My name is Kaze Shinazugawa. I have a bit of a sweet tooth and a thing for anime and manga. Not to boast, but I live an extremely fortunate life that seems to have only been getting better. Recently, I got to go on a date with a childhood-crush of mine and my older sister, who cherishes and spoils me with boundless affection, is coming over to visit momentarily. I'm incredibly grateful to Ame and our parents for taking care of me for the last twenty years.
Our parents still live in Kakamigahara and send us letters from time to time. It's fun getting to write letters back and forth like we do so it's not like I mind. After graduating from high school, my sister moved out here to Kobe and invited me to come stay with her. When I was accepted into to the same university as her, Nure-Inu Daigaku, she helped me get settled in and helped me with my studies. And when I became a second year, she moved out again. I at least wanted to pay for this place by myself, but she argued with me for hours until I agreed to let her help.
"If you want to make it up to me, go ahead and make me a mother."
I wouldn't mind setting her up with someone, but I don't have any guy friends that would meet her standards. Either way I didn't have to fulfill that request anytime soon. Ame's not even in her mid-twenties and knowing my sister, she doesn't have the time for something so demanding while she's trying to make sure I get through school comfortably.
She didn't move very far, but it's been awfully lonely around here without her. It's really only when they leave do you tend to miss the little things they did that you had previously taken for granted. Everyday she would come to my room at night with a cup of warm milk. If I was still awake she'd sit on my lap and hold me in place while pressing the cup against my face until she saw me drink it all. Without fail I'd be overcome with sleepiness and pass out then and there to wake up fully rested. It had been a habit from when we were kids that I didn't think I'd miss, but even something as excessive as that would put my mind at ease right about now.
"Kaze you ready yet!?"
A familiar voice abolishes my thoughts as I stare into the bathroom mirror. It was my sister's caring voice that I could hear from what seemed to be the... living—
I pinch my cheek to put my head on straight and rush out of the bathroom to greet Ame in the living room. She's sitting there on the couch looking at me with an intense stare of expectation.
"You look amazing in that, Ame. My heart skipped a beat just now."
I pay attention to Ame looking to see if she's satisfied with my greeting. She nods her head to signal that there's something more she wants.
"Your skin looks so smooth and you smell good too. Oh! I love you Onee-chan!" She gets out of her seat and walks over to me. She lifts both of her arms out and wraps them around my back to pull me in for a hearty hug.
"Onee-chan loves you too, Kaze-kun. Now sit there and take this!"
Forcing my head into her bosom with an even tighter squeeze, the passageway of air to my lungs is blocked. Ame quickly notices that I'm not breathing and loosens her grip a little.
"If I take my top off, will you forgive me for squeezing you too tight?"
"Keep your clothes on. They really do suit you well."
"Sweet talk will get you somewhere."
"Look at the time go. Our food will get cold if we don't get to eating."
I run away to the kitchen to share out us some food. I'm not the most skilled cook but I'm able to make something as simple as hamburgers.
"It's nothing fancy but I wanted to at least make something edible so that we can both eat. The last time, you might have been able to lick your plate clean, but I couldn't get past the charcoal on my plate."
Ame sits in the chair across from me and we both eat.
"It was made with love so no matter how it looked, it tasted amazing. That's just how it works."
"You visited the bathroom like six times. Didn't seem like your stomach would agree with you."
"Unrelated! I was making water balloons in the sink."
"The hurling noises?"
"Must've been a hallucination. Forget about that. I'll just cook for you going forward as well. Just rely on your big sister and her heart throbbing cooking skills.''
"I'd like to rely on myself."
"Usually I'd argue with that, but being there to teach you doesn't sound so bad either. You win. Ane shall allow you to cook food delicious food for her, but you'll have to come to me for lessons."
"What am I? Your property?" I think about what I said and the possible responses that would come from her mouth and with literally only one option, I demand, "Don't answer that."
"So, Kaze-kun?"
"What is it?"
"Is there anyone you like?"
Out of nowhere, a question like that? What's she getting at? Does she know? My sister would often come to me with that question whenever I'd hang out with another girl and at first I'd lie on instinct and say no, but I'd quickly learn that would only make things worse. When I was still a kid, I told her I didn't like one of the girls in my class just for her to go up to the girl and tell her to stay away from me, threatening them saying that I didn't want anything to do with them and that they should just disappear. I'd get mad at her of course, but being as she's doing it to make sure I'm comfortable, I couldn't stay mad at her over it. After the second time I just started being more honest to others instinctually.
"I don't dislike her but, I can't really list the things I do like about her quite yet. I haven't given it much thoughts."
"You didn't tell me who it was yet."
"You're right--"
"You don't have to tell me. I can already guess who it is."
My sister seems to know me better than I know myself. At first it was a little scary, but as I've learned to accept that that's just how it is, I've come to feel a little reassured that if nobody else understands me, Ame would. I wish I could tell what she was thinking and be there for her too, but I'm not the best at reading people aside from the general conversation flow that the both of us tend to have.
"Do you want to meet her?"
"That'd be pretty sweet. Maybe I can make another friend out of this too. Maybe she can introduce me to one of her friends as well."
My sister smiles and mumbles to herself about the connected chain of possibilities laid out in front of her. Her cute smile and enthusiasm helps me forget the skepticism I had with her initial question. We are both adults now and I haven't really had a crush on anyone since the last time, so I figure she mellowed out a bit.