"Alright, we've all finished proving ourselves. Now it's your turn."
As he spoke, Kamishiro tossed Iori's adult magazine onto the ground at his feet, his gaze teasingly fixed on Iori's pants.
Yamamoto and the others also crowded around, wearing mischievous smiles.
Let me see!
{{(°△°; ")}}!
Iori stared at them in terror. Right now, he felt like a little lamb that had fallen into a pack of wolves.
If it was just getting naked, he wouldn't have a problem with it—that was perfectly normal.
But… proving that he wasn't incapable in front of these people…
(´Д｀)
That was absolutely impossible!!!
Tears streamed from the corners of Iori's eyes. He didn't understand—why… why had the topic suddenly shifted to his little brother down there?
It was just a child that hadn't even gotten to do its proper job yet!!
Shiori: (;＿;)
It seemed… she'd caused trouble.
Hehe?
Under everyone's teasing gazes, Iori chose to give up… forgive him, but he really couldn't bring himself to turn into a "woodpecker" in front of everyone!
Besides, something Kamishiro had just said completely crushed his desire to prove himself.
"Whether it works or not isn't that important anyway. In the end, you won't get to use it. Kitahara, you don't seriously think you still have any right to choose a partner, do you~"
!!!
Those words were like the final straw, instantly crushing Iori.
After wandering around for a bit, Iori returned looking utterly dead inside—if anything, even worse than before.
He felt like a worm that had lost its dreams, ready to end its life at any moment.
Being a boy forever… was just too tragic!
"W-well, next let's go play that one."
The culprit, Kamishiro, not only felt no guilt at all, but enthusiastically grabbed Azusa and headed for the next attraction—the upgraded version of the merry-go-round!
—The spinning carriage!
Since most visitors came in groups, that rich second-generation owner had modified many of the park's rides.
For example, this merry-go-round had extra carriage-style seats added, specifically to make it easier for couples to ride together.
Heh heh~
The corners of Kamishiro's mouth curled upward. Finally—after playing for so long—there was a ride he could sit on without any pressure at all!
"Kamishiro, you're really a coward~"
Azusa poked the handsome face of the timid Kamishiro with a grin. Back in the haunted house, that face had gone completely pale.
"Shut up!"
Kamishiro turned his head away indignantly. He wasn't scared—his body had just felt a little uncomfortable, that was all!
And so, while bickering and fooling around, the two of them headed toward the spinning carriage. It was time to relax!
However—
Before Kamishiro could even reach his destination, he felt an extremely powerful force restraining him.
Immediately after, several sinful arms tightly wrapped around his limbs and waist.
{{(°△°; ")}}!
The sudden change startled Kamishiro, and he looked back.
There he saw—
Yamamoto, Nojima, and Fujiwara, those three bastards, hugging different parts of him, their faces full of jealousy.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you idiots doing?! Let go! It's playtime right now—go play with your own partners!
Don't drag me down with you!"
Kamishiro struggled hard. These jerks were not going to stop him from climbing the staircase of happiness!
Yamamoto: "Like hell we'd let you run off first, bastard!"
Fujiwara: "This is unreasonable—completely unreasonable!"
Nojima: "I strongly demand that who sits with whom be decided by drawing lots!"
"Huh?!"
(ಠ_ಠ)
Kamishiro stared at them in disbelief. Just how thick-skinned did these people have to be to say something like that?
"You guys have gone too far! Don't forget, you all got in by exploiting loopholes. By rights, you should've had to perform the 'little bird drinking water' routine!"
He'd already been generous enough to loosen the requirements, and yet these guys were still eyeing Azusa nee absolutely unforgivable!
"No way! We came in fully within the rules! You've monopolized her all morning—it's our turn now!"
Their expressions… were the very definition of lacking justification but overflowing with confidence!
Cowardly, yet greedy!
Kamishiro rubbed his forehead speechlessly, then seized the moment when they loosened their grip, wrapped an arm around Azusa nee, turned around, and walked away.
"Who cares about you guys!"
"Nooooo!!!" × n
Yamamoto and the others pounced again. They didn't want their future memories of the Wild Boar Park to consist only of their mom, dolls, and other men!
!!!
Seeing this, Kamishiro prepared to sprint with Azusa nee in his arms—an all-out battle to defend love!
But before he could even lift her, Azusa extended her hand to block Yamamoto and the others.
