Episode 48

“Nii-san, please just sit down right there.”

“But, after all, even I want to help you both cook, too.”

“It’s fine. Sakura-kun, just sit down and relax.”

Karen and Kaede were cooking meals in the kitchen.

As I was the only one not doing anything, it became really embarrassing for me. So, a rather vague and gloomy feeling started nestling in my heart.

As for what led to the current situation, I have no prior idea. But it seems that Kaede was invited by Karen to a sleepover at our house tonight. With this context, Kaede was now at our home.

Since it was just lunchtime, the two of them were busy preparing lunch together. And as usual, I was not allowed to do anything.

I wondered why they would not let me, even though I also wanted to help them cook too. Still, when I sent them a look with that message, they would just smile back happily, making me unable to say anything in return.

I still get nervous even if they were to say that I don’t have to do anything at all.

Wouldn’t it be better if I were to finish off the other household chores then?

But if I do that, I feel like Karen will get really angry as usual. But since she wouldn’t let me cook with them, as a punishment for pushing me out of the group, let’s do it nevertheless.

“I’m going to the bathroom for a while then.”

“I understand”

I called out to the two of them and left the living room.

I think I’ll do the laundry. And while I am at it, let’s clean the bathroom as well.

Thinking along those lines, I arrived at the bathroom.

While the water is drained out of the bathtub, let’s separate the different laundry and have the washing machine run afterward.

I became a little embarrassed looking at my younger sister’s underwear lying in them. Still, knowing Karen also always washes my underwear without any embarrassment whatsoever, moreover, she doesn’t think it even strange. I, as her elder brother, shouldn’t feel strange as well. With that in mind, I proceed on.

At that time, when almost all of the water had drained out, I started cleaning the bathtub. It’s a bit tiring to clean every corner. Still, it felt really fulfilling to have a sense of accomplishment that I also did something myself. Because usually, she just wouldn’t let me do all this stuff at all.

Now, I just need to get out before getting caught.

Thinking that, when I opened the bathroom door.

“Nii-san? What is taking you so long?”

At first glance, there appears to be a smile on her face, but when looking closely, she was looking at me with deep black eyes without any emotions in them, nothing. Neither sanity nor insanity. No words have as much power as her eyes exerted right now.

I try to say some words, thinking I need to explain this, however.

“Sakura-kun, that is just a no-no, you know? If you do something like that.”

Sakuragi-san puts her hands on her two cheeks and peers into my eyes with entirely black eyes from behind.

“I had always told Nii-san that he should never do housework no matter what happens. I also say that regularly, didn’t I?”

“U–uu–nnn”

“Then why did you do that, Sakura-kun?”

After being interrogated about the situation by the two of them, I started to talk about the reasons for taking such actions.

Then as if understanding my situation little by little, I felt that both of their eyes gradually returned to their usual, and looking toward me became kinder and softer.

“So that was how it was? I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry as well, Sakura-kun. But we never ever thought about making Sakura-kun an outcast or something like that.”

“I — we just wanted Nii-san to take it easy, nothing else truly.”

They started patting my head in order to comfort me.

Arre? Doesn’t it look like I’m a child who was acting selfishly?

Even though I just did some of the housework that was left pending.

End Of Chapter