Chapter 11: Second Morning

“Come on already, waaaake uuup!”

My body was being shaken.

“Alicia… just five more minutes…”

But the shaking didn’t stop—in fact, it only got stronger.

“Onii-chan. I’m not Alicia, you know—get up already!”

Sensing something off, I opened my eyes.

Yuna’s face was right in front of mine—and it looked like she was holding me and shaking my body.

I was keenly aware of the softness of Yuna’s body pressed against mine and the sweet, fluffy scent drifting from her—something I’d never picked up from her before—that tickled my nose.

—Panicking, I jumped out of bed.

“Oh, you’re up… Good morning, Onii-chan.”

“Wh-Wh-What are you doing!?”

I protested, nearly teary-eyed. Even if we’re close siblings, crawling into my bed is crossing the line. The only saving grace was that the, uh, reactive part of my anatomy was no longer present. If I’d reacted to my own sister, I’d never recover from the shame.

“Well, you just wouldn’t wake up. Even when I said I was coming under the covers, you didn’t respond at all!”

“Still! Hugging me like that is not okay! We’re brother and sister!”

“Right now, we’re more like sisters, so it’s totally fine. Anyway, since you’re up, hurry up and eat breakfast already—Mama said she can’t clean up until you do. Oh, and connect me with Alicia through telepathy, too! I want to say good morning!”

“…Yeah, yeah.”

I activated the telepathy spell and climbed out of bed.

『Good morning, Alicia.』

Yuna greeted Alicia right away.

『Good morning, Yuna-san.』

『…My name.』

『I’m sorry… Yuna.』

『Yup, that’s better.』

Wait, when did Alicia and Yuna get so close?

Was it from that long chat they had yesterday?

Still, I was honestly glad Alicia was getting along with Yuna.

“What are you staring off into space for, Onii-chan? Hurry up and get to the living room already!”

Chased out by Yuna, who raised her voice to hide her embarrassment, I dashed out of the room.

…You damn tsundere.

When I went downstairs and entered the living room, just as Yuna had said, only my meal was left on the table. It was 9:40 AM—looked like I’d overslept a fair bit thanks to yesterday’s exhaustion.

“Morning, Mom… Sorry, I overslept.”

I greeted Mom, who was working in the kitchen.

She didn’t stop what she was doing at the sink but replied without turning around.

“Good morning, Ikuto, Alicia. Did you both sleep well?”

『Yes, thanks to you, I was able to rest comfortably.』

“I slept like a rock too.”

“That’s good. Now hurry up and eat… Once you’re done, we’re heading out for some shopping.”

Oh right, we did talk about that yesterday.

I winced, remembering how the last time I got dragged out shopping, I was pulled around for hours and used as a pack mule.

In this body, I probably wouldn’t be made to carry anything heavy, but considering the purpose of the shopping trip… honestly, I was already feeling worn out just thinking about it.

“Don’t make that face—it’s mostly shopping for you, you know?”

Now that I was in Alicia’s body, none of my old clothes fit at all. I had a few hand-me-downs from Yuna, but not enough for regular wear. And I definitely needed underwear that actually fit… I’d already resigned myself to wearing women’s ones at this point.

So yeah, I had to go shopping, but the thought of being used like a dress-up doll was depressing.

“If you really don’t want to go, it’s fine—we’ll just go without you. Mama and I will pick out a bunch of cute clothes that suit you.”

Ugh… that sounded even worse. If I left it to those two, my entire wardrobe would end up full of frilly, girly outfits. At the very least, I wanted some simple stuff like jeans and T-shirts.

“…Alright, I’ll go.”

Resolving to protect my mental peace, I accepted the call to battle.

“Then finish breakfast and get changed, okay?”

“I already laid out your clothes in your room!”

『I’m excited to see the clothes Yuna picked out, Ikuto-san!』

Unlike the cheerful Alicia, I had nothing but anxiety about whatever Yuna had picked out for me.

After finishing a simple but satisfying breakfast of miso soup and bacon and eggs, I returned to my room and shuddered at the clothes laid out for me.

『They’re really cute, Ikuto-san!』

『Y-Yeah…』

The outfit prepared for me included a pink jacket, a white blouse, a red and brown plaid mini skirt, black over-the-knee socks, and a white camisole.

There was also a matching set of a pink, fancy-patterned half-top and shorts with a small ribbon accent — brand new.

It seemed Yuna had bought them during yesterday’s grocery shopping trip. Considering how much damage wearing my sister’s underwear caused me before, this was a relief.

『…What’s wrong? Hurry up and get changed, everyone’s waiting.』

『…Yeah, you’re right.』

I tried to think of any way to avoid wearing it, but came up empty and resigned myself to getting dressed.

I struggled a bit with the blouse buttons being reversed left and right but managed to put it on.

After changing into the outfit, the first thing I noticed was how exposed my thighs felt in the mini skirt. The cool air brushing against my bare skin made it feel like I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. Plus, I had to be careful or my panties might show—it made me nervous.

When I returned to the living room, two women greeted me with cheers.

“Oh my, that’s just lovely!”

“Onii-chan, it suits you so well… as expected of me!”

Confused by their voices, I stood before the full-length mirror in the living room.

There was no mirror in my room, so I hadn’t been able to check how I looked until now.

The mirror reflected a cute girl wearing softly toned warm-colored clothes, with striking platinum blonde hair.

The “absolute territory” between the mini skirt and the over-the-knee socks was dazzling.

If a girl like that walked down the street, I’d definitely find myself staring.

Her uneasy gestures made me want to protect her even more… Then I realized with a sigh that the reflection in front of me was me.

…Am I an idiot?

The figure in the mirror gave a look of exasperation back at me.

I thought it was unfair how even that expression suited me perfectly.