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Chapter 3 - First Meeting, Yukinoshita Haruno

"Thinking too much, just bring the food."

His expression unchanged, Yuu turned toward the dining table, not answering her question.

Sora had only asked casually. After dismissing that fleeting strange feeling as an illusion, she went to the kitchen to bring the food to the table.

When she returned, Yuu glanced at her phone screen, which had paused, tapped the table, and asked seriously:

"Sora, do you want to keep a cat?"

Sora shook her head, turning off a cat video that was halfway through, and said flatly, "Just looking, keeping a cat is too much trouble."

"Really?" Thinking of the stray cat outside, Yuu weighed the idea in his mind and said casually, "If you want to keep one, I can pick one up. Since you're home all day, having a cat to keep you company wouldn't be bad…"

Keeping a cat did cost money and effort. If he were living alone, even with money, Yuu might not have considered it.

But for his sister, his earlier concerns could be set aside. No matter how troublesome, it wasn't a big deal.

Truthfully, Yuu didn't want to leave his young sister alone at home.

But since Sora had her own stance, and he had to go out to earn money for the family, he couldn't stay with her all day.

In times like these, the value of a pet became clear. Though a dog would be better at protecting a girl living alone compared to a cat, what mattered most was what his sister liked.

If Sora truly wanted a cat to ease her loneliness, Yuu would bring that cat home immediately, take it for vaccinations later, and buy its supplies.

"No need, really." Sora sighed resignedly, her small hands holding a bowl and chopsticks, looking at him with a touch of seriousness.

"When you're not home, I can browse the internet to pass the time, and I have Kurousagi to keep me company."

Kurousagi was the name of the plushie she often hugged, a birthday gift from their parents, one of her most precious treasures.

"When you're home, I already have you… So, I won't be lonely."

Sora said calmly, picking a piece of vegetable from the plate with her chopsticks and placing it in Yuu's bowl.

"Let's eat. After dinner, play a game with me."

Yuu paused for a moment, then let out a soft sigh, patting the girl's small head, deeply touched.

"That's my sister, even if she's a hikikomori."

"You got a problem with hikikomoris?"

Her pretty face turned slightly cold as Sora kicked him with her small, white-stockinged foot.

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Yuu knew his sister wasn't pretending for his sake; Sora genuinely didn't want to keep a cat.

Though young, after experiencing so much, Sora was far more mature and understanding than an average girl. She knew their family wasn't well-off, and she understood that Yuu, as the head of the household, had to consider many things.

For two siblings who depended on each other, the key wasn't compromising to understand each other but being honest about what they wanted or didn't want, then deciding what to do after communicating, avoiding unnecessary guesses and trials.

So Sora rarely lied or hid things from him. Whatever she wanted, she'd say directly, and whatever she disliked, she wouldn't hold back.

Like green peppers and going to school.

Though sometimes stubborn, in Yuu's eyes, Sora was practically the most perfect little sister in the world.

"Thanks for the meal."

After dinner, Sora clasped her hands together, bowed her head, and said.

Then she looked up, her eyes serious: "Yuu, I want to learn to cook."

"This is the 27th time you've said that." Yuu didn't react, starting to clear the plates and cutlery. "Give it up. I don't want to see you ruin the kitchen or yourself again."

"Ugh, putting the kitchen first… Is the kitchen more important than me?"

Sora pouted, looking at him with slight displeasure.

What else could he say?

Yuu didn't always indulge his sister's whims; on the contrary, he usually carried the authority of an older brother.

"Besides, I'm in charge of all the cooking in this house. If you feel guilty about doing nothing, just do the other housework. Don't just curl up in front of the computer all the time."

After giving his orders, he carried the plates and cutlery to the sink.

"…Like a mom."

Hearing that mutter, Yuu, from the kitchen, immediately raised his voice:

"It's your turn to wash the dishes today!"

"!! It's your turn!"

The siblings' bickering added a warm glow to the deepening twilight.

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"Yuu, let's take a bath together."

"No way."

"Then let me give you a massage. I watched a foot reflexology video recently. Let's try it in the room."

"Sora, whatever you say." Patting his sister's slender shoulder, Yuu walked past her, smiling gently:

"Those dishes, you're washing them today."

"Tch!"

Yuu ignored her, went upstairs to grab clothes, came back down, and confirmed Sora had resignedly started washing the dishes before heading to the bathroom to shower.

Steam rose, water droplets fell, and the sound of trickling water echoed in the quiet bathroom.

"Haaa…"

Letting out a long sigh, Yuu lay in the bathtub, letting the warm water soothe his tired body.

Then, with his thoughts wandering, he opened the system panel.

As expected, the panel looked the same as when it first appeared; more information would likely only unlock after he "went on the date" tomorrow.

"Yukinoshita Haruno, huh…"

Chewing on the name in his mind, Yuu began to think.

For some reason, he felt he'd heard it somewhere before.

Yukinoshita from Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture? No, it probably wasn't related to a place name.

"Oh, her."

A flash of realization hit him, and he remembered there was indeed a celebrity at his school.

