Chapter 49: IF End: Little Sister is Deliciously Eaten

Author Note: This is from the little sister's perspective (╹◡╹)

IF End: Little Sister is Deliciously Eaten

I loved my older sister.

Ever since I was little, I admired my older sister. She was someone who could do anything, knew everything, and would do anything for me.

According to our mothers, my older sister was already helping out around the house by the time she started elementary school. And it wasn't just a half-hearted act of childishness; it was a level that actually helped my mother, who did the housework.

I'm sure, ever since I was old enough to understand, I had a vague idea that she was some kind of amazing person.

If I didn't understand something, it was more reliable to ask my older sister for help than to ask my mother, and my mother also learned many things from my older sister.

By the time I realized that this was strange, my older sister was already an amazing person to me.

Now that I've gained a more normal sense, I can understand that this was abnormal.

There's no way an elementary school student could know more than their parents. It's not normal for an elementary school student to be better at housework than their parents. Voluntarily taking on housework and childcare to reduce the burden on their parents is not something an elementary school student could do.

By the time I reached the same age, I realized how strange the sights I had been seeing ever since I was old enough to understand were. And because I realized this, I became even more confused. I didn't understand how my sister was able to do something like that, or why she did it.

"Akari is amazing. A normal elementary school student wouldn't understand something like this."

Because my older sister taught me, schoolwork was easy. I couldn't understand why other kids struggled with such simple things.

"Akari is amazing. A normal elementary school student wouldn't try so hard to help out."

It was because my older sister and my mother taught me. My mother told me not to force myself to help out and that it was okay to play, which was the complete opposite of what my other friends' mothers said. That's why I decided to try my best on my own. 

"Akari is amazing. An normal kid wouldn't be able to draw this well. Thank you for this wonderful gift."

I was only imitating my older sister a little. Luckily, I had plenty of examples to practice with, so I didn't have any trouble. Unlike the woodwork my older sister made, my drawings were, I hate to say it, more appropriate for my age.

Maybe because of the examples, they're a little better than what's appropriate for someone my age, but that's about it.

My older sister never rejected what I gave her, and she always praised me. I loved how she praised me as if I were truly amazing. Even though, compared to my older sister, I'm nothing special.

It must seem incredibly strange to have such an amazing older sister, and I was able to grow up without even a hint of jealousy.

When I talk to my friends, I understand this when I see kids who develop a strong inferiority complex because of their more accomplished older siblings, but in reality, it's probably not a big deal.  

To me, it was only natural that my older sister was amazing; that's just what an older sister is. The embodiment of absolute excellence, someone I had no desire to beat. An unwavering goal, like this is how a person should be.

It may seem like a lot to say about my sister, who was only four years older than me, but that's how it was.

That's why I wanted to get closer to my older sister.

In truth, I wanted to be like her, but once I realized that it was arrogant for an ordinary girl like me to even aim to become one, I decided that just getting closer was enough. 

My older sister is special, so no one can be her. A big sister that someone else can become isn't my older sister.

That's right.

If I tried to get closer and I could become her right away, then she wouldn't be my older sister.

My older sister is amazing, so it would be difficult for me to get into the same school as her.

My teachers at school say I'm well within the range of acceptance, but my older sister isn't just a successful student; she's a scholarship student.

Neither my sister nor my mother told me anything, but my father lamented, "Hikari won't even let me pay her tuition..." so I'm sure of it.

...It's not that I'm dissatisfied with my older sister, who can't even see my back no matter how hard I try. It's not that I'm dissatisfied with my parents, who never tell me how amazing my older sister is. In fact, I think they're probably just trying to make sure I don't get crushed compared to my older sister.

Just because I can't be like my sister doesn't mean they don't love me. In fact, unlike my sister, who always draws a line between herself and our parents, they dote on me for being so honest and dependent.

Of course, it's not that they don't dote on my sister, but I'm sure they love me more overall.

"Yeah, it's going well. If I keep this up, I'm sure I'll pass with no problem. ...All I need to do now is practice for the entrance exam."

This has gotten a bit long-winded, but to sum it up, my sister is a truly amazing person, very kind, and I admire her.

She's my goal, the person I want to become and the person I want to be with, and I love her so much.

