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 - 53-54

Chapter 53: Hasumi’s Wish

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“Morning, Tsunagi.”

“Morning, Hasumi… It’s been a while. We last met on our New Year’s shrine visit, huh?”

Winter break, which had lasted for about two weeks, had come to an end, and the third term was starting today… And just like always, on the first day of the new term, Hasumi was standing near my seat, waiting for me.

“Yeah, I was really surprised back then. I didn’t think I’d run into you there.”

“Do you go with your sister for hatsumōde every year?”

“She invites me every year, so… I go, sort of.”

She sounded like she only went because she had to, but the fact that she still went every year meant that, in her own way, Hasumi probably did care about her big sister.

“I see. I go with my big sister every year too.”

“I see… So, what did you pray for, Tsunagi?”

“I prayed that I could spend another fun year with my big sister and with you, Hasumi… Though, thinking about it now, I haven’t even given either of you a reply to your confessions yet, so maybe I shouldn’t have prayed for something like that.”

“A reply…”

When I brought up the confession I’d been avoiding recently, Hasumi looked thoughtful for a moment before she spoke.

“I know it’s weird to say this after confessing, but… Yeah. I guess when you confess to someone, a reply comes eventually, huh.”

“Normally, you’d respond right away, or at least within a few days… But I still haven’t been able to find an answer even after I spent my days mulling over it.”

“I’m the one who told you it was okay not to answer right away, so I’m not bothered by it. Besides… Even without a reply, just spending time like this with you makes me happy. If giving me an answer means I won’t get to be with you like this anymore… Then I don’t want to hear it.”

“Hasumi…”

Unable to say anything, I could only imagine Hasumi’s feelings, and that made my chest tighten. Then, as if realizing she’d said too much, she added quickly,

“Sorry, that kind of talk probably makes it even harder to give a reply. Really, don’t worry about me. Take your time. Whenever you figure out your answer, just tell me then, okay? …But, there’s one thing I want to tell you.”

Saying that, Hasumi touched my right hand with her left, and continued.

“Up until now, my New Year’s prayers were always for things I wanted or vague dreams, but this year, what I prayed for was to have another fun year with you, Tsunagi. That’s how much I want to be with you… Just being with you. That’s my only wish.”

“……”

“So even though I really do want to stay by your side forever… At least until you’ve decided on your reply, please stay with me.”

“…Alright.”

When I gave her that answer, Hasumi hugged me. …I didn’t have the right to hug her back, so all I could do was let her hold me like that. …I probably could have said more to her. But when I hadn’t even sorted out my own feelings yet, anything I said would have been meaningless. So for now, I simply accepted Hasumi’s feelings in silence. 

Then, that afternoon after school.

“Tsunagi, since it’s the first day of the term and they let us go early. Would you like to come to my place and have lunch together?”

“Lunch…?”

“Yeah. My big sister said, ‘Since you’re off early, why don’t you invite Tsunagi-kun and her Onee-chan for a hot pot together?’ So I figured I’d invite you for lunch..”

“I see… Well, since classes just ended, my big sister probably hasn’t made lunch yet. I’ll contact her.”

When I contacted my big sister, she was immediately excited, replying, “Hot pot at Sumire-chan’s place!? I’m in! Totally in!” And so it was decided. Hasumi, her big sister, my big sister, and I would have nabe together. Hasumi didn’t seem to think too highly of her sister, but she did praise her looks and cooking skills, so getting to eat her hot pot was something I could genuinely look forward to.

Expecting that this would turn out to be a really fun first day of the third term, Hasumi, my big sister, and I headed together to Hasumi’s house.

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Chapter 54: Hasumi’s Onee-san’s Curiosity

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“I’m home.”

When the three of us stepped into Hasumi’s house and she said that, her older sister appeared from the direction of the living room, wearing a very cheerful expression on her face.

“You’re here~! Come on in, come on in! We’re having a hot pot party today!”

