**Act 2: Ibuki-kun Soars into the “Sun”
After racking my brain for the first step in my grand plan to befriend Rui, one brilliant idea came to mind:
Gather intel from someone close to Rui!
And so, here I am at my destination一
a place right next door that I haven’t visited in years. The air smelled sweeter than I remembered.
“Welcome, Onii-san~”
The one who greeted me was a girl who had grown far beyond my memories.
She narrowed her peach-colored eyes, looking up at me, and lightly wet her lips.
“Mom and Dad aren’t home today.”
“O-Oh, r-really…?”
For a second, my heart skipped a beat.
If that sounded suggestive, it’s only because my mind is filthy.
There’s no deeper meaning一Hinata-chan is just naturally like this…
But if I really care about her, I should probably warn her properly.
“Hinata-chan, you shouldn’t say things like that to一”
“I only say it to you, Onii-san~?”
“Ah… yeah…”
When she puffed her cheeks slightly and gave me that pouty, upturned glance, I couldn’t say another word…
Drowning in endless defeat, I could only watch as Hinata-chan smiled brightly.
“Well then一shall we go to my room?”
“Eh?!”
I stared at my beloved oshi in disbelief.
“N-No, no, no! A guy going into a girl’s room is just…”
“Heeeh~?”
Hinata-chan’s smile… shifted in quality.
“So you do see me as a girl, Onii-san?”
“W-Well, yeah…”
I mean, she is a girl… and my oshi, no less…
As I stammered my agreement, Hinata-chan stared at me intently.
Then一
“But sorry, Onii-san. My parents left the living room a mess while getting ready to go out.”
She giggled sheepishly,
her demeanor suddenly shifting back to the cheerful innocence of her childhood.
“The living room’s embarrassing, so my room’s better… Is that… not okay?”
“…It’s okay.”
An oshi’s request is justice, right? Yeah.
Not like going into her room is a problem一as long as I don’t let any impure thoughts take root.
Don’t underestimate my willpower of steel…
“Thank you! Let’s go upstairs, then~”
“Y-Yeah…”
Following her lead, I climbed the stairs一
一and that’s when I noticed.
Hinata-chan was dressed just as stylishly as if she were going out, even though I was just visiting the Soehi household today.
Probably because I asked in advance if I could come over…
I would kill to see Hinata-chan in loungewear, but I’m a self-aware otaku who knows his place.
I’ve mastered the art of keeping my passionate oshi worship strictly internal.
…Not like I’m disappointed or anything.
I’m not. I’m really not.
The real issue wasn’t me一it was Hinata-chan’s outfit.
Bright floral patterns, frills here and there一an undeniably cute, girly look. It suited her perfectly, like spring sunshine.
But… just a little…
Her skirt might be too short…
I realized it the moment she started climbing the stairs.
Panicking, I quickly closed the distance between us一
一and ended up way too close.
“O-Onii-san…?!”
“Ah, s-sorry一!”
Startled by my sudden approach, Hinata-chan glanced back over her shoulder.
I tried to pull away一
一and slipped.
Crap!
I instinctively reached for the wall and activated [Separation], killing my momentum and stopping two steps below.
But my relief was short-lived.
Seeing me almost fall, Hinata-chan tried to grab me一
一just as I abruptly stopped.
“Whoa一?!”
“Kyaah?!”
And just like that, we tumbled down together.
Luckily, we hadn’t climbed far, so the fall wasn’t bad.
“Oww…”
“S-Sorry, Onii-san! Are you oka一”
Even that tiny use of [Separation] came with a price.
Still sprawled on the floor, I一
“Hyah?!”
一ended up hugging Hinata-chan on top of me.
“W-Wait! I’m happy, but I’m not ready for thiiis?!”
“……”
I could feel her squirming in my arms, desperately saying something, but my thoughts were too hazy to make sense of it.
“…Huh? Wait… is this…?”
“……”
Since the ability use was minor, the Umbra Compensation cost only lasted about five seconds.
The moment my consciousness cleared一
I rolled us over gently, placing her beside me.
“S-Sorry, Hinata-chan! Are you okay?! Hurt anywhere?!”
As I tried to sit up,
she stopped me with a tug一her hand gripping mine.
“What’s wrong? Does something hur一”
“Fufu~”
“……?!”
Right now, I was lying on my side, one arm under her head like a pillow.
Meaning一her face was way too close!
“You can… hug me tighter, you know?”
“……Ah.”
Her lips curved into a bewitching smile, her eyes glinting with a faint purple light.
Mesmerized, I finally noticed一
“What’s wrong? Onii-san!”
Her ears were bright red.
And then it hit me.
She was saying this to make sure I wouldn’t feel guilty about hugging her.
What an angel…
I gave her the gentlest smile I could muster.
“Thanks, Hinata-chan. But you don’t have to force yourself, okay?”
“…Huh?”
Her voice sounded oddly deflated.
“I mean, your ears are all red…”
“……”
Hinata-chan’s eyes widened.
And then一
“~?!”
Not just her ears一her entire face turned scarlet.
With a swift motion, she shot upright, pressing both hands to her burning cheeks as she glared at me with teary eyes.
“O-Onii-san, you idiot! No tact at all!”
“Ah, wait一”
“Hmph!”
Leaving me sitting dumbfounded on the floor, she dashed off toward the living room.
“Go ahead upstairs! I’ll bring drinks! …And if you follow me, I won’t forgive you!”
“O-Okay, got it…”
I muttered a reply to her retreating figure before finally standing up.
“…Did I mess up somehow?”
◇◇◇◇◇
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Hinata-chan’s room was undeniably girly, and by the time I cautiously stepped inside, the earlier warmth had faded slightly.
Trying not to be overwhelmed by the cuteness, I closed my eyes一only to be hit by the sweet scent of a girl, making me even more nervous. So I steadied myself by imagining Kushina’s calming presence.
By the time I’d regained my composure, Hinata-chan一now seemingly calm一returned.
As if pretending the earlier incident never happened, we made small talk.
Gradually, the tension between us melted away.
Maybe because of that一or maybe because being at home made her careless一
Hinata-chan, sitting across from me, occasionally propped up her knees, putting herself in… risky positions.
But after witnessing her earlier angelic behavior, my mental fortitude was unbreakable.
Her complete lack of awareness of her own charm only made her more endearing.
Strangely, though, Hinata-chan kept blushing and muttering “Uuu~” at me.
Still, our conversation flowed smoothly一
一until I brought up the real topic.
“Actually, today I wanted to ask about… Utsurugi Rui.”
“………Heeh? Why?”
For a moment, my oshi’s voice darkened.
“W-Well, I kinda… want to get along with her, y’know…?”
The light in Hinata-chan’s eyes seemed to dim.
“I see… You’re still not satisfied, huh, Onii-san?”
I gulped.
…Did I mess up again?
“H-Hinata-chan?”
What do I do? I just wanted to befriend her friend, but now she’s mad…?
…Wait! I get it!
She’s jealous一thinking I’m trying to steal Rui away! (Deductive genius)
“Don’t worry, Hinata-chan!”
“…About what?”
Her shadowed eyes fixed on me.
But fear not一reassuring my oshi is an otaku’s true calling!
I smiled brightly.
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