[After you fell asleep.]
[Toru cleaned your messy room until it was neat and orderly.]
[While the porridge simmered, he picked up your phone, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose not to invade your privacy.]
[Your brother knew your phone password, and even knew your daily schedule.]
Terrifying.
Seika felt a shiver.
[Actually, your brother hadn't planned on installing a camera at first.]
[But because you hadn't come home for half a year and never answered your mother's calls, your rebellious behavior made Toru extremely worried. That was the only reason he took such drastic measures.]
[After watching for half a month, he discovered that although you lived sloppily every day and didn't act much like a girl, at least you were healthy.]
[Watching you at all times finally eased his worries for the moment.]
[Until today.]
[Toru never imagined his sister could be foolish enough to lie at home with a fever, burning up to nearly 40 degrees, and still refuse to ask her family for help.]
[So your young brother had no choice but to buy medicine and come deliver it alone.]
["Little brother installs a camera in his sister's home, and the reason is…? The heartbreaking truth behind it all."]
"…"
Seika was speechless.
This simulator…
You think explaining the reason magically absolves him?
Ignoring the "why," what he did was still a whole list of crimes....
Trespassing
Invading privacy
Drugging her
[After finishing the porridge, Toru sat by your bed, watching your face, thinking hard about how he could stay by your side forever.]
Heavy.
Way too heavy.
Seika felt that Toru's feelings for her were definitely not simple sibling affection.
Ever since he was saved.
His entire heart was tied to her.
[A frightening idea formed in the boy's mind.]
[Toru wanted to make you fall for him.]
…Huh?
Seika really didn't believe that her younger self would ever fall for a boy twelve years younger.
He was only seven now. Even though he'd grown a lot in a year, looking about eleven or twelve...
A kid was still a kid.
Small in every way.
"Frightening idea?" Seika thought about it, then laughed lightly.
How scary could a child's idea really be?
[Toru wanted to raise you into a useless woman who couldn't live without him.]
Oh. That's scary.
She'd be raised into a dependent wreck.
Seika recited the lines in her mind without emotion.
Impossible.
Becoming useless?
Absolutely not!
[Under the effect of the fever medicine, your symptoms slowly eased. Your temperature soon dropped to 37 degrees. Still a mild fever, but at least your head didn't hurt.]
[At night, you slowly opened your eyes.]
[You smelled something fragrant. Looking toward the kitchen, you saw a small figure standing on a stool, wearing an apron, cooking with clumsy motions.]
[As you recalled the moments before you fell asleep, you realized it was your brother helping with dinner.]
[Why did he come here?]
[You sat up and held your forehead. The ache still lingered faintly.]
["Sis? You're awake?" Toru, wearing heat-resistant gloves, took the porridge off the stove. He turned to you, looking adorably concerned.]
[You decided: ]
[1. Push your brother onto the bed. The little lamb you raised for a year has grown nicely; time to "eat" him.]
[2. Drink the porridge and forget about all this.]
[3. Personally enter the simulation.]
Seika didn't even need to think, the first option was immediately eliminated.
The second…
No.
The third…
Personally enter the simulation?
What did that mean?
[Choosing this option allows your subconscious to enter the simulation world for a 100 percent immersive experience.]
Seika quickly understood.
This must be the interference feature mentioned before, direct influence over the simulation.
Let's try it.
Option 3.
◇
Night.
A slightly chilly rented apartment.
Toru carried a bowl of porridge toward the just-awakened Seika.
He looked at the girl before him, her cheeks still faintly flushed, a touch of sickly weakness showing.
He couldn't help but think...
Big sisters really were something.
Youthful, yet tinged with maturity.
With age, the fruit only grows sweeter.
He loved it.
In this simulation, Toru used Nijika's perfect ending card, but no one said he had to follow the angel route.
It was just a simulation, after all.
Why not taste the flavor of an older girl?
He'd only dated girls his age before. He'd never experienced anyone older.
Unfortunately, the difficulty was high.
The age gap was too big. Big sisters tended to treat him like a child.
"Sis, dinner's ready."
"Mm."
Seika took the bowl, scooped some porridge, blew on it, and placed it between her soft lips.
Being taken care of by a younger boy… wasn't bad at all?
Seika had that thought.
After finishing the porridge.
She handed the bowl to Toru.
A few minutes later, after washing dishes, he came back with a warm, damp towel.
"Sis, wipe your sweat. And don't play with your phone while you're sick."
Seika had just picked up her phone, intending to remove the tracker. Hearing her brother's voice, she froze.
"Sis, are you listening?"
"…Yeah."
"Then wipe up first. I'll go get you clean pajamas."
Watching his retreating back, Seika lowered the phone and looked down at her clothes.
After a few seconds...
Wait. Where are my clothes?
She finally noticed she was wearing only thin pajamas. If the air conditioner weren't on, she'd be freezing.
No doubt, her brother had changed her clothes.
She assumed Toru, at his age, didn't understand anything about men and women. He probably wasn't trying to take advantage, just saw she was suffering and helped her.
It was fine.
Back when she'd run away, she and Toru had often shared a bed in that haunted apartment.
Besides...
They were siblings now. What was there to worry about?
He was only seven.
After enough self-justification, Seika managed to convince herself.
Halfway through wiping, she sensed Toru entering again. She didn't even have time to cover the faint spring light at her chest.
"You…"
"What's wrong?" He placed the clean clothes on the bed.
"N… nothing."
She told herself she was overthinking.
"Sis, change on your own. I'll go call Mom."
Toru left the room and messaged Ijichi Mama.
He had become part of the Ijichi family this year, calling her Mom.
As for Ijichi Papa, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Coming from a modern world, "Mom" was easy, but "Daddy"… sorry, no way.
Thankfully, Ijichi Papa was always busy, they rarely met.
"Okay."
Seika pressed a hand to her chest, staring toward the door for several seconds.
Only when she confirmed the kid wasn't peeping did she continue wiping the sweat from her pale skin.
"Yes, I'll sleep with Sis tonight."
"Mm, she agreed. Bye, Mom."
A voice came from the doorway.
Hearing it, Seika felt that tonight…
Might not be very safe.
Life was becoming more and more suspicious.