The Protagonist's Sister Loves Me, But She's Definitely a Yandere. - Chapter 53: The Ichinose House—with Mimi

Chapter 53: The Ichinose House—with Mimi

At this point, I was on my way home.

“Hi～, Fu～, Mi～.”

I peeked into the envelope I’d received.

For the third—or maybe fourth—time.

Inside were three bills: a nice mix of Yukichi and Eiichi.

Not bad. Totally worth sweating it out in that mascot suit.

The mascot gig wrapped up without a hitch.

After finishing some quick paperwork, I swung by the cake shop again—

But the first-year duo was already gone.

With no reason to stick around, I just wandered off down my usual route home.

“Getting a part-time job, huh? Well, I guess that’s how it goes.”

Runa’s a given, but even Mimi—eccentric as she is—has a seriously well-defined face.

There’s a reason she was part of Hinata’s harem lineup.

I never really paid much attention to that kind of stuff, but maybe they needed money for makeup, accessories, or… whatever girls usually buy.

…Sometimes being born with good looks is its own kind of burden.

“Wait—seriously?”

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

A message from mom: “Got work, asked Runa-chan to handle dinner.”

Buzz—another one came in right after.

This time from Runa-chan: “I’ll take care of dinner. You eat at home.”

Yeah, yeah. Got the memo.

The sun was starting to dip, edging into early evening.

But it was still blindingly bright outside.

The sky was painted in that rich summer blue, and the days were clearly getting longer.

Cicadas were still going strong, screaming their little heads off like they owned the world.

And wow, were they loud.

―――――

I stopped by home first, tossed my stuff in my room, and jumped into the shower for a quick rinse.

Showing up to someone’s house reeking of sweat—even if we’re close—that’s just plain rude.

I grabbed my phone and stepped back outside.

A faint breeze had finally started to roll in.

I rang the Ichinose family’s doorbell.

After a short pause—click, the door opened.

“Welcome back, Shin-nii. Where were you today? I called your mom, and she said you’d been out since lunch.”

Runa tilted her head, a giant question mark practically floating above it.

She had a ladle in one hand and wore an apron—

The kind of sight that could bring a tear to the eye of any high school boy.

From inside the house, the smell of miso soup drifted out.

My stomach let out a loud growl like it had been waiting for that exact moment.

“I went out to buy the newest volume of a manga I’m following… Then somehow ended up becoming a dog.”

“…What? That sentence made zero sense.”

“It’s okay. Even I don’t get it.”

Runa squinted at me, her expression shifting from confused to deeply concerned.

“I just asked a guy if he was okay, and next thing I knew, I had a part-time job.”

“…Hold on, hold on. A dog part-time job? Are you okay? Like, mentally?”

“Don’t look at me like I’m some kind of tragic figure. I’m totally sane.”

After I gave her a quick rundown of what happened, she let out a laugh and called me “nosy.”

“Well, I guess that’s one of your good points, Shin-nii.”

While that weird little vibe still lingered in the air, I suddenly noticed something strange—

There was an extra pair of shoes at the door.

Cute design.

Definitely didn’t scream “Ichinose-mom,” which only made it feel even more out of place.

Runa must’ve figured out what I was looking at, because she let out an exaggerated sigh.

Her hair swayed softly as she tilted her head down.

She looked kind of defeated.

And for some reason, I got a really bad feeling.

“…Things got complicated. Like, really complicated.”

“Huh. You don’t usually make that serious of a face, Runa-chan.”

She twirled the ladle in her hand, swinging it lazily, then gave a small shake of her head.

“I said no. But she just kept insisting.”

“What kind of stubborn weirdo are we talking about here…? I’m completely lost.”

I stepped inside, slipped off my shoes, and walked up beside her.

“So let me guess. Someone Runa-chan isn’t good with… and even after getting rejected, she still wouldn’t back off. Only one person fits that description.”

“Yup. That’s the one. She flat-out refused to take no for an answer and said she’s joining us for dinner.”

We headed back to the living room together, side by side.

The smell of miso soup had gotten stronger.

And there she was—in the kitchen, swaying that overly flashy hair of hers.

A certain someone.

She was also wearing an apron.

If memory serves, that one belonged to Runa.

Guess she let her borrow it.

…Wait. She can cook?

“Oh! Welcome back, Shinji-senpai! How do I look, huh? Pretty cute, right?!”

Mimi Ogawa—the girl in question—did a dramatic little twirl in the kitchen, like she was performing on stage.

“How do I look?”

Was she fishing for compliments on the apron look?

Or was she trying to show off her cooking skills?

I decided the best response was a long, soul-drained sigh.

“Rude!! Doesn’t the adorable junior-in-an-apron thing hit you right in the heart?!”

“Yeah, sure. Totally. But first… Ogawa, why are you here?”

“Wow, a perfect deflection. Very on-brand for Shinji-senpai, so I’ll let it slide.”

Mimi acted all shocked at my reply, but it didn’t last long.

