"Ahhhhh...Did I really...?"
A student mumbled under his breath as he walked outside at night. He wasn't a suspicious person, though. This student was Masachika Kuze, who was on his way home after walking Alisa back to her place.
"Whyyy did I say 'I'll support you'. Why did I say 'Take my hand'.Who the hell do I think I am? Just die. Ahh, man, I'm so creepy and embarrassing.No, if we're talking creepy, then me mumbling to myself like this is even creepier.Ick."
He spewed words of intense regret and self-loathing. A few minutes ago,he'd shown Alisa the rare sight of his manly side, but now he was incredibly upset at himself. The words he said to her replayed over and over in his head,making him feel like he was going to die of shame and regret. And on top of that...
"Alya... She totally said 'I like you'..."
The smile she showed me on that tree-lined street was like a blooming flower.
Masachika could vividly remember the soft touch he felt on his cheek as she was just about to go. He couldn't settle down because of it. Up until now,he thought that the flirty lines she occasionally said in Russian were just for fun.He thought she was just messing around, devilishly flirting with him,that she was getting a thrill out of whether or not he'd find out, out of how ridiculous it was that he would never realze.
But the affection she showed just before was obviously beyond that...I think those are her true feelings...
"Nah, there's no way."
He immediately dismissed that thought.
She got caught up in the heat of the moment too, didn't she? Surely she's already come to her senses by now and feels the same shame and regret.Yeah,there's no way she doesn't.
But even though he convinced himself of that,there was the fact that the affection Alisa showed... definitely made his heart skip a beat.
"I... thought I'd never fall in love again..."
In fact, ever since that girl disappeared, he'd never liked anyone. He would still look at a girl and think, 'She's pretty', or 'She's beautiful', he still had a sexual desire for them. But he never liked someone else as a member of the opposite sex, he hadn't felt his heart beat faster.
I don't think anyone would ever like someone as terrible as me anyway.
In the first place, Masachika hated himself. It was hard for him to imagine that someone else would love this Kuze Masachika that even he himself couldn't love. On top of that, because of that girl from his past, he lost all faith in love. He thought that most of the time, romantic feelings were fleeting andwould disappear the moment the illusion of their partner was broken. Especially when it came to his own feelings, he... didn't trust them at all.
I can't even remember her name or her face... How can I even seriously love someone? And love between students is stupid. High school couples almost never end up actually getting married.That kind of thing only happens in fiction. Actual high school couples can come together and fall apart because of the tiniest things. Even if Alya really did love me, those feelings would disappear the moment she found out how flawed I actually am.And even then... Even those that get married after dating in high school get divorced.
He pictured his parents in his mind and smiled as though making fun of himself. Then he let out a deep sigh.
"...What a bother..."
The words unconsciously came out of his mouth.
Love is so uncertain and ambiguous that it's just... stupid to waste time on it.A pain in the ass.
In the first place, he didn't really even want a girlfriend, and Alisa didn't even confess to him.
Why do I even have to think about this? Hahh...IfI keep thinking like this,I'll never get a girlfriend.
The self-deprecating thoughts swirled in his head, making him feel more and more depressed.
When I'm in a mood like this I should just go watch some anime to clear my mind.
With that thought in mind, Masachika hurried home. He opened the front door, ready to escape to the 2D world, and... froze. There was a pair of shoes in the entryway that shouldn't have been there.
"...Didn't she have things to do...?"
He couldn't help but change his mind when he thought about it.
"No, it's not even that unexpected."
If what happened today was all a set-up to get Masachika to join the student council, then it would make sense for Yuki to be involved too. If she wanted to, she probably could've been the one in charge of the whole operation.
"I was set up... Or rather,I was dragged out."
He let out a sigh as he opened the bathroom door. And...
"Eh...?"
"Ah...?"
Their eyes met. In front of him stood a completely naked Yuki, drying her hair with a towel. Her eyes widened in shock and she quickly covered her front with the towel. And then...
"Kyaa! Onii-chan's a pervert!"
"You... why get out now of all times."
"I've been exposed."
"You exposed yourself. You probably heard me close the door and came out on purpose."
As soon as she was confronted in an annoyed tone, Yuki instantly dropped her act and grinned. Masachika was about to leave the bathroom when she suddenly started stretching.
