[Yuno’s PoV]
*Ding Dong*
The familiar sound of the school bell echoed.
After finishing her Saturday morning classes, Yuno approached a girl nearby.
“Suzuha-chan, how did you do on the test earlier?” (Yuno)
“I got 96 points…” (Suzuha)
“Wow! So, Suzuha-chan had the highest score in the class after all. As expected of you!” (Yuno)
Yuno, who has been friends with Mochizuki Suzuha since elementary school, chatted with her while preparing to leave school.
“How about you, Yuno-chan?” (Suzuha)
“I managed to get 90 points somehow.” (Yuno)
“Wow… Getting 90 points in a subject you’re not good at is really impressive, isn’t it?” (Suzuha)
“Thanks! At least now my idiot big brother (baka aniki) won’t have to worry so much.” (Yuno)
“Hehe, that’s good.” (Suzuha)
“Oh… Is Haruto onii-san doing well?” (Suzuha)
“He’s doing great. The other day, he came home without notifying anyone, and he spent over an hour talking nonsense.” (Yuno)
“Did Yuno-chan punish Haruto onii-san?” (Suzuha)
“I gave him a good spanking on the butt. Hopefully, he would remember it next time.” (Yuno)
Suzuha, who has been friends with Yuno since elementary school, is well acquainted with Yuno’s family situation. In fact, she is the only person who knows the details.
Amid their lighthearted conversation about family matters…
“!?””!!””!?”
A trio of male classmates who had been standing nearby overheard the conversation, and upon hearing it, they turned their heads and glanced at the girls.
Upon meeting the gaze of the boys, Yuno immediately shifted her expression to a stern glare.
“What? You boys over there. You seem like you guys have something to say.” (Suzuha)
“N-No, nothing at all!” (Trio)
The boys quickly denied with nervous expressions.
Despite their synchronized denials and attempts to form a circle again, it was clear that the boys overheard the conversation.
“Hey, did you hear that!? Yuno-chan is willing to spank her brother just for causing a little bit of trouble!” (Student)
“I’m so jealous of her brother…” (Student)
“Isn’t he lucky…” (Student)
Yuno and Suzuha remained oblivious. They had no idea that they were currently the top two in the “Cute High School Girls Ranking, According to Second-year Boys”.
It was precisely because of their popularity that such conversations took place.
“Uwaa…” (Yuno)
“Hey, it’s just a joke! Don’t be so repulsed, Yuno-chi! It’s just a joke, right!?” (Student)
“I think there are good jokes and bad jokes.” (Yuno)
As Yuno responded to the first boy who tried to explain himself, another boy chimed in.
“Don’t say such awful things!” (Student)
“I’m just stating the obvious.” (Yuno)
With a twitching brow, as Yuno grew disdainful, the last boy made a different suggestion.
“Come on, don’t say things like that! Oh, how about we all go bowling together today? What do you think?” (Student)
“W-well, I’ll pass…” (Suzuha)
“I’ll pass too. And aren’t there club activities for the baseball club today? Stop saying weird things and go already.” (Yuno)
These words served as the final blow to the boys.
“Did you have to say that…” (Student)
“That’s just mean…” (Student)
“I wanted to escape from reality a bit longer…” (Student)
“Yeah yeah. Good luck to the three of you.” (Yuno)
“Woo-hoo…” (Trio)
After casually dismissing the boys and waving goodbye, their conversation resumed.
“Haa… Why are they so childish? They’re supposed to be second-year high school students.” (Yuno)
“Maybe they just want your attention, Yuno-chan… You’re popular, after all.” (Suzuha)
“I think they’re just teasing me.” (Yuno)
“But weren’t you confessed to yesterday? During lunch break?” (Suzuha)
“Huh… W-Wait, were you watching!?” (Yuno)
“No, I just assumed so because you were called out. The guy who called you out looked extremely nervous. You rejected him, right?” (Suzuha)
“He wasn’t a bad person, but compared to my baka aniki, he just seemed too childish.” (Yuno)
“I think it’s a bit unfair to compare him to Haruto onii-san…” (Suzuha)
“Hmm.” (Yuno)
Watching Suzuha hesitantly express her opinion with hands over her mouth, Yuno stared at her for a few seconds, then lifted the corner of her mouth and said with a smirk.
“As expected of someone aiming for my onii-chan.” (Yuno)
“I-It’s not like that…” (Suzuha)
“I know you drop by the cafe where he works just to chat with him.” (Yuno)
“Uuu…” (Suzuha)
“By the way, I’m planning to have dinner outside with my baka aniki.” (Yuno)
“Ugh…” (Suzuha)
Suzuha furrowed her eyebrows, a clear expression despite her quiet demeanor. Yuno, who was well-aware of this part of Suzuha, teased her further.
