12 – Is this Something I have to Take Responsibility for?

“Ugh, Risa-senpai’s too sharp for her own good…”

After Risa-senpai apologized profusely through the door, I was left sprawled on my bed, completely drained. Today had been exhausting, and I could feel sleep creeping up on me. Maybe it was best to just give in and sleep until nightfall—

“EI-TOOOOOOO!”

“Whaaa—?!”

With a loud bang, my door swung open, the sound startling me awake as I jolted upright in bed.

“N-Nee-chan?”

Rubbing my sleep-deprived eyes, I looked over to see my sister standing in the doorway, still in her school uniform.

“Wh-what’s going on? Why are you in such a rush?”

“‘What’s going on?’ That’s what I want to ask you! Did you kidnap someone else’s girlfriend?!”

“Haaah?!”

Kidnap? What in the world was she talking about?

“Did you do it? The kidnapping? Where’s the girl now? Don’t tell me you’ve hidden her somewhere in this house!”

My older sister began frantically searching my room, peering into my closet, under my desk, and even beneath my bed.

“Nee-chan, what the hell are you talking about?! There’s no one here! I didn’t kidnap anyone!” I protested, still trying to wrap my head around the bizarre accusation.

“Oh, so she’s not in this room. Maybe you hid her in my room…”

“She’s not anywhere! Just stop it already, I didn’t kidnap anyone! It’s just a stupid rumor!”

“But my friend told me that you hit on some girl at the school gate with some super lame pickup line, then ran off with her when her boyfriend showed up. She said you were dragging her away like a kidnapper!”

“That’s not what happened! Okay, yes, the pickup line was super lame, but I had my reasons! And I didn’t drag her away, she’s the one who grabbed my hand and pulled me along!”

“N-no way, that sounds too far-fetched. If that were true, it would mean she likes you. And that’s impossible, absolutely impossible.”

“Hey, who are you calling unlovable?”

Okay, I doubt Sena likes me either, but still. Before I could continue, my sister’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“But listen, Eito, there’s no smoke without fire. Something clearly happened. Can you just tell me the whole story?”

“Fine…”

I took a deep breath and started explaining everything to her. From how I ended up on the radar of some delinquent guys in my class, to what happened at the school gate, and how it all spiraled out of control from there.

I figured I could trust my sister not to spread this around…….. as annoying as she could be.

“So, in the end, you stole someone else’s girlfriend, huh?”

“Did you even listen to what I just said?!”

“I’m just joking… But that girl sure is bold, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“That guy, Hinno-kun, his dad’s the CEO of a pretty big company. Hinno-kun uses that to his advantage, so even the teachers don’t mess with him. That’s why he’s been able to do whatever he wants without anyone stopping him.”

“Ah, that makes sense…”

That explained why Hinno could get away with things like taking secret photos and using violence without a second thought.

“And you, having picked a fight with Hinno-kun, should know all this pretty well by now.”

“Wait, how do you know about that?!”

My mind went blank. I didn’t recall telling her about the fight with Hinno, so how did she know?

“Come on, Eito, rumors spread fast, you know. Everyone’s already talking about how you fought Hinno-kun and stole his girlfriend. That’s the hottest gossip right now.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

This was bad. The thought of going back to school after summer break was now utterly terrifying. I’d always kept a low profile, blending in as a harmless character, and now suddenly, everyone was paying attention to me.

I’m definitely going to get hassled.

“Well, according to what you just said, that girl was being treated horribly by Hinno-kun, and she hated him, right? In that case, it’s a good thing you ended up with her.”

“Huh? W-Wait, ‘ended up with her’…?”

“Yeah, like as in you’re her boyfriend now.”

“Wait, hold on… you mean, like, dating? The boyfriend-girlfriend kind of dating?”

“What, are you telling me you’re not actually dating her? No way!”

“No, no, no, we’re not dating! We’re just friends… that’s all.”

“So, you’re really not together… But, Eito, I think everyone assumes that you two are already a couple.”

“What?”

“Well, you did ‘steal’ her from Hinno-kun, so it’s only natural for everyone to think you’re her new boyfriend.”

“…”

That… actually makes sense. That must be why Sena pretended we were a couple earlier. She figured that since everyone would assume we were dating anyway, it was easier to just go along with it.

“Hey, does this mean I’m going to have to… take responsibility?”

“Of course you do.”

It seems like I’m now bound to her, whether I like it or not.

…I’m so exhausted. I just want to sleep.