The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 15: Enter Ogawa — Ba-Bam!

Chapter 15: Enter Ogawa — Ba-Bam!

It was Wednesday, the middle of exam week.

The setting sun cast a reddish glow through the windows of the library. I decided to study here instead of at home for a change of pace, and before I knew it, it was almost closing time.

As I stretched my stiff body and casually glanced around, I noticed that only a few students were left, including me.

“…I really got into it, huh.”

I muttered to myself. A wave of exhaustion hit me, and my eyes started to feel dry and tired.

Usually, you could hear the baseball team shouting and the brass band practicing on the field. But during exam week, everything was unusually quiet.

When you’re focused, you don’t notice these things, but the silence felt a little eerie.

“Guess I’ll head home.”

I was aware that I talked to myself more than most people. It helped me organize my thoughts, and, well, it was just a habit.

I couldn’t remember exactly when it started, but it was probably because of Hinata.

There was a time when girls who liked Hinata seemed to appear out of nowhere, endlessly. Like cockroaches —for every one you saw, there were probably more.

I had to memorize things like their names, personalities, and grades.

Basically, it was like studying flashcards.

It’s a fact that saying things out loud or seeing them helps you remember better than writing. Repetition helps cement things in your memory. Writing takes too long.

The school building in the late afternoon, long past the usual time for going home, was eerily silent. The sound of my loafers scraping against the floor echoed off the walls.

About the stalker issue…

I’d been doing some digging in my own way. From the tone of the emails, it seemed like they were from someone at this school.

As creepy as they were, I didn’t think a student from another school could sneak in and keep such close tabs on me. Especially with how closely they seemed to be watching my every move.

And then there was the fact that she could run fast. I suspected she might be in the track team. But the problem was, I didn’t know any girls in the track team. And if I considered that speed wasn’t exclusive to track athletes, looking for the culprit by checking clubs would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Then there was the letter. The writing was neat, polite, and incredibly well-written. Not just anyone could write like that. That was a solid clue.

But it’s not like I could go around asking every girl in school, “Hey, show me your handwriting!” That would just make me look like a weirdo. It’d totally backfire.

“…Huh?”

I stopped in my tracks.

As I neared the shoe lockers, a flash of bright blonde hair caught my eye. …What was she doing here this late?

“Hmmmm~”

Mimi Ogawa let out a thoughtful hum while staring intensely at the wall in the hallway.

Since no one else was around, she stood out even more. Her slightly disheveled uniform made a strong impression.

(What should I do?)

I couldn’t get to the shoe lockers without passing by her. Should I talk to her or not?

But seriously, Mimi had really changed.

I remembered her from middle school as a shy girl who used to quietly follow behind Hinata. When she “debuted” in high school, her transformation was so extreme that I barely recognized her.

Maybe she wanted to leave her shy self behind. Or maybe she thought this “look” was what Hinata liked.

Whatever the reason, there had to be something that made her switch from quiet to flashy. Even her way of speaking had changed.

“…Hey, Ogawa. What are you doing here this late? And why are you standing in front of the shoe lockers?”

“Oh, perfect timing!”

As I passed her, I noticed she was carrying a stack of posters. Whether she was doing this on her own or someone asked her to, she seemed busy. Ignoring her would feel wrong —we weren’t strangers, after all.

Her eyes lit up when she saw me.

They were like a predator spotting its prey. I had a bad feeling I was about to get roped into something. And sure enough…

“Can you help me put these up?”

“…Ugh. Don’t shove them at me! What are these posters for?”

I pushed the stack of posters away from my face and glanced at them.

I was going to help anyway, but her pushiness was seriously annoying. It dawned on me that I wouldn’t be going home anytime soon.

“Sports festival? That’s still a month away.”

“Yeah, but our homeroom teacher is in charge of it… He’s super fired up, even during exam week.”

Apparently, Mimi’s homeroom teacher was a P.E. teacher —a typical, overly enthusiastic type.

He even made these posters himself. Despite it being exam week, his mind was already set on the sports festival a month from now. Honestly, it was kind of annoying.

“So, you got picked to put up the posters?”

