The Case Where I Found Out My Big Sister with a Brother Complex Was Actually My Stepsister, Tried to Hide It, but She Found Out Immediately and Became Uncontrollable - 12

Chapter 12: Spending the Day with Hasumi

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“I got here early.”

Today was the first time I was going out with Hasumi on a day off. Since this was the first time I’d interacted with Hasumi outside of school, I felt a little nervous—but given that it was Hasumi we were talking about, it also felt like that nervousness wasn’t necessary.

I arrived at the meeting place about ten minutes earlier than the agreed time and waited for Hasumi… Five minutes later. A familiar person, dressed in an unfamiliar outfit, approached me.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?”

“I just got here, so don’t worry about it.”

“Good.”

“……”

It was my first time seeing Hasumi in casual clothes, and as expected, they were stylish. She wore a white top with a slightly sheer beige cardigan, paired with white wide-leg pants.

“Aren’t you looking at me kind of lewdly?”

“Eh…!? That’s not what I meant! It’s just that it’s my first time seeing you in casual clothes, and I thought you looked really fashionable, like always.”

“I’m just kidding. Thank you.”

Saying that, Hasumi smiled gently. Speaking of which, Hasumi was wearing earrings again today, just like usual, but…

“Are those different earrings than usual?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… I wear round ones at school, but on days off I like to wear something a bit more sparkly like this.”

“I see… They suit you. I think those earrings look good on you.”

“Thanks… I didn’t expect you to notice the earrings, so I was kind of surprised.”

“I look at you every day, so of course I’d notice.”

“Every day…!?”

Hasumi reacted with surprise to the word every day. I didn’t know why she was surprised, but I decided to clarify just in case.

“We see each other at school every day, right? Even if we don’t see each other on weekends, we’re together almost every day, so of course I’d notice.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant…”

Hasumi took a deep breath and said.

“For me, anywhere’s fine as long as I get to spend time with Tsunagi today. But just standing around chatting isn’t great, so why don’t we go somewhere first?”

“Let’s do that.”

Hasumi and I began walking, looking around the city for a place that felt comfortable enough to settle into. And while we walked, I remembered something I forgot to mention and brought it up to Hasumi.

“I forgot to say this earlier, but I won’t be able to stay out until the evening with you today.”

Why? Because my big sister had said, ‘It’s fine if you go out with Sumire-chan, but make sure to be home by night! If you stay out too late, I’ll start worrying about all sorts of things! All sorts!’ And I agreed, knowing that staying out late would only worry her.

“Evening…!?”

Hasumi, for some reason, reacted with shock again.

“Yeah, is something wrong with that?”

“N-No, it’s just… The evening… huh? I mean, I wasn’t expecting anything so sudden today or anything, and I haven’t prepared for anything… But, if Tsunagi wants that, I’m okay with it… So, um, when would you want to…?”

“…When?”

Hasumi asked with her cheeks flushed, but I had no idea what she was actually asking.

“Are you trying to make me say it…?”

“Sorry, my comprehension is probably just bad, but I really don’t get what you’re talking about, Hasumi… I just meant that my big sister told me to come home by evening, so I can’t spend that time with you. That’s all. So, when you asked ‘when is good’… What exactly do you mean…?”

When I asked her that, Hasumi blushed even deeper than before and quickly walked ahead to the café in front of us.

“H-Hasumi?”

“L-Let’s go to that café! A friend of mine said it has a relaxing atmosphere and that she wanted to go again, so I think it’s a good choice. That friend is into café hopping, so I trust her recommendation.”

“…If that’s the case, then I’m fine with it.”

Hasumi’s momentum was strong, so I just went along with it and followed her into the café. By the time we ordered drinks and sat down, Hasumi had already returned to her usual self and seemed much calmer.

“Are you okay now?”

“Yeah, sorry…”

“No need to apologize.”

I replied, then took a sip from the straw in my coffee. It was a coffee with a name I didn’t recognize, and my curiosity had led me to order it. I wondered what it would taste like—

“Bitter…”

A bitterness so strong it felt like it coated not just my mouth but my entire body. I could handle mildly bitter things, but this was way too much.

“You should get something drinkable… Want me to add syrup?”

“Yeah, please.”

With a gentle expression, Hasumi took the syrup and added it to my coffee.

“…It still might be bitter. Want me to taste it first?”

“You sure?”

“…Yeah.”

Saying that, Hasumi picked up the tumbler with my coffee in it, paused for a moment, then brought her lips to the straw and took a sip. Then, blushing a little, she said.

“…It’s sweet.”

“Really? Thanks.”

I thanked Hasumi, and she handed the tumbler back to me, so I put my mouth to the straw and…

“Bitter! H-Hasumi! It’s still really bitter!”

“R-Really? I thought it was sweet…”

“In what universe is this sweet!?”

Feeling desperate, I added two more packets of syrup and finally got the coffee to a drinkable level… Coffee should always be mildly sweet. As I drank the coffee, I noticed Hasumi watching my mouth the whole time for some reason.

“Is there something on my mouth?”

“Huh? No, nothing… Wait, yeah, there is.”

“Ah, I didn’t notice there was something.”

I quickly pulled out a tissue I’d brought and started wiping my mouth.

“No, Tsunagi… That won’t get it off… Right now it’s only indirect, but someday… It’ll be even harder to remove…”

After that, Hasumi and I watched a movie, then talked about the movie and other things at another café. As the day got later, we decided to head home before it got too dark.

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