"So basically… you—ahem, your friend—were ex-lovers with the older sister inside a game, then gradually grew closer to the younger sister during that same game, but in reality you're not actually involved with either of them. Is that a fair way to understand it?"
Having been banned from touching her bass, Yamada Ryō sat in the boss's chair, swaying lazily from side to side. She looked like she was spacing out, but in truth she was thinking seriously.
In order to explain his troubles in a way that was easier to grasp, Narumi Tōru had reframed the whole "future simulation" as just a game, and his entanglement with the Yukinoshita sisters as a simplified case of online relationships.
After all, if he said outright that he'd experienced a first-person simulated future, people would probably look at him with concern and dial emergency services to send him straight to psychiatry.
"I don't play games with strong social elements, so I don't really get it. But what do things that happen in a game have to do with real life?"
Ryō cut straight to the point in her calm, steady voice. The curly-haired boy nodded in agreement.
Perhaps because of the 'emotional detachment' trait he'd had in the simulation, even after reuniting with Yukinoshita Yukino in reality, Narumi didn't feel particularly shaken.
He shared Ryō's view: the simulation itself was nothing more than an extremely immersive game. There was no need to take its contents too seriously.
The Yukinoshita Yukino he had sincerely wanted to protect might forever remain inside that simulation.
If the Yukinoshita Yukino he had never met in real life wasn't the same girl who had run away with him, talked with him through the night by the sea, and faced life and death alongside him in the simulation, then there was no reason to transfer those feelings to her. Doing so would only create unnecessary trouble for both of them.
A simulation was a simulation. Life was life.
"So then, where is our great novelist Koumi's story heading?"
Ryō raised an eyebrow, the otherwise perfectly flat expression on her face finally showing a hint of interest.
"And then…"
Narumi leaned his upper body against the counter, supporting his weight as his memories drifted back.
—
"How did you know I'm your senpai? We should be meeting for the first time, shouldn't we?"
When Yukinoshita Haruno had asked him that, his expression had remained calm and composed.
"Because Yukinoshita Haruno-senpai is a famous outstanding graduate from our school."
Though Narumi looked like an unremarkable, average guy at first glance, anyone perceptive enough could tell the moment he spoke how quick his thinking and adaptability really were.
"Your photo is even displayed on the Outstanding Students board. You look really pretty when you smile—anyone could tell you're sisters with Yukinoshita-san."
Haruno lifted an eyebrow. At first she had assumed Narumi was just another high school boy hopelessly smitten with her younger sister, but this junior was far more socially adept than she'd expected.
And for some reason… he gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if she'd met him somewhere long ago.
Where was it…?
She had no concrete memory of it—only a baseless feeling of closeness that made her feel at ease.
And, strangely enough, a sense of guilt that lingered in her chest.
Haruno couldn't understand why she felt such complex emotions toward a junior she'd supposedly just met, but fortunately she was very good at hiding her feelings. She smiled without a change in expression.
"My, what a sweet talker you are, Kohai-kun. Are you in the same class as little Yukino? Want us to give you a ride?"
"…No. He isn't."
The previously silent Yukinoshita Yukino suddenly joined the conversation. In contrast to her sister's warm smile, her expression looked colder and more distant than usual.
"We're in the same year. Narumi-kun is a member of my club."
With just a few words, Yukino clarified their relationship. Her measured, appropriate way of addressing him caused Haruno's smile to deepen slightly.
"Mm~ I see. Narumi-kun… so that's your name."
"What is it, onee-san?"
Yukino tilted her head slightly, an unfamiliar emotion flickering in her gaze as she looked at her sister.
"Did you know Narumi-kun before?"
It was a very direct question—and one that made Narumi unconsciously await Haruno's answer.
"Hmm..."
Haruno stepped past her sister and approached the curly-haired boy with interest, blinking as she examined his face up close—completely missing the slight frown forming on Yukino's brow as she was left behind.
After studying him carefully for quite a while, Haruno finally answered.
"…No. I'm certain I've never met you before."
"...…."
Narumi, holding his breath, and Yukino, head slightly lowered with a complicated expression, both fell silent at the same time.
So no one remembers me after all… Guess everything from the simulation should stay in the simulation,
Narumi thought, feeling faintly wistful.
