Why Not Make Both Twins 'Girlfriends'?-Chapter 11Volume 3 .1 - The Search Begins...?
The Search Begins…?
Twenty minutes had passed since the search began.
As a light rain continued to fall, updates on discoveries and captures were shared via LIME.
The first one found was the calico cat, discovered by Matori under the outdoor unit behind a store.
“Matori-senpai found one. She says she’ll keep searching around the store a bit more.”
“That’s great. Then we’ve got to keep up the good work too!”
Feeling the chill from the rain, Sakuto and Hikari wandered aimlessly along the beach. The waves seemed to be getting higher, perhaps influenced by the weather.
Nature can change its demeanor in an instant.
The sea, which looked beautiful when calm, now appeared dark and cold on the surface as if rejecting any human intrusion.
Could there be a deep darkness spreading beneath the sea──
Sakuto looked at Hikari and thought it was a good decision to have left Aneko Island early.
“By the way, Hikari, didn’t you start to say something earlier?”
“Eh? When was that?”
“Around the time Chikage started explaining where to search…”
“Ah… yeah, well…”
Perhaps due to the weather, Hikari’s expression seemed even gloomier.
“…I used to have a cat at home a long time ago.”
Thinking it was about Mashiro, Sakuto empathized and kept silent, but at that moment──
『Mashiro… where!? Mashiro…!』
What suddenly flashed through his mind was an image of a young Chikage frantically searching for Mashiro.
──Strange.
He shouldn’t know what Chikage looked like as a child, so why did such an image suddenly flood his mind?
His mind records what it sees.
Yet, he felt as if he could clearly see a young Chikage wandering around town with a sad expression in search of something.
Haunted by this odd sensation, Sakuto began to feel an unpleasant premonition.
“…Sakuto, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing… I’m fine. Anyway, what was that cat like?”
“Yeah. It’s white and its name was Mashiro. Chii-chan named it──”
***
“──You know a lot about cats, huh?”
“…Eh?”
Chikage and Yuzuki had arrived at the back alley of the shopping district. As they walked, looking left and right, Yuzuki suddenly spoke up, catching Chikage by surprise.
“…Not really. I just looked up some stuff before.”
Yuzuki thought that Chikage must like cats, considering she went out of her way to research them.
However, the smile on Chikage’s face at that moment seemed forced to Yuzuki.
“Um, Yuzuki-san──”
“Stop.”
“Eh?”
“I’ve been wondering about that ‘san.’ Just call me Yuzuki without the honorifics, okay?”
Saying this, Yuzuki smiled at Chikage, who was a bit taken aback.
(She’s so beautiful…)
While her sister Hikari was certainly pretty, Yuzuki’s smile was captivatingly beautiful and well-formed.
Her gentle expression seemed to show a level of comfort with Chikage, and there was no hint of malice.
(But why…)
The truth was that Chikage’s offer to help at the seaside house “Karen” was not only because Matori was in trouble but also to check on Yuzuki.
She wanted to determine what kind of person Yuzuki was by working together──and now, she was confused.
Why had Yuzuki made a confession as a punishment game?
She couldn’t understand why Yuzuki would participate in such a foolish game in the first place.
Moreover, the other party was her childhood friend, Takayashiki Sakuto.
Because of that, he──well, it’s complicated.
It was thanks to that punishment game confession by Kusanagi Yuzuki that he became able to express his emotions openly.
He transformed from a “robot” to a “normal person,” started attending the same cram school as her, and even became her boyfriend──
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And yet, why does she feel such indignation?
Was it because she liked Sakuto or because it was Yuzuki?
Was it the act that Yuzuki had committed──or was it the very existence of Kusanagi Yuzuki that stirred up this resentment?
Yuzuki had been described to her by Sakuto as──
『An important childhood friend who showed me the way.』
Dark emotions swirled within her chest. Why did anger and anxiety bubble up when she tried to discern Yuzuki’s true nature?
Clutching her fist tightly over her heart, Chikage was left with unanswered questions and a heavy feeling.
(…But if she’s important to Sakuto-kun──)
Chikage slowly unclenched her fist and placed her hand on her chest.
“…Alright. Then you can call me Chikage as well.”
She managed a gentle smile, but in the back of her mind, another question lingered.
“Yuzuki, may I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Why… did you leave me and Sakuto-kun alone last night?”
“Ah, uh… did you notice?”
“Yes. It was quite obvious.”
Yuzuki blushed and gave a sheepish grin, like a child whose mischief had been uncovered.
“To be honest, I wanted to support you, Chikage.”
“Support me?”
“Yeah. Both Hikari-chan and Chikage like Sakuto, right? So when I thought about who would be more suitable as Sakuto’s girlfriend, Chikage was the first to come to mind.”
“Why is that?”
Yuzuki smiled, looking down.
“…Hikari-chan is kind of a genius, right?”
“Yes, well…”
“Have you ever been compared to your sister?”
“…Of course. Hii-chan, with her bright personality, has won incredible awards and always does things that amaze everyone.”
Chikage had always watched her from the sidelines. But rather than feeling compared by others, she felt like she was the one who had always compared herself to her sister.
“I am… too serious, I guess. I don’t have any particular talents like Hii-chan. All I could do was work hard, and I’ve always thought I couldn’t match up to her.”
“…I see, I see. So, after all…”
“After all, what?”
Yuzuki turned to Chikage and slowly began to speak.
“You have a complex about it…?”
“Ah… If I said I didn’t, it would be a lie…”
“I thought so… Probably because I feel the same way.”
“The same…?”
“I felt empathy with you, Chikage, and that made me want to support you.”
Yuzuki looked down again, a resigned smile on her face.
