Hibiki Sakura · Love Begins to Blossom

Her cheeks flushed slightly with excitement, and even her voice rose a few decibels.

Sakura Ibuki watched her calmly and slowly recounted the facts.

"If you hadn't seized the opportunity to keep making fun of that incident and repeatedly mocking him, he wouldn't have felt so embarrassed and gone so far away to avoid the limelight."

Sakura Hibiki frowned her delicate brows, and her small nose also wrinkled slightly, making her look both unconvinced and somewhat guilty.

"That stupid second brother deserved it! Big brother, you know that too! My stupid second brother and I have always been like this, always bickering and teasing each other. But it was all just sibling banter! When did he become so petty?"

She paused, as if to encourage herself or to explain, and then spoke faster.

"Yes, I admit it! After I beat him in the arm wrestling match, I kept using that as an excuse to mock him for being a weak, spineless chicken. But..."

She emphasized the turning point, her emerald green eyes gleaming with a hint of grievance.

There's a reason for that!

Sakura Ibuki an eyebrow, signaling her to continue, with an expression that said, "Let's see what other reasons you can come up with."

Sakura Hibiki raised her voice, as if she wanted to shout out all the resentment she had accumulated.

"My stupid second brother is always criticizing me!"

"He said I eat too much and don't exercise, and that I'll become a chubby girl! As an older brother, he's a boy! I'm a girl, the younger sister! He should love and care for me! What kind of older brother says such things to his younger sister who's still in puberty? Isn't that hurtful?"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, and her cheeks turned even redder.

"Logically speaking, he started it! He verbally attacked me first, forcing me to retaliate to protect my dignity! We're siblings, we know each other's sore spots. My silly second brother and I hurt each other like this in our daily lives."

"Who would have thought... who would have thought that someone as lively, cheerful, and carefree as him would actually run off to another school to avoid me just because of this level of mockery? He's so sensitive!"

She muttered something at the end, her voice filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Sakura Ibuki watched her younger sister's expression shift from confident to confused, and sighed softly.

His long, slender fingers tapped unconsciously on the smooth tabletop.

That silly second brother, Sae, is indeed carefree and has a lively personality, like a golden retriever that's always full of energy.

However, a glimmer of understanding flashed in Sakura Ibuki's deep eyes.

No matter how carefree a person may be on a daily basis, as a teenager in puberty with a sensitive sense of self-esteem...

In a contest of strength—traditionally representing masculinity—he lost to his own sister and was repeatedly mocked for this "weak point"...

Therefore, his desire to escape this "humiliating" environment seems plausible and not incomprehensible.

Most importantly, this might not just be a simple mockery.

Those words about his sister's eating habits might also contain a kind of clumsy, unappreciated concern.

Thinking of this, Sakura Ibuki's gaze swept over her sister's puffed-up face, which was also filled with grievance and resentment.

Then I remembered that she now eats extra meals in addition to her three meals a day, making it a steady five meals a day.

It's only because she's young and has a high metabolism that she hasn't immediately become a "chubby girl".

But looking at her slightly protruding belly, Sakura Ibuki felt a familiar headache.

At this rate of unrestrained, non-exertive consumption, by next year he'll probably be eating six meals a day.

That scene... it's simply too terrifying to contemplate.

As the eldest son in the family, he was undoubtedly the child his parents paid the most attention to and on whom they placed the highest hopes.

Therefore, after he started from scratch with his business acumen, he successfully operated multiple barbecue chain stores and accumulated considerable real estate.

A year ago, those irresponsible parents, under the pretext that "Ibuki is capable enough to handle things on his own," casually dumped his younger siblings on him and then went off to travel the world and enjoy life.

They even went so far as to call it "Forging Wings: Cultivating the Sense of Responsibility of the Eldest Son."

It's true that girls should be raised in a well-off environment.

But Sakura Ibuki thought with a headache that this "wealth" should be the "wealth of nobility," providing excellent living conditions and a broad perspective, rather than the "wealth of affluence"!

Imagine one day, those carefree parents returning from their travels in high spirits.

They pushed open the door, only to find their beloved daughter had turned into... a huge fat girl?

Sakura Ibuki felt her temples throbbing again, as if she could already see her parents' shocked and accusing eyes and her younger sister's aggrieved face.

