After I Comforted My Younger Stepsister Who Had Her Boyfriend Taken From Her, She Started Becoming Obsessively Sweet - 18

Chapter 18: The Most Wicked Woman

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Earlier this morning, I had kissed Shikino on the cheek near the school gate. There were plenty of people around, and I did it with the intention of showing off a little. As expected, the rumors spread throughout the school quickly. People were talking about how Shikino Unami, the school’s beauty, who had a scuffle with her ex-boyfriend just recently, was kissed by her older brother in public this morning. Moreover, Shikino didn’t look displeased at all. In fact, she actually looked happy. The two of them looked like a couple even. People started to wonder if Shikino was really dating her big brother. The school was buzzing with excitement. We suddenly became the talk of the school. Because of that, we had deliberately chosen an empty classroom to eat our lunch so we could have a somewhat calm conversation. This unused classroom was located in the corner of the cultural club building. Students didn’t frequent this place often, so the three of us, Takumu included, were able to have a nice conversation here.

But…

“Huh…? O-Orihara-san…?!”

Takumu’s voice echoed awkwardly loud within the silence. He sounded clearly flustered. Shikino and I were staring at the entrance with wide eyes, we were both at a loss for words. 

“Hello, you three. It seems you really like to hang out at places with very few people around, huh?”

Orihara-san said as she stepped into the classroom. Just like usual, she looked so composed and calm, complete with the eerily gentle smile on her face. I responded confidently, trying my best to remain composed.

“…It’s not that we like this kind of place or anything. It’s just that we can’t have a quiet conversation anywhere else right now.”

“Mamori-kun…”

“-!!”

“Huhhh??? Why are you calling Mamori by his first name…?!”

Shikino’s eyes widened at the sudden turn of events while Takumu’s voice cracked due to shock. I tried to maintain a calm facade as I stared intently at Ohira-san, but deep inside, I was feeling quite perturbed. Why did she suddenly call me by my first name? Confusion started spreading in my chest. But before that feeling could fully set in, I braced myself forward. I couldn’t let her be. 

“…I’m afraid I don’t quite understand why you’re calling me by my first name, Orihara-san. After all, our relationship is not that close.”

“Ahahaha~ Oh, come on, Mamori-kun! We’re not that close? How cruel of you to say that! I mean, we’re both on the beautification committee and we’ve worked together in the committee plenty of times.”

“H-Huh? You speak as if we’re close, but we hardly—”

“Or to be precise, we’re going to work together a lot from now on. Fufu~ Anyway, let’s work hard together… Just the two of us. Fufu~ Indeed… Just… The two… Of us…”

Unable to withstand Orihara-san’s suggestive words, Shikino hot up from her chair all of a sudden. Her face was filled with anger. This was the first time I had seen her like that. She was downright glaring at Orihara-san while muttering something under her breath.

“..I won’t let you, I won’t let you, I won’t let you, I won’t let you, I won’t let you, I won’t let you, I won’t let you, I won’t let you, I won’t let you, I won’t let you, I won’t let you….”

While still glaring at Orihara-san sharply, Shikino embraced my head tightly. I wasn’t in the position to enjoy the sensation of being engulfed by her chest though. I was too worried about the anger bubbling within her. I feared she might lash out violently at Orihara-san.

“Fufufu~ Oh, come on~ How scary, Unami-san… Help me, Mamori-kun!~”

“SHUT UP! Don’t call Onii-chan so casually like that! Don’t call Onii-chan by his first name! Don’t call him! DON’T CALL HIM!! DON’T CALL HIMMMM!!!!”

Shikino was frantic. She was breathing heavily and she was tightening her hold on my head even more. She refused to let me go. The way she was screaming… It was as if she was screaming that she wouldn’t let me go. 

“Wai-Wait… Shikino-san? I understand that you must be angry, but please calm down a bit—”

“In the first place, why are you targeting my Onii-chan?! You already took Sugisaki-kun from me, so why are you still not satisfied?! You’re the worst! The worst! The worst! The worst!! You wicked woman!! You disgust me! Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting!”

Ignoring Takumu, who was trying to calm her down, Shikino raised her voice even more and started lashing out at Orihara-san. And yet, Orihara-san remained unfazed. She returned Shikino’s hateful glare confidently. In fact, Orihara-san was chuckling softly at Shikino’s antics. 

“Unami-san, I believe I can say all those words back at you.”

“Huh..?!”

“You’re the worst too. A wicked woman. Even though you were the one who trampled on Sugisaki-kun’s feelings, but you have the audacity to paint yourself as the tragic heroine.”

“-?!”

“I know you know what I’m talking about. You were using Sugisaki-kun as a stepping stone to get Mamori-kun. Right? You’re the worst… The most wicked and mentally unstable Heroine-san.”

Orihara-san said softly, but her voice carried a chilling sharpness that could easily cut into a person’s heart. That was how destructive Orihara-san’s voice was. I wasn’t the person she was talking to, but I felt as if I had been stabbed in the chest. It wouldn’t be strange for Shikino to be taking a significant damage from Orihara-san’s words. Shikino seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment, but she quickly shook her head before responding.

“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! Besides, he was the one who confessed to me! Also, Sugisaki-kun was—”

“Was the one who said,’Let’s not think too deeply of this relationship,’ right? Indeed. He definitely said that, but Unami-san… Do you understand how he really felt at that time?”

“How did he really feel…?”

Shikino was breaking into a cold sweat. No matter how many times she yelled, no matter how loud she lashed out, Orihara-san refused to budge. 

“He… He really liked you a lot, but he also knew the person that you liked the best is your older brother.”

“STOP IT! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP!”

Finally releasing my head from her grasp, Shikino started covering her ears frantically. This was the first time I had heard about Shikino and Sugisaki-kun’s relationship. A part of me hoped I could hear more about it.

“How manly of him… Sugisaki-kun was suffering so much… I felt sorry for him, so I decided to set him free from you. I was afraid Sugisaki-kun would only destroy himself if he kept dating you.”

“No…No…!!”

“Marukawa-kun,right? This is the answer to the question that you asked Unami-san earlier. Even though Unami-san loved her big brother, she still pretended to be heartbroken after I took Sugisaki-kun from her.”

“…Huh?’

Takumu tilted his head to the side as Orihara-san continued on. 

“She was just pretending to be sad. In actuality, she wasn’t sad about Sugisaki-kun. That’s the reason why she can be so affectionate with Mamori-kun without a care in the world.”

“…!!”

“…Goodness… She really makes me want to tear her apart….”

She mumbled something under her breath. Her voice was too quiet for me to hear clearly, but the look on her face was downright terrifying. Her usual smile was gone, replaced briefly by a cold, ruthless expression that sent a chill down my spine. And yet, that moment only lasted for a moment. Her face quickly softened, returning to her usual expression. She turned her gaze to me. 

“Mamori-kun.”

She started before she continued on. 

“I can see you’re willing to go through any lengths to protect Unami-san, but allow me to give you one piece of advice.”

“Hm…?”

“Maybe you shouldn’t flaunt your relationship too much at school? After all, you’re the one who will be suffering if you ever lose Unami-san. You might regret how cringey you were and as for me… Your little antics really don’t bother me in the slightest.”

“…!”

“No matter what happens, I will still work together with you. Please don’t be late for the next committee meeting. I will send you a message on LIME.”

“LI-LIME…?”

I never gave Orihara-san my contact information though? Shikino pressed close to me, silently asking me and I shook my head. Indeed. I never exchanged any contact information with Orihara-san.

“Fufufu~ Well, I will see you later then. I will work hard to win you over too, Mamori-kun…”

—No matter what it takes.

Leaving that quiet remark behind, Orihara-san exited the room. The three of us could only stare at the door, stunned. With tears streaming down her face, Shikino clung to me, and all I could do was hold her weakly in return.. I couldn’t focus on anything. My gaze kept drifting to nowhere in particular.

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T/N: Tbh I also don’t know how to deal with Orihara too. Yes, Mamori can just stand his ground and don’t get swayed by Oriihara, but I have a feeling Orihara will blackmail them or something…