I couldn’t blame her for wanting to avoid the, well, “fap material” of our living situation. As a healthy, growing boy with the typical hyper-active libido of a teenager, I was well aware of what my peers were capable of. Shigure’s worries were perfectly justified.
“In other words, you want us to lie and act like complete strangers?” I asked.
“No, there’s no need to lie,” she explained. “It’s usually more trouble than it’s worth—people can sniff out the truth pretty easily, and it’s a hassle to get both of our stories straight. Just don’t go around gossiping about us, okay? I imagine our teachers will keep quiet about it if we ask them to. And thankfully, since our last name—Satou—is so common, no one will suspect a thing if we don’t draw attention to it.”
“Well, I don’t mind any of that,” I replied.
I had no reason to object. After all, I was just as reluctant as she was to be the topic of our classmates’ obscene conversations. Even if their discussions had no basis in reality, I really didn’t want Haruka to overhear them. No, I had no reason to shoot down Shigure’s proposal.
Wait, hold on a second there. That wasn’t quite right. There were a few people I had to tell—Haruka, for starters, as well as a few of my guy friends who visited the apartment on a regular basis.
“I’ll promise to keep our relationship on the down low, but there’s one person in particular I need to discuss this with,” I mentioned. “Also, a couple of my guy friends come over pretty frequently. Since they’d end up finding out sooner or later, I need to talk to them, as well. It goes without saying that I’ll warn them to keep their mouths shut about it.”
I purposefully hadn’t mentioned Haruka’s name. If Shigure found out that I had a girlfriend who was identical to her, I had no doubt that her malicious smile would quickly resurface. Like Shigure had suggested earlier, I wasn’t exactly lying, but I wasn’t rushing to let her know about Haruka, either.
“Can your friends keep a secret?” asked Shigure.
“Yeah. In that respect, they’re way more trustworthy than me,” I reassured her.
“If you say so. I won’t stop you, but only if—as an apology—you give me a good morning kiss on the cheek,” she replied, the devilish smile once again creeping across her face.
This girl won’t give me a break!
“I told you to cut that out!” I yelled.
“Aha. What’s with the red face? Kissing a family member on the cheek is just a run-of-the-mill greeting, right? It’s a pretty normal thing to do overseas.”
“So just because it’s done overseas, it should be normal in Japan, too? That’s some pretty stupid reasoning!”
“Big words for someone who doesn’t have the balls to plant a smacker on my cheek. If you don’t indulge your cute little sister with her selfish request, I won’t give you permission to tell your friends about us. So what will you do, my spineless beta brother?”
“Don’t underestimate me! I’ve planted dozens of ‘smackers’ on dozens of cheeks!” I boldly exclaimed.
Okay, that was as blatant a lie as any. Given how I’d practically creamed my pants just from holding a girl’s hand, I’d obviously never kissed anyone on the cheek. Still, I’d become certain of one thing: now that Shigure had developed a taste for tormenting me, she wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon.
One look at her face gave everything away. That teasing grin, which was brimming with malice and contempt, was pointed completely in my direction. No, she didn’t actually want a good morning kiss from me—she just enjoyed seeing me squirm under her bold demands.
This isn’t good. I knew I needed to do something to nip this nasty little habit of hers in the bud. Otherwise, there would be a long chain of manipulation and humiliation in my future. I needed to show her that I wouldn’t back down—even if I was cornered, I’d still come out swinging.
Feigning courage, I placed my hands on the table and leaned forward. As I approached Shigure, she turned her cheek toward me as if to say, “C’mon! Gimme a big, wet smooch!”
“Ergh,” I mumbled as I faltered. How is her skin so flawless? Is she even human?
No, I couldn’t hesitate! She mocked me because I freaked out and lost my nerve over every little thing. I needed to stop thinking and just bite the bullet. I psyched myself up and leaned closer, my trembling lips honing in on her cheek.
At that moment, the invigorating fragrance of shampoo tickled my nostrils, and I froze. That scent was identical to Haruka’s.
Shit! You’re telling me they don’t just look the same; they also smell the same?!
With that realization, a bitter sense of guilt stabbed my chest. She might have been my stepsister, and it might have been on the cheek, but I was about to kiss a girl I’d literally just met! I hadn’t even shared that experience with Haruka yet. Wouldn’t that be a betrayal of her trust? If I followed through with this, would I be able to look my girlfriend in the eyes during our lunch break?
“Okay, stop right there!” Shigure cried.
“Ahwah?!” I blurted out, stopping in my tracks. Shigure took the opportunity to push me back.
“Oh, for God’s sake! Why’re you taking this so seriously?” she asked, looking somewhat abashed. “That was clearly a joke. Kiss the girl you like, not me.”
“Y-You’re the one who told me to do it,” I retorted.
“And I never thought you actually would! You’ve got one hell of a dirty mind, Big Bro!”
“For the first time in my life, I’m getting the urge to hit a woman.”
“Eek! Let’s keep this a domestic-violence-free zone! It’s true that I did take things too far, though—sorry about that,” Shigure acknowledged with an apologetic bow of her head. “You’re free to tell your friends about us. If you think it’s necessary, go ahead. As long as you don’t go around spilling the beans to everyone and their dog, we shouldn’t have a problem.”
And with that, she stood up and began clearing away her dishes and utensils.
Where did all this kindness come from?
I was genuinely at a loss. Unlike me, she hadn’t appeared embarrassed by what had taken place. The inner workings of the female heart were far too complicated for a guy like me.