The Result of Finding Out That the Beautiful Girl in My Class Who Hates Men is Actually a Brocon-Chapter 1Volume

Translator : Rain

Prologue – My Beloved Older Sister Got a Boyfriend.

My name is Mizuno Eiji. I’m just a normal high school student that you can find anywhere.

And I’m actually a huge siscon that is acknowledged by many people.

I’ve always loved my older sister since I was little... and that has never changed even now after I became a first year high school student.

However, one day―

“You see, Onee-chan got a boyfriend now.”

That one word completely changed my life.

I, who had devoted my entire youth to my sister, was suddenly relieved of my duties. The place next to her was stolen by a man I didn’t even know.

“Dammit...! What kind of man is he!?”

My mind was filled with my sister’s boyfriend, who I had never seen before.

What if that man turned out to be an incredibly cruel person?

What if he was someone who wanted to cheat my innocent sister?

Filled with such anxiety and grief at having my sister taken from me, I made a decision.

“I have to find out if he’s the right person for my sister.”

Since I was a child, I had lived with the creed to “protect my sister.” So I decided to follow and keep an eye on her while also finding out about the man she’s dating.

...Yes, that was what I had planned at first.

It was the first day I started following her, and I never thought it would turn out like that.

“Why is Mizuno here?”

“Why is Hasegawa here?”

With my sister getting a boyfriend, there was another person.

Just like me, there was someone who was thinking of following the two of them.

This was the beginning of a relationship with a woman who would later have a major impact on my life.

It was my meeting with Hasegawa Aoi, a beautiful girl in my class who hated men.

Chapter 1 – My Beloved Older Sister Got a Boyfriend.

Morning start early for me, Mizuno Eiji, a high school student.

It’s 5:30 in the morning. I tried to wake up two hours before school.

“...Alright. Let’s try my best today, too.”

I slapped my cheek to clear my mind.

Reluctant to leave the warmth of my futon, I went downstairs to the bathroom. I quickly washed my face, brushed my teeth, and get ready for the day.

By the way, the reason I got up so early to get ready isn’t because I have morning practice for club activities or because I’m the type of person who takes a lot of time to get ready.

The reason I got up so early is because―

“Yup, this morning is perfect, too.”

I muttered to myself confidently while looking at the breakfast I’ve just finished making.

The appearance, nutritional balance, and quantity are all perfect.  Toast, scrambled egg, sausage, and salad. I’ve also added an orange for dessert.

Yes, I’m sure Nee-chan will be happy with this.

At the same time, I also started preparing lunch box.

I made onigiri by putting together freshly cooked rice in triangular shapes, and then add some tamagoyaki, sausages, and cherry tomatoes. I filled in the gaps in the small lunch box like a puzzle, while thinking about the colors. And before I knew it, it’s almost 6:30.

I arranged the finished breakfast on the table, put the lunch box with side dishes in into the lunch bag, and the preparation is finally done.

I finished my work safely on time, and moved to my next schedule.

“Well, I hope she wake up feeling refreshed today.” I whispered to myself as I went up the stairs, and headed to the second floor.

I passed my own room, and came to the dead end. I knocked on the door with the name plate “Haruka” written on it, and called out, “Nee-chan, it’s morning,” as I opened the door.

The six-tatami mats room is decorated in the manner of a cute and fashionable girl’s room, unlike my own room.

The white-based space is lined with cute accessories and fashionable furniture. Every morning, I make eye contact with a rather large stuffed bear.

I walked over to the bed and shook the shoulder of my sister, the owner of this room, while saying, “It’s morning, Nee-chan. Please wake up.”

“Nnnn. Eiji?”

“Yes. It’s already 6:30, so you have to get up. Breakfast is ready.”

“Ummm... I’m still sleepy.”

“You can’t. You have morning practice today, don’t you? You’ll be late if you don’t wake up soon.”

“Morning practice. Oh, that’s right. I have to go early today.” It seemed like she’ was finally ready to get up.

Hearing the words “morning practice,” she rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up.

She yawned softly and finally opened her eyes. “Good morning, Eiji.”

“Yeah, good morning, Nee-chan.” Just like that, we exchanged morning greetings.

She was probably still sleepy. Her eyes were a little bit drowsy. Yup, she’s so cute.

Wait, it wasn’t the time to indulge myself.

“Well, I’ll be downstairs. Would you like tea or cocoa?”

“Hmm, tea! With lots of sugar.”

“Yes, yes, I got it. Get ready quickly before it gets cold.”

“Okaaay.”

After leaving the room, I went back to the kitchen and prepared the tea with lots of sugar as ordered. The good aroma of the tea was wafting through the room when, just as if she had timed it perfectly, my sister came into the living room after she had finished getting ready.

“It smells so good. Is it toast today?

“Yes, it is. It’s because yesterday Nee-chan said that you wanted bread for tomorrow.”

“Ehehe. Thank you for remembering it, Eiji.” Yes, I received her radiant smile.

Honestly, just seeing that smile makes it’s not hard to get up more than two hours early in the morning to prepare breakfast like this every morning.

The most important thing to remember is that you can’t get up more than two hours early in the morning just to see this smile, and it doesn’t bother me at all to prepare breakfast like this every morning.

Yes. This is the reason I get up early in the morning.

I want Nee-chan to have a delicious breakfast.

I want her to eat a proper lunch as well.

I want to make her happy by preparing these things for her.

That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.

Besides, our parents are busy with work, so we have promised to take care of our own things. My sister, who is not good at cooking, does the cleaning and laundry.

On the other hand, I, who am not bad at cooking, prepare the meals.

That’s how we divided up the roles.

As a result, I became addicted to cooking because I wanted my sister to eat delicious and healthy food, and I started cooking breakfast, lunch, and even dinner. “Mmm, it was delicious.” She politely clasped her hands and said, “Thank you for the meal.”

Before I knew it, it was already 07:30.

“Well, should we leave now? I’ll take care of the cleanup, so you can go and get ready.”

“I’m sorry, Eiji! I’ll do it later at night!” She hurried back to her room to get ready for school. Meanwhile, I was washing dishes and waiting for her to finish preparing.

My sister is the manager of the kendo club, so she always leaves the house at this time to be on time for morning practice which starts at 8 am.

It is only three stops by train from our house to school. In terms of time, it takes less than 30 minutes.

If we leave at about this time, we will arrive just in time.

In other words, the only one who had to rush to school was my sister. “Thanks for waiting, Eiji. Then, shall we go now?”

“Okay.” I, who don’t have morning practice, also leave the house at the same time as my sister.

That’s right. My mission every morning is not only to make breakfast and lunch.

I have to go to school with my sister. Only after I finish this task, my morning work will be completed successfully.

＊

“I’m sorry for always making you get ready every morning, Eiji.” How many times has this happened now?

It has been half a year since we entered high school. On our way to school together like this, my sister apologizes to me about once a week.

However, I am not doing all of these things because my sister or my parents ask me to.

It’s because I like doing it. That’s why.

“I always tell you, don’t worry about it. Preparing meals and going to school together is just something I want to do.”

“Yeah, when Eiji say that, it makes me feel better too.” The reason why I prepared breakfast and lunch is because I want my sister to be happy.

And the reason we go to school together like this is because I worry about my sister.

It’s only three stations, but it’s still three stations.

Even though it is only a short distance, it was right in the middle of the rish hour. Just the thought of having such a beautiful older sister on the train in such a situation was frightening. It was like throwing a rabbit into a lion’s cage.

Thinking about this, I took another look at my older sister walking next to me.

Her name is Haruka. She is one year older than me and currently a second year student in high school.

She has fair white skin, with large, round eyes, and double eyelids. She is a bright and ladylike woman who fits the idiom “lively and elegant,” even disregarding my bias as her younger brother, she has enough charm to be declared as the most attractive girl in the school― no, in Japan.

And along with her appearance, she has a perfect personality, always gentle and warm towards everyone.

When she sees someone in trouble, she acts before thinking, and speaks kindly to them. She has no feelings of gain or loss, and is the type to act even if it means sacrificing herself.

She is also good at studying. She is especially good in modern literature and English, and although she is a little weak in math, her average scores are still well above average.

Although my older sister is the perfect example of the idiom “gifted with both intelligence and beauty,” she also has many surprising flaws.

She is not very good at sports, and she is not good at cooking. Perhaps because she grew up in a home where our parents were often away from home, she tends to be a little lonely. Although she is not so lonely these days, she used to cry a lot when she was a child.

Well, those gaps are what make her cute and charming, but as a younger brother who loves his older sister, I can’t help but worry about her.

What if she gets tricked by a suspicious man and have terrible experience?

What if she try her hand at cooking, which she is not very good at, and get burned or hurt by accident? And so on.

As a result, I decided to take charge of cooking, and we started walking to and from school together every day.

What? I’m being a little overprotective, you say? It can’t be helped, okay? I’m worried about her. Of course, if my sister find it annoying, I would stop too.

However, she doesn’t say anything like that and in fact, she even says, “It’s lonely to go to school alone and it’s more fun when Eiji is with me.”

So, intend to live this life for the remaining year and a half until my sister graduates.

I’ve said it many times, but it’s what I want to do.

“By the way, Nee-chan, what time does the club activity finish today?” I get on the train and head to school while chatting with my sister.

The end of club activities here does not mean the morning practice, but after school one.

In order for us to go home together, I need to know what time her club activities end. That will change how I spend my after-school time.

