“‘What am I thinking?’” she echoed in a puzzled voice. “Do you not wear a towel after getting out of the bath, Big Bro? Seems normal enough to me.”
“If this was your home, then sure, but—”
“This is my apartment, though,” she cut me off.
“Yeah! Yeah, you’re right, but hurry up and put some clothes on! Even blood-related siblings show more discretion at this age! Sure, we need to make a conscious effort to make things work out for both of us, but this is taking things way too far!”
“Heh… Teehee. Aha. Ahaha!” Shigure bent over and started laughing.
Wh-What’s with this girl?
“What’s so funny?!” I yelled.
“Don’t lose your head. Look, I’m wearing a camisole under the towel.”
“Huh?” I blurted out after a stupified pause.
Shigure threw open the front of her bath towel, revealing a thin camisole and shorts. Upon seeing my dumbfounded expression, she burst into laughter.
“Ahaha. What, you didn’t even notice the camisole’s straps? What a riot. Your mind’s been polluted by all that dirty manga, Big Bro. Even if we are stepsiblings, I’d never wear only a bath towel in front of a boy I’d just met—unfortunately, girls like that don't exist in the three-dimensional world,” Shigure managed to spit out between peels of laughter, her shoulders shaking. All the while, that mean-spirited smile—which was the complete opposite of Haruka’s—was plastered on her face.
She can’t get away with this!
“You… You’ve crossed a line here,” I muttered angrily.
“Huh? I was just messing with you. Think of it like a kitten batting at your ankles, okay? Anyways, you certainly seemed to be getting all worked up by your lonesome.”
“But what if I’d gotten too worked up?” I pointed out. “What if I’d done something irredeemable? Yeah, I might be terrified of women, but I can’t make any promises.”
“Aha! What, so you have no confidence in your ability to stay level-headed? At least you’re honest. But you don’t need to worry about that.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Take a look at this,” she indicated. She picked up a piece of paper I’d left on the table for note-taking and tossed it into the air. Within the blink of an eye, she managed to split the floating leaflet in half with the world’s most precise roundhouse kick.
“There’s a good chance I’m a lot stronger than you, Big Bro,” she stated confidently.
“Ugh...”
“So if you’re ever in the mood, feel free to come after me—I dare you. But just know one thing: I’ll fight back with everything I have.”
Shigure lifted one of her legs to demonstrate, making the already-sinfully short shorts roll up further. She patted her thigh as if to make a point, causing a pleasant slapping sound to ring out.
I should’ve known. Her little show just now had conveyed the presence of thoroughly developed muscles. Given her strength and agility, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was experienced in martial arts. In other words, Shigure had teased me knowing full well that she could easily overpower me. The premonition I’d felt earlier as a chill running down my spine had now transformed into a certainty.
“Even you’re forcing yourself to make this work, huh?” I repeated her words from earlier. “You’re nothing but a liar!”
“Oh, are my pants on fire?” she retorted.
“No, but you’re about to hang from a telephone wire!”
I was certain now—although she was outwardly identical to my sincere and innocent Haruka, she was the complete antithesis on the inside. Before, she’d compared herself to a kitten playfully batting at my ankles. That had been the perfect metaphor. Cats would purposefully keep their weakened prey alive—swiping at them with carefully retracted claws and soft nips—and turn them into playthings. Shigure fit that image perfectly.
“I’ve always wanted an older brother or sister,” she added. “Someone who would listen to all of my selfish requests. Now that you have an adorable little sister, you’re going to spoil her absolutely rotten, aren’t you?”
A malicious aura radiated from Shigure’s smile—an expression far removed from my sweet Haruka. Without a doubt, this girl was a bully to her very core.
I’m screwed, aren’t I?
What would happen if this sadist ever found out that I had a girlfriend who looked exactly like her? Obviously, I’d be up shit creek without a paddle. I had no doubt in my mind that she’d find a way to take advantage of their resemblance and push things even further.
In the wake of a future that was all too vivid in my mind, I could no longer lie to myself—I was downright terrified.