The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 46: What Changed

Chapter 46: What Changed

A long break —summer vacation. Some students were already feeling the pressure of homework or club activities, but the excitement of the approaching holidays still filled the air in the school.

A lot of people were busy making travel plans.

But for me, the atmosphere around my life felt the opposite —cold and distant.

It was noisy thanks to Runa and Mimi’s constant involvement.

…No, maybe that’s why things felt so awkward.

“Uh… hey.”

As I stepped into the classroom, one of my few guy friends greeted me with a vague, awkward nod.

I mumbled a similar greeting back and took my seat. 

This was the first time I really hated the fact that our seats were assigned by attendance number. The empty desk in front of me belonged to Hinata Ichinose. He was at the back of the class, chatting away with some classmates. Every now and then, he glanced my way, but he never spoke to me.

“Hii-kun isn’t the one to blame.”

Rika’s comforting voice echoed in my ears a little too clearly.

I didn’t know the exact context, but I could guess well enough.

Because we were childhood friends, I didn’t need to hear everything to understand the situation.

My relationship with Hinata had already been changing, and the sports festival completely twisted it out of shape. I guess it was going to happen sooner or later. As we got older, we started learning to hide behind lies, pretenses, and polite façades.

That’s just how it was.

We couldn’t talk openly and honestly like we did when we were kids.

What sped up the inevitable change in our relationship was Mimi’s confession.

She had been tagging along with Hinata as part of his harem group.

—And her immediate rejection spread through the school like wildfire.

If that had been the only issue, things wouldn’t feel this gloomy.

Confessing your feelings is your own choice, and it’s not anyone else’s place to criticize the outcome. The real problem was the rumor that Mimi had moved on to another guy —me. If it had been some random guy, it would’ve been fine. But I was Hinata Ichinose’s childhood friend.

That kind of gossip was just too good for people to ignore.

“H-Hinata-kun, I should head back to class now. Oh, and um… if you’d like…”

Kusunoki-senpai, who stepped in to fill the gap Mimi left behind, held out a wrapped bento box as she spoke.

Had Mimi seen this coming? Or was this all part of a plan between her and Kusunoki? Either way, I didn’t care. I just wanted to break out of this situation as soon as possible.

Lately, Kusunoki-senpai had been showing up in our class more and more.

She was definitely trying to make herself a bigger presence in Hinata’s life.

She’d bring homemade lunches and frequently clash with Rika, sparks flying between them.

Even though she was a student council officer, Kusunoki-senpai seemed to have a more flexible schedule compared to Himeno-senpai. The president rarely showed up in the mornings. But when she did, her interactions were filled with intense determination.

I was used to seeing Hinata’s harem play out in front of me.

“…Hm?”

I felt a gaze drilling into the side of my face. When I turned my head, it was Kusunoki’s younger sister.

Her expression clearly said, “What are you going to do about this?” I shrugged slightly.

Then, to my surprise, she clicked her heels on the floor and gestured for me to follow her into the hallway. With a silent sigh, I trailed behind her to a spot near the stairs.

Since homeroom was about to start, the area was empty.

“This whole thing is super awkward. What are you going to do about it?”

“…What do you expect me to do? Your sister is doing this on her own.”

“That’s not what I mean! I’m talking about the rumors about you, Usui! I really don’t want to hear that stuff.”

I figured that’s what she meant.

Because of the sports festival, I knew Kusunoki’s sister liked Hinata.

And since she was connected to Mimi, that part was clear too. So when Kusunoki told me her sister was feeling pressured, I wondered what kind of threat she was under.

But judging by her current behavior, maybe it wasn’t a problem after all.

“That can’t be helped. The one who got rejected and the one who did the rejecting are just too well-known.”

“…I don’t know the full details, but did Ogawa really switch over to you, Usui?”

From the outside, it definitely looked that way. Honestly, even for someone in the middle of it, it seemed like the obvious conclusion.

That’s why there wasn’t much I could say to defend myself. In the end, it didn’t matter because no one else was involved. If I gave people more to gossip about, things would just spiral even more out of control.

“Who knows? Even if that were true, I wouldn’t want to make things worse.”

“Just when I thought my sister finally let go of her obsession, now it’s my friends getting into drama…”

Kusunoki’s younger sister seemed to worry about everything.

Between her sister’s involvement in Hinata’s harem and my own situation, she was showing concern even for me, who was really just an acquaintance. I gave a vague answer to brush it off and left it at that.

“—Here you go, Shin-nii. This one’s yours.”

“Oh, thanks. …Sorry for making you cook for me again.”

“I keep telling you, it’s fine. Making food for two isn’t that different from making it for one.”

It was evening. On nights when my parents weren’t home, Runa often cooked for me. I couldn’t thank her enough, but for some reason, the mood felt heavy today.

“…Oh, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

But she ended up telling me what it was sooner than I expected.

Runa was at the sink washing her hands, her face hidden from my view. The sound of water swirling down the drain blended with the quiet ticking of the clock.

“Since that whole thing with Ogawa-san, people have been asking me a lot of questions.”

I couldn’t figure out what she meant, so I didn’t know how to respond.

“To be honest, I can’t accept that Ogawa-san likes you, Shin-nii.”

“…What do you mean by ‘can’t accept’?”

It was a dumb, reflexive question.

“Exactly what I said. She claims to like someone else, but then it turns out she actually likes you? Oh, and she’s been stalking you too? —Sure, okay, let’s just accept that and move on.”

That’s not how it works, Runa said, her voice calm and steady.

Even though she should’ve finished washing her hands by now, the water kept flowing from the faucet.

There was something there —a coldness that went beyond just the chill of the water.

“I’ve set a date to talk things out with Ogawa-san. I just wanted to let you know.”

What was I supposed to say to that?

“Shin-nii, you’re way too nice. Normally, you’d drive someone like that away. She’s a stalker, you know? A stalker. Just because she’s someone you know, you keep her around? That’s not normal.”

“…Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“…But I also know that’s just your kindness, Shin-nii. And that’s why… that’s exactly why I can’t accept her. …So…”

Runa repeated the word “so” a few times before finally turning around.

Her light brown hair followed the motion, swaying slightly behind her. Her face wore the same strong, confident smile as always.

At some point, the water had stopped running, and the clock’s ticking continued at its steady pace.

“Shin-nii, just keep showing that dumb face of yours like you always do.”