Dumped by One, Chased by Another? My Ex's Sister Is a Gal and She's Coming for Me - Episode 45

Miyashita Park, in the heart of Shibuya.

Its most distinct feature? The arch-shaped transparent roof.

If you search for “Miyashita Park,” you’ll probably see images of that roof stretching above a vibrant green lawn.

And right now, we were stepping onto that very grass.

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“Wow, this place is beautiful!”

“Right? I’m glad we came here.”

“It’s so nice. You’ve got great taste, Onii-san!”
“Haha, thanks.”

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We first came here during our first year of university.

Haruki and I had been dating for a little while by then.

It was that phase where you want to go on slightly more mature, grown-up dates—something that feels just a bit special.

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“Bouldering, huh… Onii-san, have you ever done this before?”

“Nope. Not even once.”

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Last time we came here, we never actually tried it.

I’m pretty sure I didn’t even touch the wall, since I have zero memory of doing any bouldering.
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“Well then, shall we give it a go?”

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Bouldering is a legitimate sport—even featured in the Olympics.

It involves climbing walls using artificial holds attached to them.

There’s also a type of climbing that uses real rock faces, but I only found that out after doing some research the day before.

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“Man, lucky we happened to wear clothes that are easy to move in.”

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Honestly, I hadn’t planned on doing any climbing today, so I hadn’t given Haruki any specific clothing advice.

That said, jeans and a hoodie aren’t exactly restrictive. Not the most athletic outfit, sure, but not a problem either.

She was wearing thick-soled boots, which definitely weren’t made for climbing, but that didn’t matter—we could rent proper climbing shoes anyway.

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“Wait, am I doing this too?”

“Of course you are! Loser has to do a punishment game, okay?”

“Alright, what kind of punishment?”

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I had no idea what sort of “punishment” to suggest.

Among guys, we’d usually go with something like “whoever loses pays for drinks,” but I obviously couldn’t say that to Haruki. Not that it mattered—I was planning to pay for everything anyway.

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“Hmmm…”

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She smirked as she placed a foot on the lowest hold.

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“Then how about this? Loser has to say ten things they like about the other person.”

“Wait, what?”

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Hold on. That’s way too embarrassing for a punishment game.

Before I could even object, Haruki was already climbing, her hands and feet confidently gripping the holds.

She moved quickly and smoothly—way better than I expected.

I hadn’t realized it before, but apparently she’s got good athletic instincts.

Still, from down here… I was trying not to look, but—

The way her jeans clung to her legs and hips was… distracting.

This was supposed to be a serious sport, and yet here I was, thinking completely inappropriate things.

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“Wait, is she seriously going to make it to the top?”

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◇

In the end, Haruki made it all the way up.

For a beginner to climb to the top on their first try? She must be pretty athletic.

I, on the other hand, had no chance.

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“Man, that was scary!”

“Yeah, even with the mats, it’s still terrifying.”

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That feeling of free fall is the worst.

Elevators sometimes give me that same sensation, but with bouldering, you’re actually falling off a wall. It’s a whole different level of fear.

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“Okay, Onii-san—you remember the punishment game, right?”

“Uh… what was it again?”
“Oh no you don’t. Don’t even try to play dumb.”

“……”

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I looked away.

She quickly stepped around me to block my escape.

Her eyes sparkled as she leaned in.

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“Onii-san, you’re gonna tell me ten things you like about me, right?”

“You climbed up ahead of me and now you’re invincible, huh…”

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Honestly, I got stuck almost immediately.

The fact that she made it to the top in one go is just absurd.

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“Well… alright. I’ll do it.”

“Yesss! That’s the spirit!”

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She gave me a couple of playful pats on the shoulder.

I sighed, took a short pause, and began.

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“Okay, first—you’re incredibly kind.”

“Oh?”

“Second—your face is adorable.”

“Wha—!?”

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Pop! Her cheeks turned bright red.

But I kept going, pretending not to notice.

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“Third, your voice is super cute. Fourth, your gestures—also cute.”

“W-wait, Onii-san, hang on!”

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Her face still beet red, she reached up to try and cover my mouth.

Unfortunately for her, I was taller. Dodging her was easy.

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“Fifth—your fashion sense is on point. Sixth—just being around you makes me happy. Seventh—”

“Waaah! Okay, okay, stop! That’s enough already!”

“Oof!”

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She tackled me with a sudden hug to the stomach, face still flushed.

…Was it really that embarrassing?

I didn’t think I’d said anything that bad yet.

But more importantly—

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“Haruki-chan…”

“Huh?”

“Um… everyone’s watching.”

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She quickly looked up—and sure enough, the other climbers and even some of the staff were looking at us with warm, amused smiles.

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“…………”

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We couldn’t take the awkwardness, so we made a quick retreat.