Loner and the Rumors
After finishing the move and unpacking over the weekend, I’m now living with Yuki-san. Today marks the start of another ordinary day.
“Good morning, Yuki-san.”
“Good morning, Yuuki-san.”
Looks like she made breakfast. This kind of atmosphere—it really feels like we’re a couple.
“If you’re going to cook breakfast, you could’ve woken me up to help, you know?”
I tend to worry about things like this, so I’d like to pitch in when I can.
“It’s fine. I want to make it for you, Yuuki-san. Besides, if I’m the one cooking, I can ensure your nutrition is balanced.”
I see. That probably means she’s planning to cook dinner, too. Well, as long as she enjoys doing it, I’ll let her. Her cooking is delicious, after all.
“Thanks. I’ll go change into my uniform.”
“Got it. Breakfast will be ready soon.”
“Okay.”
I head to my room to get ready for school. After washing my face in the bathroom, I’m about to head back to the living room when the doorbell rings.
“Yuuki-san, could you get that? My hands are full at the moment.”
“Sure.”
I walk to the door and open it.
“We’ve come to mooch off breakfast!”
“…Thanks for the meal.”
Hinata-san and Shino-san. Of course, I had a feeling it’d be them.
“Seriously, can you two learn a little restraint!?”
“I left restraint somewhere on the side of the road ages ago.”
“Go back and pick it up, then!”
“Anyway, we’ll be coming in now.”
“…I’m hungry.”
It’s going to be exhausting dealing with these two first thing in the morning. Might as well lead them to the living room.
“Good morning, Hinata-san, Shino-san.”
“Good morning, Yuki.”
“…Morning.”
“Breakfast is ready, so let’s eat together.”
We all sit down, the same arrangement as at the tempura restaurant.
“Let’s eat,” we say in unison, clapping our hands before starting.
Today’s breakfast consists of miso soup with tofu, nikujaga, pickled napa cabbage, and tamagoyaki. Balanced and impressive. I can’t help but admire her efforts.
“How is it, Yuuki-san?”
“It’s delicious. This will definitely keep me going all day.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that.”
Yuki-san looks delighted by my praise. This is the kind of moment where it finally sinks in that she’s my girlfriend.
“By the way, did you hear about this?”
“…Hear what?”
Hinata-san suddenly brings up a topic out of nowhere.
“There’s a student in Class 3-1 named Sakuya Kirishima, apparently a big fan of getting into fights. Last year, she often had bruises from scuffles—enough to make me shake my head in disbelief.”
“Is there really such a student? Yuuki-san, make sure you don’t get involved, okay?”
Yuki-san gently warns me. I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with delinquents in the past, so I know how to stay cautious. But I’ve never heard of this Kirishima person before.
“Don’t worry. I’ve had my share of run-ins, but I’ve never heard of Kirishima. And if she’s not part of any gang, as you say, it’s odd that her name hasn’t come up in those circles.”
“Exactly. I’ve never seen her in any group, nor are there many reports of her in general,” Hinata adds.
If even an ex-cop like Hinata finds it unusual, there’s probably something more to it.
“Hinata-san, how often was she getting hurt last year?”
“Hmm… Roughly every two or three weeks, I’d say.”
That frequency does raise some questions.
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t someone like her be infamous? Fighting that often—17 times in a year, by rough count—should have generated more rumors. Yet, there’s almost no mention of her. It’s strange.”
“Exactly,” Hinata nods.
“What’s more, her injuries don’t seem typical of regular fights,” he adds.
“How so?” Yuki asks, clearly intrigued.
“In most brawls, you’d expect bruises on the front or sides of the body. But Kirishima often had significant bruises on her back.”
“If she were a solo fighter, she’d focus on protecting her back. Letting someone get behind her would mean an easy loss.”
Something definitely feels off about this whole thing.
“Still, it’s not worth worrying about. I’ll just steer clear of her. She’s an upperclassman, anyway, so I doubt I’ll cross paths with her.”
“You’re right. Let’s switch to a more cheerful topic, shall we?”
“Agreed. How about we guess what color Yuki’s underwear is?”
“…I’m in.”
“Don’t join in, Shino! And why are you even bringing this up, Hinata!?”
Hinata is incorrigible.
“I vote for black.”
“…White.”
“What about you, Yuuki?”
“Well, uh… gray?”
Wait—why did I even answer!?
“Yuuki-san?”
Uh oh. Yuki-san looks furious. I can practically see the anger mark on her forehead.
“You peeked, didn’t you? I understand—it’s natural for someone your age to be curious about women’s underwear. But peeping is still wrong, don’t you think?”
Wait, was I right? If I was, this just got a whole lot worse.
“Uh… Yuki-san…”
“Yes?”
She’s smiling, but her eyes aren’t. This is bad. There’s only one option left: run.
“Nothing! I’ll just head to school now!”
“Yuuki-san, wait!”
I ignore her and bolt out the door.
“Well, we should be going too,” Hinata says.
“Hold on, you two,” Yuki says with a sweet yet menacing tone. “We’re not done talking.”
“…Yes, ma’am,” they respond in unison.
Looks like they’re taking the fall for me. I’ve escaped—for now.
“At least I made it out. But… Yuki-san wears gray, huh…”
Nope, better not dwell on that. I’ll apologize to her at work later.
“Alright, time for school.”
I start walking, ready to face the day ahead.
---
Author's Note:
Only one of the heroines' name came up. Eh... she's not the younger sister. She's the older sister. I'm sorry I couldn't include the younger sister!!!
I'm planning on releasing one more chapter this week. Maybe around Thursday? I'll be taking a break next week for work.
I would appreciate your comments and feedback.
Thank you for reading.
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