My beautiful sister-in-law who is only attached to me, and my childhood friend who just made her high school debut, barged into my house?

After eating the cream puffs, we went straight shopping at different stores, such as the household goods store and the pharmacy. Time passed by quickly and before we knew it we had already finished shopping.

Erika looked at our bounty of goods with satisfaction.

“finished”

As she looked like she was eager to leave, Shota couldn’t help but ask.

“Are we leaving already?”

“Yeah?”

“No, but isn’t there anything else you want to do? Or look for other things to buy? Like clothes or accessories? Maybe even furniture and bedsheets?”

“No thanks.”

“Okay”

Whenever he comes to Koriyama Mall with Mio, She was always interested in various things, so Shota was somewhat disappointed. Taking a quick look around, a quirky bookstore, a sporting goods store, and a game corner that had merged with a general store can be seen. Leaving so prematurely, Shota couldn’t help but feel like it was a waste.

He also felt unsatisfied as he didn’t want his time with Erika to end just yet.

However, Erika had just moved in. She must’ve been very tired already. She would also continue to be with him at home from now on. He realised that there’s nothing to worry about, because they could always just come again.

As Shota was inwardly convincing himself, something in a certain store caught his eye.

‘That is……’

It was a sudden idea. But it was quite out there, even for me.

“Erika, wait here for a minute.”

“Brother?”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

After giving a very vague reason, I made a beeline to the store I wanted to go to.

It was a store of miscellaneous goods and accessories that Kazuma had previously told me was popular among the girls.

I grunted and almost backed away from the girly, sparkly atmosphere, but I slapped my cheeks with both hands and stepped into the store with renewed vigour.

I was aware that I was doing something unfamiliar.

But here I was, with my hands shaking unsteadily as I tried to take it off.

However, as I thought back to Erika’s smile, I picked it up and hastily headed for the cash register as my heart urged me on.

I then finished paying the bill with a little hesitation due to nervousness, leaving the store with buoyant steps.

I may have taken more time than I thought. It was when I was coming up with excuses for taking so much time for a toilet break. The moment I saw Erika, my mind cooled down and my voice came out surprisingly cold and sharp, so much so that it surprised even myself.

“What are you doing to Erika?”

“What’s with you? We aren’t doing anything. Hey!”

Shota immediately stepped between Erika and the two frivolous-looking men and glared at them.

“Dude, that’s enough, let’s go.”

The men were overwhelmed by Shota, or perhaps they just didn’t want to cause anymore trouble. They left while muttering, “See? She had one after all.” and “Tsk, I’ll never get any bitches at this rate.”

Once they were out of sight, I exhaled loudly, relieving the heat swirling in my chest, turning towards Erika with an apologetic look on my face.

“Are you okay, Erika? Sorry for being gone for so long.”

“N-no problem.”

“I see…anyway, something like that can really happen huh? This is the first time I’ve seen it.”

“It happens occasionally.”

“Is that so?”

“What about Mii-chan?”

“Mio? No, no. Didn’t you see earlier that she has nothing to do with sex appeal? Besides, if that happened, I think Mio would give a disgusted look and beat them up with her bamboo sword.”

“Hehe, maybe so.”

When Shota said it in a playful manner, Erika giggled.

Seeing this situation made him feel relieved for a moment, but then he realized that the previous situation could happen again, and he was overcame with a sudden urge to protect his sister.

Just then, Erika noticed the paper bag in Shota’s hand.

“Is that why you took so long?”

“Uh, uh, this is…”

Come to think of it, I bought it, but I didn’t think about what to do after that. Before I could even begin to think about it, the previous incident played out and I didn’t have the luxury of doing so.

At this point, feelings of fear and shame hit me like of truck.

Would she find it a nuisance? Wouldn’t she think it’s strange? Was this normal behaviour for an older brother? However, not showing it to her is no longer an option.

I shake my head to get rid my hesitation, handing out what I bought earlier to Erika.

“A keychain?”

“Oh, I found it awhile ago and thought you would like it.”

It’s a cat key chain with a cute design.

I bought it because I instinctively thought about the brown tabby’s coat and how cats are usually timid, but are affectionate and come closer to me overtime, somehow resembling Erika.

Erika takes it, looking at it intently, and rolling it in her palm.

A moment of silence passes.

Maybe she already had a favourite key chain or didn’t like cats – Having such thoughts, I open my mouth in a hurry.

“Ah, well, it’s okay if you don’t like it or it’s a nuisance. I’ll use it-”

“No!”

Just as Shota hesitantly reached out for the keychain, Erika let out the loudest cry ever and hugged it tightly to his chest, shaking her head vigorously. She whispered, her cheeks blushing in embarrassment.

“I-I’ve been away from my brother for a long time, and I’ve been really nervous today. I’ve been worried about whether we’ll be able to get back together properly as brother and sister…but thanks to this, all those worries seem so unnecessary. He’s still the same reliable big brother from the past. I’m so happy. I’ll make sure to cherish this.”

“Oh…oh, that would be great.”

Perhaps her feelings had overflowed, as Erika expressed her joy with an unprecedented level of talkativeness, having the brightest smile he had ever seen plastered on her face since their reunion.

Apparently Shota’s idea was not wrong. With relief, but also with a thumping heart, he didn’t try to calm his beating heart. It was such a charming smile.

“Let’s go home.”

“Yeah.”

Shota turned away, trying to disguise his blushing cheeks, but this time he took Erika’s hand.