Chapter 17
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Date (8)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On the way back after finishing our amusement park date.
My little sister had become strange.
Just moments ago, she had been beaming with joy, enjoying the festival, but at some point, her face filled with gloom instead.
I racked my brain wondering if I'd made some mistake, but I couldn't recall anything.
'What's going on...'
Feeling uneasy for no reason, I casually asked her.
"Sis, is something bothering you?"
"Uh... no... nothing like that."
"Your face looks so down."
"I'm just... sad that we're heading home..."
Yeah, that's a lie.
I've lived with my little sister for years; I'm not so oblivious that I couldn't spot her fibs.
There was clearly another reason...
"If you need my help with anything, just say the word."
"..."
"I'll do whatever I can."
My little sister quietly clung to the hem of my clothes as we walked, then suddenly stopped.
"It's because you're so kind and gentle... that's what's hard."
"Huh?"
I felt bewildered.
Hard because I'm kind and gentle? I'd never heard anything like that before.
What the hell was I supposed to do?
Scratching my cheek in confusion, I ventured,
"Then... should I try a rougher vibe? Like a bad boy or something."
Honestly, I had no idea what the appeal of a bad boy was, or if I could even pull it off.
But if that's what she wanted, I was willing to give it a shot.
"Pfft..."
She seemed to take my words as a joke and let out a small chuckle.
I'd meant it sincerely, so it stung a bit that she brushed it off as humor.
Still, her soft laugh was far prettier than that gloomy expression.
Seeming a tad brighter, she murmured,
"Little bro."
"Yeah?"
"When we started dating, you agreed to play the boyfriend role... it's almost over, right?"
"Yeah."
Her face flushing slightly, she sidled up closer to me.
"For the remaining times... can we go a little deeper?"
"...Deeper?"
"Yeah, deeper."
Deeper? Just how deep did she mean?
Half tense, half excited, I asked,
"What kind of... stuff do you have in mind...?"
Instead of answering, she showed me with actions.
Her pale right hand gently enveloped my left, interlocking our fingers in a firm grip.
The warmth from her hand seeped into my skin.
That tight interlock carried a determination never to let go.
"How's that? Is it okay?"
She looked up at me anxiously, her expression a mix of hope and worry.
I had a lot to say, but I held my tongue in silence.
"..."
"Sh-should I let go?"
When I didn't reply right away, she flinched preemptively and tried to pull back a step.
For a normal sibling relationship, letting her retreat here would be the right call.
But... that would just hurt her, feeling rejected.
"..."
With no response still, her face fell a bit, and she loosened her grip, releasing the interlock.
She even started to let go of my hand entirely.
At that moment.
"Hic..."
I snatched her departing hand, interlocking our fingers again and holding it tight so she couldn't escape.
"L-little bro?"
"...Just for a bit."
"..."
"The dates are almost done, so only until then."
"..."
Her cheeks tomato-red, she quietly nodded.
[Emergency Additional Quest: Accept little sister Jeong Da-jeong's boyfriend role proposal and date (9/10)]
[Reward: Jeong Da-jeong's Stamina +10%, Family Points 10,000]
"I can finally see the end in sight."
I gazed at the quest with just one left, feeling a strange mix of emotions.
Lately, I'd started to sense what this quest was really pushing for.
It seemed designed to lure me past the typical sibling taboos.
I'd had suspicions before—like the quest to tell my little sister I loved her, or the ones to date Da-jeong.
But they solidified when that massive-reward emergency quest popped up, urging me to act like her boyfriend.
The intent was way too obvious.
"Haa..."
I knew following this quest led down a dangerous path, but it was hard to refuse.
The rewards were just that tempting.
If they only benefited me, I could've ditched my greed and quit.
But cleverly, the quests bundled family ability boosts as rewards too.
My actual little sister was non-combat anyway, so no big deal for her.
But my sisters dove straight into dungeons, fighting monsters head-on.
Every completed quest would skyrocket their survival rates.
