âUntil the anime is finished, please take care of me âĄ.â
The one who said that right in front of my house was none other than the glasses wearing scenario writer, Aoi Makina.
She only carried a small backpack with her, just like in an anime.
âYou..whâŠwhat are youâŠtalking aboutâŠhereâŠâ
âI mean we are going to live together âĄ.â
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.
ââŠKuh.â
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? â that was what I thought.
However, this girl is someone I absolutely canât ignore for now. So I canât just shut the door and pretend like I didn't see her.
A lot of thoughts ran through my mind â but in the end, all I could do was stare at Makina-san.
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
She tilted her head in confusion.
âStrange? You don't think that line is funny?â
ââŠNah, not really. I don't mean it wasn't funny, but rather I still don't have any idea what is going onâŠâ
âWellâŠI will tell you laterâŠhmmmmmmmmmm how should I put ittttttttttâŠ.â
Makina-san put a hand to her chin and muttered to herself for a momentâŠ
âDidn't I say ă I will give it my all ă yesterday?â
âYeah?â
âSo here I am!â
âI still don't get it.â
âThat means as long as I live together with you siblings, I can give it my all!â
âNope, still don't get it.â
What the heck is she talking about?
âErâŠreally? You don't understand me? ButâŠ.â
She paused for a moment before continuing:
âAfter hearing what Producer Akasaka said, I understood.â She spit her tongue out âI will never get anything done if I try to do it by myself.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
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:
âYou liked Meruru â didn't you?â
âYesâŠI, my little sister, Eromanga-senseiâŠwe all watched it, and we are your fans.â
âThanks âȘ, but you probably know alreadyâŠ.That anime is ă The only anime I worked on until the end ă. I have worked on more than that, but Meruru is the only one I could sayăI helped make this anime ă.â
What she said sounded a bit strange.
â 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 â 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 â why couldn't she do her damn job?
The answer to my unspoken question quickly came. She said in a bright tone:
âWhen I made Meruru, I didn't live alone. There was someoneâŠ.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.â
Maybe thatâs why she could make the super famous anime Stardust â Witch Meruru.
âSo while everyone said Meruru was made by Aoi Makina â I myself don't think that way. The one who wrote the scenario was me â but I think both of us are the author.â
ââŠ.â
âDo you understand? This feeling?â
âI do.â I answered immediately âBecause I am the same.â
âIs that so?â
âYes. My Sekaimo was written by me, trueâŠBut I myself don't think I alone could do it.â
This was the work of the novelist Izumi Masamune and illustrator 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 classmates, Tomoe and Sagiriâs 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.
âThe cutest little sister in the world.â
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.
âIs that so?â Makina grinned âIs that novel also created by your sibling?â
âYes.â
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.
âThat was our sibling's â and everyone's, readers included, effort.â
âAnd starting today, it is also my effort - the scenario writerâs effort â right?â
âThat is what I hope.â
âThen I will have to live with you!â
âWhy?â
Where the heck does that come from?
âI have to say this beforehand, everything I say is serious.â
Makina-san said with an honest expression.
âThere are three conditions for me to give it my all.â
She raised a finger:
âFirst, I have to have a fully motivated coworker! This is you âĄâ
âHmâŠwell, yeah, Iâm pretty motivated!â
âSecond, I need someone to take care of me! That means you, too âȘâ
âTake care of you?â
Your choice of wording is horrible, don't say something like a hikikomori. You made me imagine Sagiri!
âThird, I need something to fuel my will to work! That means you two siblings!â
âHmmmmâŠâ
To think she had such awful-sounding reasonsâŠ
âThe 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 girlâs real identity is Eromanga-sensei!â
âHow could you know!?â
I made sure not to tell anyone that I like Sagiri nor that she is Eromanga-sensei!
âWell, in the second meeting you told me about that?â
âBut I removed the most important detail!â
âI saw through it immediately!â
âUgh.â
âBesides, after so many volumes, I don't think Iâm the only one who noticed.â
My eyes widened: I looked very surprised.
ââŠFor realâŠHow could this happenâŠ.â
I was so embarrassed that I covered my face with my hands. To think that my love story was completely revealedâŠ.
On the other hand, Makina-sanâŠ.
âIt has been a long time since I last encountered something so interestingâŠ! ThisâŠThis !!!â
She clenched her hand; her whole body trembled.
âI have to live together with you! Thatâs how I can let my soul experience this feeling! Itâs wonderful!â
âââââââ
I was so taken aback that I took two steps backwards. She immediately pushed up.
