Chapter 20: "."
"I already said it's just a pre-set scenario… Can't I incorporate it into my novel writing?"
"Okay, okay, sure. But I'd love to hear what happens next, you imaginative novelist."
"What follows is..."
Narumi let out a long, tired sigh. As he spoke, his mind drifted back to the moment when the two sisters confronted each other in the snow—caught between him like a wedge of cold air neither of them wanted to breathe in.
Haruno Yukinoshita, who had originally only lowered the car window to greet Yukino, froze the moment her eyes landed on the curly-haired boy standing behind her younger sister.
Narumi wasn't oblivious. Even he could tell that something about Haruno's expression wasn't right. It wasn't the kind of polite surprise one should show when meeting someone for the first time—it was deeper, heavier, almost too familiar.
No way… did they really bring memories from the simulation into reality?
Still, Narumi chose to play dumb. He lifted his hand, waving politely at the older sister.
"Hello, senpai."
"…"
Haruno turned slightly, her sharp eyes settling on him with a strange mix of curiosity and wariness.
"What's wrong, Yukinoshita? Is it because my handsome face is too captivating for you to look away—"
"Hello, hello. This is… I'm not sure how to address this student."
Haruno's polite smile returned, bright but unmistakably cold. Her gaze flicked toward Narumi's Soubu High uniform.
"But tell me—how did you know I was your senpai? This should be our first meeting, right?"
The moment she asked the question, Narumi understood why Yukino had turned toward him earlier with that sudden, sharp look.
Oh no. Am I getting found out already?
——
"So actually, you… cough—your friend is in some kind of game where he and the older sister are ex-boyfriend and girlfriend, and then he gets closer to the younger sister in the game… but in reality, he has nothing to do with either of them. Is that what you mean?"
Ryo, who had been banned from touching any instruments for the moment, slumped lazily in the boss's chair. To others she looked like she was spacing out, but her mind was clearly spinning at full speed.
To make everything sound less insane, Narumi explained the simulation as a "game," simplifying the entire mess with the Yukinoshita sisters into the kind of vague "online relationship" problem people could at least understand.
After all, if he told anyone he experienced a life-and-death future simulation, they would probably call emergency services and hand him over to a psychiatrist.
"I don't play games with heavy social interaction, so I don't really understand…" Ryo said, voice calm and steady. "But what happens in a game has nothing to do with reality."
Her bluntness struck directly at the heart of the matter. Narumi nodded, honestly agreeing.
Maybe because of his detached emotional state during the simulation, he didn't feel overwhelmed when he met Yukino again in real life. It felt distant, like revisiting someone else's memories instead of his own.
The Yukino he wanted to protect—the one who ran into the ocean after him, the one who cried on the beach under the moon, the one who clung to life despite being terminally ill—might never exist in this world.
If the Yukino in front of him was not that girl, then transferring those feelings to her would only cause trouble. It wouldn't be fair to either of them.
Simulation was simulation.
Reality was reality.
"And then? What happens in the story of our great novelist Narumi?" Ryo asked, raising an eyebrow—her expression shifting subtly despite her usual deadpan manner.
"And then..."
Narumi leaned forward against the counter, eyes drifting as he replayed the moment.
"How did you know I was your senpai? This must be our first meeting."
Faced with Haruno Yukinoshita's question, Narumi kept his expression steady.
"Because Yukinoshita Haruno-senpai is a renowned outstanding graduate of our school."
Though he looked like an ordinary, forgettable high school boy, it only took a moment of listening to him speak to notice the way he adjusted himself—alert, composed, adaptable.
"The senior's photo is still hanging on the wall of outstanding students. You have a beautiful smile. You resemble Yukinoshita-san."
Haruno lifted one eyebrow. She'd originally assumed Narumi was just another clueless schoolboy infatuated with her little sister, but this junior was smoother than she expected.
And strangely… familiar.
Have we met somewhere before?
But she couldn't recall anything concrete—only a faint, reassuring closeness toward him.
And beneath it…
a quiet, inexplicable guilt.
Haruno Yukinoshita didn't understand why she felt anything that deep toward a boy she had supposedly never met. But she hid it perfectly, offering him a practiced smile as if nothing inside her had wavered.
"Oh my, you have such a sweet tongue, Kohai. Are you Yukino's classmate? Would you like a ride?"
"...No, he won't."
Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly cut in.
Unlike her elder sister's faint smile, Yukino's expression was colder than usual—frostier, sharper, almost protective.
"We are classmates, and Narumi is a member of my club."
Her simple, crisp explanation—and the way she naturally addressed him—made Haruno's smile deepen just a bit.
"Hmm~ I see. Narumi-kun… That's your name."
"What's wrong, sister?" Yukino asked quietly, tilting her head—her gaze fixed on Haruno with a strange, unreadable emotion.
"Could it be that you knew Narumi-kun before?"
It was a simple, direct question, but it made Narumi tense with anticipation, waiting for Haruno's answer.
"Hmm..."
Haruno stepped past her younger sister, approaching the curly-haired boy with deliberate curiosity. Her eyes drifted up and down, examining every detail of his appearance—completely unaware of how Yukino's brows had tightened the moment she was ignored.
