Volume 2 - CH 2

Posted on April 18, 2022by Soafp

Translator: Soafp

“Oh, welcome.”

I lie down and raise my hand to welcome the visitor.

I see a girl in my vision, a gal-like girl in rough clothes. She is the stepdaughter of my mother’s second marriage and my current father. From my point of view, she is my stepsister, Kanon Nijitani.

The key point here is that she is “gal-like.”

There may be various opinions about the definition of “gyaru”. For me, “gyaru” is a term that applies to a woman who has the three essential elements of “heavy makeup, bright hair color, and flashy clothes.”

In that sense, I cannot say that Kanon is a gyaru. Certainly, her hair color is brown and she wears light makeup. But that is all. She doesn’t dress down, takes her classes seriously, and can use honorifics. She doesn’t even have her ears pierced. That’s why she is not a gyaru.

Well, maybe I simply don’t want to admit it because I don’t like gyaru.

We have only been siblings for about three months, so I don’t know much about her, but I have seen pictures of her in middle school before.

Back then, Kanon was simple. She was somehow in a humble state, like the Kuromine of the past. It wasn’t such a tremendous change, though.

In a crude way, it was her high school debut.

“…… Onii-chan, you look like a neet.”

That was the first thing my stepsister said to me as soon as she entered the room.

It is true that the image of me lying in bed, absorbed in a smartphone application, is probably far removed from that of a healthy student. So I don’t deny it.

“I guess so”

“Don’t ‘I guess so’ me. You’re sloppy.”

“I don’t care. It’s summer vacation.”

Kanon sighed in disappointment.

“So, need something from me?”

“Aah right, I’m going shopping now. So, if you’re free, I was wondering if Onii-chan would like to come with me.”

“……, I’m busy at so I’ll pass.”

“You don’t look busy at all.”

It is lamentable that she does not understand.

I must now get serious and watch my idols dance. After that, I have to launch another app and get a login bonus. Of course I’m busy. And I have to do my homework.

“Why don’t you go shopping with Mother?”

“She has a date with dad.”

“I’m glad things are going so well with them.”

“It can’t be helped that they are still newlyweds. That’s why I, Kanon, want to rely on Onii-chan. I want to buy a lot of things after my main shopping, and I also want you to carry my luggage.”

Kanon clasped her hands together and–

“P-l-e-a-s-e”

A sweet voice came out.

I have to say no up front.

I am incredibly soft on Kanon.

I am aware that I have lived my life to the point where I may have had some woman trouble. That is why I was so scared when I first met Kanon, but she was kind to me from the first time I met her.

At the time, she looked like she was on the verge of becoming a gal, but she took care of me when I was nervous. I was grateful for her kindness, and I secretly resolved to fulfill my role as an Onii-chan.

However, I didn’t know how to treat her at first, and we became strangely distant from each other. I couldn’t help it. It’s normal when you are asked to live together with a girl of a similar generation.

Kanon seemed to be the same way at first, and we felt awkward with each other. Especially when we had near misses in the bathroom or in the bathtub, there was an awkward atmosphere.

However, as we lived together, we came into contact with each other more and more.

Especially around the time Kuromine and I began to have contact, we began to talk inside the house. It is still fresh in my memory that when rumors of a relationship between me and Kuromine broke out, I was interrogated in this room for the first time. That was when things started to get closer between Kanon and me.

“…… all right, I’ll help you out. I’m not busy anyway.”

“I knew you were free.”

“I’m sorry I lied. I just got a little carried away with the app game. I don’t have much to do during the whole month of July.”

“I know how you feel. Kanon was the same way when I got my phone.”

Kanon replied smilingly.

“Pleased to have you with me today, Onii-chan”

“Yes. So what are you buying?”

Kanon made a slight pretense of thinking about my question.

“It’s a swimming suit.”

She said with a shy smile.

I came to a shopping mall in my neighborhood.

