== Chapter 3 ==
“Until the anime is finished, please take care of me ♡.”
The one who said that right in front of my house was none other than the gla.s.ses wearing scenario writer, Aoi Makina.
She only carried a small backpack with her, just like in an anime.
“You..wh…what are you…talking about…here…”
“I mean we are going to live together ♡.”
Just her moe tone and body language is enough to insta-kill any hot blooded male, not to mention the meaning of what she just said. Even I was taken aback for a moment.
“…Kuh.”
A cute girl came to my home and told me that she is going to live with me.
This is something like a dream, but in reality, all I felt was troubled.
Eh? What? What is she talking about? — that was what I thought.
However, this girl is someone I absolutely can’t ignore for now. So I can’t just shut the door and pretend like I didn"t see her.
A lot of thoughts ran through my mind — but in the end, all I could do was stare at Makina-san.
“………….”
She tilted her head in confusion.
“Strange? You don"t think that line is funny?”
“…Nah, not really. I don"t mean it wasn"t funny, but rather I still don"t have any idea what is going on…”
“Well…I will tell you later…hmmmmmmmmmm how should I put itttttttttt….”
Makina-san put a hand to her chin and muttered to herself for a moment…
“Didn"t I say 『 I will give it my all 』 yesterday?”
“Yeah?”
“So here I am!”
“I still don"t get it.”
“That means as long as I live together with you siblings, I can give it my all!”
“Nope, still don"t get it.”
What the heck is she talking about?
“Er…really? You don"t understand me? But….”
She paused for a moment before continuing:
“After hearing what Producer Akasaka said, I understood.” She spit her tongue out “I will never get anything done if I try to do it by myself.”
“………………….”
I already guessed that, but seeing her face, hearing her talk made me angry.
Since I didn"t know how to reply, I said nothing. She kept talking:
“You liked Meruru — didn"t you?”
“Yes…I, my little sister, Eromanga-sensei…we all watched it, and we are your fans.”
“Thanks ♪, but you probably know already….That anime is 『 The only anime I worked on until the end 』. I have worked on more than that, but Meruru is the only one I could say『I helped make this anime 』.”
What she said sounded a bit strange.
— in the end, you are just someone who used the luck of Meruru
The one in the recording said that.
So it was true.
The famous anime Stardust ☆ Witch Meruru, and this job.
There must be something different for her in these two cases. Why she only managed to work on Meruru till the end. Why did she fail to properly do anything the rest of the time — why couldn"t she do her d.a.m.n job?
The answer to my unspoken question quickly came. She said in a bright tone:
“When I made Meruru, I didn"t live alone. There was someone….who cared for my life every day. That person talked with me every day about everything from my anime to my scenario. Back then, everyday was so happy.”
Maybe that’s why she could make the super famous anime Stardust ☆ Witch Meruru.
“So while everyone said Meruru was made by Aoi Makina — I myself don"t think that way. The one who wrote the scenario was me — but I think both of us are the author.”
“….”
“Do you understand? This feeling?”
“I do.” I answered immediately “Because I am the same.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. My Sekaimo was written by me, true…But I myself don"t think I alone could do it.”
This was the work of the novelist Izumi Masamune and ill.u.s.trator Eromanga-sensei.
The work of Izumi Masamune and Izumi Sagiri.
And I had to ask for the help of my editor, Kagurazaka-san and Army, who made the manga.
If I went into details, then I have to thank Kyouka-san who took us in, my senpai, Elf-sensei, my cla.s.smates, Tomoe and Sagiri’s friend Megumi.
And I have to thank my readers: their support also helped me to get this far.
All of them have had a very large effect. Without any of them, this novel would have never made it this far.
That is what I truly believe.
“The cutest little sister in the world.”
This novel does not belong to me alone.
This is also not something that belongs to us siblings.
This belongs to everyone: All of us that helped in making it.
“Is that so?” Makina grinned “Is that novel also created by your sibling?”
“Yes.”
When I came to convince her, I told her our dream and part of our sibling situation.
I think it was a good choice, but it was still a sudden choice.
“That was our sibling"s — and everyone"s, readers included, effort.”
“And starting today, it is also my effort - the scenario writer’s effort – right?”
“That is what I hope.”
“Then I will have to live with you!”
“Why?”
Where the heck does that come from?
“I have to say this beforehand, everything I say is serious.”
Makina-san said with an honest expression.
“There are three conditions for me to give it my all.”
She raised a finger:
“First, I have to have a fully motivated coworker! This is you ♡”
“Hm…well, yeah, I’m pretty motivated!”
“Second, I need someone to take care of me! That means you, too ♪”
“Take care of you?”
Your choice of wording is horrible, don"t say something like a hikikomori. You made me imagine Sagiri!
“Third, I need something to fuel my will to work! That means you two siblings!”
“Hmmmm…”
To think she had such awful-sounding reasons…
“The first original character is the basis for the main heroine! The non-blood related little sister! The one living with you in the same house! So that means this girl’s real ident.i.ty is Eromanga-sensei!”
“How could you know!?”
I made sure not to tell anyone that I like Sagiri nor that she is Eromanga-sensei!
“Well, in the second meeting you told me about that?”
“But I removed the most important detail!”
“I saw through it immediately!”
“Ugh.”
“Besides, after so many volumes, I don"t think I’m the only one who noticed.”
My eyes widened: I looked very surprised.
“…For real…How could this happen….”
I was so embarra.s.sed that I covered my face with my hands. To think that my love story was completely revealed….
On the other hand, Makina-san….
“It has been a long time since I last encountered something so interesting…! This…This !!!”
She clenched her hand; her whole body trembled.
“I have to live together with you! That’s how I can let my soul experience this feeling! It’s wonderful!”
“—————”
I was so taken aback that I took two steps backwards. She immediately pushed up.
“Feed me! Masamune-Onii-chan! Please take good care of me!”
“One hikikomori little sister is more than enough for me!”
“Pet! Let me be your pet then!”
“Shut up! Don"t say that! If my neighbor heard it, it would not be a laughing matter!”
