Chapter 31: Pink-brained TS Reincarnated Person VS Natural Flavor (Naive)

Pink-brained TS Reincarnated Person VS Natural Flavor (Naive)

"...I know I'm late in saying this, but I don't think that was a good way to threaten someone."

Miho had been wailing and crying on my chest, and even after she'd stopped crying, she wouldn't let go.

I begged her to stop riding on me because the floor hurt. Then she made a manly invitation for us to come to her bed, and then she said those words to me while holding me as if I were her favorite body pillow.

Yeah, maybe the way I threatened her wasn't good, but I think the current situation is even worse.

This isn't the kind of closeness you'd expect from a normal friend of the same sex.

Eh, we're' married and heterosexual inside? Well, I guess that can't be helped.

Or so you thought.

Now we're clearly the same sex, and on top of that, we're friends! I introduced you to my parents for the first time today. Think about your distance, your distance, damn it!

"Really? Well, you never know what horrible things reincarnated people might be thinking, even with their cute faces. Especially for someone like me who deserves to be hated, isn't it normal for to make a move first before they do?"

I explained this to her as I gently stroked her head and patted her back, coaxing her to sleep.

She complained, "But there are decent reincarnated people like me..."

So I replied quietly. "Decent people don't do stalker-like things in search of their past life partners."

"Do you do that to everyone you meet? Or everyone you get the chance?"

She asked me suspiciously, but in a relaxed manner, so I told her that only my family had properly checked to see if I had been reincarnated. Mama and Dad didn't seem to notice anything strange when they saw me right after I was reincarnated, so I guess they're okay.

"Well, what about Akari-chan? I don't think that would be the case with her, right?"

When my little sister was still a baby, I was furious and shouting, "You're a reincarnated person, aren't you? I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!" as I pointed a knife at her, but she was still smiling and giggling, so she's okay too.

If she was a reincarnated person, she should have shown some fear, and the fact that she didn't means she's innocent.

"...You're family by blood, right? Were you really going to stab her if she got scared?"

"It's more about the bond of the heart than the bond of blood. I wouldn't have stabbed her, of course, but I might have put a wet towel near her mouth, since I didn't know what kind of monster she was inside. I was still young enough at the time that it wouldn't have been considered intentional, even if I had."

"I'm glad I'm not your sister" Miho-san said, loosening her arms around me a little.

I felt the same way. Killing someone important without even realizing it - that kind of tragedy is something you can laugh at in a story.

Smiling and saying I'm glad we're both safe, I slip out of my restraints.

If you're asking me whether I dislike it or not, I definitely don't dislike it, but continuing to do it for so long is a problem in itself. I never know when I'll lose my patience.

And, incidentally, my wild little sister is supposed to be coming into this room soon. I don't want to add to her worries about whether a family member is a lesbian during this important exam period.

I want her to grow up healthy and kind, if possible. So far, so good.

"Onee-chan! Is it true that Miho-san is here!?"

Just as I was being questioned about why I had snuck out and was being suspicious of how I could possibly know, my little sister came into the room. I told her to go wash her hands properly and sent her back out the door, and she looked at me with a mixture of respect and fear.

"...How do you know so accurately? Is it a coincidence? Or were you secretly in contact?"

When I told her that if there was any way to contact her, I would make sure she didn't interfere with our time together, Miho-san's expression became embarrassed.

I know I shouldn't be the one to say it, but she's pretty easy to fool. She used to seem a little cooler, but maybe the 15 years we haven't seen each other has pushed her neediness beyond its limits.

She's so cute, I love it.

While I was doing this, my little sister returned from using the restroom in the literal sense and snatched the manju that was in front of me. If I could add a voiceover saying, "Wait, something is flying in the sky~... Ah, got you!" and make an indescribable expression, my share wouldn't be taken away any more.

Are manju really that important? How childish.

When my little sister asked curiously, "What were you guys doing?" I replied that we were a married couple, so we were cuddling in bed to celebrate our long-awaited reunion!

Just kidding.

Since I couldn't really explain it, I lied and said we were talking about a piece I'd made. Miho-san gave a similar explanation, and added that "Hikari-chan's work is amazing," so whatever the truth, it seemed true on the surface.

"I know Onee-chan's work is amazing, but I don't know what's so great about it!" my younger sister says, and Miho-san adds, as if to reinforce her point, that she's definitely an avid art fan.

It doesn't seem like they were having a lovey-dovey, brutal conversation that neglected art.

