Chapter 6: My Sister’s Timid Brother

 

The sky was crystal clear, and it was so warm during lunch break that sweat began to seep through their clothes.

As usual, they were having a strategy meeting with Kousei in the cafeteria when Riko suddenly made a suggestion in an unusually serious tone.

“Let’s watch a movie after school today!”

Yuuma, Suzuka, and Kousei exchanged glances at this unexpected proposal.

Watching a movie together wasn’t unusual—they’d done it plenty of times before. However, Kousei had that upcoming date with his senpai from work approaching fast. With preparations reaching their final stages, there wasn’t really time to leisurely watch movies. Still, it didn’t seem like Riko had suggested this completely out of nowhere.

They tilted their heads, trying to figure out her intentions.

Then Riko pulled out her phone, puffed out her chest proudly with a little “hmph,” and showed them her screen. Suzuka let out an “Ah!” when she saw it.

“That’s the movie everyone’s saying couples should watch right now! You know, the one that famous streamer was talking about!”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that! It’s from a few years ago, based on a shoujo manga, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it trending on various streaming sites.”

“Exactly! They say it really makes you empathize with the heroine and totally speaks to a maiden’s heart!”

Riko responded enthusiastically to the reactions from Suzuka, Kousei, and Yuuma.

The movie had indeed been a hot topic in their class, and the title sounded familiar. He remembered some of the girls in class saying they really enjoyed it.

Riko probably wanted to watch it herself, but it could also serve as a study in feminine psychology and provide good conversation topics for Kousei’s date with his senpai.

“Hmm,” Yuuma mulled it over. Catching a glimpse of Riko fidgeting nervously, he relaxed his expression and spoke up.

“Alright, it’s decided then. How about we watch it at Kousei’s place after school? Your TV’s huge, after all.”

“Yeah, that works.”

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve been to Suzuka-chan’s house.”

Then, trying to act as natural as possible, Yuuma steered them toward making the Kuramoto residence their venue.

As he watched the restless Riko, he caught Suzuka’s eye, and they shared a knowing smile.

 

 

After school arrived.

They met up at the school gate, stopped by a convenience store to load up on snacks and drinks, then headed to the Kuramoto house.

While the others filed in after unlocking the door, only Riko murmured “Sorry for the intrusion” as she entered, heading toward the living room.

“Onii-chan, look up that movie with Ri-chan on the site. Yuu-kun, come help me prepare glasses and snacks over here.”

“Sure.”

Suzuka and Yuuma were playing matchmaker, arranging it so Riko would naturally sit next to Kousei.

They exchanged mischievous smiles as they took their time with the preparations before returning to the living room. There, they found Riko sitting beside Kousei, excitedly chattering about how much she was looking forward to the movie. Kousei seemed caught up in her enthusiasm, fidgeting slightly—they looked quite close.

Yuuma and Suzuka shared another smile as they settled onto the sofa, and the movie in question began.

Set in a small mountain town, it was a classic coming-of-age romance where a local girl ropes a transfer student from the city into helping revitalize the town through a festival. Being based on a shoujo manga, the story focused primarily on the female protagonist.

Even from Yuuma’s perspective, it was edge-of-your-seat engaging to watch how the pair investigated and worked together to solve problems that arose both from within and outside the town, driven by her passionate dedication to the festival.

The story was captivating, from their initial antagonism—with the surly, unmotivated transfer student clashing with her—through their arguments, to them eventually cooperating to overcome obstacles together, building bonds and developing feelings along the way. It had elements of hot-blooded determination that really drew you in.

Not only Yuuma, but the Kuramoto siblings were also completely absorbed in the screen, while Riko clutched her hands to her chest, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

As the story approached its climax, along with the success of the festival came the moment when her feelings of friendship finally transformed into love.

『I hate to admit it, but I’ve fallen for you.』

『If anyone should be frustrated, it’s me. I was planning to confess first.』

With the festival’s success came this climactic moment, when their friendship finally transformed into love.

The four viewers let out sighs of wonder as the characters’ feelings connected through their first kiss.

But in the next moment, as they were still caught up in the story’s emotional afterglow, they felt the atmosphere on screen shift dramatically. There was no mistaking it.

Behind the deserted shrine, the couple gazed at each other with passion-glazed eyes, their breathing rough and heated.

Their hands roamed over each other as if confirming the other’s presence, accompanied by the raw sound of rustling clothes.

