Chapter 29

"Ah"

"Ah"

They stopped and looked at each other.

"Yūki-kun...?"

I thought I recognized him from somewhere, but his voice confirmed it. It was Yui.

He was dressed completely in casual clothes, unlike his usual school uniform, and I hadn't expected to run into him by chance here.

A little later, Yūki raised his hand and said, "Hi," and the woman walking next to Yui suddenly leaned in close to Yui's face,

"Oh, oh, oh? An acquaintance?"

"…A, a classmate..."

When Yui said this with a face like he had bitten into a bitter bug, she made a "I see" face.

Then, pushing Yui aside a bit as if he were in the way, she stood in front of Yūki.

"Could you be Nago Yūki-kun?"

"Ah..."

It felt very strange to be called by his full name by a stranger on their first meeting.

As he was at a loss for how to respond,

"I'm Maki, Yui's older sister. Nice to meet you."

Maki bowed slightly with a graceful gesture.

Her fluffy brown hair, which reached her shoulders, swayed, and a faint, sweet scent of perfume wafted.

"Nice to meet you..."

Yūki, somewhat taken aback, bowed awkwardly in response.

When he raised his head, Maki looked him up and down, as if appraising him.

Yūki, not to be outdone, also observed her closely.

Indeed, as sisters, they had similar facial features, though the details were different.

Maki was a bit more plump overall and slightly shorter than Yui.

And she had a slightly more mature and composed air.

Not only did she have a fluffy, gentle aura, but her mouth was always slightly upturned, and her eyes had a slight droop. Her slow, gentle voice also gave the impression of being very kind.

In contrast to Yui, who always looked like she wasn't getting enough calcium, Maki was a world apart.

"You should have dressed up more if you were going to meet Yui."

"Shut up."

While Yui was dressed in jeans and a white shirt, Maki wore a light blue dress.

Their footwear was also very different, with Yui in sneakers and Maki in heels. Despite being sisters, the contrast between them was stark.

Yūki wondered if Yui was just irritated by this.

"Your photo of Yui yesterday was cute."

"Eh... W-Why are you saying that now!?"

"You look normal today."

"S-Sorry for being normal!?"

"I think being normal is good too."

Yui's face turned bright red all at once, and she lunged forward as if to grab Yūki, but then she suddenly stopped and became wary of Maki.

Maki, with a broad smile, nodded repeatedly and sent Yui a meaningful look.

"Hee hee..."

"W-What's that face?"

"Nothing? I always look like this?"

"Strange face."

"Remember that later."

She was always smiling, and apparently, she even sent messages on Yui's behalf. She might be a bit playful.

(They seem to have a good relationship.)

As he thought this, Maki turned to Yūki with a smile as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, Nago-kun. Ah, can I call you Yūki-kun?"

"Either is fine."

"You can call me Maki. Ah, or Maki-oneesan?"

The way she was called didn't matter, but Yui was silently sending pressure from the side.

However, Maki, oblivious to this, looked straight at Yūki and continued her questions.

"Yūki-kun, do you prefer breasts or buttocks?"

"Huh?"

As he froze at the sudden mysterious question, Yui, who had apparently reached her limit, pushed Maki's face aside from the side and stepped in.

"Okay, okay, it's nothing, sorry~"

"Hey, Yui! What's with pushing my face with your hand?"

"Could you say that during a Gundam fight?"

"What's that? ...No, I mean, it's better to check his preferences..."

"Shut up... Your voice is too loud!"

The two, who looked like they were both pretty, were causing quite a commotion.

As Yūki watched them absentmindedly, Maki turned to him with a smile.

"Since we're standing here talking, why don't we go to a café or something?"

"H-Hey, Oneesan, don't just decide things..."

This time, Maki pushed Yui's face aside and retaliated. The sisters seemed to resort to physical force easily.

"Let's go then," Maki said, trying to push the conversation forward, and then she noticed Mizuna, who had been hiding in Yūki's shadow.

"Oh? Who's that...?"

When Maki bent down to look, Mizuna suddenly jumped out from behind Yūki.

Then, looking up at Maki with a fierce gaze,

"I-I'm... Yuki-kun's girlfriend!!"

She squeezed her eyes shut and shouted as if straining her voice.

The moment she said those words, the scene froze.