The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 32: The Day of the Sports Festival

Chapter 32: The Day of the Sports Festival

It was late June, and the temperature felt like summer had fully arrived.

The rainy season was completely over, and the sky was a perfect blue with not a single cloud in sight. The relentless sun blazed down on us, showing no mercy.

As soon as I drank some water, I was already annoyed by the sweat pouring out again.

It was finally the day of the sports festival. While the events were going on, we committee members were busy working behind the scenes. Even though it was supposed to be break time, we kept going. I told myself it was all for my grades. Rest in peace, me.

On top of that, people were saying they needed more help, so I ended up assisting the equipment team too.

I kept getting stuck with all the heavy lifting. It almost made me forget I was just a regular “go-home club” member. Back and forth, back and forth —between the gym storage and the field —I mindlessly hauled supplies.

“—Next up is the Borrowed Item Relay. Participants, please get ready.”

As I lined up the traffic cones in their starting positions, I listened to the announcement.

The Borrowed Item Relay was one of the most popular events in the festival. Two people from each class —one boy and one girl —competed in it. For my class, Hinata was the boy and Rika was the girl.

I had no idea what items they’d have to borrow. …Who knows what the event organizers came up with?

That said, since I wasn’t participating in this event, it didn’t really have much to do with me.

As I wiped the sweat off my face with a towel, I continued setting up the cones and the box where the papers with the items to borrow would go. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the participants starting to gather.

Among them, I saw Runa and Mimi, and I couldn’t help but stare.

“…They’re joining this event?”

I muttered it quietly, more to myself than anyone else. The Borrowed Item Relay depended mostly on how difficult the items were, so it didn’t matter what boy-girl combination competed.

Soon, we committee members finished the preparations and reported back.

At that moment, Runa and Mimi made eye contact with me, and I casually raised one hand in acknowledgment. They must be brave to join an event that was basically a gamble since they didn’t know what items they’d have to borrow.

After a few minutes, the person in charge of firing the starting gun took their position and aimed it toward the sky.

“Hey, Usui! Working hard?”

“Kusunoki, huh. I’m working hard enough to be scared of adult life.”

“Pfft, what’s that? That’s such a weird way to put it.”

I stepped off to the side to take a breather when Kusunoki’s younger sister cheerfully called out to me.

Since we were classmates, I’d worried she might become a target for the stalker, but by chance, our duties rarely overlapped. So far, I hadn’t heard of anything happening to her. Still… considering Kusunoki’s older sister, I couldn’t help but suspect she was somehow involved too.

I decided to keep our conversation light and meaningless.

“Still, time flew by, didn’t it? I can’t believe it’s already the day of the festival!”

Kusunoki stretched her arms up high and spoke loudly.

Now that she mentioned it, I couldn’t help but agree. Time really had flown by.

Once the sports festival was over, July would be here, and by the end of the month, summer vacation would start. The days seemed to pass so quickly because we were constantly busy.

The stalker’s presence. The attacks and obsession with Mimi. Runa hadn’t been targeted at all. Kusunoki’s older sister’s suspicious behavior. I’d uncovered several truths while working as a event committee member, and if I put all the pieces together, I’d probably find the answer. But for now, there were still too many unknowns.

Even so, little by little, I was getting closer to the culprit. I was sure of it.

“Usui, you’re pretty responsible, you know?”

I blinked slightly at her sudden comment.

Kusunoki smirked and nodded a few times before continuing.

“I mean, no guys really wanted to be on the committee, right? Hinata kind of forced it on you. It felt like you couldn’t say no even if you wanted to.”

“Well, yeah… I guess that’s true.”

Even though I had my own reasons for joining, it was mostly due to peer pressure.

No one wanted to do it, and they found excuses to push it onto someone else. Of course, I wasn’t entirely innocent of that thought either. I won’t deny it. But after all the preparations, aside from trying to figure out who the stalker was, I realized I genuinely enjoyed it.

We all worked toward the same goal and spent our time together. It was tiring, sure, but we didn’t slack off, and before I knew it, the big day had arrived. Maybe that’s what you call responsibility, maybe not.

“See? I think it’s amazing that you’ve done this much. And, of course, I did too.”

“You’re really going to praise yourself, huh? But yeah, I guess we did work pretty hard.”

I smiled bitterly as I spoke, and Kusunoki clasped her hands in front of her chest.