“Exactly. For now, I’m supposed to put them up around the school, and after exams, they’ll be handed out to the local community center and stuff.”

Even just inside the school, there were plenty of places to hang them —hallways, bulletin boards, you name it.

“…And that Baldy talks forever, you know? Plus, he smells all sweaty.”

“So that’s why you’re still here this late. You got stuck listening to him. That sucks.”

Mimi looked exhausted, her face twisted in frustration. I put my hands together like I was praying for her.

“Well, it’s fine. I’m planning to join the sports festival committee anyway. If I score some points with the Baldy now, it’ll make things easier for me later.”

Poor P.E. teacher, getting called “Baldy.” But honestly, he really did stink of sweat. That middle-aged man smell was pretty strong.

Anyway, it seemed Mimi was planning to volunteer as a sports festival committee member. To me, that sounded like the most annoying job ever.

But thinking back, Mimi seemed to care a lot about the sports festival.

I didn’t need her to spell it out for me —this was all about Hinata. In her mind, as a member of the Ichinose Harem Squad, she was probably cooking up some scheme. After all, only one girl could claim the title of Hinata’s girlfriend.

“The sports committee, huh… Just hearing about it makes me tired. You’re really dedicated, Mimi.”

“Of course! I have to get ahead of Sakuragi-senpai and Himeno-senpai. This is an all-out war for love, and I can’t lose!”

Mimi puffed out her chest, full of determination. I wasn’t sure if she was a maiden, a valkyrie, or some kind of warrior princess, but her energy was impressive.

She’d always been pretty in middle school, but her popularity had skyrocketed in high school. Even though it had only been two months since the new first-years joined, I kept hearing her name pop up.

Well, most of the time, it was Runa mentioning her.

“Come, let’s get these posters up! Some of the spots are kinda high, so I’m glad you’re here to help, Usui-senpai!”

Mimi said that and started walking ahead with small, quick steps. From behind, she kind of looked like a tiny animal.

Rika was average height, and Himeno-senpai was tall, so Mimi’s small stature made her stand out in a different way. …Oh well. She’s my junior, so I guess I’ll help her out.

“Usui-senpai, you really haven’t changed. Especially that lifeless look on your face.”

“Can I go home now?”

She smiled a little as she teased me. Was she picking a fight?

After shoving the whole stack of posters into my arms, she still talked to me like that. She was like a sassy little hamster.

Between Runa and Mimi, was my face really that expressionless?

“I was just joking! I meant it feels familiar because you haven’t changed!”

“Yeah, sure.”

I gave her a skeptical look.

She turned away, pretending to whistle a tune —and doing a terrible job of it. Honestly, I was kind of impressed by how bold she was.

“I swear! Just look into my eyes!”

“Those are the eyes of a liar. I can tell.”

“Rude?! Where’s your proof?!”

She exaggerated her reaction, like it was the end of the world.

The more we talked, the clearer it became how different she was from the girl I remembered.

I’d heard that forcing yourself to change in high school could be exhausting if it didn’t match your real personality. But in her case, she seemed fine. She was my junior, so I couldn’t help but keep an eye on her.

Eventually, we reached our first stop. I unfolded a poster and pinned the corners with thumbtacks.

“You’re the one who changed too much. Seriously, can just becoming a high schooler really change someone’s look that much?”

“It’s love.”

Mimi said it without hesitation.

Over her shoulder, I could see the sky turning from crimson to purple. The evening light was starting to fade.

“When it’s for someone you love, people can do anything. That’s what I think.”

“…I guess that makes sense.”

I muttered something that sounded like agreement.

I’d never had a girlfriend, or even experienced a real crush, so I couldn’t really understand.

“Maybe you should try falling in love, Usui-senpai.”

It was just as she said those words that my phone buzzed.

A notification.

Grateful for the distraction, I looked at my phone instead of answering her.

And then… chills ran down my spine.

Sender:

Your Lover.

I opened the message.

[Looks fun. I wish I could help Shinji-sama with the posters, too. Oh, but don’t get any closer to that girl. If you do, I might feel like killing someone. So, stay at least a meter away. Ah, I want to see you… I want to see you so badly, Shinji-sama.]