Chapter 9 | As an Older Sister

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“Um… how do you operate this? Would you mind teaching me closer?”

“Ah, I see, so you don’t even know how to use it in the first place.”

I moved right next to Kotomi. It was about two fists’ distance between us.

An indescribable sweet fragrance pierced my nose.

When I glanced to the side, I saw the beautiful profile of the angel reflected in my eyes.

Since I built a wall with anyone except for the people I trusted from the bottom of my heart, romantic feelings or love at first sight didn’t really come up.

Besides, I was done with romance. However, I understood why she was so popular among boys.

“Hold on a minute.”

I launched a game that seemed easy for even Kotomi to play.

It was something called a racing game.

It might be difficult at first, but there weren’t many buttons to use, so she would probably get used to it quickly.

“What kind of game is this?”

“It’s a racing game, a game where you drive cars and compete. You use this to move the cars.”

“I see, so you can drive a car using a controller in a virtual way. The development of humankind is amazing.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess so.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Kotomi, who said things that didn’t fit her age.

The racing game itself had been around for a while, but it seemed that she didn’t know anything about it.

Anyway, she would understand if she tried it.

“For now, just try pressing the button there.”

“…Oh, the screen moved.”

I taught Kotomi how to operate the game, one after another.

Surprisingly, Kotomi was quick to pick it up, and she was soon able to operate it without looking at the controller.

“Then, shall we try playing together?”

“Y-Yes… I’ll do my best.”

A racing game was a competitive game.

However, if I used all my skills and techniques that I hadn’t taught Kotomi, both of us wouldn’t find it fun.

In the first place, my goal was for Kotomi to relax and enjoy herself.

I would go easy on her and play while teaching her.

Then, the race started with a signal.

Kotomi was doing as she was taught, and she was pretty good for her first time playing the game.

I was maintaining the lead, but there wasn’t much of a difference between me and Kotomi.

If I let my guard down, we would probably switch places.

And then, we were approaching the end of the race.

Something hit my shoulder.

“Hm… Ununu…”

When I looked to the side, I saw Kotomi moving her body from side to side to match the movement of the car.

She didn’t have her usual elegant and refined image. The expression “cute” was now appropriate.

At that moment, I unconsciously stopped for a moment.

I hurriedly noticed it, but Kotomi had already passed me.

Kotomi maintained her lead and crossed the finish line.

“Thank you for going easy on me… It’s surprisingly fun, isn’t it. It’s refreshing since I haven’t touched anything like this before.”

“A-Ah… I’m glad you had fun.”

I had no intention of losing, but I couldn’t say that I had been distracted for a moment by Kotomi’s appearance.

However, Kotomi was smiling, so it was a good result in any case.

I was absorbed in the game, and when I noticed, it was already four o’clock.

As I and Kotomi were talking a little, Karin opened her eyes and sat up.

“Ah, good morning, Karin.”

“Onee-chan…”

Karin rubbed her eyes a few times. She was still a little sleepy.

Then, she looked around. As she looked, she gradually caught up with her memories.

She got off the sofa once and sat down next to me.

“Karin, do you want to go home now?”

“…I still want to play.”

Perhaps she hadn’t played enough, Karin shook her head and pulled on the hem of my clothes.

However, her face looked tired, and it was clear at a glance that she was exhausted.

It was no wonder, since we had been playing with such high energy that it was exhausting even for me.

It would be better for her to go home and rest today.

There would be plenty of opportunities to play.

“You seem tired, so let’s go home today.”

I spoke to Karin in a gentle tone.

Karin shook her head, but she seemed to realize that she didn’t have the energy to play, and she nodded with a sad look on her face.

“Let’s play again, Onii-chan is free anytime.”

“…Promise?”

“Of course.”

When I said that, Karin smiled her usual innocent smile.

“Am I… doing a good job as a sister?”

On the way home, I was escorting the two of them home at Karin’s request that we walk together.

Then, I whispered in a low voice, so that Karin, who was standing on the side of the road and looking at the dandelion leaves, wouldn’t hear me.

Kotomi narrowed her eyes and looked at Karin with a distant gaze.

To be honest, it was a difficult question for me to answer since I didn’t have any siblings, but I thought Kotomi was doing a good job.

“Yeah, I think you’ve been doing a good job from the start.”

“I’m a little worried… Thanks to you, Hanazawa-san, I’ve been able to act more like a sister lately, but I wonder if I’m fulfilling my responsibilities as a sister.”

“Responsibilities as a sister, huh. What do you think your responsibilities are, Amase?”

“Making Karin smile, protecting her, watching her grow up… It’s also only recently that I’ve been spending more time with Karin.”

“Then, aren’t you already doing it?”

“Huh?”

Kotomi blinked her eyes.

She looked surprised, but the responsibilities she was talking about were already being fulfilled.

I pointed toward Karin.

A little further down, there was Karin, who was smiling and playing with a dandelion leaf.

“Right now, Karin is smiling.”

“That’s…”

“You’re still watching over Karin and watching her grow up.”

When I first met Kotomi, Karin was next to me.

I still remembered Kotomi’s suspicious gaze that day and her attitude of protecting her sister and being wary of me.

Since Karin became attached to me, Kotomi’s suspicion and wariness had faded, but if that hadn’t happened, I might have been interrogated at school.

“You care about Karin, right?”

“Yes, of course… Karin is my precious and only sister that I love.”

“Just saying that so firmly makes me think you’re doing well as a sister. Karin must love you too.”

“…That’s right. Thank you. I feel like I’m more energized now.”

Kotomi, with slightly teary eyes, smiled at me.

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