Looking at the girl sitting on the bed, a strange feeling comes over me.
Her appearance clearly isn’t that of an adult. Azusa looks so young that if someone said she’s a high schooler or even a middle schooler, I might believe it.
It’s impossible to believe she’s 25.
No wonder she’d definitely be denied entry if she tried to go to a bar.
But her personality has matured.
I don’t sense the emotional vulnerability that she had during her student days.
“Sorry for keeping silent for so long… When it comes to Onii-chan getting married, there were various thoughts I couldn’t immediately accept.”
I had anticipated that.
However, I hadn’t expected her to have such a refreshing smile.
“I’ve been thinking alone for a while now… Azusa is still a child—oops, that sounds a bit embarrassing. When I first heard it, I sulked, saying, ‘Onii-chan is finally being stolen away!’ Even though I’ve known since high school that you would marry Shimotsuki-san.”
“So, you were sulking after all…”
But with the passage of time, she seems to have properly reconciled with herself.
Seeing that, I realize that Azusa has truly become an adult.
“Hehe~. It seems Azusa liked Onii-chan quite a bit… It’s embarrassing to say it myself.”
A shy smile appears.
Watching that, my own cheeks naturally loosen.
I thought it would turn into a serious sibling quarrel, but it seems Azusa has matured more than I expected.
“Thank you for waiting until Azusa could recover. But, Onii-chan, you were a bit of a coward too, weren’t you? You were probably trembling at the thought of Azusa saying, ‘I hate that Onii-chan is getting married!’ so you deliberately waited, right?”
…Certainly, there might be some truth to that.
Deliberately leaving time might have been because I wasn’t mentally prepared for Azusa’s rejection — perhaps.
Because I do care about Azusa.
If there was a chance we might fight, I was probably afraid.
“In truth, I had already recovered by yesterday. Since it’s a rare opportunity… I wanted to have a proper discussion like this, as the ‘only family’ of Onii-chan. I wanted to have a real fight… no, that’s not it. I wanted to make sure we properly argued.”
So, it seems Azusa was also waiting for me to brace myself.
“I’ll tell you my true feelings, okay? So, Kotaro Onii-chan… Make sure to tell me your feelings properly too, okay?”
The final sibling quarrel wasn’t about being children anymore.
As adults, Azusa wanted a space where they could express their thoughts properly.
“Got it. I won’t hide anything… I’ll speak my true feelings.”
I nod firmly.
Sitting next to her, I face Azusa from a close distance.
“…Azusa was happy.”
Then she begins to speak.
Azusa’s feelings that she had been holding onto all this time — her true feelings as a little sister.
“It made me incredibly happy to be your little sister. You always prioritized me, never got angry no matter what I said, and loved me… Having Onii-chan who allowed me to depend on him made every day so happy.”
And then, I realize that I had misunderstood Azusa’s feelings.
“Azusa… loved Onii-chan a lot, you know? Of course, as a little sister… I genuinely thought you were the best Onii-chan.”
I had thought she harbored colder, more detached feelings toward me.
“Because you were like that… Azusa probably became a bit of a brocon, huh?”
Surprisingly, Azusa’s thoughts matched Shiho’s expectations…
