CH 23

My stepsister is not a love interest!



Thinking back, I remembered that I hadn’t told Shimotsuki that I had a stepsister.



Maybe she misunderstood that I was living alone.



If that’s the case, it’s not unreasonable for her to mistake Azusa, who suddenly came to my house, as a girl I hooked up with…… and I can’t convince her of that.



No, I think people usually notice that. Because next to my room on the second floor, there is a room with a name plate hung with the name “Azusa”, and the laundry on the balcony that can be seen from the living room window belongs to Azusa. If she wasn’t so clueless, I’m sure she would have realized that there were other family members.



Could it be that Shimotsuki didn’t see anything other than me? Is it possible that she was so infatuated with me that she couldn’t see ……? I’m a mob character, but I’m being extremely arrogant.



Well, Shimotsuki is a pretty clumsy person, so it’s not surprising that she didn’t notice.



I’ll be careful not to make too many strange mistakes.



“…… Huh? Is there a visitor here?”



On the other hand, when Azusa came back, she seemed to have sensed that there was a visitor when she saw Shimotsuki’s shoes at the entrance. She came straight to the living room and appeared.



A girl with a childish face and twin-tails of black hair appears.



And as soon as Azusa and Shimotsuki recognized each other, their eyes widened.



“Eh? Why are you here, Shimotsuki-san?”



Azusa’s question was natural.



It’s not surprising that she would be surprised to find Shimotsuki, who is only supposed to be at school, at her house.



“Na, na, na …… Nakayama-kun, aaah!”



Then again, Azusa’s appearance must have been unexpected for Shimotsuki as well.



The unexpected appearance of a person from her own class, a classmate in fact, triggered her shyness to a spectacular degree.



She instantly became nervous and chewed on her words. Still, she seemed to have something to say, so she put her face close to my ear and whispered to me.



“Wow, you cheated on me with a girl whose breasts are only slightly larger than mine? I wish you would have at least cheated on me with a girl with bigger breasts. …… It’s true that I’m smaller than her, but I don’t think there’s much difference. Besides, it’s not my fault that I’m tiny, it’s my mom and dad’s genes, and that’s terrible.”



No, I don’t know what you’re upset about. …… If I kept up with Shimotsuki’s pace, I wouldn’t be able to clear up the misunderstanding any time soon, so I forced myself to start the conversation.



“I’ll introduce you. Azusa is my stepsister. …… See, we have the same last name, right? That’s because we’re actually brother and sister. Well, we’re the same age and I just have an earlier birthday than her…”



I told this to Shimotsuki first, and then turned my attention to Azusa. She was looking at me and Shimotsuki alternately with a curious look on her face.



“Brother, …… what does this mean?”



“Oh, yeah, I’m actually friends with Shimotsuki, so I invited her over to …… our house? Yeah, anyway, she came over and we had a chat. I’m sorry for startling you.”



I couldn’t say that she was not invited, or that she was stalking me, so I’ll be vague.



“Wow……, I didn’t know that. It’s kind of surprising.”



Azusa was puzzled. Yes, I know how you feel. …… It’s surprising that a person like me has a friendship with Shimotsuki.



Well, it’s a little late for that. It was no use thinking about it too much.



Besides, the explanation probably cleared up Shimotsuki’s misunderstanding.



“We’re siblings, so it’s not cheating or anything. Do you understand?”



This time, I spoke into Shimotsuki’s ear and told her clearly.



No, there is no such thing as cheating in a friendship, but just to be sure, I told her.



But Shimotsuki looked unconvinced.



“It’s not fair that you’re stepsiblings. …… Ugh, it’s the standard heroine in anime. How can you not fall in love with a girl who’s been under the same roof with you for so long? I’ve been a loser since the beginning. …… It’s so hard. I’d like to kill Nakayama-kun and make him mine.”



“I’m scared.”



I don’t want you to kill me, please.



No, it’s probably a joke. I really wanted it to be a joke.



“What can I say? …… Maybe you’re wrong, but we’re really just brother and sister, okay? I’m not in love with her, so don’t worry.”



It’s kind of embarrassing to say something like this.



But if Shimotsuki didn’t seem to cheer up unless I said this, I managed to squeeze out a sound.



“The only friend I have is Shimotsuki, so …… Azusa is just my sister.”



Really, Azusa is nothing more than a little sister.



It’s not more or less than that.



To Azusa, I am nothing more than her brother.



Moreover, there is a clear rule that it’s ‘only inside the house’.



If we step out of the house, we will only be brother and sister in the family register.



Since we made that promise, I don’t think our relationship will progress any further.



There may have been a time when we cared for each other a little more……, but we no longer have that kind of relationship.



“Ho, really?　Your stepsister doesn’t like you! This is what reality is all about. …… I’m surprised. I’ve never heard of it before. Yeah, I see. …… If that’s the case, I haven’t lost yet. I’m glad.”



And as soon as Shimotsuki realized her mistake, she looked very happy.



I had a little trouble reacting to such a blatant show of favoritism.



Could it be that …… Shimotsuki is looking at me as a romantic interest?



Is that why she gets jealous when I get along with other girls?



Shimotsuki is so thoughtful that I almost misunderstood something like that.



I wish she’d pay a little more attention to the mobs.