Prologue
It was early spring when the impatient cherry blossoms began to bud.
A dinner was arranged to celebrate the reunion of the long-separated parents.
Shota, meeting his younger sister, Erika, for the first time
in elementary school, was captivated by her transformation and held his breath.
"Long time no see, big brother."
"Erika, is that you...?"
With cool eyes, a straight nose, and slender limbs, Erika's appearance was strikingly mature and different from her past self, reminiscent of milk tea against her snow-white skin resembling moonlight.
As a child, Erika was quick to tears, shy, and somewhat clingy.
But the girl before him now exuded composure and dignity.
She was undeniably a stunning beauty with a touch of coolness.
It was inevitable that Shota stared at her, forgetting his previous thoughts of needing to protect her.
While Shota hesitated beside her, their mother addressed Erika.
"Goodness, you're still as indecisive as ever. Erika, have you been doing well?"
"Nothing much. I've been free and easy."
"Have you been eating properly, like meals and all?"
"Recent frozen foods are excellent."
"Goodness, you're just...!"
"Haha, I'm a mess. I've been relying on others because work has been keeping me busy!"
"Mm, I'm fine."
In a way, the exchange of words was as indifferent as their appearances suggested.
This made Shota feel the gap between now and the past when she used to follow him saying "big brother" much more noticeably.
Seven years had completely transformed his sister into a different person.
Not because of that, but he didn't know what to talk about.
Perhaps due to nervousness, his heart was beating loudly against his own will.
Contrary to Shota's inner turmoil, the dinner proceeded in a friendly atmosphere.
Eventually, their parents settled the bill and went to the restroom, leaving the siblings to leave the restaurant together.
The March night was still chilly, with faint clouds adorning the sky and a slightly waning moon. White breaths dissipated into the night air with a sigh.
Shota glanced at his sister again.
Her gestures of scratching and parting her now longer hair, her rounder figure, and her soft-looking lips had a certain charm that hinted at her femininity. Even though he knew she was his sister, he couldn't help but find her attractive.
As he furrowed his brows, contemplating this, he felt a tug on his sleeve.
"Big brother, you've grown."
"Huh? Oh, well, yeah."
"At first, I thought you were someone else."
"...Me too."
"Looking forward to being together again."
"Yeah, me too."
With that, Erika smiled shyly. It wasn't the cool demeanor from before but the innocent smile from their past.
It caught him off guard.
Considering it was just after he thought she had changed, his heart skipped a beat, and Shota looked away in surprise.
Inside, he was swirling with conflicting emotions.
The reunited Erika seemed more like someone of the opposite
sex of the same age rather than a sister.
