"So, you've come to consult with me about this."
Since that day, I never got the chance to ask about the confession or how my sister had responded to it, and the truth remained unknown. I tried to act like it didn't bother me, pretending everything was normal, but it lingered in my mind. The problem was, I didn't have anyone else to confide in besides my sister, and I felt lost. That's when I remembered Shinobu-san and decided to seek her advice. My sister wasn't thrilled about me going out with Shinobu-san alone, but I managed to convince her, and here we were.
"Yes. What do you think? What should I do?"
"Hold on a minute… Let me organize the situation."
With that, Shinobu-san took a sip of the orange juice she had ordered earlier. To avoid any chance of my sister overhearing, we had chosen a café far from home, and I was surprised that Shinobu-san hadn't ordered coffee. As I pondered that, she raised a finger and began to explain things logically.
"First, you witnessed Yuu-chan getting confessed to after the sports festival, but you left before hearing her response. After that, she didn't mention the confession to you, and you started to feel increasingly uneasy. As you wondered why she didn't bring it up, you began to think that maybe you were becoming a burden to her—that she might be holding herself back because of you. You're worried that by not joining any clubs, she's sacrificing her own desires for your sake, and now you're here. Is that about right?"
"...Yes. My sister is doing all this for me, but maybe she has things she'd rather be doing… or someone else she cares about more."
We're only so close because we're sisters, but if we weren't, I'm sure we wouldn't even be in each other's lives. There's such a vast difference between us, like heaven and earth.
"Sigh. That's pretty serious. Alright, let's consider a hypothetical situation. What if Yuu-chan actually started dating the boy who confessed to her? What would you do?"
"What would I do…? I'd support her, I suppose. It's her life."
"Are you sure?"
"...At least, that's what I want to do."
My sister has already given me so much; I don't want to take anything more from her. The thought of her hugging or kissing someone else makes me want to cry, but I know these feelings aren't right. I need to hide them. As I wrestled with these thoughts, Shinobu-san let out a deep sigh, much like my sister sometimes did, and looked up at the sky.
"Well, not that this hypothetical matters in the real world… You two really are troublesome sisters."
"T-troublesome?"
Here I was, seriously worrying about this.
"I mean, aren't you two still kissing each other every day?"
"K-kiss… Yes, but… What about it?"
"How can you not understand? I feel like I'm listening to a new kind of love story. Really, think about it. What kind of sister would go so far as to imprison her sibling just to keep her safe? She loves you that much."
"Th-then why hasn't my sister said anything about the confession? Maybe she's lost interest in me."
"Oh, come on. Why are you so quick to assume the worst? It's probably because it was so unimportant that it wasn't even worth mentioning. Do you really think Yuu-chan could have something more important than you? Honestly, if the sister's like this, no wonder the younger one is too."
"So, I've just been misunderstanding everything from the start?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. There was never a problem to begin with. But since you came to me for advice, I want to give you a proper answer. From my perspective, Yuu-chan's love for you is undeniable. It's clear she's thought a lot about what she wants with you. But what about you? How do you feel about her? Of course, I know you love her, but your feelings seem rather vague. Have you thought about what kind of relationship you want with her in the future? What distance you want to keep?"
"That's…"
Now that she mentioned it, I realized I had been saying I wanted to support my sister or that I didn't want her to be alone, but I hadn't actually decided anything. It felt like I had just been waiting for her to make the first move.
"Well, that's not something you have to figure out on your own. Take your time and think about it with your beloved sister. Oh, but be careful when you start the conversation. If you mention feeling anxious, you might end up in her next confinement plan. Don't forget that."
"Huh? Uh, thank you."
I didn't quite understand the last part, but I felt like my thoughts were finally becoming clear. I knew what I needed to think about now. It wasn't something I could decide immediately, but maybe it was time to finally face this head-on.