The Hikigaya couple's youthful love story is definitely not a problem.

Hachiman wanted to continue writing, but was startled by the sound coming from behind him.

"Brother, why aren't you asleep yet? What are you doing here?" Komachi took a can of drink out of the refrigerator, seemingly because she was thirsty.

Ah, it's nothing... nothing at all.

Hachiman turned his back, trying to cover the notebook.

Heh~ Komachi saw Hachiman's actions and became even more suspicious. She came over and snatched the thing that Hachiman was hiding behind his back, and examined it closely.

Hachiman covered his face, his shame exploding instantly.

Alas... Komachi's face grew redder and redder as she read, until she had finished reading it all, her face was as red as a ripe apple.

This is something my brother should keep to himself; why write it down? What if someone sees it?

People probably thought my brother had ulterior motives towards me.

Komachi looked around absentmindedly.

With a rip, Komachi tore the page off and ran back to her room, not even bothering with the drink she'd only taken a sip of.

Hachiman sighed, finished the drink to calm his nerves, and went back to his room.

Komachi, meanwhile, held the page and kept looking at the short passage, getting happier and happier with each reading. Her little face flushed as she hugged the paper and rolled around on the bed.

So it turns out my brother is more important to me than Yukino-neechan~ Hehehe, after all, she's the cutest little sister in the world.

As Komachi thought this, the ahoge (cowlick) on her head twitched rapidly.

After folding it neatly and placing it in her small box where she kept some precious items, Komachi happily returned to her bed, deciding to treasure this piece of paper forever as proof of her inseparable brother-sister bond with Hachiman.

Chapter Ninety-Four Between Sisters

Hey~ Good morning, Hikigaya-kun.

Hiratsuka Shizuka saw Hachiman and Yukino walking side by side on a street not far from the school. She rolled her eyes in annoyance but still went up to greet them.

"Teacher, what's this...?" Hachiman pointed to Hiratsuka Shizuka's forehead, puzzled. There was a tiny bruise on the side of her forehead. If it weren't for her unusually fair and smooth skin, Hachiman wouldn't have even noticed it.

Ah, I wasn't paying attention when I left this morning and got bumped into.

Hiratsuka Shizuka smoothed her hair, thinking, "Am I supposed to tell you that this is actually from when I fell off the sofa after drinking too much that night and hit my head on a beer can?"

The teacher has a car, so it seems like he walks here every day.

Yukino was a little confused because Hiratsuka Shizuka's apartment wasn't exactly close; it would take at least thirty minutes to walk there.

Anyway, it's just the same old road; walking it is good exercise.

Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand dismissively.

But you, Hikigaya-kun, with that delicate and frail appearance, look like you could be blown away by a gust of wind.

Hiratsuka Shizuka reached out and pinched Hachiman's arm, her face full of disgust.

"I..." Hachiman paused, not understanding how he had been inexplicably dragged into this again.

"Exactly! If I hadn't deliberately let you win every day, do you think you could have beaten me?" Yukino chimed in, expressing her dissatisfaction with Hachiman's constant attempts to take advantage of her.

Hachiman was quite disdainful. This girl in front of him didn't miss any opportunity to be stubborn. It seemed he would have to teach her a lesson tonight.

Hmm, I remember Yukinoshita studied Aikido.

She mentioned it when she was chatting with Yang Nai.

"Is that so...?" Yukino said, a little embarrassed.

Yes, every time Yang Nai talks about you, she's beaming with pride, and she always speaks highly of you, which shows that you hold a very high place in her heart.

Hiratsuka Shizuka remembered what Haruno had said to her while they were drinking, and decided to help her out.

Although Yukino is perfect in every way, there is only one thing that is not so good.

She doesn't seem very happy with me as her older sister, so I'm really troubled about how to get along with her.

The desolation and loneliness on Hiratsuka's face at that time were something Hiratsuka had never seen on this woman's face before, so this expression left a very deep impression on Hiratsuka.

Carefully choosing her words, Hiratsuka Shizuka spoke cautiously, trying to help Yukino improve the relationship between the sisters.

If it were the old Yukino, such advice would not only be useless, but would also make the girl more stubborn, because she would only think that these words were an indirect mockery that she was not as good as Haruno.

Once Yukino got stuck on something, nothing could pull her back, and no amount of persuasion from others could change her mind.

The current Yukino is completely different from the stubborn person she used to be. She can now sense whether others are offering well-intentioned advice or lying with malicious intent.

I know that my sister has always been very good to me; I was just immature before.

I always ignored her concern for me, and even resisted it.

Yukino said very sincerely.

Huh? Hiratsuka Shizuka instinctively wanted to continue trying to dissuade her, but to her surprise, the girl herself readily admitted her mistake.

"Does the teacher not believe me?" Yukino sighed. After all, Hiratsuka Shizuka and Haruno had been friends for so many years, and they could talk about anything.

