Dumped by One, Chased by Another? My Ex's Sister Is a Gal and She's Coming for Me - Episode 20

The day after my second date with Haruki.

We were spending the day together again—but it wasn’t a date.

A date usually means two people going out alone, typically in a romantic context.

Given that, today didn’t quite qualify.

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“Our friend sure is late…”

“Yeah, he’s always been kinda loose with time…”

We muttered complaints about the person we were waiting for as I glanced sideways at Haruki.

“What is it?”

“Nah, just… you look really good today.”

Haruki was wearing a white frilly blouse with volume in the sleeves and a tight black skirt.

A kind of “dangerous cuteness” vibe, maybe even considered part of the “ji-rai-kei” fashion trend.

To be honest, she looked stunning.

Of course, it helped that she was naturally attractive—her platinum blonde hair and blue eyes suited the outfit perfectly.

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“Hey, Koyomi-chan! Long time no see!”

A woman with brown hair tied up in a ponytail approached us.

This was the friend we’d been waiting for.

“Got an excuse for being late?”

“Nope. I just overslept. Simple as that.”

“It’s the fact you’re so shameless about it that gets me…”

I let out an exasperated sigh. We’d known each other for years, but her chronic tardiness hadn’t improved—in fact, it seemed to get worse.

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“So, is she your girlfriend?”

“No, not exactly.”

“Really? You two seem awfully close for that.”

“It’s… complicated.”

“Complicated, as in… a mature sort of relationship?”

“Absolutely not.”

I quickly cut her off before she said anything inappropriate in front of Haruki.

Haruki, a bit shy, peeked out from behind me.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ayase Haruki. I’ve known your brother—Akishima Kengo—for quite a while now.”

“Well, aren’t you polite! I’m Igarashi Koyomi. Nice to meet you too.”

Koyomi gestured for me to lean closer and whispered in my ear.

“She’s a girl? This ‘friend’ of yours?”

“Yeah. Why? Is that a problem?”

“Not a problem, just… well, I’m not too thrilled about having more competition.”

“Competition?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Well, maybe best not to dig too deep into that.

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“Alright, shall we hit up karaoke?”

“Why are you taking charge here?”

I chuckled at my pushy friend as we made our way toward the karaoke place.

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“Still, it’s rare for you to be the one calling me out. What’s up? Want to talk?”
“That’s not really something a girl usually says…”

“Ooh, so you’re acknowledging I’m a woman now? I’m touched.”

“Didn’t think you were a guy to begin with.”

“Heh, fair enough.”

We entered the private karaoke booth we’d reserved and settled onto the sofa.

Haruki, sitting beside me, had a rare scowl on her face.

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“Um, Haruki?”

“Yes?”

“Are you… upset about something?”

“Not at all. Why do you ask?”

“…Really?”

“Let me guess—Haruki’s suspicious that Akishima and I used to go out or something, right? Totally not true, by the way.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, definitely not.”

I mean, she did have a boyfriend until recently.

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“Anyway, the thing I wanted to talk about… it’s about Natsuyama-senpai.”

“Oh, that guy.”

“You know him?”

“Know him? He’s got a pretty bad rep, to be honest. Major womanizer. He even tried to get me drunk at a party once.”

“Seriously?”

She crossed her arms dramatically as she spoke.

I didn’t usually go to work-related parties, so I had no idea.

Fuyumi always asked me not to attend any mixed-gender gatherings, so I’d avoided them.

We weren’t even in the same club or anything—honestly, I barely had any interaction with the guy.

I just knew his face and name, really. Still don’t know how he and Fuyumi ended up connected.

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“Actually… my girlfriend was cheating on me with Natsuyama-senpai.”

“Ah… I see. So, are you two breaking up?”

“We already did.”

“Oh—then, is she your new girlfriend?”

“Nnngh!”

A weird noise came from beside me. Was that… Haruki?

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“Um, well, it’s not like that! My brother and Fuyumi—my sister—were dating, so I just feel… somewhat responsible, I guess.”

“Hmm.”

“So no, we’re not dating or anything!”

“Got it, got it.”

Her voice sounded… weirdly flat now. Maybe best not to comment.

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“Well, in that case, let’s blow off some steam with karaoke!”

“Sounds good. Let’s pick some songs. You two go first.”

“What? No way—you’re the one who has to sing first!”