âFeed me! Masamune-Onii-chan! Please take good care of me!â
âOne hikikomori little sister is more than enough for me!â
âPet! Let me be your pet then!â
âShut up! Don't say that! If my neighbor heard it, it would not be a laughing matter!â
Could it be that this woman said it on purpose!?
âI have to give it my all, so you haveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee to help me!â
â~~~~~~~~~~~~~~â
I slammed my eyes shut.
âEven so, no means no! My little sister would hate it! I will not do something Sagiri hates!â
Even if it was for our dream
âââââââââ
âââââââââ
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.
âNii-san!â
My little sisterâs voice called to me. I immediately turned my head.
I saw Sagiri. She had already come half-way down the stairs.
âSagiri!â
Recently, she can come out of her room, but that doesn't meant her hikikomori status was cured.
Meeting someone she didn't know â is a heavy burden.
âAreâŠare you okay?â
âI..Iâm fine.â
No you are not. Your legs are deathly pale; they are trembling like you are a newborn deer.
âI have heard everything.â
Even so, Sagiri walked down the remaining steps and faced Makina-san.
âYou said in order to write Sekaimoâs scenario, you have to live together with us.â
âYup.â
âI already told her no ââ
âNii-san.â
Sagiri interrupted, looked directly at me, and asked:
âThis is necessary to reach ă our dream ă, right?â
Her hand was already clenched into a fist.
âThen letâs do it.â
ââŠSagiri.â
âSee? Even your little sister said so!â Makina-san raised her voiceâŠ
âCan you shut up for a minute?â
One glare from me was enough to make her be quiet.
ââŠHm ~ what a boring place. It makes me mad ~~â
⊠Almost quiet.
I moved my eyes away from her and turned back to Sagiri:
âAre you forcing yourself?â
âI am.â
âI knew it. So ââ
âBut I heard everything.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ..â
âBecause I heard everything, I have to force myselfâŠto reach ă our dream ă, I have to ask Aoi-sensei to write her best scenario.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ..â
âIf I don't do itâŠand the anime turned out bad, Iâd hate it even more.â
If she said so then itâs decided. Thatâs how Eromanga-sensei is. As long as she made up her mind, she wonât budge.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I shouldn't have held this conversation right here.
âDamnâŠArmy would get mad at me..â
She especially told me to avoid this situation.
âSorryâŠif I made you worry. ButâŠIâm fine.â
âSureâŠ.â
I scratched the back of my head, turned to Makina-san, and said in a low tone:
âAoi Makina-sensei.â
âYes?â
âLetâs have a talk.â
âAbout time!â
She yelled âWonderful!â, but I dropped a bucket of cold water on her:
Izumi Kyouka â there is no need for further introduction â she is the one who took care of us siblings.
She is my fatherâs little sister. My only remaining blood-related familyâŠbut she is also a young, beautiful woman.
While she had the nickname âIce Queenâ, 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.
âMasamune, I heard that your anime is being made right nowâŠAre you doing okay?â
âIâm fine.â
âThatâs good to hear. But I will investigate it myselfâŠI heard that some scenario writer is making things troublesome for you.â
âWell, everything is difficult at first.â
ââŠ.Then I will help you relax.â
â?â
âThatâs the ătest ăIâm going to give you.â She said in a terrifying low tone.
âIf your job takes too much time, then itâs understandable if your studies don't go well. And then someday, you feel that you canât keep going to school anymore âŠ..I hope this situation will not happen. Don't be tied up by our promise, make sure to take care of yourself.â
ââŠYes.â
âI told you to keep up both working and studyingâŠBut sometimes it canât be helped. At least when you are swarmed with work. Pay it no mind.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ..â
ăI have totally given up on you, I don't expect anything from you anymore ă â 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.
âYou can take as many breaks as you want from school. No matter how much your grades are affected, I wouldnât yell at you. Just â make sure to take good care of yourself. This is not something to make light of.â
Kyouka-sanâs voice was terrifying, but she is my gentle aunt.
As soon as I gave up my old view, I could see her gentle side.
âDo you understand.â
âYes I do.â
A heartwarming feeling filled me.
âItâs okay. Itâs a condition made with both sideâs agreement. I will remember it.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠJust make sure to be careful.â Kyouka-san sighed
âSo, MasamuneâŠwhat do you want to talk with me about?â
To us siblings, she is the most trustworthy adult. My third family memberâŠthatâs what I thought.
Over the noise of the children talking, I told Kyouka-san..
âThatâs how it is! Just a conversation between me and my nephew! Do you understand?â
The aura of the âIce Queenâ made those school girls nod immediately.
And so, everything became quiet again.
