ATHO Chapter 22

Chapter 22 – “You’re very beautiful.”

Chapter 3: People Who Wish for Happiness, Part 2

Novel Title: 嫌われ者の俺はやり直しの世界で義弟達にごまをする (As the Hated One, I Flatter My Stepbrothers in a World Where I Get a Second Chance)

Author：赤牙 (Akakiba)

Art：古澤エノ (Furusawa Eno)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: シャルル (Charles -MC), リエン (Lien -ML1) & ジェイド (Jade -ML2)

*Please read at freenovels.net, the original site of translation. TQ*

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Jade, looking slightly weary, came to stand beside me. We listened to the voices and music coming from the hall while gazing up at the night sky together.

“The woman you were dancing with earlier—do you know her?”

“Ah. Someone I know very well…”

“…I see. Um, Nii-san, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Earlier, I accidentally stepped on a woman’s foot while dancing. Can I practice my steps with you?”

“Haha, so you did step on her. Sure. Oh! A song is starting.”

Taking Jade’s hand, I led us in a slow-tempo dance.

“Heh. Dancing with your brother at a ball—what are we even doing?”

“Truly.”

Even as we joked, dancing under the starlit sky with Jade was unexpectedly enjoyable. Compared to before, Jade had gotten better at leading, showing significant improvement.

“Hey, you’re actually pretty good!”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You can dance with anyone now.”

When I encouraged him with a smile, his gaze suddenly turned serious.

“Nii-san.”

“What is it?”

“You’re… very beautiful.”

Looking into his passionate amethyst eyes as he said that, my heart skipped a beat.

“Wh-What are you practicing your lines on me for?”

“My apologies.”

Seeing my embarrassed, flushed face, Jade chuckled softly.

“Your face is red, Nii-san.”

“Is it? Really?”

“Yes. Did you get nervous dancing with me?”

“Nervous? …Not at all. Maybe it’s just the alcohol from earlier.”

As we talked, the song ended. Jade and I stopped dancing, still facing each other closely.

Neither of us let go of the other’s hands, and his hand on my back stayed where it was.

“Thank you, Nii-san.”

“Yeah. You did great.”

“It’s thanks to you, Nii-san.”

As he said this, Jade tightened his arm around my back, pulling me close.

“…!?”

Whether from the alcohol or from being startled by Jade’s action, my heart pounded, and my face grew hot.

Jade’s cheeks were also flushed. Feeling embarrassed, I lowered my gaze, unable to look him in the eye.

I couldn’t face Jade.

―――Why is my heart racing so much…?

“Charles Nii-san…”

When he called my name, I slowly looked up, meeting his passionate amethyst eyes.

What should I do? I can’t… look away…

As if drawn into his gaze, our faces moved closer. Jade’s hand stroked the back of my head… and I kissed Jade for the second time.

The gentle, enveloping sweetness of the kiss made my heart race even faster.

My mind was a blur, and I gripped his clothes tightly.

It felt so good, but… huh? Why am I kissing Jade?

Wait, aren’t we doing this in someone else’s mansion—what am I doing!?

Coming to my senses, I tried to pull away from Jade’s lips, but he pursued mine, capturing them again.

“J-Jade! Th-that’s enough!”

“…Enough?”

When I raised my voice, Jade stopped, though he tilted his head, looking disappointed.

“Yeah. I’m fine now… Wait. You were trying to cheer me up, weren’t you?”

Hearing my words, Jade furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

“…………Oh. Now that you mention it, I think I did kiss you once for that reason.”

“For that reason…? Then why…”

“Nii-san, why did you accept it?”

“That’s…”

I didn’t know how to respond.

Why? Well, it just sort of happened, and I thought; It’s Jade, so it’s fine…

Wait, no! Is it really okay for a brother to easily accept a kiss from his younger brother just because it’s happening?  

After all, kissing is something you do with someone you love.

We’re siblings, even if only by law—what possible reason could there be for this…?

“Um, I thought… you were trying to cheer me up or something…”

Unable to find a clear answer, I gave a vague response to get through the moment. Jade sighed, looking exasperated.

“That sounds like a placeholder answer because you couldn’t think of anything else.”

His sharp intuition left me speechless.

“But that’s fine with me. As long as you’re willing to accept my affection moving forward.”

“Affection…?”

“Yes. This is an expression of love for my Nii-san, as a sibling.”

Jade smiled and lightly kissed me on the lips again.

Affection…? An expression of love…?

Is this what being siblings is like?

I was an only child until Jade and Lien became my brothers, so I didn’t know. Could it be that Jade and Lien do this sort of thing when I’m not around?

Ah, so that’s why they’re so comfortable kissing me.

This must be how siblings show their affection.

“I-I see. Got it. So, it’s a way of expressing love… okay.”

“I’m glad you understand. So, please accept even more of my feelings.”

As Jade leaned in for another kiss, I instinctively took a step back.

“Th-that’s enough already! I completely understand how you feel, Jade! Now, it’s getting late, so let’s head home, okay?”

I hurriedly said this, and Jade looked a little disappointed.

After that, we quickly got into the carriage and left the ballroom.

In the carriage, Jade clung to me more than ever, snuggling close. It was rare for him to be this affectionate, and though I felt flustered, I let him do as he pleased.

It reminded me of how Lien acts when he’s being clingy. I realized Jade must have wanted to be pampered, too.

By the time we arrived at the mansion, it was nearly midnight, and everyone else was already asleep.

“Alright, let’s go to bed too.”

“Yes. I had a great time today.”

“Yeah, me too.”

As we exchanged words, Jade gently stroked my cheek.

“Goodnight, Nii-san.”

“G-goodnight, Jade.”

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Jade kissed me on the cheek.

After returning to my room, I let out a deep sigh as I recalled the events of the day.

Marianne…

And Jade…

“What am I even doing…?”

Their faces swirled in my mind, and I got so tired of thinking that I collapsed onto my bed without even changing.

I decided to leave everything for tomorrow.

As I closed my eyes, the alcohol helped me drift straight into sleep.

When I woke up to the morning sunlight and a mild headache, I felt a bit dazed. I changed out of my crumpled tailcoat and headed out to wash my face.

I drank too much…

Pressing my temples, I walked down the hall when I heard footsteps approaching from behind.

“Good morning, Nii-san.”

“Jade… Good morning.”

Seeing how fresh and lively Jade was, I felt embarrassed and quickly turned my face away.

Jade chuckled softly and leaned in close to my ear.

“I had fun yesterday. Please dance with me again sometime.”

His whisper reminded me of last night’s events, making my face turn bright red.

“Hehe. You’re adorable, Nii-san. Come on, let’s have breakfast after you wash up.”

Jade took my hand and led me down the hall.

I felt uneasy about how close we were, but seeing how happy he was, I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.

Besides… I didn’t dislike the closeness either.

From then on, kissing Jade became part of my daily life. I couldn’t tell if this was really how siblings should behave, but I just went along with it.

Even after countless kisses, I never stopped feeling embarrassed.

Jade always seemed amused by my reaction, his eyes narrowing in delight.

That night, as we chatted about nothing in particular before bed, we exchanged our usual goodnight kiss.

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*Translator’s Note: I think Jade got jealous because of Marianne and couldn’t hold himself back anymore. Haha. -K

*P/S: Thanks to Saira for the donation!

*GLOSSARY: 

• Nii-san/Nii-sama/Onii-san = (Big/Elder) Brother

☝🏻I’ll be using these throughout my translation. Jade would call Charles ‘Nii-san’ while Lien would call him ‘Nii-sama’.

Next update: 2025.09.15

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