“Listen, scum… There’s nothing wrong with stepsisters. They’re fine. If she’s a stranger who became a stepsister after the protagonists’ parents got remarried, then that’s fine. If she was adopted by the family when she was young and raised as family but ends up wanting to get married to the protagonist still, then that’s fine, too. But…you need to clearly write ‘stepsister’ in the synopsis right off the bat. Don’t go out of your way to make us think she’s the main character’s biological sister, only to reveal she’s not.”
“All right, you’re getting way too worked up. You’re starting to scare me.”
“Tsk. If you’re lookin’ for a fight, I’ll give ya one.”
“What are you threatening me for?”
As Masachika met her intense stare with calm indifference, his collar still gripped in her hands, Yuki suddenly murmured:
“A companion monster character that suddenly starts speaking fluent human tongue the moment it evolves or gains some sort of telepathy skill.”
“I’m gonna rip your head off!!” He immediately grabbed his sister’s collar in return, rose to his feet, and glared down into her wide eyes as he menacingly muttered, “Listen, scum… Dragons and the like are fine. They usually end up speaking at some point and might even take human form from time to time, so they’re acceptable. But small- to medium-sized creatures, like mascot characters that sit on the protagonist’s head or shoulder, are off limits. If they’re going to end up talking, then make them talk from the very beginning. Don’t start making some creature that could originally only squeak start talking like a person. Making everything human-like isn’t always a good thing. Smart, cute pets and familiar companions are two completely different categories. Know your place!”
“Take a breather, Bro. I got it already.”
Masachika and Yuki, each bringing up the other’s pet peeve, glared intensely at each other.
“Hey, Sis.”
“Yeah, Bro?”
“I know I started this, but I feel like this exchange isn’t going to benefit either one of us.”
“True that.”
Immediately, they simultaneously released their grips and straightened their collars. Then, after exhaling a long breath to compose themselves, they resumed their conversation as if nothing had happened.
“Anyway, yeah. You’re right. Alya and Masha are cute…and they’re getting prettier every day. It’s getting to the point that it’s hard to believe they’re even human.”
“Hmm? They’re getting prettier? You really think so?”
“How can you not tell? Everyone’s talking about it at school.”
“Wait. Seriously? I honestly had no idea.”
But Masachika stopped himself just after saying that and began to trace his memories.
Now that she mentions it…
He actually had recalled hearing rumors that Alisa had gotten more beautiful lately. However, he had assumed that meant she had become somewhat more approachable, since she was smiling more and seemed more cheerful—something along those lines. But…
I guess Alya and Masha…have been getting even cuter lately? Maybe?
However, he had assumed that was all in his head—that he only saw them this way because he was strongly aware of their affection and because he started to view them differently as well…
“People are saying that they must have started dating someone or, at the very least, are in love.”
“…!”
“Of course, they’re only rumors… What do you think, though?”
“Beats me,” replied Masachika with a straight face, causing Yuki’s eyes to snap open wide as she slapped the bed.
“Don’t play dumb! You let the cat out of the bag long ago!”
“Can I pet him?”
“No! You realize I’m the only person who can play along with your stupid jokes like this, right?”
“Sounds like we’re two peas in a pod to me.”
“Oh, stop. You’re making me blush.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re so cute,” muttered Masachika in a monotone voice while his sister covered her cheeks, squirming from side to side. Yuki then flashed a triumphant grin and sprang to her feet.
“Heh! Of course, I am! The power of love makes people cuter? A pathetic buff like that is meaningless before me! It doesn’t matter how much cuter Alya gets! She stands no chance against my perfectly calculated cuteness!”
“So you admit it’s calculated.”
“Of course, I do! I’d be terrified if I ever met someone that naturally acted like this.”
“I met someone like that once. She’s actually right in front of me now.”
“Yes… Habits are incredible things, aren’t they? It was all an act at first, yet before I knew it, this became the real me…”
A touch of sorrow clouded Yuki’s gaze as she stared into the distance. Masachika frowned a bit, perhaps realizing who she had done that for, and wrung out the towel soaked in hot water.
“Anyway, come on. Let me clean you up.”
