“Jiu, Jiu!” Yamashita Izumi timidly called out twice, her delicate little hands cupped my cheeks, making me look into her eyes. As I was holding her, her two small legs were wrapped around my waist. This gesture was exceptionally intimate; if she were as tall as me, we would surely be mistaken for a couple.
“I’m here!” I patted Izumi’s shoulder, seeking to calm her agitated spirits. I couldn’t discern whether she lacked security or was simply overly attached to me. Had I not coaxed her with a lie, it would be difficult to imagine she would still be alive.
A lie might offer temporary solace, but never lifelong truth. It was clear that lying was wrong, yet if I hadn’t lied just now, she would have taken her own life. I could stop her once, but could I truly stop her a second or third time?
I would have to explain this situation to Sister and see what she advised. Moreover, I had vowed to Sister that I would prioritize my studies and refrain from romance while at school. Privately, many students yearned for relationships, but school regulations strictly prohibited it.
Once one person knew about a romance, the entire class would surely know within a day. For both public and private reasons, I would not reveal this matter. It was utter nonsense. If I had to describe my affection for Yamashita Izumi, it was merely the camaraderie of classmates, a sort of ‘loli love’—more accurately, a sisterly affection.
After all, Yamashita Izumi was incredibly petite in appearance. Strangers would only ever see us as siblings, never as a couple. Perfect. I truly admired my own ingenuity. As long as I could keep Yamashita Izumi quiet, everything would be resolved.
“Izumi, dating isn’t allowed at school,” I said, gazing at Yamashita Izumi with the tender affection a brother would show his sister.
Yamashita Izumi blinked, then lowered her head, rubbing her cheek against my ear. Her voice trembled as she replied, “I… I know. I know everything. I know I’ll be expelled, but I… I… I like you! I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but just seeing you every day makes me so happy, so incredibly happy! Promise me. Don’t leave me, okay? No matter what I become in the future, don’t…”
“Mhm, I promise you, I promise you everything. However, whether at school or outside, you can only call me ‘Brother.’ If you agree to that, you can come to my house anytime. If…”
“I agree, I agree! As long as I can be with Jiu, even if it means pretending to be siblings for a lifetime, it’s fine!” Yamashita Izumi didn’t hesitate. In her heart, Jiu was her entire world—the sun in the sky, the moon at night, a warm cotton coat in the cold winter. Jiu loved her, just in a different way.
“Call me ‘Brother’ and let me hear it,” I said, gently pinching Yamashita Izumi’s baby-soft, incredibly elastic cheek. The sensation was delightful.
“Bro… Brother.”
It sounded too unfamiliar, stiff, and devoid of emotion. Anyone would know we weren’t biological siblings. It seemed Yamashita Izumi had never called anyone ‘Brother’ before. Clearly, she needed much more practice.
“There are still twenty minutes until class. During this time, keep calling me ‘Brother.’ Don’t stop or close your mouth until I tell you to.” I set Yamashita Izumi down on the stone table in front of the girls’ dormitory.
Yamashita Izumi wasn’t angry. She giggled foolishly, then excitedly began, “Brother, Brother, Brother…”
In front of the girls’ dormitory building, the tender voice of a young girl echoed like a broken record, continuously calling out ‘Brother.’ By the end, her voice had already grown hoarse.
“Bro… *cough, cough*… Brother~ Bro…”
For fifteen intense minutes, Yamashita Izumi practiced, and her calls became increasingly natural—soft, adorable, sweet. If we were in a different setting, I might not have been able to maintain my composure.
‘Izumi’s talent far surpasses the ordinary. If she were a boy, she might even become a **child.’
Yamashita Izumi’s face instantly flushed crimson upon hearing Jiu’s suggestive remark. She turned away, unable to look at him, for a terribly embarrassing image had already formed in her mind: herself kneeling on the ground, and just above her head, Jiu’s valiant…
I couldn’t help but wonder if my past self was truly a **-con. What method did I use to make Yamashita Izumi so obsessed with me? Few people commit suicide out of unrequited love, right?
“Why aren’t you moving, Izumi?” I snapped back to reality. Yamashita Izumi was still standing rooted to the spot, clearly not intending to leave, her small mouth pouting with a hint of grievance.
“Hug me, lift me high!” Yamashita Izumi fluttered her watery eyes, spreading her arms towards me, her face beaming with anticipation.
I touched my nose, then squatted down, pointing to my back.
“Hehe!” Yamashita Izumi felt as if she were walking in a dream. Jiu loved her, Jiu was hers. She wondered how comfortable it would be to be carried on Jiu’s back.
Yamashita Izumi quickly ran over. When she was just a meter away from Jiu, she leaped up like a fish, flying towards her beloved. Just as her hands were about to grasp Jiu’s shoulders, the crouching figure suddenly accelerated, dashing into the distance. Yamashita Izumi’s hands flailed in the air, and she tumbled to the ground, her mouth making intimate contact with Mother Earth.
Ptooey!
*Cough, cough*…
Yamashita Izumi propped herself up with one hand and clutched her chest with the other, spitting out a mouthful of dirt she had just ingested. The ground was a grassy lawn, so the fall wasn’t too painful.
“Brother, you’re dead!”
Watching Yamashita Izumi’s frustrated expression, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Haha…”
“If you can catch me, if you can catch me, you can do anything you want!” I mimicked Sister’s mannerisms, pinching the fabric at my waist.
Yamashita Izumi was still fuming, but then she caught sight of the sliver of fair skin at Jiu’s waist.
Gulp…
Yamashita Izumi’s face flushed crimson, and a thirsty, desperate sound escaped her throat.
“Don’t you want to? Don’t you want to touch it, Izumi…?” I tried to keep my voice low and magnetic. It wasn’t that I was being flirtatious; Sister always treated me this way. I wanted to see what kind of impact imitating Sister’s behavior would have on others.
Yamashita Izumi’s baby-like face suddenly began to twitch uncontrollably. The faint blush on her cheeks instantly deepened to a dark crimson. Though she gritted her teeth, trying to suppress her inner impulse, her throat audibly swallowed again. Her small hands clutched her long school uniform, alternately tightening and loosening, as if an internal struggle raged within her.
A visible wisp of steam rose from the top of Yamashita Izumi’s head.
“Gulp! Bro… you stop right there! I’m going to execute you on the spot, execute you!” Yamashita Izumi roared, yanking open her uniform zipper completely, and charged after the figure in front of her.
“Ahhh, help! Izumi’s being a hooligan! Don’t come any closer, don’t come over here! If you do, I’ll scream!” I feigned terror, screaming and running simultaneously. Perhaps because of her fall, she wasn’t running very fast. I maintained a distance of about three meters ahead of her, while her ardent cries of “Execute him, execute him!” relentlessly filled my ears.