The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 16: Exposed

Chapter 16: Exposed

“—Uh, what’s that…?”

A confused voice brought me back to reality. 

At some point, Mimi had leaned in and was staring at my phone. I’d been so focused on the message that I hadn’t even noticed her standing there.

Mimi found out before I could talk to Runa.

Of course, if you suddenly freeze up while looking at your phone with a serious expression, anyone would get curious. Even I’d be curious.

I could’ve brushed it off as some kind of prank. But I didn’t.

The stalker was nearby. Close enough to be watching.

“Sorry, Ogawa! Hold this!”

“Wha—? Hey, wait! Be careful!”

“This is an emergency! Sorry!”

I shoved the stack of posters into Mimi’s arms and apologized. I was helping her out, so maybe I didn’t need to apologize, but whatever.

Mimi peeked out from behind the posters, her face a mix of shock and confusion.

“I’ll be back later! If I’m not, finish putting them up on your own!”

“Wha—what?! Are you seriously ditching me?! At least tell me what’s going on!”

“No time! I’ll explain later! Later!”

As I shouted, I sprinted at full speed. Just for today, the hallway was meant for running.

I was on the first-floor hallway. If someone was watching me right now, they had to be either at the end of the hall or hiding in one of the classrooms. Since they saw me putting up posters, they probably saw me studying in the library, too. I couldn’t let this chance slip away. It was time for revenge.

I lost them last time. But not today. I pushed off with all my strength.

I felt like a mantis, scanning left and right, checking every classroom. But the rooms were empty —just rows of desks and chairs. Where were they? Where were they hiding?

They could’ve been hiding in the lockers or under the teacher’s desks, but I didn’t have time to check everything carefully.

I was determined not to miss a single clue. The end of the hall was just ahead.

If I turned the corner, I’d reach the stairs to the second floor. I didn’t hear any footsteps other than my own. That meant they hadn’t run away… or had they?

(Wait. Wait, wait, think this through.)

This stalker liked playing mind games, following me in a twisted, roundabout way.

Would they really just stand there and let me chase them?

Would they even let a chase happen in the first place?

It was more likely they were hiding in a classroom, waiting for me to leave so they could slip away afterward. They’d probably enjoy watching me run around like an idiot.

Or maybe they had already escaped while I was reading the message.

But if they had, I would’ve heard footsteps. The school was dead silent during exam week. The sound would’ve echoed loudly. They weren’t a ninja —there was no way they could vanish without a trace.

“…Guess they’re not here after all.”

I turned the corner at the end of the hallway. All that was there was a staircase leading up.

No one was hiding. That narrowed things down.

Instead of going up the stairs, I turned back around. I’d check the classrooms one by one. If they were all empty, I’d have to admit defeat. I’d have no clue how they managed to disappear.

I took a deep breath and started walking.

But then—

“Hey! Who’s running in the hallway? It’s echoing everywhere!”

Damn it. My search was over.

I turned around and saw a teacher coming down the stairs. The sunset’s glow reflected off the landing.

It was him. The Baldy. I didn’t think he’d be doing rounds this late.

“What are you still doing here, Usui? Come over here!”

“Uh, no, wait, it’s not what it looks like. Sensei! Did you see anyone else around here?!”

“Huh? No. You’re the first one I’ve seen. Now hurry up and come here.”

A hot-blooded teacher who belonged in a different era. All about guts and discipline.

He grabbed my arm and started to drag me away.

But I twisted my neck around, glaring down the hallway with all the determination I had.

(They’re probably still hiding in one of the classrooms…!)

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mimi. She must have heard my exchange with the bald P.E. teacher while she was putting up posters. She started running toward us with a worried look on her face.

“…A stalker?”

“Yeah. It seems like someone’s been watching me for a while now. They even came to my house.”

“Wha—!? Your house!? That’s… that’s seriously bad.”

After being dragged off by the P.E. teacher for questioning, I was quickly let go, thanks to Mimi stepping in to help. On top of that, the teacher invited me to join the sports festival committee. No way I’d do that, though.

I took a sip of water from the vending machine and let out a dry laugh.

Standing in front of the staff room, Mimi and I spoke in hushed voices. The sky outside was already getting dark, and thanks to Baldy, the poster-hanging had been postponed until tomorrow.

“I didn’t plan on telling anyone. I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

“…Yeah. Honestly, that was probably the right call. This stalker seems really obsessed.”

“But now it’s clear. Any girl, no matter how close we are, is a target.”

The stalker had gotten jealous of Mimi —someone who was just an acquaintance— and sent me a creepy message. If that was the case, then Runa, who was much closer to me, would probably be in even more danger soon.

“I might not be able to help with the posters anymore. Sorry for leaving it half-finished.”

“It’s okay. I was the one who forced this job on you, anyway.”

“Try to explain things to Baldy for me, will you?”

…Maybe it was time to talk to Runa about this.

I needed to tell her what was going on and keep my distance until things were resolved. She’d definitely hate the idea, but if something happened to her, it’d be too late. She just had to understand. There was no other choice.

“…So yeah, Ogawa, sorry, but don’t tell anyone about this.”

“Of course. I don’t want to be a target either.”

Mimi hugged herself tightly, as if trying to protect her body.

Even though she’d changed her look to be more flashy, she was still just as scared of things as before.

“Oh, but if you need to talk or something, just message me. I can help.”

“…Right, we exchanged contacts a while ago. You were trying to get Hinata’s info back then.”

“Yeah. …Well, if things get really bad, I’ll make sure to pick up your bones.”

She gave me a pitying look, and I sighed in frustration.

“Seriously though, what did you do to get someone this obsessed? It’s crazy. Watching you all the time, showing up at your house —that’s not normal.”

“…That’s the problem. I have no idea what I did.”

If I’d done something to deserve this, I would’ve fixed it a long time ago.

Hearing that, Mimi laughed a little, like she was trying to lighten the mood.

I looked up and saw her scratching her cheek.

“Sorry. I know it’s messed up, but it’s kind of funny.”

“That’s not something a scared person would say.”

“Oh, I’m still scared. But this is your mess, not mine. —Oh, look at this! Doesn’t it fit perfectly?”

Suddenly, Mimi shoved her phone screen in front of me.

The article’s headline read, “Signs of a Manipulative & Yandere Person!” It sounded like the kind of dumb title meant for gossip mixed with fiction. I snorted.

But I was curious, so I quickly skimmed through it.

“It says they steal personal items from the person they like. Has anything of yours gone missing?”

“…………Maybe. …No, wait. Yeah, something definitely has.”

“…Seriously? I was just joking to lighten the mood.”