Chapter 2

“Yawn…”

“Akito, Vater [Dad] and Mutter [Mom] have already left for work.”

“Oh, right.”

As Akito came downstairs, the aroma of breakfast wafted into his nose. On the table were delicious-looking scrambled eggs and miso soup.

Emily swiftly took off her apron and sat down, setting Akito’s meal beside her, making it natural for him to sit right next to her.

“Well, let’s eat.”

“Let’s eat.”

Despite having a four-person table, they chose to sit next to each other rather than across. The reason was clear—

“Here, Akito. Aahh–”

“Ah…..”

“Lecker [Is it tasty]?”

“Yeah, it’s delicious. Thanks, Emily.”

“! …I’m glad,” she replied, her face lighting up at his smile.

To an outsider, they’d look just like a couple. And indeed, in Emily’s mind, Akito is fully her boyfriend, and she acts accordingly.

As his girlfriend, she whispers sweet nothings into his ear, feeds him, walks with him to and from school, holds his hand, and even shares a bed with him. German women are aggressive in love, after all.

Meanwhile, Akito, the “older brother,” is genuinely happy to have such a caring, adorable sister who looks up to him. But the truth is… Akito interprets all of Emily’s advances as nothing more than intense sibling affection.

The reason for this misunderstanding? It’s simple: cultural differences in how relationships are perceived in Japan versus Germany.

In Japan, becoming a couple usually involves a confession of love; once accepted, the two officially start dating. In Germany, however, there’s no such concept of confessing one’s feelings. Instead, after spending a significant amount of time together, two people might naturally become a couple without any verbal declaration. To Germans, if you’ve introduced someone to your family, that essentially makes the relationship official.

Interestingly, 62% of Germans believe in love at first sight, often deciding based on first impressions whether someone could be a future partner. 

Emily, too, was no exception. From the moment she first saw Akito, she felt a strong connection. Akito had made efforts to learn German to communicate with her and even supported her Japanese studies without a single complaint.

The turning point was during their second year of middle school, when Emily was approached by a group of rude guys trying to flirt with her.

After a year of intense language study, Akito and Emily could manage basic conversations in each other’s languages. Around this time, Emily had taken an interest in Japanese romance manga and wanted to experience a “date meeting spot” as depicted in the stories.

Naturally, Akito agreed, happy to indulge her wish. They lived in the same house, but they planned a specific meeting location and even adjusted their departure times to make it feel authentic.

When the time came, Emily waited, exuding a beauty well beyond her middle school years. This, unfortunately, attracted the attention of some rough-looking guys who tried to hit on her.

“Hey, hey, missy. You’re pretty cute, aren’t ya? What’re you doing all alone?”

“……?”

Naturally, Emily, who still only understood Japanese in fragments, tilted her head in confusion. To her, who could only manage basic conversation, this guy’s flashy lingo sounded like an entirely foreign language.

When she just kept tilting her head in confusion, the guy, losing patience, forcefully grabbed her arm.

Emily was bewildered by the sudden situation. As she was about to be led off without knowing what was happening, the person she had been waiting for all this time—Akito—finally arrived.

In an instant, Akito separated Emily from the guy’s grasp and pulled her into his arms.

“Who the hell are you—”

“Aah?”

“Eek!”

A deep, intimidating tone came from Akito, one Emily had never heard before. A few veins pulsed visibly on his forehead.

“You… what the hell do you think you’re doing touching my family, you sleazy bastard?!”

“S-Sorry!”

Terrified by the intensity, the guy slipped into his natural tone as he apologized and ran off.

“Geez… Emily, are you okay? Emily?”

“………”

In his arms, Emily remained dazed as he asked her, clearly concerned. Her dependable Akito had come dashing to her rescue, like a prince, just when she needed him.

(Could this… be love!)

The word love settled gently into Emily’s heart.

Once she recognized it, things moved quickly. Emily began to actively pursue Akito, feeding him with ‘aahh’, hugging him for no reason, bravely kissing him on the cheek—it was all her best effort.

(Akito seems happy about it, and introducing him to Father and Mother… well, that’s practically done already. Which means, Akito and I are basically a couple!)

And so, for Emily, Akito was no longer just her stepbrother; he had officially leveled up to boyfriend status.

Meanwhile, Akito remained oblivious, seeing all of Emily’s actions as nothing more than intense sibling affection. This misunderstanding stemmed from his skewed knowledge of cultural norms.

Akito believed that foreigners tended to be more physically affectionate with those they’re close to. After all, he’d seen famous people casually hug and kiss cheeks on TV, reinforcing this idea in his mind.

Thus, every affectionate gesture from Emily was simply perceived as her being really touchy. He was utterly blind to Emily’s feelings.

Honestly, they both should just explode already.