episode_0069

Since childhood, my sister was always the center of my world.

Although we weren’t blood relatives, perhaps that’s why my feelings for her were so special.

Even though I knew it was a wrong feeling, a tender affection for my sister always stirred in a corner of my heart.

So when I heard the news that my sister was returning after three years, my heart felt like it would burst with joy.

Then and now, I never had the courage to confess my feelings.

Still, I vowed to talk to her a little during this summer break.

Yet, despite that resolve.

My sister, returning home after a long time, had her arm linked with a strange man.

When I heard the word ‘boyfriend,’ my heart felt as if it was turning to ice.

What’s more, that night, I saw it.

The unbelievable sight I saw through the crack in the tightly closed door extinguished the last spark of hope remaining within me.

Unable to control my turbulent emotions, I dashed out of the house then and there, running blindly through the pitch-black darkness.

Until my feet blistered.

Until my breath hitched in my throat.

Even with my eyes squeezed shut, that terrible sight I saw at home seemed to follow me.

“Gasp. Wheeze. Cough…!”

When I realized, I was at a shrine.

I didn’t even remember how I got here.

Even though my lungs felt like they would burst.

Even though my body was covered in dirt.

As if possessed by something, I clasped my hands together and prayed, again and again, to a god I hardly believed in.

‘Nuna… I want to get Nuna back. Like before, like then… just one more time…’

Even though I knew it wouldn’t come true.

I desperately wished for this futile wish to become reality.

****

As my unconscious mind, which had lost its senses, surfaced, the first thing that swept over me was an unfamiliar eye-level.

The world felt as if it was distantly looking down on me from above.

Everything in the room felt like furniture from a land of giants.

The tiny hands and feet at the end of my gaze were utterly unfamiliar.

Their plump shape, like perfectly ripe chestnuts, was truly endearing.

‘It worked.’

The possession itself was successful without issue.

But looking at my body’s condition, it seems I’ve skipped the entire introduction again, just like with the elf hypnosis.

While it’s good to skip the troublesome process, what becomes important then is where I am in this story right now.

Is it right after my body became small?

Or has some time passed since then?

Well, I don’t need to rush; I’ll naturally find out as time passes, so first, the status window—

“…Who are you?”

At the sudden voice, I couldn’t open the status window and instinctively turned my head.

What entered my sight was a woman with a familiar face, staring at me, clearly full of wariness.

Brown hair, tousled and messy as if she had tossed and turned all night.

Healthy, glowing bronze skin, as if it had fully absorbed the summer sun.

The tan line that drew a clear boundary between her cleavage and collarbone was particularly eye-catching.

With just these intense features, I instinctively knew she was Miyano Akari, the main heroine of ‘Anenatsu’.

And, though it was just a single word, her question explained everything.

It’s right after the protagonist’s body turned younger.

The day after he went to the shrine and made a wish.

If so, the actions I needed to take from now on were decided.

“…Akari, Nuna?”

I took a deep breath inwardly and composed my emotions.

I assumed the gaze of a child, as innocent as possible yet utterly terrified, and called her name.

Acting aside, my voice was perfect.

A boy’s voice, slightly slurred yet subtly trembling, one that hadn’t gone through puberty.

“It’s Akari Nuna, right?”

“Huh, how do you know my name…? You, no way?”

Akari gasped in shock, instinctively taking a step or two back.

Her eyes churned like rough waves.

My first child acting performance, put forth with all my might, seemed to hit its mark beyond expectation.

Riding this momentum, I made my eyes well up with moisture.

Sad thoughts… Sad thoughts…

“Sniff. I woke up this morning, and Mom and Dad weren’t here. Why did Nuna get so big? I… I’m scared…”

…

Ugh.

To whimper like a child at this age.

Doing it for real, a much stronger wave of self-loathing washed over me than expected.

But I couldn’t collapse here.

Considering the rewards I could obtain if I endured this momentary humiliation.

This level of shame was well worth enduring.

“W-what’s going on…? No way. No, even so…”

Had my passionate acting worked?

Akari roughly rubbed her eyes with both hands, as if trying to deny the sight before her.

Her lips parted several times, as if to say something, but ultimately closed.

Just then.

“What’s all that noise, first thing in the morning?”

From the stairs, a lazy voice dripped down along with the creaking sound of wooden steps descending to the lower floor.

