The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 51: My Friend

Chapter 51: My Friend

Hinata was just walking ahead of me.

Not saying a word. Just like he always did back then.

Like it was his job or something—to always take the lead.

That’s just the kind of guy Hinata Ichinose had always been… or so I thought.

“Sorry for calling you out so suddenly.”

“It’s fine. Doesn’t bother me.”

Hinata muttered, scratching at his neck.

“…I dunno, Shinji. You’ve really changed.”

We were in a park.

Not a famous one or anything—just a plain, quiet little park.

The evening sky had deepened into a soft violet, and a damp breeze drifted around us.

Somewhere in the distance, a crow cawed.

Until that sharp cry cut through the air, neither of us said a word.

An awkward silence settled between us. The kind that’s hard to describe, but definitely there.

“Shinji. You’ve changed, man.”

“Yeah? …If you ask me, you’re the one who’s changed. You used to be more—”

Hinata let out a short laugh through his nose, cutting me off.

He kicked the ground.

That one step felt heavy, like it left a dent in the world.

At some point, the dirt beneath him had turned into rough, cracked earth.

“More confident? Or do you mean cool?”

“…Yeah. That too. You were cooler back then. Always charging ahead.”

“So how do I look now, Shinji?”

He smiled—just a little.

But behind that smile, there was something else.

Hinata looked… kind of lonely.

“Indecisive. Wishy-washy idiot.”

The words just slipped out.

Even though I’m the same—indecisive, unsure—I couldn’t hold them back, and my voice came out sharp.

Maybe both of us were just being spoiled.

“…Aren’t you just as indecisive as I am?”

“Don’t go assuming you know what I’m thinking.”

Guess that’s what happens when you’ve known someone forever.

You start reading each other’s minds.

But even then, there were still things I didn’t understand.

“You know, Shinji. The reason I called you out today—”

“You wanted to ask why Ogawa’s been hanging around me so much lately? Well, I’ve got a question too—why’ve you been keeping your feelings so vague all this time?”

Hinata looked up at the sky in silence.

“…Yeah, that’s part of it. I thought I was keeping things balanced in my own way.”

“That so-called balance of yours? Pretty sure it’s just flat-out instability.”

“…Maybe it looks that way from the outside.”

His usual pretty-boy aura felt a little dimmer today.

That half-baked answer only made me tilt my head, confused.

“Shinji. What kind of guy is Hinata Ichinose?”

“Let’s see… handsome, crazy popular, always surrounded by girls, and basically Mr. Perfect. Sound about right?”

“Bingo. Nailed it.”

He didn’t deny it. Because it was true.

Hinata Ichinose had it all. Always shining, always center stage.

If anyone fit the mold of a real-life harem protagonist, it was this guy.

“Good looks are something you’re born with. I’m not really into that whole ‘lookism’ thing, but it’s hard to ignore.”

Hinata spoke quietly, almost too calm.

And if you really listened…

He actually sounded kind of unsure of himself.

That usual sunshine vibe of his?

Completely gone.

“I kept trying to live up to everyone’s expectations. And honestly, at first, it was fun. It felt like I was the main character or something.”

“You are the main character. Don’t even try to downplay it.”

From where I was standing, Hinata was stupidly lucky.

Just being good-looking made him the kind of guy everyone looked up to.

Sometimes, I honestly wanted to punch him—like, what the hell do you have to complain about?

But… we were childhood friends.

So I knew. I knew he had his own baggage too.

“If I mess up even once, people leave. And when I return someone’s feelings, the ones I don’t choose start to resent me. …Stuff like that really wore me down.”

“So you decided to keep everything vague and stay silent instead? …Not that I can say anything either.”

Mimi Ogawa and Runa Ichinose.

I was caught between them too.

In the end, I was just as indecisive—too scared to make a move.

Say what you want about Mimi, but I definitely picked up on how Runa felt.

There’s no way I didn’t notice.

I was just afraid of breaking what we had.

That fear… it was both a strength and a weakness.

“…Maybe you’re right. But Shinji, you’ve always been a hero to me. No question about it.”

“Don’t say weird stuff out of nowhere.”

A hero? Me?

Yeah, right. That’s just ridiculous.

Sure, when we were kids, I chased after the light.

Tried to take charge, tried to fix things—like some kind of hero.

Maybe back then, I looked the part.

But the one the spotlight always followed… was Hinata.

Everyone around us. The whole atmosphere.

They all wanted Hinata to be the hero.

“To be honest, I think I always kind of looked up to you.”

There was a time when Runa said something similar.

She told me the guy standing in front of me—Hinata—actually had a bit of a complex about me.

Back then, I just brushed it off. Figured she was exaggerating.

But now, talking with him like this for the first time in forever…

“Hinata, enough with the cryptic stuff. Just say what you mean.”

He kept dancing around the point, so I cut straight through it.

