Love, Eroge, Music & Other Craziness

by Geek Girl Naruru

Namikaze Naruto is a normal fifteen-year-old high school student. He has a distant relationship with his sister Naruko, who always treats him rudely. One Day in Spring, he encounters a foreign girl playing a piano on one of his travels to a junkyard and helps her in many ways as he discover that her name is Weiss Schnee.

33. Here She Comes, Cia-chaaan!

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Hey, Mom. I heard from a friend who I was pretty close with in America that she's coming to Japan soon. Do you think we could let her do a homestay here?"

It was after dinner, and the entire family was gathered in one place.

Mom nodded.

"Homestay… so you mean, that friend would live in this house for a little while?"

"Yeah."

Mom crossed her arms and fell into thought.

"Sounds fine to me. Doesn't it, Kushina?" Urged my father.

Dad was almost always on Naruko's side. Well, it didn't seem like Mom really was planning on objecting to the plan anyways.

"I see. Well, I don't mind as long as your friend's parents also are okay with it."

"Hooray! Thanks, Mom!"

Naruko clasped her hands together and looked truly happy. She wasn't just putting on an act; in front of our mother, she was pretty sincere with her emotions. But to be honest, it's not like I didn't harbor any misgivings about this sudden plan of hers.

"What are you looking at? You got a problem, say it out loud."

"No problems here. I was just thinking that it's nice that we're gonna have a cute girl staying here…"

"Listen, If you touch her, I'm seriously going to kill you… you lolicon."

"Lolicon? Hey, what the hell?"

"Naruko. What kind of girl is this friend of yours?" Mom asked her next question.

"Her name is Fu-chan. Look, she's this girl here."

Naruko took out a magazine she had probably prepared for this occasion and showed it to us. It seemed to be a track and field magazine. Ahh, so that's why she had called me a lolicon. I saw on the magazine page a name and face I recognized from a news report I had seen a while back. The Fairy of Track and Field, Cia Greenfield‐chan (ten years old), is what it said. It was a picture of a blond girl in running shorts doing stretching exercises. She had fair pale white skin as well as long, well‐defined legs. If you imagined a well‐raised thoroughbred as a little girl, this was probably how it would feel like.

"This girl… she was the one you won against once…?"

"Yes." Naruko answered my question curtly. After that, she faced the rest of the family and spoke cheerfully.

"She was my roommate from overseas. We were really close… ah, I guess…"

At that point, Naruko gave us a grin.

"I guess she was kind of like a little sister."

I see, now I completely get it. This girl… she wouldn't be sad at all if she could meet up again with her little sister.

Hmm. So someone Naruko thought of as a little sister was coming to this house. Didn't this situation bring up quite a lot of ifs? You know… if Naruko had a little sister, what would she be like? Something like that. From another angle… if I had an even younger little sister, what would it be like? But honestly, just having one sister was more than enough for me. And so, "Naruko's little sister" would come to the Namikaze household. I could only imagine what wild, strange things would happen.

(◕ω◕✿)

During break time. I'm sitting at my seat and gazing out the window when I heard Karin calling out to me.

"Naruto, what's wrong~?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"It's just that today, you really look like there's been something on your mind… it worries me."

Karin was worried about me and came to help me out. She really was soft when it came to me. She like the older sister I never had. And that's precisely why I felt relieved and entrusted myself to this girl, just like a younger brother would to his older sister.

"To be honest, there are a few things bothering me."

I stopped thinking and spoke honestly. If I tried to lie to her here and didn't do it well, she would get really worried. After all, if I were in her position, I would be the same way.

"Would you mind letting me know what those things are?"

"Of course I will."

Karin gave me a relaxedsmile. I could feel my own face loosening as well.

"To tell you the truth, it's about my sister."

I talked about one of my problems. Karin nodded as he listened, her expression serious.

"So… you forced Naruko back here from overseas, but it feels like nothing has changed, and you don't feel too satisfied with that… is it something like that?"

"I don't know, there's just something that feels off… I mean, it's not like anything's obviously wrong…"

"So, you wanted your relationship with Naruko to improve, but that never happened, and you think that's strange…?"

"N‐No, that's not it at all!"

"Really? But this past year, you've talked so much about Naruko, you know? And hearing all that… I couldn't help but feel happy for you two?"

"Those were just all complaints."

"But weren't you lonely when Naruko went overseas?"

"That's… well, yes, I was really lonely! Got a problem with that!?

"W‐Why are you getting angry!?"

"S‐Shut up." I bopped Karin on the head over and over.

"Ow, ow, ow," Karin went while covering her head.

"Well, I guess I'll admit that my relationship with her has improved a bit over this past year." I spat that admission out.

"But that might have been ruined by now. I ended up forcing her back to Japan against her will, so it wouldn't be strange if she had a grudge against me."

Naruko was definitely not the kind of person who would complain to my face. However, that didn't change that I had held her back from achieving her dreams. There was no way she wouldn't feel some sort of anger towards me. But I had gone to America to get my sister back fully aware that something like that might happen. Grumbling about all this now might seem a little odd. But… but… no matter what I tried, I could only pitifully repeat the word "but." All this was still quite on my mind, and my grumbling even caused my cousin to worry.

"I was just wondering whether our relationship soured after I did that…"

"It wouldn't be strange if we went back to the way it was a year ago, when she just ignored me. I was prepared for that much. But she's treating me exactly the same as she treated me before she went overseas. And for some reason, that just doesn't feel completely right to me."

There was no way our relationship could have stayed the same after that, but from a quick look, things seemed exactly the same. Didn't you think that this was honestly pretty frightening?

"Even if Naruko has a bit of a grudge against Naruto… I don't think things are ruined. I think Naruto was prepared for the wrong thing."

"How the hell would you know that?"

Even for me, that was a pretty terrible way to put it. I was the one who asked Karin for advice, after all. But even then, Karin just gave me a smile, and dissolved the problems that were plaguing my mind. Just as always.

"I more than anyone else know how kind Naruto is, after all."

"How can you just stand there and say something like that so calmly…"

It was pretty clear that she was a much kinder person than I was. When faced with something like this, in this time of trouble, I couldn't help but feel a bit moved.

"But look who's talking? Who was the one who rushed all the way over to America just to save his sister from some trouble?"

"…"

"Also, I was talking with Ayase‐chan a while ago, and she happened to mention something. 'Geez, all Naruko talks about this year is her brother,' she said."

"Ayase said something like that?"

"Yes. She was pretty angry when she said it though."

Ayase and Karin. What a weird pair… they did seem to have gotten pretty close lately. But if Ayase was the source of that information, then it really might have been true, that Naruko had been talking a lot about me. Hmph. Well, so what? No, actually, this wasn't something I could just ignore.

Karin put up a single finger and spoke with a knowing look, "Also, if I were Naruko… weeeeelll… then I'd have a reason why I wouldn't want to change the way I acted with you."

"And what the hell is that reason?"

"It's definitely because I'd be embarrassed."

"Huh?" I was pretty bewildered, but Karin just chuckled at me.

"If I went overseas… and I had a hard time everyday, and I got depressed because things weren't going too well… but then, I saw Naruto going through so much effort and desperately coming to fetch me… I would be really, really happy. But I'd also be really embarrassed… and I'd try frantically to act natural in front of Naruto."

"You… that's… that's just what you would do, right?"

I had asked her why Naruko should be embarrassed… so why was it that I was feeling embarrassed myself? Karin just smiled.

"Fufu, no, that's not it at all. So, Naruto, you don't have to worry. You'll definitely be able to get along better with Naruko after this. I guarantee it."

"I hope so…" I abruptly turned my head in the opposite direction, but then mumbled haltingly. "But… thanks Karin. you always know just how to cheer me up."

"Hehe… you're welcome." Karin seemed embarrassed and put a hand on top of her own head. She really looked like she had a case of bed hair;she seriously should just fix it and get it over with.

"By the way Naruto, you said there were other things bothering you? So there's still quite a lot to talk about, right?"

"There are, but I won't ask you for help with those."

"They're things you can't even tell me?"

"They're things that I can't tell you precisely because it's you."

"I see. Well, there's no point in arguing then. If there's something I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask, alright?"

"Yeah."

"Well, aren't you a lucky guy, Naruto."

Once Karin had returned to her own seat, Sasuke came over.

"Yeah, whatever."

"You know, I don't know anybody but you who would answer that with 'Yeah, whatever.'"

"What do you want with me, Sasuke?"

"Ah, right. Naruto, are you free during the next holiday?"

"Well, I don't have plans yet."

"I see, well then… I'd like for you to accompany me somewhere."

"Huh?"

Now that he mentions it, lately I've been only hanging out with my sister or my otaku friends, and I haven't had too many chances to hang out with my friends. After all, I had just gotten back from a Madoka event… so it'd be nice to be able to hang out with my normal friends, in a place that wasn't Akiba.

"Sure. So, where do you want to go?"

"Akihabara."

"Seriously!" It seemed that I was destined to never be able to escape from the curse of the otaku world.

And for that reason, I found myself standing outside some eroge shop in Akiba at 11 A.M. the following Sunday.

"Ahhh, but I'm really sorry about this, Naruto! Making you come here with me like this!"

"Geez… why the hell do I even have to come to Akiba with you…?"

"Come on, don't be like that."

Sasuke hugged a bag he had gotten from the shop to his chest and seemed to be in quite a good mood. He was pretty muscular, so his short‐sleeved shirt suited him really well. And in case you were wondering, the bag he was holding contained a new homo game that his sister had asked him to buy. We might be in Akiba, but I still had to give the guy credit for being able to brazenly buy homo games in the open like this. I quickly got away from that eroge shop and spoke to Sasuke.

"To think there are shops that specialize in BL games… ignorance is bliss."

"Ikebukuro is actually the mecca for this type of stuff. If you go there, you can find a bigger variety of BL games and goods."

I didn't want to know, and yet he still told me. I faced Sasuke with half‐lidded eyes.

"So, you don't need me anymore, right?"

"No, this was just on the way… I was planning on running the errand my little sister had given me by myself in the first place. The place I want you to go with me to is somewhere different."

So that's probably why he came to Akiba to buy the homo games instead of Ikebukuro. Sasuke took the lead and we headed for the Electric City entrance of Akihabara Station.

"So? Exactly where are we going after this?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Sasuke gave me a pointlessly chipper smile.

"Well, the shops I want to go with you to today are the adult goods shops that Akihabara is pretty famous for. To tell you the truth, I'm pretty interested in what goes on in those adult‐only spaces…"

"Don't say that so openly…"

"It's normal for a guy in high school to feel that way. You're probably pretty interested in that stuff too, right?"

Well, certainly… it's not like I wasn't interested. I've gone to Akiba quite a number of times already with my sister and the others, and had even gone to buy eroge… but I was with a group of girls. So I never really had an opportunity to take a good look around the sales floor.

Hmm, I see… perhaps I could just treat this as a study of modern society…

"Hey, you closet pervert. You're smiling, you know?"

"Hmph, you're imagining things."

I was the kind of person who got really into something once I decided to do it. Yup, yup. It's not ideal that we ended up in a place like Akiba, but in the end, it's nice to be able to hang out with a fellow male. After all, when I was with girls, I couldn't talk about stupid things like this. With girls, the minute I said anything that was slightly improper, I would get slammed for sexual harassment and called a gross hentai… they just couldn't see how truly clean and pure I really was.

