Tokyo: Oreimo

Ryosuke stepped back, gesturing for the girl to stand in the middle of the group, then took off his baseball cap and placed it on her head.

"Eh? Elder brother?"

"You'll feel more comfortable this way. Next time you come, you can wear something more comfortable."

"Thank you."

The girl lowered her head, and indeed felt a little more relaxed as a result. She whispered something to Ryosuke in a voice that Ling Nai couldn't hear:

"Although my older brother is a pervert who would hurt his younger sister, he is actually quite gentle in some ways."

"?"

A simple thank you is enough; there's absolutely no need to say the rest.

Ryosuke twitched the corner of his mouth.

"I think you misunderstand me, Aragaki."

"No, brother, don't try to fool me anymore. I understand your mind perfectly well now!"

The girl has already gained some confidence in this regard, after all, she endured the discomfort and completed the main story of "Living in Seclusion".

She now believes that even Ling Nai doesn't know as much about this as she does.

“…”

Seeing the girl's determined gaze, Ryosuke reluctantly chose to give up explaining.

The four of them chatted casually to pass the time.

Several hours later, a commotion arose from the line ahead.

"It's about to begin," Gokou Mao said calmly.

Before Ruri Aragaki could react to what was happening, she saw the team, which had been standing still, suddenly move as if a switch had been flipped.

We began to move forward rapidly.

The crowd behind him propelled him forward, a situation that Ryosuke was completely unable to stop, and he was forced to grab the shoulder of the girl in front of him.

"Huh?"

A slight blush appeared on Ryōsuke's face; she hadn't expected Ryōsuke to touch her so suddenly.

The scene that had happened on the stairs of Takashiro's house involuntarily flashed into my mind.

But before she could think any further, she heard Ryosuke's voice.

"Keep moving forward."

The crowd ahead suddenly thinned out, and beyond the ticket gate, Ruri Aragaki saw people sprinting.

Ryosuke pushed the girl along, following in the footsteps of Ryouno and Gokou Mao, and finally stepped into the venue.

After that.

At the entrance, tens of thousands of people started running simultaneously, rushing frantically into the venue.

The sound of footsteps mingled together, causing the ground to tremble.

Ruri Aragaki's face turned pale.

What's happening here?

She was clearly frightened.

"Huh?!"

She instinctively took a step back, but Ling Nai grabbed her wrist.

"Liuli! Run! It'll be too late if you don't run now!"

"Wait...wait a minute."

"I'll go first."

After saying those words, Gokou Mao dashed away like an arrow released from a bow.

Because of her small stature, she moved freely through the crowd and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"That black cat!" Ling Nai cried out anxiously, "Liuli, we...!"

Ruri Aragaki had never seen anything like this before, although similar situations do occur at some large concerts.

But she had never seen such a massive crowd after entering the venue, and her legs suddenly felt weak.

It can't run at all.

"Alright, take your time! Hey, you take care of her, I'm going to grab the limited edition first!"

Ling Nai had no choice but to let go, said something to Liang Jie, and her golden hair flashed through the crowd before disappearing without a trace.

Liuli stood still as the crowd surged past her. Some people bumped into her shoulder, while others stepped on her skirt, making it impossible for her to even stand still.

"It would be dangerous to stay still."

Ryosuke's voice rang in my ears.

Then Ruri Aragaki felt a hand supporting her waist, forcefully dragging her along.

Chapter 155 I Refusal

Ryosuke turned to the side to shield her from the crowd, avoiding the jostling of the throng, and moved to a position on the outer edge.

"Brother..."

The moment they reached a safe area, Ryosuke let go of her.

Ruri Aragaki's face still bore a look of panic, as if she hadn't yet recovered from the shock she had just experienced.

“Ling Nai and the others..”

"Don't worry about the two of them. I've seen this kind of scene many times before. I roughly know where they went."

Ryosuke unfolded the booth map in his backpack and glanced at it.

The limited editions that Ling Nai went to great lengths to snag are nothing more than works by a few well-known figures in the doujinshi (fan-made comics) community.

Once the flow of people at the exhibition hall entrance is limited and stabilizes, they can gather together again.

Ryosuke stepped aside and beckoned the girl to walk on his inside.

Ruri Aragaki bit her lip and followed him carefully, taking small steps.

The crowd was still surging, but with Ryosuke blocking the way, the impact was much less.

"You really like to force yourself. If you're not interested, you don't have to come."

As he passed by the stalls, Ryosuke noticed that Ruri Aragaki always avoided looking directly at the 'naked' signs and posters.

"Because Ling Nai likes..."

Ruri Aragaki muttered something to herself.

If we don't come, won't our elder brother get his way?

At least now, it ensures that the brother and sister are not alone, so things won't escalate to that point.

However, although it prevented them from being alone, she ended up with Ryosuke and they even had physical contact just now.

The girl felt a little embarrassed about it.

This is the first time I've ever been put around the waist by someone other than Ling Nai.

But surprisingly, I didn't feel any particular aversion to it.

"Your touch felt good just now, didn't you, brother?"

The girl seemed to have thought of something and suddenly asked a question.

Where are you pointing?

These words startled Ryosuke.

He remembered that he didn't touch any sensitive areas.

"My waist... I've been keeping in shape because of work. Do you like this type, brother?"

Ruri Aragaki spoke softly with her head down, her voice trembling slightly.

"..."

Ryosuke paused for a moment, then looked down at the girl beside him.

Because she was looking down, Ryosuke couldn't see her expression at all.

What do you mean by suddenly saying something like this? Aren't you a lesbian?

He's still bothered by the physical contact we just had.

If you don't answer this question well, you might get disliked.

"If you care about this so much, I can apologize to you."

Ryosuke felt somewhat helpless; in that situation, he simply couldn't leave Aragaki Ruri unattended.

Ruri Aragaki shook her head.

"I don't mean to blame my elder brother. On the contrary, I should be thanking him for saving me in that situation."

In the face of the crowd, if Ryosuke hadn't pulled her away, she might have fallen and been trampled.

"I'm asking this question just to confirm something with my older brother."

"Ok?"

Ryosuke asked curiously.

Ruri Aragaki bit her lip tightly, her face beneath her baseball cap flushed crimson.

"that..."

"If I'm willing to marry my brother, could you please stop attacking Ling Nai?"

"...Marriage?" Ryosuke's face showed an extremely strange expression.