After studying him for several long seconds, Haruno finally answered:
"...No, I'm sure I've never seen you before."
"…"
Narumi, who had been unconsciously holding his breath, went silent. Yukino, with her head slightly lowered, also said nothing, her expression unreadably complicated.
As expected, no one remembers me… Maybe everything that happened in the simulation should stay in the simulation.
A small hint of melancholy flickered across Narumi's thoughts.
My sister remembers nothing… so maybe things really won't repeat like in the simulation…
Those, however, were Yukino Yukinoshita's relief-filled thoughts.
"If I had seen such a cute and handsome boy before, I would definitely have been very impressed with him~"
But Yukino's relief barely lasted a heartbeat. Haruno's teasing landed like a direct hit, and Yukino's shoulders stiffened instantly.
"Hey, what's your full name, Narumi-kun? Can I know? Yukino is a bit strong-willed, but she's not a bad person. If she ever makes you feel overwhelmed, you can come and complain to your older sister, okay?"
"Ah, my name is Narumi Toru—"
"Is that enough, sister? You rarely remember to pick me up from school. Are you planning to keep delaying like this?"
Yukino's sharp interruption cut straight into their conversation. Without looking back, she opened the car door and slipped into the back seat of the luxury sedan. Narumi and Haruno exchanged looks, and then Haruno broke into gentle laughter.
"Oh dear, this child seems to be in a bit of a slump today. Let's chat again next time we meet, Narumi-kun~"
With a bright, practiced smile, Haruno nodded goodbye before getting into the passenger seat. She fastened her seat belt and waved lightly through the window.
Thankfully, the small "battlefield" involving the Yukinoshita sisters ended without disaster.
"...Wait, I haven't actually done anything wrong in real life. So why am I scared?"
Narumi shook his head at his own nervousness, brushed the thoughts aside, and headed toward his part-time job.
That was everything Narumi believed had happened.
But of course—there were things he didn't know.
———
Inside the Yukinoshita family sedan, headed home:
"Yukino, you're really something~ You've become so much more interesting lately. The other day you even called to ask if I had any ex-boyfriends… Haha, how could that be? You're so cute~"
Haruno teased lightly, but the black-haired girl in the back seat didn't answer. Yukino simply kept her gaze fixed on the window, her deep blue eyes expressionless.
Seeing this, Haruno didn't mind at all. In fact, her smile grew.
"That Narumi-kun is your club member. My first impression of him is that he's a nice kid. You two should get along well!"
Sure enough, the moment she mentioned Narumi, Yukino's posture subtly stiffened. She adjusted her seat almost awkwardly, trying to smooth over her reaction.
"...I would have done that even without you telling me, sister."
"Well, then I'm relieved. Although what I'm about to say might sound a bit meddlesome…"
Haruno leaned back, turning to look at her younger sister, whose expression had also tightened.
"Yukino, you should keep a close eye on that Narumi-kun."
"...Why do you say that?"
"I know exactly what people look like when they're hiding something. That kid may seem polite and harmless, but he hides a lot more underneath."
In her eyes, the calm, bright-smiling curly-haired boy was a little fox—soft on the surface, quietly cunning underneath. His easy friendliness and earnest eyes were tools to lower others' defenses.
Luckily, he was younger. If they were the same age, they might have been equally dangerous.
"But people like that are interesting too, I won't deny it~ If you get tired of dealing with him, Yukino, I could help investigate for you—"
Please don't do that.
Yukino's rejection came faster and sharper than she intended.
"…?"
For the first time in years, Haruno's smiling expression faltered.
She turned, meeting Yukino's gaze in the window reflection. The younger sister who always avoided her eyes… now directly rejected her.
"Nee-san, please don't lay a hand on my employees."
As if staking a claim, Yukino pulled Narumi firmly into her own circle, one Haruno couldn't touch.
Yukino Yukinoshita herself seemed surprised she had said it.
"...Oh my, it seems the relationship between the club member and the club president isn't as simple as I thought."
Haruno tapped her finger on her chin, analyzing her sister with sharp intuition.
"Is it someone you like? Are you two secretly dating?"
"It hasn't come to that point yet."
"Rather than being very close, we're more like ordinary friends."
"…"
Yukino looked away. Haruno's casual probing had hit deeper than intended. Beneath Yukino's calm surface, emotions churned restlessly.
"But... we can't just be ordinary friends..."
She whispered it so quietly that even Haruno couldn't hear.
---
Meanwhile, Narumi took three to four days to slowly sort out his emotions after stepping away from the simulation.
He couldn't forget everything, but he understood that clinging to a virtual world would only harm him. Reality was always waiting.
The simulation had ended, and life moved forward.
As expected, the Service Club began receiving all kinds of requests, exactly like in the simulation—odd ones, annoying ones, impossible ones. Everything proceeded just as he remembered. Including Yuigahama Yui's request to join the club and bake handmade cookies for someone.
Which meant the hellish cooking competition was near.
Although Narumi appeared calm, he quietly brought stomach medicine to school.
After all, in the simulation he had nearly been carried to the hospital for a stomach pump thanks to Yukino Yukinoshita's "masterpiece." It was better to be prepared in advance.
End Of Chapter: