Home

Dear diary, after an endless wait, the day has come... The Crystal Captor Hana convention starts today.

'Crystal Captor Hana,' or 'CCH' for the 'closest fans,' was a magical girl anime that stole the hearts of a whole generation of young girls during the last five years. With such popularity, there was no surprise that an anime convention only about it would be hosted in Sapporo...

"Kufufufu..."

And my big brother promised to take me there. My name is Hirata Mizuki, a kind and angelic fifth grader who's the adorable young sister every brother dreams about.

"Zzzzzzzz..."

And the lad sleeping on his futon was my big brother, Asahi. He was a ninth grader and the nightmare of every sister: an otaku.

It was about time to get ready, but I guess my Big Bro had a brutal fight against his hype last night, since he was still sleeping soundly. Jackpot!

"Wake, wake... sunshine..." I stepped on my prey.

"Good morn—yaaawn..." My doormat finally woke up. "You knoow, I would wait until you hit—yawn—puberty, but maybe it's about time to learn the truth: most men like being stepped—"

"Stop with the nonsense, Big Bro!" I smashed the liar's face with all my li'l sis' wrath. "There's no fun in being mistreated!"

The fun is in mistreating.

Since our mom was busy bringing the bread home, Asahi raised me by himself. Unfortunately (for him), my Big Bro 'spoiled' me a lot. So we have a pecking order, with moi on the top... and I like to assert it. He calls my liking 'mild sadism,' I call it 'hierarchy.'

"Hurry up, Sleeping Lackey!" Crushing that ant, a smirk was inevitable. "A promise is a promise."

"Yawn—ve minuutes," Asahi murmured, tossing to the side with a peace on his face that almost made me believe in the nonsense of men liking to be stepped on.

Ugggghhhh... I guess I can't call him lazy... After all, he worked overtime last night... A good sister would give him five minutes...

Without a second thought, I stood astride above my tired brother to throw my butt against that vulnerable belly. "WAKE UP!!!!"

"Aaaaahhhh... okay, okay! I got up, you monster!"

Victory was mine: the Sleeping Lackey woke up with a buttstrike from his Ruler Charming.

Straddling on my silly brother's lap, I shrugged. "Honesty, big bro, you don't even look thrilled to build precious youth memories with your beloved sister."

"As if I had a choice," the cheeky muttered, scratching his blockhead.

To tell the truth, it was no way easy to convince Asahi to take me to that anime convention. My 'kiss-bribes' were refused one after another (what kind of weirdo would refuse the kiss of an adorable angel on their cheek?) and took three days of non-stop bullying, from tickles to 'hug' scares, until he surrendered. Was my big bro finally evolving from an average otaku into a shut-in?

"I don't get why you want to go to this convention so hard." His neurons connected, given his raised brow. "You haven't watched CCH since fourth grade."

Insightful, my dear Asahi. I did have second intentions, but Asahi didn't need to know that.

"But your passion remains, my dear bro," I performed with brilliance. "Is it so hard to believe your adorable 'little sis' wants to spend the day with her beloved 'big bro'?"

"Hurry up, rebellious phase," Asahi thought aloud as a vein popped on my forehead.

The moment those mean words were said, my body didn't hesitate and threw my jaw forward. Luckily, he was faster and blocked my bite with his arm. While I was nibbling the berserk rage out of my body, Asahi only stared at me with his signature bland face.

If my brother were just a filthy otaku, my life wouldn't be so hard, but he also had a 'neurodifference,' which made him brutally honest. I have a theory that Asahi raised me that clingy because his neurodivergent brain didn't get the limits of the skinship, and it made him crave the deep pressure of his little sis' hugs, tickles, and weight on his lap (I'm not an assistance dog!).

"Are you calmer?" Asahi asked with the placidity of being used with such aggression.

"Yeah, sorry—oww, my gheks!" My brother punished me with cheek pinches.

"I may tolerate this sadism of yours, but no biting!"

In fact, I wouldn't do even half of what I'd already done to Asahi if he asked me to stop, but we both loved roughhousing... for different reasons. It's your fault for raising me like that, idiot!

Once Asahi was done with my cheeks, I yelled, "Big Bro, let's get dressed, pretty please... eh, eh, eh..." bouncing on his lap since I was the only one in a hurry, apparently.

"Okay, just stop with—wait a minute!" Asahi suddenly squinted at my tantrum. "Bounce one more time!"

"Why? Is it something naughty?"

"Yuck, yeah... but there's something else." Asahi grabbed my waist. "Let's check."

Asahi just pulled me up a bit, but at that instant, instead of a naughty expression, his face clouded like a thunderhead.

"You've put on weight!"

