The Sister of My Childhood Friend Who Has a Boyfriend Has Been Involved With Me a Lot Lately

that I feel as if I too have somehow been cheered up by the cheerful response of Ageha.

In the living room, Ageha had taken off the beige coat she had been wearing and draped it over the back of the sofa.

I put the cocoa powder from the bottle into a mug and turns on the electric kettle.

Hot water pours into the mug, making a cloud of white steam.

“So what? What do you want?”

When I asked Ageha over the kitchen counter while slowly mixing and dissolving the mixture with a teaspoon, she, who was sitting on the sofa and flapping her legs, replied with a pout.

“I was free because my sister was on a date today.
I wondered if Haru-kun was free too.”

“Ugh.”

It is quite painful to hear that now.

As I held my prickly, aching chest, Ageha laughed a little sadly.

“I’m certainly free, but I’m not in the mood to go anywhere.
I’m sorry, but could you leave after you drink this?”

He tells her as he gently places a mug of cocoa in front of her.

Frankly, it pains me to say this, but I am not confident that I would enjoy spending time with her in my current state of mind.

I sit down on the sofa across the table from her and puff on my mug, which has an illustration of a cat on it.

Lifting the mug with both hands, she muttered with a mysterious expression on her face.

“… I know.
Haru-kun, You loved my sister.”

“!? Goho, keho, what are you talking about all of a sudden!”

I almost spit out the cocoa I had in my mouth.

When I looked at her in protest, she was staring straight at me.

“Haru-kun, you’ve always loved my sister, haven’t you? So when I heard that my sister had a boyfriend, I thought you might be depressed.
Then, bingo.
Your eyes are swollen.”

Saying so, she gently held out a hand mirror that was on the living room table.

I took it and looked into it.

It was a… terrible face.

I was speechless as she completely saw through everything.

It was more pathetic than frustrating that my lost love could be revealed to me by the younger sister of the person I had lost love to.

She gently put the mug on the table and raised the corners of her mouth in a slightly happy smile.

“But, well, it’s not worth it if you don’t grieve that much, right? …I’ve been feeling the same way as Haru-kun right now for a long time.”

“What… does that mean?”

When I asked her back, she puffed out her cheeks.

Apparently, I had offended her.

I have absolutely no idea why, but I wonder if I should apologize…?

As I was pondering this, she relaxed her expression and let out a small sigh.

“As usual, Haru-kun, you are dull.
Well, so was my sister.”

“?”
I don’t really understand what Ageha is talking about.

As I was tilting my head, She leaned forward over the low table.

‘Really, you’re so dull.
I’m saying I like… you, Haru-kun!”

“… Eh?”

My mind went blank.