If it looks like it will take a while, I may go shopping for dinner, on the contrary, if it looks like it will end early, I will spend time in the library or classroom. My after-school schedule is usually decided when I arrive at school in the morning.

However, today is different.

“Ah, about that. Eiji, you can go home first today.”

“Eh? Do you have something to do?”

“Yes. Just a little.”

“Hmm, I see. If you want, I can go home and come back to school.”

“Hehe, thank you for worrying about me. But I’m sure it’s pretty hard., so I’s okay. I feel bad for always troubling you.” I don’t particularly think she’s bothering me. If anything, my worries get the better of me.

Well, if my sister says she doesn’t need me, I have no choice but to comply.

“Okay. Then please be careful.”

Well then, what should I do after school? Maybe I should go to the supermarket a little further away to buy some groceries?

＊

Phew. I managed to complete today’s mission safely as well. It was just before 8:00. I arrived at my classroom and sat down alone in the empty room while catching my breath.

Well then, there’s an hour left before homeroom, huh? How should I spend my time today?

I’ve already finished my assignments, so should I do some research on cooking on video sites as usual?

Or maybe I’ll do some prep work for class once in a while.

As I was thinking about how to spend my time, I heard a rattling sound.

The classroom door opened, and someone entered.

How unusual. Who in the world would come to school so early?

Geh, Hasegawa-san, huh? The person who entered the classroom was my classmate, Hasegawa Aoi.

She has a slender style and beautiful face. Her straight, waist-length hair flowing in the wind, made her look like a fashion model on the runway as she strode through the classroom.

Although she isn’t as pretty as my sister (this is important), Hasegawa is definitely one of those women who can be categorized as a beauty.

I’m sure of it, since I, who keep seeing attractive woman on a daily basis think so. Now, Hasegawa is naturally very popular among the guys because of her appearance.

When she first entered the school, the upperclassmen students would come to see her and say, “I heard that a very beautiful girl has just entered the school.”

And, not surprisingly, she also attracted a lot of attention from her classmates and other first year students, and just a month after the entrance ceremony, the number of male students who confessed their feelings to Hasegawa exceeded two digits.

However― by the end of the first semester, the Hasegawa boom had subsided. Why was that?

The reason was simple. Everyone had realized.

The female student named Hasegawa Aoi was a huge ‘misandrist,’ someone who hates men.

She cut off any men who approached her with a single strike.

No, it would still be fine if it’s only to that extent, but she refused to even have a conversation with her male classmates, and even when it came to the bare minimum, she treated them with an attitude that showed she was genuinely displeased.

And the worst part was when Hasegawa herself said, “All men are my enemies.”

This caused the guys who had been trying to approach Hasegawa to back away and give up.

Is this what it means to be unapproachable?

I thought she just weren’t friendly with a guy, but I didn’t expect her to treat them as enemies.

Thus, all the boys who had taken an interest in her, starting with the boys in her class who had the most opportunities to get involved with Hasegawa, began to think this way.

It is better not to get involved with Hasegawa Aoi.

And I was one of the guys who thought that way. However, it wasn’t because I had any interest with her, but simply thought “It would be better not to get involved with her” after seeing the reactions of those around me.

So naturally, the boys who had gathered around Hasegawa dispersed, and now not even her classmates are trying to talk to her.

And so, at this moment.

Even if I were to find myself alone with a female classmate in the classroom, I would not be happy about it, and in fact I would not even exchange greetings.

“Hmph.”

Look, it’s the same over there.

Hasegawa entered the classroom, took one look at me sitting idly in the corner seat, and without saying hello or taking any action, quickly took her seat diagonally behind me. Then, as soon as she put her bag on the desk, she quickly went away, as if she wanted to get out of the classroom as soon as possible.

The whole thing took only about 30 seconds.

“Haa, it’s still morning but I’m already feeling tired.” It was only a 30-seconds event, but still I felt like the classroom was filled with heavy atmosphere.

So it couldn’t be helped.

I sighed when I was released from such an atmosphere.

Come to think of it, something like this has happened before.

I was thinking about Hasegawa in a daze in the classroom, which had become quiet again.

I think this happened to me once in a while.

In the morning, Hasegawa would come to the classroom around this time, leave her bag, and go somewhere. To be honest, I don’t know much about Hasegawa, so maybe she is a member of a club that has morning practice.

Or maybe she had something else to do.

Well, to be frank, it doesn’t matter either way.

Thinking about all of this, I decided to watch a movie and took out my smartphone from my pocket.

＊

That night, my sister came home late.

Usually, her club activities would finish around 06:00 pm. If she got home after that, she would come home no later than 07:00 pm.

But today it was already past 07:30.

To be honest, I was worried that something might have happened on her way back home from school.

Ah, maybe I should have gone to pick her up from school after all. I thought to myself that I was a worrywart, but I also felt that it would be too late if something had happened, so I waited nervously in the living room.

“I’m home.” My sister finally came home.

“Welcome back. You’re pretty late.”

“Yeah. I have something to do.” Phew. For now, I’m relieved that nothing happened to her. Hmm?

“What’s wrong, Eiji? Is there something on my face?”

“No, it’s not like that. It’s just that Nee-chan seem to be in a really good mood.” It’s not that I know because I see her face every day or anything like that.

No matter how you look at it, she had a smile on her face that showed she was in a good mood right now.

“Did something good happen to you?”

“Hehe, you can tell? I don’t think I can hide anything from you, Eiji.”

“No, well, I’m sure anyone would notice, but what happened?”

“Well, I was thinking of telling Eiji eventually, so maybe I should just tell you today?”

“Tell me?”

“Yes. I’ll talk to you again over dinner. Hehe.” With those words, Nee-chan left the living room and went back to her room.

She walked lightly, almost skipping.

There’s no doubt that something very happy and delightful happened to her.

I wonder why? Even though she is so happy, I have a strange feeling that something bad is going to happen.

My little brother’s intuition is telling me so.

It’s telling me that this is something different from before.

It’s not like she got a good score on a test or got praised by the teacher or anything like that.

I feel like there’s some other reason.

I will hear more about it later. First, I need to prepare dinner. I put on the fire for the completely cold miso soup and started to warm it up.

All the while, my heart was still racing.

“Mm, it’s delicious. Eiji, your cooking skills have improved again, haven’t they?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I thought the same thing this morning. This miso soup is especially delicious.”

“Thank you. When you praise me, it makes it worth making for.” Normally, I would pump up my fist in my heart at this point.

But today, something took precedence over that.

I wonder what she was going to tell me? For a while now, I couldn’t help but wonder what the “happy thing” that had happened to my sister was.

However, contrary to my feelings, my sister apologized in a similar manner to this morning, saying, “I’m sorry. I made you make dinner as well.”

Suppressing my impatience, I replied as usual, “I’ve told you many times, don’t worry about it.” I added, “Mom and dad are going to be late again today. Besides, eating out or eating only side dishes every day are not good for your health.”

“You’re right. But, I think I should help make dinner too.”

“It’s okay. Nee-chan are not good at cooking, aren’t you?”

“That’s true, but...” Oh, how unusual. Usually she would agree and say, “You’re right.”

“Well, you know. I’m a girl too, so I think I should be able to cook.”

“I wonder? I think it’s not unusual for girls not to cook these days.” To be honest, I don’t really know about it.

But I think I heard something like that when I was talking to a girl in my class before.

When I said that, Nee-chan said, “I guess I’ll just have to practice a little at a time.” I wonder what’s wrong with her? It’s really unusual for her to be so particular about cooking.

However, don’t want to press her any further, so I bring up another topic that comes to mind, related to cooking.

“Oh, talking about cooking reminded me about something. I don’t think I’ll be able to go home with Nee-chan on Friday.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we just ran out of miso paste. I looked it up and it seems like a supermarket a little far away is having a sale, so I’m thinking of going shopping and then going home.”

“Oh, I see. If that’s the case, you need to get there before they sell out.”

“Yeah, if that happened, I can go back from the supermarket to school.”

“No, it’s okay. In fact, it might be just right.”

“Eh?” What do you mean by ‘just right’? I couldn’t help but ask, and she told me.

“Actually, you see. It’s not only on Friday, but from tomorrow, you don’t have to wait for me after school anymore.”

I wonder what does she mean by that?

After school, at night. It was dangerous to let her go home alone, and more importantly, I wanted to go home with her, so for the first six months after entering school, we went to school together.

But now, that daily routine is no longer necessary.

What on earth happened? Ah.

“Is it because you have a new friend to go home with?” Well, that makes sense. For example, a girl friend.

“No. You see... M-My boyfriend will send me home.”

Ah, I see.

Her boyfriend is going to walk her... What?

“Eh?  Wait a minute. Boyfriend? Eh? What are you talking about? Nee-chan, what are you saying so suddenly?”

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? I will tell you later. And that’s what I’m talking about.” Nee-chan said with a blush on her cheeks.

“Today, you see. After club activities were over, he confessed to me. I had been interested in him for a while, too. Ehehe, I never thought it would be mutual love.”

“...”

“And so, we decided to go home together starting tomorrow. His name is Akira-kun, and he said he would send me home. He said he would get off the bus and send me home because it was within his regular route. By the way, we went home together today, too.” I noticed my body was shaking.

My thoughts stopped, and I couldn’t understand the Japanese language my sister had been speaking to me for a while.

Confession?

Mutual love?

Boyfriend?

What should I do, my brain was refusing to accept it.

“I’m sorry to have to report this so suddenly, what’s wrong? Your face is completely pale!”

