Saijo-san’s usual bright expression was nowhere to be seen, and her current one was unapproachable.
“Come on in, both of you. Make yourselves at home.”
Dad was as excited as ever, but I didn’t have time for that.
Saijo-san becoming my sister? There were so many things I wanted to say about this situation.
“Um, Takayuki-san…”
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. My dad’s name is Kasai Takayuki.
“I’m going to make dinner, but if you’d like, shall we go buy ingredients now? If I start cleaning up first, dinner will be late.”
“Great idea! Let’s go! Yuuto, help Hina-chan unpack her things. We’ll go on a date—no, I mean, grocery shopping!”
With that, they quickly got into the car and drove off somewhere.
“Well, they’re gone.”
“…”
The air was heavy. Saijo-san had been silent the whole time, and her atmosphere was completely different from how she was at school.
“Where’s my room?”
“…Huh? Um…”
“Where’s my room!?”
I couldn’t hide my surprise at her sudden, angry voice.
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Y-yes! This way, this way.”
I led her to the room that I had neatly cleaned a few days ago.
“It’s cleaned, but there’s only a desk and a bed for now.”
“It’s spacious enough, not bad.”
“Uh, Saijo-san… um…”
“Hina.”
“Eh? No, I mean, suddenly calling you by your first name—”
“Are you stupid!? We’re going to have the same last name soon! Are you going to call me Kasai-san? You’re Kasai too!”
She cut me off and yelled at me again. I was stunned by Saijo-san’s attitude and had a mountain of questions, but what she was saying was logical, so I had no words to argue back.
“S-sorry. Hina…san.”
“Tch.”
She clicked her tongue, and her open displeasure honestly made me feel scared. We opened the cardboard boxes piled up in the living room and checked the contents.
“Hey, Yuuto. Carry that cardboard box to your room.”
“Eh? You call me by my name—”
The next moment, I felt a sharp pain in my butt.
“Ow! …Huh? Why did you kick me!?”
“How many times are you going to make me say the same thing? You and I are both Kasai!”
“O-okay, okay! Just stop kicking me!”
With no time to even worry about my aching butt from her kicks, I carried her stuff to the room. We continued working in silence for about an hour and then we reached a point where we could take a break. All the while, I was on edge as she occasionally glared at me with an expression like she could kill me.
“Hey! Are you done?”
“Yes! It’s done…”
“Huh? Why are you being so formal? Gross.”
To put it mildly, that hurt. Saijo-san, having finished her work, was leaning against the wall and using her phone.
“U-um. Can I ask you something?”
I made up my mind and decided to ask my question.
“Huh? What? Don’t ask.”
“No, which is it?”
I took a deep breath and asked a question.
“Um, you have a very different impression at school, Saijo-sa… Hina-san… What’s that about?”
“Huh? You can figure it out if you think a little. Do you seriously think the ladylike way I talk and act at school is my true self?”
“Then, is this current Hina-san the real you…?”
“Did you feel disappointed? Well I don’t care what a guy like you thinks, anyway.”
“T-then, why do you pretend to be an honor student at school?”
“No, I actually have good grades and stuff. I’m a proper honor student.”
“That’s right! You’re excellent academically, athletic, popular, beautiful, and the most popular girl in the grade!”
“Yeah, and if I had to say…”
She smirked mischievously as she spoke.
“You like the school version of me, don’t you?”
“E-eh!? L-like? I’m not sure if it’s that… I guess I had a sense of admiration for you.”
“I enjoy watching people like you who are completely fooled by the persona I created. It’s… just hilarious.”
She stared directly into my eyes and spoke.
“It’s just so satisfying.”
The moment I heard that, something crumbled within me.
“I see. I understand now.”
What crumbled inside me were the trust and admiration I had for her… along with everything else.
“You’re not the Saijo-san I knew!”
“Hah? You were totally dancing to my tune. The Saijo Hina who’s kind to people like you at school and the Kasai Hina who’s mocking a coward like you right now—you already know which one of them is the real me.”
“Ugh… but I’m not going to accept this version of you!”
“Huh? Don’t call me ‘you.’”
“You deserve nothing more than to be called ‘you.’”
I took a deep breath to cool down my heated head.
“Wait… what are you doing!?”
“What, this? It’s a cigarette.”
“Don’t smoke that! I’m confiscating it!”
“Huh!? Try if you can!”
The thought of starting a life together with this girl made me feel depressed.
!next
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