Chapter Text
It had been just a couple of months since I started high school at Ashigaya. And proudly, I could say my older sister was none other than Renako Amaori. Watching her transform from a gloomy, depressed middle schooler into one of the most popular girls in school had been genuinely delightful. Sure, I'd witnessed some of her struggles along the way, but now I could show off how amazing my big sister had become.
I just had to be careful not to expose that she was dating not only Mai-senpai, but also the other three beauties at the same time—the most popular girls in our school: Ajisai-senpai, the student council president; Satsuki-senpai, a hard-working model student; and Kaho-senpai, whose rumors claimed she had an extensive information network.
Since the five of them started dating, it had been almost impossible to hang out with my sister anymore. But she was happy... and I should be happy about that. Still, we could at least walk home together sometimes. Maybe stop for a crepe.
I spotted her in the hallway after second period. Perfect.
"Onee—"
"Mama!"
Right as I tried to call out, a girl with white hair and a childish voice launched herself into my sister's arms, cutting me off completely.
"Lucie-chan! I already told you not to call me that! It'll cause another terrible misunderstanding!"
Before I could even process what I was seeing, my sister was already deep in conversation—well, arguing—with a grown woman who acted like an overgrown toddler.
Watching them was exhausting. Lucie-san clung to my sister like she was a life-sized teddy bear, and onee-chan, despite her protests, radiated a warmth I hadn't felt directed at me in weeks. It wasn't that she didn't love me anymore. It was just that her "love quota" was being drained by the four most demanding beauties in Ashigaya—and now, apparently, by a woman who refused to act her age.
I backed away quietly. They hadn't even noticed me.
Lunch break. New plan. I'd catch her between mouthfuls.
But as soon as I got close to the courtyard where she usually ate, a brown-haired beauty appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around my sister's waist.
"Re-na-ko-kun~" the woman cooed. "Want to go to a mixer this Friday? There'll be a bunch of university students~"
"Youko-chan, stop! I already told you I can't—"
Before Onee-chan could finish, Satsuki-senpai materialized beside them with a look that could curdle milk. She murmured something under her breath that only made Youko-chan smile wider, even as Satsuki-senpai herself claimed the spot at Onee-chan's waist, arms snaking possessively around her.
I was already walking away.
Fine. Third time's the charm. After classes, I'd catch her when she had no excuses. And when I did, she was buying me double portions for this.
I went straight to her classroom—3-A—feeling cautiously optimistic. The last couple of weeks had been infuriating, but eventually my luck had to turn, right?
Then I heard her voice from halfway down the hall.
"Nah, it's okay Shizumu-kun. I'm free anyway."
I froze.
My big sister was having a full conversation with a guy... without running away? Since when?
"Thank god. I don't know what I did this time to upset her, so having a girl's perspective would be really helpful."
I didn't wait to hear more. Third attempt, failed. I retreated toward the badminton club before anyone could notice me lurking.
I almost made it too, before Serara-chan blocked my path.
"Your face says you didn't have any luck today either." She let out a deep sigh, shaking her head slowly.
"Yeah. Lots of people kept approaching her. It must be hard being that popular." I tried to sound casual, like I wasn't definitely sulking.
"Right. Like we aren't popular enough too..." Her voice dropped low, but the teasing edge was unmistakable. "But certain siscon is running low on her big sister love dosage."
"I'm not a siscon! I already told you, Serara." I could feel my face heating up. "And what if I just want to hang out with my onee-chan? We were getting closer, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." She hoisted her backpack higher. "What am I going to do with you and Minato both being such sister complexes?"
I opened my mouth to argue, but she was already walking toward the clubroom.
"You know," she added over her shoulder, "you should ask Koyanagi-senpai for help. That girl's full of tricks I could never copy—even when we're rivals."
"Kaho-senpai?" I frowned. "What could she do? I know the rumors, but... I mean, she can't have that much influence, right?"
Even as I said it, the idea didn't sound terrible. If Kaho-senpai asked Onee-chan to hang out with me more, it might actually work.
Serara stopped walking and turned to face me fully. "Not just that. If anyone in the Queentet is actually dangerous and scary, it's her. Even Koto-senpai—with the whole ice beauty thing—isn't as risky to deal with."
Wait. What?
"You learn a lot from her during your cosplay events, don't you?" I asked.
"If you want to beat your rival, you need to know everything about her."
And with that, she disappeared into the clubroom, leaving me standing there with a new idea buzzing in my head.
Practice was a blur. My body went through the motions while my brain latched onto Serara's suggestion like a lifeline. Kaho-senpai. Of all people. But if Serara thought she could help...
The moment training ended, I didn't waste a second. I pulled out my phone and called her.
Come on. Come on. Pick up—
"Haruna-chan?"
Her voice caught me off guard. Concern colored every syllable.
"Is something wrong? Did something happen to Rena-chin?"
My chest tightened. The worry in her voice—it was so immediate, so genuine. Of course she loved my sister. They all did. But hearing it like this, raw and unfiltered...
"Yeah, no, she's okay." I quickly reassured her. "It's something I wanted to talk about in private. When you have time."
A pause. Then: "Mmmmm. I'll send you my address. You can come over. And I'm guessing you want to keep this from Rena-chin?"
My mouth opened. Closed. "...How did you—"
"I know Haruna-chan's been trying to talk to Rena-chin lately. I'm just connecting dots."
When Onee-chan said Kaho-senpai was a great detective, I never imagined she meant this intuitive.
My phone buzzed with an address.
