Chapter 26: A Sister's Arrival, A Shocking Discovery
"I wonder if Yukino Yukinoshita misses me. I'll give her a surprise."
Haruno Yukinoshita. The eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita Family. Yukino Yukinoshita's older sister. She had a youthful and beautiful face similar to Yukino Yukinoshita's. Her figure was curvaceous. She possessed a charm that the plain Yukino Yukinoshita lacked. Unlike Yukino Yukinoshita's long, straight black hair, she had short hair, but it was still full of charm. Her hobby was Yukino Yukinoshita—teasing her younger sister. She had a mischievous personality, just like her, with a smile on her lips at this moment. She planned to raid her younger sister's rented apartment tonight, to give her a 'surprise.'
"Ding!" The elevator stopped. The door opened. A woman in high heels stepped out of the elevator. A boy in a black hoodie walked in. The two brushed past each other. As if sensing something, she turned her head. Through the slowly closing elevator doors, she saw a pair of clear, golden eyes deep in thought.
"Thump!" Her heart pounded suddenly. Sealed memories flooded her mind. Those were also a pair of golden eyes that she found unforgettable. But those eyes were filled with an inscrutable melancholy.
The door had already closed, and the elevator began to descend. Her hand unconsciously touched her short hair. 'It was from that time that I cut my hair short.' Memories that shouldn't have been recalled.
"It must be a misconception." She could no longer remember that face. It was just a pair of unusual eyes; how could it be such a coincidence? She was deceiving herself with such an excuse. She really wanted to go and see, but she didn't have the courage. Her delicate fists clenched slightly, then slowly loosened. She adjusted her mindset, putting on the familiar smiling mask. She turned and walked towards Yukino Yukinoshita's room.
'We can no longer meet.'
*****
"Ding-dong!" Click!
"Sister?" Yukino Yukinoshita, who opened the door, saw the person who made her feel complicated: that contradictory older sister.
"Hi, Little Yukino, did you miss your big sister?" Haruno waved lightly, tilting her head with a 'radiant' smile on her face.
"No." Yukino Yukinoshita said coolly and returned to the house.
Haruno, with a smile full of meaning, curved her lips. She expertly changed her shoes, closed the door, and entered. Like entering her own home, she lazily lay on the sofa. Seeing the black tea on the table, she picked it up to drink. But suddenly, Yukino Yukinoshita swiftly came and stopped her with an outstretched hand.
"What are you doing?!"
"Hmm? Drinking water?" Haruno blinked her clear, watery eyes. "Don't worry, you're my younger sister; how could I dislike you?" Saying that, she was about to raise the cup again.
"Don't." But Yukino Yukinoshita forcefully snatched it away, took it to the kitchen, poured it out, and washed the cup.
"???" Haruno was bewildered. What was going on? She had used her cup before, but this time, the reaction was so strong?
Suddenly, she noticed there was another cup of black tea on the table. So, two cups of black tea had been poured. One was her own. The other was not prepared for her.
"…" Haruno sat up. Her eyes narrowed vigilantly. As a big sister who doted on her younger sister in Chiba, she keenly sensed the trick. Then she began to look around. There seemed to be a lot of water at the bathroom door. The disciplined Yukino Yukinoshita would certainly not allow such a thing to exist. A cup of water, poured for someone unknown, yet it caused Yukino Yukinoshita to react so strongly. The black tea was still warm. The wet bathroom door. Yukino Yukinoshita's hair had a faint, fresh scent. Yukino Yukinoshita had just taken a bath. But besides Yukino Yukinoshita, there was someone else in her house! That cup of water had been drunk by that person! Just a short while before she arrived!
This conjecture shocked Haruno. Her seemingly strong yet actually fragile younger sister had brought someone home, and while she was taking a bath! This was very wrong! Could that person be a man?! More and more thoughts flooded her mind; she wanted to know what had happened immediately.
Yukino returned with a fresh cup of water. Haruno immediately changed her expression, careful not to alert anyone. She took a small sip of water. She said seemingly casually, "Little Yukino, you're in your second year of high school now."
"What is it?" Yukino calmly and elegantly drank her black tea.
"Have you gone bad and started dating early like other girls?" After saying that, she immediately changed her tone, as if warning, "Mother would never allow such a thing to happen."
"…" At that instant, Yukino's body stiffened slightly. She immediately said flatly, "A childish question. I'm not interested in early dating."
Haruno's serious expression immediately switched back to a 'brilliant' smile naturally. "Is that so? That's good then." However, a sharp glint flashed in the corners of her narrowed eyes. Yukino's movements were fully observed by her. She was already certain. Yukino's heart had wavered. A man had just been here!
'Ah, it seems my cute little sister has caught someone's eye. I can't allow that.'