The Self-Proclaimed Older Sister Won't Listen

[Nakayama Azusa's Perspective]

―― Tomorrow is Valentine's Day.

Azusa Nakayama knows that much. However, she couldn't bring herself to feel like making chocolate.

(What about Ryoma Onii-chan..., no. What should I do about Ryoma-kun?)

It happened a little while ago.

Due to Mary's attack, she learned that Ryoma was going through a tough time.

It seems he confessed to Yuzuki Hojo, and she rejected him.

(What's happening to everyone...)

Azusa couldn't believe that Yuzuki would reject a confession, and the idea of Ryoma being rejected seemed strange to her too.

(Everyone liked him so much...)

For Azusa, Kirari, and even Yuzuki, Ryoma was an admired person.

If this had happened a little while ago, she would have surely cried and rejoiced if someone confessed to her.

But now, the fact that Ryoma got rejected meant that something significant was happening.

(What's going on that Azusa doesn't know about?)

She wanted to know, yet didn't want to.

Knowing that there might be an 'incident' that she couldn't turn back from once she knew.

(I can't believe Ryoma-kun is suffering...)

Azusa had been dragging that information with her for a while.

It had been a week since Kirari brought her the news.

She hadn't talked to Ryoma yet.

He still came to school, but the atmosphere around him was different from before, and she didn't know how to approach him.

(I'm curious... but…)

Sometimes, she felt like calling out to him as she used to. She knew that if she called him "Ryoma Onii-chan", he would look at her again. Somehow, she understood that.

But Azusa hesitated to do that.

"Azusa doesn't understand..."

She was losing sight of the correct answer.

When thinking about what she should prioritize, she lost confidence in her actions.

Ryoma was her first love.

So, if there was a chance for her feelings toward him to be reciprocated, it would be worth a try. Logically, she understood that.

However, her emotions were preventing her.

Anyway, she wasn't in the mood.

Even though she understood it in her head, her heart wasn't on the same page.

Because of this disjointed state, she had been stuck in a deadlock for some time.

And now, the day before Valentine's Day, Azusa was still in her room, agonizing over it.

(Come to think of it, I was like this before...)

Suddenly, she remembered the summer vacation.

After the end of the overnight study program, she had been brooding because Ryoma rejected her.

At that time, her stepbrother Kotaro Nakayama took her out of the room. And...

"I'm home! Azu-nyan, since onee-chan is back, will you give me a 'welcome back' kiss? Come on, isn't that what little sisters do in anime? So, Azu-nyan should do it too, I think. Won't you do it soon?"

--Oh right, that happened.

This person, in one way or another, was one of the reasons Azusa, who had been holed up, went outside.

(This girl... Oh, oops, my language slipped. Come to think of it, she did talk to Azusa a lot too...)

She slowly raised herself from the bed.

And what she saw was a girl standing tall with the door wide open.

She was a beauty beyond compare in appearance. Even Azusa, of the same gender, couldn't help but hold her breath. However, when she spoke, it was clear she was quite clumsy, so Azusa couldn't hold her breath.

"This isn't Shimotsuki-san's house. Don't say ‘I’m home’... Azusa wouldn't say that either."

"Yes, I’m home!"

"So I told you not to say ‘I’m home’!"

"Hehehe♪ Speaking so loudly... You must be really happy that Onee-chan is back, right?"

"No, I'm not!!"

Azusa was always being toyed with by Shiho Shimotsuki. However, now wasn't the time for comical conversations, so Azusa sighed and looked away from her.

"Don't come into the room without permission. Azusa is busy thinking right now."

She replied bluntly.

When she was holed up, Shiho was one of the reasons Azusa went outside. However, that didn't mean she was grateful. Rather, she found Shiho a bit difficult to deal with.

"I don't have time to pay attention to someone like Shimotsuki-san. Go over there."

She waved her hand as if shooing away a dog.

However, Shiho didn't go anywhere.

"I understand. Then, how about making chocolate at my house? Come on, follow Onee-chan!"

...Well, that's how it always went.

She never listened to others, and that included Azusa...

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