Then, with a troubled expression, she went, “Ah…” and looked up to the side.

Seeing that, I sensed she was about to ask for a favor.

“Maybe it’s not fair to bring this up after calling you responsible…”

Just as I thought. Kusunoki began speaking hesitantly.

I was used to people coming to me with their problems and asking for advice. Since she was a fellow committee member, I decided to hear her out.

“There’s just one thing… something I need advice on.”

But after saying that, she fell silent. Seconds passed. Even when the sharp crack of the starting pistol echoed across the field, she still didn’t continue.

Growing a little impatient, I scratched my cheek and tried to coax her gently.

“Is it about your sister?”

“…Was it that obvious?”

“The only thing you and I have in common is her, so yeah.”

It was a process of elimination. If Kusunoki was asking me for advice, that was really the only reason I could think of.

“Yeah, it’s about my sister.”

Kusunoki gave a small nod, her smile a bit strained.

“You know how my sister likes Hinata, right? She’s been trying really hard to get him to notice her. Like changing her fashion, trying out makeup, stuff like that.”

It was no secret among us that Kusunoki’s sister had feelings for Hinata. It all started when she accidentally gave me a love letter meant for him. But I didn’t realize she was putting in that much effort. I guess she was more serious about it than I thought.

Kusunoki let out a slow sigh.

Seeing her like that, I rubbed my chin.

“But lately, she seems like she’s overdoing it. Like she’s exhausted.”

“…What do you mean? Is she not getting enough sleep or something?”

“Hmm, that might be part of it. But… it’s more like… an obsession?”

“Sorry, I don’t really get it. Do you have any idea why?”

Kusunoki herself seemed unsure about her feelings.

Hearing her use a heavy word like “obsession” made me more cautious. It might have something to do with the conversation I saw between Mimi and Kusunoki-senpai that day.

“I think it’s about Hinata. But lately, she seems too desperate…”

“…Like she’s panicking? Hinata does have a lot of rivals.”

“Maybe… But sometimes, she seems like she’s scared too.”

It felt strange to link romantic feelings with fear.

I couldn’t fully understand it, but confessing to someone means there’s a chance of getting rejected. Maybe that’s where the fear was coming from. Still, something about it felt off.

“Scared?”

“Yeah, like she’s afraid of something. —Sorry, this probably doesn’t make much sense to you.”

Kusunoki hung her head, then suddenly lifted it and changed the subject.

Over her shoulder, I saw students competing in the Borrowed Item Relay. It looked like Runa and Mimi hadn’t gone yet, but their turn was coming up soon.

“Okay, here’s what I really want to ask… Do you think my sister should keep going after Hinata or not? I don’t want her to get hurt by messing up in romance.”

“By ‘messing up,’ you mean… getting rejected?”

I couldn’t just blurt out the harsh truth, so I hesitated for a moment.

Kusunoki pressed her lips into a thin line, then quickly admitted it.

“Yeah. And don’t tell my sister I asked you about this, okay?”

“Don’t worry. I’m known for keeping secrets. But honestly, she should give up on Hinata. It’s her choice in the end, so I won’t force anything, but I wouldn’t recommend it. It’ll just cause her trouble.”

Because of the Ichinose siblings, I’d had a lot of information crammed into my head over the years.

It was like I was the unofficial counselor for all the girls competing for Hinata. If I ever slipped up and leaked any information, they’d probably hang me out to dry.

I tried to be extra careful with what I knew.

But when it came to giving advice about Hinata, my only opinion was to stay away. Not only did he have a ton of admirers, but he was also incredibly indecisive.

I knew Hinata had his own struggles and the kind of problems that come with being popular. But as a boyfriend? I could only imagine it being a constant headache.

“…You didn’t hesitate at all to say that.”

“You asked me what I thought about Hinata. If he were such a great choice, you wouldn’t even need to ask. You know it’s hard to win him over, don’t you?”

Meanwhile, Hinata was having a cheerful conversation with Himeno-senpai. Kusunoki and I stared blankly at the scene, and before we knew it, we both let out a sigh.

“…Haah, yeah, that’s how it is. Totally.”

The starting gun fired again. Runa and Mimi took off running.

Runa sprinted ahead with a speed that could rival the track team. As I silently cheered her on, Kusunoki suddenly groaned, “Nuaaah!”

