Arc 1.5 – Episode 2: “A New Little Sister?”

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【Side. Kyoichi】

Suddenly, I have a stepsister.

It was news to me, but apparently, my parents made the decision back home. The girl’s family was in financial trouble, so my family, which is a bit more stable, decided to take her in. I thought they could’ve just lent them the money, but I guess it was easier to make it official by adopting her as a dependent.

I’m not exactly sure where we suddenly got the money to support a third-year middle schooler, but I have a feeling Ichigo had a hand in it.

Why would Ichigo get involved? Probably to set me up with a new fling or something like that.

Of course, I have no intention of doing that. I plan to treat her like a proper sibling.

As for this new stepsister, she'll be moving in during summer vacation since our apartment is closer to her school. She'll be spending time getting to know us.

By the way, she's not getting a new apartment in the same building. She'll be sharing Ichigo's room.

It's not my room but Ichigo's, who's practically a stranger to her. Well, considering the difference in our sexes and the fact that Ichigo pays the rent for both rooms, it makes sense.

The move-in date was set for the day after Aria-san left for her family trip.

While I was working on my summer homework, the intercom rang, and I went to open the front door.

“Yes, who is it…?”

Standing there was a girl in a blouse and skirt, her hair naturally curling down to her shoulders. Beside her was a carry-on bag, presumably packed with her belongings.

“U-Um! Are you Kuzuha Kyoichi-san?”

“That’s right. Are you my new stepsister?”

“Yes! I’m Nagaoka… I mean, Kuzuha Rina! I'm your second cousin and now your stepsister! Nice to meet you!”

Rina-chan bowed deeply, her whole upper body bent forward.

“Yeah, nice to meet you. You'll be staying in my childhood friend’s apartment next door. Let me introduce you to her.”

I rang the intercom of the room next door, where Ichigo lived.

“Yes!”

It seemed like Ichigo had been waiting, just like me. She opened the door right away, dressed casually in her loungewear.

“Hello. So, this is Kyo-kun's new little sister?”

“Y-Yes! I’m Kuzuha Rina! Nice to meet you!”

Rina-chan bowed again, just like she did with me.

“Rina-chan, huh? I'm Yorifuji Ichigo. Kyo-kun's childhood friend, his girlfriend, and soon-to-be fiancée. You can call me ‘Onee-chan’ too, if you'd like.”

“Uh, um…”

Rina-chan hesitated, unable to agree readily with Ichigo's offer.

“It’s okay, take your time. We're going to be living together after all. For now, come in and set your stuff down.”

“Okay, excuse me…”

Rina-chan pulled her carry-on, cautiously stepping into Ichigo's room.

Although it was going to be her room too from now on, it made sense that she was still being careful—it was only her first day.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

“Nah, I might end up unpacking her underwear and stuff, so just wait here quietly.”

Leaving those words behind, Ichigo closed the front door.

Well, I guess I'm suddenly out of the picture.

It's like she's Ichigo's sister, not mine… But I suppose it's for the best; Rina-chan's a teenage girl, after all, and it wouldn't be good for me to be overly involved.

I returned to my room, deciding to finish my summer homework until I reached a good stopping point.

After taking a short break, my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Ichigo.

“All done unpacking! We're gonna go to the family restaurant for a mini-welcome party, so change and get ready!”

A welcome party for Rina-chan, huh? No reason to say no.

“Got it.”

“Oh, by the way, I gave Rina-chan your phone number and LINE ID. Hope that's okay.”

I felt a bit uneasy about Ichigo sharing my contact information without asking first, but I figured it was fine since it was Rina.

“Sure, we're siblings now.”

“Okay! Hurry and get ready then.”

After finishing the chat, I opened my closet and changed into something a bit more suitable for going out.

I met up with Ichigo and Rina-chan in the hallway, and we headed to a nearby family restaurant.

“It's been ages since I last came to a family restaurant,” Rina-chan said, looking around with an expression of wonder as we sat down.

“I heard things were tough for your family financially. Didn't get much allowance?” Ichigo, who sat next to Rina, asked.

“Yeah, I got a bit, but it would disappear quickly if I went to places like this, so I ended up saving instead.”

“I see. Well, that's why you've moved in with Kyo-kun now, and from here on, you'll be able to have more fun with a bigger allowance.”

That's probably not my family’s money she's talking about—it's Ichigo's.

Not that I mind, though. Ichigo seems to enjoy having a new little sister around.

“Let’s go ahead and order then. Drinks are on me, and since this is Kyoichi-onii-chan's treat, you can order whatever you like,” Ichigo said cheerfully.

“Eh? Really?” Rina-chan looked at me hesitantly.

“Of course, it’s your welcome party, after all.”

Granted, it’s actually being paid for with the money Ichigo gave me.

“Um, well then…”

Rina-chan hesitated for a while before picking a meal from around the middle price range. She seemed to have her eye on something a bit more expensive, but I guess she's still holding back for now.

Afterward, Ichigo and I both chose our own meals—ones that Rina-chan had been eyeing.

Though I didn't say anything, after knowing each other for so long, Ichigo and I were on the same page.

“Ah….”

She gasped, realizing our intention.

“Rina-chan, you were interested in these dishes, right? Let's share them between the three of us,” Ichigo suggested with a smile.

There was no way I could've said it myself, being a guy and all.

“Okay! Thank you so much!”

Rina-chan responded with an adorable smile.

After the meal, we went shopping for clothes since Rina-chan didn't have much with her.

That was exhausting, and I'll spare you the details.

It wasn't just clothes; we even bought underwear. Why was I there? I'm a guy, you know?

Plus, I ended up footing the bill for everything, so I couldn't even get out of it.

With me being dragged into the lingerie store, Rina-chan turned bright red, clearly embarrassed.

And the card I used to pay—it was the one Ichigo had given me.

She could've just paid herself; I don't get why she made me do it, but I had no choice.

…Using Ichigo's money, of course!

Anyway, it was exhausting.

After getting back to the apartment, we each went to our rooms to change into loungewear before meeting up again in Ichigo's room.

“Um, Kyoichi-niisan, Ichigo-neesan, thank you so much for today—for the restaurant, and the clothes, and everything,” Rina-chan said, bowing her head in gratitude, now dressed in the new camisole and shorts we bought.

Kyoichi-niisan and Ichigo-neesan, huh? It seems like she's starting to open up to us a bit.

It feels a bit like we bribed her, but…

Well, I suppose that's how relationships start sometimes.

“Don’t worry about it. Today's the day we became siblings, after all,” I said.

“Exactly! We can't do this every day, but from now on, we'll go out to eat and shop like this pretty often,” Ichigo added.

Hearing that, Rina-chan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Uh, um… thank you,” she replied, once again expressing her gratitude.

It was still awkward, but at this rate, we'd grow closer in no time.

…Of course, keeping proper boundaries as siblings.