Since I came back here, I had refrained from going out due to the trauma in the past. So it had been several years since I had been here. As usual, the place was crowded with many people. I was surprised again at how many people there are in the city.

“I’m going to the swimming pool with my classmates. But Kanon only has a modest bathing suit, so I was thinking of buying a new one.”

According to her, she is going to the pool with her friends.

So, buying a swimsuit. I guess the reason she called me is that she wants me to check if the swimsuit is not crazy from a guy’s point of view or not. In addition, she also wants me to carry her luggage.

I was relieved to hear that she was going with classmates. Kanon seems to be doing well in high school. I was worried that she didn’t have any friends since I saw her sometimes when she was chasing Kuromine, but she seems to have no problem with that.

‘Doesn’t Onii-chan go to the pool?’

“I don’t go. I haven’t been invited.”

“Uwa, what a lonely high school life.”

“Noisy.”

After that, we headed for our destination while talking nonsense.

Kanon showed interest in the various stores along the way. It was heartwarming to see her eyes light up at the cute knick-knacks, cosmetic tools, stuffed animals, etc.

“….Haa, I want to go to the swimming pool with Tsukiyo onee-sama, someday.”

Suddenly, I heard such a murmur.

By “Tsukiyo onee-sama” she means Kuromine.

Kanon is a crony of Kuromine’s. She belongs to a fan club called the Faction, and it seems that she is especially favored among the many Black Faction members. She is often seen working with Kuromine.

Because of this, the people around me think that I am the only boy who has a proper conversation with Kuromine. In reality, we are just part-timers.

I have not told Kanon about Kuromine’s presence at my part-time job. I know that if I told her, it would cause trouble.

“This is so abrupt.”

“Wouldn’t you like to go to the pool with Tsukiyo onee-sama?”

“…… Not really.”

“You’re just stubborn. You really want to go.”

I’m not pushy, and I don’t actually want to go.

“……, I mean, when did Kanon get acquainted with Kuromine?”

I was curious.

I haven’t heard what middle school Kanon is from, but I’m pretty sure it’s not Eastern Middle School. Even if it was Tenkain Academy where she met Kuromine, she was already a crony when I transferred to the school.

My transfer was in late April. It was only a few weeks after I entered the school. It was too early for me.

“I met her only after I entered Tenkain.”

“That’s a loaded statement.”

“Kanon didn’t know about Onee-sama until I was in junior high school.”

“…… the way you put it, were you in the same middle school?”

I just pretend not to know.

Kanon knows that I used to live here, but I’m sure she doesn’t know where I went to middle school.

Probably, Kanon must think that I am a person with complicated circumstances. I have been living away from my parents since junior high school.

In that sense, Kanon is a kind and intelligent girl. She doesn’t try to pry into my past and treats me as a normal older brother. Perhaps Kanon, who also had a single parent, may have had many problems. My current father is kind, but he is a busy man with a lot of work.

“No, different junior high school.”

“But you know her.”

“She was very famous in the junior high school where Kanon was. She was beautiful and sharp, and I heard rumors that she kicked the sh*t out of boys who came near her. I happened to see her once when she was in the third grade of junior high school, and she was so dashing and lovely.

You have always had a longtime admiration for her.

Looking at Kuromine’s behavior on campus, it’s clear that she is indeed beautiful and cool, and it’s not hard to understand why she admires her.

But personally, I find it quite complicated.

Knowing the true nature of goddesses, I don’t want them to get too close to me. I can say this because I have experienced it in the past.

However, it would be counterproductive to separate Kanon from her when she adore Kuromine. Kanon would hate me, and Kurobine would be suspicious of me.

“…How is you relationship with the other goddesses?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you talk to them?”

“Well, actually–“

That’s when it happened.

“Ah, Tsukiyo onee-sama!”

Suddenly, Kanon shouted out loud. Recognizing Kuromine standing right in front of her, I felt my own throat gurgling.