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Chapter 167: When Are You Marrying my Sister?
🕑 Added 2025-03-02 13:14:51 +0000 UTC[Discovered Simulatable Object: Futari Gotoh]
"?" Minami Shouji.
Hearing the system notification in his ear,
Seeing the prompt pop up in front of him,
Minami once again looked at the little girl in his arms—
Futari Gotoh, who looked no older than five or six, dressed in a white sailor-style dress.
This simulator… is seriously messed up.
Minami shook his head.
A kid this young? Seriously?
You're really registering her as a simulatable object?
Minami couldn't help but shake his head again.
He had already found this simulator questionable before.
It was weird enough when it categorized his two older sisters as simulatable targets—
But now, even Futari Gotoh?
What, does this simulator have some kind of special preference for sisters?
Minami turned his gaze away, choosing to ignore the absurd notification.
He was still young.
He still wanted to breathe the fresh air of the outside world.
He wasn't about to get himself thrown in jail at such a young age.
After dismissing the simulator's ridiculous message,
Minami focused on the real priority—
He needed to get Futari Gotoh back to her parents as soon as possible.
After all, a little girl no older than five or six should be wandering around alone…
Minami figured her parents must be really worried by now.
After a brief moment of thought, he stroked his chin and decided to carry Futari Gotoh straight to Hitori Gotoh's classroom.
"Excuse me, is Gotoh-san here?"
Holding Futari in his arms, Minami asked the girl at the reception desk, who was wearing a black-and-white maid uniform.
"Ah… Minami-senpai."
The maid-clad receptionist was quite familiar with Minami by now—
After all, thanks to tutoring sessions, the school's celebrity student had been dropping by their class at least once every two weeks.
She greeted him casually before responding,
"Gotoh-san should be backstage changing right now.
If you need to see her, I can call her out for you."
"I'd appreciate that."
Minami nodded,
Then stepped aside—making sure not to block the classroom entrance.
After all, this was a business.
He wasn't about to get in the way of their customers.
Three or four minutes later—
A startled voice came from behind the door.
"M-M-Minami?!
Why are you with Futari?!"
Hitori Gotoh—dressed in white stockings and a black-and-white maid uniform—
Could not comprehend the scene before her.
Because Minami wasn't alone.
In his arms, her own little sister was staring at her curiously.
"Futari got separated from your parents.
I figured you might have a way to contact them,
So I brought her here."
"Mhm! Daddy and Mommy got lost!"
Futari happily nodded in agreement with Minami's explanation.
But the very next second—
Whoosh!
Hitori snatched her little sister away from Minami's arms at lightning speed.
"F-Futari!
You… you didn't cause any trouble for Minami—uh,
I mean, Minami-nii, did you?"
Hitori lowered her voice.
She was terrified that Futari had inconvenienced Minami.
If her reckless little sister somehow lowered Minami's opinion of her,
She would never forgive herself.
But before Futari could even respond—
Minami—who had already heard everything—chuckled and spoke up.
"Not at all.
Futari was very well-behaved.
She didn't cause any trouble for me."
"R-Really…?"
Hearing Minami's words,
Hitori instinctively let out a sigh of relief.
But in the very next second—
"By the way, Minami-nii,
What exactly is your relationship with my sister?"
Futari looked at her visibly nervous older sister,
Then glanced at Minami standing calmly beside her.
Even though she was just a little kid,
She could tell that the relationship between these two wasn't so simple.
"Didn't I say before?
Hitori and I are good friends."
Minami replied casually,
Then turned to Hitori with a smile.
"Right, Hitori?"
"Eh…? O-Oh…!
Y-Yeah! That's right!
Minami-nii and I are good friends!"
Hitori frantically nodded,
Trying her best to match Minami's energy.
But this time—
Futari shook her head.
With a bright, innocent smile,
She outright denied their claim.
"That's a lie.
My sister doesn't have any friends at school."
"Ugh!"
Hitori's jaw dropped.
She yanked Futari behind her,
Her face twitching as she awkwardly turned to Minami.
"K-Kids just say whatever comes to mind, y'know!
Minami, d-don't take it seriously!"
"No way!"
