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 - 13-14

Chapter 13: The Big Sister I’m Proud Of

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“I’m ho─”

“Tsumugu~!”

Just as I was about to say my usual “I’m home,” my big sister came rushing at me at an incredible speed. She grabbed both my shoulders, and said… 

“Tsumugu… You kept your promise with Onee-chan and came home before it got dark! I’m so happy~!”

“I didn’t want to make you worry… But, I mean, I’m already a second-year high school student, not an elementary schooler. Even if I came home a bit late, I’d rather you don’t worry about me that much…”

I appreciated my big sister’s concern, but now that I was in high school, I didn’t want her to worry more than necessary. Hence why I said that to her. In response, she let go of my shoulders and said.

“I would worry if Tsumugu didn’t come home until late at night, but that’s not what I meant just now… More importantly! With Sumire-chan… Did anything unusual happen with Sumire-chan?”

As I took off my shoes, I answered her question.

“Her clothes were different than usual, but besides that, I think everything was pretty normal. Watching a movie together was probably the only first if we’re talking about anything unusual.”

“…Yeah! I’m relieved to see that you’re acting like usual, Tsumugu! I can run the bath, but since dinner’s already ready, why don’t we eat first?”

“Let’s do that.”

Right after getting home, I couldn’t quite read my big sister’s mood, but she seemed to have returned to her usual self, which was a relief. I sat down to eat dinner with her.

“Did you have fun going out with Sumire-chan?”

I chewed a piece of fried chicken thoroughly, swallowed it, and replied.

“Yeah, it was fun.”

“Which is more fun, being with me or being with her?”

That question was way too difficult, and I instinctively froze with my chopsticks in midair. Being with my big sister or with Hasumi… which was more fun? …It was truly hard to answer.

My big sister and I had been together since the day I was born. We had a deep family bond. Hasumi and I only started getting close this spring, but in that short time, she had become an irreplaceable friend to me. To choose between them—which time was more enjoyable—was something I just couldn’t do.

“Nee-san is Nee-san, and Hasumi is a precious friend of mine, so… Even if I say both are fun… The kind of fun I have with you two is different, I think.”

“I see… What kind of person am I to you, Tsumugu?”

That question—I could answer that right away. I told her exactly what I always honestly felt, without hiding anything.

“To me, you’re kind and capable. You’re always there to help me whenever I’m in trouble. You’re full of respect and familial love and bonds… You’re the big sister I’m most proud of in the whole world.”

“…!”

After hearing my words, my big sister looked a little surprised for a moment—then, after a short pause, she smiled and said.

“Tsumugu~! You’re so good at making your Onee-chan happy!”

“I just said what I was thinking.”

“There you go again~! That made me really happy. Thank you!”

“Yeah… Oh right, what kind of person am I to you, Nee-sa—”

“Ah! I forgot to bring the soy sauce! I’ll go grab it!”

With that, she hurried off to the kitchen. …She had just asked me what I was to her, and I thought about asking the same in return. But maybe I didn’t need to after all.

“…Tsumugu… It’s okay. Your ‘most proud of in the world’ Onee-chan thinks of you as the most important little brother in the world too… She’d never fall in love with you as a boy, or think about marrying you and living happily ever after… Because your ‘most proud of in the world’ Onee-chan would never… Think something like that…And even though she knows… She mustn’t think about it…”

While I continued eating alone for a bit, I noticed the soy sauce had already been placed on the edge of the table, so I called out loud enough for her to hear from the kitchen.

“Onee-san! The soy sauce was on the edge of the table!”

When I said that, she came rushing back and said.

“I must’ve put it on the edge! I was so surprised when I couldn’t find it, but now that I know, it turned out I had placed it there after all! Ah~ Even though it was right in front of my eyes!”

“Yeah… Huh? Nee-san, your eyes look a little wet?”

“Do they?”

She casually dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. After that, the wetness around her eyes disappeared… The wetness disappeared so easily that I figured maybe it had just been my imagination.

“Sorry, maybe I was just imagining it.”

“No, no, don’t worry about it! Let’s enjoy dinner together!”

And so, while she told me about the secret ingredients in tonight’s meal, I happily ate the food my big sister had made, together with her.

