The Daily Life of the Cat-Like Sister and Her Foolish Elder Brother

“I see… that’s unfortunate.”

“I’m sorry… I tried my best to resist but couldn’t muster enough strength… I guess I’ll have to plead directly now!!”

“No, you can’t.”

“N-No way! Are you saying… Are you really okay with being separated from me, Sensei!? Were all those days we spent together just a lie!?”

“Um… I might surprisingly be okay with it. Oh, please make sure to hand over everything properly, okay?”

“This is awful. I’ll miss you.”

“Sure, sure.”

I sipped my coffee while admonishing the editor-in-charge, who was sitting in front of me drinking overly sweet (it was so sweet it didn’t seem like it belonged in this world; seriously, how could it be all sweet while claiming to be cocoa?) cocoa with tears in his eyes—he was a man, I think. He was frighteningly refined and delicate-looking, but he was definitely a man. He even had a beautiful new wife–I drank coffee while placating him.

As always, the coffee at this café was delicious… though I couldn’t really appreciate the cocoa.

Today was supposed to be a meeting for discussing the new project, but when I arrived, it turned out like this.

Well, honestly, I had a feeling it might be coming soon. The chief editor had hinted at it too, so it was not that surprising.

Above all—this editor was just too capable.

“Come on, don’t cry.”

“But… I…”

“Getting promoted to vice editor-in-chief of a new magazine all of a sudden is amazing, isn’t it?”

“…But I prefer working on your stories, Sensei.”

I first met him years ago, at least several years after my debut.

[Sensei, please write the stories you find interesting. It’s my job to share them with the world.]

…He looked unexpectedly cool.

Well, I never told him that. He’d get too conceited. What was it about him? There was something about him that reminded me of someone I knew well.

Despite everything we’ve been through, we managed to survive together, and thankfully we even gathered a loyal fanbase.

I owed a lot of that to this person sulking in front of me right now. I was grateful.

With a wry smile, I placed the small box on the table.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a bit late, but it’s a return gift for White Day.”

“Sensei…!”

“Oh, it’s nothing grand. Please enjoy it with your wife.”

“Thank you, I’ll cherish it. But I have to keep it a secret from my wife.”

“Why’s that?”

“…Because she’ll eat all of it. She’s a huge fan of yours too. Every time we talk about you at home, she gets so jealous…”

“Haha…”

The world was small indeed. Who would have thought that someone nearby would be reading my book?

Just as I was pondering this, the door opened and two women entered. College students, perhaps?

I couldn’t see their faces clearly against the backlight, but the girl leading the way seemed cheerful from her gait.

And the one following behind her looked strikingly beautiful—until the door closed, cutting off the light and our lines of sight crossed… Oops.

I quickly averted my gaze to the table and took a sip of coffee to compose myself.

The light rhythmic sound of heels approaching. Hey, idiot, stop.

They settled into seats just behind me. A potted plant acted as a barrier, preventing us from seeing each other’s faces.

But I could hear their voices.

“Wow… This place has such a great atmosphere. Do you always come here with your brother, Yayoi?”

“Of course not. There’s no reason to come with that guy. Usually, I come alone… Though I’ve been dragged here a few times when he insisted.”

“Really?”

This person… Which mouth was she speaking from?

Just the other day, when I tried to sneak out for coffee, didn’t she say, “Where are you going? Oh, that café? I’ll come too!”?

The sound of menu pages turning.

“They have quite a variety here. Yayoi, what do you recommend?”

“Well… I think the coffee here is really good.”

“I see… But I also like tea… And I’m curious about the cake sets too…”

“Why are you hesitating about the cake?”

“Between chiffon cake and chocolate… Ugh, it’s tough.”

“In that case… Excuse me, two cake sets please, with chiffon cake and chocolate cake. And coffee and tea.”

My silly sister swiftly placed the order.

…Hey, aren’t I usually the one doing this, sis?

“–Yayoi.”

“Yes?”

“You’re so cool. I’m in love. Hug me!”

“Sure, sure.”

“But seriously… How have you been lately?”

“What do you mean?”

“That ring of yours. I was surprised when I first saw it, but…”

Well, I guess that made sense…

I asked her if she was going to take it off when she went to university, but she said, “There’s no problem, so I’ll keep wearing it.” How did she explain it?

“But, Yayoi, it’s you. I can’t blame you for wearing something to keep guys at bay. You were amazing… So, has it decreased?”

“Yeah, it’s decreased quite a bit. But they’re still there, and lately, I’ve been wearing this too.”

“Oh, the matching necklace you’ve been wearing recently. It’s really cute! You have it tough too, Yayoi… It just goes to show, even beauties have their troubles.”

“Hehe, Misaki is cute too.”

…My sister was a bit scary, I admit.

When I asked her to take it off, she looked at me as if it were the end of the world.

How could she spin such a tall tale so easily… Hmm?

“What’s the matter, Sensei?”

“Oh, sorry. It’s nothing, really. Shall we go now? Please introduce me to the new editor.”

“Yes. But even if I’m no longer your editor, I’ll always support you, Sensei! Forever and ever!”

“Thank you.”

What a great editor…

But please, could you stop squeezing my hand like that here? It’s making me nervous for later.

※※※

“Oh, foolish brother, you’re back already. Welcome home.”