ââŠPhewâŠphewâŠâ
Kyouka-san looked tired, she shot me a cold glace:
â..ReallyâŠMasamune, you said something so confusingâŠ.â
âIâm sorry.â
âSoâŠyouâŠ.twoâŠneed me to stay with you, right?â
âYes.â
âWhy do you ask for this?â
âWell, Iâm not sure I can say it clearly enoughâŠ..â
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.
âIn other wordsâŠ.during the time when the anime is being made, she wants to live together with us.â
ââŠWhat an unreasonable request.â
I totally agree.
âAre all those people from your job like that?â
âWellâŠ.worst caseâŠyes.â
Sorry, guys!
Anyway, among the people I knew at work, most couldn't be called ânormalâ.
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.
âDoes that mean Iâm part of those weirdoes too?â
âYou 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.â
As expected of my aunt, she understood me well.
âSagiri herself said yes.â
â!â
âBecause itâs for ă our dream ă, so ââ
âShe was convinced.â
âWithout difficulty.â
âThat scenario writer, AoiâŠ.â
âShe's got real skill. We need her for our dream.â
ââŠI see. How troublesome.â
Kyouka-san muttered without saying anything. I bowed to her
âIn order to lessen Sagiriâs burden, please come live with us, Kyouka-san.â
ââŠ.But wouldn't it make Sagiriâs burden larger?â
Thatâs why we live separately.
Kyouka-san replied. But I shook my head, and said:
âSagiri is the one who suggested that I ask Kyouka-san to live together with us.â
âEh?â
She looked surprised.
âAfter that stage eventâŠI want to become family with Kyouka-sanâŠIâd be at ease if there is a trustworthy adult living together with usâŠ.Thatâs what she said.â
âEhâŠ.â
âEven without Aoi-senseiâs problem, we planned to ask you to live with us already.â
ââŠRe..really? IâŠCan IâŠlive together with you two?â
âYes, of course! Sorry for wasting half a day, but please give it some thought.â
Kyouka-san narrowed her eyes, her expression getting colder.
âThere is no need to ask me like a stranger like that.â
âŠ.Of course she didn't say that, thatâs what her expression said.
Seems like Kyouka-san noticed her hardened expression, so she looked perplexed. Then, she showed me a stiff smile â
âItâs my lineâŠ. Although you are a very bad guy; I will be forever in your debt.â
That sounds like a response for a proposal. (TL Note: Yes, it is â traditionally, in Japan newlywed bride said "I will be forever in your debt" during her first night at her husband family)
What just happened made even me embarrassed, so I looked down without saying anything.
When I raised my head, my eyes meet Kyouka-sanâs. She was doing the same thing
âThatâŠâ
âSoâŠwe need to make preparations.â
âYou, you are right.â
We held some broken conversation, but â
âI will begin to move my belongings tomorrowâŠand I will move to your house the day after that.â
âOkay, do you need me to ââ
ââŠYou are busy with work. If you want to live with me, make sure you don't push yourselves too hard, okay.â
âButâŠ.okay, don't give me that terrifying expression, I got it.â
âThatâs good to hear.â
None of this matters. This is a conversation between blood-related family.
âOh, right, Masamune. Before we go into detailsâŠ.â
Suddenly, Kyouka-sanâs gazed moved from me to the side.
âCan you please introduce the suspicious person over there?â
âHuh â?â
That wasn't within my expectations, so I turned around.
There was a very familiar-looking girl in glasses who was eavesdropping on Izumi family business. She had a notebook in her hand and was writing something.
âReally, Makina-sanâŠwhat are you doing. Didn't I tell you that Iâm going to talk with my guardian, so you should wait ââ
âEhehehe.â
She didn't seem to mind though.
âYou asked what am I doing? Of course, Iâm observing.â
âObserving?â
âYes, observing âȘ Your life doesn't simply contain nothing but you and your siblingâs daily activities: this is also a part of your life. This is a chance for me to observe â so of course Iâd choose to do it.â
This is very valuable â thatâs what she meant.
Makina-san licked her lips, like she just ate something very delicious. Her expression was satisfied, evilâŠand â unexpectedly, I saw some impatience.
âWhile this looked like a clumsy family sitcom ~ maybe it could help with my work â hopefully.â
She looked at me and Kyouka-san like a cat.
Just when I narrowed my eyes â
âOuch! That hurtâ
Kyouka-san gave her a karate chop.
âŠ.How come this woman always get hit in the head?
âWh, what are you doing?â
Makina-san said with teary eyes, and covered her head. Kyouka-san's response was a cold glare.
âThis is discipline."
