My Girlfriend Wanted an Open Relationship, So I Broke Up with Her and Found a Sweet Yandere - Chapter 38

[Yuuta’s POV]

The lecture ended with the dull thud of a textbook closing somewhere behind me.

Chairs scraped against the floor as people began packing their bags, the usual post-lecture noise filling the classroom. Normally I would already be halfway out the door by now, but today I stayed seated.

My eyes drifted across the room.

Iroha-san was sitting at the far corner near the windows.

Far.

Way farther than usual.

Normally she’d end up somewhere around me, sometimes behind, sometimes a few seats away. Close enough that we could exchange a few quiet comments during the lecture.

Today she sat alone.

Deliberately alone.

She wasn’t even pretending to look this way.

…Yeah.

That was on me.

I leaned back slightly in my chair, staring at the ceiling for a moment.

I trusted Iroha-san.

Enough to know she wouldn’t go running to the administration office and file some formal complaint about what she saw this morning.

But that didn’t make the situation less troublesome.

If anything, it made it worse.

Because I knew exactly what she was doing.

She was waiting.

Waiting for me to explain.

And I wasn’t.

My fingers drummed lightly against the desk.

Maybe I should at least tell her about the scholarship.

Just that part.

It wasn’t technically connected to Sensei. Not directly.

My scholarship getting terminated was my own problem.

If I told Iroha-san that much, maybe she’d stop looking at me like I was hiding a corpse in my closet.

…But even that felt like too much.

Iroha-san wasn’t someone who forced her way into other people’s problems, but if she knew about it she’d definitely try to help.

And that somehow felt worse.

My thoughts drifted again.

Unfortunately, they drifted somewhere even more dangerous.

Sensei’s offer.

Come live with me.

My stomach twisted slightly.

And then, because my brain apparently hated me, it replayed what happened last night.

Sensei under me…

Her hair messy from the fever.

Her voice quieter than usual.

The way she—

SLAP.

The sound echoed far louder than I expected.

Pain exploded across my cheek.

For half a second the entire classroom went silent.

Every single head turned toward me.

Crap.

Crap crap crap.

I immediately looked down at my hands and started brushing them together frantically.

“Ah— there was a bug,” I muttered awkwardly. “Got it.”

No one looked convinced.

A few people stared for another moment before returning to their conversations.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

I glanced across the room again.

Iroha-san was staring at me.

From the far corner.

Completely unimpressed.

Her expression didn’t even change.

That somehow hurt more than the slap.

She quietly zipped her bag, stood up, and walked toward the exit without saying a word.

The door slid open.

Then closed.

And just like that, she was gone.

I exhaled slowly.

Great.

Just great.

Since Sensei’s lecture was supposed to be the last class today, everyone had already begun leaving.

Except Sensei wasn’t here.

She mentioned on the train earlier that she’d be taking the day off.

Probably because of the fever.

Which meant I was done for the day.

I grabbed my bag and stood up.

The classroom emptied quickly.

Within a minute I was walking through the quiet hallway toward the university entrance.

Cold air greeted me the moment I stepped outside.

Students were scattered around the front plaza, some heading toward the station, others lingering near the gates.

I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and started toward the street.

Then I saw her.

And the world tilted.

She stood a few meters away from the university gate like she had been rooted there for hours.

Shorter than me.

Slim.

Dark hair pulled back neatly.

The same eyes.

My eyes.

She wore a navy skirt and pale blouse, the uniform of some all-girls high school I recognized instantly even after all this time. Her blazer hung loosely over one arm, crumpled from how tightly she was clutching it.

Yuuri.

My younger sister.

The moment I recognized her, the air in my lungs vanished.

My vision narrowed sharply, like someone had shoved me into a tunnel. A high ringing sound flooded my ears, drowning out everything around me.

Students were walking past.

Talking.

Laughing.

But it all sounded distant.

Muted.

Like I was underwater.

…Why is she here.

I told her.

Two days ago I made it perfectly clear.

I don’t want to see her.

Ever again.

So why won’t she just leave me alone?

My stomach twisted.

Why now.

Why here.

Yuuri shifted nervously when our eyes met.

Her hands trembled slightly as she clutched her phone. Her shoulders were tense, like someone waiting for a verdict.

For a moment neither of us moved.

Then her lips parted.

“…Nii—”

I turned.

Immediately.

My body moved before my brain even finished processing the sound.

No.

Absolutely not.

My legs carried me away from the gate as fast as possible. I pulled my hood up and lowered my head as I pushed through the crowd.

I could still feel it.

Her presence.

Behind me.

Burning into the back of my skull.

“Nii-chan—!”

The word cut through the noise of the street.

My stomach twisted violently.

I walked faster.

My chest felt tight.

Too tight.

Footsteps hurried behind me.

Then suddenly—

Something grabbed my leg.

Hard.

My body jerked forward, nearly losing balance.

I looked down.

Yuuri was kneeling on the pavement.

Both hands wrapped around my leg like it was the only thing keeping her alive.

My vision flashed red.

“What the hell are you—”

My voice came out sharper than I intended.

Students nearby slowed down.

Some stopped entirely.

Yuuri’s head was bowed so low her forehead almost touched my knee.

Her shoulders were shaking.

“Please…” she whispered.

Disgust crawled under my skin.

“Let go.”

My voice was low.

Cold.

She tightened her grip.

“I can’t.”

Whispers started spreading through the small crowd gathering around us.

I tried pulling my leg free.

Yuuri clung tighter.

“Nii-chan please—!”

My jaw clenched painfully.

“Don’t.”

The word slipped out before I could stop it.

Yuuri froze.

“Don’t call me that.”

My voice had dropped dangerously quiet.

Her shoulders trembled harder.

“I—I know…” she choked. “I know I don’t deserve to…”

Her voice cracked.

People were definitely staring now.

Phones out.

Great.

Just great.

I closed my eyes briefly and exhaled.

“…Fine.”

Yuuri’s head lifted slightly.

Hope flickered across her face.

It made my stomach churn.

I pulled my leg free.

“If you want to talk,” I said flatly, “get up.”

She scrambled to her feet.

Her hands were shaking.

Tears clung to the edges of her eyes but she was trying desperately to hold them back.

I glanced across the street.

There was a small café on the corner.

Quiet.

Not many people.

Good enough.

I started walking toward it.

“We’ll talk there.”

I didn’t wait for her response.

But I could hear her footsteps following behind me anyway.

Each one felt like nails dragging across my spine.

And the entire time one thought kept echoing in my head.

Why now.

Why after everything.

Why today.

[A/N: Cuz…why not?]