Don't you guys dislike me?

……

……

Yumiko left first, holding her little umbrella and blending into the night, all alone.

Youyi waved to the store manager and then walked out of the store. The heavy rain fell on the umbrella, a little heavy. The dark clouds covered the moon, and the alley was darker than ever.

The damp smell of rain filled my nostrils, with a hint of perfume.

"Yuichi."

Tachibana Haruna hid under his umbrella and leaned against him. Although he couldn't see her face clearly, Yuichi could feel that she was smiling.

"Don't you have an umbrella?"

"I left it at the store and forgot to bring it with me."

Yuichi looked back and estimated that the two were less than ten steps away from the coffee shop. He raised his eyebrows and asked:

"Shall I take you back to get it?"

"don't want!"

She was resolute.

"why?"

"Because... he gave it to me, and I don't want it."

Her gentle and soft voice was not drowned out by the noisy sound of rain, because it was breathed into Youichi's ear.

"Besides, isn't it nice to do this once in a while?"

Yuichi pretended not to hear:

"Let's go."

The rain separates the outside of the umbrella from the inside. No matter how noisy the rain and traffic outside the umbrella are, they cannot affect the inside of the umbrella. No one will notice them because they are divided into two by the sound of rain.

Tachibana Haruna felt a little happy in her heart. She didn't have much time to spend with Yuichi, so this moment seemed particularly precious. Today was not all bad. At least she was happy from the bottom of her heart.

"Is Miura your girlfriend?"

Tachibana Haruna didn't come to ask without reason.

"If so, then the person under the umbrella now should not be you."

Youyi looked straight ahead, the mottled light and shadow diluted by the drizzle reflected on his face, revealing a bit of handsomeness.

"How dare you say that! I have taken care of you for so long, and you treat me like this!"

The sudden imbalance in her heart aroused her emotions. Her cheeks puffed up slightly and she hummed.

Yuichi didn't reply, as if every time she brought up the matter between them, the topic would be passively terminated, as if to tell her that there is no future between them...

After so long, Tachibana Haruna has somewhat adapted to Yuichi's indifference, but the disappointment after every attempt is still inevitable.

The delicate little hand was raised and placed on Youyi's arm that was holding the umbrella. It was not so much that she was worried that his hand was tired, but rather that she was quietly getting close to him to feel his warmth.

"Come to think of it, there are so many beautiful girls around Yuichi, including Miura, the little girl with long black hair who came that day, and... Shiyu."

Youyi lowered his head, his purple eyes slightly focused, looking at Tachibana Haruna, a smile rippling in his watery eyes, the corners of his mouth raised, meeting his gaze.

After a while, Youyi continued walking without asking why or how she found out.

Tachibana Haruna was very dissatisfied with Yuichi's reaction and frowned slightly.

"Why don't you refute me? Are you just admitting your relationship?"

The sound of rain covered up her uneasiness. She moved closer, and her boneless body felt it more clearly. She fell into it with a slight touch.

"That was in the past. Our relationship is normal now."

Hina asked curiously, and her slightly tense body relaxed.

"before?"

"It has nothing to do with Sister Hina."

"Hey - Yuichi is so stingy~"

After walking for a while, the two got on the tram. There were water stains on the floor of the tram, and Youichi felt a little sticky.

Tachibana Haruna is wearing a hip-hugging short skirt with thin gray stockings underneath. Her legs are pressed together against Yuichi's school uniform pants. To outsiders, they should be a couple in a sister-brother relationship, right?

"too close."

The faint scent of perfume had been lingering at the tip of his nose, and had never left since he walked out of the cafe, making him feel a little dazed.

Yuichi reminded her several times intentionally or unintentionally, but Tachibana Haruna didn't seem to care and seemed to just pretend that she didn't understand.

"Hey...Yuichi, how was my performance today?"

The pink lip gloss was curved like two thin pieces of jelly, and the light in her eyes didn't give Youyi a chance to escape.

"How about what?"

"Still playing dumb! Has the impression of me changed in your eyes? I'm not as gentle to everyone as I am to you."

"Hmm... I guess so."

Yuichi had a complicated expression. He was struggling over whether to tell the truth or a lie, but he finally chose the former.

Do you feel happy when someone changes for you? Do you feel relieved? Or more likely, you feel heavy...

"Very good……"

She seemed to be relieved, as if her efforts had paid off, her soul had found comfort, and it was also as if she was atonement.

123. Why did you tell me?

That night, You Yi returned home and took a shower to wash off the stickiness from the rain before starting to prepare dinner.

Amid the sizzling sound of cooking in the oil pan, a pleasant doorbell rang out, reserved and intermittent. Youyi turned off the stove and opened the door.

Tachibana Haruna looked up with a sweet smile, and put her hands behind her back, "Good evening, Yuichi."

