“Waaah.” I woke up at seven in the morning, Saturday again. This time I beat my brother—well, more like I heard him waking up first. I turned my eyes and saw him climbing down from the top bunk, looking at me with happy eyes.
You’d think I’d be bummed about getting little sleep, but not this time. I jumped out of bed, rushed to the bathroom, and hopped into the shower. That’s when I noticed something new… well, not really new. It had been happening since the day I met Ale onee-chan. I guess I’m at that age. I was hard.
Anyway, after a quick shower—and a quick release of my urges—we headed out to the park, both brothers feeling pretty happy.
Same as last week, we’d watched the new episode of Survival Boy the night before. This episode had a lot more blood and action. The boy had to fight some black wolves. He escaped, but he didn’t give up—he planned ahead and made a trap, luring in one of them. Afterward, he used the wolf’s fur to make clothes to survive the cold.
Honestly, it was really hype.
We quickly arrived at the park. I looked around, checking if they’d gotten there already. I even checked my breath to see if it smelled bad. Honestly, it had never crossed my mind before how important cleanliness was. I remembered last year during school vacation, I even went a whole week without showering. Now I felt ashamed about it.
Then my face lit up—I saw her.
Ale Onee-chan was walking toward us, hands in her pockets, just as dashing as last time, wearing her usual boyish outfit. This time, she was yawning. And of course, Kei—her little brother—was beside her, bursting with energy.
“Kota-kun!, Iryoku onii-chan!” Kei shouted, waving wildly.
We waved back.
Nice, Kei—I’ll be your onii-chan too, I thought, glancing at Ale’s radiant face as she smiled at us. I wondered if I was making a dumb face.
We played together again, running all over the park. Ale and I pretended to be the wolves from the series, cornering Kota and Kei—until they both pulled a trap on us and beat us.
“Hahaha!” The boys’ laughter rose as they celebrated.
After a while, Ale Onee-chan turned to me and suddenly pulled me close, her arm draped over my shoulder.
“Oi, Iryoku,” she said. “Did your parents say anything to you guys about the Survival Boy anime?”
I could feel her boobs brushing against my shoulder. Her closeness made me flush a little, and I couldn’t stop myself from stealing a quick glance. I was instantly hard again.
“Why are you asking?” I replied, trying not to show the tent.
She let go of my shoulder—making me feel oddly reluctant to separate from her—then took off her cap for a moment, fixed her ponytail, and slid it back on.
“Well, yesterday Mom walked in while we were watching,” she said. “And she saw the bloody part. She almost banned us from watching it.”
She sighed. “Thankfully, Kei threw a crying fit, so she let us keep watching. But now she sits with us whenever it’s on, just to make sure it’s not too bad.”
“In our case,” I said, “Mom usually doesn’t bother us about what we watch—as long as we behave and get good grades. Though… if she walked in during the bloody scene, she’d probably scold us too.”
While we were talking, Kei suddenly ran between us.
“Iryoku onii-chan!”
I patted his head. “What’s up, buddy?”
Kota came rushing right behind him.
“I think that thing the Survival Boy said yesterday was really cool,” Kei said. “Uh… how was it again? Everything can be used…? A man in hell…?”
Kota tried to repeat it too, but butchered it just as badly.
Ale Onee-chan smoothly filled in, “Everything can be used…”
And I followed right after, “A good man must be resourceful… even in hell.”
Both kids raised their hands like they’d just unlocked some secret power.
“Yes! We want to be like that!”
That made Ale and me laugh.
“But what does it actually mean, Onii-chan?” Kota asked, eyes wide.
I thought for a moment. “It means that even when bad things happen—when you’re beaten down or stuck somewhere scary—you still have to survive and keep going. Something like that.”
I glanced at Ale from the corner of my eye, wondering if she thought I was that kind of person.
Suddenly, Ale Onee-chan frowned, like she’d just been hit in the liver, and looked off to the side.
“Are you okay, Ale Onee-chan?” I asked.
She gave a faint smile. “Sorry. I’ll be back in a second. Can you take care of Kei for me?”
Then she walked away.
