“Yukina’s sudden declaration surprised me too…Hmm? Well, I’ve already said it many times, but the collaboration with Mariel-sama was out of nowhere for me too. We weren’t acquainted with each other before the collaboration. Oh, thank you for the first comment!” (Keitaro)
It was the night after I reunited with Serika for the first time in years.
After playing LoF on stream for a while, I decided to have a short chat session with my viewers.
No, it might be more accurate to say that I was struggling with the overflow of questions in the comment section. It used to be empty during live streams, but now it’s flooded with comments. After the incident with Yukina and Mariel-sama, the number of live viewers for my streams has reached five digits. Considering that it was in the single digits before, the inflation is tremendous.
However, I’m not the type to be conceited enough to think that this happened because of my talent. It’s only thanks to Yukina and Mariel-sama that I was able to achieve this… I have to make sure that I work hard to maintain this number. It’s going to be tough but I don’t want to disappoint them after they gave me this opportunity.
As I was thinking about such things and struggling with the overflowing comments, there was a sudden knock on the door, and it opened.
“Is it okay now, onii-chan?” (Sana)
The one who came was my little sister, Sana. It wasn’t particularly strange for Sana to visit my room, but I was currently in the middle of a livestream. Sana’s voice definitely got caught on stream, and at that moment, the comment section began to buzz.
Chat: [Who’s voice was that just now?]
Chat: [She said ‘onii-chan’ just now, right?]
Chat: [The imouto is here!]
Chat: [So he has an imouto, huh?]
Chat: [Her voice is cute!]
Chat: [Damn, I’m so jealous!]
Chat: [Let us talk with your imouto!!]
How much do you guys like imoutos?! I couldn’t help but want to retort, but honestly, I understand the sentiment. If I were on the viewer’s side, I would probably have a similar reaction, and incidents like the streamer’s family suddenly appearing are kind of fun to watch, right? You get to see a different side of them… Wait, this isn’t the time for that!
I turned to Sana and gestured to convey that I was currently livestreaming.
“…I’m in the middle of a stream right now.” (Keitaro)
Then, Sana responded to my flustered words with her usual carefree manner.
“Ah, right, it’s that time of the day again.” (Sana)
She left as if nothing had happened.
Until now, Sana had always been considerate in such situations, never visiting my room when I was streaming. That’s why I thought there might be something urgent in she suddenly did so, but it seems that wasn’t the case. So what was that all about…?
Tilting my head, I resumed my conversation with my viewers while they continue to question me about my imouto. Then, my smartphone’s notification rang. Upon checking, there were messages from Yukina and Serika.
“(Kei-kun, so you have an imouto. I’d like to meet her. I also want to see the onii-chan version of Kei-kun.)” (Nozomi)
A normal(?) reaction. On the other hand, Serika’s message was filled with numerous exclamation marks.
“(What do you mean by imouto!? You didn’t have a sister, right!? What’s going on!!)” (Serika)
Come to think of it, I hadn’t mentioned that my dad had remarried, and I now had a step-sister. As I pondered this, my phone buzzed again with messages.
“(She was calling you onii-chan?! It was a loli voice, but how old is she? Wait, is she just casually entering your room!?)” (Serika)
A rapid-fire number of questions from Serika.
…Well, it might have been surprising, but why are you so desperate about it?
While still being chased by the usual flood of comments and the continuous messages from Serika, I couldn’t help but think about Sana’s unusual behavior, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease.
▽
[The next morning…]
Today was supposed to be a day off, but I woke up at the usual time and got out of bed.
Even on my days off, I stick to the same sleeping schedule. If I somehow confuse my daily routine, I might accidentally end up skipping school on Yukina’s attendance day. That would be the worst outcome. Yep, she influenced my life down to this level. I’m such a devoted fan, aren’t I?
With such self-praise, I changed my clothes, washed my face, and headed to my sister’s room.
At the request of Kasumi-san (my dad’s remarriage partner, in other words, Sana’s mother), it had become my daily routine to wake up Sana every morning. At first, I was nervous about entering the room of a sleeping girl, even if she was my step-sister, but now I’m used to it.
“Hey, Sana, I’m coming in. Come on, it’s already morning, wake up.” (Keitaro)
I entered the room and approached the bed. Sana, as usual, was wrapped up in the futon, making gentle snoring sounds. Opening the nearby curtain and pulling off the blanket had become the “most efficient way to wake up Sana”. This is something I learnt over half a year of doing this.
“…Mmm.” (Sana)
Having the blanket peeled off, Sana emitted a soft voice as she curled up her body. Her posture and her pink pajamas made her look incredibly cute, but giving in to thoughts like, “Let’s let her sleep for another five minutes” would lead to trouble later, so I had to wake her up regardless of how I felt.
Sana, with her eyes still closed, showed no signs of escaping from the dream world.
