The Taste of Coffee

Aria was an adult.

She had received basic sex education, and she also possessed sufficient sexual knowledge within the bounds of common sense.

"Um, Brother. This is..."

Aria had, though she said it wasn't intentional, given a squeeze-like touch to the part of me that was making its presence known even through my pants.

After all, there was only one part of the male lower body that could make its presence felt like that, and Aria, who possessed sexual knowledge within the bounds of common sense, naturally seemed to know exactly what it was.

"Th-that's just how men are when they wake up. So could you take your hand off now?"

That wasn't an excuse to save face. It was the unvarnished truth.

Of course, it also got bigger when aroused, and that had happened yesterday, but that was that and this was this.

Today it had really just reacted because I'd only just woken up, and the situation happened to be easy to misunderstand because Aria's swimsuit strap had come undone and it had slipped off.

"W-wait a moment! Um, the swimsuit might be around here, so..."

Once again, this time she gave a light squeeze lower down.

Setting aside the sense of taboo that came from it being my younger sister's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠touch, and the sense of fulfillment that came from it being the touch of the person I loved, fortunately the stimulation itself wasn't very strong.

I wasn't Buddhist, but I emptied my mind while inwardly reciting the Heart Sutra. If only I could do without the sense of taboo and the sense of fulfillment, I wouldn't have to show such an unsightly state first thing in the morning.

'Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, practicing deep Prajnaparamita...'

I'd memorized it just for fun, but it was helping more than I'd expected.

I didn't believe the sutra itself had some mysterious power to lead the mind to enlightenment, but when people focus on one thing, other thoughts don't come easily.

In that sense, the Heart Sutra was good to recite at times like this. You could say it was similar in spirit to a man reciting the national anthem or a military song in this kind of situation.

Whether I was inwardly doing that or not, Aria this time squeezed even higher up than before.

As if she weren't looking for the swimsuit, but rather gauging the overall size...

"Aria."

"Eep?! O-oh, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Brother?"

She must have been deeply absorbed, because Aria startled and pulled her hand away when I called her name.

"Um, I'll look over here."

"Y-yes! Please tell me if you find it!"

Aria's face was bright red.

For now, I was glad I'd stopped any further touching before an accident broke out.

I also groped around with my hand without lifting the blanket to check whether the swimsuit was on my side.

But Aria, having forgotten about looking for the swimsuit entirely, was muttering something.

"If my hand wraps around this much, then Brother's is roughly three of my hands laid end to end..."

"Aria?"

"I-it will fit, won't it? I've never put anything in before, but from what I've studied, it's supposed to be very elastic..."

"Hey, Aria."

"If I hold it against my stomach... Oh my god, it reaches above my navel. Is it really going to be okay...?"

"Aria!"

"Eek?! Y-yes! I'm sorry, I'll find it right away!"

I felt like I'd just heard something I really shouldn't have.

But the swimsuit was still nowhere to be found.

At this point, it seemed like it had fallen under the bed.

Aria seemed to be focusing on finding the swimsuit more than before, but she was still thinking hard about something with her face flushed red.

Just as I was wondering whether I should check under the bed myself, a method I hadn't noticed until now because I'd been so flustered came to mind.

"Aria. Now that I think about it, we don't actually need to do this, do we?"

"Huh?"

"I can just leave the room. I have to get up and prepare breakfast anyway, and you can change clothes and look for it by yourself."

Apparently Aria hadn't thought of it either because we'd been too busy flirting since morning. She froze for a moment at my words, then smiled awkwardly.

"N-now that I think about it, that's really true! Ahaha..."

"Then come out when I call you in a bit."

I carefully slid my body sideways and got out of the bed so the blanket wouldn't be lifted.

Aria held the blanket tightly and waited for me to leave.

I left the room without looking back.

First, I needed to wash up and start the morning fresh.

* * *

After finishing my shower, I stood in the kitchen feeling refreshed.

I made something light and refreshing for breakfast.

After setting plates and utensils on the table, I went to Aria's door and knocked.

"Aria. Breakfast is ready."

"Yes, I'll be right out!"

Aria's voice was much more natural than before, as if she'd had time to calm down.

A little later, Aria opened the door and came out wearing her usual white camisole and black dolphin shorts.

