[Warning 15+]
Part One~She Only Acts Like Her Old Self When She's with Me... Wait, Hold Up!~Chapter 23The Lonely Living Room
Hayato was headed solo to Haruki's place, where Himeko had dragged her off earlier.
"Man, it's freaking hot…"
Heat waves were shimmering off the asphalt, and the occasional breeze didn't have a lick of freshness to it—it was just gross, lukewarm air.
Hayato couldn't tell if the funky mood he was in was because of this cr*ppy weather or some kind of childish jealousy.
Hayato just kept moving his feet at a snail's pace. It was like he was hesitating to actually find an answer.
Even so, after walking for a bit, Hayato finally made it to Haruki's house.
It was just a regular house in a residential area with nothing special about it, a place Hayato had visited a bunch of times already. Or at least, that's what it was supposed to be.
Hayato went to hit the doorbell like he always did, but then he suddenly remembered Haruki heading back into this house the other day like she was being swallowed by the darkness—for some reason, he hesitated, and his hand just stopped in mid-air.
"…Ugh, d*mmit, it's so freaking hot!"
Hayato aggressively scratched his head like he was trying to shake off all those weird thoughts, and with that momentum, he finally jabbed the doorbell.
The ding-dong of the doorbell echoed inside.
The silence lasted only a split second before the door swung wide open with a loud thud and the sound of frantic footsteps.
"See, Hayato's here! Hayato's actually here, okay?!"
"Big Bro, catch Haru-chan!"
"Wh-What the—?!"
Haruki came flying out of the entryway like a literal bullet, and before Hayato knew it, he'd caught her in what was basically a full-on hug, just like Himeko had told him to.
"Ugh, Hayato, you traitor!"
"I—I don't really get what's going on, but stop struggling! Chill out, Haruki."
Hayato was losing it for a bunch of different reasons.
Hayato had zero clue what the deal was between Haruki and Himeko, and unlike back in the day, Haruki's body felt so small and fit perfectly in his arms now. The softness of Haruki's arms, her warmth, and the way her chest and thighs kept brushing against him while she struggled—it was all making him feel way too flustered.
"Hehe, Big Bro, just go ahead and drag Haru-chan back inside just like that."
"O-Oh, okay…"
"Ugh, just k*ll me already!"
Himeko had this weird, intense vibe that made you feel like you definitely shouldn't mess with her. She was the total opposite of Haruki, who was hanging her head in defeat. Haruki was being hauled back inside without any say in the matter.
Still, the fact that Haruki was dropping lines like "Just k*ll me" suggested she wasn't totally miserable. It was probably just their way of playing around.
"Ugh…"
As Hayato went to step into the room he'd been getting used to lately, he instinctively took a step back.
Fashion mags were crammed all over the desk, and makeup supplies he recognized from Himeko's room were spread out everywhere. The whole place had this "Ultimate Girly" vibe that basically screamed "No Boys Allowed."
Well, no wonder Haruki tried to bolt.
And as if they were being put on blast, a bunch of plain, bland, and totally tacky shirts, shorts, and pants were lined up on the bed. Hayato couldn't help but look Haruki right in the face.
"Big Bro, what do you think of these clothes? They're like, the exact opposite of stylish or sexy."
"Even from my perspective, this is pretty rough."
"Hayato?!"
Haruki looked at Hayato like he was a total traitor, but he just stared back at her with eyes you'd use for a pathetic little creature. This time, it was Haruki's turn to flinch.
Then Hayato and Himeko started tag-teaming a full inspection of Haruki's disastrous fashion sense.
"Haru-chan, this stuff is just all black, frumpy, and plain. Plus, a lot of it looks totally worn out. And isn't this shirt like, the wrong size?"
"It's like those 'clothes you don't mind getting dirty.' Honestly, everything here just reminds me of the stuff we used to wear when we were little kids."
"I guess that outfit from the other day was a straight-up miracle…"
"Yeah, definitely a miracle…"
"Ugh…"
After getting totally roasted by the childhood friend siblings, Haruki hung her head with teary eyes. She even let out a tiny, weak whine, like, "Wait, is it really that bad?"
