The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 91: Drunken Conversations in the Room

After the incident, the shopping trip was naturally canceled, and Shunsuke brought a somewhat dazed Hina back to their new home.

"Shunsuke, didn't you say you were going to buy some new things for the house? Why did you come back empty-handed?"

His father, who was busy moving furniture around, adjusted his glasses and asked curiously.

"Something came up. I'll buy them tomorrow," Shunsuke replied evasively.

"Sis..."

Rui noticed that something seemed off with her sister. Upon closer inspection, she realized Hina's makeup was smudged, her eyes were red—she had been crying!

Knowing her sister's personality well, Rui grabbed Shunsuke's hand and dragged him into her room. "What's wrong with Sis? What did you do?"

"What's with this attitude of treating me like a criminal?" Shunsuke grumbled, rubbing his wrist.

After all, they were practically family connected by fleeting bonds.

This kind of treatment hurt his feelings.

"Even if it's not your fault, don't you feel anything seeing Sis cry? You came back with her, didn't you? What happened? Don't tell me you just stood there and watched," Rui said, clearly upset.

"Do you think I'm that heartless? This time, I actually did quite a lot. I even owe someone a big favor because of it."

"I can't go into all the details—it involves other people's privacy—but Hina's emotional issue has been resolved. That married man with glasses won't bother her anymore. And as for Hina, after their nasty breakup, they're no longer friends. Congratulations, I guess."

Shunsuke waved his hand, intending to leave Rui's room.

"...Thank you," Rui said softly.

"I just happened to dislike that guy too," Shunsuke replied nonchalantly.

Shunsuke opened the door, and a sudden gust of wind came from behind him. He turned around, and something soft pressed against his lips.

"..."

"..."

"That's my thanks," Rui said with her usual calm expression as she wiped her lips, removing the faint string of saliva.

"How passionate of you. If I remember correctly, last time, you were dead set against me even touching your lips," Shunsuke remarked.

As a man, Shunsuke never really understood the peculiar notion some women had of "my body is fine, but kissing is off-limits."

To him, it seemed a bit self-deceptive.

But since Rui had been firm about it back then, he hadn't insisted.

Yet now, Rui had willingly given him her first kiss.

The meaning behind that gesture was... profound.

As Shunsuke's thoughts started to wander in various directions, Rui suddenly shoved him out of the room with surprising force.

"Hey, hey, hey! Is it really okay to just use me and toss me aside like this? My dear little sister!"

This was the second time she had taken what she wanted and then sent him packing.

Shunsuke couldn't help but think Rui might have some issues.

"Little sister?" Rui froze for a moment. "I'm the older sister."

"No, no, no, you're definitely my little sister," Shunsuke teased.

"Older sister."

"…Alright, then. When's your birthday?"

"September 30th."

"Mine's July 13th."

Rui puffed up her cheeks, looking adorably pouty, much like Aqua from a certain anime. Unable to resist, Shunsuke poked her cheek.

"Get out!" she shouted, shoving him out of the room with even more force.

Rui gave Shunsuke a hard shove and slammed the door shut with a loud "bang."

"Why are all my sisters such willful creatures?"

At that moment, Shunsuke couldn't help but feel an unusual envy for Sakuta, who had the ever-sweet Kaede by his side.

...

Nightfall.

Perhaps due to the emotional toll of the day's events, Hina was feeling unusually low. As a result, there were no incidents involving accidental peeping or clumsy mishaps.

After her bath, she dressed herself properly for once.

However, her low spirits persisted. In front of her parents, she forced a smile, but once her mother and stepfather retired to their room, she sat down next to Shunsuke, dressed in a tank top and shorts, and began drinking in silence.

Even though she had come to terms with certain things, frustration still lingered—thoughts like "How could I have been so stupid?" or "I'm such an idiot."

As soon as Hina started drinking, Shunsuke returned to his room.

He wasn't like Natsuo Fujii, who might see this as an opportunity.

He had no interest in dealing with drunk people, nor did he care to play the role of a caretaker.

Rui could handle this just fine.

Yet, after opening her first can of beer, Hina felt even worse.

So bad, in fact, that she didn't even want to drink anymore.

But since she was drinking to drown her sorrows, she quickly downed the rest of her beer, one gulp after another.

After finishing several cans, Hina decided she was drunk enough. She stuffed the remaining beers into a plastic bag and staggered toward Shunsuke's room, where she began knocking on the door.

"Hina, what are you doing here?"

Hina squeezed her way into the room. "What are you doing, Shunsuke-kun? At this point in the script, shouldn't you be taking care of me while I drink, listening to my feelings, and comforting me? Why did you suddenly retreat to your room?"

"Which TV drama are you referencing here?" Shunsuke closed the door behind her. "Besides, you know what typically happens next in those storylines, don't you?"

"No worries, no worries! After all, Shunsuke-kun is still just a kid," Hina said with a teasing smile as she sat on his bed.

Shunsuke raised an eyebrow. "Is that really what you think, Hina?"

Hina fell silent. After a while, she asked, "What's your relationship with Minagawa-sensei?"

"Nothing significant. She's just been trying to seduce me, but I have no interest in someone like her—a woman with countless flings. That's why she's never succeeded," Shunsuke replied coldly as he sat on the bed, casually dropping such shocking words.

"And as for today, it was probably intentional. She might've noticed how close you and I have suddenly become and, out of jealousy, hooked up with Hagiwara just to see you get jealous of her."

"A hundred flings..." Hina fixated on the wrong part of his explanation. "I never would've guessed Minagawa-sensei was that kind of person. She doesn't show it at all. How do you even know this, Shunsuke-kun?"

"I stumbled upon it," he replied dismissively.

Unimpressed by his vague response, Hina pouted and took another large gulp of her drink.

Shunsuke internally shrugged—what else was he supposed to say? That he'd figured it out using anime logic?

Their conversation continued intermittently until Hina suddenly brought up her own story. "You know, I've liked Hagiwara-sensei since high school."

"..." Shunsuke stayed silent, letting her continue.

"Back then, he gently rejected me. I thought he was such a gentleman—so kind and considerate that I couldn't get him out of my head."

"Later, when I saw him again, he'd started working at a university. That gave me hope. But after we started dating, he told me he was already married." Hina took another sip. "I was so foolish back then. I should've seen his true nature right away."

Shunsuke listened quietly, offering no commentary.

Whatever the situation had been, it was so long ago that, aside from the people involved—or perhaps even they—no one could truly make sense of it anymore.

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