âWh, what?â
âBase 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.â
âYes.â
âThen please follow the Izumi familyâs rules. Rule number one, you have to respect each other. In other wordsâŠ.â
âDo not look down on those children simply because they are younger than you.â
ââŠâŠâŠ..â
Terrifying!
The way she lowered her tone, the way she lookedâŠ
Even I, who knew the real Kyouka-san, couldn't help but tremble in fear.
See! Makina-san turned deadly paleâŠ
ââŠHey, Izumi-senseiâŠI didn't know that there is someone so terrifying in your house.â
âDidn't you hear? I just asked her to live with me today.â
âInterestingâŠcould be a referenceâŠbut so terrifying..â
Seems like her scenario writer instinct is clashing with her human instinct.
Kyouka-san kept looking down on Makina-san, who was pale and trembling non-stop, and said:
âYou areâŠAoi Makina-san, right?â
âYesâŠâ
âAs an adult living together with you, Iâm ordering you: Take back what you said about ăa clumsy family sitcom ă .â
âI wonât!â
âIâm very bad at getting closer to other people, but Iâm very good at scaring the scrap out of other people. Do you want to know what I'm like when Iâm truly angry?â
âIzumi-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 â Sorry, sorry, but I canât do it!â
I can feel that her apology is genuine despite her refusal to take back her words.
Whatâs between her and âfamilyâ? Whatâs with her and my novelâs topic?
âIâm very angry, but I forgive you.â
I interrupted and accepted her apology.
âKyouka-san, thank you for getting angry in my place.â
âItâs alrightâŠMasamuneâŠ.we will continue our talk laterâŠtomorrow, okay?â
Kyouka-san raised a hand and grabbed Makina-sanâs head.
She grabbed it so hard that â *greakkkkkkkk*
âBecause today I have to talk with this guest about the ăIzumi familyâs rules ă.â
âOuch ouch! I give up! Give up! Give up! Damn ~~ No, it shouldnât be like thisâŠ.My perfect plan with the ă independent ăvisionary elder brother and the ă perfect planner ă little sisterâŠ.â
âYou finally spoke your true mind! How old are you? You look like a teenager to me! Where is your school? Where are your parents?â
âAnswering that will break my ă mysterious girl ă image, so no, Iâm not talkingggggggggggggâ
âYou have had no image like that from the beginning! I will have my answer, one way or another!â
Looks likeâŠasking 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 â
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 âŠand via the tablet, we haveâŠ.
âPlease take âŠcare of me, Aoi-sensei.â
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.
"âŠEh?"
The famous scenario writer suddenly became so meek: this confused Sagiri.
"âŠ.Kyouka-san, what's going on?"
"I just had a little talk with her about her agenda â but it's going to be hard to fix her attitude."
"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 attitude.
"Anyway, for now, don't use that mechanical tone with me, Aoi-sensei."
"Understood, master âĄ"
"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 ăsan ă me ~~ Ah forget it."
She coughed, and said:
"Please take care of me âŠ.Masamune-san âȘ"
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 âȘ"
"Please take care of meâŠMakina-chan."
Sagiri decided to call her that. Finally, Makina-san's attitude became serious:
"Sorry for suddenly making such an unreasonable request. I'll do my best to not burden you, in order to make ă a good anime ă. Please allow me to get my references."
"SureâŠokay, 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!"
"âŠ.It was a joke."
"But you made it so naturally! Are you an evil high class lady!? Was it really a joke?"
"âŠAbout 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 jokeâŠ.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 â 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-chanâŠI 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 worksâŠ
" â Any others requests?"
"WellâŠit isâŠ."
Sagiri hesitated. Looks like it's hard for her to say.
"I will onlyâŠ.say it to Makina-chan."
"Ah"
Seemed like Makina-san noticed something: she grinned happily.
"Is that so ~~ âȘ Come and tell Onee-chan ~"
She put her ears to the tablet. Sagiri muttered something on it.
"âŠWith Nii-sanâŠ.do notâŠ.absolutely notâŠ."
"Okay âȘ 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 âȘ"
"If you reveal it, you'll spend the rest of your life without panties."
"What a heavy punishment!"
DamnâŠ.they were having such a nice conversation, but I felt that I was left outâŠ
What is the condition that Sagiri spoke of which she didn't want me to know about?
After finishing discussing some related topics, Kyouka-san and Makina-san began to move into my house.
Allow me to explain the Izumi householdâs 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 Sagiriâs lair â the locked room â 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 â after much needed discussion â
I moved to the room where we used to keep Sagiri's clothes. My old room will be Makina-sanâs 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 parentâs 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, âWould Sagiri be okay?â, but â
ââ It is a bit difficult, but don't worry, I will do my best.â
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.