Onee-san doesn't remember anything… then maybe this time, things won't turn out like they did in the simulation…
Yukino thought, feeling a subtle sense of relief.
"After all, if I'd met such a cute, refined boy before, I'm sure I would've remembered~"
But Yukino's relief lasted only a moment. Haruno's blunt follow-up instantly tightened her nerves again.
"Hey, junior-kun, what's your full name? Can I know? Little Yukino may seem a bit strict, but she doesn't have a bad heart. If she ever pressures you too much, you can always come complain to your big sister, you know?"
"Ah, my name is Narumi Tōru—"
"That's enough, onee-san. You finally decided to pick me up for once—are you planning to keep wasting time like this?"
Rarely seen, Yukinoshita Yukino interrupted them rather brusquely. She opened the car door and sat down in the back seat without looking back.
Narumi and Haruno exchanged glances. In the end, Haruno laughed it off and wrapped up the conversation.
"Oh my, she seems to be in a bit of a bad mood today. If we're fated to meet again, let's chat more next time, Tōru-kun~"
With a radiant smile, Haruno nodded to the curly-haired boy in farewell, then took the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and waved to him through the window.
The shuraba with the Yukinoshita sisters had passed—fortunately, without incident.
…Wait. I haven't done anything wrong in real life. Why am I this shaken?
Narumi shook his head, tossing those troublesome thoughts aside as he headed toward his part-time job.
That was the full extent of what he knew.
Of course, there were things he didn't.
—
On the way home, inside the Yukinoshita family's luxury sedan.
"Really, little Yukino~ You've been much more interesting lately. You even suddenly called me to ask if I had any ex-boyfriends… haha, as if that were possible. You're just too cute~"
Haruno teased her sister lightly, but the black-haired girl sitting quietly in the back seat never spoke a word, her calm, deep blue eyes fixed on the scenery outside the window.
Seeing this, Haruno didn't feel awkward at all—if anything, the curve of her smile grew sharper.
"That Tōru-kun is your club member, huh. My first impression is that he seems like a nice, good kid. Make sure you get along well, okay~"
Sure enough, the moment she mentioned the boy, Yukino shifted her shoulders slightly, then adjusted her posture as if to dispel the sudden tension.
"…You don't need to tell me that. I intend to."
"Mm, then I'm relieved. Though what I'm about to say might sound a bit meddlesome to you…"
Haruno straightened up in her seat and turned to look at Yukino, whose expression had grown a little stiff.
"But still, Yukino, you should keep a close eye on that Tōru-kun."
"…Why?"
"I know exactly what someone looks like when they're hiding something. That boy may seem well-behaved and honest, but his fox tail is sticking out."
To Haruno, the polite, friendly curly-haired boy looked like a cunning young fox. His easy smile and lively eyes were perfect tools for lowering other people's guard.
Fortunately, he was younger than her. If he'd been her age, he might've grown into a fox spirit powerful enough to rival her.
"But people like that are interesting too—I won't deny it~ If little Yukino gets tired of dealing with him, I wouldn't mind stepping in to investigate for you—"
"Please don't."
Haruno's enthusiastic offer was met with an immediate, unequivocal rejection.
"…?"
It was the first time her sister had ever refused her so directly. The smile at Haruno's lips stiffened slightly.
She turned back to look. By the window, Yukinoshita Yukino met her gaze head-on.
The sister who used to avoid her eyes, who always accepted her advice and requests without protest—was now directly rejecting her idea.
"Onee-san, please don't lay a hand on my club member."
As if staking a claim, Yukino firmly placed Narumi on her own side—off-limits.
For Yukinoshita Haruno, this was completely unexpected.
"…Oh my. That doesn't sound like a simple president-and-member relationship."
With her sharp intuition, Haruno studied her sister's serious expression. After a moment of thought, she posed another question.
"Someone you like? Are you secretly dating?"
"N-No, it's not like that."
"It's not so much being inseparable as it is just… an ordinary friendship."
"...…."
Faced with Haruno's merciless dissection, Yukino looked away, a faint loneliness surfacing in her eyes—yet beneath it, something else quietly stirred.
"But… it can't be just ordinary friends…"
In a soft murmur, quiet enough that only she could hear it, she affirmed it to herself.