Chapter 6

“—O…h!” A moan escaped Steph’s lips, but, fortunately, perhaps because she covered it, the two didn’t hear it. “—Hm-hmmgh… Th-three-D girls are actually not bad…Uh—excuse me, Director. Is this still going to be rated All Ages?” “Sure…but, Brother…you’re overdoing it.” Shiro knit her brows slightly, looking down at her own flat chest. “Oh—that’s true. The breast fondling is purely an accident, so it would be better to limit it to three panels or so—so, uh, what shall we do next, Director?” “…Take three. The ensuing breast slip.” “Wait, is that okay?” Sora objected without thinking, but Director Shiro answered seriously and decisively. “…By J*mp standards, even full frontal nudity…is nothing.” “Wait, no, she can’t be naked! In real life, there are nipples, you know?” “…Well, that’s…added in the trade paperbacks…” “Director, this is real life. This is happening in real life. We can’t white them out or redraw them.” “…Then…underwear?” “Well, sure—but I’m not sure how her clothes could come off in this situation.” Sora and Shiro felt the pain of the disparity between the real world and fiction. “…Brother, what if…we were talking, about the bottom.” “Oh, I see, a flash from a skirt flip! You’re right, Director, that’s totally okay for all ages!” Then, as Sora reached to flip Steph’s skirt, a spark lit up Steph’s melted brain. —Skirt…flip? Underwear—Are they talking about seeing my panties? —No, that’s not okay. My top is okay. Well, not really, but. Steph was warned not by her barely remaining reason, but by her instincts: The bottom is not okay. Not okay. Definitely not okay. At the very least, not okay right now. It was—Well, how best to put it? —It might have been a planted emotion. But, being pushed down and breast-fondled by the one she loved, there were certain physiological changes that inevitably happened. “—Eep—Aaaaaaah?!” This instinct thrust Steph’s frazzled brain into action. Quickly, she swept away the arm Sora was touching her with and pushed him away. “Whoa!” Since Sora had crouched to flip her skirt, one push from a woman was enough to throw him off balance. He stood up in a struggle not to fall over, but it only made things worse. The distance he was falling lengthened, and he was forced to take a few steps back. —Which brought him to the door. The single light push from Steph carried him until—. Gonk. A dull noise. “Oww!” Sora raised his voice upon hitting his head. —But that wasn’t the end of it. —Ah, low-cost lodging. The impact flicked open the cheap door fitting, and Sora fell straight into the hall. “…Brother!” “—Huh—hey, what—!” And, so as to close off the voices of the two concerned about Sora. Creeeee…went the cheap metal—Wham. From the recoil of its opening the door swung quietly closed. …… For a moment, Steph was stunned, not understanding what had just happened. But then, realizing that her one push had thrust Sora out into to the hall of the inn. “—Hh! So-Sora?!” She called his name for the first time as she hurried to her feet. There was a sensation of tightness in her chest, and a powerful feeling of unease. She decided to assume it was just concern that she might have hurt someone with her actions. As for the possibility that it was worry that he might not like her anymore—that, she flatly refused to accept. While thus reassuring herself, she rushed to open the door and flew out into the hall. There, in the corner of the hall, Sora was clutching his head and shaking. “Wha!” She didn’t think she had pushed him hard enough that he’d fall all the way over there. But there he was, in the corner of the hall. “So-Sora?! A-are you okay?” He was clutching his head. He had hit his head hard against the door, but it couldn’t be—Steph paled. But— “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry forgive me forgive me please forgive me—” —It seemed it wasn’t because he’d hit his head. Still, Sora was just crouching and apologizing over and over. “Pardon?” “I’m sorry I’m sorry I mean I thought if I missed this chance I’d never have a chance to touch a boob my whole life I mean I’m a guy and I do want a girlfriend and I do have dirty thoughts and no really I get it so please don’t look at me with those disdainful eyes yes I’m awful yes I’m a pervert yes I know I’m sorry I’m so sorry—” —After cheating her and sexually harassing her, standing unashamed throughout, now Sora shook like a newborn lamb as he apologized. “…Wh-what’s this about?” Steph had no idea what was going on. She peeked back into the room, thinking she could ask his sister, Shiro, for an explanation. “………Brother…Brooother… Where arrre you… Don’t, leave me, a…looone…” —Shiro, on the bed, was just like her brother: crouching with her knees in her arms, trembling visibly, dropping tears without expression. “Wh-what’s going on with these two?” By now, Steph had forgotten all about having had her breasts grabbed, and all she could do was stare. … Yes, this was “ ”: Sora and Shiro. The “two-in-one” player. It wasn’t just about having different skills. If they were separated too far—in other words. It was because one was so socially phobic she couldn’t even communicateand the other was so socially maladjusted that he was beyond hope. “…Brother…Brother, where arrre you…” “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry…” Are things making sense now? A loser. A shut-in. The two siblings, separated by seven years, could only be in the same place at home—. This—explained everything.