Progress is Progress

Getting back to my room, I hear my roommate talk.

"We're hungry."Venom suddenly said.

"Ok, I'll get you guys some chocolate."I respond while walking out my room, going downstairs, I go to my living room and see Mai with Kaede.

"I'm going to the convenience store, you guys want anything?"I asked while they turned to me.

"Candy!"Kaede exclaimed, nodding with a smile, I turn to Mai.

"Pocky."She said simply while I nod in response before getting my shoes from the front door and leaving. Going to the store and buying all their chocolate related products along with chips for myself, a few candy's and a box of Pocky, I walk out before going in an alley and letting Venom and Carnage eat most of the chocolate, leaving the alley after they're done, I walk back to my home.

Walking in, I go to the living room and see Mai and Kaede watching a movie.

"I got the stuff."I say while I sit on one of the couches that surround a polished wooden table, setting down the plastic bag with their stuff in it, I hand it to them.

"So you guys wanna do a movie marathon?"I asked which got their attention, mainly Mai giving me a pointed look.

"We have additional rooms for you to sleep in, and you can sleep with Kaede if anything."I said while innocently putting my hands up.

"Yeah, yeah! Stay Mai!"Kaede said, excited at the thought of spending the night with her "sister".

"School."Mai said plainly.

"You can be a bit late for once."I said simply, while she sighed in defeat.

"Yay! Movie night!"Kaede exclaimed excitedly. We spent the rest of the night going through movies. At some point, Kaede fell asleep, princess carrying her, I take her to her room and tuck her in.

"You still care for her, just like before."I suddenly hear Mai from behind.

"Of course I do, what type of brother would I be if I didn't care for her."I said softly, though she's only my sister in this life, it doesn't take away the fact that I love her.

"Speaking of siblings..."

"Yeah, I haven't seen her in a long in time, pretty sure she hates me."Mai said with a sigh referring to her own sister.

"I don't think she does, though this is my opinion on things from around 3 years ago, it doesn't change the fact that despite you two being from different moms, and had your difference's at first, you two came to love each other."I said, and by this point we're already out of Kaede's room.

"You can take one of the rooms, or go with Kaede like I said before, I'll clean things up."I said while going downstairs, before I hear additional footsteps behind me.

"I'll help."Mai said walking down with me.

"You sure it's a good idea to be alone with a guy?"I asked, though of course I wouldn't do anything.

"I trust you to keep your urges, and I still have Pocky left."She said, and we left it at that for a time, before I speak up.

"I know why you left show-biz, why you cut me off. I heard about what your mom made you do."I say, and Mai stays silent for a while before responding.

"How?"

"I have my connections, but if you want to stop your disappearing act, you have to return to show-biz, but of course, I would never forget you."I remark the last part.

"...I was still in middle school. But when I entered the studio, there was a swimsuit waiting for me. And they said the contract was already signed, so I had to go through with it. I forced myself to smile... In the end, she only thought about using me to make money."She finished, and by now tears are at the edge of her eyes, threatening to fall out. Walking to her, I pull her in a hug.

"Mai, do you still enjoy acting?"I asked her.

"Of course I do."She said, her voice breaking slightly.

"Then that's all the more reason, in spiting your mom, you're hurting yourself more, the best payback would be to return, but through another agency, it'll make a statement to her, show her how much you hurt her."I said while softly rubbing her head.

"This may seem dumb of me to ask again, but why do you care so much about me? Didn't it hurt when I suddenly stopped talking to you? Isn't that why you quit your own career?"She asked while looking up at me.

"Of course not Mai, how could I hate the girl of my dreams?"I asked with a silly grin, and after it took her a second to register what I said, before she turned completely red.

"Filthy! Pervert!"She yelled before running upstairs.

"I see what you were saying Venom, she really is top-tier Waifu."I suddenly hear Carnage say.

"You see, that's why despite Futuba being more busty, she can't top Mai, especially her thighs."Venom said, both speaking like true scientists discussing if time travel is possible.

'Shut it! Both of you!'I mentally yell at them while they grumble in response.

"Haah, everything is cleaned up anyway, let's go to sleep."I mutter to myself before going upstairs to my own room and sleeping.

Next Morning

Waking up, I check on Kaede before looking for Mai, and seeing her nowhere, I assume she left early, sighing, I do my morning things before I leave my home and going to school like Kaede did a few minutes earlier.

Meeting up with Kunimi on the train, on our way to school, I see Mai, but I decide to give her some space from what happened last night.

Later that day, getting home from school,(I already got my points for the day) I walk in, and going to the living room, I see Kaede and Mai.

"Hey Kaede, Mai."I greeted with a wave, and hearing me, Kaede comes and gives a hug.

"Hi Onii-chan."She says while hugging me, hugging her back, I focus on Mai after.

"So you couldn't resist the thought of me?"

"I can't buy food."Mai says plainly, nodding in understanding I focus on Kaede again.

"Me and Mai are going to go out for a while, we'll be back soon, ok?"I said while rubbing Kaede's hair.

"Ok."She responds with a smile, while I smile back.

Getting to the grocery-store, we get a shopping cart before we start walking around.

"I wonder what cliche this is, or do you want to popularize it as the starters of it?"I ask with a smile.

"The cliche where boy gets killed by crazy girl if he doesn't stop."

"Yandere, I like it." I say with my smile growing wider, but seeing her lack of reaction I sigh.

"So how do people see that carrot?"I say, seeing this as a cannon opportunity.

"It's apparently invisible to other people."She says while waving it in front of a man to emphasize her point.

"I wonder what would happen to me?"

"Are you appealing to me that you wanna hold hands?"she asked with a smile.

'So its war then? Fine, two can play this game.'I thought after seeing her smile, a smile of pure teasing behind it.

"Why wouldn't I want to hold hands with you? It would be harder to make a list of reasons for me not wanting to hold hands."

"...You get a passing score."She says before wrapping her arm around my arm along with holding it with her other hand.

"You're having lewd thoughts now, aren't you?"Mai asked me.

"Imagine wattpad, but a hundred times worse."I say, and after a second she backs away.

"But as a mature woman, you should be fine with younger boys having lewd thoughts of you, right?"I questioned her, challenging her.

"Right. I think nothing of younger boys having erotic fantasies of me."She says before holding onto me again, and like that we go through the store before paying for the groceries.

"I can't wait to see your place."I say as we walk, Mai in the lead.

"You're not coming in, who knows what'd you do to me."Mai said back.

"It's your mistake as soon as you let me know where you live."I said, though jokingly she understood my intent and blushed but didn't respond. After a few minutes of silence, I talk.

"So, you gonna get back to show-biz?"I ask her as we continue walking.

"...Yeah, taking your words into consideration, I believe that what you said is the correct choice for me."She answered after a few seconds, and after her words we arrived in from of her house, which is down the street from me.

"How convenient, if I get the timing right, I can walk with you to school each day."I said but she ignores my words as usual.

"Thanks for carrying my groceries."She says with her hand out, indicating to give the bag to her, which I do.

"Let's hang out Sunday. I won't have time to play around if I go back to show-biz. I've been living here for two years now, but I haven't even seen Kamakura yet."

"It's a date then!"I say excitedly.

"Not a date."She flat-out denies it being a date.

"Let's meet 2:30 at the Enoden Fujisawa Station ticket gate. If you're one second late, I'll head home."She says before walking into her own Villa.

'Yes,! progress, even if cannon progress, it's way sooner than actual cannon, so this is good.'I thought to myself before heading home myself.