— This might be the first time I’m seeing Azusa being so straightforward.
“But, if Onii-chan gets married… Azusa won’t be the ‘only family member’ anymore. That alone is a bit disappointing. It’s selfish, but I felt that way.”
It’s not like my father, mother, and aunt are not alive, and legally, Azusa is not the only family member.
But I think she wants to convey that in a different sense… Azusa was the only one close to her as a family.
“Of course, Onii-chan will have to cherish Shimotsuki-san more from now on… In return, you won’t be able to talk to Azusa as much, and it would be a lie to say I won’t feel lonely.”
However, despite saying that, Azusa’s voice doesn’t carry a tone of despair; she remains cheerful throughout.
She probably behaves this way to not make me feel guilty, wanting to keep the atmosphere light.
“Azusa…”
A bit timid, a bit shy… but because of that, she grew up to be a kind girl, and I’m genuinely happy about that.
“That might be why Azusa sometimes acts a bit cold towards Shimotsuki-san, perhaps feeling like Onii-chan is being taken away—it wasn’t amusing. Well, I’m not very aware of it… but Azusa still has a habit of being a bit stubborn with Shimotsuki-san.”
“But even so, Shiho seemed to be having a good time with Azusa.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I think Shimotsuki-san understood that Azusa wasn’t genuinely against it. She doesn’t dislike that assertiveness either… Azusa doesn’t really dislike it.”
Yeah, I know that.
I’ve noticed for a long time that Azusa and Shiho get along well.
However, Azusa seemed to have some reservations.
“But… Shimotsuki-san is still a stranger. I was a bit wary that Onii-chan might be abandoned—well, not really aware. Onii-chan is a wonderful person, but he’s too kind, and it scared me. If Shimotsuki-san were to abandon Onii-chan, what would happen? I thought that at that time, only Azusa could help.”
Azusa must have been watching me closely.
She understood who I was, what thoughts I had, and what I feared. It seems like she was thinking about things on my behalf, things that I couldn’t even think about or was scared to think about.
“If Onii-chan were to break up with Shimotsuki-san, I had prepared to comfort him here… Azusa had properly prepared for it.”
…I see.
Finally, I understood why Azusa was attached to this house.
She was protecting a place where I could return to properly.
“Did you clean my room for that reason too?”
“Oh, you noticed? Hehe, it’s a bit embarrassing… Yeah, that’s right. I wanted it to be ready for whenever Onii-chan decided to come back.”
Such thoughts never occurred to me.
Certainly, Shiho and I were just dating.
Maybe there was a possibility of something happening, even though I couldn’t bring myself to think about such negative things.
However, it seems Azusa had prepared for the worst on my behalf…