"Good evening.", he responded.

Yuichi's tall body blocked Tachibana Haruna's view. She tilted her head, glanced inside the door, and asked:

"Can I come in?"

Youyi paused and moved aside to let Tachibana Haruna in.

"Is there a problem?"

"I just felt like I haven't been here for a while, so I came to check on you and Shiyu and see if you and Shiyu are eating self-heating bento or fast food every night. Kasumigaoka-san specifically asked me to take good care of you."

Tachibana Haruna was talking to herself while changing her shoes.

Yuichi was silent. He was having a quarrel with Kasumigaoka Utaha. Now Kasumigaoka Utaha would rather go out to eat at a restaurant every night than compromise with Yuichi.

"what happened?"

"It's okay, I'll go back to the kitchen first."

It rained all afternoon today, so Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't bother going to the restaurant. She just bought some instant noodles on the way home.

It just so happened that the box of cup noodles was still lying in the trash can.

The girl's stubbornness exceeded Yuichi's expectations. If Kasumigaoka Utaha was malnourished, he was somewhat responsible.

Youyi was stir-frying the shredded pork in the frying pan, his thoughts drifting away with the smoke.

"Oh! It looks great!"

Tachibana Haruna looked at the brightly colored shredded pork and green peppers in Yuichi's hands in surprise: "Yuichi can also grow flowers and cook?"

"Yeah, I saw it online, and it tastes pretty good."

"Did you have a quarrel with Shiyu?"

The gentle voice of Tachibana Haruna came from the fragrance, and her emerald green eyes stared at him. The soft curve of her face and slightly raised lips made people feel at ease. She was like an intimate older sister, and it seemed that all troubles could be confided in her arms without any scruples.

"Is that all Shiyu eats every day?"

"Let's go out to a restaurant occasionally." Youyi put the dishes on the plate and said leisurely.

The plate is small and the portion is for one person.

"How come you have so little? Where's mine?"

Tachibana Haruna didn't notice it when it was spread out in the frying pan, but she noticed it when it was served.

Youyi was stunned, his purple eyes full of confusion.

"Where's my portion? I skipped dinner and came to see you because I wanted to try out Yuichi's cooking..."

Hina angrily approached Yuichi, her beautiful blue eyes widened, her long eyelashes and rosy face were magnified a lot, beautiful to the point of being dreamy.

Youyi took a few steps back, "You didn't tell me in advance."

"Do you have any more ingredients?" Hina pressed on.

"I think so..." Youyi said casually while protecting the plate.

"I also want to eat the food that Yuichi cooks~"

No longer able to maintain her older sister image, Tachibana Haruna tugged at his clothes like a spoiled child, showing off her beauty.

Her plump body and face were pressed against him, making Youyi wonder who was taking advantage.

Perhaps because he was a little annoyed by her pestering, Yuichi finally let go:

"I see--"

Tachibana Haruna was not too greedy. Seeing that her goal was achieved, she took a few steps back, taking away the fragrance and softness.

"Then do more. I'll go get Shiyu down."

She waved and went upstairs.

Want to ease their relationship? But is their reconciliation really what Tachibana Haruna wants to see... She is such a worrying older sister.

Yuichi took out the frozen meat from the refrigerator and made dinner for three people for the first time.

……

……

I don't know what Tachibana Haruna said, but she actually pulled Kasumigaoka Utaha out of the room. Although there was a layer of frost on her pretty face, she still sat obediently at the dining table.

The food was still steaming. Kasumigaoka Utaha swallowed her saliva but had no intention of picking up her chopsticks. Instead, she raised her eyes and pretended to glance casually at Yuichi who was eating with his head down, before she started eating.

The food tasted as good as always, both the rice and the side dishes, even better than many restaurants outside, but it still couldn't keep her thoughts.

……

"Hey... Shiha, did you know that Yuichi is working part-time?"

"What does his part-time job have to do with me?"

"The Miura classmate who came to my house last time is working part-time with Yuichi. I wonder if they go to school together every day, go to work together, and then go home hand in hand? It feels like a couple... I'm really envious."

"Heh, since you can talk to me calmly, it means they are not together yet."

"Ah~ You found out. You are really Shiyu. But what I said is true. If Shiyu continues to be in a stalemate with Yuichi, she will have to watch him be with other girls."

"Why are you telling me all this? Am I not also your competitor? You should be happy with our current relationship, so why are you coming here to convince me?"

Perhaps because she had been holding it in for too long, she became a little excited: "Really... Why does that scumbag have so many people like him?"

"Why did I tell you... maybe it's because your mother asked me to take good care of you two. After all, I was paid."

Tachibana Haruna shook the unopened envelope and said, "As for the last question, you should ask yourself."

……