Yandere and Menhera - Suddenly Having a Yandere Older Stepsister and a Menhera Younger Stepsister Makes Every Day Difficult - Chapter 1 - 13/14

Though I was still tired from the competition, with Monday around the corner, I decided to get ready for school and head to bed early. That’s when the door to my room opened, and Ririka-chan appeared.

“What’s the matter?”

“Hey, Onii-chan.”

“Hm?”

“I like you, Onii-chan.”

“Thank you.”

“N-No! That’s not what I mean!”

“Eh?”

Ririka-chan then puffed her cheeks out in annoyance and clarified.

“I mean I like you in the sense that I want to date you!”

“Er, I can’t be in a relationship with you, Ririka-chan. Even in a hypothetical scenario where I’m still single, you’re of marriageable age, and you’re not married… Moreover, we are, in a sense, step-siblings.”

“That’s complicated. But okay. You said it, Onii-chan, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’ve got your promise now!”

Ririka-chan used the recording function on her game console to capture every word I said. I wasn’t surprised; it was hidden in plain sight.

I simply patted Ririka-chan’s head and urged her to return to her room, smiling at her charming actions.

Ririka-chan obediently went back to her room. Once the door quietly closed, I dove into my bed and screamed.

“My first-ever confession from a girl, and I handled it as if I were following a script!”

I yelled where no one could hear me, feeling a bit better afterward. Then, comfortably in bed, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

☆☆☆

The next morning, my alarm went off at 4 AM.

Waking up to the sound of the timer, I changed into my jogging suit and headed outside, greeted by a cloudless, clear sky, thinking it would be a good day.

I began my run and met a beautiful woman at the usual spot.

“Good morning!”

“Ah, morning.”

“You’re going at a slow pace today!”

“So are you.”

“Ah, I’m going slow because I’m tired from yesterday!”

“Me too.”

Upon closer inspection, the woman also seemed tired. I wanted to ask what happened, but hesitated due to our casual acquaintance.

Then, she started the conversation.

“I broke up with my boyfriend yesterday.”

“Really? I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah. I’m just a bit emotionally exhausted. I thought running and sweating it out would help clear my mind, so I ran yesterday too.”

“I wasn’t here yesterday.”

“Right. I thought seeing you might cheer me up a bit.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

I just felt bad for not knowing what to say, frustrated with my lack of vocabulary and ignorance about relationships.

Then, she smiled at me and said.

“I’m going to quit running after today.”

“Eh?”

“I’m just tired.”

“How about joining me for morning runs instead?”

“Eh?”

“Sorry, I don’t know your name.”

“Ah, it’s Yuka.”

“If Yuka-san runs with me, maybe things will change.”

I blurted out the words, hoping to cheer Yuka-san up, looking into her eyes.

She smiled warmly, her voice brightening as she said.

“Thank you. Maybe I will!”

“I’ll make sure my schedule aligns with yours, Yuka-san!”

“For weekends, how about 6 AM?”

“What about weekdays?”

“Today will be the last for weekdays!”

“Understood!”

After making plans with Yuka-san, I hoped it would lift her spirits. We ran together before parting ways.

I arrived home at 7:30 AM, later than expected, and rushed to get ready for school.

“Shoot!”

“Welcome back, Ryusuke-kun!”

“Sorry, Matsuri-nee-san, I’ll skip breakfast!”

“Okay!”

I apologized to Matsuri-nee-san and hurried out after changing into my uniform.

Being late on the first school day after the weekend was out of the question. Being seen as unreliable could hurt my school evaluations during this critical exam period. I sped up, heading to school.

◆　◇　◆

I arrived at school just in time to avoid being late, around 8:25 AM. Everyone else was already there, leaving only my seat empty. As I made my way to my seat without bumping into anyone, Saeka-chan called out to me from behind.

“Good morning.”

“Morning, Saeka-chan.”

“You’re late today.”

“Had a bit to deal with.”

As I was organizing my class materials, Saeka-chan began tracing letters on my back with her finger.

“What’s that?”

“Guess.”

Fighting the urge to giggle from the ticklish sensation, I focused hard to decipher the message she was writing. It was the word “like.”

“Is the answer ‘like’, Saeka-chan?”

“Correct.”

“What brought this on all of a sudden?”

“Nothing. Just felt like writing it.”

As I was about to ask her again, the classroom door opened, marking the start of the first period.

“Good morning. Alright, it’s time for math. Get out your textbooks.”

Minutes into the lesson, I felt that ticklish sensation on my back again. Knowing it was Saeka-chan’s doing, I tried to guess what she wrote this time: SOS.

I quickly turned around to find Saeka-chan not only breathing heavily but also flushed. Realizing she must be feeling sick, I raised my hand to get the teacher’s attention.

“What’s the matter?”

“Saeka-chan seems unwell. Can I take her to the nurse’s office?”

“Oh really? Take her.”

I hoisted Saeka-chan onto my back and rushed her to the nurse’s office.

“Are you okay, Saeka-chan?”

“Yeah. Thank you.”

As her breaths became more strained, I quickened my pace, at which point she whispered in my ear.

“Ryu-kun. I like you…”

“Eh?”

“Ryu-kun, Ryu-kun…”

Hearing her call me in a way she never had before and suddenly saying “I like you,” I was at a loss for words. I decided to think that she meant “like” as in “thank you for taking care of me.”

Arriving at the nurse’s office five minutes later, I carried Saeka-chan to a bed and was about to leave her in the nurse’s care when she stopped me.

“Ryu-kun, don’t go…”

“Eh?”

Her feeble voice stopped me. Glancing over, I saw the nurse smirking.

“Why not stay a bit?”

“But, class…”

“I’ll let your teacher know. Which one?”

“Ogata-sensei.”

“Got it. So, you’ll stay?”

Overwhelmed by the nurse’s insistence, I stayed by Saeka-chan’s side for a while.

“Thank you, Ryu-kun.”

“It’s only for a bit.”

“Thank you.”

Witnessing her usual composed demeanor give way to vulnerability and clinginess filled me with concern. I stayed by her side, stroking her head until the end of the first period.