"Hee hee, I finally have a chance to let Chihaya-nii be spoiled by me for once!"
Anon said, her face full of bliss as she stroked Tetsuya's hair.
"It's okay, everyone gets tired. So you don't have to think about anything right now, Chihaya-nii. Just relax!"
"Ah... mhm."
"That was a very strained reply."
"No, it's just... this is... making it a little hard to relax."
"Why? Is my lap pillow uncomfortable?"
"No, it's quite the opposite..."
Lying on his side on Anon's lap, Tetsuya kept his eyes tightly shut.
Because Anon was only wearing a bath towel, he knew that if he opened his eyes, he would see her fair, firm thighs.
Yet even with his eyes closed, the softness and warmth against his cheek and the fresh fragrance constantly entering his nose still left him feeling unsettled...
(Don't let your mind wander, calm down, Chihaya Tetsuya. That's Anon, your most important little sister!)
Tetsuya chanted silently in his heart.
(Don't have any impure thoughts, and don't let her see... Just endure it a little longer. As soon as she's had her fun, get up immediately— Uwah!?)
"Eh... Chihaya-nii's ears are so soft."
Anon remarked with surprise as she kneaded his ear.
"Huh? This is actually really fun!"
"A-Anon, what are you doing!"
The tingling sensation from his kneaded ear made Tetsuya squirm.
That subtle feeling, like an electric current running through his body, reignited the impure thoughts that were already stirring within him.
"It really tickles, stop it."
However, this movement, far from stopping Anon's mischievous little hands, only sparked her desire for further pranks—
"Hee hee, does it tickle? But this is also part of the 'treatment'."
Anon said with a grin.
"I saw it online! Gently rubbing along the auricle like this apparently helps you sleep!"
"That's absolute nonsense!"
Tetsuya, feeling an unbearable itch in his heart, strongly objected.
"How could anyone possibly fall asleep when it's this ticklish! Anon, be good, stop playing around."
"I'll be done soon, just let me play a little longer!"
Anon lowered her head, putting on a pleading expression.
"Just a little longer, just one minute!"
"..."
Hearing his sister's coquettish plea, the vigilance in Tetsuya's heart subconsciously slackened.
Ever since he first stepped foot into the Chihaya household, he had never been able to resist Anon's spoiled-cute offensive.
The moment her voice carried even the slightest hint of a request, the thought of refusing her would become unbearable.
...
"Just one minute..."
Tetsuya said through gritted teeth.
"After one minute, you're absolutely not allowed to touch me randomly anymore."
"Roger!"
A brilliant smile bloomed on Anon's face. Then, she suddenly placed both hands on his cheeks and gently lifted his face upwards—
"Eh?"
Just as Tetsuya, forced into a supine position, was feeling confused by her actions, Anon's hands reached for both of his ears at the same time.
"!!!"
I see, she plans to attack from both sides at once! How despicable!
However, before Tetsuya could voice his protest, the simultaneous tingling from both ears and the rubbing sound that dominated his hearing robbed him of his ability to speak properly.
Completely different from a moment ago, under the dual stimulation of touch and hearing, Tetsuya felt his mind go completely blank, leaving only a comfort he had never experienced before.
Meanwhile, seeing Tetsuya's eyes go slightly out of focus, Anon felt the weight on her lap seem to grow a little heavier than before.
So, to reduce the pressure on my thighs, he was secretly tensing his neck to lift his head this whole time...
"Honestly, you had no intention of relaxing at all!"
Anon, singularly focused on making her brother relax, complained with some dissatisfaction.
"I already said I was going to heal you properly, you could at least trust me a little more... Oh?"
The next second, when she noticed Tetsuya's slightly dazed expression, she immediately thought of how to "punish" her unromantic brother—
"You look like you're enjoying this! In that case, how about this?"
"!?"
As Anon slipped her fingers into his ears, Tetsuya, who was just about to regain his clarity, felt his entire body go limp once again.
Just the feeling of her rubbing his outer ear had been enough to disarm him, let alone this combined assault from both inside and out.
"Since you won't relax obediently, I'll just have to make you so comfortable that you have no choice but to relax!"
Watching Tetsuya's helpless state, an unprecedented sense of conquest and satisfaction surged into Anon's heart.
(I've always been the one being taken care of, but now, I can finally do something for you...)
Just seeing the expression on Tetsuya's face—a mixture of struggle and enjoyment—made Anon's heart beat uncontrollably faster.
(Come to think of it... my brother, who's always been so cool and reliable, can make this kind of face, too.)
Anon, who had originally just wanted to help her brother relax more, now found other thoughts emerging in her heart.
This was the first time since that dangerous night that she had faced the question head-on—were the feelings she held for Chihaya Tetsuya really just simple, familial affection between a brother and sister?
The facts clearly suggested otherwise.
If they were, then that night, when she was sleeping in the same bed with him, she absolutely would not have felt that degree of restlessness and "ordeal."
And now, just looking at his face, so close to hers, made her heart race uncontrollably.
Although she had always respected her mature and reliable brother, at this very moment, seeing him so defenseless and at her mercy, the things in her heart that had long been suppressed by "respect" and "trust" were finally revealed.
(I see...)
Anon thought to herself as if waking from a dream.
(This must be what drove Hoshino Ai to do those things...)
This "vulnerability," a stark contrast to his usual composed and handsome self, and this "innocence," completely unaware of his own charm and unguarded against others, was simply too sweet. So much so that even she, his little sister, couldn't resist playing tricks on him.
To say nothing of Hoshino Ai, who had been in love with him for seven years.
So, what should she do now?
Should she suppress these feelings once more and continue to play the part of the good little sister, or should she, like Hoshino Ai, let her desires run wild and launch a fervent and crazed offensive on her brother?
What kind of relationship did she really want with Chihaya Tetsuya? What was it that she truly wanted from him?
Gazing at the face in her lap that so captivated her, Anon fell deep into thought.