To be frank. For me, it was more fun to hang out with Sasuke and the other guys in the class than it was to hang out with Naruko and Kuroneko and the others. It was natural to feel that way at my age. And so, I was in higher spirits than usual.

I spoke to Sasuke cheerfully, "Alright, so where should we go Sasuke-kun? you were the one who invited me, so you definitely have an idea of where we're going already, right?"

(◕ω◕✿)

We had just entered the shop, but I was already exhausted. In a way, it was much more mentally fatiguing than even summer Comiket had been. They were both pretty loaded with 18+ things too. We went up the first floor, and found ourselves in the men's goods department. It was a floor dedicated to selling adult goods for use by men, but I really couldn't explicitly describe any of it…

The first floor had felt like a "cramped convenience store,"and every single thing lining the shelves was erotic! It was all erotic. To behold all those hundreds of types of erotic goods lined up in a row was quite a sight. It was seriously amazing… to think that there was this much variety… and then… a certain idiot called out to me in an incredibly excited voice.

"Hey Naruto! Look at this! It's an electric vagina!"

"Idiot What the hell you show it to me!

"But come on, this is seriously expensive. Seventeen thousand yen? Ugh, I'm super interested, but I really don't think I can buy this."

"And if you could, would you? But I didn't ask that!"

Dammit! this was a pretty hopeless situation. I just wanted to get what we came for over with and get out of here as fast as possible.

As I talked with this bastard, our conversation slowly but surely turned to more and more vulgar topics. I wished I could go back in time and warn the me from ten minutes ago. What the hell was I thinking when I said that it was nice to be able to hang out with a fellow male? No, it wasn't nice at all!

Now that I thought about it, hanging out with Naruko and Rias and Kuroneko… at the end of the day, girls were just much more refined. If I were with them, I definitely wouldn't be running around in this sea of depravity like this. Well, Sasuke's sister was an exception though. Yes, when it comes to her, she's much more of a hentai than even these guys around us…

"Hey Naruto… why do you look so zoned out?"

"It's nothing. But really… there seriously are a lot of different things here…" I took a certain cylindrical object from the shelf.

"For example, it's pretty hard to tell this can be used for pervy purposes from just a look…"

"Ahh, that's the 'TENGA' I've heard about. I'm not too sure, but it has a really intricate design, and the makers have been trying hard to use fresh, handsome guys like me in posters to try to get rid of the bad image that adult goods have. And so you get this egg‐shaped thing here."

"You don't have to explain! Are you getting paid by the makers or something!?" And how the hell do you know so much!?

My image of this guy was seriously breaking down, breaking down as we speak! In any case, we went around the store like that, going up one floor at a time, heading ultimately for the fifth floor. The minute we arrived at our destination floor, Sasuke quickly picked out what he wanted and paid for the item.

"Would you like to apply for a point card?"

"Yes please. Also, could you please gift wrap this?"

It was frightening how smooth he was being. He really didn't seem like a first‐time customer.

"Your request has been acknowledged. Sir, do you have any other questions?"

"Umm, so these points… can you exchange them for extra gifts and stuff?"

You… are you planning on coming again!? The surprises just keep coming and coming…

While Sasuke talked with the shopkeeper, I found myself feeling sort of bored and I dared to take a look around the floor.

A large variety of SM bondage costumes and tools were on display. I could imagine that some of these things would really look good on Ayase or Kagurazaka Senpai. There were also bondage costumes for guys, and tengu masks that I had a sneaking suspicion were supposed to be worn on the bottom half of the body.

Sasuke finally finished with his business at the register and walked back to me with a paper bag in his hand. He pointed at one corner of the shop.

"Hey, Naruto, look over there. Looks like a dressing room."

"So what?"

"Hmm… I was thinking that maybe I should try this on just for a laugh, haha."

"Go ahead. From that moment on your nickname will be Hard Gay Sasuke."

"Naruto, aren't your tsukkomis a bit biting lately!?"

That's probably Shimura‐kun's influence. We were always the ones making the tsukkomis, so I felt we probably influenced each other quite a bit.

"Well, if you're done with what you came to do, let's go back."

"Wait a sec, Naruto. This is a pretty rare chance, so let's make sure we see everything. There's still one floor, after all."

"You certainly look like you're having fun… well, whatever. Fine."

I let out a resigned sigh, and ascended the stairs to the top floor. 6F. I seen quite a few adult goods on the way up here, so I had admittedly dropped my guard a bit. Oh, but it would just be impossible to see something even crazier than the stuff we had already seen, I had foolishly thought. But, after getting halfway up the stairs to the top floor…

"Ah…!" I felt a jolt run through my body. I‐Impossible…! To think that something like this… that something like this could exist in this world…! They were Love dolls. That is, they were incredibly elaborate, life‐sized bishoujo dolls. We both were temporarily rooted to the spot, and looked up at that. I'm sure that anyone who was coming across this sight for the first time had displayed a similar reaction. It was truly just something quite extraordinary.

"Kukuku… we've arrived, Naruto… to the grand finale…"

I continued to stare; Sasuke, however, made a crass‐looking smirk.

"Now, Naruto, let us throw ourselves into the height of madness! Towards the top floor…!"

"Alright!"

Feeling the influence of my friend's passion, I found myself also getting roused up. And then, when we arrived at the sixth floor, we found the world's most magnificent adult goods, the real deal, waiting for us. They were the perfect union of cutting‐edge skill and eroticism, a product of the ultimate Doll Maker Lirient Industry… they were love dolls. That is, they were incredibly elaborate, life‐sized bishoujo dolls.

"Uwooohh…! Look at that, Naruto! That doll over there looks just like a naked Nee-chan!"

"Uwah! This is amazing! This is seriously amazing! Oh no nonono What the hell I'm saying!"

We were excited out of our wits. We plastered our faces to the show windows.

"Hey, Naruto! They had these really lifelike dolls in the showcase out front of the store too, didn't they!?"

"Yeah! So those were this type of thing! I see, I see!"

But unlike the dolls that were decorating the window showcase in front of the store, these ones were wearing much more X‐rated outfits. They might as well have been naked. And they really were incredibly lifelike to boot. Seeing them up close like this was more than enough. You could see a few light seams around the thigh area, but… from the look of their skin, to the molding of their faces, to their breasts… you could honestly mistake them for real women. They were clearly on a different level than just mere mannequins. Geez, I can feel my body just heating up looking at them.

Finally managing to calm down a bit, we tried to steady our breathing, and started to talk.

"Naruto… have you ever heard of the 'uncanny valley' hypothesis?"

"Yeah… isn't that the theory that once robots cross a certain threshold and look too much like human beings, they suddenly seem a lot more eerie?"

"So… what do you think about that now? I don't feel like these are eerie at all… do you?"

"Well, I got so worked up back there that I couldn't keep a straight head, but if you look at them calmly… I think they're just about at the boundary of crossing into that uncanny valley… Japanese craftsmanship sure is amazing. It's like we're living in the future… ah… hm?"

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

"Well… this one over here with long black Hair… if you look closely…" I looked Sasuke right in the eyes and spoke, "Doesn't she look exactly like your sister?"

"I'll kill you!" Sasuke seized me roughly by the collar.

Ugh, that hurts…! N‐Not good! What did I just say to this siscon brother!?

Bam! Sasuke thrust me away from him forcefully and began screaming at me, with the look of a demon in his eyes.

"You bastard! W‐W‐What are you trying to say about my little sister!?"

"Sorry, I'm sorry! B‐But, the doll does look like her, doesn't it?"

"Are you still saying that, you bastard?! T‐T‐T‐T‐There's no way! W‐What about this damn doll can possibly resemble my lovable Satsuki‐chan…"

"…"

"But, you're right, it looks way too much like her."

"Exactly! It looks exactly like her! Seriously!"

Sasuke pressed his face right into the show window. I could almost see steam coming out from his nose at each exhale.

"What the hell is the meaning of this!? When the hell did the people at Lirient Industries model a doll after my little sister!?"

"No, I think it's a coincidence… just calm down!"

I understood what he felt. If I happened to come across a doll that looked exactly like Naruko in an adult good's shop, I really wasn't confident that I would be able to keep my cool.

I let out a sigh. I should probably calm down as well. I was also curious exactly how much these things cost. I stared at a loli‐style doll that was sitting on a bed. I looked at the price tag and was completely taken aback.

D‐Damn, they were hundreds of thousands of yen… and that doll that looked like Satsuki… but it cost a damn seven hundred thousand yen! Ugyaah… that's enough to buy three Gibson ES series guitar with that much money…

Haah… I wonder how many times I've sighed already. The world sure was a crazy place. I think I've learned a lot today.

"W‐Well… I think we've seen everything already. Sasuke… let's start heading back."

I spoke up to my friend, but I saw that he was frowning with a complicated expression. He had one hand on his chin and was thinking about something.

"S‐Seven hundred thousand yen, huh…"

"Come back to Earth, Sasukeeee!"

"Ah! W‐What? What's wrong, Naruto?"

"What's wrong, you say! Y‐You were just about to go down a dangerous road there!"

"W‐W‐W‐What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, you damn hentai! You were just about to take money out of your bike fund to buy this doll that looks exactly like your sister, weren't you?!"

"D‐D‐Don't be ridiculous, Naruto! That's definitely not true! Hahaha, to think I would actually do something like that!"

Sasuke seemed completely shaken. He looked really sad at that moment, so I decided to give him a break.

"It's fine. But just stop it. Even if you bought it, once your real little sister finds this doll that looks exactly like her… your entire life would be over!"

For example, if that happened in my case…

"Y… Y‐You… T‐T‐That…"

Crap, I just pictured what Naruko would do. But no matter how I thought about it, she would kill me. She would definitely kill me. Sasuke seemed to have imagined the same situation, but with his own little sister, and his face paled as he began to shake. Sasuke, my Nakama, we brothers who have cute little sisters, sure have it tough in this world.

"Alright, I've decided, Naruto. I really had no intention whatsoever to buy this thing here, but just to commemorate our first trip to an adult goods store, I'm going to buy the product exhibition catalogue!"

It probably goes without saying that this "product exhibition" was referring to the love doll that looked exactly like Satsuki. To explain, they sold specialized product catalogues, and even included things like silicone samples. This was the material they probably used to make the skin of those robot maids that sometimes showed up in eroge. Not to mention that even though it was only a catalogue, it was still 200 yen…

"Well… just do what you want." What else could I say? Sasuke seemed quite happy as he put the love doll catalogue in the same bag that held the BL game that he had bought a little while earlier.

(◕ω◕✿)

After our field trip to the adult goods store, we went to a nearby Starbucks to eat.

"Uwaaaahhhhh~~~~~~~ today was really a nice day! Don't you agree, Naruto?"

"Was it?"

At the very least, I knew all too well how much you enjoyed today. But for me, it was just uncomfortable from start to finish. Sasuke happily stuffed his cheeks with his hamburger and chewed.

"Oh come on, Naruto, don't even try to pretend you didn't enjoy it. Remember, you bought a DVD too!"

"Hm? Well, yeah, that was…" The bag with the precious DVD inside was sitting on my lap. We had paid together for the DVD, but I was determined to keep it all for myself.

Sasuke finished eating his hamburger and licked off some of the sauce from his lips.

