Chapter 157 - 157 – Haruno: Onii-chan?

Words : 1503 Updated : Oct 10th, 2025

"You're not saying anything? Playing dumb won't work on me, you know." Haruno immediately saw through Haru's silent attempt to dodge the situation. Still wearing her usual elegant and intellectual smile, she asked, "Good news or bad news—which do you want first?" Haru glanced at his stunned friends, who were clearly overwhelmed by Haruno's beauty, and responded bluntly, "I'd rather not hear either. Is that allowed?" "Nope." Haruno, already anticipating his answer, smiled sweetly. Her lips, painted a bold shade of red, curved into a teasing grin as she said, "The good news is—I actually have some free time today. So I can go on a proper date with you." The trio beside him looked even more shocked. "And the bad news," she added with the same breezy tone, "is that I have to head home early tonight. Got a few things to take care of." This time, Haru caught the underlying meaning. She was probably dealing with something stressful. He had told her before: if she was ever feeling down, she didn't have to deal with it alone. She could come to him—or talk to Yukino. Sure enough, Haruno looked at him with playful anticipation and asked, "Didn't you say you'd come running whenever I called?" "I did," Haru nodded, then turned to his friends. "But I promised these guys we'd hang out today…" "Hang out?" Fukagawa cut in immediately. "Who said anything about that?" "Yeah, yeah! We were just chatting about games. No one said you had to come!" "You've got a gorgeous lady inviting you out, and you're hesitating? Haru, are you even a man?!" The three of them were perfectly in sync, doing a complete 180. Haru could only sigh. Haruno smiled even brighter. "I'm Yukino's older sister—Yukinoshita Haruno. And you three are…?" "I-I'm…" "What do you mean you're? Did you miss the part where she said she's Yukinoshita's big sister?!" "But she asked our names!" The three boys were a disaster—one too shy to speak, another stuttering, and the third completely missing the point. Haru shook his head, half amused, half exasperated. "Can you guys please not embarrass me? You're supposed to be the friends of a champion, you know?" Haruno didn't interrupt. She simply smiled like the perfect big sister, silently watching them with her usual graceful presence. Eventually, Haru's "friends" ditched him—off to buy games on their own. Only then did Haruno speak again. "Looks like you're enjoying school life." "Not that much," Haru shook his head. "Oh? Why not?" Haruno asked, immediately intrigued. Haru, long used to her lightning-fast emotional shifts, answered honestly. "After the karate tournament made me kind of famous, I was hoping to lay low again like last time. But someone dug up that video of me rescuing that kid and his father, and now with both things combined, reporters won't leave me alone." Haruno chuckled, covering her mouth in amusement. "I saw that online too. Thought it was just a random clip at first." "It's not just me, either. After the organizers filmed Utaha-senpai that day, she kind of went viral too." "Is it because she's one of the female leads in a movie?" "Exactly. Yukino is a bit better off since she's behind the scenes. Plus, she prefers her privacy. Hiratsuka Sensei and the principal helped block the reporters. As long as they don't enter the school, they can't find her." After chatting for a while, Haru saw Haruno get into a car and couldn't help but ask, "So where are we going?" "Of course, we're going to eat. It's almost mealtime," Haruno said matter-of-factly. Haru grabbed his phone. "I need to let Yukino know. She's waiting for me to cook dinner." "Tell her to come along. We'll all eat out together." Hearing this, Haru didn't refuse, but he was curious. With his cooking skills being so exceptional, it was obvious she liked it. Why wasn't she suggesting they go to his place, and instead suggested eating out? The phone soon connected, and Yukino's pleasant voice came through. "What's up?" "I ran into Haruno-san on the way. She's treating us to dinner, come join us," Haru explained. "My sister?" Yukino sounded puzzled. "It's pretty crowded outside at this time, I don't really want to go." "It's rare for her to treat, aren't you going to come? You'll be missing out if you don't." "She's not cooking herself, why do you sound so excited?" "Because eating out doesn't cost me anything—this is my favorite thing." "... So you're a fan of eating for free?" Yukino said that, but in the end, she agreed. Haru gave her the address, then waited in the car with Haruno. Earlier, Haruno had been sitting in the front passenger seat, but now she had moved to the back, sitting quite close to Haru. The perfume she was wearing was one Haru recognized—the Chanel Orchid scent. Although Haru wasn't very knowledgeable about perfumes, he vaguely remembered that it was Chanel's N°5 , but he wasn't sure about the details. As he inhaled the enchanting fragrance, he turned to ask, "Not in a good mood today?" "Just a little bit, but it's fine. I can handle it," Haruno admitted, without hiding her feelings. Haru thought for a moment. "How about we find a place to hang out later?" Haruno immediately smiled sweetly. "You care about me that much?" "We've known each other for years, can we skip the silly questions?" "But I want to hear your answer. That'll make me even happier." "Why don't you ask Yukino? If she says she cares about you, you'll probably be over the moon," Haru recalled how she had a bit of a 'sister complex' hidden deep inside. Haruno only smiled without saying anything. The car fell silent, with the driver sitting up front, keeping his eyes straight ahead. Although it became quiet, neither Haru nor Haruno felt awkward. After a while, Haruno lazily rested her chin on her hand and said, "You should really thank me properly." "Why?" Haru asked, confused. Haruno winked playfully, a hint of mischief in her voice. "Mother's a bit interested in your Utaha-senpai. It's not much, but you know her—if she's interested, she'll want to make contact." Haru was taken aback. "Was it because of the karate competition?" "Yep. It's not just Utaha, though. That Kato Megumi is also piquing her curiosity after Auntie's words." Haruno puffed her chest proudly. "Good thing I care about you most. I've been trying to divert Mother's attention away from those two girls for a while, and I finally managed to stop her from focusing on them." Haru quickly agreed, "Looking at it this way, I really should thank you." "Right? So, think carefully about what kind of thank-you gift you want to prepare," Haruno said, still holding her proud pose. She was dressed simply but exuded the aura of an elegant, intelligent beauty. Underneath her light pink knitted jacket, she wore a fitted white long-sleeve shirt with a round neckline. Maybe because of the jacket, she didn't choose a high-neck shirt but instead wore something a little lower cut. Now, as she sat next to Haru, her posture accentuated the curve of her chest. Haru didn't glance around inappropriately, instead shifting his posture in the seat, smiling. "Give me some time to think about it." Haruno smirked. "It can't be something common, like lipstick, perfume, or bags. I wouldn't be impressed by those." "I know," Haru had anticipated this. He suddenly remembered the scene when he was carrying Yukino and the others up the roof that one night. He jokingly asked, "How about I take you to the sky? That should be a pretty unique thank-you gift, right?" "'To the sky'? Do you mean flying me in an airplane? Or a hot air balloon?" Haruno thought more practically. Haru kept up the joke, pointing upward. "No need for those. I'll carry you and we'll spiral upwards, left foot stepping on right foot." Haruno couldn't help but laugh. "If you can actually do that, I'll call you 'Big brother' from now on." Haru, who had been lounging casually, straightened up immediately. "Really?" Haruno wasn't bothered. "Yes. If you can do something as exaggerated as that, I'll be your little sister, and you'll be my big brother." "Does that mean you calling me Onii-chan?" Haru blinked playfully. Haruno smiled and looked at him, her expression generous and beautiful. "Onii-chan? Could it be that you've had this idea for a long time?" "Don't change the subject!" "Let's talk about it once you can actually do it~"

Chapter 157 - 157 – Haruno: Onii-chan?

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