Chapter Six

Domestic X Nipping

Shigure found me once school was over and whispered into my ear that she would be grabbing tea with Haruka. I didn’t know exactly how long they’d been apart, but when I’d met Haruka at daycare in the fourth grade, she had already been on her own. If her sister had been around, they would have been placed in the same program. In that case, they’d been separated for at least seven years. After they’d spent so much time in different homes, taking a day or two to catch up wouldn’t cut it.

“I’ll be home by dinner,” Shigure added.

“Sounds good,” I replied.

It also meant that I got to walk home with the guys for the first time in a while.

Once I returned home, I washed my face and immediately hit the books. Sure, this might have been my routine, but it also provided a welcome distraction. I was struggling to process my emotions, and I couldn’t bear the immense pressure that had been steadily mounting in my chest since lunchtime. As a boyfriend and older brother, was I doing the right thing?

“For better or for worse, this is all I can do right now...” I grumbled to myself.

Tomoe had been right—if I told Haruka the untarnished truth right now, it would only serve to make me feel better. Forcing the burden onto my girlfriend would only be taking advantage of her kindness. If I truly valued Haruka, I needed to shoulder the guilt of this whole mess alone. And as for getting Shigure to lie, well, hadn’t it been her suggestion to keep our parents’ marriage a secret in the first place? I wasn’t the one forcing her to be dishonest, right?

“Sure, whatever makes you feel better...”

No matter how I interpreted the situation, the pressure in my chest never abated. Trying to focus on my notebooks did nothing to help me escape the creeping sense of revulsion. Eventually, I lost the will to even sit at my desk. Studying had never failed me like this before.

I stared blankly up at the ceiling, which was dyed a brilliant shade of crimson from the setting sun. The view, combined with my inner turmoil, made me feel detached from reality.

Since Shigure would probably come home late, I briefly contemplated making dinner. I quickly abandoned the idea, however—she’d volunteered to take care of the cooking just this morning. I didn’t want to make her feel guilty. Maybe I should have just minded my own business. Hell, even I found my actions ridiculous, but what did it matter?

And as such inane thoughts swirled in my head, the sun set, and Shigure returned.

“I’m back!” she announced.

“That was fast. I thought that you might have dinner with Haruka.”

“We made a promise, didn’t we? I’ll be doing the cooking around here.”

“I could’ve managed at least one dinner alone.”

“And then you would’ve felt bad about going back on your word, right?”

Damn. In less than a day, Shigure had managed to totally figure me out. Either she was basically the next Sherlock Holmes, or I lacked any depth whatsoever. I’d be devastated if it was the latter, to be honest.

“Just give me a little bit. I’m going to start making dinner right now,” Shigure told me. “Since we already have leftover miso soup, I’ll only need to take care of the entrée.”

After washing her hands, Shigure removed a bowl covered in plastic wrap from the fridge. Inside was pork marinated in ginger soy sauce. She had probably taken care of all the food prep this morning. I hadn’t even noticed the damn thing in the fridge, so what right did I have to set foot into the kitchen? Yeah, it would be for the best if I left dinner to Shigure.

Consequently, I found myself with nothing to do. If it were just me living here, I would have been content with idling away the time. But with another person hard at work in the vicinity, I felt an uncomfortable itch at the idea of sitting on my hands. Suddenly, I found myself speaking to Shigure about the day’s events.

“So Haruka’s your twin sister,” I mentioned. “No wonder you look so alike.”

“Yeah, our parents divorced around the time we started elementary school. At that age, we had no clue what was going on, but ended up living in separate houses. We hadn’t seen each other even once since then.”

That would mean their reunion had been 10 years in the making. Who could blame Haruka for bursting into tears like that?

“Does that mean you lived around here in the past?” I asked.

“I did. I was really eager to see Haruka again once I came back to this town, so I sped up our plans by a year, and now here I am.”

“Oh, is that what happened?”

“Yep. My mom actually wanted to bring me along to America. With my grades, I wouldn’t have struggled in a study abroad program. But since I wanted to see Haruka so badly, I fought against my mom’s objections and moved here a year early. It wasn’t easy—we got into a massive argument, and I said some things that really weren’t fair to her. I ended up blaming my mom for our separation,” she replied, lowering her voice the further she delved into her explanation. She probably regretted speaking to her mom that way. Despite that, she’d wanted to reunite with Haruka badly enough to resort to that level of ruthlessness.

