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 - 30-31

Chapter 30: Hasumi’s Skinship

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“G-Good morning, Tsunagi.”

Hasumi had been absent yesterday due to a fever and not feeling well, but the next day, or to be precise, today she seemed to have recovered. When I arrived at school, I saw her sitting in my seat as usual. I sat down and greeted Hasumi.

“Good morning, Hasumi. Are you feeling better now?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine now.”

As she said that, Hasumi started fiddling with her stylish earring.

“You say you’re fine, but… Is there something else that’s not okay?”

“It’s not that there’s  something wrong, it’s just…”

When I asked, Hasumi looked away from me with a blush on her cheeks and said.

“Y’know… Yesterday, I asked you to stay with me, to lie down beside me, and in the end, I even hugged you… Th-That was just because I had a fever and my judgment was impaired or something, okay? I mean…  You didn’t hate it, did you?”

“It’s not like I hated it. You had a fever, so I can understand wanting to lean on someone a little. I mean, I obviously couldn’t lie down beside you or anything, but compared to that, getting hugged by you was no big deal.”

“…I see. Then…”

Hasumi smiled faintly and suddenly hugged me from behind as I sat.

“H-Hasumi!?”

“Tsunagi, you just said that being hugged by me is no big deal, right? So that means it’s okay if I hug you whenever I want now, right?”

“That was based on the assumption that you had a fever and were looking for comfort! You just said earlier that you’re feeling better—!”

“I’m still recovering, so if you ask whether I’m 100% recovered or not, then I can say I’m not… In fact, I might get a fever again from stress or something.”

“Come on…! If you’re just doing this because you find my reaction funny, you should try something else. If it’s just once, people might see it as friends messing around, but if you keep doing it, it could cause problems for you too, Hasumi.”

“…Haa.”

Hasumi let out a sigh, sounding exasperated for some reason, and let go of me.

“You’re really dense.”

She muttered something right after, but her voice was so quiet I couldn’t make out what she said…

Ah, right.

“By the way, have you talked to your friends already? It seemed like they left it to me to bring the handouts to your house.”

“Yeah, we were already messaging last night… When I told them you came over, they kept grilling me about what happened.”

“What do you mean ‘what happened’? I went to deliver the handouts, so I delivered the handouts. That’s all.”

When I said that, Hasumi let out another sigh and then she hugged me tightly once more.

“Hasumi!?”

“Among girl friends, this kind of physical contact is totally normal, so I’ll do it with you too… I mean, you even came into my room, so it’s fine, right?”

“I went into your room just to deliver the handouts! And you’re not the type to do this kind of skinship—”

“Then I’ll become the type who does it, but only for Tsunagi.”

“What!?”

In the end, Hasumi hugged me multiple times that day, making it a rather troublesome day for me… Looking back, it was hard to believe that just two days ago, Hasumi had been avoiding me. But… The reason Hasumi was acting like that today was, like she said, because she was still recovering… Right?

Hoping that she’d be back to normal tomorrow, I walked home with her part of the way after school. We parted at the fork in the road, and I headed home.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back, Tsumugu!”

When I got home, my big sister greeted me with her usual cheerful smile. That ever-familiar bright smile really hit the spot after a tiring day like today.

While eating dinner, I told my big sister about what had happened today. At first, she looked a little uneasy, but she soon smiled again and talked to me like always… Lately, I felt like she had been showing that uneasy face more often, but I was determined to celebrate her birthday extravagantly to bring out that bright smile again!

With that resolution, I started looking forward to my big sister’s birthday even more.

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Chapter 31: Onee-san’s Misunderstanding

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“…What should I get her this year?”

It was now October, and with less than a month left until my big sister’s birthday, I was at a large shopping mall nearby on my day off, thinking about what present to get her this year.

Last time I planned a surprise for my big sister, I went to Hasumi for advice, but since it was my big sister’s birthday, I wanted to celebrate it with something I thought of myself. That was why I had come to the mall alone today.

“So far I’ve given her a month’s worth of her favorite sweets, a cute-looking mug, and a picture frame because I wanted her to have something to remember things by…”

Every year around this time, I racked my brain over what my big sister might be happy to receive… Though to be precise, she always appreciated whatever I gave her. So rather than what might make her happy, I tried to think about what she might actually want.

