Serina, a second-year high school student, has a bit of a weird problem. And that problem is her stepbrother, Kenta. At school, Kenta's a popular and cool art teacher everyone looks up to. But at home? That mask comes right off. He's still super kind most of the time... but sometimes, he gives Serina this really mean look and teases her like crazy. Sometimes in a way that's a little naughty.
At first, it was just heart-pounding fun. But it's been getting more and more intense, and now her heart
Milf cute Mother Obsessed with her step son Alot - Pudding, and the person I've been waiting for.
Even though it was Saturday morning, Serina couldn't bring herself to get out of bed.
The thin slivers of light slipping through the gaps in the curtains made the dust in the room glitter and dance. Normally, she'd be up by now, thinking what a waste it was and throwing open the windows, but today her body felt as heavy as lead.
She looked at the wall.
Above her study desk, next to the bookshelf.
A watercolor painting of waves breaking against rocks. A pale purple sky, an orange horizon. It was the painting Kenta had given her for her thirteenth birthday.
The moment she saw it, yesterday's events replayed in her head all over again.
Opening the prep room door to find Mio enthusiastically talking about art. Kenta responding with a genuine smile—not the teasing one he always directed at her. Herself, frozen outside the room, unable to call out, running away. And then that painfully awkward dinner in the living room. Kenta saying nothing. Her, unable to say anything either.
"[whispers]……Hah."
She buried her face in her pillow.
Her smartphone on the nightstand buzzed briefly several times.
LINE notifications. Maybe the class group chat. Maybe from Rina. Maybe—maybe from Kenta.
She couldn't reach for it.
(I'm scared to look.)
What kind of message would it be? Was he brushing it off like always, with a "Jeez, you're such a klutz"? Or—was he just fed up with her?
Either way, she didn't have the energy to read words right now.
Her mother's voice came from downstairs.
"Serina? Your father and I are heading to work. If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself. Just rest."
Serina poked just her face out from the covers and answered with a hoarse voice.
"[quiet]……Okaaay."
The sound of the front door closing. The car engine starting, then fading into the distance.
The house fell utterly silent.
(Ah, right. Today is Saturday.)
Since it wasn't a school day, she didn't have to call in absent. That, at least, was a small relief. She had no confidence she could go to her classroom and laugh with her friends like usual.
But—another thought immediately followed.
(Where is he right now?)
She sensed someone's presence downstairs.
No sound of the TV. No sound of smartphone videos playing. On weekends, Kenta was usually sprawled out on the sofa, but—today, he was just there, quietly.
Outside the curtains, the gentle sunlight of late October quietly illuminated the residential streets of Tsukimidai.
Serina hugged her knees and curled up into a ball.
(I want to see him. But I don't want to see him.)
The contradictory feelings swirled round and round in her chest.
Only time passed, slowly.
* * *
Just before noon.
*Ding-dong.*
The intercom chime made Serina's shoulders jolt.
(Who is it…?)
Maybe a delivery. Maybe a salesperson.
She decided to ignore it. But a second chime rang out almost immediately.
Glancing at the intercom screen, Serina caught her breath.
(It's Rina.)
Standing outside the front door was that familiar bright brown bob and the freckles around her nose. In her hand was a familiar paper bag—with the Café Haruka logo on it.
Serina frantically threw off her covers and dashed down the stairs in her loungewear.
She opened the door.
"[surprised]……Rina? Why—"
Rina flashed her a grin, showing her double tooth.
"[casual]'Cause you were absent from school. The absence notice got shared in the class group. I was wonderin' what was up."
Her usual laid-back Kansai dialect. The ends of her bob, cut just above her shoulders, were flipped outward today as always.
"[quiet]……You came all this way for me?"
"[cheerful]Yep. Here, take this."
Rina thrust the paper bag firmly against Serina's chest.
A sweet scent of fresh cream, and the feeling of something cold.