Hinata replied with a vague, “Yeah, I guess so,”

Like he was agreeing—but still dodging it at the same time.

“…Honestly? I don’t really care about Ogawa’s confession anymore. I don’t know why she walked away from me, but if she’s happier hanging around you, then that’s probably for the best.”

“She’s made me stick out like a sore thumb in class, though.”

“My condolences. Can’t help you there.”

She dumped the guy she confessed to, left the harem, and now spends all her time with his best friend.

Of course people were going to gossip.

But with Mimi’s absurd level of mental toughness, I doubt she gives a damn about the background noise.

She’s the type who managed to get close to Runa without me even noticing.

Honestly, that girl’s scary in her own way.

“The more I had to keep being Hinata Ichinose, the more suffocating it got. Meanwhile, you kept slipping into the background… and somehow, you looked free. Way more like you’re actually enjoying high school than I am.”

“‘Youth’ is supposed to be this bright, sparkly thing, right?”

My suspicions about Runa were fading.

Not completely gone, but… almost.

Meanwhile, stalker Mimi was still glued to me like always.

This definitely didn’t feel like the kind of “youth” people usually imagine.

“…Also, my bad. I was the one who nominated you for the sports festival committee.”

“So that was you?! You totally set me up—I couldn’t say no after that!”

“If you join the committee, it eats up your after-school time. Explaining everything would’ve taken forever, so I figured you’d catch on.”

“Wow, that’s low. …Was prioritizing Rika part of your little ‘balance’ act too?”

He didn’t confirm it.

But he didn’t deny it either.

Which pretty much meant… yeah. That was the answer.

And to be fair, I had my own reasons for joining the committee.

It’s not like I did it to help Hinata or anything. I just had my own stuff to deal with.

“Oh yeah—Kusunoki-senpai’s part of your harem now, huh? What’re you planning to do about that?”

“…I’ll manage. Just… try to keep things from changing too much.”

“That’s called running away, y’know.”

Hinata shut his eyes.

A brief silence followed.

The sky had deepened into a rich violet, with streaks of blue creeping in from the edge of dusk.

“…You calling me a runner, Shinji? You might be unsure about how Ogawa feels, but Runa? That girl definitely likes you. I’m her brother. Even if we bicker all the time, I can still tell.”

Yeah.

Me and Runa  went on a date.

The heat behind her words, her emotions… it all stayed with me. Clear as day.

It was real.

I knew that much. I accepted it.

But I never took the next step. Because… I was scared.

Scared of how things might change.

And maybe, just maybe, I was being a coward.

Plus… I still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was hiding something.

This time, I was the one who went quiet.

Not because I wanted to clam up—

I just couldn’t find the right words.

It felt like one of those moments where you had to choose: yes or no.

Zero or one.

No middle ground.

And because I couldn’t decide… I said nothing.

Which, yeah—was its own kind of running away too.

“Shinji. What’s the difference between you and me?”

That…

That was probably the one thing Hinata really wanted to ask me.

“Runa’s got that sharp, blunt attitude, right? But with you, she shows her real self. Honestly, even Ogawa seems like she has more fun with you than she ever did with me. …Maybe I’ve just been fooling myself all along.”

“I don’t really get what’s going on in Ogawa’s head either. …I honestly don’t know.”

And I wasn’t lying. I really didn’t.

“If people had to pick between me and you, they’d probably choose you. Looks, grades—whatever the category, the world would pick Hinata Ichinose without a second thought. And if they didn’t… it’s probably just something we were born with.”

“That’s not it. …You know that, Shinji.”

Yeah.

I did.

“I get what you’re trying to say. But if you’re asking what exactly sets us apart… I’ve got no clue.”

“…That so. Maybe I really can’t beat you, no matter what I do.”

Hinata let out a long sigh.

“I know I’ve been living life just skimming the surface. I know Rika, the student council president—hell, all of them—like me. But even Rika… deep down, maybe I already knew. No—never mind…”

“…Sounds like your hands are pretty full. —Hang in there, Mr. Main Character.”

“Man, you really know how to hit where it hurts.”

Nothing really got resolved from our little talk today.

All we did was put everything on the table and come to understand each other a little more.

Yeah, he’s definitely changed—but he had his reasons.

And apparently, from where he stood, I’d changed too.

What’s the real difference between me and Hinata?

No matter how much we overthink it, two guys beating their heads over it isn’t gonna magically reveal the answer.

“…Wanna grab something to eat?”

“…Nah, I’ll pass. If I stay out too late, Runa’s probably gonna scold me.”

“Take care of my sister, alright? She’s a pain, but she’s still family.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“As long as you keep that mindset, I think you’ll be okay. Not that I know for sure, though.”

“‘Not that I know for sure’… Man, that phrase’s way too convenient.”

“Yeah. It really is. Not that I know for sure.”