Rubbing my eyes, I sat up in bed and checked the time.
"7:00 a.m.? That's weird. Usually Onii-chan wakes me up around this time."
As I got dressed, a sudden, wonderful idea popped into my head.
But first, I should fix myself up properly and get dressed before Onii-chan wakes up. Hehehe.
Heading downstairs, I noticed the lights were still off.
"…They're still sleeping? Did they stay up late last night and not invite me?"
Suspicious.
I went to the bathroom, washed my face, fixed my messy bed hair, and then quietly headed to the living room.
"…What."
No—WHAT!?
There, on the couch, was my beloved big brother fast asleep. And on top of him—on top of him!—was Leysritt, using his chest as a pillow like it was the most natural thing in the world.
They were hugging each other. They looked exactly like a couple.
My chest tightened.
It should've been me.
Me!
Not her!
A pout formed on my face before I even realized it. My cheeks puffed up as I stomped closer, ready to wake Onii-chan—
"SHIROU! LEYSRITT! YOU TWO!?"
Sella's scream exploded through the house like a huge speaker place in our ears. The shock alone was enough to wake the dead.
"—!? W-WHAT!?" Onii-chan shot upright in panic, instantly knocking Leysritt off the couch.
"Sella!? Why are you shouting? Where am I?" He looked around, strangely calm.
…Weird. It felt like Onii-chan had matured all of a sudden.
Did they… do it? In the living room?
*Sniff, sniff.*
It doesn't smell fishy, so it should be fine. And both of them are still wearing clothes… so it should be fine, right?
Leysritt, meanwhile, blinked once, sat up, and said calmly, "…Good morning."
Mama and Papa rushed in right after.
"Ara~ Shirou, you sinful boy~"
Mama covered her mouth with one hand, smiling far too brightly. "You finally laid your hands on a girl. Mama is so happy~"
"S-Sorry to burst your bubble, but we didn't do anything. We just ended up falling asleep here," Onii-chan explained, but Papa was already nodding seriously.
Leysritt gave me a simple smile, or so she thought.
I could clearly feel the smirk behind it.
"I was awake when you fell asleep, but I couldn't help wanting to hug you and sleep on top of you," Leysritt said with her charming smile.
That smile is a lie. That's a smirk.
"What are you talking about!?"
Sella shouted, nearly bursting my ears again, glaring at Onii-chan. "Do you realize this guy might be a womanizer? A useless waste of air who always steals my work!"
"Sella, you are blind and such a tsundere. You can't even admit that you like Shirou,"
Leysritt replied calmly.
"And even if he were a womanizer, I think that would be normal, Master Kiritsugu also had a mistress. But if I were to date him, I could stay a NEET forever and live a happy life. He would take care of me—and his food is delicious."
She gave a thumbs-up.
"Papa? You have a mistress?" I tilted my head at my father and stared straight into his eyes.
Are you trying to influence Onii-chan?! Unforgivable.
"Mistress? I do?"
Papa frowned and thought for a moment, but nothing came to him.
Mama began thinking as well. Weirdly enough, both of them were seriously trying to remember whether Papa had a mistress.
"Ah~" Mama clapped her hands softly, her smile blooming like a flower.
"I think Leysritt is talking about Maiya-chan. It's been such a long time since I spoke with her. You should bring her here, dear."
"I see,"
Papa nodded casually and started contacting the so-called mistress.
…He's really doing it.
"M-Mama?"
I tugged at her sleeve, my voice small.
"Aren't you angry that Papa has a mistress?"
"Fufufu~"
Mama laughed gently, her voice warm and calm—too calm.
"Well," she said softly, bending down to pat my head, "before I met your Papa, he was already dating Maiya. Because of family matters, I became his wife, and he ended up with a mistress instead. Maiya has been busy lately, so she hasn't been able to visit you all this time."
Her hand was warm.
Her smile was kind.
…And yet, my back felt cold.
"Illya-chan," Mama continued sweetly, her fingers brushing through my hair,
"if you ever fall in love with someone, make sure that he loves you too." She leaned closer, her voice lowering just a little.
"Even if he already has a wife. Or a girlfriend."
"When it comes to love, it has always been a war."
She was still smiling.
But her eyes, They were empty. Calm. Absolute.
My stomach twisted.
…I nodded. Quickly. Very quickly.
I didn't know what would happen if I disagreed, but I was absolutely sure of one thing.
Mama is scary.
That's why I never, ever get on her bad side.
And the only person who has somehow survived seeing that side of her-
…Still, I can't help but understand.
Onii-chan is a certified househusband with a power level over 9000. With that kind of woman-attracting skill, maybe this was bound to happen.
Or we can say
It's Fate.
"What's the problem, anyway?" Leysritt asked, ignoring Irisviel's advice to Illya.
"I watched and grew up together with Shirou. What's wrong with me falling in love with him?"
But earned a glare to Sella but got ignore by Leysritt.
Yeah, what is the problem with marrying Onii-chan? If I weren't his little sister, I'd marry him too.
That doesn't mean I'd give him to someone else, though. Hehehe.
Wait—we aren't blood relatives, so maybe me and Onii-chan…
Hehehe.
"You need to marry the person you love! It's not even about me being a tsundere!" Sella snapped, clearly annoyed once again by her sister.
"I do love Shirou—with all my life," Leysritt replied seriously. "Although he's only in third place. Second place is the young mistress, Illya, and first place is my games."
Leysritt clenched her fist and delivered her declaration proudly.
Weirdly enough, I'd probably do the same for my anime collection—except Onii-chan would be in first place.
"Maybe we should go out today. It's been a while since we've had a family outing,"
Papa said, clearly planning three generations ahead.
"PAPA!" I puffed my cheeks as hard as I could. "Onii-chan isn't marrying Leysritt! It's still too early!"
I crossed my arms and turned away dramatically.
That's it. I won't talk to Papa for the entire day. I'll make him regret this.
"When did I say Shirou was marrying Leysritt?" Papa replied calmly.
"It's not like we'd mind, but marriage is still too early when they've just started dating."
"…Huh?"
Onii-chan froze.
"D-Dating!? Since when!?"
He turned bright red, pointing between himself and Leysritt.
Leysritt tilted her head.
"Is that not correct?"
"Eh? You want to date me?" Onii-chan asked in a calm tone, though his expression clearly showed confusion.
"What do you think?" Leysritt answered as she stood up from the sofa.
"I'll change my clothes first."
I sighed deeply.
Is Onii-chan really going to start dating Leysritt? It looks like things are becoming clearer now.
Because it really does seem like Onii-chan inherited Papa's blockhead genes after all.
In the end I will remember this Leysritt. I won't give you Onii-chan.