Each time their lips met, their intertwining tongues created suggestive wet sounds.

It was an unexpectedly intense love scene that left no doubt about how their feelings had escalated.

“….!”

Though caught off guard by this development, Yuuma and the others found themselves unable to look away from the screen.

When their legs became entangled, the boy suddenly trembled and stopped his movements.

The girl pursed her lips, chiding him slightly.

『Coward.』

『If we go any further, I won’t be able to stop myself.』

『That’s what I’m telling you to do! You usually rush ahead without thinking about me at all.』

『This is different… geez, don’t complain later.』

『Hmm, I might call you clumsy depending on how it goes.』

『Say whatever you want.』

His touches had become hesitant, met with her playfully teasing voice.

The eager yet uncertain advances of the offensive party matched against the receiver’s pretense of composure while being just as overwhelmed.

Their awkward yet intimate exchange continued.

Eventually their breathless voices overlapped, and a pained whimper escaped the girl’s lips.

『Sorry.』

『Don’t apologize, idiot.』

Then, still facing each other, they shared another passionate kiss.

Though they remained clothed and the camera carefully avoided showing anything explicit, what was happening was crystal clear.

Looking at how their relationship had developed up to this point, you could see how this act reflected their connection, how their hearts had truly become one.

This was certainly the natural progression of their overwhelming feelings, their physical union following the emotional. In a way, perhaps this was why it was recommended for couples to watch.

But while innocent in its way, it was also raw and quite intense.

Kousei was hunched forward with his face completely red, while Riko fidgeted, pressing both hands to her equally flushed cheeks.

Suzuka leaned forward, completely absorbed in the screen, restlessly rubbing her knees together.

Yuuma understood exactly how she felt, because he felt the same way.

Seeing such a scene couldn’t help but remind him of his time with Suzuka. He secretly pinched his thigh to keep his blood from rushing anywhere inappropriate.

Eventually, the scene transitioned to the shrine in the evening, ending with the couple holding hands as they descended the shrine steps, and the credits began to roll.

“……..”

Without them noticing, the setting sun had tilted significantly, bathing the Kuramoto house’s living room in crimson light.

Overall, it had been a good movie.

The characters, the story, their romance—all of it.

But everyone remained silent.

The atmosphere hanging over the room was a mix of awkwardness and tension, with an undercurrent of something sweet and clingy.

They were all affected by it, unsure what to say.

In the silence, the sound of four people breathing rather heavily filled the room.

The intimate scene they had just witnessed remained vivid in everyone’s minds.

“…Bathroom.”

Suddenly, Suzuka stood up and left the room.

Yuuma glanced at Kousei and Riko.

The two were completely caught up in the love scene’s atmosphere, hyper-aware of each other—it felt eerily familiar. Just like that day when Suzuka had provocatively challenged him to “try it if you can.”

Not exactly trying to be considerate, but Yuuma muttered “Me too” and quickly followed after Suzuka.

When he stepped into the hallway, Suzuka was waiting for him and immediately planted a kiss on his lips. Her body was hot.

“Yuu-kun… mm…”

“H-hey, Suzuka…”

Yuuma was about to get caught up in the moment, but Kousei and Riko were just on the other side of the door. When he softly called her name in gentle reproach, Suzuka reluctantly pulled away, flashing just a hint of pink tongue.

After glancing at the living room door, she tugged on Yuuma’s sleeve and led him toward the entrance. Sitting down there, she let out a breath and whispered.

“That ending was pretty intense, huh?”

“Yeah, I was surprised they went that far. It was practically adult content.”

“Hehe, true. And you know… the way they were both nervous and uncertain… it really reminded me of something…”

“Reminded you?”

“Of when we overwrote my first time.”

“…!?”

As she said this, Suzuka pressed closer to him, breathing against his neck and placing her hand on his thigh.

Yuuma’s body trembled as Suzuka gazed at him with hot, moist eyes that held a bewitching light. He gulped audibly.

“Didn’t it remind you of that time too?”

“Well, I…”

“Or maybe you want to try doing it face-to-face like in the movie?”

“I mean, we haven’t done it that way before, so I am kind of curious…”

“I wonder what it feels like?”

“I’m interested.”

“So you want to?”

“Well, um…”

“You’re such a pervert, Yuu-kun.”

“H-hey, is that so wrong?”

“But too bad, Onii-chan and Ri-chan are here, you know?”

