel deeply relieved from the bottom of his heart.

Looks like I can finally relax…

He found himself momentarily captivated by the view from the high floor below and took a deep breath. At the same time, his shoulders felt lighter, and he sensed oxygen spreading throughout his body. Ever since coming here, Suzuya had been constantly on edge about Natsuki’s condition, and to be honest, he was quite exhausted. Even if they had grown closer, it was still a far cry from the kind of relationship he had with Tenma or Kohaku. Still, if it meant easing her anxiety, he’d done his best, despite his poor communication skills, to keep the conversational back-and-forth going.

“Don’t push yourself like that anymore, okay? In situations like that, it’s fine to put yourself first.”

“…Yeah. I get it now. I’ll try relying on other people a little more.”

As much as he didn’t want to expose her to the night air any longer, having accompanied her this far, Suzuya made sure to say what had been smoldering in his heart. He didn’t know anything about her past or her family circumstances, nor did he have any intention of prying into such personal matters. But seeing her suffer that much right in front of him, if she didn’t rely on him at all, Suzuya wouldn’t know what he was supposed to do either.

“That’s right. That’s exactly it. Well then, it’s not good to stay out in the night wind too long, so go back inside soon, okay?”

“Thanks for looking out for me. I’ll take you up on that.”

It seemed Suzuya’s words had gotten through to her. Natsuki, who had even put on her shoes to see him off, obediently stopped and stayed where she was. From the gap in the closing door, she gently waved her hand, and Suzuya waved back. Then came the quiet, slightly lonely sound of the door closing.

…Click.

“The breeze feels nice.”

He gently closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the wind brushing against his cheeks. The day, which had felt both fleeting and long, was finally coming to an end. These two days had been enjoyable for Suzuya as well. Memories that, throughout his high school life, had never once involved a girl were now being rewritten.

At one moment, a loneliness like the quiet after a festival softly dropped a seed into Suzuya’s heart. And then the view spreading out below from the open corridor gently covered that nameless feeling with soil.

“Well then… Time to head home.”

The image of his younger sister, Kanau, who was probably waiting for him, floated into his mind, and that loneliness vanished just as quickly. Imagining the time he’d take to stop by a convenience store to buy sweets on the way home, he quickened his steps toward the elevator.

After sending a message to his mother saying, “I’m heading home now,” he put his phone away without waiting for a reply and lowered his gaze to the scenery that occasionally slipped through the frosted glass.

“…………”

Thinking nothing, saying nothing. Silence naturally settled over the elevator as he stood there alone.

『First floor. Arriving at the entrance.』

Even the mechanical announcement had, in this short span of time, become strangely familiar to Suzuya’s ears. With a faint scraping sound, the doors slid open.

Tatan. 

The sound of his sneakers lightly hopping onto the ground echoed.

“…Oh, right. I should let Kaede-san know too.”

For some reason, the lights of the city felt just a little warmer than usual.

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Chapter 21

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“I’m home—.”

“Ahhh! Onii, you’re finally home!~”

When Sorato opened the door to the brightly lit living room, what jumped into his view was a lightly clothed Kanau sprawled out on the low sofa, her whole body melted into the sofa. Her tied-up hair was messy, her school uniform had been tossed aside, and she was wearing only an undershirt and her gym shorts.

“What kind of outfit is that? It’s bad for my eyes.”

Being greeted the moment he got home with a sight he didn’t want to see from his own little sister, Sorato voiced his displeasure at Kanau with an irritated tone. But Kanau, catching sight of Sorato’s somewhat tired-looking face, put on a lewd grin. She lifted herself off the sofa, hugged her own body, and twisted around while speaking in a creepy, cutesy voice.

“Eeh~? Onii, are you maybe gettin’ excited seeing me dressed so lightly~?”

“There’s not a single element about you that could excite me.”

