29 - Auntie, I'm not! Actually...

RAW

Ryota came into the living room rubbing his eyes sleepily as Ayaka and Haruto finished making the side dishes for their lunches.

"Good morning, Ryota."

"...huh? Big brother...?"

Ryota looked at Haruto, who was standing in the kitchen, with a puzzled look.

"Come on, Ryota. Stop spacing out, eat your breakfast quickly, and get ready to go out."

Ryota was still half asleep.

However, his sister's words suddenly woke him up.

"The zoo!"

"That's right. So if you don't get ready quickly, you'll be late."

"Yeah!"

Ryota nodded enthusiastically, sat down at the dining table, and started eating the breakfast that was already laid out for him.

"Sweet and delicious!"

Ryota said as he stuffed his face with French toast.

As Haruto smiles and watches Ryota munching away at his breakfast, Ayaka, standing next to him, whispers to him:

"Yesterday Ryota was excited the whole time, saying 'I'm going to the zoo with my big brother!' and didn't sleep at all that night."

"Oh, so that's why he woke up looking so sleepy."

"He seemed really excited about going to 'Animal Crossing Park' with Otsuki."

"Hehe, I'm honored."

Ryota continues to eat the breakfast Haruto made for him with relish, not realizing that they were talking about him.

After Ryota finishes eating, he puts the lunch he made into an insulated bag and packs a picnic blanket, a change of clothes, etc. into his backpack.

"Oh, Ayaka-san. I brought a slightly larger backpack, so I'll put my lunch and Ryota's change of clothes in here."

"Okay, I get it. Then I'll put the picnic sheet in my backpack."

"Yes, please."

Haruto and Ayaka divided up the tasks and prepared the things they were going to take with them.

Animal Crossing Park has a grassy area, an animal petting area, and a water play area, so a change of clothes is essential.

"Okay! Are you ready?"

"It looks like you haven't forgotten anything."

While the two were checking their belongings, Ryota was restlessly waiting.

"Big brother, big sister. Let's go!"

"Okay, okay, I got it. Yeah, it looks like you've got everything. Let's go then."

While giving her brother a proper pat, Ayaka finished checking her belongings and called out to Haruto.

"Ryota, let's go."

"Yes!!"

Haruto called out to Ryota, and he dashed to the entrance like an arrow.

"Hey Ryota. Calm down a bit."

Ayaka warned him with a wry smile, but it probably didn't reach Ryota's ears.

Ryota quickly changed into his outdoor shoes and ran outside with force.

"You're really crazy, Ryota."

Following their energetic little brother, Haruto and Ayaka also went outside.

It was even hotter outside than when Haruto had arrived, and Haruto's eyes were squinted by the sunlight beaming down from above.

"Ryota, come here. Put on your hat."

Ayaka beckoned to Ryota, who was running around energetically, not giving in to the humid heat.

"It looks like the water bottle won't be enough to keep you hydrated."

"Yeah, maybe we should buy some more drinks on the way."

"Yeah."

Just walking makes you sweat, but if you play on the grass you'll be soaked with sweat.

If you neglect to stay hydrated, you'll easily become dehydrated.

Having this conversation, Haruto and the others head to the nearest station.

Animal Crossing Park is on the outskirts of the city.

After traveling by train, they take a free shuttle bus.

Ryota, who is sitting between Haruto and Ayaka on the train, says to Haruto with excitement and high spirits.

"Big brother! There are goats in Animal Crossing Park!"

"Oh, what other animals are there?"

"Well, there are rabbits and little horses too!"

"You know a lot, Ryota."

"Hehe."

Ryota looks happy when Haruto praises him.

Ayaka says to him with a smile.

"You spent all of yesterday researching, Ryota."

Hearing her say that, Haruto smiles and pats Ryota's head, knowing that Ryota is really looking forward to today.

"You've done your homework, Ryota."

"Yeah! And! They lend you balls and stuff on the grass!"

"Really? Then, shall we play soccer together? Or play catch?"

"I'll do both!"

Ryota answers enthusiastically, and Haruto nods with amusement.

"I see, then shall we do both?"

"Yes!"

Ayaka, who was listening to the conversation next to them, also looked at them with a smile.

After arriving at their destination, the three got off the train and boarded a shuttle bus from the station's bus terminal to Animal Crossing Park.

It was summer vacation season and the weather was clear, so the bus was packed with families and couples.

"There are so many people here."

"Yeah, it was a good idea to come early in the morning."

Looking at the packed bus interior, Haruto said.

Ayaka nodded in response.

After being shaken around on the packed bus for several tens of minutes, the people who were let out of the bus exit all headed toward the entrance gate to Animal Crossing Park.

Haruto and his friends followed suit and headed to the ticket counter to buy their tickets.

"Two adults and one child please."

"Okay. Two adults and one child for 2000 yen."

A friendly lady on the other side of the counter serves them with a friendly smile.

Haruto hands them the money through the gap under the counter.

