BAM BAM BAM!!!
The fists of justice rained down on Iori—this guy really didn't know how to appreciate having a little sister!
"How could a mouth at 37°C say something so cold?!"
"Look at what you've done!"
"Your little sister is so cute!"
"All she wanted was to spend a little more time with you. What's wrong with that?!"
Chisa and Aina wrapped Shiori in a protective embrace. They adored this cute little sister—how could Iori even say something like that?
(?????)
"She brought that thing and you're still defending her?!"
Iori wept with regret. If he'd known this would happen, he never would've written that letter! Who could've guessed that after a few months, his little sister had gotten even more devious?
"Well, to be fair, Iori, your situation's not exactly easy either."
Azusa, who had been analyzing Iori and Shiori's sibling relationship the whole time, gave the pair a sly look. Then something amusing suddenly occurred to her.
"Azusa-neesan, you get me!"
Iori was practically in tears. Finally—finally someone normal who understood his suffering!
"Ahh, I do, I do. Just imagine it... sister × cute × middle schooler + Kohei. What do you think that equals~?"
Azusa lazily lounged on the sofa, resting her face on one hand, a seductive smile blooming on her lips.
Too bad... Iori was in no state to appreciate it.
Thanks to Azusa's remark, the two upperclassmen suddenly caught on and solemnly answered the implied question.
"'The death of Iori,' right?"
"Wait no—'The horrific, unspeakable death of Iori!'"
(???皿??)??3??
"This isn't the time to joke around! If you know what's coming, then you should be helping me get Shiori out of here! You didn't tell Kohei about this, right?!"
"Oh... I think you're too late. I sent Kohei a message earlier and he said he was looking for some tools. By now, he's probably almost here."
Kamashiro raised his hands innocently. After all, this was his good buddy's sister—how could he not tell their other buddy about it? (??ω??)
"YOU BASTARD, YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!!!"
Iori shouted in fury, but there was no time to argue. He grabbed Shiori's hand, determined to get her out of there!
"Kitahara, I suggest you take a look behind you~"
"Don't change the subject! I'll deal with you after I get Shiori home!"
"Yeah... you might not get the chance…"
...?
"What do you—"
YANK!
Just as Iori started to question him, he felt someone yank his bangs upward.
Looking up, he saw a stunningly handsome shadow faced red eyed golden-haired guy grabbing his hair.
"WRYYYYYYYYY"
Σ(｀艸′;)!!
The moment Iori laid eyes on Kohei, his expression turned to pure terror—as if he had glimpsed the unspeakable horror of Cthulhu.
"Long time no see, Kitahara!"
…..
"Yo, you're a bit late, Kohei."
Kamashiro greeted him with a smile. He had sent that message first thing in the morning, after all.
"Sorry, sorry. Took me a while to prep all this stuff."
Bang!
With a heavy thud, Kohei dropped a bag onto the floor. Iori caught a glimpse of what was inside—cement, a chainsaw, and other ominous tools.
Kohei had noticed it the moment he stepped into the room: there was a new little girl among them.
"So, this is…?"
"Iori's little sister, named Shiori! Isn't she absolutely adorable? (??ω??)"
"You were calling her your little sister just a moment ago, Kamashiro!"
"Eh? Iori, are you finally willing to give Shiori to me?"
"You really know how to take advantage of people in their weakest moments…"
?(???')?
"Who wouldn't want such an adorable little sister like Shiori, right, Kohei?"
"…Just toss the head to the stray dogs already…"
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Why are you muttering terrifying stuff to yourself?!"
Iori desperately squirmed, trying to get away. He felt that if he stayed here any longer, his life would truly be in danger.
Unfortunately…
Kohei had already tied him up like a rice dumpling the moment he arrived. Now Iori could only wriggle around like a caterpillar.
Click!
Caterpillar-mode Iori, captured in photo!
Kamashiro Shirou nodded with satisfaction. He was starting to feel like he should open a dedicated forum section just for these photos.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before Iori became a school legend.
And come to think of it, if this actually went viral, wouldn't that count as free advertising? Shouldn't Izu University be paying him a promotional fee or something?
...
While Kamashiro was indulging in his fantasy, Iori was still struggling for his life.
"Calm down, Kohei!"
"Silence! You villain who hoards the world's riches for your own!"
"..."
Chisa and Aina very naturally covered Shiori's eyes.
"You shouldn't look over there, okay~"
"It's definitely going to turn into an R18 bloodbath…"
Of course—
Though they were close friends, Kamashiro Shirou couldn't bear to see his buddy die just like that.
"Dear customer~ we are now offering a Life-Saving Bundle! For just 100,000 yen, you can be rescued from Kohei's clutches~
For 200,000 yen, Kohei will treat you as a kindred spirit~
And for 300,000 yen, Kohei will be your loyal dog!"
"100,000! I'll pay right now!"
Iori didn't hesitate in the slightest—he could already hear the chainsaw roaring.
Besides, he already owed Kamashiro 300,000 yen. What's another 100,000 at this point?
Plus, Shiori was here too. She had seen with her own eyes the living hell her brother was enduring. Surely she would help plead with their parents on his behalf!
