A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

Nagasaki Suyo tilted her head.

"If you still feel uneasy, you can tell me at any time, and I will definitely use practical actions to prove my feelings to you."

"..."

What does that “practical action” refer to?

Although he was a bit concerned, his intuition told Chihaya Tetsuya that he couldn't ask this question now. However, after Nagasaki Motoyo's overly serious statement, the uneasiness in his heart, which was not even a spark, was indeed extinguished...

……well.

Ever since he met Jean, he had become increasingly unsure of himself. With his current state of mind, it was indeed not enough to give these girls a sense of security...

"I'm still far from perfect."

Under Nagasaki Suyo's increasingly penetrating gaze, Chihaya Tetsu couldn't help but sigh softly...

131

Chapter 131 Chihaya Aine sensed the crisis.

Because the design work has been completed and the exhibition installation is still under production, Chihaya Tetsu also has a rare short break.

As for how to make use of this hard-earned short vacation, he had already made plans.

"Brother, are you going to the library?"

After hearing that her brother was going out, Chihaya Aine, who was originally lying lazily on the sofa, instantly became energetic.

"Then I want to go too! Brother, wait for me for a moment, I'm going to change my clothes!"

Nagasaki Motoyo and Wakaba Mutsu were both called in by Toyokawa Shoko for a recording today. For Chihaya Aine, this was a precious and long-awaited opportunity to go out alone with her brother! Especially after nearly a month of work isolation, she desperately needed a date that would replenish her "brotherly energy"!

Although Chihaya Tetsuya didn't intend to refuse, he still asked specifically to be on the safe side:

"Is it okay? Wouldn't the library be a bit too boring for you?"

After all, Chihaya Aine is not the type who likes to read, and he is not sure how long he will stay in the library, so Chihaya Tetsu is very worried that she will feel bored.

In response to Chihaya Tetsuya's question, Chihaya Aine's answer was extremely quick and decisive.

"It doesn't matter. I'll never be bored as long as my brother is around!"

Chihaya Aine patted her chest and said:

"My brother's face alone is enough to keep me looking at all day long!"

"..."

Faced with Chihaya Aine's passionate confession, Chihaya Tetsu couldn't help but look away a little embarrassedly. Chihaya Aine had already returned to the room with a brisk pace and started to choose clothes to wear for this date.

"By the way, brother, is there any book you want to go to the library to find specifically?"

"Well, this time, I want to find some books related to overseas travel."

“Is that so…eh?”

Chihaya Aine's voice suddenly paused, and then she asked with an extremely curious tone:

"Overseas travel? Why does my brother suddenly want to read a book about this?"

"Since my goal is to become a world-class designer like Mr. Jean, I will definitely need to learn about clothing from other countries like he did in the future."

Chihaya Tetsuya replied:

"Before that, I want to learn a little more relevant knowledge and common sense."

“Ah…I see…”

Recalling her failed study abroad experience, Chihaya Aine couldn't help but nodded with a complicated expression.

"If it's my brother, it shouldn't be a problem... After all, my brother is very good at foreign languages ​​and has strong communication skills..."

"..."

Hearing Chihaya Aine's not-so-happy tone, Chihaya Tetsuya immediately realized what she was thinking.

"So you still care about your previous study abroad experience?"

"Well, I'm not depressed anymore by what happened back then, but it's still unrealistic to say I don't care at all."

Until now, she occasionally wonders if she would make the same mistake as she did a year ago if she were to go to England again.

"But it's pointless to dwell on this now! Just like my brother said before, instead of dwelling on past failures, I've learned to focus on the future!"

Chihaya Aine raised her arms, as if to rally herself.

After hearing what Aine said, Chihaya Tetsu didn't reply, but fell into silence with a thoughtful look on his face...

Until Aine changed her clothes and walked out of the room again.

"Sorry for the wait, brother!"

Chihaya Aine walked out of the room and immediately hugged Chihaya Tetsuya's arm.

After feeling her brother's body temperature and touch for the first time in a long time, the haze that had just lingered in her heart disappeared in an instant.

"Haha~ As expected, as long as my brother is around, I can cheer up again no matter how many times!"

Chihaya Aine put her cheek against his and said with an intoxicated look on her face.

“I feel like even my soul has been nourished~”

“…Aine.”

At this moment, Chihaya Tetsuya, who had been silent from the beginning, suddenly spoke:

"Do you...want to go to England again?"

"……Eh?"

……

In order to completely dispel the shadow left by Chihaya Aine's study in the UK, in addition to using time to slowly erase those unpleasant memories, there is another effective way -

"I don't mean to ask you to study abroad again, I just want to take you to travel to the UK."

Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"By using a wonderful trip to cover up those unpleasant memories, you should no longer associate overseas trips with failure, right?"

"This... probably won't work..."

Although Chihaya Aine usually looks full of energy, she subconsciously becomes nervous whenever she talks about topics related to overseas.

"Even I, who was blindly positive back then, couldn't leave any happy memories in the UK, not to mention that now I no longer have any yearning or longing for the UK..."

"But, you still want to avenge your previous shame, right?"