“Yeah, he’s good-looking, super athletic, and it’s like, wow, does a guy like this even exist?! But still, what’s up with how he ignores people like Rika and Himeno-senpai, who clearly like him?! …Even from a friend’s point of view, it’s hard to rate him highly.”

“Friend, huh? I’d say it’s more like we’re just stuck with each other. Me and Hinata.”

Maybe we used to be friends. But now? Probably not.

“…Usui, you’ve got it rough too, huh? You’re such a hardworking guy!”

“That doesn’t sound like a compliment. You’re totally dissing me, aren’t you?”

I joked, pretending to complain, and Kusunoki stuck her tongue out just a little.

“Sorry, sorry. …So, even you —Hinata’s long-time stuck-with-him friend— think it’s better if my sister gives up, huh? I figured I should let her decide, but I don’t want her to suffer. I’ll talk to her. —Thanks, Usui, for listening to my complaints!”

“I didn’t really give you any advice. I just listened.”

“Nope, just having someone listen can help a lot.”

Our conversation finally wrapped up. I started moving, trying to decide whether to check the next event or head back to my class. —But at that moment—

Kusunoki suddenly shouted in surprise. I quickly looked around.

“—Wait, Usui! Someone’s running toward us really fast!”

I turned toward the voice. There, a girl with light brown hair flying wildly on both sides was charging forward.

Whether it was the sunlight or exhaustion, Runa’s face was bright red as she grabbed my hand tightly. Her hand felt warm against mine, and before I could react, she was pulling me along.

“Shin-nii, come! Let’s run!”

“Wha—? Why so suddenly?! Aren’t you in the middle of a race?!”

“Just come on! We’re getting first place, obviously!”

Our conversation didn’t quite make sense, but somehow, I got the gist of it.

Apparently, I was the item she had to borrow.

As her slightly sweaty hand pulled me along, I had no idea how to react. At the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of prompt would make me the borrowed item.

Also, since when was it okay for a person to be an item in this event?

“Wait, wait! I’m the borrowed item? What kind of prompt is that—”

“The borrowed item?! That can wait until later — just run!”

In Runa’s other hand, she was holding a square piece of paper. But she quickly hid it before I could see. She didn’t explain anything, and I just kept running as she pulled me along.

But Kusunoki must have seen the paper because I heard her voice as I ran past.

“…Wow. …Congrats, you two~!”

Runa held my hand tightly as we ran.

I felt the finish line tape hit my stomach. We crossed the line in first place, way ahead of everyone else.

Winning meant more points for our class and possibly a higher ranking for the whole school. There were prizes like snacks and gift cards for the top-scoring classes, so this was great news.

But since I hadn’t been ready to run, as soon as we finished, I collapsed onto the ground. I didn’t care that my class T-shirt got dirty with sand —I clutched my stomach.

By the way, the design on the class T-shirts was made by Hinata and Rika.

…They were always oddly reliable with stuff like that.

“Ugh… my stomach… hurts…”

“You’re so weak. But thanks for coming with me.”

Runa came back after talking to the event organizer.

She was probably checking the paper’s prompt to confirm it was correct. Judging by the organizer trembling behind her, the conversation must not have gone well.

“…Well, I guess it’s fine. But I never thought I’d be chosen as a borrowed item. We ran together —couldn’t you at least tell me what it said?”

As I caught my breath and sat up, I saw Runa sitting with her legs bent to avoid getting sand on her. But she just puffed out her lips and didn’t say anything.

“…I’m not telling. It’s a secret. If you ask, I’ll kill you.”

“Seriously?! Now I really want to know!”

“Just forget it! Don’t think about it!”

She gave me a little shove and glared at me, like a warning.

Whoever came up with this Borrowed Item Relay — what kind of prompt did they write?

Just then, Hinata’s voice echoed across the field.

“Wait, wait! What’s going on!?”

Mimi was pushing Hinata forward. For some reason, Himeno-senpai and Rika were there too.

Mimi made sense, but why were Himeno-senpai and Rika getting involved? Maybe it had something to do with Mimi’s prompt. Himeno-senpai and Rika each grabbed one of Hinata’s arms, while Mimi pushed him from behind. It looked like a game of human bumper cars.

Even at the sports festival, the main character of this rom-com was still the main character.

“…But still.”

I mumbled to myself, trying to sort out my thoughts.