45 I Love You - My Little Sister Is Only Ever Cold to Me, Yet Recently She’s Been Strangely Clingy

Chapter 45: I Love You [There are 30 new messages] A number I'd never seen before danced across the screen. In a flurry, I unlocked my phone. Immediately, Ren's chat room appeared. Previously empty, the screen was now filled with messages from Renna. "I've arrived at the training camp!" "The match went late, and it was tough. I wanted to message you as soon as possible!" "I'm just about to eat dinner! Have you eaten already?" The initial texts were simple updates. From there, they evolved into: "Onee-chan!!!" "Hey, hurry up and reply!" Messages like this continued, and finally,: "I see, I'm the only one who feels lonely." "Please, reply." "I worked hard all day, relying only on your messages to keep me going.." "Don't you miss me, Onee-chan?" Her messages carried a melancholic tone. The first message had arrived thirty minutes ago, and the last one just five minutes ago. I quickly typed out a response, my fingers awkward and unfamiliar with the task. "Sorry. I was eating. I missed you too, Ren." The moment I sent the message, it was instantly marked as read. Almost immediately, I received a reply. "Onee-chan. Welcome back!!!" "I almost cried because you weren't responding." Stumbling to keep up with the speed of her replies, I typed back. "I'm sorry." "Eh—What should I do..." "Okay, if you give me a reward when I get back, I'll forgive you!!!" "Alright, I'll definitely give you a reward." The word 'reward' reminded me of an what happened on the day I watched Ren's game. She had asked for a reward, and I had patted her head, hugged her, and when she asked for more, I had playfully teased her. If Ren were to ask for something again, what would I offer her? What would she do? Just the thought of it made me anxious, but the message I just sent had already been marked as read. Ren's messages continued to flood in, leaving no room for my emotions. "Yay!!!" "I'm so excited!!!" "I love you, Onee-chan ♡♡♡" The straightforwardness of her affection left me shocked before I felt my heart pounding. These high-spirited messages were not something I'd expect from the usually cool and sophisticated Ren. It was hard to believe that she had sent this. It seemed that when it came to messages, or rather, when communicating through text, Ren became quite, well, playful. Even when we took a Purikura photo together, she had added some cheerful captions. While I was lost in thought, pausing my reply, Ren immediately followed up with a question. "Do you love me, Onee-chan?" Time stood still at her unexpected question. In the silence of my room, my heartbeat sounded unnaturally loud. My fingertips trembled slightly as I traced the screen, and the words don't take shape. The words I wanted to send won't form. "Maybe you don't love me...?" Anxious words from Ren, overlapping with the memory of her teary childhood face, pushed me to type my reply. "I love you." As the words appeared on the screen, I caught my breath. My heart was pounding noisily. As a little sister, merely as a little sister, I assured myself. Yet, even that excuse was shattered by the overwhelming cascade of emotions Ren's messages brought forth. "I love you too, Onee-chan!" "I can't wait to see you. I want to hear your voice. I want you to pet me, and I can't sleep without you next to me." What kind of love does that 'I love you' mean? This question suddenly arose. Then, slowly, as if possessed, my fingers moved to input the question into the screen. Just as I was about to send it, another message arrived first. "Free time's over, I can't use my phone anymore." "I wanted to talk to you more." "Sorry. I'll do my best and look forward to coming back and seeing you tomorrow!" Hastily, I erased the message I was about to send and wrote something else. "Got it. Thank you. Do your best!" "I love you, Onee-chan! Good night." "Good night." After our exchange ended, I let out a small sigh. I looked back at all the I love you’s Ren had sent me. It felt like the heartbeat and the warmth in my cheeks had suddenly been thrown into the open and left behind. I laid back on my bed, clutching my phone tightly to my chest.