Could it be that this woman said it on purpose!?
“I have to give it my all, so you haveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee to help me!”
“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~”
I slammed my eyes shut.
“Even so, no means no! My little sister would hate it! I will not do something Sagiri hates!”
Even if it was for our dream
“———————”
“——————–”
Makina-san and I glared at each other.
The atmosphere is tense. Much tenser than before.
The one who broke it wasn"t me or Makina-san.
“Nii-san!”
My little sister’s voice called to me. I immediately turned my head.
I saw Sagiri. She had already come half-way down the stairs.
“Sagiri!”
Recently, she can come out of her room, but that doesn"t meant her hikikomori status was cured.
Meeting someone she didn"t know — is a heavy burden.
“Are…are you okay?”
“I..I’m fine.”
No you are not. Your legs are deathly pale; they are trembling like you are a newborn deer.
“I have heard everything.”
Even so, Sagiri walked down the remaining steps and faced Makina-san.
“You said in order to write Sekaimo’s scenario, you have to live together with us.”
“Yup.”
“I already told her no —”
“Nii-san.”
Sagiri interrupted, looked directly at me, and asked:
“This is necessary to reach 『 our dream 』, right?”
Her hand was already clenched into a fist.
“Then let’s do it.”
“…Sagiri.”
“See? Even your little sister said so!” Makina-san raised her voice…
“Can you shut up for a minute?”
One glare from me was enough to make her be quiet.
“…Hm ~ what a boring place. It makes me mad ~~”
… Almost quiet.
I moved my eyes away from her and turned back to Sagiri:
“Are you forcing yourself?”
“I am.”
“I knew it. So —”
“But I heard everything.”
“…………..”
“Because I heard everything, I have to force myself…to reach 『 our dream 』, I have to ask Aoi-sensei to write her best scenario.”
“…………..”
“If I don"t do it…and the anime turned out bad, I’d hate it even more.”
If she said so then it’s decided. That’s how Eromanga-sensei is. As long as she made up her mind, she won’t budge.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I shouldn"t have held this conversation right here.
“d.a.m.n…Army would get mad at me..”
She especially told me to avoid this situation.
“Sorry…if I made you worry. But…I’m fine.”
“Sure….”
I scratched the back of my head, turned to Makina-san, and said in a low tone:
“Aoi Makina-sensei.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s have a talk.”
“About time!”
She yelled “Wonderful!”, but I dropped a bucket of cold water on her:
“This is not something we can decide alone.”
“What do you mean?”
“I need my guardian’s permission.”
About an hour later —
I sat in front of Kyouka-san in a café. It was a bit crowded inside: there were some school children who just came back from after-school activities talking nearby.
“Kyouka-san, thank you for coming.”
“Don"t mention it, I’m your guardian.”
Izumi Kyouka — there is no need for further introduction – she is the one who took care of us siblings.
She is my father’s little sister. My only remaining blood-related family…but she is also a young, beautiful woman.
While she had the nickname “Ice Queen”, and the first impression most people had of her is a cold woman… during the stage event before, she took the role of Eromanga-sensei and helped us.
“Masamune, I heard that your anime is being made right now…Are you doing okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s good to hear. But I will investigate it myself…I heard that some scenario writer is making things troublesome for you.”
“Well, everything is difficult at first.”
“….Then I will help you relax.”
“?”
“That’s the 『test 』I’m going to give you.” She said in a terrifying low tone.
“If your job takes too much time, then it’s understandable if your studies don"t go well. And then someday, you feel that you can’t keep going to school anymore …..I hope this situation will not happen. Don"t be tied up by our promise, make sure to take care of yourself.”
“…Yes.”
“I told you to keep up both working and studying…But sometimes it can’t be helped. At least when you are swarmed with work. Pay it no mind.”
“…………..”
『I have totally given up on you, I don"t expect anything from you anymore 』 – some people might interpret what she said like this.
But we had had a proper conversation already, so I understood that wasn"t what she meant.
“You can take as many breaks as you want from school. No matter how much your grades are affected, I wouldn’t yell at you. Just — make sure to take good care of yourself. This is not something to make light of.”
Kyouka-san’s voice was terrifying, but she is my gentle aunt.
As soon as I gave up my old view, I could see her gentle side.
“Do you understand.”
“Yes I do.”
A heartwarming feeling filled me.
“It’s okay. It’s a condition made with both side’s agreement. I will remember it.”
“………………Just make sure to be careful.” Kyouka-san sighed
“So, Masamune…what do you want to talk with me about?”
To us siblings, she is the most trustworthy adult. My third family member…that’s what I thought.
Over the noise of the children talking, I told Kyouka-san..
“Kyouka-san, please live with me. Together!”
” ——– Blewww ?”
Suddenly, Kyouka-san’s eyes widened. Then, somehow…she blushed.
“What…what…did you…just say?”
“Eh?”
I t.i.tled my head in confusion, since I had no idea why she blushed.
At the same time, all those school children began to mutter to themselves. I heard a girl’s voice:
“For real? He is proposing!!!!”
“Cool! A pair of lovers with a huge age gap.”
“We are not like that —!” *2
Both Kyouka-san and I stood up and immediately rejected those words.
Kyouka-san said rapidly:
“Ma, Masamune! Please tell me what you really meant by that! You, you said you want to live with me….to…together….”
“I meant I hope you can live with us siblings!”
“There, there is no hidden motive, is there?”
“Of course not! I’m not asking you to live together so I could seduce you! Please don"t be mistaken!”
“I, I never misunderstood your intention!”
With an ice-cold glare, Kyouka-san swept through the café shop.
“That’s how it is! Just a conversation between me and my nephew! Do you understand?”
The aura of the “Ice Queen” made those school girls nod immediately.
And so, everything became quiet again.
“…Phew…phew…”
Kyouka-san looked tired, she shot me a cold glace:
“..Really…Masamune, you said something so confusing….”
“I’m sorry.”
“So…you….two…need me to stay with you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you ask for this?”
