Chapter 59: Chapter 59

"You already know how much my sister loves games, right? Her collection started with consoles, then grew to action figures that fill her room."

Kuro spoke while fiddling with the wrapper from her drink’s straw.

"I don’t really mind it. Even though she can get a bit noisy when playing, that’s the only thing I ever complain about regarding her hobby."

"Unfortunately… our mother doesn’t feel the same. Do you know the name ‘Nasi Group’?"

"Nasi Group"? I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere, but… where?

Before I could figure it out, Yona spoke up from beside me.

"A famous company that produces drinks and snacks? I often buy their energy drinks."

"The CEO of that company is our mother. She built it all from the ground up, and naturally, she chose us as her successors."

Her gaze dropped, and her head lowered even further as she kept speaking.

"Because of that, she’s very strict about our grades and expects us to always be in the top ten at school. Other than that, she’s actually quite lenient with our hobbies, including my sister’s love for games."

The waiter came and placed my lemon tea on the table.

I took a sip, my eyes still on Kuro. Once the waiter left, she went on.

"...But ever since my sister started trying to make her own game… her grades have kept dropping—though she hasn’t fallen out of the top ten yet. Maybe our mother already saw it as a big enough decline, because she couldn’t tolerate it."

I saw Kuro’s hand on the table slowly clench.

"As a result, yesterday when we got home, my sister found our mother throwing away her entire collection. A big argument broke out, and in the end… my sister ran away from home. She hasn’t come back since."

The moon shone bright in the sky. Yet as if humanity still hadn’t had enough light, the street lamps along the roadside and the headlights of cars passing by continued to glow.

With each breath forming mist in the cold air, my mind kept replaying the news Kuro had told me.

Honestly, I still couldn’t process it all. Not because I was slow, but because the fact that Yuri had run away from home was so far beyond my expectations that I didn’t even know how to react.

And the reason she did it was because her entire game collection had been taken away—the very same problem I faced when I first moved to this world.

"I just hope she’s found soon…"

"I’ll help look for her tomorrow."

Yona spoke from beside me, glancing my way. She rubbed her palms together, blew on them briefly, then linked her arm with mine—something I couldn’t exactly shake off afterward.

"That’s good, but… that means our outing tomorrow will be canceled. Are you okay with that?"

"No. I’d be really upset if it got canceled."

At my question, she shook her head, leaving me even more confused.

"Killing two birds with one stone. Why don’t we look for her while we’re out?"

Her smile was bright—bright enough, I’d say, to make the moon look dim in comparison.

I thought about her suggestion for a moment before speaking.

"…That would be exhausting. And I’m sure we’d end up spending more time searching for her than enjoying ourselves."

"True, but it’s better than canceling our plans. Plus… as long as I’m with you, I’m sure I won’t get tired."

Yona nodded as she said that.

Since she wasn’t wrong, I didn’t answer and simply turned my face away. Even though it was already night, I was sure the color in my cheeks was still obvious.

Pulling my scarf up to cover my nose, my steps slowed.

"...Sorry. You probably don’t care about her since you don’t know her. It’s just… Yuri feels like a little sister to me now. I’m worried about her."

Especially since she’s the type to get flustered easily. If I could help look for her right now, I would.

Though, I have no idea where to start. Aside from her life at school and when we play games together, I don’t really know much about her.

…Or maybe I should invite Kuro to help us search for Yuri tomorrow?

Yona closed her eyes with a sulky expression.

"It’s Ku—whatever-her-name’s fault for being rude to you earlier."

After I said that, she let out a small laugh, as if her sulking had only been an act. She looked at me with the same smile.

"But Ren, you don’t have to apologize. Honestly, even if I get a little jealous that you’re worried about another girl, it’s not like I don’t understand you. After all, you’re the one who saved me, and I already know how kind you are. You just can’t sit still when someone’s in trouble, right?"

"Hearing you call me ‘kind’ over and over makes me feel like that’s the only nice thing about me…"

Seriously, I was just an ordinary high school student who liked games and somehow ended up in a parallel world. Sounds impressive, but that’s it. A-Am I actually boring?

Tapping her chin in mock thought, Yona stayed quiet for a moment before murmuring,

"Hm… I guess that’s true. Other than your kindness, I can’t think of anything else good about you."

"Y-You’re joking, right?"

I could feel an identity crisis creeping up on me.

The trip to the station didn’t take long. It’s just that we’d spent too much time playing games earlier, so it was already darker by the time we got here.

At the ticket gate, I used my phone to pay and entered.

But when I noticed Yona still hadn’t followed, I looked back in confusion. She was rummaging through her bag.

Drops of sweat formed on her forehead, clearly from panic.

"Oh no… My phone’s gone."

"Huh? Don’t tell me you left it at the shopping center?"

If she really had, getting it back would take a lot of effort… and if we didn’t go now, I wasn’t sure if the staff would keep it safe.

"Maybe… but I think I left it at school. I remember putting it in my locker when I was rushing to change earlier."

"…Now that you mention it, you haven’t touched your phone at all since we left. If it’s at school, at least that’s close. Want to go get it now?"

Closing her bag, Yona nodded.

"Um, you go on ahead, Ren. I might take a while."

"Eh? We’re not going together?"

In this world, girls are stronger than boys, so there shouldn’t be anyone who’d dare to mess with her. But still, I couldn’t help worrying.

"Thanks, but no need. It’s already late. Father-in-law—I mean, your dad would scold me to death if he knew I was the one who invited you."

…Did she just call my dad ‘father-in-law’? I didn’t mishear that, right?

"…Just how close are you two now?"

"I’m already allowed to help him wash dishes now, hehe."

Since she’s always at my house early in the morning… I guess it’s not surprising that she’s gotten closer to my parents.

"Alright, fine. Just be careful, okay? If someone follows you, head straight to a crowded place. Don’t try to handle it alone."

"Don’t worry, I’m not dumb enough to start a fight in the middle of the night and risk breaking my legs. But shouldn’t… I be the one telling you that, Ren?"

Answering him half-heartedly, I took off my scarf and tried to put it around Yona’s neck—which was tricky because of her long ponytail.

Confusion was clear in her eyes.

"It’s colder tonight, isn’t it? It’s not much, but at least it’ll help."

On my way home, I might be the one to feel cold. But since Yona would take longer to get home than me, I didn’t mind helping her out a bit.

She stared at the scarf for a few seconds; maybe because it felt warm, or maybe for another reason.

In the end, she adjusted it around her neck. Her voice was soft, almost drowned out by the roar of the train arriving behind us.

"You’re welcome. Well, since the train’s here, I’ll go first. Let me know when you get home, okay?"

Without waiting any longer, I didn’t want to miss the train, so I waved and turned away.

Fortunately, the train didn’t depart too quickly, and I got on without trouble.

Most of the passengers were office workers heading home, so it wasn’t as packed as it is in the mornings when students are on board.

That’s why ... I quickly noticed another student.

Sitting in the corner, with a bruised face and a dirty uniform. Her long bangs were messy as she playing a PSP with both hands.