MBSGM 04

Chapter 04

 My Stepsister Overthinks Things

“B-Bathing together!?”

“Juuust kidding! It’s a joke, a joke! Big brother, your face is turning red—were you imagining me in a lewd way? Since you’re already like that, I’ll show you my lewd body—”

As she said this and began unbuttoning her school uniform, I quickly stopped her with words.

“Don’t do that! I don’t need to see it!”

“Ehh? But I’ve got a pretty good figure, you know?”

Even through her uniform, that much was obvious. Correction—her figure wasn’t just “pretty good,” it was absolutely outstanding.

When it comes to her looks, she’s exactly my type in every way. That’s why it’s hard for me to restrain myself sometimes, but as her brother, my dignity comes first. That makes enduring it a little easier.

“Yui, as your brother, I’d never ask you for anything impure, nor do I hold such impure feelings toward you.”

“Impure…?”

“Thinking about your lewd body, or about your figure—those kinds of thoughts.”

“Why is that impure? Isn’t it natural to think things like that about the opposite sex?”

“…Even if that’s natural, we’re siblings. Thinking that way about you would definitely be impure.”

“Then, do you think my feelings of wanting to marry you are impure too, big brother?”

Yui usually has a bright and kind personality, but sometimes she drops heavy words out of nowhere.

And this was one of those times.

If you only focus on the fact that she wants to marry her brother, it’s obviously not normal by common sense. But is it “impure”? Probably not. Still, that doesn’t mean I can accept it either. And if I just bluntly said “I can’t accept it,” I’d be outright rejecting her feelings.

That’s not what I want to do…

While I was struggling for an answer, Yui waved both hands and spoke in a cheerful tone.

“S-sorry, big brother! Asking something like that is unfair to you, right? I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable… I just hoped that, little by little, your way of thinking might change someday!”

“My way of thinking…?”

“Yeah. You’re so kind, you’re trying your hardest to keep being my ‘big brother.’ That’s why… I want you to slowly change that way of thinking.”

…So, just like how I want to change Yui’s way of thinking, she also wants to change mine.

Kaname… maybe trying to change Yui’s mindset is going to be harder than I thought.

“But, like I said, little by little is fine! If you already had a girlfriend, then I couldn’t take things slowly—but you told me before you didn’t have one, right?”

“Eh? Well, that’s true, but… did I really say that?”

“Yeah! When you were just starting first year of high school, I asked you, and you said, ‘I’ve never been in love, and I don’t think I’ll fall for anyone in high school either.’”

“Ahh… yeah, I guess I did say that.”

Now that she mentions it, I think I remember.

“And it’s true, isn’t it? You’ve never brought a girl home, and you don’t have that special aura of someone who’s fallen for someone. That’s why I decided—if there’s no girl you like, then I’ll take it slow and gradually change your mind. …Oh! But I also realized recently that even if you don’t like anyone, if there was some girl out there who liked you, I couldn’t afford to be so relaxed. But you don’t really interact with girls, do you, big brother?”

“…Eh?”

If she asks whether I interact with girls—well, I do.

Kaname is the prime example.

But Kaname is a friend, not really a “girl I’m involved with” in that way. And this conversation is about “a girl who likes me,” so Kaname doesn’t matter here. No need to mention her.

“Yeah, I don’t really interact with girls.”

“Phew, good! If you did, I’d have to go all-out and attack you, regardless of whether that girl liked you or not. But since you don’t, I can take things at my own pace, right?”

“…Wait, regardless of whether she likes me? I thought we were talking about if someone liked me.”

“Even if a girl liked you, it doesn’t mean you’d notice it. Either way, if you were involved with another girl, I’d feel like I had to step up my game. But since you’re not, I can keep things relaxed, just like now.”

At this point, telling her “Actually, I do have a female friend” would only cause trouble. Worse, it would stir her up unnecessarily.

From now on, I’d have to hide the fact that I hang out with Kaname… If she ever found out—well, I’ve managed to keep it hidden this long, so it probably won’t be exposed that easily.

“…”

“…Big brother?”

While I was thinking that, Yui called out to me. My face didn’t show it, but my silence must have seemed suspicious.

“What is it?”

“Were you just thinking about something?”

Of course, I couldn’t tell her the truth.

“No, nothing at all.”

“…I see.”

She didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway.

“…We’ve been talking too long in the entryway. Let’s go to the living room.”

When I said that, Yui answered energetically:

“Yeah! Dinner’s ready, let’s eat together!”

“Yeah.”

After such a long talk, there was no way I could carry out Kaname’s advice about slowly breaking down Yui’s thoughts tonight.

I decided I’d just go to bed quietly, and tomorrow, I’d start trying out what Kaname suggested.

“If there really were a girl involved with big brother, then that girl would be… No, that’s just me overthinking it.”