[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
Just got a new review! Heck yeah!
Part One
~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 20But, I Just Couldn't Say A Word
Pastel furniture, cute little knick-knacks, and cardboard boxes scattered all over the floor.
In a room like that, the Kirishima siblings were going at it since the crack of dawn.
"Wake up, Himeko! Get the hell up! Seriously, please wake up! It's already past 8 AM!"
"Mmm... ...cold shabu salad udon……"
"Fine, I'll make it for dinner, just get up already!!"
"With sesame dressing~"
"Himeko!"
Himeko had a habit of oversleeping big time every once in a while.
Usually, it was Hayato's job to drag Himeko out of bed, but today she was being a real pain.
Hayato shouted, he shook Himeko, but she didn't budge. Finally, he had to slam her onto the floor along with her futon before she let out a "Fugya!" and actually opened her eyes.
After that, it was a total mad dash to get ready. The two of them practically exploded out of the house.
"Ugh, my hair is a total disaster! And I'm freaking starving! Sweating my brains out this early in the morning is the worst!"
"That's! Why! I told you! To go to bed early yesterday!"
"But still!!"
The whole mess was Himeko's fault for staying up late.
Hayato had told Himeko a million times to go to bed, but the pinging of phone notifications from the room next door didn't stop until way past midnight. It was totally Himeko's own fault.
(D*mmit, next time I'm tossing raw tomatoes into dinner and making Himeko eat every last bit!)
Hayato swore to get his revenge by serving up Himeko's least favorite food for dinner.
◇◇◇
Hayato burst into the classroom just as the first bell was starting to ring.
"Yo, Kirishima. Oversleep?"
"Not me, my little sis did, Mori."
"Oh, so you've got a little sis? How old?"
"A year younger. A third year of middle schooler… …anyway, what's up with that?"
"Man, that's... ...kinda hard to explain."
In front of Hayato and Iori, a scene was unfolding that looked like a bunch of classmates on a pilgrimage to visit a single girl.
The center of attention was none other than Haruki, whose face was shaded with a hint of sorrow. Everyone was taking turns coming up to her, looking genuinely worried.
"Nikaidō-san, are you okay?"
"If you need anything, just let us know, alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a hard time getting to sleep last night…"
But even though Haruki responded with a faint, quiet smile, her puffy eyes made it look like she'd been through something rough but was trying her best to stay strong—which, of course, just made everyone around her even more anxious.
(…That girl!)
But from where Hayato was standing, no matter how you looked at it, this was 💯% because she'd been up all night texting Himeko. He couldn't help but facepalm.
"…Oh."
Just then, Haruki's phone buzzed with a notification. The second she noticed it, she got all fidgety and hurried to read the message, letting out a little suppressed giggle. That move alone was enough to blow everyone's minds and send the whole room into a frenzy.
"Nikaidō-san couldn't sleep last night… …and now that look on her face… …no way…!"
"Hold up, if you think about it, it'd actually be weirder if Nikaidō-san didn't have someone by now, right?"
"Where's the transfer student?! Where's Kirishima?! String him up! If we find a phone on him, he's definitely the one!"
A few of the boys in particular were practically radiating bloodlust as they started teaming up to hunt down Hayato and squeeze the "truth" out of him.
"…Oh."
Finally, Haruki realized just how much her behavior was being totally misinterpreted by everyone. Her pretty eyebrows shot up as her eyes locked with Hayato's.
"(Wha—What should I do?)"
"(…Man, you seriously owe me for this.)"
Seeing Haruki give him those quick, desperate little nods, Hayato let out a loud, overly dramatic sigh before heading toward his own seat.
"Morning, Nikaidō. You look pretty hyped up looking at that smartphone. What, did you finally get a honey bunny or something?"
"H-Honey bunny?! No, that's— wait, Haya-… …I mean, Kirishima-kun…?"
"I mean, just look at you. You look like some kid totally obsessed over their first-ever honey bunny… …or like someone who finally got to meet a person they've been missing for ages."
"Eh…"
Haruki was totally blindsided by the sudden shift in the conversation. And since it was exactly what everyone was dying to know, the whole room went dead silent as they watched her with bated breath.
Hayato shot Haruki a knowing wink. After a brief staring contest, Haruki finally caught onto his plan. She gave a little giggle and turned her smartphone screen around for everyone to see.
"Exactly! Look, this is her—cute, right? We just reunited for the first time since we were kids, so you know, we just got totally carried away catching up last night…"
"O-Oh, yeah, she's... ...pretty cute, I guess."
The picture on the screen was a selfie of the two girls, Haruki with Himeko, taken when Haruki came over to Hayato's place last night. Since Himeko had gone all out with her makeup and "date night" outfit just for a trip to the convenience store, she looked great in the photo. Even without the big-bro bias, Hayato had to admit that his little sis was actually a pretty high-tier beauty.
You could tell by the comments coming from the boys next to and behind Hayato, like "Whoa, she's hot," "They look close," and "What school does she go to?" It looked like Himeko's looks were officially "society-approved."
The crowd's interest shifted toward Himeko, and before anyone knew it, that heavy, suspicious vibe around Haruki had vanished. It finally dissipated completely when the Homeroom Teacher walked in shouting, "Alright, pipe down and get in your seats!"
While the teacher was taking attendance, Haruki, sitting in the next seat over, mouthed something toward Hayato.
"(Thanks.)"
Looking closely at Haruki's face, even though she was smiling, you could see dark circles under her eyes. Dead giveaway that she'd been up all night texting.
―Tch.
Hayato wanted to say something. He was about to drop a "Dummy" or some other jab at Haruki.
But then, Hayato suddenly remembered Haruki's pitch-black house from last night― ―and the words just died in his throat. He couldn't say a thing. For some reason, he just had this tight, uneasy feeling in his chest.
"(…Don't overdo it, okay?)"
That was all Hayato could manage to mutter back.
Haruki smiled back, looking a bit guilty and totally embarrassed.
Author's Notes:
Holy cr*p! I actually made it into the Top 5 overall for the week! Who-hoo!
As for the feedback, a simple "Meow" is more than enough! Meow!
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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