Time passed, and it was Saturday. The cherry blossoms had already begun to fall, and leaves were starting to become noticeable here and there. I was relaxing in my room, reading a new light novel.
"Come on, Onii! Hurry, hurry!"
But I wasn't there.
The third floor of a shopping mall. A floor primarily featuring women's clothing. I had been kidnapped by Kotono and brought to a place I had no business being.
Moreover, all the clothes were generally mature-looking. Kotono has a figure disproportionate to her age, and her appearance is mature enough that she could be mistaken for a high school student... no, even a university student.
And today, perhaps because her hair was braided, Kotono looked even more mature than usual. Every time she walked, the men around us would glance at her. Hey, you guys, if you stare at my cute Kotono, I'll charge you.
"Wow! This is cute! Look, look, Onii, this is cute!"
"Don't get so excited, it's embarrassing."
However, despite her appearance, her personality was still that of a child. Moreover, she was so unable to separate from her brother that she was basically clinging to my arm the whole time. It was hot, annoying, and noisy.
"Hmph. You're on a date with a beautiful girl like me, you know? Try to look happier!"
"I admit you're a beautiful girl. But being kidnapped on a holiday to carry bags isn't what I call a date."
"Ugh, calling your own sister a beautiful girl is so gross..."
"I'll smack you."
"Ow!"
With a pouting face, she rubbed her forehead where I had flicked it. But why did she somehow look happy?
"Anyway, you're a middle school student, and you don't have money, do you? Most things here are over 5,000 yen; can you buy them?"
"Of course! I begged Dad with 'Please, daddy~♡' and he gave me money!"
Seriously, that's unfair. I wonder if he'd give me pocket money if I said "Please, daddy~♡." No, he'd probably kill me.
We went into various shops, looked around, looked around... Two hours had passed, and we hadn't bought anything.
"Onii, does this dress suit me?"
"Ah, yeah, it suits you, it suits you."
"How about these shorts?"
"Suits you, suits you."
"How about this off-the-shoulder shirt?"
"Suits you, suits you."
"...How about this shirt with a bear drawing on it?"
"Suits you, suits you."
"Onii, you're too careless!"
Hey, stop hitting me so gently. Kotono put her hands on her hips, pouted, and pointed at me, waving her finger like a conductor.
"Honestly! Onii, if you're so careless, your Fated Person will dislike you. Tsk!"
"Don't point at people."
But... I don't think she'd dislike me, but I definitely want to avoid making *her* unhappy. ...Wait, why am I trying to avoid making *her* unhappy...?!
"Onii. For the past fifteen years, I've always watched you."
"Well, we are siblings, after all."
"I'll teach my unromantic Onii what it means to be a woman!"
"You're telling me, who's unromantic... and besides, if you mean a 'woman,' there's Neika."
"She's more of a girl than a woman, so..."
That's true. If Neika heard that, she'd probably silently smack me.
"So, Onii, you're going to treat me like your girlfriend right away."
"Huh? Treat Kotono like my girlfriend?"
"That's right! Girls always get happy when they're treated like girls!"
Is that how it is? Would Kuonji also be happy if she were treated like a girl? ...No, I can't imagine it. I can't even imagine her looking happy in the first place.
But it's true that I'm not used to women. Even though she's my younger sister, I can say she's a beautiful girl even with a relative's bias. While it won't be "getting used to women"... it's probably better to get used to it.
"Or are you just trying to be treated like a girl yourself?"
"Eek! N-n-no way!"
Thanks for the easy-to-understand reaction.
"Kotono, you probably have a lot of guys from your school hitting on you, right?"
"Ah, no no. It's true I get confessed to, but guys my age are too childish, so no."
"Huh? You get confessed to? Who are these nobodies confessing to my cute Kotono? I'll kick them to death."
"Onii, your siscon is creepy."
"It's my duty as a big brother to protect my sister."
Despite saying that, Kotono looked happy. If Kotono had a dog's tail, she'd probably be wagging it furiously.
Kotono happily clung to my arm and tugged hard.
But.
"Alright! If that's settled, then let's go buy some clothes ri—"
Guuuuuhhhhhh...
"...Kotono?"
"N-no, it's not me! It's not me!"
Your face is bright red, though... Ah.
"Ah... sorry, Kotono. I'm so hungry I'm about to die. I can't take it anymore. I'm starving."
"Eh...?"
"Hey, why don't we eat lunch first? Please?"
"...P-pfft! Geez, it can't be helped. It would be pitiful if Onii starved like this, so adorable, adorable Kotono-chan will allow you to eat lunch first!"
Annoying.
"...Thanks."
"...You're welcome."
◆???◆
"...Huh? Is that... Sanada-kun? ...S-Sanada-kun is on a date with an unknown beauty...!? I-I have to report this to Riran-chan...!"