Hoshino POV
I had just arrived at the station. The bright white lights leaking from the inside shone brightly in contrast to the stormy night, making it feel as though I were stepping into humanity's last remaining outpost of civilization.
Once I was safely out of the rain, I closed the umbrella and pulled out my phone.
There was no reply. Even after I waited a full five seconds, she still hadn't even read it. Sure, five seconds wasn't that long, but she shouldn't have been keeping me waiting in the first place.
Knowing my sister, she was probably talking to her friend while she waited for me, which meant that she had no idea that I'd texted her at all.
I could have—and should have—called her, but I tended to avoid making phone calls.
So, with an irritated grumble, I put my phone back in my pocket and began my search. Not that it was much of a search. There was only one place she could've been, considering she just got off the train.
After only thirty seconds, I arrived at the train platform. The white lights here were especially luminous, making me squint for a moment before taking a look around.
There weren't that many people out during this time, so the place was rather empty.
Before I could even start looking around, a loud, ecstatic voice called out from behind me.
"Wait… is that your Big Bro?!"
A shiver ran down my spine. It wasn't the voice of Lily, but someone far worse.
I turned around, and there she was. Lily was sitting on a nearby bench with her friend, Yuka. The moment Yuka and I made eye contact, she shot up from the bench and threw her arms out wide, almost like she was about to run over and pull me into a hug.
Sadly for Yuka, Lily was quicker. I blinked, and by the time I opened my eyes again, Lily had gotten up and yanked Yuka back down by the collar.
Instead of showing mercy to her friend—who was rubbing her throat and coughing—Lily glared at her with a seething annoyance.
"How many times do I have to tell you?!" Lily screamed. "Stop hitting on my Brother! Go get the other guys who are after you! And stop calling him Big Bro!!!"
Lily's voice echoed in the near-empty platform, drawing the attention of nearby passengers. Yuka, realizing this, raised a hand in the air, as if surrendering.
"Okay, okay! I won't do it again!"
She could have left it at that, and yet, for some reason, she decided to tack on one more line.
"I pinky pwomise~"
As if that wasn't enough, she looked my way and shot me a 'sly' wink that Lily could definitely see.
Even from this distance, I could vividly make out a vein pop on Lily's forehead. Her hand shot toward Yuka, grabbing her by the shoulders and crumpling her neat white blouse.
"Stop making fun of me!" Lily shrieked. "If you're going to apologise, do it properly!"
But Yuka just laughed, teasing and unbothered, as though she weren't in the slightest bit of danger.
"Lily, honey, I know you can't get your hands off me—and I can't get them off you, either—but not in front of your Big Bro, okay~?"
Yuka grabbed Lily's arms in an almost seductive manner, which only seemed to enrage my sister further.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Lily spat, hurriedly wrenching herself free and wiping her hands frantically, as if trying to cleanse herself from Yuka's germs. "And why are you saying it like that? Stop making it sound weird!"
Yuka tilted her head, failing to suppress a smug grin. "Whatttt? I dunno what you're talking about."
"That's enough out of you!"
Lily closed the distance between them and began grappling with Yuka, trying to keep her from saying anything else.
I, meanwhile… could only watch. What else were you supposed to do when your sibling was talking to her friend—interrupt them? It'd be awkward if you did.
And that was exactly why I did it.
With a sigh, I approached Lily from behind and grabbed her by the back of her blazer, prying her off Yuka. "You know, your lovebird fight is funny and all—but I wanna go home. So hurry up."
Lily's hands, which had been flailing violently, froze mid-air as her head snapped toward me.
"...Lovebird fight?"
"Yes," I replied with a small nod.
Yuka glanced between my sister and me with a somewhat blank expression—before she burst out laughing, practically rolling on the bench.
That laughter must've been the last straw, because the very next second, Lily's hands were flying toward me.
"Lovebird fight?! I am not in love with Yuka! I'm just trying to defend you from her, and this is how you repay me?! You're falling for her schemes! Are you getting swayed by my friend? You're disgusting!"
I stretched out my arm as far as it would go, putting every inch of distance I could from Lily. From an outside perspective, it probably looked like I was holding a chihuahua from the back as it tried to slash my face.
Huh… what a striking resemblance.
I could've fought back, but I waited instead. Lily was going to tire herself out eventually; she didn't have much stamina after all.
Lo and behold, after about fifteen swipes, she was out of breath, and her arms were hanging limply by her sides.
"...Are you done yet?" I asked, giving her a light shake.
