Lanj: 2012/1/23

Translated from the original Japanese.

2014/02/07

Note from Nias: This account is ported from an old edition. The changes are in bold.

2012/1/23.

When he was called to the pond at the university, he came and saw Mel standing on the bridge.

“Hey, what is it?” said Seren as he approached Mel. He seemed unusally meek.

As Mel placed her hands on the handrails, she looked at the surface of the water and then looked at Seren with a serious gaze.

“Hey, what do you think of me?”

“Why so sudden?” As Seren moved his eyes up and left, he answered, “Well, I feel that you’re like a cute little sister.”

“A… little sister?” Her facial appearance grew dark.

“Yeah?”

“Look…. Are you noticing my feelings?”

That was straight to the point. He twitched for a moment, but he replied in a calm voice, “Well, for some reason.”

“How long?”

“—That I’ve noticed? I’ve noticed it since the first time you’ve been in love with me.”

“When did you notice that you were loved by the opposite sex?”

“I wonder when. It might have been when you were little, or it might have been when you’d grown up.”

She looked at the pond. “Now I’m… already an adult. Would you mind if I stopped being a little sister?”

“… Maybe.”

“There’s a bench…” she pointed deeper inside. “Why don’t we sit there?”

The two sat on the bench.

“Don’t you have a woman you like?” she asked.

“What do you mean, like…?”

“Oh, because I know you admire Miifa and Liiza.”

“Do… you?”

“But is that really admiration after all?”

“Hmm, well then, is it okay to say that I don’t have anyone I like?”

Mel looked at Seren resolvedly. “Am I no good…?”

“… No, that’s not it, but…”

“Is there some problem?”

“It’s… nothing.”

“Can you see me as a woman?”

“I think it’s all right, probably. But I’ve always thought of you as a little sister up to now, so it might be too much to change suddenly.”

“Well, then, why don’t we spend some nice time together and change our relationship?” Mel grabbed Seren’s hand, and Seren held Mel’s hand back.

“Sounds good. I’ve always been thinking of whether we’d ever end up like this, and it might be a good time soon.”

“Thanks. Anyway, that was quick of you to decide.”

“Is it…. Well, isn’t that the way it is? Us, getting to know each other too closely.”

“Now that you mention it, didn’t you wait for me to be an adult to have me as a woman?”

“No, I didn’t do that in particular.” He propped his chin on his hand.

“Is it because you still couldn’t get your mind off Miifa?”

“Ugh…” he said with a bitter face. “That too. But that’s not the only thing. Since I was raised with women around me, I just never really thought of actively getting a girlfriend. I think I would’ve looked for them more voraciously if I hadn’t had so many women near me. I, of this world line, was always made full and happy.”

“Is that so…. Anyhow, do you want to start going out with me?”

“Ah, yeah. Let’s start going out.”

“If so, then let’s start exchanging some words. I like you, big brother. What about you?”

Seren nodded slowly. “I like you, too,” he answered.

As Mel stretched her legs, she said with a joyful face, “Oh, good. I was really nervous.”

“Were you?”

“Really was. I thought that you wouldn’t have any reason to say no, but I was still nervous because it would mean that our relationship up to here would change.”

“Even I’ve always thought about whether I’d ever be told that. But suddenly, you said it, and suddenly, it was OK; what an anticlimactic feeling that was.”

“… Hey, how about kids?”

“That was hasty. I think we should leave things to its natural course.”

“Haha, okay.”

“Or rather, have you already decided to have kids? I have a strange feeling because we came to be raised together.”

“I see,” laughed Mel cheerfully. “I feel strange too. But it’s nothing wrong. Maybe I’m just delighted.”

“Are you? Are you happy?”

Mel rested her head on Seren’s shoulder. “Yeah, I’m happy. It feels good to be with you.”

“You must be pleased. Even I can take another person,” Seren murmured calmly.

Then a cluster of hydrangeas came out from Mel’s chest, wrapped in light.

“This, it must be one of Ridia’s flowers.”

“So that’s how we collect it. Only six¹ left,” Mel said with an interested look.