The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 40: Change and Summer

Chapter 40: Change and Summer

When I told Runa that Mimi was the stalker, she—

“So, I knew it. I figured as much.”

She said it with a tone of certainty, though her expression was bitter.

There was still so much I didn’t know. But even so, the fact that we’d identified the stalker made it feel like things had settled, at least a little. It was far from over, though.

Until I figured out her motive and true intentions, my score would stay at fifty points.

“Shinji-senpai.”

This morning, someone called me by my name right after I passed the shoe lockers. Not Usui-senpai, but Shinji-senpai. I thought I misheard it at first, but no —I was definitely called by my name.

It didn’t stop there. During every break today, I kept hearing it.

The voice belonged to Mimi. The girl who had been stalking me.

“What the heck is going to happen now…”

Her confession-like words kept replaying in my head. There was no way I could take them at face value. My brain felt like it was short-circuiting, and I couldn’t help but let out a careless mutter.

Getting called by my name? I never expected that.

Does Mimi really like me? Anxiety, panic, and confusion twisted together. I hadn’t been able to sleep because of it.

The chorus of cicadas cried out. Towering cumulus clouds stretched across the sky.

On my way to school, I saw a heat mirage shimmering in the distance.

The heat this year was worse than usual. The moment June ended and July began, summer made its presence known. I felt constantly annoyed by the never-ending sweat and humidity.

During lunch break, I went to the courtyard. I sat on a wooden bench, feeling gloomy under the relentless sunlight. The wind had stopped blowing at noon, and I was waiting for someone while my cheap bread sucked all the moisture from my mouth.

Side note: Runa’s homemade lunches showed up pretty randomly.

Maybe it was only when there were leftovers from dinner. Even for someone like Runa, making a lunchbox every day must be a hassle.

It was lucky for me when she did —I got to save on lunch money. But today, I was stuck with a convenience store bread roll. The cheap, junky flavor made me even thirstier. I washed it down with bottled tea, realizing again just how amazing Runa’s cooking skills really were.

“Guess who?”

A soft voice. My vision was gently covered.

I felt the touch of smooth hands and the ticklish warmth of someone’s breath near my neck.

I knew that voice.

“…Ogawa, get off me.”

As soon as I said that, the hands lifted away.

The sunlight filled my eyes again, making me blink. A playful, mischievous voice rang in my ears.

“Found you, Shinji-senpai!”

In front of me stood the cheerful-looking stalker girl —Mimi Ogawa.

Her blonde hair swayed freely, leaving a strong impression. Her small frame bounced around the bench, and soon, her shadow covered me.

…By the way, she was not the person I was waiting for.

Why is she even here?

“Aren’t you being mean? Shinji-senpai, you should just call me Mimi~”

“…Listen, I have a lot of questions, but first —why are you here?”

“Huh? Well, I’m a stalker, so finding out where you are is easy.”

Mimi tilted her head, like she was pointing out the obvious.

As I felt a headache coming on, Mimi casually sat down beside me.

It was hard to believe she’d been stalking me just yesterday. Then again, maybe it was this boldness that made her capable of stalking in the first place.

“Anyway, Shinji-senpai, just call me Mimi from now on.”

“…Don’t be ridiculous. Do you even know what people are saying about you?”

“They think I’m a girl who switched to someone else right after being rejected by that indecisive guy. And you, Shinji-senpai, are apparently someone who stole a girl or is holding some kind of dirt on me. Isn’t it hilarious?”

Mimi smirked with a cocky expression. —Everything she said was true.

Mimi Ogawa was well-known as a member of Hinata Ichinose’s harem. At the same time, I was known as his childhood friend. So, when the two of us ended up in the middle of a rumor, what did people think would happen?

The news that Mimi got rejected by Hinata had already spread everywhere.

Whether it leaked out on its own or Mimi shared it herself, it didn’t matter. People love to talk, and you can’t stop them. As a result, both Mimi and I were getting our fair share of cold stares.

Even though she called me by my name for the first time just this morning, the rumor mill worked fast.

The only good thing was that, for now, these were still just rumors.

I was used to people saying whatever they wanted about me. Besides, Mimi and I weren’t dating. If you looked at our relationship, it was just a senior and a junior. Nothing more, nothing less.

I figured if we ignored the rumors, they’d die down on their own.

I’d already given up on having a low-profile student life. That was never going to happen from the start.

But if I really started calling Mimi by her name, people would definitely think we were dating. The rumors would get worse, sharper, and there’d be no way to control them.

“It’s not funny. And stop following me around. You were a stalker… Yeah, that’s right. You were a stalker. But knock it off, it seriously creeps me out.”

“Aw, come on. It’s natural to follow someone you like.”

“…Even if that’s true, it’s not normal.”

Mimi said she liked me so easily that my brain froze for a second.

Words that could build or destroy a relationship —how could she toss them around so casually? I was embarrassed, sure, but mostly, I was just confused.

“Don’t you think words like normal or proper are kind of weird?”

Mimi muttered this as she took a bite of a cream-filled bun she probably got from the school store.

“That’s just people pushing their own ideas of how things should be. I think it’s more natural for everyone to have their own way of loving someone.”

“…Okay, but slightly off-topic —why do you even… well, why me?”

“That hesitation is so you, Shinji-senpai.”

Mimi smiled, understanding what I couldn’t quite say.

“I can’t tell you that. Did you forget? You’re still at fifty points.”

Mimi leaned in, grinning as she peered into my face.