…The problem was, my big sister didn’t really have anything that could be called a hobby. If I had to say, she was in the habit of studying, reading, and light exercise. So the first things that came to mind were stationery or books.

“…But that doesn’t feel quite right.”

She would still be happy, I was certain of that, but she was starting college next year, so I wanted something that would really suit her—

“That’s it.”

An idea suddenly came to me, so I headed to the part of the shopping mall where I could find what I had just thought of. It was a jewelry store that sold everything from earrings to clip-ons to necklaces.

“Nee-san is beautiful, but she doesn’t really know about this kind of thing, and she doesn’t own any either—so giving her something like this is perfect.”

After browsing the accessory store for a while, I felt someone’s gaze on me. When I looked in that direction, I saw Hasumi’s Onee-san there.

“…Huh? Hasumi’s Onee-san?”

“That’s right! Finally noticed me~? What a coincidence! So you’re into accessories too, Tsunagi-kun? If you’re looking for something, want me to help?”

Hasumi’s Onee-san was dressed fashionably as always. She was donned in a white coat and a beige skirt, along with stylish earrings that were different from the ones I’d seen before. She was, as ever, a very fashionable and pretty person.

“I appreciate the offer, but I want to choose it on my own today. Also, I’m not really interested in accessories. It’s a gift for someone.”

“A gift? …Wait, for me!? I’m not so broke I need a high schooler to give me presents~! Or… is there something you want me to do in exchange for the gift?~”

“It’s not for you, it’s for my Nee-san.”

I clearly corrected Hasumi’s Onee-san, who had jumped to a wild conclusion.

“Ah~! So you have a big sister~! Sorry, sorry, wrong sister~! Oh, speaking of sisters… How’s my little sister Sumire doing these days?”

“…These days?”

“You know! Back in September when Sumire had a fever, you went to her room under the pretense of bringing her the class handouts, right?”

“Please don’t call it a pretense. I really was just delivering the handouts… But what about it?”

“Don’t you get it~? So, a high school boy and girl, alone in a room, and Sumire was in bed, right? You two didn’t do anything you shouldn’t have as ‘just friends,’ did you?”

“There’s no way we would—”

I was about to deny it, but then a certain scene floated into my mind. I had been sitting on Hasumi’s bed, and then she, running a high fever, had hugged me from behind. And lately, it had become normal for Hasumi to hug me as a form of skinship of sorts.

…Something inappropriate.

It didn’t feel right to lie to Hasumi’s Onee-san, so I decided to tell her the truth.

“…We did.”

“Ehhh~~~!? No way!?”

Hasumi’s Onee-san looked absolutely shocked. Then, leaning in close, she asked.

“I think that was Sumire’s first time, but what about you, Tsunagi-kun!?”

Except for my big sister, I had never been hugged by anyone before—and you probably wouldn’t count siblings in a situation like this anyway.

“…It was my first time too.”

“Is that so~! I thought she might’ve been too weak from the fever for that kind of thing, but how was it?”

“‘How was it’…? Actually, it was Hasumi who asked me to do it. She said it would make her feel safe.”

“From Sumire!? I can’t even picture that, but wow! So what’s it like, doing that kind of thing as friends? Was it thrilling!?”

“Thrilling…? Well, it was the first time a girl hugged me, so in that sense, it definitely made me feel a lot of things, but… I’m not sure I’d call it ‘thrilling.’”

When I said that, Hasumi’s Onee-san froze. …And after freezing, she asked hesitantly, almost fearfully.

“Tsunagi-kun… I don’t want to assume, but… when you say ‘your first time,’ you’re not talking about just being hugged, right? You mean… your other first time, right?”

“Huh? I was talking about being hugged for the first time.”

When I said that, Hasumi’s Onee-san shouted.

“Tsunagi-kun, you idiot~! Sumire~! Here I thought I know you better than anyone, Sumire~!” 

And then, she stormed out of the store. …I didn’t really get what that was about, but I went back to choosing the gift and ended up buying something that seemed like it would suit my big sister.

…When I see Hasumi at school on Monday, I should probably apologize—just in case her big sister caused her any trouble.

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