Chapter 2
I left the house with my older sister—now also my wife—after we’d decided to get married and move in together in ten minutes, with a proposal thrown in for good measure.
Our destination was my sister’s place, an apartment just a few minutes’ walk away.
“So what do you want to do first?”
As we walked along the quiet street, I asked what first step we should take in making our plans for the future.
“If you’re asking what I want to do first, then obviously it’s that!”
“The wedding?”
“The wedding!”
We spoke at the same time.
“Oh… I knew my husband would be on the same wavelength as me!”
“I’d like us to act like ordinary siblings when we’re outside.”
People around us would think it was weird if they heard us.
It’s a good thing we only vaguely resemble each other for siblings.
“Of course we’ll book a wedding hall with no guests, but I’m going to rent a dress just like it’s a real wedding.”
“Those are expensive, though.”
“It’s fine! Your big sis has plenty of money.”
It was true that my sister had a pretty substantial income, but her comment just now could also be taken another way.
Like she’d suddenly have money to spare because she no longer had any use for what she’d saved up.
So I tried changing the subject for no real reason.
“By the way, have you told your friends?”
“Huh? Would you like me to? Should I spread the word that we’re getting married?”
“What? No… I don’t mean the wedding.”
I was talking about her illness, but why did she think everything I said was about marriage?
Just how badly did she want to get married, anyway?
“Wait! Before that, when there’s no one we know around, don’t call me ‘Sis.’ Talk to me like we’re a married couple.”
“Like a married couple? How do married people talk to each other?”
“Hmm… What pet name did you use for a girlfriend?”
“……”
I didn’t have a pet name.
No, I didn’t have a girlfriend.
But now I had a wife. Something had gone very wrong.
“…Then pick whatever you’d like to hear.”
“What does Dad call Mom again?”
“The kids’ mom.”
Pfft.
I laughed before I could stop myself.
At the same time, my sister let out a short laugh, too.
“Not bad, but rejected since we don’t have kids. Next!”
“Then just pick something simple and ordinary.”
“What’s ordinary?”
When I thought of an ordinary pet name between a married couple, one word came to mind.
And there was no way my sister didn’t know it.
She was just waiting to hear that word—that pet name—come out of my mouth.
“…Say it?”
“Yeah, yeah. Hurry up.”
“It’s a little… There are a lot of people here. I’ll say it later.”
Of all times, we were waiting for the light at a crosswalk.
“No! Now. Hurry, hurry!”
Unwilling to let me off the hook, my sister urged me on with a playful grin.
Fine… if she wanted to hear it, I should say it.
The embarrassment would only last a moment. I just had to endure it.
Although moments like this would probably happen a whole lot from now on…
“…Honey.”
“Mmm~ Were you calling me?”
My sister replied with a smile so carefree it was almost shameless.
The relationship between siblings really is strange.
If we were an ordinary couple, this would be a heart-pounding moment, but I felt nothing at all.
Instead, I was overwhelmed with embarrassment and self-loathing.
I could practically feel the elderly woman standing right next to us looking our way with a pleased expression.
“It sounds nicer than I expected, being called ‘honey.’”
“Are you satisfied now?”
“Nope!”
Even after the light turned green, my sister didn’t start walking. Instead, she clung tight to my right arm.
I wasn’t thrilled about having this kind of lovey-dovey physical contact with my sister… but I’d endure it.
“Let’s go, honey!”
“Let’s not do this outside. What if someone we know sees us?”
“Is there anyone we know around right now?”
“Well, no…”
“Then it’s fine! The light’s changing. Come on, honey~”
We’d better hurry along before we got even more fond looks.
They were strangers, but I didn’t want them getting the wrong idea…
***
“Ta-da~ Welcome to our newlywed home!”
“It’s just the place you were already living in.”
“Starting today, it’s our newlywed home!”
Unlike me, drifting from one part-time job to another without much of a plan, my sister had a pretty good job at a good company.
Well, she had.
Her place was quite spacious for someone living alone.
More than big enough for two people.
“Not much has changed.”
“Right?”
I’d been here a few times since it was close to my studio apartment.
But the furniture and decor looked pretty much the same as I remembered.
Except for one thing. A pile of translucent medicine packets on one side of the dining table.
“The bathroom’s this way, and the laundry basket is right here… Oh, don’t leave your socks inside out!”
“I can do my own laundry.”
“Ooh… A domestic husband?”
“A realistic sibling.”
The tour didn’t take long.
There was just one thing left: where I’d sleep. My room.
Obviously, I had no intention of sharing a room with my sister.
“Where are you going to sleep? If there’s no bed, you can use the sofa.”
“Separate bedrooms for newlyweds? That wasn’t in your big sister’s plan…”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hehe… Just kidding, just kidding. Use this room! It’s the guest room, but no one’s ever used it.”
