Chapter 11 | Encounter

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After parting with Reina, who was going to school, I headed to my apartment while being cautious of my surroundings.

The reason why I was being cautious was because there was a chance I would run into Ria as I got closer to my apartment building.

But my worry was unfounded, and I was able to reach home safely.

“Even so… why does it feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve been home, even though I was only away for a day?”

I took the key out of my pocket, inserted it into the keyhole, and turned the doorknob.

After going inside, I immediately headed to the changing room, took off my clothes, and put them into the washing machine.

I need to return the clothes that I borrowed from Shō by tomorrow.

The sky blue underwear that I got from Sora, which Reina said “You’re wearing such a cute color of underwear” to last night, was also tossed in.

After I turned on the washing machine, I went out into the hallway while I was completely naked.

My change of clothes were in my room, so I needed to head there.

“There’s a mysterious sense of liberation when I walk around nakedー”

Just when I muttered that to myself, that’s when I heard a click, and the front door that was right behind me opened.

“What!?”

Who came into the house!?

At this time, my sister should be at school…

Could it be a burglar!?

In a panic, I hurriedly went into my sister’s room, which was right next to me, to hide.

I held my breath and observed the situation.

I could hear the sound of the front door closing, and the sound of footsteps walking down the hallway.

If it’s a burglar…

“…”

What should I do…? While naked…?

I thought about looking for something that could be used as a weapon, but there was no weapon-like item in my high school girl’s room.

If I was in my room, then I would have the wooden sword that Shō and I bought together during our middle school field trip.

…Come to think of it, I was stared at in amazement by Ria at that time…

But now is not the time to be reminiscing about bittersweet memories.

Eventually, the footsteps stopped in front of my sister’s room where I was.

No way? Maybe they realized that I was in this room?

If it comes to this… then I have no choice but to do a suicide rush as a surprise attack.

At the same time as the door to the room was slowly being opened, I yelled “Uooooh!” as I tried to attack the figure that had appeared—

“…Huh?”

I stopped moving midway.

That’s because the figure that appeared was not a burglar, but a familiar girl in a school uniform.

Her brown hair reached her shoulders, and she had a mature face.

She had a slender and delicate physique that looked like she could break if you touched it.

She had an appearance that made her look like she was frail–or rather, she was actually frail, but she had a strong personality and a sharp tongue.

The girl was not surprised and just silently looked at me with her eyes, which were slightly slanted upwards.

She’s my younger sister, Miori Asahioka.

“…”

“…”

The hellish situation where an older brother is trying to attack his younger sister naked.

An indescribable silence fell between the two of us.

“…I’m calling the police.”

Miori, who had a cold expression, said that as the first words she spoke.

Miori took her phone out of her uniform pocket and started pressing buttons without hesitation.

“W-Wait a minute!?”

“Ah, before that, for evidence…”

It seemed like Miori had thought of something, and she turned the back of her phone towards me, and then took a picture.

“Wh-What are you doing!?”

“That’s my line. What were you doing naked in my room, Onii-san? Or rather, you were trying to attack me just now, right? I didn’t think that you, Onii-san, were a beast who would lust after his younger sister.”

Miori turned a scornful gaze towards me.

She was looking at me with a disdainful gaze as if to say, “You’re filthy, so don’t come near me.”

Miori hugged her body with both of her arms as if to protect herself.

This is bad, if this continues…

After being cheated on and breaking up with my girlfriend, I might become a man who is dating a new girlfriend and then hits on his younger sister.

“It’s a misunderstanding! It’s just that, it's bad timing!”

I desperately tried to explain.

If Miori misunderstood me here, then my place in the Asahioka household would be gone.

“Haa… I’ll hear your excuses later, so for now, why don’t you get dressed?”

“Ah!”

I reflexively covered my lower body with my hands.

…When I calmed down, what is this situation?

What’s up with the older brother being naked in his younger sister’s room?

“…I’m going to go get dressed.”

“Please do so.”

“And, please don’t call the police, okay!?”

“That depends on what you have to say, Onii-san.”

Miori said with a composed face.

⭐︎

After getting dressed, I was facing Miori with the table between us in the living room.

“I see… so, in other words, you couldn’t suppress your desires and tried to touch me.”

“That’s why, I said that’s not it!”

I tried to explain why things had turned out like that, but Miori didn’t listen to me at all.

Even though she definitely knows that that wasn’t the case, Miori was tormenting me for her amusement.

By the way, Miori apparently decided to skip school during her walk to school.

And it seems like I ran into Miori when she returned home.

I want to tell her not to skip school for no reason, but since I’m skipping school, too, I can’t say that so strongly.

“That depends on how I interpret it. What you thought you were going to do is no longer something that the people around you would care about. As long as there is proof that you could be seen that way, then what you thought at that time doesn’t matter. Because, there’s no way to confirm what your true intentions are.”

Miori said that and then showed me the photo that she had conveniently printed out earlier.

While my lower body wasn’t in the photo, my half-naked figure was shown in Miori’s room.

“Onii-san, look at this. Look at the pathetic face of the person in the photo. What do you think about it when you look at it?”

“That person is me, though…?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t notice that.”

Miori politely hid the smile that she had on her lips with her left hand.

…She’s a devil.

“—If you were to show this photo to the woman you’re dating… I think it was Shiina-san, was it? What kind of reaction do you think she would have? Perhaps she would break up with you, wouldn’t she?”