As long as they came home safe, I was willing to shatter societal taboos to whatever degree.
"What's with the serious face?"
Lost in heavy thoughts about the quest, my little sister—lying beside me—wiggled her pale toes, prodding my thigh.
I had no clue why she'd dragged herself to the living room sofa for this.
I swatted her foot away and said,
"Just your big bro with some worries."
"What bullshit. What could you possibly worry about? We hand you money regularly."
"..."
No good comeback, so I stayed silent.
She pouted at my silence.
"You've been getting chummy with Da-jeong sis lately, huh?"
"Yeah."
"What's the sudden deal? The homebody who never left the house is suddenly out and about."
"...Think of it as big bro's effort to bond with the family."
"Hmm..."
She sat up on the sofa and plastered herself right next to me.
Skin touching skin brought back memories of that last massage, making me a bit uncomfortable, so I pushed her off.
"The kid who always holed up in bed—why're you out here now? Don't stick so close."
"It's our house—what's it matter to you? Is the sofa yours? If anything, it's mine; came outta my pocket."
"Lie on the sofa all you want; just give me some space."
"Nooope~"
She pressed even closer than before and slyly brought it up.
"Hey... mind if I tag along too?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, if it's for family bonding... shouldn't I join?"
'Is she jealous?'
I stared straight into her eyes; she averted hers bashfully.
"F-fine... whatever if you don't want to."
"Nah, it's not that I hate it..."
"Eek, don't pinch my cheeks!"
I kneaded her chewy cheeks while pondering.
I still had one date left with Da-jeong, so no including her yet.
But after finishing those, a family trip sounded perfect.
"Little sis."
"What..."
"Anywhere you wanna go?"
"Tokyo."
No hesitation.
I tried adding other options besides Japan.
"Anywhere else?"
"Osaka."
"No, not Japan!"
"Sapporo."
"Sigh, you damn weeaboo."
"You're one too!"
I backed away from her outburst and suggested,
"If you want it that bad, how about we all go to Japan together? The sisters and you can swing a day or two off. Fri-Sat-Sun, three days trip."
"For real?"
"Yeah, dead serious. Haven't run it by the sisters yet."
"Big yes!"
I chuckled at her ecstatic reaction and headed to my room.
Then.
"Hey, bro?"
"Yeah?"
She'd called me but just stared expectantly, saying nothing.
Like she wanted me to figure it out without her asking.
"..."
I'd handled these requests before, so I knew what she wanted. I slowly approached.
Usually rebellious, she turned into a perfect, obedient lady in these moments.
It almost felt like I'd trained her or something—kinda creepy.
Shh...
I gently stroked her snowy hair and whispered softly,
"You're annoying as hell, but I love you and treasure you so much, little sis."
"Yeah!"
"Hmm..."
Back in my room, I browsed the internet.
With just one date left with Da-jeong,
I wanted the finale to be somewhere truly memorable.
"Sigh..."
But no matter how much I searched, nothing jumped out.
We'd already hit most classic date spots over the past nine outings.
"Haa... no one to ask either..."
I clicked anxiously,
when.
Knock knock.
A soft knock sounded.
"..."
I paused at the sound,
then murmured quietly,
"Come in, sis."
Creeak.
The door opened gently, and Da-jeong peeked in cautiously.
"Whatcha doing?"
She sidled up naturally beside me at the computer and whispered.
"Scouting spots for the next date."
"Ohh..."
"Know any good ones?"
I'd wanted to pick something awesome myself for the last one, but if nothing panned out...
She scanned the candidates on the monitor, then whispered,
"Han River."
"Han River? Again?"
"I wanna ride the duck boat."
"Ah..."
She must've envied it that day.
Understanding, I moved the mouse to book.
I aimed for daytime,
but.
"Make it nighttime."
She insisted firmly on evening.
Glancing over, she looked resolved about something.
"..."
I had no idea what was on her mind,
but I booked the evening slot as she wanted.