MCFW 51

Chapter – 51

When I woke up, Kana-nee-chan was asleep while clinging to me.
The current time was 5 a.m.
If she’s still sleeping at this hour, that means no lunch exchange today.
Personally, I had been thinking that I didn’t really want to do the lunch exchange, so this works out just fine.
But I still have to make breakfast.
I need to somehow get Kana-nee-chan off of me and make breakfast.

I tried to get up and gently moved Kana-nee-chan’s arms, which were wrapped around me.
Then, her eyes slowly opened.

“…Good morning, little brother.”

She was probably still half-asleep, as her gaze didn’t focus on me.
Her pajamas were a little disheveled, and I caught a fleeting glimpse of her chest.
It was still too early for her to wake up.
I tried to put the blanket back over her and let her sleep a bit longer.

“It’s still a little early. You should rest a bit more.”

I think that’s when I made my mistake.
I had completely let my guard down.
Without hesitation, Kana-nee-chan grabbed my arm and dragged me back under the covers.

“Little brother…”
“Ugh…!?”

Whoa… Kana-nee-chan!?
I almost said it out loud, but I managed to keep quiet.
She hugged me tightly, pressing herself against me.
I wonder when she woke up.
I couldn’t help it—I gently patted her waist to signal that I surrender.

“Kana-nee-chan! I give up! I surrender! I’m done, so let go!”
“Are you really surrendering?”
“Yes. I’m really surrendering.”
“Then you owe me something.”

Kana-nee-chan said this with a smile.
Even if she says that, I have no idea what she means, so I asked carefully.

“Owe you something?”
“A ‘good morning’ kiss. If we were a couple, that would be normal, right? Or do you really need me to spell it out?”

Kana-nee-chan said this, blushing with embarrassment.

“No… I mean, that’s a bit…”

At times like this, I really don’t know what to do.
After staying still for a while, Kana-nee-chan put her arm around my neck.

“Geez… you really are hopeless, little brother—”

Then she pressed her lips to mine.
There was no way I could resist.
I just stared at her beautiful face.

For now, at least, there would be no lunch exchange with Kana-nee-chan, but I still had to make my own lunch…
Thinking that, I started preparing today’s lunch.
Kana-nee-chan, now dressed in her school uniform, approached me with a thoughtful expression.

“Hey, Kaede… is it really not okay if we do the lunch exchange?”
“What do you want to do?”

I stopped making the side dishes for a moment.

“Well… if Kaede is okay with it, I’d be happy to make it.”

Kana-nee-chan said this, blushing and fidgeting.
Even if she fidgets like that… if she made one of those “special” lunches again, I’d probably not be able to handle it…

“As long as you don’t make those embarrassing heart-marked lunches, I don’t mind.”
“Geez… my lunch is full of love…”

Kana-nee-chan looked really sad as she said this.
It’s not that her affection is a nuisance…
It just pierces my heart a little.

“I know it’s made with love… but a normal lunch would actually make me happier.”
“A normal lunch? Is that really okay? It’s just a lunch with no special features.”
“Exactly. That’s why it’s good. There’s no risk of it being weird. A normal lunch is always safe.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying my lunch is bad?”

Kana-nee-chan frowned.
No, I didn’t mean it was bad…
I wanted to say that, but I ended up saying something else.

“Well… your lunch is really delicious, but…”
“Delicious, but… what?”

Ah… Kana-nee-chan is definitely upset now.
Even with a smile, she’s clearly angry.
I decided to just speak plainly.

“It’s perfect in taste, but it’s not something I can show to others. More importantly, I can’t eat it in peace alone.”
“Really? I think it’s the perfect lunch.”

It really is perfect… the taste is fine, but no matter how you look at it…

“I know it’s perfect, but you have to understand my feelings too. Even I try to make my lunches presentable so that no one would be embarrassed to see them.”
“You wouldn’t understand because you don’t know the girls’ school rules.”
“I’ve heard most of it from Shingo… if a boy receives a lunch from a girl at a girls’ school, he has to give a reply the same day…”
“That’s right. For girls, giving lunch to the boy they like is the only way to show affection. If they don’t get a response immediately, it causes trouble for the girl too.”
“I understand that… but for us, it’s a lunch exchange, right? I thought it was about making a lunch that neither of us would be embarrassed about. Kana-nee-chan, your lunch already shows your affection clearly.”
“Yeah. That’s why I make it carefully so it’s not embarrassing.”

Kana-nee-chan said this confidently.
The hearts and ‘LOVE’ stuff aren’t embarrassing to her at all.

“I see… so that’s your way of making it thoughtful.”
“Of course. Honestly, I’m worried about your lunch more than anything.”
“Worried about what?”
“I don’t feel love from your lunch. I’ve been unsatisfied.”
“Even if you say that… I do think about nutrition balance, so that’s a bit extreme…”
“Then… I’d like a note inside the lunch that says something like ‘Kana, I love you.’”
“Ha ha ha… that’s a bit embarrassing.”

I said this with a wry smile.
If I wrote that, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face to Kana-nee-chan.
What a cheesy thing to do… maybe my brother would, but not me.
Kana-nee-chan didn’t like my response and frowned, speaking again.

“It’s not embarrassing! I know you can do it, Kaede!”
“Emphasize that part, huh?”
“Then tell me—what is our relationship, Kaede?”
“Like siblings… I guess.”

I answered with a thoughtful “Hmm…”
Then Kana-nee-chan put her finger on my lips and said:

“No! We’re officially dating, so we’re like a couple, right?”
“Calling us a couple is a bit much… we haven’t even done… that kind of stuff yet.”

Well, even if we did, it wasn’t anything major. Probably just light physical affection.

“That’s because you refuse, right? I’m ready anytime.”
“Still… we’re high school students. There are limits to what we can do…”
“As long as it’s not something extreme from those erotic books, it’s totally fine. Do you not like me touching your body?”

Kana-nee-chan asked with a sad expression.
Seeing her like that, I don’t know how to respond… I wish she wouldn’t.
Besides, she already touches me excessively on a daily basis.

“I don’t mind. Kana-nee-chan is precious to me.”

I hugged Kana-nee-chan gently as I said that.
She hugged me back happily.

“Thank you, Kaede.”

—Seriously…
I’m still in the middle of making lunch.