Tokyo: Oreimo

Takagi Ryouno looked excited as she gazed at Ryosuke on the bed.

"This guy's sleeping like a log, but that's fine, it gives me a chance to destroy the evidence!"

The girl quickly left the room and closed the door.

Only then did Ryosuke dare to turn over in bed, staring at the ceiling with a helpless expression on his face.

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have put the game in a more conspicuous place."

.....

The night passed, and Ryosuke slept soundly without being attacked again.

At breakfast that morning, the brother and sister sat at the same table, but didn't say a word to each other.

The girl deliberately avoided Ryosuke's gaze, finished her breakfast as quickly as possible, grabbed her backpack, and ran out of the house.

"What's wrong with Ling Nai today?"

Mieko noticed that the girl was troubled and looked at her son.

"Who knows?"

Ryosuke shrugged.

This girl is probably feeling guilty, afraid that I would question her directly, which is why she ran away so quickly.

"If your little sister is in trouble, please help her in time. I think you should understand this, after all, you are her older brother."

Mieko said with a serious expression.

"understood."

Ryosuke sighed inwardly and could only agree.

Dear Mother, if you knew Ling Nai's little hobbies, you probably wouldn't have said such things, right?

Ryosuke could never bring himself to admit that his troubled teenage girl enjoyed playing erotic games.

After helping his mother clear the table, Ryosuke put on his backpack and headed to school.

"Isn't pretending not to know about this the best way to handle it?"

.....

Ever since she retrieved the 'evidence' last night, Ling Nai has been frowning all day.

Why did this have to happen to me?

That guy must have recognized me. He was staring at me while I was eating breakfast. Did he think I was a pervert?

"I'm sick!"

In that situation, there was nothing that could be done if he was discovered. Even if he stole the game disc, he couldn't tell anyone, but the biggest witness was right at home.

Whenever I make eye contact with Ryosuke, I feel extremely ashamed and wish I could turn around and run away immediately.

"I'll probably be mistaken for an otaku, right?"

Ling Naixin thought to herself.

She does indeed have this hidden hobby, a secret even her best friend doesn't know.

"Damn it! Is this guy my nemesis? He always manages to find something he can use against me!"

The girl clutched her head and slumped onto the table, looking utterly distressed.

"Has something happened? Ling Nai's behavior is very strange."

Ruri Aragaki, sitting in the back seat, noticed something was wrong, but because she was in class, she didn't ask immediately.

Until lunch break, after lunch.

Ruri Aragaki would take Ryōno Takashiro to the rooftop, a relatively private spot where the two would whisper secrets to each other.

"Is something on your mind lately, Ling Nai?"

"Huh?"

Takashiro Ryouno was taken aback by the question and shook her head vigorously.

"No, I'm just a little tired from being busy, because the comic I'm working on with that guy is going to start serialization next month."

She hurriedly made up an excuse to try and get away with it.

Ruri Aragaki's heart tightened.

You lied, Ling Nai.

She knows the people she likes very well, and no little movement can escape her notice.

The girl would unconsciously fiddle with her fingers whenever she lied.

Ruri Aragaki didn't ask any further questions, but simply held her hand.

“That… Ruri.”

Takashiro Ryou hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.

"what happened?"

What are your thoughts on otaku?

Ruri Aragaki paused for a moment, recalling her friend's unusual behavior today, and her expression suddenly became extremely serious.

"Did we encounter a pervert?"

"Huh? No, there isn't."

"Then why bring up that bunch of trash all of a sudden?"

"Trash...garbage?"

Takashiro Ryouno suddenly became so nervous that she started to stutter.

"If you get harassed by that kind of guy, call the police immediately and make sure you are safe!"

"What? It can't be that exaggerated..."

Takashiro Ryouno stared at the ground, looking quite disappointed.

Suddenly, she felt a slight pain in her friend's hand, which was gripping her tightly.

"Is that your older brother? Is he an otaku?"

Ruri Aragaki's aura has become somewhat frightening.

"No, it has nothing to do with that guy..."

Takashiro Ryou quickly waved her hand, denying it.

"Is that so? Ling Nai, you must remember that otaku are a group of perverts whose heads are filled with eroticism and who will put it into action. If you encounter them, you must not associate with them and must stay away from them immediately."

"I see!"

All Takashiro Ryouno could do was try to carefully break free from the other party's grasp.

A shadow fell over Ruri Aragaki's face.

The girl she liked suddenly brought up those disgusting groups, which made her extremely wary.

Because of her part-time modeling job, she often communicates with some industry veterans.

Regarding otaku, a senior colleague of similar age had mentioned to her many times that they were an extremely dangerous group.

Greasi and perverted, even when taking photos, he would hold props covered in erotic patterns and make obscene gestures.

That senior was also attacked in sensitive areas by some shameless fans.

Seeing her friend's strong aversion to otaku, Takashiro Ryouno forced a smile and ended the conversation.

The two returned to the classroom together.

"We must protect Ling Nai and not let bad guys lead her astray!"

Ruri Aragaki sat in her seat, staring at Ryouna in the seat in front of her.

"We should talk to her elder brother. If someone like that really appears in her life, it would be too dangerous."

She seemed to be deep in thought.

Chapter 34 Temporary Worker (Thanks to "kanon1215" for the monthly vote)

After school, Takashiro Ryouno and Aragaki Ruri parted ways at the intersection, and she went home with a heavy heart.

During dinner, the family sat down at the table to eat, but the girl had a poor appetite and only ate a few bites before returning to her room.

Takashiro Isao and Mieko exchanged glances, and without asking any questions, they both turned their gazes to Ryosuke.

Ryosuke Takagi could only finish his meal quickly and return upstairs.

dong dong dong-

At 8 p.m., Ryosuke knocked on his sister's door with his study materials.

After waiting at the door for a while, the blonde girl opened it, looking displeased.

"I'm taking a day off today, so academic tutoring is suspended."

"Really? Sure, I'll make it up to you this weekend. There's another thing I need to ask you, but never mind, let's talk about it after you've calmed down."

Ryosuke Takashiro originally intended to take advantage of the academic tutoring opportunity to ask his younger sister for help with the demo artwork.

However, judging from the current situation, it didn't seem like a good time. He didn't say anything more and just turned around and went back to his room.

...

"What? This guy's actually putting on quite a show."

Ling Nai closed the door and sat back on the bed.

They clearly saw me and recognized me, but now they're pretending not to know.

She took out the game disc that was under the mattress, but immediately lost interest in playing it.

Her friend's attitude during the day deeply affected her.