"Huh? Did I hear Onii-chan's voice?"
"Chika!"
The young woman, Suzugamori Chika, quickly turned her head and saw the source of the voice, which startled her. "Huh? Onii-chan?!"
"What are you doing in the rain? Anyway, come in!"
While Nifuji urged her to come in, Chika looked at him in a daze for a moment before she hurriedly entered his car, worriedly, as she saw how luxurious his car was!
Or rather, wasn't his car new?
Frankly, compared to his motorcycle, which took a lot of time to be ready, the process of his car being ready was so swift.
"What's wrong? Come in."
"Ah, um... is it okay?"
"...."
Nifuji wasn't sure what Chika was thinking, but he got out of his car, put her in the passenger seat, paid the parking fee, and then started driving again.
As expected, his new car was a mess, but fortunately, he hadn't removed the plastic from the sofa or the other parts within the car's interior.
"It's good that I haven't removed the plastics."
"...."
Chika blinked her eyes and kept staring at Nifuji.
"What's wrong?"
"N-No, you seem to have changed a lot, Onii-chan."
Hirotaka Nifuji.
Even if they had thought of each other as siblings, since she also thought of him as an older brother, they weren't real siblings despite having similar blue hair. Instead, it was all due to the relationship between their mothers, who were so close to each other that they often played together.
Still, they had quite a huge age difference, so he had always thought of her as a little sister despite how grown up she had been.
Naturally, she also thought of him as an older brother, so she called him "Onii-chan," which made her sound cute despite her upbeat image.
"You have also changed a lot." Nifuji smiled. "I still remember how you ran around the house with just panties in the past."
"...."
Chika's face quickly turned bright red as she complained. "How long was it?! That was a long time ago! I will never do any of that again!"
"Yes, yes." Nifuji didn't bother to face her complaint and just asked, "Should I send you back to the aunty?"
"Ah, no, no! Just send me to my apartment, Onii-chan!"
"Huh? You live alone?"
"...how long do you think I am?" Chika rolled her eyes. "I am already a university student! I am already an adult! Or rather, I have become a working adult, too!"
"Oh, right, you are a mangaka now."
Both a mangaka and a university student.
If it were someone else, Nifuji could imagine that they would crumble due to the pressure, but he knew that Chika was amazing, as she could do both, and even became a mangaka assistant, too, if he wasn't wrong.
"What about your manga now?"
"...." Chika.
Nifuji was speechless, but as he saw her expression and also thought of what had happened to her previously, he could only sigh inwardly as he knew that her career wasn't as good as he had imagined.
Yet, even so, without a doubt, she was amazing since she had won a newcomer award, which awarded her one million yen in cash previously.
With her young age, it was amazing for her to be able to get such a large amount of money, right?
Still, it seemed her life wasn't as good as he had imagined, but it was also because of that, he couldn't ignore her.
"Should I send you back to your apartment?"
"Ah, um, yes." Chika nodded softly as she said, "Here is the address, Onii-chan."
"Thanks."
If it were someone else, they wouldn't show where they lived, but even if they weren't like a family, they were still a childhood friend, so it didn't matter.
Yet, even so, while Nifuji tried to be gentle with Chika, she was also curious about him, especially about his luxurious car.
"Hmm... how much is this car, Onii-chan?"
"...."
Nifuji glanced at Chika, who asked him that question, before he said, "Ten million yen."
"..."
"I am sorry for all the mess I have caused."
If Chika could kowtow, she would definitely kowtow to Nifuji as she had made his car dirty!
Ten million yen!
That was ten times her reward from her newcomer award!
Yet, inwardly, she also wondered how Nifuji made a lot of money, too.
"It's fine. You don't have to worry. I can clean up the car, but if you are hurt, then it won't be good, right?"
Still, after Nifuji said so, Chika was all quiet, which made him confused. "What's wrong? Why are you all quiet and looking at me like that?"
"As expected, Onii-chan is weird!"
"Is it?"
"Yes!" Chika nodded. "You seem like... how to say it... capable?"
"Thank you, but..." Nifuji glanced at Chika and asked, "I didn't seem capable in your eyes before?"
"No, it's just that you were all quiet before."
"I am still the same. I am still an introvert and feel better when being alone, but I know that I will miss a lot of things if I stay all quiet, so I take the initiative to do something."
"Such as?"
"Er... business."
"Business?!" Chika was surprised as she couldn't imagine Nifuji, who just played games all the time, would make his own business. Still, when she thought of him, who had a piercing in his earlobe in middle school, she felt that with his impulsive personality, it was possible for him to make a business.
"So... did you quit your job? Have you told Aunty and Nao-chan? No, have you ever told your family?!"
"No."
"...." Chika.
As expected of Nifuji, she thought.
"But, I am not quitting my job, so don't worry."
"...but you should tell your family that you have made a business and even bought your own car...." Chika was about to tell him what the right thing to do was before she thought for a moment and asked, "Is there something else besides that?"
"I have girlfriends now."
"..." Chika.
"A female friend?"
"The lover one."
"...yup, you have changed a lot, Onii-chan, but..." Chika looked at Nifuji's face for a while and felt that he had become her type, but she quickly shook her head, feeling hot on her face, thinking that it was impossible, especially when he had a girlfriend now.
'Also, he must be thinking of me like his little sister...'
They weren't real siblings, but their relationship was more or less the same, as Nifuji had taken care of her from childhood.
He might be quiet, but she knew that he gave a lot of care to those around him, especially those he cared about the most.
This was also why she was at a loss for a moment and couldn't help but mutter, "I want to disappear..."
"....." Nifuji.
Only, he thought differently, especially when he heard those words that came out of her lips.
'No, I have to stop her!'
Nifuji had to stop Chika from committing suicide!
"...." Chika.
Regardless, the two soon arrived at her apartment, and Chika led him inside her room.
"..." The readers.