The Daily Life of the Cat-Like Sister and Her Foolish Elder Brother - Chapter 15: Of Course—Because You’re My Top Priority, My Absolute Number One!

“Tsukasa, look at this!”

“What is it?”

“This chocolate is adorable! Don’t you think it’s appealing? I’m kind of drawn to it.”

“Oh.”

“Last year was a bit unusual, so I thought I’d go for something more traditional this time. Personally, I think it’s difficult for traditional Japanese confectionery shops to jump on the bandwagon. That one was delicious too, though.”

“Hm…”

“Or… should we try something different? Like this one. It’s chocolate made by a sake brewery.”

“Um, Yayoi…”

“Yeah?”

“Why am I… being endlessly shown a magazine featuring Valentine’s chocolate specials…?”

In the early days of chilly February, after finishing my manuscript, I was lounging in the kotatsu, engrossed in reading. Naturally, my younger sister returned from university and joined me, as if it were a matter of course.

…Ultimately, since returning home, this has become a habit for us this winter. Despite attempting to stop it several times, each time I ended up relenting when she looked at me with teary eyes. It was unfair, really.

She moved aside the books stacked by someone else and boldly placed a magazine on top of the book I was reading. Unforgivable.

And what was written in that magazine was…

“Well, I mean, it’s true that even I have sweets I want to eat this year.”

“Yeah, that’s true, but… you know…”

I felt that something was off.

Sure, Valentine’s Day was a day when the entire country seemed to curse the machinations of confectionery manufacturers, but it was also a day when, if you received chocolates, you either cherished or discarded them. However, that was something you do nervously on the actual day, not something you consulted about beforehand.

“What’s wrong? Why the dissatisfaction?”

“No, it’s not like that. Don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm… I see. Maybe it would have been better to keep it a secret until the actual day, huh?”

“No comment.”

“But really, it’s not like it’s a big deal now. How many years have I been giving you chocolates?”

“I wonder… Back in our school days, I used to get a fair amount, so I don’t remember! Ow, that actually hurts when you pinch me like that! Seriously!”

“…It’s pathetic how you’re still clinging to past glory, dear brother.”

You shouldn’t resort to violence just because of that.

But really, I should forget about it… No, that line of thought wouldn’t do. It would definitely show on my face. I had to keep my composure.

My sulking little sister beside me was surprisingly sharp when it came to these things. If she catched on, she’d tease me endlessly in the future. And I was already providing her with plenty of material for that as it is. I couldn’t afford any more of it.

“Sigh. I wanted to let you choose something nice, but now I’m feeling discouraged. And besides, I remember perfectly well how long I’ve been giving you chocolates… But it seems you don’t remember, huh?”

Stop glancing over here!

It’s futile to make such faces. I won’t confess anything! I’ve decided that this time, no compromise, no concessions whatsoever—

“…Hey, did you really forget?”

“Guh.”

“I still remember, you know? The first time I gave you chocolates. It was when I was in my second year of middle school, I gave you chocolates for the first time.”

“I get it. I get it, so… I remember. There’s no way I could forget.”

“Hehe.”

Yayoi leaned against me.

Sigh… Why was I so weak like this?

I know the reason, but I won’t let it slip to anyone.

“Then, what are you going to choose? I’ll go with whatever you want, so let’s go together to buy it.”

“…That’s somewhat new.”

“See?”

“I’m not praising you though.”

“Aww. But, I thought it would be better to choose something we both agree on since we both will be eating it. So, I decided to try it out this year!”

“I can see the logic. I can see it, but… From the store clerk’s perspective, we must seem like odd customers.”

“Not at all. I’m sure if they saw us—never mind.”

“Ho?”

How many years do you think we’ve been together?

Your reactions like that usually come when you’ve had some embarrassing daydream.

…The problem is, I’m also affected by it.

“Well, that’s true.”

“Exactly.”

“They might be put off by how close we are as siblings.”

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“…You knew what I meant, didn’t you?”

“Now, what could you be referring to?”

“You, you idiot!”

“Well―”

I pulled Yayoi closer by her shoulders and whispered.

“They might even mistake us for a couple.”

“Hmph… Idiot. You could have said that from the start.”

In no time, she was in a better mood.

She was so easy to read. Well, that was part of her charm, I suppose.

After that, we continued to spend quite an intriguing time selecting chocolates for myself. 

Throughout this time, Yayoi remained in a constant state of dependence. She mentioned, “It’s fun to choose alone too. But, I prefer being with you, Tsukasa.” She almost seemed like she wanted a hug. I managed to keep my composure, though.

By the time we finished choosing, it was getting close to the time when we needed to start preparing dinner. Yayoi had returned a little after 2 p.m., so… Well, let’s not think too deeply about it. If my elder sister found out about this, it would be a tragedy (though for her, likely a comedy).

Anyway, I needed to start preparing… Huh?

“Yayoi.”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you holding onto my sleeve?”

“Oh, um… I was wondering if there was something important we should talk about.”

“Something important?”

“Well, I think you probably get it, but, you know… Sometimes, these things just need to be put into words.”

“Hmm?”

“Well, you see…”

Yayoi leaned in closer and whispered,

“Of course—because you’re my top priority, my absolute number one!”

―It was inevitable that I hugged her. It felt like an uncontrollable force of nature.