Fallen from the Top Group Due to Cheating and False Accusations. The Only One Who Stood by Me Was My Little Sister’s Best Friend, Who Had Always Adored Me.

Chapter 7: The Moment I Fell in Love – Part 1 (Yuuka’s POV ②).

“…Haa… Haa… Haa…”

After somehow managing to carry Senpai all the way to the second-floor room, I couldn’t help but feel painfully aware of how weak my stamina was.

I should have exercised more regularly… But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would enter the room of the boy I had longed for in such a manner.

Even though the owner of the room was sound asleep beside me, no one else was supposed to be inside, yet I still found myself nervously calling out toward the empty space, “Excuse me…”

I gently laid Senpai down on the bed and pulled the covers over him. He was drenched in sweat and groaning heavily in his sleep.

“I can’t just stand here…”

In a panic, I hurried down the stairs as quietly as possible and headed for the bathroom. I took a towel from the drawer, soaked it in cold water, and wrung it out tightly. I felt guilty for touching someone else’s belongings without permission, as if I were snooping, but right now my worry for Senpai outweighed everything else.

If I got scolded for it later, so be it.

I filled the bucket that had been left in the bathroom with water, carried it upstairs along with the damp towel, and placed the cool cloth on his forehead. Only then did Senpai’s complexion seem to ease just a little.

“…Thank goodness…”

For a moment I had been terrified of what might happen, but now a sigh of relief finally escaped me. This was the first time in my life I had ever taken care of someone like this.

In the quiet room that had once again fallen into silence, I gazed at the sleeping Senpai for a long time.

Come to think of it, it had been exactly three years since I last stepped foot in this room.

I could never forget. The last time had been the day before I confessed to him. I had come here under the usual pretext of playing with Sayu.

And it wasn’t just that one day. I had been visiting this house persistently for much, much longer.

Ever since that day in second grade when I first fell in love with Senpai.

Seven Years Ago

Ever since I could remember, both of my parents had always worked, and they usually came home long after I had gone to bed.

I would heat up the rice balls and side dishes they had prepared in advance in the microwave, then eat alone in my room while watching television. Back then, as an elementary school student, I was such a scaredy-cat that if I didn’t make the room lively, I was too terrified to even go to the bathroom.

I couldn’t understand why a house with no one else in it felt like such a completely different, terrifying world compared to when it was bright and lively. So I would turn up the volume on the TV as loud as possible and lose myself in variety shows.

‘You idiot! Hahaha!’

The host, a nationally famous comedian, burst into laughter as he slammed a stick with a plush doll that looked exactly like him onto the desk.

When he opened his mouth wide and roared with laughter, the other guests clutched their stomachs and joined in. I laughed along with them.

Being home alone was lonely, but watching these fun programs that made me forget the time made me feel like my mom and dad would be back before I knew it.

However, against my wishes, the lively variety show came to an end along with prime time.

No matter which channel I switched to, it was the same.

The moment the program ended, a sudden chill washed over me. Just moments ago I had felt like part of that cheerful circle, yet now I was left all alone, devoured by a crushing sense of loss.

Scared, I burrowed under the futon. I couldn’t turn off the lights because I was convinced ghosts would appear, but leaving them on made it impossible to sleep. Even if I tried to fall asleep with the lights on, I usually couldn’t get a wink until one of my parents came home. That kind of life continued until one particular day.

“Then why don’t you come to my house?”

The one who said that with sparkling, curious eyes was Rindou Sayu, who was already my friend at the time.

Sayu had a bright, sunny personality like the sun itself. She was always smiling and was the mood-maker of the class, constantly surrounded by friends.

Unlike the popular Sayu, I was a gloomy girl who usually sat at the edge of the classroom reading books by myself, so I tried my best not to join the circle she created. However, Sayu had a boyish habit of blurting out whatever was on her mind, which sometimes got her into trouble. I couldn’t just ignore her, and before I knew it, we ended up spending a lot of time together.

One day after school, she suddenly asked me out of nowhere, “What do you usually do at home?” When I honestly told her, she replied with words I never expected, leaving me frozen in place.

“Eh… Sorry, Sayu-chan, I didn’t catch that. Can you say it again?”

“I said! While your mom and dad are still at work, you can just come to my house!”

That would be way more fun, right!? Sayu insisted with sparkling eyes. I could only return a stunned, awkward laugh.

“It would probably be fun, but there’s no way my dad and mom would allow that.”

“But Yuuka-chan, you’re lonely, right!? You’re scared every single day, aren’t you!?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Unlike her impulsive personality, I wasn’t the type to fight battles I knew I couldn’t win.