"Hey hey,please wait. Don't you want to find out why I did that?"
"I do want to find out, but first you need to put something on."
"Now, now, listen to me, Masachika-kun. Just before,I noticed something truly terrible."
"...Something truly terrible?"
He thought it would be something stupid anyway,so he asked her back while facing away with a hand on the doorknob. Yuki looked at this uninterested Masachika and covered one of her eyes with her hand and gave an apathetic huff. The gesture was wonderfully elegant,making her seem like a famous detective that had just figured out the truth behind a case. It was quite a strange sight though, since he could see the many things not covered by her towel. Yuki didn't care though, and uncovered her eye and shouted with resolve.
"That's right...We've lived so long under one roof but haven't had a single walked-in-on-while-changing-clothes event!"
"I didn't think your 'truly terrible' would be that bad!"
"Every brother has to walk in on his little sister changing clothes! Has to!!!"
"That's only in 2D! You stupid otaku!"
"Coming from you!"
"Damn it! It hurts even more because of what happened today!"
TN: Otaku is used to describe (often Japanese) people that obsessively watch anime or read manga. Unlike weeaboos, otakus aren't obsessed with the entire Japanese culture.
Just a few hours ago, he was at a tea store with Alisa's beautiful older sister and was thinking to himself'Ha! Is this an indirect kiss event?!',something only an otaku would care about. Yuki's comeback was like rubbing salt on his wound.
Yuki suddenly grabbed Masachika's arm and turned him around.He reflexively groaned when he saw the seductive pose she was in.
"It's what they call a fanservice shot. Kyaa~."
"Why did you turn me around?Why?"
"Huh? It's not a fanservice shot if you don't see me naked."
"See you naked?! Shut up! Only a stupid otaku would want to see that!"
"So you're saying you want to see it."
"Ahh, I want to. I definitely want to see it. Ya~y."
Yuki was facing Masachika,which she shouldn't have been, and was making a peace sign. Objectively speaking, this was definitely not something siblings should be doing.
"Hmm, this is quite the surreal fanservice shot!"
"You're the reason it's like that!"
He quickly snapped back at Yuki, who was nodding with a serious expression. She stopped her charade and smiled devilishly.
"Jokes aside, I helped with her sneak attack on you, so this is my apology,Onii-chan."
"Don't show me your naked body as an apology, you know..."
"Oh, boo, it'll make sense if you actually let me tell you. Didn't you stare at every part of me from top to bottom, though?"
"Yuki...Because of the situation we're in, I'll only tell you this."
"Oh, What is it, Ani-ki? Don't try to look cool right now."
"Showing me your everything... It's just disappointing. A small wardrobe malfunction is where it's at."
"...I see? I didn't think of that."
For some reason, the two siblings were talking to each other with serious looks on thei faces. It was as though sparks were flying between them.
And with a smug look on his face,Masachika suddenly left the changing room,when-
"Wait a minute. I'm not stupid, okay? You saw it, didn't you? You really did see my body from top to bottom,didn't you?"
"...I only looked at your chest."
"So you admit it! You tit fetishist!"
"Shut up,you perverted bitch."
"I'm a virgin bitch, not a perverted one!"
"What kind of comeback is that! Or rather, put some clothes on already,idiot!"
Masachika closed the door to the changing room with a slam as soon as he finished shouting at her. He instead washed his hands in the kitchen sink,then quickly went to his room.
"Haa..."
He sighed as he threw his bag on the floor. He took off his blazer and shirt, put on a tank top, and took off his pants-
"There you are!!"
"Uohh?!"
-And Yuki suddenly kicked the door in as she always did. She came into his room, hair still wet and wearing only underwear and a t-shirt. Masachika was so surprised that he lost his balance and fell onto his bed, pants still around his ankles. Yuki had a nasty smile on her face as she looked at the sorry state he was in.
"Hehehe,you sure have a nice body,Nii-chan."
"You scared me! What are you doing all of a sudden!"
"Nah, this is a perfect chance to have a 'little sister peeks at her older brother changing clothes' event. Of course, the little sister peeks through a crack in his door and uses his full-length mirror to see the front side of his body."
"How much fun can it be to see your older brother's underwear,and not even directly?"
"Yea~h,I wonder~"
As she said this, she looked at his lower body with a sigh.