Reincarnated as the Promiscuous Protagonist in a Netori Game, Only to Find the Heroine, My Step-Sister, Already Threatened to Be a Submissive Slave~ Liberating the Slave and Planning to Leave Home, Yet Unexpectedly Becoming Loved by My Step-Sister~

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Chapter 12 – Just Childhood Friends

We went to a general shop and an interior design shop attached to a shopping mall and bought various items that Tsumugi was interested in. She also prepared a thoughtful gift for our parents, hoping that they would be delighted.

“Nii-san, isn’t it heavy? Let me carry some too.”

“It’s all right. I’ll take care of the heavy lifting.”

I chuckled inwardly at lines I would never have thought of in a previous life, but in fact I have plenty of muscle power.

I can easily carry all these bags.

But we’ve walked a long way and we need to rest. Tsumugi must be tired.

“Huh? Takuma?”

At that moment, a girl of the same age who was passing by saw us and stopped.

“It’s been a long time~”

She approached me with a gentle smile.

Her hair is light-brown, about shoulder-length.

She has a refreshing atmosphere and is a moderately modern girl.

“Y-Yeah…”

I’ve never met her before, but I can’t ignore her, so I gave her a curt reply.

“Eh~? You’re acting too cold~ We haven’t seen each other since childhood~”

While speaking in a laid-back tone, she elbowed me with a flowing body touch.

She’s getting too close!

Since my hands were full with luggage, I casually slid my upper body and escaped.

“You’ve got a girl with you as usual. What a sexy guy~ But isn’t this girl a super pretty girl?”

“Eh? Well, um…”

Tsumugi was startled when the conversation suddenly turned to her.

“You’re just the type of person Takuma likes~!”

The girl observed Tsumugi in every detail with a grin on her face and nodded her head as if she was convinced.

She then turned her gaze back to me.

“Well, I don’t want to intrude, so I’ll leave you to it. I have plans too.”

Phew…

I was a little relieved when she said that.

Being talked to by a pretty girl out of the blue is still a hurdle. It’s stressful for a shy person like myself.

Moreover, even when I look into my memory, I have no idea what she’s really up to.

She appears carefree and at her own pace, and always has a poker face.

Even Takuma failed to grasp her unique atmosphere.

“Hey, Takuma.”

Just as she seemed to be walking away, she closed the distance at once.

A few centimeters from the tip of my nose, her big eyes were staring at me.

The serious look on her face was like she was checking something. Like she wasn’t looking into my face or into my eyes, but into something deeper.

“W-What…?”

“Umm… It’s nothing. Well then, see you next time.”

This time she disappeared into the crowd.

Tsumugi, who was not following the conversation, tilted her head.

“Who was that person?”

“…an old acquaintance. We don’t go to the same school, and you don’t have to worry too much about her, Tsumugi.”

It’s not every day that we meet.

Sazanami Iroha.

We’re just childhood friends.

Unusually for the scumbag Takuma, she was a girl he had never touched.

Afterwards, we came to a coffee shop for a break.

“Sweets…!”

When we took our seats and opened the menu, Tsumugi expressed her excitement.

She seems even more excited than when she was choosing clothes.

Otaku’s ideal eroge heroines are equally fond of sweets.

Tsumugi was no exception.

“What do you want?”

“I don’t know what to choose again…”

The staring contest with the menu began.

Well, unlike clothes, this time she can choose what she likes. As long as she doesn’t order anything strange from the menu, it won’t be a problem.

Tsumugi chose the pancakes after a good 10 minutes of pondering.

I don’t have a sweet tooth, so I chose cheesecake.

In addition, we ordered coffee for two.

“Nnn, sweet…♪”

Tsumugi cut a small piece of pancake with a lot of maple syrup, put a little cream and vanilla ice cream on it, and took it to her mouth with a refined smile.

“It’s very sweet and very tasty, Nii-san.”

She whispered enrapturedly, holding her cheeks.

Just by looking at her happy face, it seems as if my happiness level is also rising. Even if I don’t intend to, I can’t help but stare at Tsumugi.

“…? Nii-san? Do I have something on my face?”

