Chapter 92

After returning home, later that evening.

Maki hastily changed her clothes and stood in front of her younger sister's room, listening intently to the sounds inside.

The music was playing so loudly that it could be heard through the door, and it seemed that Yui was singing along, as her voice could also be heard.

Since Maki's parents were out when she returned, Yui must have thought no one was home and was singing enthusiastically.

Maki slowly reached for the doorknob.

Until recently, she had entered without making a sound, but lately she preferred to burst in dramatically.

Maki knocked on the door and, almost simultaneously, twisted the doorknob and flung the door open wide.

"La~la~la~ huff!?"

Yui, who had been sitting on a cushion singing, jumped and straightened her back.

As she tried to turn around, she lost her balance and almost fell, flailing her arms and legs in a strange dance.

"Huh, you listen to this? That's unusual."

Yui usually preferred obscure anime songs or minor rock bands, but today it was a clearly mainstream idol group's song.

When Maki started to hum along, Yui quickly reached for the speaker and turned down the volume.

She glared at Maki, but her face was slightly red from embarrassment.

"What's wrong? You can keep singing."

"Can you stop that? Seriously."

"Because your reaction is so cute~"

Maki laughed and put on a playful act, which earned her a disapproving click of the tongue.

Cute. Her troubled heart was healed.

Maki sat down next to Yui and, taking her arm, looked into her eyes and spoke in a weak voice.

"Hey, I had a bit of a bad experience today."

"So you're taking it out on me?"

"What do you think about completely forgetting a beautiful older sister you saw once?"

"Maybe she's the kind of older sister you forget after seeing once?"

Yui said this bluntly.

Perhaps because Maki had interrupted her while she was singing enthusiastically, she was in a bad mood.

Maki frowned and pouted.

"Waaaaaah, Yui-chan!"

"Stay away, you're too clingy."

When Maki tried to hug her, Yui pushed her face away with a slap. Maki's neck made a slight "crack."

This was quite rebellious. Maki had been considering how to respond based on Yui's reaction, but if she was going to be like this, Maki wouldn't hold back.

"I met him today. What was his name again?"

Naruto Yuki.

Maki, of course, remembered the name well, but she was angry that Yui pretended not to know, so she decided to get back at her here.

Yui tilted her head slightly and looked back at her with a puzzled expression.

"Could it be... Yuki-kun?"

"Right, right. Naruto Yuki-kun."

"His full name is there."

Yui said this casually, but then suddenly leaned in, looking at Maki's face with a curious expression.

"Um... what happened...?"

"Hmm... well... I got hit on at the station just now."

"Blow out!!"

Yui suddenly burst out with a strange sound.

This wasn't quite as cute as Maki had hoped.

Yui's eyes widened as she leaned in quickly.

"So, what...?"

"Huh? He said, 'Hey, miss, would you like to have a cup of tea with me~?'"

(If I say this, she'll definitely panic and be cute~)

Maki's cheeks started to relax as she imagined her sister's flustered reaction, but for some reason, Yui quickly returned to a calm expression.

"No, that's not it. It must be a case of mistaken identity. He wouldn't say something like that."

"Why not? He might."

"No, he wouldn't."

No matter what, he wouldn't say it. A mysterious sense of trust.

Maki thought she might have exaggerated a bit, but getting such a cold response wasn't fun.

(What is this? This is a fail in a romantic comedy.)

Maki, not to be outdone, took out her phone and opened the contact list in the calling app, showing it to Yui confidently.

As she watched Yui's reaction, Yui blinked and looked puzzled.

"Hey, the name is Maki. Did you stop using MakiMaki?"

"What's MakiMaki?"

Pointing to the screen, Maki said,

"You seem to be doubting it, but look. We exchanged numbers in the flow of things."

Yui stared intently at the name "Naruto Yuki."

With concrete evidence, she couldn't hide her shock.

"T-this...?"

"Right, right. He was with some friends, I think. He just tagged along. But, you know, hitting on people doesn't seem like good behavior, does it?"

"R-really...? Why did you exchange numbers?"

"Well, he wanted to, so I said yes. I don't turn people away, you know. I'm thinking of including younger guys in my options. More choices are always better, right?"

"Wh-what? Don't mess with me!"

"What a way to talk, this one."

Maki patted Yui's head, which was turning red, to calm her down. She was cute, but Maki felt a bit guilty for teasing her too much.

"No, no, just kidding. I didn't take his number. You see, Yui seems to have fallen for him, but I haven't given my approval yet. Understand?"

"Why do you need your approval?"

"Of course, I do."

The key is to say it as if it's obvious, even if it's the opposite.

Yui flinched but, not to be outdone, crossed her arms and sniffed.

"First of all, you're misunderstanding. It's not that I'm infatuated, but that I'm worried because he seems a bit dangerous."

"Are you still saying that? To be honest, I think he's a bit off. Besides, to look down on me is a million years too early."

"What's that supposed to mean? What's wrong with you?"

"That's my problem."

Maki might have understood Yui's feelings a little, but she couldn't say that here.

If Yui and she were to become that kind of relationship, Maki would end up being the one teased, which would be very bad.

She needed to figure out what kind of person Yui really was.

"So, I'm going to test you."

"You sound like a middle school girl. Besides, how can someone who can't even cook or clean properly give a test?"

"That's not true. I can do it, but I choose not to. Instead, I have the skill to ask others to do it for me."

"What a crappy skill set."

"Girls shouldn't say such things."

Yui's mouth was getting more and more foul.

While Maki could tolerate it at home to some extent, she was worried that Yui might be like this at school too.

"Since I have some free time... I mean, a bit of time. Hehehe... it's going to be fun."

"What's with that laugh? You're always free."

"Hehehe..."

"There goes the space ninja..."

Yui stood up with a wary look, putting some distance between them and taking a fighting stance.

Maki, deciding to check Yui's development for the first time in a while, also got into a stance and slowly closed the distance.

When the ★ energy builds up, you can use a special move.