Chihaya Tetsuya ignored his sister's depression and self-denial, and directly expressed the idea that Chihaya Aine had always hidden in her heart but dared not mention.

"Others might be fooled by you, but I'm your brother. If you'd truly given up on Britain, you would have told me straight out that you weren't interested, instead of coming up with this comparison that was clearly the result of careful consideration."

Having said that, he reached out and gently touched Chihaya Aine's hair.

Although Chihaya Aine does have the personality trait of being afraid of trouble and subconsciously wanting to escape when encountering difficulties, she also has her own pride.

“Aine, it’s just the two of us now, so you don’t need to worry about what you say becoming a burden in the future because of other people’s opinions. Whether you want to give up or want to challenge again, as your brother, I will support you unconditionally.”

"So... tell me, do you want to go to England again?"

"..."

After hearing this, Chihaya Aine subconsciously tightened Chihaya Tetsuya's arms. Then, when she raised her head and looked back at the gentle gaze that had always been infinitely tolerant of her since childhood, she finally nodded gently.

"...Well, if possible, I would like to go again."

"very good."

After hearing this, Chihaya Tetsuya immediately started to ruffle his sister's hair even harder.

"In that case, let's focus on finding some books about Britain today."

"Wait, wait a minute..."

Faced with Chihaya Tetsuya's sudden excitement, Chihaya Aine showed a somewhat embarrassed expression.

"Don't be so anxious! Although I do have this idea, I should at least wait until I graduate from high school..."

"So, two years from now..."

Chihaya Tetsuya thought for a moment:

"By then, your band might have developed to the point where they can perform overseas."

"Huh? Hai, overseas performance?"

This never-before-imagined possibility made Chihaya Aine subconsciously freeze in place.

Chihaya Tetsu continued with a normal expression:

"It just so happens that you're about to hold a street performance. You can use the experience you've gained to perform in famous squares overseas. Even if you still don't dare to talk to them, as long as you can get the applause and recognition of the locals through your music, you shouldn't have any resistance to that place anymore."

"..."

For a moment, Chihaya Tetsuya's words made a lot of images emerge in Chihaya Aine's mind.

Because she had always been alone during her study abroad years, that unfamiliar land had subconsciously become associated with loneliness. But... if she went there with her brother and the band, and even performed together on the streets...

"How is it? It will definitely be a trip worth looking forward to, right?"

Looking at his sister's increasingly bright eyes, a smile appeared on Chihaya Tetsuya's face.

"So, in order to make this journey smoother, shouldn't we make some preparations together?"

"……kindness!"

Chihaya Aine nodded, and there was no trace of tension and depression on her face.

Then, in order to speed up their pace, she stopped holding Chihaya Tetsuya's arm and changed to a hand-holding position that was more convenient for moving forward. Chihaya Tetsuya cooperated very well and held her hand back, interlocking their fingers.

When he went out with his brother, he would always coordinate his actions with his own pace and movements.

Just like now, even if she didn't mention it herself, he was always thinking about her happiness and future.

"Sure enough, I'm happiest when I'm with my brother!"

"I'm very happy too."

"Eh? I'm definitely happier here!"

"I'm not trying to compete with you on this."

"Hmph~"

After achieving a unilateral victory, Chihaya Aine set out on the road to the library with a completely different mood from when she first set out.

……

After arriving at the library, the two immediately followed the administrator's guidance to the area of ​​overseas travel notes and travel brochures, and began to find their respective goals.

When Chihaya Aine finished reading the travelogue of her trip around England carefully and was about to share her experiences in the book with Chihaya Tetsuya, she was suddenly startled by the scene before her.

Unlike Chihaya Aine, who only focused on books about Britain, Chihaya Tetsuya collected travelogues from more than a dozen countries and arranged them in the order of her past trips. Chihaya Tetsuya carefully read through them, taking notes on the valuable knowledge they contained.

(Is it just my imagination... I feel like my brother is becoming more and more handsome.)

Before she made her feelings clear, or before she had any romantic feelings, the main impression Chihaya Tetsuya gave her was that he was reliable and gentle, making people subconsciously rely on him. After she made her feelings clear, she gradually realized how dangerous the attraction was to this brother who had been with her since childhood.

Besides his undeniably handsome and reliable appearance, his frankness and openness, along with his relaxed attitude that could easily lead to predation, ultimately led him to his current, troublesome romantic debt...

It's a pity that she was too slow to realize her true feelings in the past. If she had realized her love earlier and taken action against her brother first, there wouldn't have been any of these subsequent stories...

Uh... maybe what happened to Hoshino Ai was inevitable, and in that case, it would be just the two of them...

No, if Xiangzi didn’t have a brother, wouldn’t her future life become very difficult?

The same thing happened to Su Shi. If her brother hadn't intervened, would she and Xiangzi never be able to reconcile? And would she never be able to find a suitable home?

……

(Well, if I think about it this way, it’s actually pretty good now… My brother’s love for me hasn’t diminished at all, and I’m pretty happy being with everyone.)

Chihaya Aine propped up her chin.

(The most important thing is, if I were alone, I probably wouldn't have the chance to attack my brother, but now... in just one month, I'll be able to do that with my brother...)