My Little Sister Suddenly Confessed to Me, but What Am I Supposed to Do by Dating My Little Sister?

Chapter 39: A Night Alone with Just the Two of Us

After being told “please, one more time” endlessly, I said “good grief” and headed back to the purikura machine. Then she said, “Choose between a princess carry or a kiss on the cheek!”

Faced with such selfishness, I had to show my dignity as an older brother and tell her off firmly! I psyched myself up, steeled my heart like a demon, and opened my mouth toward Shiori.

“Shiori! Since it’s a full-body shot, let’s go with the princess carry after all!”

“Yaaaay! One more tiiiime!”

Phew, I told her properly.

Finally satisfied, my sister, beaming with a warm, happy face, dragged me to the bowling reception. We handled the shoe rentals and other procedures, then headed to our assigned lane.

The unique atmosphere of the bowling alley, with the refreshing ka-kōn, ka-kōn sounds of pins falling, lifted my spirits.

“Have you ever gone bowling before, Onii-chan?”

What? Asking me if I’ve done it? That’s a foolish question.

“Hmph. To tell you the truth, I went once in middle school with a few classmates, got hooked, and used to go frequently for early morning bowling! It’s cheap in the morning because of the early bird discount!”

“Heeeh. You can bowl from the morning? Who did you go with for morning bowling?”

Ah, you’re asking that?

“Alone…”

“Heeeh…”

Ahh, my sister is making a sad face. Don’t pity me! If you pity me, give me friends! What’s wrong with bowling alone? It’s no different from solo karaoke!

“Onii-chan, I’ll go with you anytime from now on!”

Stop doing that ‘ganbaru-zoi’ pose right now, or I’ll cry!

“Hahaha, thanks. Well then, shall we go pick out balls?”

“Okaaaay!”

While I was feeling down, my sister skipped over to where the bowling balls were kept. Saying “it’s cute,” she picked a colorful, light pink ball, while I chose a heavy black one and returned to the lane.

“Onii-chan, how do I throw this?”

“Oh, you’ve never done it? Alright! First, how to hold the ball. Put your thumb in the biggest hole, and your middle and ring fingers in the other two. Swing your arm back and throw!”

“When you throw, step forward with the foot opposite to your throwing hand. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“Okay! Good luck, Onii-chan!”

With my sister waving and smiling behind me, I stood on the lane.

Fuffuffu. This is my chance to show off to my sister, whom I’m losing to in so many ways (hey, who said I lose at everything?).

Here is where… I show the results of my solitary practice.

“Alright, watch this, Shiori!”

I performed a routine that would put pros to shame and threw toward the pins. The ball drew a curve and hit the head pin. The pins fell with great force, but the one on the far end remained standing.

“Ahhh, so close.”

“Amaaaazing! The ball curved! Onii-chan, you’re so cool!”

Creating a curve in bowling is simple. Instead of twisting your hand, you keep your wrist upright, point your thumb slightly toward yourself rather than straight ahead, and throw as if you’re cradling the ball. It turns on its own. Fufufu, my solo practice wasn’t for nothing. Hey! Don’t cry about that part!

I knocked down the remaining pin and got a spare. ◢

“Okay, Shiori’s turn.”

“Okaaaay.”

My sister stood on the lane, walked awkwardly, stopped completely at the end, and then threw with an “ei!” from a standstill. The ball rolled goro goro and fell into the gutter halfway down.

“Ahhh, it fell off the edge.”

To my disappointed sister who came back, I offered comfort:

“Well, you’re a beginner, so it can’t be helped.”

“See the black triangle marks in the middle of the lane? If you throw imagining a line connecting that middle mark to the center pin, it works well.”

After giving advice, I threw as if to demonstrate. This time I went too far down the middle and got a split—two pins left on opposite sides. I got one, but one remained. Dammit!

“Alright, this time I’ll throw so it doesn’t fall!”

My sister psyched herself up and stood on the lane. She had taken off her denim jacket, revealing her bare shoulders in the off-shoulder top. Seeing her from behind in those culottes that looked like a mini-skirt made my heart skip a beat.

“Ei!”

She stopped and threw the ball just like before. Goro goro. The ball rolled slowly, this time heading straight for the center of the pins.

It was a light ball with no momentum, but the pins fell over pata pata until they were all down. The display overhead flashed “STRIKE”. ▶◀

“Yay! They all fell! Onii-chan, I did it!”

“Ohhhh! Awesome!”

I high-fived my sister. Even if it was a lucky strike, for a beginner to get one on her second try—as expected of my sister.

“Alright! Let’s keep going like this.”

Saying that, we threw one after another in turn order.

Me: 2nd throw, Spare ◢. Shiori: 2nd throw, Strike ▶◀. Me: Spare ◢. Shiori: Strike ▶◀. Me: 8 pins. Shiori: Strike ▶◀. Me…

“Hey, Onii-chan, look, look! Another strike!!”