Did she become knowledgeable about art in anticipation of this happening? Of course not; she simply accumulated knowledge to support and understand me as an artist. 

Thanks to that, from an academic perspective, she knows far more than I do. Her aesthetic sense is genuine, as she was able to connect my past and present just by looking at an item listed on an online auction.

It seems she had no taste for men, though.

I felt sorry for her, poor thing she'd been caught by such a good-for-nothing... and thought I'd be saddened by such cruel words as calling myself a good-for-nothing, but that didn't happen.

It was such a rude remark that I would normally burst into tears, but I didn't understand my own feelings.

So that's how my work is categorized... Is it in the lineage of the XX school, and expresses XX ideology? I had no idea!

I was surprised, but then I nodded in agreement as I listened to the explanation. Miho-san, you know a lot. But I don't think the creator herself put that much thought into it.

Just as my little sister's gaze shifted to one of admiration, Mama's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Dinner's about to be prepared. Would you like to join us, Miho-san?" she asked, inviting her.

We're not from Kyoto, so it wasn't a roundabout way of telling her to go home, but rather meant it literally. Incidentally, the fact that she proactively came to tell her meant she really wanted Miho-san to join.

"Just say you want to. That's what Mama would want."

I told Miho with eye contact, and she understood, which meant dinner was sure to be a lively affair. Eating dinner with anyone other than our neighbors? It's so nerve-wracking.

While Mama was preparing dinner, I waited while tutoring my little sister.

You must be living a life where you can just play and leave your mother to do all the work, right? 

Meanwhile, I, whenever I tried to do housework, Mama would make a sad face and tell me to play more. Besides, I couldn't just leave my friend alone.

Since we came directly after school, I was able to check Miho-san's homework, which included textbooks and other materials, while supporting my younger sister in my usual style.

It may not have been necessary for Miho-san, who is the type to thoroughly prepare and review, but it probably came in handy as she ended up getting stuck on her preparations quite a lot. If you study hard, you can use your studies to dominate even reincarnated people.

Incidentally, Miho-san, who was being taught, was taken aback by my support to my younger sister. She said that even if we're sisters, it's abnormal and a little creepy for me to have such a perfect understanding.

Of course, she didn't say it directly in front of my younger sister, but that's what she was trying to say.

Miho-san had said that she might be able to help my younger sister a little with her middle school entrance exam preparation, so I showed her the difference in our status and regained my sister's respect.

...It's not like I was jealous of the respect my younger sister had for Miho-san earlier, or that I felt like she was going to take her away from me or anything like that.

No, that's not it, so don't look at me like that!

It's fine, even if I understand the thought processes of my precious family. I have the body to do that.

She said I sound like a stalker, but when I told her that even if I were reborn, I wouldn't be as good as her, who found me, Miho-san fell silent, seemingly speechless.

I win this battle.

Phew, I'm too strong, it's painful.

I don't think she's just wrestling alone and is trying to argue with me. I was hit by my own casual, honest argument, and I couldn't help but cry, even though I'm a strong person.

Miho-san suddenly asked me what was wrong and worried, while my younger sister explained that it was a common occurrence and not to worry.

As expected, having lived with me for 11 years, she's used to her older sister's emotional instability.

...Eh, Miho-san, who should have spent more time with me in my previous life? 

Come on, there's no way I was mentally unstable even in my previous life. It was only after I was reincarnated that my mind started to go haywire.

After causing her so much worry, I accompanied Mama, who had come to call us, to eat dinner.

Miho-san sat next to me, or rather, next to Mama, since Akari had already sat there. Where Dad usually sits. There's no seat for Dad!

The menu for our fun dinner began: rice, miso soup, a few side dishes, and mimiga(pig ears).

So these are the pig ears we have in our house. I thought for sure Mama had brought a pig set for play.

Ugh, Hikari has become corrupted... I'm getting excited just thinking about Mama being treated like a pig... 

Come to think of it, as a reincarnated person, I've never been pure. Besides, even if Mama doesn't wear it, if I wear the pig set, it's practically the same as Mama wearing it. We look the same, after all.

Alright, from now on, I'll dress up the way I want Mama to. So this is what it feels like to start cosplaying. My dreams are expanding.

"Um, (Can I get the soy sauce, please?)... Yes."

As I was laughing, Miho-san looked my way and tried to say something, so I guessed what she meant before she even started, and handed it to her, saying, "Yes, soy sauce, right?"

It seemed I'd guessed correctly, and she thanked me. This is what they call "Aun."