MCFW 13

chapter :13

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──The next day.
On my usual route to school, a girl was standing there. She called out to me just as I was passing by.
Her short hair left a strong impression, and her dignified features were unmistakable.
It was Nao Kitagawa.

“Hey, Kaede-kun. Mind if I walk with you for a while?”

Why is Nao-san here?
Tilting my head with a puzzled look, I asked:

“Nao-san…? Huh? What brings you here today? Your all-girls school is in the opposite direction, isn’t it?”
“Ah—well… it’s just a coincidence. I happened to see you walking, so I thought I’d join you.”

She said that a bit flustered.

“What’s going on? If Kana-nee were here, that would make sense, but it’s rare to see you around.”
“Ah, no… it’s actually about Kana.”
“Kana-nee? What about her?”

With that, we started walking together.
Nao-san said she wanted to talk about Kana-nee, but I had no idea how to respond.

“You know,” Nao began, “no matter how you look at it, Kana clearly has feelings for you.”
“Huh…”
“But for some reason, you act distant. Like you’re holding back or brushing her off. Why do you treat her that way?”
“That’s not what I mean to do…”
“From where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like you have any real feelings for her.”
“…”

I couldn’t deny her words.
It’s true that Kana-nee has shown affection toward me, but it didn’t feel genuine.
It felt more like she was using me as an escape—just a scapegoat to get away from my brother.

Kana-nee is beautiful, smart, and well-behaved—she’s the full package.
If someone like her liked me, that would normally make me happy.
But someone like her being interested in someone like me? I have nothing special to offer.
I’m just an ordinary guy with no real charm.

There are plenty of people more suited for her than me.
That’s why, deep down, I can’t even admit I like her.
In truth, I feel inferior to her.

“Judging by your face, I hit the mark, didn’t I?”
“To me, Kana-nee is just… a sister figure.”
“Even though she’s your childhood friend?”
“Maybe that’s exactly why. When she rejected my older brother’s confession, I was honestly shocked. Then, when she said she liked me, I just didn’t know how to react. I wondered if she really meant it… or if someone like me was good enough for her.”
“I think it’s fine.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s her choice. No matter what anyone else says, it’s not something they can control.”
“Her choice, huh… but still, I—”
“Kana knows all that and still likes you, I think.”
“Why? I’m nothing like my brother… I can’t do everything he can.”
“Then why not ask her yourself? Oh, and by the way, Kaede-kun—I don’t dislike you either.”

Nao-san smiled softly.
Even so, I couldn’t stop comparing myself to my brother.

“──How about this? Why don’t we pretend to date for a while?”
“Me? With you, Nao-san?”
“Yeah. Let’s act like a couple. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see how Kana reacts—how much she really likes you?”
“That sounds like testing her feelings… I feel kind of bad about it. Is that really okay?”
“It’s fine. You’re so dense, Kaede-kun—you’re allowed to find out how she really feels.”

She said it so casually.
Kana-nee had told me she liked me outright, but honestly, I wasn’t confident enough to take her feelings at face value.
If that’s the case, maybe I really do need to see what she’s thinking.
I wasn’t thrilled about it, but I decided to go along with Nao-san’s plan.

“If you say so, Nao-san, I’ll go along with it for a while. But—”
“But what?”
“No kissing or anything pervy, okay? Please keep that in mind.”
“Huh? But then it won’t look like we’re really a couple. Can’t you compromise a little?”
“Wait—you were actually planning to kiss me?”
“W-Well… if the chance came up, maybe.”

Nao-san blushed unexpectedly.
So she was thinking about kissing me… maybe even more, if things went that way.
I guess she’s curious about romance in her own way, even if she pretends not to be interested.

“Anyway, no kissing or anything like that. That’s something you do with a real boyfriend or girlfriend.”
“…Fine, fine. You’re just like Kana, you know that?”

She smiled wryly.
It was the first time anyone said I was like Kana-nee.
I couldn’t help but wonder what she meant.

As I stood there with a puzzled look, Nao-san gave me a mischievous grin.

“You’re thinking about it now, aren’t you?”
“Well… yeah. You said I’m like her, so I was wondering how.”
“How, huh? Hard to explain. It’s just a feeling.”
“Just a feeling?”
“Yep. Just a feeling.”

Then, without warning, she linked her arm with mine.
I froze in surprise.

Just then, a loud voice shouted from behind us—

“Hey!!”

When I turned around, there stood Kana-nee.
She rushed over and grabbed my other arm.

“What do you think you’re doing, little brother!?”
“Uh… well… this is… uh…”

I had no idea how to explain this situation.
Nao-san, on the other hand, greeted her casually.

“Good morning, Kana. You look as composed as ever.”
“Skip the greeting. Nao-chan, what’s going on here?”
“What’s going on? I just followed my instincts. Things naturally turned out this way.”
“‘Followed your instincts’? Don’t give me that! He’s not your boyfriend—he’s my—”

Kana-nee tried to pull me away, but since Nao-san still had her arm linked with mine, she couldn’t.

“Your what?”

I tilted my head, watching her struggle to answer.
It’s not like I was doing anything inappropriate, but her reaction was a bit much.
Nao-san, meanwhile, looked like she was thoroughly enjoying the show.

“Um… well…”

Kana-nee’s face turned bright red as she stammered.

“What am I to you, Kana?”

Nao teased her with a playful smile.

“He’s like my little brother! That’s why, if he ever gets a girlfriend, he has to introduce her to me first!”
“That sounds like you’re his parent or something.”

I sighed in disbelief.
Kana-nee immediately shot back—

“Exactly. He needs my permission.”

Then she tried to pull me away again.
Nao-san, of course, refused to let go.

“Kana’s permission, huh? Well, I don’t mind. It’s not like I have a boyfriend anyway.”
“No, Nao-chan, you can’t!”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re too reliable. You and my brother wouldn’t match!”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really! The only one who can date him is me! He’s not allowed to fall for anyone else!”
“Uh… I don’t think—”

I mean, shouldn’t I be free to like whoever I want?
I wanted to say that, but the words got stuck in my throat.

Deep down, I do like Kana-nee.
If it weren’t for my brother, I probably would’ve seen her as more than just a sister figure.
She confessed to me, but I still can’t bring myself to accept her feelings completely.
Maybe I’m still confused.

“Got it? You can’t fall for any girl but me, okay?”
“Well… even if you say that… Nao-san, could you say something here?”

I turned to Nao-san, hoping she’d defuse the situation.
When Kana gets like this, there’s no stopping her—but maybe Nao could.

Nao, however, just looked amused.

“Well, well… Kana really said it straight this time, didn’t she? ──Right, little brother?”

She smiled mischievously, clearly entertained by the whole thing.