"Nee-san, why are you here?"
The elevator doors slid open. Upon seeing the figure, Yukino's expression instinctively turned cold, radiating rejection.
"Of course, to see you~"
Used to her younger sister's attitude, Haruno casually tucked her phone away.
She stepped away from the wall she was leaning against and knocked on the pitch-black door beside her. Her tone carried a hint of why are you so dense?:
"Open the door quick, I'm tired of standing."
Of course, she took charge and ordered others without a second thought—sorry, the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family was a selfish and terrible person.
"…Figures."
Yukino took a deep breath, exhaling all her frustration.
She gave in decisively, pulling out her key with an expressionless face. Without even glancing at Haruno's strange smile, she opened the door and walked in.
Light flooded the room, unventilated for four days. The stale air made Yukino frown. The dust in the corner of the shoe cabinet was also particularly bothersome.
Yes, just like the woman muttering as soon as she entered.
"Ugh, I forgot you've been gone for days. There's probably dust everywhere… Should I come back after you've cleaned?"
"You can leave now and never come back."
Yukino remained cold. Yet, she couldn't help feeling puzzled.
What was going on?
She felt this woman was even more annoying than usual… Her tone was also slightly different.
As for what was different, Yukino couldn't quite pinpoint. After all, she didn't really know her that well.
Her older sister, always above her, had never given her a chance to truly understand her.
For now, Yukino set aside this strange question. She placed her suitcase at the entrance, went to the living room to turn on the air purifier, and opened all the doors and windows, letting the cool afternoon air dispel the odd smell that had built up inside.
…What a pity, she'd have to wait for this uninvited guest to leave before she could clean.
Otherwise, Yukino could already imagine herself working hard while someone lounged on the sofa, casually giving orders.
Having a mere cleaning phobia was nothing compared to a scene that could be called mental harassment.
"If you're afraid of dirt, clean the sofa yourself. The rag and cleaner are over there."
After pointing out a clear path for Haruno, who stood in the middle of the living room looking around, Yukino returned to her room with her suitcase.
She had just returned from Kyoto. She had plenty to do—change clothes, unpack her suitcase, put dirty clothes in the washing machine, and ask Haruno to take souvenirs back to their father. Cleaning the room could wait.
As she closed the door, her sister's voice came from the other side.
"Forget it. I feel like if I stay, you'll make me help clean the house. I'll say what I need to and leave."
"Too bad. If you were willing to help, I'd happily order you around."
Though the other party said that, Yukino couldn't help but frown. Her fingers seriously propped up her chin.
(She's leaving obediently. That's not like her usual self… As expected, coming to see me was just an excuse. She has another motive.)
"What do you want to say?"
Not intending to guess further, Yukino asked directly.
Outside, Haruno leaned against the living room sofa. She glanced at the locked bedroom door. Her expression was full of thoughts.
On the cat-shaped door plaque, "Yukino" was written in a cute font… As expected, Yukino was still a kid. She probably couldn't even bear to throw away the cat-patterned underwear she wore as a child.
(Next time, I'll sneak a peek at her wardrobe.)
"Was Kyoto fun?"
While thinking of odd things, Haruno didn't forget why she came to see her sister. She asked casually.
Yukino, behind the door, answered flatly, "Nothing particularly fun or not. The scenery was beautiful, and the museum's information was quite rich. Overall, I gained a lot of useful things."
"Hmph~ Such a model answer." Letting out a long hum through her nose, Haruno said uncompromisingly, "How'd the kendo tournament go? Too bad, if I didn't have sudden business, I would've gone with you guys."
"Skipping school to go to Kyoto? Careful, Mom might ground you." The faint sound of changing clothes came through. "As for the results, Tenkuji-kun, who you care about, shone in the matches. The national tournament win was basically thanks to him. Happy now?"
"Care about him?" Haruno raised an eyebrow. She asked casually, "Do I care about him that much?"
"Did you forget?"
Yukino's voice grew louder in surprise.
"Following him everywhere at the fall festival, staring at him when he was with Yuigahama-san, hiding behind a utility pole to spy on them at the amusement park during the autumn trip… Nee-san, are you trying to deny your own dark history? I thought you were more honest…"
"Ara, what dark history?"
Without waiting for her sister to finish her words, which were more mocking than sighing, Haruno smiled. She said kindly and gently, "Yukino-chan, could you come out and explain what you call my dark history?"
"…"
Outside, the winter sun shone brightly. But inside, it felt as if a layer of impenetrable darkness had settled.
Though separated by a door, an inexplicable chill crept over Yukino's smooth skin, uncontrollably raising goosebumps.
"…I'm just stating facts. Your actions were like a creepy stalker. I hope you can reflect a bit and stop embarrassing yourself."
Though she said it with disdain, the door showed no sign of opening. It seemed it would stay locked until the person outside left.
(A coward who only dares to talk but never stands up to her sister!)
Haruno sneered with a curled lip. She had no intention of arguing with her foolish sister. She said lazily, "I forgot~ I said I forgot, so I forgot. I'm not a creepy stalker~"
But with that, the memories perfectly aligned.
Her gaze never lost its composure. While her tone was carefree, Haruno's mind raced, comparing the information she'd gathered with her own situation.
First, only she currently had memories of dating.
Others, including the Haruno who forgot Yuu, had memories of meeting again as strangers, but she became inexplicably obsessed with him for no clear reason.
Metaphorically, the story from the summer vacation had been torn apart. The pages that followed developed on the premise that Haruno didn't hire a boyfriend and thus naturally wouldn't have met Yuu.
But since it was the same book, even if the premise changed, many things were still connected and even influenced each other.
Like her transformation, nostalgia, loneliness—like her stalking behavior, because it was an undeniable fact, it became the best evidence that the lost memories weren't fake.
The two storylines from July to August and from August to now were things that truly happened.
As for her memories, they were more like overwritten than erased. The method was so crude that, upon careful thought, the flaws would be apparent.
It was just that, influenced by a mysterious force, the old her unconsciously ignored the suspicious points and accepted the seemingly reasonable developments along with everyone else.
If that wooden comb hadn't suddenly broken, perhaps they would've kept drifting apart until…
She truly lost interest in him, or he got a new boyfriend and completely distanced himself from her?
Thus, the answer to the puzzle became clearer in her mind.
"So that's it…"
Haruno gently tapped her knee. She stared at the floor calmly. The shadows in the room deepened the color of her dark eyes, making them darker.
In other words, to separate her from Yuu, God, in His arrogance, had reset the entire world.
He didn't care how sad her Yuu was. He didn't care that after she forgot him, he was like a living corpse for a while…
"Heh, He really dared to do that."
Her fists cracked. Her teeth gritted.
It had been a long time since Haruno felt anger that could burn her reason like this.
Perhaps it was the first time in her life.
Even if the target was a god who could reshape the world, Haruno wanted to grab a horse and kick that foolish creature who stole others' happiness to death, telling Him—
|Who do you think you are? The only one who can toy with my body and mind is Yuu-chan!|