Chapter 60 - Volume 4 (2/2)

「I am your family！」

「……you’re wrong」

Shade abruptly turned away.

（You’re going to say that, huh? Well fine！）

「If you’re going to go that far, then be prepared, Shade! I won’t be lenient on someone that’s 『not even family』！」

「……like what can you even do? Are you going to tell the school? Then what if I don’t stop doing it, will you do it even if I drop out of school?」

「Nope. I’m not going to do something as tedious as that!」

I gave a snap of my fingers.

On top of the rack that our house’s capable butler soundlessly and smoothly pushed in, was a large television.

「What’s prepared here, you see, is Father’s treasured 『My angels’ growth to adulthood records. Special compilation: Lycoris & Shade edition』！」

「……Ha?」

「My father went abroad on business trips a lot when we were young, right? So, it seems our maids and butlers were given the task to record our lives. These are the ones compiled into a video」

「……Geez, that man……」

When I, myself, found out about this, I also let out a murmur similar to what Shade did just now.

「And so, I don’t know if you remember this or not, but, when you were about four years old, it was the time when you’d been like the cutest angel. You said something like this」

I let out a breath and then reproduced the words Shade said long ago with clear pronunciation.

「『When I grow up,… my dream is to be… Lycoris-oneechan’s・・・・・… bride！』」

The butler said 『that’s right』 and kept on nodding. He had a very good memory, so you could say he remembered more of our childhood than even we knew.

「uwAAAAAAAA！！！！！」

Shade cried out as if to drown out my voice. However, he was too late.

「And this is the video evidence……」

「……！！」

Though Shade rushed out towards the television, not caring about appearances, but the butler gently kept him back.

「Shade-sama. What’s in here is a copy」

「Exactly！　Isn’t that obvious？　Now, Shade！　Can you still bring yourself not to listen to what I say now？　Wanna have it screened？」

As I confidently lay on my back with feet outstretched, Shade fell to one knee in defeat.

「Y-you…… you’ll go this far?！」

「I will！　I told you “I won’t be lenient”, didn’t I?！」

Then, I vigorously kept on talking like I was snapping at him.

「I would’ve tolerated it if you simply went to the extent of wearing a pompadour! But to think, working part-time by faking your age！！　Even if you can control yourself, it’s not just the allure of alcohol and cigarrettes is the problem！　What were you planning to do if you got involved in any trouble！？Don’t think I’ll bother worrying about you by then！！」

By the end, I was already saying this in tears.

But after Shade stared hard at the tearful me, he slumped his shoulders, looking defeated.

Then, he made a long, deep sigh.

Crinum, who noticed his strange behavior in the first place. Father, who offered the video recordings. And, me and the butler. This all-out attack – had been a victory of familial love.

I wonder why this Shade turned delinquent.

He’d been an honor student when, before he knew it, his beloved older cousin got engaged, so he rebelled… if that were the case, then it’d be awfully sad.

This Shade didn’t become Lycoris’s younger brother, so this backstory is where he had a feeling of heterosexual love for Lycoris.