Chapter 31

The next morning, Yuki arrived at school a little earlier than usual and was staring at his phone alone at his desk.

After yesterday's conversation, Mizuho suddenly started recommending various anime and manga to him.

And all of them featured Mizuho's favorite younger sister characters as the main characters.

Upon reflection, the anime movie he saw yesterday was also a romantic comedy about a step-sister.

Mizuho even sent him a URL via LINE, saying he could read the original manga online.

It seemed she was trying to pull him into her world with all her might, as if to say, "Just stay in the two-dimensional world and be happy."

As Yuki searched the internet for the terms "sibling separation" and "brother separation" on his phone, a loud thud came from beside him as a bag was forcefully placed on the desk.

Looking over, he saw Yui standing there with a slightly pouting expression, looking suddenly irritable.

She then pulled her chair out with a loud noise, but due to the excessive force, she almost knocked it over, flailing to steady it.

"What are you doing...?"

Yui, slightly blushing, cleared her throat and sat down as if nothing had happened, but she glared at Yuki as if it was all his fault.

"...What?"

"Yesterday was fun, wasn't it?"

Yuki had forgotten that he and Yui had parted ways at the station yesterday.

He thought he had resolved the issue after talking to Mizuho, but it seemed Yui was still under a misunderstanding.

"You have a cute girlfriend... I didn't know that..."

"No, she's not my girlfriend."

"Then what is she?"

"She's my sister."

Upon hearing this, Yui's face clearly showed a moment of confusion, but she couldn't back down easily.

"Doesn't seem like she thinks so?"

"She's my sister, so that's not the case."

"How nice, going on dates with your cute sister."

She was aggressively pushing the issue, but the idea of a date was ridiculous.

The word "date" in Japanese doesn't mean "caregiving."

"No, but seriously, it's getting out of hand. She even said something like, 'It's fine if you're my brother, but you could be my boyfriend too,' which is ridiculous."

"Ugh! That's..."

Yui made a strange sound, as if wondering where this was coming from.

Of course, such a statement would be a major turn-off.

"It's because I don't have a girlfriend, so Mizuho is saying it's fine if I treat her like one. She doesn't have many friends herself, though."

Yuki ended up complaining about the situation.

Yui listened to Yuki's story with a curious expression, and when he finished, she nodded thoughtfully.

"That's kind of refreshing."

"What is?"

"Seeing Yuki get angry like that. But it's nice, it feels like you care about your sister."

"I'm not really angry, just confused... She said if I get a girlfriend, she'll make friends too, but I don't know what to do."

"Really... A girlfriend, huh..."

"Exactly. But making friends is different, and I don't think it's something you have to force."

"Hmm. Do you ever think, 'I want a girlfriend'?"

"Not really. I don't really need one right now. Though it would be nice to quiet her down."

Yuki is used to being alone, so he can manage on his own.

In fact, being with someone might be more troublesome.

Yuki crossed his arms and thought hard, and Yui, who had been watching him, said:

"Actually, my sister keeps telling me to get a boyfriend..."

"That's tough. We're in the same boat."

"Yeah."

The topic ended there. Yui started organizing her bag and desk silently.

After a while, she suddenly turned to Yuki and said:

"Hey, I have an idea."

"What?"

"Can I borrow your ear for a moment?"

Yui looked around and then leaned in close, whispering into Yuki's ear:

"...How about I pretend to be your girlfriend?"

She quickly pulled back to her original position and smiled at him, causing Yuki to ask:

"...Huh?"

"Come on, just pretend to be my girlfriend in front of your sister."

"...What are you talking about? That's impossible."

"Why? It's a great idea. Then your sister won't say weird things anymore, and you said if you get a girlfriend, she'll make friends, right?"

"Sure, but that's a bit much... Why would you do that?"

Yuki was surprised by her suggestion.

It didn't seem like Yui would benefit from this in any way. He suspected she had some ulterior motive.

"Reason? I'm just... worried about Mizuho. Given how things are with her brother..."

"I have two friends, you know? Mizuho has none."

"That's a low-level argument. Why do you say you're fine with that?"

Yuki was hit with a very calm and direct response. She even pointed out that he didn't include her in his count of friends.

Unlike with Mizuho, this wasn't something he could brush off with a joke.

"Or... hmm? Could it be that Yuki... is scared? Or maybe... you actually want her to be your real girlfriend?"

She gave him a sly smile.

It seemed she was trying to get a reaction out of him. Yuki thought about Mizuho and realized this was a problem on both sides.

The idea of a fake girlfriend sounded like something from an anime or manga, and it was hard to take seriously.

Yuki thought Yui might be in a mentally unstable state, but he decided to handle it gently.

"You're really something, Yui..."

"Stop looking down on me."

"Alright, alright. I'll do it your way."

"Why does it sound like I'm being unreasonable?"

"Thanks, Yui. You're so kind."

"Hey, I might punch you in the face."

Yuki quickly showed a full-acceptance smile to calm her down, a technique that, while exhausting, was very effective. Yui, after a moment of mixed emotions, ended up in a good mood.

(Dealing with two people at once is tiring...)

Yuki's sister was unpredictable, which made things even more challenging.

But if they only pretended to be a couple in front of Mizuho, it shouldn't be a big problem.

If it made Yui feel better, that was fine.

Very proactively, after school, Yui decided to report to Mizuho right away and came to Yuki's house.

They agreed that Yui would only act as his girlfriend in front of Mizuho, so they left the classroom separately and met at a convenience store near the school.

"Sorry to keep you waiting..."

Yuki noticed that Yui, who arrived a bit late, was acting strangely.

She was repeatedly touching her chest and breathing heavily.

"...Is something wrong?"

"I'm... getting nervous..."

Despite her enthusiastic proposal, she was now backing out, clearly more nervous than he was.

It was all very confusing. Yuki thought she might have some kind of split personality. She was a pitiful girl.

Yuki tried to calm her down by holding her arm.

"Here, I'll hold your hand."

"Ah, yeah... What are you so casually holding my hand for!"

"Well... we have to pretend to be a couple, right?"

"Ah, yeah, that's right..."

Yuki held on to the hand that was trying to pull away.

Yui's hand was tense at first, but she eventually relaxed and gently squeezed back.

It was soft and smooth.

"Your hands are so pretty, Yui."

"Y-Yeah... Yuki's hands are long and pretty too..."

"Really?"

Yuki looked at their hands and then at Yui's face, noticing that she was blushing.

"Wow, we really look like a new couple. You're a great actress."

"R-Right? Isn't it amazing?"

"Your sly smile is perfect too."

"Of course, I'm an actress."

Yuki thought the act would be exposed quickly, but now he wondered if it might actually work.

The button to support the great actress Yui is right here ↓.

If it gets a lot of clicks, she'll take off her clothes.

Just kidding.