Chapter 4.5: You Can't Fool Me

I've always known my little sister wasn't as strong as she pretended to be.

Oh, she fooled everyone else well enough. Ice Queen Yukino, the untouchable prodigy, the brilliant, elegant, cold-as-winter Yukinoshita Yukino. The girl who could tear apart anyone with a few carefully chosen words, who never let anyone in, who never let anyone win.

But me?

I saw through her a long time ago.

Because no matter how much she tried to act like her heart was frozen solid, I knew the truth.

Yukino had never been strong.

She had just been holding herself together by force of will.

And now?

Now, she was falling apart.

The first time I saw it—really saw it—was at a dinner with our parents.

Father was talking about business, as usual, while Mother made subtle, cutting remarks about Yukino's progress in school, her responsibilities, her posture, her everything.

I watched Yukino respond in her usual way—calm, composed, answering without hesitation. A perfect little performance.

But there was something off.

Her voice was softer, her words more measured. And when she smiled—because yes, she smiled—it wasn't the polite, empty expression I had seen her use a thousand times before.

It was real.

But it wasn't hers.

That was the first time I got a chill down my spine.

Because if my little sister wasn't faking her usual coldness, then who exactly was sitting in front of me?

Later that night, I cornered her outside the restaurant.

"Yukino-chan," I called out in my usual sing-song voice, leaning against the wall near the exit. "Got a minute?"

She stopped, looking at me with unreadable eyes. "What do you want, Haruno?"

I studied her.

The way she stood, her posture a little more relaxed than normal. The way her lips twitched like she wanted to say something but was waiting for me to speak first. Even the way she addressed me as Haruno and not the usual Nee-san.

The Yukino I knew would have already sighed, already dismissed me with a sharp remark.

But this Yukino?

She was watching me.

Waiting.

I tilted my head, letting my usual smirk spread across my lips. "You were acting different back there. It was cute, in a creepy way."

She blinked, tilting her head slightly—just slightly. Like she didn't quite understand what I was getting at.

"I don't know what you mean," she said smoothly.

I chuckled. "Oh, come on, don't play dumb. You never smile at those dinners. You never let Mother's comments slide without some kind of hidden barb."

She gave me a light shrug. "Maybe I've changed."

I narrowed my eyes.

Liar.

Yukino didn't change.

She resisted, she adapted, but she didn't change.

At least, not like this.

I stepped closer, watching her carefully. "Did something happen?"

She didn't answer right away.

But I saw it.

That flicker of hesitation in her eyes. That slight shift, like she was struggling to figure out the right answer.

And then, like a switch had flipped, she smiled again.

"Haruno, you worry too much," she said lightly.

That was when I knew.

That smile wasn't hers.

And it wasn't meant for me.

The next time I saw her, it was at her school.

I hadn't planned on dropping by, but curiosity got the better of me. After all, if my little sister was going to start acting weird, I wanted to know why.

I found her in the hallway, talking to that pink-haired girl—Yuigahama?—and that dead-eyed boy, Hikigaya Hachiman.

Now he was interesting.

I liked poking at him, liked watching him squirm under the weight of things he pretended not to care about.

But today, he wasn't my concern.

Yukino was.

She was laughing at something Yuigahama had said, her voice softer than usual.

Irritation curled in my stomach.

Not because I disliked seeing my sister happy.

But because I knew that wasn't her happiness.

I walked up to them, smiling as I chimed in, "Oh my, what's this? A secret meeting?"

Yuigahama jumped slightly. "H-Haruno-san!"

Hikigaya just gave me his usual deadpan look. "And here I thought today was going to be peaceful."

I ignored them. My attention was on Yukino.

She turned to me, and for a moment, she hesitated.

Not even a second. A flicker of a moment.

Then, she smiled.

"Haruno," she greeted smoothly. "What brings you here?"

It was too practiced. Too controlled.

It was wrong.

I wanted to shake her, to force her to drop the act.

Instead, I smirked. "Can't a big sister check in on her favorite little sibling?"

Hikigaya made a quiet scoffing noise.

I waved a hand at him lazily. "Oh, don't give me that look, Hikigaya-kun. Don't tell me you haven't noticed something's off about Yukino-chan?"

His reaction was subtle.

His posture stiffened, just slightly. His fingers twitched. His gaze flickered to Yukino before he forced himself to look at me.

That was all I needed to confirm it.

He had noticed.

Of course he had.

I let my smirk widen. "See? Even your little club members can tell something's wrong."

Yukino's eyes darkened slightly, but the smile didn't drop.

If anything, it became even more carefully controlled.

"There's nothing wrong with me," she said smoothly.

And for the first time in years, I wanted to slap her.

Because this wasn't her.

Not really.

I cornered Hikigaya later.

Yuigahama had left, but he had lingered near the vending machines, his expression thoughtful in that dull, overcomplicated way of his.

I leaned against the machine beside him, sipping my coffee. "So," I started casually, "what do you think is happening to my little sister?"

He didn't flinch.

Didn't even blink.

But he didn't pretend not to know what I was talking about either.

"...You tell me," he muttered, staring at his drink like it held all the answers.

I studied him, letting the silence stretch between us.

Then, I sighed.

"She's breaking," I said simply.

He didn't react right away.

Then, just as quietly, he muttered, "Yeah. I know."

For once, I didn't feel like teasing him.

Because the truth was, I didn't know how to fix this either.

And that was the scariest part.

Author's Note:
Haruno was by far my favourite character in the entire series so I had a lot of fun writing a chapter from her perspective. As this story gets closer to the climax I may (or may not) drop more chapters than usual depending on my motivation. Anyways that's all from me this week. Enjoy the chapters and leave a review if you feel like it.