"Fufu. I'm meeting with Satsuki‐chan here after this, and we're going to watch a movie together. I also managed to buy a surprise present for her!"

"Hm, it's pretty nice that you get along with your little sister."

It was completely different from a certain other pair of siblings. This guy had a little sister with a weird hobby, and always tried so hard to help her out. I could at least relate to that part. But Sasuke tried so hard to help his little sister out, listened to her unreasonable, selfish requests… and seemed to have a lot of fun doing it. Take today, or that time at the late night sale… he really seemed that way. I couldn't possibly do the same. How could he go that far for his little sister?

"Hey, Sasuke."

"Hm?"

"How do you honestly see your little sister?"

"As an angel."

He answered without hesitation. And what's more, he looked pretty pleased with himself.

"I see. An angel, huh?"

"Is it different for you?"

"At the very least, I wouldn't consider her an angel… but it's hard to explain exactly what she is to me. A year ago I would have answered you instantly, but I really don't know anymore."

What did I think of my sister as…? I really didn't know.

"Hm, I see. Oh, that's right. You're having a fight with Naruko right now, right?"

"That's not really tru… wait, were you listening when Karin and I were talking?"

"You were saying this and that about your sister, so I couldn't help but listen in." Sasuke laughed. He really seemed to be in a great mood…

I started to understand something. I had always thought that Sasuke's attitude reminded me of something… but I realized that it reminded me of Naruko. When he started talking about little sisters, he would get in high spirits and become quite talkative. There was a difference between 2D and 3D, but both Sasuke and Naruko were afflicted by that incurable disease known as "Little Sister Moe." Sasuke energetically sucked up juice through his straw, and began to talk. Of course, it was about his little sister. Not that I even asked.

"Hey, you know, little sisters just suddenly plop out and get born one day, right? It's not like I wanted a little sister and asked someone to give me one. Kids are different from adults in how they can't choose their family."

"Yeah." I nodded.

Sasuke seemed to be reflecting on something and gave me a wry smile.

"At some point, my mom's belly got big, and then one day she just came up to me and said 'Sasuke is an Onii-chan now!' I mean, I was just a kid, so if something like that gets said to me so suddenly, you can't really expect me to get what's going on. 'Huh? What do you mean? Also, Mom, aren't you getting just a bit too fat?' I think I said back to her. I was worried about completely the wrong thing."

"I think I understand what you said.

"I've known my little sister ever since she was born. It wasn't like I wanted a little sister, but I was pretty happy."

Sasuke seemed to be thinking back to that time, and he chuckled.

"After we brought her home, she was always crying or wanting milk or sleeping or going number two… she was definitely a handful. I remember that just changing her diaper once was such a mess. She looked just like a monkey, so it wasn't like I thought she was cute. And as a little kid, every time my sister cried, all I could do was desperately shake her rattle in front of her and try to comfort her."

"That's probably the same in every family."

"Yeah, I think so too"

And then, Sasuke seemed embarrassed about something. He scratched his cheek, and his eyes wandered around the room.

"The fact that I help my little sister so much is not a matter of me liking her or hating her. I'm not going to make it out to be some grand idea of familial love either. I think… this stuff is just habit. They're the habits of an older brother with a younger sister who's not actually too much younger than he is."

"Habits?"

"Yeah."

And then, Sasuke… Sasuke gently set the BL game he had just bought at the eroge shop on the table.

"Probably. Since even now, every time my little sister cries, I shake this around in front of her. Desperately."

I burst out laughing. What he said just completely made me crack up.

"You shake that around? Is that a rattle or something?"

"Well, it's pretty similar, right? Every time I give her this she stops crying."

"That's a crazy analogy…"

But it was also definitely a good analogy. I was clutching my stomach and couldn't stop laughing. Because what he said was right on the mark. Yes, he was right. When the little sister cried, it was the job of the older brother to stop the tears, and if the older brother did that for a long time, that habit would become ingrained in his body. He wouldn't be able to change that habit even years later.

For me as well, Naruko might not be an angel, but… she was my fussy little sister whom I had known since birth that I would always love and protect at all costs. And even if I hated her, I could not so easily get rid of those feelings. My laughter finally subsided, and I wiped my tears with my sleeve.

"Oh, by the way, Sasuke. I completely forgot…"

"Hm?"

"That angel of yours is standing right behind you."

"What!?"

Sasuke paled and looked behind him. And he saw his little sister Satsuki standing there with a smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Onii-chan."

"S-S-Satsuki‐chan!? How long have you been standing there!?" Sasuke almost fell out of his chair.

Satsuki's cheeks flushed red, and… "From when you said your little sister was an angel…"

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Sasuke let loose a scream of pure embarrassment, and collapsed right onto the table.

"Hmm… so Onii-chan thinks I'm an angel?"

Satsuki gave Sasuke a teasing smile. Compared to when I first met her in the clubroom, Satsuki was acting pretty childlike. Hmm, so this is what she acted like when she talked to her brother. It was pretty cute. I suddenly started to see where Sasuke was coming from.

"Naruto! If you knew that Satsuki was right there, you should have told me!"

"Hahaha."

But if he were in my position, he definitely wouldn't tell me either. So I just did the same.

"Good afternoon, Naruto Senpai."

"Yo."

I waved and greeted her. Satsuki looked back and forth between me and Sasuke, and then blushed.

"Is this… a date?"

"Hey, you damn fujoshi. When two guys hang out somewhere, don't call that a date."

"Ahah, you two sure are pretty close."

Was this girl listening to me?

"Hey, Sasuke, back me up here and tell your little sister we're not on a date."

"Shut up! Just now I seriously considered whether I should kill myself…!"

"Oh, also, Senpai? Where exactly did you two go?"

"Hm? We went to that adult goods store across the way and bought this adult DVD of a girl with long black hair."

"You're the worst…"

"Well, you were the one who asked. And can you really talk after you asked your brother to buy you a homo game?"

"Ah! Right!"

Far from seeming apologetic, Satsuki's eyes sparkled and she picked up the bag from the eroge shop that was on the table.

"So this is the new release people have been talking about. I've been looking forward to this for a while!"

She really wasn't worried about talking about her hobby in front of me anymore, did she? Well, not that there was any point in hiding it now. Ah, right, I remembered that she had said that she would only show her true self when she was in a comfortable environment. So I guess if this meant she trusted me now, that wasn't a bad thing at all.

Satsuki hugged the BL game bag lovingly to her chest, and smiled happily.

"Thank you, Onii-chan."

"Y‐Yeah. No problem."

Sasuke blushed and fawned over his little sister. He really didn't seem like a guy who had been contemplating suicide just a minute ago.

"Ah, right, right. I have another present for you as well, so I hope you look forward to that too."

"Really? Wow, that makes me really happy~. I wonder what it is… one of those teddy bears I've been wanting?"

"It's a bit heavy, so I'll give it to you when we get back home."

He was reduced to this after getting thanked just once. What a sad, sad brother this was.

"But I'm not exactly in a position to judge…"

I smiled bitterly, my feelings about this situation fairly complicated. After mumbling to myself, I stood up from my seat.

"Well, I guess I'll head back then."

"Ah, alright. Naruto Senpai, I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"See ya later, Naruto."

"Yeah. You two siblings are going to a movie together now, right? Play nice with each other."

I said goodbye to that intimate pair of siblings and began to walk towards the store exit. But as I was doing that…

"O‐Onii-chan! T‐There's a weird catalogue in this bag!"

"S-Shit!"

"W‐What is this… life‐sized bishoujo doll 'kawai-imouto, Sayuri 100 Shiki'? T‐This is a love doll, isn't it?! WERE YOU PLANNING TO BUY THIS!? WAS THIS THE PRESENT YOU WERE GOING TO GIVE ME!?"

And suddenly, I didn't know whether my best friend would be able to make it school tomorrow or not… of course, that was a question that only God could answer.

After I arrive at home, there was a little girl standing stark naked right in front of my eyes.

"…!"

I just stood right in front of the front door, with my shoes still on and my mouth open, not being able to move from that spot. Steam rose from her entire body.

She had a bath towel in one hand, but she didn't seem to have any intention whatsoever of using that towel to cover her naked body. She was sort of looking in the opposite direction, so she still had yet to notice my presence. She wasn't very tall, but her legs were long, and the beautiful lines along her stretched back left quite an impression.

"Wow, since when did eroge get so damn realistic…?"

Even for me, that was an insanely stupid thing to say. At my mumbling, the girl turned around.

"Ah…" The girl's green eyes looked at me and widened. I thought this was going to unfold in the standard way, with her screaming at me, but…

"Hehe." The completely naked little girl faced me and gave me an ear‐to‐ear smile.

It was a charming smile that made my heart stop… wait, no! I finally came back to my senses, covered my eyes with my palm, and started shouting.

"You… what are you doing…!? C‐Cover yourself up!"

"Hm? Cover?"

She sounded puzzled. It's fine and good that she understands Japanese, but at the same time she really didn't understand me at all, did she!? This was bad! If someone came and saw me here right now…

"Cia! How many times do I have to tell you to put on clothes before you leave!? What if someone comes home when you go off naked like that!?"

In response to my sister's angry voice, I unconsciously uncovered my eyes. I saw Naruko there, looking completely unbecoming with only a bath towel wrapped around her as she exited the changing room.

"Huh…!?"

"E… Eh…!?"

Our eyes met, and we both froze. My brain was no longer working, so I couldn't even process what I was seeing right now. And then… the small knot keeping that bath towel on Naruko came undone…

"K‐Kyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The cry of embarrassment expelled by my sister reverberated through the house.

(◕ω◕✿)

"Get out!"

"H‐Hey… this was completely out of my control…"

"Shut up and get out, hentai! Get out of this house!"

I had witnessed the sight of a completely naked "Naruko and Naruko's little sister," and as a result was meeting this cruel fate. What the hell…

After Naruko had kicked me a bunch of times, she grabbed the naked Cia and escaped swiftly back to the changing room, after which they immediately changed and came back to the entranceway.

And what's more…

"Get out and never come back again!"

She started pushing me with tears in her eyes. By the way, through all of this I still remained standing in the entrance way, with my shoes still on.

"Wait! Wait just a second, Naruko…"

I had no idea what was going on. Why was it that I had just come home, only to be banished from that very home forever? It's your fault for not tying the towel properly, and that brat who came out of the changing room stark naked… Cia Greenfield was her name, right?

"I mean, you're always always —"

Only half‐listening to my sister's rant, I glanced at the hallway. There I saw that the brown‐haired girl, Cia, was poking just her youthful face out of the changing room, and was watching our little sibling argument.

"… *Stare*."

She was drying her hair with a hairdryer and watching us with eyes that were filled with wonder. I was a bit surprised, but her eyes were purely innocent, and weren't filled with any apprehensions or ill will towards me at all. At the very least, that's what I thought. She seemed to still be in the middle of changing, which is why I could occasionally see her exposed collarbone. Geez, all this after we had had the worst first meeting in the world… did this brat not have a sense of shame?

"Hey, you lolicon! When I'm talking to you be sure you're looking at me… huh!?" Naruko realized where I was looking and turned around, finally seeing Cia there.

"C-Cia! How long do you plan to stay like that!?"

"Ahaha, Naruko is scaaaary~~."

"Shut up! Hurry up and change!"