The mere thought of that scene was enough to send chills down his spine.

Just then, as if to confirm his brother's worries Sakura Hibiki.

He casually picked up an orange candy from the candy jar on the bar, skillfully unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth with a "pop." His cheeks immediately puffed out, and he squinted his emerald green eyes in satisfaction.

This series of actions made Sakura Ibuki's eyes twitch, and her throbbing temples seemed to hurt even more.

"Sound." He spoke, his voice carrying an undeniable seriousness.

"Hmm?" Sakura Hibiki through her mouth, a candy still in her mouth, and looked at her older brother with an innocent expression.

Sakura Ibuki a deep breath and decided to confront this increasingly serious problem head-on.

"You really need to watch your diet. It's okay now because you're young and your metabolism is fast. But if you keep going like this, you probably won't be able to fit into your clothes next year."

He paused for a moment, and then, to make his words more vivid and impactful, added another sentence with a blank expression.

"At that time, even a slight movement could cause the buttons to pop off and the clothes to tear."

Sakura Hibiki froze instantly!

It felt as if I had been struck by an invisible bolt of lightning.

The candy seemed to have lost its sweetness in her mouth.

Her head, like a rusty machine, turned extremely slowly, with a clicking sound as if her joints were grinding together, towards Sakura Ibuki, her emerald green eyes filled with disbelief, shock, and a mixture of shame and indignation.

"Big... Big Brother..." Her voice trembled slightly, her tone erratic. "What... what did you just say? Even if it were you, Big Brother, uttering such a vicious curse would really, really make me angry!"

She tried to appear tough, but the grievance and hurt in her voice were clearly audible.

"I'm telling you," Sakura Ibuki, unmoved, her eyes fixed sharply on her, "Hibiki, you eat five meals a day, constantly snacking between meals, and you absolutely hate exercising. This really can't go on. If you continue like this, your health will suffer. I need to..."

He has made up his mind.

"Stop! I won't listen! I won't listen!"

Before Sakura Ibuki speaking, Sakura Hibiki suddenly covered her ears tightly with both hands, shook her head like a rattle drum, and curled up into a ball.

Adopting the most classic defensive posture of feigned innocence, attempting to shut out the terrible verdict.

Seeing her younger sister's stubborn and ignoring attitude, Sakura Ibuki her increasingly throbbing temples, knowing that gentle persuasion would be ineffective against this girl.

Finally, as Sakura Hibiki abruptly raised her head, her emerald green eyes filled with immense shock and accusation, she uttered those weighty words.

"Since you won't listen to advice, then you must start exercising regularly. Otherwise..."

He paused, then announced clearly and coldly, "I'll deduct your allowance until your lifestyle improves."

"Boom!"

This was nothing short of Sakura Hibiki from the blue for Hibiki Sakura.

She slowly lowered her hands from her ears, as if all her strength had been drained from her body.

Her round, almond-shaped eyes instantly filled with tears of shock, grievance, and accusation. She stared at her older brother in disbelief, as if she were seeing this cold-blooded capitalist for the first time.

"... Damn it..." She held back for a long time before finally squeezing out two words through gritted teeth, her voice trembling with tears, "Big brother... you're an idiot too! A big idiot!"

Looking at her younger sister's deeply traumatized and world-shattering appearance, Sakura Ibuki felt a fleeting, almost imperceptible tenderness in her heart.

But the thought of her future "chubby little girl" and her parents' anger immediately suppressed this softness with an iron will.

He even gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile tinged with self-deprecation and helplessness.

"Well, the older brother of a stupid younger brother and a stupid younger sister can only be a stupid guy too. They're completely family, sharing the same stupid genes by blood—it makes perfect sense."

"Damn it! Big brother, you're too cunning!"

Sakura Hibiki stomped her feet in anger, her cheeks puffed up like two steamed buns, and she waved her arms exaggeratedly.

"If someone like you, who started from scratch and opened so many Sakura Manor Barbecue Chain, and even bought apartment buildings to rent out, is considered an idiot, then what are my idiot second brother and me? Aren't we even worse than paramecia!"

The more she thought about it, the more discouraged she became. Like a deflated balloon, she slumped back onto the table, leaving only the back of her head, radiating a "keep away, big brother" resentment, for Sakura Ibuki.

