The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 38: The Blonde Girl

Chapter 38: The Blonde Girl

I held back a huge yawn. My vision blurred, and I wiped away the tears with my fingers.

Fighting off the endless waves of sleepiness, I struggled to stay awake.

But another yawn slipped out, and my head drooped so hard it felt like my neck might snap.

I hadn’t gotten proper sleep for the past two days.

It was Monday, the start of the week. I was waiting for someone at the landing between the stairs.

Since it was after school, the place was empty. It was the best spot to talk privately. Just in case things went south, I had chosen the stairs connecting the second and third floors to make sure I had a way to escape.

The message I sent her had a read receipt. All I wrote was that it was something important.

The sounds of the brass band. The shouts from the sports teams. The music from the concert band filled the air.

Leaning back against the railing and the wall, I took yet another deep breath.

To be honest, I was almost certain. The only thing left was for her to admit it.

Her motive was unclear. There were still a lot of questions. All I could do was hope she’d give me honest answers.

I didn’t want to blow things out of proportion. I didn’t want to cause a scene. I’d always preferred a peaceful life, and if this could end quietly, that would be the best outcome. If we could solve it through talking, that would be perfect.

I just needed to hear what she felt and let her open up. Then we could decide what to do next.

Annoyed by the mess of emotions swirling inside me, I let out a deep sigh.

The sound of shuffling footsteps reached my ears. My heart started pounding faster.

Even though I was the one who called her here, I suddenly wished time would just stop.

Her hair swayed gently as she appeared, almost popping out of nowhere.

“—Sorry to keep you waiting, Usui-senpai.”

Her friendly smile tugged at something protective inside me.

Her appearance now was nothing like my memories of her, yet she was still the same person.

I raised a hand to greet the girl —Mimi Ogawa.

“Sorry for calling you out after school like this.”

“It’s fine… You said it was something important, after all.”

“Yeah, well. I spent the weekend thinking about a lot of things.”

On the surface, she was the victim here. She was supposed to be heartbroken after being rejected.

Mimi, who had lost the one person she could rely on, now facing loneliness. I couldn’t just ignore her.

I could feel that kind of scenario taking shape in my mind.

“Is there a good plan!? Please, tell me!”

“Calm down… I’m still thinking. I wanted to hear your thoughts.”

“If that’s the case, leave it to me! I’ll help however I can.”

Mimi spoke brightly, placing one hand over her chest. Her eyes, which seemed to beg for help, had a flickering intensity behind them —almost like a mysterious flame. Her tone was flawless, leaving no room for doubt.

It made me wonder if I was just misunderstanding everything.

“Yeah, I appreciate it. The truth is, it’s pretty urgent —a problem has come up.”

I explained how not only were the attacks on Mimi getting worse, but my own situation was becoming dangerous, too.

“…Urgent, huh?”

Mimi repeated my words like a parrot, and I gave a dramatic nod.

I pulled a photo from my chest pocket —something I had prepared in advance.

In the picture, you could see my profile, walking alone.

“This was in my shoe locker this morning. Looks like someone’s got a grudge against me too.”

It was a photo of me, but my face had been completely blacked out. The hatred, the madness —it was obvious. On the back, scribbled in black pen, were the words: “Hurry up and become mine.”

Of course, this was a fake photo that I had set up.

“The stalker must’ve snapped and decided to take it out on me, too.”

“This… Uh, can I take a closer look!?”

Mimi snatched the photo from my hands and stared at it intently.

It made her look like someone on edge, wary of a hidden enemy.

Or maybe she was worried that she’d be the next target.

After a while, she muttered with a serious expression.

“…Let’s come up with a plan.”

I almost let out a small sound of admiration. So that’s how she’s going to play it.

In an instant, she switched roles —from a tragic heroine to a close ally.

If I hadn’t been suspicious of her, I would’ve fallen for it completely.

Well, I knew a small move like this wouldn’t shake her much.

But if she wanted to keep playing the role of the tragic heroine, she’d need “fuel” —something to keep her performance going.

After the sports festival, Mimi had poured out her emotions to me on the rooftop, shaking the whole time.

If she was really the mastermind, she’d have to move quickly.

By playing the tragic heroine, she could get close to me.

Specifically, she’d need to keep the bullying going to make me pity her. And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. I stifled yet another yawn and spoke casually.

She’s hiding her true self pretty well.

That thought drifted through my mind.

“There were attacks on you too, right? Are you okay?”

“…I’m not okay. Today, there was a roach… I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Oh… yeah, that’s rough.”

Knowing the truth made it hard for me to feel genuine sympathy.

Mimi’s face had gone past pale and turned sickly.

I continued talking to the girl in front of me.

“You know the phrase ‘match-pump’, right? Do you know what it means?”

“Huh? …Yeah, sort of. It’s when someone causes a problem on purpose and then solves it themselves to get credit or some kind of benefit. Why are you bringing this up now, Usui-senpai? Come on, let’s work on a plan already!”

“You really are a bookworm. Though now, you’re more of a cheeky hamster.”

“What!? I still read plenty of literature, you know!”

Mimi’s face regained a bit of color, probably from anger.

A “match-pump” —causing a problem and then solving it yourself. It’s different from a regular setup because setups don’t always bother others. Like composing and performing your own music.

But a match-pump involves dragging others into the mess. Sometimes, there’s malice behind it.

“…Honestly, Ogawa, we don’t really need a plan, do we?”

The words got caught in my throat, but I managed to force them out.

She was a cute underclassman. Annoying sometimes, but serious and determined.

But all the evidence I had pointed right at her.

At the same time, I wondered — why did she do this? What did she want me to do?

Why did she even join Hinata’s harem in the first place and cause all this chaos?

I had endless questions. My worry outweighed my anger.

If it had been anyone else, I’d be furious.

I reached into my chest pocket and pulled out another photo.

It was clearly a picture of Mimi. The setting was the entrance, and she was doing something near the shoe lockers.

The picture was dim overall, probably because the flash wasn’t used.

It was still nighttime, that hour when even the sun was fast asleep.

It showed Mimi stuffing bugs into a shoe locker.

“Ogawa… You’re the one who’s been stalking me, aren’t you?”

I spoke to Mimi, who had frozen while staring at the photo.

A few seconds passed. Then a few more. Time dragged on meaninglessly.

Her eyes were blank, like an empty void.

I took a step back.

How much time had gone by? A cold sweat started to cling to my back.

What was she going to do now that I had shown her undeniable proof? My guard was up.

Then, Mimi let out a soft, eerie chuckle and snapped her head up.

And then—

“—Aha.”

She smiled, like a crescent moon.

―――――

Afterword

To all my readers, thank you for your support!
This chapter was getting way too long, so I decided to split it into parts.
I hope you understand and forgive me for that.