âI canât move all of my clothes to my roomâŠ.so I will have to leave them hereâŠis that okay?â
âDon't worry, I don't have much stuff.â
There is something else that I couldn't say: The feeling when I opened the wardrobe and saw my little sisterâs clothes made my heart race.
Kyouka-san and Makina-san barely had any luggage, so we finished in no time at all.
âI rented my old house fully furnished, so I can leave everything behind.â Kyouka-san said âWe still don't know if this life style is really okay, after all.â
Seems like she planned to return immediately if Sagiri couldn't take it. How thoughtful of her.
On the other hand, Makina-sanâs only luggage was a single backpack.
âI didn't rent my house, but there was so much stuff, so I only brought what I need to work.â
âWhat about your clothes? Could it beâŠâ
âI 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 â so I couldn't bring them even if I wanted to.â
âYour 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.â
âHow could you know?â
âCuz I cleaned your room.â
âIncluding my panties? Wait a sec!? Are you for real? Masamune, are you a pervert?â
âYour 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!â
A problem immediately appeared!
First problem â washing!
âBecause Nii-san likes to wash girlâs underwearâŠâ
âI do not!â
âSince there are two more girls, let me take care of washing clothes from now on.â
âOhâŠsorry for troubling you.â
Thankfully Kyouka-san volunteered, so we solved this problem of washing girlâs clothes easily.
âHow did you do that usually?â
âEvery week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday I will clean up the house. Sagiri will help me by cleaning up her room.â
There are two kinds of hikikomori:
Hikikomori who are clean and hikikomori who are lazy.
âSo how about we split the job?â
âEh? Does that include me?â
Makina-san pointed at her face with an âI canât believe itâ expression.
âThat goes without saying. If you live here then you have to help with the housework.â
âAh ~ that is ~ anyway ~~ not very suitable for me ~~â
A pure hikikomoriâs reasoning. So I gave her a break:
âMakina-san doesn't have the ability to do housework, so itâs fine if she doesn't.â
âWonderful! As expected of Masamune-san! You understand me well!â
Makina-san happily patted my shoulder.
âMasamune, thatâs notâŠâ
âShe has to write the scenario for me, after all. Anyway, just please focus on your task.â
âUnderstood! Just leave it to me!â
Thatâs the only moment that I saw some motivation in her.
âAhâŠ.â
Kyouka-san sighed, then she said forcefully.
âAbout meals, I will take care of that.â
âNo, I will take care of that as usual. Even with more people, that wouldn't take much more work â besides, I want to make Sagiriâs meal.â
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.
ââŠIf thatâs the case then it canât be helped. But you must not force yourself.â
âMaster! Iâm looking forward to your delicious meals!â
Makina-san raised both of her hands, her eyes sparkling.
However, if she played the role of maid, then this situation isnât normal in the slightest. In what kind of relationship does the master prepare meals? Oh â master and pet.
From the tablet, Sagiri laughed:
ââŠMakina-chan, do you prefer Ka * Ka or normal brand?â (TL Note: KalKan â Both are catâs food )
âEromanga-sensei, you are so mean to me!! Now I want to run away!â
âI don't know anyone with that name!â
They began to argue again.
In order to calm them down, I raised my voice, saying:
âKyouka-san, Makina-san, please tell me what you like to eat. Iâll make something to celebrate today!â
âCool! I want hamburger!â
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?
ââŠ.Makina-sanâŠhave you forgotten what I said?â
âI havenât forgotten! But this doesn't count.â
âI ~ said ~ no!!!â
Sagiri growled like a cat. Maybe because both of them are hikikomori, their relationship was better than I expected.
Of course, that didn't mean I understood what they were talking about.
And so, two days passed from that day.
There were two days left until the next meeting â 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 â
âMasamune-san, Masamune-san.â
She was sitting in the living room and writing the scenario next to me.
We both were sitting at a low table and working.
âWhatâs up, Makina-san?â
âIâŠwroteâŠa lotâŠ.â
ââŠâŠâŠ.â
I looked at her prideful expression
Then I honestly asked her:
ââŠSo?â
âPraise me ⥠Praise me âĄâ
âAs expected of Makina-san!â
âI know, right! Right! Hehe, itâs still not my best ~~~~~~~âȘâ
So annoying.
30 minutes later:
In the quiet room, the only sounds were from the keyboard.
âMasamune-san, Masamune-san.â
âWhatâs up, Makina-san?â
âIâŠwroteâŠa lotâŠ.â
â⊠⊠âŠâ
âLook, look!â
ââŠFine, fine.â
She only wrote one more sentence! Now there were two sentences on her paper!