Her movements reminded me of a small animal, mischievous and playful.

Considering we were just stalker and victim a few days ago, she was way too close. Once again, she had taken control of the conversation. —I cleared my throat.

“I have no idea what you’re thinking, Ogawa. What do you want?”

“I want you to date me. But, well, I have my own circumstances.”

“…Then just tell me about those circumstances already.”

I sighed and glared at her, but Mimi just shoved the half-eaten cream bun into my mouth. The thick sweetness slowly spread across my tongue.

“Indirect kiss, right?”

Mimi’s cheeks turned slightly pink as she smiled shyly.

Thankfully, the courtyard was empty, probably because of the heat.

If anyone saw this, it’d be a disaster.

I coughed lightly, but I couldn’t exactly spit out the bread, so I swallowed it reluctantly. She watched every little thing I did. —And yeah, that reminded me she was definitely a stalker.

“Wha—! What the hell was that for!?”

I raised my voice, and Mimi licked the cream off her finger.

The way she did it was oddly sensual, making me look away awkwardly.

“Are you blushing? You’re so cute, Senpai.”

Just as Mimi’s finger slowly traced down my arm, a shadow appeared between us. I instinctively looked up.

“Oh, hey there, Ichinose-san. I’m just borrowing Shinji-senpai for a bit~.”

It was Runa —the kind of girl who made everyone turn their heads.

She was the person I’d been waiting for. Well, technically, she had asked me to come here, so maybe I was the one being borrowed, but that didn’t really matter. Runa’s shoulders were trembling.

Her forced smile looked like it was about to crack any second.

“What’s wrong? You’re shaking. Are you feeling sick or something?”

Mimi’s words sounded almost like a taunt, and I could see Runa’s smile twitch. A vein popped on her forehead, and the real Runa, the scary one, woke up. Even in the summer heat, a chill ran down my spine.

“Why… is Ogawa-san here? Huh? Why? —Shin-nii?”

“Wait, wait, Runa! You might be misunderstanding something here.”

“…A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding? Please, explain to my stupid brain what’s so ‘misunderstood’ about you having a friendly chat with your stalker. Hurry up. Come on, hurry up. Explain it right now.”

Runa kept that creepy smile plastered on her face. It was terrifying.

But I had to clear this up, or things were going to get worse. From Runa’s point of view, it made perfect sense —she couldn’t believe I was in the same space as Mimi, who had been stalking me.

And honestly, who could blame her?

“Now, now, calm down, Ichinose-san. Shinji-senpai and I were just having lunch together.”

The moment Mimi said my name, Runa’s smile twisted into something terrifying.

Mimi’s ability to keep pouring fuel on the fire in this situation was just plain insane.

In reality, nothing shady was happening. But considering Mimi had been causing chaos for us until just recently, there was no way Runa would be okay with this.

Sitting together like this must have seemed impossible to believe.

“Fine, then. You can go back to the classroom now, outsider.”

“Outsider? That’s harsh. We’ve become pretty good friends, haven’t we?”

“Shin-nii and I are about to have lunch while we figure out what the stalker is thinking. You know, the stalker who says stupid things like how much they love someone.”

When I told Runa last night that Mimi was the stalker, she naturally started asking me a million questions. I wasn’t sure how much to tell her, but in the end, I confessed everything.

It was only a matter of time before the truth came out anyway. Still, I felt guilty.

I glanced over at Mimi, but instead of looking upset, she just smiled even wider.

“The stalker you’re talking about is right here. Why not ask me directly?”

“You wouldn’t give me a straight answer, which is why you’re an outsider. Sorry, but please leave. Also, I’ve heard enough stupid rumors this morning to make me sick. …So get out of my way.”

“Hehe. …And what if I say no?”

Runa spoke sharply, while Mimi answered with a defiant tone.

As I watched the two of them, I kept chewing my flavorless convenience store bread.

Even the chorus of cicadas seemed to sense the tension and went silent.

I should be pushing away Mimi, who had been acting like a stalker. But because it was Mimi, I hesitated, wondering if I was ready to destroy the relationship we had built.

Of course, I knew I needed to respect Runa’s feelings.

(…At this rate, I’m just as soft as Hinata. I can’t criticize him anymore.)

—Summer.

The season of beaches, pools, festivals, fireworks —a treasure chest of fun events.

And most importantly, the dream-like long break called summer vacation was almost here.

But would I ever get a day to relax?

“Until you decide to move somewhere else. Go play in the sun or something.”

“Then I’ll just follow you. I can be pretty clingy, you know.”

The stalker girl —Mimi Ogawa.

The girl who’s like family —Runa Ichinose.

To my newly promoted self: forget about having a peaceful student life.

The sky was perfectly clear. The sun shone brightly. The trees were lush and green. A rare cool breeze occasionally blew by.

Time kept moving forward. Just like cherry blossoms scatter their petals, relationships also change shape.

“Shin-nii, you’re annoyed too, right? Just tell her off already!”

“Ehh, Shinji-senpai, is that true~? You’re not annoyed, are you~?”

The end of one act. —And the beginning of another. The season is summer.

―――――

Act 2 Complete!

Thank you so much for sticking with me until the end.

I know I’ve caused a lot of trouble for you, my readers…
I try to read as many supportive comments and reactions to my updates as possible.
I’m really sorry for not being able to reply…!

If you’d take the time to leave a follow, a ☆, or a comment, I’d be absolutely thrilled. Not just motivated —I’d be so excited I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Yanderes are the best!! See you in Act 3!