The day after the siblings enjoyed dining out together.
On Sunday at 1 PM.
Yuno, who had been in contact with Suzuha, immediately spoke up as soon as she heard the intercom ring with a “ding-dong.”
“Oh, it’s Suzuha-chan at the door.”
“Oh!”
“Well then, I’ll go welcome her.”
“Understood.”
Yuno put her smartphone in her pocket, got up from the sofa, and headed to the entrance in the hallway. And naturally, following her in a cheerful mood, was her older brother, Haruto.
“Hey…”
“Hmm?”
It was natural for Yuno to realize that her brother was behind her without even turning around, just by his footsteps.
“Instead of saying ‘hmm?’ Why are you following me? I said I’ll go welcome Suzuha-chan.”
“Well, I thought I might as well greet her too.”
The conversation suddenly started at the entrance.
“Ugh… Your greeting is not appropriate at this moment. Suzuha-chan probably expects that it’s me who will come out, so you suddenly greeting her would just make things awkward.”
“I-I guess you’re right… Then… um, Yuno, can you create that opportunity? Of course, if Suzuha-chan doesn’t like it, I’ll refrain. But as your older brother, I want to do the right thing.”
Haruto is not just Yuno’s older brother but also a parental figure to her. Though he looked troubled, he returned to a serious expression by the time he finished speaking.
“You don’t have to make such a scary face… Suzuha-chan won’t say no, right?”
“Haha… Suzuha-chan is kind, after all. Just as much as you, Yuno.”
“Please don’t couple us together with praise… I even call you a damn brother at school.”
“What!?”
Though he tried to hide his embarrassment behind the sudden compliment, that shocking nickname temporarily broke Haruto’s composure.
“Besides, I don’t think she would say no just because you’re being kind. Suzuha-chan, that is.”
“Hold on a second, Yuno. ‘Damn brother’? Am I a damn brother…!?”
“You didn’t ask about the important part…”
Haruto’s face was dyed with despair, but this is generally how teenage girls are. Sometimes their words become aggressive despite their true feelings being different.
The proof of that was evident in Yuno not affirming the question “Am I a damn brother?”
“…Well, I’ll create an opportunity for you to greet her (Suzu-chan will be happy too), so don’t be so shocked. Hurry back to the living room. If you keep Suzuha-chan waiting any longer, I might end up calling you a damn brother at home.”
“…Alright.”
With a gentle push on her dejected brother’s back, Yuno closed the door connecting the hallway and the living room with a loud bang
“I’ll have to apologize later…”
Muttering such a soliloquy, Yuno hurriedly rushed to the entrance.
And when she immediately opened the door, there stood Suzuha with her eyes narrowed, sporting a soft smile.
With that expression, she seemed to have understood everything, and she began to confirm apologetically, lowering the corners of her eyebrows.
“Ah… You might have heard it, huh? My conversation with my brother.”
“Yeah, you two always get along so well. Yuno-chan and Haruto-oniisan.”
“I-It’s not like we get along well. He’s always causing trouble for me.”
“Fufu, that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Huh?”
The reason for Suzuha’s decisive remark became clear three seconds later.
“I know too, you know. That there’s a two-shot photo of you and Haruto-oniisan in your favorite on your smartphone.”
“!?!”
It was the teasing from yesterday after school.
“You know, I know that you stop by the cafe where Onii-chan works to chat with him.”
As if waiting for this opportunity, her teasing lines were returned to her in full.
When she showed her smartphone album before, it happened that Suzu’s eyes happened to fall on that two-shot photo.
With just this one coincidence, the outcome was determined.
“Ugh… I-I’ll admit it, so don’t tell my brother, okay? He might think I have a brother complex…”
“Fufu. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Th-Thank you.”
After hearing her defeat declaration, Suzuha calmly and confidently responded with a composed voice.
However, the upper hand was only taken up to this point.
These two could be considered childhood friends who teased and were teased, measuring the distance between each other in an intimate relationship.
It was also a relationship where they both knew about each other’s crushes.
“…By the way.”
Suddenly starting with such a preface, Yuno still had the embarrassment of her “two-shot photo leak” lingering, yet she continued with a flushed face.
“Suzuha-chan, you’re dressed so stylishly today for playing at home.”
“!!”
“Are you trying to impress my brother?”
“I-I’m not… doing anything like that…”
With just a few words, Yuno’s earlier composure vanished in an instant.
Fidgeting and crossing her legs, Suzuha clutched her miniskirt and looked up with a bright red face.
Yuno had seen through it. The outfit revealed more skin than her usual attire.
“But… Uhm, Yuno-chan…”
“W-What’s wrong?”
“Do you think… this outfit suits me? Do you think Haruto-oniisan will compliment me?”
Yuno didn’t want to be mean to Suzuha, especially when she was feeling unsure like this.
Knowing when to tease and when not to, Yuno smiled and replied, “Oh, you can be confident about it. It really suits you, without any flattery.”
“R-Really…?”
“Yes, Haruto-oniisan will probably want to greet you, so why not show off a bit?”
“I-I can’t do something like that!”
“Hahaha.”
That laughter became the words that concluded their conversation in front of the entrance.
“For now, let’s head inside. It’s okay to prepare yourself first before meeting Onii-chan.”
Their teasing exchange had already reached its conclusion.
At their own pace, Suzuha was greeted with such kind words.