From Sorato’s perspective, this unbearable farce that had suddenly begun was one of Kanau’s usual teasing routines. Whenever he came home late without contacting her, or even over something trivial that soured her mood, this was what happened. Once she entered this mode, Kanau wouldn’t return to her normal self for quite a while.

“Hehe~n? But you’re totally looking at my chest while saying that, right?”

Normally he’d play along with this stupid skit, but today he was mentally and physically exhausted and didn’t feel like dealing with her. Kanau smiled as she blatantly emphasized her body line. However, there was one important “something” that was decisively lacking.

“No matter how hard you try to emphasize it… A flat wall is still a flat wall, you know…?”

“Drop dead, you damn gloomy incel otaku.”

“Onii is shocked by this barrage of insults! How inhuman!”

Yes. Compared to her classmates—and women in general—Kanau’s chest was noticeably modest. She didn’t feel particularly concerned about her flat chest, but, at some point, being repeatedly provoked by her older brother Sorato with remarks like “the impregnable flat wall,” had become unbearably humiliating to her. It was like he was poking at her dignity as a woman. That said, Kanau also regularly retaliated by making fun of Sorato’s appearance, and in the end, they were a close brother and sister in their own way.

“This one’s not my fault, okay? It’s Onii’s fault for sexually harassing me.”

“That’s why I’m saying you don’t even have a chest worth sexually harassing—”

Despite Kanau’s anger, her brother showed not a shred of remorse and, fully aware of what he was doing, carefully stepped on every single landmine she’d scattered.

“…Maybe I should just punch you already~♪”

Just as Kanau cracked her fingers, about to resort to her favorite method of reconciliation known as violence, Sorato sensed the danger to his life and immediately changed his attitude. He immediately pulled a convenience store souvenir out of his bag.

“I’m kidding, Kanau-sama. You are more beautiful than any woman in this world… And this here is today’s spoils.”

“Oh? A chocolate roll cake, huh… Very well, I forgive you.”

It was a chocolate roll cake he’d bought as an apology for coming home late since it happened to be on sale. But surprisingly enough, Kanau liked it. Once she forgave his earlier rudeness, her mood instantly returned to normal.

“Oh, by the way, Kanau. Where are Mom and Dad?”

Sorato asked as he looked around the room, while Kanau got up from the sofa and padded over to the kitchen. Usually, at least one of their parents was home by this time, but today neither of them was anywhere to be seen.

“Mmm~? Fuff bofum mo jus abouf ta come bafk.”

(“Both of them will be back soon.”)

“You eat fast. Dinner’s almost ready, you know.”

Kanau already had a fork in her mouth, happily stuffing her cheeks with the convenience store chocolate roll Sorato had bought. Bits of chocolate cake clung to her lips as she ate with a smile.

“Oh really~? Then whose fault is it that dinner got this late, I wonder~?? Whose turn was it to make dinner tonight again~?? Huh~??”

In the Suzuya household, since both their mother and father worked all day, Kanau and Sorato split the housework between the two of them. Today was supposed to be Sorato’s turn to cook dinner and do the laundry, but because he’d come home late, Kanau was completely starving.

“Hah… Why stay trapped in such rigid frameworks? You could do it for me too, you know~☆”

“Onii, you’re kinda creepy today… Did something good happen or what?”

Normally, her brother would say something like, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll do it right away,” and obediently head into the kitchen. Seeing him this oddly high-spirited today made Kanau feel a bit uneasy. On the other hand, Sorato was properly pulling an apron out from the pile of laundry and getting ready to do the chores.

Well, nothing particularly good happened, but I did have a fun time.

Sorato quietly answered Kanau’s question in his heart. What floated through his mind was a certain person sleeping beside him, tightly holding his hand. A figure with snow-white long hair and eyes holding the blue of a clear spring sky, the “most beautiful girl in the school.”

“I’ve completely lived out my youth today…!”

“Yeah, today’s Onii is definitely too creepy. I can’t deal with this…”

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