“Hmm, I wonder if she’s okay. Is she okay…”

“Hey, Shotaro-chan! Focus on your work!”

“Yes, sir!!”

The effeminate manager slapped my behind to motivate me. How many times had it been now? I feel like my butt was swollen from being slapped so many times, like in one of those “Don’t Laugh for 24 Hours” shows.

“Really… you can’t work with that level of concentration. Why don’t you go check that?”

“That?”

What could it be? Maybe checking if my slapped ass was red?

“That, silly! You installed the GPS, right?”

“Oh!”

I quickly took out my phone. There weren’t many customers today… was it okay if I checked, manager?!

I checked the current location.

“Manager, is it possible to install GPS tracking without the other person noticing?”

“If it’s the app you had your little sister install without explaining the details, then yes. It shows the target device’s location in real-time and can even show places they’ve visited in the past. It works in the background, so the target is unlikely to notice. It’s an app with excellent reliability and efficiency.”

“Wow, I should try it on my friends sometime.”

Ignoring the two people next to me having a conversation that sounded like a commercial…

“Huh? This isn’t home…”

Mina’s current location wasn’t at home. And comparing it with her past history, it was a place she’d never been before…

Shudder.

…I had a bad feeling about this.

“Manager…”

My voice trembled. The worst-case scenario flashed through my mind.

“…I understand. So Shotaro-chan, don’t make such a tearful face. I’ll take you there. Satomi! Yoshiko! Takeru! I’m heading out for a bit, so watch the store!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

What reliable colleagues…

“Now, let’s speed!”

“Yeees, manager~”

I was sitting on a hardcore motorcycle, clinging to the manager’s waist from behind.

We were cutting through the wind… cutting through it intensely.

Eventually, we rode through the outskirts of town where there was no traffic, and we arrived at an abandoned factory. There was a rusted fence with a lock and chain thrown aside, and several motorcycles parked inside.

“I hear this is a hangout for delinquents…”

The manager’s ominous comment heightened my tension even more, but without fear, I opened the door.

The scene that spread before me was—

“Huh…”

Chapter 36: My Route Is…

“Ah, ah… ah…”

“Oh, did she break? Well, as long as I can use her to feel good, that’s fine with me.”

“Hey Tatsu, was it that good…?”

“It was seriously good. You guys should try it too.”

Like vultures gathering around a dead animal, the other men surrounded Mina.

“…Big brother… help… me…”

My heart rate accelerated. Cold sweat wouldn’t stop. I felt nauseous. My skin crawled. I got chills. I felt dizzy.

If the worst scenario had become reality—

“Huh…”

What I just saw was…

“Ah, ooh…” 

“Ow, ouch…” 

“Ugh…”

I thought she would be in tears, being assaulted by these men and begging me for help, but…

“…Big brother, you’re late.”

“Huh? Ah… Mina…? Are, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Seriously… these guys were so careless.”

Despite supposedly being kidnapped… Mina was sitting calmly on a chair in the corner.

Instead, Tatsu and the other men were lying on the ground, clutching their stomachs and groins in pain.

“What, what is this…”

Did their bodies suddenly start hurting?

“Big brother, you’re making that face when you’re thinking something stupid. I’ve always had a lot of guys hitting on me. So… I learned something.”

“…What?”

“Self-defense.”

Ah… I see… I see…?

My understanding was delayed, and I was beyond confused.

“Don’t worry, you two. I may not look like it, but I’m strong.”

The words Mina had said to us at the family restaurant… So that wasn’t about being mentally strong, but literally physically strong.

“Are Shotaro and the others okay?”

“Manager! Yes, we’re fine!”

The crossdressing manager who watched the outside came in. Since he entered, that must mean there were no more accomplices lurking outside.

Then, using a nearby rope, we tied up Tatsu and his men to keep them from escaping. The muscular manager carried them out two at a time. And since we thought it would be better to hand them over to the police, I made the call.

“But will they really be arrested if we call the police?”

“Oh, about that…”

Mina took out her cell phone and showed me the screen…

“This is…”

“Yes, footage from the front door. I actually had a pet monitoring camera set up at home. Oh, it’s not that sophisticated since it’s not expensive, but it connects to my smartphone.”

“So… you knew it was Tatsu and followed them here?”

“That’s right. Those guys were saying all sorts of threatening things before they would do anything… Thanks to that, I was able to untie the rope binding my hands. In the end, they didn’t take my phone, and I recorded everything perfectly. And well, as you can see, they’re down. Just teaching them not to underestimate women.”

As Mina boasted with a proud face, my mouth fell open in shock.

…Amazing. My sister was super strong!!

But even if Mina was strong, the fact that she was put in danger hadn’t changed.

With relief washing over me, I hugged Mina.

“Hmm, don’t get so close. It’s hot…”

“…Sorry. Just let me do this a little longer.”

“…Were you worried?”

“Incredibly!! What kind of brother wouldn’t worry when his sister gets kidnapped? And it’s my fault you got involved…”

My words choked up. Because of my “NTR Crusher” activities, I had made enemies, and now everyone else was affected. That’s why, not just to atone, but… I should have been the one to save her.

“Hey.”

“W-what?”

“Are you feeling responsible?”

“…Can you tell?”

“Of course I can with that face. That ‘I’m sorry I got you involved because of me’ face.”

“…”

“I think this way. I don’t know about the other girls and their boyfriends… but you, me, and Nanaka-san are safe. Isn’t that enough?”

Mina hugged me back. Her words gently wrapped around my guilt, dissolving it.

“…Mina.”

“I think it’s okay to feel that way. Actually, we have to, or there’s no end to it. But I wonder how Nanaka-san feels about her brother being arrested…”

“She told me beforehand that she was fine with that outcome. She was planning to cut ties with him anyway. With this incident, that decision is definitely final.”

“I see.”

After we hugged for a while, the moment I pulled away from Mina–

Pah-pah-pah-paaaan!!!!

Congratulations!! You have progressed to the HAPPY ENDING route.

Route: Being happy with Mina

“…Huh?”

Along with a cheerful electronic sound, what appeared before my eyes was a window like a TV screen. It looked like a quest board from anime or fantasy novels.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, there’s text appearing here…”

“There’s nothing there. Big brother, are you half-asleep?”

Mina gave me an exasperated look.

Huh, what? Only I could see this? It suddenly appeared after all the commotion ended?

“…A route to be happy with Mina… like a peaceful life with my sister from now on?”

I muttered involuntarily. It was in a small voice, I think. Probably quiet enough that Mina couldn’t hear it.

Yet… for some reason, Mina had a serious expression on her face. And then–

“Hey, big brother.”

“What?”

“Do you think of me as just a sister?”

It was a meaningful question. I couldn’t joke back with “You’re my little sister who’s good at housework and physically strong!” The atmosphere was too serious for that.

I slowly nodded my head. Then Mina took a deep breath… and continued.

“Actually, I… phew... I’m your step-sister and a girl who likes you… I like you, big brother… Shotaro-kun! So… from today on, I’m not your sister anymore!!”

She confessed. After finishing, I couldn’t take my eyes off Mina due to the shock, and I couldn’t speak…

After a while, I slowly started sorting things out in my mind.

Huh, ah, um… Mina was my step-sister and she liked me?

……………… ………………

She confessed, she really confessed a lot…

……………… ………………

The confession made me happy, and it was my first time receiving one.

……………… ………………

Either way, I, I…

What was I supposed to do now?!!

Two options: 

▷▶️ Epilogue 

▷▶️ Bad Ending (?)