âNext is my first planning! Are you preparing yourself?â
âAs expected of Makina-san! Please do your best!â
âAh ~~ of course ~~~~~~~~âȘ I will do my best ~~~~~~~~~~⥠â
After another 30 minutes.
âMasamune-san, Masamune-san.â
âWhatâs up, Makina-san?â
âMyâŠworkâŠ.â
âAs expected of Makina! As expected of Makina!â
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.
âMasamune-san, Masamune-san.â
âWhatâs up, Makina-san?â
Makina-san slowly showed me her smartphoneâs screen.
âI drew a SSR!â
âDon't play mobile games! Focus on your work! There are only two days left!â
This conversation repeated a few more times.
âMasamune-san, Masamune-san.â
âAs expected of Makina! As expected of Makina!â
âI havenât said anything â! Can I watch anime?â
âYou want to watch anime while working?â
âYes yes yes. I will have more motivation if I watch anime while working ~~â
You can only do one at a time â well, I donât believe her anyway, but the rumor said that some people like that really existed.
âFine, what anime do you want to watch?â
âHow about Stardust â Witch Meruru?â
âWow, you decided on that one?â
âIs there a problem?â
âNot really, but itâs embarrassingâŠâ
So, we let the television play Aoi Makinaâs anime while working.
Of course, sometimesâŠthis conversation repeated again..
âMasamune-san, Masamune-san.â
âAs expected of Makina! As expected of Makina!â
After a while, Makina stopped typing and stretched her back. This action showed off just how impressive her 'assets' were.
âFinally ~~ I finished a page ~~~â
Anyway, I should be happy. Because the next meeting â in two days â would be the deciding one. Without a finished plan, she will be fired.
That was the difference between her and Elf-sensei. Makina-sanâs work proceeded very slowly, it made me very impatient.
âThanks for the hard work. Want some tea?â
âSo thoughtful ~~ Masamune-san is a pro when it comes to taking care of hikikomori!â
âBecause I like my little sister.â
I raised my chest and replied. She suddenly averted her eyes.
âHm, so you like your little sister huhâŠâŠâ
âSomething wrong?â
âAh, itâs nothing. I want some snacks ~~âȘâ
âI foresaw that, so I bought some.â
âGood âȘâ
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.
âThis is for you, Masamune-san.â
â?â
I titled my head in confusion since I had no idea what that meant. She grinned.
âFeed me âȘâ
âW, what?â
âSay ă ah ~~ ă and feed me.â
âIâm not doing that. Itâs embarrassing!~â
âOh ~ itâs not ~~ if you do that, I can finish my work immediately ~~ really, I will ~~ âĄâ
ââŠâŠâŠ..â
I don't really get it, but if this truly can make her work faster then I should take this chance.
âThen âŠ.â
I took the spoon and got a spoonful of pudding, slowly moved it toward her â
âAhhh ~~â
âAh ~~ um.â
â Suddenly
*Bang bang bang bang* The ceiling shook furiously.
â⊠⊠⊠âŠâ
â⊠⊠⊠âŠâ
We both looked up at the ceiling. Then I turned my head down:
âShe said ăbring me some snacks too ă.â
âPhewwwwww!â
Makina-san couldn't help it and broke into laughter. She even held her stomach in pain.
âPhewâŠâŠâŠ..AhahahaâŠ.so you understoodâŠâ
âOf course, since Iâm her brother. Iâm off then.â
âFine, be careful ~~â
When I was on my way out of the living room, for some reason Makina-san took her notebook out and muttered to herself:
â âŠâŠâŠâŠ.Ah ~ so shy ~~â
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 âthat person is safeâ, she will not go out of her room â butâŠ
âIs it okay for you to be here? Makina-san is downstairs.â
âSecond floor. No problem.â
âOkayâŠso, why are you angry?â
My little sister angrily shook her head
âI don't know!â
That action was so cute that I almost fainted on the spot.
âUnless you tell me the reason, I can't apologize â here is what you asked for.â
I gave the pudding, tea and the tray to Sagiri. But she turned her back on me.
âFollow me.â
I hastily followed her to her room.
âPut it down here.â
âFine fine.â
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.
âSit down next to me.â
âFine fine.â
âFeed me.â
âFine fine â wait?â
This sudden request made me stare at my little sister. Sagiriâs face was right next to me.
âJust, just, just nowâŠ.. what did you say?â
Sagiri squatted down; her hands rested on her thighs.
ââŠ.Like this.â
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 passed. Then SagiriâŠlooked up, blushing.