Unlike usual, she was holding a ruler.

A 30-centimeter ruler, at that.

"Aria, what are you going to use the ruler for?"

"Ah, ahaha... I used it earlier to get the swimsuit out from under the bed, but I forgot to put it back. I'll go put it away right now."

"Really? I'm glad you found the swimsuit."

I didn't know how the swimsuit had ended up that far under there, but surprisingly, things like that happen sometimes in life.

Like how something you definitely dropped at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the foot of the bed somehow ends up wedged into the far corner, that sort of thing.

After that, breakfast proceeded as usual.

We ate while chatting amicably, and today Aria volunteered to do the dishes, so I yielded the spot and went to my room.

Since midterms were starting next week, I sat at my desk and opened my notes.

I wasn't too worried about my general education courses, but my major courses had been announced as open-book, so they were bound to be that much harder.

Still, the fortunate thing was that I hadn't neglected my studies, so I was fairly confident about this exam.

After all, I'd barely played games since Aria arrived.

The reason I used to play games was mostly to kill time, but spending time with Aria was far happier, so I'd naturally drifted away from gaming.

On top of that, with that much time freed up, my study time had increased too.

Of course, since I was using the time left over after spending time with Aria, it hadn't increased dramatically, but at least it had increased a lot compared to when I used to game.

'Come to think of it, I've probably been demoted for inactivity.'

I didn't have much lingering attachment to my rank anyway.

Woo-jin had been disappointed that I wouldn't play games with him, but hadn't that guy gotten himself a girlfriend now?

I cleared away my idle thoughts and focused on studying.

Even if it was open-book, I still needed to memorize the content to some degree and practice solving problems.

In the end, how well I understood the material was what mattered. If I memorized nothing just because it was open-book and tried to look everything up during the exam, I'd burn through all my time.

I wasn't sure how long I'd been at it.

Just as my concentration was breaking, I heard a knock.

"Come in."

"Sorry, Brother. Did I interrupt you?"

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was Aria who opened the door and peeked her face in.

Actually, that was only natural. Right now, there was no one in this house but me and Aria.

"No. I was just about to take a short break. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch now."

I turned on my smartphone and checked the time.

I must have been focusing for a while, because it was already 1 p.m.

"Sorry, I'll make something right away."

As I got up from my chair and headed for the kitchen, Aria called me back.

"I've already prepared lunch. Though it might be very lacking compared to your cooking, Brother."

As she said that, Aria fully stepped into view.

In Aria's hands were two pieces of sandwich.

"You seemed focused, so I made a sandwich you can eat while studying."

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"Muu, do you see me as a child, Brother?"

Aria puffed out her cheeks.

Still, from a big brother's perspective, worrying was unavoidable. I wondered if I should teach her some cooking next time.

"It's not that. Still, worrying is just how a big brother feels. I'll eat well."

I took the sandwich and tried a bite.

It wasn't that my brain was arbitrarily correcting the taste because she was my adorable little sister—it really was just ordinarily delicious.

The bacon was lightly seared, with that savory browned flavor from the Maillard reaction, while the cheese had melted just right and added even more richness.

The vegetables weren't anything special, but lettuce and tomato themselves were ingredients frequently paired with bacon, so they provided plenty of moisture and savoriness and went well together.

In short, it was what people commonly call a BLT sandwich.

Just one made with far more care than anything store-bought.

"This is really good. You made this by yourself?"

"Yes. I've been watching you cook from behind all this time, Brother. I'm capable of at least this much."

Ahem, Aria said, striking a confident pose.

I took another bite of the sandwich and asked Aria.

"Aria, have you eaten? Do you want a piece of this?"

"I ate while making it, so I'm fine."

"Then I'll eat it without holding back."

The greatest joy for someone who cooks is having another person eat their food with enjoyment.

In that sense, rather than stubbornly insisting we share it, showing Aria how much I enjoyed it would make her happier.

Just as I thought, Aria watched me eat with obvious satisfaction, then asked.

"Is it getting stuck in your throat? Should I bring you some milk?"

"The lettuce and tomato have enough moisture, so I'm fine. Ah, but could you make me a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, I'll make it right away."