“Huh?” My sister was staring at me in surprise. She looked a bit worried. No, I couldn’t make her worry.

“I-It’s okay. I’m fine.”

“Really? You don’t look good at all though.” Of course, there’s no way I would be fine. I had a bad feeling about this, but I never thought she would drop a bomb so suddenly.

How in the world am I supposed to handle this?

“If you don’t feel well, you should go back to your room.”

“N-No. Rather than that, I want to hear the rest of the story.” Honestly, I just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

I don’t know what I would do if I heard any more about it.

However. At the same time, there was a part of me that felt that I had to ask her now.

If I went back to my room now, I would probably wake up in the morning in agony.

What kind of guy her boyfriend is?

Is he even a real person?

How old is he? What about his personality?  The questions just keep coming.

So I decided to just bear with it for now. T-There’s still the possibility that it’s just a prank by my sister.

“Really? Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“Y-Yes. Thanks for worrying. Anyway, I heard that you’ve got a boyfriend now.” When I asked, she said, “Okay, let’s continue from before,” and took out her smartphone, “Here’s the picture. His name is Hasegawa Akira. He’s my classmate from the same club.” She showed me the picture.

In the picture, there was a shot of my sister in her jersey making a peace sign with a smile, and a handsome guy in his kendo uniform, also smiling.

The image quality was so high that it was infuriating, and on top of that the image of the two of them was so clear.

There is almost no distance between the two of them, or rather, they are almost stuck to each other.

Even though I had made up my mind to continue the conversation, I still took a big damage.

“This picture was taken before we started going out. After all, he just confessed to me today.”

“Wha-!?” If this was before they started going out, then what would happen if they took picture now that they started going out? Ah, not good.

My head hurts.

I’m at my limit.

“I’m sorry, Nee-chan. I don’t feel so good, so I’m going back to my room.”

“Eh? So you’re sick after all!”

“Yeah. I thought I was fine. My head hurts, and I don’t feel well, I don’t think I’m going to make it.”

“A-Are you really okay? Should I accompany you to your room?”

“No, it’s fine. Please don’t worry about me. I really just want to be left alone for now.”

I kept repeating this like a delirium as I got up from my seat.

My sister looked at me with a worried look on her face.

Oh, I’m causing her so much trouble. I really don’t want to do this.

But right now, I’m in so much pain that I don’t have the capacity to worry about such things.

Thinking about this, I climbed the stairs and headed to my room. My steps were heavy, and it felt like as if I was climbing a sheer cliff.

Mustering all my willpower, I finally returned to my room.

And then I collapsed into the bed, without even turning on the light.

“Nee-chan has a boyfriend.” My voice echoed inside the silent, dark room.

The words from my own mouth reached my ears and made me realize once again what I had just said.

“Ah, not good. I’m gonna cry.” I think someone once told me that the moment when a man is allowed to cry is when he is born, and when his parents die. And lastly, when his beloved sister gets a boyfriend.

Then, it’s fine, isn’t it? I can cry without holding it in.

The happy expression on my sister’s face that I saw earlier. And then the picture she showed me. All of them show my sister as a girl, which she doesn’t show me when we were together.

Just imagining them makes my tear glands burst.

Honestly, I had known this day would come someday.

After all, my sister is beautiful. She has good personality and is smart too. Her slightly absent-minded side is also attractive, so it’s no wonder men all over the world can’t leave her alone.

But isn’t this just too sudden? It just came out of nowhere, without any warning. There’s no way I could stay calm when she came out to me when I wasn’t mentally prepared or ready.

“Damn it! How dare he snatch my precious Nee-chan away from me!” I know that I’m just venting my anger.

However, even though I knew it inside my head, I couldn’t accept it.

That’s how important my sister is to me.

“I think his name is Hasegawa Akira?” The only information I could get was his name, his face, his grade, and that he was in the kendo club.

I don’t know anything else.

He is the guy my sister fell in love with. I want to believe that he is not a strange man, but I need to see for myself. If he was someone who would make my sister sad, then I will...

“I have to find out if he is the right man for Nee-chan.” I sat up after lying face down for a while, and made up my mind.

I have to take action to protect my sister.

＊

I first became aware of this when I was in elementary school.

When I saw my sister crying in her room because she missed our parents, the first thing that came out to mind was, “I have to do something about it.”

From that day on, I stayed by her side and tried to make her smile, sometimes by entertaining her in any way I could.

As I did so, she gradually regained her energy, and I remember feeling happy for her.

And before I knew it, I began to think, “I have to cover for her,” and at the same time, I began to feel a sense of mission, thinking, “I have to protect her.”

Before I realized, I had grew up to be a self-proclaimed siscon.

My sister is popular. As far as I know, she must have been approached by more men than I can count on my two fingers.

However, she is so insensitive that she doesn’t even realize that men are interested in her. To begin with, even though I like my sister so much, she only thinks of me as ‘a worrying, overprotective little brother’ and don’t realize that I’m huge siscon.

And yet she has a pure and innocent heart that never doubts anyone, which at the same time makes me feel more and more threatened that I “need to protect her.”

This resulted in me having to accompany him to and from school, which also led to a sense of crisis about the fact that he had a boyfriend.

All I want is for my sister to smile.

That’s why I can’t let anything happen to her that might cloud her smile, even just a little.

And then, the next day at lunchtime. After quickly eating my lunch, I walked around the school to look for my target, hoping to see Hasegawa Akira with my own eyes.

Based on the information I had obtained yesterday, I first went around the second grade floor.

However, I couldn’t find anyone who looked like him.

Next, I went to the cafeteria, but I couldn’t find him there either. I also went to the club building, where the club rooms of the sports clubs are lined up, but I couldn’t find my target.

I never thought looking for people is actually pretty difficult. Perhaps it was because I was doing something I wasn’t used to that I was having a hard time.

Lastly, the only place I haven’t looked for was the rooftop, but this place was pretty out of place for me.

“Hasegawa-san, please go out with me!” Hm? I think I heard Hasegawa being called just now.

Hearing the same name as my target, I involuntarily moved closer to the direction of the voice. Then, there was a pair of men and women. One was a male student I didn’t recognize, and the other was my classmate, Hasegawa Aoi.

Come to think of it, she was Hasegawa too. It’s not that unusual surname, so I think it’s just a coincidence that she has the same name as my target.

In the first place, I don’t even know what kanji characters are written on my sister’s boyfriend’s surname.

Actually, it’s not just the fact that their surnames are the same, but after seeing that confession scene, I had something else on my mind.

That guy is really brave. Hasegawa Aoi hates men so much that the word “huge” was attached to it.

I thought that rumors about her had been known throughout the school for a long time. So now, the rumor has it that the number of boys confessing their feelings to Hasegawa has drastically decreased.

“Impossible.”

“What?”

“I say it’s impossible. Well then.”

“W-Wait a minute! At least think about it, or at least be a little gentler with your refusal.”

“Hmph.” There has never been a more fitting moment for the word “completely being crushed” to be used.

Without paying any attention to what the boy had to say, Hasegawa quickly walked away.

The remaining boys could do nothing but stand there in shock at the unexpected rejection.

The boy was left behind and could do nothing but stand there in shock at the unexpected rejection.

I heard it from the rumors, but it’s really amazing. If Nee-chan who is the closest girl to me is an angel, then Hasegawa is the exact opposite. To anyone who has feelings for her, she behaves like the devil.

I thought once again.

As expected, I need to keep my distance from her from now on.

Ding, dong.

As I was captivated by the sudden event, the bell rang throughout the school, signaling five minutes until the end of lunch break.

Oh, damn. In the end, I couldn’t find Hasegawa Akira-san! Why did I waste my time on such a pointless thing?

With such regrets, I made up my mind to return after school and hurried back to the classroom.

＊

After school, I decided to kill time around the school until the club activities were over, and then came up with a plan to wait for the right time to ambush her near the school gate.

My sister said she was going home with Hasegawa Akira-san from today. If that was the case, I would surely find them if I ambushed them here.

The man walking next to her. That guy was the target.

And so I put on a mask and a cap that I had prepared before hand so that the ambush would not be detected. A cap with my uniform seemed like a slightly odd combination, but... I’m sure my sister won’t be able to tell that it’s me.

“―Oh, here they came!”

The target appeared along with my sister.

I hid quiely in the shade of a tree, and observed them.

My sister was laughing happily. And the good-looking man, I mean, Hasegawa Akira had a happy expression on his face as well.

Ugh... When I see Nee-san being friendly with a guy, my chest hurts... Holding the sharp pain in my chest, I started following them.

And as I walked behind them, I remember the face of Hasegawa Akira I saw earlier.

He was so much cooler than he looked in the photos.

To be honest, I don’t want to admit it because it’s frustrating, but... at least compared to my mediocre appearance, it’s like the difference between the moon and a turtle. The difference between heaven and earth. Like a bell and a lantern.

Hasegawa Akira’s facial features were so outstandingly well-defined that I couldn’t help but wonder, “Surely, Nee-san didn’t choose him for his looks, right...?”

And as I continued tailing them with a slight sense of defeat, thinking of my own face I see in the mirror every morning... The target and my sister stopped in front of a park, and went straight into the park.

They eventually found a bench and sat down side by side. Apparently, they were going to make a stop here before heading home.

...Oi, oi, oi, aren’t they a little to close!?

Even if they were a couple, that distance is not good!

At least make it far enough for one person to sit down!

