Is There Such Thing as a Cute Little Stepsister? There is No Romance Between us~ - Chapter 21-22

To Take Off That Mask

Ruri’s POV

“How did it go? Did you manage to find a good lighter?”

“Yeah, thanks to the both of you. Please tell him that I say thank you.”

Shishihara-san approaches me before homeroom starts in the morning.

“Sure, I’ll tell him.”

“So, do you want to introduce him to me?”

Shishihara-san spit out the cola she is drinking.

I barely managed to avoid it…

“What are you up to? You better not be trying anything!”

“I’m not up to anything. I just want to learn a bit about men.”

“Really…”

“There is only one man in my heart.”

“Hmm…alright then. Just wait here after school. I’ll bring him along.”

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After school, I wait in the classroom for both Shishihara-san and ‘him’.

“I brought him!”

“Shishihara-san caused you quite a bit of trouble the other day, didn’t she?”

“No, actually, the both of you helped me a lot…”

“Us? So it went well then. That’s good.”

“If it weren’t for your suggestion, I might have messed up my gift.”

“Well, love-struck girls tend to go a little overboard sometimes.”

“Actually, I have something that I want to discuss with you.”

“What is it? I might be more helpful than that carnivorous idiot over there, but there is no guarantee that the expected results will be achieved, okay?”

“Did you just call me an idiot!? You’re surprisingly really serious about this, aren’t you?”

“…I’m thankful that you’re here to help me, Shishihara-san. But, can you both please not act all lovey-dovey in front of other people?”

“Well, I can’t help it when I’m with Shishihara-san. So, what do you want to ask about?”

“How do I make a guy who doesn’t see me as a girl fall for me?”

“Just get close to him physically! You have a great body.”

“Silence, you beastly creature. Well, it’s not entirely wrong. How about increasing your physical contact with him naturally?”

“Physical contact?”

“If you have a lot of physical contact with him, it might make him more aware of you as a girl. Also, a smile could help. Even though it’s uncertain if he will notice it, but a girl’s smiling face can be quite attractive.”

Increasing our physical contact naturally and smile more…

“If it’s effective, then it might be a good idea to consider the close the distance between the two of you as Shishihara-san suggests.”

“Try to start with those two first.”

“My childhood friend tried it and it worked. Well, it might depend on the person though.”

“I understand. Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome. Just make sure to think about your plan carefully. Let’s go home, Shishihara-san.”

“Aww! I want to talk more.”

“If the other person wants to talk as well, then it’s fine. But if she doesn’t want to talk about it, it’s just rude to ask her about it.”

While saying so, he drags Shishihara-san out of the classroom.

“Physical contact and smile…”

I will take off Onii-sama’s mask and reveal his true self.

He is my one and only Onii-sama and I’m his one and only.

I will never let him go.

How can I ever let him go?

I will definitely make you fall in love with me, Oniisama.

‘Heart Pounding’ Distance

“Onii-sama, dinner is ready!”

Ruri naturally takes my hand and lead me out of my room.

Recently, Ruri seems to…how should I put it?

Has a closer sense of distance towards me.

We have more physical contact lately.

“I can go by myself. Just wait at the dining table!”

There are times when our hand touched each other’s while reaching for the soy sauce at the dining table.

Also, when I’m changing clothes, she often helps me to put on my suit and such.

I feel like we are strangely closer to each other.

When she helps me get dressed, I feel like we are really close to each other.

It makes me aware of her as a ‘girl’.

“…what is my stepsister up to?”

I shake my head to get those messed up thoughts out of my head.

Come to think of it, she has been smiling more frequently lately.

It happened in Ueno as well, and surprisingly, when I see her dazzling smile, my heart pounds.

Ruri is a very attractive girl after all.

“I am Ruri’s ‘older brother’, but why do I feel so exhilarated when I see my ‘little sister’ smiles.”

No, it’s not like that.

My otaku friends said that they can’t relate to ‘sister moe’ or ‘brother moe’ because they have real siblings.

Maybe it’s just because I suddenly became an ‘older brother’ at this age.

I have to get a hold of myself…

I make my way out to the balcony.

Once outside, I light my cigarette with my ‘lucky lighter’ that Ruri gave me the other day.

“Hah…”

At the very least, I shouldn’t let Ruri notice.

After all, we’ve become a ‘family’.

I should definitely get rid of these impure feelings towards Ruri.

I’m such a pathetic older brother.

The autumn breeze is just perfect to clear my head.

“What’s the matter, Onii-sama? You look so serious.”

“Ah! Ruri…no, I was just lost in my thoughts.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“Not really, it’s nothing important.”

There is no way I can talk to Ruri about that.

“If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know.”

She naturally takes my hand with a concerned expression on her face.

I can’t help but to feel my heart race at the warmth of her hand.

“I-It’s fine. It’s really no big deal.”

“Okay, I’ll go back to my room then”

Ruri gently lifts her hand from mine and return to her room.

“That was a close call…!”

I almost held onto Ruri’s hand.

Just how desperate am I for the warmth of a woman…

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Ruri’s POV

I feel like I’m gradually eroding Onii-sama’s defences.

He always blushes and flutters when I touch him.

I try to increase our physical contact naturally and smile more frequently.

That’s all it takes for Onii-sama to blush…it seems to be effective.

Please be more and more aware of me as a ‘girl’, Onii-sama.

Please fall in love with me, Onii-sama.

I wonder if Onii-sama will break his rationality on his own, or I will be the one who breaks it first…

We are going to have a lot of fun right, Onii-sama?