“Well, I’m not sure I can say it clearly enough…..”
I told Kyouka-san what happened. About the anime of Sekaimo, about Aoi-sensei the famous lazy scenario writer.
I told her how weird Aoi-sensei is; how she said unless she lived with us siblings, she wouldn"t be able to work.
“In other words….during the time when the anime is being made, she wants to live together with us.”
“…What an unreasonable request.”
I totally agree.
“Are all those people from your job like that?”
“Well….worst case…yes.”
Sorry, guys!
Anyway, among the people I knew at work, most couldn"t be called “normal”.
Someone who doesn"t goes to school. Someone who lives separated from society. Someone who lives a life of full total discipline. Someone who has a weird fetish or a drunkard. Yeah, almost all of them are weirdos.
“Does that mean I’m part of those weirdoes too?”
“You are over thinking things. Anyway, I don"t think you need to ask me for my opinion. To live with a total stranger is not a good thing for Sagiri. Masamune, you will not agree, much less me.”
As expected of my aunt, she understood me well.
“Sagiri herself said yes.”
“!”
“Because it’s for 『 our dream 』, so —”
“She was convinced.”
“Without difficulty.”
“That scenario writer, Aoi….”
“She"s got real skill. We need her for our dream.”
“…I see. How troublesome.”
Kyouka-san muttered without saying anything. I bowed to her
“In order to lessen Sagiri’s burden, please come live with us, Kyouka-san.”
“….But wouldn"t it make Sagiri’s burden larger?”
That’s why we live separately.
Kyouka-san replied. But I shook my head, and said:
“Sagiri is the one who suggested that I ask Kyouka-san to live together with us.”
“Eh?”
She looked surprised.
“After that stage event…I want to become family with Kyouka-san…I’d be at ease if there is a trustworthy adult living together with us….That’s what she said.”
“Eh….”
“Even without Aoi-sensei’s problem, we planned to ask you to live with us already.”
“…Re..really? I…Can I…live together with you two?”
“Yes, of course! Sorry for wasting half a day, but please give it some thought.”
Kyouka-san narrowed her eyes, her expression getting colder.
“There is no need to ask me like a stranger like that.”
….Of course she didn"t say that, that’s what her expression said.
Seems like Kyouka-san noticed her hardened expression, so she looked perplexed. Then, she showed me a stiff smile —
“It’s my line…. Although you are a very bad guy; I will be forever in your debt.”
That sounds like a response for a proposal. (TL Note: Yes, it is – traditionally, in j.a.pan newlywed bride said "I will be forever in your debt" during her first night at her husband family)
What just happened made even me embarra.s.sed, so I looked down without saying anything.
When I raised my head, my eyes meet Kyouka-san’s. She was doing the same thing
“That…”
“So…we need to make preparations.”
“You, you are right.”
We held some broken conversation, but —
“I will begin to move my belongings tomorrow…and I will move to your house the day after that.”
“Okay, do you need me to —”
“…You are busy with work. If you want to live with me, make sure you don"t push yourselves too hard, okay.”
“But….okay, don"t give me that terrifying expression, I got it.”
“That’s good to hear.”
None of this matters. This is a conversation between blood-related family.
“Oh, right, Masamune. Before we go into details….”
Suddenly, Kyouka-san’s gazed moved from me to the side.
“Can you please introduce the suspicious person over there?”
“Huh —?”
That wasn"t within my expectations, so I turned around.
There was a very familiar-looking girl in gla.s.ses who was eavesdropping on Izumi family business. She had a notebook in her hand and was writing something.
“Really, Makina-san…what are you doing. Didn"t I tell you that I’m going to talk with my guardian, so you should wait —”
“Ehehehe.”
She didn"t seem to mind though.
“You asked what am I doing? Of course, I’m observing.”
“Observing?”
“Yes, observing ♪ Your life doesn"t simply contain nothing but you and your sibling’s daily activities: this is also a part of your life. This is a chance for me to observe — so of course I’d choose to do it.”
This is very valuable — that’s what she meant.
Makina-san licked her lips, like she just ate something very delicious. Her expression was satisfied, evil…and — unexpectedly, I saw some impatience.
“While this looked like a clumsy family sitcom ~ maybe it could help with my work — hopefully.”
She looked at me and Kyouka-san like a cat.
Just when I narrowed my eyes —
“Ouch! That hurt”
Kyouka-san gave her a karate chop.
….How come this woman always get hit in the head?
“Wh, what are you doing?”
Makina-san said with teary eyes, and covered her head. Kyouka-san"s response was a cold glare.
“This is discipline."
“Wh, what?”
“Base on what Masamune said, you are the scenario writer Aoi, right? The one who is about to live in the same house with me and my family.”
“Yes.”
“Then please follow the Izumi family’s rules. Rule number one, you have to respect each other. In other words….”
“Do not look down on those children simply because they are younger than you.”
“………..”
Terrifying!
The way she lowered her tone, the way she looked…
Even I, who knew the real Kyouka-san, couldn"t help but tremble in fear.
See! Makina-san turned deadly pale…
“…Hey, Izumi-sensei…I didn"t know that there is someone so terrifying in your house.”
“Didn"t you hear? I just asked her to live with me today.”
“Interesting…could be a reference…but so terrifying..”
Seems like her scenario writer instinct is clas.h.i.+ng with her human instinct.
Kyouka-san kept looking down on Makina-san, who was pale and trembling non-stop, and said:
“You are…Aoi Makina-san, right?”
“Yes…”
“As an adult living together with you, I’m ordering you: Take back what you said about 『a clumsy family sitcom 』 .”
“I won’t!”
“I’m very bad at getting closer to other people, but I’m very good at scaring the sc.r.a.p out of other people. Do you want to know what I"m like when I’m truly angry?”
“Izumi-sensei, your guardian is so terrifying! But, I don"t want to take it back. I really think like that, if I take it back that would mean I lied — Sorry, sorry, but I can’t do it!”
I can feel that her apology is genuine despite her refusal to take back her words.
What’s between her and “family”? What’s with her and my novel’s topic?