“Eh? Oh, no, it’s nothing.”

With those words, I ate my own cheesecake. The smooth texture melted in my mouth, and the rich cheese flavor spread out.

“Is the cheesecake good too?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

“I see…”

Now Tsumugi was staring at me with a blank stare. No, her eyes were a little lower. She was looking at the cheesecake.

“…Do you want some?”

“A-Are you sure? Ah, but it’s not nice to ask for someone else’s things…”

Tsumugi quietly puckered her lips as her words trailed off.

Her neat and proper temperament does not allow it.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. We’re family.”

Families can share food.

“I-Is that so…?”

“Try it. Let me know what you think.”

“Since Nii-san said that much… Okay…”

Tsumugi complied, and as I tried handing her the plate of cheesecake—

“…Ahnn.”

Tsumugi opened her little mouth on the spot.

“T-Tsumugi!?”

“…Eh? Ah, I’m sorry! I thought Nii-san was going to feed me… Ughh~ What is wrong with me…”

When she realized she had made a mistake, her cheeks turned red and she shriveled up.

“Um, I’ll have the cheesecake… Itadakimasu…”

Tsumugi now tried to eat the cheesecake herself, but… I snatched the plate away from her.

“Ah…”

Cutting a piece of the cake, I brought it close to Tsumugi’s mouth.

“Try it. A-Ahnn…”

“Nii-san…?”

“Because Tsumugi did this to me when we had lunch… I’m, um…returning the favor…”

Ah, this is bad. My hands are trembling.

I’m really worried about the way the customers around me look at me.

“I’m embarrassed to death, so it would be helpful if you could help me quickly…”

“Y-Yes. Um… A-Ahnn…”

She took a bite of the cheesecake cutely. She then chewed the cheesecake carefully and thoroughly.

“How is it…?”

“Very, very, very tasty.”

“I see.”

“Yes.”

That’s good then.

It’s worth sacrificing some lifespan for this. I’m serious.

“Well, we’ve done most of what we planned to do. What do we do now? Do we go home?”

After finishing the sweets, I sipped my coffee and asked.

“Don’t you want to do something, Nii-san? I’ll go with you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

I appreciate that.

“Then—”

We went to a phone shop in the same mall.

“Ah… I finally have a smartphone in my hand…!”

Once out of the shop, I put down the luggage and held up one of the most indispensable civilisational tools for a modern man…

We haven’t seen each other in a week.

“Good for you, Nii-san.”

“Yeah… We ended up staying out a bit longer, sorry.”

“No, since you’ve been kind enough to accompany me for shopping in the first place, it’s only natural for me to return the favor.”

Fortunately there was a fair amount of money in Takuma’s account. This time I used it to sign up for the latest smartphone model.

“Nii-san, Nii-san.”

Tsumugi took out her phone.

“Let’s exchange contact details!”

“Ah… Right.”

“I’m your first friend~”

A notification popped up, and Tsumugi’s name was added to the top of my contact list.

[I’ll be in your care, Nii-san.]

The message was immediately accompanied by a single animal stamp.

The exchange feels somewhat awkward and uncomfortable.

Come to think of it, the only message exchanges I’ve had in a previous life have been work-related…

After wondering how I should reply…

[Yeah, me too.]

I replied in a safe way, and Tsumugi smiled happily at me.

This really completes today’s errands.

In terms of what I want, it would be a PC, but for now, let’s put that on hold. I want to play eroge, but right now I need to focus on real-life matters… And I don’t have the courage to play them with Tsumugi in the house.

Let’s go home.

But before that…

“S-Sorry, I need to go to the restroom…”

“Okay. I’ll wait for you here.”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I left my bags on the floor and ran to the toilet.

When you’re not going out alone, it can be difficult to find the right timing to go to the restroom…

☆

“You’re very pretty, missy. Are you alone?”

Shortly after Takuma left the scene, two men came up to Tsumugi.

“…No. I’m waiting for my brother.”

“Eh~ Your brother? Don’t you feel lonely spending your holiday with your family? Wouldn’t it be more fun to play with us?”