Futari peeked out from behind Hitori's skirt,
Speaking with full sincerity.
"Every night,
Sister secretly looks at pictures of Minami-nii on her phone.
And while she looks at them—
She goes, 'Hehehe~' and giggles like an idiot.
I know all about it—Mmmph?!"
"..." Minami.
Minami narrowed his eyes,
Gazing at Hitori—
Who was now clamping her hand over Futari's mouth.
Feeling Minami's gaze,
Hitori's face twitched violently,
Forcing a pained smile that looked worse than crying.
"S-See?!
She just makes things up all the time!
Minami, you totally shouldn't believe anything my sister says!
She's always spouting nonsense, seriously!"
"...Okay.
But before that…
Uh… Hitori…"
Minami opened his mouth—
Then hesitated,
As if unsure how to phrase what he wanted to say.
"W-What is it?"
"I think it's about time you let go…
Um… Futari isn't moving anymore."
"Eh?!
F-Futari?!
Futari!!!"
And so, that morning—
From within the maid café,
A certain socially anxious girl let out a frantic, panicked scream.
Later…
"I-I'm so, so sorry!"
Bowing deeply to the classmates who had helped her,
Hitori stammered as she apologized.
Not only had she not been able to help—
She had actually caused trouble for both her classmates and Minami.
At this point,
Hitori was on the verge of tears.
Why was nothing going her way today?!
In her original plan,
She would put on a maid outfit,
Suppress her fear of serving customers,
And when Minami eventually visited with his coupon,
She would surprise him with a big, special moment.
But now—
Forget wearing a maid outfit.
She was completely falling apart.
Yes.
For the first time,
The socially anxious Hitori had meticulously planned out her entire school festival experience.
First,
Ikuyo Kita would suggest carrying equipment together,
Allowing her to spend a warm morning with Minami.
Then,
She would give him a special maid café coupon,
Shocking him with her maid outfit.
And finally,
After her shift ended,
She would casually invite him to explore the festival together.
A perfect plan.
But thanks to her suddenly appearing little sister—
Everything fell apart.
Seriously,
Who the heck takes their little sister on a festival date with their crush?!
"It's over…
Everything is over…"
Hitori felt like crying.
Why was everything so difficult for her?
She had finally found someone she liked.
She had finally taken action for the first time.
But before she could even begin—
It was already over.
Fortunately,
Her classmates were very understanding.
After hearing that Futari had gone missing,
They kindly let her go find her parents first—
Saying she could return to maid café duty later.
And even Minami—
He thoughtfully offered to accompany her while returning Futari.
If not for this,
Hitori definitely would have broken down crying on the spot.
"Minami-nii! I want that one!"
Futari suddenly stretched out her hand,
Pointing to a takoyaki stall nearby.
"F-Futari, don't trouble Minami!"
Hitori whispered sternly,
Trying to act like a proper big sister.
But clearly,
Her "big sister authority" held zero weight in Futari's eyes.
Even after Hitori scolded her,
Futari still turned toward Minami with a sweet, innocent voice—
"Naa~ Minami-nii~"
"Futari!
I just told you—
Don't trouble Minami—"
But before she could finish,
"It's fine, Hitori."
Minami smiled,
Gently patting her head.
"It's just a little takoyaki.
I can afford it."
"A-Ah… Y-Yes…"
Feeling the warmth of Minami's hand,
Hitori's stern expression instantly softened.
Her face turned bright red,
And she nodded clumsily.
"..."
Watching this unfold,
Futari's curiosity skyrocketed.
She memorized everything.
As mentioned before,
Most of the food stalls at Shuka High's festival were run by students.
And the takoyaki stand in front of them was no exception.
Two female students were awkwardly flipping the takoyaki balls using bamboo skewers,
Struggling under the heat.
They were obviously inexperienced.
They tried flipping the takoyaki before the batter had even solidified,
Causing the semi-liquid mixture to spill everywhere.
It was a complete mess.
But Minami didn't mind.
After all,
This was a student-run stall—
It was normal for their skills to be rough.
He led Futari and Hitori Gotoh over,
Then greeted the two girls at the stall.
"Excuse me, one order of takoyaki, please."
"M-M-Minami-senpai?!"