“Yawn~. Huh? And who’s this little kid?”

The owner of the voice was Daiki, just as I expected.

So that’s what your voice sounded like?

I was relieved in many ways that it was an annoying voice befitting his appearance.

He found me with his half-closed, sleepy eyes and overtly furrowed his brow, as if annoyed.

“Dai-chan! Quickly go to Yuu’s room and check if he’s there.”

At Akari’s sudden request, Daiki asked back incredulously.

“Huh? How would I know your brother’s room? And I asked who that little kid is!”

“I’ll explain later, just please do it!”

As Akari’s voice sharpened, Daiki reluctantly nodded, feigning defeat.

“Ugh, seriously annoying. Fine, fine! I’ll go, alright?”

A moment after Daiki disappeared down the hallway, the sound of doors violently opening and closing echoed loudly from various rooms.

He was probably checking every door he came across.

Soon after, Daiki returned to the living room, scratching his stomach and shaking his head.

“I opened every single door, but there’s no sign of him. Did he go out?”

“He’s not there?”

Daiki’s words might have been casual, but Akari’s eyes seemed to sink into even deeper confusion.

She slowly approached me and knelt down. In her eyes, only the innocent face of a naive child, unaware of the world, was clearly reflected.

“Are you really, truly Yuu?”

“Yeah… That’s right, Nuna.”

Of course, only this body.

Speaking of which, my acting is working better than expected.

Did my acting skills improve by leaps and bounds without me knowing?

Or is Akari simply too naive?

“Akari. What is he saying right now?”

On the other hand, Daiki, upon hearing my answer, just blinked, his expression dumbfounded as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

“Hold on, Dai-chan. Just a moment…”

Akari raised a hand to cut off Daiki, then took a few deep breaths.

“If you’re really Yuu, do you remember what happened last night?”

Of course, I remember, but.

Saying I don’t know is the correct answer here.

“Yesterday…? I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

As if he’d been waiting for me to finish pretending to think, Daiki opened his mouth.

“Akari. Why are you taking a kid’s words so seriously? He’s just messing around!”

But Akari seemed to have no regard for Daiki, who was behind her.

“Then, do you remember what happened when we were catching crayfish in the summer stream…?”

Of course, I know.

I’d reviewed the original story and memorized this part several times, knowing I needed to be prepared.

I’d secretly worried that it might diverge from the original story’s flow, but it seems my fears were unfounded.

“Yeah, back then…”

It was just as I was about to pull out the pre-memorized details from my memory and open my mouth.

-“Waaah!”

At that moment, an unfamiliar image flashed through my mind like lightning.

Under the dazzling summer sunlight, a little girl was sitting by the stream, sobbing pitifully.

And a boy beside her, stomping his feet, unsure of what to do.

“…Yeah. Back then, Nuna slipped on a rock and cried and cried. You even let go of all the crayfish I worked so hard to catch.”

At the answer that flowed from my mouth, Akari’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit’s.

Of course they would.

It would be a precious memory, like a page from a faded photo album, shared only by the two of them.

The problem was that image that just unexpectedly entered my mind.

No, it wasn’t an image so much as a memory.

Had a memory remaining in the possessed body flowed into my consciousness?

“Th-then… how about this?”

But without time to think deeply, Akari urgently threw out the next question.

It seemed that her current answer wasn’t enough to convince her.

“You know that picture book you always pestered me to read to you before you went to sleep every night? The one with the sun and moon smiling side by side on the cover. Do you remember the title of that book… that too?”

“Of course it’s ‘The Friendly Sun and Moon’! Nuna read it to me hundreds of times, how could I ever forget that?”

“…That’s right.”

At my answer, without a hint of hesitation, Akari’s voice trembled slightly.

It wouldn’t be easy for her to accept.

The unrealistic situation of her perfectly fine younger brother transforming into a child overnight.

Nevertheless, I answered all subsequent questions without hesitation.

It would have been enough to break down the wall of her consciousness.

“Akari! What exactly is going on here?! Explain it properly to me too!”

As if he could no longer stand it, Daiki, who had been watching the situation from behind, suddenly raised his voice.

His face was a mix of blatant annoyance and deep suspicion.

“Dai-chan… well… it seems my brother turned younger.”

“Akari, that’s just the kid messing around…! Does it make sense for a person to turn younger, logically?”

“I can’t believe it either. But, but if it’s not that, there’s no way to explain it!”

