Chapter 2

"Hey, hey. Are you okay?"

"……Uu, mm… mm…!"

A mysterious girl was writhing in what seemed to be genuine pain.

To me, she looked suspicious, but the way she fell made me worry.

I wanted to know more, so I observed the girl, but she was completely wrapped in a thick blanket, making it hard to tell what was going on. All I could see was a black, soft lump wriggling (it wasn’t hot, even though it was summer). From her build, she seemed to be around fifth grade.

I decided to try to wake her up…

The moment I put my foot down on the stairs, making a creaking sound, the girl jumped up, got on all fours, and scurried into the living room.

"…What’s going on?"

I didn’t have a good feeling about this, but I went down the stairs and headed to the living room.

"……"

She peeked out from behind the sofa, only showing the upper half of her face. With her hood pulled down, I couldn’t even see her eyes.

"Hey, are you… okay with your head?"

"…It hurts…"

"Right. Should we go to the hospital?"

"……"

She shook her head without saying anything, indicating refusal.

It didn’t seem like she had any serious damage, but I was worried because it was her head.

"I have one thing I really want to know. Who are you?"

"…I live here."

"Small world. I do too."

"…Suspicious person."

"From my perspective, you’re the suspicious one… What’s your name?"

"……L… Liss…"

"Liss? Liss-chan?"

Her build and aura did indeed make her seem like a squirrel.

"…Treating me like a small animal…"

"Ah, let’s talk properly. I’m coming over there."

"…Those hunger-filled eyes remind me of a fierce carnivore, and as soon as the weak girl is seen as a small animal, he approaches with drooling saliva."

"Huh?"

"…The man roughly pushes down the resisting girl, feeling pleasure from the scream echoing throughout the house as he digs his nails into her white, soft skin—"

"Wait, wait! What are you saying!?"

"……Scary…"

……

I can’t get along with this girl.

It’s the first time I’ve thought that about someone I just met.

But I can’t ignore the fact that there’s an unknown person in my house.

"Let’s clarify the situation. This is my house."

"…It’s also my house."

"Really! When did you start living here?"

"…A week ago."

"How did you get here?"

"…My new father brought me."

"New father… Is he my father?"

"…Probably. We look alike."

I couldn’t help but touch my own face to confirm the features.

Do we really look that similar? I tried to picture my father’s face, but it didn’t quite fit.

"…We had to move to this house because our previous address was exposed…"

"Address exposed? Sounds like you’re a celebrity. Are you a video streamer?"

"……Something like that."

She showed a slight sign of thought before agreeing with my words.

A certain theory began to form in my mind.

"By any chance, are you my sister?"

A few years ago, I lost my mother in an accident and have been living with my father.

Though, he’s often away on business and rarely comes home.

The girl mentioned a new father, which suggests the possibility of a remarriage.

"…There’s also the possibility of you being my sister."

"No way, that’s impossible."

"……Damn. You’re underestimating me…"

"Surprisingly, you have a sharp tongue…! I want to confirm… Are you the daughter of my father’s new wife?"

"…Yes."

"……Seriously?"

I’ve never heard of this. My head was spinning from the shock.

"That’s ridiculous… No, this can’t be possible."

"…It is possible, and it’s reality."

"Ah, yeah, that’s true. And, you probably knew about me and treated me as a suspicious person, right?"

"……"

"I see, you’re the type who stays quiet if it’s inconvenient…!"

The most unbelievable thing is that my father kept this a secret.

I can’t hide my surprise at his ability to keep quiet.

……Let’s sort this out.

I apparently have a sister now. She’s been living here for a week.

The reason is that her address was exposed. It seems she’s a streamer.

"I can’t handle this, even if I try to sort it out…!"

"…Are you losing it…?"

My new sister, who was peeking out from behind the sofa, looked worried. I felt like I was going crazy. If this were a game, I could use a recovery item, but in real life, it’s not that simple.

"Well, it’s fine… Not really, but it’s fine. What do we do from here?"

"…What do you mean, what do we do?"

"We just met, so we should do something, right?"

"…I’m scared. I don’t want to do anything."

"You’re really on guard against me…"

"…You have a sweet face and voice that unconsciously attracts women… You’re dangerous, level SS."

The girl in front of me said something incomprehensible and tried to get away from me.

But I wanted to close the psychological distance a bit.

"I’m Wado. Is it okay to call you Liss?"

"…Sure…"

Her name is Liss. That’s unusual.

"How old are you?"

"…Fifteen… a first-year high school student."

"Got it, you’re one year younger than me—wait, a first-year high school student!? You look like an elementary school student!"

"…I’m a proper first-year high school student, no doubt about it."

"You don’t look like one at all… I can’t see it…"

I was genuinely surprised, and Liss looked annoyed.

"…If you treat me like an elementary school student again… I don’t know what will happen."

"What do you mean, specifically?"

"…Before you know it, the neighbors will start avoiding you."

"…You’re really scary…!"

She didn’t reveal what she would do, but the fear of the unknown future was terrifying.

It was clear she was used to making threats.

"…I want you to promise not to do anything weird to me."

"Of course, I promise."

"…And I don’t want you to enter my room."

"Understood—"

"…I want you to avoid involving yourself in my life as much as possible."

"……I understand."

There was an overwhelming sense of distance.

No, it wasn’t just distance; it was complete rejection and wariness—words that shouldn’t be used for family.

"Since we’re family, I’d like to get along…"

"…We are strangers with the name of family. We’re only family by relation."

"…But—"

"…I don’t like the idea of being friendly just because we’re family."

Her strong words made my throat tighten.

To most people, my statement wouldn’t be strange.

It’s natural to want to get along with family.

But for her, it was unpleasant.

Somehow, she reminded me of Rin.

"…Let’s get along from now on."

"Ah, yeah… Sure, let’s get along."

I felt nothing but unease about this new family member, who had no intention of getting along.