“Were you able to discuss everything you wanted with her?” I asked.

“Pretty much. We talked about our dad, our lives after the separation, Haruka, and a lot of other things.”

“Sounds like you two had a good time.”

“But actually, the main thing she wanted to discuss was you,” she noted.

“M-Me?!” I yelped.

“Yep. She wouldn’t stop gushing about you. Honestly, it was nauseatingly saccharine—I think it gave me heartburn.”

Haruka was gushing about me?! Enough to give someone heartburn?! Damn it, I’ve got to find out what she said!

“Incidentally, wh-what exactly did Haruka say?” I asked.

“I can’t tell you that. It’s a secret between us girls.”

“Ugh. What if I slip you five hundred yen?”

“Aha. You’ll just have to look forward to hearing the juicy details from Haruka herself.”

Shit, that was a bust.

“Still, imagine my surprise when I found out about your relationship,” she continued. “You’ve gotten yourself into a pretty unforgiving character route, huh? Well, at least one thing finally makes sense.”

“What’s that?”

“When we first met, you kept looking at me strangely. It wasn’t like you were captivated by my beauty, ready to pounce on anything that moved like some sexually-repressed ape. You also weren’t feigning indifference, trying too hard to act cool. You just looked kind of distraught.”

“You could tell?”

“To some extent. Honestly, it was pretty rude—I mean, how many high school boys are blessed enough to live with a total catch like me?”

“Wow, way to be modest,” I grumbled.

“This morning’s kiss was supposed to be a huge favor, but you scrunched up your face at the prospect like it was some sort of torture technique. It was really hurtful.”

So that’s why she put a stop to things.

“Well, now that I know the reason, I’m not offended anymore,” Shigure continued. “Who wouldn’t have trouble dealing with a little sister who looked exactly like their girlfriend? You should have explained everything sooner.”

“I thought that if you knew, you’d torment me into oblivion.”

“Rude! Just who do you think I am? Even I know when to draw the line.”

I found myself agreeing with her. I’d come to realize that she wasn’t actually that bad of a person. She would never do something to truly upset someone. It was just like she said when we had first met—she was just like a kitten playing with your feet.

“I get what’s going on now,” Shigure said. “Seeing as you’re going out with my sister, my actions earlier were wrong. I’m sorry for bothering you—it won’t happen again.”

I was living with my girlfriend’s long-lost twin sister. Just the slightest touch could cause this bomb to detonate. What’s more, Shigure had just indicated that she was well aware of the danger.

“Watching you freak out was fun,” she admitted, “but... since you mean so much to my sister, I shouldn’t tempt you into being unfaithful. I don’t want to hurt Haruka in any way. It goes without saying at school, but we should also put some distance between us here.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“We should try to interact with each other as little as possible. Of course, I’ll do my best to help hide the fact that we’re living together. At the very least, we should keep this a secret until our parents come back in a year. It should be a breeze if we work together.”

Shigure smiled at me. It wasn’t the typical, malicious grin she usually teased me with—no, this expression came across as kind and somewhat lonely.

“I’ve always wanted an older sibling,” she added feebly.

Ah, I see. Now I understand.

---

---

I only had one option: to conceal the truth from Haruka. Despite that knowledge, I still hadn’t been able to wrap my head around why the pressure in my chest still remained. It was obvious—I felt pathetic. Pathetic because my relationship with Haruka had been built upon such a weak and shaky foundation, one in which I couldn’t be truthful with her. Without a doubt, honesty always trumped lying. If Haruka and I had formed a bond that not even Shigure’s presence could sever, this problem wouldn’t have existed in the first place.

And yet, I hadn’t been able to choose the best option. My inadequacy had led to our current predicament. What’s worse, I had to rely on my younger sister. I hid behind her instead of fixing my own flaws. I was the reason for the concerned look on Shigure’s face. It was an expression that didn’t suit her at all. Seeing that, could I be proud of myself as a brother? As a boyfriend?

No, I’m not proud of myself at all.

I stood up and walked over to my younger sister’s side. “Shigure, I’m not nearly as pathetic as you might think,” I declared.

“Huh?”