Damn 'sensitive-senses'! I've only gained a half kilo!

"What a mystery: your sister stopped eating snacks, as you ordered, but the weight keeps piling up..." Next, I struck a Tehepero face. "I guess it was meant to be..."

No big brother resists this cutie's winsomeness.

"What I've told you about putting on weight on purpose, you Bratty Devil...!"

My gullible brother didn't fall for my cuteness and turned our pecking order upside-down in a snap as he pinched my poor love handles.

"Do you want that hard to become a Gluttony Devil?"

"Please, Big Bro! I'm investing in my future!"

"Oh, not again..." Even with Asahi's facepalm moving to his mouth, it couldn't muffle his muttering.

"But it's true! My research leaves no doubt: slimness is a lie, Dear Bro." I grabbed Asahi's collar. "Deceitful women preach that slenderness is beauty, but men don't like that..."

With my hand on heart, I revealed my discovery with its required seriousness: "Thicc is the true beauty... Like animals, men have a hunger that can only be satisfied by meat... and by creating a beauty ideal based on leanness, the thicc girls are stealing all the men... no, even the other women, to themsel—Big Bro, what are you doing?"

During my passionate speech, Asahi picked his phone and seemed way more focused on that stupid electronic than the conspiracy his genius sister unmasked.

"Your phone has parental control. I just want to see where such 'mind-blowing info' came from."

"Pleeeease, Big Bro, I swear, don't look at my browsing history!" I grabbed my true research material, luckily by my side. "I've learned from your books. See! You like thicc girls too!"

Before irreversible damage was done, I managed to flip through my brother's light novel and show one of his precious waifus. Luckily, the ecchi made him forget the shameful secrets I'd kept from him.

"Ugggh... I've warned you to stay away from my books." Asahi's light frowning finally disappeared. "They're not appropriate for your age."

"We share the room, Big Bro." I moved my hands on hips. "What's yours is mine."

The pecking order is restored!

"There'll be payback," Asahi swore, glaring deep into my eyes and gliding his face close enough to make any other girl's heart skip a beat (damn decreased IPD). Right after, that bitter fulfilled the promise, pinning me up to tickle my waist.

"HAHAHA—don't, you mean... HAHAHAHA..."

My laughing continued even after Asahi extracted his vengeance. Once I managed to stop, my dear bro got up. "Let's get ready, Mizuki."

◆◆◆

To be honest, I'm very curious about it. I have no doubt: I'm about to explore a social anomaly!

"Please, big bro, take a seat. I'll not be responsible for any injury you suffer once you faint."

Despite my big bro joining me unwillingly, Asahi was unable to hide his excitement to go to that convention. I'd asked two months in advance, and he used that time to make costumes for us, which were finished just in the wee hours last night.

"I don't fall for any pretty face... Hurry up! We still need to get the train!"

Asahi just called me 'pretty' like it was no big deal from outside our room (heh).

"Ta-da." I threw the door open and struck Hana's classic fight pose. "'Free'!"

As a blonde, pink outfits suited me perfectly. Still, the cosplay was a bit tight, particularly in the waist-to-belly area, not to mention I'd never worn a dress with a bodice (I'm about to have something to show off there), but I guess they gave me a sweet charm. Knee-high socks were also my thing, and long gloves felt surprisingly well. Even with the 'spice' of average anime designs, the costume was really cute, full of charming frills. I almost could feel the magic overflowing my body... a sensation of power like a true magical girl.

While I was discovering the delights of cosplaying, Asahi, who was waiting for me on the couch in our living room, only stood up and clapped in the most lifeless way possible.

"Go ahead, Big Bro!"

"'Go ahead' with what?"

"Go ahead and compliment me!" I bent toward that blockhead, balling-up my fists down to keep them away from that dumb nose.

"I already clapped. Is this some etiquette—"

"IT IS!!!!"

How didn't this dummy learn basic social norms in 15 years!?

"Okay, sis... It looks like a wormhole brought Hana to our living room in all her beauty..."

With hands on hips, I couldn't hold a simper.

"And some extra kilos."

The only thing that prevented me from throwing myself on his neck was the fact I knew Asahi was a 1-grading praiser. Still, my claws tried to reach him.

Once I cooled down, I turned to the costume and tugged its well-made embroidery. "But this costume sure looks realistic. Did you actually sew it all by yourself?"

Asahi crossed his arms and approached me with a pensive look. "I bought some magazine-guides and watched some tutorials... Honestly, I'm not 100% satisfied with the result..."

Then he rubbed my sleeve on his fingers. "The material is cheap too."

We were being raised by a single mother, and my brother just turned 15. Money had always been a problem.

