My Seatmate is Apparently My Wife from My Past Life; She Still Loves Me in This Life as Well

“Brother, you’re up early again today. Good morning.”

“Oh… Good morning, Aika.”

The next morning, as I rubbed my sleepy eyes and stepped out of my room, I ran into Aika Aimoto—the only daughter of the Aimoto family.

The Aimoto family was originally a family of three. Now, with me added as +1, we all lived in this house.

Of course, I had known Aika since we were young. She was a first-year high school student, one year younger than me.

She always had long black hair, and her eyes were black, like a typical Japanese girl.

She had the appearance of a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko, and we got along quite well. But not as siblings—more like friends.

Outside of school, an age difference of a year or two was trivial. Since we were relatives who met at family events, it was even more so.

We never thought about who was older. From a young age, we played as equals.

So, becoming siblings suddenly felt strange, and I thought it was fine to maintain our usual distance.

──Brother.

Aika started calling me that. She used to call me Naa (from Nagiura), but now she called me brother.

By calling me that, Aika was welcoming me as part of the family.

I didn’t find it annoying or unpleasant.

It wasn’t strange; in fact, I should probably praise her adaptability.

Maybe she did it for my sake.

Relationships are always built with words.

“Up early and staying up late. You’re like a working adult, brother.”

“Stop with the insinuations… You came home later than I did.”

“Unlike you, brother, I’m in the student council. Today, I have no activities, so I’ll be home early. What about you?”

“I… I’m not sure. I’ll decide after school. Maybe a friend will invite me out?”

“You don’t have any friends like that, brother…”

Aika’s eyes seemed to say, “Come up with a better excuse.” She was annoyingly right, so I couldn’t argue.

I shrugged and headed to the living room. Aika followed me down the stairs.

“Brother, you don’t have friends, acquaintances, or a lover, yet you wander off alone every day. What are you doing?”

“Various things. Despite appearances, I’m surprisingly busy.”

“You don’t seem busy at all. In fact, I can’t think of anyone who fits the word ‘busy’ less than you.”

“Hey, hey! Aika, aren’t you being a bit aggressive this morning?”

I shivered under her icy glare. It’s already spring, but it feels like winter.

Realizing I couldn’t win this verbal battle, I fled to the living room.

Of course, no one was there.

The cold, empty feeling of early morning lingered.

It was just past 5 AM. At this early hour, Asahi and Sanae weren’t awake yet.

I always had breakfast at this time—not because I had to, but because I naturally woke up early.

Usually, Aika was still asleep, so it was rare for us to sit together at the table.

As I grabbed some pastries, Aika glared at me disapprovingly.

“Brother… that again? Mom was sighing, wishing you would let her make you a bento.”

“I feel bad… Just tell her I appreciate the thought.”

“You’re not a child; tell her yourself…”

She sighed heavily and stared at my pastry.

This was my usual breakfast and lunch.

It wasn’t that the Aimoto family restricted me; they gave me freedom, which led to my choice.

I didn’t want to spend time on meals—I didn’t want to.

At first, I drank nutritional jellies, but Aika, Asahi, and Sanae disapproved, so I compromised with pastries.

There were various kinds, and I enjoyed them, but Aika seemed to give them a failing grade.

“…I’m about to cook. I can make something for you too, brother.”

“Thanks, but I’ll just… Ouch, ouch! Stop kicking me, Aika!”

“This is punishment for rejecting your sister’s kindness!”

Aika’s weak punch made a soft sound against my chest.

“Brother… Naa, do you hate having me as your sister? Is it unpleasant to be called brother? Do you feel disgust?”

“No… It’s not like that.”

“But Naa, you always seem suffocated in this house, like you can’t breathe.”

“That’s not…”

I couldn’t immediately deny it because it was true. Her wavering eyes made me feel guilty.

I took a deep breath and spoke after a brief pause.

“That’s not it. It’s just your imagination, Aika.”

“I hope so.”

She said in a small voice and walked to the kitchen. I watched her back for a moment and sighed.

Feeling frustrated, I took a bite of my pastry.