Parents remarried. Now my lover starts referring to me as "Onii~chan" - Chapter 2 Part 3

“Wha–!?”

Although I had just vowed to protect Neneka from evil perverts this morning, I never thought that I would be labelled as an evil pervert myself. Rather, what did I even do to be blamed like this?

As I solidified out of sheer confusion, Neneka’s father tried to talk to that mysterious woman.

“Mom, calm down! Daiki-kun is not that type of child!”

And Neneka chimed in for support.

“Grandmother! Onii-chan is my stepbrother.”

Apparently, the woman who suddenly appeared, seemed to be Neneka’s grandmother.

Neneka’s father apologized to me.

“I’m sorry about this Daiki-kun… When my mom heard the news that I was going to remarry, and Neneka was going to live with one of her classmates, she immediately bought tickets and flew here from Okinawa. She loves Neneka dearly and is often worried about her.”

Then, the woman opened her eyes and yelled at Neneka’s father.

“I’m not worried! I came here just because you’re a loose man! All high school boys are beasts in clothes! Do you even know what that means!?”

“Beasts… As expected of my mom, it’s rude you know?”

“Ryosuke, you also had such a time in your life, didn’t you!? Did you forget about yourself too?”

“Heh!? What are you even talking about!? There was no such time ever in my life!!”

Neneka’s father desperately tried to deny those claims. His urgency regarding this matter was on the contrary a little suspicious.

“Anyway, I’m against Neneka living with him! If you don’t listen to me then I’ll take Neneka to my house!”

The harsh voice of Neneka’s grandmother echoed all over the living room. Even Neneka was stupefied by this.

–Because she was against Neneka and I living together, she wanted to take Neneka to her house!?

Suddenly I was recognized as an enemy by her grandmother, who loved her grandchild dearly. I was sweating coldly.

After approximately one hour went by after Neneka’s grandmother rushed in.

We were eating dinner for the time being… Of course, with stepgrandmother, with us.

–On days like these, why did my mother get home late… What was I supposed to do now?

Neneka’s grandmother was praising Neneka’s dishes and seemed to have regained her good mood too.

“Neneka is such a culinary genius… You will surely become a good wife. This shredded cabbage looks especially professional.”

“That shredded cabbage… is something that Onii-chan did for me, though…”

Hearing Neneka’s words, the smile disappeared from her grandmother’s face.

“Humph! In that case, it’s better to eat weeds growing in this area!”

A strong back-hand slap.

Hearing that incredible change in attitude I had a small smile break out onto my face.

However, Neneka wasn’t laughing.

“Grandmother! Don’t say such mean words! Onii-chan helped me with all he got!”

Finally, the anger of Neneka exploded.

This retort in turn made her grandmother shocked.

“I’m just worried about you, Neneka. There’s no man who can shred cabbage so well! I’m certain that he has even shredded the hearts of a thousand women and sliced them into stripes!”

“I haven’t done that though!?”

I didn’t have any reason to join in the conversation between Neneka and her grandmother, but I just couldn’t overlook whatever she just said about me.

Also, I never heard about any relation between finely shredded cabbage and the shredder of a thousand human hearts.

“Neneka! I won’t say anything bad so, let’s go home together with your grandmother! It’s dangerous to be here!”

“I don’t want to. If that happens, I will also have to transfer to another high school right!? It’s absolutely impossible to transfer to another school in the third year of high school! Besides, Onii-chan will definitely not do anything to me!”

“You just started living together the other day, as if you could see what would happen next! Even if he’s wearing a mask of a gentleman right now, in due time, he will definitely reveal his true colors! It will be too late after you get eaten up!”

“Onii-chan would never do something that terrible! Right, Onii-chan!?”

Neneka asked me and I gave her a quick reply.

“Yes! I swear, I would never!”

“Really?”

“Haven’t you perhaps already peeped during Neneka’s bath!?”

“I didn’t!”

It should be fine it was not a lie per se.

… If anything, I was the one who was peeped at.

However, because of this grandmother, I remembered the incident that took place on the first day of our cohabitation, and my face got a little hot.

Then, stepgrandmother immediately said without missing a beat.

“Did you imagine? Neneka’s naked body.”

“Eh?”

“Your face is getting redder. Did you imagine something shameful?”

“I haven’t!”

–What the… this grandmother… She couldn’t be underestimated.

I just remembered about what happened that time, but it shouldn’t have appeared on my face, and yet, she was somehow able to guess what I had in my mind?

I sealed my lips tightly to tighten up my imaginations.

This grandmother did not miss any of my stirred expressions. If I wasn’t careful, she would likely see through my heart.

“Fufu… you’re just a two years old newborn baby. It’s useless to be a gentleman only on the top. You smell heavily of a beast about to attack!”

stepgrandmother laughed provocatively.

I got unintentionally stuffy.

Then as a response, Neneka’s father also complained to his mother.

“No, no, no, there’s a limit to being prejudiced! Also, don’t say anything rude to Daiki-kun from here on out.”

“I’m worried about Neneka! What would you do if my precious Neneka got harmed because of this!?”

“Please stop doubting Daiki-kun! Daiki-kun is also an important part of my family!”

Hearing my stepfather say those words made my heart shake a bit.

Family… I liked the ring of that word.

Even Neneka’s father must have been worried about having her adolescent daughter and an adolescent boy live together.

However, Neneka’s father decided to believe in me.

I was sure my mother had told him a lot about me. He must have judged that I was a person credible of his trust from various little bit of information. Without that trust, he wouldn’t have had his daughter Neneka live with me without saying a word to her about me.

Of course, Neneka’s father wasn’t the only one who believed in me.

First of all, my mother must have also believed in me. Even if I lived together with a girl my age, I wouldn’t do anything that would be described as me losing my way…

–For my parents who had so much trust in me, I couldn’t let stepgrandmother say whatever she liked anymore. I had to prove her that I was safe for Neneka and have her allow Neneka to live with me!

“Then, how would you know that I’m safe for her to stay around?”

“Huh?”

stepgrandmother’s hawk-like eyes looked at me with a piercing gaze.

However, I also looked at her without backing off.

“We have just become a family. My mom and Neneka’s father look very happy together. I want to support the happiness of my parents. With that in mind, I have been trying my best to get along with Neneka until now.”

stepgrandmother watched me speak without batting an eye-lid.

I felt my throat going sour in thirst.

“If Neneka is separated because of me, Neneka’s father and my mom would surely feel lonely! I don’t want my parents to feel that way! I want the four of us to live as a happy family! Then… what will make you allow Neneka and I to live together?”

stepgrandmother didn’t say anything. She didn’t say a thing, but she stared at me. Neneka and her father were holding their breaths while watching over what stepgrandmother would say. The dining table was wrapped in silence for a while.

In that quiet room, stepgrandmother slowly drank her green tea.

Then she wiped off her mouth with a handkerchief then, she looked at me.

“Then, let me see that iron-like reasoning that’s running in your nerves. If I find no possibility of Neneka getting harmed, I will take my leave without a word.”

“Then… how should I show it?”

I was confident that I could act reasonably in front of Neneka, but what should I do to show her this iron-like reasoning of mine?

It would have been nice if I could just open the door between my chest and showed my iron-colored reason, saying, “This is my iron-like reason!” However it wasn’t that simple.

When I was still confused, stepgrandmother snorted and stood from her seat.

“Take me to your room!”

When she said that, I also stood up. Next to me, Neneka was looking at me anxiously.

“Grandmother, can I come along with you as well?”