The person who likes me is a yandere.

...At home, she clings to me tightly; when we go out, she drags me around. In the end, which choice is better? I pondered this unanswerable question as I walked into the coffee shop.

"Sorry for the long wait, here comes the hearty Himalayan Parfait."

The parfait, named after a mountain range known as a death zone with 14 peaks over 8000 meters high, was delivered to us by the shop assistant.

"...What the hell is this?"

I was stunned by the sudden towering white barrier on the table, and almost dropped the spoon in my hand.

"Wow, no matter when I see this, figuring out how to access Himalaya is always amazing!"

Opposite Parfait, which truly resembles a mountain peak... or rather, a mountain range, Ayase wore a touristy smile.

"Hey, Ayase. What's with this snow-capped mountain of a parfait...?"

"Oh, this is a couple's version of the big eater challenge. Wouldn't it be perfect to replace lunch? Our goal today is to finish it all!"

...Ice cream for lunch? And what's with this portion size? It's such a waste of ingredients.

Judging by its size, it would probably take 10 people to handle. This iceberg is shaped like the Himalayas, and at its base, fruit, dumplings, wafers... are you kidding me? There's even sponge cake! Even a bear in hibernation couldn't finish this.

"I... I mean, do we eat this on every date?"

"No, the challenge is only held once a month. A few years ago, I got excited and tried it, and I couldn't finish it at all. It was hilarious!"

Why laugh?

"And so it became a monthly routine."

This process is really strange.

"If you can finish eating it all within 20 minutes, you can get the phone charm. Good luck, bro!"

The risk and reward are completely disproportionate.

"So, are you ready, Ayase?"

The bearded shop manager, who seemed to have gotten to know us well, smiled and made a ready gesture.

"Okay, let's go! Brother!"

Ayase adopted a serious expression, gripping the spoon with her right hand as if it were a knife.

"The Himalayas are breathtaking, the challenge begins!"

"ah!"

At the same time the initial signal was given, Ayase's spoon plunged into the summit of Mount Manaslu.

Come on, ah~

Then, the spoon was brought to my mouth with a smooth motion.

"Huh? What?"

"These are the rules of the Himalayas, the first bite is shared between the two of you."

"Huh? I've never heard of such a thing!"

"This isn't something worth mentioning beforehand. Okay, ah~"

"This... I can't do this between siblings..."

"Honestly, why back down at a time like this? The older brothers used to eat it all up happily!"

"Who cares about the past—ugh."

I opened my mouth in protest, and she took the opportunity to stick the spoon in. The cool sensation melted on my tongue...

Wow, this is delicious!

What is this? It looks so delicious!

"That's right. The parfaits here aren't just about quantity, they're also incredibly delicious. Alright, it's Ayase's turn."

Ayase closed her eyes and opened her cute lips.

"Ayase, what are you doing?"

"Ah, Ayase needs a place with chocolate."

Chocolate… oh right. They said we had to feed each other the first bite. Wait, really? Are we really going to continue something this embarrassing? I glanced around; whether it was the eating challenge or a beautiful girl like Ayase that was so interesting, all the customers in the shop were watching with great interest. What kind of beginner's punishment is this?

"Hurry up, brother! We're running out of time!"

Ayase's mouth hung open, and she stamped her feet anxiously. She looks so cute like this… Ah, no, no. What am I thinking? No, I can't waver. This child is my own little sister.

"Brother, you're drooling!"

"Got it, let's go! Let's go now!"

Damn it, don't worry about it. It's nothing. Just mechanically put the spoon in and mechanically pull it out, and that's it. That's right, just like stuffing pizzas into a pizza oven, shovel it in, shovel it out, and the task is complete.

Following Ayase's instructions, I scooped up the chocolate with a spoon and quietly brought it to my mouth... This child is so cute. Even if we weren't siblings, I'd still feel nervous. Ah, no, don't overthink it. Relax, relax.

But I seemed to have relaxed a bit too much; my hand slipped, and the ice cream spilled from the spoon. The ice cream slid down the open neckline of my dress and into the A-grade cliff...

"Ah ah!"

Ayase reacted flawlessly, falling off the chair. But the ordeal wasn't over yet. As she fell, her foot kicked up, knocking over the table, sending Himalaya flying into the air… Oh dear, how could this happen…?