“I’m very angry, but I forgive you.”
I interrupted and accepted her apology.
“Kyouka-san, thank you for getting angry in my place.”
“It’s alright…Masamune….we will continue our talk later…tomorrow, okay?”
Kyouka-san raised a hand and grabbed Makina-san’s head.
She grabbed it so hard that — *greakkkkkkkk*
“Because today I have to talk with this guest about the 『Izumi family’s rules 』.”
“Ouch ouch! I give up! Give up! Give up! d.a.m.n ~~ No, it shouldn’t be like this….My perfect plan with the 『 independent 』visionary elder brother and the 『 perfect planner 』 little sister….”
“You finally spoke your true mind! How old are you? You look like a teenager to me! Where is your school? Where are your parents?”
“Answering that will break my 『 mysterious girl 』 image, so no, I’m not talkinggggggggggggg”
“You have had no image like that from the beginning! I will have my answer, one way or another!”
Looks like…asking Kyouka-san to live with us was a totally correct choice.
From the looks of it, the burden on Sagiri will be reduced as much as possible.
And so —
This time, the Izumi household welcomed another new family member and another guest.
A very gentle and terrifying big sister and another hikikomori girl.
The next day, we gathered in the living room.
There was me, Kyouka-san, Makina-san …and via the tablet, we have….
“Please take …care of me, Aoi-sensei.”
Sagiri also took part in this meeting. This is the first time she has met Makina-san properly.
Before I go any further, allow me to tell you what Makina-san did when she arrived here.
"I"m Aoi Makina. Starting today, I"m the Izumi family"s pet. Please take care of me, Imouto-sama."
She said something that totally caught us off guard.
"…Eh?"
The famous scenario writer suddenly became so meek: this confused Sagiri.
"….Kyouka-san, what"s going on?"
"I just had a little talk with her about her agenda — but it"s going to be hard to fix her att.i.tude."
"It"s not. I have a huge amount of respect towards Kyouka-sama."
I think that she was joking with us. Still, I think that was probably her habit because she spent a long time with Producer Akasaka.
Looks like even a lecture from the "Ice Queen" couldn"t fix her att.i.tude.
"Anyway, for now, don"t use that mechanical tone with me, Aoi-sensei."
"Understood, master ♡"
"Don"t call me master either."
Makina-san immediately switched to her usual tone:
"Then don"t use formal language with me. Just call me Makina-chan or Makina, both are fine. Actually, our age gap isn"t that great."
Just how old is she? I wanted to know, but I don"t think she will tell me (or Kyouka-san for that matter)."
"Okay then, Makina-san."
"Don"t 「san 」 me ~~ Ah forget it."
She coughed, and said:
"Please take care of me ….Masamune-san ♪"
She probably called me that on purpose, as payback for what I called her.
"..Mwu."
On the other hand, Sagiri pouted. Maybe seeing that the real Makina wasn"t what she imagined bothered her.
Even in front of Sagiri, Makina-san was still trying to act cute.
"Imouto-sama, please take care of me too ♪"
"Please take care of me…Makina-chan."
Sagiri decided to call her that. Finally, Makina-san"s att.i.tude became serious:
"Sorry for suddenly making such an unreasonable request. I"ll do my best to not burden you, in order to make 「 a good anime 」. Please allow me to get my references."
"Sure…okay, got it."
"In exchange, you can just treat me like a pet! Just tell me to do anything you want!"
"Why does a pet wear clothes?"
"Imouto-sama! Your first order is so cruel!"
"….It was a joke."
"But you made it so naturally! Are you an evil high cla.s.s lady!? Was it really a joke?"
"…About half of it was a joke."
Of course, Sagiri laughed it off and made the atmosphere breathable.
But I saw it.
I saw that Makina-san trembled and tried to hug herself.
I saw that Eromanga-sensei"s eyes flashed.
That"s how they decided their "ranking" in the Izumi household.
"Well, that was a joke….but you must not go up to the second floor."
"Yes! Without Imouto-sama"s order I will not set foot on the second floor!"
This pet — no, Makina-san immediately answered seriously.
"This is a good chance for us to set up some ground rules for everyone."
Hearing Kyouka-san"s suggestion, I turned to Sagiri.
"First, Sagiri, do you have any other requests besides "do not enter the second floor"? Does that include us too? Or are we allowed?"
"Kyouka-san is fine, but Makina-chan…I hope that she does not remain in the house when you go to school."
That was a big demand.
"What do you think, Makina-san?"
"Well, I only need to see the moments when you two are together. But where should I go during lunch?"
"There is a big dike nearby."
"Are you kidding me…?"
"Anything else, Sagiri?"
"Wait a sec, you two! Izumi siblings! Please tell me that you are joking!"
"Sometimes I go there too. Writing on my laptop at the dike is very comfortable."
"It"s hot, I don"t want to go there! Don"t overestimate a hikikomori"s resistance to the sunlight! I will be burned!"
Makina-san showed me her snow-colored hand. What a weak girl.
"Manga! I will go to a manga shop to work!"
Bet she just wants to read manga. I think it"s better if she goes to the dike and works…
" — Any others requests?"
"Well…it is…."
Sagiri hesitated. Looks like it"s hard for her to say.
"I will only….say it to Makina-chan."
"Ah"
Seemed like Makina-san noticed something: she grinned happily.
"Is that so ~~ ♪ Come and tell Onee-chan ~"
She put her ears to the tablet. Sagiri muttered something on it.
"…With Nii-san….do not….absolutely not…."
"Okay ♪ Ah ~~ that"s the experience I want to have! This is it! My motivation is burning ~~ it"s great coming here~"
"Do, do not say it out!"
"Understood, Imouto-sama ♪"
"If you reveal it, you"ll spend the rest of your life without panties."
"What a heavy punishment!"
d.a.m.n….they were having such a nice conversation, but I felt that I was left out…
What is the condition that Sagiri spoke of which she didn"t want me to know about?
After finis.h.i.+ng discussing some related topics, Kyouka-san and Makina-san began to move into my house.
