Chapter 43The Demon's Castle (Utopia)
Is that the Demon King's castle...?!
It looks like an ordinary house from the outside, but why does it look so big and grand? Perhaps, my house was not a house, but just a stable?
"Y-Yeah, let's go in." (High-pitched voice)
"Don't continue that attitude in front of Airi, okay..."
"Ugh..."
"Wh-Why do you look like you're going to cry?"
My plan to pretend to be a girl was rejected.
What else could I do in this situation? Yeah, it was just giving up.
I had no choice but to accept my trembling legs, and empty head. There was nothing that could be done.
I think I just had an epiphany. Please just take my life, Buddha.
"D-Do you hate coming to my house that much...?"
"Oh, d*mn it, now I really want to meet your little sis. Can't I hug her later?"
"I'll hit you."
"Ouch~"
I almost sat down like a dog. Although 'Ouch~!' came out of my mouth, in my heart, it was actually 'woof~'.
She's really good at not flinching in the slightest yet exuding a terrifying pressure. If I were a dog, I would wag my tail, woof~.
"Come on, let's go in this time!"
"GULP, I-I got it, I got it, though...!"
Is Natsukawa actually a carnivorous girl?
(TL Note: In Japan, there are terms Carnivore and Herbivore for boys and girls, where carnivores are assertive and like to take the initiative first when it comes to romance.)
I mean, from an outsider's perspective, it seems that she dragged a boy into her house. And I feel quite honored to be placed in such an important role. Anyway, what should I do with my heartburn that I can't stand anymore? What? Jump into the sea? Understood, I'll take a trip to the beach later.
"C-Come in quietly, okay."
"Eh, are we going in like that?"
"Otherwise, we'll get caught by Mom."
"So, your dear mother is home."
It was like the spirit of a business salesman had suddenly possessed me.
Anyway, that's good judgment, me. Let's do that in case something happens. Also, is it that bad for your mother to find out? I can also greet her normally, you know. Even though I didn't bring any souvenirs. Oh, you don't want your mother to see me? Really? It's not right... ...is it?
I followed Natsukawa, who slipped in front of me.
Is this going to be okay? If her mother found us at this time, she would only think that we were planning to do something 'heinous', right?
"...!"
Natsukawa opened the front door, and I immediately joined her. I-It's...! The air was filled with Natsukawa's fragrant scent...!
Eh, isn't this bad? The whole air in this house feels like Natsukawa. Yeah, this is her house after all. Even so, it's too stimulating for a teenage boy like me. The scent of someone's home is there, right? ...Yeah, when I went to that b*stard's house, it was just to play games, so I've never been too aware of this... ...Anyway, I have to face this. Hang in there, me...! This is indeed a do or die situation...!
Time to reactivate my mind... ...Mission initiated! The goal of this mission: Meet up with Natsukawa's dear little sis without getting caught. The deadline was until dinner time at the Sajou Residence.
"─Oh! Big Sis!"
"A-Airi...!"
"Mission accomplished! It's time to retreat from here!"
"Wait, where are you going?!"
A girl about five years old popped her head out of the stylish door that connected the corridor to the living room. Through the transparent glass hanging in the center of the door, I could see the figure of Natsukawa's dear mother. Apparently, the mission failed.
So, can you let me go, Natsukawa-san? We've been caught. And on top of that, my blood pressure hasn't stopped rising.
"Big Sis! ─And, who?"
"I'm Sajou Wataru. I'm very happy to meet you, Airi-san."
"Don't give such a fancy greeting, okay..."
The spirit of the business salesperson that got into me, okay! I'm a kind-hearted big bro. I'm used to dealing with children, so please don't worry, I can act properly for anything that a young girl might do ─ I myself also have a little sis, you know? ...On the other side of the screen.
(TL Note: He meant the 2-Dimensional one.)
Just as I made a weak excuse in my head, Airi-chan was lifted up from behind her back. Natsukawa's mother sudden appearance made me speechless.
"─Gosh? Did you bring another classmate from school again, Aika?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Oh, hello. My name is Sajou Wataru. Nice to meet you, Auntie."
O-Oh... ...my greeting went more smoothly than I expected. I guess that 'eloquent tongue' really came to me on its own when the time came. Yeah, wasn't I actually not too lost for words?
