Haruno walked up to them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Hello."
Yui and Iroha, facing the mature-looking older sister of their friend, naturally bowed their heads slightly to greet her.
The moment Haruno glanced at them with a smile that had a hint of coldness in her eyes, they immediately felt a kind of pressure deep in their bones—as though something had quickly suppressed them.
The sense of intimidation was so vivid that they straightened their backs reflexively.
"Oh, hello, hello~ Nice to see you all~"
Fortunately, Haruno didn't continue scrutinizing them for long.
Chisato turned his gaze away, because from the moment she walked over until she stood in front of them, he had noticed that she had been intermittently watching him.
This wasn't one of those illusions like "she's looking at me" born from self-consciousness, but an observable fact.
The next moment, Yukino stepped forward to block the line of sight between the two with her body, indicating that she, too, had noticed.
She spoke in a slightly displeased, questioning tone:
"Why are you here, sister?"
Haruno smiled and casually waved her hand.
"Don't be so uptight~ It's purely a coincidence. I just came to say hi after seeing my adorable little sister."
"Don't joke around. There's no way this is a coincidence."
Yukino remained serious, showing no leniency even toward her own sister.
Chisato, having already been somewhat informed about the relationship between the sisters, knew that this kind of exchange was part of their usual interaction, so he remained calm.
But Yui and Iroha, unaware of this context, found the Yukinoshita sisters' way of communicating to resemble the start of a disagreement.
It felt like they could break into an argument at any moment, leaving both girls slightly flustered and unsure how to react.
Luckily, as the "cheerful big sister," Haruno had dealt with her younger sister's sulking countless times and had plenty of experience.
Handling this kind of situation was second nature to her.
"So you won't believe that? Then how about this—we have sisterly telepathy…"
"Sister!"
Yukino, clearly running out of patience, sighed deeply at her sister's nonsense.
Realizing she wouldn't get a straight answer, she voiced her own suspicion:
"You heard about the dinner gathering tonight from Hiratsuka-sensei, didn't you?"
"What, so you did know after all."
"..."
While Yukino held her forehead and shook her head in silence, overwhelmed, Chisato let out a soft chuckle.
There was no ill intent behind it—he simply found the sisters' interaction amusing.
However, that laughter earned him a glare from Yukino, and drew Haruno's attention from her sister to him.
"Now that I look closely… Isn't this Suzumiya-kun? Long time no see."
Haruno covered her mouth in surprise with perfectly natural grace—but if one truly believed her reaction came from genuine surprise, they'd be falling for a major trap.
"…Long time no see, Miss Haruno."
Chisato quickly stifled his smile and returned the greeting dryly.
"Sorry, my sister's come to pick me up, so I can't go to the station with you."
Not wanting her sister to stay and cause more trouble, Yukino turned to say goodbye to Iroha and Yui.
The two girls quickly waved to signal it was no problem.
After reminding them to be careful on their way home, she stepped up to her sister's side.
"Let's go home, sister."
"Mm… since it's on the way anyway, how about you come too, Suzumiya-kun?"
As expected, Haruno extended an invitation.
She even stepped forward and casually placed a hand on Chisato's shoulder, who had been walking behind Iroha and Yuigahama, also about to leave.
Chisato didn't know what this woman was really thinking, but judging by the cheerful expression she was currently wearing, she was definitely plotting something.
It wasn't necessarily dangerous to others—but it certainly couldn't be good for him.
In short: avoid it if possible. There was no need to accept the invitation and get involved.
"No thanks, that sounds like a hassle."
"With our relationship, how can that be a hassle? You're being too distant. Don't worry, come on~"
A familiar fragrance drifted over, followed by a familiar motion: tiptoeing up and stretching an arm around the neck.
Haruno's actions this time were even more brazen than when she once found her sister alone at home with Chisato.
Like a drunken woman clinging to her boyfriend, she wrapped herself around Chisato, and the two of them, bodies pressed together, staggered off toward the parked car.
"Stop messing around, Sis!"
Yukino was mortified. She followed after the pair, speaking in a severe tone from the side.
Haruno gave a helpless smile, eventually letting go. But her goal had been achieved—she successfully dragged Chisato to her car.
Meanwhile, Iroha, who had walked off toward the train station, looked back halfway at the scene between the sisters and their upperclassman.
Hearing Yui gently call out to her, she quickly turned her gaze forward again and returned to her usual bright, smiling expression.
…
In the end, he still got in the car.
The scent of perfume in Haruno's car was the same as what lingered on her.
Unlike riding in Hiratsuka Shizuka's car, being in Haruno's made Chisato restless.
It wasn't about the comfort of the seat—his backside wasn't that particular.
The difference in experience came down to one thing: Chisato understood exactly what kind of person Haruno was.
Not just a hardcore, well-hidden siscon as he had once bluntly said, but also someone who would go out of her way to manufacture amusement just to keep herself entertained.
People like that—so unpredictable in behavior and thought—could never be dealt with too intimately. Who knew when she might do something outrageous?
Just look at Yukino sitting in the backseat too, with a look of both helplessness and distress—that expression said everything.
If even her own sister couldn't handle her, how clingy must she be?
