episode_0059

“I’m thinking positively. If labor pains start, we can immediately hug and go to the hospital.”

“Well… aren’t we moving a bit fast?”

“Even if I’m at an early age, isn’t it too soon for you? You need to see your grandchildren.”

“I’m not that old…”

“You’re getting there in age. You always look handsome.”

Am I asking for too much like a chatterbox?

But still… I want good things. I want to give everything.

Just as I was about to kiss him briefly by pulling his face closer with my hand, a voice calling from the counter interrupted us, so instead of a kiss, I gave a peck and stood up.

“The food’s here… should we eat and talk more?”

“…Let’s do that.”

He didn’t show any signs of disliking it, but his expression wasn’t overly delighted either.

“Oh~ My hand hurts.”

I’m right-handed.

The area pretending to hurt is my left hand.

But despite seeing me struggle, he was definitely not one to just watch without helping.

“I’ll feed you.”

I gently fed him while tucking my hair behind my ear.

“…It’s delicious.”

I can’t taste anything.

My heart is pounding so much that I really can’t tell.

And this pasta is yours, not mine.

“What do you want to eat? French fries? There are cheese balls too!”

“…I’m serious. It’s a joke. I’ll eat it.”

But I don’t want him to worry, even pretending to be in pain.

I touched his hand lightly and put on a nonchalant expression.

“I just… wanted to feed you. Don’t make that face. I feel really sorry.”

“Oh… I see. Okay. Let’s eat now.”

“…Are you really okay?”

“Yes. I’m actually relieved. It’s a relief.”

I fixed my tousled hair and went back to eating the pasta in front of me.

As expected… I still don’t know what it tastes like.

“Let’s make a promise.”

“What kind of promise?”

After leaving the store with our stomachs full, my brother raised his pinky finger, suggesting we make a promise.

“If you’re in pain, honestly say you’re hurting, and if you’re struggling, tell me. I won’t ask you to reveal all your secrets. Just tell me enough to fit.”

“Ah…”

Was this because of earlier?

“Got it. I’ll definitely tell you. Including you, right?”

“Yes. Of course. If you’re having a hard time, make sure to tell me.”

I hooked my finger onto his pinky. Then, not knowing what to do next, we simply exchanged a brief kiss.

“There are people around.”

“It’s not like it’s a public indecency crime, right?”

“I feel embarrassed…”

I do too.

We held hands, pretending nothing happened, and continued walking down the street.

“Before we knew it, it turned into a date.”

“Shall we continue like this?”

“Yes.”

Without any preparations and dressed so casually, almost like going to a wedding, we decided to stop by a clothing store.

I think I’ll be fine, but my brother is the one wearing a suit right now.

“This… and this. How does it look?”

“It doesn’t matter… no, it looks good.”

“Hmph.”

“Ah… since it’s clothes chosen by a wife, they’re naturally pretty…”

He smoothly escaped.

Maybe he even felt better.

“Then, try them on.”

After choosing clothes and shoes, getting the right size, I entered the fitting room.

After a short while, when the curtain opened, my brother stood there in a completely different atmosphere.

“Oh… should I live like this?”

“It looks good.”

Checking for any discomfort by moving around, he made the purchase right away.

I have plenty of clothes, but it feels like something is lacking in my brother’s wardrobe.

“Then let’s go buy Ji-hye some clothes.”

“I think I have enough with this outfit… Do you think so?”

Not completely clueless about fashion, I put on black slacks.

Right now, I’m wearing a long skirt that shows more maturity than cuteness and an ivory suit-like outfit without any embellishments.

This might make it seem like we’re dating as adults.

“I want to see you in cute clothes.”

“Hmm…”

At this rate, the dressing room might end up filled only with my clothes.

“No…?”

“Oh, okay. I’ll wear it. It’s fine once I put it on.”

It feels like a puppy tugging at my skirt, asking me to go out for a walk together.

I feel like he would accept anything I do later.

We left the store and went back into a nearby clothing store.

“This one… and this one?”

I chose a beige knitted top with a twist pattern and a black skirt.

“And you like stockings, right?”

“Yeah, I really like them.”

Now, he’s become very honest.

Especially about stockings.

It’s not like I particularly care about my legs, but…

As long as he likes it, it’s fine.

“So, how about tights and…”

Before I knew it, we were choosing shoes.

Should I wear sneakers? Or should I wear boots with heels?