My sister’s looks, her mini-skirt-like culottes, and her mysterious throwing style producing consecutive strikes gathered the gazes of everyone around.

Don’t look at my sister’s thighs! They’ll get tainted! While I was scattering jealousy around, my sister steadily piled up strikes, and the score gap had already more than doubled.

“Waaaah, look Onii-chan! Strike again!”

My innocent, frolicking sister…

Looking at her, the thought I had at home surfaced again.

This cheat sisterrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

I lost again…

We reached the final game. I was in shock and only knocked down 5 pins, and it became my sister’s turn. Between the concentrated gazes every time she stood on the lane and the unbearable score difference…

“Shiori, shall we go home after this game?”

I wanted to go home before the game even finished, so I proposed it, but:

“Ehhhh? Already? I want to play moooore.”

Just as my sister said that, the hall lights dimmed, and flashy music started playing with a laser light show. My sister looked at it entranced and said:

“Wooooow, it’s like a disco!”

Hey, what era were you born in? At least say ‘club’…

Then, an announcement came over the PA: “We are now holding an event where anyone who gets a strike on their next throw will receive a present!”

“Ehhhh! I wonder what we can get? Ah, it’s my turn! Okay, I don’t know what I’ll get, but I’ll do my best! Watch me, Onii-chan!”

And, well… another strike. Finally, a cheer went up from the surrounding crowd.

“Yaaay! Onii-chan, I did it!”

I felt happy for my rejoicing sister, but it became too awkward to stay, so I told her again:

“We really need to study soon, don’t we? Teach me in my room.”

“Eh! Studying alone in Onii-chan’s room! Ehehehehe.”

Alright, she took the bait!

“Then, shall we go?”

“Yup!”

Ignoring the silent cries of “Eh, already?” from the people around us, we quickly put away the balls, paid at the reception, and left the bowling alley.

By the way, the present my sister got for the strike was:

[Ticket for 1 Free Purikura Session]

Before we left the facility, my sister showed me the ticket.

“Onii-chan, next time for sure—a kiss on the cheek!!!”

Please, have mercy…

Chapter 40: A Night Alone with Just the Two of Us

Leaving the bowling alley, it was now truly a night walk. The temperature had dropped, and I felt a slight chill. My sister, just as she did on the way there, grabbed my arm and walked while pressing her body against mine.

“Haaa, that was fun.”

“Is that so? Well, it was interesting.”

Well, a lot happened, but a date(?) with my sister is fun.

“Yeah! I want to play with you more in all sorts of ways, Onii-chan!”

“But we have to study when we get back.”

“Yup, leave it to me.”

“Come to think of it, I’m hungry. Should we eat something before going home?”

“Eh? I’ll cook.”

“Well, but we walked quite a bit and you’re tired, right? Let’s eat out today.”

“Okaaaay! Thank you! Dinner with Onii-chan at a restaurant at night… Yaaay!”

“No, it’s a family restaurant. I don’t have the money for that kind of restaurant.”

We entered a pasta chain store on the way home. It’s a shop that’s never very crowded, and today was no exception, with only a few customers scattered here and there.

We were guided to a window seat, and I sat down looking out at the road we had just walked. Suddenly sensing a gaze, I looked next to us and saw an acquaintance sitting there.

“Ahhh, Shiori-oneechan and Yuu-oniichan.”

“Ah, Ichigo-chan.”

Sitting at the next table, sipping a drink while staring at a notebook, was Sakumoto Ichigo.

Ichigo is a middle schooler who lives in the neighborhood. She has long, flowing straight black hair, and her bangs are pinned with a heart-shaped hair accessory. She’s slightly shorter than my sister, slender, and—like my sister—has a body type that would be popular with that demographic. Her face features distinct double eyelids, slightly sleepy-looking eyes, and a cute duck mouth.

Black hair and loli… wait, doesn’t that overlap with Shiori’s character design? You imagination-impoverished author! (Hey!)

Ichigo has admired Shiori greatly since she was a child. Wanting to be as close to my sister as possible, she even imitates her hairstyle. At home, she’s been called “Mini-Shiori” for ages.

“Studying, Ichigo-chan? That’s admirable.”

“Yes! My little brother is at home, so I couldn’t concentrate. I came here to do it. I’m aiming to be like Shiori-oneechan, after all!”

Ichigo should be in her third year of middle school. I thought it might be the same midterm exams, but her words about “aiming to be like Shiori” caught my attention, so I asked.

“Ichigo, you’re a third-year, right? Studying for entrance exams already?”

“Yes! Since I’m aiming to be like Shiori-oneechan, I’m going to pass the exam for a top-tier prep school, turn them down, and go to the same high school as Shiori-oneechan and Yuu-oniichan!”

