Narumi was the kind of person who treated reading light novels as one of life's pleasures. When he worked part-time at a bookstore, he would also take advantage of the job to flip through various unsealed books whenever he had free time.
Before entering this simulation, he had read a novel about falling in love with a girl suffering from a terminal illness.
The emotional portrayal was certainly delicate, sure—but the setup itself was as clichéd as a K-drama, or so he kept thinking while reading.
Admittedly, the ending—where the heroine's death wasn't actually caused by the terminal illness—did surprise him a little. But looking back on it now, that was about as far as it went.
To Narumi, the "terminal illness" trope in novels was like a mom who, after you've already eaten your fill at dinner, still worries you didn't enjoy it enough and sets out a whole extra table of midnight snacks.
You can't really eat anymore—but under the right circumstances, you wouldn't mind taking a bite.
When that kind of setup actually appeared in real life, though, it was a completely different matter.
"Let me say this upfront—if you're planning to say some pity-filled platitudes, Narumi-senpai, you can save them."
Even with the setting of a serious illness added in this simulation, Yukinoshita Yukino's attitude remained firm.
"I'm not without the possibility of recovery. There's no need for anyone's sympathy."
The Second Miss's cold, sharp tone hadn't changed in the slightest.
"A patient is just a normal person who happens to be sick. Why would I need to talk any differently?"
The curly-haired boy sitting beside her hospital bed replied in a completely casual tone.
"I'll save those kinds of words for when you're actually on your deathbed. No need to worry."
With that, he handed her the apple he had just finished peeling.
"Here."
The surface of the apple was uneven and full of little dents, but after a brief hesitation, Yukino still accepted it.
"…Thank you."
Although Yukinoshita Yukino often gave people an impression of aloof arrogance, she was actually a very polite girl.
If anything, it was precisely because she was strict with herself that she applied the same standards to others—hoping they would reach the same level, and unintentionally making them feel offended.
That impression came from Narumi's memories from before the simulation, back when he and Yukino were still just classmates.
"Like Haruno, you can call me Achē too, Yukino."
In this simulation, Narumi saw Yukinoshita Yukino more as a younger sister.
"…Achē-senpai."
Naturally, in this version of events, she still added the "senpai" suffix to his name.
"Does being sick affect your daily life much? For a second-year high school student, this should be the busiest period of your entire school career, right?"
"Other than being ill itself, there isn't much impact. I won't fall behind in my studies or after-school activities—there's just less leeway than before."
"Whoa… is this the calm confidence of a top student?"
At the mention of after-school activities, something suddenly came to Narumi's mind.
"Hmm—if I'm not mistaken, Yukino, you do your after-school activities at a place called the Service Club, right?"
"…Why do you know that, senpai?"
"Haha, I heard about it from Hiratsuka-sensei."
That wasn't really a lie. Before entering the simulation, Narumi had indeed heard about it from Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei—that woman had even tried to toss him into it herself.
"It's some kind of club that helps people fulfill their wishes?"
But seriously, calling it the Service Club was way too easy to misunderstand. This isn't that kind of place.jpg
"That's not entirely accurate. My current policy is 'teach a man to fish rather than give him a fish.' The club was only just established, so we haven't had time to recruit members yet."
Yukinoshita Yukino explained her philosophy—and then, without warning, threw a sharp question at Narumi.
"By the way, senpai, are you paying this much attention to me because I'm your ex-girlfriend's younger sister?"
A pointed question—just like you'd expect from Yukinoshita Haruno's little sister.
Narumi raised an eyebrow, refusing to back down.
"Not really. It's just because you're cute, so I'm taking special care of you."
"—?"
Yukinoshita Yukino froze. She had already prepared a line like 'I know, it's because I'm cute, right?'—but the words got stuck in her throat before she could say them.
"What? I'm just stating a fact."
When the curly-haired boy smiled, he looked completely non-threatening, which made it easy for people to lower their guard.
"Besides, a cute appearance and a troublesome personality can coexist, you know."
That extra remark successfully snapped Yukino out of her fluster. The faint blush that had crept onto her face quietly faded away.
"…As expected, senpai, you're very rude."
The black-haired girl took a noticeably harder bite of the apple than before, as if it were a stand-in for someone else.
"Then I'll make it up to you by doing something polite."
After going in circles, their conversation finally returned to the topic Narumi Tōru had been thinking about all along.
"Yukino, your Service Club—if that's what it's called—do you need an assistant to help recruit members and collect requests?"
That was about as far as Narumi Tōru's map of Japan went.