Dumped by One, Chased by Another? My Ex's Sister Is a Gal and She's Coming for Me - Episode 12

As we left Yokohama Marine Tower and boarded the train home, Haruki and I chatted about all sorts of things.
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“Oh, so you want to go to med school too, Haruki-chan?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Is that weird? I mean, with how I look and all, becoming a doctor…”

“No, I don’t think it’s weird at all. Though, for hospital rotations and such, you’ll probably have to dye your hair back.”

A lot of girls in med school just dye the ends and put their hair up in buns to hide it anyway.
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“So, are you planning to keep this look going forward?”

“Yeah, I’ll go back to normal for interviews or important stuff, but…”

“No, I mean… you only started dressing like this for my sake, right? Are you really going to stick with it?”

“Ah, so you figured it out.”

Haruki gave a little “pop” gesture, clapping one hand on the other.

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“You were trying to make sure I didn’t think about Fuyumi when I looked at you, weren’t you? I mean, you didn’t have to go that far for me.”

“That’s not quite it, onii-san.”

“Huh?”

“Do you remember the first time we met?”

“Of course I do.”

I nodded. Still, I hadn’t expected Haruki to bring that up herself.

I opened my mouth to speak.

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“You were lost and almost in tears, and I just happened to come across you.”

“Heyyy! I wasn’t crying!”

She flailed her arms and started lightly smacking me.

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“Oww, that hurts~”

Total lie. It didn’t hurt at all.

What is this adorable creature?

From the outside, we must look like a couple of lovebirds.

Anyway, back on topic.

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“Yeah, I just couldn’t leave you alone. So, I walked you home.”

“Exactly! That’s what I mean.”

Now that I think about it, it was a pretty risky move.

There was even a chance I could’ve been reported to the police.

But back then, I didn’t even consider that.

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“You told me you were helping me just because you wanted to. That made you seem so reliable and… cool.”

“…Thanks.”

Getting told something like that so directly really made me blush.

Even more so since we’ve known each other for a while.

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“So, it’s the same for me now.”

“You mean, you’re doing this because you want to?”

“Exactly! At first, I didn’t want to upset you, but then I actually started enjoying this look! So, I think I’ll stick with it, even at school. My school’s pretty chill about hair and dress codes anyway.”

“Well, in that case, I guess it’s fine.”

If Haruki truly wanted to do gal-style makeup from her heart, then that was her choice.

In the end, it’s her life.

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“You’ve always been my goal, onii-san.”

“Wait… does that mean the reason you want to go to med school is…”

“Ah, you just realized? Yep. I want to be someone who can help people—just like you.”

“You’re giving me way too much credit…”

I’m really not that great a person.

I’m still just a med student—in training.

Even when I’ve helped people, I’ve only done what I wanted to in the moment.

Even with Haruki, I didn’t do anything all that special.

I just couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

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“It’s not an exaggeration at all. You’ve always had no confidence in yourself, onii-san.”

“…”

I had no rebuttal.

It’s true—I lacked confidence.

Maybe I even lost what little I had after that heartbreak.

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“Well, I get it. It’s hard to change who you are. That’s why… I have a request.”

“A request?”

It was a quiet night, and the train heading back toward Tokyo was mostly empty.

Haruki, sitting beside me, turned toward me with serious eyes.

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“Look at me, onii-san.”

Her bright blue eyes, colored with contact lenses, pierced into mine.

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“I’ve been influenced by you, shaped by you. So, I want you to keep watching—to see who I am now and who I’ll become.”

“…”

“Well? What’s your answer?”

“Y-Yes, of course.”

I accidentally slipped into formal speech.

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“Haha!”

“Ahaha!”

We both burst into laughter.

How could we not? We were talking about a future so full of hope and excitement that it was impossible not to smile.

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“I’ll keep watching closely—especially since we’ve got another date coming up.”

“Yep!”

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◇

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Once we got to the nearest station, I insisted on walking Haruki home.

She tried to refuse, but I didn’t let her win that one.

Eventually, we reached the area near her house.

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“This is far enough. Thanks again!”

“No, thank you. I really mean it—you saved me with your kindness.”

“It’s not just kindness, you know.”

“Huh? What do you mean by…”

I was about to ask what she meant—when Haruki suddenly hugged me.
She wrapped her slender arms around my waist and buried her face in my chest.

It was just like we were lovers.

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After a moment, Haruki lifted her head, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She had a smug little smile on her face.

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“I’m not telling you! Nyeh~”

She stuck her tongue out and ran into her house.

…What did she mean by that last line?

I found myself thinking about it all the way home—

And that night, I lay in bed, restless with thoughts of her.