As usual, I contemplated calling out to her, shaking her gently, and ultimately carrying her to the bathroom even if needed. But then…
“…Fua? Morning…? Oh, it’s morning!” (Sana)
Surprisingly, in the next moment, Sana voluntarily opened her eyes with a snap and sat up. I was honestly quite shocked—so much so that I jumped a bit.
“W-What’s wrong? You woke up quite quickly today, is there something wrong with your body or something?” (Keitaro)
“…You’re saying something really rude.” (Sana)
In response to my reaction, Sana puffed up her cheeks, looking displeased. Well, can you blame me? Does she know how much I struggle with waking her up every morning?
“You would usually cling to the bed for more than five minutes. Sometimes even longer. How many times were we almost late to school because of it…” (Keitaro)
“Heh, Sana managed to wake up by herself today. It’s a very good morning.” (Sana)
T-This girl, saying such deliberately dramatic lines while avoiding eye contact…!
“Oh, more importantly, Onii-chan, what about breakfast?” (Sana)
“…Well, I’m going to prepare it now. You should go wash your face fir──” (Keitaro)
As I was about to say that, Sana suddenly stood up from the bed.
“So it’s not done yet? Great. Sana will prepare breakfast.” (Sana)
“Huh?” (Keitaro)
She said that out of the blue, leaving me bewildered.
…Sana preparing breakfast? That has never happened before, right?
“W-What the heck are you doing!” (Keitaro)
And for some reason, Sana, while being slightly flustered, started changing right there. I hurriedly tried to shield my eyes with my hands, but for some reason, it didn’t work, and I ended up seeing the whole thing perfectly.
I would say that I’ve become more accustomed to life living with her ever since she moved in. I’ve grown used to her casual outfits after taking a bath and even the occasional glimpse of her panties. However, if she’s straight-up changing right in front of me, that’s a different story.
“…Ah! G-Get out!” (Sana)
Realizing what she was doing, Sana kicked me out of the room, and I finally let out a sigh. Well, I should have left on my own, but I didn’t expect it.
“…Seriously, what’s up with her?” (Keitaro)
Feeling dissatisfied, I made my way to the kitchen. Also, what does she mean by she’ll prepare breakfast? Until now, the usual routine was for me to cook every morning and somehow get Sana, who still wasn’t fully awake, to eat. What’s going on?
I don’t understand, but since she said that, I couldn’t just go ahead and prepare breakfast on my own. All I can do is wait around and see what she does.
“…Sorry for the wait. Sana will get it ready soon.” (Sana)
Shortly after, Sana arrived and opened the fridge to search for ingredients.
Aside from the sense of unease seeing her like this, I was amazed by Sana’s appearance. That’s because she was wearing an apron. It was the first time I had seen Sana in an apron, so it was refreshing, or rather… she’s really cute, isn’t she?
“Did you always have an apron?” (Keitaro)
“Huh? …Ah, this is the one Sana used for cosplay before.” (Sana)
“Is that okay?” (Keitaro)
“?? What do you mean? Aprons are meant for times like this, right?” (Sana)
…Well, if you put it that way, it’s true, but when it’s said to be for cosplay, I can’t help but think of it as a ‘costume’.
“…Alright, so fried eggs and toast… Maybe a salad too. Onii-chan, just wait there.” (Sana)
Soon, Sana took out the ingredients and quickly started getting to work.
As instructed, I sat on the kitchen chair and waited for the finished meal.
The sight of my little sister wearing an apron and cooking… It’s nice. Yeah. I can’t quite put it into words, but it’s nice. Really nice.
“…Fuu, sorry for the wait. It’s ready.” (Sana)
Lost in my own thoughts, breakfast seems to be ready. In front of me were two sets of dishes on the table. Just as she said, they were fried eggs and toast, along with a tomato and lettuce salad.
“Then, itadakimasu…” (Keitaro)
“…How is it? Sana’s breakfast…” (Sana)
As I started eating the food, Sana leaned forward with anticipation.
I think it’s natural to be curious about the first impressions of a breakfast one made, but isn’t she a bit too serious about this, or is it just my imagination?
“Yeah, it’s delicious.” (Keitaro)
Nevertheless, I answered while nodding.
Honestly, the toast had a slightly burnt part, the fried eggs had a bit of shell left, and the salad had unevenly cut tomatoes — but those were trivial details. There’s no way it could be bad when my sister prepared breakfast for me. I was surprised by the sudden change, but the fact that she took the initiative to prepare breakfast was undoubtedly a significant plus. Yes, maybe I’m giving this dish too high of a score, but so what?
“…Thank god.” (Sana)
Upon hearing my response, Sana smiled with a relieved expression. However, as if she had remembered something, she suddenly showed a surprised look and, for some reason, turned her back to me and began fumbling with something. …What’s she doing?
