A Bond Beyond Blood

A burden to me...

It's a funny thing. Were it any normal sibling relation then obviously she would be. Though how I feel towards her, even how I act, is anything but normal. Even friends at school have noticed before that how we interact, the few times we do there, just feels off in a way. We aren't bickering, we never fight, we're strangely close at times, as if there's barely any boundaries between us. It's kind of like something you'd expect to see out of an anime. It's been more comfortable than anything just having her to hang out with each day, even if it comes at the expense of other social relationships.

Some people have even said before that it looks like we're dating. I never really harbored any crush on Chiori, no, yet I wasn't disturbed at the notion, it was just amusing to me. 'Yeah, on the outside it does look like that.' I'd think to myself. There was even a time I would have considered dating her, though I had dismissed that idea as nothing more than a ridiculous fantasy before I gave it serious thought.

But the fact that our relationship wasn't normal gnawed at me. What I thought about it may not have disturbed me, but I was disgusted for thinking about it in such a casual manner. I can only blame myself for the way Chiori grew up to behave. After all, she'd been around me the most, and I'm the older of us two, the one supposed to lead by example. If I could have just maintained that unspoken boundary more when I was younger, perhaps she could have fitted better in with the others. Because of me being a failure as an older brother, she's been stuck with me all along.

And yet she thinks she's the burden out of the two of us.

But that's the reason why I couldn't correct her. If I did say that she wasn't, then what? If I laid bare my thoughts about her, knowing that she would likely accept it without a moment's hesitation, what should I do then? Let her cling to me until I inevitably do something I'll regret? Because of that, despite me wanting not to leave her, I've decided for a while now that going our separate ways would be for the best, at least after we graduate.

I was utterly lost in thought while we were shopping, As we split up looking for the things we wanted to get I ended up forgetting what I was even supposed to buy. Eventually though, I managed to remember what kinds of snacks I wanted, as well as to buy new dish soap and toilet paper. It was starting to run low.

Chiori got herself karaage surprisingly. She happily munched away at it while we walked back home, squeezing her eyes in delight at every bite she took. Can't blame her for it though, karaage is delicious.

As she noticed me staring at her though, and ended up looking back at me with a grin, she decided to handfeed a piece to me. I offered her  some of my jagariko in turn, though she made me feed her by hand as well.

"Mmh..."

As I placed another jagariko stick in her mouth, she suddenly let out a weird moan, and licked my finger. She was doing it just to fuck with me though.

She giggled at me as I looked at my now saliva-covered fingers, before eating the last of her chicken.

"Try that next time and I'll stick a handful in." I said, waving a bundle of them around threateningly.

She took a moment to swallow, and then,

"O ahea, onii-hyan."

spoke while pulling the sides of her cheek, giving me a good look down her throat.

"Would it kill you to behave normally just once in a while?" I sighed, smiling wryly at her dumb behavior.