Episode 2 – The Tale of Thinking about My Friend’s Little Sister

“Ah!　I’ll do the dishes.”

Akari-chan smiled as she took the empty glasses away from me. The kitchen is a cramped space combined with a passageway.

She disappeared behind the door separating the bedroom from the passage and kitchen, shaking her black hair in a bun.

I remembered that she used a hair elastic to tie her hair up when she was cleaning …and apparently, I was so stressed that I didn’t even notice that. Even though I say that it’s not like I’m currently calm.

I’ve been in college for about four months now, and the only people who come into my room are guys, and she’s the first girl.

I don’t have a lot of stuff, to begin with, and my room is pretty plain, but having a girl clean my room seemed like a bit of a punishment.

And – well, it may sound like I’m judging people by their faces, but one very important factor is that Miyamae Akari is a beautiful girl.

I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to describe a high school student as a child, but she has a charm that’s somewhere between “cute” and “beautiful” with a bit of a juvenile vibe.

Her style is also good. Sailor uniforms are usually a bit loose, and you can’t see the body shape as clearly as in the manga. But in her case, you can clearly see the swell of her breasts, and because the uniform is lifted up by the swell, sometimes her waist is exposed, and at the same time, you can see her tight waist. —Eh?

“What’s with this calm analysis of mine?”

I shook my head and physically blew away the image of Akari-chan that was floating around in my head.

I don’t have to think about the fact that Akari-chan is a beautiful girl now. She and I went to the same high school, and there were rumors about her well beyond the grade level barrier.

Ah, by the way, Subaru often forgot to bring his lunch from home, and every time he did, Akari-chan would come and deliver it to Subaru.

Akari-chan greeted me every time she came to the classroom like that… No, well, she can’t ignore a senior who is eating with her brother.

Every time I saw her, I thought she was a beautiful girl, and when she came to deliver the lunch box, I had the impression that it must be tough for her and that she was a good girl who loved her brother.

I never thought that this brotherly love would go too far and end up becoming a mere 500 yen debt collateral, but it did.

A collateral. In other words, a material thing. But in this case, she is a human being, of course, so she is a hostage. It has an unpleasant ring to it…

I’m sure even the real professionals who collect debts for a living would be baffled if someone offered them their sister in exchange for 500 yen.

I wonder what the alternative would be if the debt was 1,000 yen… No, I feel like I’d still be offered the theory of profit-or-loss of zero when the amount goes up.

“Senpai.”

“Uwa!?”

Suddenly, Akari-chan’s face appeared in front of me, and I let out a strange sound.

Akari-chan smiled at me, putting her hand over her mouth and giggling.

“You seem quite surprised.”

“I mean, it is a natural reaction, isn’t it?”

“Please get used to it quickly. We’re going to be living together.”

“Living together…”

There was no way I could easily accept that.

However, the two trunk cases and the futon that were sent to me were too serious to be considered a joke. The latter in particular was supposed to be brand new, but it had the air of a fierce warrior. As expected, there are times when the product is not just about the price…

“Oh, yeah, senpai. About the contents of the refrigerator.”

“The refrigerator?”

“It’s almost empty. What kind of food do you usually have in there?”

“Something like convenience store lunches, I guess.”

“Huh”

For some reason, she gave me a big sigh.

“You can’t do that. You’re growing up.”

“I don’t think I’ll grow up anymore…”

“Senpai, do you know what is the most lacking thing for a man who lives alone?”

“Let’s see… by the flow of the talk,  vegetables maybe?”

“Bubuh~. I’ll think about the penalty for an incorrect answer later… The correct answer is ‘a girl’s homemade food!”

“No such correct answer exists!”

Of course, there’s a shortage of food for a “man” living alone. I mean, what kind of state is a state of sufficiency?

“Just for the record, where did you pull that information from…?”

“It’s my selfish impression.”

“It’s really just selfish, isn’t it?”

Am I being penalized for making a mistake in a quiz where the questioner has an advantage, or rather, is certain to win?

“In fact, senpai who lack the girl’s homemade food component in life will be dead before too long…”

“I won’t!　Even if I did, it would be for a completely different reason!”

“But don’t worry!　See, right now in front of senpai’s eyes, a perfect girl has arrived, right?”

“Did you just say that about yourself?”

“I’ll serve you a home-cooked meal!　After all, I am the payment for my brother’s debt. I’m going to serve you a delicious meal and make sure to capture your stomach.”

“You’re not going to poison me, are you…?”

Killing a creditor for a mere 500 yen debt is just plain psycho. I’m sure it’s easier to pay back 500 yen than to kill them.

“It’s not a mistake in a way. People are constantly metabolizing and being reborn. You will be reborn into a new existence through my cooking.”

“You’re saying something I don’t understand again.”

“So, senpai. Let’s go buy some ingredients!”

Akari-chan suggested with a smile as she quickly removed the hair elastic from her ponytail.

The way her long hair danced in the air, freed from its shackles, was strangely elegant. It was like a commercial for shampoo.

I couldn’t help but be fascinated by her, and I realized again that she is a beautiful girl. Even though she’s my friend’s little sister.