"Yes, exactly 2000 yen. Here's your ticket."

"Thank you."

Haruto hands Ayaka and Ryota the tickets he received.

Ryota then bows to the lady at the counter.

"Thank you!"

"Oh, what a polite boy."

The lady said happily, leaning forward a little from the counter and smiling at Ryota.

"There are a lot of people here today, so make sure you hold hands with your mom and dad so you don't get separated."

"Huh!"

Ayaka reacted to what the lady at the counter said and glanced at Haruto.

"That's not true, Auntie! Big Brother and Big Sister are not my mom and dad!"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I misunderstood. You're both so young."

The lady at the counter bows her head apologetically to Haruto and Ayaka.

"No, it's okay."

Haruto gives a wry smile, and Ayaka blushes slightly as she nods.

Ryota approaches the counter to clear up the lady's misunderstanding.

"You see, Big Sister is my real big sister, but Big Brother isn't my real big brother yet. Big Brother is... well..."

Ryota is at a loss for words here.

It was difficult for Ryota, who is still a kindergartener, to fully understand that Haruto was working part-time as a housekeeper at their house, or the relationship between Ayaka and Haruto.

So he explains to the best of his ability.

"Big Brother is Big Sister's boyfriend, you know! And when Big Sister marries Big Brother, he'll really become my big brother too!"

"H-Hey!! Don't say such strange things!"

Ryota was eagerly explaining things to the woman at the counter, while Ayaka, his sister, turned bright red and rushed to stop him.

“C-Come on! You're bothering the people behind us, so let's hurry and go!”

Ayaka quickly lifted Ryota up from behind and hurriedly moved away from the counter. As they walked off, she overheard the woman at the counter say, "Ah, young love, how sweet," making her blush even more.

After putting some distance between them and the crowd, Ayaka set Ryota down and immediately began scolding him.

“Ryota, listen. Otsuki-kun is not my boyfriend! And you can’t just go around telling other people we’re going to get married, okay? Do you understand?”

“But isn’t marriage something you do with the person you love?”

“W-Well, yes, but...”

“Then, Big Sister, you’re going to marry Big Brother, right?”

“Marriage isn't that simple, you know!”

Ayaka, flustered by her little brother's innocent question, raised her voice. However, Ryota, still not fully understanding, turned his gaze towards Haruto, who was standing beside them.

“Big Brother, don’t you want to marry Big Sister?”

Haruto paused for a moment to think, then slowly answered.

“…Well, if I could, I guess I’d like to.”

“W-What!?”

Ayaka’s voice rose in surprise at Haruto’s unexpected response.

Haruto crouched down to meet Ryota’s eye level and began to speak with a gentle smile.

“But you see, Ryota, getting married isn’t something that happens so easily.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Marriage means becoming family.”

“I want to be family with Big Brother!”

Ryota replied instantly, causing Haruto to smile warmly as he patted the boy's head.

“Thank you, Ryota. That makes me really happy.”

“Hey, hey, Big Brother, you like Big Sister, don’t you?”

“…Yeah, I do,” Haruto said, a bit hesitant but with no other choice in front of Ryota.

Hearing that, Ayaka turned her face away from Haruto, blushing as she looked down.

“Then you’re going to get married, right?”

“Marriage isn’t something that can happen just because you like someone.”

“Really?”

As Ryota tilted his head in confusion, Haruto gently explained.

“Ryota, you love your big sister, right?”

“Yeah.”

“But sometimes you fight with her, don’t you?”

“Sometimes we do.”

“And when you fight, how do you feel about her?”

Ryota thought for a moment, looking over at his sister with a hesitant expression.

“Maybe… I don’t like her for a little bit…”

Haruto chuckled kindly at Ryota’s cautious answer.

“That happens when you fight, right? But it doesn’t mean you stop liking her forever, does it?”

“Nope!”

“That’s what being family is like.”

“…?”

Still confused, Ryota tilted his head again. Haruto ruffled his hair and continued.

“Even when you don’t like each other, you stay together. No matter what happens, you’re always by each other’s side. That’s what family is. And that’s something you can’t do just by liking someone.”

“So, you don’t like them?”

“No, it’s not about liking them… You have to love them.”

Feeling a little embarrassed but speaking clearly, Haruto explained. Ryota looked up at him and asked another question.

“So, Big Brother, you don’t love Big Sister?”

"It takes time for people to love each other. I still need more time to love Ayaka. Similarly, even if Ayaka were to love me, we would need a lot of time to build that relationship."

“I see… So that’s how it works.”

Ryota finally seemed to understand. He flashed a big smile at Ayaka.

“Big Sister! I hope you and Big Brother can love each other soon!”

Hearing her brother’s innocent words, Ayaka blushed furiously, her voice barely a whisper as she responded.

“Y-Yeah… me too…”

Thanks to Ryota’s pure-heartedness, Ayaka felt a heat far more intense than the summer sun enveloping her entire body.