Dumped by One, Chased by Another? My Ex's Sister Is a Gal and She's Coming for Me - Episode 6

One Hour.

That’s how long it takes to get from Tokyo to Yokohama by train.

Whether you think that’s short or long probably depends on the person. Opinions would be split.

Still, considering it’s noon now and we’ll arrive around one o’clock, it feels reasonable enough.

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“This is my first time riding the train at this hour. It’s really crowded, huh.”

“Well, it’s a holiday afternoon.”

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Unlike weekdays, weekends tend to be more packed around noon than in the morning.

I get it, though.

Honestly, I’d rather sleep in until noon on my days off too.

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“Don’t you ever go out on weekends?”

“Hmm… not really. I don’t have much time. I hang out with friends after school sometimes, but I usually spend weekends studying.”

“I see…”

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Yeah, she’s nothing like me—way more disciplined.

Haruki’s a serious hard worker.

I’d heard from Fuyumi that she’s aiming for med school.

That explains it. If that’s her goal, then now’s definitely the time to start grinding.

Back when I was in my third year of middle school, I was already studying with exams in mind every single day.

Even in high school, outside of meeting Haruki or Fuyumi, I pretty much did nothing but study.

Come to think of it, even when I was with Fuyumi during our final year, we mostly just had study sessions.

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“So yeah, I rarely go out for fun. I mean, I can’t even remember the last time I hung out with a guy.”

“Oh?”

“Do you remember? You used to hang out with me a long time ago.”

“Ah… yeah.”

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I do remember.

But that was a long time ago.

Back when Haruki was still in elementary school, there were times I ended up looking after her by chance.

Not that I did anything special.

We’d chat about random stuff and play video games together.

Fuyumi wasn’t around for that—she said she wasn’t good at games.

Now that I think about it, I’ve never once seen her play.

But anyway…

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“Man, this is really crowded.”

“Whoa—!”

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We both got pushed deeper into the train.

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“Hey—w-wait a second—!”

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Seeing Haruki flustered in the chaos made me laugh without thinking.

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“Wh-what’re you laughing at, big bro?”

“It’s just… you’re kind of cute.”

“Geez! Don’t go throwing that out like it’s nothing!”

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She gave me an exasperated glare.

Then suddenly, her words caught in her throat, as if she’d realized something.

And her expression changed completely.

Her face turned bright red—obviously flushed, even through her makeup.

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“Something wrong?”

“K-ka…”

“Ka?”

“Kabe-don…”

“Ah.”

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Yeah. That’s exactly the position we were in.

Let me just say—I had no ulterior motive.

I knew the train would be crowded. I just didn’t want Haruki to feel uncomfortable.

So, I did what made sense: I put my arm up between us and the wall to create a bit of space, shielding her from being crushed.

It was simple and effective.

But still…

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“I didn’t mean it like that. This is, uh…”

“I-I know. Thanks. I mean, not in a ‘thanks for the treat’ kind of way, I just—um—”

“…?”

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Looks like Haruki was flustered too—this wasn’t exactly a normal situation.

Honestly, kabe-don is kind of a tired cliché these days.

Even in shojo manga, it’s mostly played for laughs now.

Still, standing like this—it is embarrassing.

I had no intention of making it weird, but that doesn’t change the fact that it feels weird.

No matter how you slice it, it’s awkward.

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“Um, hey, big bro?”

“Yeah? Do you want me to back off a little?”

“No, it’s fine. Actually, you can come closer.”

“Huh?”

“You’re holding back way too much. You can totally lean on me if you want.”

“…Alright then.”

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Too much effort and we’d just end up annoying the other passengers.

I gave in and folded my arm down, pressing my forearm against the door.

Now, Haruki and I were really close.

So close, it felt like if I moved even a little more, we’d end up kissing.

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“Um, j-just so you know, I-I don’t mind.”

“Hm?”

“I’m totally okay with it, okay? I mean, I’m a bad girl type, right? I can totally go on outings like this with my ‘onii-san.’”

“Yeah, yeah. Good girl, good girl.”

“You’re so not getting it!”

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With a slight pout and a rosy glow to her cheeks, Haruki stood by my side as the train carried us toward Yokohama.