Chapter 80: Reality or Desperation

Standing in the hallway, Aiden watched his big sister awkwardly try to correct her earlier mistake—her words about wanting to lock him up. However, she failed miserably to convince him otherwise, as Aiden had known his sister all his life. He could tell that when she mentioned it, she wasn't lying; she had seriously thought about locking him up.

However, he didn't want to talk about this with his sister and make her feel more awkward than she already was. So, he simply gave her a nod to indicate he understood. He couldn't lie to her and pretend he thought she was joking, so this was the only option left to reassure her.

Alicia, seeing him nod in response to her explanation that she had been joking earlier, felt relieved that he didn't press the issue. She then asked him her final question about the behavior she had heard about from him earlier.

"Now, Aiden, tell me what you think you should do after everything I've said about your behavior."

Aiden didn't know how to answer, so he just said what was on his mind.

"I don't know, big sis. What should I do?"

Alicia, hearing his clueless response, had expected him not to know what to do. She was excited to tell him, as she loved it when her little brother listened to her. She spoke proudly, lifting her chin high, a pleased smile on her beautiful face.

While patting his head with her slender hand, she said, "Little Aiden, you don't have to do anything. It wasn't entirely your fault, but—"

She paused for a second to make him focus more on her next words. Seeing the serious look in his captivating eyes, Alicia continued.

"You absolutely shouldn't repeat your mistakes again, and you need to share everything with me, okay?

"If it's attention you want, I can give you all of it. So, don't talk to other girls, little Aiden."

While listening intently to her words, Aiden could tell that most of what she said came from jealousy of other girls, and he found it adorable. But when she told him not to repeat his mistakes, he knew she meant it for his own good. He decided then to change and stop seeking false satisfaction from the attention of other girls, instead cherishing his obsessive sister more.

'She may be obsessed with me and sometimes becomes dangerous, but one thing is certain—she always wants the best for me.'

A natural smile appeared on his otherworldly face, one that could captivate anyone who saw it. For Alicia, it brought out even more affection. Seeing her little brother's smile replace his previous guilt, Alicia felt proud of herself for making him smile, even if she didn't know the exact reason. A beautiful smile spread across her face as well.

Subconsciously, she spoke in a soft voice, mesmerized by his smile.

"You should smile more often, little brother. I think I just fell in love with you all over again."

Realizing what she had just said, she became anxious and started to look around to see if anyone else had heard her. Her words had sounded like a confession of her feelings for her little brother, and she didn't want anyone else to know.

While she had previously shouted and said many things to keep other girls away from Aiden, it should have given them some hints or made them think she was crazy. But now it was different—it felt like openly admitting her feelings for him.

She saw a beautiful blue-haired girl in a sexy school uniform, but the girl had a grim look on her face and wasn't paying attention to her at all. Beside her were a girl and a boy, the girl looking sad while the boy tried to comfort her.

Alicia let out a sigh of relief, though she still wasn't fully convinced. She remembered that two more people had come with them. After a few seconds of searching, she saw one of them sitting on the ground, hugging her legs, visibly showing her sadness. Next to her, the other girl stood silently, unmoving.

Alicia assumed that no one had heard her earlier confession except Aiden, which she didn't mind. She also noticed a pink-haired little girl walking toward them from a distance, oddly sticking close to the wall. This allowed her to finally calm down, as it would have been impossible for the little girl to hear her from that far away.

Aiden watched as his big sister cutely checked to make sure no one had overheard her confession. If only she knew there was just one week left until the apocalypse, she wouldn't be so worried. However, he wasn't going to tell her. He simply enjoyed watching her nervous face, a giggle escaping his mouth as he struggled to hold back his laughter.

"Hehehe," he laughed, covering his mouth immediately after, realizing his mistake.

After making sure everything was fine, Alicia heard her little brother giggling at her anxiousness. When she saw him cover his mouth to hold back his laughter, she thought to herself.

'It's good he isn't feeling guilty anymore,' she thought. However, she didn't like how he was enjoying her anxious efforts to keep others from hearing her confession. Feeling embarrassed, a pink blush appeared on her beautiful face, and she leaned closer to him, whispering cutely in his ear with a slightly annoyed voice.

"Are you really enjoying watching your sister worry so much, Aiden, about keeping our relationship a secret?"

Seeing her blushing face and hearing her whisper in his ear, Aiden responded in the same soft voice, matching her tone.

"That's not it, big sis, it's jus—hehe, oh, sorry—it's just that you look so adorable when you worry about us."

Hearing him call her adorable, Alicia almost forgot how he had made fun of her earlier. But stopping herself from becoming too flustered, she replied in a playful voice, her blush deepening. She wasn't going to let his words affect her this time.

"Don't try to distract me now, little Aiden. I'll get back at you for this later—hmph! And I've come to understand that my cute little brother isn't as innocent as before, seeing how he enjoys the attention of so many girls fawning over him."

Aiden was a little surprised that his big sis didn't become flustered after hearing his praise. She usually forgot everything whenever he complimented her sincerely.

It must be because she's learned other things about me and realized I'm not the innocent little brother she fantasized about.' While her change had its own disadvantages for him, he welcomed it. He no longer wanted to put on a facade of being innocent in front of her.

He could tell from her tone that she was being sarcastic about his earlier behavior, so he replied, trying to embarrass her further and see if she had really changed after learning more about him.

Big sister, I shouldn't have laughed at you, but… are you making fun of me?" he said, trying to act sad with an innocent voice. "I didn't know my beautiful big sis would make fun of me. I didn't think you would change and tease your little brother."

Alicia, seeing the sad look on his face, was genuinely moved, thinking she had done something to upset her little brother. She just wanted to hug him and say sorry, but this time, she stayed still for a few seconds, trying to figure out what she had done wrong. She couldn't think clearly, especially as the sadness in his eyes seemed to deepen.

Suddenly, Aiden started laughing, breaking the facade in the blink of an eye. Alicia felt hurt, realizing she had been played by the brother she thought was innocent. Sadness shadowed her face as she spoke in a stern tone, her voice tinged with hurt.

"Little Aiden, why do you play with my emotions? I genuinely care about you. Do you not take your sister's love seriously?"

Seeing the sadness on her face, Aiden felt his heart clench. He hadn't expected her to be so deeply hurt by what he thought was a harmless test. He stepped closer, intending to hug her, but Alicia moved away before he could. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Devastation washed over him at the thought of his big sister not letting him hug her anymore. In desperation, he pleaded with her as his body shook, his face reflecting the heartbreak he felt inside.

"I'm sorry, big sis. If I hurt you, please forgive me. I'll never do this again."

His voice cracked as he continued, desperate to explain the truth.

"I–I was just trying to test you. I thought… I thought I'd already decided to be truthful with you from now on, but I messed up. Please, just forgive me this time."

When Alicia listened to the story of his school life unfolding from his mouth, she started to understand that her little brother wasn't exactly how he presented himself in front of her. It upset her a little, knowing that he hadn't been fully open with her.