Dumped by One, Chased by Another? My Ex's Sister Is a Gal and She's Coming for Me - Episode 50
“So, you two ended up dating, huh?”
“Congrats~!”
It was the day after I confessed to Haruki and we officially started dating.
In other words, Monday.
As usual, I was eating lunch with Marco and Honoka.
And as was becoming the norm lately, once the three of us got together, the conversation naturally turned to Haruki.
On top of that, I had already mentioned in advance that I had a date planned for Sunday.
Basically, they were more than ready to interrogate me about what happened.
I tried to escape, but the two of them weren’t about to let me off the hook.
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“Well, actually, I already knew. Haruki-chan messaged me directly right after!”
“Yeah, I heard from Honoka too!”
“…Then why did you even bother asking?”
With a sigh, I stuffed a bite of hamburger steak into my mouth.
It wasn’t bad.
But compared to the simmered hamburger steak I had yesterday, it didn’t even come close.
Well, I guess part of that is because I was eating it while feeling ridiculously happy.
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“So? Who confessed first?”
“And what exactly did you say?”
“Wait… don’t tell me you already know I was the one who confessed?”
I could practically picture Haruki, all giddy and excited, messaging Honoka on RINE.
Even just imagining her like that, she was ridiculously cute. Some things never change.
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“Well, let’s just say… that’s a secret between me and Haruki.”
“Fair enough, that’s a valid stance.”
“Yeah, we wouldn’t want to ruin your little lovey-dovey moment. We’ll let it slide.”
“Totally.”
“…You two are way too powerful.”
All I could do was sigh again.
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◇
“Ohhh, that’s great! I’m happy for you!”
I had also told Igarashi the news.
We didn’t meet in person—just talked over the phone.
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“Thanks. I wanted to tell you myself, in my own words.”
“Nice! I appreciate that. But hey, this was all thanks to my support too, so you better be grateful, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. I really am, honestly.”
I genuinely was.
She was one of the few friends who had stood by me and helped me through everything.
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“…Still, it’s kinda complicated, you know?”
“Huh?”
“Ah, never mind. Anyway, I’ve got something to do, so talk later!”
“Ah… okay.”
And with that, the call ended.
Maybe there was something she wanted to say but couldn’t.
Knowing her, she might’ve even done something behind the scenes with Natsuyama.
She didn’t exactly seem to like that guy either.
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◇
“So yeah, that’s what happened.”
“Wow, I see. Good for you.”
That evening, I was on the phone with Haruki.
Ever since we started dating—or rather, ever since I hinted at it—we’d been calling each other frequently like this.
The reason was simple: we couldn’t really see each other during the weekdays.
I had university, and Haruki had high school classes and entrance exam prep.
When you think about it, weekends were basically the only time we could actually meet in person.
That was kind of tough, so this was the next best thing.
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“Um, I’m sorry, onii-san. Maybe I shouldn’t have told them?”
“Nah, it’s fine. It’s not like I was trying to keep it a secret or anything.”
If anything, I only told people because I had no intention of hiding it.
It was bound to come out sooner or later anyway.
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“Speaking of which, if we’re officially telling people, I should probably say something to Setsuko-san too.”
“Oh, right! You should totally come over again sometime! You can just stay in the guesthouse if that’s easier.”
“Well, I’ll be coming over again anyway for tutoring… Have you been doing your homework?”
“N-Not yet. But don’t worry! I’ll get it done after this!”
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I also needed to talk to Haruki’s dad at some point.
We’d only met once before, but… would he actually welcome me?
From an outsider’s perspective, it probably looked awful: I dated the older sister, broke up with her, and now I’m going out with the younger one.
Honestly, that alone makes me sound like the worst guy imaginable.
I didn’t want to see Fuyumi again, but I was sure Haruki would handle that part well.
When something’s beyond my control, I know I can count on her.
That’s a promise I made to myself.
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“But I really think both of them will be happy for us. I’ve already explained everything.”
“You did? Thanks, seriously.”
“Ehehe~ So, does this mean I get a reward or something?”
“Is there something you want?”
What would it be?
Probably clothes, right?
Lately, she’d really gotten into gyaru fashion.
Or maybe… accessories?
Normally that’d be a questionable gift, but for a couple, it’s totally fine.
Still, I wasn’t expecting what came next.
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“Hmm, not a present, exactly…?”
“?”
“I was just thinking… maybe you could hold my hand again?”
“…You’re too cute.”
“Onii-san?”
What is this creature?
How can something be this adorable?
Is she the human embodiment of cuteness?
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“If that’s what you want, I’ll hold your hand for as long as you like. One hour, ten hours—doesn’t matter to me.”
“Pfft, you actually set a realistic time limit. That’s hilarious.”
“Fair point.”
When Haruki started laughing, I couldn’t help but laugh too.
We’d been through a lot—and maybe there were still tough times ahead.
But still… meeting Haruki was the best thing that ever happened to me.