CH 16

That's why, I'd like you guys to explain your relationship to me." (Kasumi)

We were taken into the living room and made to sit on chairs, where we were being questioned by "Mizuki Kasumi"-san, who was sitting across the table from us.

Kasumi-san glares at us with her arms crossed, distorting her good-looking eyes into slight anger.

According to Rinka, Kasumi-san has a carefree personality and she seems to be a woman who doesn't care about the details.

But still, she gets angry if she is irritated, it's her nature to be reasonable.

"......" (Kazuto)

My eyes are downcast, but I covertly raise my head to look at Kasumi-san

She is very beautiful.

Her hair, which stretches to below her shoulders, seems to have been carefully groomed, and it looks shiny and silky.

Naturally, her face was also in excellent shape.

The overall atmosphere of her is that of a big sister.

The three Mizuki sisters have wonderfully disparate personalities, really.

"Hmm? Is there something on my face?" (Kasumi)

"No, there's nothing." (Kazuto)

I was about to joke that she has beautiful eyes and nose on her face, but I decide to stop immediately.

I feel like I'm going to get punched if I make a little joke.

By the way, Nonoa-chan is sleeping in Rinka's room.

"So Rinka. Who is this guy?" (Kasumi)

"Ayanokouji Kazuto-kun. A boy in the same class as me." (Rinka)

"Hmm. Are you guys dating?" (Kasumi)

"......" (Rinka)

Rinka falls silent.

I'm expecting her will say something like, "We're not just dating, we're a married couple."

Rinka looks down and doesn't try to make eye contact with her sister.

It's a rare sight.

"I can guess your relationship, but... Rinka, it's not a good idea to bring a man home, you know?" (Kasumi)

"Yes, I know." (Rinka)

"What will you do if the public finds out? You'll get everyone in trouble." (Kasumi)

"......" (Rinka)

Rinka couldn't say a word as her right argument is piled on top of another right argument.

What a heavy atmosphere.

As I'm thinking that, Kasumi-san asks us something surprising in a whispered voice.

"I'm going to ask you guys, have you had sexual intercourse yet?" (Kasumi)

""Bufffffff!"" (Rinka, Kazuto) (PTW/N: if you have a better onomatopoeia, please let me know, ehee~)

Rinka and I both simultaneously spurt out.

What the hell is this person asking us with a straight face?

"W-wait, Sister...!" (Rinka)

"Oh, not yet. So what about the kiss?" (Kasumi)

""......"" (Rinka, Kazuto)

"What, you haven't? So what kind of relationship do you guys have?" (Kasumi)

We're just a couple in the game.

As I look at the surprised Kasumi-san, I mutter it in my mind.

"Ermm, so you guys are dating, right?" (Kasumi)

"We're more of a couple rather than dating." (Rinka)

"......Huh?" (Kasumi)

Finally, Rinka says it.

Kasumi-san makes her eyes round.

I feel like holding my head.

"We got to know each other through an internet game called Black Plains." (Rinka)

"Ah~ right, Rinka had been into internet games since middle school." (Kasumi)

"That's right. That's where Kazuto-kun and I got married." (Rinka)

"Hmmm." (Kasumi)

"......" (Rinka)

"Eh, that's all?" (Kasumi)

"That is." (Rinka)

Rinka nods nonchalantly to Kasumi-san, who asks with blinks.

I can understand what Kasumi-san thinks.

Perhaps she thought that Rinka and I were dating behind her back and that we were secretly having encounters.

But.

When she opened the lid, it turned out that we were just friends on an online game.

It's no wonder that Kasumi-san was surprised.

"So, about it. Are you guys dating in real life too?" (Kasumi)

"We're married in the game, so of course, we're a married couple even in real life, right?" (Rinka)

"I don't know what this little sister of mine is talking about." (Kasumi)

......I think this might have been the first time I've ever heard such a common reaction.

It is the normal reaction that should be.

"Sister wouldn't understand. How much the world of online games can transcend the real world in terms of heart-to-heart interaction." (Rinka)

"......... Ayanokouji-kun, right? What do you think about it?" (Kasumi)

She changed the subject of the conversation to me.

It seems she decides that she can't have a proper conversation with Rinka.

