The real harem may have started long ago

"Okay, see you then."

In the black limousine, Yukinoshita Haruno sat in the back seat, bidding farewell to Makoto Amano and Yukino outside the car.

"See you..."

Makoto Amano had initially thought that Haruno would stay overnight, but she had decided to go home by car.

However, there was no further discussion about taking Yukino home.

"If you ever dare to bully Yukino, I won't let you off the hook,"

Haruno warned as she gently grabbed Makoto Amano by the collar and pulled him towards the car window.

She's not a child anymore, she know.

Her sister, who is in high school, staying at a male friend's house overnight is somewhat "risky."

Hence, Yukinoshita Haruno still had some concerns.

"I would never dare to bully her..."

When we were kids, Yukino used to stay at my place, so refraining from bullying her would be a great honor.

"And even now."

"Then, for the time being, I'll trust you,"

Yukinoshita Haruno said with a smile as she closed the car window.

The black car quickly vanished from sight.

——

"You see, your sister cares about you a lot."

Makoto Amano sometimes struggled to understand the sisterly relationship between Yukino and Haruno.

It wasn't always easy, but Haruno was undoubtedly an older sister.

After all, an only child can never truly experience the bond between siblings...

"I don't need you to comment on my relationship with my sister."

Although the lights of the car were no longer visible, Yukino continued to stare in the direction the black car had gone.

Maybe she needed to process everything that had happened today in her mind.

"Okay, let's go inside..."

How could it not matter?

You know, when we were kids, I always considered you a "love rival"...

Makoto Amano grumbled inwardly.

When she was a child, Yukinoshita Haruno was an absolute controller as an elder sister, and it was far more serious than it is now.

Back then, for Amano Makoto, who had feelings for Haruno, Yukino was an insurmountable obstacle.

However, if I had thought differently back then, maybe...

The "snowy mountain" that was Yukino might have already melted due to my warmth, and Haruno could have developed similar feelings?

Well...

Looking at it from this perspective, I really wasted a lot of time.

"Why are you standing there lost in thought? Let me in, why are you still standing there?"

The girl who had already entered the entrance looked at the boy who was still lost in his thoughts under the moonlight, feeling a little exasperated.

"Oh..."

Naturally, Makoto Amano wouldn't reveal to the girl that he had once considered her a love rival.

That should be counted as his dark history.

And if he were to mention it, Yukino would definitely be quite unhappy.

Perhaps Yukino hadn't realized it yet, but she had already started feeling jealous unconsciously because of his interactions with others.

That was Makoto Amano's biggest realization today...

Wait, there might be an even more tangible realization!

Upon returning to the house, Makoto Amano immediately rushed to the bathroom where Haruno had changed her clothes.

"Not here?"

Not in the laundry basket, not in the washing machine...

Strange, where did Sister Haruno throw that worn white shirt?

It wasn't even in the trash can...

"What are you looking for?"

Despite being childhood sweethearts, they were still a boy and a girl living under the same roof.

Every action of Amano Makoto could still affect Yukino's sensitive nerves.

"The shirt your sister was wearing earlier. I plan to keep it for later..."

Once I conquer Yukinoshita Haruno in the future, I want her to wear it in front of me again... Well, a few more times wouldn't hurt.

Makoto Amano liked the white shirt Haruno had worn that day.

"Pervert!"

Yukino was already beginning to regret renting Makoto Amano's house.

The man was slowly revealing his unsavory desires.

——

After giving Yukino the room on the first floor, Makoto Amano went up to his own room on the second floor.

Only then did the girl downstairs relax her guard a little.

"What's wrong with being a perverted man... Besides, it's just a natural interest in them. How can that be considered perverted?"

Amano Makoto, lying on the bed, continued to ponder about the whereabouts of the shirt.

"Could it be... Sister Haruno took it with her?"

That seemed to be the only possibility.

It appeared that Yukinoshita Haruno was genuinely bashful last night...

With this thought, Makoto Amano smiled contentedly and gradually drifted off to sleep.

——

"Auntie..."

"Don't worry, Amano is very kind to me... well... of course, we're still childhood sweethearts... yes... just ordinary friends..."

"You don't know what he's like now..."

"Anyway, I'll take good care of him and make sure he doesn't get into trouble..."

After taking a bath, Yukino knelt on the floor, facing the portrait of Mrs. Amano in the shrine, and clasped her hands together.

She then proceeded to talk to herself at length about her relationship with Makoto Amano.

"And also, for the foreseeable future, I might be living in your room..."

Before going upstairs to sleep, Makoto Amano had given Yukino the key to his mother's room.

His reason was that "the other rooms are still messy and can't be used, but his mother's room is regularly cleaned and empty, so it's a waste not to stay there."

After explaining all this, Yukino could only silently nod, accepting Makoto Amano's kindness.

And...

When she had stayed at Amano's house before, she had shared a room with Mrs. Amano.

"Phew... It feels... the room is filled with warmth."

Unlocking the door, Yukino gently pushed it open and walked inside.

The interior was just as she remembered, with the same arrangement and layout.

The untarnished bedsheets and the clean window sills showed that the owner of this house was diligent in maintaining the room.

"There are also childhood photos..."

Lying on the large, comfortable bed, Yukino reached out and picked up a picture frame from the bedside table.

Inside were pictures of them taken together when they were young.

There were four people in the photo.

She was being held in Amano's mother's arms, with her elder sister standing on the left side of Amano's mother, and Amano Makoto on the right, picking his nose and looking at her.

Yukino recalled that back then, Makoto Amano seemed to resent her for taking his place.

"But why did my sister take this photo with us at that time... I can't remember clearly..."

In her memory, her sister and Amano's mother didn't seem to have much interaction.

Perhaps it was just for fun...

Yukino didn't dwell on her sister's presence in the photo. After a while, she peacefully fell asleep on the bed, holding the picture frame close.

——

"How did you sleep last night?"

The next day, since they were living together, Yukino and Makoto Amano inevitably walked to school together.

"I slept well, thank you..."

She slept even more comfortably than at home. If she didn't consider the limited change of clothes and sharing a bathroom in the morning, staying at Amano's house was perfect.

"That's good. I'm glad."

Maybe I should go to the Yukinoshita household without worries and see what Mrs. Yukinoshita will do....

But before Makoto Amano could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by an energetic girl approaching from the front.

"Yahallo.! Yukinon, Amano-san!"

It seemed that Yukino wasn't the only one who had slept well last night.

———