The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 17: Date 1

Chapter 17: Date 1

The weekend after surviving the midterms.

Next week, we’d be getting our test results back. Just thinking about it was depressing. But there was no avoiding it.

In the bathroom mirror, I saw a sullen, unmotivated guy staring back at me. I wiped the water dripping from my face with a towel, not caring how rough I was.

“…Sigh.”

The clock’s short hand pointed just past ten. The sky outside was cloudy.

I pulled the plug and drained the sink. From the living room, the news announcer mentioned the warm, muggy weather typical of this season. Personally, I hated the humidity.

I knew I was a homebody. Just imagining that damp, sticky air made my body feel heavy and tired. Whoever came up with the term “discomfort index” was a genius.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds while thinking about nothing in particular. Then, I sighed.

“I have to tell her.”

Today was supposed to be the long-awaited date. And with Runa, no less.

It was supposed to be a “practice date,” or so we said. But we were still going out, just the two of us. Any other guy would be insanely jealous.

If we weren’t childhood friends, this never would’ve happened. No way.

I didn’t want to stand out, but my wishes didn’t seem to matter.

I really couldn’t say no to Runa. We already walked to and from school together, and we usually spent lunch together, too. Exams had given me a brief break, but once the weekend was over, we’d be spending even more time together again.

But… that couldn’t happen.

If I had to stand out, I could deal with it. I was used to being compared to Hinata. If my peaceful school life fell apart, I could handle it. That was just how things had always been.

But now there was Runa. She was the closest girl in my life.

And after all that pointless thinking, she just said—

“I knew it.”

“…Wait, what did you just say?”

“I said, ‘I knew it.’ Didn’t you hear me?”

“Wha—wait, we’re talking about the stalker, right?”

Jump to our current location —a shopping mall.

Since we lived next door, there was no need for the usual “Did you wait long?” and “Nope, I just got here.” We just met up normally, took the train, and here we were.

I’d been trying to figure out the best time to tell her, and I finally decided on the crowded food court. If the stalker was lurking nearby, having a lot of people around would help.

But Runa’s reaction was completely different from what I’d expected.

My shaky voice was almost lost in the noise of the mall.

Runa sipped her juice through a straw and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. There was definitely someone sketchy.”

“…Wait, wait, wait. Where?! Where did you see them?!”

“You mean how did I know?”

I nodded at Runa’s words. I was so shocked that I couldn’t keep up with what she was saying.

She spoke so naturally about it that I started to wonder if I was the weird one. The juice I’d brought tasted like nothing.

“First of all, I don’t know who it is. I haven’t figured out who’s obsessed with you, Shin-nii. If I did, I’d have told you already.”

“…Yeah, that makes sense. …So?”

Runa twirled the ends of her brown hair around her finger as she continued.

For some reason, she looked a little annoyed. Maybe I was imagining it.

“I knew for sure you were being bothered by something that night. After we bought stuff at the convenience store. I couldn’t shake the feeling, and I couldn’t sleep.”

“Really? Sorry, I didn’t mean to stress you out.”

“Don’t worry about that. …The problem was what I saw that night.”

She paused, her expression turning serious.

“I saw someone standing and staring at your house. It was a girl —I could tell by the silhouette. When you told me about the stalker today, it all clicked. Everything lined up. …That girl must be the one.”

When she said “that girl,” it felt like there was more to her words.

“Wait, are you serious!? …She came back?”

“They say criminals return to the scene of the crime. I guess it’s true.”

If what Runa said was true, the stalker’s determination was terrifying.

After that whole chase, she still had the nerve to come back to my house. That wasn’t normal. But then again, being a stalker wasn’t normal to begin with. It felt like I was stepping into a bottomless pit.

Why was she so obsessed with me?

“Hey, you could’ve told me sooner.”

“I thought about it, but… you were acting so desperate, Shin-nii. You were trying to hide it with such obvious lies. I figured I’d just let it slide.”

If she had told me right away—

No. Even if she did, I probably would’ve still decided to distance myself from her to keep her safe. She wasn’t blood-related, but she was like family to me.

“…Yeah, yeah. I suck at lying.”

I answered bluntly.

“Well, knowing you, I figured you were trying to protect me. I even gave you an excuse to let me help. Dummy.”

“Ugh… Even so, I didn’t want to drag you into this. Can you understand that?”

“I knew that, too. That’s why I didn’t push you for answers.”

Her words were curt, but she smiled, a hint of warmth in her expression.

Runa was strong and stubborn, but she had a shy side, too. She rarely showed it, but I remembered a time when she was more straightforward.

“But since you’re opening up about this now, something must’ve changed.”

Runa’s smile faded, and she raised her index finger with a serious expression. The way she did it felt like a scene from a mystery novel —it suited her oddly well.

“Something serious must’ve happened. Or is about to happen, right?”

Her guess was spot on.

Runa was sharp. Her mind worked fast, and she seemed to instinctively know what information mattered. I hesitated for a few seconds, then raised both hands in surrender.

“…Yeah. You got it. You’re completely right.”

“See? So why don’t you just tell me everything already? There’s no point in hiding it.”

She already knew about the stalker. She knew there was a real threat. Maybe it was time to explain everything.

I scratched my head and pressed my fingers against the corners of my eyes.

“Fine. You win. I’ll tell you everything. …The truth is—”

I told her about the threatening letter. About the weird emails. About the feeling of being watched all the time.

I explained everything I’d been going through recently. Runa listened quietly, occasionally nodding as I spoke.

“So, until this gets sorted out, I think we should spend less—”

“Hmm. In that case, how about this?”

Before I could finish suggesting we spend less time together, she cut me off. 

I blinked in surprise, raising an eyebrow. Then she said something completely unexpected.

“Let’s pretend to be a fake couple and make the stalker jealous!”

“What the hell are you talking about? The stalker’s unhinged —you’re just going to pour fuel on the fire.”

“It’s fine! If anything happens, you’ll protect me, Shin-nii!”

“…That’s what people call a reckless plan. Do you get that?”

This made no sense. I couldn’t understand her logic. How did she come to that conclusion?

“But honestly, this is the fastest way. We lure them out. If we stir up their emotions enough, they’ll probably react or do something.”

“Yeah, but still… I’m against it. It’s way too dangerous.”

“Ahh, you’re so slow and cautious!”

Suddenly, Runa stood up and grabbed my arm. The scene felt eerily similar to when she’d dragged me to the rooftop for lunch. Come to think of it, what had she mumbled back then?

“Let’s go see a movie! I’ve been waiting for this one to come out forever —I’m super excited!”

“Don’t cling to me like that! Didn’t I just say we’re being watched?!”

When I tried to pull away, she tightened her grip even more. My arm was trapped.

From an outsider’s perspective, we looked exactly like a real couple. I was about to complain about her forceful approach when she leaned in and whispered into my ear.

“This is on purpose. If they get mad and show up, we can catch them.”

“I still don’t agree with this plan. We don’t know how things will turn out.”

“…Don’t worry. I’ve got another idea, too.”

I gave her a questioning look, asking her what she meant.

“We let them do what they want. On purpose. Like I said, we watch for their reaction.”

“And like I said, that’s dangerous!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just trust me.”

She said it with such confidence.