My sister scolded Cia with a loooot of anger in her voice. And with Naruko now angry at her, Cia let out a "Ugyah!" and pulled her head back into the changing room.

"Ahaha, Naruko, why are you this angry~~?"

"Of course I'm angry! Cia, go back inside! You said you were sweaty after running all the way here from the airport!"

"But Naruko, you're the one who wanted to go into the bath together."

"Y‐Yes I was, b‐but…!"

This was like… this was like watching a normal older and younger sister interact with each other. I don't think Naruko would act like this with her school friends either. I was a bit curious about this, but my sister had turned into an active volcano, so I didn't dare ask. I would ask about all this later. I turned towards my sister and once again clasped my hands before me.

"I'm sorry Naruko-sama… please forgive me."

"Huh? You're still here? I thought I told you to get out? Can't you just vanish from my sight?"

"Cut it out already!"

She was being way unreasonable, and it was starting to get on my nerves.

"How many times have I apologized by now!? I also told you it was an accident already, right!? Do you think I'm seriously going to leave the house over every single one of your little absurd complaints!?"

"Wha… h‐how dare you… 'absurd'… what does that mean!? H‐Huh!? D‐Do you not understand exactly what you've done to me here!?"

"Not even a bit. Honestly, it's not like seeing you naked after all this time is a big deal. We're brother and sister. You're way too self‐conscious about it." I spat that last bit out, and then…

"Grrrrrrrr…" Naruko's entire body trembled, and she seemed to be storing up energy for the oncoming huge explosion. It seemed that I had completely trampled on a sore point with that last statement of mine.

Ahh, in a few seconds she was going to blow up, wasn't she…? Haah… just do whatever you want. I honestly didn't care.

The person who ended up defusing this ready‐to‐blow situation was the person who had started all this in the first place. I had thought Cia had been changing in the changing room, but at some point (I didn't even hear her make a sound) she had found her way to standing right behind Naruko. She looked quite like a kid with her short skirt and running shirt. Her hair was also well tied up in the same ponytail I had seen in the magazine article.

She didn't seem the least bit concerned that Naruko and I were now arguing because of her. Cia reached out towards Naruko (who was now in freakout countdown mode), and right when I was wondering what she was doing…

"Hyah." She tugged up Naruko's skirt strongly.

"Wha… " Naruko froze.

And a second later…

"Kyah!" Naruko shouted out and pushed her skirt back down. She swung her body around. And saw Cia standing there with a proud look on her face.

"A‐A‐Ahhhh…" Naruko flushed red with anger and shame, and this time turned to glare at me. "Did you see it!?"

"I‐I didn't see anything!" I waved my hands in denial. But of course, Naruko didn't believe me.

"Liar! You definitely saw it!"

W‐Why did I have to have this conversation with my sister? Just cut it out already. Seriously, it got annoying for me too if you kept on showing me things I really didn't want to see. I prepared myself for the series of punches I was sure Naruko would start to throw, but Cia butted in from behind Naruko.

"Naruko's panties are pretty springy, aren't they? Dontcha feel the breeze in those?"

"Y‐You damn brat!"

Naruko blew up. Turning around, she let her fist fly. Her attack ripped unforgivingly through the air. It was, in fact, as unforgiving as the serious punches she threw at me.

"Hah, not even close!"

But Cia squatted down and easily dodged Naruko's fist (which had turned into a right hook). And then…

"Hyah!"

Flip flip flip. From that crouch, Cia performed a sequence of backward rolls. It was an acrobatic yet pointless move, and made me feel like I was watching some Kamen Rider flick. I had no idea why, but she really didn't make a single sound. It was almost as if she was weightless.

"And now the landing!"

Plop. With the grace of a gymnast, Cia landed on the ground.

"You little…!"

Naruko went on the offensive again. With a great deal of speed, she made a tackle right for Cia.

"Uhaah —"

It seemed that even Cia couldn't do anything about this, and ended up pushed to the ground by Naruko. I honestly didn't care a single speck, but from my position I had a full view of Naruko's underwear. She had been so angry about that before too… this girl really needed to guard herself better.

"I caught you…! Cia, just cut it out already…!"

"Uhhahaha! Wha, Naruko, d‐don't tickle me under my a‐arms!"

"Then think a bit more about your actions! Was there a point to doing all that stuff just to tease me back there!?"

"B‐B‐But Naruko got all angry because of me! Ugah! You s‐started that stupid fight with Oniich — ahaha! O‐Okay, I give! I give!"

Cia squirmed around as she was tickled all over by Naruko. It almost looked like Naruko was getting revenge for that time Kuroneko had tickled her. But, I see. Cia had flipped up Naruko's skirt to redirect Naruko's anger towards herself. So it looked like this brat did think things through sometimes. Because of her (well, I guess it had been her fault in the first place though), Naruko didn't really seem all too angry at me anymore. I guess I should be grateful that what happened hadn't turned into a serious sibling fight.

"F‐Fine, whatever. Ugh… every time I get angry at you, it always turns into something ridiculous…" Naruko stopped tickling Cia and spoke in an exasperated voice.

You know, that's something I've always wanted to say to her… Cia, finally released from that torturous hell, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Fwaahh, thank God that stopped…" Cia hopped up, rubbing the tears from her green eyes.

"Cia, there's a hentai lolicon here, so we're going out until Mom gets back. I'll introduce you to my friends at school."

"Okay."

Okay my ass. Romping around naked and then treating other people like lolicons… did these brats mothers not teach them any manners? Although I thought Naruko had calmed down, it seemed she was still angry. She was acting even harsher and colder than she usually did.

"Naruko, Cia wants to go to Tokyo Tower!"

"Yeah yeah, we'll get there. Also, you're way too energetic for just having gotten here today. Are you sure you're okay with the jetlag?"

"What's 'jetlag'?"

This brat really had too much energy. Hadn't they just gotten here from the airport?

"Okay, let's get ready in my room then."

"But Cia is already ready…"

"Huh? How are you ready? Look at your hair… we need to tie it again while it's actually dry! Ugh, this is why you're so… whatever! Just bring the tools and meet me upstairs!"

"Okaaay… geez, this is so annoying…"

It was the sight of a noisy older sister, and a younger sister who was sometimes annoyed by but nevertheless adored her sibling. They really seemed like… just two normal sisters who got along with each other.

"Also, that lolicon over there! You get out of the house fast, okay!?"

Naruko paid me a single glare and went up the stairs. In other words, only Cia and I were left in the entranceway. Because of all that had happened, I was still wearing my shoes.

Alright, I really tried to strike up a conversation here, but… It was kind of awkward. I mean, I had seen this girl naked just a minute ago… what should I do? But as I hesitated…

"Hehe." Cia looked at me and gave me a smile.

"Umm, I guess a lot of stuff happened and I didn't get a chance to introduce myself… but umm… my name is Cia! I guess I'll be staying here for a little while!"

She was a pretty shameless little kid. Well, okay, there was also the possibility that she just didn't understand Japanese very well, so I couldn't take everything she said at face value. I should probably cut her a bit of slack in that respect.

"I'm Naruto. Sorry about that back there."

"Hehe, it's fine, it's fine. No problem. If you want, I can show you again."

"I'll pass!"

Was she some kind of exhibitionist!? I pressed a hand to my head while Cia looked at me through eyes sparkling with interest.

"Umm… you're 'Naruko's Onii-chan,' right?"

"Ah, yeah."

This girl's Japanese was pretty good but it was really awkward sometimes. I wonder who she learned the language from… first Rem, now this girl… all the kids around me were so good when it came to learning languages, weren't they? Cia put her index finger up against her lips.

"Hm I see. Hmmmm." She gave me a smile for some reason.

"What is it?"

"Hm? You know, I've always wanted to meet 'Naruko's Onii-chan.' Can I call you 'Naruto Onii-chan'?"

"Do whatever you want. Wait, what? You wanted to meet me?"

"Yeah! I've always thought, 'He must be a reaaaally great person'!"

"Huh. Well, sorry to disappoint you then."

"No, you're just like what I imagined!"

Cia shook her head vigorously. I quickly turned around and faced the other direction.

"I see. Well, that's nice then."

"Ahh, you don't believe me, do you? Cia's not lying, you know."

"Yeah yeah."

I just brushed her comment aside, but inside I really was very moved. This was the first time in my life I've been directly given such praise by a girl… it was also probably because I could feel that Cia was speaking from her heart. And what was more, this girl suddenly hugged me.

"Onii-chan, I super love you!"

"Uwahh!" H‐How the hell did things suddenly get to this!?"

"See? Cia wasn't lying!"

"I‐It's not like I was doubting you! H‐Hey, stop that!"

"Eh? Whyyy~~? It's fine, it's fine."

"If Naruko comes downstairs, things are going to go to hell again!" I peeled Cia off me in a grand panic.

Geez. This brat was like one of those eroge little sister characters. Or maybe all foreigners were this outrageously emotional? I really couldn't decide how someone with Japanese sensibilities could deal with stuff like this… also, by "super love," did she means she likes me or loves me? I really didn't know. And what was going on right now…?

When I looked at this girl, I suddenly… I dunno, there was a tingling or something inside my chest… what exactly was this feeling…? D‐Don't tell me, maybe I'm lolicon.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto Onii-chan! Let's get along from now on!"

Maybe my inner lolicon had finally awakened?

As I listened to Cia speak words I had often heard in eroge, I began to feel a tinge of unease at what was happening within my mind.

The next day at dinner, we had a low‐key welcome party for Cia. Our house's new resident seemed to really enjoy the food, which my mother had gone out of her way to make nice for this special occasion. "This is really yummy, really yummy!" she kept saying as she used her fork to stuff her cheeks.

"Oh, this just reminds me of Naruko when she was young!" Mom said as she smiled in return, reminiscing.

"But it's really suprising, Cia could speak Japanese very fluently."

"Yeah, because my mother from Japan I can already speak Japanese a little bit and since I got to become Naruko's roommate my Japanese has gotten way way better!"

"Is that so? Well, that's good to hear then."

I see. So Cia's Japanese sounded like a teenage girl sometimes because she had learned some of it from Naruko.

"Naruko's also gotten reaaally good at English!"

"I guess. Cia and I learned from each other, you could say."

Oh? So… did that mean that Naruko's English was just as good as Cia's Japanese? If that were the case… well, I'd be pretty impressed. Naruko had just been overseas for a few months, and I thought she had gotten frustrated and come back home, but it seemed that she had gotten the time somewhere to get good at English too. She might be pretty disappointed that she couldn't reach her original goal, but if you asked me, learning English made the trip worth it. But she'd probably just get pissed if I told her that, so I'll keep it to myself.

After the welcome party… I got into the bathtub and began reminiscing on what had happened since Cia came to our house.

"But seriously… Naruko really seemed like a pretty good older sister back there."

Just thinking about it put a resigned smile on my face. I completely acknowledged how much she loved younger girls, but I never would have guessed that love could manifest itself like that. Naruko didn't love Cia as some moe target for her affection, but loved her as a real little sister. She introduced Cia to her friends, took her out training together, watched TV with her, occasionally scolded her… she was the spitting image of a mature girl who exhausted every (sometimes annoying) effort to take care of a junior.