Aria just didn't drink it much, but our house had quite a lot of coffee.

Most of it wasn't the sweet kind, though—it was black coffee suited to my taste.

Around the time I finished one piece of sandwich, Aria brought over a cup of coffee with steam rising from it.

Normally I handled things like meal preparation, but having my little sister take care of me like this sent a strange, pleasant flutter through my chest.

Of course, I was the one who'd stopped Aria from doing it and voluntarily taken over. Just in case, so Aria wouldn't get hurt.

But being taken care of like this felt nicer than I'd expected.

More precisely, what made me happiest was that Aria hadn't taken my care for granted; when I was busy, she'd quietly stepped in for me.

"Aria. After I finish this, shall we spend today at home together?"

"Weren't you studying for exams, Brother? You don't need to do that just because of me..."

"It's done. Just now."

Anyway, I'd diligently done my assignments, and I attended lectures faithfully, so even if I bombed one exam, my grades weren't in danger.

On top of that, I'd already memorized all the material covered so far, so there was really no way the exam would go that badly.

And above all, I wanted to spend time with Aria.

"O-oh, Brother?!"

I pulled Aria into my arms and sat down on the bed in my room.

The bite mark I'd left on her nape had already disappeared.

It didn't matter.

Because now I didn't have to be satisfied with just her nape.

When I kissed Aria, she flailed for a moment in surprise, then wrapped her arms around me, relaxed, and returned the kiss.

A little later, a silver thread stretched between us as Aria murmured with a dazed expression.

"The bitterness of the coffee, mixed with your saliva, Brother..."

"Really? Then I guess I should get used to the taste of coffee while I'm at it."

"Mm, chuu..."

Using that as an excuse, I kissed Aria again.

Aria, who used to say coffee was so bitter and hate it, was now actively exchanging kisses with me.

A little later, our lips parted again.

"...I might have come to like the taste of coffee, just a little."

Aria murmured with a flushed face.

And so the weekend passed with the two of us exchanging kisses.

* * *

"Whew, it's finally over."

Time flew by, and it was right after all my midterms had ended.

I stretched, feeling a pleasant sense of liberation and exhaustion.

I thought the exams themselves had gone quite well, without any major stumbling blocks.

It must have been thanks to studying steadily in my spare time.

For reference, Choi Woo-jin and Kim Na-eun, who still had exams in other subjects, seemed to have done pretty badly.

It wasn't hard to imagine how much those two, fresh as a new couple, had been making out.

I'd done the same over the weekend, just without crossing the final line.

If there was a difference, it was that unlike those two, who liked going out and drinking, I'd actually cut down on gaming and filled part of that time with studying, which was probably why the results had diverged like this.

"Ah, Brother. Did you finish all your midterms too?"

On my way back, while passing through the first floor of the main building, I ran into Seo-yeon. Victoria was with her.

"Yeah. What about you two?"

"I finished all of mine too. Maybe because it's freshman-year exams, there wasn't anything hard. Did you do well, Brother?"

"I've also finished all of mine. As Seo-yeon said, there wasn't anything particularly difficult."

The two of them seemed confident they'd both done well.

Actually, I wasn't worried about these two anyway. They were the kind of people who could handle their own affairs.

"I think I did pretty well too."

"What do you mean, 'pretty well'? If you did well, you did well."

Seo-yeon lightly scolded me, but there was none of the sharp edge in her tone that there used to be.

If she used to be like a wild hedgehog on guard with her quills raised, now she felt more like a pet hedgehog that played pranks and acted cute.

"Did Aria come today?"

"No, I only had one exam today. Since I was going to come straight home after it ended anyway, I told Aria she could just wait at home."

Actually, knowing Aria's personality, her true feelings were probably that she wanted to maximize her time with me, practice aside.

It wasn't like Aria really needed organ practice in the first place.

And since Aria had also said she'd wait at home today, I had to go back alone today.

"Hmm. Do you have to go back right away?"

"I don't have anything urgent. Why?"

Hearing my answer, Seo-yeon glanced sideways at Victoria, and Victoria nodded as well.

Then the two of them grabbed both my arms at the same time.

"Then hang out with us just for today. We decided to go shopping together."

Seo-yeon said with a peculiar smile.