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 - 39-40

Chapter 39: Hasumi Won’t Waver

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

After leaving the movie theater and heading home with Hasumi, I decided to ask her about what had just happened.

“Hasumi, what was that all about earlier?”

“What do you mean? I just said I like you.”

“You mean… Not just as a friend?”

“Right.”

There was no way that Hasumi liked me not as a friend, but as the opposite sex. And yet… 

I see.

“So that’s why you’ve been hugging me lately?”

“Yeah. I mean, normally, if someone did that kind of thing to you, wouldn’t you think, ‘Oh, she’s into me’ or something? I’ve heard that guys often get the wrong idea. Some of them even think a girl likes them just because they made eye contact.”

“To be honest, I never saw you in that way. At least, I never saw you in a romantic way. That’s why I never jumped to the wrong idea… In fact, I still can’t wrap my head around it yet.”

“—You never saw me in that way, huh.”

Hasumi hugged my arm and spoke with a slightly annoyed tone.

“Even when I do something like this, you still don’t see me in that way? Or what—do you only see women as potential love interests if they have a figure like your older sister or something?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I meant that I saw you as a female friend, not as a romantic interest.”

“…Haah, I’m really glad I confessed today. If I hadn’t, things probably would’ve just dragged on like this forever without anything ever happening.”

A brief silence followed… 

A confession. When someone confesses, it’s basic courtesy to give them an answer. …Which means I should—

“You don’t have to give me an answer yet.”

“…Huh?”

It was Hasumi herself—who should’ve wanted a response right away—who said that. …I didn’t have to give an answer?

“Why not?”

“I figured it must’ve surprised you, getting told something like that out of nowhere. I wouldn’t be satisfied getting an answer from someone who’s still in that kind of state.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right.”

If you asked me whether my head and emotions had completely caught up with Hasumi’s confession, I’d have to say, definitely not. So maybe, just like she said, it was still too early to decide on an answer.

“But… I’ve already confessed, so even if we take it easy today, I’m going to start seriously going after you starting tomorrow, Tsunagi.”

“Going after me, huh… I can’t really imagine Hasumi going after someone in that way—especially not me.”

“I may not look it, but I’m actually really devoted and have a lot of love to give. If you take me too lightly, you might regret it.”

Saying that, Hasumi smiled brightly. She had confessed to me, and whatever happened from here on out, something big was definitely going to change between us. …But no matter what happened, I felt like I wanted to treasure my time with Hasumi.

“…Hey, Tsunagi, there’s something I want to ask again.”

“What is it?”

Hasumi tightened her grip on my arm and, cheeks flushed, asked me,

“You complimented my appearance before, right?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“…Do you still think that way? Even now that I like you as a boy? Do you still think I’m pretty?”

“Of course. No matter what kind of relationship we end up in, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re good-looking or that you’re someone important to me.”

“Tsunagi…”

Still blushing, Hasumi looked straight into my eyes. Our gazes met for a few seconds and then she said.

“Can I go ahead and start attacking now?”

“I’d feel very troubled, so please don’t.”

“Then maybe I want to trouble you a little. How about that?”

“Spare me.”

“Hearing that just makes me want to attack you more.”

“Then don’t spare me.”

“Are you sure? Okay, here I go.”

“If you’re going to do it no matter what I say, then there’s no point! Please spare me today!”

“Got it. Then I’ll start tomorrow.”

We reached the fork in the road that led to our homes, and Hasumi let go of my arm. She waved her hand slightly as she spoke.

“See you tomorrow, Tsunagi.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

I watched Hasumi walk off down her path home, but then she turned around and called out to me.

“Tsunagi~! I love you!”

“…!”

With that, Hasumi turned and ran off toward her way home. While feeling just a little embarrassed, I walked home alone.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Chapter 40: Nee-san and Bath

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“I’m home.”

“Welcome back, Tsumugu!!”

When I got home, my big sister greeted me with a noticeably better mood than usual… I wondered if something good had happened.

“You’re in high spirits, Nee-san. Did something happen?”

“Yeah! I’ve been hoping Tsumugu will come home soon and here you are! I’ve been waiting for you!~”

Nee-san always greeted me when I came home, but today it seemed like she was even more eager than usual… Still.

“Why today of all days? Why did you want me to come home early?”

When I asked her that, Nee-san smiled brightly and dropped a bombshell.

