My Childhood Friend, Whom I Thought of as a Little Brother, Was Actually a Girl ~ I Unknowingly Suggested We Share a Room, and This Is How It Ended... It Seems Everything Was According to My Childhood Friend's Plan — Part 2

He smoothly slipped past me and walked right into the apartment.

"Wow, I expected the place to be a total mess, but it’s actually clean!"

This little punk. Always has something extra to say.

I had cleaned up the place to make it presentable since I knew Tōru was coming—but I decided not to mention that.

I closed the door and followed him inside. Tōru, meanwhile, was opening drawers and doors, looking surprised at every little thing.

"Hey, don’t rummage through everything."

"I know, I know... Whoa!"

As I feared, he stumbled. I rushed over and grabbed him around the waist just in time to keep him from falling.

"Eek!"

Tōru let out a girlish squeal, something that didn’t quite suit him, and glared up at me. His face was slightly red. Maybe he was embarrassed about being caught in a clumsy moment. For some reason, he became shy all of a sudden.

"Calm down a little, will you?"

"...Okay."

"And by the way, Tōru..."

"Yeah?"

"You should really put on some muscle. You’re way too skinny."

I hadn’t noticed because of the oversized hoodie, but he was practically skin and bones. Like shrimp tempura with an unnecessarily thick coating of batter.

"That’s none of your business! And let go of me already!"

"Yeah, yeah."

I lifted Tōru’s body and helped him stand back up… he’s so light.

Even though I had just told him off about it, it’s pretty bad that I, who haven’t done a single bit of strength training, could easily lift him. That’s not ideal for a guy.

"Thanks!"

Tōru smiled brightly, still a bit embarrassed.

"As thanks, I’ll make dinner for you."

"No… Tōru, you must be tired from the trip today. Let’s just order something, and you should take it easy."

"I saw what was in your trash earlier though..."

"Don’t go snooping!"

"It’s full of convenience store bento boxes. That’s not healthy, you know?"

"You’ll learn soon enough once you start living alone… Cooking for yourself is tough. I’m buying time with money here."

"That rationalizing way of making excuses... that hasn’t changed."

He hit the nail on the head, and I couldn’t say anything in return.

To be fair, I do have the intention to cook, and I do cook to some extent. But when I have overtime and get home late, I just can’t muster the energy to cook. Surely, I’m not the only one who feels this way.

"By the way, Tōru, can you even cook?"

"Leave it to me."

Tōru said, making an annoyingly smug face.

Thinking it’d probably just be scrambled eggs or something simple, I decided to let him handle dinner. I was also curious to see how much he had grown.

I had assumed it’d just be scrambled eggs.

But past me—reconsider that thought immediately. This guy’s amazing.

Despite cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen, Tōru smoothly and swiftly prepared a full meal, complete with soup and three side dishes, using only the leftovers in my fridge.

"Seriously?"

Even I couldn’t help but be astonished.

"You’ve got serious domestic skills..."

"Ehehe, aren’t I awesome?"

Tōru was beaming, pleased with the praise.

He eagerly watched me from across the table as I brought the food he made to my mouth.

The taste? Perfect, of course.

Now that I think about it, I was worried for nothing. Tōru could easily live on his own. So why did he agree to the whole room-sharing thing with me?

"How is it?"

"It’s delicious… honestly, I’m impressed."

"Right? All that hard work paid off."

"You must’ve really wanted to live alone, huh..."

"Hmm... well, let’s just say that’s part of it."

His response was a bit vague, but perhaps due to the alcohol dulling my judgment, I didn’t pay much attention to it.

Here I was, drinking beer alone in front of a minor.

I did feel a little guilty, but the flavor of the meal paired perfectly with beer. The taste was a bit stronger, a touch more suited for a younger palate, and it complemented the beer beautifully.

"I wish I could drink beer with you too, big bro..."

"Once you’re of age, I’ll drink with you as much as you want."

"Okay, I’ll hold off until then."

For once, he was surprisingly mature about it.

I couldn’t believe this was the same Tōru who used to throw a fit if I got even a slightly bigger portion of snacks than he did.

"Tōru, the mischievous little brat, has grown up so much..."

