The next morning, Yuuki had arrived at school a bit earlier than usual. He sat down at his desk and decided to use the little extra time he had to conduct some research on the internet. Using his phone, he combined baffling searches such as “How to get my obsessive little sister off of me?” with interesting keywords such as “Compromise.” The loud thud of a bag dropping on the desk next to his interrupted his research.
He glanced to the side to see Yui angrily going through the motions of getting ready for class. Yuuki realized it didn’t bode well for him to see her so displeased first thing in the morning.
She pulled her chair back, grinding it loudly across the floor as she did. She overdid it just a bit, however, and the chair would have tipped over and clattered to the ground had she not caught it in a panic.
What exactly is she doing? Yuuki pondered to himself.
Yui cleared her throat nonchalantly and sat down at her desk as though nothing had happened, but the slight blush on her face told a different story. She turned to give Yuuki an accusatory glare, even though he was a mere spectator.
“What?” she said, her tone harsh. The silence stretched on for a moment before she spoke up again, “Yesterday was a lot of fun.”
It had slipped Yuuki’s mind that he’d met her at the station just yesterday. He’d been so preoccupied with Mina that he’d completely forgotten that he owed Yui an explanation as well.
“Your girlfriend is really cute,” Yui continued, sounding a bit more chipper than a few seconds prior. “I thought you told me you didn’t have one.”
“You got it all wrong. That was my little sister.”
“Wha—?! Y-Your...” Her voice trailed off, and she let out a peculiar cry. “L-Little sister? Well, she sure looked like she thought of you as more than just an older brother,” she continued stiffly.
“Doesn’t matter, she’s still my biological sister.”
“I-I have heard certain stories of people... doing that with their siblings, and,” she stumbled over her words and trailed off once again.
“I think you’re a little confused. She only said that because she thought you were two random strangers harassing me. She just wanted you to back off for my sake.”
“Ohh, so that’s what that was. Wow. I’m so sorry about how my sister acted.”
“It wasn’t just her.”
“Are you calling me a thirsty ho?!” Yui stood up in protest, her chair once again scraping across the already worn classroom floor. She then let out a disgruntled sigh before sitting down again.
Yuuki figured that was the end of that, but Yui apparently had other plans. She kept shooting him restless glances until she couldn’t help it anymore.
“So you went on a date with your cute little sister? That sounds really, really nice,” she said.
Not only was Yui being awfully persistent about the matter, but her choice of words was also bothering Yuuki. His day out with Mina was less of a date, and more akin to a babysitting mission.
“Don’t know about all that ‘cute’ stuff. She’s been going through a rebellious phase lately,” he grumbled. He then went on to explain to Yui about Mina’s recent odd behavior and how he was at a genuine loss on how to deal with her. Yui listened attentively, then nodded in admiration, as though she’d just realized something.
“Hmm, I see. It’s kinda refreshing seeing you like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Y’know, like, seeing you mad at someone. You barely show any emotion. And this all comes from a good place since you care so much about your sister! It’s pretty heartwarming.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m actually mad or anything. I just don’t know what to do with her sometimes. She told me that she’ll only make friends at school if I get myself a girlfriend. Can you believe it?” he complained, folding his arms as he pondered on what to do.
“Hmm~? A girlfriend, huh? Hehe, I see,” she tittered as she glanced at Yuuki. “Funny you mention it, because my sister has been nagging me to get a boyfriend too...”
“Damn, guess we both got it rough.”
“Y-Yeah,” Yui responded as the conversation came to a sudden halt. She then busied herself with sorting the contents of her bag and the inside of her desk. Eventually, she stopped what she was doing midway, turned toward Yuuki, and declared that she had an idea.
“Let’s hear it,” Yuuki said.
“Come closer,” she instructed, looking around inconspicuously to ensure that the coast was clear before leaning in closer to Yuuki, cupping his ear with her hand, and whispering, “How about I pretend to be your girlfriend?” She chuckled cutely and leaned back away from him.
“What?” Yui’s suggestion was so abrupt, so completely inconceivable, that he just had to make sure he heard her correctly.
“What do you mean ‘what’? I can be your fake girlfriend in front of your sister.”
“... Yeah, let’s not.”
“But why not? It’s a great idea! And, and it’ll trick your little sister into netting herself some friends too!”
“I get that, but I think that may be a bit too much. And what do you even get out of it?” he asked. She must be planning something. As he’d suspected, Yui was clearly shaken by his question.
