10 The Imouto Heroine’s Indignation
The alarm on my phone blared in the morning.
I opened my eyes and forced myself to get out of bed, my body heavy as lead.
Rubbing my eyes, I checked my phone and saw a message from Hinase-san.
“I had fun today. Let’s go again sometime.”
The message was from last night.
It was followed by a sticker of a white bear walking happily.
“…I didn’t reply, did I? Come to think of it.”
Hinase-san’s message arrived after I’d gotten into bed.
I briefly wondered how to reply, but the timing was bad.
I still haven’t adjusted to this life, and I’m exhausted.
I fell asleep almost instantly.
“I need to reply.”
I sent a sticker of a penguin saluting with the word “Roger.”
It was simple, but if I tried to type a message, I’d probably spend a while agonizing over it, so I decided against it.
I don’t have time for that in the morning.
I finally managed to drag myself out of bed.
◇◇◇
Amatsuki Suzuna’s mornings start early.
That’s because she has the role of waking up her classmate and childhood friend, Shindo Minato.
“…Seriously, wake yourself up in the morning.”
Of course, I’m not doing that anymore.
His little sister, Kokona-chan, will wake him up even if I leave him alone, and if he oversleeps, it’s his own responsibility.
It’s certainly not my fault or my duty.
So I leave the house later than the original Amatsuki Suzuna.
Opening the front door, the morning sun streamed in—
“Good morning, Amatsuki Suzuna. You’re quite late this morning.”
—Kokona-chan was there to greet me.
◇◇◇
“…Um.”
How did this happen?
I’m now walking to school with Kokona-chan.
And Kokona-chan beside me is radiating an unsettling aura.
I’ve never seen her act like this before.
Normally, she’s a brocon who’s always attached to Shindo-kun.
So why is she here alone, and moreover, why did she come to Amatsuki Suzuna’s house?
I don’t understand.
“What’s with that sleepy face? Did you oversleep, is that why you’re late today?”
“Well, I am sleepy, but I didn’t oversleep. I intended to leave around this time.”
“You always come to wake up Onii-chan, but you didn’t come yesterday or today, did you? What are you playing at?”
“What am I playing at…?”
Should I just tell her that I’m rooting for the Kokona-chan route?
“Isn’t being devoted to Onii-chan Amatsuki Suzuna’s only redeeming quality? So what in the world happened to make you change like this?”
It seems Kokona-chan is suspicious of my sudden change in attitude.
I think she should be happy that a rival is out of the picture, but why is she so indignant?
I really don’t understand.
Anyway, should I just declare that I’m no longer a love rival?
“I’m not going to wake Shindo-kun up in the morning anymore, and I’m not making him lunch either. I’ll leave taking care of him to you, Kokona-chan.”
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious.”
Kokona-chan’s gaze pierced me.
“So you’re giving up on Onii-chan?”
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
“Aren’t you being a little too nonchalant about it?”
“…Am I?”
The intensity of Kokona-chan’s presence beside me continued to increase.
It’s amazing how she can exude so much energy in the morning. Youth is wonderful.
We’re only a year apart, but I couldn’t imitate her.
“I’m not stupid. I know you’ve liked Onii-chan since we were little. It’s annoying, but I thought your feelings were genuine…”
Kokona-chan’s shoulders trembled.
I don’t know what kind of emotions she’s experiencing.
“Were your feelings… just that much?!”
“Well, yeah.”
“That’s why I’m saying you’re being too nonchalant!!”
Kokona-chan bared her fangs at me.
Ah, what should I do?
I don’t want to make Kokona-chan angry.
In fact, I want to make her happy, but no matter what I say, she gets angry.
“Ah… how should I put it? I’ve come to realize my own limitations? I finally understood that Shindo-kun is out of my league.”
“It’s not like Onii-chan is that great of a catch, he’s actually a good-for-nothing!!”
Ah, so we agree on that.
Then, should I approach it from that angle?
“Yeah, he’s a bit… irresponsible. I’m not a fan of that.”
“Don’t badmouth Onii-chan! That’s what’s cute about him!!”
Eh…
I don’t get it anymore…
This conversation is impossible.
I can’t keep up with such a complicated conversation with my poor communication skills.
“So, what exactly don’t you like, Kokona-chan?”
“You, Amatsuki Suzuna, were the one who liked Onii-chan even with all his flaws! It’s annoying… extremely annoying, but I acknowledged that about you!!”
Ah…
Is this the “love rivals are also understanding confidantes” type of conversation?
I don’t understand that kind of thing at all…
Love rivals are definitely enemies.
Having the same crush just leads to jealousy, and I definitely don’t want to share my feelings.
…Ah, I’m sorry.
This is just the delusional ramblings of an introvert who’s never had a boyfriend.
It’s all manga and novel fantasies. I have no real-life experience.
“…How should I put it? I realized there’s a girl who’s better suited for him, someone more… encompassing, so I thought I should step aside.”
Whatever.
I just want her to understand so she’ll leave me alone.
I don’t want Kokona-chan to act out of character on top of Hinase-san and me already deviating wildly from the original story.
Just stick to the heroine route, please.
“…Hah?! Who are you talking about?!”
“…Well, that would be…”
I couldn’t say it was her.
Kokona-chan’s feelings for Shindo-kun are supposed to be her top secret.
Even though it’s obvious to everyone that she’s head over heels for him, the siblings themselves are oblivious.
Obliviousness must be genetic.
That’s why I hesitate to name her directly.
“Good morniiing! Amatsuki-san, you’re too slow to reply! Being left on read really hurts, you know?”
“Wah…”
Just as I smelled a sweet fragrance from behind me, Hinase-san hugged me.
“Hey, Hinase-san, don’t cling to me.”
Even though we’re friends now, I don’t remember allowing her to get this close.
I peeled off Hinase-san’s arms, which were clinging to me affectionately.
“No, you have to atone for ignoring me.”
“I’m sorry for the late reply, but I’ve never heard of clinging as a form of atonement.”
Even so, Hinase-san continued to cling to me.
Like an amoeba, she slipped through my grasp and pressed against me.
I don’t understand why she’s doing this.
“Hinase Riri! What are you doing to Amatsuki Suzuna?!”
Kokona-chan, who was watching from the side, stared wide-eyed.
Of course she would. Even I would react that way if I saw two people with such contrasting appearances interacting like this.
“Amatsuki-san, who is this?”
“She’s Shindo-kun’s younger sister, Shindo Kokona-chan.”
“Ahh, I see.”
Hinase-san nodded and smiled at Kokona-chan.
…That smile seemed somewhat forced, but it must be my imagination.
“Good morning, Kokona. As you can see, I’m greeting my friend, Amatsuki-san.”
“Friend…? You’re friends with Amatsuki Suzuna?”
“Yeah, we hang out together.”
“W-Wait… the eternally lonely Amatsuki Suzuna has a friend…? And it’s… Hinase Riri…?”
Even though Kokona-chan is new to the school, word of Hinase-san must have reached her. She seemed surprised by the stark contrast between the two of us.
“…!! ‘I realized there’s a girl who’s better suited for him, someone more encompassing…’ Amatsuki Suzuna, is that what you meant?!”
Hm…?
Why did Kokona-chan suddenly seem convinced?
The timing is strange.
“You two are going to become even closer from now on, right?”
“Hinase-san, your face is too close.”
“You two…!!”
Hinase-san is clinging to me, and Kokona-chan is angry.
This morning is too high-calorie.
A peaceful morning feels so far away. It’s painful.
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