Allow me to explain the Izumi household’s layout.
On the first floor, we have the living room; next to it is the kitchen. There is also my room, and a bathroom with a toilet and shower.
The second floor included Sagiri’s lair – the locked room – and the room next to that, which we used to keep her clothes.
There is also another room which used to belong to my parent, and a bathroom.
When Kyouka-san and Makina-san moved in – after much needed discussion —
I moved to the room where we used to keep Sagiri"s clothes. My old room will be Makina-san’s room.
Kyouka-san moved into my parents" old room
I think my father would approve of his blood-related little sister using his room. His old belongings and my parent’s altar is still inside, but I don"t think Kyouka-san will mind.
About the fact that Kyouka-san will move to the second floor: She worried, “Would Sagiri be okay?”, but –
“— It is a bit difficult, but don"t worry, I will do my best.”
That was what she said.
Both Kyouka-san and I agreed to pay attention whenever we could, so we could avoid running into Sagiri when she was out of her room.
“I can’t move all of my clothes to my room….so I will have to leave them here…is that okay?”
“Don"t worry, I don"t have much stuff.”
There is something else that I couldn"t say: The feeling when I opened the wardrobe and saw my little sister’s clothes made my heart race.
Kyouka-san and Makina-san barely had any luggage, so we finished in no time at all.
“I rented my old house fully furnished, so I can leave everything behind.” Kyouka-san said “We still don"t know if this life style is really okay, after all.”
Seems like she planned to return immediately if Sagiri couldn"t take it. How thoughtful of her.
On the other hand, Makina-san’s only luggage was a single backpack.
“I didn"t rent my house, but there was so much stuff, so I only brought what I need to work.”
“What about your clothes? Could it be…”
“I don"t plan to live here for long, so I will buy them via the Internet. Or rather, I don"t know where my clothes are in my old house – so I couldn"t bring them even if I wanted to.”
“Your coat is inside the Western style wardrobe, your clothes are in the second drawer from the bottom, and your panties are in the right drawer.”
“How could you know?”
“Cuz I cleaned your room.”
“Including my panties? Wait a sec!? Are you for real? Masamune, are you a pervert?”
“Your room was so messed up that I didn"t have time to think about those clothes! Besides, I asked Producer Akasaka for help touching them!”
A problem immediately appeared!
First problem – was.h.i.+ng!
“Because Nii-san likes to wash girl’s underwear…”
“I do not!”
“Since there are two more girls, let me take care of was.h.i.+ng clothes from now on.”
“Oh…sorry for troubling you.”
Thankfully Kyouka-san volunteered, so we solved this problem of was.h.i.+ng girl’s clothes easily.
“How did you do that usually?”
“Every week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sat.u.r.day I will clean up the house. Sagiri will help me by cleaning up her room.”
There are two kinds of hikikomori:
Hikikomori who are clean and hikikomori who are lazy.
“So how about we split the job?”
“Eh? Does that include me?”
Makina-san pointed at her face with an “I can’t believe it” expression.
“That goes without saying. If you live here then you have to help with the housework.”
“Ah ~ that is ~ anyway ~~ not very suitable for me ~~”
A pure hikikomori’s reasoning. So I gave her a break:
“Makina-san doesn"t have the ability to do housework, so it’s fine if she doesn"t.”
“Wonderful! As expected of Masamune-san! You understand me well!”
Makina-san happily patted my shoulder.
“Masamune, that’s not…”
“She has to write the scenario for me, after all. Anyway, just please focus on your task.”
“Understood! Just leave it to me!”
That’s the only moment that I saw some motivation in her.
“Ah….”
Kyouka-san sighed, then she said forcefully.
“About meals, I will take care of that.”
“No, I will take care of that as usual. Even with more people, that wouldn"t take much more work — besides, I want to make Sagiri’s meal.”
In the end, my little sister is a very picky eater. It took me a year to make something that she likes to eat.
This is not something others could handle. Kyouka-san had no choice but to accept that.
“…If that’s the case then it can’t be helped. But you must not force yourself.”
“Master! I’m looking forward to your delicious meals!”
Makina-san raised both of her hands, her eyes sparkling.
However, if she played the role of maid, then this situation isn’t normal in the slightest. In what kind of relations.h.i.+p does the master prepare meals? Oh — master and pet.
From the tablet, Sagiri laughed:
“…Makina-chan, do you prefer Ka * Ka or normal brand?” (TL Note: KalKan – Both are cat’s food )
“Eromanga-sensei, you are so mean to me!! Now I want to run away!”
“I don"t know anyone with that name!”
They began to argue again.
In order to calm them down, I raised my voice, saying:
“Kyouka-san, Makina-san, please tell me what you like to eat. I’ll make something to celebrate today!”
“Cool! I want hamburger!”
Makina-san purposely *meowed* and sat down on my lap.
Any boy would be glad to be in my position, but why is it that all I felt was disgust?
“….Makina-san…have you forgotten what I said?”
“I haven’t forgotten! But this doesn"t count.”
“I ~ said ~ no!!!”
Sagiri growled like a cat. Maybe because both of them are hikikomori, their relations.h.i.+p was better than I expected.
Of course, that didn"t mean I understood what they were talking about.
And so, two days pa.s.sed from that day.
There were two days left until the next meeting — the one that decided if Makina-san can keep her position as the scenario writer.
I was going to school and writing a novel.
Sagiri stayed at home and drew.
Kyouka-san went to work every day.
About Makina-san, well —
“Masamune-san, Masamune-san.”
She was sitting in the living room and writing the scenario next to me.
We both were sitting at a low table and working.
“What’s up, Makina-san?”
“I…wrote…a lot….”
“……….”
I looked at her prideful expression
Then I honestly asked her:
“…So?”
“Praise me ♡ Praise me ♡”
“As expected of Makina-san!”
“I know, right! Right! Hehe, it’s still not my best ~~~~~~~♪”
So annoying.
30 minutes later:
In the quiet room, the only sounds were from the keyboard.
“Masamune-san, Masamune-san.”