Aiming to be my sister… what’s the point of aiming for THAT specific part?

“No, stop doing pointless things.”

When I admonished her, she replied:

“Ehhhh? I thought Shiori-oneechan took both exams because there was some deep meaning behind it. So, just like Shiori-oneechan, I’m going to take both and definitely pass both to prove myself!”

“Ah, um, look, Ichigo-chan… uh, there wasn’t really a deep reason…”

As I mentioned before, my sister’s grades were so good that her middle school homeroom teacher begged her to at least take the exam for the top school. She took it thinking “well, if it’s just taking it,” and passed easily. However, since she had said from the start that she would attend the same high school as me, she turned it down. Despite being persuaded endlessly by everyone from the principal down, her will didn’t waver.

By the way, since my sister was hiding her feelings for me at the time, she had simply said lightly:

“It’s close to home, so I’ll go to the same high school as Onii-chan after all.”

“Eh! Is that so? Then why didn’t you go to the prep school?”

“Weeeell…”

After looking at my face, my sister started speaking without hiding anything.

“Because no matter what, I wanted to go to the same high school as Onii-chan!”

Ehhhhhhhhhhh?!

You’re saying it? You’re actually saying it? “It was close to home” would have been fine!

Ichigo was staring at my sister with her mouth open.

“Shiori-oneechan, do you like Yuu-oniichan?”

“Yup. I love him.”

“………”

Ichigo fell silent. I fell silent. Everyone fell silent.

Then, as if breaking the silence, Ichigo spoke.

“Shiori-oneechan is amazing. To be able to say you like your brother… I’m envious. I want to say I like my brother too.”

“How old is your brother again, Ichigo?”

“Yes! He’s currently in second grade of elementary school.”

“Saying ‘sibling love’ out loud is embarrassing, isn’t it? I love my little brother too, but I can’t really say ‘I like you,’ so I’ll reflect on that.”

“As expected, Shiori-oneechan is amazing. I’ll follow your example and do my best to be able to say I like my brother. And, just like Shiori-oneechan, I’ll come to like Yuu-oniichan even more!”

“Ah! Look at the time. If I don’t go home, I’ll get scolded. Well then, Shiori-oneechan, Yuu-oniichan, bye-bye!”

“Yeah, bye-bye.”

Ichigo sucked up the remainder of her drink in one go (zuzuu), quickly tidied up her area, and stood up.

She looked back and waved several times, and my sister and I waved back to see her off. Once Ichigo was outside, we looked at each other.

“Shiori, you… what were you saying? What if we get found out?”

“Found out?”

My sister tilted her head with a blank look.

“Eh? Like, that we’re dating?”

“But right now we’re siblings, aren’t we?”

“Ah, well, I guess so.”

“Then there’s no problem, right?”

No, I think there’s a huge problem…

“I know what you want to say, Onii-chan. But I don’t want to lie about you anymore. That’s why I said it honestly. That I love you.”

My sister looked straight at me. Her gaze spoke of her resolve and seriousness.

To deflect the tension of this seriousness, I teased her a little.

“Ahhh, but earlier at the purikura machine, you tricked me by saying it like I had to give you a princess carry, didn’t you?”

Knowing full well she didn’t mean “lie” in that sense, I pretended to be angry and asked her mean-spiritedly.

“Eh! That wasn’t really tricking you… um, it’s more like I wanted you to do it… or rather, n-not that! Before that, when I said ‘lie,’ I meant I didn’t want to lie to myself!”

My sister started panicking (awa-awa) and explaining incoherently.

Seeing her like that, I started chuckling.

“Ahhh—Onii-chan, you tricked meeee!”

“Haha, sorry, sorry. Payback for earlier.”

“Jeez—that’s mean! I thought you were really angry!”

After sulking a bit, we looked at each other and burst into laughter (kera kera).

While we were laughing together, a voice suddenly called out from behind.

“Ummm… excuse me, customers. Are you ready to order?”

Ah! We hadn’t ordered yet.

“S-sorry, we’ll decide right away.”

My sister and I hurriedly started looking at the menu.

Chapter 41: A Night Alone with Just the Two of Us

We both ordered pasta and enjoyed our dinner for a while.

“Onii-chan, say ahhh.”

My sister held out a forkful of pasta she’d twirled up in front of me.

“No, we’re not doing that.”

Look, that waiter over there is glancing over at us.

“Ehhhh.”

“No, don’t ‘ehhhh’ me.”

Please only do that kind of thing at home. Not that we’ve ever done it.

Thinking about what happened earlier, I suddenly asked my sister.

“Shiori, when Ichigo asked you earlier, you said something about me, didn’t you?”

I deliberately kept the important part vague, but my sister said it plainly:

“That I love you?”

“You… I deliberately didn’t mention it because it’s embarrassing…”

“I’m not embarrassed at all. I love you, Onii-chan!”

