When I Brought The Lost Little Girl To Her House, The One Who Came Out Of The Front Door Was The Most Beautiful Girl In The Grade.

“I’m tired~”

I said that and as soon as I returned, I sat down on the sofa.

While doing so, I was immediately attacked by drowsiness. When I closed my eyes due to sleepiness, I heard Yumi’s voice.

“Yuusei~! Welcome back~! You’re late even though you didn’t have club activities today.”

“Because I had preparations for the cultural festival.”

“Are you Cinderella? You’re playing the role of Prince Yuusei, right?”

I remained silent. If I said it was different, she would ask more, and if I honestly answered that it was Cinderella, I felt like I’d be ridiculed, so I pretended not to hear.

However, it seemed Yumi didn’t like being ignored, so she clung to me like a vine.

“What are you doi~ng?”

“I-I’m Cinderella! I said it, so let go…”

Upon hearing that, Yumi abruptly stopped clinging. Then, she started trembling. Wondering what was going on, I peeked at her face and saw her desperately holding back laughter.

And then, as soon as she looked at my face, she burst into laughter.

“Heh, ahahaha! I can’t take it anymore!”

She laughed while holding her stomach. Indeed, I think anyone would laugh upon hearing that Cinderella is actually a boy.

This isn’t Yumi’s fault. The injured student council president isn’t at fault either. Ultimately, no one is to blame.

“I guess it’s kind of strange after all…”

“Well, if you have makeup and a wig, it won’t be noticeable.”

“W-Wig?”

“Simply put, a wig.”

“I see.”

With that single word, I understood. If it’s not noticeable, then there’s no need to worry.

“Plus, it sounds really fun. Hehe.”

“You’re laughing too much…”

Laughing so much, seeing Yumi collapse onto the floor, I felt like some tension had been relieved.

“By the way, the cultural festival…”

Finally calming down, she straightened up her body, adjusting her messy hair.

“What’s up?”

“It just feels nostalgic.”

“Saying things like an old lady.”

“Ahaha, I’m still your big sister, you know.”

Saying that, Yumi laughed. Then, with a serious expression, she turned her gaze towards me.

My body involuntarily reacted to that gaze. To be honest, I was scared to answer truthfully.

“Have you confessed to anyone during the cultural festival?”

“Who…?”

“Yusei! You seem to like someone.”

“I still don’t know.”

“Well, I thought you were already dating. My little brother is such a wimp to be this clueless…”

I didn’t want to hear such things from my sister. When I go back home, I have to deal with an incredibly messy sister.

And she apparently got dumped recently too.

“I-It’s just bad timing.”

“Lies. There definitely was a chance. You just lacked the courage.”

“Ugh.”

She hit a sore spot, and without realizing it, I let out a sound. Yumi kept pointing out my dejected state as if she didn’t mind.

“What do you know, nee-chan?”

“I understand. After all, I’ve been watching you for 17 years.”

Her expression at that moment was a little gentle. But she returned to that serious expression once again.

“Yuusei, you should confess during the cultural festival.”

Yumi said this while looking at me with a serious gaze.

“Even if you say that, I-I don’t know. To confess…”

“Well, you know, Yusei. When you cut your hair, I thought maybe my big brother has grown a bit. But it seems you haven’t grown at all.”

Being told such a thing directly to my face hurts. Moreover, because everything she said is true, it cuts even deeper into my heart.

“I know! I know I’m a wimp!”

I can’t take a step forward, and there’s been no progress. I’m… I’m…

How many times have I thought about these things? This is probably how it is. The part where Yumi hasn’t grown up is truly embarrassing.

“You don’t understand… Even though you might think you know your flaws, you don’t say it out loud. You’re just pretending to understand.”

I couldn’t say anything. Everything Yumi was saying was true. That’s why this hurt so much.

“Even if your flaws are pointed out, if you think what you’re doing is normal, you won’t really feel like changing, no matter how much you say you will.”

“Hey, that’s…”

“That’s why you got rejected. Yes, I’m talking about myself just now.”

Even though I suspected it as she was talking, her breath hitched a little while speaking, so I thought it couldn’t be true. But it seems I was right.

“But you know, realizing it after getting rejected is still okay. But there are people who never confess, who never realize what they did wrong.”

Yumi said, “Usually, those people are like this.”

“For example, they invite someone on a date, but then they don’t say anything after that. Even though they’re finally alone together, they don’t take any action.”

Every word struck a chord in my heart. By this point, I was already on the verge of tears.

“So, Yusei. If you continue like this, by the time you’re really determined, it might be too late.”

Those words were the heaviest. I pretended not to hear. I pretended not to listen. But if I kept going like this, I was sure someone would tell me someday.

I’m glad it was big sis who said it. If it were Mimura or Souta, I would definitely brush them off with a “Shut up” or something similar. If it were Shirasaka, it would end with her usual “You’re so kind.”

I couldn’t say “Thank you” to Yumi, but deep in my painful heart, I shouted, “Thank you.”

Yumi looked at me like that and let out a sigh.

This time, it wasn’t the serious gaze I saw earlier. It was her usual, gentle big sister look.

“To the love-struggling, romance-inexperienced boy, I, your older self in both life and love, shall offer a piece of advice.”

“A-advice?”

The first words that finally came out were questioning, almost like echoing.

“On dates or when you’re alone together, girls are waiting for the next words.”

What could those next words be? I pondered this in my mind, but only one possibility came to mind.

But probably that’s the answer. I want to believe that.

“Ah, I’ll be going to bed soon. I need to recover my energy so that I can fully enjoy tomorrow!”

When leaving the living room, she said, “I’m looking forward to the cultural festival,” and left.

I woke up. Looking at the clock, it was 8:30.