The big sister had already figured out what was going on~
As the big sister, she felt it was necessary to teach these boys the proper way to interact with girls~
"You can't do that, you know~"
Yamamoto and the others: ((;;;°_°))
Hearing the big sister herself reject them, they instantly fell into the same state as Iori earlier.
They wanted to die!
"You should care about a girl's feelings~ You need to ask whether the girl is willing, instead of skipping over her and asking Kamishiro directly~"
Hearing this—
The few who had just been on the brink of despair suddenly lifted their heads.
That meant… they'd just used the wrong approach, but still had a chance?!
Looking at Azusa's alluring face, they felt as though they were gazing upon an angel!
"R-really?" Under Kamishiro's murderous glare, Yamamoto trembled as he approached Azusa, somehow producing a rose from nowhere. "Then, beautiful lady, would you be willing to ride that carriage with me?"
"I wouldn't~"
"Oh… I see, you wouldn't…"
BAM!!!
That merciless reply crushed Yamamoto once again. Giving someone hope only to plunge them into despair—this feeling… it was truly a devil's game!
Unable to bear it, Yamamoto collapsed to his knees, eyes bloodshot, pounding the ground wildly.
"Why?! If that's the case, why give me hope at all?!"
Behind him, Nojima and Fujiwara couldn't help but shed tears as well. Were they really so unworthy of having a normal partner?
These guys had clearly forgotten that their partners were people they'd found themselves…
"Ara, ara…" Seeing their state, Azusa scratched her head awkwardly. These boys seemed to have misunderstood her meaning.
"I don't really have time, after all—Kamishiro gets very jealous, you know~"
Hearing that, Kamishiro let out a very tsundere snort. What did she mean, very jealous? He just had a tiny bit of possessiveness, that's all.
"But…"
Before Yamamoto and the others' expressions could change again, Azusa spoke once more—deliberately dangling the bait, just like a devil.
That look made them want to slap the versions of themselves from a few minutes ago who'd thought she was an angel.
They should've known—big sisters like her were devils who toyed with people's hearts!
"What is it? Please, Queen, show us a path forward!"
Nojima naturally dropped to one knee, like a loyal knight.
Yamamoto and Fujiwara, who had been panicking just moments ago, were first startled, then immediately followed suit and knelt on one knee as well.
Indeed, when facing a devil, offering loyalty was the correct approach.
"..."
Azusa's mouth twitched. She'd only wanted to copy the hosting style she'd seen on a variety show recently—why had these three just knelt down outright?!
This was going to look like some kind of new cult!
Sensing the puzzled gazes of passersby, Azusa wasn't too bothered, but… she should probably get them to stand up quickly.
Even if she were to found a cult, she'd still strictly vet her followers.
No longer teasing them, Azusa directly pointed toward where Shiori was standing.
"I might not be able to help, but if you properly beg Shiori…"
!!!
Before she even finished speaking, Yamamoto and the others—no, four people!
Kohei, who'd been eavesdropping, too!
All four snapped their heads up, their eyes burning with passion.
Right! If the big sister was unavailable, then the soon-to-be–JK little sister was also totally viable!
As expected of the devil—just one sentence was enough to guide them onto the correct path!
At this moment, Shiori was no longer just an ordinary little girl in their eyes.
She was…
An angel!
A true angel!
Whoosh!
In an instant, Yamamoto, Nojima, Fujiwara, and Kohei appeared beside Shiori, all kneeling on one knee—no, Kohei was on both knees!
"Angel-sama! Would you be willing to ride that carriage with me?!" ×4
Shiori: {{(°△°; ")}}!
Shiori stared at Azusa in shock, unable to understand why the big sister would set her up like this!
Yet Azusa showed not the slightest hint of guilt—she even blinked and made a cheering gesture toward Shiori.
Kamishiro: "..."
Watching this scene, his mind automatically filled in an image: a scheming, sexy devil big sister bullying a pitiful little angel sister—whip in hand, no less!
"Is… is this really okay?"
That was four beasts! Even for Shiori, dealing with them all at once would be a bit difficult, wouldn't it?!
"Hm? Is there a problem? They're all good kids, you know~"
Azusa wrapped an arm around Kamishiro's neck, smiling as she looked toward the flustered Shiori ahead.
Yes—this was what a little girl her age should look like. Earlier, Shiori had felt a bit too mature to her, not quite matching what someone her age ought to be like.
