When I Comforted My Sickly Stepsister, She Couldn’t Live Without Me - 02 - Trial and error

“Sigh… Is this it?”

Surveying the room filled with cardboard boxes, I let out a sigh.

There’s not much stuff, which is a relief. I thought as I placed my hand on a box labeled “clothes”.

It’s been just two weeks since Dad told me about the remarriage.

After a hectic period of packing, I bid farewell to the house I’d lived in for so long and moved into Fuyuko-san’s house.

By the way, I haven’t met Yukine, my new sister, even once in these two weeks.

“(The room next door must be Yukine’s room…)”

She’s technically nearby since she’s in the adjacent room, but I don’t feel her presence since I haven’t met her.

By the way, Fuyuko-san showed me a photo of Yukine from her middle school days. She was incredibly beautiful, resembling Fuyuko-san a lot.

As I absentmindedly gazed at the wall next to Yukine’s room, there was a knock on the door.

“Sorry, can I bother you for a moment?”

“Oh, Fuyuko-san.”

“Since unpacking seems to have settled down, how about we go and say hi?”

“I’ve been waiting for this.”

Saying hi means introducing myself to Yukine.

We had promised to do it when things calmed down, so I had a feeling it would be today.

With a bit of nervousness, I stepped out of my room and stood in front of Yukine’s room.

Hoping she’d open the door and show her face, I knocked lightly.

“Can I come in?”

But there was no response.

“(Well, it’s understandable for the first time. One step at a time… step by step…)”

This time, assuming Yukine was listening, I started talking one-sidedly.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kouta Miyoshi . I’m going to be Yukine’s older brother from now on. If there’s anything you want me to do or anything you need, just let me know. I’ll do anything.”

Of course, there was no response.

Turning to Fuyuko-san, she gave a wry smile, looking apologetic.

“I’ll talk to her again later.”

With that parting remark, I withdrew this time.

The first encounter with my little sister ended in my defeat.

But as long as I win in the end, that’s what matters!

With that mindset, my prolonged attack on Yukine began.

First Week:

First, I volunteered to bring food to Yukine.

Since she’s completely shut herself in, I need to bring it to her room.

“Yukine? I brought lunch today.”

Of course, there was no reply.

“Okay, I’ll leave it here then.”

Placing the tray in front of her room, I quickly left.

I won’t wait around for her to come out and pick it up. Doing something like that would only make her feel trapped.

I’ll just continue to be there for her. And eventually—she’ll let me into her room!

Second Week:

I’ve gotten used to delivering meals, but I still haven’t had any direct interaction with Yukine.

“(I guess this is enough for getting her accustomed. From here on, I’ll step it up!)”

According to Fuyuko-san, Yukine loves sweets. When they lived together, she used to demand sweets a lot, as Fuyuko-san told me.

(It’s a golden rule to approach someone through their likes to deepen bonds. It’s a well-worn, time-tested technique!) 

Just giving her sweets is a bit weak, so I decided to make homemade sweets to make her feel closer to me.

I happened to have a friend who enjoys making sweets, so I learned from them and made various types of sweets.

“Yukine? Big brother made too many sweets again today, so I’ll leave them in front of your room.”

There was no response, but I heard a noise from inside.

“(Ha, the first reaction from Yukine… This feels promising! As expected of sweets!)”

When I came back in the evening, along with her dinner tray, there was a plate neatly cleared of my homemade sweets.

Of course, I did a full-fledged victory pose internally. 

“(Ohhhhhh!)” I managed to restrain myself from saying it out loud, and I think that’s commendable.

Third Week:

Having successfully captured Yukine’s stomach with sweets, I decided to try placing various trendy items in front of Yukine’s room to find out what else she likes.

“(This is a popular manga among girls that Imari recommended! Let’s see how this goes…)”

Casually leaving the manga along with dinner.

“Yukine! Dinner’s here!”

Excitedly waiting for about three hours, I went to Yukine’s room.

The dinner tray was gone, but left behind was the manga.

“(Hm, missed the mark… Next time!)”

I tried leaving a romance novel recommended by a friend who’s in the library committee.

But this also…

“(Another dud… Wasn’t she into novels? Then next attempt!!)”

I decided to try leaving a fantasy game recommended by Kimura, the class’s biggest gaming enthusiast.

“(It’s not cheap… but anything for my little sister!)”

And the result was—

“(N-No way! The game is gone!)”

The fact that the game I left wasn’t there in front of Yukine’s room meant she was interested.

Finally hitting the jackpot, I savored the joy so intense it made me want to scream.

Moreover, that night, I faintly heard the sound of the game from the next room, and with my joy reaching its peak, I went to school without sleeping at all.

Perhaps adrenaline was pumping constantly that day, but I didn’t feel sleepy at all.

Fourth Week:

It’s been almost a month since I started living with Yukine.

I still haven’t seen her face, but I definitely felt like I was getting closer to her.

There’s no special plan from here, just waiting for Yukine to open the door as usual.

But I made sure to knock on Yukine’s door and talk to her once a day without fail.

“So, Narahashi spilled cola all over the classroom—”

Talking to Yukine day after day, making efforts to be close to her.

As the calendar turned to May, one day in the middle of the month…

“Yukine? I brought lunch.”

As usual, there was no reply, and I was about to leave after placing the tray—when it happened.

The door opened slowly, and she peeked her face out from the gap.

“Nice to meet you… Nii-san.”

SHINIGAMI-san: would appreciate feedback