Kotone Tomi is a beautiful girl with a purely Japanese look, her black hair is straight and neat, and her dark eyes shine with a strange brightness.
Rei’s is a quarter whose mother is a woman of Western descent, while Kotone’s mother is from an old, prominent family in the neighboring town.
Kotone chuckled with her hands in the pockets of her green blazer.
“I thought I had threatened you enough. Aren’t you scared?”
Rei-san shivered and squeezed my sleeve.
I took a step forward to protect her.
“What does Tomi-san want?”
“I don’t like my sister. You know that, don’t you?”
“So you tried to get Rei-san kicked out and sent to a girls’ dormitory in Tokyo?”
“You call her by her name, ‘Rei-san’. It’s like a lover. I don’t really care whether she’s home or in Tokyo.”
“Then why…”
“I just can’t allow my sister to be happy. I wish she had been destroyed that time, when she was a toy for the delinquents.”
“That time?”
“Senpai saved my sister, didn’t he?”
That happened shortly after Rei-san came to my home.
Some boys from another school took Rei-san on her way out of school to an abandoned building and tried to attack her.
I don’t even want to imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t happened to walk by and help.
“I was the one who initiated that.”
I stared at Kotone without speaking.
This middle school girl had tried to get the guys to attack Rei-san.
I was so shocked that I couldn’t think of what to say to rebuke Kotone.
Kotone laughed amusedly.
“Shall I have Senpai break down with me next time? I’m sure my sister wouldn’t want this person to be hurt rather than being hurt herself? Oh, and it would be even better if you were to be humiliated in front of her so that she would cry and scream.”
Recently, I found out why Rei had insisted on going to the girls’ dormitory in Tokyo right after meeting Kotone.
She was receiving these direct threats.
I regained my composure and said, making my tone as matter-of-fact as possible.
“What Tomi-san is trying to do is a crime.”
“So what? So what do you mean? Senpai doesn’t know how much power the Tomi family has in this town. The mayor and the police chief are both from the Tomi group, you know? If we do it in a way that leaves no evidence, they won’t pursue it too deeply. Besides, there are many ways to hunt you down, not just direct violence.”
“It’s not about that. Don’t you think anything of hurting your own sister?”
“My father died and my mother went crazy because of her and her mother’s actions. So what I’m doing is justified revenge.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Then give me back my father and mother!”
Kotone raised her voice for the first time.
Her usual smile disappeared and she glared at me sharply.
“Senpai, just pick your childhood friend, Sasaki-san, and dump my sister.”
“Do you know about Kaho?”
“Unlike Senpai, I know everything. I know that there were suspicions that Sasaki-san and Senpai were related, but now that that is no longer the case, I know that there is nothing wrong with them being in love with each other.”
“Who did you hear that from?”
“That’s not important. Instead, tell me that you will kick my sister out of this place, and I will not touch you.”
“I refuse.”
I said without hesitation.
There was no way I was going to kick Rei-san out at this point.
I also told her that Rei was already a resident of my home and my family.
Kotone narrowed her dark eyes and looked at me with an empty coldness.
I look back at Rei-san.
Rei-san looked up at me with tears in her blue eyes.
“What do you want to do, Rei-san?”
“I want to be with … Haruto-kun. But if I’m with you, I’ll cause trouble for Haruto-kun…”
I interrupted Rei-san’s words.
“I promise I won’t tell you that. You can do whatever you want to do, Rei-san.”
“What I want.”
Rei-san murmured quietly and looked at me and Kotone.
Soon, her blue eyes lit up with the light of a determined and strong will.
“I’m not at all afraid of … Kotone’s threats. Because Haruto-kun will protect me!”
When I nodded, Rei-san lightly kissed my cheek.
The feel of her soft lips was pleasant.
Kotone glanced at us disapprovingly and quickly turned herself around.
“You really are pitiful people. I’m going to make you regret it, my sister, senpai, and all the people you care about.”
With that, Kotone ran down the street and disappeared.
We looked at each other.
Rei-san looked up at me anxiously, and I smiled back.
“Don’t worry. Even with the power of the Tomis, they can’t cover up something that would be a police matter.”
“I hope so…”
“I’ll protect Rei-san.”
“… Hey, Haruto-kun. Then give me a kiss as a promise.”
“Promise kiss?”
“A promise to protect me from the Tomi family.”
Rei-san looked at me expectantly, her cheeks flushed red.
Without pausing, I kissed Rei-san on the lips.
Rei-san looked melted, laughed “Ehehehe”, and murmured quietly.
“With Haruto-kun around, I’m sure everything will be fine.”