33 Dots and Lines - My Little Sister Is Only Ever Cold to Me, Yet Recently She’s Been Strangely Clingy

Chapter 33: Dots and Lines "You've got to be kidding me." Standing in the space right next to the entrance of the shopping mall, I find myself at a loss for words when I spot Shimamoto-san at our meeting point. Shimamoto-san, tall and confident, strides towards me, sporting sunglasses. "What's with that attitude right after meeting up?" "Yeah, maybe keep your distance. I don't want to be mistaken for a weirdo too." "Weirdo... You need something like this to hide your face, right? We're following someone today, you know." "Never mind your face; your towering figure and those sunglasses will get us noticed instantly!" I clutch my head in despair. I've had enough conversations with Shimamoto-san to understand that beneath her neat and tidy face, Shimamoto-san was, well, kind of a mess. "I-it's not that bad!" "Just take them off!" "But I just bought them!" Ignoring any objections, I snatch away the sunglasses. Shimamoto-san's disgruntled face appears in front of me, clearly displeased. "It was a perfect disguise." She continues to mutter complaints. I sense an impending headache and place my hands on my temples. It was the start of a truly challenging day. ◇◇◇ "Two hot coffees, please." "Thank you." Steam rises from the cups as they’re filled with coffee. In a busy café at lunchtime, we manage to secure a seat with a view shielded from Ai's sight, watching the scene unfold. "Why are they holding hands...!" The person sitting in front of me isn't just watching; she’s glaring daggers. She doesn't even glance at her coffee. While observing Shimamoto-san, I lift my cup. "Hey, do you have no thoughts about what you're seeing?" As I carefully sip the hot coffee after blowing on it, she asks me, her voice tinged with frustration. Come to think of it, I'm supposed to have a crush on Ai. "Yeah, it's outrageous to be so openly affectionate in public. Unforgivable." I place my cup back on the table, trying to sound convincing. I worry for a moment, had I been a little too careless? "Exactly, it's ridiculous." The person in front of me nods with satisfaction. She looks like a lovestruck idiot. Yes, indeed. Love really does ruin people. It's terrifying, really. Yet, I must admit, Ai and her little sister are much closer than I anticipated, which took me by surprise. They were holding hands like it's the most natural thing in the world. I had heard they had become close recently, but I never imagined it would be to this extent. Occasionally, when they hold hands with a shy smile, they could easily be mistaken for actual lovers, making my heart skip a beat. As I'm internally battling between pity and surprise, there’s some movement on their end. A server approaches Ai's table, leaving an unusually large parfait before departing. I quickly glance at the menu on our table, and it clicks. "Oh, so that’s it." "What do you mean?" "Good news, that's a couple's parfait." "How is that good news?" "It means the Kawai sisters are just pretending to be a couple to get that parfait." "I see!" Shimamoto-san's face lights up, then immediately clouds over. "But isn’t that going too far...?" I look over and see that Ai and her sister are feeding each other the parfait, taking turns. "Indeed..." Well, her little sister's clumsiness comes through even in Ai's stories, so perhaps her brakes are just entirely broken. Convincing myself, I try to lighten the atmosphere and ask Shimamoto-san playfully. "Should we order a couple's parfait too?" "No thanks!" She firmly rejects the idea with surprising intensity. And so, Shimamoto-san continued watching Ai's younger sister intently. The coffee in the cup in front of her has long gone cold. ◇◇◇ "Hey, why are those two holding hands this whole time...?" "How should I know..." Shimamoto-san remains irritated, and I’m secretly at a loss for words as well, trying to calm her down. Is that a normal distance for siblings? Their tightly clasped hands resemble a lover’s grip, and with their height difference, they truly appear exactly like a real a couple. "Shimamoto-san, you mentioned before that you have a big sister, right?" "I did. Why?" "Well, I’m an only child, so I wouldn't know, but I was wondering if that’s how all siblings are..." "Of course not. Even though my sister and I consult each other on various things and don't have a bad relationship, we don't cling to each other like that." That's why it's a problem. Shimamoto-san murmurs. It’s easy to imagine from Ai’s stories that her younger sister really loved Ai and couldn't be honest about it, but somehow, the nature of her love seems off from what I’m assuming... I remember a conversation I had with Shimamoto-san before. 'Sure, her feelings for Ai might be a little too strong for a younger sister to have toward her older sister, but it shouldn't interfere with your love...' 'You don’t get it at all, do you?' No way. I try to fend off such thoughts. First of all, I've never seen Ai direct anything but sisterly affection towards her younger sister. The thought is unfathomable. Perhaps I've been reading too many BL novels. Chiding myself, I dismiss the speculation or rather, the fantasy that had come to mind. After leaving the cafe, Ai and her sister cast playful antics over my musings, wandering through the arcade, and all the way into a photo booth machine, holding hands all the while. While what’s happening inside the photo booth remains unseen, I can’t help but notice how their mismatched legs sometimes get unusually close under the black curtain. What kind of photos could they be taking? Trying to distract myself, I address Shimamoto-san, who's grinding her teeth. "Want to hold hands too?" "Like I would! What’s with you?" "Just kidding—" "Are you saying you're giving up on Onee-san and switching to me...?" "Not at all!" "Sorry, but I’m devoted to Ren..." "It’s not like that! Listen to what I’m saying!" Amid the banter, Ai and her sister emerge from the photo booth. After enthusiastically doodling next to the machine, they take the photos, cut them, and start walking again. Hand in hand, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Tch." A click of the tongue comes from the side. It’s unsettling. Scary. But, in a way, I get it. Their interactions were more sugary than I'd expected, and it was making me feel like I was getting heartburn. Something heavy builds up in the depth of my heart. The sugar-coated sisters walk past the arcade entrance and slip into a nearby bookstore. Right by the entrance is the paperback section. We circle around cautiously, taking cover in a less-crowded corner. Unexpectedly, it’s the BL novel section. An impressive selection for a local shopping mall. Of course, Souji-sensei’s books are displayed as well. My gaze is inadvertently drawn to it. For some reason, Shimamoto-san is also looking at the same section. And then, she murmurs softly. "Oh, this is my sister's book." "...Eh?" "You know, this 'Souji Teruko' person—she's my sister." Shimamoto-san's eccentric behavior towards Ai. The reason I could quickly see through Shimamoto-san's intentions. It was because the entire series of events mirrored the plot of Souji-sensei's latest work, a BL novel about a love triangle between brothers. The dots connected to form a single line. And with that connection, the line was blown away by a shockwave of realization.