“Because! I thought we could take a bath together for the first time in a while today!”

“…Huh?”

That statement hijacked every last bit of my brain’s processing power.

…A bath? Me and Nee-san? At our age?

A bunch of thoughts flashed through my head, but at the very least I could say this for sure.

“Nee-san, I’m in high school now. I can’t take a bath with you anymore.”

“Ehh~! Is that because of what you said before? That you can’t help but see me as a woman now?”

“…Yeah, I can’t possibly harbor impure feelings toward you, Nee-san—”

I tried to refuse using the usual reason—that Nee-san was, and always had been, my big sister. But… Even as I said it, I realized that this rebuttal I had in mind would end up as a failure.  I immediately tried to rephrase it, but Nee-san had already noticed my mistake and went straight for the weak point.

“Good news for you, Tsumugu~! We’re not related by blood, so no matter what you feel toward me, even if you see me as a woman, none of your thoughts will be considered impure!”

“But Nee-san, emotionally speaking,  we’re still—”

“If you still see us as siblings, then you wouldn’t have impure thoughts about me in the first place! Come on! The bath’s gonna get cold, so let’s hurry and get in together!”

“N-Nee-san…!”

Nee-san forcefully dragged me toward the bath and reached for the buttons on my uniform, trying to undress me.

“Nee-san! I can undress myself!”

“If I leave it to you, you’ll just chicken out and not do it, right?”

“…Fine, if you really want to bathe together that badly, I’ll do it. But you need to go in a bit later after me, okay?”

“Really? …If that’s how it is, then I’ll come in about five minutes after you!”

With that, Nee-san left the entrance to the bathroom.

“I guess… I don’t have a choice.”

Technically, we weren’t related by blood, and it was Nee-san  we were talking about. Ethically speaking, taking a bath together with Nee-san should be okay… Probably. Probably?

I told myself that as I took off my clothes, wrapped a towel around my waist, and stepped into the bathroom. A few minutes later, the door to the bathroom opened. Wrapped in a towel covering her entire body, Nee-san appeared.

“Tsumugu, your body’s gotten so much bigger compared to the last time we bathed together.”

“Well… It’s been years since we last bathed together after all.”

I felt incredibly guilty for thinking this, but I should’ve been the one saying you’ve gotten bigger. Of course, I’d gotten taller and bulkier, but as a woman, Nee-san’s body had developed in all the right ways, to a practically flawless degree….I really didn’t know where to look.

“I think I’ve grown quite a bit too, but from your perspective, do I look attractive?”

“…I think you’re very attractive, Nee-san.”

When I answered, she hugged me from behind and whispered:

“Not just as your Nee-san, but me? As a woman?”

“…Nee-san is still Nee-san to me.”

“Hmmm, so you’re saying you only see me as your big sister, and not as a member of the opposite sex?”

“…Yeah.”

When I said that, Nee-san stopped hugging me, and reached for the towel wrapped around her body.

“Then maybe I’ll just take this towel off.”

“…What?”

Of course I was shocked. She then clarified the reasoning behind her insane statement.

“Because if you truly only see me as your Onee-chan, then there shouldn’t be a problem even if I’m not wearing a towel, right? We didn’t use towels back in the day anyway.”

“Th-That’s…”

“Then I’ll just—”

Just as she was about to unwrap her towel, I stopped her hand and said:

“I… I don’t think I can see you just as my sister anymore. So… I’d really appreciate it if you kept the towel on.”

“…! Tsumugu!”

She kept the towel wrapped around her, but this time she hugged me from the front. Just like before, I wouldn’t say what exactly, but the softness of it all was overwhelming, and honestly speaking, I had no idea how to process my emotions right now. 

Completely unaware of how I was feeling, she whispered in my ear while hugging me.

“It’s been a while since we’ve taken a bath together, so let’s enjoy it slowly and have fun—just enough so we don’t overheat.”

“…Yeah.”

After that, Nee-san and I stayed in the bath together for just under an hour. Bathing with Nee-san was fun, but if I had to add one more thing, it would be… Taking a bath with her today made me start seeing her as a member of the opposite sex more than I ever had before.

…Honestly, I’m really worried about what’s coming next.

Even so, after learning the truth, I was honestly happy that I could still enjoy spending time with Nee-san… Or maybe, we were spending more time together than ever before.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー