I’m in the biggest panic of the century.

Aoi-chan misunderstood when Souta Nii-chan said something amazing to Onee-chan behind the wall, and she thought it was me who said it.

The way she looked at me, as if she was looking at a different creature, ouch.
I think I’m going to cry because it hurts so much.

“Just to make sure…Iori-kun likes that kind of thing? Umm…To like girls, uhh…to do that?
“Calm down, Aoi-chan. And listen carefully. It was Souta Nii-chan’s k*nk. I had nothing to do with it.”

I said it one word at a time, like a persuasive scene in an American movie.
Aoi-chan still looked frightened.

“But just now, she was shouting as if she was going to break through the heavenly dimension…”
“That was Souta Nii-chan’s voice. See, the voice that told ‘to confess to me’ earlier was also Onee-chan’s, wasn’t it?”
“Ah, yeah…”

Finally, Aoi-chan’s face began to light up with understanding.
She let her gaze wander for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts, and then nodded.

“Iori-kun…you spend your days in a very difficult environment, don’t you?”
“Thank you…Aoi-chan might be the first person to understand this environment correctly…”

I felt like I was going to cry.
Aoi-chan took out a handkerchief and handed it to me.

“Um…stay strong?”
“Thank you again. It kind of reminded me of the warmth of the human heart…”

I wiped my eyes with a rose-patterned handkerchief.
The bright red rose pattern was very beautiful.
Aoi-chan looked at me with a bit of a questioning gaze.

“So, you don’t have any strange interests?”
“No, not at all.”
“I see. …Really?”
“Eh.”

If I looked closely, I could see that Aoi’s eyes were in full interest mode.
That’s the look in her eyes when she was excited about Souta Nii-chan and I.

…Eh? Wha? Wasn’t that love of couplings just a front or something? It didn’t seem like she was acting to hide her true feelings…

“Iori, you admire your Souta Nii-chan, right? If that’s the case, maybe you can aim for Souta Nii-chan and in the far horizon…”
“No no, I’m not going to do that. I don’t care how much I admire him, I’m not going to copy your interest!”
“Do something about it!”

“I can’t do anything about it! I mean, what are you asking me to do?”
“I mean…”

Aoi-chan’s shoulders shook and became smaller as I stared at her.

“…I think everyone has their own weirdness that they can’t tell others about. If there’s nothing really wrong with Iori-kun, it’s a bit…unsettling for me.”

I thought, “Ah.”
This means that Aoi-chan also has…something similar with Souta Nii-chan.
And this was a great chance for me to change the subject.

Even though Souta Nii-chan and Onee-chan are not in a relationship, they are talking about something very naughty.
I know that chastity was disordered and that others should never imitate it, but…it has created an atmosphere between the two of them that was like that of lovers.

If I can make the most of this opportunity, I might be able to create an atmosphere where Aoi-chan could face me naturally.

“I like the manga ‘ToRoveRu.’ What about you, Aoi-chan?”
“Eh.”
“What about you, Aoi-chan?”

First to move wins.
The more information you disclose first, the easier it would be for the other person to tell you.
…Yeah, it was pretty embarrassing to tell a girl that you like erotic manga.

But it was worth it, and Aoi-chan answered me.
She turned her head and pouted.

“…Iori-kun.”
“Uh.”
“…’s cross-dressing.”
“Ehhhhh!?”
“I’m really nervous when I imagine Iori-kun wearing the clothes I made and doing something naughty with them! I’m sorry I’m such a weird person!”

Aoi-chan hid her face and sank into a crouch.
W-What should I do? I couldn’t follow up on it right away. Part of it was that I couldn’t react to the rather dense stuff that came out, but what shocked me more than anything else was—

…I’m the one who’s going to stuff in a naughty way.

I don’t know, as a boy, I feel like I have no place to stand.
But this was not the time to be shocked. I have to follow up with Aoi-chan, who has crouched down.

“Umm…are you okay? I think everyone has their own weirdness that they can’t tell others about.”
:It’s still weird, right!? Isn’t it funny how you get so excited when someone you admire dresses up as a woman!?”
“Ah! No, no, no, no, it’s not weird!”

“I’m not crazy! There’s no way I can have a better relationship with Iori-kun than I do now!”
“It’s okay!”

I squeezed Aoi-chan’s hand, who was finally on the verge of tears.