After hearing Azusa nee's words, Kamishiro's head filled with question marks.
Good kids?
Where?
Other than himself, were there even any good kids here?
Even Shiori didn't really count, right? He certainly didn't remember any "good kid" who would threaten her dear older brother with just a look.
"I think I should go over and rescue Shiori."
Kamishiro still didn't feel at ease leaving Shiori alone in a den of beasts.
It wasn't that he was worried about Kohei and the others actually doing something to her.
After spending so much time together, Kamishiro trusted them fairly well.
Guys who didn't even dare set foot in Kabukicho—how could they possibly have the nerve to lay hands on a girl?
What Kamishiro was really worried about was that after being hit on (harassed) by those guys, Shiori's lunch would end up being wasted…
Just as Kamishiro was about to go over, a small hand grabbed him.
Turning his head, he saw Azusa nee smiling at him. "Don't go yet—Shiori has her knight protecting her, you know~"
As soon as she finished speaking, Kamishiro heard Iori's voice from over there.
"What do you guys think you're doing?!"
At some point, Iori who had previously been in full worm mode had woken up and was now standing between Shiori and the beasts.
Seeing Iori appear, the guys looked as though they'd just found long-lost family!
Even though Azusa had just taught them to ask for the girl's opinion—
Shiori's shy expression clearly made it impossible for her to speak up. In that case, letting her brother Kitahara speak on her behalf should be fine, right?
Fujiwara: "Please, Kitahara!"
Yamamoto: "I just want to leave behind a beautiful memory!"
Nojima: "At least let me ride one attraction with a cute girl!"
Kohei: "And then please marry Shiori to me!"
Bang bang bang!!!
Without the slightest hesitation, Iori unleashed a combo punch and sent Kohei flying. For a pervert like that, there was no need to hold back!
After stretching a bit, Iori rubbed his wrist. At this point, he was completely awake.
After all, even he couldn't keep playing dead when he saw his own little sister surrounded by a pack of beasts.
Who would've thought their wishes would be so unexpectedly simple…
Of course, Kohei was excluded!
"Shiori, what do you think?"
Iori turned to Shiori. Those guys were all cowards with lust but no guts anyway—if it was just playing together, he didn't really mind.
What mattered was Shiori's own feelings.
...
Poke poke~
"See? I told you a knight would show up!"
Azusa grinned smugly. Lately, she'd been watching some psychology-related videos (NTR).
In situations like this, when a hero appears at a critical moment, girls always develop special kind of feelings!
As always—hero saves the beauty might be cliché, but it absolutely works!
"If you hadn't stopped me just now, I would've been the knight. They're siblings, you know. The plot you're imagining is probably heading toward some Kohei fantasy route."
Kamishiro shot Azusa a sideways glance. Sometimes he really had no idea what was going on in her head—such an unreliable big sister~
"Of course not! That's taboo!"
"And besides, who said that 'special feelings' have to be those kinds of feelings?" Azusa said irritably as she explained. "Shiori isn't as prematurely mature as you are.
No—she is pretty mature, but not in the romantic sense.
Maybe she really does have a special kind of feelings toward you, but… I can tell that the one she cares about most is Iori~"
"You can tell that?"
Kamishiro was a little surprised. Could it be that Azusa nee really was a mind-reading devil?
"Of course!"
Azusa lifted her chin proudly. There was no way she was going to tell Kamishiro that she'd judged it simply by watching where Shiori's gaze went!
After Shiori arrived, most of her attention had been on Iori!
Wasn't it obvious? Her brother-complex clearly outweighed her fondness for Kamishiro!
"So, in a situation like this, it's best for Iori to step in. It helps him pull himself together again, and it also satisfies Shiori's desire for interaction. I'm sure that at that moment, the first person Shiori thought of was Iori~"
Hearing that—
Kamishiro fell silent for a moment. He had actually noticed how much Shiori cared about Iori too.
She claimed she wasn't a brocon, just that she wanted her idiot brother to go back and inherit the inn.
But… when he invited her along, she'd agreed instantly.
Even he could hear the excitement in her voice back then.
Looking at Kitahara in the distance, now discussing with everyone how to divide up time to accompany Shiori,
Kamishiro suddenly felt irritated.
He was Shiori's brother too, you know!
Blood relation or not, he was still her brother, okay?!
Hmph!
Just a mere Kitahara!
He wasn't jealous at all!