Chapter 42Unreal
"—Eh?"
"L-Like I said...! I-If you're okay with it, then─"
I slaughtered all my dirty desires with a burst of emotion strong enough to tear my body apart, and just as I was about to put on my outer shoes, I dropped my loafers on the floor. And more than I thought, it rolled quite far, so I went to pick it up, showing her my lame side.
Um, Natsukawa-san...? You mean, 'today'...? Really...?
Totally impromptu─ ─No, maybe it's not impromptu? I completely ignored the possibility that she would invite me to her house, just by myself. In fact, I never thought that it would happen today.
"Eh...? ...Hmm...? Didn't you say that you need to prepare some things first?"
"Th-That's... ...I, I need to prepare myself mentally first."
"C-Cute."
"S-Stop calling me cute, you idiot!"
"Sorry, my libido just now..."
"...Kei also said the same word before, but what does it mean..."
Eh, Ashida also said the same word...? Ashida feels her libido for Natsukawa? Does that mean I'm her rival all this time? Yeah, I can smell the scent of girls' affection in the air.
Oh, Ashida, you don't need to mind me, I'll back off, anyway, so please just let out your libido all you want! I like that! Just please do it in front of me.
No, I don't think I can say or ask for something so fancy like that. I'm already too blessed that Natsukawa actually came to talk to me. By the way, when can I get a ticket for the handshake event?
...And then what? Am I going to visit Natsukawa's house this time? Really? Isn't this so bad? Maybe this is what Ashida meant by 'bad'? If so, it's really bad. By the way─ Should I buy a box of candy for Airi-chan? Hmm... ...something like 'HimoQ'?
(TL English Note: 'HimoQ' is the original name of the snack in Japan, it's a long gummy string.)
◆
This trip home felt nostalgic. Although, these kinds of things did not happen recently, but this kind of emotion filled me. How many times have I walked back to the house next to Natsukawa since April? Yeah, I was just chasing her. Hahaha.
Anyway, the only difference this time was that Natsukawa wasn't walking in front of me, but beside me. It made me feel somewhat self-conscious and embarrassed.
"Hey, Natsukawa."
"Wh-What?"
"More than I thought, I'm so nervous that I just want to die."
"Wh-Why are you nervous!?"
"Because I'm alone with you right now."
"Wh-What...!?"
"You don't know? Look at my legs, they're about to give up."
"...They're trembling."
You don't need to say that out loud. You know how I feel about you, right? Does she know how I feel right now? ...I feel like I'm in heaven, but I'm being tortured. It feels like I'm already full, but suddenly someone puts my favorite hamburger, especially a big one, in front of me.
Then again, it probably happened because I didn't prepare myself mentally properly. That's my conclusion about my situation, Sergeant! This is no time to be calm and accept everything, I mean it's no time to joke around. (Excitedly)
"You don't need to be so nervous..."
"Correction, this nervousness turned into strength."
"I-I see..."
Right, think about it. This is not an erotic development. Natsukawa was just about to introduce me to her little sis. That's all. Us going home together like this is just a procedure to achieve this goal. That is, this situation is like a business transaction.
With that said, what should I talk about here? Of course, I want to ask something like, can I know where you live? Are you sure you want to let me in? But, if I asked her that, it would make us go back to 'So, why wasn't I allowed before?', so that's not the right choice of question. I'm sure it would just make Natsukawa feel conflicted again, so I need to discuss something else.
"...What kind of girl is your little sis? Look, I've only seen her picture. By the way, Big Sis is like a gorilla."
"You've made up with your big sis, haven't you...?"
"I think so. I bribed her with some buns anyway."
"What are you doing?! You're just going to make your big sis mad!"
Natsukawa yelled angrily at me.
Yeah, she's really cute, isn't she?
Of course, I didn't bribe Big Sis directly. After all, that primate put the buns in her mouth willingly.
But that's just one of the many ways that we're supposed to be siblings, I guess? It's like we report to each other about what's been going on lately, like a timeline. I mean, aren't there a lot of siblings out there who would do the same thing as us?
"We talk more with fists than words. It's just how we express our affection for each other, it's just the usual skin touch. Not to mention her being honest about her stomach... ...though I don't know how she feels."
Come to think of it, I'm the only boy in this whole world who saw her exposed belly. If it was another boy, wouldn't that be very dangerous? If it's Natsukawa─ ─No, don't. Not now! Or else, it will be dangerous later.
"I-I see? I guess that kind of skin touch also exists, huh..."
