Chapter 5: Stepsister, Invasion

◇◇◇

“…Haruko-san, I’m sorry. Did I say something unnecessary?”

After Souhei-kun returned to his room, Ichika-chan asked, looking remorseful. I forced a smile and shook my head, “No, it’s okay. I sort of knew.”

I remembered the day Souhei-kun gave me the ring for my birthday. He looked a bit troubled and didn’t put the ring on my finger. When asked about our relationship by others, he didn’t say I was his girlfriend.

“Maybe, Souhei-kun just can’t believe our relationship will last forever. People’s feelings change over time, after all.”

Souhei-kun probably couldn’t think about our future concretely yet. Maybe that’s why he hesitated to make a move on me. It was somewhat shocking, but it was also typical of the serious Souhei-kun. It was much better than saying “let’s get married” lightly.

“We’re still students… It’s natural not to be able to think that far ahead.”

I tried to smile brightly, and Ichika-chan pouted her cheeks.

“I don’t accept it. Saying he’s not suited for family… What does that even mean? Is there really a talent for that?”

“Souhei-kun didn’t get along well with his mom… Maybe that’s still bothering him.”

It seemed he had sorted out his feelings somewhat, but he was still hesitant about getting involved with family. He seemed to care about Ichika-chan, but he kept a certain distance, treating her from afar.

Ichika-chan raised her face and bit her lip in frustration. She seemed angrier than I was. Her big, dark eyes, like those of a small animal, burned with determination.

“…It’s not right. Giving up from the start because he thinks he’s not suited. I definitely… don’t want to give up.”

Ichika-chan said, clenching her fist firmly. I could sense the real feelings hidden behind her words.

◆◆◆

Midnight. On my way home from work, I thought about Ichika’s recent comments.

──Saying you’re not suited… isn’t that just running away?

Maybe deep down, I was still the same, avoiding connections with people out of fear of getting hurt.

Even though I actually liked Nanase──I was afraid of getting hurt by getting involved with her. In the end, I couldn’t accept her feelings and ended up hurting her instead.

Even now, I want to be with Nanase forever. But I kept spouting reasons to avoid facing the issue.

──Even though your family grew, you act like it doesn’t involve you, just like a stranger. It’s frustrating.

──You probably think you don’t care about us at all.

…If I could face Ichika and my family head-on, could I be more positive about becoming family with someone in the future? Could I come up with a different answer?

As soon as I returned to my room, the intercom rang.

At this hour, it was likely Nanase, but… what could be happening? I opened the door, and as expected, Nanase stood there, barefaced and in glasses.

“Good evening, Sagara-kun. Sorry for coming so late.”

“It’s fine… Did something happen?”

“I need to talk… Can I come in?”

“Sure… I have something to discuss too.”

Nanase sat down on the tatami mat, and I sat a little distance away. Realizing we were alone in a room late at night made me a bit nervous, but unlike before, Nanase didn’t snuggle up to me. I felt both relieved and slightly disappointed.

“Sorry, were you about to sleep?”

“No, it’s okay… What about her?”

“Ichika-chan is already asleep. We should talk quietly so we don’t wake her.”

Nanase put her finger to her lips as she said this. The walls in this apartment were thin, and our conversation might be heard next door. I nodded without making a sound.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Nanase whispered. I hesitated but then spoke.

“…It’s about Ichika. Do you think she’s not getting along with Mom? Did she say anything to you?”

“Huh?”

“I want to face the issues she’s dealing with.”

For some reason, Ichika ran away and came to Kyoto (probably) seeking my help. If that’s the case, I need to respond properly. Instead of pretending her problems don’t concern me, I need to help her feel comfortable returning home. That’s my role.

“…Because we’re family.”

Hearing my words, Nanase narrowed her eyes and smiled gently. She whispered as she looked at me.

“Actually, my talk is about Ichika-chan too.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t think Ichika-chan ran away because she clashed with her mom.”

“What do you mean?”

I asked, curious, and Nanase raised a finger.

“Ichika-chan acts very proper in front of her mom.”

“Oh, yeah.”

I remembered Ichika in a ponytail when I first met her. In front of Mom, she acted like a model student.

“That’s probably because… she likes her mom.”

“Huh?”

I made a dumbfounded sound. I recalled Mom saying, “It’s my fault.” I had assumed they weren’t getting along…

“Why do you think that?”

“She video calls her mom every day. And she said she didn’t want her mom to dislike her for dressing up. If they didn’t get along, she wouldn’t care about that.”

It was an eye-opener. But thinking about it, it made sense. Ichika never complained about Mom and said they were fine.

“I’ve been thinking about why Ichika-chan came here.”

“Yeah?”

“I think Ichika-chan wanted to get closer to her brother.”

“…Huh?”

Her unexpected words left me gaping. Remembering Ichika’s bratty behavior, I shook my head. It must be a misunderstanding.

“If that wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t come all the way here. She must have friends too.”

“That’s true, but she’s always angry.”

“If I had a new stepbrother who didn’t make any effort to get to know me, I’d be upset too. I’d get angry and think, ‘Why don’t you care about me?'”

I couldn’t imagine Nanase being angry, but still…

──Now that the family is all together, I wish we could have fun conversations.

──Even though your family grew, you act like it doesn’t involve you, just like a stranger. It’s frustrating.

Could it be that Ichika was trying to reach out to her new stepbrother from the beginning?

Thinking that way explained why she approached me at the open campus, got close to my girlfriend Nanase, and came to Kyoto multiple times.

“…She’s too hard to read.”

I muttered, and Nanase chuckled, “Souhei-kun is the last person who should say that.”

“Why don’t you talk to Ichika-chan directly? I think you both have misunderstandings.”

Nanase’s expression and voice, as if advising me, were serious. Even though it was about my family, Nanase took it personally and thought hard about it. Nanase always pushed me forward when I hesitated.

“…You’re amazing.”

“Huh? Where did that come from?”

Nanase looked bewildered at my words.

“I used to be so stubborn about my family. You took me to Nagoya and even let me stay over. That must have been tough.”

Nanase scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed, “Yeah, thinking back, it was probably meddlesome.”

“No, it wasn’t. At least, I was… saved by you.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah… Thank you.”

I was glad to have Nanase. Since meeting her, I had thought countless times how grateful I was to have her.

…I really do find strength because of Nanase.

To stay with Nanase, I had to face the issue with Ichika. Looking at Nanase’s gentle smile, I made a quiet decision.