Dumped by One, Chased by Another? My Ex's Sister Is a Gal and She's Coming for Me - Episode 5

“Sorry for making you help with the dishes too.”

“It’s no big deal. I already ate half of it anyway.”

After finishing the omelet rice, Haruki and I stood side by side washing the dishes. We scrubbed the plates soaked in water, wiping away the dirt. I rinsed the soapy dishes and handed them to Haruki on my left.

She dried them with a towel and put them back on the shelf.

“So, what should we do now…”

“Huh?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Having finished eating and washing up, I was feeling relaxed, so my true thoughts slipped out. My hunger was finally satisfied, and I had a moment to think. And yet, the thought that I was cheated on by Fuyumi and had broken up with her weighed heavily on my mind.

“Onii-san.”

“…?”

“Onii-san, water.”

“Huh? Ah!”

I realized she was right—the faucet right in front of me was still running, water spilling everywhere. I hurried to turn it off.

“Onii-san, wanna go on a date with me?”

“Huh?”

“Well, since it’s a rare chance today, I thought we could hang out.”

“Oh yeah, Haruki, what about school?”

I thought it was Friday today. It was still daytime on a weekday, so school should have been in session. Of course, I was skipping university, so maybe I had no right to say anything.

“No, today’s Saturday, so there’s no school.”

“…Huh?”

“Onii-san, your sense of time is, um…”

“…”

I remembered I saw Fuyumi cheating with Natsuyama-senpai on Thursday. I hadn’t left the house for two full days. I hadn’t even looked at my phone, so I had no idea what day it was.

“So, anyway, let’s plan our date!”

“Oh, it’s already decided then?”

“Did you not want to?”

“No, I’m coming.”

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the way she said that, but I didn’t mind going out with Haruki. Besides, I had no reason to refuse.

“If we go now, where should we go? Shibuya? Ikebukuro?”

Holding back a headache, I tried to recall the places we had been on past dates. But—

“Hmm, those are kind of cliché. Isn’t there somewhere we haven’t been?”

“Somewhere we haven’t been?”

Her words stopped me. For some reason, her gaze kept drifting to the balcony. I wondered what she was looking at.

“Well, if we’re going on a date, I want to go somewhere a bit unusual.”

I understood that feeling. For someone born and raised in Tokyo, it’s a common problem. There’s so much around you that you rarely feel the need to visit other prefectures.

“There are places, but they’re far.”

“Far is fine, isn’t it?”

“You’ll be getting home late, won’t you?”

“Well, I have a great idea. We’ll go home early in the morning.”

“That’s not really a solution.”

Besides, it’s not good for a high schooler to come home that late. I wasn’t too sure, but I think you’d get taken into custody for that?

“Hmm, how about Yokohama?”

“Yeah, that could work.”

Yokohama definitely has plenty of date spots. Plus, it’s somewhere we haven’t been before. Which means there are no memories with Fuyumi there—no unpleasant ones either.

“Ah.”

I finally realized it—Haruki’s thoughtfulness.

“Haruki-chan.”

“What is it?”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Haruki smiled warmly.

“Well then, let’s head out!”

“Got it.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve gone out with Kengorou-san.”

“Yeah, it really has.”

“When was the last time we walked alone together? Feels like forever!”

“Isn’t it since we first met? You got lost and almost cried.”

“Ah, I didn’t hear that!”

When Haruki transferred to this town as an elementary schooler, she had no sense of the area and, being a kid, had trouble reading maps. She got lost, and me walking her home was how we first met. Incidentally, that’s also how I ran into Fuyumi, who was looking for Haruki near my house.

When I told a friend about how I met Fuyumi, they joked, “What kind of light novel is that?” Well, I’ve read those kinds of light novels too.

“It’s been five years already. Time really flies.”

“Why are you suddenly talking like a grandma?”

“Huh? That’s rude, onii-san.”

We laughed as we walked to the station.

But I couldn’t laugh too much at Haruki. I thought the same thing: five years went by in a flash. People change inevitably. I’ve grown since those days when I didn’t know anything about high school love or university exams. Haruki’s change was even more obvious—her childish energy faded, replaced by a graceful, refined beauty.

Well, she did suddenly turn into a gal recently, but still… why the sudden change? When I ask her, she dodges the question.

“Change…”

“Onii-san?”

Maybe Fuyumi changed too over these five years. I had thought she was pure and loving, but when did she start seeing senpai? When did she change? Or maybe nothing changed at all—maybe what I saw was just an illusion.

“Oniisaaaan!”

“Whoa!”

A sharp tap on my back.

“Huh? What?”

“Not what, the train’s almost here.”

“Oh, right!”

The train arrived and the doors opened. We got on.