And Cia also seemed to show lots of affection towards Naruko in return. What's more, she didn't seem to find any problem playing pretty mean little pranks on Naruko. The little skirt flip from before was actually one of the tamer things she's done… hell, there was a time when she brought Naruko's bras and panties to show me. And when she found out, Naruko didn't waste any time in smacking Cia. Was it because of Cia's influence that Naruko's been so aggressive towards Kuroneko ever since she's gotten back from Japan? There wasn't another reason for that, right?

"Well, in any case…" Naruko and Cia's relationship seemed very healthy, unlike the little‐sister‐moe stuff I'd expect from this sister of mine. Granted, Naruko often said that you shouldn't mix two and three dimensions. So this is what she meant.

"If we had another sister, I'm sure it would look something like this." I muttered, the back of my head resting against the bathtub rim.

Naruko had probably been able to survive for few months in a foreign country away from her friends and family precisely because of this "little sister," her light in an otherwise bottomless pit. On the other hand, that same little sister had beaten her black and blue every day, making her want to throw her entire collection.

Cia Greenfield. To Naruko, she was… a super cute little sister who she spent every day at club with. A person who supported her weary heart in a lonely foreign country. A seemingly unbeatable rival out on the track. And the origin of an inferiority complex when Naruko saw how different their skill levels were.

"I feel like I've heard this story somewhere before…"

I wonder how Naruko had felt about all this. She had gone through the experience of having a little sister who was much better than she was. Just like a certain someone. If that were the case, how could she stand taking care of Cia with so much care and adoration like that? In the same situation, weaker people would probably not even want to see their little sister's face.

"I have to give her credit for that."

How in the world did my sister come to like little sister eroge? Suddenly, that question popped up in my head. I had no idea how my previous train of thought led me to it. It's almost as if soaking in the tub didn't just turn my muscles to mush, but my mind too. Well, it's not like I'm thinking about something super serious anyways. So whatever. I took the hand towel resting on my forehead and wiped my face with it.

"Hmm." Speaking of eroge, a cute girl from overseas had come to our house… it was a situation that you could find in lots of eroge. And if we were in one of those games, at this point we would have probably already activated some H event with both of us in the tub. For example, Naruko and Cia could suddenly open the bathroom door, wearing some revealing swimsuits or something…

Rattle rattle rattlerattle, clang!

"Onii-chan! Let's take a bath together!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

I hid my chest with my hands and shrieked, like some innocent maiden getting molested. And then, I sunk deep beneath the water in the bathtub.

"Hwah? What are you sinking underwater for?"

I rose back up with my back to Cia, gasping for air.

"S‐Shut up! T‐Take a bath together!? And you're completely naked aren't you!? I might have just been having a daydream about this but my daydream wasn't this bad! At least wrap a towel around yourself! Or a swimsuit! What about a swimsuit!?"

Not good. I was so surprised that I said something which sounded like I was asking little girl to put on a swimsuit for me! That's definitely not what I meant, okay!?

"Hm? Swimsuit?"

She seemed to not understand what I was saying.

"Like I said, cover yourself out while my back is still facing you! You're way worse than eroge!"

"Eroge?"

Didn't she know!? A little girl who went around so proudly naked like this would never get past the software censors this day and age!

"Just get out! Why in the world are you so hell bent on showing me your naked body!?"

"Because, I super love Naruto Onii-chan!"

"At least wait three years and then come back!"

Of course, after that Naruko came running in, and my misgivings about my inner lolicon became even more severe.

After I got out of the tub, I found myself groaning in my room.

"What the hell…? What the hell is up with that brat…?"

Nobody could really blame me for my confusion here. Normal people should not be that friendly with people from the get go! We only met for two days! Why the hell did we start with her affection meter for me maxed out!? This was like the complete opposite of how when Kuroneko first met Weiss, she hated her. Although, I'm pretty sure that was because Naruko had said lots of bad things about Weiss to Kuroneko…

Hmm… maybe I was just a really cool guy? Maybe she had fallen in love with me at first sight? Nah, that's definitely not it. So what the hell? Why was Cia suddenly so attached to me?

(◕ω◕✿)

The next day, I went to Akihabara together with Naruko and our "new little sister" Cia. Naruko had made a declaration that she wanted to show Cia around the famous sights of Japan since Cia had come from so far away.

"Hey, Naruko. If you wanted to show Cia famous places, why in the world did you come to Akihabara first? There are a lot of other places. She wanted to go to Tokyo Disneyland first, didn't she? You could have taken her there, or maybe the Ueno Zoo, or if not maybe even Shibuya or something. You liked Shibuya, didn't you?"

"Huh? If you want to talk about Japan sightseeing, it has to start from Akiba, right? The other stuff can wait for later!"

That's just your own biased opinion, isn't it? I was about to scold her with that, but…

"Ohhh, this is the famous Akiba? I really wanted to see this place just once…"

Cia seemed to be more than happy with coming here. She put one hand above her head like a visorand eagerly looked around, like some country bumpkin visiting Tokyo for the first time. During all this, she jumped from place to place… this girl seriously couldn't sit still for a moment, could she? On the train earlier she had also seemed really restless, complaining about how she didn't like riding things and just wanted to run everywhere. Well, it's not like she could run faster than a train… but I guess it goes to show how much confidence she had in her own legs.

"I'm surprised. She seems to be pretty happy about this."

"Seeee? It's just like I said. Akiba is really famous overseas too."

Sure, there were a lot of foreigners here, but I thought they were all like those relatives of Rem I had met before. And this was just something Naruko was claiming, so it wasn't like I could swallow it without question.

"But… I mean, I get that foreigners really like this place, but what exactlyis the point of bringing an innocent little kid like Cia to a sketchy place like this? You going to go buy eroge with her or something?"

"Umm… you… don't tell me you think they only sell eroge in this place?"

"Even if I did, that's completely your fault, isn't it?"

Hmph, I know. They sell quite a lot of other things here. Like love dolls, or SM goods, or adult DVDs… cut me some slack… I knew that much.

"I have no idea what you're imagining right now, but that's not what I'm trying to say. I'm talking about just normal figures, or gashapon, or manga… stuff like that."

Naruko spoke as if she had just read my mind. Also, stop it with that disgusted look you're giving me, dammit. But I also surprised myself. When I tried to think of things they sold in Akiba that weren't eroge, all I could think of were dirty things. When exactly had my head gotten this perverted? I blame everything on the Uchiha siblings. Meanwhile… as Naruko and I were talking, Cia was running around the Radio Kaikan like pinwheel fireworks, and called to us with glee in her voice.

"Naruko! Naruto Onii-chan! Look! There's someone in a weird costume over here!"

Cia had run up to a girl in a maid outfit handing out flyers.

"Hey Cia! Stop it, ugh!"

Without a moment's delay, Naruko ran up to Cia and grabbed her by the ponytail.

"Uwah!? O‐Owowow! H‐Hey, Naruko! My hair! P‐Pulling my hair isn't fair!"

"If I don't do this you'll just dodge me! Think a bit more before you act, you damn brat!" Naruko handled Cia's ponytail like she would a horse's reins.

"Umm… sorry about being a bother while you're working." Naruko apologized to the maid in Cia's place.

"This… this idiot girl was being so rude!"

"Ugyah!?"

"N‐No… i‐It's fine… no problem."

The maid seemed completely taken aback at this harsh way of disciplining Cia. I figured this out after living with these girls for a few days, but these two generally behaved like this. Rather than saying Naruko was like an older sister who took care of her sibling, it would be better to say she was a young mother who was bringing her bratty daughter around with her.

Seeing the two of them return, I broke the silence.

"So, Naruko, where are we starting?"

"Hmm, I want to go check the anime blu‐rays. I promised Cia after all."

"So, we'll start with Animate and then head for Toranoana?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

I've been to Akiba with my sister together way too often, so we already had a kind of standard course that we took. You could say we've gotten pretty used to making these arrangements. Because of Naruko, my inner otaku was growing larger and larger… it really might already be too late to save me.

Cia watched our little exchange, and gave us a happy grin.

"You two sure are close!"

"S‐Shut up."

"A‐Agh!? M‐My hair again! Is this abuse!? This is child abuse isn't it!?"

"It's because you said something gross…"

Just like always, it seemed Naruko didn't like it when people thought we got along. Karin had said that we would definitely become close one day, but would that day really ever come? Nah… that wasn't right. I knew. Compared to before, the distance between us had definitely shrunk. I mean, nowadays it was common for us to go out and ride a train together, and then talk about where we wanted to visit…

"Well, let's go from the Radio Kaikan then!" Naruko pointed to the building in front of us, a hint of irritation still in her voice.

"Hey hey, I thought we were going to Animate first."

"Nah, I changed my mind! Come on, hurry up!"

"… Okay, okay."

Reluctantly, I chased after Her Highness. At that point, Cia slowly came up to me, rubbing her ponytail and with tears in her eyes.

"Hey, Naruto Onii-chan… isn't Naruko a bit unfair sometimes?"

"You must've had it hard over there in America too."

Whoa… to think there was someone who shared my troubles in this world! I had thought of Cia's some incomprehensible little perv before, but suddenly I felt a sense of companionship with her welling up within me. Mmm… little sisters were nice, weren't they?

If I were to explain it to the uninitiated, the Radio Kaikan was a shopping center in front of Akiba Station. There was a big yellow sign in front of it, with "The World's Radio Kaikan Akihabara" painted on it. The building was often called "Rajikan" by the locals. There were a lot of people who also thought of this place as the Mecca of electrical appliances. Personally, I've always just thought of this place as a sketchy building filled with shops selling wireless appliances and devices.

And, like all the shops in Akihabara, the building was always packed, while the building itself had pretty much half‐merged with the buildings next to it. The shopping district in Akiba was just supposed to be one section, but it had basically become a labyrinth. The shop entrances were always really flashy and had escalators, but when you went home you often had to use these lonely‐looking emergency stairs… that's the kind of place Akiba was. I mean, on that note, I've personally gotten lost here countless times. So…

"Huh? Where's Cia!?"

"That brat is always wandering off by herself… so she got separated from us!?"

You know, I had a sneaking suspicion that something like this would happen… right now, we were talking near the Yellow Submarine hobby shop in the middle of Rajikan. Plastic figurines decorated the space all around us.

"Geez, that brat, when the hell did she get away from us?"

"Well, she probably slipped away when you were dashing towards those bishoujo figurines just a minute ago…"

"But there was a new Madoka figure there…" Naruko looked a bit guilty as she gazed at the new Madoka figure decorating the inside of the glass case in front of her.

I spoke in an exasperated voice, "Anyways, we have to look for her."

"Yeah, we do. She's probably pretty scared now that she can't find us. We have to go and find her quickly."

"Roger. Hey, Naruko, does she have a cell phone or something?"

"She doesn't."

"Well, should we split up? We can contact each other if one of us finds her first."

"Got it. Even if you can't find her, give me an update every five minutes."

"Sure. Alright, I'll see you later then."

"Mm, okay. You better look properly for her! Don't slack off!"

"Yeah yeah." I lifted a hand for goodbye and parted from Naruko.

I took a quick trip around the entirety of the Rajikan, but I didn't see Cia anywhere. Had she gone outside? I went back for a moment to the station, but I couldn't see Cia anywhere over there either.

Where in the world had she gone? That girl… I happened to look up at the Rajikan building, when…

"Wha…" There she was. There she damn well was. She was waving down at me from the Rajikan rooftop!

"Naruto Onii-chaaaaan! Here! I'm here!"

