Chapter 13 Little Sister vs. Ex-Girlfriend

Little Sister vs. Ex-Girlfriend

Chiharu’s PoV

After school, as I walked home alone past the school gates, I took my phone out of my pocket. I wanted to check for a reply to a message I had been hoping to receive all day.

But when I opened the screen, there was still no reply from Akagi-senpai.

In fact, my message hadn’t even been read for nearly a week.

“What is he doing, seriously…”

When Souta broke up with me, Akagi-senpai had said he was serious about our relationship.

But as soon as I broke up with Souta, it became nearly impossible to get in touch with Senpai.

Was everything he said back then just a lie?

Feeling a tightness in my chest, I stared at the screen.

A whole week without reading my message—it made me wonder if Senpai was deliberately ignoring me. The thought made my chest ache even more.

At the same time, I remembered what Saki said to me earlier today.

Why was I so angry at Souta this morning?

I’m his ex-girlfriend, and our relationship is over.

In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I was the one who ended it.

And yet, feeling this way…

That was the moment I began to realize something about myself.

Thinking it over calmly, I might have gone too far this morning.

I needed to talk to Souta soon.

Once I made up my mind, my feet naturally started heading toward Souta’s house.

Souta is my childhood friend who lives nearby, so I know the way by heart.

As I walked through the quiet residential area, I saw someone reaching for the gate of Souta’s house.

It was Nana-chan (奈々), Souta’s younger sister.

With her long, straight black hair and graceful demeanor, she had a maturity that was rare for a second-year middle school student.

I approached her and called out.

“It’s been a while, Nana-chan.”

“Chiharu-san… what brings you here?”

I tried to sound as cheerful as possible, but I couldn’t help wondering if my unease showed in my tone.

Maybe it was a mistake to approach her so suddenly, even though we knew each other.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to Souta right away.”

When I explained my reason, Nana-chan’s expression darkened noticeably.

It was as if she saw me as a clear enemy.

I had never seen her look at me that way before.

“What do you want to talk to Onii-sama about?”

“Uh, well… a lot of things, I guess.”

The words slipped out reflexively. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to say yet. For now, I just wanted to revisit what happened this morning…

But why should I have to explain my reasons to Nana-chan?

She’s just his little sister—what does this have to do with her?

Just as I was thinking that, Nana-chan fixed me with a sharp look and said,

“What business does a cheater have with her ex-boyfriend?”

“Huh?”

The word escaped my lips involuntarily.

Her cold tone, filled with disdain, made me feel like my stomach was being twisted in knots.

I had sensed a certain distance between us earlier, but I never imagined Nana-chan would know about that. I hadn’t seen this coming at all.

“How do you know about that?”

“A few days ago, I noticed Onii-sama acting strange, so I asked him. That’s when he told me—Chiharu-san cheated on him. You betrayed Onii-sama, didn’t you?”

“Th-that’s not… it’s not like that…”

Please don’t look at me like that.

We used to talk normally, like friends.

Had I not only hurt Souta but also trampled on the feelings of others?

“What’s not like that?”

Under her relentless questioning, I realized something.

Nana-chan genuinely cares about Souta, and that’s why she’s angry.

Because I hurt her beloved brother, she’s directing all her hostility at me.

That’s completely understandable, but I have my own side of the story too.

“It’s not that simple. I was wrong, but Souta wasn’t innocent either. He was secretly writing songs for idols without telling me.”

I had been secretly seeing Akagi-senpai behind Souta’s back.

Souta, in turn, had been secretly composing songs for an idol behind mine.

Different issues, but both were betrayals of trust.

“Whether or not Onii-sama wrote songs, does that change how much you loved him?”

Nana-chan’s words struck a nerve.

Why did Souta writing songs for idols annoy me so much?

As if reading my mind, Nana-chan continued.

“Are you trying to get back together with him now? If so, that’s disgusting. Chiharu-san, you only care about the status of whoever you’re dating. You weren’t always like this—when did you change?”

“Th-that’s…”

When did I become like this?

Thanks to Nana-chan, I finally understood.

The reason I was angry at Souta for writing songs for idols.

To be precise, it wasn’t the act of writing songs that upset me.

I was angry because Souta’s songs were successful, and he had become a famous songwriter.

I resented him for achieving so much without me knowing.

I cheated on Souta and started dating Akagi-senpai, but now I’m the one being ignored.

Meanwhile, Souta seems to be thriving, as if to spite me after our breakup.

I felt like a complete fool for leaving Souta for someone else.

If I had known about Souta’s talent, would I have cheated? Would I have broken up with him?

In short, I regretted breaking up with Souta.

“Just let me talk to Souta.”

When I said that, Nana-chan shook her head firmly.

“No. Onii-sama is too kind—if you say something to him, he might give in. That’s why I have to protect him. You’re not worthy of him anymore, Chiharu-san. So please, stay away from Onii-sama!”

“…!”

W-what…

I stood there, stunned. I never imagined Nana-chan would say something like this to me.

I had assumed that with support from those around Souta, it would be easy to repair our relationship. But I clearly underestimated the situation. Nana-chan was far more disappointed in me than I had realized—she outright despised me.

“It’s not just me. Mom is disappointed too. She thought you’d be part of our family forever.”

“M-mom too?”

To think that even Souta’s mom knew about the reason for our breakup…

We had built such a strong, family-like bond over the years…

And I threw it all away.

I finally realized the weight of what I had done.

I had betrayed not just Souta, but everyone who cared about us.

I had shattered all the trust we had built.

“This conversation is over. Goodbye, Chiharu-san.”

With that, Nana-chan turned and walked through the gate.

“Wait, wait. Please, wait a minute.”

I called after her, but my voice was so weak that Nana didn’t hear me. She opened the front door and quietly disappeared inside. The sound of the door closing echoed heavily in my heart.

After Nana-chan disappeared from sight, I could only stand there.

My body felt like lead, and my thoughts were spinning in circles.

Nana-chan’s words echoed in my mind, tightening the knot in my chest.

How did it come to this?

It’s all because I cheated.

And after talking to Nana-chan, I finally understood.

The reason I was angry at Souta this morning.

It stemmed from my unwillingness to admit that leaving Souta for Akagi-senpai had been a mistake.

If only I hadn’t…

As I stood there, dazed, something cold landed on my cheek.

Before I realized it, I had started crying uncontrollably.

My voice trembled as I whispered my regret.

“I wish I hadn’t broken up with Souta.”