"I'm your senpai in terms of siblings' relationship. As soon as your little sis feeds you a bun, let me know. I'll do my best to give you some advice."
"There's no way Airi would do something like that. Not today, not in the future. Never."
You may never know. Even small children can change in the next ten years. Look, it's not like Big Sis will always be a gorilla either─ ─Wait, that's weird... ...I guess? I mean, she once told me to do something impossible like making a loop while I was playing on the swing.
"Airi is... ...Yeah. Airi is like..."
"Hmm?"
"─An angel."
"Yeah, I know how much you love her."
She's not lying. Not to mention that I know another senpai who likes to pamper a certain angel at school. That's why I can guess how much Natsukawa admires her little sis. Yeah, from that very cute photo I've seen, it's not that I don't know where it came from.
"So? What's the best thing you like about her?"
"Eh? Um... ...The part where she feels comfortable around me."
"Eh, is that something you can tell me?"
"Well, when I hold her, she entrusts herself to me and leans against me... ...and then she relaxes and falls asleep right away."
"..."
Mmm... ...Cute! Natsukawa whose tone becomes soft whenever she talks about her little sis is so cute! Wait, has she ever shown such a kind face to me?! I've never seen this expression on her, even though I've been around her for years, right?! Seriously, though... ...am I going to die today?!
"...Just to let you know, but don't expect big bro vibe to come out of me like you saw in Sasaki. After all, I've never really interacted with children."
"Oh... ...That's right. You are a little bro after all..."
"Are you perhaps, expecting something like that from me?"
"N-No, I didn't expect that, though! Don't get carried away!"
"Yeah, well, you see, I want to get a reference about how Sasaki's attitude towards Airi-chan is..."
"...Right now, you immediately try to lower the hurdles on yourself, huh... ...Well, just act like you normally do."
I mean, I don't want to be hated... ...Act like I normally do? Like what's okay to do? You keep calling me disgusting in everything I do, don't you?
Not really, how can I make her like me? I don't know how to get along with a little girl I'm meeting for the first time. Will I be okay? To anyone who meets me for the first time, my hair color probably looks like a gangster, doesn't it? ...Oh, this is really bad...
"Um, Natsukawa-san..."
"Wh-What's wrong?"
"...Can't I just go home now?"
"H-Huh?! You're just saying that now?!"
"Because I feel like this nervousness is almost overwhelming me, you know..."
"Don't say 'you know' to me! I-It's because you keep saying that!"
"Ugh..."
Although I didn't feel hurt no matter what Natsukawa said to me before, hearing that kind of objective argument made me feel weak. Oh, my pride...! My pride is disappearing...! I feel like I'm in a toxic stage right now, gradually losing my life...!
"J-Just come with me! Since you've come this far, I won't let you go home right now!"
"Oh, hey..."
She grabbed my arm and pulled me to a different path that I would always take.
In front of this street must be Natsukawa's house. Oops... ...the mapping function in my head started by itself, even though I was against it. After all, my body still has Natsukawa with all its heart, right? Sorry, all you Natsukawa fans out there... ...Today, I'm going to Natsukawa's house.
"Oh..."
"Don't growl in such a low voice! You don't have to be so nervous..."
First of all, I'll go inside the house of the girl I've been in love with all this time... ...You understand, right? You, don't understand? Then, please do it! You know how I feel, don't you, Natsukawa-san...! I'm happy, but also not happy! I'm scared! Afraid of 'Onigashima', the mythological demon island!
(TL Note: One Piece reference?)
And also, what if I act suspiciously from beginning to end...? ...If that happens, there's no choice but to keep a longer distance from Natsukawa... ...Because it's hard for me, after all... ...Oh, what is 'it'? Is this what she meant by disgusting...?
"Natsukawa... ...I know it's a bit late to say this, but it turns out that you can also blatantly drag boys into your house, huh."
"D-Don't tell me that I'm 'dragging' someone else!"
"Hmm, I think our current situation is still very bad..."
"Ugh..."
This is bad. I know that I said that I would do anything and go anywhere for her, but my realistic side is screaming and telling me to run away from this situation. I can't just sit back and go along, can I? ...Oh, all I have to do is shut up, shut up and shut up.
"...Wh-What's so strange about that?"
"...Eh?"
"Y-You've always been around me for two and a half years, haven't you?! So, what's weird about me inviting you to my house... ...It's not weird at all, is it?!"
(TL Note: Hmmm 🤔)
"This isn't... weird? Not weird, not weird, though..."
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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