01x04 - That's Not What You're Supposed to Say

[bunniefuu]

Direct Line

Gion & Kiyomizu by HANKEI Railway

Your Personalized Wedding Venue

I'd like to exercise your punishment now.

Go on a date with me tomorrow.

What on earth is that boy planning?

I mean

I feel like going on a date is a direct

violation of our rules in and of itself.

No

Plenty of close siblings go out

together on their days off, right?

Surely they meet up outside of home too.

That's right! This is a healthy part

of any stepsibling relationship!

Sorry. I got held up.

You're Irido Mizuto, right?

My younger stepbrother?

Yes, I'm Irido Mizuto.

Your older stepbrother.

H H-H-He's

so handsome!

My Stepmom's

Daughter Is

My Ex

That's Not What You're Supposed to Say

Pretty long line, huh?

Looks like it.

Still, I reckon it won't take too long.

We look just like a real couple.

Only couples and families visit

the aquarium together, don't they?

Why did he decide to bring me here?

It's not like we're on a date.

Oh, wait We are on a date, aren't we?

Oh no!

He's totally giving off intellectual yet

charming young man with baggage vibes!

Crap! He's like my dream boy come to life!

Admission

AdultHigh SchoolMiddle SchoolElementaryChild (Ages 3+)

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Pass

yen

Oh crap!

Two high school student tickets, please.

Oh crap, oh crap!

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!

Two high school student tickets?

That'll be 3,000 yen.

D-Don't do it!

Hold back that grin!

Hello? I got the tickets.

Good.

Well, let's get a move on, then.

All right.

H-H-H-H-He's

h-h-h-h-holding my hand!

Wow, those two seem pretty close, huh?

Hey, try not to stare.

It's all right. We're not

actually that close, but

You can keep staring!

Japanese Giant

Salamander Illustration

Our Huge Giant

Salamander Exhibit!!

You with me, Irido?

Our mission on today's date

is to get the unrivaled lunatic Minami Akatsuki

to give up her obsession with Irido-san.

And so, fresh into high school,

we're gonna make Irido Yume's

brother complex a reality!

When Minami sees that Irido-san

only has eyes for you,

her impulsive dreams of marrying

into the family will be shattered.

Once she finds out the two

of you are going on a date,

she won't hesitate to come sneak a peek.

So don't let this opportunity go to waste.

You gotta whisk Irido-san off her feet.

Show Minami a couple madly in love,

and her heart'll just

snap right in two.

Want some?

I'll pass.

I get his logic.

However

Since I can't tell her about Minami,

there's no way for me

to explain the situation.

I just have to play the jerk

trying to win back

the ex he broke up with

once the honeymoon phase was over.

k*ll me now.

Listen good, Irido.

What I'm about to tell you is invaluable.

You must always compliment

a girl's outfit. Always.

I've confirmed my target's location

and I'm ready for action.

I'll strike now and, with any luck,

the attack will hit Minami too.

Actually, doesn't she seem a

little livelier than usual?

Hey

Wh-What's up?

Did you know this fish tank

is famous for its size?

Y-Yeah, it does seem pretty big.

Damn it. I lost my nerve.

This is way out of my comfort zone.

Ergo, I blame Kawanami.

What I'm about to tell you is invaluable.

You must always compliment

a girl's outfit. Always.

You look

strangely cute today, huh?

I-I messed up.

I accidentally deployed my usual sarcasm!

This is bad!

Th

Thank you.

Hold up.

Wait, wait, wait, wait!

That is not the response

of a girl who's dated before.

More like a middle schooler

talking to their first crush!

Get it together, Miss High School Debut!

I guess I'll just have

to show you how it's done.

S-Sure

See? Like a house on fire, aren't they?

Are they?

Oh, excuse us.

Look at the fishies!

They didn't bump into you, did they?

Hang on! He's so close!

And he smells so nice!

Gimme a break! What's with him today?!

Such a gentlemen! And so sweet!

His every move has me

feeling weak in the knees

How long do you plan on holding my shoulder?

O-Oh, my bad.

There are a lot of people

around, so stay close.

You needn't keep reminding me, you know?

I'm not a child.

You're right.

Huh?

I thought my response sounded

pretty snarky just now.

Where's his comeback? The snide retort?

Did you leave your stock

contemptuous laugh at home?

When I look at the tank,

she sneaks a glance at me.