So after getting in the car and offering thanks, Chisato shut his mouth and decided to speak only if absolutely necessary.
Yukino seemed to adopt the same strategy.
They both sat on opposite sides of the back seat, each turning to look out the window in surprisingly synchronized motions.
But Haruno had predicted this. Just because they didn't want to talk didn't mean she wouldn't.
With a smile, she adjusted the rearview mirror to get a clear view of the two in the back seat, then spoke brightly:
"Has anyone ever told you two that when you're together, you kind of give off a couple vibe?"
"..."
Chisato sighed quietly. Here it comes.
He had already explained this once at the Yukinoshita house, but apparently that explanation hadn't satisfied this siscon.
"Sis, please stop making such awful jokes."
Yukino stared into the mirror at her sister's smiling face.
That look and tone of voice were all too familiar—it was the usual sign that one of Haruno's mischievous ideas was about to become reality.
Images of past pranks and teases flashed before her eyes, all those old incidents piling up to form what could only be described as childhood trauma.
What was she planning this time?
"Don't call it awful," Haruno said. "I was just saying what I genuinely felt when I saw you two. Or… did I offend one of you somehow with what I said?"
Her smile in the mirror was graceful as ever.
Even while watching the road, she still paid close attention to her sister's reaction.
There was a trap in that sentence—clearly trying to guide Yukino into saying something Haruno wanted to hear.
Yukino saw through it, but also knew she couldn't out-talk her sister. Past experience taught her the best possible response at this moment.
"…I'm tired."
Yukino rubbed her forehead gently. It didn't sound directed at anyone in particular. She simply declared it, then leaned back and closed her eyes.
"Che~~~"
Haruno clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction at being brushed off so casually—but that was fine.
There was still another person in the back seat.
To her, Chisato was even more interesting than her sister at the moment. His way of thinking, actions, interests—she hadn't fully figured him out yet.
And for someone who chased amusement, the joy lay exactly in uncovering what hid beneath such an unreadable exterior.
She already had a bit of interest in him, and having caught him once alone in the apartment with her sister only intensified that.
Her most precious person, combined with her newest source of entertainment—how could she possibly let this go unexplored?
Until now, work and family obligations had kept her busy, but now that she had time, there was no way she'd let this opportunity slip.
"Miss Haruno, I'm a bit tired too…"
"Nope, you can't sleep. I'm a little sleepy too, so one of you has to stay awake and talk with me. Otherwise, if I doze off at the wheel and crash, that would be bad, right?"
Chisato had tried to use Yukino's tactic, but Haruno had anticipated it and shut it down instantly.
From the side, Yukino's lips, though her eyes remained closed, twitched as if trying to suppress a smile.
Chisato couldn't help but mutter, "If you're sleepy, just go home and rest. No need to come pick people up."
"Haha, I was just passing by! And besides, I love Yukino so much—if I have the time, of course I won't let her squeeze onto a packed train."
"How touching—sisterly love at its finest."
"Of course! Don't be fooled by how annoyed she seems now. We used to be way closer when we were younger…
Oh! Speaking of which, Chisato-kun, want to hear some embarrassing stories about Yukino as a kid?
She might look all serious now, but she had some super dorky moments, you know?"
"That's a bit private… I'll pass."
Although he was admittedly curious about those embarrassing stories, when Yukino slowly opened her eyes and looked his way, Chisato immediately decided it wasn't worth it.
"Aw, that's a shame. They're really funny."
Haruno shrugged.
"Well, let's change the subject. I heard from Shizuka that Yukino was only able to complete that recent request thanks to your help. So thank you."
The topic shifted to something more normal—just an older sister expressing concern for her little sister.
Chisato gradually lowered his guard. He leaned his elbow on the door's armrest, rested his chin in his palm, and gazed out the window.
"No need to be so formal. Honestly, I didn't do much.
Your sister did most of the work. She was amazing during that whole event. I'm just some useless background support—not even close to her level."
"Putting yourself down to praise others isn't a smart move. It makes people wonder if you've got an ulterior motive, you know?"
Haruno said it with a teasing smile.
Chisato replied calmly, "I don't have any hidden agenda. I just said what I honestly feel."
"I see…"
Haruno gave a slight nod, then smiled gently after a pause.
"But even so, I still want to thank you—not on Yukino's behalf, but from myself personally. After all, you did keep the promise you made to me and offered help when Yukino really needed it."
"No nee—"
Wait, what?
Chisato suddenly froze, realizing something was off.
When did I ever make a promise like that to you?
Chisato reacted quickly, immediately cutting off the topic, but even so, he was still a step too late.
At the same time, Haruno had already noticed through the rearview mirror how her little sister's eyes had suddenly widened in astonishment the moment she heard those words.
Hehe.
More affected than expected. That meant her hunch wasn't wrong.
There were probably quite a few things between those two that were worth digging into.
Now that Haruno had obtained this accurate piece of information, Chisato's belated correction no longer had any significance.
"No? Then I must have remembered it wrong."
Haruno replied airily.
She tapped the steering wheel with her finger while humming softly, clearly in a rather good mood.
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I fucking hate this siscon thot.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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