I'm Being Threatened by My Sister's Ex-girlfriend. (GL) - Chapter 11

I tightly closed the gap in the curtains.

As I stood in the center of the room, I could feel a heavy, almost sticky gaze on me.

“…Can you at least show a little restraint?”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

Hakobe was sitting in the corner of the room, hugging her knees and staring directly at me. There wasn’t a hint of restraint in her gaze.

I thought I’d be fine, but now that the moment had come, my chest was tight with nervousness.

It should’ve been no different than changing in the dressing room, like Hakobe said. So what’s the difference?

“Alright, I’m going to take it off.”

“Go ahead.”

“…I-I’m taking it off.”

“I said, go ahead.”

“……Alright.”

I quickly pulled my T-shirt over my head and threw it on the floor.

It was a light pink, a type of inner camisole that didn’t need a bra. Sweat had soaked through the fabric at the chest.

My face flushed bright red.

Hastily trying to cover myself would only make me look more self-conscious, so instead, I pretended to be calm, slowly slipping my arms into the blouse. My fingers trembled as I fastened the buttons. The scent of laundry detergent brushed against my nose.

I unclipped the fastener on my shorts and tugged down the stiff denim fabric. One leg at a time, I pulled them off.

With every movement, I felt Hakobe’s sharp gaze.

When our eyes met, she quickly looked away. I became acutely aware of my appearance. Just the blouse and shorts. My cheeks burned with embarrassment, and I felt like I was about to melt. Dropping the act of confidence, I hurriedly put on the skirt.

I adjusted the hem of the skirt and tied the thin ribbon around my neck.

That’s when the cosplay was complete. A cosplay of Ichika Shinonome by her twin sister.

“How… how do I look?”

I stood there, adjusting the position of my skirt.

The LED light in the room harshly illuminated my exposed knees and calves. It was fine. There was nothing wrong. There shouldn’t be. I’m still only twenty. Though the situation was strange…

Hakobe didn’t say anything.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, I spoke again.

“Come on, say something…”

“Ah, um… yeah…”

She fell silent after that. Her usually calm expression was now hazy, as if she was overcome by heat.

I couldn’t help it. I opened the front camera on my phone to check my own reflection.

I gasped in surprise.

The person in the camera wasn’t just me—it was unmistakably the old Ichika Shinonome.

“Hey, hey, it’s Ichika-chan!”

I waved my hand like an idol, as if doing a live stream. Well, that’s what I was doing, after all.

Hakobe’s gaze shifted. In a bad way.

“I don’t need that.”

“Sorry.”

She sighed deeply.

“Um, Tsuguno-san.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I touch you?”

“Where?!”

“I made a mistake. Can I hug you?”

“Well, I guess, if it’s just that…”

A startled sound escaped from my throat.

Hakobe charged at me like a football player from a comic book.

Her hard skull collided with my ribs with tremendous force. I was knocked off balance, and had to brace myself on the single bed.

Still, Hakobe didn’t let go. Pressing her forehead against my solar plexus, she gripped my blouse tightly. I couldn’t help but think, This is going to wrinkle—though that hardly mattered.

I spoke to her, staring at her messy hair.

“Hey, Hakobe, this position is a bit uncomfortable.”

“Be quiet.”

“Huh?”

“Please, just stay quiet for a little while.”

Her burning breath snuck between the fabric of my clothes. Her voice was desperate—so desperate that I lost all desire to pull away.

Reluctantly, I began to stroke her hair. My fingers glided smoothly through her strands. Despite all the times it had been dyed, I couldn’t understand how her hair was still so soft.

The few strands that landed on my index finger sparkled faintly in the light.

I heard a choked sob.

“…K-…san…”

I decided to pretend I didn’t hear the word she whispered.

“…I love you.” “I love you.” “Ichika-senpai.” “I really love you…”

For a while, I just kept stroking her hair, trying to block out the strange, almost cursed confession.

I don’t know how much time passed—maybe half an hour. Finally, Hakobe pulled away with a relieved sigh. I was at my limit, too, from the heat and the numbness in my legs.

Hakobe lowered her flushed eyes, and I could smell the faint scent of sweat rising from her neck.

“Sorry, I lost control.”

“No, it’s fine…”

“I’ll go home now. Please, take off your clothes.”

I unbuttoned my blouse and let my skirt drop to the floor.

It felt like some desire had been fulfilled. I didn’t feel any intense gaze.

The uniform I’d taken off was damp with sweat. Tomorrow was Monday. I wondered if Hakobe would wear this uniform to school. I thought it was unlikely, but I didn’t have the courage to ask.

While I put on a T-shirt, Hakobe busily stuffed her uniform into her Boston bag. Once she was done, she headed straight for the door. She looked like she was being rushed.

I didn’t really feel obligated to see her off, but I followed anyway. The conversation we had when we went out to buy lunch replayed in my mind.

She put on her shoes, turned around, and gave a small bow.

“Thank you for putting up with me.”

What’s with the forced gratitude from the one who’s been the threat all this time?

I leaned against the wall and answered, “It’s fine.” I absentmindedly played with my hair. Since I was at it, maybe I’d do the stream with my black hair tonight.

“Honestly, I thought you’d reject me.”

“Oh, you were aware of that…”

“Well, yeah…”

Asking me to cosplay as my ex-girlfriend (in her high school uniform) is, objectively speaking, a pretty messed-up request.

The only reason it doesn’t feel completely creepy is because of Hakobe’s looks, which kind of neutralize the weirdness. If she didn’t look the way she does, I would’ve already run away.

“You’re so kind, Tsuguno-san.”

The girl, who’s only beautiful on the outside, smiles like a flower that blooms after the snow melts.

That’s right. It was like this from the start.

I realize it now.

Hakobe is incredibly beautiful.

The moment I remember that, something inside me shifts, or maybe falls.

I quickly check my body. My posture is fine. My feet are still on the ground.

So what exactly shifted?

I don’t know. But before I can figure it out, words come out of my mouth.

“It’s no big deal, really.”

“I see,” she replies.

Her pink lips curl into a smile, and for some reason, I can’t look away.

“Then, can I rely on you more next time?”

“It depends on what you’re asking,” I stammer.

She smiles again.

Then, Hakobe grabs the doorknob.

At that moment, without thinking, my hand reaches out. My fingers grab the hem of her shirt.

Immediately, regret floods my mind, taking over my thoughts.

“Um?”

“Ah, no…” I stammer, and Hakobe turns to look at me with a puzzled expression.

I have to say something. My brain is panicking. I need to say something, something that doesn’t sound too weird. What should I say? Hurry up and think of something!

In moments of panic, people often make the worst choices.

Like this one.

“Do you—do you know?” I say, without thinking.

“Ichika’s living with her high school classmate now. So—”

I choke on my words.

“So? What was I trying to say after ‘so’?”

I try to find the answer, but it’s like looking for something in the fog.

“Of course, I know.”

Hakobe gently pulls my hand away from her shirt and opens the heavy door. The sunlight of a summer afternoon pours in, casting her expression in shadow. The distant sound of cicadas fills the air.

Hakobe speaks, her voice calm.

“That person she’s living with… is my older sister.”

The door closes, and the sound of the cicadas fades away.

Left alone, I go back to the room and tear open a bag of individually wrapped chocolates.

The heat has melted the fat and sugar inside, turning it into a gooey mess, completely losing its original shape.