My Cool and Straightforward Girlfriend Won't Let Me Sleep Today Either - Chapter 21

Episode 21: Shambles

Two days since our sauna date, in the evening.

Unusually, the intercom in my place rang.

Natsuki has a spare key, so she wouldn’t ring and enter the room.

Mom just came to check on me not too long ago…

Anyway, I checked the camera footage on the intercom while thinking it was probably a salesman or some strange solicitation.

―Risa-chan?

Yes, the one who pressed the intercom was…

Risa-chan, my stepsister from my mom’s remarriage.

Since it was an unusual visitor, I wondered if something serious was going on. I opened the door while thinking.

“Ah, older stepbrother. It’s been a while.”

Politely bowing her head, Risa-chan greeted me.

Since she’s not my blood-related sister, we don’t look alike at all.

She just entered high school this year, with beautiful long black hair and a still innocent but incredibly cute face. And compared to Natsuki, she’s got quite a large chest.

Mom and stepfather said it would be awkward to live together during adolescence, so they decided to let me live alone…

Perhaps they were worried I might do something bad, especially considering Risa-chan is incredibly cute and has a great figure.

Even though she’s my stepsister, a beautiful girl with an amazing figure who is almost a stranger suddenly visited my room.”

Well…

“A, ah. I-It’s been a while…”

Of course, I’m freaking out.

I’ve been trembling strangely for a while now, you know?

“Um, older stepbrother, I have a favor to ask…”

“W-What is it?”

“Please let me stay over tonight!”

With a bow of her head, Risa-chan said that.

I can’t really refuse if she wants to stay over.

For now, I decided to calmly ask Risa-chan about her situation.

“Since it’s still hot outside, shall we go inside my room for now?”

“Yes, please!”

Even though it’s past 10 p.m., it’s still a tropical night today.

Since it’s still hot outside, I decided to invite Risa-chan into my room.

As soon as Risa-chan entered the room, she looked around curiously.

When I told her she could sit anywhere, she sat down timidly in my room.

Well then, for now…

“Alright, I’ll call Mom and Noriaki-san for you.”

Since she suddenly said, ‘Please let me stay over tonight!’ comes out, it’s like, she’s running away from home and hasn’t contacted her parents, the delinquent girl vibe is off the charts…

If Risa-chan really had run away, there’s a high chance she’d cut off contact with my stepfather, Noriaki-san, and Mom.

So, the first thing I should do is call Mom and Noriaki-san.

I took out my smartphone and tried to call Mom.

“N-Not that!”

Risa-chan, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly stood up and tried to grab my phone.

“From the looks of it, you came to my place without telling anyone.”

“……”

Risa-chan bowed her head and fell silent.

Well, if I call Mom and Noriaki-san, she might say, “I won’t rely on older stepbrother anymore!” and run away somewhere.

And if she goes missing, it’ll be a problem.

“Alright. Alright. I won’t call.”

Well, I’ll just send a message.

When I said I wouldn’t call, Risa-chan brightened up.

She’s too innocent, it makes me worry if she’ll be easily deceived by bad people…

While sending a message to Mom on my smartphone, I asked Risa-chan for more details.

“So, what was the reason for running away from home?”

“U-Um, it’s not that I ran away. I just didn’t want to be at home for a while…”

People call that running away from home, you know?

While thinking that, I pressed Risa-chan on the reason she left home.

“So, what made you not want to be at home?”

“My Dad is too strict even though I’m just a first-year high school student!”

“Specifically?”

“My curfew is 7 p.m.!”

“…Seriously.”

Come on, Noriaki-san…

As expected, that’s pretty strict nowadays, don’t you think?

“Um, today I broke curfew and was out until just now. But there were so many missed calls like a demon…”

“You don’t want to go home and get scolded?”

“That’s right…”

So, I sent all the stories I heard to Mom via message.

While listening to Risa-chan’s complaints…

A message arrived from Mom.

“For now, I’m glad she’s safe. I also told Noriaki-san that the curfew at 7 p.m. is too early, but… I’ll talk to him properly about it again.”

Yeah, seriously, scold him.

Seriously, Risa-chan having a curfew at 7 p.m. seems too pitiful.

And then, I messaged Mom about what’s happening today.”

“So, what are we doing today? Should I send Risa-chan home?”

Mom replied immediately.

“I’ll come pick her up right away.”

Well, I can’t just let her stay over in my room.

While I was engrossed in my phone, Risa-chan looked at me.

“By any chance, did you contact my father?”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t contacted my stepfather.”

I didn’t say anything wrong.

I’ve only contacted Mom, I haven’t contacted my stepfather.

“That’s suspicious…”

“No, no, I have a girlfriend who gets mad if I don’t reply right away…”

I made up some excuse since she was suspicious of me.

The provided text translates to:

And then, I showed Risa-chan part of the messages Natsuki sent me during a time when Natsuki was feeling anxious and sending various messages to me.

“Natsuki: Free?”

“Natsuki: You’re free, right?”

“Natsuki: Your reply?'”

“Natsuki: Hey, it’s already read.”

“Natsuki: …Hey.”

“Natsuki: Are you cheating?”

So, I showed Risa-chan the past conversation with Natsuki.

Risa-chan fell for it completely.

“‘I’m sorry for doubting you.’”

“No, don’t worry about it. But still, how did you know the location of my place so well?”

“I was given it as an emergency contact.”

“I see. Well, we’re technically family, after all.”

“That’s right.”

“By the way, how’s high school going?”

While waiting for Risa-chan to be picked up by her mother, I decided to engage in small talk.

Even though we live separately, now that we’re family, we’ll inevitably have to deal with each other from now on.

It’s still early days since becoming stepsiblings.

It’s best to deepen our understanding of each other.
“Studying is difficult…”

“If it’s studying, you can ask Mom to help you. She’s smart, she can understand anything, right?”

“Is that so?”

“Speaking of which, are you getting along with Mom?”

“Um, she’s nicer than Dad, so I like her…”

Risa-chan said shyly, twirling her beautiful long black hair between her fingers.

Well, it seems like they’re getting along well, which is good.

“Well, Mom seems happy to have a daughter now, she says she wants to get along better with you, so feel free to rely on her for anything.”

Then, while I was chatting with Risa-chan, someone suddenly came over…

“Hello, Risa-chan. Ready to go home?”

After contacting her, Mom arrived to pick Risa-chan up in about an hour and a half.

Risa-chan looked at me with resentful eyes.

“It seems like you contacted her after all, didn’t you?”

“Nobody said I didn’t contact Mom. Well, time to go. I’ve asked Mom to scold Noriaki-san for being strict about curfew.”

“That’s right. Today is the day to make him understand… 7:00 p.m. curfew is too early these days! Being too strict might lead to rebellion, you know?”

Mom appealed to Risa-chan as a reliable ally.

Perhaps because of that, Risa-chan timidly asked Mom.

“Um, will you protect me from Dad?”

“Of course! Risa-chan is my precious daughter. Well, shall we go home?”

Mom said so and took Risa-chan’s hand.

Risa-chan, having obtained a trump card against her father, seemed to have decided to go home obediently today.

“…Older stepbrother, I’m going home today. I’m sorry for coming over so suddenly.”

“Even though we’re just stepsiblings, you’re still my sister. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to rely on me.”

“Yes! Well then, thank you for having me.”

Risa-chan safely went home with Mom who came to pick her up.

※

An hour since Risa’s attack.

It was around 11 p.m.

As usual, Natsuki, who practically lived in my room, came over.

“I’m back.”

“Ah, welcome back. How was the drinking party?”

Since Natsuki had told me that her part-time job colleagues were throwing her a farewell party today, I asked about it.

“It was fun.”

“That’s good.”

“I received a lot of things.”

Natsuki took out various items from the bag she was holding.

Stationery, soap, notebooks, and so on. Things that you can never have too much of.

Even though they’re just part-time colleagues, the fact that they gave her presents like this when she quit shows that Natsuki was quite liked by those around her.

“That’s great.”

“Well, yeah.”

Natsuki smiled somewhat shyly.

And then, perhaps tired, she lay down on the carpet.

“Come on, before you relax, go take a shower.”

“Too much trouble… huh…?”

Natsuki, lying on the floor, let out a strange sound.

But then, she suddenly got up.

And she came behind me.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

I spoke.

Natsuki clung to me from behind.

And, as if sweetly whispering to me to lure my guard down, she whispered in my ear.

“I’m a little embarrassed, so can I blindfold Minato?”

“A, ah?”

I replied, somewhat puzzled by what she meant.

Then, Natsuki covered my eyes with a towel.

What’s going on…?

While I was bewildered by the situation that made no sense, Natsuki tied my hands with something like a rope.

“Um, Natsuki-san? What are you doing?”

“…… ”

Natsuki didn’t answer my question.

And before I knew it, after tying my hands, she also tied my feet.

What’s happening!?

Panicking, Natsuki removed the blindfold.

In front of my eyes was—

Natsuki, with a cold look in her eyes.

With that look, she said to me in a contemptuous tone that I had never heard before.

“Hey, whose hair is this?”

While trampling on me, who was tied up and unable to move as if to say she would never let me escape, Natsuki showed off her glossy, long black hair.