As I was hiding in the shade of a tree and watching the two of them while letting out thoughts of resentment－

Hm? Who is that suspicious girl?

I noticed a girl with a very suspicious looking appearance standing right next them.

From the clothes she was wearing, she was a high school student. Furthermore, she was wearing a familiar blazer.

At first glance, I recognized as a female student from the same school.

At that point, she was still  a normal student. What made me think she was suspicious was the mask she was wearing, which seemed to hide her face, and her round glasses, which looked like sunglasses.

It was as if she was standing near the two of them while hiding her true identity, just like me.

“...ah! ...already!”

The suspicious girl was staring intently at the two of them as if she was watching them, just like me, and mumbling to herself.

I couldn’t see her expression, but judging from her attitude, she seemed to be angry.

Suspicious. She’s very suspicious.

Hasegawa Akira-san was a very handsome man.

If there was a girl who was staring at him... perhaps she was jealous of my sister. She could be a stalker or something.

Not wanting something that may cause harm to happen, I stopped my surveillance and walked over to her and said, “Hey, you suspicious girl over there. What are you doing here?”

“...What?”

The girl turned around as soon as I called out to her.

However, she didn’t seem to back down a single step, and instead retorded, “What is it all of a sudden? I mean, you’re just as suspicious as I am.”

She was wearing her cap deeply along with a mask. It’s true that I couldn’t judge her either.

I didn’t want to be told that by a girl who wore round glasses like sunglasses and a mask though.

“I am busy right now. I don’t have the time to deal with a pervert.”

“That’s rich coming from you. You said you were busy, but what are you doing exactly? It seems like you’ve been watching that couple over there for a while now though.”

“That’s right. I’ve been watching those two all this time.”

Bingo. It looked like this girl had been watching them.

If that’s the case, then her purpose must be－

“Let me hear the reason then. Why are you doing that?”

“Haa? Why do I have to explain it to you?”

“It’s simple. That girl over there is my older sister. It’s only natural for me to pay attention to a suspicious girl who is keeping an eye on my sister.”

“...Older sister? Are you that woman’s younger brother?”

The suspicious girl’s attitude changed as soon as she found out about our relationship.

I had been asking her questions one-sidedly until a while ago, but now she began to ask me questions.

“You, what’s your name?”

“Name? Mizuno... Wait, why do I have to tell you my personal information!?” I unintentionally raised my voice.

However, the girl muttered to herself, “...Well, I knew it,” and then said, “...You. Take off that mask and hat.”

“Huh? Why...?”

“I’m telling you just take it off already!” Saying that, she forcefully removed my hat and mask. It was so sudden that I was stripped off without being able to do anything... And then the girl looked at my exposed face and said, “...As I thought, it was you, Mizuno Eiji, after all.”

“W-Why do you know my name? Who the hell are you...?” The only thing I said earlier was my last name, Mizuno.

And yet she even knew my first name...

Then, with a sigh, the girl removed her sunglasses-like round glasses and mask.

“...Huh!? You’re Hasegawa!?”

There she was, a person I had not expected to see.

It was my classmate, Hasegawa Aoi.

“Why is Hasegawa here...?” When I asked that, she pointed her finger at the target― Hasegawa Akira― with a grim expression that I often see in the classroom.

“He’s my big brother. The man sitting over, and having fun.”

“Big brother... Ah.”

When she said that, I was taken aback.

During lunch break, I vaguely thought, “They have the same surname,” but... I never thought they were actually siblings.

However, it seemed that Hasegawa had a vague idea of ​​who I was.

“When I heard about her from my brother, I couldn’t believe it. But when I heard that she had a younger brother at the same school, I thought maybe it was you.”

“Is that so...?”

Honestly, I couldn’t have guessed that far.

Maybe if I hadn’t run into that dramatic incident of a confession scene, I would have connected it, but... No, that didn’t matter right now.

“You said you were watching them, right? Why did you do that?”

“To the point of disguising yourself.” I asked.

Hasegawa then looked at me sharply and said clearly, “Of course! I came here to observe what kind of woman my brother’s girlfriend is! I’m going to see with my own eyes what kind of woman who stole my beloved brother!”

“Beloved brother...?”

“Yes. I love my big brother so much. Is it bad!?”

“N-No, it’s not like I think it’s bad or anything...” I flinched at her threatening look.

At the same time, it was somethng so shocking that I couldn’t hide my surprise. To think that Hasegawa who was famous for hating men was actually a brocon.

When I was at a loss as to how to respond, Hasegawa said, “...More importantly, you too.”

“Eh?”

“What are you doing here? You even disguised yourself like that.”

As usual, Hasegawa was staring at me with those glaring eyes. There was no way I could lie to someone like that.

“It’s the same as you. I came here to see with my own eyes what kind of man who took my beloved sister away.” Hasegawa’s expression finally changed as I said this.

She was surprised, I guess.

“Huh?” She opened her mouth. “Does that mean you’re actually a siscon?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m not hiding it, so I thought you already knew it too.”

“I didn’t know about that. In the first place, I don’t have any interest with the guys in the class.”

That’s a given. She hates men, after all.

“Still, I was surprised. I never thought Hasegawa was a brocon who would follow her brother on a date.”

“S-Shut up! My brother is extremely cool, so it can’t be helped! Besides, it’s not something I want to hear from you.”

“...Hmm.”

“To think you’re stalking your own sister, you’re really a hopeless siscon.”

“Please call it tailing her. More importantly, you’re doing the same thing as me, aren’t you? That means Hasegawa is a stalker too, you know?”

“...Guh!” Hasegawa gritted her teeth with her shoulders shaking.

Not good. No matter what we say here, we’re both in a state where we can’t say anything about each other.

“Listen, I-I’m not─!”

“Wait. Before that... they aren’t here.”

“...What?”

Looking around, the two people who were supposed to be sitting on the bench just now were gone. Apparently, while we were arguing, they both went off somewhere.

“...Hey! We lost both of them because of you!”

“What did you say? If you’re going to say that, it’s because you started a fight with me!”

“That’s because Mizuno called out to me!”

It was truly a back-and-forth battle.

“Grrrr.” Hasegawa showed her intimidation as if she was a tiger or a lion.

I knew from the start that she hated men, but... I never thought she would be this hostile.

No, there may have been other factors involved in my case, but... Hasegawa and I should be on equal terms in this situation.

There’s no reason for me to keep being told off one-sidedly.

And so, after we continued glaring at each other with neither of us backing down a single step─

“─That’s enough, I’m leaving!”

It was Hasegawa who gave in first.

She turned her face away and quickly left the place.

Before long, after confirming that Hasegawa was out of sight, I muttered, “I guess I’ll go home too,” and headed home while feeling a bit lost.

I was already overwhelmed by my sister’s matter, and now a new problem arose on top of that.

The fact that the younger sister of my sister’s boyfriend was a girl in my class whom I didn’t get along with─ Hasegawa Aoi.

And that Hasegawa was actually such a brocon that she would tail her own brother (I can’t say anything regarding this).

And then yesterday, I ran into Hasegawa, and she found out that I’m a siscon too.

...Ah, dammit. How many things can happen in just a few days?

Homeroom was over and it was time to go home.

Just like yesterday, I was killing time until the club activities were over while thinking back on the events that happened the past few days.

Maybe Hasegawa would say something to me today.

I prepared myself for that, but in the end, she didn’t talk to me even once today.

It was a relief that nothing happened today, but... at the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to think that the problem had been solved.

“...”

At the sound of the bell announcing the end of club activities, I headed toward the shade of a tree near the school gate to hide, just like yesterday, but someone was there before me as I expected.

It was Hasegawa.

It seems like this girl has the same thought as me. After all, we ended up losing sight of the two of them yesterday.

Catching sight of the person who had been there before me, I wondered what to do, but... there was no other place to hide so I approached Hasegawa. And then, she noticed me and turned her gaze at me, then asked, “What are you doing here?”

She regarded me as an enemy as usual.

“Of course, I’m tailing my sister. If I wait here, I will definitely find her.”

“Then, you should have chosen a different place. If you wait here, doesn’t that mean you’ll be in the same place as me?”

“It can’t be helped, okay? This is the best place to hide. Please bear with me for a bit.”

“No way! A lot of students are coming this way after club activities is over, you know? If our classmates saw me with Mizuno...”

“If they saw us?”

“They might think I’m friends with you!”

...Haa.

I see, that thought had never crossed my mind.

“Do you really hate it that much? Being seen getting along with me.” When I asked that, Hasegawa replied, “I absolutely hate it!” without holding back, “It’s not about you. You see, the very thought of being seen friendly with a man is humiliating, so I don’t like it.”

Hasegawa’s words made me think that she really had a troublesome personality.

I just thought about that, but didn’t say it out loud.

I don’t know what made her go that far, but for now I’ve learned that Hasegawa’s hatred for men is deep-rooted.

To be honest, after being rejected so clearly, I feel like I want to say something back.

However,I thought that if I said something back here, it might be a repeat of yesterday, so I said, “Haa... Then, is the shade over there okay?”

“No. At least fifty meters away from me.”

“Fifty meters!?”

“If you don’t like that, follow them another day. Well, I’m planning to do this every day for a while though.”

E-Every day she says. Then how and when am I supposed to follow them?

“That’s a problem. I have to find out about your brother... Akira-san, too.”

“I’ll tell you then. My brother is a perfect person without any flaws. That’s it, you should be satisfied now, right?”

“As if I will believe that! There’s no way I will believe information given by a brocon woman with biased-view like you!” I was going to hold back, but ended up rebutting her unintentionally.