With some relief, I looked at Natsukawa's mother. From her face, I could tell that she was indeed Natsukawa's mother. Rather than being kind, it seemed that she was a very diligent and honest person.
"Sajou-kun, I see. Nice to meet you ─Wait, just only him today?"
"Ugh... ...Y-Yeah."
"G-Gosh... ...is it possible that today is in your room, huh, Aika?"
"N-No, Mom, you misunderstood me, you know?! In Airi's room! We'll use Airi's room, okay!"
"I-Is that so? I see."
Oh, so she was that kind of mother. The type that talks to her daughter as an equal, like she's the same age. That made me a bit more relieved and calmed my trembling legs a bit. Since this is indeed Natsukawa's mother we're talking about, I guess she must be a strict person. I'm glad she's not the type of uptight company head... ...Anyway, I think it would be better if she didn't know about my problem. I mean, if she knew that I was bothering her daughter...
"Stareー."
Oh, Airi-chan is staring... ...at me like crazy. Look at her carefully, she's really cute. An angel without a doubt. Her big, pretty round eyes are adorable, I can understand why Natsukawa is so obsessed with her. I knew it, that little sis is the best. I want a little sis like her too. I think I'll break the screen once I get home.
♦
"S-Sorry about my mom."
"No need to worry, more than that, forgive me for suddenly barging in here."
"No need to worry about that...!"
"Cute─ ─Mhh!"
"H-Hey! Don't do that in front of Airi!"
R-Right. Whenever it's about her little sis, Natsukawa gets very serious. I need to refrain from such things... ...I hope I can restrain my impulses, though...
Natsukawa took me to the little girl's room, with a shared mat on the floor, creating a colorful feeling in the room / There was a small slide and even a cradle. Other than that, there are many other things like building blocks. I knew that Airi-chan was really loved.
I was told to sit at the small round table in the center of the room, and soon Natsukawa returned with tea.
"This situation is not bad."
"D-Don't say that, I've been trying hard not to notice."
"...Even though you went to this extent just to get me to meet her?"
"..."
Even though the situation became like this, Natsukawa insisted on making me meet her little sis. According to Ashida, if it wasn't for that, Natsukawa wouldn't have accepted this situation. I haven't heard that from her directly... ...but she didn't deny it either, and more than that, I could already guess from her attitude.
"Oh."
While we were talking like that, Airi-chan walked over to me, and stood in front of me, who was sitting cross-legged.
"...Takaaki?"
"...Hmm? Takaaki?"
"Th-That's..."
Maybe their father's name? No, she wouldn't call him that... ...Then it must be another boy's name. Oh, I heard she's very attached to Sasaki. Hmm, I feel like his mother called him 'Takaaki' when Yamazaki and I came to his house to play 'Winning Eleven'.
"Airi, this big bro's name is 'Wataru'."
"Wataru?"
"Hihi, what a cute way to say that name."
"..."
Is this scene...? ...Heaven? Is this really heaven? I'm surrounded by a Goddess and an angel. Since when was I summoned to heaven? In the first place, am I allowed to be here?
Because of this dazzling sight before my eyes, I could only squint my eyes. It felt like I was witnessing something that I shouldn't be. Seriously, what should I do right now...
"Come on, introduce yourself, Wataru."
"O-Okay."
Natsukawa showed me a sincere expression that I had never seen on her face before. Her tone of voice was good enough to make me daydream, especially since she called me by my name.
Eh, what's with all the big sisters in this world having to act like her? Is it weird for me to be this confused...? No, that means Big Sis is the only one who's weird.
"...Isn't that name hard enough to pronounce? Airi-chan, just call me 'Sajouー'."
"Sajouー."
"Right, Sajouー"
"Sajouー!"
"Sajouー!"
"You don't have to act like a little child either..."
Oh, no good, my will is going wild. I guess my internal little bro vibe is attracted to Natsukawa's big sis vibe. Subconsciously, I regressed to a little boy for a moment there. Yeah, I gave up, after all, I'm lustful. I just want a lap pillow.
Airi-chan kept repeating 'Sajouー', she also shouted it while raising one hand like Ultra*an's pose.
