Dumped by One, Chased by Another? My Ex's Sister Is a Gal and She's Coming for Me - Episode 18

I’ve always been the type who couldn’t sit still without doing something.

I loved heroes.

People who fought to protect others, to make the world a better place.

I admired those who held onto such ideals and aspired to become like them myself.

Taking that lost grade schooler home.

Helping her little sister from time to time, when asked.

Choosing to study medicine and entering medical school.

It all began from that simple desire.

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“I can’t get it at all…”

“Well, you’ve only spent about two thousand yen so far.”

“Wait, only two thousand yen…?”

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It already felt like I’d poured a small fortune into this thing.

Then again, considering the actual retail price of the figure, maybe my total spending wasn’t that outrageous yet.

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“Still, five hundred yen per try, huh…”

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When you realize all you get to do is nudge a lever for that price, it really does sting.

Honestly, maybe it would be cheaper to just buy the figure directly.

No—no, I shouldn’t be thinking like that.
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“But man… what now? Is there some kind of trick to this?”

“Of course there is! Want me to show you?”

“I’d really appreciate that.”

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At this rate, who knows how much I’ll end up spending.

I’d like to at least have enough left for the train ride home.

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“First off, it’s not just about grabbing and dropping. The claw’s grip strength is deliberately weakened.”

“Makes sense.”

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Yeah, if the claw were strong enough, everyone would win prizes easily and the machine wouldn’t make money.

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“So instead of trying to grab it, you aim to hook it and gradually shift its position. That’s the basic strategy.”

“Ahh, so the idea is to nudge it bit by bit toward the front.”

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Until now, I’d been trying to snag it in one go, only to fail completely again and again—basically wasting my money.

This strategy definitely sounded more reasonable.

I glanced at the prize figure again, belatedly reminded of why I’d wanted it in the first place—

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“Hey, Onii-san.”

“Hm?”

“That thing you mentioned earlier… about your admiration… can I hear more about it?”

“Oh, right.”

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It’s really not that special a story, though.

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“You mean like, the stuff about tokusatsu shows?”

“Well, kind of—but more than that, I want to hear your story.”

“My story?”

“You’ve always helped people, haven’t you? You did volunteer work in high school, and now you’re studying in med school to save lives.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

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Sure, I’ve done a lot of volunteer work, and I’m still doing it.

Soup kitchens, night patrols, community aid.

Then I studied hard and got into med school.

But I’ve never felt like I’ve done anything extraordinary.

If anything, I’ve just come to realize how hard it is to truly help people.

Even when you think you’re helping, things don’t always go as planned.

There’ve been times—recently even—when I was betrayed by someone I thought was on my side.

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“Even so,” she said, “I was really happy that time. When you talked to me, and played with me.”

“…”

“To me, you were a hero. I wanted to be like you. That’s why…”

“Why?”

“This time, I thought I should be the one to help you.”

“…!”

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Gently, Haruki placed her hand over mine.

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“Uh… Haruki-chan, aren’t you kinda close right now?”

“Eh? Sorry, do you not like it?”

“It’s not that I dislike it, just… why so close?”

“Hmm, well, it looked like you were struggling, so I thought I’d help guide your hand.”

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So basically, she was trying to assist by taking control of my hand movements.

I could tell what she meant.

And honestly, I’d already blown through around five thousand yen—it was getting rough.

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“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that.”

“Haha, why so formal? That’s hilarious.”

“Is it really?”

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I tilted my head in confusion.

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“Aah, missed again…”

“No no, it’s getting really close!”

“Okay, okay, here we go—wait, huh?”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! We’ve got this!”

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And so, we kept trying different strategies. I fed in another 500-yen coin.

By this point, this wasn’t just a game anymore.

For me, it had become a matter of pride.

That figure—it represented a childhood dream. The origin of my aspirations.

Even if getting it now won’t change anything, won’t rewind time—

Even if, financially, I should’ve just bought it online.

That wasn’t the point.

What mattered was picking myself back up again—alongside Haruki.

To reclaim my ideals, my fractured hope.

That act itself held meaning.

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Finally, the figure dropped into the prize hole.

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“Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!”

“You did it, Onii-san!”

“Yeah, the struggle made the victory even sweeter. Now then…”

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I opened my wallet.

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“…Guess it’s about time we head home.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

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Haruki gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder.

And you know what?

I didn’t mind it one bit.