I Want to Fall in Love After Getting Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, but My OP Older Brother Won’t Leave Me Alone!? - Chapter 36
Translated by: ShinigamiTori
Chapter 36 ? Infidelity and Sincerity
“Rene-chan, you like strawberries, don’t you?”
“Yes. Arnold-san’s lemon cake looks delicious too.”
One day after school, I sat across from Arnold-san in the cafeteria, and we were leisurely having a cup of tea.
I told him that I wanted to thank him for his help during the sports festival and his advice for Julius’ birthday present, and he asked me to treat him to tea and cake, so that’s what we’re doing now.
Suddenly, Arnold-san smiled sweetly and held out a fork with a piece of cake on it towards my mouth.
“Here you go, Rene-chan. Go ahead.”
“Well, it’s kind of different…”
“It’s delicious, you know?”
“It does look very delicious, I must admit.”
Occasionally, our unfamiliarity with each other causes our conversations to not quite align, but we still enjoy our time together.
What can I say? Arnold-san’s appearance is totally to my taste. Seeing him in front of me like this, I couldn’t help but be dazzled by his good looks and the inexplicable charm that made him not seem a year older. It’s a feast for the eyes.
“By the way, the first-year students are going to have their overnight trip soon, right? It’s going to be a lot of fun, I bet.”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it. How was it when you were a first-year, Arnold-san?”
“It was quite a tough time for us. The girls started fighting over Julius during our free time. They even started using magic, which caused a big commotion, and I think about six of them were suspended from school.”
“Ehhh….”
Brother, you’re too sinful. The overnight trip has turned into a hellish experience.
“He was always so popular, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah, it’s well-known that all the girls at some point develop a crush on Julius.”
“Wow…..”
I wonder if we’re in some kind of shoujo manga world[1]. But it’s Julius we’re talking about here. It’s hard not to agree.
My brother didn’t seem interested in any beautiful women, and there were even peculiar rumors about him and Arnold-san. I couldn’t help but laugh as he nonchalantly shrugged off the accident entanglements.
“But I guess he genuinely finds Rene-chan adorable. Julius has been looking so cheerful lately, which makes me happy too.”
“He does?”
“He said it’s because you’re funny, fresh, and cute. That’s why he said he doesn’t want to give you away to anyone.”
His once gloomy, self-loathing, underachieving sister became a completely different person one day when she suffered from amnesia. I have to admit, in terms of an intriguing plot twist, it’s certainly quite peculiar.
Perhaps, the feeling of not wanting to give myself away to anyone similar to the feeling of not wanting to have his favorite toy taken away?
“What about you, Arnold-san?”
“I love everyone. All the girls are so cute.”
“I see.”
He spoke of such things as if they were commonplace. At the same time, I internally swore not to let myself develop feelings for Arnold-san, under any circumstances.
As we continued our talk, Arnold-san once again extended a fork with cake, saying, “This is really delicious, you know,” and prompting me with “Ahh.”
Having been told that he had always wanted a sister and that something like this was my dream, I reluctantly opened my mouth, thinking it was just my way to say thank you to him, and that it would be a one-time occurrence.
And as the fork was offered into my mouth, I could feel the delicious lemon flavor and the sweetness of the cake spreading.
“What is this? An affair?”
The sound of that voice made me almost cough, and I hurriedly covered my mouth. Why is my brother here?
“Oh, Julius. You’re still here.”
“I was asked to help Suzie-chan. Besides, didn’t I tell you not to meet Rene alone without asking?”
“I don’t remember that.”
With that, Julius casually sat down next to me, propping his chin on his hand and gazing at me intently.
“So? What’s going on now?”
“W-Well, no matter how you put it… it wasn’t an affair in the first place.”
“So, is it serious then?”
“No, no, no.”
I have no idea what my brother is saying. And I certainly didn’t expect him to show up at such a moment.
Arnold-san casually chuckled and said, “Looks like we’ve been found out,” completely unconcerned. Like it’s someone else’s problem. Julius wore a smile, but his displeasure was evident.
“Rene, you like Arnold’s face, don’t you?”
“……”
“I can tell just by watching you closely.”
“Eh, is that so? I’m so happy.”
“You shut up.”
I thought I had hidden it well without displaying my feelings, but it seems my brother had figured it out. While I was impressed by his insight, when I apologized and said, “I’m sorry,” his mood became even worse.
“I’m annoyed. Is my face not good enough for you?”
“No, it’s not like that, I mean, if we talk about it, you’ll understand.”
“Make me understand then.”
My brother is apparently the type of siscon who doesn’t like it if he’s not first in everything. There’s no way I could ever be dissatisfied with this sparkling face of his. I can’t even get used to seeing it every day.
“Now, now, Julius, calm down. It’s just that Rene-chan prefers my face over yours, that’s all.”
“Are you trying to pick a fight?”
After that, we ordered another cake and somehow managed to settle things by having Julius feed me a bite of it, saying, “Ahh.”
No, I don’t get it at all. Seeing me on the verge of tears from embarrassment, my brother wore an oddly satisfied expression. I couldn’t help but feel it was strange, considering I hadn’t done anything wrong.
After the three of us had another casual chat, we parted ways with Arnold-san, and we boarded the carriage together to head home.
When I told him that I’d heard about Julius’ overnight trip story, he muttered, “Wow, that takes me back,” and let out a sigh.
“I even got called in by the teachers for questioning, it was the worst.”
“You’re surprisingly popular, huh?”
“… Actually, they’re wasting their time. Even if they do something like that, I won’t develop feelings for those girls.”
Julius was smiling as usual as he murmured that, but his eyes seemed to have turned cold.
“… Julius doesn’t like girls much, do you?”
“I guess I don’t really like girls who get all caught up in romantic feelings. Seeing them act without restraint makes me feel nauseous.”
“…. I see.”
Had something painful happened to him in the past? The words had such a weight to them that it made me think so.
Eventually, my brother sighed and then took hold of my hand.
“I wish I could have gone on the overnight trip with you, Rene.”
“I sincerely think it’s better for me not to get involved in a battlefield, so I’m glad that I’m separated from Julius.”
“You’re really cold. But I like that about you.”
“You’re weird.”
I started to suspect that my brother might have a fondness for me as I’m the “sister” who didn’t harbor romantic feelings for him.
And during the trip, I was repeatedly told to listen carefully to Therese and Yoshida, who had somehow been assigned to be my guardians, and to stay by their side as much as possible.
Notes:
1. Shoujo manga is an editorial category of Japanese comics targeting an audience of adolescent females and young adult women. ?
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