Although I can very much empathize with all only children who desperately wish for a cute little sister, please allow Narumi to patiently explain something here—
the kind of adorable little sister in 2D who sweetly calls you "onii-chan" and the real-life brat who does nothing but boss you around are two things that cannot be compared in the slightest.
Those little sisters in anime, manga, and games who beam at you with innocent smiles and go "onii-chan~" every other sentence, or the thoughtful little sister who always worries about her big brother, takes pride in him, and diligently looks after his daily life, or even the tsundere little sister who says "I hate onii-chan the most!" while her body honestly gravitates closer to you—
None of the above exist.
"What are you staring at?"
What does exist is the real, reality-grade little sister who rides in the same car as you, notices you glancing her way, and immediately puts on an annoyed, distant expression.
On the Sawamura family's commute to school, Eriri crossed her arms in front of her chest. Noticing her brother's gaze, she shrank toward the window, using her body language to clearly express how displeased she was with him sitting beside her.
See? Just as expected—my little sister could never be that cute.
A real little sister would never sweetly call you onii-chan, nor would she look at you with admiration. Calling her brother by his given name—or rudely addressing him with a casual "hey"—was far more normal.
Those lovable or lively little sister archetypes were nothing more than projections of otaku authors fantasizing about the perfect little sister—which is why they say men understand men best.
Projecting male fantasies about women onto real-life women is a deadly sin, gentlemen…!
Of course, the reverse was true as well. The greatest obstacle to mutual understanding between the sexes was arbitrarily slapping one's idealized filter onto the other party, then feeling disappointed when reality failed to match that fantasy. Which was why titles like "Academy Beauty" or "Academy Prince" were about as chūnibyō as it got.
With that thought, the curly-haired boy sighed inwardly, then refused to indulge his little sister and calmly fired back.
"Is there a law or school regulation that says an older brother isn't allowed to look at his sister?"
"Well, no, but it makes me uncomfortable, so don't do it."
For a moment, Eriri scrunching her nose looked remarkably like a small dog that barked loudly but was actually very timid.
"I understand your feelings, but that has nothing to do with me. I won't feel guilty or uneasy over it. How you deal with your emotions is your problem, not mine."
Narumi delivered that cool, detached response without batting an eye. That calm yet authoritative tone caused Eriri—who had been about to argue back—to fall silent.
More precisely, after sensing the pressure coming from her brother, she shrank back slightly and reined in her domineering attitude.
Seeing that his words had achieved the desired effect, Narumi took a quiet breath—then turned his head and flashed his sister a warm, affable smile.
"Of course, that's only if you weren't my sister."
"..."
Eriri looked momentarily startled, but soon turned her head away again, continuing to sulk.
She probably hadn't realized yet that this was her brother's tactic of cracking the whip and then handing out candy. At least, with Eriri's level of social sensitivity, she hadn't caught on.
Interesting. His little sister seemed unexpectedly easy to handle.
The Sawamura household, as a family whose financial situation far exceeded that of most people (at least in Eriri's opinion), naturally never cut corners when it came to food, clothing, housing, or transportation. So even though their father deliberately kept a low profile and had both siblings attend public schools—
The Sawamura family's mode of transportation still looked outrageously extravagant to ordinary people: a chauffeured luxury car, complete with a butler seeing them off.
The black sedan glided along the road toward Toyogasaki Academy, with a driver and a butler—specially arranged by their parents—occupying the front seats to handle the siblings' commute.
What a rich person's indulgence.
If he were still his real-world self, Narumi Tōru would definitely be thinking that.
In fact, for someone like Narumi Tōru—who normally had to cram himself onto crowded trains or buy secondhand bicycles just to get around—this kind of affluent lifestyle would have been completely unimaginable without entering this simulation. At best, he had only ever experienced something like it once, thanks to Yukinoshita Haruno during the first simulation.
But since this family background had been drawn through his own luck (and a bit of persuasive rhetoric aimed at the system), Narumi had no intention of feeling unworthy of it—after all, it was just a simulation.
"Master, Miss, we've arrived at the school. I will come to pick you both up again after classes end."
After delivering those words in a refined tone, the butler stopped the car at the school gate and let the siblings out.
Eriri, who had worn a sour expression toward her brother the entire ride, checked her outfit for propriety—and the instant she stepped out of the car, she seamlessly switched expressions.
That delicate face, usually full of spoiled petulance at home, bloomed into a gentle, refreshing smile the moment she came into view of passing students.
"Oh, it's those two siblings…!"
"Both the brother and the sister are so easy on the eyes!"
"Man, my eyes have been blessed again today by those mixed-blood siblings…"
Narumi, too, felt the weight of surrounding gazes the moment he got out of the car—this level of attention was worlds apart from the complete anonymity he was used to.
But humans naturally looked twice at outstanding looks and distinguished backgrounds. Once he acknowledged that, it wasn't particularly uncomfortable.
Eriri, as though thoroughly accustomed to this scene, completely shed her bratty-at-home persona. With poised elegance, she waved and greeted the surrounding students.
"Good morning, everyone. I hope you all have a pleasant school day."
"Ah, Miss Sawamura is as approachable and polite as ever…!"
Under her gentle gaze, classmates—male and female alike—felt their hearts skip a beat. The destructive power of Toyogasaki Academy's Public Beauty was on full display.
If he weren't her brother, Narumi probably would have been fooled by that flawlessly crafted façade as well, and ended up viewing her as a refined young lady.
Unfortunately, the memories of growing up together were far too vivid. Even if this past had been patched in by the simulation, Narumi simply couldn't look at his sister through the same lens as others—unless he wanted his biological father to break his legs and send him straight to the German orthopedics department.
I really want to show these people what kind of face polite, elegant Eriri had on in the car just now… but as her brother, I probably shouldn't expose her like that… wait, is it really impossible?
Unlike Eriri, who enthusiastically greeted everyone to maintain her pristine image, the curly-haired boy merely nodded briefly to the students looking his way, then walked into the campus at the same pace as her.
What truly occupied his thoughts wasn't school—it was where this simulation was heading, and what it had to do with his little sister.