âI, I saidâŠ.Feed me.â
ââââ-â
Whatâs up with her today? Why did she say something so embarrassing?
Is she trying to make me faint? Hey, the same thing happened to me just down stairs!
Whatâs going on? Is there an on-going trend that girls ask people to âfeedâ them?
âDidn'tâŠdidn't you hear meâŠ.Nii-sanâŠyouâŠah ~~ feed me.â
â~~~~~~~~~~â
âŠ.I think Iâm 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:
âYou, you fed Makina-chan!â
âHow could you know that!â
âI don't know! Idiot! Everything you have done with other girls, do with me too!â
âEh?â
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 breasts!
I was so confused that I was beginning to get side-tracked. Next to me, Sagiri, sheâŠ.
âUm!â
Raised her lips
Seeing this nearly gave me a heart attack. Because it looked like we were going to have a kiss.
âUnmâŠHurry up.â
âI, I knowâŠthenâŠ.â
I took a spoon full of pudding.
âAh ~~â
âAhâŠumnâ
And slowly put in inside my little sisterâs mouth.
Just doing this made me very embarrassed. My hand was trembling.
â⊠⊠âŠâ
â⊠⊠âŠâ
While I was trying to suppress my heart, Sagiri was slowly eating her pudding.
ââŠUmâŠâ
She licked her lips. That normally shouldn't be strange, but during this atmosphereâŠ
DamnâŠthe way she ateâŠ
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 Sagiriâs face, and she said:
âItâs so embarrassing! Nii-san is a pervert!â
âWasnât it your request?â
You are so unreasonable!
After the paradise/torture time had passed.
â⊠⊠⊠âŠâ
â⊠⊠⊠âŠâ
A mysterious silence fell upon us.
Since we finished the pudding, I should go backâŠ
âWellâŠ.I should goâŠ.â
âI still have something to say.â
Sagiriâs eyes focused on me.
âEhâŠ.something else?â
âYesterdayâŠ.â
She narrowed her eyes and said a single word at a time.
âYou and Kyouka-san.â
âI and Kyouka-san?â
âFlirted.â
âWe did not!â
What the hell was she saying?
âYou did.â
âNo no no, I really didn't.â
âLiar. YouâŠ.let her clean your ears.â
ââŠ!â
âYou lied down on her thighsâŠwhile she was wearing tightsâŠthen she gently cleaned your ears, didn't she?â
âCan you please not saying it in such impure way?â
You make it like we did something very erotic!
âBesides, how could that count as flirting!â
âWhy not! You did it with her, didn't you!â
Sagiriâs eyes when she was demanding an answer were so scary!
âNo, I meanâŠthat should be calledâŠ.something normal.â
âHmâŠso Nii-san will normally do it?â
âYou are talking about cleaning ears, arenât you?â
I thought you were talking about something very different.
âPhewâŠ.listen to me, Sagiri. ThisâŠ.this happened when I was having a chat with Kyouka-san, she got off work late at night. She suddenly told me ă Let me help you clean your ears ă, thatâs all.â
Not to mention that she said in a very lonely tone that ââŠ.Long ago, I used to do that to my brother too.â
âThere was no way that I could refuse.â
âThen do it with me.â
âWhy?â
âDidn't I tell youâŠ.everything you have done with other girls, do with me too.â
ââŠ..â
Let my little sister clean my earsâŠ
ââŠ.Father let his little sister clean his ears, right. Then we can do it too.â
Sagiri patted her thighs
âHere.â
ââŠâŠâŠâŠ.â
*Po po*
âHereâ
ââŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâ
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.
â..Ug.â
Since she didn't understand my thoughts, Sagiri pouted and patted her thighs again.
âNii-san!!â
âAlright! I got it!â
I don't care anymore! I closed my eyes and put my head on my little sisterâs thighs.
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.
"âŠ.HaâŠ.haâŠ.haâŠ..hehâŠ.."
Time passed so slowly. I wouldn't be surprised if I got a nosebleed right now.
Suddenly, Sagiri stopped.
"âŠAboutâŠ."
"âŠYes?"
"âŠNii-sanâŠrecentlyâŠ.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 easilyâŠSo I replied.
"Uhm ~~ maybe I was lacking some sleepâŠMaking an animeâŠreally added up a lot of workâŠ.And I still have to keep up with my normal workloadâŠBut it's okay, there is nothing to worry about â"
"School."
Sagiri interrupted me and immediately pointed out the "reason".
"Yeah, morning class 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 showsâŠ.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.
JustâŠthe image of more work comingâŠscared me a bit.
