CH 71

“Are you going out, Minato-nii?”

It was while I was fixing my hair in front of the bathroom mirror. Shii-chan, in her pajamas, looked up at me with half-closed eyes.

I stopped fiddling with my hair and looked at Shii-chan.

“Yeah, I’m going out.”

“Are you coming back tomorrow?”

“Um… no, I don’t think so.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

Today, I have plans to meet with Sakuramiya-sensei outside and go see the illumination with tickets that Shinozuka-san gave me. After thinking it over, I came up with the idea that we might not be noticed if we went on Christmas Eve, so we decided on December 24th as the day of our date plan execution.

Actually, it’s not a big deal in the city, but going to see the illumination on Christmas Eve is highly likely to be done by a couple. There are few people who will bother to look around.

If this were a student couple with a decent relationship, there might even be a stayover course. But we’re a student and a teacher, which is already against the law. We won’t stay out too late… or so we think.

“I see. If Minato-nii will be late in coming back, I’ll say to Mama and onee-chan, ‘Minato-nii went to his friend’s house’.”

This little girl is still the same…

I smiled wryly and gently patted Shii-chan’s head.

“Okay, if I don’t come back, please do.”

“You can count on me.”

She gripped her hands in front of her chest and showed her enthusiasm. As I returned to setting my hair, Shii-chan grabbed my pants.

“Minato-nii, please bend down.”

“Huh? Oh, like this?”

I folded my knees and lowered my gaze as she told me to.

I brought my face to similar level to hers

“Okay, that’s good. Shina will set Minato-nii’s hair.”

“Can you do it, Shii-chan?”

“Yes, please close your eyes.”

Following Shii-chan’s instructions, I closed my eyelids.

However, I didn’t feel the sensation of her touching my hair. Instead, a soft sensation ran across my cheek.

As I opened my eyes like I had been deceived, she then her hand on my right cheek.

“…Huh? What are you doing?”

“Hehehe~ I did it. Shiina is a strategist.”

“A strategist… What do you mean?”

“I’m kissing you. Shina is also a grown-up.”

“You’re still in kindergarten, though…”

Looking bewildered, I looked up at Shii-chan who was still giggling with half-closed eyes.

“Kukuku… If that’s how you treat Shiina like a child. Then, Shina will become a beautiful lady who can even make Yumi-nee blush.”

Shii-chan let out a satisfied sigh and turned on her heel, while her chest puffed out. “I’ll be studying fractions now. Have fun, Mii-kun!” she said before looking back once as she left.

“Y-yeah. Good luck, Shii-chan,” I replied.

Is this girl really only five years old? I thought to myself again. Her vocabulary doesn’t seem like that of a young child.

I finished getting ready and was just about to put on my shoes at the front entrance when I sensed someone sneaking up behind me. As the person came into view, I saw it was my cousin Kaede, with her black hair braided in twin tails.

“What’s up, Kaede?” I asked.

“N-nothing. I just think you’re looking pretty hot now, Mii-kun,” she said.

“Is that so?”

“Definitely. I mean, I never paid attention to your hair or anything before.”

Come to think of it, I used to think that as long as I fixed my bedhead, I was good to go. There were even days when I was too lazy to fix it.

Maybe going out with Sakuramiya-sensei has helped me mature a bit.

“Um, Mii-kun?” Kaede said.

“What is it?”

“What do you think of me?”

“I think of you as family. You’re my cousin, but you’re like a little sister to me,” I replied.

“Oh, I see. Can I ask my big brother for some advice then?”

“Huh? Big brother?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’m your little sister, right? So you’re my big brother.”

Kaede said it casually, but I didn’t mind. While I thought of Kaede more like a little sister, she didn’t have to treat me as her big brother. As I adjusted my shoe laces, I didn’t feel bad about it at all.

“I see. So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Well, actually, there’s someone I like.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know.”

“I’ve been crushing on him for a long time, but he doesn’t seem to have any interest in me whatsoever.”

Kaede confesses her love story candidly.

“He doesn’t have any interest in you? That guy has no eye for beauty.”

“Yeah, I know. So, what should I do? Even if I decide to give up, I just can’t. It’s really frustrating.”

Kaede scratched her cheek, looking troubled. I stood up and faced her.

“You don’t have to give up forcefully. Just because there’s no interest now doesn’t mean it won’t change in the future.”

“But he has a girlfriend. She’s stunningly beautiful with a great figure.”

“That’s tough. But they could still break up, so you don’t have to give up until you’re ready.”

“Oh, you’re right. Heh~, you can be dependable sometimes, Mii-kun.”

“Weren’t you calling me ‘big brother’ before?”

“I’ve stopped doing that. Because you’re my cousin, not my big brother.”

She smiled as if something had been resolved. I returned the smile and turned on my heel, reaching for the doorknob.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“Huh? Sorry, what do you mean?”

“Nothing, sorry, my bad. I just stumbled a bit.”

Kaede let go of my hand and smiled. I tilted my head in confusion.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. You don’t want to be late for your date with Yumi-nee, do you? Don’t keep her waiting.”

“Wait, I never said I was going out with Sakuramiya-sensei.”

“An indoor guy like you going out is news. I’m surprised you thought you could keep it a secret.”

I cleared my throat in response.

“Anyway, I’m off. See you later.”

“Have a good time.”

Kaede waves her hand casually. I waved back to her in return. Closing the door, I headed for the meeting spot.