“—ugg. I-Iori-kun…ugg.”
“There’s nothing to worry about! It doesn’t matter how weird you think you are, Aoi-chan, you’ll be fine. Because I’m always listening to those weird couples whose ear cleaning make me think that they are having s*x!”

Aoi-chan’s eyes widened as if she had been struck by lightning.

“…!? W-What is that… There’s no way any couple could have that happen with an ear cleaning, but it’s kind of overwhelmingly compelling…! It’s more than words, it’s the heart that tells the truth! That’s kind of amazing…”

I smiled wistfully.
By the way, I hadn’t told Aoi-chan about ear-cleaning yet. I knew that she would never believe me.

But thanks to her, I also felt my words were becoming more powerful.
It wasn’t a waste of time. The year and a half that Souta Nii-chan and Onee-chan had spent training me mentally was for this moment.

Aoi-chan looked down again.
As if she still couldn’t shake off the uneasiness.

“…I-I’m still scared. I told Iori-kun this, and there’s no way we can be lovers again….”

I put more strength into my hands.
And then I said it.

 

“Then! I’ll dress up as a girl, and Aoi-chan can have s*x as a boy!’”

 

After I said that…I came to my senses.
W-What did I just say…

Aoi-chan kept her head down and was silent the whole time.
I felt my stomach creak. My face was getting hotter and hotter.I screwed up. I’ve completely messed up.

This was a combination of Onee-chan’s self-destruction and Souta Nii-chan’s attempt to overcome the tension and fail.
It was like I inherited the traits of both of them and made a bigger mistake than both of them.

I just want to disappear…
I hung my head as if I was going to turn to ashes.
Then Aoi-chan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly let out a small gush.

“…Iori-kun, you’re weird.”

It wasn’t like she was dumbfounded. It was a ‘weird’ thing that seemed to spill out naturally.
With that comment, my shoulders suddenly relaxed.
I sat down on the floor as if I were collapsing and smiled just like Aoi-chan.

“…Yeah, I’m weird.”

Aoi’s upturned face rose.
Aoi-chan was laughing at me.

“It’s weird.”
“Yeah, it’s weird.”
“Fufu.”
“Haha.”

We both laughed at each other.
In small voices.
It was as if we were discussing a secret prank.

Before long, the first star was shining beyond the window.
A bright star twinkled in the sky that was still half sunset and half night veil.

As I gazed at it with a natural air, Aoi-chan chimed in.
She said it in a calm tone, as if it was a secret story.

“You know, between you and me…”
“Yes.”
“I’ve always liked you, Iori-kun.”
“…Yes.”

The curtain swung. Just a little.
I let out a breath.

“But Iori-kun doesn’t like me.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. Iori-kun might say you like me, but it’s only as a friend.”
“Really…huh?”
“Yes. You’re just surprised to find out how I feel about you.”

“So,” she said, reaching for the stars.

“Can we start here?”
“From here?”

“Yeah, Iori-kun and I are…more than friends but less than lovers.”
“Is that correct for a relationship…?”

Aoi-chan did not reply.
She just dropped her hand that was stretched out to the stars and held her knees.

So I grabbed her hand.
Aoi-chan’s hand, which was aiming for the stars.
And then I said,

“Please go out with me.”
“…Why?”
“Because I want the two of us to walk together. We are going from being more friends and less than lovers to being together.”

Perhaps, as Aoi-chan says, my current feelings are not yet true “love”.
But if this “love” is to become real one day, I want Aoi-chan to be my destination.
That’s what I’m really thinking right now.

Aoi-chan was silent for a while.
But when the color of the sky turned to night, and another small star shone beside the first star, she answered me in a whisper.

“Iori’s confession…made me happy. I also…want to go forward with you. Please take care of me from now on.”

It was a reply similar to the acting confession I had decided on beforehand.
But it was a reply that moved us forward just a little bit.
I think this was just right for us right now.

I nodded my head, and Aoi-chan squeezed my hand back, turning red.
Then I turned to face the wall. I took a deep breath and reported.

“Souta Nii-chan! Onee-chan!”

I hold hands with Aoi-chan.
I said the words with a little embarrassment.

 

“I’ve got a girlfriend!”

 

There was a loud bang from the other side of the wall.
I hope they didn’t hurt themselves with that…

In the end, my plan to bring Souta Nii-chan and Onee-chan together did not succeed.
But that was okay, I thought. They are more mature than I am, so I’ll let them do their best over there. Well, this was the end of my rebellious period.