Hiratsuka Shizuka is also very familiar with her best friend's younger sister's temperament.

Even though her icy expression has improved somewhat now that Hachiman is around, Shizuka Hiratsuka believes that it's just the behavior of a girl who has never had any emotional experience after being nourished by love.

In Hiratsuka Shizuka's common sense, a person's personality is not so easy to improve; otherwise, how could the so-called seven-year itch lead to the breakdown of so many originally loving couples?

It's because after a long period of getting along, we've become blind to each other's strengths, while their weaknesses have become increasingly apparent, and we haven't found any good solutions.

Later on, they couldn't even find someone with the same interests anymore, and had no choice but to part ways.

"What do you mean you don't believe me...? Teacher, I'm just surprised... Haha..." Hiratsuka Shizuka chuckled dryly, though she herself didn't believe her own words.

Yukino sighed softly and stopped talking, instead taking out her phone.

I know that you and my sister have a good relationship, and I am very grateful for your concern for my sister. This shows that you truly consider my sister a friend.

After Yukino finished speaking, she found Haruno in her contacts.

I'm actually very happy that my sister has a friend like a teacher, because she, like me, didn't have many close friends since childhood because she was too outstanding. But my sister is much stronger than me.

Yukino's expression was very sincere. Although she hesitated for a while, she finally gritted her teeth and pressed down.

Huff~ Yukino felt a little flustered and tried to calm her anxiety with deep breaths.

She had never felt the wait for someone to answer the phone so long. Just as the girl breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that her sister wouldn't answer, Yang Nai's joyful voice came from the receiver.

"Oh my, Yukino is calling me so early. Is there something you need from your older sister?" Haruno thought to herself, thinking that she would try her best to fulfill Yukino's request as long as it wasn't too unreasonable.

...However, Yukino didn't make a sound, and Haruno seemed to suddenly realize something.

Hikigaya-kun, why did you call me on Yukino's phone so early in the morning? You made her so happy for no reason.

Yang said with dissatisfaction.

Aren't you going to say anything? Then I'm hanging up.

Just as a somewhat impatient Yukino was about to hang up the phone, Yukino had no choice but to speak up.

Sister, it's me.

The girl's voice remained cool and aloof, but her face was flushed slightly.

Huh? Can you call me that again? Yang Nai thought she was dreaming, because it was extremely rare for her younger sister to call her "older sister" as her first words.

Sister...older sister.

Yukino paused for a moment, then stammered and obeyed.

I didn't hear you clearly, can you say it again? But Yang Nai was a bit shameless.

If you keep doing this, I'm going to hang up.

Yukino puffed out her cheeks and said somewhat angrily.

Okay, okay~ What does Yukino want from me so early in the morning?

Nothing much, I just have some things I want to say to my sister.

Yukino glanced at the bewildered Hiratsuka Shizuka, then suddenly felt her free hand being grasped.

Turning her head, she saw Hachiman holding her delicate, fair hand, smiling at her as if encouraging her.

Taking a deep breath, Yukino slowly opened her mouth amidst Hachiman's encouragement, Haruno's expectation, and Hiratsuka Shizuka's bewilderment.

Chapter Ninety-Five: Emotions

Sister...you've worked so hard all these years.

Yukino said this.

"What...what did you say?" Yang Nai was startled and almost dropped her phone. She suppressed her inner turmoil and stammered as she asked.

What I mean is that in recent years, my sister has been working tirelessly day and night, both for the family and for me, and she often forgets to eat because she is so busy.

However, I not only failed to show enough care for my sister, but I even harbored some prejudice against you at one point.

So I wanted to apologize to my sister, even though I know it's not sincere at all, but that's all I can do right now.

I know that my abilities may be considered relatively outstanding compared to ordinary people, but they are nothing compared to my sister's.

Over the years, my sister has never had any complaints about my clumsy personality; on the contrary, she has fulfilled her responsibilities as an older sister very well.

However, I not only didn't feel any gratitude for this in the past, but also made my sister pay a heavy price because of my willfulness.

Therefore, I have only one purpose for calling my sister so early this morning.

I just want to say, sister, I'm sorry, please forgive my willfulness over the years.

She never took her sister's efforts seriously, instead taking them for granted.

On the other end of the phone, Yukino covered her mouth to prevent Yukino from hearing her slightly choked voice, but she couldn't control her tears at all, which gushed out like a waterfall.

Even someone as strong as Yang Nai has her vulnerable side, but she hides it deep inside and never lets others notice.

However, at this moment, after Yukino's heartfelt words, Haruno could not suppress her emotions. Even when she was confronting her parents for Yukino's sake, she maintained a calm and confident expression.

Or rather, since childhood, Yang Nai has almost never shed a tear, let alone lost her composure like she did today.

Choking back tears, Yang felt that all her hard work had been worthwhile.