"Alright, dear customer! All you need is a fingerprint right here~"
Considering Iori's current condition, Kamashiro kindly switched to self-service mode.
The client didn't need to do anything—Kamashiro handled the entire process himself. So thoughtful!
"Save me, save me now!"
As Iori watched his own credit take another 100,000 hit, he barely had time to feel the sting before screaming for help again. His kidneys were practically shivering from fear.
Being a trustworthy businessman, Kamashiro turned to Kohei.
(′｀;)?
"I won't be swayed by money!"
Kohei declared seriously. He rarely got to bring his full gear—no way he was letting money corrupt him!
"Then how about if Shiori calls you ' Kohei onii-chan' just once?"
Boom!
"Father! Is it really true, Father?!"
Kohei fell to his knees with such force that Kamashiro grew worried for the shop floor.
Also…
Why did the words "Father" give him the ominous feeling that his life was about to end…?
╭(°A°`)╮
On the other side, Shiori—who had secretly watched the entire process—stood there frozen.
What kind of idiot was her brother?! Got scammed out of 100,000 with just three sentences?!
And after being scammed, still had to rely on his little sister to save him?!!
Something felt wrong about all of this… but she couldn't even put it into words!!!
Wasn't this just completely absurd?!
"So… I should be the one holding onto this IOU, right?"
Shiori asked uncertainly. She felt like she was the one who had actually done the work.
Also… why was one sentence from her worth 100,000 yen? Was her brother just a certified moron?
"No way, dear Shiori! If we leave this with Iori, that guy will definitely refuse to pay. That piece of paper in your hands would be no better than toilet paper!"
With that, Kamashiro smoothly pocketed the IOU himself. No way was he letting money that had already entered his pocket walk away!
"But… Kamashiro-nii, aren't you worried my brother won't pay up?"
"No worries! I've got a thick skin. I can shamelessly go beg Uncle Kitahara directly—no problem!"
"..."
He makes such a convincing argument that Shiori found herself unable to argue back!
But still…
Wasn't this ultimately money from her own family!?
After all, Iori's allowance came from their parents every month!
(′｀;)?
"Don't just stand there, Shiori. You don't want to see your brother get sawed in half by a chainsaw, do you?"
Kamashiro nudged her. That chainsaw was very sharp—no doubt it would split Iori right in two.
"..."
Shiori's smile grew a bit strained. Her neighborly big brother still had such a horrible personality. She really wanted to smash his pig head in!
Come to think of it… wasn't she just completely exploited here?
Under Kohei's expectant gaze, Shiori hesitantly opened her mouth.
"Umm… I'm still too shy, after all…"
RrrrRRRnnnn!
The chainsaw roared!
"Aaaah! You're really just going to let your brother die, Shiori?!"
(?ò?ó)
Hearing her idiot brother's voice sent Shiori into a rage. Damn it! he'd already paid 100,000 yen—why was he still expecting her to save him?!
Still, he was her brother, and he still needed to inherit the family inn back home.
"Umm… how about I call you… Kohei nii-sama?"
Shiori finally opened her mouth. Though it wasn't a syrupy anime-style "onii-chan," this old-fashioned address still hit like a truck for a hardcore little-sister fetishist!
"..."
"Well, now it's time to put down the chainsaw."
Kamashiro took the chainsaw from Kohei, and Iori finally came back to life.
Yep—Kamashiro really was the most trustworthy businessman around~
"Hey, Kamashiro…"
"What is it?"
"Please, take this!"
Kohei, trembling, pulled out two Fukuzawa bills, covering his face in embarrassment. He was so emotional that Kamashiro could see tears in his eyes.
Whoosh!
In a flash, the bills vanished from everyone's sight. Kamashiro had a suspicious smile on his face.
"Aww, you really shouldn't have~ And these are for what, exactly?"
"I was originally going to use them to buy Rarako merch."
"He was asking what for, not where they came from!!"
Iori twisted in his restraints, feeling an ominous premonition—he had a bad feeling this money had something to do with Shiori!
"Rarako? You mean the magical girl from the TV show?"
Shiori seemed to recognize the name. She remembered one of her friends loved watching it.
"Shiori, you know about that show too?"
"Yup, I actually like Magical Girl Rarako quite a bit."
Boom!!!
That one sentence struck Kohei right in the heart. His tears flowed freely as he pulled out another Fukuzawa.
"Kamashiro, I'm begging you… seriously!!!"
Whoosh!
The Fukuzawa Disappearance Technique was unleashed again!
? ??? ?
"Consider it done~"
"What kind of shady transaction are you two even doing?!"
Iori felt like he was losing it. Wasn't Shiori his sister? What the hell kind of shady business were these two doing with her? Neither of them had any relation to her at all!!!
Suddenly, Iori felt like Shiori being here was extremely dangerous.
Not just for her—but for him too…
"Shiori, listen to your big brother. Go home, okay…"
"Huh? Why?"
"Staying here is going to be very dangerous!"
Shiori thought for a moment, then happily hugged caterpillar-Iori.
"Then I'll stay by big brother's side forever!"