“…Yeah, I know.”

After getting him all worked up, Suzuka stood up with that perfectly reasonable excuse, as if to say ‘that’s all.’ When Yuuma let out a pathetic whimper at being left hanging, she playfully poked his nose.

Yuuma got up as well, following her with a reluctant expression. When they reached the living room door, Suzuka stopped. She turned around and put her index finger to her lips in a ‘quiet’ gesture.

The reason became clear immediately—they could hear Kousei and Riko’s voices coming from the living room.

However, with the door between them, they couldn’t make out exactly what was being said.

While they knew they shouldn’t interfere, curiosity about their conversation was another matter entirely. Especially since the atmosphere felt just like when Yuuma had first made his move on Suzuka.

Suzuka gestured with her eyes toward the kitchen door.

There were two ways to get to the Kuramoto house’s living room: directly through the hallway, or by way of the kitchen. She seemed to be suggesting they return through the kitchen to eavesdrop.

Yuuma nodded in agreement.

They crept in carefully, taking extra care not to make any noise, crouching to avoid being seen.

From behind the kitchen counter, they had a clear view of the two talking on the living room sofa.

“Well, that was just a story. In real life, I hear that if you fumble around too much, it kills the mood and people end up just going their separate ways.”

“Ah, maybe so… but these days, there’s tons of information online about what to do, so you can study up.”

“But book knowledge and actual experience are totally different, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

Kousei and Riko were sitting unusually close to each other. You could almost say they were touching. What’s more, Riko seemed to be the one actively moving closer.

Though Riko herself seemed aware that she was doing something unfamiliar—she was visibly awkward, her voice trembling slightly.

Meanwhile, Kousei seemed too overwhelmed to even notice Riko’s state—his body was stiff as a board, and he was blushing all the way to his ears.

From an observer’s perspective, Kousei and Riko’s innocent awkwardness was endearing.

Yuuma and Suzuka exchanged knowing grins and nods as they eagerly watched the pair. They were completely playing the role of peeping toms now.

“Hmm… then how about practicing just k-kissing with me? You know, to help build your confidence…”

“…Huh?”

“Well, I mean, I don’t have any experience either, so maybe this would be a good chance for both of us to get used to it…”

“R-Riko…!”

Having apparently made up her mind, Riko grabbed Kousei’s arm and hugged it to her chest. His arm ended up pressed between her larger-than-average breasts. She even trapped his palm between her thighs, creating quite the precarious position where any movement would risk touching somewhere inappropriate.

This bold move made not just Kousei, but Yuuma and Suzuka hold their breath as well.

Riko looked up at Kousei, bringing her cute face close enough that he could feel her breath. Her expression was tense with nervousness. But her desperate determination and earnestness came through so clearly that it had Yuuma and Suzuka even more on edge than during the movie, watching with bated breath.

Kousei and Riko’s gazes met and lingered, a charged atmosphere building between them.

Finally, Kousei gently placed his hand on Riko’s shoulder.

Riko trembled and closed her eyes.

Yuuma and Suzuka could hear both of them gulping audibly, and they too forgot to breathe as they watched.

Then suddenly, Kousei forcefully pushed Riko away from him.

“…Eh?”

At this unexpected rejection, Riko’s face crumpled in sadness.

And understandably so. Even with the mood from the movie helping her along, it must have taken all her courage to make that move. Disapproval flickered in both Yuuma and Suzuka’s eyes.

But then Kousei, in an almost pitiful display, let out a miserable-sounding voice.

“I-I’m more into mature women like senpai, you know… someone elegant and older…”

“That’s… I know I’m the complete opposite of that…”

“But that’s just it—the Riko right now is so attractive that preferences don’t matter anymore! I might not be able to stop myself! So please, don’t tease me like this!”

“Eh!? Ah, um… o-okay…”

“Geez…”

“…”

Now it was Riko’s turn to turn completely red, steam practically rising from her head as she shrank into herself.

As far as Yuuma could remember, this was the first time Kousei had ever commented on Riko’s appearance. And because it came out in such an extreme situation, everyone could tell it was his honest feelings. Riko surely understood that too.

The atmosphere in the room shifted from the movie’s influence to something sweetly tense between Kousei and Riko.

Perhaps unable to handle this tension any longer, Kousei suddenly jumped up from the sofa.

“W-Work! Right, work! I think I had a shift today! So I’m heading out!”