I was already walking to the station before I fully processed it. For the first time all day, it felt like my problem might actually have a solution. The address led me through unfamiliar streets, past convenience stores and apartment buildings, until I finally stood in front of her door.
Before I could even knock, it swung open.
"Haruna-chan! Please come in." Kaho-senpai smiled warmly. "Would you like some coffee?"
Somehow, the blood rushing to my face made Kaho-senpai's expression shift instantly. Her knowing smile dissolved into something worried.
"Haruna-chan." Her voice dropped. "Don't tell me you..."
"IT'S NOT THAT!" I nearly shouted. "I just want some attention from her again! But it's so shameful to go and ask for it like a little kid!"
She stared at me for one beat. Two.
Then she exhaled—a deep, full-body sigh that seemed to drain the tension from the room.
"For a second there, I thought I might have to kill Rena-chin for cheating." She pushed her glasses up, composing herself. "And for being immoral."
I blinked. "You... what?"
"Never mind." She waved a hand. "Why didn't you just ask her at home? It's easier. And Rena-chin always pushes herself harder when it comes to you."
"Kaho-senpai." I could feel my face heating up again. "It's embarrassing. I don't want her to feel obligated. I want her to be spontaneous—like when we were kids. Before she had four girlfriends and a clingy model stealing all her time."
Kaho-senpai tilted her head, studying me. "Wow." She adjusted her glasses again—a thinking habit, I realized. "I get it. But honestly? I wasn't expecting this from you. You always seemed so mature."
I slumped. "Yeah, well. Mature people want attention too. Sometimes."
A small smile tugged at her lips. "Fair enough." She tapped her chin. "I could talk to Rena-chin, but... you know her. She'll turn into a mess if she realizes she's been neglecting you. She'll overthink everything. Overcompensate. It won't feel natural at all."
"True." I groaned. "This was dumb. There's no way to bring it back naturally, is there? Like how she is with that white-haired girl—Lucie-chan. She's so relaxed around her."
Kaho-senpai's eyes sharpened. "Lucie-chan's case is... weird, nya." She leaned back, thinking. "I still can't believe she's a top model like Maimai. But she's extremely clingy with Rena-chin, and Rena-chin acts... I don't know. Lightly maternal toward her?"
She went quiet for a moment, gathering threads in that detective brain of hers.
Then she sighed.
"I have an idea, nya..." She trailed off, already second-guessing herself. "But it's not permanent. And it could change Rena-chin completely." She met my eyes. "As her girlfriend, I don't want that. But if it's temporary—just long enough for you to get comfortable asking for attention without being embarrassed—it could work."
I sat up straighter. "Yeah. Probably. Just..." I hesitated. "Don't destroy my image at school, okay? I'm the queen of the first years, after all." I tried for a smirk. "While you five are queens of the third."
"It's okay, Haruna-chan." Kaho-senpai's smile shifted into something I couldn't quite read. "Trust Kaho-onee-chan. You're going to be our sister-in-law—the only one we'll have, actually. So it's our duty to spoil you."
That sounded... nice. Almost sweet.
"Just a little warning." Her smile widened. "It'll take a few days. And there might be some side effects. Nothing dangerous, though."
I stared at her. Something about the way she said that—
"I'm going to mess with Rena-chin's brain a little bit again, nya." She tapped her temple. "I want to see if the new technique works on someone who's developed resistance."
My blood went cold.
Serara was right. I should have been more careful.
"Kaho-senpai." I forced the words out. "What are you talking about?"
"I'll hypnotize your sister again, nya." She said it like she was discussing the weather. "Probably it'll last longer than the first time. She built up some resistance, so the effect might be—"
"Did you hypnotize my sister!?" My voice came out higher than intended. "When? Why?"
Kaho-senpai blinked at my reaction, then her expression softened into something almost guilty. "Just a small favor I asked Rena-chin for. Before we started dating. We were in first year, and she was earning money working with me."
First year. Money.
Wait.
There was a time, back in middle school, when my sister suddenly started acting... different. Extremely cute. Almost too cute. It had lasted maybe two days, and it was the most terrifying thing I'd ever witnessed.
It couldn't be.
"You did that to my sister!?" I was on my feet now, hands trembling. "How could you!? It was so scary seeing her like that out of nowhere!"
Kaho-senpai at least had the decency to look sheepish. "I got scared of my own talents too, nya. But it only lasted a couple of days." Then, almost to herself, her expression shifted into something much less innocent. "At least the side effect of the puppy audio turned into something fun... till this day."
I didn't want to think about what that meant.
She cleared her throat, composing herself. "So. It's okay, Haruna-chan. If you want to try it, she'd only need to listen for about a week. The first effects would appear gradually. And it should last... maybe a month?"
A month of my sister acting like that again?
But...
If there was no other option. And Onee-chan had already been exposed before. So a little more wouldn't hurt her, right?
Right?
"I..." I swallowed. "I trust you, Kaho-senpai. Let's do it."
She nodded, already pulling out her phone.
"But how are you going to convince my sister to listen to hypnosis?" I asked.
Kaho-senpai's fingers paused over the screen. She looked up at me, and that knowing smile returned.
"Oh, Haruna-chan." She tapped her phone. "As soon as I create the new audio, I'll just tell Rena-chin it's an ASMR track I'm testing."
She paused, tilting her head thoughtfully.
"Or..." A different smile crept onto her face. Smaller. More dangerous. "I could seduce her into listening. Your sister is weak against whatever we want, after all."
My mouth opened. Closed.
Opened again. Nothing came out.
"That's..." I finally managed. "Evil."
"Efficient, nya." She was already typing away on her phone, completely unbothered. "There's a difference."