The Shiunji Family Children (紫雲寺家の子供たち)

The Shiunji Family Children

The Shiunji Family Children

The Shiunji Family Children

We siblings could get married now, I guess?

K-Kotono?!

Wha? Get married?

Cut it out. That's so gross.

Hypothetically, I mean.

The law doesn't forbid marriage between two siblings not related by blood.

And I'm saying the very idea is gross as hell.

Is this the kind of thing you normally think about, Shion?

Goodness, no!

My thoughts are only ever filled with gratitude for having such a pretty and kind big sis.

Again with the flattery...

But, yeah, I wouldn't put it past Erota's dirty mind.

He's been looking at me funny lately.

And it wasn't long ago that he said I was dressed too lightly.

Tell him how gross that was over and over until he gets the idea.

Give Shin-nii a break. He's a hormonal teenage boy.

That reminds me. What exactly happened with Kotono?

Huh? You mean the thing in the game room?

We found him on top of her when we got there.

Did he tell you anything?

Yeah, but he swore me to secrecy.

Listen, even we know he isn't enough of a horndog to force himself on her.

We only joke about it.

There had to have been a reason behind all that.

How sharp.

What? She said she liked him?!

Kotono told Arata that? For real?

According to Shin-nii, yeah.

And keep it down, will you?

So what'd he say?

Turned her down, of course. Brother and sister and all.

But Kotono apparently wouldn't take no for an answer.

She started clinging to him, and he was trying to get her off when that happened.

You can't be serious.

Although Kotono does tend to do unexpectedly wild things at times.

My head hurts.

He couldn't explain himself because it might've hurt Kotono if everyone knew.

But if it's true, this is pretty bad news.

They're siblings.

Hey, Kotono might just be confused.

Not uncommon for kids that age to mistake affection and respect for romantic feelings.

"Kids that age"? You're only a year older than her.

And you're only two years older, Ouka... oneechan.

Though, uh...

Yeah... I know where you're going with this.

If she's for real, things might be about to get a whole lot worse.

K-Kotono?!

Wh-What are you doing?

I love you.

Are you out of your mind? That's just so wrong!

But why?!

Tell me... Why?

Th-That should be obvious.

I did a web search for "siblings not blood- related marriage," and I know what I saw.

Am I a bad girl?

No, you're not.

Lots of teens get confused about their feelings for someone they're close with.

But I'm not confused...

Either way, it doesn't matter that we're not blood-related.

I'm your big bro. It's my job to ensure your happiness in life.

And I'll look after you until the day I see you walk down that aisle.

I'm going to forget this ever happened. You go take that bath.

You're the nicest person I know...

and the meanest.

Happy birthday.

I wish you'd tell me when this stops being "confusion" and becomes something more.

Well, I kept my promise to her.

Come in.

So it is you...

Banri.

Man, I can't believe what Kotono just did.

Did Dad's talk cause all that?

He says we're not really siblings, but I can't flip that switch just like that.

Nothing changes. Not one thing.

S-Seiha?

What, you walk into the wrong room and sit down like you own the place?

Well, if you've got anything to hide, you ought to lock the door.

How very careless. Where were you?

Huh?

C-Crap, I can't say I just came back from the bath.

J-Just talking a walk, I guess?

In your own home? Fat chance.

Wh-Who cares? What's up with you, anyway?

What are you doing here this late?

Your room is always so plain.

You have the smallest room out of all of us, but it feels bigger than it is.

Do you remember?

We played rock-paper-scissors to decide room assignments when we were around ten,

and Ouka won the biggest one.

And I came last. I sure do.

Lucky you're not much of a hoarder, huh?

So you're livestreaming a tour of a boy's room? Is that it?

I can't say I'm too into streaming culture.

Our second oldest, Seiha. What does she want?

Does she want to talk about what Dad just told us?

She doesn't really strike me as the type, though...

Huh? What?

Excuse me.

Wha?

Whoa!

What're you doing, you moron?!

Hold up!

Quiet, please. This has to remain top secret.

T-Top secret?

What?

What the hell is going on here?

Why'd she just get on top of me?

I didn't know she was like this.

She stopped being physical a long time ago.

Is she getting weird ideas like Kotono, too?!

Good. No real concerns here.

What do you mean? What concerns?!

I saw you in the bath with Kotono just now.

What? Wait, she saw that?!

I love you.

H-How much did you see?

All of it, probably.

I went to take a bath and overheard you two inside.

A-A-A-All of it?!

Wait, get off me first!

I had a faint inkling about Kotono's feelings for you.

But it's not unusual for young teens to mistake their sibling affection for love.

So I thought nothing of it.

But perhaps what we were told today broke all her inhibitions.

I thought you handled that situation as well as you could as the oldest son.

But, given the risk of it continuing to happen,

I wanted quantifiable proof that you wouldn't succumb to any approaches from us sisters.

I see. So she did it to keep our sisters safe?

You know you could have done that in a less direct way?

Well, considering I have zero romantic interest in you,

this was the easiest approach.

Anyway, don't be ridiculous. She's my little sister, you know?

Do you know why incest is banned in Japan?

Huh?

Article 734 of the Japanese Civil Code prohibits marriage between direct relations.

However, this is largely due to social customs.

The feelings of the individuals involved are not taken into account.

Biological theory also says parents with differing genes produce healthier offspring,

and we evolved aversion to familiar scents and the rebellious phase to prevent incest.

But none of that holds any meaning after tonight's dinner.

So how long will the word "incest" be enough to keep Kotono at bay?

I find the risk too large to ignore.

Th-That doesn't excuse what you did.

Even marriage between cousins isn't unheard of.

Outside of Minami and Shion, none of us are exempt now—even you and me.

We may be siblings, but we're not biologically related.

So it's certainly possible for us to have sexual relations.

Come on! S-Sex...?!

I'm merely stating the facts.

While I personally hate the idea of ever being the subject of your libido...

Huh?

It wouldn't be entirely unnatural for it to happen, biologically speaking.

Perhaps Kotono had instinctively picked up on that all along.

Give it a rest, Seiha.

Anyway, I'm glad that your pulse remained normal throughout.

Also, while it may only be on paper now,

I am technically your older sister, so watch how you address me.

At the very least, call me something cute like "Seiha-chan."

See you.

What the hell was that all about?

I get where she's coming from, though.

I have these sisters with whom I'm not blood-related.

Shion would say that's a situation straight out of a light novel.

The difference is, I've spent sixteen years living as their brother.

That's not gonna change overnight.

No real concerns... right?

Oh, Seiha.

Whatcha doing over here?

Nothing in particular.

Way too much for one day, I swear.

It's like waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

Check it out, Arata! Lovely, isn't it?

Why the heck are you dressed like that first thing?

The uniform for my practicals just got delivered, so I'm trying it on.

Kotono's wearing the spare.

Boys love this kind of thing, right? What do you think?