Chapter 50: A Stranded Flirt Ship and a Young Girl Again

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“Hey, by the way, Onii-chan.”

“Hmm?”

“Your ex-girlfriend, who was just here, was muttering some weird stuff. Is she okay?”

Ange actually said it. Wait, she heard that?

Even though I thought that, now that peace has been restored, I want to avoid stirring things up unnecessarily. From the way Ange is talking, she didn’t catch the full gist of whatever misunderstanding or delusion my ex was babbling about.

“Well, she did attempt suicide.”

“What…”

To shut Ange up, I brought up a topic she wouldn’t want to follow. As expected, she fell silent, but something seemed to click for her.

“Was it related to breaking up with you?”

Damn, she hit the mark. This is why having a perceptive sister is… well, it’s not all bad.

“…No comment.”

“That's basically an answer, right?”

“Well, it's not for the reason you're thinking. Actually, we didn't see each other or have any contact at all since the breakup until she came to this university. I only found out about her suicide attempt recently.”

“I see. So, she probably realized your worth after breaking up and deeply regretted it or something, right?”

I was taken aback. Ange’s guess wasn’t entirely off the mark, though not exactly right either.

“People are really stupid sometimes. They don’t realize how important something is until they’ve let it go, even for a moment.”

“That's pretty mature for a kid to say.”

“I know at least that much, Onii-chan.”

Seeing Ange pout in front of me made me realize she might be more grown-up than I thought.

…Grown-up, huh?

“Hey, Ange.”

“What?”

“Do you want to grow up quickly?”

As soon as I asked, the Frappuccino she was drinking was sprayed all over my face.

Getting a faceful of this stuff is definitely not pleasant. If I ever get a girlfriend, I’ll make sure to avoid such unpleasant actions.

“W-w-what do you mean!?”

“I meant it literally.”

“So, you want me to grow up quickly, right, Onii-chan!?”

“No, I just thought you seemed pretty mature already, so I was curious.”

“Don't worry! I’ll wait until you make me an adult, Onii-chan!!”

“…? No, I mean, you'll grow up without me having to do anything.”

“No way! You have to make me an adult, Onii-chan! No matter what anyone says, that's a definite fact!! Got it!?”

“…O-okay…”

I agreed in the heat of the moment, but why is Ange so worked up? She’ll become an adult naturally without anyone guiding her.

“Honestly, I can’t stand the thought of being touched by any guy other than you, Onii-chan.”

“…”

Ange has always disliked men—more like she hates them. She used to mock the boys who bullied her in elementary school and then tried to get close to her in middle school. If they had been nice to her from the start, they might have had a chance.

“Just the other day, some random guy, who looked like a college student, tried to hit on me. He was not that good-looking and totally thought too much of himself. It was honestly gross.”

“You turned him down, right!?”

“Kyaaa! You scare me. Of course, I did. I hate guys who look like they’d ditch me at the first sign of trouble.”

“Good. Ange, stay pure, for the sake of my sanity.”

“Yeah, once my period is over, I'm ready whenever you are.”

“What are you talking about?”

She can’t be serious! It’s way too early for her to be thinking about that.

Seriously, I told you no. Please, just forget about it.

…

I thought about knocking some sense into Ange but decided against it. Hitting her head hard might just make her more rebellious, which would be even worse.

Still, I didn't realize there were other guys besides Makoto-kun who would try to hit on girls like that.

***

After leaving the slightly inappropriate Starbucks, I asked Ange,

“We still have some time before Jones-san arrives. Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“Well, I’d like to check out some budget cosmetics. They probably have better stuff here in the city than back in the countryside.”

“I don't know where that store is.”

“I’ve already looked it up. Just leave it to me.”

…

Ange might know this town better than I do.

Feeling somewhat defeated, I let my sister lead the way.

As we neared our destination, I noticed a little girl being led by her hand on the opposite side of the street. She looked familiar….

“Onii-chaaaaaannnn!!”

Thud.

Before I could react, the little girl came charging at me.

I couldn’t believe Yuki-chan remembered me.