She responded with a small, defeated nod. "...Yeah. You can let go of me now."
I carefully set her down and took a step back. I was half expecting she would try one last attempt, but it never came.
By this point, Yuka's laughter had finally calmed down.
"So," she said, wiping a few lingering tears from her eyes. "Is it time to go home now? I could use a bite to eat."
"Then get something to eat at your house," Lily quipped under her breath. "I'm tired. I'm going home."
"Whattttt? But the fun just starteddddd~."
"Then you can go have fun with my Brother—ALONE. I'll be going home alone at night while I get soaked by the rain since you want to hog him for yourself!"
Wow, when she puts it like that, Yuka basically has no choice but to do as she says.
Yuka seemed to be thinking the same thing, judging by the incredulous stare she gave at my sister's retreating figure.
"Fineeee," Yuka said, her shoulders slumping slightly. "We can go home. But can you at least walk with me? We live close to each other anyway, and I don't wanna walk home alone."
In any other scenario, someone would probably take this thinking Yuka was scared of walking alone at night—which would be a reasonable presumption. Except… Yuka wasn't that kind of girl. If anything, she just didn't want to be alone because it would be boring.
"Obviously," Lily stated matter-of-factly, still walking away. "I wasn't going to let you walk home alone."
The way my sister phrased it sounded eerily similar to the way I would—like it was a chore. Yet, a lively smile beamed on Yuka's face.
"Thank you, Lily!"
Yuka ran up to my sister and wrapped her arms around her in an almost loving manner.
"You know what, Lily… I think I might love you!"
My sister let out a loud, annoyed sigh. "Yeah, yeah. I love you too."
Even so, she didn't bother shaking Yuka off.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but chuckle.
There really isn't anyone more like me than her.
But I brushed off those thoughts as I jogged up to Lily's side.
Just before we stepped into the downpour, I put up the umbrella and held it over my sister. Yuka did the same thing—though with only herself.
My umbrella wasn't enough to cover both Lily and me, so I held it closer to Lily's end. My right shoulder got soaked instantly, but there wasn't anything I could do about it now.
Lily and Yuka fell into their own little girl chatter as we walked home, while I hovered around them in silence. I didn't really mind pretending like I wasn't there, but Yuka seemed intent on including me—for whatever reason.
She leaned forward, making eye contact with me, and asked, "I'm surprised you came today, Big Bro. I thought you were going to make me walk Lily home."
What she meant to say was, 'I thought you'd leave her to walk home alone in the rain,' just phrased a bit nicer.
"Well, I was debating it," I replied with a shrug. "But my parents would get mad at me if I let my sister walk home alone."
"Huh, I guess that's true. My Mom would get mad at my Older Sister, too, if she did that to me."
Yuka took my excuse at face value. Lily, meanwhile, shot me a side glance, a smug grin slowly creeping up her face.
"Really~?" she asked in an almost probing manner. "Are you sureee? What is it you said a while back again?"
Lily cleared her throat, her face going stern, her voice dropping into a deeper, mocking tone.
"'I only do what I want to do.'"
Once the imitation finished, her voice lightened back to its usual pitch.
"Isn't that what you live by?"
She was clearly trying to poke a reaction out of me, but I didn't budge. I didn't even look at her. I just kept my steps even and gazed ahead.
"Yeah, that is what I said. And it's true—except when it comes to you. Everything with you, I'm forced to do."
Lily's brows furrowed subtly. "Oh yeah? And what's 'forcing' you to do so?"
"Our parents, obviously. If it were up to me, you'd be walking alone right about now," I said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Lily's brow descended even deeper. "Really? Then—if I'm such a bother to you—don't talk to me for the rest of the night!"
As if figuratively slamming a door in my face, she stomped on the ground, splashing water everywhere, and crossed her arms with a childish pout as she looked away from me.
Yuka giggled and tried to console the now-angry Lily, but my sister stubbornly clung to her anger.
I didn't bother to do anything about it.
This continued until we finally arrived at Yuka's house.
"Bye-bye," Yuka said, waving high above her head. "See you next time, Lily! And see you—well, wherever I see you again, Big Bro!"
Without giving Lily the chance to condemn her—again—Yuka shut the door from behind her, leaving Lily and me alone in the rain.
The moment she was gone, Lily's arms dropped back to her side, and her brows lifted, her face settling into something neutral.
She turned around, giving me a small smile.
"Well then. Let's go home. I'm tired."