“This should go without saying, but I’m grateful that you kept our secret from Haruka. I don’t recall asking you to do anything else, though. You think I’d betray my girlfriend so easily? Seriously—if your head got any bigger, your neck might snap. I don’t know what kind of evil schemes you’re cooking up, but my feelings for her will never change. No matter how much you tease me or try to tempt me like this morning, I won’t give in. Haruka is my one-and-only girlfriend, and you’re my one-and-only little sister.”

“Ah!” she gasped.

“Stop worrying about me so much. You can act as spoiled as you like—I can handle it. After all, I’m your older brother now.”

I probably just dug my own grave... and a deep one at that.

Still, I had no regrets. Sure, I was probably both an incompetent boyfriend and brother, but it wasn’t like I had much experience in either field. Hopefully, they’d cut me some slack for being somewhat inadequate.

I knew I couldn’t just use my inexperience as an excuse to hide behind the two girls in my life, thinking I had no other option, though. Little by little, I would overcome my deficiencies through sheer willpower, all in the hopes that I could tell Haruka the truth as quickly as possible.

As I mulled everything over, my realization finally alleviated the stubborn pressure that resided in my chest.

“Hehe. Haha. Ahahaha!” Shigure suddenly burst out into laughter, the malicious grin I’d come to recognize returning to her face.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“I mean, you freaked out so much over seeing me in a bath towel, you didn’t even notice the string on my camisole. You’re acting pretty cool for some bottom-feeding soy boy who gets sweaty palms around the opposite sex.”

Urgh.

“That was a surprise attack!” I yelled in protest. “Now that I know what you’re really like, I won’t fall for the same trick twice!”

“Aha! I’m not so sure about that. But still...” she trailed off, wrapped her arms around my back in a tight embrace, and buried her face in my chest. “Just now, I could kind of understand why Haruka fell for you.”

“Ah?! Shigure?!” I yelped.

“Despite being completely and utterly out of your depth, you’re still trying your hardest for me. I admire that part of you. Maybe I should get in on the action, too.”

“Wh-What?!”

“We’re twins, after all,” she murmured softly. “Seeing as you like Haruka, I’m sure you could end up falling for me, too. I’m already pretty crazy for you as-is. So how about it, Big Bro? Would you consider having me as your side chick?”

Wh-What the hell is this girl saying?!

“Just kidding!” she exclaimed. “You thought I was being serious?”

“Blurgh!”

“Ahaha, you’re bright red!” Shigure giggled into my chest. “You’re making this way too easy, honestly. I mean, you lose your cool so fast. How’re you ever going to make any progress acting like that?”

Shit! And I fully expected her to pull this shit again and everything!

No amount of mental fortitude had prepared me for the sweet nothings she had whispered into my chest, and I hadn’t been able to stop myself—or my beet-red face—from burning up.

“Are you really okay with giving me permission to do whatever I like?” Shigure asked with an impish grin. “You might find this surprising, but I’m actually quite the bully.”

“That’s not surprising at all. You look like you’re having the time of your friggin’ life,” I grumbled.

“Well, no take backs,” she replied. With a provocative smile, she wound her fingers around my necktie and pulled me in close enough to feel her breath. I had never been this close to Haruka, let alone any other girl. Though I couldn’t stop my heart from practically bursting out of my chest, I did my best to feign composure.

“As a man, I won’t go back on my word,” I declared. “No matter how much my bratty little sister pushes my buttons, I’ll gladly accept her with open arms. Before long, you’ll be seeing monuments built to honor my greatness as an older brother.”

As if satisfied, Shigure pulled away from me. “Either way, we’ll still have to show restraint at school. We’re keeping our sibling relationship a secret, and I don’t want to hurt Haruka. But in this apartment, you’re my older brother, and no one else’s. You said something about pushing your buttons? Well, I’m gonna push each and every one of them. I’m hoping you can still find it within yourself to spoil me—your adorable little sister—absolutely rotten!”

She placed a finger in her mouth, pulling back the corner to reveal a single sparkling white canine tooth. “Can you handle these fangs?” her gesture seemed to say.

Yeah, I probably should have kept my mouth shut...

That much was obvious. But no matter what she was planning to throw my way, I was more than up to the challenge.

“Oh crap!” I exclaimed. “I forgot to buy a curtain!”