"Umaru, do you know how relationships between people are built? Onii-chan isn't talking about hitting it off at first sight, sharing common interests, or even vague answers like fate. Onii-chan is talking about negotiation!" Toshiro Hijikata had once accidentally overheard a certain bastard named Sogo making this argument.
Sogo Doma couldn't help it. He wanted to be the perfect Onii-chan, but he simply couldn't quit the fun of teasing others. As the saying went, "Walk too many nights and you're bound to meet a ghost." So, Umaru had caught him doing certain things before and even questioned him: "Onii-chan, pranks are bad..." Faced with his little sister's
"innocent and pure" gaze, even Sogo could only scramble for excuses. He was the perfect Onii-chan in his little sister's heart. Though there was the tiniest little gap between that image and reality, Umaru didn't know that. Besides, he would change—probably, maybe, perhaps, definitely... next time, definitely. And so, he argued.
Umaru Doma: "Onii-chan, Umaru was clearly talking about pranks..." That didn't answer the question at all. What did building relationships have to do with anything?
But before she could finish, Sogo Doma said, "Umaru, do you want friends?"
"..." Little Umaru said, "Friends, um, Umaru is fine as long as she has Onii-chan..." In truth, she wanted them too. But Sogo had been clueless for over a decade, while Umaru had been protecting her brother ever since she was old enough to understand things. Back then, neither Umaru nor Sogo had anything called friends around them.
Why did Umaru call Toshiro Hijikata Big Brother Hijikata? Wasn't it because he was the first person to show kindness to the two siblings? That made Sogo Doma feel extremely awkward. "..." Damn Hijikata!
If he hadn't dragged Umaru down, she would have been one of