Miori, who goes to another school, doesn’t know Ria.

And, since Miori is extremely shy… or rather, she’s extremely misanthropic, even when Ria had visited our house—

“Why do I, of all people, have to meet Onii-san’s girlfriend?”

Miori had said that and didn’t meet Ria.

Because of her personality, it’s like there’s no one who knows that my sister, Miori, even exists, even though they know about her existence.

That aside…

“Ah, I broke up with Shiina yesterday.”

“…Eh?”

When she heard that, Miori was taken aback for a moment.

And then, she started to make a slightly smirking smile.

“Heh, heh… Is that so? You finally broke up with her…”

Miori’s lips gradually relaxed.

Is she that happy that I broke up with my lover?

“That’s why I said that you, Onii-san, were not suited for romance. You would never be able to marry anyone in the future. After all, I’m the only one in the world who can take care of you—”

“Ah, but, I started dating another girl yesterday.”

“…Huh?”

Miori was taken aback again.

Fufu, don’t look down on your brother, my dear sister.

Even I can experience love.

Even though I was cheated on by the first girlfriend I ever had!

“Are you surprised?”

“…Yes, I was surprised. I didn’t think that you, Onii-san, were a shameless person who would go after women indiscriminately.”

“Shameless, you say…”

That was a line I couldn’t ignore. What do you think I am?

“But that’s what it is, right? Why are you starting to date another woman on the same day that you broke up with your girlfriend? That’s strange.”

“A lot of things happened.”

“Could it be… does staying at your friend’s house mean that you were staying at that woman’s house?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Which means, you were abandoning your younger sister and shamelessly returned home in the morning, is that it?”

“Well, that’s how it is…”

When you put it that way, it hurts my ears.

There’s also the reason that I wanted to avoid running into Ria, but those circumstances don’t matter to Miori. After all, it’s only a problem between Ria and me.

“You’re the worst, Onii-san. For me to be suddenly left alone yesterday because of that kind of reason…”

“Hey, Miori was taken care of at Ryoko-san’s house, right? If that’s the case, then it’s fine. Also, Miori is already a high school student, so you can be home alone…”

“I’m a frail girl, you know? Do you understand?”

A frail girl wouldn’t take a photo of her naked older brother and then act so nasty like she did.

But even so…

I remembered the day that I met Miori for the first time.

Miori and I aren’t actually siblings.

Miori is my father’s step-daughter from his remarriage.

The place where I first met Miori when I was 5 was in a white and narrow hospital room.

Miori was born with a weak body and was repeating going in and out of the hospital.

Even though my parents had remarried and a new family member had been added, Miori was always in the hospital, unlike my step-mother who was at home, and I couldn’t feel the reality of having a younger sister.

Even as a child, I thought that it was a terrible thing.

The fact that one of my family members wasn’t home was unbearable for me who had lost his mother early on.

That’s why, I would force my busy father to take me to Miori’s hospital room every day. The days accumulated, and it continued for months and years.

Eventually, Miori was about to enter elementary school.

But, Miori couldn’t leave the hospital room.

Naturally, she couldn’t go to the entrance ceremony and couldn’t attend school for a while.

Miori in my memories when I was younger was always looking sadly out the window from the hospital room.

She was probably comparing herself with her peers who were going to elementary school and playing with their friends.

I, who was just a little kid, couldn’t do anything for Miori.

I could only go there to show my face and maybe be her playmate.

I wanted to take Miori outside.

I wanted to let the bird in the cage flutter around in the outside world.

But in the end, I couldn’t do anything, and Miori was able to walk to the outside world thanks to the adults around her.

It was the moment when I, as a child, realized my powerlessness.

Even if I didn’t think about it now, there was nothing that a child could do.

But the feeling of not being able to do anything for Miori as her older brother was stuck in my head.

That feeling is still stuck in my mind, even in a different form.

Miori, who was repeating her hospital stays, has now become completely healthy.

Of course, that’s in comparison to when she was going in and out of the hospital. She’s still going in for regular check-ups.

I thought that Miori had grown up to be quite strong.

But, it seems that Miori wanted me to treat her like a frail girl.

“…Yeah, you’re right. Sorry for suddenly leaving you alone yesterday.”

“…I-It’s fine, it’s fine as long as you understand, as long as you understand.”

“Well then… I’m going to take a break from school today too, so I’m free…”

I stood up and walked over to Miori’s side.

When Miori looked up at me, she averted her gaze for a moment as if she was feeling awkward.

“Onii-san, today…”

“I’m going to go visit Hiyori-chan.”

“Yes, I understand… Wait, eh?”

“I couldn’t visit her even once last week because club activities were busy.”

I headed to the front door as I said that.

“W-Wait a minute!? In this situation, shouldn’t you be with me today!?”

“Eh, why would that be the case?”

“Wh-Why, you say…”

Miori stumbled on her words and then looked down and muttered quietly,

“Why, of all places, are you going to Hiyori-san’s place…”

“What was that?”

“It’s nothing! After all, you, Onii-san, are a lolicon!”

“Why did it end up like that!? Or rather, why are you suddenly angry!?”

“That’s enough! I don’t know you, Onii-san!”

After saying that, Miori huffed angrily and returned to her room.

“…I don’t understand anything…”

I was dumbfounded as I looked at the forcefully closed door of her room.

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