It was an empty room across from the master bedroom my sister used.
The only furniture in it was a large bed.
“This is nice. I can bring over some clothes and whatever else I need.”
“Just tell your big sis if you need anything!”
This was more than good enough for me.
Moving from my studio apartment into an apartment was already a huge win for me.
If you ignored the fact that my roommate and I had a slightly complicated relationship.
“Should we eat now? You must be getting hungry.”
“W-wait a minute. I’ll make something. Or we can order in.”
The fatal flaw of my sister, who was so playful, had a great personality, went to a good university, and had a top-tier job, was that she couldn’t cook.
Ever since we were kids, no matter how hungry I was, I never ate anything my sister made.
Whenever our parents were both out, I was always the one who made us food.
She’d burn it, undercook it, season it wrong, mix up the ingredients… It was a disaster all around.
“No! A wife should obviously cook for her husband.”
“What era are we living in that you can say something so patriarchal?”
Isn’t your idea of married life a little messed up?
“B-but, Sis, I’ve gotten pretty good at cooking while living alone!”
“What can you make?”
“……”
After a suspicious silence, she finally answered…
“…Fried eggs?”
***
“Here.”
I’d made a simple tomato and egg stir-fry.
A quick look in the fridge showed that she’d been getting most of her meals delivered lately.
Aside from a few side dishes Mom had clearly made, the fridge was completely empty.
“Oh! I haven’t had this in ages.”
“I bet.”
Back when we lived together—that is, when my sister was in high school.
Whenever we had to fend for ourselves, I’d often make this as a side dish.
“Hey, do you think I should try learning how to cook, too?”
“Forget it. It’s not something you can just pick up in a day or two.”
“But I want to cook for my husband. Oh, and I want to pack you a lunch sometime, too!”
“I’ll pass.”
She’d been living alone, yet there were four chairs around her dining table.
After debating where to sit, I picked a seat that was neither beside her nor across from her, but at an angle.
“Anyway, tell me about the wedding.”
“Right! The wedding… I’ve already looked into the venue, so all we have to do is pick a date and book it.”
“What about the dress?”
“The dress! I’ll try them on before I decide, but I’ve picked out a few already. My phone, my phone…”
My sister suddenly got busy in the middle of our meal.
She popped a piece of tomato into her mouth, then sprang to her feet.
Then she went into her room, brought back her phone, opened the gallery, and showed me pictures of the wedding dresses she’d saved.
Seriously… she’d picked out a lot. She’d only wear one of them, anyway.
No, wait. Maybe that meant she had to choose even more carefully?
“What do you think of this one? I like it, but the sleeves are a little plain, which is a shame.”
“It’s pretty.”
“Really? Then this one! The back is cut really low, but we won’t have any guests anyway, so it’s okay, right?”
“I guess so.”
“Look at this one, too. And this one! I really like it, except the train drags on the floor… Hmm…”
She was absolutely thrilled.
The idea of marrying my sister was absurd and a little embarrassing, but…
I was glad I hadn’t turned down her request.
***
Our simple meal was over.
The only side dishes were tomato and egg stir-fry and kimchi, but my sister cleaned her plate without a single complaint.
She said it tasted like Mom’s cooking or something.
I couldn’t stop my sister from insisting on doing the dishes herself.
She might look fine, but she was a patient—and a terminally ill one at that—so I wanted to handle as many of the little chores as I could.
A little worried, I stood beside her while she washed the dishes and struck up a conversation.
“But doesn’t anything feel awkward to you?”
“Huh? Like what?”
“Having your little brother as your husband and calling him ‘honey.’”
“Oh~ Of course it’s awkward! It’s embarrassing, too.”
“Really? You seemed totally fine with it.”
The clattering of the dishes stopped for a moment.
My sister stared into space, thought for a bit, then gave me a fairly serious answer.
“But… isn’t this better than starting a relationship from scratch with someone we don’t know?”
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong.”
After all, my sister’s time was limited.
It was a choice I’d never make under normal circumstances, though.
“And! It’s convenient since we already know all the little things about each other. Like, um… what’s an example?”
“That you’re absolute crap at cooking.”
“W-what did you say? You jerk!”
As soon as she finished speaking, a slow kick came flying at me to punish me.
But my sister had the impressive record of quitting taekwondo after just one month.
In other words, it was harder to get hit by that kick than to dodge it.
Without even trying to dodge, I simply turned a little and made my way to the bathroom.
“I’m going to brush my teeth first.”
“N-no! Wait! I wanted to try brushing our teeth together while looking in the mirror! Hey! Heyyy!”
I could grant most of her requests, but we could do that anytime, so I passed.