A Story About a Girl Who Took Life for Granted and Fell in Love With a Kind and Introverted Boy - Chapter 17.2

I got home after four in the evening.

As usual, I went to my room, changed from my uniform into my loungewear, and then sat at my desk to study quietly.

But today, I couldn’t focus on my studying as much as usual. After all, I had made plans to meet Kenji.

“Saturday, huh…What should I wear?”

Once that thought crossed my mind, studying was the last thing on my mind. I got up from my desk and opened my closet. I started checking out the outfits I thought were the cutest.

“Should I wear this dress? Hmm, but it might be a little plain…?”

In situations like this, when I don’t know what to wear, I always turn to my smartphone.

I typed in search terms like “date outfits” and “cute clothes for girls” and looked at the images that came up.

“Wow…Everyone looks so cute! I don’t have anything like that.”

Feeling down about the gap between me and those outfits, I pondered my clothing choices.

“…Miyuki, dinner’s ready!”

Suddenly, I realized it was already past six in the evening, and I could hear my mom calling from the living room. I had gotten so distracted that I hadn’t made any progress on my studying. “Ah! What am I doing?” I scolded myself as I left my room and went downstairs.

At the dining table, my mom, dad, and older sister were already there.

“Come on, sit down, Miyuki,” my mom said.

Prompted by her, I took a seat next to my sister.

“Let’s eat.”

Then, just like usual, we had dinner as a family. Tonight’s meal consisted of rice, miso soup, and pork kimchi.

I love spicy food, so I really liked the pork kimchi. As I thought, “Today feels like a good day,” I took a bite of the pork kimchi.

In the back of my mind, I was still worrying about what to wear to meet Kenji on Saturday.

(Hmm, I wonder what kind of clothes Kenji likes? I’d like to dress in a way that matches his taste…)

When I thought of Kenji’s favorite clothes, the sad look on his face when we parted came to my mind.

“…The prefectural library. I remember studying there with Kana a long time ago,” he said.

“Sorry, I got a bit sentimental. Please don’t mind me,” he added.

“…”

Seeing that reaction made me think Kenji still liked my sister.

Of course, I could understand that. After all, it had only been a few days since they broke up, and the shock of being betrayed must be too much for him to recover from quickly.

“…”

I glanced over at my sister, who was quietly eating her dinner.

She also seemed down lately. She looked more haggard than before, and most importantly, she didn’t seem to have any energy.

(I understand why Kenji is feeling down, but my sister shouldn’t be sad. After all, she hurt Kenji. The one who caused the hurt shouldn’t look like that. When she was always mean to me, she never looked so sad…)

Just like when I hit my sister before, anger toward her bubbled up inside me again, and I decided to get my revenge.

“Hey, Mom,” I said, turning my face towards her, deliberately brightening my voice.

“I’m going out this Saturday!”

“Oh, really? Is your studying okay?” she asked.

“I’m going to study with a senior named Kenji!”

At that moment, I heard the clinking of dishes next to me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my sister drop her chopsticks onto the table.

She then turned her stiff face towards me.

“…”

I didn’t say anything to her and redirected my attention back to my mom.

“That person has really good grades. It’s a good idea to learn from someone like that,” I said.

“Yeah, that’s true. It’s good to ask someone with good grades for help,” my dad chimed in, nodding along.

“So I probably won’t be home all day Saturday,” I added.

“Okay, just don’t stay out too late,” my mom reminded me.

“Yeah, I know.”

“Kana, you’ll be taking entrance exams next year, so it’s about time you start studying seriously…Wait, Kana? What’s wrong?”

Noticing my mom’s puzzled expression, I turned to look at my sister.

“…”

I was shocked to see her crying.

Tears were streaming down her face, and her mouth was shaped into a frown, with large tears rolling down her cheeks.

“W-what’s wrong, Kana?” my dad asked, sounding worried.

But my sister just shook her shoulders and gasped for breath.

“…S-sorry. I’m done eating.”

Finally managing to get those words out, my sister quickly stood up from the table and left for her room without looking back.

“…What’s wrong with her?” my mom wondered.

“I don’t know. I noticed she hasn’t been feeling well lately…” my dad replied.

My mom and dad exchanged concerned glances.

“Miyuki, do you know anything? What happened to Kana?”

“Uh? U-umm…I don’t really know,” I said, pretending not to know.

My heart raced. I never thought she would cry like that.

I just thought it would be good to feel a little jealous, to feel a little bad.

(…No, I’m not in the wrong. After all, it’s my sister’s fault. She hurt Kenji, and their breakup is her own doing…It’s all her own mess, right!? So I’m not at fault!)

I told myself that and put some pork kimchi into my mouth.

It tasted so good a moment ago, but now it seemed…tasteless.

(I don’t know, I don’t know! I am…! I am…!)

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, feeling the remnants of my sister crying stuck behind my eyelids, and I couldn’t help it.