Watching my sister's anger instantly turn into frustration, she was like a deflated balloon.

A barely perceptible smile flickered in Sakura Ibuki's eyes.

He thought for a moment and decided to change the subject, bringing up another familiar person in the hopes of easing the tension.

"Hibiki," his voice softened, "Do you remember Smoker?"

"Kaoru?" Sakura Hibiki's attention was immediately drawn, and she raised her still slightly reddened eyes. "You mean... Hiratsuka Kaoru? Kaoru-nii?"

A glimmer of memory flashed in her eyes.

"Yes." Sakura Ibuki. "It's quite interesting, he also went to Advanced Nurturing High School with Sae."

"Why?"

"Is Xun-ge also going to seek refuge?"

Sakura Hibiki's curiosity was completely piqued, and she temporarily forgot about the threat of the allowance. Her bright green eyes sparkled with gossip.

Sakura Ibuki's lips curled into a playful smile, tinged with a sense of "how many idiots there are in the world."

"Hmm, it's kind of funny. He and Sae are in similar situations, you could say they're in the same boat. Since you remember Kaoru, then you should also remember Kaoru's older sister, Shizuka, right?"

"Of course I remember!"

Sakura Hibiki's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had heard something extremely beautiful, and a bright smile unconsciously bloomed on her face.

"Sister Jing is so nice! She's beautiful, has a great personality, and most importantly—she always treats me to so much delicious food every time we meet! Barbecue, cake, ice cream..."

She counted on her fingers, her mouth practically watering, and her earlier frustration vanished.

"..."

Looking at her younger sister, who couldn't stop talking about food, and listening to her sincere reasons for praising Hiratsuka Shizuka, Sakura Ibuki felt a throbbing pain in her temples again.

For a fleeting moment, he really wanted to tie her up, throw her into a dark room, and make her starve for a few days so she could truly experience the taste of hunger.

This girl's obsession with food is practically ingrained in her bones.

He forcefully suppressed this "dangerous" thought and continued the previous topic.

"Just like how you mocked Sae. Kaoru, his personality is... well, he's annoying. He always recklessly provokes and angers Shizuka, so he often gets a good beating from her with her loving fists. This time, it seems he offended her too much and feels his life is in danger, so he ran away with Sae to the Advanced Nurturing High School for refuge. I guess he wants to use the school's closed management to avoid his sister's physical exorcism."

"Puff..."

Sakura Hibiki couldn't help but laugh out loud, but then realized it wasn't very kind of her and quickly covered her mouth, though the corners of her eyes still betrayed her schadenfreude.

"So, that Advanced Nurturing High School is really... pathetic. The composition of its students is rather inappropriate."

"Besides, you can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever. My stupid second brother will still be laughed at by me after graduation! Xun-ge will be the same; he'll have to go home eventually, and then Sister Jing will teach him a lesson with her love! You can run away, but you can't hide forever!"

Chapter 144, Page 143 Sakura Hibiki - Heart Fluttering

Seeing her younger sister's smug look, as if to say "you'll never escape my grasp," Sakura Ibuki chuckled and shook her head.

He picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip.

His tone carried a hint of world-weariness, as if he had seen through the ups and downs of life.

"Live in the moment. Escaping is shameful, but it's useful. At least they can have some peace and quiet during these precious three years of high school, and their personal safety is guaranteed. As for after graduation... well, we'll see. Maybe they'll be thick-skinned by then? Or maybe... their running skills will have improved."

"That's true..."

Sakura Hibiki nodded thoughtfully.

Then a bold idea suddenly popped into my head, or rather, an idea born from my foodie nature.

She suddenly leaned closer to Sakura Ibuki, her large, bright green eyes sparkling with excitement, and whispered.

"Hey, big brother! Speaking of which, Sister Jing is such a good person, beautiful and good at fighting, and the key is that she's not married yet! You don't have a girlfriend either! Why don't you... marry Sister Jing?"

The more she talked about it, the more she thought it was a fantastic idea.

"That way, I can openly ask Sister Jing for treats every day! Being close to the water tower gives me the first taste of the moon!"

"Pfft--cough cough cough!"

Sakura Ibuki nearly choked to death on the coffee residue in her mouth!