She sneakily tasted something from the pot, gave a confident nod like she was judging a gourmet dish—

“Mm-hmm, nailed it!”

—then washed her hands and wiped them dry with a towel.

And without missing a beat, she wrapped her arms around Runa’s waist, flashing a smug grin.

“—I’m here for a sleepover date with Runa-chan.”

Okay, now I am completely lost.

Which, in itself, told me something: this whole thing made zero sense.

I crossed my arms.

Meanwhile, Runa—clearly annoyed—started peeling Mimi off her like an overly clingy sticker.

“She said she wanted to stay over tonight. Apparently her house is empty, and she’s like, ‘Wheee, I’m free!’ I told her to at least check with her mom first or something… Also, my dumb brother isn’t home tonight either.”

“That’s the story! And I heard I’d get to eat Runa-chan’s homemade cooking too!”

Right.

These two had somehow become super close when I wasn’t looking.

Hard to believe they used to be like oil and water, judging by how naturally they were chatting now.

“It’s just kind of awkward to come over when he’s here, y’know?”

Regardless of how she actually felt, the truth was—

She confessed. He rejected her.

It’s only natural there’d be some awkwardness when they’re face-to-face.

“Ohh? So even you can feel awkward, huh, Ogawa?”

“Not awkward exactly… more like annoying? Ugh, maybe just… exhausting?”

“…Yeah yeah, I know. Thick skin, rhino-grade.”

No way she was some delicate, sweet little flower.

This was Mimi we were talking about.

She’d been a card-carrying member of the harem, said she liked me, and had a well-documented history of stalking.

If you listed it all out on paper, she’d probably scare away demons on sight.

“Anyway, that’s the deal. Three-person dinner tonight.”

“Runa-chan made the miso soup, and I cooked the simmered eggplant—so get hyped! —Which means, Shinji-senpai, go chill on the couch or something. The rice is almost done!”

Guided by her over-the-top cheer, I flopped onto the sofa and casually turned on the TV.

Not that I was really watching.

My eyes kept drifting toward the kitchen.

There they were—two beautiful girls, working side by side.

Every now and then, they’d chat or laugh, moving around like they’d done this a hundred times.

Miso soup and simmered eggplant—total comfort food classics.

The kind of stuff that made a house feel like home.

And I was the one who got to eat it.

Pretty sure that made me the luckiest guy on Earth right now.

I’d already told Mimi about the talk I had with Hinata.

When she heard, she just smiled and said that since she’d already reached her “main goal,”

whatever Hinata thought didn’t matter anymore.

A very Mimi answer, through and through.

“Hoh, hoh, so this is Shinji-senpai’s personal cup, huh~?”

“Stop digging through the cupboards. Turn the heat back on and rewarm the miso soup—it’s cooled down.”

“Strict Runa-chan! Full tsundere mode—high score~!”

“…I don’t even know what you’re basing that score on.”

Runa let out a sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead.

Even with her usual no-nonsense attitude, it looked like even she had trouble dealing with Mimi.

She always stood out back when she was part of Hinata’s harem squad…

But was she always this unfiltered?

“Sweet seasoning, just how Shinji-senpai likes it! Here’s your portion of ohitashi!”

“Thanks… I guess. Anyway, don’t worry about me. Just take your time finishing up.”

They were already making food for me—no way I was gonna nitpick on top of that.

At the very least, I figured I’d help out with the cleanup later.

I glanced toward the kitchen, half-expecting a mess—

But between the two of them working together like clockwork, there wasn’t even a single dirty dish lying around.

I felt like some lazy husband just lounging on the couch while the pros handled everything.

“Hey, at least leave something for me to clean up. Otherwise I’ll feel completely useless here.”

“Ooooh~! Shinji-senpai volunteering for chores?! Perfect domestic alignment confirmed!”

“It’s really fine. You can just sit back and relax—we’ve got it covered.”

Since they insisted, all I could do was shrug and mumble, “Ahh… yeah, guess so.”

I leaned back into the sofa and started lazily scrolling through my phone.

Some random local news article popped up—something about the upcoming summer festival.

…Right, that starts pretty much as soon as break kicks off.

I still had around 30,000 yen left over from the mascot gig.

Maybe I should treat them to something as a thank-you.

Take them to the festival—or somewhere else. Just a little gesture of appreciation.

Though Mimi…

Yeah, Mimi would probably show up whether I invited her or not.

And somehow, I could already picture it—me, stuck paying for everything.

“—Oh! Rice is done! I’ll dish it out now~!”

The air-conditioned room was peaceful, almost drowsy.

Mimi’s voice rang out through the calm, snapping me gently out of my daze.

I stretched and got up from the sofa.

By the time I reached the table, it was already lined with steaming, delicious dishes.

“Rice, miso soup, simmered eggplant, salad, grilled salmon… Not to brag or anything, but getting a homemade meal cooked by two beautiful girls—talk about living the dream! Ury ury~”

“Ugh, stop saying dumb stuff and just sit down already. You too, Shin-nii.”