Hasegawa sighed, “Haa...” and said, “Fine, I will make a special concession and allow you to go up to 20 meters.”

“No wait, there’s still a distance away.” I retorted, but she looked at me as if to say, “What? Do you have a problem with that?”

...Not good, it’s useless to argue back any further.

Today is the day I must carry out my objective.

While keeping an eye on Akira-san, if something disturbing is about to happen, I will immediately come out and protect my sister.

If I lost sight of them, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish such an important goal.

In the end, I gave in and went to the place Hasegawa had insturcted me to, about 20 meters away (by eye), and hid myself.

A little while later, I saw my sister and Akira-san walking towards me.

It seems like they were planning to go home together again today.

As they passed the school gate, I followed behind them, trying not to lose sight and not to be seen by them─. “Hey.” Just as I was about to follow them, Hasegawa called out to me.

“I’m going now. You wait there for a little bit longer.”

“Wait? If I do that, I will lose sight of them.”

“But if Mizuno leaves now, it will look like you’re leaving with me. We’re going in the same direction too.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well, you understand the rest, right? If someone saw us like that... it will be like we’re walking home together!”

Well, yeah...

“It’s still troubling for me even if you say that. I have to follow my sister.”

“But I was the one who was waiting to tail them first, right? So it makes sense to put me first, right?”

What a pain.

Well, I guess for Hasegawa, it’s unthinkable for her to hang out with a guy like me...

Though from my point of view, I don’t really give a damn about that.

“Ah, hey! Haa, she’s gone...”

Without giving me a chance to argue, Hasegawa quickly left the school gate and began to chase them.

...I’m sure she will complain again if I leave like this. My goal today isn’t to get into a verbal argument with Hasegawa.

It’s to follow my sister and Akira-san.

Thinking that, I had no choice but to follow Hasegawa’s advice and wait for a while.

But in the end, our destination is the same.

Since we had the same goal of following the two of them, it was inevitable that I would run into Hasegawa, and it was only natural that we would end up quarrelling every time we ran into each other.

“Hey, you’re a bit too close. Move a bit furher away.”

“Don’t walk next to me. It will look like we’re walking side-by-side.”

“Oh please, you’re in the way. You’re in my field of vision.” She kept complaining about everything I did.

At this rate I won’t be able to follow them properly... Everytime I argued with Hasegawa, this thought crossed my mind.

Moreover, it’s not like I only have to endure it for today.

She said she would do this every day for a while.

That means I will have to continue living like this every day for a while.

That’s... extremely troubling. At this rate, I won’t be able to fulfill my mission of protecting my sister.

I probably won’t even be able to investigate Akira-san.

With that in mind, I tried to ask Hasegawa to give in a little bit, but...

“No.” She rejected me with that single word.

As a result... I was unable to fulfill my purpose today and had to go home without getting any results.

This is... First, I have to solve Hasegawa’s problem.

It’s not that I need to get along with Hasegawa.

It’s just that there’s no doubt that it’s not good to keep going like this... For now, I have to show that ‘I’m not the enemy’ to her.

Hasegawa once said. “All men are my enemies.”

In short, that doesn’t mean she hate me personally, I think she simply see me as an enemy because I’m a man. So, if she could understand that I’m not her enemy, perhaps I could expect her attitude to soften a little?

...Well, I don’t know why she hates men, so I have no idea how I should approach her though.

＊

After school, I decided to kill time around the school until the club activities were over, and then came up with a plan to wait for the right time to ambush her near the school gate.

My sister said she was going home with Hasegawa Akira-san from today. If that was the case, I would surely find them if I ambushed them here.

The man walking next to her. That guy was the target.

And so I put on a mask and a cap that I had prepared before hand so that the ambush would not be detected. A cap with my uniform seemed like a slightly odd combination, but... I’m sure my sister won’t be able to tell that it’s me.

“―Oh, here they came!”

The target appeared along with my sister.

I hid quiely in the shade of a tree, and observed them.

My sister was laughing happily. And the good-looking man, I mean, Hasegawa Akira had a happy expression on his face as well.

Ugh... When I see Nee-san being friendly with a guy, my chest hurts... Holding the sharp pain in my chest, I started following them.

And as I walked behind them, I remember the face of Hasegawa Akira I saw earlier.

He was so much cooler than he looked in the photos.

To be honest, I don’t want to admit it because it’s frustrating, but... at least compared to my mediocre appearance, it’s like the difference between the moon and a turtle. The difference between heaven and earth. Like a bell and a lantern.

Hasegawa Akira’s facial features were so outstandingly well-defined that I couldn’t help but wonder, “Surely, Nee-san didn’t choose him for his looks, right...?”

And as I continued tailing them with a slight sense of defeat, thinking of my own face I see in the mirror every morning... The target and my sister stopped in front of a park, and went straight into the park.

They eventually found a bench and sat down side by side. Apparently, they were going to make a stop here before heading home.

...Oi, oi, oi, aren’t they a little to close!?

Even if they were a couple, that distance is not good!

At least make it far enough for one person to sit down!

As I was hiding in the shade of a tree and watching the two of them while letting out thoughts of resentment－

Hm? Who is that suspicious girl?

I noticed a girl with a very suspicious looking appearance standing right next them.

From the clothes she was wearing, she was a high school student. Furthermore, she was wearing a familiar blazer.

At first glance, I recognized as a female student from the same school.

At that point, she was still  a normal student. What made me think she was suspicious was the mask she was wearing, which seemed to hide her face, and her round glasses, which looked like sunglasses.

It was as if she was standing near the two of them while hiding her true identity, just like me.

“...ah! ...already!”

The suspicious girl was staring intently at the two of them as if she was watching them, just like me, and mumbling to herself.

I couldn’t see her expression, but judging from her attitude, she seemed to be angry.

Suspicious. She’s very suspicious.

Hasegawa Akira-san was a very handsome man.

If there was a girl who was staring at him... perhaps she was jealous of my sister. She could be a stalker or something.

Not wanting something that may cause harm to happen, I stopped my surveillance and walked over to her and said, “Hey, you suspicious girl over there. What are you doing here?”

“...What?”

The girl turned around as soon as I called out to her.

However, she didn’t seem to back down a single step, and instead retorded, “What is it all of a sudden? I mean, you’re just as suspicious as I am.”

She was wearing her cap deeply along with a mask. It’s true that I couldn’t judge her either.

I didn’t want to be told that by a girl who wore round glasses like sunglasses and a mask though.

“I am busy right now. I don’t have the time to deal with a pervert.”

“That’s rich coming from you. You said you were busy, but what are you doing exactly? It seems like you’ve been watching that couple over there for a while now though.”

“That’s right. I’ve been watching those two all this time.”

Bingo. It looked like this girl had been watching them.

If that’s the case, then her purpose must be－

“Let me hear the reason then. Why are you doing that?”

“Haa? Why do I have to explain it to you?”

“It’s simple. That girl over there is my older sister. It’s only natural for me to pay attention to a suspicious girl who is keeping an eye on my sister.”

“...Older sister? Are you that woman’s younger brother?”

The suspicious girl’s attitude changed as soon as she found out about our relationship.

I had been asking her questions one-sidedly until a while ago, but now she began to ask me questions.

“You, what’s your name?”

“Name? Mizuno... Wait, why do I have to tell you my personal information!?” I unintentionally raised my voice.

However, the girl muttered to herself, “...Well, I knew it,” and then said, “...You. Take off that mask and hat.”

“Huh? Why...?”

“I’m telling you just take it off already!” Saying that, she forcefully removed my hat and mask. It was so sudden that I was stripped off without being able to do anything... And then the girl looked at my exposed face and said, “...As I thought, it was you, Mizuno Eiji, after all.”

“W-Why do you know my name? Who the hell are you...?” The only thing I said earlier was my last name, Mizuno.

And yet she even knew my first name...

Then, with a sigh, the girl removed her sunglasses-like round glasses and mask.

“...Huh!? You’re Hasegawa!?”

There she was, a person I had not expected to see.

It was my classmate, Hasegawa Aoi.

“Why is Hasegawa here...?” When I asked that, she pointed her finger at the target― Hasegawa Akira― with a grim expression that I often see in the classroom.

“He’s my big brother. The man sitting over, and having fun.”

“Big brother... Ah.”

When she said that, I was taken aback.

During lunch break, I vaguely thought, “They have the same surname,” but... I never thought they were actually siblings.

However, it seemed that Hasegawa had a vague idea of ​​who I was.

“When I heard about her from my brother, I couldn’t believe it. But when I heard that she had a younger brother at the same school, I thought maybe it was you.”

“Is that so...?”

Honestly, I couldn’t have guessed that far.

Maybe if I hadn’t run into that dramatic incident of a confession scene, I would have connected it, but... No, that didn’t matter right now.

“You said you were watching them, right? Why did you do that?”

“To the point of disguising yourself.” I asked.

Hasegawa then looked at me sharply and said clearly, “Of course! I came here to observe what kind of woman my brother’s girlfriend is! I’m going to see with my own eyes what kind of woman who stole my beloved brother!”

“Beloved brother...?”

“Yes. I love my big brother so much. Is it bad!?”

“N-No, it’s not like I think it’s bad or anything...” I flinched at her threatening look.

At the same time, it was somethng so shocking that I couldn’t hide my surprise. To think that Hasegawa who was famous for hating men was actually a brocon.

When I was at a loss as to how to respond, Hasegawa said, “...More importantly, you too.”