But Himeko's eyes as she looked at Haruki were surprisingly gentle.
"It's okay, Haru-chan. Even if Big Bro thinks he wouldn't want to be caught dead walking with you if your fashion sense is still as disastrous as it used to be, you're still Haru-chan. I won't give up on you."
"W-Wait, am I really that far gone?!"
"H-Himeko?"
Then, just when it looked like Himeko was flashing a refreshing smile, she gave a sly, knowing grin and whispered something into Haruki's ear.
Haruki was startled and on guard at first because it was so sudden, but her expression gradually turned serious, and then she flashed that same mischievous smirk she always showed Hayato.
(What the heck is Himeko feeding Haruki… …it's like Himeko's brainwashing Haruki or something.)
Hayato watched the two girls with a look of disbelief; they’d totally flipped a switch and looked like they were plotting something devious.
The way they kept stealing glances at Hayato reminded him of scenes he’d witnessed plenty of times back when they were kids.
"—And that’s the deal. So? Getting interested yet?"
"Yes, Teacher!"
"Very well, then—"
Haruki snapped her right hand up in the air, and Himeko nodded with a satisfied look.
With Himeko taking the lead and using fashion mags as textbooks, a full-on style seminar began to unfold.
To be honest, Hayato didn't really get it, and Haruki’s reaction was also a bit lukewarm. But Himeko didn't give a damn and just kept her lecture rolling.
(Man, this is just like playing house when we were kids.)
Back then, Hayato'd occasionally get dragged along by Himeko's selfish whims too. Thinking about how this scene hadn't changed at all, Hayato struggled to suppress a chuckle deep in his throat.
It was officially the Himeko Show. Hayato turned into a "yes-man" machine, just nodding along whenever Himeko looked his way for an opinion, while Haruki turned into a device whose eyes were spinning and head was literally smoking.
But still, whenever they caught each other's eyes, everyone was wearing a smile.
"—And that's a wrap. Man, I talked so much my throat's gone bone-dry."
"Oh, right, I haven't served anything yet. Is tea okay?"
With that, Haruki stood up and headed down to the kitchen on the first floor.
Hayato let out a long sigh and gave himself a big stretch.
Himeko shot her big bro a look that was pretty much a straight-up scolding.
"Big Bro, Haru-chan is definitely Haru-chan, but even so, she's still a girl, you know?"
"That’s a harsh way to put it—'even so'?"
"Look, just go give her a hand."
"Fine, fine."
Giving a half-hearted reply, Hayato got up anyway.
It was because Himeko's comment had made Hayato remember the way Haruki's arm felt in his grip earlier. Part of him also just didn't want his little sis to see the look on his face right now.
A whirlwind of complicated feelings was stirring in Hayato's chest, and to play it off, he scratched his head aggressively as he headed down the stairs.
Come to think of it, Hayato'd never stepped foot anywhere in the house besides Haruki's room, but he still figured out where the kitchen was in no time. With the door cracked open and light leaking out, it was pretty much a dead giveaway.
"Haruki, let me help you carry the stuff."
"...Oh."
Haruki let out a bit of a dazed-sounding squeak. Right then, everything behind her just hit Hayato all at once.
The place had a standard LDK setup, where you could see the whole living room right from the kitchen.
But despite the normal layout, the living room had this weird, eerie vibe that was impossible to miss.
Piles of scattered flyers, a bunch of paper bags, and shutters that were closed tight even though it was still bright outside. The furniture was all lined up perfectly, yet it was covered in layers of dust.
It was obvious that no one had actually "lived" in that living room for a long time.
When Hayato looked back toward the kitchen, he saw trash bags stuffed with tons of empty bento containers and frozen food wrappers.
It told the whole story of Haruki's current life louder than words ever could.
"…Haru, ki."
"A-Ahaha…"
Words that Hayato couldn't even describe slipped from his lips.
Even so, Haruki just stood there, putting a forced, awkward smile.
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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