“U-Uh, Well, I’m, uh, just so worried about Mina! That’s all! If she’s anything like you, then she must definitely struggle with making new friends!”
“Hey, I have two people in my contacts list, for the record. Mina has zero. No joke.”
“You sound way too proud of a measly two contacts. I didn’t exactly have high hopes, but I had no idea the situation was this bad. I’m not one of those two contacts, am I? Oh, actually, hmm... Are you possibly getting cold feet? Is it because you want me to be your girlfriend for real? Pretend just ain’t enough for you?” she asked, finishing off with a deadly smile.
I knew she was up to something.
Mina was a handful, but Yui was certainly giving her a run for her money. Yuuki started to suspect that she might have more screws loose than he’d thought. There was no way a normal person would genuinely suggest being someone else’s fake lover, right?
This sounds like something out of a bad anime. But I guess I can’t just shut her down like that. It would be too cruel.
“You’re so helpless, Yui.”
“What’s with the condescending tone?”
“I get it, don’t you worry. We’ll do as you say.”
“Why do you sound like you’re the one indulging a spoiled brat?”
“Nah, you’re just imagining things. Thank you, Yui. You’re so kind and caring.”
“Wha—? Keep this up. See what happens,” Yui said menacingly.
Yuuki noticed that she was now holding the stone he’d given her as if it was a weapon. Things were about to get ugly, but Yuuki had an ace up his sleeve. All bad blood was subdued courtesy of his all-forgiving smile. This technique took a lot out of Yuuki, but its effects were immediate, as evidenced by Yui’s peculiar expression that was a mix of happiness and frustration.
“That settles it then!” Yui exclaimed joyfully, marking an end to that whole episode.
It’s gonna be tough handling both of these girls at the same time, Yuuki pondered. Now that we’re “dating,” I’m particularly worried about what this new little sister of mine will do in public. But she did say this was all for Mina, right? His thoughts quickly turned to self-assurance and pragmatism. Besides, this is killing two birds with one stone, isn’t it?
When classes had finished, Yui suggested striking while the iron was hot and formally introducing her to Mina at Yuuki’s apartment. The pair set some ground rules, which included deciding that the farce would only be in effect in front of Mina. As such, they left the school separately and only met up again in front of a convenience store nearby.
“S-Sorry to keep you waiting,” Yui said. She had her hand on her chest and looked to be having trouble breathing.
“What’s wrong?” Yuuki inquired.
“J-Just a little nervous,” she answered quietly.
Wonder where all that enthusiasm went, Yuuki thought. She had looked rather excited when she first came up with the idea, but he supposed she was now second-guessing herself now that they were actually going to go through with it. Turns out she’s the one with cold feet, after all. Yuuki felt that her change in attitude was so severe that it was possible that she also suffered from some kind of multiple personality disorder. Poor girl.
Yuuki grabbed her arm in a strange attempt to calm her down. “Here,” he said, “I’ll give you a handshake.”
“O-Oh, thank y—wait! Why a handshake of all things?!” she protested, violently jerking her arm away. Her face began to turn red as she stood there, awkwardly holding her own arm.
“My bad. But we’ll probably have to get used to it if we’re going to pretend that we’re a couple.”
“R-Right,” Yui faltered, stumbling over her words. Though she didn’t seem entirely convinced, she still brought her arm down and placed her hand in his. Yuuki could feel her whole arm twitch slightly and become stiff soon after. However, she eventually loosened up and squeezed his hand.
Her hands are so smooth and soft, he thought to himself. “You have beautiful hands.”
“I-I do? W-Well, uh, your fingers are so long and slim... They’re pretty attractive.”
“You think so?” he asked as he looked down at his hand. Yuuki reverted his attention back to Yui pretty quickly, since she looked rather suspicious. She had the faintest traces of a smile on her slightly blushed face, and her eyes were wandering around frantically.
“Whoa, you’re totally nailing this ‘flustered girlfriend on her first date’ act. You might be a natural.”
“O-Of course! V-Very convincing act, right?!”
“Yeah, that weird smile is a great touch.”
“I-I know! I’m a talented actress! You can call me Yui Jolie,” she boldly claimed.
Yuuki had been of the mind that anyone would have been able to see through their ruse, but Yui’s hidden talents roused some hope within him; perhaps it’d work surprisingly well in the end.