In the end, this is the first time I have had an anime.
"âŠNii-san. Consider this my requestâŠcan you sleep for a while?"
"I'm okay."
Could it be that âŠmy breathing? For some unknown reasonâŠSagiri immediately found out if I spent a night without sleep.
This isnât goodâŠI made my little sister worry.
"âŠ.You don't understand."
"You're wrong. I do understand."
I will not make you worry again.
"âŠYou really don't understand."
Sagiri put her finger on my face.
"Nii-sanâŠ"
"Yes?"
"It's okayâŠif 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 soâŠ.I think we are about to done here."
Sagiri seemed to have given up.
"HoweverâŠyour ear is so clean."
"Of course."
It was cleaned just yesterday.
"âŠForget it. SoâŠthere is something elseâŠ."
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 shiver down my spine. Seeing that, Sagiri laughed with satisfaction.
"Okay, done!"
"PhewâŠ."
It's finally over. I sighed in relief, but there is a bit of nostalgiaâŠHow strange.
Sagiri poked my face.
"EheheâŠare you feeling comfortable now?"
"âŠI felt erotic from the beginning till the end."
"EroticâŠUghâŠ"
Sagiri immediately blushed madly. She slammed her eyes into a >< shape and yelled:
"NiiâŠyouâŠreâŠreally ~~!!"
She was so embarrassed that she couldn't even make normal conversation. Instead, sheâŠ
*Ouch* She bit my neck!
"Ughhhhhhhhhh ughhhhh ~~~~~~"
"Ouch ouch, it hurt! SaâŠstop!.. You are going to bite my carotid!"
"IDIOT â!"
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-shirt was up high enough to reveal her bellybutton. How shameless.
âA ~~ a ~~ a ~~ a ~~ â
I gave a sound of surprise.
"Makina-san. Ma â Ki â-Na âSan! 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 âȘ Welcome back, Masamune-san."
"Is there something so funny?"
"There is not, I just listened to a funny conversationâŠso 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 ăUndecided ă to trickâŠ."
"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."
"UhmâŠ."
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! ThatâŠ.well, like I said, in the next meeting please take care of me!"
"..Sure."
SoâŠit 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 ănemesis ă."
"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 â
"When I bought my current home, she said ă in case of disaster, you have no way to escape ă and ăyour taste is so horrible! ă 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 relationship."
"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 pushing each other forward.
"You have motivation toward Sekaimo â because that girl taunted you, don't you?"
If that was the case, then I should even thank that nemesis of hers.
â 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.
"âŠWell, that was part of the reason. I want to laugh at the girl. That was a real reason for me to work hardâŠ"
Makina-san closed her eyes and made an "Um ~~" sound. Then she seemed to give up and sat down.
"I told you thatâŠthere was someone with me when I made Meruru right?"
"Yes."
"That was my big sister."
"âŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ..I had a hunch."
I had figured as much after hearing the conversation between Producer Akasaka and Makina-san.
âI seeâŠwell, 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.â
In the beginning, I already had my suspicions.
Why did she â take such a difficult job as a scenario writer?
âAfter I took this job, my sister was worried about me, so she butted in. ThenâŠa lot of things happened. Many, many thingsâŠIâm not going to tell anyone about those thingsâŠbut it was fun. Very, very funâŠHowever, in the end, I turned back into thisâŠIt has been a long time since I last saw my sister.â
Makina-sanâs words omitted a lot of details, so I couldn't have a good grasp on the situation.
ButâŠ.I noticed her feelings.
Very strong feelings, which included loneliness and regret.
âYou are a bit like my sister.â She muttered with a small smile.
âMe?â
âUm. Taking care of a hikikomori little sister, making a work togetherâŠtaking my hand and pulling me upâŠ
âŠâŠ.Giving me a dream.â
At this moment, I felt like she was part of my family.
âYour little sister is very different from meâŠbut your dream is similar to our dream in the past.â
She looked up, and continued:
âSo, I have to work to make your dream come trueâŠâ
âThe dream that your sister gave youâŠhave you reached it?â
I felt like something made me ask this question
She smiled:
âI have.â
âThen ââ
âHoweverâŠwellâŠ.â
She grinned.
âThe most important part of our dream is after I reached it.â
ââŠâŠâŠ.â
I felt a heavy responsibility. To her, and to myself, who was not thinking about âafter reaching our dreamâ.
Thatâs why I kept silent without saying anything.
âYou want to reach your dream and have your happiness. If I could help finish this clumsy sitcom family show â I think I would be happy.â
Thatâs why she would work hard.
Her normally unmotivated eyes were showing a bright spark.