The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 41

“Hey, big brother! How’ve you been?”

I was relaxing with Shirafuji when I got a call from my younger sister, Tansui.

Wondering if something had happened, I answered the phone, and the first thing I heard was her usual high-energy voice.

“It’s been a while, Tansui Ami. Glad to hear you’re doing well as always. Are you on summer break too?”

“Yup, started a little while ago. It’s scorching over here! Not as bad as over there, though. You know Tansui doesn’t handle the heat well.”

“You’re in your third year of middle school, but you still call yourself ‘Tansui-chan’? Isn’t that a bit much?”

“It’s just a joke, just for fun. Maybe it’s like showing my girly side only to you, big brother?”

She answered with a laugh, clearly enjoying herself.

If only she’d consider how her teasing feels for me.

Well, after everything she helped me with in the past, I admit I’m pretty soft on Tansui.

“Anyway, here’s the main point. Big brother, you’re coming home for Obon, right? You couldn’t make it for New Year’s, so I was wondering.”

It turned out she wanted to talk about my plans for coming back home.

I live alone far from home while attending high school, so I try to return during long breaks.

But I hadn’t been able to go back this New Year’s. The Shinkansen I had booked got canceled due to heavy snow.

My family home is in Tohoku, where snow during New Year’s is the norm. Because of that, I haven’t been home yet this year.

I met Mom during the parent-teacher meeting, but I wonder how Dad and Tansui are doing.

From her voice on the phone, Tansui seems to be doing just fine.

“I was planning to come back. I might not stay long, though.”

“Hmm. Are you worried about your girlfriend?”

“…Why do you know about Shirafuji?”

“Mom told me! She said you got yourself an incredibly cute girlfriend.”

Mom… Never mind.

From the moment Shirafuji met her, I knew the whole family would hear about it.

Tansui is probably grinning mischievously right now. Obviously, not in a good way.

“I never thought you’d get a girlfriend, big brother… Well, not that I’m saying it’s impossible. But I still have my doubts. Mom tends to get ahead of herself sometimes, you know? Are you sure you’re not being deceived?”

“I’m not being deceived. Relax.”

“That sounded a bit suspicious, but okay, I’ll let it go. Still, I’m curious about this rumored girlfriend of yours.”

“…Are you asking me to bring her when I visit?”

“To put it simply, yes. Mom and Dad already said it’s fine.”

I expected Mom to be fully on board, but even Dad?

Knowing Tansui, not bringing Shirafuji might cause more trouble.

…Or maybe leaving her alone would be worse?

“I’ll ask her. But don’t complain if she says no.”

“Got it, big brother. Tansui-chan is very understanding.”

“Don’t say that about yourself.”

“If you keep being fussy, your beloved little sister might start to hate you.”

“Who says you’re beloved?”

“Then, do you hate me?”

“…Sometimes, I think you’re annoying.”

I don’t hate her, and I’ll admit I love her as family. But it feels frustrating to say it outright, so I reply vaguely.

Tansui cried out, “That’s so mean!” but I ignored her.

“See you during Obon, okay? You better be there!”

Her cheerful voice came through at the end before she hung up.

She’s noisy, but somehow, it’s comforting.

“Was that your sister on the phone?”

At that moment, Shirafuji, who had been nearby listening, spoke up. She hadn’t left my side the entire call.

“She was asking about my plans for Obon. I was planning to go home anyway, but…”

“You’re wondering what to do about me, right? I caught parts of the conversation.”

“Yeah. So, what do you think, Shirafuji? Would you come with me? I’d feel bad leaving you alone, but I also don’t want to force you. If you’d prefer to come, though—”

“I’ll go. Please let me. I can do it.”

Shirafuji moved closer, her expression earnest.

“Okay. But are you sure?”

“Thank you for being considerate. But I don’t have a home to go back to. I don’t consider my family home a place I belong to.”

Since Shirafuji doesn’t get along with her family, I didn’t think she’d return home for Obon. It seems I was right.

To hear her say outright that she doesn’t see it as her home shows just how little she expects from her family.

But her eyes seemed lonely.

I know she doesn’t completely reject the idea of family. Her fake relationship with me might even be a way to fill that gap.

“We’ll keep living together during summer break, but even after that, you can always come here. I already gave you a spare key. It might not be much, but I’ll always say, ‘Welcome home.’”

Seeing her look so lonely didn’t sit well with me.

I wanted to cheer her up, even a little. When I said that, her tense expression softened, as if she understood my intention.

“…Thank you. I’ll take you up on that. But, if possible, I’d like to be the one saying, ‘Welcome home.’”

“That might happen someday. For now, it’ll mostly be my turn this summer. You’re a homebody, after all. Why not join me for morning runs?”

“Only occasionally, if that’s okay. On cloudy, cooler days. I’m already out of shape and lack stamina, so I get all sweaty after running.”

For now, the younger sister, Tansui-chan, only has a voice role.