“H-Here, Onii-chan. Dessert.” (Sana)
Soon, Sana turned around and reached out her arm towards me. In her hand was a fork, and on the tip of it was a slice of apple.
“Hurry up and open your mouth. Here, aah.” (Sana)
“Nonono what’s up with this!?” (Keitaro)
“I told you it’s dessert. C-Come on, my hand is getting tired.” (Sana)
Even though I was perplexed by her sudden actions, Sana was glaring at me with a somewhat desperate look. Unable to resist, I reluctantly opened my mouth and ate the apple. It was crunchy and delicious, but… it’s incredibly embarrassing!
“W-Well, it’s not a big deal, right? Onii-chan sometimes feeds Sana like this too so it’s not weird.” (Sana)
As I remained silent, Sana said that with a blush on her face. It’s true that I occasionally feed Sana when she’s half asleep, but that’s just something I do reluctantly in that specific situation. Of course, I don’t say “ahh”, and somehow, I feel like what just happened is something completely different…
“By the way, what about Mom and Dad? Are they working today?” (Sana)
After finishing breakfast and tidying up, Sana suddenly asked as if she had just remembered, and I nodded.
Today is a holiday, but my dad and Kasumi-san are both workaholics to an extreme degree, so they don’t care whether it’s a day off or not. Apparently, both of them left early in the morning today as usual.
“…So, Onii-chan, what are you going to do now?” (Sana)
Sana was referring to household chores.
With our parents often absent from home, household chores naturally became our own responsibility. It had been like that even before my father remarried, so by now, I’m completely used to it.
“Since the laundry I did yesterday should be dry by now, I guess I’ll start by folding the laundry.” (Keitaro)
As I mentioned various tasks that needed to be done, Sana, once again, leaned forward eagerly.
“Sana will do that. Not only that, Sana will handle everything in the house. Onii-chan doesn’t have to do anything.” (Sana)
“Huh? You mean you want to handle the laundry and all the other household chores?” (Keitaro)
Faced with such an unexpected declaration, I was left speechless.
“…Nonono, what are you talking about? This morning’s breakfast and now this, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? Do you have a fever or something?” (Keitaro)
“I told you it’s not like that! Besides, this is nothing special.” (Sana)
“I don’t believe that. You usually act like even your assigned tasks are a hassle, but today, something’s definitely off. Give me a reason, tell me why.” (Keitaro)
“W-Well… It’s just… I thought I’d try to be a more domestic imouto!” (Sana)
…A domestic sister. That’s not something you’d hear every day.
“Well, that’s… um, a good thing… but why all of a sudden?” (Keitaro)
“S-Sana already told you, it’s nothing special. She just felt like doing it. Come on, since Sana said she’ll do it, Onii-chan can just play games in his room while his imouto takes care of everything.” (Sana)
“Why do you make me sound like some awful big brother?!” (Keitaro)
Despite my protests, Sana swiftly kicked me out of the living room, saying I was getting in the way of her work. … Haa, what’s gotten into her all of a sudden?
Well, I’m genuinely happy that Sana has developed an interest in housework, but even if she insists, there’s no way I can just let my sister do all the work while I play.
“Should I clean some areas that don’t usually get attention?” (Keitaro)
Since Sana said she would take care of the laundry, I decided to do something else. I headed towards the storage room to grab the mop and cloth for cleaning the hallway.
“Yeah, something’s definitely off.” (Keitaro)
As I silently cleaned with the mop, my thoughts were occupied by Sana. No matter how you think about it, this sudden change in behaviour was strange.
Something must have happened, but I don’t know what.
Come to think of it, yesterday, I told Sana about meeting my childhood friend Serika and even encountering Yuki on the spot. There was something a bit off about her reaction then.
At that time, she seemed like she was lost in thought about something. Still, I can’t see how that would be related to the situation at hand. Whether I meet someone or not, it shouldn’t matter to Sana.
“Hmm, I can’t think of anything. The cause is unknown. Maybe I’m overthinking it like she said.” (Keitaro)
After pondering for a while without reaching any conclusion, I decided to stop thinking about it. I couldn’t even figure out what Sana was thinking even on normal days, so I gave up. As long as it’s not a bad change, it’s fine. Yup.
By the time I came to this conclusion, I had finished mopping the hallway, and now I was contemplating what to do next. I settled on wiping and cleaning the shelves in the living room.
High places are usually not cleaned often, so there’s bound to be dust buildup. It’s better to tackle the bothersome tasks while you’re motivated — with that in mind, I put away the mop and headed to the living room with a bucket filled with water and a rag in hand.
As I opened the door, I saw Sana sitting facing a mountain of laundry. It seemed like she was folding clothes, but there was still a considerable amount left, and she didn’t seem to have made much progress. Is she struggling? Well, I’ll just leave her be.