More than that, I'm happy that she managed to remember my name. I feel like my family name has a good ring to it.
"Sajouー! What a strange head!"
"Natsukawa, wait here, let me dye my hair really fast."
"Just give up on that now."
I mean, she called my two-toned hairstyle weird...! Yeah, I know that myself too. Anyway, I really need to do something about my hair. I don't mind leaving it like this for a while. I don't really have a preference in what color my hair should be. But, if it's mixed with brown, it's going to look dirty, isn't it.
"Sajouー! Carry me!"
"Eh?"
"Carry me!"
C-Carry her? How do I do that? Just pick her up and... ...what should I do after that? Ugh... ...N-Now that it's like this, I need to create a new way of carrying, and it will be named, 'princess carry'...!
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, this is..."
"Stand up."
"O-Okay..."
Natsukawa must have known that I was confused, and gave a follow-up. I stood up when she told me to. Without moving, I stood 'while being watched'.
"It's not that hard. Just do what comes to your mind."
"Understood, ma'am."
"Just saying 'Okay' is enough."
"O-Okay."
It's Natsukawa we're talking about here. Her skills as a big sis are on another level. If we weren't in a situation like this, I probably would have retreated to being a boy, being her little bro and being pampered by her... ...I've always yearned for a big sis like her...
"Airi-chan, I'll carry you, ready?"
"Mmm?"
"Is this your final answer?"
"There's no way she'll understand that... ...Just do it."
"Okay."
Um, what was I supposed to do just now... ...just lift it under her arm like usual, and put it on my chest...? Hmm...? I guess that would be hard to do at her size...
While I was confused, Natsukawa approached me to give some instructions.
"Listen to me, okay? First, you make a seat with your left arm, then put it there. Your right arm becomes the back of the seat in that case. That will put her in a safe position, so she can relax."
"O-Oh... ...it gets a lot easier."
"Right? And also, put her on the same level as your point of view. Airi looks up to you."
"S-Sorry."
I put a little more strength into my arms, pushing Airi-chan up. Just as we were on the same level, Airi-chan placed her hand on top of my head, touching my hair.
"Eh? Eh? What's she doing?"
"Touching your hair. That hair... ...changed color, right?"
"Right... ...Hmm, Natsukawa, which do you prefer? Black or brown hair?"
"Th-That's─"
"Just like Big Sis!"
"Understood."
"Please don't."
The same color as Natsukawa... ...Not bad either. Our similarities will be much better that way, also I really wonder what I'll look like if my hair is reddish brown. The compensation is the distance between our hearts... ...What kind of compensation is that...?
"How comeー?", Airi-chan tilted her head in confusion.
Doing that while holding my hand has quite a lot of destructive power. Seriously, though, having two sisters, both cute and beautiful makes me wonder, what good deeds did they do in their previous life... ...Me? I was probably just an ordinary peasant in my previous life.
"Hey, heyー, how come you changed color like that?"
"Once you become an adult, you can change colors as much as you want."
"Ehー, that's not fair."
"Adults are never fair."
"Hey!"
"Uhe."
Adding an unnecessary comment at the end, Natsukawa pinched my cheek, pulling it aside.
I'm sure that I must be showing a strange face right now. However, Airi-chan burst out laughing. What a smile, I'll do the same for you later after Natsukawa doesn't see it.
"Ehehe, ehehehehe."
"Whwat?"
Airi-chan joined in too, and pulled my other cheek. She loves playing with my cheek. She laughs while trying to squeeze or pull them. And the more I make strange sounds, the louder her laughter gets.
She must be laughing a lot. She'll definitely be popular later, like Natsukawa... ...No, maybe even more popular than Natsukawa.
"Fufu, fufufu."
...Hmm? Excuse me, Natsukawa-san...? Aren't you enjoying yourself too? You show no intention of letting go of my cheek.
...Yeah, whatever. It's very rare for her to touch me like this. This might be the last time she does... ...Ouch, ow, Airi-chan, your nails, your nails...!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
If you like our work, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi. 🙏
Support Us: https://ko-fi.com/ninjacross
Donations are very much appreciated.
Special Thanks to Our Current Monthly Supporter: Mr. Ads.
Follow Our Official WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaRa6nHCsU9OAB0U370F
Read in other languages: