My Brother Wants to Date Other Girls? He Has to Get My Permission First!

In front of a luxury apartment building.

Fujiwara Aoi stopped here and pointed upstairs somewhat shyly.

"My home... is up there."

Natsume Chikage looked over the imposing apartment building and thought, No wonder Fujiwara Aoi could casually afford a sports watch that started at sixty thousand yen.

How could someone living in a place like this possibly be short on money?

Still, he really had not expected Fujiwara Aoi's home to be on the same route as his. It was completely on the way.

It was rather strange that they had never run into each other before.

"It really is close to the café," Natsume Chikage remarked sincerely.

Compared to the tiny three-tatami room he currently lived in, this place was absurdly close to the subway station.

It only took a few steps to get there.

Meanwhile, it took him around ten minutes to walk from home to this subway station every day.

Ten minutes was not something to underestimate.

Over the course of a year, it added up to quite a considerable amount of time.

And walking ten minutes less every day meant ten more minutes of sleep.

Only those who had suffered through commuting understood just how precious an extra ten minutes of sleep was!

Fujiwara Aoi curiously pointed toward the road ahead.

"Natsume-kun, is your home straight down that way?"

"That's right. It's about a ten-minute walk straight ahead." Natsume Chikage nodded, then checked the time. "It's getting late today, so I'll head back first. See you."

Fujiwara Aoi waved goodbye with a smile. "Okay, see you. Please be careful on your way home."

Natsume Chikage waved back, then turned and left.

Fujiwara Aoi stood where she was, watching his figure gradually recede. Only after he disappeared into the night did she turn and enter the luxury apartment building.

As she rode the elevator upstairs, her face was brimming with irrepressible joy. If she had not been in the elevator, she would have practically jumped for joy!

After all, today had brought major progress—Natsume-kun had personally walked her home!

Even if it was only because they were going the same way, they had still walked home together, hadn't they?

If it happened often enough, perhaps feelings would grow over time?

And most importantly, she now knew that Natsume-kun's home was near hers, only ten minutes away.

Did that mean that, if she got the chance in the future, she could find an excuse to visit his home?

The door was gently pushed open.

"I'm home."

Natsume Chikage walked inside.

What greeted him was still that cramped three-tatami room.

Natsume Ruri was sitting at the small table, studying sleepily.

The moment she heard her brother return, she immediately perked up, stood, and greeted him with a smile.

"Welcome home, Brother!"

"Are you hungry? Do you want Ruri to make you a late-night snack?"

Natsume Chikage shook his head.

"I ate the staff meal at the café. I'm not hungry."

"Why haven't you gone to sleep yet, Ruri?"

Natsume Ruri smiled happily.

"I can't sleep soundly when Brother isn't home."

"So I wanted to wait until you came back before going to sleep."

Warmth filled Natsume Chikage's heart. He rubbed her hair and reminded her, "You don't need to wait for me on purpose. If you're sleepy, go to bed first, okay?"

Natsume Ruri nodded with a smile.

"Okay, I'll sleep if I get sleepy."

"But it really is late now. Brother, hurry up and take a bath."

Natsume Chikage said nothing more. He picked up a change of clothes and went to wash up.

After he came out of the shower.

Natsume Ruri, seated at the small table, patted the spot beside her.

"Big brother, come sit here."

Natsume Chikage sat down as she asked, puzzled, "What is it?"

Ruri muttered softly, "Nothing. I was just curious about how your first day of school went. Nothing unusual happened, right?"

Chikage thought back.

"No, everything was fine."

Ruri continued to mutter, "That's good."

"But I was watching TV just now, and it said that a lot of high school girls these days are terrible—they play boys around like fools!"

"So you have to be careful, big brother. Don't casually get involved with girls."

"If a girl confesses to you, you absolutely can't just say yes. You have to tell me first. Only if I think it's okay can you date that girl!"

Natsume Chikage was amused.

"If I date another girl, I need your permission too?"

Natsume Ruri puffed out her cheeks and muttered with a stern face, "Of course!"

"Ruri only has you now, big brother. If you get tricked by a bad woman, Ruri will be very, very, very troubled!!"

Chikage smiled and pinched her cheek.

"You're overthinking it."

"Besides, I'm not planning to date anyone right now."

Ruri froze for a moment, then a brilliant smile slowly bloomed across her face.

"Really?"

Chikage nodded firmly.

"Really."

"With things as they are at home, where would I get the money, time, or energy to find a girlfriend?"

Ruri laughed happily.

"That's true!"

Remembering something, Chikage asked, "Did you run short of money at school today? If you need any, tell me. I usually don't spend much, so if you're in a hurry, you can use mine first."

Ruri shook her head.

"No need. Ruri doesn't spend much either."

"Besides, you're in high school now, big brother. You should keep your money, so you don't end up with none when you go out with friends."

"Oh, right, wasn't today your first day of school?"

"Did you run into any old classmates?"

Natsume Chikage nodded.

"I actually did."

"There's a girl in my class named Saionji Nanase."

Natsume Ruri remembered that name and said in surprise, "Saionji Nanase? Could she be the young lady of the Saionji family?"

Chikage asked in confusion, "What Saionji family?"

Ruri pouted and said irritably, "Big brother, don't you remember?"

"We went to Saionji Nanase's house before."

Chikage was baffled.

"That happened?"

Ruri had no choice but to explain, "The Saionji family is a very famous family of collectors in Japan. They run an auction house."

"Many auctions of famous paintings, antiques, and the like are held through the Saionji family's auction house."

"Dad used to like collecting all sorts of strange things, so that's how he got to know the Saionji family."

"When you were in middle school, Dad took us to visit Saionji Nanase's house."

"Back then, Dad even told you to play with Saionji Nanase. You really don't remember?"

Chikage shook his head.

"I really forgot. I don't remember."

Ruri muttered softly, "If you say you don't remember, then how did you know she was an old classmate?"

Chikage explained, "Actually, she was the one who told me."

Ruri's cheeks puffed out slightly.

"She told you herself?"

Chikage nodded.

"Yeah. What about it?"

Ruri narrowed her eyes and pressed, "Did she add your contact information?"

Chikage shook his head.

"No."

Ruri's mood visibly improved, and she said happily, "That's good."

"Oh, right, Brother, you haven't washed your clothes yet, have you? Ruri will wash them now!"

Hearing that, Natsume Chikage lowered his head to look at the newly bought matching bracelet in his pocket, planning to come up with a way to pull a switch right now.

And make his sister willingly give him the bracelet!

No sooner thought than done, Natsume Chikage turned to look at Natsume Ruri.