"This is it, Kafka...This is the life that I always wanted to live." Nina said with a refreshed look on her face and a dreamy look in her eyes, like she was slowly starting to appreciate life once again after how monotonous it had been, and slowly sank into the sofa behind her while holding me right next to her.
"...To have a little brother right by my side with whom I could play and mess around anytime I wanted for my convenience and entertainment...To have a sibling that would follow me no matter where I went and would keep me company when everyone else was too scared to do so...This is exactly what I wanted as a child."
"Not to mention a kid like you, who says and does the most interesting of things and can effortlessly make me smile with just a few words or actions..." Nina glanced at me and grinned when she saw me trying to burrow out of her embrace, as if I was too embarrassed to be so close to her and wanted to distance myself as quickly as I could.
"...I would've definitely kidnapped you from your family and adopted you into my own if I knew that there was someone like you out there who could've kept me company when I was young."
"I don't know whether to laugh or be concerned when you say something like that..." I slipped out of Nina's arms and looked at her with an uneasy look on my face, to which she simply gave a mysterious smile, making me wonder if she was joking or not.
"Well, even if you were to actually kidnap me in the past out of desperation to have someone by your side, I know that you won't do such a thing anymore, so I can rest assured." I let out a sigh of relief, which made Nina look at me with intrigue.
"Why would you say that I won't kidnap you now?...Do you think that I don't have the guts to do so anymore?" Nina asked as she leaned forward to me, like she was asking if I were challenging her to do so.
She then threatened me while pinching my cheeks with a teasing glint in her eyes,
"Don't tempt me, kid, as I have a small storage room in the basement that's quite well hidden, and because this is a rather old building with thick walls, no one will hear your pleas of help if I were to throw you in."
"No, I'm not saying that you won't do it..." I slowly backed away and started sweating, just in case she had some ideas. "...I'm just trying to say that you won't need to do such a thing, since unlike when you were a lonely child in the past, you already have someone by your side right now who's there to keep you company every step of the way and have no need of some sibling."
"Oh, look at you now, acting like a big boy!...Have you grown up so much that you dare to give me, your elder, some consolation?!"
"No, I just thought-" Experience amazing tales on m vl-em|p-yr
"There's nothing to think about, Kafka. I just slipped up for a second and said some unnecessary things...There's no need for a little boy like you to be worrying about such complicated matters." Nina patted my back like she was telling me to leave that insignificant matter aside and talk about something more fun.
"Rather than that, why don't you tell another one of your bizarre stories that always sound like they come out of a comedy sketch and entertain your older sister?"
"...No, actually, instead of doing that, why don't you ask me something about me?" Nina suddenly changed her mind about what to talk about. She then looked at me with a look of realisation on her face and continued saying, "I just realised that during our entire conversation it was only me who was insisting you keep on talking, and I really haven't spoken a word about myself."
"It wouldn't be right if it's only me that knows a lot about your life, Kafka, so ask me about anything that you're curious about, and this older sister here will definitely give you a satisfying answer." Nina patted her chest in a assertive manner, like she would answer anything I asked with confidence.
She even nudged me like she was egging me on and said while showing me a devious grin, "I know boys your age are going through the highs of puberty right now and have a lot of mischievous thoughts...So, you can even ask a naughty question that you're curious about, which you can't ask any other girl to this big sister."
"...I'll surely give you the answer you want to hear, no matter how shifty the question is, if it means I can clear my little brother's pervy little doubts." Nina sneered at me and treated me like a kid who had just entered his growth spurt and who had a bunch of doubts about the birds and bees and girls in general, which made me wonder if I looked like a child in her eyes that didn't even know such basic knowledge.
Hmm...So I can ask anything I want, is it?
I see...It seems like the time has come to stop acting all passive and innocent and step out of the cage I put myself in to hunt down this Tigress in front of me, who had absolutely no idea what was coming for her...