Chapter 4 – Bumping Into a Beautiful Girl on the Bus

Waking up at 5 a.m. on weekdays.

That’s a personal rule of mine.

At this hour, Nee-san is sound asleep, and as long as I don’t make too much noise, it’s the quietest and most peaceful time of the day.

“Hey, when did you get next to me…”

Maybe because she was in shock over my love life yesterday, Nee-san had climbed into my bed and was currently restraining me with the force of an anaconda.

She’s beautiful when she’s asleep.

But a strength unbecoming of that beauty binds me.

I have to break free from this hold somehow…

“Mmm… mumble, mumble…”

That startled me.

I thought she was waking up.

Waking up at five is so ingrained in my routine that I don’t need to set an alarm. I’m wide awake. Nee-san was just talking in her sleep, still lost in her dreams.

“Hey now, Aki-kun, you’re being so naughty…”

I wonder what I’m doing in her dream.

“Ah, I guess it can’t be helped. This is just for you, Aki-kun…”

I’m so disappointed in this pervy, bro-con nee-san.

I managed to escape the clutches of the South American serpent and made my way to the living room. From there, I headed to the washroom, washed my face, moisturized my skin, and took off my pajamas.

I can’t afford to skip these morning activities.

I stick to the routines I set for myself. To me, that’s the most important principle for maintaining order in this world.

I take a shower.

A June morning is a little chilly, and a cold shower is hell itself. But I do the same thing in the winter, so I don’t flinch at all.

“Right, time to check my messages.”

I make it a rule to turn my phone off at 7 p.m.

Checking last night’s messages like this only takes a few minutes in the morning.

“From Chifuyu… 126 LIME messages…”

I shuddered, maybe from the cold shower I just took, or maybe from pure instinct.

When we were dating, I would have read them all carefully and replied with about three messages of my own… but she’s my ex now, so there’s no reason to be so courteous.

I’ll just leave her on read.

It’s a well-known fact that I rarely touch my phone, so I’m sure she’ll understand.

Feeling strangely cheerful, I moved on to my morning protein intake & reading time.

Since I study at night, the morning is the only time I can relax and enjoy a good book. Incidentally, I consume animal protein in the morning to prevent muscle breakdown.

The book I’m reading now is volume four of the light novel I bought yesterday, The Maverick of Hero Academy Wants to Flex Like a Top Dog.

I’d already read it as an e-book, but I bought the physical copy, too. It’s my personal policy as a reader to give back as much as possible to the authors who provide me with an entertaining experience.

“Hah, looks like my peaceful time is about to end.”

The reason I muttered that was simple.

Nee-san was awake.

It takes about five minutes by bus to get to Seimei High School, where I’m a student.

I could walk, but I usually have a fair amount of stuff with me, so I use the bus.

There’s a bus center right near my house, and I get off at the stop right in front of Seimei High, so it’s never a problem.

“Is it okay if I storm your classroom today, Aki-kun?”

“No, please don’t.”

Even though I say that, Nee-san will probably show up during lunch break anyway.

I turn her down every single day.

“By the way, if it looks like you’re going to get a girlfriend in the future, you have to tell me first, okay?”

“Got it.”

“Really? I asked Mom and Dad yesterday, and they both knew you had a girlfriend, you know?”

Turns out, Nee-san was the only one I hadn’t told.

You can probably guess why.

While we were bickering, the bus arrived.

It was packed with students and commuters, filled to the point of overflowing. I’d been thinking that they should really increase the number of buses, but what actually happened was that they recently reduced the service. Apparently, it’s due to the aging and declining number of drivers.

This city of Sasebo has some pretty big problems of its own.

“Jeez, Aki-kun, you’re too close.”

“It’s only because the bus is so crammed.”

“You don’t have to make excuses. I get it, I get it. You loooove your nee-san.”

She doesn’t get it at all.

“Anyway, we have tests coming up soon, shouldn’t you be studying, Nee-san?”

“Just being with you is a form of studying for me, so you don’t have to worry.”

Just being with me is studying for her.

Yeah, that makes no sense.

Just as I was about to retort, the bus lurched. We’d been on the main road for a while, so this must have been the turnoff for the high school.

“Ugh—”

“Ah—I’m sorry.”

The momentum of the sharp turn sent me stumbling into the passenger behind me.

I apologized instinctively, but—.

“…Hayasaka-san?”

“Yamabuki-kun…”

The person I had bumped into was the beautiful girl who currently sits next to me in class, Hayasaka Hinami.

She has a cool-beauty charm that neither Chifuyu nor Nee-san possesses, and a ridiculous figure. Her chest is an estimated E-cup, her waist is narrow, and her legs are long. Her long, straight hair is tied back in a ponytail.

—A beautiful girl straight out of an anime.

That’s how an otaku would describe her.

And, how should I put it… she’s completely defenseless in a lot of ways. She sleeps through most of class, and during the breaks when she’s actually awake, she’s reading manga by herself. This beautiful girl reading manga so openly has caused a manga boom in my class.

Mainly among the guys.

“Morning.”

“M-Morning.”

She greeted me with a casual smile.

I nearly lost my balance but managed to hold on and return the greeting.

Hayasaka-san and I are seated next to each other.

Because of that, we chat a little during breaks and communicate during class discussions.

For some reason, the moment a discussion starts, Hayasaka-san becomes fully awake.

I was debating whether to start some safe, generic conversation, like about the upcoming tests, when Hayasaka-san suddenly averted her gaze from me.

She looked somewhat lonely, and somewhat… displeased.

Wait, does she hate me?

Would someone greet a person they hate with such a refreshing smile? I don’t get it, but it’s pointless to worry about. For some reason, I’m in a good mood today. My shoulder joints feel loose. That kind of feeling.

“Are you okay, Aki-kun?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“If anything happens, I’ll protect you. Oh, but you’re stronger than me now, so if it comes down to it, you’ll be my knight, won’t you?”

Ah, this is it.

It’s because of this sister of mine.

The thought of Hayasaka-san hearing that whole exchange from right behind me makes me want to die.