BXBX NOVEL Chapter 62: His Sister
"What do you think you\'re doing with Julie and Catherine?!" she demanded, raising her fists in a stance that signaled she was ready to strike again.
Her gaze drifted down to the cat carrier on the ground. "And is that Mochi?! Did you kidnap him too?!"
"No, you\'ve got it wro—"
Haruto began, but before he could finish, her fist came flying toward him. He sidestepped the punch, his movements swift and effortless.
She blinked, clearly taken aback by how easily he dodged her.
"Huh, so you\'re not just some ordinary thief, huh?"
She challenged, spinning around and aiming a sharp kick at him. But Haruto was quicker, catching her foot mid-air.
"Wh-What are you doing?! Pervert!"
She stammered, trying to pull her leg free, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she noticed his eyes had briefly landed on her exposed underwear.
"I told you I am not a thief! I\'m Daiki\'s friend!" Haruto finally talked freely since the girl couldn\'t move, his eyes couldn\'t stop looking at her white panties.
Haruto immediately let go of her foot, stepping back. "I told you, I\'m not a thief! I\'m Daiki\'s friend! You\'re the one who jumped at me, of course I don\'t have a choice to look at it!"
"You should have the one who apologized! You just kick me!"
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, if you\'re really his friend, then prove it."
Haruto exhaled in exasperation and gestured to his uniform. "Do thieves usually wear school uniforms?"
He fished in his pocket, pulling out the car key. "Here, Daiki\'s car key," he said, handing it to her, followed by a slip from the pet store.
"And here\'s proof I picked up his pets."
The girl\'s face turned bright red, her anger shifting to embarrassment as she realized her mistake.
She mumbled, "Ah… you\'re right… I\'m sorry," and gave a quick bow.
Haruto sighed, taking another glance at her. There was something familiar about her—a resemblance to Daiki.
He swallowed hard.
\'Wait… is she his sister?\'
He felt a pang of dread, realizing what a mess he\'d made of their first meeting.
\'I scolded her, she called me a pervert… could this go any worse?\'
He now didn\'t know what to do, their first meeting was a mess and he didn\'t know how to fix it.
Breaking the awkward silence, she softened her tone. "Ugh… Why don\'t we go inside? I\'ll grab some painkillers or an ice pack if your stomach hurts."
Haruto\'s lips curved into a smirk. This was his chance to get close to Daiki\'s sister—and maybe learn something useful about his enemy.
Clearing his throat, he straightened.
"Yeah, that sounds good. Let\'s go inside."
As they stepped inside, Akane\'s face brightened at the sight of Julie and Catherine. The two dogs barked and spun around her excitedly.
She bent down, greeting them with soft coos and pats, while Haruto held the cat carrier, glancing at the hefty black feline inside.
"I can carry him," Akane offered, reaching for the carrier despite Haruto\'s hesitation. "It\'s fine! Mochi\'s practically family," she insisted, lifting the weighty cat with surprising ease.
That fat cat was probably more than eight kilos.
Following her lead, Haruto stepped through the tall gate into an expansive Japanese garden, meticulously arranged with bonsai trees, stone lanterns, and a koi pond.
\'Given Daiki\'s yakuza connections, this place must be crawling with lackeys,\'
he thought, tensing slightly as he scanned his surroundings.
But to his surprise, the door opened, revealing an elderly woman in a kimono who gave a welcoming nod.
Akane whispered something to her, then turned to Haruto. "Follow me," she instructed, leading him through the winding corridors of the sprawling house.
Each hallway seemed to branch into more rooms, like a maze designed to disorient visitors.
Finally, they entered a cozy sitting room. Akane gestured for him to sit across the low table, a bit of tension lingering in the air.
The dogs had already dashed off, and only the hefty black cat, Mochi, remained, curled up on her lap with a contented purr.
"Um… I\'m really sorry again for kicking you," Akane said, bowing her head.
"It\'s just… My brother never has anyone else pick them up. He always does it himself."
"It\'s fine," Haruto replied with a polite smile, trying his best to appear friendly.
But beneath the surface, he felt out of his depth. Small talk wasn\'t his forte, and he wasn\'t sure what to say next.
\'What do people even talk about in situations like this?\'
He racked his brain, recalling his classmates\' chatter, though he\'d usually just listened quietly.
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself," he said suddenly. "I\'m Haruto Hayase."
"I\'m Akane Yamada," she replied with a soft smile.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sliding door.
The elderly woman returned, bringing medicine and an ice pack, followed by a middle-aged woman carrying a tray with tea and snacks.
After arranging the items, they slipped away, leaving Haruto and Akane alone again.
Haruto grabbed the ice pack, lifting his shirt to press it against his bruised abdomen that wasn\'t from her kick.
He glanced at Akane, noticing her gaze flicker over his muscular build with an interested gleam.
Smirking, he thought,
\'Got her attention. No one can resist this physique.\'
Akane\'s eyes lit up, and she leaned forward, genuinely intrigued. "Hayase, are you a wrestler?"
Caught off guard, Haruto blinked. "Uh… more like an MMA fighter," he replied, rubbing his neck awkwardly since what he was doing was illegal, but he couldn\'t just say that, could he?
"Wow, that\'s so cool! Can you do moves like the scorpion deathlock?" Her enthusiasm bubbled over, and she shifted closer, eyes wide with curiosity.
Though he wasn\'t familiar with the move she mentioned, he could tell one thing: Akane was a big WWE fan and to make her more interested in him, he needed to lie.
"I think I could manage," he chuckled.
Akane\'s eyes sparkled with excitement as she watched him. "Do you have any match videos? I\'d love to see one!"
As his limited understanding WWE and MMA was a different sport, but it seemed Akane didn\'t mind, she might love everything related to martial arts.
Haruto smirked, already planning ahead. If she saw him in action, maybe he could win her over further.
"I don\'t have any video, but I\'ll bring you along to one of my matches if you want."
Akane\'s face fell, disappointment clouding her expression. "My big brother wouldn\'t allow it," she sighed.
"Daiki?" he asked, curious about her response. If Daiki was that protective, it could mean he really cared about his sister.
The more Daiki cared, the more he could hurt him further.
"No, my oldest brother, Shohei," she clarified. "He thinks those places are too dangerous, but it\'s not even illegal, right?"
Haruto leaned back, piecing together her words.
\'Shohei… must be the yakuza brother.\'
He hesitated, but his curiosity got the better of him.
"But, isn\'t your family a yakuza?"