Yandere and Menhera - Suddenly Having a Yandere Older Stepsister and a Menhera Younger Stepsister Makes Every Day Difficult - Chapter 1 - 6/7

I’m not sure how long it’s been since I slumped down at my desk, but I woke up just in time for the first period to start.

The door slid open with a clatter, and the teacher began placing textbooks on the desk, initiating the class with a greeting.

“Now, you all are becoming exam students. From today onwards, I’ll be strict with you, so let’s do our best.”

I had forgotten about the exams amidst all the chaos. From today, I vowed to utilize all my strength in class and to concentrate on not missing a single word from the blackboard or the teacher’s lecture. That’s when Saeka-chan called out to me from behind.

“You dropped this.”

“Ah, sorry. Thank you.”

It seems I had dropped my eraser, and Saeka-chan had picked it up for me. As I reached out to take it from her hand, Saeka-chan let out a loud yelp.

“Eek!”

“Whoa. What’s up?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Sorry.”

Saeka-chan, her face flushed red, placed the eraser on my desk and slumped over it.

Then, the teacher said to Saeka-chan,

“What’s this? Love?”

“No, it’s not!”

Saeka-chan, usually so cool, showed a rare sign of fluster, causing a stir among the classmates. The boys were screaming with excitement, and the girls were engulfed in a storm of jealousy.

I thought Saeka-chan was acting strange and sincerely considered taking her to the infirmary, but she assured me in a voice just loud enough to reach, “I’m fine.”

Recently, I’ve been worn out by all the unusual events happening around me, and that day, I couldn’t concentrate on my classes at all, eventually leading to club activities in the evening.

“Good work.”

“Hey, Ryusuke, what’s up?”

“Oh, Sakagami, you’re early.”

“I’m aiming for nationals this year!”

“Is that so.”

Sakagami, a classmate but in a different class, has been a rival since the old days. Though rivals, we’re close friends when it comes to hanging out.

Sakagami quickly noticed something was off with me, proving to be a good friend.

“What’s wrong? You don’t seem energetic. Is something up with the club?”

“Sakagami, you always notice these things quickly.”

“Well, I am your best friend.”

“Stop saying embarrassing things. I’m going to take a few days off from the club. I’ll still show up, though.”

“All right. I’ll let the coach know.”

Sakagami is truly kind. And only I know that Sakagami has a crush on Saeka-chan.

When Sakagami’s love comes to fruition, I’ve decided to fully support and celebrate him. With that determination, I threw myself into today’s club activities.

“Let’s do this!”

“Yes!”

After a short run in the dojo and some basic practice, we finished with sparring and randori, and before I knew it, it was time to leave school at 18:00.

“Practice is over. Time to go home!”

“Thank you very much!”

After everyone’s farewell, I changed and left the school, only for Sakagami to catch up from behind.

“Good job!”

“Thanks, Sakagami! See you tomorrow!”

Sakagami, still energetic after practice, ran home. That’s probably where Sakagami’s strength lies. As I thought about this and started heading home, someone hugged me from behind.

“Huh?!”

“You’re late, Onii-chan.”

“Ririka-chan?!”

“Look, I was so scared because Onii-chan didn’t come home, I ended up cutting myself. It’s Onii-chan’s fault, so take care of me, okay?”

“Uh, yeah, sorry.”

At that moment, even as a middle schooler, I understood.

Ririka-chan is what they call “Menhera.”

What should I do now?

The fear that Ririka-chan might hurt herself while I’m away filled me with anxiety as I took her home.

As the day passed, engulfed in uncertainty about whether agreeing to my mother’s remarriage was the right decision, I faced another day. The upcoming weekend filled me with immense unease.

◆　◇　◆

It was Saturday. I typically wake up later than usual, spending my day at a leisurely pace. However, this Saturday was out of the ordinary, as I was roused from sleep by the quarreling voices of Ririka-chan and Matsuri-neesan.

“It’s so noisy!!”

“I said no, didn’t I?!”

I couldn’t tell what they were arguing about, but the burden of being the only mediator fell on me, adding to my distress. As I hesitantly approached the direction of Matsuri-neesan and Ririka-chan’s voices, I found the two glaring at each other with angry faces, each holding a bottle of soy sauce and pepper, respectively.

“I want to use soy sauce!”

“I prefer pepper!”

It seemed that Matsuri-neesan was in favor of soy sauce, while Ririka-chan preferred pepper. I thought they could just use whichever they liked, but for some reason, they had a pride that they couldn’t compromise on and kept shouting at each other.

Recognizing that this standoff would lead nowhere, I decided to step in and mediate.

“Both of you, calm down.”

“Ryusuke-kun.”

“Onii-chan, you’re for pepper, right?”

Ririka-chan asked me this, but I had no idea whether it was about pepper or soy sauce, so I asked back.

“What are you two fighting about?”

“Onii-chan, listen. She’s always picking on me. It’s terrible, isn’t it?”

“Ririka-chan.”

“What? You’re looking at me as if I’m the bad one. That’s awful. The worst.”

“Answer my question. What are you fighting about?”

“Whether to put pepper or soy sauce on fried eggs.”

“Uh, I prefer salt.”

To my surprise, they both widened their eyes, then began arguing again, this time holding a salt shaker.

“I’ll make Ryusuke-kun’s fried egg!”

“Onii-chan asked me, didn’t he?”

Realizing this was beyond my control, I quietly slipped away, grabbed my wallet, and headed for the entrance.

“Where are you going?!”

Turning a deaf ear to Matsuri-neesan’s call, I made my way to the convenience store. Such a Saturday was unbearable. With that thought, I reluctantly bought some cup noodles and other items before returning home, where Matsuri-neesan and Ririka-chan were sitting in seiza, waiting to greet me.

“I’m sorry.”

“Eh?”

“Ryusuke-kun, you got mad, right? Sorry. I just wanted to make you happy.”

“It’s okay, Matsuri-neesan. Don’t worry.”

“Ryusuke-kun, you’re so kind. I like you.”

“Eh, ah, um.”

The confession from Matsuri-neesan sent me into a state of panic, revealing my introverted nature as my ears blazed with embarrassment.

Then Ririka-chan, looking into my eyes, said,

“I’m sorry for causing trouble. Onii-chan, I’m sorry. It was my fault. Please don’t abandon me. I’m really sorry.”

“I wouldn’t abandon you. As long as you understand, that’s fine. And no more fighting, okay?”

“Yes…”

Seemingly repentant, the two slowly headed to the kitchen and started cooking together in harmony. While I was happy to see this, I also felt a bit anxious about the future.

The start of this Saturday was noisy, yet I found myself a bit happy. Previously, the sound of the TV at volume level 10 seemed loud in the quiet of just my mother and me. Now, thanks to the two girls, I didn’t feel lonely anymore.

This must be a good sign, I thought as I enjoyed my breakfast.