The Ideal “Onii-chan”?

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    It seemed that Azusa had an older brother who was two years older than her.?

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    He was not a stepbrother like me, but a real brother by blood.?

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    This was before we became step-siblings.?

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    I heard from her father that Azusa loved him very much and was always with him no matter what.?

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    “I’m going to be your wife in the future!”?

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    That’s all she said, and it seemed to annoy her family.?

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    But those days came to an abrupt end.?

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    When Azusa was in the sixth grade, her brother died in an accident.?

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    Azusa, who lost her beloved brother, was of course sad ……, but rather, she was very confused.?

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    It’s not like she could understand that she would never be able to see her beloved brother again.?

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    “Onii-chan is just going somewhere far away, isn’t he? I’m sure we’ll meet again someday, if …… Azusa is a good girl.”?

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    Somewhere in her heart, she must have understood that her brother was dead.?

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    But she refused to acknowledge it. She stubbornly continued to wait for her brother’s return.?

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    Even as a high school student, she still wore her hair in twin tails, as she did in elementary school, probably to make her brother recognize her.?

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    Then one day, …… Azusa’s father decided to remarry. The other person had a stepson, a boy.?

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    That’s me.?

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    “…… Are you my Onii-chan?”?

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    I still vividly remember the first time I met her.?

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    I was in the first year of junior high school at the time, and I too was confused by the sudden arrival of a family member my age.?

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    So, I couldn’t really think about her question.?

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    I asked her when her birthday was, because I thought it would determine if she was my older or younger sibling …….?

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    And she shook her head, because mine was slightly earlier.?

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    “Yeah, I guess you could say I’m your Onii-chan.”?

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    When I told her that, Azusa instantly started to cry.?

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    “Gusuu … I’ve been waiting for you all this time. Welcome back, Onii-chan! “?

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    I didn’t know what to do with my stepsister who hugged me while saying that.?

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    It was right after that that I heard everything from her father.?

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    “Azusa has been waiting for her brother’s return.”?

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    I thought I knew that.?

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    She knew that she would never see him again, but she pretended not to notice and put her brother’s image on mine.?

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    But I couldn’t stand to see Azusa like that, so …… I pretended to be her brother.?

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    At the time, I didn’t think of myself as a mob character, so I was proud that I could save Azusa.?

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    Thus, even though we were the same age, we started to spend time together as brother and sister.?

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    When we first became brother and sister, Azusa seemed to be very happy every day. She walked behind me all the time and crawled into my bed at night.?

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    To be honest, I was happy.?

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    I couldn’t help but think how cute my little sister was, how much she missed me.?

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    If she wanted, I could be her “Onii-chan” forever.?

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    I loved Azusa so much that I even thought about it.?

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    But it seems that I was the only one who thought so.?

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    “…………?”?

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    If I think back, I think Azusa had a puzzled look on her face even then.?

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    She suddenly looked at me and tilted her head, “Huh?”?

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    It was as if she had realized that I was not the “Onii-chan” who she was waiting for to come home.?

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    The feeling of discomfort must have been getting stronger day by day.?

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    And finally, on the day of the entrance ceremony, …… she met that guy.?

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    Ryoma Ryuzaki.?

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    At first glance, Azusa seems to have realized that I am a fake.?

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    Because Ryuzaki looks a lot like Azusa’s own brother.?

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    I was surprised when I saw the album. I wondered if there was anyone in the world who looked so much like him.?

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    In other words, she had finally found her “ideal Onii-chan”.?

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    Ryuzaki, who resembled her own brother, had instantly stolen her heart.?

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    And I, who was a failure, was cut down.?

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    “Azusa’s real Onii-chan might be Ryoma Onii-chan.”?

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    The parting words were abrupt.?

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    I lost my precious sister before I had a chance to sort out my feelings.?

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    Because she wanted Ryuzaki to look back at her, she only talked to me inside the house and called me “Nakayama-kun” outside. I was only her brother in the family register, and I could only act as her brother in the limited situation of inside the house, and I became distant from Azusa.?

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    Throwing everything away, Azusa single-mindedly pursued Ryuzaki.?

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    Eventually, her thoughts turned to love as a member of the opposite sex instead of love for her brother …… and this completed her as a harem member.?

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    She really is the epitome of a subheroine.?

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    As a subheroine, she loved Ryuzaki, as a subheroine, she devoted herself to Ryuzaki, as a subheroine, she encouraged Ryuzaki, and as a subheroine, she fell in vain.?

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    It was an utterly …… disgusting romantic comedy.?

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    In the end, what did she get out of it??

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    Did you get the “ideal Onii-chan” you’ve been seeking with all your heart??

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    Azusa…… you didn’t get any reward.?

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    You just fell down hurt, crying, and in pain.?

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    It really was painful to watch—?

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    “Higu, Ugu … Ua”?

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    She is still crying after being rejected by Ryuzaki.?

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    Azusa’s sobbing voice was echoing in the forest at night.?

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    I can’t hug her like that.?

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    I’ve been disqualified from being her big brother, and I’m now just her older brother in the family register.?

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    I’m not even related to her by blood, and I’m almost a stranger to her out there.?

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    It’s impossible for me to comfort her or heal her.?

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    Azusa has gone beyond my reach.?

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    But ……, family is still family.?

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    There is an inseparable bond with this girl.?

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    That’s why I tend to be lenient with her.?

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    “……I know it’s very, very painful right now.”?

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    I send words to the sobbing girl.?

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    It was a shout out from me, as much as I could.?

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    “Azusa will be able to get over this pain. You’ll be able to think about things from a different perspective when you do……. It’s not over yet.”?

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    –You’re not done yet.?

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    –Get up.?

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    –Use the pain and sorrow as sustenance and take a leap forward.?

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    That is the only way for Azusa to be happy.?

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    The only way for a subheroine who loves a harem protagonist to be rewarded is to overcome a lot of pain, compromise, and accept.?

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    If you don’t like it, give up.?

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    I want you to be a normal girl, fall in love with a normal boy, and be satisfied with normal happiness.?

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    However, Azusa is a girl who is not satisfied with such “normal”.?

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    I’m sure she’ll get over this pain.?

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    “Good luck. I’m rooting for you……. Onii-chan will always be watching over you.”?

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    “――――”?

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    I don’t know what Azusa is feeling as she is still crying.?

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    Now there’s nothing more I can do.?

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    “Well, I’m going to go now. When you stop crying, come back.”?

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    I gave her a final gentle pat on the shoulder and turned my back on Azusa.?

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    This is the end of the story of the subheroine.?

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    Whether or not Azusa will be able to come back to the table in the future is up to …… her.?

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    If she does, she will probably have matured and become a stronger subheroine.?

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    Maybe she’ll become so attractive that she’ll take the main heroine’s place.?

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    Let’s hope so.?

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    “…… Now, what should I do?”?

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    Finally, I’m going to have to face it.?

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    What should I do about the awakened protagonist??

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    At last, the story comes to a climax–