“Look, you’re making an envious face.” (Yuno)
“M-Mouuu!” (Suzuha)
“By the way, Suzuha-chan, you’re always welcome to join us. Baka aniki will be at home on Sunday so feel free to come over during that day too.” (Yuno)
“Un… Okay, got it.” (Suzuha)
After widening her blue eyes, Suzuha smiled faintly. It was a mix of surprise and joy.
“Now then, I have to head to work soon, but are you planning on staying at school a bit longer, Suzuha-chan? If you’re going home—” (Yuno)
“Yeah, I have something to do today, so let’s go home together?” (Suzuha)
“All right!” (Yuno)
Suzuha usually stayed back at school for self-study while Yuno had to rush home immediately to take care of household chores, cooking, and her part-time job.
Due to their conflicting schedules, they rarely walk home together.
After finishing their preparations, they passed through the corridor from the classroom to the entrance, and the two of them encountered an unexpected event.
As Yuno reached up to open her shoe locker as usual, something unexpected happened.
“Whoa!” (Yuno)
Two letters fluttered out from the shoe locker, landing on their heads.
“Phew, that was a surprise… I thought it was a bug.” (Yuno)
“Ah this again…” (Suzuha)
They were letters with ‘To Yuno-san’ written on them. Everyone was clear from a glance.
Following suit, Suzuha opened hers and…
“Ah…” (Suzuha)
Two letters, each addressed ‘To Suzuha-san,’ fell out.
“…” (Yuno)
“…” (Suzuha)
The two exchanged silent glances and then bent down to carefully pick up the fallen letters.
Students passing by who observed the whole scene couldn’t help but think:
—(Someone’s confessing to them again…)
—(Are there going to be more casualties…)
—(They don’t even have a chance…)
Except for the two girls involved, no one else was surprised by the event. It was a common sight in this school, and there was already a widespread rumor circulating among the students that killed any chances of any boys dating them.
There was a certain monster (man) out there who managed to seduce the two girls, who had been confessed to by dozens of people. Because of that, it was believed that no one could date them!
This aforementioned individual, who is currently sweeping the entrance of his house energetically with a broom, was eagerly anticipating something today
And so, In the evening on that day…
===
[Haruto’s PoV]
“Heh.” (Haruto)
“W-What’s with the grin, onii-chan…” (Yuno)
Yuno, done with her part-time job, had joined her brother for dinner at a family restaurant.
Haruto wore a gentle smile when they were looking at the menu together.
“S-Sorry. It’s just that it’s been a while since we went out to eat together.” (Haruto)
“…” (Yuno)
“Hmm?” (Haruto)
Although he apologized and gave an explanation, he received no response and instead was met with a half-hearted glare.
“It’s creepy when you look that happy.” (Yuno)
“Isn’t it normal?” (Haruto)
“What part of it?” (Yuno)
In reality, Yuno was not wrong. With how happy Haruto was, if judged solely by their atmosphere, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for someone to mistake them for a “fresh couple”.
“W-Well, I hope you can forgive me for being that way… Like I said, it’s been a while.” (Haruto)
“It’s been a while because onii-chan rarely ever invites me. If you invited me, I wouldn’t refuse.” (Yuno)
Yuno lowered her gaze, flipping through the menu, but her thoughts were clear: “Just casually invite me. I’ll go with you.”
“Oh, in that case, how about we set a goal to go out for a meal about twice a month? It would make things easier for you, and we could both relax. Coming up with a menu every day must be tough, right…?” (Haruto)
“That’s a no.” (Yuno)
“Huh, you don’t like it?” (Haruto)
“Yeah. I don’t want to.” (Yuno)
Haruto, having researched how challenging daily cooking can be through the voices of housewives online, made the suggestion to lighten Yuno’s load. However, it was promptly rejected, leaving him a bit taken aback.
“Can I ask why?” (Haruto)
“Simply put, it’s more of a luxury. Dining out costs more than cooking at home, you know? With the money spent on one meal outside, I could make enough food for two or three days.” (Yuno)
“But, you know, having days when you don’t have to cook, can relax, and don’t have to think about the menu seems like a good balance, doesn’t it?” (Haruto)
“If I hated cooking and did it begrudgingly, maybe. But I enjoy cooking. Besides, we made a promise, right? ‘Don’t push yourself on days you’re not feeling well.’ So, there’s no need to force dining out days.” (Yuno)
“Is that so?” (Haruto)
“Yeah. Rather than increasing dining out days, I’d be happier buying a pudding from the convenience store and eating it together with you.” (Yuno)
“I-I see… Then, how about buying pudding on our way home today?” (Haruto)
“Yeah. I’ll go for the baked pudding.” (Yuno)
“Then I’ll take the milk pudding.” (Haruto)
“Sorry, but they’re sold out of the one you like. I forgot to tell you last time as a punishment.” (Yuno)
“In that case, maybe I’ll sneakily eat Yuno’s pudding.”
