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 - 26

Chapter 26:Hasumi and The Fireworks Festival

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The fireworks festival venue was packed with people, and there was no way the two of us could leisurely watch the fireworks while sharing our impressions given the crowds.

“It looks like watching from here is going to be tough… I guess we’ll have to find another spot.”

“…”

“Hasumi?”

“Huh? O-oh, yeah, we’ll have to move.”

Hasumi looked like she was in a daze, but quickly responded in a flustered tone… She’d been a bit out of it for a while now. I wondered if something was wrong. But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out, so I just took Hasumi’s hand and led her through the crowd until we reached a place with no people.

“Finally, we made it to a quiet spot, but we can’t see the fireworks from here.”

“…”

Even though I said that aloud, Hasumi didn’t respond and just kept her gaze lowered in silence. I instinctively followed her gaze and saw her feet—and on them, unfamiliar footwear came to my sight… Oh, she was wearing zōri sandals.

Zōri… Oh!

“Sorry, Hasumi, I didn’t realize you were wearing zōri… Did you maybe hurt your feet?”

“My feet…? N-no, I didn’t hurt them or anything, so you don’t have to worry… Sorry, I’m being weird, right? But this is my first time experiencing something like this, and I just can’t get it out of my head.”

“Your first time…?”

When I asked that, Hasumi nodded and explained.

“Yeah… You know, the first time I went out with a boy was with you, Tsunagi and now the fireworks festival too… And, umm… This is my first time holding hands with a boy too… That’s why I keep thinking about it… I can’t get it out of my head.”

“…Holding hands?”

Now that I thought about it, maybe what Hasumi had been looking at earlier wasn’t her zōri, but our joined hands. Our joined hands… Our hands!?

“C-come to think of it, we’ve been holding hands this whole time. We just did it naturally, but if you think about it, it’s kind of weird, right?”

When I said that, flustered, Hasumi gave a small smile and said,

“You’re slow to notice… But the fact that you held my hand so naturally means you didn’t hate holding hands with me, right?”

“It’s not that I hated it or anything… B-but we’ve already gotten through the crowd, so we should probably let go now.”

I tried to let go of her hand as I said that, but Hasumi tightened her grip and didn’t let go.

“Hasumi?”

“There’s a quiet little hidden spot nearby where we can watch the fireworks, but we have to climb a bit of a slope to get there, and in these zōri, I don’t know if I can do it alone… So I want to keep holding your hand, Tsunagi.”

“Are you sure…? You said this was your first time holding hands with a boy.”

“Yeah… But I want it to be you, Tsunagi.”

“I guess I can’t let go now that you’ve said that. So, where’s this hidden spot?”

“Over here.”

And so, hand in hand, Hasumi led the way to the quiet little spot where we could watch the fireworks.

“This is it… Yeah, it does look like we can watch peacefully from here.”

“Yeah.”

The place we arrived at was a sort of unmaintained hilltop near the fireworks festival. On the way up, there were overgrown trees here and there, but we made it without getting hurt. As for the hilltop itself, there was at least a wooden fence in place. There were no benches, but it was more than enough just for watching fireworks.

“They should be starting soon.”

“Considering how long it took to get here, I think it’s about time.”

“…Is it okay if I still hold your hand?”

“Huh? Oh, well, we’re not walking anymore, so there’s no reason to…”

“That’s not what I meant. I was wondering… Tsunagi, have you held hands with a girl before? You seem like you’ve got a bit of experience.”

“There’s no way I’ve had that kind of experience. The only people I’ve ever held hands with are my big sister and… You today, Hasumi.”

“Your big sister…”

Hasumi murmured something quietly. Then, with a serious expression, she began speaking.

“Tsunagi, what kind of things have you done with your sister?”

“What kind of things? Like what?”

“Like… Did she ever pat your head, hug you, things like that.”

“Ah, up until about the lower grades of elementary school, I think that kind of stuff happened, but once I got to middle school, she basically stopped touching me… But if that still counts, then yeah, she used to pat my head, hug me, and even let me lie on her lap sometimes.”

“I see… Then… What about a kiss?”

I was completely stunned by the word that came out of Hasumi’s mouth.

A kiss…!?

“There’s no way I’d ever kiss my blood-related sister, obviously.”

“I see. So you haven’t kissed yet… That part still doesn’t belong to your big sister yet…”

When I gave what I thought was the obvious answer, Hasumi murmured something quietly and in the next instant, with a burst of vivid light, the loud sound of fireworks erupted.

“Hasumi! Fireworks!”

“Yeah… They’re beautiful.”

Hasumi said that while tightening her grip on my hand, just a little. Fireworks… They only happen once a year, and every time I watched them, I found my heart moved by the beautiful sight all over again. 

“…We might not be able to hear each other clearly with all the noise. Can I come a little closer?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

As I said that, Hasumi came closer to me—or rather, pressed herself right up against me. But with the fireworks this loud, maybe it really was necessary to be this close if we wanted to talk with each other.

“Yeah… This feels like the safest place.”

“Safe? Oh, you mean we can hear each other fine?”

“Something like that… Hey, Tsunagi, I’ve made up my mind.”

“You’ve made up your mind? Made up your mind on what?”

The moment I asked, a large firework exploded in the sky, and Hasumi spoke.

“I’m going to create as many firsts with you as I can—so many that even your big sister couldn’t compare.”

After saying that, Hasumi closed her mouth and I asked her.

“Sorry… What did you just say? That last firework went off right when you were talking, so I couldn’t hear.”

“I timed it that way because I didn’t want you to hear… Yet.”

“Huh?”

“Anyway, let’s watch the fireworks. They’re really beautiful, huh?”

“…Yeah, let’s do that.”

What Hasumi said lingered in my mind a little, but fireworks like these only happened now. So, I turned my attention to the breathtaking fireworks filling my field of vision, watching them with Hasumi by my side. And during that time, I became so captivated by the fireworks that I completely forgot I was still holding Hasumi’s hand.

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