"No, big bro. It's magnificent." I twirled, totally charmed by my own... charm! "You sure has the 'otaku savant.'"

Asahi chopped my head at the same instant. "I hate this word, Bratty Devil! I may be good at learning by myself if memorization isn't involved, but I guess my report card says about my 'genius' for itself."

Fanarts, fanfics, and now cosplay. My brother was a true genius in everything related to otaku culture. But... There's no doubt about who inherited our mom's genius.

My report card was a solid chain of double circles.

"Please, give me another twirl," Asahi asked, holding my hand up so I could show off my glamorous beauty.

"Do I look this breathtaking, Big Bro?" I couldn't hold a simper again.

"You're really gorgeous..."

Asahi's dead-fish eyes even popped out a bit, showing that I'd succeed in stealing his heart.

"I can barely notice your muffin top."

I pulled my rude brother's hand and bit his arm with all my rage.

"Ouch!"

My brother yelled with my bite! He'd never yelled with them!

Right then I dropped his arm and took a good look to be sure I didn't hurt my poor dumb-brother. But, to my terror, there was a bruise bite-mark.

Asahi only stared at his injury as I turned right to my cellphone.

Domestic abuse! I've become an abuser...! My poor brother must be struggling not to flail!

"It's a bit purple in the bite marks, but no scratch, nor blood... It was just a scare, after all..."

I must turn myself in! There's no forgiveness for what I've done... Argh, how many years am I gonna get?

"Come to think of it, you're growing, Mizuki. I guess it's natural you're growing stronger..."

3 to 5 years...!? I'll plead for 10!

"Actually, I think it's a sign of your health growth... My spoiled little sister is becoming a young girl... I think it's in fact a cause for celebration."

It's a small price to pay for taking away the rare smile of my brother... All I hope is I can find the strength to forgive myself one day... Asahi would never—

But when I was about to call the authorities to handle the monster I'd become, Asahi surprised me with a headpat.

"Don't worry, Bratty Devil. I know you may be a bit brute now, but you didn't hurt me," my kind brother breathed, cupping my cheeks. "You can keep with your harmless 'tsuntsun' yet, but remember you're becoming a young miss... able to kick my sorry butt."

"Aren't you sad...? It was 'harmless'?"

My dear brother didn't say a word. He just pressed my forehead against mine. It was all the answer I needed.

My friends always asked me how I could tolerate such a straight shooter... Well, his bluntness was a double-edged sword. Even if he always made the rudest remarks, Asahi never held his kindness, no matter how embarrassing it was. My big bro sure was a bittersweet anomaly.

"Thank you, Dear Bro." And I meant that. "Sorry for forcing you to go to this stupid convention."

"Relax, I wanted to go anyway."

"Really...!?" My eyes shone like never before.

"Yeah, I just didn't want to bring you along."

Suddenly domestic violence sounded pretty tempting... I'd never, of course, but maybe one punch...

◆◆◆

It sure is a mysterious location from the mundane POV. It's like a place where social reality bends over itself and the otakus become the norm instead of outcasts... a real-life anomaly beyond comprehension and common sense.

"Let's go, big bro! It doesn't take so much to get dressed."

"I don't wanna!"

It was Asahi's turn to wear his costume, but he was taking forever. Well, I couldn't blame him... I'd chosen which character he'd cosplay (heh).

"How do I look?" Asahi came out of our room, walking stiff like an action figure.

I tried to hold it, I swear, but it was inevitable. "Pfff... You look stunning—HAHAHAHA...!"

Instead of Hana's big brother, I wanted Asahi to come with me dressed as the series' villainess... 90 percent was pure sadism, I admit, but the truth is my brother was insanely gorgeous in a j-pop way... I know, but no-complex, he was our milf mom's genderbend. Asahi was an absolute 10 out of 10 (I was a 12).

"I'm going back—"

"No, it's true. You are beautiful!" I pulled my brother once he tried to shut in our room.

"Serious!?" Asahi stopped, turning a faintly curious face to me (my sincerity probably got into that blockhead). "I'm only doing it because your 'roly-puppy' eyes were getting on my nerves."

Maybe I should give him a taste of his own medicine.

"It's a shame we are siblings." I shrugged after giving my out-of-touch bro a taste of the nonsensical compliments he seems to enjoy so much.

Embarrassment...? Fury...? Dumbfounding...? No, that weirdo chose the inconceivable reaction.

"Yeah, what a bummer we don't choose family," Asahi remarked with a blank expression.

Grrrrr... I know this dumbass is a catch, but there're too many layers of weirdness outside this onion...! Argggh... will my plan even bear fruits!?

However, a social anomaly is vital to my impossible plan to succeed: getting my big brother a girlfriend.