Yandere? Menhera? Bring It On, If You're Confident That I'll love You For Who You Are - Chapter 50

Returning to the Usual Days

Over two months had passed since the Asagami Group incident, and we had returned to our usual daily lives.

Under the refreshingly clear blue sky, with the cold wind passing by like a blade, I walked the familiar route to school with Rio, reflecting on everything up to this point.

The collapse of the Asagami Group had caused quite a stir, and as a result, Rio, Hina, and I became the focus of considerable attention from the public and the media.

Luckily, being minors, our names were kept out of the internet articles and newspapers, but in a small town, rumors spread quickly, especially since I had barely attended school since being confined by Kanade.

“Hey, isn’t that…”

“Look, it’s the infamous Kurogane, right? The one who almost killed the head of the Asagami Group…”

“And before that, there were rumors of patricide, right? It’s got to be a misunderstanding… but still…”

“He supposedly acted in self-defense when he almost ‘killed’ the Asagami Group, right? I mean, he did expose their evil deeds, so maybe he’s more of a hero this time?”

“Well, yeah. But the impact of the ‘killing his parent’ rumor is just too big…”

Even just walking to school, we could hear the whispers all around us.

While the incident with my uncle and aunt triggered by Kanade was kept under wraps due to her being a minor, the numerous tragedies brought on by the Asagami Group were a different story.

Perhaps because I hadn’t been able to attend school much after the Asagami Group incident, the public’s perception of me, especially compared to Rio, was varied.

“Pheww~… I’m so sleepy…”

“…Nii-san, are you sleep-deprived?”

“Yeah, a little.”

As usual, amidst the critical gazes of the students, I couldn’t help but let out a huge yawn.

It must be incredibly uncomfortable for Rio, but she still seemed to want to go to school with me, enduring the surrounding stares and continuing our conversation.

“It’s all gone back to normal, huh? Just like this.”

“What? Are you regretting something?”

“It’s not like that. Well, it’s all because of Kanade-chan this time, right? She really left us quite a parting gift.”

“Kanade probably wouldn’t want to hear that from you.”

It seemed she had completely forgotten how she had once framed her own brother as a rapist.

While saying that, I let out another yawn.

“You’re yawning a lot. Didn’t you sleep at all?”

“No, I think I got about two hours. Today’s classes are only in the morning, right? Looks like I’m going to be asleep in class then.”

“Come on, pull yourself together. You’re already in danger of not getting enough credits for the second semester, you’ll be held back if you keep this up. Oh, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing…”

Rio closed the gap between us, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

“As Rio, I might actually prefer that. If you’re held back and we’re in the same class, we can always be together.”

“We’ve been meeting up every lunch break recently, haven’t we?”

“You might cheat on me when Rio isn’t looking. Or maybe…”

In the middle of summer, Rio reached for the neck warmer wrapped around her neck.

“Nii-san, do you want to kill Rio… again?”

With powerless, vacant eyes, Rio stared straight at me.

Now that Kanade was gone, she was taking advantage of my weakness as only a sister could.

“Just kidding. Rio is happy. Finally, that Kanade-chan who brought disaster to our household is gone.”

“Look who’s talking. Someone used that very disaster to hurt herself.”

“I have to do it, otherwise Nii-san might be taken by some other vixen.”

While saying that, Rio pushed her (barely there) chest against my arm.

It was painful to not be able to deny my former lover as a disaster, but it was also the moment I felt our usual daily life had finally returned.

“(Well, excluding the school life that starts today…)”

Continuing the idle chatter with Rio, the moment we arrived in front of the school gates—

“Oh, Minato, Rio-chan too. As always, you make a lovely pair in the morning.”

“Good morning, Yuuya-senpai. You’re quite observant.”

As if he’d been waiting for us, Yuuya stood there rooted to the spot.

“Hey, isn’t Hina with you?”

“Come on, you’re here to see me just because of her? I can feel a rift in our friendship. Even though you’re the most reliable best friend who wants to borrow my strength…”

With a creepy smile, Yuuya pulled out several prints and writing utensils from his bag as if to hand them over.

“Sorry, Minato, I’m counting on you for support!”

“Alright, do your best.”

“Not that kind of support! I totally bombed last week’s final exams. At the very least, I need to turn in my assignments.”

“…As usual, Senpai.”

Sweating profusely, Yuuya was met with Rio’s incredulous gaze. Since Kanade was gone, it was my role to take over.

“Come on, Minato, help me out. I got red marks in all subjects on the final exam, I have to at least turn in the assignments or I’m screwed!”