"Aa ...

Then it turned into an avalanche, crashing down on the poor climbers. Mountains are indeed terrifying.

Chapter Twenty-Four was really awkward.

"Ugh, it feels so bad... I still feel all sticky and uncomfortable..."

Ayase wiped her neck with a handkerchief and staggered away from her usual coffee shop.

"I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"Waaaa, brother is so mean...waaaaaah!"

After experiencing a disastrous scene that would provide the guests with plenty of fodder for conversation all day, we bowed our heads in apology to the manager, helped clean up, and then hurriedly left. Of course, the challenge failed; most of the parfait fell to the ground and was wasted.

"Waaah, I wasted so much food, I'm so disappointed~~~"

Ayase looked like a monkey reflecting on its actions, listlessly riding on a roadside tree. Seeing how pitiful she was, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Don't be disappointed, the past can't be undone. But even though I only had one bite, I thought that parfait was really delicious!"

"Mmm! That's right! The taste there is the best! Ayase only got the part that fell on her face, it was so delicious~"

You were eating even in that condition? You're so strong!

"Brother, here, take this banana that's stuck to your neck."

"Oh, thank you."

"How does it feel? Does this delicious food remind you of anything?"

"Huh? Delicious? No, it's nothing..."

"Is that so? But no problem! There are many, many more places where Ayase and her brother have shared memories, they'll definitely remind him!"

Ayase once again demonstrated her reliable speed in switching moods, and in no time she regained her smile, wrapping her arm around mine as if dancing.

"Hey, I already told you not to hug or shake hands!"

"No, it's a rare date, holding hands is okay, right? Maybe it'll remind your brother."

"No means no. If you're going to grab someone, grab a handkerchief."

"My brother is so stingy. He used to hold Ayase's hand wherever he went."

"...That was my older brother from before, what does he have to do with me? If you're not happy with the handkerchief, then forget it."

"Hey, don't try anything funny on a date. Oh well, it's okay. I'm going to make you completely infatuated with him today, so you can hold my hand."

Ayase pouted defiantly, gripped her handkerchief tightly, and ran off energetically.

"Huh, a park..."

I was taken to the vicinity of the station, and I thought I was definitely going to take the tram, but instead I was taken to a huge green park that was disproportionate to the size of the town.

"This isn't just any ordinary park; it's a park that combines a library and a science museum. Look, can you see over there?"

In the direction Ayase pointed, there was a red brick building and a glass-walled building that looked like a space station. The former was probably a library, and the latter was probably a science museum.

"A date in the park? I was surprisingly refreshed before the incident."

If only I had come with my girlfriend instead of my sister...

"Hehehe, this is a great place, isn't it? Ayase loves it here too. Come on, let's go. The main thing is over there."

Ayase smiled brightly, like a fairy bathed in sunlight filtering through the leaves, while holding a handkerchief.

On a sunny May day, people brought their families or lovers, making the park quite lively.

Roughly speaking, the ratio of couples to families is 4:6. For a park like this, there seem to be quite a few couples.

Upon entering the main gate, one is greeted by sights such as a rabbit hutch, a plum garden, a peach orchard, and a bird sanctuary, but Ayase paid little attention to any of these, heading towards the plaza in front of the science museum. There stood a tuning fork-shaped stone statue, surrounded by a group of people… Even so, I had an inexplicable sense of foreboding. That place gave me a feeling of danger. The remnants of my lost memories were a stern warning against approaching that place.

"Ah, there's a wild vegetable garden. Let's go take a look over there."

So I tried to entice Ayase to look at the vegetable garden filled with edible weeds that didn't interest me at all, but...

"We're here, brother. This is it."

Ayase pulled hard on her handkerchief, stopping firmly in front of the crowd.

"That U-shaped stone statue contains a machine for measuring sound volume."

Then, without me even asking, Ayase started explaining.

"It's like using a vending machine. You put money in, then shout into the microphone below, and a number appears on top. See, like that?"

It seems someone is testing it right now. The LCD display panel embedded in the upper part of the stone statue first touches three digits.

"Wow, that's amazing. 110 decibels, what a pity. If you shouted that loudly and broke the record, you'd get a commemorative medal. Pretty interesting, right?"

...No, it's surprisingly boring.

“Ayase and her brother always have to try it whenever they come here!”