The two girls looked up at the sound of their names being called,
And upon seeing Minami standing in front of them,
They gasped in shock.
"Mm."
Minami nodded calmly,
Completely unfazed by their reaction.
"How long will it take?"
"The next batch… should be ready in about five minutes, Minami-senpai."
Minami nodded again.
He was already used to these kinds of reactions.
After all,
He was not only ranked first in the second-year division,
But also one of the most well-known seniors at Shuka High.
In the eyes of many first-year students,
He was practically at the top of the school hierarchy.
Even Futari Gotoh,
Who was still holding onto her sister's hand,
Could sense it.
When Minami approached,
The way the two girls at the stall spoke immediately became more respectful.
And this was something Futari had never seen happen with her own sister.
Because usually,
When they went out,
Even buying an ice pop would turn into a disaster,
Since Hitori Gotoh would give Futari the money and make her do it instead.
It always made Hitori seem…
Totally unreliable.
Futari tilted her head,
Then looked up at Hitori and asked in her innocent voice,
"Minami-nii is really famous?"
"I-I never told you, did I?"
Hitori seriously raised a finger.
"Minami is incredibly famous.
Almost everyone at Shuka High knows him."
"Really?"
Futari's eyes sparkled,
Her voice filled with wonder.
"Then…
How did you manage to meet someone so amazing, Sister?"
Uh—
The moment those words left Futari's mouth,
Hitori's mouth hung open.
She had no idea how to respond.
H-How did she meet him…?
How was she supposed to explain that…?
She clearly remembered the scene of her first encounter with Minami. It was because of her severe inferiority complex that she misunderstood him, thinking he might bully her. That misunderstanding eventually led to a whole series of events afterward.
But honestly, that wasn't exactly some sweet and romantic memory.
If anything, it was an embarrassing black mark in her life—one she could never erase.
So when her younger sister asked this question, Gotoh Hitori had no idea how to answer.
Just as she was stuck in a dilemma, Minami smiled and spoke up:
"The first time I met Hitori, huh… To be honest, it's a nostalgic memory. It was in the courtyard, right? I saw her carrying a guitar on her back. I was interested in guitars at the time, so I went over and started a conversation. We kept talking, and that's how we got to know each other."
He spoke so smoothly and naturally that Hitori was momentarily stunned.
How should she put it…?
Something felt slightly off, yet at the same time, Minami wasn't exactly lying either.
"Is that how it was, Onee-chan?"
Futari Gotoh tilted her head and looked at her sister.
"Ah… Ah… U-Um. More or less."
Hitori responded in a small voice.
"Wow~ That sounds so interesting!"
"W-Well… Futari, when you grow up, you'll have interesting experiences too."
Faced with her little sister's pure gaze, Hitori answered with slight guilt.
"Really?"
"Y-Yeah! Really."
"Then I have another question for Onee-chan."
"H-Huh…? W-What is it…?"
"When are you planning to marry Minami-nii?"
PFFT—!!!
Cough, cough, cough!
That single sentence made Hitori choke on air. Her soft pink lips trembled.
"M-Marry?! W-What are you talking about, Futari?!"
Marriage?!
Where did that come from?!
Wasn't this too sudden?!
"Huh…? You're not getting married? Minami-nii doesn't think so either?"
Futari looked dissatisfied as she turned to Minami.
Minami simply smiled, reached out to pat her head, then crouched down to look into her innocent, wide eyes.
"Marrying Hitori, huh… Now that I think about it, that doesn't sound too bad. When the time comes, how about you be our bridesmaid?"
"Okay~!" Futari cheered excitedly.
"M-M-Minami?! W-What are you saying?!"
Hitori was so flustered that she couldn't even form proper sentences. Her entire face turned red as she scrambled to respond.
"Oh… Futari, look. Your sister doesn't seem very willing. Looks like our wedding isn't happening anytime soon."
Minami sighed dramatically, his face filled with exaggerated regret.
"No! Minami-nii! I'll make sure to convince Onee-chan properly!"
Futari declared with a serious expression.
Seeing her little sister's determined attitude, Hitori became even more embarrassed and panicked. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a long, defeated groan—
"You two are just bullying me!"
