My Little Sister Suddenly Confessed to Me, but What Am I Supposed to Do by Dating My Little Sister? - Chapter 21 & 22 & 23

Chapter 21: This the Prologue to a Harem Arc?

I returned to the classroom with heavy steps. When I stole a nervous glance toward my sister, she was surrounded by friends, chatting away like everything was normal.

Feeling a wave of relief, I took my seat just as the preliminary bell rang, sending everyone back to their places.

However, I started feeling a strange sense of disconnect. Hmm… what is this feeling? I couldn’t figure out the cause, and class began while I was still pondering it.

The feeling didn’t go away during the lesson, and though it bothered me, I couldn’t pin it down. I gave up halfway and tried to focus on the lecture.

When the afternoon classes ended and school was out, I stood up to leave and looked at Shiori. As usual, she was circled by people, chatting happily.

I said my goodbyes to Asami and—for form’s sake—Unfortunate Higashide. Just before I walked out the door, I took one last look at my sister, and the reason for that “disconnect” I’d felt since lunch finally hit me.

She wasn’t looking at me. Not even a glance.

I stopped for a moment to watch, but she didn’t look my way, acting as if she didn’t even notice I was there. Usually, I can constantly feel her gaze—it’s a feeling I’ve grown used to since middle school, so I recognize it instantly. But I hadn’t felt it once during the afternoon classes, and even now, she wouldn’t look.

That gaze of hers—which had become a sort of sense of security since we ended up in the same class—was completely gone.

I watched her for a while, but someone came up behind me, so I gave up and headed out.

The sound of voices followed me from the classroom, Shiori’s happy laugh mixed in with the rest. Wait, what is this feeling? Anxiety? Jealousy? Anger? I headed home gripped by an emotion I couldn’t quite identify.

Once home, I changed clothes and began preparing for our usual “home date”—the after-school tea time.

But given her behavior today, I wasn’t even sure if she’d come straight home. Usually, she’d send a LINE or an email if something was up, but I hadn’t received anything.

Is she mad at me and out having tea with friends? Karaoke? A mixer? Is that even possible? As I was imagining the worst…

I heard the sound of the front door unlocking, followed by Shiori’s voice.

“I’m home~!”

I felt a part of myself relax at the sound.

The living room door opened and Shiori walked in.

“I’m home, Onii-chan! Oh, you prepared snacks? Thank you~! I’ll go change and then I’ll make the tea, okay?”

She headed upstairs to the second floor.

Wait. She’s normal.

Was the disconnect just my imagination? Was I overthinking the eye contact?

This is the sister who cried that much over a seat change and fell into a dark void just because I talked to Michiru. Would she really act this normal after what she saw today?

Wait… could it be that I’m the one being self-conscious?
“Does Shiori not actually like me as much as I thought?”

The words escaped my lips, and my chest gave a little prick of pain. Or maybe she’s fed up with me? Does she hate me? I began to sink into a gloom over the situation.

Taking a bit longer than usual, Shiori finally came back downstairs. She was wearing a pink V-neck sweater with a miniskirt, cute slippers on her bare feet, and her hair tied up in a ponytail.

It was a bit flashy—or rather, a very cute outfit for just being at home. Following our recent routine, she made the coffee, adding exactly the amount of sugar she’d learned I like.

She prepared her own coffee and sat down next to me. Just like always, she happily chattered about her school friends, the lessons, books, and interesting manga she’d found.

But then I noticed. She still wasn’t looking at me. No, she was looking—at the amount of coffee, the snacks, my hands, my clothes, my hair, even my face.

But our eyes never met. She wouldn’t look me in the eye.

Why? Why won’t she look? I stared intently at her eyes, but she would look straight ahead, or at my neck, or at her coffee—anywhere but my eyes.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and asked.

“Shiori, hey… why haven’t you looked me in the eye once?”

The moment I said it, our gazes met.

And then, tears began to overflow from those eyes.

“Ah… a… a… a…”
Small, broken sounds escaped her throat.

“W-wait, what? Huh?”

As soon as I spoke, Shiori wailed.

“Because! Becauseeeeeee!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

I could only fluster about as she cried like a small child, completely helpless to do anything about it.

Chapter 22: This the Prologue to a Harem Arc?

“Uwaaaaaaaaah! Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!”

There was no sign of my sister stopping her crying anytime soon.

Feeling helpless and flustered, I did the only thing I could—I pulled her into my arms and held her tight. But still, she wouldn’t stop.

I used the hand I was holding her with to stroke her head, desperately trying to calm her down.

The sensation of her silky hair almost made me lose my grip on my reason, but I suppressed it, gently stroking her hair as if combing through it with my fingers.

Gradually, the intensity of her sobbing began to fade.

“Hic… hic… Onii-chaaaaaan.”

Once she’d settled down enough to actually form words through the tears, she spoke.

“I’m so sorryyyyyyyyyy!”