"[confused]……Huh? This is—"
"[excited]I got takeout from Haruka—pudding and cream soda! The cream soda might've melted a bit, but don'tcha worry about it!"
Rina kicked off her shoes and strode right into the house.
"[confused]W-wait, Rina—"
"[matter-of-fact]Your room's upstairs, right, Seri-chan? I'll go on ahead."
She didn't ask anything.
Not why she'd skipped school. Not why her eyes were red. Not why she was still in her loungewear with messy hair.
She just ambled up the stairs.
Clutching the paper bag, Serina stood frozen in the entryway for a moment.
(Why, of all times…)
She hadn't wanted to see any friends. She hadn't wanted to make anyone worry.
But Rina had come anyway.
And on top of that, with pudding and cream soda.
—It made her stupidly, ridiculously happy.
* * *
Serina's room.
In the six-tatami-mat Western-style room, Rina settled herself on the edge of the bed. The print on the bedcover sank slightly under her weight.
"[casual]Okay, pudding first."
What emerged from the paper bag was Café Haruka's homemade pudding. It came in a small glass jar, and when she opened the lid, the fragrant aroma of caramel wafted gently through the room.
Rina deftly tried to pry the lid open.
"[struggling]Nnngh, this is so tight—"
*Slip.*
"[surprised]Ah."
The pudding slipped from Rina's hands.
"[scared]Ahh!"
Her body moved on reflex. She leaned out from the bed, reaching out with both hands. The pudding, falling. It's going to break—just as she thought that, the bottom of the jar landed snugly in Serina's palms.
"[panicked]That was close…!"
"[relieved]Whoa, whoa. Safe! As expected of Seri-chan, your reflexes are awesome!"
"[exasperated]Jeez, honestly! What a waste that would've been!"
The moment she said it, she froze.
Rina was grinning from ear to ear.
"[giggling]There's that face. There's the usual Seri-chan."
Serina was at a loss for words.
Right. Just moments ago, she'd been curled up in her futon, but now she was raising her voice in a fluster.
(How does this girl always—)
She's always like this. She doesn't ask anything. She doesn't corner you. She just offers you sweets and laughs by your side.
And that made Serina so grateful she could cry.
"[laughing]……What are you laughing at?"
Serina said it with a pout, and Rina laughed, showing her double tooth.
"[teasing]I ain't laughin'. C'mon, let's eat. Our shop's pudding is crazy good."
The two of them picked up their spoons.
The pudding was soft, melting on the tongue with a gentle sweetness. The subtle bitterness of the caramel mingled with the richness of the fresh cream, spreading warmly through her mouth.
"[quiet]……It's delicious."
"[proud]Told ya. I go there a lot with my boyfriend. The cream soda's amazing too."
Rina pulled a takeout cup with a sealed lid from the paper bag. The vivid green soda and vanilla ice cream still held their shape, more or less.
"[casual]It melted a little, huh. But the taste is the same."
She held out two straws, handing one to Serina.
The sweetness of the cream soda slipped down her throat. Cold, yet somehow nostalgic.
Finishing the pudding, still holding the cream soda straw in her mouth—Serina murmured quietly.
"[quiet]……Rina."
"[attentive]Hm?"
"[struggling]……I…"
Rina said nothing. She just took her mouth off her straw and looked at her.
Serina searched for the words.
(How am I supposed to say this?)
Everything inside her heart was a mess, embarrassing, but—she didn't want to hide it anymore.
"[quiet]……I'm in love with my brother."
The moment she said it out loud, tears spilled over.
Once they started, they wouldn't stop.
"[crying]For four years, this whole time—every time I called him 'big brother,' I knew it was wrong. I'm not his little sister, but I had no choice but to call him that—he's always teasing me, but he's kind, and whenever I'm in trouble, he always helps me—"
The words overflowed, catching in her throat.