"For me..... If I can get along with Rin――with Mizuki-san, then..." (Kazuto)

"Hmm. Well, my Rinka is so cute and an idol, yea." (Kasumi)

"That's not what I meant. Even if Mizuki-san is plain or an ordinary person, I believe I still would have been here." (Kazuto)

I don't want to be denied this one thing.

Although I have to admit that I question Rinka's over-the-top way of thinking, the years that Kazu and Rin have spent together are real.

It's not a bond that can be easily faded by real information.

"Kazuto-kun..." (Rinka)

I can feel a feeling similar to respect from Rinka, who sits next to me.

......Maybe I've said something pretty embarrassing?

"Hmm. Well, I don't know what kind of world the online game is...... but it seems pretty serious." (Kasumi)

Kasumi-san nods as if she's convinced while folding her arms.

"Sister. If Kazuto-kun wasn't there, I wouldn't have been able to continue as an idol. So......" (Rinka)

"So?" (Kasumi)

"Can you please admit our relationship?" (Rinka)

"...Your husband-wife relationship thing?" (Kasumi)

"Yes." (Rinka)

......Hmm?

I don't even remember us officially dating yet, let alone being a couple......

No, but I have a feeling that this straightforward-looking big sister will say, "Don't say stupid things!" and reject――

"It can't be helped then. Let's admit it with my authority as a sister!" (Kasumi)

Eh, you do admit it?

What happened to your intimidation earlier?

"Sister...... Thank you." (Rinka)

"Well, rather than giving Rinka to a flirtatious man, it's better to give her to that humble handsome guy over there." (Kasumi)

"H-handsome guy, I'm not such a......" (Kazuto)

I quickly deny it.

Seeing me like that, Kasumi-san smirks.

"Man maaan, You're being humble. You do indeed not look like the type of person who would attract a lot of attention, but I've seen that you're a modestly popular guy. You seem to have a personality that can clearly express your own opinions." (Kasumi)

"That's...... No, I don't mind about me. But, it's bad for a popular idol like Rinka to be dating a guy, isn't it?" (Kazuto)

"It is. But, you know, every idols have gone out with men in secret. In the worst cases, they have physical relations with multiple men, including their managers." (Kasumi)

What a dream-destroying story...

I'm stunned, but I say back.

"You were also negative about it at first, weren't you, Kasumi-san? I think you have said, 'What would you do if you get everyone in trouble?' or something like that." (Kazuto)

"Ah, that was just acting" (Kasumi)

"A-acting?" (Kazuto)

"Well, you know, I was longing for that kind of thing. When the daughter brought her marriage partner home, the father felt like to flip over the table in anger, right? Aah~ I've always wanted to do something like that." (Kasumi)

"..." (Kazuto)

Kasumi-san laughs happily.

What a woman she is!

"It's usually impossible for Rinka, who has a hard time making friends even of the same sex, to bring a man home. So, this is the first as well as the last chance I have." (Kasumi)

"...If the public finds out about her relationship with me, I don't think she'll be able to continue being an idol." (Kazuto)

"Isn't it okay? She has worked hard enough. Now she has to find her own happiness as a girl." (Kasumi)

"......" (Kazuto)

It's an appropriate way to say it, yet it's also thoughtful of Rinka's happiness.

"I'm glad my sister said that, but I don't want to cause any trouble for everyone in Star☆Mines. So, can you please keep it secret." (Rinka)

"Of course. They're good girls, too. Even though they're popular, they're not getting carried away." (Kasumi)

It seems that Kasumi-san has met the members of Star☆Mines.

There's nothing strange about that.

"I think we're done here. So, Ayanokouji Kazuto-kun." (Kasumi)

"Y-yes?" (Kazuto)

Kasumi-san with a meaningful smile stares at us.

"Next is――――let's say hello to our mother." (Kasumi)

......Seriously.

It's no longer possible to say that Rinka and I are not officially dating.

I feel that the obstacles in my way are removed at a rapid pace. (PTW/N: originally, "I feel that 'the outer moat is being filled' in at a rapid pace"; 外堀を埋める (the outer moat is filled) is an idiom that has the meaning "to remove obstacles in the way of one's objective".)