Through her tears, my sister began to apologize.

“Why are you apologizing?”

I let go of her for a moment and looked at her, still stroking her head as I asked.

“Sniff… sniff… Because! Because I ignored you! I ignored you even though you’re my Onii-chan!”

“You weren’t ignoring me. It’s okay.”

“I’m so sorryyyyyyyyy!”

She had probably been consciously avoiding looking at me. That guilt—combined with the fact that I’d pointed it out—must have been what triggered the breakdown.

I waited patiently for her to finish crying.

Eventually, Shiori calmed down and finally began to explain the feelings she’d been carrying today.

“When I saw you eating snacks with Asami-chan, and Michiru-chan inviting you to lunch, and the Student Council President stroking your hair…”

“Ah, no, wait, that was—”

“No. It just made me realize how amazing you really are, Onii-chan.”

“Huh?”

“The people around you, everyone else… no, even you yourself, Onii-chan, didn’t notice your own charm. I was the only one who knew. You were my Onii-chan alone.”

I stayed silent and listened to her speak.

“But I knew that, eventually, everyone would figure it out. I thought that once you became an adult, everyone would notice how wonderful you are.”

“And today, that became a reality. I was happy. I knew I was right about you being amazing. But at the same time, I was lonely. Because you aren’t just mine anymore.”

With a look of resolve on her face, my sister continued.

“And… I’m a bad girl. I used your kindness. I thought that if I asked you to go out with me and you said yes, you’d only look at me. You wouldn’t betray me. You’d push away the feelings of everyone else.”

“I steeled my resolve and confessed with that in mind. And today, you did push away everyone else’s feelings for me. It made me happy, but it made me sad at the same time.”

“I realized that I’m binding you with my own ego. I’m sealing you away with my words.”

“I felt that if you looked me in the eye, you’d see into my ugly heart. That’s why I avoided you… why I avoided your eyes. I ignored you.”

“I wondered if it was really okay for such a wonderful person to be dating such an ugly girl. I wondered if this was actually for your sake. I’ve been thinking about it all day—no, I’ve been thinking about it subconsciously ever since you agreed to date me.”

“I’m a weak girl. I can’t live without you, Onii-chan. But that’s not good for you. You won’t be able to be happy. And if you aren’t happy, then I can’t be happy either!”

“That’s why I’ve decided to become strong. I’ve decided to work hard for your happiness. I’ve decided to become a charming girl that you’ll truly want to turn around and look at!”

“So, Onii-chan… I have a request.”

My sister stared into my eyes, and while tears were once again streaming down her face, she spoke.

“Onii-chan… please break up with me.”

Chapter 23: As Brother and Sister

“Onii-chan, please break up with me.”

The moment those words left her lips, I felt my heart fracture. It wasn’t just the request to end things; it was seeing my beloved sister crying like this—and knowing I was the cause. I had agreed to date her because I didn’t want to make her cry, yet that decision had only led her to more tears .

“Hic… hic… uwaaaaaaah!”

I stared at her, thinking. Would saying “I understand” be the right answer here? Or should I refuse? I decided to put my current feelings into words exactly as they were .

“Shiori, listen to me this time.”

“Hic… o-okay.” She nodded through her sobs.

“Shiori, you’re placing me on too much of a pedestal. I’m not really that charming.”

“Th-that’s not true!”

“Just hear me out until the end.”

“O-okay. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t really know what part of me you fell for. I’ve always treated you as my sister—taking care of your sister and your family is just what you do, right? So when you first confessed, I thought it was just a childhood misunderstanding, like a little kid saying they want to marry their dad when they grow up.”

“But after watching you and dating you, I realized you don’t love me as a brother—you love me as a woman loves a man. And that’s why I have to apologize to you, Shiori. I’m sorry.” I bowed my head deeply to her .

“When I said ‘let’s try dating’ with a casual, experimental mindset, I wasn’t thinking about your feelings at all. I was a scumbag who didn’t understand you.”

Shiori began to wail again. I stroked her head as she cried.

“But lately, I’ve started to understand how you feel. I think I’m falling in love with you, too. Or at least, I’m starting to. So, I won’t break up with you. Actually, we can’t break up. We’re brother and sister, after all. So, my answer is the same as when I first responded to your confession.”

“I don’t want to make you cry anymore. So, let’s continue dating with restraint, as brother and sister.”

“And once we’re both sure whether this feeling is sibling affection or romantic love, I’ll be the one to say it next time: ‘Please be my girlfriend.’”

In that instant, Shiori’s sobbing turned into a radiant smile .

“ONII-CHAAAAAAAAN!”

“I’ll do my best! I’ll work so hard so that you’ll be the one to confess to me!” She buried her face—messy with tears and a runny nose—into my chest and wept .

“Yeah. I’ll do my best, too.”

And so, we once again began dating, quite literally, as brother and sister .