After Being Betrayed by My Girlfriend, I Kiss Her Little Sister - Chapter 3

An Inconvenient Truth (1)

“You can’t stop thinking about Umi cheating on you, can you, Kanata?”

“N-no…there is no way Umi would cheat on me…we are childhood friends, we have been together since we were little…that’s why Umi would never do something like that. I trust her.

“……”

I want to know how Hina knows about it, but I can’t bring myself to ask her.

I really want to confirm whether Umi is really cheating on me or not, but at the same time, I don’t want to.

Because of this complicated feeling in my heart, I don’t know what to do.

I feel like I would break down right away if I really heard it from Hina, and that terrified me. That’s also the reason why I didn’t call Umi right away at that time.

I keep telling myself, ‘It’s fine, everything is fine’.

How pathetic.

“Then, why are you making that face, Kanata? Look at me.”

“…n-no! I-I’m just really happy to see you again after so long! That’s all!”

“I’m happy to hear that, but…can you stop lying, Kanata?”

“……”

As always, I can’t win against that calm voice…

Hina has always been really smart and calm since we were kids. I used to rely on her a lot, and since she has known me for such a long time…she can tell whether I’m lying or not just by looking at my face.

No matter what I try to hide, Hina always sees right through me.

But I never thought she will see right through me again—just like back then.

It was such a long time ago, but she still can see right through my lies.

“…sorry.”

“So, she’s really cheating on you after all, right?”

“I think so…but I haven’t asked Umi about it yet! So…I still don’t know for sure.”

“……”

Hina takes a sip of her cocoa and then sits down right next to me.

When our shoulders touch, I flinch.

“W-What’s going on, Hina…?”

“You look really lonely. Remember how I used to stay by your side when we were little? Have you forgotten about it?”

“T-That was…a really long time ago. I’m not a kid anymore, Hina.”

“Hmm. But back then, whenever something happened, you’d come running to me, crying, ‘Hinaaa, help meee~!’”

“W-Well, that’s true…! I can’t deny it…”

“Fufufu, that brings back memories.”

What is Hina trying to say?

“Yeah.”

Wait, isn’t she cold…?

Hina is just wearing a hoodie and a skirt in this freezing weather…and the skirt is pretty short too.

If she catches a cold here, my mom will definitely have something to say to me. Hina and Mom get along really well, after all…

“What’s wrong, Kanata?”

“Ah, no…I just thought your outfit is kind of light. Aren’t you cold, Hina?”

“…don’t stare at a girl’s legs like that…! You pervert!”

“I-I wasn’t looking at your legs or anything! Also, you’re the one who decided to wear such a short skirt in the first place…!”

“T-That’s because…! All the girls in the city are so cute…so I have no choice. If I don’t dress up, everyone would know right away that I came from the countryside…”

“Ehh, so you’re actually concerned about that huh…?”

“J-Just a little. But maybe wearing stockings wasn’t the best choice after all…I’m freezing…”

“Right? Come sit on the bed…the floor is cold.”

“Yeah!”

Hina sits down on the bed, and I casually cover a blanket over her.

I also make sure not to forget the cocoa on the table, handing it to her.

“The heater in my house is broken, so you’ll have to put up with it. Sorry.”

“Yeah, I’m fine! More importantly, aren’t you going to sit next to me, Kanata?”

“Eh? Ah, it’s fine…I’ll just sit on the floor.”

“Are you embarrassed?”

“No! It’s not like that!”

When I opened the door earlier, Hina suddenly hugged me…

It’s not Hina’s fault, but at that moment, just for a second, I wished it had been Umi instead. That’s why I can’t bring myself to go near Hina. Besides…our relationship has already ended a long time ago. So, I don’t think it’s good for me to rely on Hina again.

We were always together until middle school, so of course I’m happy to see her again after all this time, but that’s all.

There is nothing more than that between us.

“……”

Suddenly, Hina tugs on my tie.

“It’s cold, so come closer…Kanata.”

Why would she do something like this…? I don’t understand.

But when I see Hina smiles as she tugs on my tie, I can’t resist her.

It almost feels like she has a collar around my neck…

“If I catch a cold, I’ll tell your mom everything. So make sure to keep me warm, okay?”

“Hey…Hina…”

“Hmm?”

“Next time…don’t come dressed like that. If you catch a cold, I’ll have to take care of you, right?”

“If I catch a cold…will you take care of me?”

“Hmm? Of course. Well, if you have your family around, I don’t think I need to take care of you…but…”

“I live alone.”

“Eh!? You live alone? Since when?”

“It hasn’t even been a week yet. I just moved here.”

“I see…”

Hina casually rests her head on my shoulder as she says so.

A faint, pleasant scent wafts from her.

It’s painful, it’s really painful to have Hina beside me…but even so, I can’t just tell Hina to go home since she came all the way here.

I have no choice but to endure this situation.

However, whenever I see Hina’s face, I’m reminded of Umi…no, I should never say something like that in front of Hina.

“Kanata.”

“Yeah?”

“Am I…being a bother to you?”

“Eh? W-Why would you think that?”

“Because you keep looking away for a while now…and you just won’t look at me.”

“No, it’s just…Hina, we’re both high school students now! I-it’s just embarrassing, that’s all.”

“Hmm…hey, Kanata…”

“Yeah?”

“Can you spend a little time with me after this? You don’t have any plans today, right?”

“Yeah, I don’t, but…”

“Then, let’s get ready to go out now.”

“Wait! Hina…w-where are we going?”

“……”

Hina puts a hat on me.

For some reason, she is not answering my question.

Where are we going? Is that such a difficult question to answer?

Then, with a small, wry smile, Hina tells me,

“I…don’t want to lie to you, Kanata.”

“Eh? What do you mean…?”

Without answering, Hina simply walks out of the house ahead of me.