I’m really confused right now.

Yesterday and today, I asked Aoi-chan to come to my room to pretend to be my girlfriend. The purpose was to bring Souta Nii-chan and Onee-chan together.

Yesterday, I acted out my confession. According to my plan, I was going to ask Aoi-chan to accept my performance today and start pretending to be her boyfriend.

But just before I entered the room, I heard Aoi talking to herself.
Just checking…I don’t know how I can be so rude to do that. But I can’t just start the act if it was so.

So I tried to stop everything, but Aoi-chan refused to do so. “I-I’m not waiting. I’ll answer you when I choose to, and it’s now!” She declared.

She clasped her hands together in front of her chest.
Aoi-chan’s face turned red and she said.

 

“I-I…want to go out with you! I’ve been…in love with Iori-kun for a long time!”

 

I gulped, “…”
I felt as if I had been shot through the chest with a sweet bullet.
My heart started to beat faster. My heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.

“A-Aoi-chan, is it possible that that was serious…”
“…Eh!? Ah, oh no, I…”

With a flushed face, Aoi-chan clamped her mouth shut.
The two of us had decided in advance what to say in reply to the confession. If we didn’t, we would both be embarrassed.

The words we had decided on were, “I was happy with Iori’s confession yesterday. Please take care of me from now on.” Even if it was an act, I couldn’t let Aoi say something special like “I love you”. That’s what we had discussed, but now, Aoi-chan clearly said it…

“You have been in love with me for a long time…R-Really?”
“(N-Not really! I-It’s just an act. That was a lie to get Souta Nii-chan and your Onee-chan to listen to me…”

Aoi-chan whispered and denied desperately.
But her cheeks were as red as autumn leaves, and her eyes looked as if she were about to cry.

…T-This face was a lie…I don’t buy it.

My heart was still pounding at a very fast rate. It reminded me of something Souta Nii-chan said to me a long time ago.

—Listen, Iori. Respond to sincere feelings with sincerity. That’s what men do.

Take a deep breath and slowly clasp your hands together. …Yes, I understand. Souta Nii-chan. I am…also a man.

“Aoi-chan.”

I made up my mind and called her name.
Aoi shivered like a little animal. Eyes that looked like she was about to cry stared at me fearfully.

Looking at her expression, I think it might be the right thing to stroke her hair and calm her down. But I can’t do that just now. Because if I do it right now, I might not be able to convey my true intentions.

I took another deep breath and opened my mouth.
The first thing I’ll tell her was what I’ve been up to today.

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be Souta Nii-chan’s wife.”
“…I-I know. When Iori-kun asked me about it, I woke up on this path.”
“Yes, thank you. Thank you for listening to me at that time.”

When I was in elementary school, I asked Souta Nii-chan if I could be his wife. But I didn’t know the result. Like a man, he said, “Sorry, I can’t do that because I have a woman I want to make happy,” and he rejected me within a second.

Of course, my feelings at that time were a mixture of longing, and I wasn’t really in love with Souta Nii-chan. I don’t know if my mom still thought I was serious about that time.

But at the time, I felt so disappointed that I asked Aoi-chan to talk to me at her usual craft store.

From then on, I knew exactly who Souta Nii-chan wanted to make happy, and Aoi-chan and I came to the conclusion that I might be able to turn Souta Nii-chan on if I became like my sister.

That was how I started to dress up as a girl often at home.
At first, Aoi-chan, who was good with her hands, made clothes for me. Eventually, I learned how to make them myself, and it became one of my hobbies even after I realized that my feelings for Souta Nii-chan were just admiration.

“When I think about it, my interest was made by Aoi-chan, right?”
“I also have a hobby that…Iori-kun made for me.”

Aoi-chan lowered her eyes, as if thinking back to the past.

“You have a beautiful face like a girl, cute and pretty…Iori-kun’s desire to become the wife of his childhood friend brother is too stimulating for elementary school girls. ‘There is such a world!?’ I was awakened at once…Thank you for that.”
“No, thank you too.”

We’ve been in different classes from elementary to middle school.
That was why we rarely talk at school, and only when I go to the craft store do we have deep conversations.
That’s the reason why we’ve always called each other Kisaragi-kun and Hoshikawa-san. But…

“I’ll be honest with you…I’m really nervous right now.
“Eh…”
“Aoi-chan is the person who made a part of my life. I’ve always been very grateful for that. But when I heard these words from Aoi-chan, which I thought might be a…confession, my heart couldn’t stop beating. So…”
“W-Wait!”

Aoi retreated, looking very flustered.

“E-Even if you say that…I-I’m troubled. Because Iori-kun is the kind of person that everyone at school admires, and I’m plain and inconspicuous…I can only get along with Iori-kun when you come to my store…I thought of that relationship as a treasure. I’m too scared to hope for anything more than that…”

“Don’t be scared. I don’t know what to do yet either, but…”
“I’m scared. I’m afraid that our relationship will change. Please understand. What I said before was just an act…”
“It was not an act. I know that.”
“You don’t understand. Iori-kun, you don’t understand at all.”

Aoi-chan hugged her body.

“Listen to me carefully. My true feelings are—”

Aoi opened her mouth, looking desperate.
And then.

 

“‘You have to confess to me right now!’”

 

It was the loudest voice I’ve ever heard from Aoi-chan.
It was a shock like being struck by lightning.
I was so dizzy with my own stupidity that I stepped on the stairs.

“A-Aoi-chan…You know me so well…”
“Ehhhh!? I-Iori-kun, why are you so shocked!? No, no! It’s not me right now. It’s not me!　It’s the voice next door, next door!”

Aoi-chan was very embarrassed.
She was probably embarrassed because her voice was much louder than she thought it would be.
Finally…I have to get into the swing of things. I’m serious about seriousness.

“Aoi-chan, I’ll tell you how I honestly feel right now.”
“Ah, w-wait! Iori-kun, wait! Um, there’s something wrong with this…!”
“I’m confused by the strong feelings that have come up in my heart. But I think it’s sincere to include that confusion in the message.

I clasped our hands tightly together.

“This is how I feel. Aoi-chan, I…”

I mustered up the courage to open my mouth.
And then.

 

“Get naked right now and pee in a kitten pose—!”

 

A surprisingly loud voice rang out.
At that moment, Aoi trembled as if she had been struck by lightning.

“I-Iori-kun…? I, I can’t…Eh? Eh?”
“—!? It’s not it! No, no, no, no! That’s not me! Next door, next door! It’s coming from next door!”

“…I’m sorry. No matter how much you like me…that’s a little. I might have lost sight of Iori-kun as a human being…”
“Wait, listen to me! It’s not me!? It was Souta Nii-chan’s voice!Peeing is a peculiar habit of Souta Nii-chan’s. I have nothing to do with it!”

I was too flustered to think straight.
I also misunderstood for a moment, but the “confess” I heard earlier was probably my sister’s voice. But after that, Souta Nii-chan’s suggestion that she pee my pants doesn’t make sense to me.

We’re in trouble too, but what’s going on over there, Souta Nii-chan!?