Chapter 19 – Brother's Summoned Spirit, Ange
Now, how should I handle this?
Normally, the honest approach would be to say, “I was so exhausted that I fell asleep without sending you a message, Ange.” But…
Hmm.
Being straightforward might work if Ange's reaction is just being mad, which I could handle. But the worst-case scenario would be Ange feeling dejected and thinking, “My brother forgot about me, I’m not important to him.” Given past experiences, this would be much harder to resolve.
Looks like I have to resort to a gentle adult lie.
“Hey, Ange, I'm sorry. I think I got food poisoning from some sashimi I ate yesterday. My stomach's been killing me, and I couldn't move.”
Thankfully, this is over text. If it were a call, she'd probably see through it instantly. I'm already breaking into a cold sweat.
“…Really?”
“Yes, really. My stomach is still acting up.”
“Are you okay?”
I want to throw that question right back at her. It's morning, shouldn't she be getting ready for school? She's responding instantly to every message.
“It's rough, but I'll survive. By the way, don't you need to get ready for school?”
“…”
Ah, her immediate responses stopped. She's probably preparing for school now. Sorry, Ange. The guilt is killing me.
“I'm heading out.”
“Alright, have a good day. I should be better by tonight, so let's talk then.”
“Okay, talk to you tonight.”
Alright, that should take care of things with Ange. To make up for the lie, I'll buy her some bunny ears from the amusement park next time we go.
***
Having successfully resolved the issue with Ange, I quickly ate breakfast and headed to the university.
After the weekend, the lectures would officially begin, so I needed to decide on my courses soon.
As I pondered over my options and approached the bulletin board at the faculty entrance, I unexpectedly ran into Kojima-san from the NTR incident.
Wait a minute, why is she backing away in fear while looking at me?
“P-please don't arrest me…”
“I'm not going to arrest you!”
I leaned forward, delivering an immediate retort. Kojima-san, you're just an idiot, aren't you?
…
And here I am, involving myself with someone I don't need to deal with. Damn, my need to make retorts is a curse.
And thanks to her dropping the power word “arrest,” other students around us were now paying attention. If I just walked away, who knows what rumors would start? I needed to smooth things over.
“So, do you actually have a reason to be arrested, Kojima-san?”
“…”
There, that should do it. Just as I was about to walk away, Kojima-san stirred things up again.
“Um, excuse me!”
“What now?”
“You're really not going to arrest me?”
“For the last time, do you have a reason to be arrested?! Stop saying unnecessary things!”
“…”
Why does she think she's going to be arrested? Does she feel guilty for betraying me, or is it just because she showed up at my apartment unannounced at night?
…
If I told her, “Don't come to my apartment at night anymore,” the onlookers might get the wrong idea, right?
“Anyway, just stop messing with me.”
“…”
“See you.”
The words that came out of my mouth after that impromptu response were quite neutral. Good enough.
Getting involved with her could lead to a messy situation. I'll have to tell her not to come to my place when there are no people around.
Watching Kojima-san stand there like a statue, I walked away like the wind.
As expected of a b***h, standing stiffly in place like that was quite a sight.
***
After finishing up my tasks at the university, I had dinner out and then spent some time at a bookstore before heading home as it got dark.
I was looking forward to two days off starting tomorrow. The recent NTR incidents had kept me on edge, so I was genuinely happy to have some time to relax.
Feeling upbeat, I unlocked the front door.
“I’m home… not that anyone’s here, haha.”
“Welcome back, Onii-chan. Is your stomach feeling better?”
“…”
Click.
This is strange. Why is Ange here when this isn’t even our family home? It's not like the front door magically teleports me to different locations.
Alright, let's reset and try again.
Click.
“Welcome back, Onii-chan. Why did you close the door?”
Click.
Oops, I closed the door again. It’s instinctive to shut the door when faced with an unexpected scene.
What is this? Is it a hallucination brought on by Ange's curse? Or is it my guilt for lying to her? Which is it?
Click.
“What are you doing, Onii-chan?”
“…Why is Ange here?”
Sadly, this seems to be reality.
“I told you this morning, ‘I'm coming over.’ I asked the landlord to let me in.”
“And school?”
“Tomorrow's Saturday, right? Besides, school doesn't matter when you're suffering from a tummy ache.”
“And Mom?”
“…”
Ah, this is one of those things I definitely shouldn't allow. Just as I thought that, my phone rang.
“Yuuta! Ange hasn't come home yet. Have you received any messages or anything from her?”
Yes, she’s right here, Mother.
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1 Comment
Given he's surrounded by such kind of women, and that his stepmom act with him like anything but a mom, his little sister being a brocon feels actually a breath of fresh air.