“What’s up, Makina-san?”
“I…wrote…a lot….”
“… … …”
“Look, look!”
“…Fine, fine.”
She only wrote one more sentence! Now there were two sentences on her paper!
“Next is my first planning! Are you preparing yourself?”
“As expected of Makina-san! Please do your best!”
“Ah ~~ of course ~~~~~~~~♪ I will do my best ~~~~~~~~~~♡ ”
After another 30 minutes.
“Masamune-san, Masamune-san.”
“What’s up, Makina-san?”
“My…work….”
“As expected of Makina! As expected of Makina!”
She was so easily distracted.
Now I understood why she couldn"t work if she lived alone.
Every 30 minutes, she will get distracted at least once.
“Masamune-san, Masamune-san.”
“What’s up, Makina-san?”
Makina-san slowly showed me her smartphone’s screen.
“I drew a SSR!”
“Don"t play mobile games! Focus on your work! There are only two days left!”
This conversation repeated a few more times.
“Masamune-san, Masamune-san.”
“As expected of Makina! As expected of Makina!”
“I haven’t said anything —! Can I watch anime?”
“You want to watch anime while working?”
“Yes yes yes. I will have more motivation if I watch anime while working ~~”
You can only do one at a time — well, I don’t believe her anyway, but the rumor said that some people like that really existed.
“Fine, what anime do you want to watch?”
“How about Stardust ☆ Witch Meruru?”
“Wow, you decided on that one?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Not really, but it’s embarra.s.sing…”
So, we let the television play Aoi Makina’s anime while working.
Of course, sometimes…this conversation repeated again..
“Masamune-san, Masamune-san.”
“As expected of Makina! As expected of Makina!”
After a while, Makina stopped typing and stretched her back. This action showed off just how impressive her "a.s.sets" were.
“Finally ~~ I finished a page ~~~”
Anyway, I should be happy. Because the next meeting — in two days — would be the deciding one. Without a finished plan, she will be fired.
That was the difference between her and Elf-sensei. Makina-san’s work proceeded very slowly, it made me very impatient.
“Thanks for the hard work. Want some tea?”
“So thoughtful ~~ Masamune-san is a pro when it comes to taking care of hikikomori!”
“Because I like my little sister.”
I raised my chest and replied. She suddenly averted her eyes.
“Hm, so you like your little sister huh……”
“Something wrong?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I want some snacks ~~♪”
“I foresaw that, so I bought some.”
“Good ♪”
We took a break to rest. By the way, I already asked her what kind of food she likes.
I brought the pudding and tea to the table. Makina-san took a spoon and showed me the handle.
“This is for you, Masamune-san.”
“?”
I t.i.tled my head in confusion since I had no idea what that meant. She grinned.
“Feed me ♪”
“W, what?”
“Say 『 ah ~~ 』 and feed me.”
“I’m not doing that. It’s embarra.s.sing!~”
“Oh ~ it’s not ~~ if you do that, I can finish my work immediately ~~ really, I will ~~ ♡”
“………..”
I don"t really get it, but if this truly can make her work faster then I should take this chance.
“Then ….”
I took the spoon and got a spoonful of pudding, slowly moved it toward her —
“Ahhh ~~”
“Ah ~~ um.”
— Suddenly
*Bang bang bang bang* The ceiling shook furiously.
“… … … …”
“… … … …”
We both looked up at the ceiling. Then I turned my head down:
“She said 『bring me some snacks too 』.”
“Phewwwwww!”
Makina-san couldn"t help it and broke into laughter. She even held her stomach in pain.
“Phew………..Ahahaha….so you understood…”
“Of course, since I’m her brother. I’m off then.”
“Fine, be careful ~~”
When I was on my way out of the living room, for some reason Makina-san took her notebook out and muttered to herself:
” ………….Ah ~ so shy ~~”
I brought the pudding and tea to the stairs. At the top of them was Sagiri with her arms crossed; an angry expression on her face.
I could only stare.
Unless Sagiri knew “that person is safe”, she will not go out of her room — but…
“Is it okay for you to be here? Makina-san is downstairs.”
“Second floor. No problem.”
“Okay…so, why are you angry?”
My little sister angrily shook her head
“I don"t know!”
That action was so cute that I almost fainted on the spot.
“Unless you tell me the reason, I can"t apologize — here is what you asked for.”
I gave the pudding, tea and the tray to Sagiri. But she turned her back on me.
“Follow me.”
I hastily followed her to her room.
“Put it down here.”
“Fine fine.”
I did as ordered and put the tray down on a table. Since I didn"t have any idea why she was mad, I could only do as she said.
“Sit down next to me.”
“Fine fine.”
“Feed me.”
“Fine fine — wait?”
This sudden request made me stare at my little sister. Sagiri’s face was right next to me.
“Just, just, just now….. what did you say?”
Sagiri squatted down; her hands rested on her thighs.
“….Like this.”
She looked down and muttered to herself. Normally I could barely manage to hear her, but today I was so confused that I couldn"t.
A moment pa.s.sed. Then Sagiri…looked up, blus.h.i.+ng.
“I, I said….Feed me.”
“———-”
What’s up with her today? Why did she say something so embarra.s.sing?
Is she trying to make me faint? Hey, the same thing happened to me just down stairs!
What’s going on? Is there an on-going trend that girls ask people to “feed” them?
“Didn"t…didn"t you hear me….Nii-san…you…ah ~~ feed me.”
“~~~~~~~~~~”
….I think I’m going to have a nosebleed.
Seeing that I was about to be knocked out, maybe Sagiri thought that she was being ignored, so she shouted:
“You, you fed Makina-chan!”
“How could you know that!”
“I don"t know! Idiot! Everything you have done with other girls, do with me too!”
“Eh?”
What insane breed of logic is that?
What should I do when the one I like asked me to do that?
If this was Tomoe, I would have kneeled down and asked her to let me touch her b.r.e.a.s.t.s!
I was so confused that I was beginning to get side-tracked. Next to me, Sagiri, she….
