My Girlfriend is an Evil Woman

After enjoying a satisfying meal – for Kitahara Hideji and Ono Yoko, this roadside stall was considered a feast – they walked home together with Hyakujirou.

The spring breeze carried the moisture from the sea, making the air both humid and slightly salty, yet pleasantly cool. Kitahara Hideji took a deep breath and stretched lazily, feeling all the accumulated stress, mental exhaustion, and weariness from recent times dissipate, leaving him in a great mood. Ono Yoko followed beside him with a large backpack on her back, wearing a smile on her face. It seemed that all the difficulties of life had been temporarily pushed to the back of her mind.

Hyakujirou was the most delighted of them all. It carried a large bone in its mouth, prancing about with delight and occasionally stopping to lick it. Its tongue seemed to be covered with barbs, licking the bone clean without wanting to bite it. It appeared to be enamored with the bone.

After licking for a while, it would look up, noticing its two owners walking away, and would quickly pick up the bone and catch up to them. It would then pause to lick the bone again – it seemed to be quite timid, afraid of being left behind on the busy streets.

When they returned to the apartment building, Kitahara Hideji specifically accompanied Ono Yoko to the front door and listened carefully. Sensing Ono Yoko’s awareness, but she didn’t seem embarrassed this time. She had become comfortable enough with Kitahara Hideji to face such situations openly. She explained, “It’s okay, Onii-san. My mom goes to work at this time.”

Her frankness made Kitahara Hideji feel a bit self-conscious, as if he was being nosy. He awkwardly smiled and said, “That’s good… I’ll head back now, Yoko. Goodbye.” After saying that, he patted Ono Yoko’s head. Then, he turned around and kicked Hyakujirou’s backside, signaling it to follow him back home.

Ono Yoko reached out her small hand and grabbed his clothes, hesitated for a moment, and softly said, “Thank you, Onii-san.”

Kitahara Hideji chuckled, “It was just a meal, no need to thank me so formally.”

“No, I’m not only grateful for the food… The skewers were indeed delicious, and I do want to thank you for that, but what I’m more grateful for is…” Ono Yoko struggled to find the right words to express herself, hesitatingly asked, “Is Onii-san pitying me?”

After all, they had no prior relationship or hidden motives towards each other, unlike those people associated with her mother… Those “friends” looked at her with different eyes, eyes that made her feel disgusted and afraid. On the other hand, Onii-san’s gaze warmed her heart, completely different from the others.

Why would he bother with her when she couldn’t offer him anything in return?

Kitahara Hideji remained silent for a moment. He bent down, meeting Ono Yoko’s gaze directly, and said earnestly, “It’s not out of pity, Yoko. There is a bond between us, and I’m just doing what I want to do… Has it troubled you?”

During his most helpless time as a child, he had hoped someone could offer him some warmth… But of course, no one did. When he looked at Yoko, he saw a reflection of his past self and couldn’t help but want to do something for her, as if trying to make up for his own regrets. It wasn’t so much about pity as it was empathy.

However, these were not things he could easily explain to Ono Yoko. Besides, the original owner of his current body didn’t seem to have experienced a lost childhood.

Ono Yoko looked puzzled for a moment, but when she saw the sincerity in Kitahara Hideji’s eyes, she quickly smiled again and shook her head vigorously, saying, “No, it’s not troubling at all, Onii-san. I’m very happy!”

Kitahara Hideji breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gently, “That’s good. I just want you to be happy, Yoko.”

Looking up at Kitahara Hideji’s slightly blurry face in the darkness, Ono Yoko nodded firmly and said seriously, “I’ll be very happy!”

“Then I’ll go now.” Kitahara Hideji ruffled her hair once more, feeling comfortable doing so, and couldn’t help but laugh. He turned around and headed towards his own apartment, while Hyakujirou spun in a circle, looking at both of its owners, and eventually wagged its tail before following Kitahara Hideji.

