"Huh?!"
Suzune Horikita's voice cracked with flustered surprise at Komachi's statement.
"He really said that?!"
"It's true~" Komachi replied cheerfully. "By the way, Suzune-senpai, are you really not even a little interested in my brother?"
"Eh? I, uh…"
Suzune fumbled for words.
"It's not like I'm completely… ahem. A-anyway, can you tell him for me? I'll be in Chiba tomorrow to meet him."
"No problem! I'll tell him right away, sister-in-law~"
"Mm… wait, what?!"
Suzune gasped. "What did you just call me?!"
"Oh, nothing, nothing! Anyway, Suzune-senpai, I'll hang up now~"
Komachi giggled and ended the call.
"Whew…"
She couldn't stop the corners of her lips from curling into a sly smile.
"I wonder what kind of girl Suzune Horikita is. Judging by her voice, she sounds like an ojou-sama type. Heehee~ I wonder if Onii-chan's stashed any pictures of her?"
Without a hint of guilt, Komachi began snooping through Hachiman's phone, looking for photos of Horikita.
But just then—
A figure burst out of the bathroom in a hurry.
Hachiman rushed over and snatched the phone out of Komachi's hands. "Don't go messing with my phone."
"Jeez, what's the big deal? You're so stingy, Onii-chan."
Komachi pouted, then glanced instinctively at her brother—still damp and just out of the shower—and teased, "Wow, Onii-chan, you're getting faster and faster. That was only a few minutes."
"…"
Good grief.
The stuff coming out of Komachi's mouth was getting more outrageous by the day.
Taking a deep breath, Hachiman asked, "What did Horikita say to you?"
"Heehee, she said she'll be coming to Chiba to meet you tomorrow, so be ready~"
"That's all?"
Hachiman looked mildly concerned.
"Yup yup," Komachi nodded, beaming even brighter.
That smile made Hachiman's skin crawl.
"Your smile is disgusting."
"I'm being sincere~" Komachi said with a grin. "Onii-chan, Suzune-senpai definitely has special feelings for you. I think she likes you."
"Huh?! Don't be ridiculous. There's no way she'd like me."
"No, really! Suzune-senpai told me she dreams about you every night. If that's not love, what is?"
"Horikita would never say something like that. Quit making stuff up."
Hachiman saw right through her.
"Eh?! I'm telling the truth!"
"Oh yeah, suuure…"
Hachiman waved her off and started heading upstairs to rest.
"Wait—!"
Komachi's eye twitched. Seeing her brother trying to escape, she quickly pulled him back again.
"Onii-chan, don't go yet! At least show me what Suzune-senpai looks like~!"
"What's there to see?" Hachiman replied half-heartedly. "Besides, I don't have any pictures of her."
"Yeah right, I don't believe that! Come on, just one look? Pretty please? Onii-chaaaan~!"
"..."
Facing his sister's relentless pestering, Hachiman could only sigh in resignation.
"Fine. I'll send you a photo."
"Heehee~ now we're talking."
Shortly after, Komachi received a picture of Suzune Horikita.
Her eyes widened. "Wow, she's that pretty? And wait… doesn't she look a lot like Yukino-senpai?"
"…"
Well… that's not wrong. They both had the same black, straight, long hair.
That said, Yukino—his girlfriend—was the sharp-tongued type, while Horikita came off more upright and serious.
"Onii-chan, she looks so much like Yukino-senpai. You really don't feel anything?"
Komachi grinned slyly.
"Of c-course not," Hachiman replied coolly. "That's all, right? I'm going upstairs. You should get to bed too."
"Wait, Onii-chan."
Komachi stopped him again.
"What now?"
"Well…"
After a brief pause, she asked, "Did you notice anything… strange while you were sleeping last night?"
"Strange?"
Hachiman tilted his head. "Nope."
"I see…"
"Wait—what?!"
Hachiman suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Komachi, don't tell me you actually snuck into my bed while I was asleep?!"
"…Huh?!"
Komachi's mouth twitched, and she gave him a look of utter disgust.
"Onii-chan, your imagination is seriously gross."
"Good. Just checking."
Hachiman replied offhandedly as he walked upstairs.
Komachi watched him go, lips pressed together. Then, once he'd gone, she glanced toward the house's entryway, a flicker of something odd in her eyes.
---
That night.
The door to the Hachiman residence quietly creaked open once more.
The next morning.
Hachiman woke up early.
"…Weird. Why does my bed smell funny?"
He frowned, sniffing the sheets. There was a faint, unplaceable scent.
"It doesn't smell like me… kind of like… a woman's scent?!"
Hold up.
A woman?!
Don't tell me—it was Komachi?!
The hair on the back of his head practically stood on end.
Panicked, Hachiman rushed to Komachi's room, threw open the door, and said, "Komachi! Don't tell me you actually snuck into my bed last night—huh?!"
"Ahh! What are you doing?! Get out!"
Komachi, midway through changing clothes, glared at him in outrage.
"S-sorry!"
Hachiman quickly retreated.
"…Milk really does work. Komachi's figure is getting… more and more mature."
He muttered under his breath.
After washing up and eating breakfast, Hachiman boarded a train to the meeting place with Horikita.
"Komachi definitely didn't come into my room last night… then who did? Or was it just a dream? But it felt like I was holding someone while sleeping…"
A short while later.
Hachiman arrived at the mall plaza in central Chiba.
Near the center of the square, he spotted a girl with long, straight black hair standing quietly by a flowerbed.
He took a deep breath and walked over.
"Sorry I'm late."
He smiled awkwardly once he was close enough.
"It's fine."
Horikita glanced at him and shook her head slightly.
That gesture…
Yikes. Honestly, she looked way too much like Yukino.
From her aura to her appearance—even her white outfit—Hachiman could actually see Yukino in her.
Shamefully, for a split second, he really did mistake Horikita for his girlfriend.
Stay calm. Horikita is Horikita. Yukino is Yukino. Don't mix them up. Don't make that mistake.