....That's why I couldn't accept it. When I found my exam ticket in the room of my sister, who had supported me so much.

She should have been cheering me on.

Over a year before the exam, she taught me everything to do with studying, and even without me or my parents asking her to, she practiced me for the exam, analyzed me, and prepared my self-promotion.

On the day of the exam, she made me lunch in the morning so that I could give it my all, and it was my older sister who got up earlier than anyone else to wake me up.

So, it couldn't have been that!

There's no way my sister would have taken my exam ticket out of my bag and put it on her desk.

There had to have been some kind of mistake.

I must have accidentally dropped it from my bag, and my sister found it and picked it up to give it to me later. That must be it.

....No.

If she found it, she should have put it back in my bag.

I don't mind if my big sister opens my bag, rummages through my desk, or uses my underwear. I guess she was worried that I might wake up the day before the exam, so she was being considerate. Big sister is really kind.

Escaping reality like this, I focused on the exam for the time being. What I needed to do now was solve problems with predetermined answers, not think about things I couldn't find the answer to.

In order to get into the same school as my big sister, I didn't have time to think about unnecessary things.

Thinking like this, I tried to do my best, but before I knew it, I was feeling unwell. I had to solve the problems, and they weren't supposed to be difficult, but I couldn't think straight. Even though I'd slept a lot, my mind was fuzzy and I was getting sleepy.

While I was fighting the drowsiness, the exam was over. I didn't even need to look at the results; they were terrible.

I'm sure the people grading the tests would think I was just making fun of them for taking the exam even though there was no way I'd pass. The results were so terrible I could tell that even before I saw them. I couldn't face my older sister, who had been cheering me on, or my parents, who had high hopes for me.

I got home and looked at my family. No one asked a question, probably because they knew before I said anything.

Without saying a word, my older sister just hugged me. She comforted me, saying that no matter the result, she knew I had tried my best, and praised me for my hard work.

That made me so frustrated.

I really had tried my best.

I studied all day, at school and at home, and even held back on my desire to play with my friends.

I knew better than anyone that my efforts were beyond my capabilities. But I still tried my best.

And this is the result.

Unable to show how hard I had worked, I had to be comforted by my older sister. I felt a sense of persecution, as if my older sister, who was gently comforting me, was telling me, "Even if you try hard, that's all you can do." 

I couldn't help but feel frustrated, sad, and pathetic about it.

I knew it.

My big sister wasn't like that.

She was more considerate than my father or mother when I studied. She would tease me when I lost focus to help me change my mood. There was no way that a big sister like that would make fun of my efforts.

Even though I knew that, I was so sad that strange thoughts were running through my head.

But it was after that that I really started feeling sad. I was so sad and depressed that I could barely leave my room. My older sister started coming to check on me out of concern. She'd say hello and encourage me time and time again, trying to cheer me up.

Every time, I'd feel helpless, guilty, and want to disappear.

"Hey, Akari. What would you think if I told you that your exam didn't go well because of me?"

But when she said that, I felt something I'd never felt before.

I thought about things I'd never thought about, things I didn't want to think about, and my mind went blank.

"Akari, you worked hard studying for your exams, right? While I was helping you, I always wanted to make you fail. I wondered what your face would be like if all your hard work didn't pay off, if all your effort was for nothing. The harder you tried, the stronger my desire to make you fail grew...."

".... So I slipped sleeping medicine into your food." 

My sister said that with her usual gentle smile.

I thought it was a lie.

My sister would never do something like that. She's not the type of person to do something like that.

I believed that.

But at the same time, I also thought that if that were the case, it would all make sense.

That my exam ticket was on my sister's desk. That I felt unwell on the day of the exam, even though I thought I'd slept well.

If I blamed my sister for all of it, then it all made sense.

"...That's a lie. I mean, you wouldn't do something so terrible to me. There's no way you could do something so terrible. ...That's right, you're just saying silly things to comfort me, aren't you? You're thinking that if it wasn't my fault that I failed, I wouldn't be so depressed, right?"

It all made sense, but whether I could believe it was another matter.

My sister would never do something like that. There's no reason for her to do it, and it wouldn't benefit her in any way even if she did.

And above all, I love my big sister, and she loves me too.

There's no way she could ever do something so cruel to me.

