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 - 6

Chapter 6: Proof of Friendship

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Friday at lunchtime. Lunchtime was the only chance to eat while at school, and I figured there were quite a few students who spent the entire morning thinking about it. I was like that, depending on the day—but today, I felt like eating lunch. So I took out the bento my big sister had made for me and placed it on my desk.

“Tsunagi, want to eat lunch together today?”

“…Huh?”

The one who sat down in the chair beside mine… Well, the original owner of that chair had vanished somewhere a moment ago. The one sitting on that chair right now was Hasumi. 

You might think it was weird to respond with “…Huh?” when a friend invited you to lunch, but what surprised me was that it was Hasumi inviting me, and this would actually be our first time eating lunch together.

“Is it okay not to eat with your usual friends today?”

Hasumi usually spent most of the day with me, except during lunch. At lunch, she was mindful of her same-gender friendships and ate with her female friends, a group of girls with stylish fashion sense.

That’s why I was surprised. That’s why I asked for confirmation.

“Yeah, it’s fun with them and all, but… I just felt like it’s more fun being with you, Tsunagi. And besides, we’ve never eaten lunch together before, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“If you don’t want to eat with me, that’s fine. I just… I just wanted to eat with you at least once, that’s all.”

It was not that I didn’t want to. I was just caught off guard. But once she said that, I didn’t have the luxury of time to feel confused.

“Okay, let’s eat together today.”

“Yeah.”

Hasumi and I opened our bento lids at the same time and picked up our chopsticks. A wonderful aroma spread through the air instantly.

“Tsunagi, did you make that bento yourself?”

“No way… My big sister made it for me.”

“Your sister is beautiful, kind, and she can even cook, huh.”

“Yes. I can confidently say she’s a big sister I’m proud of.”

She was always taking care of me. Maybe I should try planning a surprise for her sometime… Just imagining her happy face made me feel happy too.

“I… I really can’t compete with her.”

“Compete?”

“I’m not pretty like your sister. I’m not kind like her and unlike her, I can’t even express my feelings honestly.”

Hasumi spoke with a tone that mixed resignation and self-mockery.

“I don’t really get it, but Nee-san is Nee-san, and you’re Hasumi. I think you both have your own kind of charm.”

“My own charm…?”

“For example, when you said that just now… I think you’re plenty cute—Uh, I mean, you’re good-looking. And I can tell from your lunch that you’re great at cooking. You’re just a bit awkward with your emotions, but it’s obvious you’re actually kind once someone talks to you.”

After I said that, Hasumi went quiet for a while. I had no intention of sounding all high and mighty like I was lecturing her. But still, as her friend, I wanted to give her an honest perspective. If that could help ease even a little of what she was feeling, I’d be glad.

After a moment of silence, Hasumi finally spoke.

“…Weird. I’ve never shown this side of me to my close friends or even my family. But with you, Tsunagi, I just blurted it all out.”

She looked a little embarrassed… But also happy, somehow.

“If it helps you feel even a bit better, you can blurt out as much as you want with me.”

“Thanks, Tsunagi… And, can I ask you one more thing?”

“Yeah.”

I braced myself, thinking whatever she had to say, if it could help my friend—Hasumi—I’d be ready for it.

“Why did you switch from saying I was cute to saying I was good-looking instead? Don’t you think that was super weird?”

“…Huh? That’s…. No, I mean, isn’t there anything else you want to ask from me?”

“Nope.”

“What!?”

“…Kidding. There is.”

With that, Hasumi picked up a small, heart-shaped piece of carrot from her bento with her chopsticks and held it out to me.

“It took a lot of effort to cut this, so I’m giving it to you as thanks.”

“Are you sure…?”

“Yeah… Eat it.”

And so, I took the heart-shaped carrot Hasumi offered and popped it into my mouth. The carrot was slightly soft and had a touch of sweetness.

“Is it good?”

“It’s good. Thanks.”

“If you ever want more, just say so… Heart-shaped carrots, I mean.”

After saying that, Hasumi averted her face from me for a while and started eating her lunch.

Objectively speaking, it was the typical “say ahh” kind of gesture—but given the situation, it was fair to interpret that moment as a proof of friendship instead.

“…Hm?”

For just a second, I thought I saw my big sister walking down the hallway…

But come to think of it, we go to the same school. It’s not weird for me to see her at school. 

I decided not to dwell on it and continued eating lunch with Hasumi and a few hours later, the end of the school day came.

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