Tokyo: Oreimo

Then he sat up from the ground, walked to the girl's side, reached out and placed his hand on her head, patting it gently as if comforting a small animal.

"Don't touch me..."

Like a hedgehog, Ling Nai reflexively slapped his hand away.

I hate you!

"I hate it the most!"

The girl stood up from her chair and, without saying a word, pushed Ryosuke toward the door.

"Don't bother me! You jerk!"

"We already have the Female Titan, isn't she enough?"

The door was closed again.

Ryosuke was left at the door.

......

What? Why would you say something like that?

It makes it sound like I'm jealous of the She-Giant.

Takashiro Ryouko collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. The feeling of losing something very important made her very uncomfortable.

Images kept popping into my mind.

Two years ago, that guy and Mieko suddenly appeared in my house one day.

When Takashiro Yuuji informed her that she had an older brother, Ling Nai looked down on Ryosuke from the bottom of her heart.

What? This guy suddenly appeared. There's no way she'd admit that he's her brother.

But a series of events that followed led her to truly get to know Ryosuke and begin communicating with him.

This guy, I have to say, is truly despicable to the core.

She'll argue with herself, tease herself maliciously, and even though there's a good story, she won't let her see the ending all at once.

Later, she began to trust him. They played games together, went to commercials together, and made animations together...

He would help reconcile when I argued with my best friend, and I had someone to talk to when I had worries.

The black cat said many times that it envied him because of this.

"What's there to envy...?"

Although I said that, I actually laughed more during that period than in the previous few years combined, and inexplicably started to rely on that guy.

After that, she seemed to really treat Ryosuke as her older brother.

Whether I encounter troubles or happy things, I will go to him to share them, and I will often go to his room to talk to him.

On the day "Death Note" officially began serialization, I would stay at home until late at night, looking forward to sharing my joy with my partner.

Then, everything was brought back to normal at Ureshino.

"What?! He got a girlfriend without permission, and she's the She-Giant..."

Without her consent at all.....

But even a sister can't interfere with her brother's dating life, right?

Ling Nai's heart skipped a beat.

"I...could I be...?"

Although I didn't want to admit it, the tears that kept welling up in my eyes had already proven the answer.

Her feelings for Ryosuke didn't seem to be what siblings felt at all.

Chapter 185 I know, this kind of thing

The sound of the door closing echoed in the corridor for a few seconds before everything fell silent.

Ryosuke stood at the door, the spot on his palm where he had been pinched turning bluish-purple, and the pain throbbed with each pulse.

"We already have the Female Titan, isn't she enough...?"

Ling Nai's last words echoed in his mind.

Ryosuke lowered his arms, his eyes fixed on the tightly closed door opposite him.

"Could it be...?"

An absurd idea popped into my head.

If it's the same as what I thought, then things are going to be bad; it's the kind of thing that can't be coaxed.

Ryosuke shook his head, suppressing the thought.

It should be impossible.

It's not uncommon for siblings to grow distant because one of them is in a romantic relationship.

A teenage girl might feel upset, like "my brother has been taken away from me."

It must be like this.

However, I never expected my partner to react so strongly to my relationship, even though he's someone who can't even bring himself to call me "brother".

He glanced at Ling Nai's door but didn't knock again.

We've already pushed him too far today; if we keep going, he'll probably really break down.

Back in his room, Ryosuke sat at his desk, staring at the blank page on the computer screen for a long time, unable to type a single word.

All I could think of was Ling Nai saying "I hate you" with red eyes.

"....never mind."

He closed his laptop, turned off the light, and lay on the bed staring at the ceiling.

The next room was very quiet; you couldn't hear a sound.

After an unknown amount of time, very light footsteps were heard in the corridor, as if someone was walking on tiptoe.

The footsteps paused for a few seconds in front of his door, then continued forward and disappeared in the direction of the stairs.

Ryosuke rolled over and closed his eyes.

.....

The next day.

When Ryosuke came downstairs, Mieko was frying eggs in the kitchen, the oil sizzling in the pan.

"Good morning." He pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing at the dining table.

There are only three sets of bowls and chopsticks.

"Mother, where is Ling Nai? Does she have no intention of coming down today?"

"She's still sleeping." Mieko flipped the fried egg over. "When I checked on her last night, the light was still on. She probably went to bed very late. Let her sleep a little longer."

Ryosuke responded without saying anything more.

When it's done, if you don't want to come down, I'll go upstairs and check on the situation.

As he was thinking this, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs just as he was finishing his breakfast.

Ling Nai came downstairs in her home clothes, her hair was not tied up, and her long golden hair was loose over her shoulders. There was a faint blue ring under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept well.

"morning."

She said something in a low voice, pulled out a chair and sat down, without looking at Ryosuke.

Mihoko brought over the porridge and fried eggs she had prepared. Ryou took them and ate them in small bites. Her movements were more natural than in the previous days, and at least she was no longer forcing herself to eat as if she were completing a task.

"What are the plans for today?" Mieko asked, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two children.

"I'll be going out," Ryosuke said.

"I'm at home," Ling Nai said, then paused and added, "I'm a little tired and want to rest."

Mieko glanced at Ryosuke, her eyes conveying, "Say something, will you?"

Ryosuke coughed, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Ling Nai.

The girl lowered her head and drank her porridge, her eyelashes drooping. She looked much better than yesterday.

But before he could speak, Ling Nai spoke first.

"Is your injury from yesterday alright?"

The girl's fingers tightened slightly as she held the spoon.

"...What injury?"

"hand."

"Well, I can't move for now."

Ryosuke raised his right hand, his four fingers covered in bruises. "Don't worry, it's been treated, it'll be fine in a couple of days."

"I wasn't worried about you..."

Ling Nai muttered something, then finished the porridge in her bowl, stood up, and walked to the sink with the empty bowl in her hand.

"...If it hurts, just apply an ice pack."

After saying that, she put the bowl in the sink, turned around, and went upstairs.

Ryosuke watched her figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, then turned and met Mieko's meaningful gaze.

"Have you talked?"

"That's it."

"Have you gotten to the point?"

".....No."

How can we talk about something like this?