“Um!”
Raised her lips
Seeing this nearly gave me a heart attack. Because it looked like we were going to have a kiss.
“Unm…Hurry up.”
“I, I know…then….”
I took a spoon full of pudding.
“Ah ~~”
“Ah…umn”
And slowly put in inside my little sister’s mouth.
Just doing this made me very embarra.s.sed. My hand was trembling.
“… … …”
“… … …”
While I was trying to suppress my heart, Sagiri was slowly eating her pudding.
“…Um…”
She licked her lips. That normally shouldn"t be strange, but during this atmosphere…
d.a.m.n…the way she ate…
In my current chaotic state, I wouldn"t dare to get lost in my imagination. I felt my face was so hot.
Tears appeared on Sagiri’s face, and she said:
“It’s so embarra.s.sing! Nii-san is a pervert!”
“Wasn’t it your request?”
You are so unreasonable!
After the paradise/torture time had pa.s.sed.
“… … … …”
“… … … …”
A mysterious silence fell upon us.
Since we finished the pudding, I should go back…
“Well….I should go….”
“I still have something to say.”
Sagiri’s eyes focused on me.
“Eh….something else?”
“Yesterday….”
She narrowed her eyes and said a single word at a time.
“You and Kyouka-san.”
“I and Kyouka-san?”
“Flirted.”
“We did not!”
What the h.e.l.l was she saying?
“You did.”
“No no no, I really didn"t.”
“Liar. You….let her clean your ears.”
“…!”
“You lied down on her thighs…while she was wearing tights…then she gently cleaned your ears, didn"t she?”
“Can you please not saying it in such impure way?”
You make it like we did something very erotic!
“Besides, how could that count as flirting!”
“Why not! You did it with her, didn"t you!”
Sagiri’s eyes when she was demanding an answer were so scary!
“No, I mean…that should be called….something normal.”
“Hm…so Nii-san will normally do it?”
“You are talking about cleaning ears, aren’t you?”
I thought you were talking about something very different.
“Phew….listen to me, Sagiri. This….this happened when I was having a chat with Kyouka-san, she got off work late at night. She suddenly told me 『 Let me help you clean your ears 』, that’s all.”
Not to mention that she said in a very lonely tone that “….Long ago, I used to do that to my brother too.”
“There was no way that I could refuse.”
“Then do it with me.”
“Why?”
“Didn"t I tell you….everything you have done with other girls, do with me too.”
“…..”
Let my little sister clean my ears…
“….Father let his little sister clean his ears, right. Then we can do it too.”
Sagiri patted her thighs
“Here.”
“………….”
*Po po*
“Here”
“……………”
Sagiri today had her usual coat on. Since it was a fairly big coat, it looked like she didn"t wear anything underneath. Her white thighs looked delicious.
“..Ug.”
Since she didn"t understand my thoughts, Sagiri pouted and patted her thighs again.
“Nii-san!!”
“Alright! I got it!”
I don"t care anymore! I closed my eyes and put my head on my little sister’s thighs.
It felt much better than I expected.
“…Is that okay?”
“…………..”
“…..About…is my head too heavy?”
“……………………………………………”
“… … … … … … … … . . . Sagiri?”
“It’s okay, it’s okay!!!” Sagiri yelled “Anyway, I’m going to start.”
“Okay…go ahead.”
My heart was racing non-stop.
“…Un…then…from here….”
I felt something touch my ear.
“…Are you okay? Does it hurt?”
“It feels ticklish.”
“Ah, don"t move…it’s dangerous…”
“Ah….”
“..Ah…so next…I will go deeper….”
Sagiri focused on moving the cleaning tool. I tried my best to ignore this smooth feeling on my face. Right now, this is the most dangerous place for me.
"….Ha….ha….ha…..heh….."
Time pa.s.sed so slowly. I wouldn"t be surprised if I got a nosebleed right now.
Suddenly, Sagiri stopped.
"…About…."
"…Yes?"
"…Nii-san…recently….do you get enough sleep?"
I tried to answer as calmly as possible.
"I do."
"Liar."
It didn"t look like I could get off easily…So I replied.
"Uhm ~~ maybe I was lacking some sleep…Making an anime…really added up a lot of work….And I still have to keep up with my normal workload…But it"s okay, there is nothing to worry about —"
"School."
Sagiri interrupted me and immediately pointed out the "reason".
"Yeah, morning cla.s.s is such a pain."
Going to school and working as a novelist, and at the same time still having to work on the anime project - it was harder than I expected.
Even if the scenario writer didn"t follow the plan, the other work related stuff just kept coming.
For example: there is supervising, meeting fans, radio shows….Anyway, there are many things that I need to do and check on.
Unlike writing a novel, there is no way to do it all faster. And since these things made me nervous, I barely got any sleep.
Still, for now, everything is still manageable.
I have motivation. Lots of motivation. I think I can keep going.
Just…the image of more work coming…scared me a bit.
In the end, this is the first time I have had an anime.
"…Nii-san. Consider this my request…can you sleep for a while?"
"I"m okay."
Could it be that …my breathing? For some unknown reason…Sagiri immediately found out if I spent a night without sleep.
This isn’t good…I made my little sister worry.
"….You don"t understand."
"You"re wrong. I do understand."
I will not make you worry again.
"…You really don"t understand."
Sagiri put her finger on my face.
"Nii-san…"
"Yes?"
"It"s okay…if you sleep now."
"Of course I can"t. I still haven"t finished my work today."
Besides, I don"t think I can sleep on your thigh like this.
"Is that so….I think we are about to done here."
Sagiri seemed to have given up.
"However…your ear is so clean."
"Of course."
It was cleaned just yesterday.
"…Forget it. So…there is something else…."
What is she trying to do? I felt a bit terrified.
Sagiri took the cleaning tool out of my ear..
"I will scratch the back of your ear… a bit."
I felt a s.h.i.+ver down my spine. Seeing that, Sagiri laughed with satisfaction.
"Okay, done!"
"Phew…."
It"s finally over. I sighed in relief, but there is a bit of nostalgia…How strange.
