The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 07: Missing Belongings

Chapter 07: Missing Belongings

Even with all those eyes on us, we managed to get home safely.

I didn’t like being the center of attention, but walking home together gave me a sense of nostalgia. Thinking about it, the last time we walked the same route home was back in middle school.

“If we walk home together one more time, it won’t matter if we do it two or three more times.”

That’s what Runa said just before stepping into the Ichinose house.

With her playful personality, it was hard to tell how serious she was.

Like earlier, when she said I’d protect her. If she actually meant that, she might start sticking to me at school tomorrow, too. While having Runa’s attention was nice, it also made me break out in a cold sweat. I could already imagine a mob of angry guys ready to stab me.

Since I started my second year of high school, and since Runa started her first year, a month had passed. It felt like something was about to change —a vague feeling that filled my chest.

“…This doesn’t make sense.”

I muttered to myself. 

In my room, I was moving my bed, dresser, and everything else around.

I knew it was probably bothering the neighbors, but I’d lost something important.

I turned my school bag and uniform pockets inside out, but still… nothing.

“The love letter… it’s gone.”

A sigh slipped out of my mouth. The black threat letter was still there.

But the love letter —the one meant for Hinata— was gone. I’d been trying to figure out what to do with it, so I’d just stuffed it in my bag for the time being. Throwing it away felt wrong, and I’d been considering giving it back to that upperclassman (probably) who sent it.

I thought back, wondering if I’d dropped it somewhere, but quickly dismissed the idea.

I’d kept it buried deep in my bag. The chance of it falling out seemed unlikely.

Maybe it got caught on a textbook when I took it out…? But I would’ve noticed that.

Yet, somehow, the soft pink envelope had disappeared.

Even if it wasn’t meant for me, losing a letter filled with someone’s heartfelt feelings felt wrong on a moral level. After thinking it over, I decided to give up on returning it.

The one silver lining was that the letter didn’t have a sender or recipient name on it.

Even if someone else found it, they wouldn’t be able to connect it to that upperclassman.

But the fact that I had lost something brought up a weird feeling.

To be honest, this wasn’t the first time it had happened.

“Am I losing my mind or something?”

I, Shinji Usui, have a habit of losing things. My stuff just disappears sometimes.

This time, it was the love letter. The time before that? My underwear. Before that? Some dishes I’d just used. Random personal items kept vanishing around me. No matter how hard I searched, they were never found. At one point, I even wondered if someone was stealing from me. But since I’d never lost any money or valuables, it seemed unlikely. Who on earth would want to steal my stuff anyway?

In the end, I started doubting myself.

The idea of losing my mind this young wasn’t funny —even as a joke.

“…Heh, seriously.”

As I laughed bitterly to myself, the black threat letter caught my eye.

I picked it up and flopped onto my bed. Almost on autopilot, I opened the envelope.

My eyes scanned the threatening words scrawled across the page, still as creepy as ever.

I still had no clue who sent this letter. There hadn’t been any real harm yet, but knowing someone might be watching me was anything but comforting.

If this was a prank, fine. But if it was serious, that meant someone was stalking me. For all I knew, they could be watching me right now.

I let out yet another sigh —I’d lost count of how many times today.

Who could I even talk to about this? Hinata? No way. Runa? I didn’t want to worry her. My family? Embarrassing. My circle of friends was so small that I had no good options.

Sure, if I used Hinata as a bridge, I could expand my social network easily. But there weren’t many people who wanted to deal with just me.

“Whoa, that scared me… Oh, it’s Runa.”

My phone suddenly vibrated, and when I checked the screen, it was a message from Runa.

“Come over for dinner tonight. Shin-mama’s not home, right?”

She called my mom “Shin-mama.”

She was right—my mom was working the night shift and wouldn’t be home tonight. Our families were pretty close, so having dinner together or even going on family trips wasn’t unusual.

Since I didn’t have a reason to say no, I replied with a quick “Okay.”

Then she sent another message:

“Yay! Make sure to praise my cooking.”

Along with it, a cute sheep sticker.

Runa’s cooking skills were honestly top-tier. Meanwhile, my idea of “cooking” was instant ramen or, on a good day, curry. The difference between us was laughable. The Ichinose parents often traveled for long periods, so Runa’s household skills had naturally skyrocketed.

“I’ll be waiting!”