“Eh?”

“What are you doing here? You even disguised yourself like that.”

As usual, Hasegawa was staring at me with those glaring eyes. There was no way I could lie to someone like that.

“It’s the same as you. I came here to see with my own eyes what kind of man who took my beloved sister away.” Hasegawa’s expression finally changed as I said this.

She was surprised, I guess.

“Huh?” She opened her mouth. “Does that mean you’re actually a siscon?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m not hiding it, so I thought you already knew it too.”

“I didn’t know about that. In the first place, I don’t have any interest with the guys in the class.”

That’s a given. She hates men, after all.

“Still, I was surprised. I never thought Hasegawa was a brocon who would follow her brother on a date.”

“S-Shut up! My brother is extremely cool, so it can’t be helped! Besides, it’s not something I want to hear from you.”

“...Hmm.”

“To think you’re stalking your own sister, you’re really a hopeless siscon.”

“Please call it tailing her. More importantly, you’re doing the same thing as me, aren’t you? That means Hasegawa is a stalker too, you know?”

“...Guh!” Hasegawa gritted her teeth with her shoulders shaking.

Not good. No matter what we say here, we’re both in a state where we can’t say anything about each other.

“Listen, I-I’m not─!”

“Wait. Before that... they aren’t here.”

“...What?”

Looking around, the two people who were supposed to be sitting on the bench just now were gone. Apparently, while we were arguing, they both went off somewhere.

“...Hey! We lost both of them because of you!”

“What did you say? If you’re going to say that, it’s because you started a fight with me!”

“That’s because Mizuno called out to me!”

It was truly a back-and-forth battle.

“Grrrr.” Hasegawa showed her intimidation as if she was a tiger or a lion.

I knew from the start that she hated men, but... I never thought she would be this hostile.

No, there may have been other factors involved in my case, but... Hasegawa and I should be on equal terms in this situation.

There’s no reason for me to keep being told off one-sidedly.

And so, after we continued glaring at each other with neither of us backing down a single step─

“─That’s enough, I’m leaving!”

It was Hasegawa who gave in first.

She turned her face away and quickly left the place.

Before long, after confirming that Hasegawa was out of sight, I muttered, “I guess I’ll go home too,” and headed home while feeling a bit lost.

I was already overwhelmed by my sister’s matter, and now a new problem arose on top of that.

The fact that the younger sister of my sister’s boyfriend was a girl in my class whom I didn’t get along with─ Hasegawa Aoi.

And that Hasegawa was actually such a brocon that she would tail her own brother (I can’t say anything regarding this).

And then yesterday, I ran into Hasegawa, and she found out that I’m a siscon too.

...Ah, dammit. How many things can happen in just a few days?

Homeroom was over and it was time to go home.

Just like yesterday, I was killing time until the club activities were over while thinking back on the events that happened the past few days.

Maybe Hasegawa would say something to me today.

I prepared myself for that, but in the end, she didn’t talk to me even once today.

It was a relief that nothing happened today, but... at the same time, I couldn’t bring myself to think that the problem had been solved.

“...”

At the sound of the bell announcing the end of club activities, I headed toward the shade of a tree near the school gate to hide, just like yesterday, but someone was there before me as I expected.

It was Hasegawa.

It seems like this girl has the same thought as me. After all, we ended up losing sight of the two of them yesterday.

Catching sight of the person who had been there before me, I wondered what to do, but... there was no other place to hide so I approached Hasegawa. And then, she noticed me and turned her gaze at me, then asked, “What are you doing here?”

She regarded me as an enemy as usual.

“Of course, I’m tailing my sister. If I wait here, I will definitely find her.”

“Then, you should have chosen a different place. If you wait here, doesn’t that mean you’ll be in the same place as me?”

“It can’t be helped, okay? This is the best place to hide. Please bear with me for a bit.”

“No way! A lot of students are coming this way after club activities is over, you know? If our classmates saw me with Mizuno...”

“If they saw us?”

“They might think I’m friends with you!”

...Haa.

I see, that thought had never crossed my mind.

“Do you really hate it that much? Being seen getting along with me.” When I asked that, Hasegawa replied, “I absolutely hate it!” without holding back, “It’s not about you. You see, the very thought of being seen friendly with a man is humiliating, so I don’t like it.”

Hasegawa’s words made me think that she really had a troublesome personality.

I just thought about that, but didn’t say it out loud.

I don’t know what made her go that far, but for now I’ve learned that Hasegawa’s hatred for men is deep-rooted.

To be honest, after being rejected so clearly, I feel like I want to say something back.

However,I thought that if I said something back here, it might be a repeat of yesterday, so I said, “Haa... Then, is the shade over there okay?”

“No. At least fifty meters away from me.”

“Fifty meters!?”

“If you don’t like that, follow them another day. Well, I’m planning to do this every day for a while though.”

E-Every day she says. Then how and when am I supposed to follow them?

“That’s a problem. I have to find out about your brother... Akira-san, too.”

“I’ll tell you then. My brother is a perfect person without any flaws. That’s it, you should be satisfied now, right?”

“As if I will believe that! There’s no way I will believe information given by a brocon woman with biased-view like you!” I was going to hold back, but ended up rebutting her unintentionally.

Hasegawa sighed, “Haa...” and said, “Fine, I will make a special concession and allow you to go up to 20 meters.”

“No wait, there’s still a distance away.” I retorted, but she looked at me as if to say, “What? Do you have a problem with that?”

...Not good, it’s useless to argue back any further.

Today is the day I must carry out my objective.

While keeping an eye on Akira-san, if something disturbing is about to happen, I will immediately come out and protect my sister.

If I lost sight of them, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish such an important goal.

In the end, I gave in and went to the place Hasegawa had insturcted me to, about 20 meters away (by eye), and hid myself.

A little while later, I saw my sister and Akira-san walking towards me.

It seems like they were planning to go home together again today.

As they passed the school gate, I followed behind them, trying not to lose sight and not to be seen by them─. “Hey.” Just as I was about to follow them, Hasegawa called out to me.

“I’m going now. You wait there for a little bit longer.”

“Wait? If I do that, I will lose sight of them.”

“But if Mizuno leaves now, it will look like you’re leaving with me. We’re going in the same direction too.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well, you understand the rest, right? If someone saw us like that... it will be like we’re walking home together!”

Well, yeah...

“It’s still troubling for me even if you say that. I have to follow my sister.”

“But I was the one who was waiting to tail them first, right? So it makes sense to put me first, right?”

What a pain.

Well, I guess for Hasegawa, it’s unthinkable for her to hang out with a guy like me...

Though from my point of view, I don’t really give a damn about that.

“Ah, hey! Haa, she’s gone...”

Without giving me a chance to argue, Hasegawa quickly left the school gate and began to chase them.

...I’m sure she will complain again if I leave like this. My goal today isn’t to get into a verbal argument with Hasegawa.

It’s to follow my sister and Akira-san.

Thinking that, I had no choice but to follow Hasegawa’s advice and wait for a while.

But in the end, our destination is the same.

Since we had the same goal of following the two of them, it was inevitable that I would run into Hasegawa, and it was only natural that we would end up quarrelling every time we ran into each other.

“Hey, you’re a bit too close. Move a bit furher away.”

“Don’t walk next to me. It will look like we’re walking side-by-side.”

“Oh please, you’re in the way. You’re in my field of vision.” She kept complaining about everything I did.

At this rate I won’t be able to follow them properly... Everytime I argued with Hasegawa, this thought crossed my mind.

Moreover, it’s not like I only have to endure it for today.

She said she would do this every day for a while.

That means I will have to continue living like this every day for a while.

That’s... extremely troubling. At this rate, I won’t be able to fulfill my mission of protecting my sister.

I probably won’t even be able to investigate Akira-san.

With that in mind, I tried to ask Hasegawa to give in a little bit, but...

“No.” She rejected me with that single word.

As a result... I was unable to fulfill my purpose today and had to go home without getting any results.

This is... First, I have to solve Hasegawa’s problem.

It’s not that I need to get along with Hasegawa.

It’s just that there’s no doubt that it’s not good to keep going like this... For now, I have to show that ‘I’m not the enemy’ to her.

Hasegawa once said. “All men are my enemies.”

In short, that doesn’t mean she hate me personally, I think she simply see me as an enemy because I’m a man. So, if she could understand that I’m not her enemy, perhaps I could expect her attitude to soften a little?

...Well, I don’t know why she hates men, so I have no idea how I should approach her though.

＊

After I got home. I kept thinking about it while I was preparing dinner and when I was eating.

How can I make Hasegawa think I’m not her enemy? When my sister saw me like that, she asked, “What’s wrong? Is something troubling you?”

I’ve made my sister worry for no reason.

I immediately replied, “It’s nothing.” However, she said, “There’s no way it’s nothing, right? Eiji has been making a difficult face all day long.”

“Nee-chan...”

“Onee-chan is worried. Hey, won’t you tell me if something is wrong?” The source of all my worries is that you having a boyfriend though... But there’s no way I would say that.

If I told her that, it would bother her even more.

But... if I said, “It’s nothing really,” I would end up making her worry as well.

After thinking about it over and over again, I decided to talk to her about Hasegawa in a vague way.

“Then, can I ask for a little advice?”

“Hehe, of course. If there’s anything I can do to help you, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you. My problem is about my relationship...”

“Hmm, hmm.”

“Actually, I’ve been getting along with one of my classmates... no, not that. I’m just trying to get a little closer than I am now.”