And when I pull her close

to keep her from getting bumped,

her gaze turns into a piercing glare.

Even now

she's still staring at me.

Why are dates such a struggle?

You sound like a pig, you know?

Oink!

Help me, Kawanami.

We look so awkward together.

Really? Is that how it looks to you?

Of course it does. I'm not blind.

Well, I will say this

I'll leave the judgment calls

to the man on the front line.

Hey, quit making me do all the work.

Hold up your end of the bargain, Commander!

Whatever the circumstances,

I'm the one who asked her out.

I shouldn't do anything that

might jeopardize our date.

Still

This is on her for making friends

with an unrepentant menace.

Why am I bending over backward

for someone who isn't even my girlfriend?

I've made three miscalculations.

First, the line for the girl's bathroom

was so long that I didn't want to wait,

but when I went to look for another one,

it was farther away than I thought.

Second, the aquarium's layout is

far more complicated than I thought.

And lastly, I'm terrible at reading maps.

All this is to say

As hard as it is to admit, I'm lost.

Why am I always like this?!

Irido Mizuto

Hello?

Hello. Where are you right now?

Under the sky?

Right

I-I'm sorry.

Here comes the flood of sarcastic comments.

He'd never pass up this chance to

unleash a storm of personal attacks.

I can just see his snide face now.

But right now, I couldn't even argue.

No, it's not like you did anything wrong.

It's my fault for not

keeping an eye on you.

Stay put.

I'll come get you, so don't go—

No.

That's not what you're supposed to say.

Huh?

What does that mean?

What was I supposed to say?

My Stepmom's Daughter Is My Ex

Why did he say that?

He's being so nice to me today.

Charming and kind. A true gentlemen.

It's far better than the usual tempest

of mockery and cynical comments.

This is infinitely preferable

to the infuriating and incessant

bickering we always fall into.

And yet

What is it that I want, exactly?

Here I am becoming a burden

to him all over again

Looking back, I can only describe

it as a youthful indiscretion.

But from my second to third

year of middle school,

I had what you might call a boyfriend.

Before we officially started dating,

we only ever spoke when we saw

each other in the school library.

But one day, I mustered all my courage

and asked someone out for

the first time in my life.

The local festival we visited was far

more crowded than we expected.

We ended up getting separated.

I made a fool of myself

on my very first date.

Between knowing each precious moment

that passed was wasted time

and the pain from the unforgiving straps

on my geta sandals,

I've never wanted to disappear

more in my entire life.

Through all my sniffling and whimpering,

I apologized to him profusely over the phone.

But he just told me to "stay put"

before hanging up.

I was always clumsy and inelegant.

A failure at everything I did.

And I always resented myself for it.

But I never wanted to be a burden to others.

At the very least, I didn't want the guy

I liked to think I was a burden.

But I got greedy, carried away,

and overconfident.

And that was the price I paid.

When all I could think was that the

world would be better off without me,

he reached out to offer me a drink

and said this to me

You know, Ayai,

I'm honestly pretty worn out after

having to find you in this crowd.

And listening to all that crying over the phone

left me pretty drained mentally too.

But you know what?

None of that changes how I think of you.

I already knew you can be clumsy

and a little inelegant sometimes.

And today, I learned you get lost easily too.

But even knowing all of that,

I'm not going anywhere.

So you don't have to be afraid.

No matter what

I wanna go home

So you don't have to be afraid.

No matter what

you can always rely on me.

I have come to collect you, my lady.

I daresay it might behoove you

to improve your sense of direction.

What was that?

Your sense of humor never ceases to amaze me.

What did you just say?

All right, I've got it.

We settle this with a bibliobattle.

Let's do this.

Then I'll go first.

The Nonserial Murders by Sakaguchi Ango.

Then I'll go next.

"The Dancing Girl" by Mori Ogai.

Don't you dare remind me

about that scumbag Toyotaro!

Last I checked, The Nonserial Murders

is a parade of scumbags.

Most of them die in the end, so who cares?

Oh?

So what?

It's all good as long as

the bad guys kick the bucket?

They seem like they're having fun.

That's not what I meant.

Can't you just imagine dead

bodies floating around in there?

Should we move this date to a mental

institution, Miss Mystery Buff?

Come on. Don't tell me you don't see it.

Amongst the gracefully drifting jellyfish,

broken remains of corpses

gently sway to and fro

What a mystery that would make.