"[crying]But ever since Ms. Mio came, he's changed. The face he shows at school is one I don't know—and the one standing next to him isn't me. I was so frustrated, so sad, and yesterday, when I saw the two of them talking so happily in the prep room—I couldn't say anything, and I ran away. I couldn't look at his face."
Tears fell in large drops onto her lap.
"[surprised]……Wait, Mr. Minakami?!"
Rina's eyes went wide.
Of course, Serina thought. It's only natural to be shocked. After all—he's a teacher, her stepbrother, it's not normal.
But Rina's expression shifted immediately.
"[serious]……Okay. Go on."
She leaned forward, staring intently at her.
She didn't deny it.
She didn't pull away.
That made Serina so incredibly, helplessly happy—and she continued.
"[crying]I want to tell him everything. But I'm scared. If I say it, it might all be over. The everyday life we have now might all fall apart. Last night too, I saw the light from his room spilling into the hallway—but I couldn't call out to him—"
As if a dam had burst, four years' worth of feelings came pouring out.
She didn't care about embarrassment or appearances anymore.
She just wanted someone to listen.
"[crying]Rina, you're weirded out, right? By all this—"
She hung her head and said it quietly.
Rina paused for just a moment.
Then, she spoke softly.
"[gentle]You know, Seri-chan…"
Rina's voice, despite its usual laid-back Kansai drawl, carried an unexpected weight.
"[gentle]You can love someone that earnestly. That's amazing."
Serina lifted her head.
Rina was smiling.
Not her usual double-toothed grin. A gentler smile, but one that seemed just a little bit lonely.
"[quiet]……Amazing?"
"[gentle]Yeah. For four years, you've held onto feelings you couldn't tell anyone. Jealousy, despair, a version of yourself that was about to burst out of the 'little sister' role—you carried all of that, and still stayed by his side. That's seriously amazing."
She didn't deny or affirm the word "love."
She just accepted it, exactly as it was.
The version of herself that couldn't stay just a little sister anymore.
The version of herself that hated the thought of him being taken away and had directed dark feelings toward Ms. Mio.
"[whispers]……Rina."
Tears fell again.
But they were different from before.
Something that had been hardened in her chest for so long began to thaw, just a little. Her breathing became just a little easier.
"[gentle]I can't really do anything—but I can listen to what you have to say, Seri-chan."
She put the straw in her mouth and took a long sip of her cream soda.
"[casual]Ah, this has gotten kinda warm."
"[laughing]……You're the one who let it melt."
"[cheerful]Oh yeah, that was me."
Rina laughed.
Drawn in, Serina laughed too. Even though her face was a mess from crying, the corners of her mouth relaxed just a little.
(Ah, I'm glad it was Rina.)
If I was going to tell anyone, I wanted it to be her.
That's what she'd always thought.
And now that she'd actually talked about it, she felt so much—lighter than she'd ever imagined.
* * *
It was past three in the afternoon when Rina left.
"[cheerful]See ya at school. The pudding was good, right?"
Watching Rina wave from the front door, Serina gently closed it.
She went to the washroom and looked in the mirror.
Her large, droopy eyes were swollen bright red. Her face, from crying too much, was a mess. Her cheeks were dry and rough, her lips chapped. The small beauty mark under the corner of her left eye somehow looked even sadder than usual.
She turned the faucet and splashed cold water on her face.
*Whoosh.*
*Splash.*
Again and again.
She wiped her face with a towel and looked in the mirror once more.
(My face still looks awful, but—better than before.)
Staring at her own tear-streaked face, Rina's words repeated over and over in her head.
—You can love someone that earnestly. That's amazing.
(I can't just keep running away.)
Since yesterday, she'd been curled up in her futon. Not wanting to see anything, not wanting to hear anything, turning her back on everything.
But she couldn't do that anymore.
(I—I have to talk to him properly.)
She lifted her head.
Her eyes reflected in the bathroom mirror were still red, but she felt t
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