I was feeling sentimental, but Tōru flashed a somewhat mischievous smile and said:

"I’m still a mischievous brat, though."

I was stuffed.

I’d eaten so much, and the alcohol was hitting me just right, leaving me in a great mood. Maybe that’s why...

"Hey, big bro?"

"Yeah?"

"Let’s take a bath together."

I took those words at face value.

"Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with two guys washing each other’s backs."

I was feeling nostalgic, like it was a school trip all over again.

With how handsome Tōru had grown, I bet he was popular during high school. I’d have to dig into that a bit later.

"I just need to get a few things ready, so you go in first."

"Alright."

Get ready? I wondered for a moment but figured he was just talking about grabbing a towel or something. So, I headed to the bathroom by myself.

When it comes to shampooing, do you keep your eyes open or closed? For me, I always keep them closed. It stings if it gets in your eyes, and I know where the showerhead is by instinct, so it’s not an issue.

As usual, I was shampooing with my eyes closed when the bathroom door quietly opened. It seemed Tōru had come in.

"Hey, big bro, want me to wash your hair for you?"

"Oh? You’d do that?"

There’s something special about having someone else wash your hair.

Honestly, it’s the best part of going to the hair salon. Who knew room-sharing came with this kind of perk?

Feeling pretty pleased, I let him do it, and Tōru’s slim fingers began to gently massage my scalp.

His fingers moved gracefully, scrubbing away.

This is the life.

I’d have to treat him to some juice later as a thank you.

Once I was satisfied, I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair.

Now that we’d enjoyed some good brotherly bonding time…

"Alright, next, I’ll..."

I was about to offer to return the favor and wash his hair. But as I opened my eyes…

"Huh?"

I let out a dumbfounded sound.

Standing there was Tōru... in a bikini.

On their skinny upper body, only their chest had any noticeable fat. And on their lower body, something that should have been there... wasn’t.

“Tōru may be a bit of a handful, but please take care of him.”

Tōru’s dad’s melancholic voice echoed in my head.

“I’m still a mischievous brat, you know?”

Tōru’s words replayed in my mind.

The puzzle pieces had already fallen into place long ago.

"Well? Surprised?"

Tōru grinned mischievously.

It was only at that moment that I finally realized Tōru wasn’t a guy... but a girl.

"I’m sorry!!!!!!"

For the first time in my life, I bowed deeply in apology, a full-on dogeza.

(T/N: "Dogeza" is a deep, kneeling bow of apology or submission in Japan.)

After getting out of the bath, I barely managed to get dressed before lowering my head to Tōru. Meanwhile, Tōru was laughing so hard it seemed like they could barely breathe.

"It’s probably not okay for a guy and a girl to share a room... I should call the movers right now and find a place."

"But you’re the one who said it, big bro. You told me to find a place early. By this time of year, there are no rooms available."

"That’s true..."

"In other words... you’re stuck living with me."

Tōru flashed a devilish grin, clearly enjoying the situation.

That’s when I realized—I’d been completely played.

"Why... why did you do all this?"

"Isn’t it obvious?"

Tōru’s face flushed red as they replied, dragging out the moment for effect.

"Because it’s always been my dream to become your wife, big bro."

"You’re kidding... Honestly, I still can’t believe it..."

"If you don’t believe me, should I show you the bikini again?"

"No, that’s fine!"

(I hastily stopped them.)

I thought I was the one acting like the adult, but now the tables had completely turned. Tōru had seized control of the conversation.

"You’ve always been so clueless, big bro."

"Yeah, you’re absolutely right about that..."

"I kept trying to drop hints, but you never seemed to notice. So, I had to take drastic measures♪"

"But I mean... it never crossed my mind that you were a girl."

"Well, from now on, let’s live together, okay?"

Tōru delivered the final blow with an overly cheerful tone. I had no choice left in the matter.

"By the way, big bro, I wouldn’t mind anything you did to me. No matter what method you use, I’ll definitely make sure to make you fall for me."

I’d been completely outplayed.

Even though the battle had only just begun... I already couldn’t see any way I could win.

I had a strong feeling that, in the not-too-distant future, I’d inevitably lose this game. 

[The End]

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