"...You don't believe me after all? Well, I guess I'll have to show you some proof. Akari, come to Onee-chan's room for a bit."

For the first time in a while, I left my room of my own volition. I went straight to my sister's room and we stood in front of a picture hanging in the room.

It was a picture I had drawn. I had drawn it to express how much I loved her. My big sister was so happy, she framed it and hung it up, saying she'd treasure it forever. It was a little embarrassing, but it was a very happy memory.

That precious picture....

"Hey, Akari. Is the Onee-chan you know capable of doing something like this?"

... My big sister tore it up like it was nothing.

With the same expression she has when she's helping Mom cook, and when I solve a difficult problem, she strokes the picture that must have been so precious with the knife.

"Onee-chan is a little curious. What kind of person is Onee-chan to you, Akari?"

"Please tell me," my big sister says, smiling brightly as she continues shredding up my picture. The shredded pieces fall to the floor. The back of the frame made for the picture is left with only the marks of the blade. Again and again, carved relentlessly.

My big sister. To me. Always kind, always caring for me, always comforting me when I'm going through a difficult time.

"She can do anything! She can be anything! A wonderful Onee-chan who is always cheering for you and everyone else? A kind Onee-chan who is always smiling?"

Chuckling, my big sister reads my heart.

That's right.

That's the kind of big sister she is. 

There's no way my big sister would do something this cruel. I don't know what's going on, but she must be a fake.

“To you, Onee-chan is a good person. She is the one you love more than anyone, the one you admire more than anyone. The one who understands everything about you. Anyone who does such terrible things to you must be a fake. By the way, Akari, how many people do you know who can read your thoughts?”

That's a really unpleasant question.

I only know one other person who understands my mind. And not just me, but also my mother, father, and everyone else.

There's no way there's anyone other than you who acts like she knows everything, and can carry a conversation just by talking.

And above all, the way she asks the question.

Instead of immediately telling me the answer, she asks questions that force me to think for myself and arrive at the answer. It's a tactic my big sister often uses, saying it's to help develop my thinking ability. 

My mind, having grown up thanks to my older sister's methods, immediately came to the answer.

Someone who looks like her, acts like her, and does the same things as her. Only my older sister could do that. If other people could imitate her, I wouldn't be struggling so much in the first place.

"Look, it's time to stop running away from the things you don't like. Face reality head-on and accept it. Who do you see standing in front of you?"

I barely remember what we talked about after that. All I could do was accept the girl laughing in front of me as my older sister.

No one believed me when I told them what my older sister had done, and I became distrustful of people.

If that was the true nature of my older sister, the person I admired more than anyone and trusted unconditionally, then I no longer had any faith in anything.

"Akari, are you okay? I'll leave some food here for you. Eat it when you're feeling better."

The way her voice sounded, so concerned and worried about me, was truly terrifying.

Even though she had done something like that, she acted as if she was genuinely worried, and I was frightened from the bottom of my heart that my parents believed her words and accepted them more than I did.

And what scares me most of all is that my older sister has returned to the person I wanted her to be.

I loved my older sister very much.

[Little Sister Route: END]

AN:

This time with TS Reincarnated Person!

I support my cute little sister with all my heart! With big sister's help, she will greatly improve her little sister's academic performance!

However, she surreptitiously take her exam ticket the night before and deliberately leave it on her desk where it's easy to find to mentally shake her up!

This top-notch reincarnator is not letting anything slip through her fingers. In order to corner her younger sister, who is well within the passing range with just psychological pressure, she has mixed sleeping pills into her breakfast! Her chronically fuzzy head means she can't concentrate on the exam!

The basic principle is to be thorough and safe. Of course, I'll mix some medicine into my little sister's lunch box. It takes a while to work, so the effect is questionable, but it's better than nothing.

Let's pet your sad little sister when she comes home! Pets cry when they're sad, so it's important to interact with them so they don't feel lonely. Praise her for doing a good job. The more you praise her, the more miserable she'll feel.

The final touch! A secret reveal, with the hope that she will be delicious! I'll make her distrustful of people!

By telling my parents that I'll be the bad guy ... I'll maintain my position in the family to a minimum, and create an environment where it's hard to believe whatever my little sister says about me!