"Why are you just standing there? Go make us food, useless brother." Aizi said demandingly, arms crossed.
Is this girl for real? If she wasn't my sister, I'd have punched her in the gut by now.
I sighed, ignoring her smug look, and headed to the kitchen. My stomach growled louder than my patience. I opened the fridge and leaned down to see what was actually available.
Half-empty bottles of water. Some leftovers in plastic containers. And, of course, her favorite strawberry milk, lined up like a shrine. Not exactly the dinner I expected.
"Aizi…" I called flatly, crouched by the fridge. "Where's this 'dinner' you said was getting cold?"
From the living room, her voice boomed like she owned the place.
"Use your brain, brother! I already said it was a typo!"
I shut the fridge a little harder. "A typo, huh? So basically, you lured me here just to cook for you."
"Exactly!" she shouted, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Unbelievable. If she wasn't my sister, she'd already be six feet under.
I grabbed whatever leftovers looked edible, dumped them into a pan, and cranked the stove. The sizzling filled the silence—until she decided to grace me with her royal presence.
Aizi strutted into the kitchen, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe, that smug grin plastered across her face. Her eyes, though… sharp.
"You're awfully late and filthy. What did you do, roll around in a trash can?"
I ignored her, focusing on the pan. Maybe if I pretended she didn't exist, she'd vanish like smoke.
No luck. She pushed off the doorframe, stepping closer.
"…Weird."
"What's weird?" I muttered.
"You." She sniffed dramatically. "…You smell different. Not just dirt. Kinda… sweet. Almost like—" Her eyes narrowed. "A perfume??"
I froze. Mistake.
Her grin widened. "Ohhh? Did my useless brother actually manage to talk to a girl? Or did one accidentally bump into you on the street and you're making a big deal out of it in your head?"
"I was at school," I said flatly, flipping the food. "That's it."
"School, huh?" She leaned on the counter, chin in hand. "Funny. Because I heard someone saw you wandering near Street 011 today."
The spatula nearly slipped from my hand.
She noticed. Of course.
"Street 011…" she dragged the words, voice mixing mockery and suspicion. "That's where the rich families live, right? Don't tell me you're stalking some elite girl. Are you that pathetic, my useless brother?"
I clenched my jaw. She didn't need to know about Aranami. Not yet.
"Don't tell me you actually found a girl who can stand being around you. Did you bribe her with snacks? Or is she legally blind?"
"Do I look like I'd waste my time on that?" I shot her a glare.
She gasped, hand over her mouth, as if watching drama unfold. "Ohhh, so it's true! My pathetic brother actually interacted with a female. Incredible.
Should I bake a cake? Or would confetti cannons be more your style?"
"Can you stop?" I muttered.
She smirked, hopping onto the counter, swinging her legs. "Tell me, is she desperate, delusional, or just into charity? Because you? You're a solid zero… maybe one out of ten on the boyfriend scale."
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"You're unbelievable."
"Unbelievable? No, you're unbelievable." She leaned forward, eyes glinting. "What's next, you two gonna walk hand-in-hand down Street 011 like some cheesy drama couple?"
I stiffened. Her grin exploded.
"Aha! Jackpot! Street 011?" She clapped mockingly. "Wow, aiming for royalty now, huh? My loser brother trying to woo a princess. Hilarious. Can't wait to watch you crash and burn."
"Shut it, Aizi," I muttered, setting the plates down.
"Finally!" She plopped into her chair, eating like a gremlin. "Took you long enough. I was this close to calling child services for sibling neglect," she mumbled through a mouthful.
I sat across from her, pretending not to notice.
Of course, she leaned over, cheeks puffed, talking around food to annoy me. "Mmf—look at you, acting all serious. You cook okay, but don't think this makes you a good brother. At best, you're a discount cafeteria lady."
I pinched my nose. "Can you eat normally for once?"
She chewed louder. "What? Crunch crunch smack smack. This bothering you, brother?"
I ignored her. She finally finished with a satisfied grin.
Her eyes flicked up. I stared. Her grin widened.
"What's with that look, my dear brother? Don't tell me…" she whispered dramatically, "…your sister complex is kicking in again?"
I choked. "The hell are you talking about?!"
"I totally get it, why you're feeling that way, onii-chan," she cooed in an overdramatic, cute voice. "I mean… I am cute, aren't I?"
I glared. "You've got issues."
She ignored me, spinning her strawberry milk like a trophy. "Don't be embarrassed. Any guy would fall for me eventually. Of course, my hopeless brother is first."
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "Insufferable."
She leaned closer. "Admit it. You were staring at me, weren't you? Thinking, 'Wow, my little sister is just too cute for this world.'"
"Absolutely fucking not."
"Uh-huh, suuure," she sang, poking my forehead. "Keep denying it, onii-chan~."
I swatted her finger away. "I'm tired. Going to sleep. Wash the dishes."
"Wow, so romantic," she mocked as I stood. "Runs away right after dinner. Classic guilty behavior."
I didn't look back.
Finally collapsed on my bed, my body begging for rest. Silence wrapped around me—until my phone buzzed.
Aranami.
My chest tightened. I opened the message.
"Hi, I know it's kind of late but I wanna ask… do you want to go to school together tomorrow ^^"
Go to school… together? With her?
My thumb hovered over the screen. My brain short-circuited between hell yes and playing it cool.
Aizi's smug face flashed in my head: "Don't tell me you actually found a girl who can stand being around you."
I groaned, burying my face in the pillow. Great. Now she was haunting my thoughts too.
I pulled the phone back up, reread her text. The little "^^" mocked me, playful and casual. I was lying here like an idiot, sweating over punctuation.
Blam.
The door suddenly opened with a loud noise.