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21/25
18:03
The four Hoshikawa siblings sat together around the dining table, ready to enjoy a lavish dinner. However, the youngest, Fuyuno, sitting across from her older sister Chiaki, clearly didn’t look happy at all.
“Mmm…”
Fuyuno puffed out her cheeks and pouted. Even while sulking, she looked undeniably adorable.
“What’s wrong, Fuyuno…?”
Harutaki had been about to dig into the meal Ayaka had carefully prepared, but seeing his little sister’s gloomy expression, he couldn’t bring himself to start.
When he got home earlier, he had planned to take charge of cooking for all four of them. But the moment he stepped inside, Ayaka was already in the kitchen, apron tied and ready.
“Idiot Aniki just got back from Kyoto—go rest properly!”
—she had said, pushing him right out of the kitchen.
Physically, he wasn’t that tired, but after everything that had happened over the past three days, he was mentally drained.
Taking a break for once didn’t sound so bad.
And besides… refusing Ayaka’s thoughtfulness would’ve been pretty insensitive.
“If there’s something you want to eat, I can make another dish for you.”
Even after what Fuyuno had done before, he still couldn’t help treating her like a child. Her small frame and cute appearance were just too deceptive.
“Harutaki, don’t spoil her so much… honestly! She’s getting more and more willful…”
Before Fuyuno could respond, Ayaka was already complaining.
Fair enough, he thought. Anyone would feel upset if their carefully prepared meal was treated like this.
“Mmm… Ayaka-chan is the worst! You’re getting more and more biased toward Harutaki—”
Fuyuno pointed at the table full of well-balanced dishes, voicing her frustration.
Different treatment. Always different treatment…
Why couldn’t she be the most important person in someone’s heart?
“When Harutaki’s not home, it’s curry, curry, curry… but the moment he’s back, you go all out—”
“W-what’s wrong with curry?!”
Ayaka snapped, her sore spot struck, raising her voice to defend herself.
But Fuyuno wasn’t one to back down.
“If you like Harutaki that much, always making him nice food, why don’t you just marry him and move out?”
At that, Ayaka’s face instantly flushed bright red. She slammed her hands on the table, looking ready to jump across and punish her cheeky little sister.
“M-mar-mar-marriage…?! Fuyuno, you’re seriously asking for it!”
“Actually… even if Harutaki gets married, he could still live at home…”
Chiaki quietly chimed in.
“Hey, the food’s going to get cold, you know?”
Harutaki sighed softly, thinking how troublesome Fuyuno could be—and how impressive it was that Ayaka managed to put up with her.
But… he felt like he was starting to understand Fuyuno a little better.
This youngest sister of his might be mischievous and troublesome, but she wasn’t stupid. She wouldn’t provoke Ayaka knowingly just to get herself punished.
She’d been on the receiving end of Ayaka’s “iron fist” plenty of times already. Could it really be that she just never learned?
A certain idea he’d once heard came to mind.
When boys tease girls as kids, it’s often just a way of seeking attention.
Sometimes… that kind of behavior even extends toward their parents.
“Fuyuno, if you have something on your mind, just say it. You, Chiaki, Ayaka, and I—we’re family. If there’s a problem, we should talk it through properly.”
“Hmph~”
Fuyuno crossed her arms and turned her head away, cheeks puffed in protest.
“If you want caramel pudding, just say so and I’ll buy it for you. But you can only have three a week, and make sure you brush your teeth properly after.”
“What do you mean ‘make sure you brush your teeth properly’… idiot Harutaki. I’m just short, I’m not actually an elementary school kid. And honestly, you nag just like Ayaka. You two are a perfect match.”
“R-really?”
Ayaka’s aqua-colored eyes suddenly lit up.
…You do realize that was supposed to be an insult, right?
Seeing that reaction, Harutaki couldn’t hold back his urge to comment.
Did Ayaka only hear the “perfect match” part?
“Um—”
“Tch.”
Fuyuno cut him off before he could even finish his third syllable, her tone dripping with disdain.
“Don’t bother with your sweet talk, Harutaki… Anyway… you’re just saying it. That’s all.”
“As your brother, is it really so unbelievable that I’d follow through on what I say to you?”
“What ‘as your brother’… idiot Harutaki…”
Fuyuno glanced at him, and seeing the seriousness in his eyes, she wavered slightly.
Could “sweet talk” really be kept?
Fragments of memories surfaced in her mind—
“Be a good girl, Fuyuno. When Mom and Dad have time, we’ll take you to Disneyland.”
“Be good. A sweet girl like you will definitely be loved and cherished by everyone.”
Those were her parents’ “sweet words.” Yet she had never once gone to Disneyland, nor had she received the love and affection she was promised.
“I’ll use gentler methods from now on. I won’t hit you anymore.”
“You and Chiaki are both the people I love and care about the most.”
Those were Ayaka’s “sweet words.” But the hitting never stopped… and the person Ayaka cared about most now was clearly him—Hoshikawa Harutaki.
