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 - 7

Chapter 7: The Bond Between Siblings

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“I’m home.”

“Welcome back, Tsumugu!”

After school, I returned home to find my sister welcoming me, just like always. That beautiful smile of hers hadn’t changed one bit.

“Dinner’s ready, so do you want to eat together in the living room?”

“Sure.”

I placed my school bag and jacket on the sofa and sat down to eat dinner with my sister… White rice, fish, and miso soup. It looked like we were having a traditional Japanese meal today. As I started eating the rice, my sister cut a piece of her fish and held it out toward my mouth.

“Tsumugu, aah~n.”

“Nee-san…!? Wh-What are you doing all of a sudden!?”

“You like fish, don’t you? So I thought I’d give you some.”

“I do like fish, and I appreciate it, but if you’re going to give me fish, just putting it on my plate is more than enough.”

“…Sumire-chan gets to do the whole ‘aah~n’ thing, but I’m not allowed to?”

The moment she said that, I froze.

Hasumi and I, doing aah~n…? Ah. Is she talking about when I was having lunch together with Hasumi during lunch break…? Come to think of it, I think I saw Nee-san walking down the hallway at that time…?

After thinking through a few possibilities, I concluded that she must have seen Hasumi feed me the heart-shaped carrot. If that was the case, this would be quick to explain.

“Nee-san, what Hasumi and I did was just a sign of our friendship. It didn’t mean anything beyond that.”

“A boy and a girl feeding each other like that, and it’s just a token of friendship? Isn’t there maybe… I don’t know, a little something more going on between you two?”

“Something more…? I don’t really know what you mean, but it was honestly just a symbol of friendship.”

When I said that, my big sister nodded once, seeming to accept my explanation… But then she added. 

“But…”

My big sister trailed before continuing.

“If you two can do it as a sign of friendship, then I should be allowed to do it with you as a sign of our sibling bond, right? I used to feed you all the time, and it’s not something to be embarrassed about, is it?”

“Used to… That was a long time ago… But if that’s what you want, then sure, let’s call it a sign of our sibling bond.”

“…Yeah.”

So she said but for some reason, she sounded a bit dejected. She brought the piece of fish closer to my mouth… I suppressed my growing embarrassment and was about to take a bite…. When she suddenly pulled it back and brought it to her own lips, chewing and swallowing it herself.

“Huh…? Nee-san?”

She was the one who offered to feed me, so what happened?

“I can’t do it after all… I still can’t accept the whole ‘sibling bond’ thing.”

Can’t accept it…?

I really couldn’t understand what she was talking about.

“I know it’s strange to say this myself, but… I think we’re actually pretty close as siblings. That’s why I think the idea of a ‘sibling bond’ fits us perfectly… Nee-san, don’t you think we’re close?”

“I do… I do think so. That’s exactly why it’s not okay. I think about it too much, and that’s why it’s not okay… I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t stop thinking that way… Hey, Tsumugu… What do you think someone should do when they start thinking about things they shouldn’t? When they start hoping for things they shouldn’t hope for…?”

“I can’t really think of anything that would count as a wish you shouldn’t have… But I think it’s okay to keep wishing for it until it comes true.”

“What if it’s a wish that could never, ever come true?”

“Even then… If you keep wishing, maybe someday something will happen… Something that you couldn’t have imagined and maybe… Maybe your wish might come true.”

“…That sounds like you, Tsumugu. So kind.”

My big sister looked at me with a gentle expression as she said that. I had no idea what was troubling her or what she was wishing for, but… I found myself hoping that her wish would come true.

Once the mood had calmed down, my big sister hurriedly spoke in her usual flustered tone.

“Ugh… I’m the big sister and I showed you such a pathetic side of me!”

“That wasn’t pathetic at all. You’re always someone I’m proud to call my big sister.”

“Tsumugu…! …Hey, is there anything you want to talk to your big sister about? Anything at all, just tell me!”

“Nothing comes to mind right now… But if I ever do need help with something, I’ll come to you. So please be there for me then.”

“Of course! Anytime! …Okay, let’s forget about the whole ‘sibling bond’ thing for now, and just let me feed you some fish, purely out of kindness, okay?”

“At my age, being fed for no reason is kinda…”

I tried to refuse, but she held the piece of fish right up to my mouth… After about ten seconds of that delicious smell tempting me, I couldn’t hold back anymore, and I took the bite she offered.

“You ate it~! Is it good?”

“…It’s good, but…”

“What’s with that face… Are you sulking? I’m sorry! Here, have some more fish!”

She said that and offered me another piece. I felt a bit resistant to being fed like this twice, so I tried to hold back, but once again, I lost to the aroma and ate it.

After that, my big sister kept offering more, saying things like, “Do you want more? I’ll give you as much as you want!” and by the end of our dinner time, I had eaten about half of her portion of fish and one of my own. She kept smiling at me the whole time, clearly enjoying herself.

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