Ono Yoko entered her home, watching Kitahara Hideji kick Hyakujirou’s backside as he walked home, before finally locking the door. The room had a faint smell of smoke and alcohol, and her small face darkened for a moment. She looked around the room with some resentment, but after a while, a blush returned to her cheeks. Leaning against the door, feeling somewhat weak, she whispered softly, “Fate, huh, Onii-chan…”

Kitahara Hideji entered his apartment and glanced at Hyakujirou with the bone in its mouth. Seeing that the bone had been cleaned, he figured it wouldn’t dirty the floor and decided to leave it be. He went to his desk and started studying – the annoying Japanese history with its countless battles and strange names like “XX Battle” and “XX Campaign.” The exams were relentless and felt like they were taking a toll on his life.

Hyakujirou, having escaped any trouble, happily went to a corner and lay down, using the bone as a makeshift pillow, its gentle eyes filled with contentment.

As time slowly passed, Kitahara Hideji finished taking historical notes and put down his pen. He hesitated for a while, feeling a bit unsettled. Looking at the clock, it was already close to 10 o’clock at night. After some contemplation, he decided to go out – Fukuzawa Yukari seemed a bit foolish, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was still waiting for him.

Just to be on the safe side, he thought he should check on her!

Kitahara Hideji walked under the moonlit frost and headed to the small park near the train station. By this time, the park was mostly deserted, with occasional homeless people appearing from one corner and disappearing into another. There was also a group of obviously troublesome youths smoking and drinking, giving off a menacing vibe.

Kitahara Hideji ignored them and continued searching the park until he spotted Fukuzawa Yukari sitting on a bench, illuminated by a pale streetlight.

As expected, she hadn’t gone back… This was truly hard to put into words. She was so Airhead that she might be considered disabled?

He was at a loss for words for a moment, but just as he was about to greet her, he noticed that Fukuzawa Yukari was sitting still and appeared to be asleep – she had an uncharacteristic, carefree look while she slept, and it seemed that she was the only one left in the park. He assumed the others had already gone home due to the late hour.

“Fukuzawa-san? Hey, Fukuzawa-san? Wake up, Fukuzawa-san!” As Kitahara Hideji approached and called out softly, Fukuzawa Yukari slowly woke up from her drowsiness. She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and asked in a confused manner, “Is it time for dinner?”

Kitahara Hideji sighed and said, “It’s late, you should go home now! You’re almost an adult, and you’re at the age to get married. Why are you still acting so immature?”

Fukuzawa Yukari finally recognized him and stood up straight, excitedly exclaiming, “Oh, it’s you! You finally came! Let’s settle this once and for all!” She rushed to grab her giant wooden sword but swayed slightly as she turned around, and her stomach growled loudly. She patted her belly with the wooden sword, laughing heartily, “I’m hungry!”

Kitahara Hideji felt complex emotions but couldn’t say anything. He reached out and held Fukuzawa Yukari’s wooden sword, trying to reason with her, “Fukuzawa-san, it’s too late today, and you haven’t eaten. I don’t want to take advantage of you when you’re at a disadvantage. Let’s have a match another day, okay?”

“No!” Fukuzawa Yukari flatly refused, then swung the wooden sword hard and smashed it into the ground, saying seriously, “I can’t let my sister be bullied for no reason.”

Seeing Fukuzawa Yukari’s determined expression, Kitahara Hideji realized that she was stubborn like a child. He sighed and relented, “Okay, I’ll go get my Shinai.”

He planned to end this quickly and send her home as soon as possible. This pair of sisters were both abnormal; it was his own bad luck to encounter them.

“No need!” Fukuzawa Yukari’s eyes lit up when she saw he was finally willing to compete. She took out a regular-sized wooden sword from her bag and generously said, “Use mine! My stomach is empty, and your weapon doesn’t feel right. It’ll be fair this way.”

Kitahara Hideji thanked her and tested the feel of the sword in his hand. Taking a few steps back, he politely said, “Alright then, Fukuzawa-san!”

Fukuzawa Yukari burst into laughter, raised her shinai high, and yelled, “Ahaha, here I come!”