A phone call from Manami

(Manami) Onee-chan’s in a mess, so do something about it!

A sudden message from Manami pings my phone.

(Kouki) What’s the mess?

(Manami) Ask her out on a date!

(Kouki) Wait, why…

(Manami) Ask her out on a date!

After that, it’s the only thing she sends.

While I’m puzzling over what to do, my phone rings.

“Oh, Manami? What’s that all abou—”

“It’s Kouki-nii’s fault!”

She doesn’t seem remotely interested in talking it out.

“Uh, hold on…”

“Kouki-nii’s the one who messed up, so go on a date with Onee-chan and do something for me too!”

“Why…”

“Ask your heart… ugh, no, even if I say that, Kouki-nii’s too dense to get it…”

A ridiculously loud sigh comes through the phone. What did I even do…?

“You were practically drooling while clinging to some pretty girl, weren’t you?”

“Huh…?”

I want to deny it, but there’s some truth to it, so I can’t completely brush it off. Probably that time I hung out with Akito.

“Uh, well…”

“Look, I get there’s probably some explanation, but I hate it when Kouki-nii gets all chummy with girls who aren’t Onee-chan or me!”

“O-Okay…”

What’s this about? Possessiveness? Like she doesn’t want her brother and sister stolen away…?

“So, go on a date with Onee-chan and do something for me too!”

“Why…”

“Just do it!”

“Okay…”

I didn’t quite get why Aisa’s name came up, but if Manami felt like I was fawning over someone else, that’d explain it. She’s always been quick to get mad about stuff like that since way back. Or maybe it’s because I pissed her off somehow. That feels more likely. I’ve always been a bit soft on Manami, after all.

A date with Aisa, she says, but I bet I’m just gonna be her bag carrier.

“You already made that promise to go to the pool with Onee-chan, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I did.”

I kept my promise that day, no question.

“Great! Then let’s go to the beach!”

“The beach…?”

“Don’t you wanna see Onee-chan in her swimsuit, like, a million times?”

“Well…”

Saying I don’t would be a flat-out lie.

“Hehe. The beach means more luggage, so it’s better than just the two of you, right? Yup, let’s do it!”

“Let’s do it, you say…”

“I’ll let you know once we pick a date!”

“Hey, wait—”

She says her piece and hangs up.

What am I supposed to do with this…? Guess I just wait for her to follow up.

“Still, Aisa getting mad over something like that… really?”

Part of me can’t help but get my hopes up, but thinking about how things usually go, I shove that idea to the back of my mind.

I don’t know if I’m the only one who thinks it’d be fun to go back to how things used to be between us, or if Aisa feels the same. But ever since that day we went out together, her attitude’s softened a bit, and I’m grateful for that.

“The beach, huh…”

The pool date with Aisa will probably come first, but with Manami involved, this is…

“If I get caught, I might not live to complain about it.”

Okay, if I actually got stabbed, I’d have more than complaints, but lately I’ve been keenly aware of how popular those two are. Getting to go to the beach with the school’s most beautiful sisters, even if I’m just their bag carrier, and seeing them in swimsuits… nah, better not think about it.

To escape reality, I start looking up info on nearby beaches.

If we’re going, I’ll make sure the two of them have a blast.