With that, Kousei practically fled from the house.

Left behind, Riko savored Kousei’s words, placing a hand over her heart and letting out a heated “Hauu~” as she basked in the afterglow, before murmuring emotionally:

“I managed to become someone he could see that way…”

Her voice was a mixture of complex emotions—surprise, frustration, happiness, and a sense of achievement.

But perhaps the strongest among them was joy. Riko squirmed on the sofa, overwhelmed by her feelings.

While Yuuma thought this outcome was very typical of Kousei, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat critical of his best friend.

Suzuka seemed to share his sentiment. With an exasperated sigh, she voiced her thoughts:

“…What a spineless brother I have.”

“Ah! S-Suzu-chan!? Kawai-senpai too…!”

“To not make a move when she was being so obvious—isn’t that kind of rude? Right, Yuu-kun?”

“Don’t drag me into this. Though I guess it’s very like Kousei, showing how much he values Abunaga by not letting himself get carried away by temporary emotions…”

As he said this, Yuuma felt a momentary twinge in his chest.

Meanwhile, Suzuka pursed her lips, clearly dissatisfied with her brother’s behavior.

“Well~, I suppose you could put a positive spin on it like that. But what we just saw was totally spineless, right?”

“Maybe he remembered we were nearby and managed to keep his cool.”

“Hmm, maybe. Should we have offered to leave the house?”

“Eh? Ah, um, I was…”

Yuuma gave a wry smile as Suzuka drooped her shoulders as if lamenting a missed opportunity.

It seemed Riko had finally realized she’d been watched.

Her eyes spun as she flailed her hands in panic, completely flustered.

“I-I just remembered I have something to do, so I’m heading home for today!”

“Ah, Ri-chan!”

Eventually, seeming unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, Riko grabbed her bag and fled the Kuramoto house.

Yuuma patted Suzuka’s shoulder as she watched Riko leave with a disappointed expression.

“Don’t tease them too much, Suzuka.”

“But come on, you know…?”

Suzuka flashed a mischievous smile along with a playful “tehe.”

Since Yuuma understood how she felt, he returned an ambiguous smile of his own.

They held each other’s gaze for a moment.

Then they both let out a breath, as if resetting the mood.

But then Suzuka took his arm just as Riko had done earlier, pressing it against her chest. Her hand guided his toward her inner thigh, where he could feel a slight dampness.

Yuuma’s eyes widened at the sudden development. At the same time, he felt his body’s heat rekindling.

Suzuka gave a bewitching smile and spoke provocatively.

“So, what would Yuu-kun do with what’s being offered right here?”

“I would… mm…”

“Ah… mmchu… nn…”

Instead of answering with words, he instinctively captured Suzuka’s lips.

Suzuka eagerly welcomed him, her tongue caressing his as he entered her mouth.

The same wet sounds that had filled the movie scene now echoed through the Kuramoto house’s living room, as their mutual desire for each other grew stronger.

Eventually, kisses alone weren’t enough for Yuuma. He broke away from her lips and reached for her uniform. Suzuka gently placed her hand over his, as if to stop him.

“Suzuka?”

“Yuu-kun, what do you want? Say it in words.”

“I want to do it.”

“Do what?”

“I want to have sex with you.”

“How?”

“Like in the movie, facing each other.”

“I see… hehe, unlike my brother, you’re honest about your desires~”

As Suzuka giggled teasingly, Yuuma furrowed his brows and pouted childishly.

“Shut up. Besides, I never thought I’d end up this crazy about you.”

“Ahaha, that’s my fault, isn’t it? Well then, I’d better take responsibility.”

“Suzuka…”

“Wait, we don’t know when Onii-chan might come back. Should we go to my room?”

“Yeah…”

Teased by his best friend’s impish younger sister, Yuuma held back his urgent feelings as they headed to her room.

Unlike Kousei, once they entered Suzuka’s room, Yuuma easily succumbed to temptation.

 

 

The sun had fully set, painting the western mountains a faint crimson as night’s curtain was about to fall completely.

The room had grown dark, but in their post-intimacy lethargy, neither felt like getting up to turn on the lights.

Using what little light came in from outside, Suzuka stood before her mirror, comb in hand, muttering to no one in particular: “Ugh, it’s all messy…” as she fixed her hair. It was still an unfamiliar sight to him—this wasn’t how the old Suzuka would have looked.