I moved a chair closer to the shelves and climbed up on it. As I was about to place the bucket on the shelf and start cleaning, I glanced back at Sana, who seemed completely unaware of my presence.
“……Nfu.” (Sana)
…Huh? What was that sound just now?
“…Nfufu, nfuu~” (Sana)
I heard a strangely deflated voice, so I turned my gaze back towards Sana, who was facing away from me again. Then, I noticed that Sana was hugging something tightly and squirming around. …What is she holding? Wait, is that my shirt?
“What are you doing?” (Keitaro)
“Nuuh!?” (Sana)
When I called out to her, Sana’s body jumped as if she had been startled.
“O-Onii-chan!? T-This is… It’s not like Sana was sniffing onii-chan’s shirt or anything like that! Um, it’s just that…!” (Sana)
“Sniffing my shirt? I’m pretty sure it’s washed properly…?” (Keitaro)
“T-That’s right, exactly. Sana was just checking for that. Yeah, that’s it.” (Sana)
Sana nodded vigorously. Why does she look somewhat relieved?
“The result of the check is that there’s no problem with Onii-chan’s shirt… it smells fine. So, you don’t have to worry about it.” (Sana)
“You don’t need to emphasize it so seriously… But well, if it doesn’t need to be washed again, that’s a relief. I’ll go put it away then—” (Keitaro)
As I tried to take the shirt back, for some reason, Sana didn’t release her tight grip on it. Instead, she looked up at me with pleading eyes.
“Um, well… Sana wants this. Sana really likes it… Is that okay?” (Sana)
“Huh? You want my shirt? Why?” (Keitaro)
“W-Well, you know… F-For cosplay.” (Sana)
Ah, for crossdressing, maybe? Well, it’s just casual wear, so it’s not a big deal if she wants it.
Even so, I can’t refuse. When I nodded, Sana whispered a quiet “Thank you” and continued to tightly hug the shirt. She must really like it.
“Well, it’s good that you like it, but it looks like you haven’t finished with the laundry.” (Keitaro)
“T-That’s because, um, Sana was savorin… checking Onii-chan’s shirt so it took some time. She will go and finish up now.” (Sana)
“I understand, it’s easy to get distracted when doing monotonous tasks. I remember once, I was watching videos on my phone while doing laundry, and before I knew it, the day had ended and the laundry was still there.” (Keitaro)
“That’s a bit too much, Sana doesn’t believe it.” (Sana)
…Even though Onii-chan was trying to be supportive, she just completely dismissed it. Talk about heartless.
As I inwardly tasted the loneliness brought by the cold glare of my heartless sister, Sana suddenly seemed to notice something and spoke up.
“By the way, why are you here, Onii-chan?” (Sana)
“Oh, I was planning to clean the shelves in the living room.” (Keitaro)
I pointed at the bucket as I spoke, and for some reason, Sana stood up with a displeased expression.
“I told you to take a break, Onii-chan. Today, Sana will handle all the housework, including cleaning.” (Sana)
“Hey!” (Keitaro)
Ignoring my protest, Sana climbed onto the chair and reached for the bucket placed on the shelf before I could stop her. Wait, there’s water inside…!
“Eh? Ah!” (Sana)
Apparently caught off guard by the unexpected weight, Sana stumbled. The bucket she had her hand on slipped and tilted.
I pushed Sana away, and at the same time, a splashing sound echoed and darkness engulfed my vision.
A plastic sensation pressed against my head and my entire body was soaked.
“O-Onii-chan, are you okay?” (Sana)
“…So this is what it feels like when a bucket is dumped on you.” (Keitaro)
In response to Sana’s voice coming from outside the bucket, I quietly answered.
While it was reassuring that Sana didn’t get hurt, I couldn’t help but wonder why things ended up like this. In the face of this unexpected situation, I was left in a state of mild despair.
*Achoo!*
Illustration of Sana “folding” the laundry
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
This sister might be worse than the other two somehow lol. My guess is that she’s trying to leverage her only advantage over the other two, which is that she lives together with him.
Sorry if I overused Sana’s third person thing, it’s just that in the raws, she ommited the ‘I’, but I can’t omit it in English since the sentences will get weird so I just reused her name.
I don’t post during weekends for now since I need some time for a break. I can start posting again during weekends once I’m done with my work, which is like in mid-February.
Footnote:
- None
Damn the three sacred treasures of anime heroines are present now
It’s a little grating how the author is rubbing his denseness in our faces. There are quite a few descriptions to the tune of “THIS GIRL IS ACTING IN A COMPLETELY INCOMPREHENSIBLE WAY AND THERE IS NO EXPLANATION FOR HER ACTIONS, IT IS A COMPLETE AND UTTER MYSTERY”. It’s like, not only does he not get it, he has to go out of his way to reaaaaally emphasize his complete lack of understanding.