At Akari’s voice, filled with conviction and anguish, Daiki threw his hands on his hips as if utterly dumbfounded.

“So, you’re saying your brother suddenly *poof* and got hit by magic and turned into a kid? Or what, was he abducted by an alien on a UFO or something?”

“How can you say things like that! My head is about to explode right now too!”

Yes, now’s the time.

I had been watching their bickering, waiting for the right moment to interject, and then I opened my mouth, thinking, ‘This is it.’

‘Nuna, what’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?’

As I squeezed out a voice as pitiful as possible, as if I were about to burst into tears, and grasped the hem of her clothes with my slender fingertips, Akari hastily shook her head.

“No. What wrong? You didn’t do anything wrong. Yeah… So don’t cry.”

Her voice was incomparably softer than before.

Her hand, reaching out above my head as if to soothe a child, paused hesitantly in mid-air.

“Hoo…”

Should I try to tug at her emotions a bit more here?

“I’m sorry.”

“No. Why are you apologizing? It’s okay.”

Akari said kindly, yet she continued to sigh.

Daiki still looked utterly dumbfounded by the whole situation, but perhaps overwhelmed by Akari’s unusual atmosphere, he couldn’t say anything more.

“Oh, that’s right!”

Just then, Akari spoke again, as if something had suddenly occurred to her.

Her previously clouded eyes, as if she had found a ray of light in a thick fog, suddenly sparkled and regained their luster.

“Now that I think about it, you went out for a bit last night, didn’t you! Do you remember where you went, or if you experienced anything strange…? Please, try to think hard!”

Yes. I was waiting for this question.

I furrowed my brow deeply and groaned, as if desperately trying to wrack my brain for memories.

“Hmmmm. Last night… something… I think I was very sad. And… I ran somewhere as if possessed… That’s right! The shrine! I went to the shrine on the back mountain! There, I think I desperately wished for something!”

This is much more torturous than the elf hypnosis.

Back then, I just had to hypnotize them and take them.

What can I do? Since it’s a game I chose, I have to grit my teeth and endure it.

Still, I only need to endure a little longer.

“The shrine?”

At my crucial remark, Akari pressed her lips together and fell into deep thought.

From her perspective, it must have felt like finding one of the scattered puzzle pieces.

“…Alright. Let’s go to that shrine first. Something’s bound to come out of it.”

Akari, who had been absorbed in thought for a long time, finally opened her mouth with a determined expression.

At that moment, as if he could no longer just stand by and watch, Daiki blocked Akari’s path.

“Akari, are you serious right now? Are you really going to believe everything that snot-nosed brat says?!”

“Dai-chan, please stay here and look after the house. You can do that much, right?”

“Why should I—!”

At Akari’s attitude, as if she hadn’t even heard his words, Daiki finally stepped back, seemingly resigned.

“Haa… Fine, fine.”

He glared at me with all his might, as if I were the root of all the problems.

Sorry, but things are going to get even more annoying from now on.

And your girlfriend will soon be mine.

With a subtle smile playing on my lips, I unhesitatingly followed behind Akari.

The curtain on a new story was just about to rise.

****

After walking for a long time from the house, we arrived at the back mountain.

The mountain path, thickly covered in summer’s green, was filled with the scent of grass and earth.

Sunlight fragmented through the leaves, scattering golden fragments on the ground.

Somewhere, the clear chirping of unknown birds echoed.

With every step we took along the winding trail, dry twigs crackled underfoot.

How long had we walked?

Just as my breath grew quite heavy, a steep stone staircase appeared before us.

Above the stairs, a faded torii gate stood tall, like a gateway to another world.

Amidst the cicadas’ loud chirping, which seemed to swallow all other sounds, we advanced step by step towards the shrine.

Upon climbing all the stairs and entering the shrine grounds, a woman dressed in miko attire was seen sweeping the courtyard with a broom.

The woman, Kisaragi Fumika, who had been engrossed in sweeping, soon spotted me and Akari, stopped what she was doing, and approached us.

“Oh my, Ms. Miyano, it’s been a while. I heard you returned. What brings you here so early in the morning?”

Her voice was calm, but a hint of puzzlement seemed to flicker in her eyes.

I involuntarily swallowed, my mouth watering, at her voluptuous chest, which couldn’t be hidden even by her elegant miko attire.