"That damn brat…! She had no idea how much we were worried…!"

There was that saying that "Idiots and smoke love high places"… but I had no idea it was so true! In a panic, I rushed back inside the building. I skipped the escalators entirely and dashed up the stairs.

Pant… pant… this was hard. By the time I got up to my destination, I was already completely out of breath. But…

"She's not here! Where the hell did she disappear off to!?"

I ran to the edge of the roof and tried to look for her from this vantage point. And then…

"Yoohoo~~~!"

I once again heard Cia's voice. Following that voice, I found her… right below me, in front of the Radio Kaikan.

"That's impossible… can that girl teleport or something?"

But that brat was down there, just like I had been a minute ago, staring up at the roof and waving happily. It was clear she had gone down by a different route… I had taken the shortest route up but I hadn't passed her on the way, and she didn't seem short of breath at all… what the hell. How much stamina did that girl have?

"Naruto Onii-chan, you're so sloooooww~~!"

"You, stay there and don't move!"

"Ahaha, nope nope nope! Come and find me!"

Cia stuck out her tongue at me and then once again ran inside the building. T‐That brat… was she trying to turn this into a game of tag? Dammit, I had no choice but to call in reinforcements. I called Naruko and explained the situation to her.

"… Got it. Okay, if you find her then call me first. You definitely won't be able to catch her."

"O‐Okay."

It was the truth, but hearing it out loud just seriously depressed me.

…Hm?

"Hey, Naruko."

"Huh? Was there something else?"

"Had something… like this happened in the past?"

"Who knows."

I heard a robotic beep, and the call cut out. I had no idea what had even made me say those words.

"Well, whatever."

I shook my head to clear it. I had to look for Cia and let Naruko know. This was kind of like this game of "cops and robbers" I used to play a lot when I was a kid. But this was a bit different, in that the "robber" in this case was an elementary schooler who was way too fast for an elementary schooler, running like crazy around this place. Seriously, what an annoying opponent.

Naruko and I looked around the Radio Kaikan for ten minutes, with two of our agreed‐upon status reports in between. I didn't really get a chance to rest the entire way, so I never really managed to catch my breath.

Pant, pant, pant… "I‐I found her…" I finally saw Cia inside a certain bookshop inside the building. This shop had quite a good selection of books, so when I came to Akiba with Naruko and Rias we would often visit here. All the other customers were obvious otaku, so it was the easiest thing in the world to spot a brown‐haired elementary schooler in that crowd.

Cia was standing in a corner away from the gazes of the shop employees, and seemed to be looking for something on the shelves. The people who passed by her, though, seemed to take rather great notice of her.

Was she seriously just picking out manga? She really didn't see how worried we were, did she? Well, in this case I didn't think I needed to contact Naruko. I'd sneak up behind her and then catch her right here and now! But my plan soon crashed and burned. When I was around five meters behind her…

"Ah! Onii-chan! You finally came~~."

It was like Cia had eyes on her back… she turned around and called out to me. It didn't look like she was going to run away. She probably had already gotten tired of playing tag.

"Don't disappear like that. Naruko was worried about you."

"Ah, really? Sorry!"

It was just like Naruko said. I felt my anger subsiding.

"Seems like you're carefully looking for something, but did you find something you wanted? If it's just one or two books I can buy them for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

If I did that, maybe she'd behave a bit better. Cia also seemed really happy, and held out one volume of manga to me. It was an A5‐size manga with a drawing of a brown‐haired girl on the front.

"I thought this girl looks a bit like Cia!"

"Oh, yeah, you're right…"

… W-Wait a minute. Dammit! T‐That was hentai manga!

"Hey, Cia! That's not a good book! Don't open it!"

But I had realized just a little too late. Cia energetically opened the front cover…

"Sniffle… I‐I thought the cover was pretty cute… but Onii-chan… this book is gross…"

"No kidding! That's not something a kid like you should be reading!"

Shit! No wonder everyone else had been looking at Cia! W‐What the hell!? This already smelled something like a crime! If I didn't run away right away, I was going to get reported!

"… Sniffle… uuuuu…"

C‐Crap! If she starts crying loudly right now… I'm seriously going to get arrested!

"I'm begging you, please don't cry!"

"B‐But… but…"

Cia looked like she was really on the verge of tears… I had to do something…! Dammit, when I panic I get short of breath really quickly…! Ugh… come on, me, remember. What do you do in times like these…? I gently put my hand on top of Cia's head. And then, I started to stroke her hair.

"It's okay… it's okay Fu-chan, Onii-chan is here…"

"Nnn… ahh…"

She half‐closed her eyes and seemed to be enjoying herself.

"… Sniffle… Onii-chan, thank you…"

Thank goodness… this seemed to be working. This girl seemed pretty attached to me, so I thought doing something like this would get her to stop crying. It was something I had picked up in the past with Naruko. I might not be great at it, but I knew how to handle little girls. I mean, here, if it's Cia, something like this should work…

"Come on, let's go and buy you some candy, okay? Just come with Onii-chan."

"W‐What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Bam!

"Uwahh!?"

I was struck in the back with a violent dropkick. My body arched backwards and fell flat on the floor. It's probably a bit pathetic that I can tell from that… but… that was Naruko's kick!

When I turned around, I saw my sister there with her cheek spasming and with shock and murderous intent apparent on her face.

"Y‐Y‐Y‐You… I‐I never thought you were into that kind of thing…"

"N‐No! You've got it all wrong…! I was just… just trying to be reaaaaally nice and cheer Cia up here…"

"You were panting and making this small girl read hentai books! Do you really think that explanation is going to fly here!?"

"Stop Naruko! Naruto Onii-chan didn't do anything wrong!"

Almost as if she was finishing me off, Cia hugged me as I tried to get back on my feet.

"Onii-chan, I super love you!"

That really didn't make me happy, and her timing was the worst ever! And of course, Naruko still looked beside herself with rage… and began to attack me with the usual label.

"You damn lolicon! You're seriously gross! Go die!"

"I'm not a lolicon… dammit!"

This kid might like me, but that seriously, seriously didn't make me happy at all. Please, someone, understand what I'm going through here!

(◕ω◕✿)

Cia ended up explaining the situation to Naruko personally, and in the end we managed to convince her to calm down. Well… actually, it didn't seem like Naruko was a hundred percent convinced.

"…*Stare*."

See? She's looking at me way more coldly than she usually did.

"A‐Anyways… let's go on to the next place. You wanted to check out the blurays at Animate, right? Right?"

"Well, okay. I'll be sure to get to the bottom of this later, so prepare yourself."

"Prepare myself… what exactly are you planning to do to me?" That's just terrifying.

"Responsibility! You're gonna take responsibility! Right, Onii-chan?!"

"You, seriously, be quiet! That's not funny at all! Where the hell did you learn that word?"

"That girl who looked like Cia in that manga back there was saying it!"

"Stop imitating people from that manga, dammit!"

As I suffered this psychological onslaught from my sisters, we proceeded to Animate as planned. Just a bit after we arrived, a commercial for the second season of Madoka began to show on the big screen.

"Ah!"

Naruko quickly ran up to the screen. Seeing her do that made her seem almost five years younger.

"This commercial is soooo cool! The art, the music… it's all so exciting!"

"Ohh, is this the one Naruko is always talking about?" Cia looked up at the commercial and spoke.

"Yeah! It's the one I promised I would show you if you ever went to Japan! You'll definitely love it!"

"Ohh… I've never seen that before. Looks pretty great. Yeah, could definitely be fun."

"When we get back let's start watching it right away!"

"Okay."

Haha… I really couldn't tell which one of them was younger here. Soon, the commercial ended.

"Ahh, that was greaaaat~~. I honestly think just being able to watch this show makes coming back to Japan worth it."

In front of the Animate, Naruko gazed at the big screen, spellbound.

"They didn't have Japanese anime over there in America?"

"I could've found a way to watch if I really wanted to. Like, I could have asked you to record the show and send the recording to me, or something like that. But, I mean, it just didn't feel like the right place to do stuff like that."

"And we didn't have a TV in our dorm anyways."

Cia followed up with her own comment. They had gone to a place that was meant to train people in track and field, so it might have been lacking in the entertainment department. I mean, Naruko had really worn herself out because of stress right? It was probably a harsh environment for an otaku. Even someone who claimed to be a normal person like me would have found it hard to live without a TV (I mean, lately, just not being able to use the Internet was already pretty difficult on me).

"Ahaha, there really wasn't anything to do in that place except for training, was there?"

But unlike Naruko, who looked completely unsatisfied, Cia didn't seem like she had been starved for entertainment. She was a fun‐loving, restless little kid, so had she really been alright over there?

"You didn't even have a TV? Cia, wasn't every day pretty boring for you then?"

"Eh, not at all! Cia spent every day doing things she really wanted to do, so it was super fun!"

Cia put both her hands behind her head and gave me an innocent, child‐like smile. I could intuitively tell that her words just now had come from the heart. As long as she could run, she didn't care if she didn't have a TV, or any other entertainment. She didn't need anything else in this entire universe. That was her worldview, pure and simple. This girl was just unbeatable. That's what I truly felt at that moment.

A chill ran right up my spine. Naruko shrugged her shoulders, like what she would do when she was about to butt heads with Kuroneko.

"It's pointless trying to convince Cia. I swear, she's probably the reincarnation of a remote‐controlled racecar or something."

"Wait, at least compare her to a thoroughbred or something. A toy model isn't even alive…"

"But it's completely true. She just runs all over the place until her batteries run out, and seriously doesn't care about anything else."

Naruko's words were clearly sarcastic, but I could sense a little bit of admiration in them too. I wondered if Cia was angry at what Naruko had said, but she eagerly nodded.

"Yup, I don't really care about anything else."

"See? I knew Cia would say something like that."

Naruko let out a weak chuckle, a knowing look in her eyes. Why was Naruko not nearly a match for Cia? I think the little exchange just now was a very condensed answer to that question. Naruko felt a remarkable amount of responsibility towards this girl whom she had once beaten, and with an iron will, she threw her every effort into practicing. In the past, Naruko had balanced her modeling, her schoolwork, her hobbies, and her friends, holding each of those things dear…

Her way of life was something she could be proud of. I was really impressed by it. But this meant she was taking a finite amount of power, time, and skill, and spreading it across several things. There were those who took all their talents and time and focused it onto one single point. And Naruko was no match for people who set running equal to their very lives. If she really wanted to win against those people, she would have to throw away everything she had once held dear. She had to battle them on a level playing field.

I felt like now, I understood a bit what must have been going on in Naruko's head that led to her sending me that mail. She was seriously an idiot. Everyone had things they were good at and things they weren't good at. Going completely overboard wasn't going to do anything to change that. And I mean, it's not like Cia felt like she was pushing herself to the limit or anything. Sure, she threw away any other form of recreation and spent every day fiercely training without any complaints.

But to Cia, all of that was just a natural way to spend every day… it was something to laugh about and enjoy. Naruko… you do the same thing. Every day, you go to your modeling job, run track, study, play eroge… you have such a hard schedule, but you think of it as a natural thing, and can laugh and enjoy it. This was the same thing. That certain thing you felt about Cia was definitely the same as what I felt about you. It was nothing more than longing for something you couldn't get. But… if you ever need someone's help to get over anything, I'll always be there to lend a hand.

