"Hmph! Big sister is a meanie!"
"She just loves to tease me!"
Flopping onto the soft bed, Shinobu buried her face in the quilt, letting out a muffled sound. She tilted her head toward the window, where she could faintly see a certain blockhead with his head down, seriously reviewing his lessons, completely unaware of her gaze.
Recalling the text message Mitsuri sent her early this morning, Shinobu rolled over in annoyance, lying spread-eagle on the bed.
[Shinobu-chan! Iguro-kun invited me to hang out!]
[Yay! I'm so happy!]
[Shinobu-chan, what kind of clothes do you think I should wear?]
Shinobu stared at the ceiling, then looked back at the person across from her who hadn't even raised his head. She could only ever see the top of his golden hair, which made her feel a surge of irritation. She suddenly sat up and yanked the curtains shut—out of sight, out of mind.
"Stinky Yoizumi!"
"He doesn't even think to come find me..."
Although she knew... as long as she spoke up, no matter where she wanted to go...
Even if Yoizumi didn't understand the reason, he would agree.
But... couldn't he be a bit more proactive?
"All he knows is how to stay cooped up at home every day..."
"Idiot."
She looked at the doll placed neatly at the head of the bed. This was something Shinobu had bought on a whim one day while passing a shop, thinking it looked like Yoizumi—the same golden hair, blue eyes, and that indifferent expression.
She grabbed the doll's face as if it were Yoizumi himself, squishing and kneading it. After venting her minor frustrations for a while, she hugged the doll to her chest, lay on the bed, kicked her legs, and scrolled through her phone out of boredom.
Until... the ping of a text message notification broke the silence.
Shinobu stared in surprise at the message box from Yoizumi that popped up. She originally wanted to leave him on read for a bit, but she couldn't resist—the number of times Yoizumi reached out to her first was practically countable on one hand. She opened the message.
"..."
Thud..
The phone slipped from her hand and fell onto the bed. Shinobu stared blankly at the text from Yoizumi, taking a deep breath, her purple eyes filled with disbelief.
[Shinobu, can you go on a date with me tomorrow?]
She picked up the phone and looked at those few words over and over again until she was sure she hadn't misread them.
Yoizumi really did take the initiative to invite her!
"Mmm..."
Burying her head in the doll's soft belly, Shinobu's exposed ears turned a vivid red beneath her dark purple hair. She tapped her finger on the screen.
[Okay.]
...Shinobu agreed.
Yoizumi cast a gentle gaze toward the unopened window across from him, his lips curling into a slight arc.
The next afternoon
"Big sister."
Just as Yoizumi rang the doorbell, the door opened within seconds. After seeing who it was, Yoizumi nodded in greeting.
"Good afternoon~ Mr. Yangquan."
Kanae clasped her hands in front of her chest, looking at Yoizumi with a beaming smile. Ever since she told him he could call her "big sister" when they were little, Yoizumi had never changed the way he addressed her.
Although in the beginning, Shinobu-chan would say a bit unhappily...
"She's clearly my sister."
Shinobu-chan was really cute back then~
"Shinobu-chan is still upstairs. Yoizumi, come in and sit for a while."
Leading Yoizumi to sit in the living room, Kanae would usually brew a pot of tea when guests came over, but since Yoizumi didn't like it, she brought him a glass of juice instead.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. On the contrary, I should thank you, Yoizumi, for being willing to accompany Shinobu-chan to clear her head." Kanae felt exceptionally at ease with this boy she had watched grow up.
"No, it's what I should do."
After all, a large part of the reason Shinobu was unhappy was because of him.
But these words took on a different meaning in Kanae's ears. Her smile was faint, and her gentle voice carried a hint of inexplicable amusement.
"Ara~"
"Good luck on your date with Shinobu-chan today~"
"Big sister!" Shinobu's voice came from above them, drawing their gaze. She wore a light purple dress over a cream-colored short-sleeved shirt, and the butterfly hair ornament on the back of her head had been replaced with a purple ribbon bow.
"It's not a date!"
"Well~ Shinobu-chan is so cute~" Facing her younger sister's tsundere side, Kanae smiled and quickly took out her phone to snap a picture of her current look.
A new phone wallpaper~
Yoizumi stared at Shinobu silently without looking away. After finishing his juice, he stood up and walked to her side. Recalling his younger sister's advice before he left, Yoizumi thought for a moment and spoke.
"You look good."
"It suits you well, Shinobu."
Shinobu slightly pursed her lips, which were coated in lip gloss. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she let out a soft hmph, smoothing her hair as if she didn't care.
But both people present were very familiar with Shinobu.
Yoizumi and Kanae knew that Shinobu was happy.
"I hope the date goes well~"
Kanae said with a smile as she saw them to the door.
"I already said it's not a date..." Shinobu clutched her small white bag with both hands, lowering her head and muttering softly.
Who would have thought she'd get a question back from Yoizumi?
"It's not?"
Yoizumi's voice was very flat, making it hard to detect any emotion, but Shinobu could definitely hear the confusion in his words.
"..."
The girl's gaze fell to the ground in silence. A gentle breeze stirred her soft hair, making the purple bow flutter. After a long moment, Shinobu spoke softly.
"Let's go, quickly."
Not getting an answer from Shinobu, Yoizumi didn't ask further. Instead, he reached out his hand to her, his sapphire eyes showing a serious expression.
"I have to hold Shinobu's hand."
"This is what I promised Shinobu."
Shinobu stared at the boy's large, well-defined hand. A single sentence from childhood, and he had remembered it until now... Shinobu thought as she gently lifted her hand and placed it in Yoizumi's palm.
Even though he was about the same size as her when they were little, now he could easily wrap his entire hand around hers.
Shinobu looked up, her purple eyes reflecting Yoizumi in front of her, and she suddenly let out a light laugh.
"?"
Seeing Yoizumi's confused expression, Shinobu pulled him forward.
"As expected..."
"You're still an idiot."
"Huh?" Yoizumi blinked, bewildered.
"Shinobu, my deviation value is higher than yours..."
"So I'm not..."
"So Yoizumi is trying to say I'm the idiot?" A harmless smile appeared on Shinobu's face as she pinched the soft flesh at Yoizumi's waist and spoke with a beaming grin.
"...No."
"Yoizumi is an idiot!"
"...Okay."
------------------------
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