“Hmm? Well, I mean, it’s too bad I can’t tease her anymore about being your childhood friend and your ex-partner, but that’s about it.”
“By ex-partner, you’re talking about the student council when we ran together in middle school, right? Because the way you phrased it kind of makes it sound like we were dating. In fact, why were you even teasing her to begin with? Stop messing with her.”
“Hold up. This just means I need to be the suggestive biological sister heroine, right?”
“I said stop.”
“But the idea of standing in Alya’s way as a little sister, innocently attached to her older brother and willing to do anything to keep him to herself sounds promising as well.”
“Stop ignoring me.”
“Fooo. ♪ The possibilities are endless. ♪”
“…I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”
Having changed into fresh pajamas, Yuki danced lightly over to the bed, then tossed herself backward onto the mattress with a bright, carefree grin.
“Oh, wait. So Alya’s the reason you managed to come home, huh?”
“…! Yeah, I guess.”
“Ohhh. Interestiiing. As your little sister, it makes me sooo happy to see you blessed with such a wonderful partner.”
“…”
Her comment embarrassed Masachika for some reason, and he averted his gaze, which made her smirk.
“I really am grateful for what she did, because you wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for her,” she sincerely added.
It was a completely innocent observation without any hidden meaning…but it was something that still stung Masachika with guilt.
“…I’m sorry. You must have been so lonely because of me.”
“Wh-what? Where did that come from all of a sudden?” Yuki awkwardly laughed, a hint of surprise in her smile as she sat up.
“What’s wrong? Did Grandfather say something?” she asked in a playful manner.
Moved by his sister’s kindness, he lifted his head, a bittersweet smile on his lips.
“No… This has nothing to do with him. I should have told you this sooner. That’s all.” He bowed deeply once more. “I’m sorry for burdening you with everything. I know it’s too little, too late, but I’ll carry that burden from now on.”
“Uh… What? I’m sorry. I have no idea what you’re talking about,” replied Yuki with a troubled smile as she tilted her head.
“I asked Grandfather to make me his successor again,” revealed Masachika, his serious gaze fixed on his sister.
“…What?”
“This burden wasn’t yours to bear. This was my weight to carry. I can no longer just pathetically look the other way while you continue to sacrifice yourself for my sake.”
Yuki slowly lowered her gaze…and murmured softly:
“‘Sacrifice’ myself? Excuse me? Are you seriously saying that?”
He was immediately caught off guard by his sister’s serious, low voice.
“Yu—”
“I…!” She cut off her brother with a sharp bark. “I made the decision to stay behind! Because I wanted to do what I could for this family!”
Rising from the bed, Yuki shot her brother a fierce glare, her expression burning with undeniable anger.
“And that hasn’t changed! I’ve lived my life like this, and I will continue to as well because this is how I want to live my life! You’ve been the closest to me all these years, and yet you think—!” She momentarily choked on her words, then tightly clenched her teeth before screaming, “Do you see me as just some pitiful victim?!”
Her brother’s eyes widened in shock, but before he could utter a word, Yuki kicked him in the shoulder with her bare foot.
“Are you kidding me?! Get out! Out!!”
Without a hint of hesitation, Yuki unleashed a flurry of kicks, driving her brother toward the door, then propelling him into the hallway. After slamming the door shut, Yuki turned her back to it, breathing heavily.
“Hff… Hff… Mn! Cough! Hack!” Perhaps stirred by her excitement, her cough suddenly got worse, causing her to wince in pain. “Yech! Tsk!”
In truth, Yuki had been forcing herself to appear cheerful up until a few seconds ago. Though her memory of last night was hazy, she could still vaguely recall exposing her painfully vulnerable side to her brother, and it was exactly why she was pushing herself now to erase that impression.
It doesn’t matter if it’s an act. It doesn’t matter if I’m already pretending to be okay… If I pull it off, then it becomes real, right?
That was truly how she felt, and she had been working hard all this time for that very reason. Yet…her brother had just told her to give it all up.
“Getting all serious with me… Tsk.”
Anger flared within her again and she cursed under her breath. She knew her brother carried guilt toward her, but she had never imagined that even now he still saw her as some pitiful creature that needed his protection.
“Ugh! Really pisses me off. This all happened because I just had to get the flu.”
She stomped heavily toward the bed, but suddenly froze when she saw her reflection in the full-length mirror.
…No, it isn’t because of the flu.
Her small, slender, and frail body was reflected in the mirror—a figure that still bore the unmistakable mark of those bedridden days long past. That and her status as the “little sister” were undoubtedly the main reasons why Masachika saw her as someone he needed to protect.
Why did I have to be his little sister?
If given the choice, she wished she had been born as his older sister. Just because she was born around a year after him meant that Masachika saw her as someone he had to protect unconditionally. However, if Yuki had been his older sister, then perhaps he wouldn’t have carried such heavy guilt. Perhaps he wouldn’t despise everything about himself, either.
I guess it’s pointless to speculate, though.
Yuki shifted her gaze from the mirror and staggered toward the bed, collapsing onto the mattress face-first, where she remained buried until she heard a knock followed by Ayano’s voice.
“Lady Yuki? May I come in?”
“…”
Ayano seemed to assume she was asleep, since she didn’t respond.
“Pardon me,” she quietly murmured, slipping silently into the room, where she found Yuki sprawled face-down without a blanket. But when Ayano approached to cover her with a blanket…
“Lady…Yuki…? Are you awake?”
She noticed Yuki’s eyes were wide open, staring intently at the mattress, causing her to hesitate with her hand hovering awkwardly in the air.
“Uh… Did something happen? Mr. Masachika seemed to be really out of it when I passed by him a second ago…”
The moment that name left Ayano’s lips, Yuki’s irritation blazed anew, and she pushed herself up with both hands and glared ahead into empty space.
“Ayano.”
“Yes?”
“…We’re going to win the election next year, no matter what.”
“Huh? Oh yes. As you wish.”
Ayano nodded back hesitantly, clearly still puzzled by the sudden declaration. Yuki, however, didn’t glance in her maid’s direction at all as she whispered through her tightly clenched her teeth:
“I’m going to show him that I’m no longer some weak, pitiful, little girl.”
She then firmly declared to her absent brother:
“I’m going to be the one who defeats you, Big Brother.”