Sneakers can give a fresh or calm feeling depending on the color.

But I decided on boots. Boots in a slightly lighter shade of pale yellow than ivory.

I wanted to appear taller after a long time.

The height difference is exciting, but I also found myself wanting to see his face up close.

So I chose the boots.

“Please make sure these fit. I’ll pay and wear them right away.”

After getting clothes that fit, I entered the fitting room.

I took off my clothes and first put on the stockings.

It’s a bit challenging to put on stockings in a place like this.

Since people usually sit down to wear them, it’s not something I’m used to.

They weren’t compression stockings, so they were easy to put on.

Carefully making sure no hair got caught, I then put on the skirt and wore a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, so there was no need to change, and zipped up the knit top.

The boots had heels, so one might think they are difficult to walk in, but they were quite comfortable.

While it might look uncomfortable to others, they held me snugly, making them more comfortable than expected.

And since I wore long boots last time, readjusting wasn’t too difficult.

Wearing boots that reached my ankles, I walked on the tiled floor, making a clacking sound, and stopped in front of him.

“Now the height difference isn’t that big, right?”

Now, if I lift my heels slightly, it’s a height difference that allows for an immediate kiss.

Usually, I would pull his face closer or bend my waist as if greeting him.

“Yeah… it looks good. Beautiful.”

“Hehe. Thank you.”

I felt love emanating as he embraced my waist.

“Uh… someone might see us…”

“There’s no couple as good-looking as us anywhere.”

“Heh… true…”

Fortunately, the fitting room was somewhat secluded.

“L-Let’s… buy the clothes and go somewhere quickly.”

“Am I embarrassing you?”

“N-No, not really.”

We didn’t do anything like kissing or such.

We were just embracing each other.

Of course… there are desires, but…

“I don’t want to force you if you’re uncomfortable. Let’s go now. We can think about trying it next time as we walk.”

“…I’m not opposed to it. It’s just… because it’s embarrassing…”

As I tried to leave, he held me back and pulled me into a hug from behind.

“I can… do this much.”

“Oops… yes…”

A whispering voice reassured me.

“I don’t dislike it, but I’m trying to avoid it. As if saying they could do anything for me, [they] embraced me tightly.

“Shall we go now?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

If we’re going to do something outside, we should do it when no one is around.

Feeling slightly embarrassed by the gazes of people looking at me, I unconsciously covered my face with my hand.

“So… where should we go now?”

“Hmm… there’s a botanical garden nearby. I suddenly felt like going there.”

A botanical garden, huh? Doesn’t sound bad.

Walking hand in hand, taking lots of pictures, and just having fun without overthinking things seemed like it would be enjoyable.

“Sounds good. It’s my first time visiting that botanical garden.”

It doesn’t matter where we go; anywhere will be fine.

There’s nowhere boring to go with my older brother.

“It’s my first time too. That’s why I want to go once.”

“Should we go right away?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The car started moving. Our destination: the botanical garden.

Listening to light jazz music, I gently swayed my head feeling slightly elated.

The tension-filled situation from earlier was quickly forgotten, as we were deepening our relationship.

*

“Wow… it’s warm here.”

I thought I dressed just right for a slight autumn feel.

The air was slightly humid like in summer, and the plants, towering over people, made me naturally look up all around.

“I think we came at the right time. Don’t you think so?”

“Yeah. I didn’t think much, but it feels nice.”

“You did well, my brother.”

Patting my head and praising me, he accepted it with a slight surprise, then smiled.

“Do more.”

After the praise, he asked for more. Normally, I would have done it right away, but I wanted to savor the happiness a bit longer.

“Then you have to do something that makes me want to praise you more.”

Looking at the plants, then at me, then at the ground, my brother slowly approached.

Drawing closer, with no intention of stepping back, I held my ground.

As our faces neared each other, I could hear his breath near my ear.

“I love you.”

“Uh…”

With a quiet whisper, a slight moan escaped me, and my heart rejoiced.

“…I’ll praise you.”

Was my brother looking around to see if anyone was passing by?

I also turned my head to check the surroundings and briefly moved to a corner.

“That’s right… my kind brother… so cute…”

An upgraded version of ‘hugging while patting the head.’

Though my brother’s hair was a bit tousled, the sensation wasn’t bad.

“That was nice…”

“Now, shall we go admire the plants?”

Seems like we might end up just cuddling instead of exploring the plants.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

We held hands and started walking down a path through the plants once again.