As I looked at Naruko, I kept all those things I wanted to say under wraps. Then Naruko faced Cia and began to speak.

"Cia. You say that you don't care about anything other than running, but…"

"Hm?"

"That's exactly why I brought you here. I want to show Cia the things I like. I can't really put it in words too well, but this isn't really for your sake… I just wanted to do this."

"I see."

Cia blushed a bit. And then she looked around. This was Naruko's beloved Akihabara. A Madoka commercial was being broadcast on the Animate TV screen. Cosplayers were striding along the road, live music was being played on stage during a special effects show, and there was a crowd over there in front of that shop, playing a demo version of a doujin game.

There was manga, anime, games, music, figures, wireless appliances, do‐it‐ yourself models, arcades, maid cafés… all of Japan's subculture was alive inside this place. It was also the birthplace of many fond sibling memories for us. It was the place where we met new friends. Right now, the place Naruko had wanted to come back to was right before Cia's eyes. And then… for some reason, Cia looked right at me.

"I got it, Naruko."

Cia nodded, seeming to have understood something, and then looked back to Naruko with a smile.

"I'm really having fun here, you know. Hehe, Naruko is such a worrier."

"Ugh… that's not what I meant."

"Sure, Cia doesn't need anything else if Cia can run. But that doesn't mean I'm sad when I get to do other things. Play with friends, or have fun, or things like that."

"Hmph. Well, that's good then."

Naruko stubbornly turned the other way, but I could tell she was relieved. Naruko probably thought that she was overstepping boundaries by pushing her own hobbies on her friend who was completely devoted to track. But, I'm sure when Cia said "Naruko is such a worrier," it was because she had sensed Naruko was thinking something like that.

And then… she had mentioned she wasn't sad when she could do other things, but that also meant that she didn't mind if she didn't have those things either. She would live life to the fullest when the situation arose, but compared to running, having fun and friends took the backseat. At least, that's how I interpreted it. The fastest legs in the world… that was probably a title that had come from her incredibly special, tilted worldview.

To be honest, I was a bit scared that Cia could just stand there and smile so innocently like that. To think Naruko could beat someone like this… good job, Naruko. But then, this brought up a lot of questions for me. If running was this little girl's life, then why would she leave Los Angeles, where she had the best training facilities in the world, and come all the way to spend time in Japan?

Maybe she just wanted to see a friend, or maybe she was interested in seeing Japan…? But I felt all of those reasons probably fell pretty low on the priority list for Cia. And I also still had no idea why she was so attached to me, and kept on telling me that she "super loved" me. Was there really a theory that could explain all those things and yet not contradict Cia's way of life? I wasn't too sure… but I had a guess. The real reason Cia had come to Japan was…

(◕ω◕✿)

"Alllright, so should we have our match soon then?" Cia said that in a vibrant voice, on our way home from all the sightseeing.

"Match?" Naruko seemed confused.

"Yeah, match. A race." Cia stopped and pointed towards a schoolyard.

"Look look, there's a place over there where we can run. It's pretty much the same thing as a track."

"Hmph, are you a moron? I can't run in clothes like this."

"Aha, Naruko is playing dumb again~~."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your shoes. And your shorts, and that shirt."

Cia started at Naruko's feet, and then worked her way up, pointing to each article of clothing in turn.

"You're wearing clothes that make it so easy to run, so don't give me that 'I can't run in clothes like this' excuse. Also, those shoes might not have spikes but those are definitely the same shoes you always used during practice, aren't they? Naruko is always so fashionable, so it's super strange she would go out with shoes like that."

In the face of Cia's questioning, Naruko just stood there silently and listened. It was almost like a criminal getting her schemes unraveled by a detective. The two of them had retreated into their own little world, so there was no space for me to butt in. All I could do is stand there like a scarecrow and watch what was happening.

Cia smiled triumphantly.

"You wanted to run from the beginning, didn't you?"

"Well… I had a feeling that Cia would ask to do something like this…" Naruko finally admitted it, letting out a resigned sigh.

"So just in case, I put on clothes I would never think about wearing any other day… I guess it really did seem out of place."

Wait, no, I hadn't noticed anything at all.

"Also, Cia. Don't tell me that the reason you came to Japan was —"

" — Of course! I came for revenge! Hehe."

Cia gave Naruko an ear‐to‐ear grin. Naruko seemed a bit exasperated.

"That's what I was afraid of. Tch, ahhhhh, I was an idiot for thinking that maybe you came because you wanted to see your dear dear older sister. You're the same heartless brat as always, aren't you?"

"No no no, I definitely wanted to see Naruko again too! For more than one reason."

In other words… she wanted to see the older sister who adored her. And also the rival who had beaten her.

"Cia, I was just having a good day that day… although, I doubt telling you that will make you give up."

"Pfffft. Don't make fun of me, please. Cia would never lose because of luck!"

Cia pouted a bit, but her words were filled with an amazing amount of confidence. It was almost as if she was certain that if they raced a hundred times, she would beat Naruko a hundred times. As they had this short conversation of theirs, a sense of tension began to prickle to life between Naruko and Cia. I could've sworn I saw sparks fly. Cia was still full of smiles, but her smile no longer reached her eyes.

"That one time, Naruko was faster than Cia. Even though, up until that day, we weren't even in the same league. So I want to know. What happened over that one day? What trick did you use to make your legs so much faster? And even though you won against Cia, why did you go back?"

"Cia —"

" —The things Naruko showed me today were the answers to that question, weren't they?"

"Yeah." Naruko gave a quiet nod. Her expression was a calm, gentle one, the complete opposite of the piercing stare Naruko was shooting right at her.

"This is me. I finally understood that. The me who was overseas… that wasn't me. So I returned here. Returned to the place where the real me could live."

She wasn't talking directly at me, but nevertheless her words sent a warm wave of happiness through me.

I see… you… you thought of this place like that.

"Cia might think that I'm making light of track or something… but I really can't throw away all the things I love. Track, my friends, my family, my hobbies… I need all of those things for me to be me."

That was something Naruko had discovered after she had come back, wasn't it? She stressed and stressed and stressed over it… and in the end came to that conclusion. Nobody else had a right to argue. My sister suddenly put on an arrogant look that I honestly think suited her quite well. She puffed out her chest and made a declaration.

"So I'll stay the way I'm meant to be, but I'll still beat you all."

"If you say that, then Cia will race that Naruko, leave her in the dust, and go back to Los Angeles."

Cia slowly squatted down and grabbed something around her ankles.

"Hehe. You know, coach told me to leave these on except when I take a bath, but…"

Thud, thud. It sounded like she had detached something heavy from her legs.

"Hold these for me, Onii-chan."

"Ah, uwah…"

She tossed to me a few weights she had tied around her ankles. These were those "power ankle" weights, weren't they? Geez, they were heavy.

"Is she some character in a shounen manga or something…?"

I have to say, I was more shocked than impressed. And that retort was way more boring than what I usually could dish out. Her coach and her… they were both seriously screwed in the head. This wasn't training. This was some form of religious discipline or something.

"I'm ready. Alright… Naruko, let's make this a serious battle between two fellow runners!"

On the certain school grounds at certain high school, a race was about to begin between two people. The area was empty; we were the only three people around. I was tasked with being the referee, and I stood at the finish line, watching the two of them as they took a crouching start. Both Naruko and Cia were bent there with the exact same posture, and both waited for my signal. It was a posture scientifically proven to provide the most power for a quick start. A posture born of wisdom and diligent study, the result of many trial‐and‐error studies. Indeed, they looked like catapults ready to spring.

"Let's do this…"

The atmosphere felt like it could light on fire with the slightest spark. Even thought I was a hundred meters away, I could feel that all too clearly. And then… I shouted the go signal and vigorously brought my raised arm down.

Thud! I heard the sound of feet kicking off the ground. The two of them took a lightning‐fast start and flew from the start line. That had to be a hallucination… there was no way that could have been that loud… but I could definitely hear echoing thuds, almost as if the earth was shaking. That's how overwhelmingly fast Cia was accelerating.

Calling that a "rocket start" seriously wasn't doing it justice at who's ever tried to run at full speed would probably understand how abnormal this was.

T‐This girl… she was insanely fast from the first step she took! Her first step, then her second, then her third and fourth… it took her just a few steps before she reached top speed. Meanwhile, Naruko was just reaching the point where she was starting to accelerate. They had only gone through a tenth of the hundred‐meter race, but there was already a pretty big difference between them.

I don't think Cia herself had any intention to do this, but… she was running as if to say "I'll make it clear how huge the difference is in our skill levels." But the hope didn't die from Naruko's eyes. Her fighting spirit was still alive and strong. Even as the gap between her and Cia widened more and more, she didn't falter and just continued accelerating. "I already know how good you are," she seemed to be saying. But all the same, she would try her very best and just do like she was taught in practice. That's what her eyes were saying right then.

My eyes were completely fixed on these two girls as they dashed down the track. Their forms were completely identical. I don't know what the technical term was for it. Their backs were straight, they swung their arms, and they were making huge strides forwards with their long legs. For whatever strange reason, practiced, mastered movements like this seemed quite beautiful to me.

There was Cia, running up the track with a look of glee on her face. And there was Naruko, who ran with a raging fire burning in her eyes as she glared at the back of her rival. Their forms were identical, but they themselves were complete opposites. Such was the difference in their skill levels. They had already sprinted more than fifty meters, and the gap between them was already quite large. It would be impossible for Naruko to make a comeback victory now… even a newbie like me was pretty confident of that. It really did seem like Cia was moments away from getting her revenge on Naruko.

"Go Naruko…"

That just naturally slipped out of my mouth.

"Go Naruko…!"

I began to cheer Naruko on from the finish line. The feelings overflowing from my heart began to rise up within me, into my vocal cords.

"Go Naruko!"

I couldn't just stand here and not cheer her on.

"Naruko! Don't lose! Go! You can still catch her! Don't give up!"

I could have sworn that Naruko then looked me right in the eyes. I could have sworn that the gap between her and Cia was closing just a tiny, tiny bit. No… it really was closing. At her top speed… Naruko was faster than Cia!

"You can do it! Beat her! Run right past her! Naruko!"

There were thirty meters left. I yelled out desperately. Life is not like an game. Once you made a choice, there was no way to go back and change it. If you failed, you couldn't undo that failure, and there were no miracles that would appear to help you out of trouble Impossible things were impossible… and hopeless things were definitely just hopeless. But who the hell was the one who had decided that!? Impossible things… hopeless things… you really couldn't know until you tried! Only the gods themselves could know what would happen in the future! So don't give up Naruko!

"Beat her Naruko!"

They were going to reach the goal in only a few more moments. Naruko was nipping at Cia's heels, showing just how fast her top speed could be. Cia probably didn't find it too funny to hear me cheering only for Naruko. Sorry Cia… you're certainly a cute girl, and one who told me she "super loved" me. But if I had to put this in words, this was habit. Yes, it was the natural habit of someone with a sister. It was obvious I had to cheer on and favor my own sister. Yes, let me just make one thing clear…

"I'M NOT A LOLICON! I'M A SISCON! BEAT HER! BEAT HER, NARUKOOOOOO~~!"

Honestly, I didn't have a great idea of what I was shouting. What the hell was I saying right now? But whatever. I put my heart and soul into it as I shouted at my sister. Boosted by my cheers, Naruko seemed to accelerate even further…

And then… Naruko lost. The fierce race had come to a close.