I wondered what that was about… Anyway, I kept playing with the boys. I even asked Kei about the things his sister liked—what she was into—but it wasn’t anything new. Anime, action movies, video games, sports. Stuff I already knew.
Well… I did learn one thing. She used to be on a baseball team at her old school. She played with the boys’ team.
I wonder if she’ll join a team here too?
Well, that was good to know, I guess.
As we played, three older boys—bigger than me—walked into the park like they owned the place. Instantly, I felt something ominous. I tried to keep us to ourselves.
But then Kota shouted, “Now we’re gonna survive in the forest… and make a bonfire!”
That caught their attention.
The boys stopped, looked at us, then looked at me. I lowered my eyes a little. If I made eye contact, they might think I was picking a fight.
“Eh, what’s this bullshit? Playing survival?” one of them laughed, signaling the others.
Another pointed at me and mocked, “Hey kid, aren’t you too old to be crawling on the ground like that?” They all laughed.
What do I do? I thought. Thank god Ale Onee-chan isn’t here to see this.
But Kei stood straight. “Hey! Don’t mock Iryoku Onii-chan! He’s a true man—he can survive in hell!”
The three boys leered and started walking toward us. “Is that right?” one of them said, squaring up in front of me.
Crap. What do I do? They were really bigger than me. I looked back—Kota and Kei both looked a little scared. My heart pounded.
I straightened my body and tried to speak. “We’re just playing…”
My voice came out weak.
Damn. Why now? Come on—do something, I begged myself.
Then I felt a punch slam into my stomach.
I fell hard onto my butt, pain exploding through my gut.
“Why’re you glaring at me, you cocky bastard?!” one of the boys yelled.
I looked up, terrified. Kota and Kei crouched next to me, trying to help me stand. I could see the fear on their faces. But honestly, I was even more scared. This wasn’t anime or movies. I’d never fought in my life… and I sure couldn’t summon some mystical power to save us.
Then heavy footsteps pounded toward us.
“AGH!” A kick slammed into one of the bullies’ sides, sending him stumbling.
“What the hell are you doing?!” came a familiar voice.
My eyes went wide. Ale Onee-chan.
She turned and swung a punch straight into another boy’s stomach, making him double over with a pained grunt. Then she pivoted, delivering a sharp side kick like a martial artist, dropping the third boy in one move. In seconds, all three were on the ground—one of them even crying.
“Who the hell are you punks?! Why are you messing with my little bros?!” Ale snarled, glaring down at them.
Fear flashed across their faces. They scrambled to their feet and ran off as fast as they could.
My first thought was, How can I be even more in love with her? I was captivated all over again.
But then Kei started crying and threw himself into her arms, and guilt washed over me.
“Kei, stop crying. You’re a boy,” she said firmly. “A boy shouldn’t cry. Remember—you need to stand up for yourself and fight. Otherwise, girls won’t like you.”
Her words stabbed straight into my chest like daggers. I almost felt like crying myself. Kota, still beside me, looked like he was on the verge of tears too.
Ale Onee-chan walked over and grabbed my arm, pulling me up with ease. I felt her strength—her big, soft hand had more than enough power to lift me effortlessly.
That’s when it really hit me.
I was so small in her presence.
“Are you guys okay?” she asked.
But I wasn’t okay.
We’d just been talking about what it meant to be a true man, and then I froze and got knocked down—right in front of Kei and Kota. I felt like crying.
I turned my face away and wiped my nose once, then again. It itched as the tears threatened to spill.
Damn. Don’t come. Don’t come, damn it…
No—not in front of her.
“I’m okay… thanks,” I muttered, keeping my face turned aside.
“If they ever bother you guys again, tell me. I’ll beat the crap out of them,” she said, grinning as she punched her palm.
I finally managed to hold back the tears and hugged Kota, helping him calm down.
Ale Onee-chan brushed it off like it was nothing. “Alright, boys, let’s keep playing. This time I’ll be the one surviving—and you’re the enemies!” She laughed.
I felt stupid.
Maybe, to her, I was just that—a small, weak little brother she had to protect.
In her eyes, I was no different from Kei and Kota...