In Tokyo: They are heavily dependent on me

Chapter 59. No one can take my brother away.

Rin Hoshino was very angry.

This wasn't the first time her brother had disregarded her—not only did he come back late, but now he had even fabricated such an impossible lie.

"I'm so angry! I'll never forgive him when I get back!"

Rin, who was in a fit of anger, dragged the floor with great force. Just then, the microwave in the kitchen made a "click" sound, indicating that the set time had expired.

She put on thick gloves, took out the heated food and placed it on the dining table, then continued mopping the floor.

Just as the ramen shop was almost completely cleaned, she heard the sound of bicycles being parked outside.

Immediately afterwards, the curtain bearing the words "Hoshinoya Ramen" was lifted.

"Brother! You..."

Following the sound, she saw the person in front of her clearly... The rag she was using to wipe the dining table fell to the floor. Then she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, but the scene in front of her remained unchanged.

Unable to control herself any longer, she let out a drawn-out "Eh—".

In short—

After parking her bicycle, Hoshino Kaoru opened the shoe cabinet, changed into clean indoor shoes, and then handed another pair of unworn indoor shoes to Aozora Asuka beside her.

"Put your shoes on."

The other person clearly listened to him, bent down to change her shoes, and then, as if waiting for his further instructions, blankly raised her face to look at Xun, who was much taller than her.

Seeing the scene before her, Rin was completely confused.

Brother... is what you're saying true?

She couldn't understand it; her pupils trembled uncontrollably, and her almost black brown hair swayed along with them.

"Um, this is my younger sister, Hoshino Rin. You two will be working together from now on."

Kaoru didn't care whether his sister had recovered from the shock or not. He grabbed Rin's shoulders with both hands and pushed her in front of Aozora.

Because the mask on her face had been taken off before she entered, Rin couldn't possibly forget that face.

That's her... Minami-chan, the former lead vocalist and song producer of the LOVE group, whose voice is full of melancholy.

It's real!

"Mi...Minami-chan?"

Rin finally snapped out of her daze and began to look at the girl in front of her, who looked like a middle school student, with an almost greedy gaze.

Then, she came to the conclusion that should have been reached long ago.

It really is Minami-chan!

This is truly her favorite, my pick!

"Hello......"

Sensing that Rin might pounce at any moment, Aozora, somewhat frightened, hid behind Kaoru, peeking out from behind him and cautiously observing him as if to confirm his own safety.

"I'm starving. Let's have dinner first, Rin. Please entertain our guests."

"Eh..."

Kaoru sat in her seat, and Aozora, unable to find a place to hide, lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers, not daring to look up at Rin, whom she had only met once.

That reaction was completely different from when she was standing on stage singing for the audience.

"Minami-chan, have you had dinner yet?"

Rin leaned closer to her cheek, looking at the petite girl whose forehead only reached her chin.

"No...no..."

"Then let's eat some with my brother, I've prepared a lot anyway."

As if she were entertaining a guest, Rin prepared the bowls and chopsticks, then pressed down on Aozora's shoulder and made her sit in a chair.

At first, Aozora was afraid of taking off her mask in front of strangers, but she quickly realized that the girl in front of her, who looked like an older sister, meant her no harm. So she pointed to some dishes on the table that she had never seen before and tentatively asked, "May I eat this?"

"Of course, I've done a lot... Brother! Slow down! Nobody's going to take it from you!"

Seeing Kaoru finish a bowl of rice at an astonishing speed, Rin thought his eating manners were terrifying, like a homeless person who hadn't eaten for three days.

Honestly, my idol actually saw this side of my brother...

While complaining inwardly, she served the food and then handed it over.

"Oh... thank you."

Aozora felt flattered. Since joining LOVE, she had never eaten a hot bento box before, as they were always cold.

Smelling the food, and feeling equally hungry, she began to eat.

At first, she was worried that the food she had never seen before would taste strange, but as soon as she picked up her chopsticks and put the dish in her mouth... her eyes immediately lit up.

That's it!

The food, chopped into small pieces... is eggplant and pork!

She never expected these two foods to be prepared this way. The chopped eggplant was sweet and melted quickly in her mouth like ice cream. Paired with pork and evenly poured over rice, the taste was wonderful and she liked it very much. She quickly finished a bowl of rice.

"So delicious..."

"Many customers say the same thing after tasting it. When I first heard that eggplant and pork could be cooked like this... I was quite surprised. I didn't expect it to taste so good. I really have to thank my brother..."

The "Mapo Tofu Ramen," which is loved by many customers, is a dish created by Kaoru by improving upon the original recipe and combining ramen with Mapo Tofu.

It's all because he's been working hard to create food that customers love... that the ramen shop's revenue has been getting better and better.

Rin is very proud to have such an outstanding older brother... She has always admired him.

"Oh right, my brother just mentioned... that Minami-chan and I are colleagues?"

Coming back to her senses from her complicated thoughts, Rin suddenly remembered... what her brother had said to her not long ago.

"Work at the ramen shop will get busier and busier in the future, and Rin definitely won't be able to handle it all by herself, so I've found you a helper. With two people, you won't have to worry, right?"

"So, Minami-chan will become my junior?"

"Junior...you can understand it that way too."

"This is wonderful!"

Rin cheered, but soon became puzzled.

She glanced at Minami-chan beside her, secretly observing her brother's indifferent expression, and began to speculate about their relationship in private.

Could it be that... her brother and Minami-chan have met many times behind her back?

If that's the case... then their relationship... is definitely not that of ordinary friends.

Thinking about these aspects, Rin felt a sense of crisis.

She would never let her brother be taken away by another woman, no one at all!

Japan has a law that allows step-siblings to marry; however, if they want to marry, they can only marry her...

Brother... will always belong to her alone.

With these considerations in mind, Rin decided to ask for clarification.

Her face was serious, and the look she gave the blue sky was no longer filled with longing, but with the vigilance one would show when facing an enemy.

No one but her has the right to take her brother away.

This is the only thing that will not be allowed.

Rin, whose expression gradually turned serious, raised her face.

His gaze lingered on his older brother, Hoshino Kaoru, who was sitting next to him.

"Brother, can you tell me about your relationship with Minami-chan?"

......