To be honest, he did think the current Suzuka was beautiful and cute.

But now that their initial awkwardness had dissolved, she didn’t need to maintain that appearance.

To Yuuma, Suzuka was just Suzuka—his longtime friend’s sister.

That wouldn’t change even though she’d become more glamorous and cute, or even though they’d developed this relationship they couldn’t tell anyone about.

Feeling something like a fishbone caught in his throat, Yuuma furrowed his brows and asked:

“Hey Suzuka, isn’t that look a hassle?”

“Ahaha, yeah, it does take a lot of work~”

“Then—”

Suzuka answered with a wry smile.

Then she flashed a bewitching grin and whispered playfully:

“But when you’re going to do it anyway, wouldn’t you prefer a cuter girl?”

“…!”

Her words hit the mark perfectly, making him gulp. Suzuka snorted in satisfaction at his reaction.

Suddenly averting his eyes, Yuuma found himself pondering Suzuka’s words.

What if the roles were reversed?

While he tried to stay clean and presentable, Yuuma was aware that he wasn’t particularly striking. Indeed, it matched the harsh words thrown at him in that bitter memory from the past.

Suzuka had changed. She’d become beautiful and cute.

Come to think of it, Kousei had changed too.

Both he and Riko had transformed themselves—not just their appearances but their personalities too—becoming more positive and forward-looking in their desire to get closer to the ones they liked, to be noticed, to have their feelings returned. The two of them were dazzling to watch.

In contrast, when Yuuma considered himself, he realized he was just going with the flow. Even today, he’d given in to desire and slept with his best friend’s sister. A sharp pain shot through his chest, and deep down, he felt a gnawing anxiety that he was being left behind, stuck in place while others moved forward.

He thought back to earlier. Kousei’s refusal to make a move on Riko probably had a lot to do with having someone else he liked.

—If I had someone I liked, would I have ended up in this kind of relationship with Suzuka?

He didn’t know. But Yuuma quickly shook his head, rejecting the thought.

For his current self who thought romance was pointless, it was a meaningless hypothetical.

Even if he could redo that moment, he probably would still have made a move on Suzuka.

—Unlike Kousei, who didn’t make a move on Riko in the same situation.

The mirror reflected Suzuka, beautiful as she combed her hair, and Yuuma, his face twisted in an ugly frown. They didn’t look like they matched at all.

(I…)

Driven by something like impatience, Yuuma blurted out:

“Hey, if I were to change my hairstyle, what do you think would look good?”

“…Huh?”

At this sudden question, Suzuka let out a startled yelp and stared at him with wide eyes.

They stared at each other for a while. Yuuma gradually found the silence unbearable.

Then Suzuka’s lips curved into a grin as she spoke teasingly:

“Hey, what’s this all about? Suddenly talking about appearances… Oh, maybe not so sudden—you did mention buying that fashion magazine recently.”

“…Whatever.”

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry! Hmm, let’s see…”

Yuuma pouted at her teasing.

While trying to soothe him, Suzuka crossed her arms in thought.

“Your hair’s getting a bit long and heavy… but that means we could style it any way we want. How about something like these?”

Without missing a beat, she pulled out her phone and showed him some images.

They all looked bright and refreshing, giving off a good impression, but Yuuma had no idea which would suit him. He furrowed his brows in confusion.

However, Suzuka’s eyes were sparkling with curiosity.

Seeing her act so normally made him feel his shoulders relax.

Ah, right—they weren’t the kind of relationship where he needed to put on airs. Yuuma spoke his honest thoughts.

“Thanks. But honestly, I have no idea what looks good.”

“Eh~? Well, that’s just like you, Yuu-kun.”

“Shut up, you were the same way. Besides, I’m surprised you even know about men’s fashion.”

“Well, you have your preferences in girls, right? It’s the same thing. I have my preferences too, and I look things up!”

“…I see.”

Even though he was clueless about his own appearance, he had to admit she had a point about being interested in how the opposite sex looked.

So Yuuma decided to voice the idea that had just come to him.

“Then why don’t you come to the salon with me?”

“Really?”

“Well, I’m trying to match your taste. That’d be the quickest way, right?”

“Oh, I like the sound of that!”

After all, the reason he wanted to change was to not look out of place next to Suzuka. And if they were going to be intimate anyway, it would be better if he was closer to her type.

She fell silent, appearing deep in thought.

Yuuma gave her a soft smile.