Upon reexamining, it really was clear—the two looked quite alike on the outside, but their personalities were completely opposite.
If Yukino was a winter beauty capable of unleashing a blizzard of absolute zero, then her elder sister, Haruno, was a passionate and radiant summer beauty.
A closer look revealed plenty of differences between them.
First, their bust size.
From a normal human perspective, it was a fact that Yukino didn't have much going on, while her elder sister was quite full in all the right ways. Combined with her slender and elegant figure, it was simply perfect.
She easily outclassed Yukino in that department.
Glare—!!!
As if sensing he was comparing the two of them, Yazuki suddenly felt the bone-chilling sharpness of Yukino's icy gaze—fleeting but unmistakable.
Yes, this was the Yukino he knew, the true ice queen.
…Wait a minute, why did he kind of like that stare? Was he a masochist? No, no, it was probably just because Yukino was acting a bit out of character today, and he wasn't used to it.
Anyway, although he had just said that Yukino's elder sister was like a radiant summer beauty, in other words, a bright and cheerful girl—someone almost no one could hate—this sister was probably the exception.
Beneath her sunny exterior, she hid a dark core. Simply put, although she wore a bright and cheerful expression, she had the heart of a little devil.
Now that he thought about it, wasn't Utaha the same type of woman? No, not quite.
Utaha deliberately faked her demeanor just to mess with him, but she was generally snarky with others—that was her true nature.
As for Haruno, it was the opposite. She usually showed a sunny side to most people, but it felt like she was wearing a mask the whole time.
"Ehhh~~~ So you really aren't Yukino's boyfriend? Just classmates at school?"
She touched her lips with her fingers—like someone gleefully digging into her little sister's secret—only to lose steam and look a bit disappointed.
Yazuki didn't respond. He had no intention of repeating himself.
By the way, Haruno was now sitting on the same side of the table as Yazuki. That seat was originally meant for Ikaros, but Haruno had taken it first.
After what looked like a brief moment of thought, she scanned him from head to toe once more. Though it appeared to be a sister's casual curiosity, Yazuki could sense sharp scrutiny hidden within her gentle gaze.
It was likely the look of a protective older sister checking if her little sister's "friend" had any problems.
"Well then, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Haruno, Yukino's older sister. Please get along well with her, okay? This kid doesn't seem to have many friends, after all."
The moment those words dropped, Yukino shot a death glare at her sister, as if silently screaming: "Sis, if you keep spouting nonsense, go home already!!!"
In response, Haruno just gave her a gentle smile.
"Then, you're Yazuki, right? I look forward to getting to know you."
"Oh."
"..."
That's it? That kind of half-hearted response left Haruno rather frustrated.
She had rushed over to her sister's apartment after hearing that Yukino collapsed at school today. She hadn't expected to stumble upon something this interesting.
Her typically cold and distant little sister, who kept everyone at bay with her blizzard-like attitude, actually had a boy in her apartment?
That was a freaking miracle.
Both claimed there was nothing between them—just that Yazuki's cousin came over to learn cooking from Yukino, and he tagged along for dinner. That part probably wasn't a lie.
But as for her sister… that might be another story.
Letting a girl into her home to learn cooking, sure. But allowing that girl's brother in too? That meant she had at least some level of approval toward the guy.
"Ehhh? Wh-what breed of cat is this? It's so cute!"
Haruno suddenly noticed Yukino preparing a small dish for a snow-white cat.
Its ears were a bit larger than average, and its tail, fluffy at the base, became especially thick and bushy toward the tip—almost like a small flame.
It was, in short, an adorable, soft and cuddly creature.
Haruno couldn't help but reach out to touch it—but before she could, Yukino scooped it up into her arms.
"Let me hold it."
That was Haruno's spoiled, begging tone.
"No!!!"
A sharp and firm rejection. Yukino was clearly on guard, and her rejection caused Haruno's smile to freeze in place.
"You stingy brat… Where'd it come from?"
Yukino ignored her, leaving Haruno pouting. Her eyes drifted back to Yazuki—who was eating while playing on his phone. Honestly, a bit rude.
Peeking at the screen, it looked like he was reading manga.
"Hey hey, is Yukino's kitty a gift from you?"
"Oh."
What the heck does "oh" mean? But Haruno did catch the subtle change in her sister's expression. That cat probably was a gift from him.
"Got any more? Could you gift me a cutie like that too?"
She scooted her chair closer, brushing her shoulder up against his, her head tilting toward him. Her eyes sparkled as she pleaded.
Wait… Shouldn't Yukino be stopping her right now?
"Please? Pretty please?"
As she spoke, she leaned in even more, pressing up against him.
Her soft fingers poked at his cheek. The whole thing was way too flirtatious. Her chest was even brushing against his arm—a normal boy would be blushing and panicking by now.
But all Haruno saw was his furrowed brow. Was he… angry?
She leaned in again, practically whispering in his ear.
"Well then, how about this? I'll consider being your girlfriend, Yazuki-kun."
With a sultry voice and warm, sweet breath brushing his ear, she softly whispered his name.
And in the very next second—
"Ugh~"
A tiny whimper escaped Haruno's lips, and her eyes started tearing up—not too much, just enough to moisten her long lashes.
Why?
Because Yazuki had stuck two fingers into her nose and then used his palm to shove her face away.
It was such an outrageous and savage move that even Yukino—who expected her sister to get shot down—was stunned. Then she couldn't help but stifle a laugh.
"Please, are we even that close?"
Yazuki's cold words hit Haruno right in the gut.
Her eyes twitched, her mouth trembled—she was clearly shaken.
For the first time in her life, Haruno had met a guy she couldn't handle.
Up until now, she'd never dreamed a boy would do something as insane as shoving his fingers into a beautiful girl's nose.
Was this guy mentally okay? She was genuinely starting to lose it a little.
Now it made sense why Yukino wasn't bothered—she knew her sister was going to crash and burn.