The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 19: Found the Missing Item

Chapter 19: Found the Missing Item

Suddenly, a mini fashion show started, then we took a bunch of photo booth pictures. I ended up being the designated bag carrier, got exhausted from head to toe, and got dragged to trendy drink shops. After being spun around like that all day, I realized the sun was already setting by the time we left the mall.

I watched the cars leaving the mall.

Guess it’s the train from here.

Feeling drained, I found myself thinking randomly about wanting a driver’s license. Meanwhile, Runa was in a great mood, humming a cheerful tune.

“Mmm~, that was so much fun!”

She stretched lightly, and her brown hair swayed in the evening breeze. Her shirt lifted just a bit, and I awkwardly looked away. She probably wasn’t even aware of it, but I’m still a guy –I wish she’d be more careful.

We weren’t holding hands anymore, and that airy, flirtatious vibe had disappeared.

“Alright, let’s get stuff for dinner!”

“Why not just buy it inside the mall?”

“Dummy, it’s overpriced here. We have to save money. If we waste the money our parents give us, our sense of finances will be messed up in the future.”

The Ichinose family is pretty well-off. Since her parents work overseas, their salaries are supposed to be quite impressive. But Runa manages everything responsibly.

Maybe because she’s in charge of all the housework, her sense of responsibility has grown too.

If it were me, I’d probably just rely on my parents without a second thought.

“Hou, so that’s how it is. You’re gonna make a great wife someday.”

In this era of gender equality, guys need to help out with housework and raising kids too, but Runa really stands out. I honestly respect her, and I couldn’t help but say it out loud.

“Right? I’m pretty much perfect.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a bit of smugness. While we chatted, waiting at the bus stop, Runa suddenly let out a groan.

I followed her gaze and felt my own cheek twitch.

Light brown hair. Black hair. Dark, raven-like hair. Blonde hair. A group of four –three girls and one guy. 

Normally, interacting with them one-on-one wouldn’t be too bad, but when they’re together, there’s this intense energy that’s kind of overwhelming. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

They hadn’t noticed us yet.

We couldn’t leave because the bus was scheduled to arrive in a few minutes. But judging by the way things were going, they were probably waiting for the same bus.

They were still a bit far away, but if they spotted us, they’d definitely start talking to us. Hinata, especially, would come up with some wild assumptions. And that would just add to Runa’s irritation.

“I bought the outfit Hii-kun said was cute!”

“Really? Make sure to wear it next time and show me. It looked good when you tried it on.”

“Hmph, well, I think I looked even more stunning.”

“No way! Hold on! I’m definitely the one who looked the best!”

I found myself unintentionally eavesdropping on their conversation. Same old routine.

Hinata’s harem group fought over him while he avoided giving a straight answer. I know I can be indecisive too, but I can’t imagine having the guts to stay vague when surrounded by that many girls.

I took a deep breath, remembering how Runa held my hand in the theater.

Honestly, it was lucky we didn’t run into them inside the mall. Good or bad, all we had left to do now was go home. We’d already bought everything we needed and checked out the events we wanted to see.

“Shin-nii, let’s take a different bus. I feel sick.”

“…You sure? If we do, we’ll have to wait about thirty minutes.”

“That’s fine. If we run into them, we’ll waste even more time.”

“Yeah, good point. Alright, we’ll wait.”

I nodded with a sigh.

“Thanks.”

Her cheerful mood from earlier had completely vanished, and she looked exhausted. 

We left the line and headed in the opposite direction. The tests were over, and there wasn’t anything urgent to do at home. A little delay wouldn’t hurt.

“Here. Is water okay?”

I handed Runa a cold bottle of water I got from a nearby vending machine.

It was the end of May, and staying hydrated was important. 

We waited for the bus carrying Hinata and his group to leave before getting back in line. 

Considering how strained things were between Hinata and Runa, avoiding a clash was definitely the right call.

“I’ll pay you back.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“…Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”

I stopped Runa just as she was about to pull out her wallet from her shoulder bag. It was just a bottle of water, barely a hundred yen. I wasn’t going to ask her to pay for something that small.

“This sucks. It was such a fun day, too.”

“I should’ve thought about the chance of running into Hinata and his group.”

“…I hate that. The idea of changing my plans because of him? No way. If anything, he should stay in his room. Seriously, I don’t get what people see in him.”

Maybe it’s because she’s his sister that she sees the flaws no one else does.

To outsiders, Hinata is the perfect guy — good-looking, athletic, and smart. He gets all the praise, all the attention, and all the spotlight.

But to Runa, he’s just an indecisive, annoying guy. Honestly, I kind of agreed with her, so I didn’t feel the need to correct her.

“There’s no way that’s going to work out. It’ll fall apart for sure.”

“Yeah, I think so too. As his childhood friend, I just wish he’d hurry up and get with someone already.”

“If that happens, I feel sorry for the girl who ends up with him. He’s better off alone.”

Runa unscrewed the cap of the bottle and took a big gulp. Her bold, almost guy-like move made me want to laugh.

“Why are you trying not to laugh? Ack—”

A sudden strong gust of wind blew from behind. Runa lost her balance.

Because of where we were standing, she naturally fell right into my arms. Her small, delicate frame. The subtle scent of citrus perfume. Whether I wanted to or not, I couldn’t help but notice how girly she felt.

A few seconds later, I realized I was practically hugging her.

Our eyes met. Her cheeks flushed red. We were so close, I could feel her breath. The unexpected situation made both of us jump away from each other.

“S-Sorry! I was just trying to keep you from falling!”

“I-I know that! I know, so don’t say it so loudly, it’s embarrassing!”

“O-Oh, got it. Yeah. Really, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“…Mm.”

Runa’s face turned bright red as she looked away.

I scratched my cheek, thinking I might have upset her. Even though it was an accident, holding her like that could definitely come off as inappropriate. 

I started thinking of ways to apologize when—

“…I’m not mad. I just got a little surprised.”

She still didn’t look at me, but her eyes glanced my way. It seemed like she really wasn’t angry. I let out a relieved breath. Still, the fact remained that I did something kind of awkward.

“Even so, I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you.”

“…Then, go out with me again. That’ll make us even.”

“If that’s all it takes. I’ll carry your bags, no problem.”

“And buy me a crepe. With ice cream.”

“Of course. …Wait, what?”

I nodded, but something felt off. In the shock of catching Runa, the clasp on her shoulder bag had come undone, leaving the contents completely visible.

I was about to say something when a stronger feeling of unease struck me.

I noticed.

A wallet. A small pouch. A spray-type deodorant. Two handkerchiefs. Two of them, layered on top of each other. One was a colorful, feminine design. The other was a dark blue handkerchief with a clumsy-looking dog printed on it.

It wasn’t certain yet.

It was just a possibility.

But,

(…Isn’t that mine?)

―――――

Author’s Note 

I know some people aren’t fond of afterwords, so I’ll keep this brief.

Thank you so much for reading my work!

First, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude. Thanks to all of your support, I’ve been able to stay in the top ten rankings for a while now. I really appreciate the follows, the stars, and the follows for my personal account too! I’m sorry for the slow replies to comments —but I promise I read every single one!

This marks the end of the first act. The next act will kick off the second arc.

We’ll gradually dive into the sports festival, the mystery of the lost item, and more. I’ll do my best to keep the story enjoyable enough to pass your time, so please continue to support me. Sorry this turned into a long message after all, but I’ll end it here!!

P.S. Stars and follows really help motivate me, so I’d be thrilled if you gave them!