A Clash of Pure Feelings

Yukine’s voice echoed through the entrance.

Her face contorted, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes as she looked at me.

My mind blanked, unsure of what to say to Yukine.

All I know for certain right now is that my mind is in turmoil, filled with thoughts I wouldn’t usually entertain.

Unconsciously, my hands tensed up, forming fists.

“I know I’m being weird. I understand that you’ve always treated me like a little sister,” Yukine spoke softly.

“But… I’ve fallen in love with you, Nii-san. I’ve fallen for you so deeply that I want to monopolize you,” her voice fragile, on the verge of fading away.

Yet, her eyes remained fixed on me, unwavering.

“I love you, Nii-san. As a man, I love you. I don’t want you to be with any other girl but me. I want you to look only at me.”

“Yukine…”

Her feelings are genuine.

Until now, I’ve only seen Yukine from the perspective of being her older brother, and I’ve been avoiding these honest feelings. Well, that was the right thing to do as her older brother.

However, her feelings are too powerful now, crashing into me head-on. I can’t help but be forced to think about it.

“But… Nii-san, do you like me?”

“Well… of course I do.”

It’s obvious.

Because I love Yukine, being with her is enjoyable and to be honest, every day is fun.

“Is that as a man and a woman?”

“Th-that is…”

I couldn’t escape from Yukine’s serious gaze.

Surely, the usual evasive answers wouldn’t be allowed for this question from Yukine.

There was no room for jokes, just a tense silence.

My thoughts were swirling around in my head.

—Maybe, just maybe, Imari might like me.

—My declaration to Imari, wanting to remain as siblings.

—Yukine likes me.

—What about Mom and Dad? We’ve just become a family.

—What am I looking for?

—I want Yukine to be happy, but…

—What about Imari? What do I want with her?

—How about dating?

—It’s all because of Miyoshi-kun.

—I love you, Nii-san!

—Is it as a man and a woman?

—I love you, Nii-san.

From somewhere, the sound of the clock ticking could be heard.

Tick, tock, ticking away steadily, simply marking the passage of time.

Humans are creatures who dislike change. Change comes with risks, and getting hurt in the process is common.

Maintaining the status quo is always the safest option, and if there isn’t much dissatisfaction with the current situation, then it’s better not to change.

That’s why humans dislike change.

Today, just like the hands of a clock, life passes by regularly.

One day, the length of a second doesn’t change, and it doesn’t whimsically stop either.

I think it’s fine if tomorrow passes by just like today.

I’m thinking about the future. I’m thinking about the future that will continue for decades to come.

In a proper and regular manner, so as not to create friction.

That’s right, I—don’t want to change.

“Yukine, I—want to be your older brother.”

Yukine’s eyes widened at my words.

I struggled to continue, 

“I love you, Yukine, and it’s true that I think you’re the cutest in the world, it’s not a lie. But I want to be your brother. I want us to get along throughout our lives. That’s why…….we’re siblings.”

I couldn’t meet Yukine’s eyes.

So this is how it feels to confront someone’s true feelings head-on, with such agony and intensity.

…In that case, Yukine has been experiencing this every day with me…

“Is that really how you feel?”

“Huh?”

Yukine murmured softly, almost inaudibly, directed only at me.

“So that’s how you really feel?”

“What… what do you mean?”

“I knew it!”

“O-Oi, Yukine!”

I lifted her face, but she shrugged off my hand.

“Ugh…!”

Yukine, her face contorted, glared at me without bothering to wipe away the tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Nii-san, do you like Imari-san?”

“…Huh? No, no, that’s not the matter.”

“You do, don’t you! That’s just like you!”

Yukine interrupted me.

“Calm down! I’m not saying anything like that!”

“But you are!”

“I’m not! I want to be with you as siblings, and us getting along—”

“You’re wrong! You like Imari-san!”

“That’s enough!”

I found myself raising my voice involuntarily. 

Yukine was panting, still glaring at me. 

I took a moment to compose myself before speaking calmly.

“Hey, you know what? Nobody was even talking about who likes who or anything like that—”

I started to say, then stopped midway.

“(Huh? What am I saying?)”

Something was off. There was something wrong with what I was saying.

As if in response to my confusion, Yukine unleashed her words at me.

“We’re talking about liking someone right now!!!”

Suddenly, it dawned on me.

Yes, all this time, I had been disregarding the concept of liking someone in our conversation.

The present situation, the future… I had misunderstood it all, misinterpreted it.

“!!”

Yukine tightened her fist, glanced at me once, then stormed off.

The sound of the door closing echoed through the hallway, leaving me alone in the entranceway.

“I…” 

By the time I realized it, it was too late. I slumped down in the entranceway.