I'm Being Threatened by My Sister's Ex-girlfriend. (GL) - Chapter 20

I filled the kettle with tap water and turned it on. I opened the white plastic package. Inside, a rectangular container held yellow dry noodles, a bag of sauce, and a bag of seasoning, all neatly arranged.

At the higher levels of the content creator pyramid, there are people who earn money just by eating cup yakisoba. They gain calories and get paid for it, so it’s more than an equal exchange—alchemy would be impressed.

Unfortunately, “Next@” hasn’t reached that level yet. If I want to attract viewers with yakisoba, I need to add something extra. Maybe eating it without water while it’s super spicy, or wearing a swimsuit and pouring hot water over it.

But tonight, what I have in my room is just a regular half-size product, and the only thing I’m wearing is a slightly worn T-shirt. So tonight, I won’t be streaming. I’ll eat my yakisoba, write my report, and go to bed.

That was the plan.

Just as the red light on the kettle turned off, my phone vibrated. The screen showed an icon of a white flower. I slid my finger and held the smartphone to my ear.

“Good evening.”

“Hey, what’s up?”

“No, um, is now a good time?”

I picked up the kettle and poured the hot water over the noodles. Steam rose, and I could smell the greasy scent that wafted toward my nose. There was something oddly comforting about the cheapness of it.

“It’s fine. I’ve got three minutes free.”

“Um, if you’re busy, I can call back later.”

“Sorry, I was just joking. I’m making instant yakisoba right now.”

Through the speaker, I could hear Hakobe’s sigh. It was like she was saying, “What a hassle.”

“You should at least make some yakisoba yourself.”

“I am.”

“Cup yakisoba is just that—cup yakisoba. It’s not real yakisoba.”

That may be true. But, honestly, it’s more of a meal than throat lozenges. I thought about arguing, but decided against it.

The habit of having dinner started because of Hakobe’s suggestion. Since meeting her, I’ve definitely changed. I’m not sure if it’s for the better, but at least my weight has gone up slightly, and the ribs that used to show are now hidden. On the other hand, I do feel like my body is in better shape.

“So, what did you think of my sister?” Hakobe asked casually.

For a moment, I thought she was asking about what happened at Mihama University. But I quickly realized she wasn’t referring to that. Serina hadn’t told her. She was talking about the mall.

“She’s beautiful.”

“Yes.”

Without hesitation, I agreed. It seemed like they weren’t really on bad terms after all.

“My sister has always been beautiful. Way more than me.”

The way Hakobe said “my sister” made me feel strangely ticklish. It was like a soft part of my heart had been gently touched.

If I were to name it, it would probably be something close to nostalgia.

“I think Hakobe is cute too.”

“Huh? Ah, uh… I feel like I was made to say that, but that’s not really what I meant. But, thank you. I know.”

“You knew?”

“We have a mirror at home.”

I almost burst out laughing.

The thought of “More than Serina, though” popped into my mind, but I didn’t say it. That was just a bit much.

It was almost time—three minutes left. I made a small hole in the corner of the square lid with my nail to drain the water. Steam rushed out, and I almost burned myself. I had forgotten to do this before adding the hot water; it had been too long.

“Do you like your sister?”

“I don’t know… Up until elementary school, I really loved her. She could do everything, knew everything. And on top of that, she was cute.”

“Ah, I see.”

Her words hit home for me. Unlike the Shirato sisters, there wasn’t an age gap between Ichika and me. But even so, Ichika was like my older sister. The will to be an older sister always kept her standing tall.

On the other hand, I probably leaned a bit too much on being the younger sister.

I wedged my smartphone between my shoulder and ear, holding the hot package in my hands as I stood at the sink. I didn’t want to mess this up. I focused seriously on the flowing milky water.

That’s when I ended up saying something I didn’t intend to.

“I also liked Ichika.”

Once the words were out, I thought, “Is this okay?” But once they were spoken, they couldn’t be taken back.

“I’m a twin, but even so, the older sister always shines in the younger sibling’s eyes. There’s a bit of a filter. It doesn’t matter if the original image is negative, though. I think it’s almost instinctual for kids to like the person who holds their hand.”

I paused, then turned my attention to the speaker. Had I overstepped? Was this something anyone could relate to?

After a brief moment, Hakobe replied.

“I think I understand.”

She paused, then added,

“But my number one is still Ichika-senpai.”

“Ah, right.”

I already knew that. But the next words were a surprise.

“I also like Tsuguno-san.”

It hit me out of nowhere.

My fingers slipped, and the noodles nearly fell to the bottom of the sink. I quickly pressed down on the half-open lid. It was hot. “Ouch,” I muttered in a low voice. My ear and shoulder shifted apart.

“Oh.”

The smartphone dropped to the floor with a heavy thud.

I put the yakisoba package down and crouched on the dim kitchen floor. After a moment of hesitation, I cautiously put the smartphone back to my ear.

“Sorry, I—”

“You’re freaking out too much.”

My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Her teasing voice tickled my eardrum.

“Maybe you’re happy?”

“Shut up.”

Hakobe’s voice clearly mocked me. I rubbed my palm against my bare knee. My hand had already started sweating in that short time.

“It’s just that the noodles almost spilled out, okay?”

“Is that so? Huh, okay then.”

Damn. I muttered it in my mind. I should be frustrated, but somewhere deep inside, I felt a strange sense of joy and excitement. I was pleased. What the hell is this?

“So, why did you bother calling? Just wanted to talk about your sister?”

“Yes, that’s part of it. Oh, and one more thing.”

Hakobe paused, dragging it out for effect before speaking.

“I wanted to hear your voice.”

Well, then, good night.

The call ended.

In my ears, the lingering echo of that sweet voice vibrated.

It was like dropping a big rock into the water — waves formed and then receded, again and again.

Eventually, I slowly got up, took the bagged sauce, and spread it over the soggy noodles, mixing it vigorously with chopsticks.

The yakisoba I hadn’t had in a while was cold and overcooked. Leaning against the kitchen cupboard, I chewed on the limp, soggy food. The taste didn’t even matter.

No, no, I thought.

This can’t be it.

Because, I thought. A reason, a conjunction. In English, it’s “because.” Why did I think of it in English?

Anyway, if I’m trying to deny it, I should be able to come up with countless reasons. At this point, I can even overlook the fact that I’m a girl. I’ll let the fact that I’m a high school girl slide too. But, high school girl… When I think about my uniform from back then, I feel something swirling up inside me again.

No. That’s all a problem, but the biggest issue isn’t that. The biggest issue is, of course, this.

Hakobe likes Ichika Shinonome.

And not just a little.

How does that even work? Is it a problem? Obviously, it’s a problem. It’s probably pointless to develop feelings for someone who already has someone they like.

But what about in this case? This is clearly a one-sided love, one that’s hopelessly impossible.

After all, Hakobe has already been rejected. And yet, she’s still burning with passion for Ichika. It’s fruitless and unhealthy to the extreme.

She should just give up on Ichika and then…

Then—then what?

What would happen?

“Ughhhhhh.”

I threw the empty plate and flopped onto the floor. The coldness of the hardwood floor felt nice against my cheek.

“No, no, no, no…”

A voice that sounded like a curse spilled from my mouth, and I couldn’t stop it. I crawled to the bathroom and took a lukewarm shower to try to cool my head.

Because of the heavy lump in my stomach, I couldn’t fall asleep that night.

And on nights like these, when all I wanted was to sleep like mud, that’s when people end up dreaming.