"Pant… pant… pant…" Having run with all her might and exhausted all her strength, Naruko stood next to me, her body half‐bent and her shoulders rising up and down.

"Phew~!" On the other hand, Cia seemed a bit out of breath, but didn't appear to be too tired.

This didn't really feel like a situation where I could butt in. Sure, you lost, but that was a pretty good race… even if I wanted with all my being to say that, I really couldn't.

"Ahh… so I lost…"

Naruko looked up at the sky, sounding like something had just burst within her. Cia walked up to her, and gave her the peace sign with a proud smile on her face.

"Naruko! Cia won! Hehe"

"I know… you don't have to keep saying it… I'm pretty frustrated here too, you know. Can't you be a bit more considerate as the winner?"

"Nope! A win is a win! Hyaha~! Revenge success! Hehe, you got what you deserved!"

Cia bounced around, the joy of victory rushing through her every vein. Cia was seriously merciless when she won… honestly, it was almost refreshing. Although hearing all that coming from Cia seemed to make Naruko's insides boil.

"This… little brat… so annoying… so so so so annoying! Ugh, you're so annoying!"

Naruko stamped her feet and seemed genuinely frustrated. Tears even rose up in her eyes, and she began to mutter, clearly irritated.

"Cia… I love you, you know that? But right now you're the most annoying person in the world."

"Eh? Really? Hehehe, Cia also loves Naruko, but to be honest Cia came to Japan just to see Naruko look like that!"

Cia happily pointed at Naruko's face, which made Naruko blow up.

"Ugyahhhh! I got it now! I got it! Real little sisters are just terrible! Little sisters should stick to two dimensions!"

You're the last person I want to hear that from. Is what I said inside my head.

(◕ω◕✿)

The next day… after she fulfilled her goal of "being able to behold Naruko's crying face after exacting sweet, sweet revenge, Cia suddenly declared that she was going back to America. Cia's stay was thus cut very short, and she had already finished her preparations for going back. I couldn't help but just stand there and stare at her, exasperated.

"Did you seriously come to Japan just for that…?"

"Eh? Ahahaha, Onii-chan is such an idiot…"

Hey, what the hell does that mean? I don't want to be called an idiot by an idiot.

After checking her luggage in our living room, Cia came and plopped herself down next to me on the sofa. She brought her head up close to mine and waved her finger from side to side, a knowing look on her face.

"Were you really listening to Cia when she was talking? Sure, my top goal was to get revenge on Naruko. But that wasn't all."

"Ahh… you wanted to go sightseeing, and you wanted to see Naruko again, right? But, that's…"

Those things shouldn't have been very high on her priorities list, right? So if she got her revenge, then there wasn't any other reason for her to stay in Japan, right?

"No no no. Wrong wrong wrooooong~~."

I must've said something funny, because Cia clutched her sides and began to laugh. It might have been my imagination, but just for a second… I could have sworn Cia had a slightly lewd, adult look on her face.

"I always wanted to know why I lost that one time. So I came here to find out what gave Naruko that extra burst of speed back then. That was my true goal. I had already talked with a lot of people over in America and had the general idea… but you have to see things for yourself sometimes, right?"

"…"

"And then, and then, I figured it out. So now I'm leaving. If I don't go back right now and train, Naruko's going to catch up! There's not enough time to be standing still!"

I see.

"I want to show Cia the things I like."

"I got it, Naruko."

This must've been what Cia had understood when she was standing in the middle of Akihabara. In other words… the one time that Naruko had beaten Cia was when I had gone to Los Angeles.

"… After all, I have somewhere I need to be."

It must've been when she said that and left. She was able to finally play eroge again and regain her strength… and then she went to challenge Cia to a race.

"Naruko was getting really worn out overseas without the things she loved. That girl you beat over and over again in Los Angeles wasn't the true Naruko. You were probably pretty surprised when she got back her strength."

"Huh? So you do understand."

"Don't take me for an idiot, you little brat. Who the hell do you think I am?"

"Naruko's super beloved Onii-chan?"

"H‐How did it get to that!?"

"But but, Naruko was all worn out because her super beloved Onii-chan wasn't there. And Naruko got really fast all of a sudden because her Onii-chan came to Los Angeles. Right?"

T‐This girl… she was completely misunderstanding the situation… Naruko hadn't gotten worn out because she couldn't see me… It was because Cia was her roommate so she couldn't play any eroge! Also, she couldn't see any of her dear friends, like Kuroneko or Ayase. So, Cia suddenly revived because I had let her play eroge! I mean, as proof, she said it herself!

"It's just that I'm getting to do something I love doing but haven't been able to do for a long time… so of course I'm happy."

"You know, I somehow feel a lot better after playing eroge."

She had said all that! Honestly, thinking about this all with a clear head, that's really a terrible reason to feel better! Just imagine me having to tell an innocent kid like Cia "The reason you were beaten is because of eroge power!" That's just ridiculous!

I‐I guess there's no choice… I'll just leave Cia alone with her misunderstandings for now.

"Cia, it's just like you say. Naruko regained her strength because she was able to meet her super beloved Onii-chan again."

"Ohh, it was the power of love, wasn't it!?"

"Uhh… yeah, that was it…"

Ugh, I feel gross. I seriously need a shower now.

"I thought so! So, if Cia also super loves her Onii-chan, will she also get super fast?"

"No! How did you get that!?"

I finally understand now! Her affection points for me had been maxed from the start because of that stupid logic, weren't they!? Don't cling to me dammit!

"Naruto Onii-chan, I super love you! Mnnn, kiss kiss."

Bam! The living room door opened.

"Y‐You two again! How many times do I have to say the same thing!? You lolicon! You piece of trash!"

Naruko, why is it that you have the absolute worst timing in opening the door, each and every time!? Dammit… I should just give up and become a lolicon.

Soon, it was time for Cia to leave. Both Naruko and I were in our entranceway, saying goodbye to the new little sister who had spent a number of days with us.

"See ya, Cia. I'll be the one getting revenge next time, so be prepared."

"I won't let you~~! Cia will never lose to people who do track for weird reasons like you! Just keep chasing me and enjoy always looking at my back!"

"Hmph, you've got quite the mouth on you. Sure, I didn't start running track because I purely and only love running like you, but don't think I'm meek enough to just stand here and keep losing without a fight."

"Can you do really anything about it? You already did what you first set out to do, didn't you?"

"But track is already a big part of me. I definitely won't throw it away, just like all the other things I love."

"It kinda annoys me when you say that… makes it sound like you're just running in your spare time or something… but that's probably not it, right? Naruko can run that fast because of that, right?"

"Exactly. Also… you've given me a new reason to run too."

Naruko puffed out her chest. There was no hint of hesitation in her confident eyes.

"Well, I guess all I can say is 'catch me if you can.' But I'll never, ever lose to Naruko. I definitely, definitely won't lose. When you're putting all your effort into other things, don't you ever forget that Cia will be running all the time, okay?"

"Perfect. You better say your prayers, because I'm coming for you."

"Ahaha, okay."

The two of them gripped each other's hands in a firm handshake. This was a conversation between only the two of them. Outsiders weren't allowed in. There was a mutual understanding forming of them as fellow rivals.

"… I guess I should go soon." "

Yeah. Bye bye, Cia."

"Bye bye, Naruko."

Cia gave us a last smile, tinged with sadness at having to part, and then she turned her back towards us.

"Hey." As Cia put her hand on the doorknob, Naruko called out to her. "Cia, I forgot to ask you one thing."

"What?" Cia turned only her head around to face us.

"When we raced in Los Angeles, were you wearing your ankle weights?"

"Of course not. They were off. It was a serious race, right?"

"I see. Thanks."

Naruko quickly turned the other way. Cia dashed outside and this time turned her entire body around towards us.

"Naruto Onii-chan! Bye byeeeee~~! The next time Cia comes to Japan, we'll get married and I'll take you back to Los Angeles, okay? It's a promise!"

"We never made any promise like that! Get out, you damn brat!"

"Hehe! You sure you won't regret that? Next time we meet, I might've grown into a reaaaaaaaally beautiful woman!"

Leaving off with that sentence, Cia sped up and ran off somewhere. It seemed like she was going to run all the way to the airport again…

Geez. She came all the way from over the ocean, raised a huge ruckus here, and now she was going back across that ocean. That girl was like a typhoon.

"… And off she goes."

"Yeah."

Naruko and I stood there looking off into the direction that Cia had gone.

"I think I'll be just a little bit lonely without her here."

"Lolicon."

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"Ah, right. You're actually a siscon, was it?"

Naruko laughed mockingly. This girl… she was trying to make fun of me, wasn't she? Reining in her laugh, Naruko spoke again.

"Bro, I have a request for you."

"Oh, is this another 'life counseling' thing?"

God, I'm frustrated by how happy I accidentally sounded about that. But Naruko shook her head.

"No, it's not. I already told you the one you did before was the 'last' one, right?"

"I see… so it was…"

Certainly, the "final life counseling session" my sister and I had was already over. So Naruko wouldn't come to me for "life counseling" anymore. But I mean, it's not like it made much sense to talk about "life counseling" and "requests" like this in terms of "first" and "last" anyways. I guess this was just how Naruko saw things… so I really had no place to argue.

My God, this has been a weird story. When Naruko had come to me for our first life counseling session, I'm pretty sure I found it kind of annoying and completely out of character for me. To think that at this point I could feel so… well, no, I still hate stuff like this.

"So, what is it? That 'request' of yours. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll listen."

But at this point, I've almost become resigned to the fact that she would come to me with stuff like this, and to the fact that I would listen. I'm sure that even after this, my days with my completely uncute sister would continue like this into eternity. Although… I admit, a part of me didn't think that was such a bad thing.

"Y-Yeah, umm… it's a bit hard to say ..."

"What? Just say it"

"Umm… b-become my boyfriend."

"Huh… what…" Shocked, I was unable to answer.

With frightful eyes, Naruko looked at me.

"… Is that…impossible?"

"No…" I hesitated. "I didn't say it was impossible…but I don't understand what you mean! I'm… your brother. What exactly do you mean? Do you… you love me?"

Just now was something that could only be said in an eroge. I never thought that I had to use that line in real life.

"…!"

When those words left my mouth, Naruko's eyes widened. Her body froze. Then her face blushed before turning pale — finally, she grit her teeth, shouting in anger.

"No way! That is not it! How could you…how could I love someone like you! Do you know what you just said?"

"Isn't it because of your 'please be my boyfriend'?"

"At least hear me out! I've got a reason!"

"Reason?"

"Yes! I wanted you to 'pretend to be my boyfriend'!"

"Pretend to be your boyfriend? Why didn't you say so from the beginning! 'Please be my boyfriend' was too vague."

"Hmph! Because you're a siscon you're having weird fantasies again!"

"Weird fantasies…? Anyone would respond the same if you asked them that!"

"Idiot! Idiot! You are the one who shouted 'I'm a siscon' — and you did it when everyone was looking!"

"Ugh…" Please don't remind me of that! Do you want me to commit suicide?

"T-This wasn't related to the current situation. Please don't mention it anymore!"

"Whatever — hmph! Anyway, you have to pretend to be my boyfriend and go meet someone with me! Got it!?"

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