I'm Being Threatened by My Sister's Ex-girlfriend. (GL) - Chapter 19
I explained the situation so far. After listening, Serina furrowed her brows deeply, pinching them between her thumb and index finger. She let out a heavy sigh, like a suffocating tropical night.
“That stupid little sister…”
Her voice had a sharp edge to it. It was scary.
“Okay. I do think Shinonome-san has the right to know,” she said.
Serina twirled some noodles around her fork and quickly ate them. The pasta disappeared in no time. Like her sister, she had a surprisingly big appetite despite her delicate appearance.
After wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, she spoke again.
“It happened two years ago. Ichika and I were in the brass band. Ichika was the 1st trumpet player. She had the solo parts. Basically, she was the best.”
I nodded. I didn’t know what “1st” meant, but I knew that Ichika had been entrusted with the solo parts. After all, Ichika could handle anything effortlessly.
“It was around June when Hakobe joined. I was in the woodwinds, but she chose the brass section. Honestly, I didn’t feel great about it. If she’d picked the flute, I could have taught her, you know?”
“…That’s surprising.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t know, it just seemed like you two were getting along better than I expected.”
The cold, cutting aggression she had shown in the mall felt like a lie now. I had assumed they had a much more hostile relationship.
At my words, she turned away, almost dismissively.
“It’s not that strange. We’re sisters, after all.”
“I don’t think being sisters means you automatically get along.”
“…Let’s get back to the story. Anyway, she decided to play the trumpet.”
“So, she got close to Ichika?”
“Yeah. She’s popular with the underclassmen, right?”
That’s true. My older sister has always been popular with younger people. It’s like she’s giving off some weird pheromones or something.
“I didn’t even realize it, but she was always hanging around Ichika. Like a satellite. And then, at the end of summer, I think it was, Hakobe confessed, and their relationship started. But…”
“But?”
“It didn’t seem balanced, even from an outsider’s point of view. It was more like a fan and an idol, or maybe a follower and a guru.”
“Woah, really?”
“Or even worse than that. Honestly, I didn’t think my sister was that into romance.”
Romantic obsession.
I thought about it for a moment. Hakobe definitely tends to tilt her whole life toward love, especially a one-sided love that’s already over. She’s paid a considerable cost and risk for it.
She’s the type of person who would dye her hair indigo for a woman she likes. If you analyzed her brain, it would probably be bright pink.
I hesitated, unsure, but in the end, I decided to speak up.
“Hey… so, uh, has Hakobe always been like this?”
“Like what?”
“Come on, you know what I mean.”
Serina finished the last of her iced water and narrowed her eyes slightly. It felt like someone had pressed ice against my heart. When she made that face, this woman was truly intimidating. I realized that beauty, when presented a certain way, could become a weapon.
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t know my sister’s sexual orientation.”
“…Really?”
“There were no obvious signs. But maybe it was her first love. I don’t really know.”
First love.
The first love in one’s life.
If you don’t handle it properly, it can leave a lifelong scar.
“So, in the end, Hakobe got rejected… right?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“In the end, the weight of it was just too different. Ichika was thinking of it like a senior-junior relationship, but Hakobe was more like a mentally unstable person.”
“Ah, yeah, I get it…”
“It didn’t last until winter. Then there was more drama, and even after they broke up, Hakobe kept obsessing over Ichika. It wasn’t healthy.”
“…Yeah, I think it’s pretty painful to watch.”
“You’re kind, aren’t you? Or are you just trying to be considerate of me? Anyway, I wanted Hakobe to forget about Ichika, so… Ichika and I decided to pretend we were dating. The room share was part of that.”
Serina stared at me intently.
“You’re not as surprised as I thought you’d be.”
“…I am surprised, but I kinda thought something like this might be happening.”
That’s why I called out to Serina. The way she was showing off in the shopping mall felt like she was saying, “You should just forget about Ichika already.”
My intuition was right. What lay behind Serina’s words wasn’t a power play against a rival in love, but rather advice from an older sister.
“But still, you ended up living together.”
“Even without the thing with my sister, I was going to ask you to share a room. You’re my best friend.”
Maybe it was just me, but there was a strange, sour feeling in the way she said “best friend.”
I remembered what had happened at the mall. The irritation she had shown towards Hakobe, who was asserting her rights as an ex-girlfriend, felt almost too real.
Ichika and Serina were indeed best friends. But was that really all there was to it? To be hated by your sister as a romantic rival, and still lie for her sake… I couldn’t help but feel that there was something more than just sisterly love involved. Was I just overthinking it?
“Shirato-san.”
“What?”
“Do you like Ichika?”
Serina spoke with a face that looked like she’d just swallowed a bitter cup of black coffee.
“I do. Right now, as a friend.”
Serina looked at the inside of her wrist. Just like her sister, her delicate wrist had a watch wrapped around it, almost like an accessory.
“Sorry, but I need to go soon.”
“Ah, right. Thanks for today.”
“You’re welcome. And please, take care of Hakobe.”
“I don’t know if I can really take care of her.”
“Is that so? I thought you came all the way here because you intended to do just that.”
“…Well, I don’t really know.”
I wasn’t sure either. Was that really my intention? I wish my heart could just be visualized, like a status bar in a game, with my emotions clearly shown.
As I hesitated with my words, Serina poked me on the shoulder and left. It felt like being touched by the “it” in a game of tag.
It was like I’d just inherited some kind of role.