Chapter 32: Brocon

Brocon

As I was reading a book in the living room, Yuki came home later than usual.

“Oh my, you’re late today.”

Worried that Yuna might have made a move, I called out to him.

“Yeah, I got caught by a weird girl.”

“Huh?”

Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, I quickly stood up from the sofa and rushed over to Yuki.

“Are you okay? Did she do anything strange to you?”

I looked him over carefully, confirming that nothing seemed out of place, and let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m fine. She was just a little odd, but… not as much as Tendouji-san, I think?”

“Why does that sound like a question?! That just makes me worry more. Honestly, Yuki, you have no sense of danger… So? What kind of girl was she?”

Given that woman’s existence, even if this girl wasn’t a direct threat to Yuki, if she had a toxic influence on those around him and ultimately caused him harm, I wanted to eliminate the problem before it even began.

“Hmm… If I had to sum it up in one word—brocon.”

“Huh? …Well, whatever. I’ll hear the full story after dinner. Go wash your hands and change your clothes.”

Since I didn’t quite understand what he meant, I decided I needed to hear a more detailed explanation later.

While Yuki was changing, I reheated the curry I had prepared earlier.

After a while, Yuki, now dressed comfortably in a T-shirt and shorts, came into the kitchen.

“Judging by the smell… Yes! It’s curry! Yay!”

Looking pleased, Yuki picked up the two pre-plated salads and arranged them on the table.

“Thanks, that helps. The curry will be ready in a moment, so sit and wait.”

“Okay!”

Watching Yuki eagerly await my curry, he seemed either appropriately his age or maybe even a bit childlike. If someone only saw this scene, they’d never guess he carried so many burdens.

Thinking about that, I plated the reheated curry and brought it to the table. Since Yuki liked his food spicy, I prepared extra spices on the side. Once I sat down, we said “Itadakimasu” and started eating together.

“As expected, Nee-san’s curry is amazing! This totally beats Mom’s.”

He dug in enthusiastically, his unexpected words catching me off guard.

“Ah, thank you! I made plenty, so eat as much as you want. Here, do you want seconds?”

Feeling unexpectedly happy, I got carried away and eagerly urged him to have more.

Maybe it was because I encouraged him, but Yuki, who usually stopped at two servings, actually ate three bowls today.

“Ugh… I might have eaten too much. I’m kinda full.”

Watching him rub his stomach with a satisfied expression, I barely managed to suppress a grin.

Regaining my composure, I asked the question I had missed earlier.

“So, back to what we were talking about earlier…”

“Yeah.”

“That brocon girl—why did she approach you?”

I couldn’t imagine Yuki spending his after-school time with someone who had no particular reason for approaching him.

“According to her, it was to thank me…”

And so, Yuki began recounting the story.

To sum it up, he had gotten caught up with yet another troublesome person.

If it was just a matter of her being annoying, that would have been fine. But this girl, Kotaka Masumi, gave off a different kind of strangeness compared to that woman.

Changing her entire academic path for the sake of her brother was one thing, but even though she was dealing with someone she considered an enemy, she showed absolutely no discomfort over the fact that a person had died.

No matter how you look at it, that’s not normal.

Yuki seemed to think she was just a brocon, but I was certain—if it was for her brother, she would do anything. If that woman hadn’t acted first, Kotaka Masumi might have killed Kashiwagi with her own hands.

“Sigh… So, was her gratitude settled with just that coffee?”

If that was truly the end of it, I could at least feel somewhat relieved.

“I wanted to leave it at that, but she kept insisting, asking if I had any troubles.”

“And?”

A bad feeling crept up my spine. Yuki rarely showed interest in others. But once something caught his attention, he would get involved regardless of the consequences—just like with that woman.

“I told her about Yuna. Of course, I didn’t mention her name, just that someone was trying to set me up with a girl I didn’t like, and it was becoming a hassle.”

“And then?”

I briefly considered revealing Yuna’s name and asking Masumi to take care of her, but Yuki’s next words caught me off guard.

“Then she said, ‘I’ll be your fake girlfriend and chase them away for you.’”

“Pfft—cough, cough, cough!”

I choked, nearly spitting out my tea in shock.

“Nee-san, are you okay?”

Yuki hurriedly patted my back in concern.

“I-I’m fine. More importantly, I can already guess, but… what did you say to her?”

“Well, since she seemed willing to back off with that, I agreed.”

“Sigh… I knew it.”

I shot a resentful look at my dear but troublesome little brother, who had once again dragged me into a headache-inducing situation.

“Um… sorry, Nee-san.”

Yuki apologized, looking genuinely guilty. Seeing him like that, I couldn’t even be mad—if anything, it only made me more protective of him.

“It’s fine. I’ll just have to make sure I cover for you.”

Steeling myself, I gave Yuki a reassuring smile.

Others might think I was being too lenient, but I couldn’t help it… because I was a hardcore brocon, too.