“If you do that, I’ll spank you again.”
And so, they decided on their dessert for the trip home, playfully discussing which one to buy.
“Well, then, let’s drop the dining out talk. Onii-chan, just keep enjoying my cooking, okay? Got it?” (Yuno)
“Hahaha, got it, got it.” (Haruto)
The frequency of dining out remained unchanged. They reached the conclusion of ‘occasionally going out,’ and the topic quickly shifted.
“Hey, speaking of which, there’s something I want to confirm.” (Yuno)
“What is it?” (Haruto)
“You haven’t forgotten that Suzuha-chan is coming over tomorrow, right?” (Yuno)
“Uh…” (Haruto)
Haruto let out a pathetic sound and covered his mouth. With this reaction, it was evident to anyone that he had indeed forgotten.
“E-Eh… Did you maybe forget to re-schedule the livestream?” (Yuno)
“No, it’s not that. It’s just that I forgot to buy sweets for the two of you…” (Haruto)
“Haa?” (Yuno)
“Ouch!?” (Haruto)
Seeing Haruto’s face filled with despair, as if he had done something irreversible, Yuno promptly gave him a forehead flick.
“Come on, don’t make such a face over something like that, it’s misleading. We can just buy them together after this, right?” (Yuno)
“No, I wanted to buy it by myself… It’s better if it’s a surprise. Yuu would be happier that way, right?” (Haruto)
“For that reason?” (Yuno)
“Yeah… Ugh. Instead of getting hung up on our dining session today, I should have gone to buy them earlier…” (Haruto)
The planned surprise didn’t go as smoothly as intended.
Watching Haruto’s shoulders slump and his mood dampen, Yuno wore a puzzled expression.
“Onii-chan, it’s a bit late now, but since Suzuha-chan isn’t coming early in the morning, couldn’t you have secretly gone to buy them tonight or tomorrow morning without me knowing?” (Yuno)
“…Ah, yeah. I guess you’re right.” (Haruto)
“You don’t need to get so down about it. I appreciate the thought.” (Yuno)
“Please don’t say it with a ‘you’re so stubborn’ face.” (Haruto)
“Well, you are stubborn though.” (Yuno)
“Y-You say that quite often, don’t you?” (Haruto)
“Well, let’s not dwell on that so much and continue with our order, okay? Look, they have onii-chan’s favorite cheese hamburger on the menu.” (Yuno)
“Hmm, there’s also a cheese topping…” (Haruto)
“Why not add it on top of the hamburger? Think of it as a reward for trying to make us happy.” (Yuno)
“Sure, let’s give it a try. I wonder how it’ll taste like with extra cheese.” (Haruto)
“I’ll go for gratin1 and seafood salad. Also, let’s get two drinks from the drink bar.” (Yuno)
“Is that all? You can order more meat and stuff, you know? And look at the desserts, there are so many nice options.” (Haruto)
“My stomach isn’t as big as yours… Besides, isn’t the pudding later already a dessert?” (Yuno)
“Y-Yeah, you’re right.” (Haruto)
Haruto could only offer a wry smile, looking somewhat embarrassed as he shifted his attention to the menu.
Observing this scene, Yuno muttered under her breath softly:
“…Is having an onii-chan like this really okay, Suzuha-chan?” (Yuno)
With a relaxed expression, she let out these words, as if speaking to herself.
Illustration of Yuno & Suzuha
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Nooo don’t do it Suzuha, you’re not the main heroine, you can’t win!
On a different note, Merry Christmas! As a Christmas present, I’ll tell you the next series I’m considering picking up after this. The harem consists of an idol, VTuber (of course!), and a cosplayer. Reminds you of ODL eh? It’s called:
Will you support me because I like you?
There’s already an NU page here. Of course, I might change my mind down the line, but this is what I’m considering so far.
I’ll be taking a break tmr, which I think is also the same time when Ruan Mei is coming out, so here’s an early good luck to your pulls.
Thanks for the chapter!
What are you talking about, Yuno? It’s precisely why having a brother like that is okay! Lol