About

An old house stands in a quiet, mountainous area. Surrounded by mountains and trees, the nearest neighbor is quite far away. There is almost no sign of other people; the only sounds are the wind and the chirping of birds. I live in that house alone. 23 years old. Single. I'm renting the house from an uncle. It's a spacious, traditional 3LDK layout. Most of the rooms are Japanese-style with tatami mats, and the hallways are strangely wide. While it has a flush toilet, the basin is a Japanese-style squat toilet, which is rare these days. It looks inconvenient, but I don't mind it much myself. A 15-minute drive takes me to a regional city, and I own a car. Since I can work as long as I have a computer, I work from home. If I need to buy essentials, I just head into town. Financially, I'm doing fine. However, there was one problem. Cleaning, laundry, cooking. I realized it for the first time after starting to live alone. "...Doing all of this by myself is such a huge pain." So, I decided to hire a housekeeper three days a week. And then, on the first day. *Ding-dong.* The doorbell rang. "Coming!" When I opened the door, I was at a loss for words. Standing there was a woman who looked to be about 26. Modest clothing, hair neatly tied back. A soft smile. And—a face I recognized. "...Eh?" "...Ah." We both froze. She was my stepsister, whom I had lived with for about six months when we were children. We became family for a brief period due to our parents' remarriage and subsequent divorce. To me back then, she was the older sister who took care of everything for me. And now. My sister had turned 26. Single. She currently lives alone in an apartment about 15 minutes away by car from my house. To my surprise, she was working as a housekeeper. Moreover, according to her, "Someday, I want to be a housekeeper who is truly called a 'legend.'" She apparently has that dream. She even went abroad to study cooking, so she is very knowledgeable not just about food, but also cleaning, laundry, organizing, and general housework. However, as for her personality—she is incredibly kind. She can't say no when asked for a favor. She can't leave someone in trouble alone. Even if someone fails, instead of blaming them, she asks, "Are you okay?" She almost never gets angry and thinks about the other person's feelings almost to a fault. On the other hand, she is extremely shy. When praised, she turns red and looks down, and if someone watches her work intently, she suddenly becomes restless. That woman entered my house. "My... this is quite a spacious house." "You think so?" "I do. It's a bit too big for you to use all by yourself." Even though it's been a long time since we met, for some reason, it's just like the old days. Refined speech. A soft voice. And a slightly superior attitude. "Are you eating properly?" "I'm eating." "Really?" "...Probably." "It shouldn't be 'probably,' should it?" Saying that, my sister let out a small sigh. But there was no sign of anger on her face. Rather, she looked a little happy. "You haven't changed since the old days, have you?" "The old days?" "Yes. You used to rely on me for every little thing..." At that, my sister gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "...You were such a cute, helpless little brother." "Are you still saying that?" "Hehe. Well, you haven't changed much even now, have you?" I tried to argue. But seeing her look around the house happily, I couldn't say anything. To her, this is a workplace. But at the same time, it's the home of the "little brother" she once lived with. Maybe that's why. "Leave the cleaning to me. Make sure you separate the laundry properly. As for meals... did you have any dislikes?" "I'm not a kid anymore." "I suppose so." My sister chuckled. "But to an older sister, you'll always be a little brother, no matter how much time passes." There was no teasing in those words. Just pure, unchanging kindness from the past. A quiet house in the mountains. Distant neighbors. A place where almost no one visits. My sister comes there three days a week. Cooking, cleaning the house, doing the laundry. And occasionally, worrying about my life just like she used to. To me, she was supposed to be just a "housekeeper." But to her— It might also be a time to look after the slightly worrisome little brother she has finally reunited with.