“I see. What kind of relationship does that person have with Eiji now?”

“Hmm... I don’t think they likes me. To be honest, I don’t really like them either... But right now I can’t that about our situation.”

“Oh my, it’s more complicated than I thought. Did you do something to make them dislike you, Eiji?”

“No, I didn’t do anything. I guess it just happen that I’m the type of person that they hates.”

I explained, while mixing in a few lies.

The type of guy Hasegawa dislikes is probably every man in this world (except for her big brother).

“That’s sounds difficult. But Eiji knows that and still wants to get closer, right?”

“Yes. For now, I’d like to be able to talk with them normally...”

“Hmm... Let’s see.” Nee-chan puts her hand to her chin and started thinking.

Then, after a little while, she gave me this advice.

“I think Eiji and that person might have a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Yes. From what you just said, Eiji and that person probably haven’t really talked to each other up until now. You were vague when you said, ‘I don’t think they likes me.’”

Well, now that she mention it. The other day was the first time I had a real conversation with Hasegawa.

“I’m sure that’s why that person have a misunderstanding about Eiji. If it’s someone you’ve barely spoken to, you can only make assumptions based on your impressions.”

“I guess so... At least from their side, it seems like they hates me based on impressions alone.”

“Yes. Then the answer is simple. You just need to make time to talk with them alone.”

“Time to talk?”

“Do that and get to know each other well... and if that doesn’t work, think of another way. I think that’s the best thing to do.” And then Nee-chan smiled and said, “Don’t worry. Onee-chan can assure you that Eiji is a really good kid. If you understand that, I’m sure you will get along with them.”

“...Nee-chan!”

Crap, I’m about to cry.

To think I would hear Nee-chan say that to me.

Moreover, I feel like I got some really good advice.

Indeed, Hasegawa seems to dislike me because I’m a ‘man’.

That probably means she thinks I’m just like any other guy.

In other words... if I can explain that ‘I’m not like the other guys’ then maybe─

“Thank you, Nee-chan. I will try to talk to them properly. And then I’m going to try to get them to understand me!”

“Yes, I’m sure it will work out. Good luck, Eiji.” She said that and encouraged me. It’s strange, but now that she says it’s going to work out, I feel like I can really do it.

Alright, I’m fired up. Let’s give it a try tomorrow!

...Just as I was filled up with motivation.

“Still, I can’t believe that Eiji have someone like that.”

“...Huh?”

“Eh? I thought you were talking about wanting to get along with a girl. I thought for sure that Eiji had found a girl he was interested in...”

“N-No, you’re wrong! That’s impossible!!”

“Eh, is that so? But Eiji, it seemed like you were lying here and there regarding the details.”

“Wha─? W-Why do you know that?”

“Of course I know, I’m your big sister after all. Eiji, when you lie to me, there is a slight change on your expression. It’s really just a little bit though.”

W-What the heck─!?

I was flustered when a habit I hadn’t even noticed myself was pointed out.

Certainly, lying to Nee-chan is something I feel very guilty about... or perhaps I may have felt so guilty that I was unconsciously acting that way.

Just like how I can notice the smallest changes in her, maybe she can also notice the slighest discomfort in me.

But, right now, I need to clear up that misunderstanding!

“It’s true that she’s a girl, but it’s not like that! There’s no way I like her or anything!”

“Is that so? But Eiji, you never had any romance talk like that, right? That’s why I’m a bit worried.”

Well, that’s because Nee-chan has always been my top priority up until now.

And besides, I’ve never met a girl who I think is more wonderful than her.

“A-Anyway. Nee-chan, that’s all just a misunderstanding! I’m begging you, please don’t get any weird ideas!”

“Hehe. I get it, I get it. Well then, Eiji, do your best.” She laughed and let it aside.

...Haa. It’s really not like that though.

＊

And then, the next day,

I was staring at Hasegawa from the corner of the classroom. Not with evil intentions, of course, but to find out what kind of person Hasegawa is.

Yesterday, when I was talking to my sister, I realized that just as she doesn’t know about me, I don’t know much about Hasegawa either.

More or less, we had been classmates for nearly half a year since we became second grade, but the other day was the first time we talked properly, and the reason I didn’t like her was because I saw the reactions of the people around me which made me had a one-sided impression that it would be better not to get involved with her.

And so, as I was casually observing her in the classroom, a female student in the class approached Hasegawa and seemed to be talking to her about something.

“Hey, Hasegawa-san! Did you finish your math assigntment?”

“Yeah, I finished it. By any chance, are you not done yet?”

“Yeah... Umm, do you mind teaching me?”

“Ahaha. I guess I have no choice, come bring your textbook then.”

“Thanks!”

...Its normal.

There was no trace of hostility that she showed me yesterday.

It’s a very obvious distinction, but Hasegawa’s attitude towards female students is generally quite normal. She never gets into a quarrel, and on the contrary, she seems to have quite a good reputation among the girls because of her good grades and good looks.

Her hostility towards men, which is easy to understand has its own pro and cons, but most people generally think that she is “bold and cool.”

This is the information that I heard from a friend earlier.

Hmm... I wonder if I can have a proper conversation with someone like that. I returned to my seat and took out the letter that I had put away in my drawer.

“I’ll be waiting for you at the north exit of Tokiwa station at 5 pm. Let me talk to you about something related to your brother. Mizuno Eiji.”

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My sister said yesterday.

She said that it’s important for us to have time to talk alone.

However, it’s unrealistic to talk at school. Judging from her attitude yesterday, I don’t think she would take me seriously even if I tried to talk to her.

And so, I decided to call her to meet me in front of the station, a little far away from the school.

In addition, I prepared a secret weapon.

To be honest, there’s only 50% chance that she would come, but... I’m not really sure.

I left the classroom with the letter in my hand and secretly put it in Hasegawa’s shoe locker.

After school. I arrived early at the meeting place in front of Tokiwa station.

By the way, this place is a few stops away from the nearest station from the school.

I think it should be fine if it’s this far... If it was closer to school, she probably wouldn’t come because ‘ she doesn’t know whether they would be seen by someone or not’ and if it was too far away, she might not come simply because it was ‘too far’.

It was a decision I made after much thought.

Still, I don’t know if she will really show up or not─

“─She’s here.”

...Oh, seriously?

Amidst the crowd, a girl with an especially eye-catching appearance walked towards me and called out to me.

It was Hasegawa Aoi.

“You really came, huh? I’m glad.”

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure. If it had been anyone other than you, I would have ignored it immediately.”

“Other than me?”

“Ah, please don’t misunderstand. It’s because you’re the younger brother of my brother’s girlfriend, that’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Ah, so that’s what she means.

Well, it’s not like I misunderstand her or anything.

“More importanty, what do you need from me? Let me tell you first, if it’s just a stupid talk, I’m going home right away.”

“It’s just like I wrote in the letter. It’s about your brother... and, well, my sister. Don’t worry, I don’t think it’s a bad for Hasegawa too.”

“...What do you mean?”

To Hasegawa who looked puzzled, I said the lines I’ve thought up beforehand.

“First of all, you and I both have the same goal of following my sister and your brother. That’s why we ran into each two days ago, and yesterday as well.”

“That’s true. I plan to keep doing that for a while.”

“Well, I guess so.  And by the way, I plan to do the same. That means we will keep running into each other from now on.”

When I said that, Hasegawa looked a bit annoyed.

But I continued on without paying any attention to it.

“Yesterday, I had to give in, but from tomorrow onwards, I intend to be a little more assertive in voicing my opinion. Even if Hasegawa doesn’t like it, I have a proper purpose for my actions.”

“...”

“And my purpose is exactly the same as you. So you and I should be on equal footing in this situation, right? Am I right?”

“...You’re hitting my sore spot. Indeed, I was aware that I was being a bit unreasonable, but...”

Oh, it seems that Hasegawa was aware that she was being a little ureasonable too.

That’s good, in that case there is still room for negotiation.

“The reason why I’m objecting you, you should already see the future, right? It will eventually escalate into a verbal argument, and in the end we will not be able to follow them properly, which is our original purpose.”

“Ugh...”

I remember the first time we ran into each other.

At that time, we ended up arguing, and before I knew it, I had lost of my sister and her brother.

I’m not the only who lost out on that, and I’m sure Hasegawa lost out too...

“So, today’s agenda is ‘Let’s make a bit more concessions to each other’. I’m sure there are some things that Hasegawa won’t compromise on, but... it’s the same for me. And there’s nothing to be gained from stubbornly lashing out at each other like that. That’s why I wanted to talk about it today.”

“You certainly have a point. To be honest, I couldn’t concentrate yesterday because I was worried about you.”

Hasegawa said that with a bitter expression on her face.

“...But I can’t give in easily. You’re a man. You’re my enemy.”

“That’s the problem.”

When Hasegawa said “enemy”, I retorted.

“I don’t know why you hate men so much. Let me tell you one thing. I don’t have any hostility towards you. That’s whjy I don’t think of myself as your enemy.”

In front of Hasegawa, who said nothing, I continued, telling her my main goal for the day.

“However, you probably won’t be convinced if I just said ‘I’m not your enemy’. Or rather, if that was enough to convince you, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble.”

“...”

“So today, I took the time to let Hasegawa know about me.”

“...Huh? Let me know about you?”

“That’s right. I will explain exactly why I can clearly say that I’m not your enemy. I will explain it in detail. I don’t know if that will convince you or not, but for now, I just want you to listen to what I have to say.”

