“… Did you two get into a fight?”

“I don’t think so…but I think we did.”
“… Anyway, do you want to watch a DVD with me?”
“… I do.”

I was locked out of Yuika’s room and accepted Iori’s suggestion.
But somehow I couldn’t move right away and stared blankly at the door with a plaque that read, “Yuika’s room♪”

My caring otouto doesn’t rush me. He asked me laboriously, peeking out from the half-open door of his room.

“It’s unusual for Souta Nii-chan to get kicked out of Onee-chan’s room.”
“Yes, that’s right…it hurts my feelings.”

Aside from the fact that she once made me go home with a bra as a souvenir, I think we argue all the time before getting kicked out.

But it’s not often that I get locked out like this.
Furthermore, Yuika is a recluse. Not being allowed in her room was quite a psychological burden.

“What caused the fight?”
“I don’t know.”
“For example…right before Onee-chan got angry, what did you do?”
“I was just cleaning her ears.”

I indicated the ear pick I still held in my hand.
Like me, Iori got a difficult look on his face.

“Ear cleaning…surely that’s not the kind of thing that would cause a fight.”
“Right? You wouldn’t be locked out of your room because of ear cleaning, would you?”
“Then it’s a real mystery…I don’t think Onee-chan would get mad at you for ear cleaning.”
“Yes, it really is a mystery. A normal human being wouldn’t be so emotionally disturbed by ear cleaning.”
“So it’s not the ear cleaning.”
“No, it’s not the ear cleaning. That’s the only truth I know for sure.”

As we were talking, we suddenly heard a strange pounding sound.
It sounded as if someone had overheard our conversation and was hitting the pillow in anger.

Iori and I look at Yuika’s room at the same time.
We communicated with our eyes.

(Could it be that my sister got even angrier when she heard what I just said…?)
(No…I don’t think so. Is there anything in the conversation right now that would make Yuika angry?(
(Hmmm…none. Nothing at all. Either all or none.)
(Right? This means that rage-pounding sounding was probably something else.)

But it’s good to have a response from her.
The most annoying thing is that we can’t communicate at all.
For now, if we continue this conversation, we may at least get a chance to unravel Yuika’s feelings.

(Will you help me, Iori?)
(Of course! Let’s do our best together, Souta Nii-chan!)

We both nodded to each other secretly and resumed our conversation.

“But I thought that Souta Nii-chan and Onee-chan were going to continue their naughty activities in their room. You made me go shopping.”

You’ve just thrown me under the bus, oi.

“Hahaha, no way. How could I, the incarnation of ethics and reason, do such a thing? That was a misunderstanding on your part. Ha-ha-ha-ha!”

“Hmm, well, let’s see if it’s a misunderstanding.”
“You’re just leaving it… Stay strong, otouto.”

“In the end, I think it can be explained by the fact that it might be ecchi. Souta Nii-chan is unexpectedly a S in an unconscious way. You do something really ecchi to Onee-chan without realizing it, and she’s confused but ready to accept it, but then your unconscious S is triggered again, and you left her alone, and now she’s furious…it’s a very natural process.”
“Hah, Iori…”

I shook my head.

“You’re a little too paranoid for your own good. Well, I think it’s a good thing chuuni is hitting you at this stage of your life, but in reality, how can I be unaware that I’m doing something ecchi with my childhood friend?”

“Hmmm, I guess you could say that… I’m sorry, I was overthinking things. All you two are doing is ear cleaning. In reality, there is no way that ear cleaning can lead to anything ecchi.”
“Yes, ear cleaning is not erotic in itself. So the cause is something else.”
“Yes, the cause is something else.”

Suddenly, buss, buss, buss, buss! The pounding sound became stronger.
It sounded like someone had heard our conversation and was angrily unleashing a useless fiery on her pillow.

She’s probably stopped being human with Ora Ora Rush. If I get caught, I might be turned into a zombie for the first part.
[TLN: Jojo.]

Iori and I looked at Yuika’s room in silence.
We were both in a bit of cold sweat.

(This is…a bad flag. I can smell something bad.)
(A-and that’s it for now, huh? Let’s watch the DVD, DVD.)

It was unnatural for me to suddenly retreat into Iori’s room, so I moved slowly and tried to make some kind of conversation.

“T-then, let’s…go Iori’s room for a while. We can watch a DVD together.”
“W-wow, welcome, Souta Nii-chan. I’d love it if you’d give me an ear cleaning while you’re at it.”

The buss, buss sound suddenly stopped.
For some reason, it created a sense of agitation behind the door.

But I don’t know why.
I ride Iori’s line with the intention of postponing one move.

“O-oh, okay. Well, then…”

I glanced around for signs of Yuika’s room.

“I’m going to use my ear cleaning skills to heal Iori as well.”

 

That was the moment.

 

Something remarkable happened.

 

With Iori beside me, the door suddenly opened with a bang.

 

—Yuika jumped out.

 

“No you can’t do that!”

She shook with her braids.
Yuika, in her Osanazuma form, shouted.

 

“Souta’s ear cleaning is for me only——!”

 

No, what are you talking about!?
I couldn’t even make a comment.

The air had completely frozen.
Iori, for example, was so surprised that he completely froze.

A moment later, Yuika herself came to her senses.
Behind the curtain of her black bangs, she locked eyes with her younger brother.
It was the first time in a year and a half that she and her brother had seen each other.

“Iori…”
“O-Onee-chan…”

His sister’s eyes wandered awkwardly.
But then, as if she had made up her mind, she looked up and told him.
She looked like she was in a play.

“No more ear cleaning.”
“Yes, I am.”

…Wha? You don’t actually know what that means, do you? Iori responded with a touch of theatricality. But Yuika was able to communicate with Iori!? What’s going on!?

“T-then, have a nice day.”
“Y-yes, have a nice day.”

The two siblings bowed to each other and closed their door with a bang.
I was left alone in the hallway.

…No, umm, I understand that they were surprised with each other. It’s not hard to imagine that this has caused their words and actions to synchronize in a strange way.
But hey, the last time they had contact in a year and a half was when she wrote to Iori because for my k*nks, and this time they met in person because of my ear cleaning.

I screamed from the bottom of my heart.

 

“Aren’t you guys wasting the touching moment on something unimportant—!?”