Chapter 166 – Man to Man

Mahiro Yunoki was quite scared and intimidated when he was brought to the house of the girl he liked in order to meet her older brother.

Airi had promised him that it would probably be okay, to which Mahiro shuddered when Airi emphasized the word, "probably."

There was a foreboding sense of danger that he had felt as the door to the house opened, which happened to foreshadow what was about to come next.

The older brother, Takei Tanaka, greeted Mahiro with an amiable smile on his face, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

Next to him was a beautiful girl who could be considered nothing else but a goddess.

Mahiro assumed that the girl was Takei's girlfriend, so he made a mental note to be extra courteous in order to appease the older brother's angry visage.

After he entered the house, Takei had hit Mahiro with a question right off the bat.

"Let's get right to the point... What are your ulterior motives with my sister?"

My ulterior motives... What? This guy is bold enough to ask someone he just met something like that?!

Well, he's not wrong. I can't lie and say that I don't have any ulterior motives at all or else they'll know I'm lying..

The only way to resolve this situation on good terms is to tell them my honest feelings!

"I wish to keep that beautiful smile on Airi's face and cherish her accordingly!"

Nailed it, sweetttt.

Even though her brother was acting like this, I had a feeling that he was a good person who would be able to tell the quality of someone's character by the type of answer they give.

That's why I decided to give the most honest answer I could possible.

As he had foreseen, Mahiro noticed that Takei's expression loosened up a bit and a genuine smile began to form on his face.

"Good answer."

There wasn't much of a response from Takei, but Mahiro could understand the nuance behind the two-word response to his resolution.

I passed. I did it!

Before he could rejoice wholeheartedly because he passed the test that was given to him, Takei spoke up to clear the silence.

"I'm really starting to get hungry right now. How about Akari and Airi go cook something up while Mahiro and I go in the bath together," Takei suggested. "Y'know, to bond like men?"

"Sounds good to me!" Akari agreed.

Airi was a bit hesitant though. "W-wait, I didn't agree to this!"

Takei went over to Mahiro and lightly slapped him on the back. "Alright, let's go. Me and you are going to have a nice one-on-one discussion between men."

"Ah, um... Okay." Mahiro nervously agreed.

"Oh yeah, Akari?" Takei asked.

Akari tilted her head. "Hm?"

"This isn't BL by the way. Don't get that idea in your head please," Takei pleaded.

"O-Oh, okay?" Akari agreed, questionably.

Fearing the effects of BL, Takei successfully managed to stray Akari off that path.

After that warning was given, Takei and Mahiro headed to the bathroom.

"Ah, is it okay if you wash my back first? I'm feeling a bit stiff," Takei chuckled.

"Yes, Mr. Takei! Gladly, sir!" Mahiro stiffly replied.

"Huh?" Takei confusedly muttered. "Just call me by my name. No prefixes please."

Mahiro seemed hesitant at first, but Takei's strong "Okay... Takei."

Once Mahiro's naming senses were fixed, both of the guys began to undress and wrap towels around their private parts.

Takei wanted a private place to talk with Mahiro alone, which is why he chose the bathroom.

As he sat down on a small stool, Takei beckoned Mahiro over to wash his back.

When Mahiro walked over to where Takei was, he was astonished to see what was in front of him.

"Woah, big..."

"I guess my back is kinda big, huh?"

Not your back, man. That thing is monstrously huge!

Ignoring it for the time being, Mahiro began to scrub Takei's back with a sponge.

Once a couple of repeated motions were done, Takei began to approach the topic at hand.

"So, you like my sister, huh?"

"Pfffffft..."

Mahiro wasn't expecting him to be so forthright with his words, but he was now slowly understanding how Takei operated.

By default, Takei is most likely a blunt person that gets straight to the point. If so, I know how to answer him now.

"Yes, I like Airi. I love her. I really love her. I hope to be able to go out with her with plans of marriage one day!" Mahiro stated.

It was all out of the blue, so Takei was rightfully dumbfounded when Mahiro poured these heavy feelings onto him.

"Uh huh, I see... This is the true extent of your feelings?" Takei asked, confused.

"Yes they are, I wish nothing more than to bring her happiness with my own hands," Mahiro replied.

Dude, I only wanted to know his answer! Why did he have to reply with such a heavy love confession?! Either I'm a coward or this guy is just too bold, Takei thought.

"Well, you're in luck. In my eyes, you seem to be a good person. Even my girlfriend who has good eyes for people can tell that you're a responsible and reliable person," Takei explained. "The interrogation was just a pretense for me to mess around and embarrass Airi. I can tell that you're serious about her, so I won't interfere even if I'm a bit of an overprotective brother."

"Really?! You approve of me?" Mahiro asked, with shining eyes.

"Not entirely... yet. Respect is earned, so show me what you got," Takei responded. "You got a good start though, so keep your chin up and you'll be fine."

When Mahiro realized that Takei was cheering him on, he almost cried out of happiness.

Pausing the scrubbing for a moment, Mahiro raised his fists in victory.

Takei saw a bit of his past self in Mahiro, mainly the part where he would get really excited about things pertaining to his crush.

That was why he couldn't help but cheer for Mahiro's love to come to fruition.

"Do your best to achieve your goal, my junior-in-love. I'll be waiting for the good news one day."

—

Go Explode! Idiot Couple Meter: 53 -> 56%

No BL!

Sugar-chan: Eh?

Serious-san: Don't "Eh?" me!