Then there were classmates and teachers… countless “sweet words.”
Fuyuno had never seen anyone actually keep them.
Based on how Harutaki used to treat her, she wasn’t so much someone who was valued, but more like an obligation labeled “little sister.” Ayaka’s extra baggage. An add-on.
Even when Harutaki remembered to buy her gifts and sweets, Chiaki got them too. Ayaka did as well. And most of the time, Ayaka was the one who got the most.
But…
Whenever she remembered being held in his arms while watching TV… how he played along with her silly jokes… how he bickered with her…
“I want idiot Harutaki to hold me and feed me!”
“You’ve got hands and feet. Feed yourself.”
Ayaka shot her a fierce glare.
Maybe two or three years ago, she would’ve backed down. But now? She was used to it.
“I’m tired after a whole day of classes… gym class was exhausting too… I don’t wanna move…”
She didn’t use this tactic often, and she’d never really practiced it—but acting spoiled came as naturally as breathing. If she wanted to, she could do it effortlessly.
With Ayaka here, there’s no way idiot Harutaki would agree, right?
Even getting to sit together and watch TV had taken her a long time to negotiate.
“Didn’t you just say you’re not an elementary schooler?”
Ayaka shot her a look of disdain.
“That was Fuyuno.”
Even Chiaki had betrayed their “alliance”—
Though that alliance existed only in Fuyuno’s mind.
“Doesn’t matter. No matter how old you are, you’re still my little sister.”
Harutaki pushed his chair back, leaving enough space between himself and the table for her to pass through, then patted his thigh.
“Come here.”
“…That was way too easy. Harutaki, are you plotting something? Since you agreed, Fuyuno can help you with some very special problems too~”
“5—”
“4—”
Before he could count down to three, Fuyuno couldn’t hold out any longer.
She jumped off her chair, didn’t even bother with her slippers, and slipped straight into his arms.
Sitting on his lap wasn’t as stable or comfortable as a chair—but nestled in his strong arms, she felt a strange illusion of safety, as if this was the most secure place in the world.
“Let’s eat~”
“You have to say it first, Harutaki!”
“Yeah, yeah~”
Fuyuno didn’t care about that kind of thing right now.
She was way too happy.
After the usual mealtime greeting, she pointed straight at the hamburger steak nearby. Thankfully, Harutaki’s arms were long enough—otherwise, holding her while grabbing food would’ve been a real hassle.
“So childish…”
Ayaka muttered, biting her chopsticks in frustration.
Watching Fuyuno being fed in Harutaki’s arms, she could only try to imagine Fuyuno as a cat to stop herself from getting annoyed.
That “practice date” she had planned so carefully before—they’d only managed to feed each other at most. Yet now, with just a bit of acting spoiled, Fuyuno had surpassed all her efforts in one go.
But… if this helped break Harutaki’s resistance toward step-sisters, maybe—
No! Absolutely not!
Chiaki might be fine, but Fuyuno? That girl was trouble every single day.
“…Sigh.”
Ayaka sighed softly, deciding to treat this as compensation for Fuyuno. After all, back when she was constantly exhausted, the only way she knew how to discipline her had been… physical.
Better to focus on the pork miso soup in front of her.
She picked up a chunk of daikon, took a bite, and the slightly bitter broth burst from within the tender radish.
“Tch…”
Chiaki quietly observed the special treatment Fuyuno was receiving, clicking her tongue.
So this is all it takes to get fed by Harutaki?
She tried imagining herself acting like Fuyuno just did—and immediately felt overwhelmed with embarrassment.
Even if it was her brother… even if it was Harutaki… that tone and behavior were just too much!
Then again… maybe only someone who looked as young as Fuyuno could pull it off.
Still… if she tried being a little more proactive, maybe she could gain something too?
“Hehe, feeding me all this time must be tiring, right? Now let Fuyuno feed you~”
Bang.
The table suddenly shook, forcing Fuyuno to stop. Everyone turned toward the source of the noise—
“I—I accidentally kicked the table leg.”
Ayaka forced a smile as she explained.
“Careful there, Ayaka-chan~”
Fuyuno grinned mischievously and tried to bring the hamburger steak to Harutaki’s mouth again.
Bang.
“I—I—”
“Chiaki-nee, don’t tell me you kicked the table too?”
This time, it was Chiaki.
“I saw an annoying bug. Tried to swat it.”
“…Right. Be careful not to let it fall into the food.”
Harutaki’s stomach was practically growling at this point.
Finally losing patience, he snatched the chopsticks from Fuyuno and started eating on his own.
“Idiot Aniki, if you’re hungry, eat more meat.”
Ayaka placed a piece of grilled wagyu into his bowl.
“You need balanced nutrition. Don’t skip the vegetables.”
Chiaki followed up, adding sauce-soaked salad.
“Staples are important too!”
Fuyuno grabbed a spoon, scooped up some rice, and shoved it right toward his mouth.
…Huh?
Wasn’t this supposed to be about taking care of Fuyuno?
How did he suddenly become the one being taken care of?