Yukinoshita Yukino, a popular figure at their high school. A noble girl straight out of a school light novel, with the aura of an untouchable mountain flower, a genius skilled in both arts and martial arts.

Since they'd never spoken, Yuu didn't know her well, only hearing some rumors about her.

Given the similarity in their names, they were likely relatives… Haruno and Yukino, though he wasn't sure who was the older or younger.

"But the 'target' just happens to be related to a schoolmate…"

Whether it was a coincidence or not, he sincerely hoped no complicated issues would arise.

After all, though he was a perpetual singleton, why did he end up with a love-related system like this!

Yuu couldn't help smirking, dunking his head underwater and blowing a few bubbles.

Then he stretched out his arms and legs, floating on the surface in the shape of a '太'.

"No clue, thinking too much is pointless~"

A lazy echo reverberated in the misty bathroom.

As long as the system had no punishment mechanism and the losses outweighed the benefits, Yuu could just pretend it didn't exist.

Even without the system, he could support himself and Sora with his own hands and feet.

Of course, if the system's rewards were substantial and didn't cause too much harm…

If he could get rich easily, he wouldn't be foolish enough to stick to self-reliance—he'd try to seize this windfall.

As his scattered thoughts gradually faded, Yuu slowly closed his eyes.

Just as he was about to relax and enjoy the warm water, a sudden sound of the doorknob turning came from outside, along with a faint mutter.

"Tch, it's locked…"

"Sora?!"

Water splashed.

Yuu reflexively sat up, covering his vital parts, staring at the door in shock.

"What are you doing?"

After a pause, the girl outside answered casually:

"Nothing, just wanted to grab a hair tie I forgot inside."

"Hair tie?" Slightly relieved, Yuu looked around the bathroom and said oddly, "I don't see a hair tie."

"Oh, then I must've remembered wrong. Keep bathing."

After speaking casually, the faint silhouette visible through the glass door disappeared.

As if she didn't care at all whether the hair tie was actually in the bathroom.

"This Sora…"

Realizing what happened, Yuu couldn't help pursing his lips, his expression a bit strange.

"Is this puberty, or did she see something weird online?"

If he hadn't been in the habit of locking the bathroom door, his floating position in the water would've been fully exposed to his sister.

Earlier, too—she was old enough yet still talked about bathing together, teasing her brother in all sorts of ways, and now even trying to barge into the bathroom while he was bathing. Her thoughts must've gone astray; it was time for correction!

"Let's hold a family meeting."

His expression instantly serious, Yuu made the decision and no longer felt like soaking.

He got out of the tub, dried off, put on pajamas, then went upstairs to find Sora, ready to assert his brotherly authority and teach her a lesson.

Knocking on her door but not yet entering, he was immediately met with her retort:

"It's my turn to bathe soon, and I'm not wearing clothes now. If you want to come in, go ahead."

"…Then after you're done bathing, meet in the living room."

"No way. I won't be wearing pajamas after my bath either—I want to try sleeping naked tonight. If you don't want to get arrested, you'd better stay in your room and not come out… Oh, and play games with me tomorrow instead."

"…You just don't want to hear my lecture, do you?"

"Hmph, who told you to act like a mom? Your nagging never ends."

Yuu: "…"

'Stupid sister, your brother's taking Mom's place—don't you get it?!'

Sighing long toward the sky, Yuu turned and left, no longer wanting to deal with his sister, who was simultaneously hitting puberty and rebellion.

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July 24, Saturday, 1:50 p.m.

The weather was clear, with fish-scale clouds slowly drifting at the edge of the sky.

Canceling his original part-time work schedule, Yuu wore casual clothes and waited for someone while playing on his phone in front of the Hachiko statue at Shibuya Station.

The system panel hovered to the left of his vision, transparent enough not to obstruct his view.

When his phone showed 1:55 p.m., a woman who could undoubtedly be called beautiful approached from ahead.

Her face was refined, her black hair glossy, her skin as fair and clear as snow, and her smile bright and extraordinarily friendly.

Her figure was striking and slender, paired with a white lace-trimmed outfit that gave a soft, elegant impression. Her wrists and ankles seemed deliberately highlighted to emphasize that beauty.

Fashionable beauty and an elegant aura blended perfectly, drawing the attention of many men as she walked, like a model striding confidently on a catwalk, her presence commanding, her gaze locked on him.

She paused briefly, then stepped forward, looking him up and down.

"Hmm, not bad~"

As if giving a score, the beautiful woman smiled meaningfully, her long, curled lashes blinking playfully twice.

"Neat face, clean clothes, and fresh… Arriving early doesn't earn extra points, though—it's the bare minimum!"

Seeing Yuu's slightly confused expression, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stepped back slightly.

Then, like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl, she smiled brightly and said:

"Whoops, whoops~ Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."

"You're Tenkuji-kun, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Yukinoshita Haruno."

Her index finger touched her lips, and Haruno narrowed her eyes slightly. Though pretending to be cute, even her pretense was utterly charming.

Yet, whether it was just a feeling or not—

In her bright, cheerful expression, there seemed to be a strange emotion Yuu couldn't quite grasp.

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