Sagiri poked my face.
"Ehehe…are you feeling comfortable now?"
"…I felt erotic from the beginning till the end."
"Erotic…Ugh…"
Sagiri immediately blushed madly. She slammed her eyes into a >< shape="" and="">
"Nii…you…re…really ~~!!"
She was so embarra.s.sed that she couldn"t even make normal conversation. Instead, she…
*Ouch* She bit my neck!
"Ughhhhhhhhhh ughhhhh ~~~~~~"
"Ouch ouch, it hurt! Sa…stop!.. You are going to bite my carotid!"
"IDIOT —!"
My little sister turned into a silver haired True Ancestor Vampire and gave me a harsh punishment.
After I got back to the living room, Makina-san was lying face up on the sofa.
Her T-s.h.i.+rt was up high enough to reveal her bellyb.u.t.ton. How shameless.
“A ~~ a ~~ a ~~ a ~~ ”
I gave a sound of surprise.
"Makina-san. Ma — Ki —-Na —San! Get up please! You will catch a cold!"
"Uhm ~~ I"m not sleeping ~~"
Huh? That"s strange.
Makina-san was still lying face up, then she turned to me and broke into laugher.
"Phewwww ahahaha ♪ Welcome back, Masamune-san."
"Is there something so funny?"
"There is not, I just listened to a funny conversation…so I laughed!"
Did she use her smartphone to watch a comedy show?
"Ah ~ my stomach hurts. I laughed too much." She said, still coughing.
"Just focus on doing your job properly."
"Don"t worry about it."
Still lying down, Makina threw a USB drive to me.
"Huh?"
I caught it.
"What is this?"
"Sekaimo"s series composition plan."
"You finished?"
"Thanks to you."
"But how? Before I left the room, you had only managed a single page!"
She finished it in about 30 minutes?
"Could it be that you only wrote 「Undecided 」 to trick…."
"How much do you distrust me? I finished it, right? Because thanks to your sibling"s reference, I got a deeper understanding of Sekaimo! That"s why I finished my undecided part in one stroke!"
Seemed like that was the case.
"Did you do something to get that reference?"
"Fufufufu, of course I did."
"Uhm…."
I don"t really understand, but if she said "yes", then who cares.
It probably had something to do with her secret conversation with Sagiri anyway.
"Can I take a look."
"Go ahead ~~ it"s a rare chance to meet a genius scenario writer right after she finished her work earlier than expected."
"Not earlier. You are two weeks behind schedule."
"Hey, don"t pour cold water on me! That….well, like I said, in the next meeting please take care of me!"
"..Sure."
So…it seems Makina-san has found her motivation.
After checking on her plan, suddenly a thought came to me.
"Makina-san, can I ask you something?"
"Huh? What is it?"
"About the girl on the video sent to you earlier, your 「nemesis 」."
"What"s about her?"
"What"s she like?"
"Do you want to know?"
Well, it"s true that she wasn"t related to me in the slightest.
"Well, that"s one of the reasons Makina came to my house after all."
Makina-san made a grumping noise, then stood up from the sofa. Then she folded her arms together, and said:
"Umm ~~~~ that girl ~~~~~~~~~ is a very horrible girl!"
She said that with a complex expression, but her tone was happy —
"When I bought my current home, she said 「 in case of disaster, you have no way to escape 」 and 「your taste is so horrible! 」 and made fun of me. But then she bought a similar apartment! I"m so mad! She was secretly jealous of me, wasn"t she?!"
No no no, I wanted to ask about what anime she made.
"You have such a great relations.h.i.+p."
"We do not!"
She became angry.
Not to mention who is the more horrible one - though I myself think there is about a 90% chance this is Makina-san - but I can sense that both of them were pus.h.i.+ng each other forward.
"You have motivation toward Sekaimo — because that girl taunted you, don"t you?"
If that was the case, then I should even thank that nemesis of hers.
— There are three condition needed for me to give it my all
Makina-san once said that. But now thinking back, unless she "wanted to give it everything" in the first place, she wouldn"t even say that.
"…Well, that was part of the reason. I want to laugh at the girl. That was a real reason for me to work hard…"
Makina-san closed her eyes and made an "Um ~~" sound. Then she seemed to give up and sat down.
"I told you that…there was someone with me when I made Meruru right?"
"Yes."
"That was my big sister."
"……………..I had a hunch."
I had figured as much after hearing the conversation between Producer Akasaka and Makina-san.
“I see…well, you see how I am, right? I stay at home all day, barely go outside. I don"t like trouble either, so living alone meant that I could hardly get anything done.”
In the beginning, I already had my suspicions.
Why did she — take such a difficult job as a scenario writer?
“After I took this job, my sister was worried about me, so she b.u.t.ted in. Then…a lot of things happened. Many, many things…I’m not going to tell anyone about those things…but it was fun. Very, very fun…However, in the end, I turned back into this…It has been a long time since I last saw my sister.”
Makina-san’s words omitted a lot of details, so I couldn"t have a good grasp on the situation.
But….I noticed her feelings.
Very strong feelings, which included loneliness and regret.
“You are a bit like my sister.” She muttered with a small smile.
“Me?”
“Um. Taking care of a hikikomori little sister, making a work together…taking my hand and pulling me up…
…….Giving me a dream.”
At this moment, I felt like she was part of my family.
“Your little sister is very different from me…but your dream is similar to our dream in the past.”
She looked up, and continued:
“So, I have to work to make your dream come true…”
“The dream that your sister gave you…have you reached it?”
I felt like something made me ask this question
She smiled:
“I have.”
“Then –”
“However…well….”
She grinned.
“The most important part of our dream is after I reached it.”
“……….”
I felt a heavy responsibility. To her, and to myself, who was not thinking about “after reaching our dream”.
That’s why I kept silent without saying anything.
“You want to reach your dream and have your happiness. If I could help finish this clumsy sitcom family show — I think I would be happy.”
That’s why she would work hard.
Her normally unmotivated eyes were showing a bright spark.