Chapter 2 (1/2)

Setoguchi Yuu

Birthday: July 11

Horoscope Sign: Cancer

Blood Type: AB

Natsuki’s childhood friend In the Film Research Club A nice person, and popular in class Has a younger sister

—

practice 2

The second day after the confession rehearsal, Natsuki stared at the calendar in her room

‘What do I do? No matter how many times I check, it’s Saturday…’

She knew that she was just kidding herself Of course she was completely aware of what day it was Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been drawing co, and she hadn’t panicked at all even aking up well into the afternoon

But when confronting it anew like this, she couldn’t help but worry

Rehearsal or not, it was the first weekend after she’d confessed

Pulling back the curtains, she could see Yuu’s room on the second floor of the house next door

Since they lived right next to each other, and their ood friends, they often went to each other’s house since they were young

This continued even after they entered high school, and it had beco the weekend at either of their houses Natsuki alent over under the pretext of asking Yuu to help her study

‘It wouldn’t be likelike, “I came over because I wanted to see you,”’

Natsuki sighed, and picked up the e of her desk

“Oh well, I guess I’ll go over”

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Even though she’d come all fired up, unfortunately, Yuu wasn’t home

With s of relief and disappointh

“I see… I guess I’ll just head home for today, then”

“Ehh—? I think he should be back soon, so let’s play games while ait,”

The girl that said this while pouting was Yuu’s little sister, Hina

She was in the sah school, but she was irl Her kitten-like playfulness immediately lifted up her dented mood

“Sure Wanna do leveling? Or battle mode?”

“Both!”

When Hina smiled innocently, she felt just a bit nervous

Each ti eyes, Yuu’s face would come to mind

‘Since they’re siblings, it’s only natural that they’d look alike, but…’

It wasn’t just their physical characteristics; they had other things in common, as well

“Nacchan, so happened between you and my brother”

Hina was in theherself into Yuu’s room when she suddenly turned to Natsuki

Natsuki, who had been following behind her, was taken by surprise with the sudden question

‘Unless I was just i it, she said that as a stateht!?’

The way that Hina looked straight at her with convinced eyes made her uncomfortable

“Does that reaction ht?”

“Uh, um, well……”

When Natsuki became flustered, Hina made a mature face

“Hmm—? Well, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay, too,”

She dropped the subject uncereain

True to her word, Hina didn’t ask about it again

As Natsuki watched her silently setting up the gaeted restlessly

‘Hina-chan said that because she orried, right……?’

There was a possibility that shefrom Yuu, as well

No, from what she knew of her childhood friend’s personality, he probably wouldn’t have said anything about the confession rehearsal But if even Hina was saying that so must have happened between the two of the differently from usual

“……Um… hey, Hina-chan……?”

“If it’s you, then I don’t mind”

“Eh?”

Because the context was ht away

Hina turned around with a controller in hand before elaborating

“If it’s you, I don’tmy brother over, Nacchan”

Hina’s eyes shone with an unusual serious gleam

It didn’t look like she was joking at all

Natsuki straightened her back, and asked tentatively,

“What do youover’……?”

“He gets all sulky really easily, and he can be pretty indecisive so, either Maybe I’ this because I’ood deal!”

“Eh……”

After realizing what Hina was getting at, Natsuki’s face paled

‘Wait, if she’s telling me all of this now, then does that s for Yuu!?’

She knew for a fact that she’d never told Hina about this before

It was true that they got along like real sisters, but that’s exactly whatlike, “Hina-chan, y’know, I have a crush on your brother”

As Natsuki sat there, stunned, Hina said so

“Or is Koyuki-senpai more your type?”

“’T-type’…?”

Judging by where the conversation was going, she probably meant the type of person that she liked

In the face of this unexpected developoldfish

“Even all the first years are talking about how cool he’s gotten At this rate, so to strike soon, don’t you think?”

“St-strike!?”

“I ht confess”

Hina sed her shoulders

Once again, Natsuki was truly impressed with how she reacted so maturely

“……Even though Koyuki-senpai’s always been really cool, and nice, too”

Hina muttered suddenly

It was said so quietly that Natsuki thought she ht have misheard her

While she was in thewhether or not to ask her to repeat what she’d said, Hina spoke first,

“Hey, Nacchan”

“I bet you’re wondering how I knew you like ht?”

“Ehh!? Hina-chan, you can read minds?”

Natsuki blurted out, and Hina stifled a laugh She dropped the controller she was holding, and then proceeded to fall down onto the floor, too

“N-Nacchan, you’re hilarious!”

“Hina-chaaaan, stop laughing and just answer meeee!”

Natsuki co to feel sorry for her, Hina wobbled back on her feet

While wiping the tears fro

“Since you’re so honest, it’s obvious just by looking at you”

“R-really? Then…Does that mean that even Yuu……”

“I don’t think so My brother’s pretty dull when it co what others think about him, after all”

In contrast, Hina was blunt as she made this sharp assessment

Now that she’d ether in Natsuki’s mind

Yuu had a habit of prioritizing other people before himself; it was practically natural for him

Maybe it was because he couldn’t get out of his “big brother” role, even when he wasn’t at ho type, acted much more like an older brother, but it was actually Yuu that ot done whenever it came to club activities and such

Even when it was a sensitive atmosphere, just like Hina had pointed out, he could be insensitive about how others felt about him

‘Is it because I’ that I just can’t leave him alone?’

Falling into deep thought, she then noticed that she was being stared at

Glancing over, she held her breath and ht at her Despite all that was said, she probably wanted to know Natsuki’s reaction

“… Hina-chan, you sure talk all grown-up”

“Don’t I~? After all, I’h school now!”

The way she threw out her chest proudly was cute, no question about it, and unable to take it, Natsuki hugged her tightly

“Gosh!+ Hina-chan, you’re just so cuuuute!”

“Nacchan, that tickles~”

As their cheerful voices echoed around the room, the door suddenly opened without so much as a knock

There was only one person who could do so like that

“Just what’re you two doing in someone else’s room……”

There stood the owner of the room, Yuu, with an amazed look on his face

“Onii-chan! Welcome home!”

Following Hina’s lead, Natsuki also waved at him