Asobi Otonari

Big Sister's Victory

The cooking session led by Aki and Charlotte started immediately after arriving at Aki's house. Charlotte seemed to be able to remember the location of all the herbs and utensils with one explanation, and it seemed like she supported Aki perfectly.

Soon after, Aki got used to Charlotte, and the awkward atmosphere between them gradually diminished.I'm sure this is because Charlotte exudes a rather friendly atmosphere.

And talk about Emma—

“Hamburger ~ Hamburgers ~”

—She was sitting on my lap and happily moving from side to side.

What a sweet girl! I feel good just by looking at her smile.

"Emma-chan really likes hamburgers."

“Yes, I love them!”

When I spoke to her, Emma replied with a big smile. Why yes. It makes me want to spoil him so much.

"Senpai made such a careless face."

When I saw Emma, I realized that Aki was staring at me from the kitchen. He seems to want to say something.

"N-no, I don't."

If that's the case, then what's with the doubt?

“No, it's — m-which is more important, isn't it dangerous to take your eyes off when cooking? you should focus on cooking. "

I myself was a little aware of it, so I tried to shift the topic because I was embarrassed.

“Ya, yes, it's true.”

Aki, who heard my words, brushed it off so easily that it made me want to ask if she really understood it.

Where did the usually obedient Aki go…? No, he was still listening honestly, but it didn't seem like he wanted to concern himself with me for some reason. Normally, she would act like she wanted all my attention, but would she act like an adult because Charlotte was with her?

"Onii-chan, Emma wants to see those cats."

Emma, who had been waiting for the hamburger while shaking her body, looked at my face and asked with a smile. There's no cat in this house, so she might want to see the cat from the video I showed earlier.

I took my smartphone out of my pocket and searched for cat videos on popular video streaming websites. Many different cat videos are shown on the screen. For now, I chose a video with a cute thumbnail and handed the smartphone to Emma.

“Wow ~!”

Emma's cheeks loosened and her eyes shone as she looked at the cat video shown on the screen. Cat cuteness may be the reason for Emma's saggy cheeks. Looking at Emma who was so happy, my cheeks also involuntarily slackened.

“Stare at ~”

"-Huh!?"

When I turned my eyes to the kitchen, Aki was looking at me very sharply. What happened to Aki today…?

“It must be very pleasant to be on good terms like that.”

As I was confused by Aki's behavior, Charlotte who brought our food to the table, said with a smile.

“Do we look like we are on good terms?”

“Yes, you two look very close to each other.”

“Hmm..”

Aki and I seem to be on very good terms .. If it looks like that from the previous conversation, I have a little doubt in Charlotte's eyes. Aki is very considerate and has a friendly personality. That's why I feel comfortable with him.

However, it's not like we got along since the first time we met, quite the opposite. As I mentioned earlier, Aki is very shy and not very good at meeting someone for the first time. Besides, I also cannot be considered a social butterfly. It was even worse when I first met him.

During that time, for some reason or another I tried to play the role of a perfect individual and undeniably being cold to others.

There's no way we'll get along soon after the meeting. We became friends after I met him in a rather precarious situation. It was because of this that we were together like now.

When I tried to reminisce about the first time I met Aki, the person himself called out to me. As I turned my gaze, dishes were lined up on the table with Charlotte and Aki's hands one after another, and just like Aki said we should be prepared to eat food.

However

“Cat ~ Cat ~”

Did he tell me to take a smartphone from Emma, who was watching a video of the cat happily? If I did that, she would cry…

I thought I was given an unpleasant role, but since I was the one who gave up the smartphone, I should have taken the smartphone from Emma.

"Emma-chan, why don't we stop watching cat videos because dinner is ready?"

“Eh... But I still want to see..”.

“Uh—”

When I told Emma to stop, she looked at me with teary eyes.

Didn't this girl learn that all her demands would be met when her eyes looked like this? I felt like I had instilled a terrifying knowledge in his brain. However, when I faced her eyes, I could not forcefully take my smartphone from her hands.

It's okay, Aoyagi-kun.

While I hesitated to take the smartphone from Emma, Charlotte smiled and looked me in the eye. As Charlotte's cute face approached, my heartbeat quickened. Ignoring what was currently happening to me, Charlotte looked at her little sister sitting on my lap.

What's he thinking? I didn't know Charlotte's actions, so I decided to observe in silence rather than interfere.

Emma, let's have dinner?

“Umm? But I want to see that cat.. ”.

“Do you want to see that cat?”

"Yes…!"

Emma happily nodded at Charlotte's question. Charlotte smiled gently and responded to her sister's smile.

I thought he was going to try to take the smartphone from Emma, but it seems different. What will Charlotte do from here?

"Well, then the hamburger will be eaten by the others and me, okay?"

“- !?”

“Emma prefers cats at dinner, right? Since it is impossible to leave food, we will all eat hamburgers for you. "

"No! Emma will eat too! ”

“But you want to see a cat, right?”

"No! I'm done with the cat, I'll eat the hamburger now! "

Then Emma hurriedly returned my smartphone. As expected of Charlotte. It seemed like he lost a lot, but he knew how to handle his sister to a certain extent.

“Thank you, Charlotte-san. Everyone, it's time to start eating. "

Seeing Emma also ready to eat, Aki put her hands together and took a pose to say 'Itadakimasu.' Charlotte and I put our hands together in the same way as Aki. Emma, who still didn't want to get off my lap for some reason, didn't know about her pre-meal eating habits. However, after imitating us, he joined his hands as well.

Everyone says it together

““ “Itadakimasu” ””

—Thank you to everyone involved in the preparation of the ingredients used in our delicious meals.

… Don't we forget someone? The thought suddenly came to my mind, but when I saw Emma eating happily, I didn't care.

......................