“Hooray!” squealed Yuki as she turned her back to Masachika and sat down with a soft thump. She then removed her pajama top, leaving her upper body bare. With her left arm draped modestly across her chest, and her right hand lifting her hair to reveal her nape, she cast a glance back at him over her shoulder and snickered, “Oh, myyy… This is so scaaandalous. So sexyyy!”
“Until you opened your mouth, at least.”
With a note of exasperation creeping into his voice, Masachika began wiping Yuki’s back with the damp towel, but the moment it touched her skin, she jolted upright with a sudden shiver.
“Hyah! Oooh!”
“Are those supposed to be animal sounds?”
“Ahn! ♡ My back…is really sensitive…you know…! Ahn! ♡”
“Stop moaning.”
“Ahhh! That’s the spot! Yes…! Yesss, deary!”
“Stop acting like an old lady.”
“Ahhh… That feels so good…”
“Stop melting.”
“H-hey! Don’t touch that!”
“Stop dodging.”
“I—I hate to admit it…but this is heaven…!”
“Stop dying.”
“Ah! I’m feeling things I’ve never felt before…”
“Stop feeling that way.”
“Ha-ha! You’re hilarious.”
“Really?”
“You’re supposed to say, ‘Stop laughing!’ Idiot!” Yuki reprimanded sharply, prompting her brother to immediately apologize.
“Sorry!!”
She glared at her sibling, then snatched the towel right from his hand and began wiping down her left arm herself.
“As your punishment, I’m not going to let you wash my front side.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“You say that, yet I caught you glancing at my armpit. Check it out.”
“Ew. No.”
“By the way, do you know anything about Alya’s and Masha’s love interest?”
“I told you already. No.”
Though caught off guard and slightly flustered, Masachika doubled down on pretending he didn’t know anything. But when he felt the weight of Yuki’s unwavering stare boring into him from over her shoulder, his heart skipped a beat.
“All right, if you say so.”
“…”
As if she could see straight through him, Yuki’s demeanor left Masachika unable to even question her behavior. Instead, he fell silent…until he abruptly changed the subject.
“Oh, hey. Speaking of Alya…”
“Hmm?”
“…Could you not just casually take your pants off like that?”
“Why? How am I going to clean myself with my pants on?” Yuki replied as she slipped off her pants and got on her knees to wipe her backside and thighs, then sat back down and cleaned her legs as well.
“Here. Pass.”
She immediately tossed the used towel over her shoulder at Masachika.
“I’m pretty sure that’s what the other person’s supposed to say,” he pointed out, effortlessly catching the towel that came flying at him, then dropping it into the washbasin. When he looked up again, however, Yuki had already turned completely around to face him on the bed, grinning mischievously while covering her chest with both arms.
“Secret technique: conceal the chest, reveal the stomach.”
“What kind of move is that?”
“The naive young lady was so desperate to hide her chest that she failed to realize her stomach was completely exposed, immediately stimulating the man’s carnal desires.”
“‘Naive’? More like ‘degenerate.’”
Yuki immediately and furiously slapped the bed with both hands.
“Who are you callin’ a degenerate!”
“You.”
“And yet, you’re the one who can’t take his eyes off my chest.”
“Just shut up, and put some clothes on already.”
“Fiiine,” Yuki replied cutely, slipping on her slippers before she headed over to the closet wearing nothing but a pair of panties.
“At least pretend you’re embarrassed.”
Without making the slightest effort to cover herself, Yuki confidently walked past her brother. She seemed genuinely unbothered as well, despite the fact that Masachika was muttering his objections while averting his gaze. And just like that, she casually slipped off her last piece of clothing and began changing as if it were the most natural thing in the world, neither teasing her brother nor putting on an act.
She has the shame of a kindergartener…
But Masachika felt like overthinking it meant defeat, so he simply kept looking away while forcing himself to bring up another topic.
“Oh, so about Alya…”
“Hmm? Yeah?”
“…Sorry, but I told her we were siblings.”
“Really? So you finally spilled the beans, huh?”
“Yeah… I couldn’t hide it from her anymore.”
“Eh, it was probably about time. She’d have figured it out sooner or later anyway, so you probably made the right call.”
“…That’s it?” he tentatively asked, noticing that his sister didn’t really even react.