Never in my wildest dreams have

I had such a disturbing thought.

The best twist I can conceive is that

some man-eating shark

appeared in the Kamo River

and devoured each and every couple

that dared to sit on its banks.

Your idea sounds way more disturbing!

Besides, there's no way a shark could

swim in such a shallow river.

Sharks possess limitless ability,

so it's quite possible.

No, they don't. They're fish.

All right, then.

Why don't we test that theory?

I can't wait to see you cower in fear,

helpless but to bow down to

the shark's infinite power.

What makes you so confident?

You sound more arrogant than a serial

k*ller with a mythological sobriquet

announcing his next crime.

What'd you say, stupid nerd?

You got a problem, stupid geek?

In the six months since

our problems started,

I slowly began to hate

her as the days went by.

Everything she did and everything she

said started getting on my nerves.

That was the most painful part of it.

What I'd loved about her more than anything

What I'd so cherished about her

One after the other, my love for them

turned to hatred. It was torment.

That's why we broke up.

And so

now freed from the romantic

bond that once held us,

we have no obligation to

try to love one another,

and no reason to come to hate one another.

We're just stepsiblings who used

to date once upon a time.

Yes, I understand now.

Our situation now is a blessing compared

to the unhealthy relationship we had before.

All right, I'll head home first.

Sure.

Going home separately thus

concludes our date at the aquarium.

All that's left is

Got it

We're inside

Kawanami

Read

She's coming

Close the deal

Wow!

Hey, Irido-kun! Fancy seeing you here.

Yeah. What a coincidence, Minami-san.

I'm sorry!

I really shouldn't have snuck

into your house like that!

I didn't mean any harm.

You forgot to lock the front door,

so I just couldn't help myself, you know?

You're gonna tell Yume-chan, aren't you?

About me.

Don't worry. I won't.

As long as you promise to behave.

What? But why?

Because you're her friend

and you mean a lot to her.

So that's it.

I'm not gonna thank you, you know.

You had better.

You should be on your knees right now.

By the way

What exactly made you think to leave

an extra chair at our dining table?

What are you talking about?

Huh?

I'm kidding, I'm kidding. It was a joke!

Hey

It was just a little make-believe, you know?

Man, I'm really sorry about that!

From now on, I'll behave

and shamelessly invite myself

over as her dear friend.

Hey now.

You clearly haven't given backing off

even the slightest thought, have you?

About that

I still plan on marrying you and

living together, you hear?

Haven't given up on that, huh?

When crushing one's rivals in love,

the best course of action is to

force your way between them,

don'tcha think?

Irido

I can't wrap my head around any of it.

Why he suddenly asked me out on a date

and that pair of shoes I found

by the door are both still mysteries.

If this were a novel,

I'd be a failure of a detective.

Well, in any case, the date is over now.

No!

I'm not gonna let it end like this!

I'm home.

Tonight is the night I capture my

little brother's shining moment.

Huh?

The Nonserial Murders

Sakaguchi AngoKadokawa Shoten

Your punishment for the underwear incident.

Cross your legs!

Yes, that's it!

Gorgeous!

Stunning!

Now rest your cheek on your hand!

Like this?

Yes, just like that!

This is perfect!

The Nonserial Murders

Sakaguchi AngoKadokawa Shoten

Stop!

Don't move a muscle!

That's it!

Aren't I, your wonderful older sister,

getting just the best pictures?

So many hotties in my camera roll

Hey, Nee-san?

Eh?

While we're at it, I'm willing to take

one more request if you'd like.

O-Okay, then

Would you hug me from behind

and whisper something in my ear?

What kind of request is that?

It's your punishment!

It has nothing to do with my

own fantasies whatsoever!

I've caught you.

You caught me.

Morning, Yume-chan!

Good morning, Minami-san.

What didja do last Saturday?

I basically slept the entire day.

I didn't really do anything special either.

Just stayed home and read a book.

You don't say

And with that, I'd say case closed.

What kind of books do you

read? Like what genre?

It's still wide open if you ask me.

I like mystery novels.

Well, if she does anything weird

again, just come talk to me.

When it comes to Minami Akatsuki,

you won't find a better man for the job.

Pardon my asking, Kawanami, but

Have you ever been hospitalized?

Sure have.

Back in middle school, to be exact.

We both have it rough, don't we?

You might be right.

I'll bring it with me tomorrow.

Really?! Sweet!