“Akari-san, thank you for having us.”

“Thank you for having us.”

Following my big sister’s lead, I also greeted her, and the three of us were invited into Hasumi’s home and headed straight into the living room… There, on top of the living room table, sat a large pot already filled with plenty of ingredients.

We each took a seat around the pot, and Hasumi’s Onee-san lit the burner under it and said.

“Since we’ve got some time before the pot gets warm, why don’t we talk about stuff~? Or rather, forget ‘why don’t we’—I’ve had something I’ve been dying to ask Tsunagi-kun and Tsunagi-kun’s Onee-chan for a while now! And I feel like today’s finally the day I can ask it, so can I!?”

She used to call my sister “onee-san,” but somewhere along the way it became “onee-chan.” Not that it was anything worth getting hung up on, but maybe it meant the distance between them was slowly shrinking.

Still… There’s something she’s been wanting to ask?

“What kind of question do you want to ask?”

As expected, my big sister seemed to have the same doubt as I did and asked Hasumi’s Onee-san in return… Then, Hasumi’s Onee-san looked between me and my big sister with sparkling eyes and said.

“Tsunagi-kun, you and your onee-chan are not like your average siblings, you know? So, like, what is the true nature of your relationship!?”

Ah… now that she mentioned it, I think she said something similar when she bumped into us during our Christmas shopping…

“I think when you asked something like that before, I told you to ask Hasumi, didn’t I? So you didn’t ask her?”

“Things like that are way more interesting to hear directly than secondhand! So, so!? What is this siblingy but not just siblings kind of vibe you two have going on!?”

While Hasumi’s Onee-san pressed us cheerfully, my big sister answered with a calm demeanor.

“It’s simple. I like Tsumugu as someone of the opposite sex. That’s probably why it looks that way to you, Akari-san.”

“Kya~! Wait, wait!”

Still seated, Hasumi’s sister happily kicked her legs under the table.

“Sumire! Did you hear that!? It’s just like the forbidden love you see in dramas! And it’s real~! Aah~! If I were a guy, or if you were a guy, Sumire, we totally would’ve fallen into forbidden love too~!”

“As if.”

“So cold~!”

They were still the complete opposite of each other and yet, they were somehow perfectly in sync. Must be the power of sisterhood.

“Akari-san, I used to think it was a forbidden love too, but recently we found out that Tsumugu and I aren’t actually related by blood, so it’s not forbidden anymore.”

“Huh!? R-Really!? …You two live in the same house right now, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you, Tsunagi-kun’s Onee-chan, like him?”

“That’s right.”

“…So, the two of you at night─”

Just as Hasumi’s Onee-san was about to say something, Hasumi covered her big sister’s mouth and said.

“We’re about to eat, so can you not talk about stuff like that?”

“Mmm! Mmmmmmm! …Mmm.”

Once Hasumi’s big sister quieted down. Hasumi gently removed her hand from her sister’s mouth… and right then, the pot started bubbling as it came to a boil.

“Looks like it’s warmed up already─oh shoot! I only got the pot ready and forgot to bring out the other chopsticks and plates and stuff! I’ll go grab them real quick, so just wait a second!”

With that, Hasumi’s sister quickly got up… Then, as if something she had just remembered something, she added again. 

“Oh yeah, there’s a cardboard box in the kitchen I’ve been meaning to move for ages. Since you’re a guy, Tsunagi-kun, can you give me a hand?”

“Sure. I’ll help.”

“Thanks~!”

And so, Hasumi’s big sister and I headed to the kitchen together.

“Where’s that cardboard box you mentioned─”

“Tsunagi-kun, there’s something I want to ask. Is that okay~?”

“Uh? Yeah, that’s fine… What is it?”

“─Did Sumire already confess her feelings to you?”

“…Huh?”

I was so taken aback by the sudden shift in the tone of the conversation that I froze for a moment.

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