That was why I didn’t even bother saying things I knew would be rejected from the start. Yet Sayu stared at me with a dead-serious expression and grabbed both of my shoulders.

“Then I’ll go talk to them directly!”

“To who…?”

“To your parents, of course!”

“There’s no way they’ll listen… You don’t have to do that.”

“You won’t know until you try!”

“Besides, Sayu-chan, you don’t even have a chance to meet my mom and dad.”

“Ugh… Then I’ll have my mom call them instead! She’s the PTA president!”

“Oh… I see… Wait, no no! That would just make things even more complicated—”

In the end, as expected, no matter what I said, Sayu wouldn’t listen. After she went home and explained everything to her parents, she apparently got a thorough scolding: Don’t meddle in other families’ problems!

It was the natural outcome.

Honestly, I felt relieved that her parents were sensible enough to make the right decision. After all, letting two elementary school girls stay home alone late at night could lead to them getting too excited and doing something dangerous.

It would be reassuring for me, but there was no benefit for Sayu’s parents.

Still, for some reason, when she said “Come to my house,” the tiny spark of hope I felt made me embarrassed enough to laugh at myself.

“Geez…”

After finishing the variety show as usual, I slipped quietly under the futon and recalled my conversation with Sayu earlier that day, sniffling softly.

If it were possible, I really did want to spend time at Sayu’s house. I just didn’t say it because I knew it was impossible. Deep down, I wanted to be a little more selfish. But I didn’t want to cause trouble for Mom and Dad.

Caught between those two conflicting feelings, I eventually gave up. I had to be a good girl, after all.

That was when the doorbell rang.

My heart pounded violently. An overwhelming wave of tension swept through my entire body.

Mom had strictly told me never to open the door. I thought about ignoring it and pretending to sleep, but the bell kept ringing persistently. Finally, annoyed and scared, I cautiously peeked through the door scope.

“Yuuka-chaaan! Open up! It’s me!”

The girl waving her hands wildly and shouting to prove her identity was undoubtedly Sayu. But standing right behind her was a boy who was noticeably taller, and I didn’t recognize him.

The boy wore an exasperated expression and mercilessly chopped Sayu on the back of the head. “Hey, you idiot Sayu! You’re bothering the neighbors…!”

“Owwwww… What was that for, you stupid brother…?” Sayu groaned, clutching the spot.

My eyes weren’t fixed on the teary-eyed Sayu, but on the boy she had called “stupid brother.”

The exasperated face he had just shown Sayu looked exactly like the one I often directed at her at school.

I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing someone so similar to myself made me feel a strange sense of kinship.

Before I realized it, I had opened the door and said with a wry smile, “Geez, what are you two doing?”

By the way… So Sayu-chan had an older brother.

How nice, I thought enviously from the bottom of my heart. Sayu puffed out her chest proudly and answered.

“Mom said I couldn’t have Yuuka-chan stay at our house until late because it would worry her parents. But she said it was okay if me and my brother came to Yuuka-chan’s house instead!”

“Eh… That’s pretty sudden…”

I couldn’t understand what Sayu’s mom was thinking—why was it okay the other way around but not if I went over?

While I was still confused, the brother behind her kindly offered an explanation.

“Well, it’s sudden, so of course you wouldn’t get it.”

“Eh…”

Since this was my first time talking to him—and he was a boy—my shyness kicked in. But he continued speaking smoothly, without seeming bothered.

“I think the difference is probably whether you walk home alone or with two people.”

“…I see… So that’s what she meant.”

When he put it that way, it sounded perfectly reasonable.

This boy was amazing—he had instantly understood my confusion and explained it so clearly.

“Since this is our first proper meeting, I should introduce myself. I’m Arata, Rindou Arata. I’ve heard about you from Sayu all the time, so I was curious what kind of girl you were. But I can tell right away—you’re really reliable. Thanks for always looking after my stupid little sister, even though she causes you so much trouble.”

With that, he bowed his head to me without any hesitation, even though we had just met.

“No, it’s not really trouble… I mean! I’m Yuuka, Tozawa Yuuka. Nice to meet you.”

When I bowed deeply in return, a large palm appeared right in front of my lowered gaze.

“Nice to meet you too, Yuuka-chan.”

“Ni… Nice to meet you…”

His hand was much larger and firmer than mine.

Up close, his face was strikingly fair and handsome. If his hair had been longer, I might have mistaken him for a girl.

If I had an older brother like him with me every day, being home alone wouldn’t feel so scary…

With that thought in mind, I invited the two of them inside.

From that day on, my eyes naturally began to follow Arata-senpai more than Sayu.

Becoming his little sister through blood relation was nearly impossible, but I thought the possibility of becoming something deeper—someone he could see romantically—wasn’t zero.