“Red marks in all subjects…”

I couldn’t help but be taken aback. It was nothing short of a miracle that a student like him managed to advance last year.

In a normal high school, red marks in all subjects would immediately mean being held back, but in a school with students like this, it seemed the teachers understood that their criteria were loose, and many were exempted from being held back by jumping through various hoops of assignments. Yuuya was one of those students.

Rio turned to me with a teasing smile as she spoke to Yuuya.

“Why don’t you help him out?”

“You’re acting like it’s none of your business, you know.”

“Of course. Unlike Rio, my ‘smart brother’ should be able to handle it easily.”

“Oh boy…”

Perhaps remembering her childhood complexes, Rio emphasized the words “unlike me,” as if to provoke. She seems to have picked up some strange traits from me.

“Well, then, Rio will go ahead. Ah, Yuuya-senpai. It’s fine to exploit Nii-san, but please finish whatever you need to do by lunchtime, okay? I don’t want even a moment of my time with Nii-san to be taken away.”

“O-Okay! I get it!”

Intimidated by Rio’s sharp gaze, Yuuya agreed. Rio then entered the school building.

“…Rio-chan’s gone, right?”

“Yeah, she’s gone.”

After making sure Rio had fully entered the school building, Yuuya turned back around and put the prints and writing utensils he had been offering to me back into his own bag.

“Phew… How was that? Quite the convincing performance, right?”

“Yeah, given your usual behavior, it’s good to see your daily actions come in handy.”

“Oh, are you praising me? But that makes it sound like I’m usually an idiot…”

“Get to the point already. You wouldn’t have ambushed me if you didn’t have something to talk about, right?”

Yuuya seemed to rack his brain for a moment, but quickly returned to his usual tone.

Then, just as quickly, his demeanor changed, his eyes growing sharp.

“Well, I figure you can guess what I’m about to say. How have things been with her lately?”

“You mean Hina? We’ve drifted apart a bit since that incident, but we still meet up now and then. In fact, just yesterday, we talked about going out to eat soon.”

Relieved by my words, Yuuya showed a smile.

Talking about Hina inevitably brought up the subject of Kanade.

The police had, under strict confidence, revealed to Hina’s parents the crimes that Kanade had committed in the past.

Naturally, the story reached her brother, Yuuya.

“But seriously, I thought my heart would stop when I first heard it. That Kanade-san was trying to kill Rio-chan? And that she was threatening Hina, too… It’s like a bad dream. And I admired her so much…”

Yuuya, who had been nothing more than part of our daily lives, was the only one who could slip through the jealousy of Rio and Kanade, being a man.

Not only for Hina, but Kanade was also a special person to him. He never would have dreamed that she was involved in the incident with my aunt and uncle.

In a sense, he might have been the one most shocked by the recent trouble.

“So you really liked her, Kanade.”

“Haha… Was it that obvious? Well, I never had the courage to confess. But… thank you. For protecting her again.”

Yuuya uncharacteristically uttered words of gratitude.

Did he have his own thoughts about the incident with Kanade?

As if answering my query, Yuuya’s gaze sharpened again as he spoke.

“Hey, Minato. Is there anything I can do from now on?”

“That’s sudden. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. When I can’t go home with Rio, just make up some reason to tell her. I’ve been really grateful for that.”

“Of course, but is that really all you want?”

“Well… how about this time you try to protect her with your own hands?”

“…”

My words touched on a wound from Yuuya’s past.

“…So you knew after all. That it was I who brought you and Hina together. Do you resent me?”

“Not at all. That was a path I chose myself. A man who has always left everything up to others can’t be burdened with such a heavy load.”

Before I met you, Hina was bullied by the other girls because of her cute appearance and their jealousy.

Despite knowing the truth of what happened to his sister, he didn’t take any action.

Even though he was more concerned for his sister’s well-being than anyone else, he must have been desperate to do something about it in his heart.

But he couldn’t protect her with his own strength, couldn’t face Hina.

“I’ll take your feelings into account. I’m sure you’re not lying about being worried. But you know how serious the situation is from what the police said, right? If you’re prepared to break that easily, you’re just a hindrance to me. It’s better if you remain a bystander as usual.”

“Haha… No trust, huh, from me.”

Despite his light-hearted words, I could feel the definite frustration in Yuuya’s clenched fist.

But it’s highly unlikely that he’d ever reveal it.

He empathizes with his sister’s and friend’s misfortunes and struggles as if they were his own.

However, when the time comes, the fear and pain within him prevail, and he freezes.

That’s the kind of man Saotome Yuuya is.