When I said that, Hasegawa replied ,”Hmm.”

Then, after contemplating for a bit...

“Fine. If you say that much, I will accompany you for a bit. Let me tell you first, this is an exception. If it’s not about my brother, I would have gone home already.”

“That’s good. Well, it’s not good to talk here... let’s go somewhere where we can talk leisurely.”

And with that being said, we moved to a nearby family restaurant.

With the bag containing the secret weapon slung over my shoulder─

We arrived at the family restaurant and, at Hasegawa’s request, we took up a spot away from the entrance.

When the waitress came to take our order, I ordered the drink bar, knowing that we would likely be there for a long time.

Hasegawa followed and said, “The same thing,” with a short remark.

“I’ll go and get the drinks first. What do you want, Hasegawa?”

“Huh? If it’s just that, I can go and take it by myself.”

I thought I was being considerate, but apparently it was none of my business.

In the end, the two of us went to the drink bar and I poured myself a cup of oolong tea, and Hasegawa poured herself a glass of orange juice.

After taking a sip to quench my thirst, I began rumming through my bag to take out the secret weapon that I had prepared.

“What are you planning to do?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I will explain specifically that I’m not your enemy. I was also wondering what to do, but... Well, I thought this might be the most effective.”

As I said this, I took out a book from my bag.

It was a family album, one of my most treasured possessions.

“...An album? Yours?”

“Yeah. Well, I’m not in it though. This is... a compilation of my sister since she was little up until now, so to speak, my sister album.”

“...Your big sister album, huh?”

“Yes. This album has all kinds of pictures of my sister. When she was whining about not wanting to go to kindergarten. The family photo taken at the entrance ceremony of elementary school. School trips, field trips, cultural festivals, sports days, and all kinds of scenes of my sister are recorded in this album.”

“Heee. Did you make this?”

“Well, yeah. My father and mother have always been busy with work. Since they couldn’t get involved in the events too much, so they said they wanted to at least have an album. So I gathered up all of my sister’s pictures and made this album.”

By the way, Nee-chan is making my album.

I didn’t say anything about it because it’s an unnecessary information, but... huh?

“...I see. Your mom and dad, huh?”

“What’s wrong? You suddenly got a gloomy look on your face.”

“It’s nothing. I have an album like that too, so I just thought it was the same.”

“I see. So Hasegawa made one too.”

“Yes. I have a folder on my phone too. It’s only pictures from middle school until now though.”

Somehow, we’re kinda similar. I couldn’t help but think so.

As fellows siscon and brocon, it seems like the path we took is the same.

“So, what are you going to do with that album? I don’t think it has anything to do with persuading me.”

“No, it’s not true. Rather, this is important.”

“Eh?”

“I’ve been thinking. Why does Hasegawa view men as enemies? I think it’s because you find ulterior motives from men depressing, right?”

Hasegawa is popular. That means she must have been approached by a lot of men up until now. So why did Hasegawa come to hate men?

I thought about it, and this is the answer I came up with.

Too much affection─ In other words, feelings full of ulterior motives were constantly being thrust upon her, and as a result she began to find it annoying and began to hate men. That must be it.

If that’s the case, what I need to do is simple. I need to make her understand that ‘I have absolutely no ulterior motives towards Hasegawa’. And in a way that’s perfectly convincing.

“...I see. So that’s why you took the trouble to bring out the album.”

“That’s right. I’m going to tell you stories about how much I care about my sister with the pictures. That way, you’ll be able to see that I have no ulterior motives, right?”

“I don’t know if you’re stupid or smart.”

Hasegawa closed her eyes while holding her head, “Haa...”

...H-Huh? That’s not the reaction I had expected.

This is the only thing I can do!  I came here with that feeling in mind though.

“I will tell you one thing, the reason I hate men isn’t because they have ulterior motives. It’s, you know, like my innate personality.”

“S-Seriously?”

“...But it’s not like you’re completely wrong about it. To be honest, it’s true that I find it annoying when they have ulterior motives...”

“Also,” Hasegawa added, “It’s perfect. I was thinking that I have to find out what kind of person your sister is anyway, so tell me about it. I’m interested.”

...Oh, somehow it all turned out to be fine.

“What’s with that surprised look on your face?”

“N-No, it’s nothing. Well then, I’ll tell you all about it right away.”

Let’s start talking before she changed her mind.

I flipped through the album and began telling the story from the first page.

About 30 minutes had passed.

At first, Hasegawa was listening to the story with interest, but gradually the clouds began to turn ominous and her face turned completely grim. And then─

“It’s not interesting.” She said. “You’ve only been telling me her good points so far. Don’t you have anything else? Something like your sister’s weakness or things like that?”

“Weakness, you say...”

“Listen, okay? For me she is someone who is going to be my rival, okay? So it’s no use if you only keep telling me her good points.”

Even if you say that... I wanted to retort that. However, I didn’t come here today to argue with her, so I calmed myself down and said, “Hmm... Ah, what about this? Like when she tripped during a sprint on sports day in elementary school. Also... like when she gave me a deformed chocolate on Valentine’s Day because she messed it up...”

“That’s not what I meant, darn it!”

As she had wished, I told her about my sister’s mistakes, but she got mad.

“...Haa. Never mind. If I think about it, of course it would be like this.”

“What do you mean?

“I mean, when you’re introducing someone you like, you will only talk about their good points. It would probably be the same if I talked about my brother.”

“Well, there is nothing bad about my sister in the first place.”

“It’s the same for me. My brother doesn’t have any flaws.”

When she said that, Hasegawa seemed to have thought of something and said, “That’s right,” and added, “I’ve heard Mizuno’s story plenty already. I mean, it’s getting a bit boring to keep listening to you one-sidedly... So in return, I’ll tell you about my brother.”

“A story about Hasegawa’s brother...?”

“Yes. I told you, didn’t I? That I have a folder on my phone. It’s my turn from now on, so you can be the listener for a while. I’m sure Mizuno wanted to know information about my brother, too, right?”

That’s true.

To be honest, all I know so far is his name, the club he belongs to, and that he’s really handsome.

“Besides... Listening to your talk, somehow made me want to talk too. So, even if you say you don’t like it, I’ll let you listen to it. I can’t stand it when you just keep bragging to me one-sidedly.”

“Somehow, why do I feel like our purpose has been changed? I didn’t come here to compete with you...”

“Just shut up and listen to me! Listen, my brother is perfect. First, look at this picture. This is when he was in middle school...”

Hasegawa interrupted me and started talking on her own.

But I didn’t stop her... I decided to listen to Hasegawa’s bragging about her brother. It’s all because─

...She looks like she’s having fun.

Her smile was just too sweet.

It felt like the “hostility” she had shown to me up until now was gone.

It might just be my imagination, but... that’s how I felt.

“But then... Hey, are you listening to me?”

“Yeah, I’m listening. He participated in the national kendo championship, you say? Your brother is amazing...”

“Hehe, I know right? My brother is really perfect!”

And then she started talking about why he started kendo and his grades in elementary school.

Her voice became even more cheerful, and her expression became much softer. Her attitude made it clear that she really loved her brother.

Seeing Hasegawa like that, I couldn’t help but thought.

Perhaps this plan worked perfectly.

Maybe I’ve gotten a little closer to Hasegawa─

“...Phew. I’m going to leave it at that for today.”

“I guess so, it’s already pretty late.”

Before I knew it, it was already past 8pm. Even though I had contacted her beforehand, I have to leave soon, or else I would make Nee-chan worry.

But before I get ready to leave, I have one last question to ask her.

“So, how is it? Do you trust me a little bit now?”

I got so excited that I almost forgot all about it, but that’s the important part.

“Haa.” Hasegawa let out a sigh and said, “Let’s see. At the very least, I understand that you’re a severe siscon.”

“Thank you. I also know that you’re a severe brocon.”

We looked at each other and said that.

However, the hostile atmosphere from yesterday was gone.

This was surprising to me, but the sense of discomfort I had up until now had faded, and instead I felt a sense of familiarity.

Maybe it’s because I found out how Hasegawa felt about her brother.

Perhaps we’re pretty similar.

And it seems I’m not the only one who thought so, “...Well, that’s why. At least I’ll change the way I see you a little.” Hasegawa spoke while leaning on her elbow and shifting her gaze.

“I understand that Mizuno is different from other men, and...”

“And?”

“...I had a lot of fun just now.”

Well, just a little bit though, Hasegawa said.

Se was blunt, but clearly different from the way she had been before.

I think that was enough for now.

“I see. By the way, I had a lot of fun too. There aren’t many people I can talk to about my sister like this. Plus, I learned a lot of information about your brother, which was helpful...”

Well, what I learned so far was that Hasegawa’s brother─ Akira-san, was a perfect man, far beyond my imagination.

When I said that, Hasegawa suddenly said, “Ah,” as if she had just remembered something, and began muttering, “...I see, if I do that.”

“What’s wrong? Did you forget to talk about something?”

“No. It’s just that I just thought about something.”

“Thought about something?” I asked again, but Hasegawa said, “I will tell you next time,” and stood up, “I’m leaving now. I will leave the money here. See you.”

She left 300 yen for the drink bar and quickly left the restaurant.

“...I guess she doesn’t expect to be sent home.”

It was getting late, so I thought about sending her home just to be safe, but... Well, I guess even if said something, she would probably just refuse it.

Thinking about this, I took the 300 yen that Hasegawa had placed on the table and headed to the register to pay the bill.