One night has passed since Iori’s shocking confession.

Today I was running around with bloodshot eyes from this morning.

First of all, I went to my part-time job before going to school, and got the manager of the store to lend me his scooter.
At school, I convinced the hard-headed student council president to let me hide the scooter in the student council room after a fist fight.
On my way home, the life guidance teacher found my scooter, so I slammed my forehead on the ground and got down on my knees.

Then, I blasted off.
On the way, I was almost caught by a police car, but since our class president was the heir to a conglomerate, we were able to solve the problem with one phone call. Rather, the police car led the way and I arrived at Yuika’s room much earlier than Iori’s return time.

We were now facing each other with serious expressions on our faces.
A variety of figures were lined up around us, playing the role of observers, adding to the tension.
Yuika, in her pajamas, tightened her expression.

“Now, Mikami, do you know what today’s agenda is?”
“Of course, Kisaragi. I came to this meeting today, willing to make any sacrifice.”

“That’s a good spirit. You have a hickey on your neck that clearly looks like a man’s, your cheeks are a little swollen, and you have mud on your forehead, but let’s not pursue that today. Yes, the situation is so urgent that I can ignore Souta’s hickey.”

“I understand. Let’s have a meeting right away. But first, can I wipe my face a little?”
“Approved. Yes, wet wipes. Do you want me to wipe it off?”
“No, I’ll do it myself. If we stare at each other and it gets weird, we might not have time for the meeting.”
“Umu, that’s a wise decision.”

I wiped my face with a wet wipe and, refreshed, straightened up my appearance.

We faced each other once again and declared in a high-pitched voice, first Yuika and then me.

“Emergency meeting! Childhood friend meeting!”
“The topic of discussion: ‘Iori has confessed to a girl! What are we going to do about this?　What are we going to do? What’s going to happen?”

Then, once I said it out loud, it was no use.
Unable to sit still, we jumped to our feet.

“I never thought I’d see the day when I’d hear my brother confess in person! I’m so happy for him as his sister! But I’m scared! What’s going to happen? What will Aoi-chan say in reply? I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep last night! So today I’ve only slept in the morning and afternoon!

“Damn, I never thought I’d see the day when I’d hear my brother confess in person! When he was a kid, he had a big smile on his face and said, ‘When I grow up, I’m going to be Souta nii-chan’s bride,’ and he loved me so much! Ah, is this what you mean when you say his first love was me?Anyway, I’m going to miss my cute little brother like he’s leaving the nest! I’m dying of loneliness!”

I clutched my head and fainted.
But there was something even more terrifying than insomnia and loneliness.
As childhood friends, we felt the same way. We looked at each other and reveal our feelings.

“Souta, this may come as a bit of a shock to you, but I’ve been without a boyfriend for…as long as I can remember.”
“That’s strange, Yuika… I may be too unexpected to disillusion you, but I’m actually the same age as you without a girlfriend.”

And that meant!

“If Iori goes out with Aoi, my sister’s dignity will melt down!”
“If Iori gets a girlfriend, my brother’s dignity will die a feverish death!”

We hugged each other tightly because we were so sad.

We supported each other without any space between us.
Yuika rubbed her cheek against my neck and cried loudly.
I nuzzled my face into her dark hair and shed a flood of tears.

The feel of her F-cups crunching softly against my chest, the slenderness of her hips that threatened to break if I put too much pressure on them, didn’t arouse any erotic feelings for now.
This was because overwhelming despair was overrunning my soul.

Damn it, I don’t want to be left behind by Iori. “I love you, Souta nii-chan, but I’m sorry…I’m the one who had a girlfriend first. I’m really…sorry.” I don’t want to hear such a pure apology. I don’t want to even think about it.

Ah, I want a girlfriend! I want her now more than ever, in a very evil way!

“Hmmm,” Yuika whispered with a smile that looked like it was about to break.

“Hey, Souta. How do I get a lover? Can I get one at a convenience store?”
“They sell everything from groceries to magazines, stationery, and even event tickets and prepaid cards. Maybe…they’ll even sell you a lover. But Yuika.”

I poked her in the forehead.

“You’re a recluse, you can’t go to the convenience store to buy it even if they sell it.”
“Oh, it’s true. Yuika-chan, you’re so careless.”
“You’re such a careless person. Hahaha.”
“Sorry, sorry.”

We laughed at each other vainly with uncut recluse jokes.

We were aware of this as we did so. We then looked away from each other.

I know. I really do know.
That there was one more fear that surpassed even the history of not having a girlfriend.

“Hey, Yuika…”

I mustered up the courage to speak up.
This was where the real agenda of the childhood friends meeting was.

“Do you remember what she said after Iori confessed?”
“…Of course I do. How could I forget?”

After Iori said, “I know it’s sudden, but please go out with me…!”Aoi immediately replied.

—Can I come back to Iori’s room tomorrow? I’ll give you…my reply then.

Just remembering this, my body began to shake and shiver.
I opened my mouth, feeling as if I had been thrown out into the frigid Siberia.

“Kisaragi-san, please tell me from a woman’s perspective. What is it like to be confessed to by a man, and then be alone with him in his room the next day to answer him?”
“I’ll tell you.”

Kisaragi answered with a pale face and eyes that had lost their brightness.

“I’m ready to be held.”

“I knew it!”
“It’s obvious! Being alone with the boy you love in a locked room is already a signal for ‘please take me’!”
“I think so too! I think there is an unspoken agreement that those are allowed.”

“Aoi-chan will prepare some cute underwear for him today! Black, but I think maybe pink! Or, for that matter, not wearing a bra at all! It was a sign of go ahead when you don’t wear a bra! Generally in the world!”
“AHHHH, scary! I’m afraid of the general decline in chastity!”

We writhe in anguish.
I was even more scared of this than being overtaken by Iori in the history of not having a girlfriend.
It was—

 

““What if I hear strange voices coming from the next room—!?””

It was a very legitimate and sensible concern for us.
We sat down again and faced each other with serious faces.

“Countermeasure, just think of a countermeasure! I can’t help it if Iori and Aoi-chan goes out, but!”
“As a senior in life, I have to stop them from going in the wrong direction. They are still in junior high school, and I don’t want to become an old lady at my age!”

We nodded at each other and proceeded with the meeting.

{Time left before Aoi and Iori come home — 29 minutes.}