“It’s embarrassing being told that.”

“Is it? Then say it yourself.”

“……I can’t say iiiit!”

“Ehhhh, say iiiiit.”

I almost fell for it again.

“No, that’s not what I mean. Hypothetically, right? Hypothetically, what would you do if a friend asked you if you like me?”

“Eh? I’d answer ‘I like him, though?'”

“Seriously… are you okay with that?”

Well, I guess it depends on whether they ask “in a romantic sense?”

“Hmm, I wonder. But even if I lied… I like what I like, so it can’t be helped, Onii-chan.”

Stop it, I’m embarrassed enough already. I’m full.

“We won’t know what’ll happen until someone actually asks, I guess… After that, it’s ‘let the fields and mountains be what they will.'”

When I said that, my sister made a subtle face. Huh? Did I say something weird?

“Onii-chan, I think you’re using that phrase a bit wrong…”

“Eh? Am I?”

Eh? What? I read a lot of books, so I thought I knew this stuff reasonably well.

“Yeah. That phrase is used when you’ve done what you needed to do, and you don’t know what will happen after that.”

“What you probably want to say, Onii-chan, is whether or not we’ll be asked, what will happen to us going forward, and if we are asked, whether answering will make us happy or unhappy, right?”

“Ah, yeah, something like that?”

“Then it’s about not knowing what life will bring, so… hmm, for example, it’d be more like Ningen banji saiō ga uma (the Parable of Saiō’s Horse), or Kafuku wa azanaeru nawa no gotoshi (fortune and misfortune are intertwined like a rope)?”

“Kafuku?”

“Yeah. Kafuku wa azanaeru nawa no gotoshi means fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin, alternating like a twisted rope. It’s a proverb.”

“Heeeh, I didn’t know that one.”

I know the ‘Saiō’s Horse’ one, though, really! (By the way, it means you can’t predict whether something is fortunate or unfortunate—even if you’re unhappy now, it might lead to future happiness.)

“Alright! Onii-chan, let’s hurry up and eat so we can go home. I’ll teach you math and Japanese toooo! Ehehe, we’ll have even more time together.”

My sister started eating the rest of her pasta vigorously.

I’m losing at Japanese too? I hate this sister of mine…

We finally got home. Honestly, I wanted to sleep already, but still—even if it’s studying, with our parents around, my sister can’t really hang around my room that much. I have to take this chance and learn from her.

“Okay then, Onii-chan. I’ll change and then come to your room.”

“Okaaaay, I’ll wait in my room.”

Saying that, I saw my sister off as she entered her room. Figuring I should change too, I entered my own room, changed into a black sweatshirt and sweatpants, set up the table, placed my math textbook on it, and waited.

After waiting over ten minutes, there was a knock (kon kon), so I answered “Yeees,” and my sister came in!!

“Waaaah, it’s Onii-chan’s room! Ehehehehe.”

“No, Shiori, you come in here without permission all the time. Don’t play innocent. Wait, that’s not the point—what is that outfit?”

“Eh? This? Teacher style?”

My sister entered wearing red fake glasses, a white shirt with the chest area open, a black tight skirt, and black stockings.

“Ha? Why would you go out of your way to dress like that?”

“Hmm, for the mood? And because I thought Onii-chan would like it.”

“No, don’t just decide I’d like it…”

“Ehhhh, but you have it riiiight here,” my sister said as she sat by the bed and reached her hand between the mattress—

“Waaaait! Okay, fine! Yes, I like it! That outfit is the best! Now please teach me!”

Smiling brightly, my sister sat next to me and opened the textbook. Don’t get too close—I can see your chest! Wait, why are you sitting next to me?

“So, Onii-chan, what don’t you understand? I’ll teach you anything.”

“Please have mercy, Shiori-san.”

My sister is on a roll.

Regaining my composure, I vaguely pointed at a section of the textbook, and my sister quickly pulled out a notebook and smoothly (sara sara) wrote out about three problems.

Wait, you’re doing that so smoothly, but what is that technique?

“Okay, Onii-chan, solve these.”

“Ehhhh, seriously?”

Math isn’t my strong suit to begin with. Being told to solve problems out of the blue…

Hmm, I can’t solve them. Actually, I don’t understand them. Seeing me struggling, my sister suddenly said:

“Alright, I get it, Onii-chan! Let’s start with factorization! For things like this, it’s faster to go way back and redo the basics.”

“Eh? No, that’s a bit much… huh?”

Saying that, my sister stood up, walked briskly (suta suta) to my desk, and without hesitation pulled out my middle school math textbook.

“Come on, let’s start here, Onii-chan!”

“Eh? Wait, how did you pull out the textbook without hesitation? Do you always look that closely? That’s scary.”

“I know everything about you, Onii-chan! Now stop complaining and let’s do this!”

“Eh? No, wait—”