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Chapter 14: My Best Friend

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“Morning, Tsunagi.”

When the weekend ended and I returned to school, Hasumi was, as usual, sitting at my desk. …However, there was one thing that wasn’t quite the same.

“Good morning… Hasumi, you’re not wearing your blazer around your waist today?”

“Yeah, it’s starting to get hot, so I figured I don’t need it anymore. Looks like it’s finally the right season for this summer skirt.”

Hasumi said that as she lightly brushed her skirt with her hand. It wasn’t like her fashion sense diminished with the absence of her blazer—far from it. In its place, she had unbuttoned the second button of her polo shirt and was wearing a pendant there.

If one stylish element was gone, she made sure to compensate with another. Hasumi was practically the textbook example of how to maintain a fashionable appearance.

“…Tsunagi, are you sexually frustrated or something?”

“Wrong! I was just… I can see that your fashion style has changed from what you usually wear at school, that’s all…”

“Just kidding… I mean, it doesn’t really matter either way…”

Hasumi muttered that in a small voice.

It doesn’t matter either way?

I didn’t understand what she meant by that, but it didn’t seem like something worth pressing her about, so I let it go.

“By the way, Saturday was fun. Thanks.”

Changing the subject, I brought up what had happened on Saturday.

“I had fun too.”

“It was my first time going out alone with a girl, aside from my big sister, so I was a little nervous at first, but once we were there, it was nothing but fun. I’m really glad we went together last Saturday.”

“I see… Aside from your big sister, huh.”

Hasumi seemed a bit down.

“Hasumi? Something wrong?”

“Huh? N-no, it’s nothing… Tsunagi, have you ever been in love with someone? I don’t mean like as a friend or a sibling, I mean romantically.”

“No… I’ve lived a life completely unrelated to romance.”

“So, does that mean you’ve never had a girlfriend either?”

“Of course not.”

I mean, sure, I’ve wanted a girlfriend… One girlfriend, of course. Not two girlfriends. Two-timing is bad after all. But lately… With Hasumi and my big sister around, I don’t feel that way as strongly as I used to.

“What about you, Hasumi? You seem like you’d have a lot of experience.”

“I’ve never had a boyfriend… But I’ve had someone I liked before.”

Hasumi turned her face away from me as she said that. Hasumi had someone she liked… I couldn’t even begin to imagine it, but I could easily picture that person being someone just as stylish as she was.

“…Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“What am I to you, Tsunagi?”

“What are you…?”

I felt like my big sister had asked me something similar recently, but I pushed that aside for now and focused on answering Hasumi’s question.

“To me, Hasumi, you’re kind, dependable, fun to be around… You’re the first female friend I’ve made and I’ve never gotten this close to anyone before… I think you’re my best friend.”

After I said that, there was a slightly awkward pause, and then Hasumi finally spoke.

“…I think of you as an important friend too, Tsunagi.”

The pause must’ve been because she was debating whether or not to say those words.

“Th-thanks… Hearing you say that out loud kinda makes me blush.”

“…But Tsunagi, you stare at your friend’s chest and stuff though.”

“Che-chest…? You’re still going on about that!? I told you, that was a misunderstanding!”

As I frantically tried to explain myself, Hasumi smiled just a little and said.

“I’m just teasing you… We should probably get to our seats now. See you later.”

“Yeah…”

I felt like I was already exhausted, and the day had barely started. But I had to keep moving forward.

“We’re friends… Friends… I get it, Tsunagi. I think so too… You said I’m not just a friend, I’m your best friend… So I guess I have to be satisfied with just that, right…? Tsunagi, you’re kind and cool, and you’re the type of a guy I just can’t ignore, but sometimes you have this inner strength to stand your ground… You have this charm that words alone can’t describe. You’re attractive as a man to me and you’re kind and cool and… Tsunagi… I’m sorry. Just being friends isn’t enough for me…”

That day, we spent time deciding the roles and events for the upcoming cultural festival, which was now only a week away, and the school day came to an end. I had a slight feeling that something was off with Hasumi all day, but I brushed it off, thinking sometimes people were bound to act differently and just like that, I went home alone.

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