The Daily Life of the Cat-Like Sister and Her Foolish Elder Brother - Chapter 5: Well... Not A Boyfriend, But A Husband, Maybe?

“Sorry—could you say that again?”

“So, about tonight’s gathering, can I join in too?”

The words thrown at me during our tea break at the rooftop café on campus momentarily halted my thoughts.

I stared intently at the face of my friend, Yayoi Nishiki, a beautiful woman with black hair, as she sat in front of me, sipping her tea.

…She was still as stunning as ever, wasn’t she? Just her presence alone could be considered picturesque.

Her personality was also incredibly nice, and she was always so composed. You wouldn’t think we were the same age.

Her academic performance was well-known to everyone as she was a scholarship student.

Once, she showed me her report card, which was all top grades. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw it.

She was slim and her figure――I shouldn’t compare myself to her. It would just break my heart.

In this way, Yayoi was like a flawless genius in every sense of the word. She was like the perfect heroine from a shoujo manga…

But… this was rare.

“Of course, it’s fine—but what’s up? You hardly ever come to these type of things.”

“Do you think so? I feel like I join quite often.”

“Hmm, you know… It’s not really considered ‘often’ when you show up maybe once every six months, and even then it’s only for about an hour, without drinking, and then you leave.”

“I’m not great with alcohol. It’s not a big deal though… I don’t have any plans tonight, and since I have classes until late, I thought I might as well come.”

“…Well, whatever. Everyone will be happy to hear that you’re coming. There are a lot of people, regardless of gender, who would want to get close to you when they hear you’re attending.”

“I think they’re more interested in Misaki than me, though.”

Yayoi smiled awkwardly.

Honestly, this girl had no idea how she was perceived by others.

Since giving a speech as the representative of the new students at last year’s entrance ceremony, she’d been the undisputed number one in popularity at our university. When I first saw her, I thought, “Is she some kind of model?”

After that, she was awarded special prizes at beauty contests she didn’t even enter, the media came to interview her, and some rich heir even proposed to her… It’d been quite a ride, but she rejected all of it, which was impressive in a way.

Once, when I asked her about it, she just said, “Huh? Because I’m not interested.” And somehow, it didn’t sound sarcastic at all.

One could clearly see that she genuinely felt that way. Anyone, no matter who, would be convinced if she looked them in the eye and explained.

But… I still needed to be cautious. If something were to happen, I’d face quite the backlash from various factions within the university.

“Listen, I’ve said this countless times before, but Yayoi, you really need to start noticing your own charm! I’m so glad you decided to join us because I’ve been wanting to have a drink with you,” I said, staring into Yayoi’s eyes.

Ugh… Why was this girl so unbelievably beautiful? And yet, she didn’t exude any coldness in her demeanor or speech; she even had an air of cuteness about her… It just wasn’t fair!

Suppressing the urge to hug her right then and there, I continued.

“In today’s gathering, there will be plenty of men and women eyeing you, you know? You should be careful, or you might end up going home with someone you don’t know.”

“You’re always so dramatic, Misaki. Besides, I’ll make sure not to stay out too late, so it’s fine.”

“Huh…? You’re leaving early again this time?”

“That’s the plan. I’d like to be back by around 9 PM. Otherwise… um, it’s nothing.”

“Hey, Yayoi.”

“What is it?”

“…What if you stay till the end?”

“Um… That’s a bit…”

“Umm… Well, that’s…” 

“Please! You always leave early when you come, and you never join us for drinks even when we invite you. This kind of opportunity doesn’t come around often, does it? I’m not asking you to stay for a second round, just until later.”

“Um… Just give me a moment to think about it.”

Yayoi stood up from her chair and started making a call near the railing.

… I wondered who she was calling?

I don’t think it was anyone from the university—could it be her occasional rumored boyfriend?

It would make sense if he existed, but since no one had ever seen him, it was doubtful. Besides, I’ve never heard her mention anything like that.

While feeling guilty, I listened in.

“… Yeah, I think I’ll stay until the end today. But if you say you want me to come back because you’ll miss me—Hmm… You’re saying that, huh… Alright then. I’ll come back late since you said that! I’ll enjoy myself too! Okay, see you later!”

Yayoi hung up the phone with a hint of anger, which was quite rare.

Even she got upset sometimes—it was kind of moving, really.

She was usually always smiling, cheerful, and composed.

…Wait, hold on, the person she was talking to just now…

“Sorry, I’m staying until the end today—Misaki?”

“Uh, yeah, um, that’s good…”

“What’s wrong? You seem a bit off.”

“…Sorry, Yayoi! I couldn’t help but overhear your call just now… You were talking to your, um, boyfriend?”

“Eh—”

The moment I asked, Yayoi’s face flushed red.

Ah, yeah, that was definitely――

“N-No, that’s not it! Don’t get the wrong idea. That was just my― I mean, my brother. We live together, and it seems he’ll be coming back late today, so I was just talking about that.”

“You live with your brother!?”

“Yeah, is that weird?”

“Well, it’s just…”

It was surprising—that Yayoi had an older brother.

Since we became friends during the freshman orientation, we’d been together a lot on campus, but I never got that impression.

If anything, I thought she had an older sister.

And the two even lived together. I had a brother too, but I never once considered living with him.

“You two seem close.”

“W-What!? N-No, it’s not like that… It’s, um, normal. Just a very normal brother and sister relationship!”

What a cute little creature!

…But I couldn’t let those who were after her see this kind of face. It could be dangerous.

Blushing, Yayoi tried to maintain her composure and continued,

“Anyway―I’ll stay until the end today, but I won’t make it to the after-party.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy you’re staying. Oh! Can’t night come sooner?”

“You’re exaggerating. Well then, cheers.”

***

The details of the drinking party are omitted.

In short, it was a very enjoyable drinking night.

―There was some subtle maneuvering beforehand about who would sit next to Yayoi, and there was an unspoken agreement to take turns talking to her, but I managed to keep my seat next to her until the very end (I silenced any complaints from the others with a simple “then I refuse”).

But, well…

“Tsukasaaa~ Tsukasaaa~ I’m tirreeeed~ piggyback~”

“Idiot, you’ve had too much to drink. Seriously, there’s such a thing as too much excitement. I apologize for any inconvenience she caused.”

“N-No, she was perfectly fine until a moment ago…”

“Ah~ I see. Anyway, she’s fine now. Can you go home by yourself?”

“Y-Yes. I’m fine. I’ll join the after-party later, so―”

“Come on, stop talking only to Misaki and look at me too~”

“…I’ll give you a lecture tomorrow. Thank you very much for today. I’ll make sure to thank you properly later. Let’s go.”

“Hehe~ You’re so warm~”

After the first part of the party ended and we parted ways with everyone, I offered to take Yayoi to the station―but when I saw her older brother (Tsukasa-san, a seemingly kind person) waiting at the ticket gate, everything became clear.

…She was apparently very drunk, although we had been talking normally up until then. She probably contacted him because she didn’t think she could make it home on her own.

I didn’t even notice. I must have let her drink too much… I regret it.

Tsukasa-san carried the drunken Yayoi on his back and bowed to me before leaving.

…Yayoi acted like that in front of her brother, huh? Like a spoiled cat.

But, well… couldn’t that person be not her brother, but…

“Um… not a boyfriend, but her husband, maybe?”