Why Not Make Both Twins 'Girlfriends'?-Chapter 11Volume 3 .2 - The Search Begins...?

The Search Begins…? 2

“When there’s a genius close by, you can’t help but feel inferior… and even though they don’t think that way at all, you end up worrying about it…”

At that moment, Chikage had a realization.

“You mean──”

“But you know, I think Chikage is not losing to Hikari-chan at all!”

Taken aback by the sudden comment, Chikage’s eyes widened in surprise.

“A genius at effort, maybe? You know, like the old saying goes ── ‘Constant dripping wears away the stone.’ I believe that if you keep working hard, it will definitely lead to something big. I respect that about you, Chikage. I really do support you and want you to succeed!”

Chikage, flustered, stammered, “Um, well…” not knowing what to say.

“Also, I think you and Sakuto make a great couple.”

“Eh?”

“Because, didn’t Sakuto come to help you during the Hydrangea Festival? That’s proof that he loves you.”

──Yuzuki was misunderstanding.

Of course, it was a misunderstanding due to not knowing.

There was no competition; Sakuto, Chikage, and Hikari were already dating.

However, upon hearing Yuzuki’s words, Chikage felt a spark of joy in her heart, feeling like strong roots were slowly taking hold—─confidence, perhaps.

From the outside, Sakuto and Hikari, both geniuses, seemed to be a good match.

In comparison, Chikage, who felt average, was desperate just to catch up to them, trying to act to gain Sakuto’s affection or imitate Hikari.

In such situations, Sakuto had always treated her kindly, and Hikari had encouraged her from behind.

Yet she couldn’t shake off the feeling of struggling alone, but now, for the first time, she felt as if she had an ally—a warm and reassuring feeling.

Now, she might understand the meaning of Sakuto’s words──why he called her an important childhood friend who showed her the way.

Chikage found herself speaking without thinking.

“Um… during the summer of third year in junior high school…”

“Eh…?”

Yuzuki looked puzzled but quickly realized it and gave a wry smile.

“…The confession?”

“Yes… Why did Yuzuki become… distant from Sakuto-kun, like now?”

As Chikage looked troubled, Yuzuki’s wry smile deepened.

“It’s a bit different from buttoning up wrong… It’s more like I realized I had buttoned up wrong and in my haste to fix it, I ended up buttoning it into another wrong hole. I kept making mistakes, and we ended up drifting apart, and I had to find a new place to belong.”

Chikage wanted to respond, but the words caught in her throat.

“But now, I think the shirt I was wearing from the start was wrong. Looking at Sakuto recently, I feel like he fits perfectly with Chikage and Hikari-chan… From the beginning, maybe Sakuto was meant to be with you two.”

“But, if that’s the case, Yuzuki, you—”

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

Suddenly, Yuzuki smiled brightly.

“Thank you.”

“Eh…?”

“For being by Sakuto’s side, for turning him into a person who smiles a lot. Sakuto is──you know, my important childhood friend.”

“No, that’s not it…! I mean──”

──The buttons were still done up wrong. It was Yuzuki who had changed Sakuto.

Chikage tried to argue, but

“So, please take good care of Sakuto from now on, okay?”

In the end, she was cut off by Yuzuki’s smiling face.

Chikage looked at Yuzuki’s expression with mixed feelings, sensing her resolve.

No matter what was said now, it wouldn’t change anything; Yuzuki had resigned herself to leaving the misbuttoned situation as it was.

──Such a state felt uncomfortable.

Yet, Chikage knew that any sympathy from her, as Sakuto’s girlfriend, would hurt Yuzuki the most──

《The fact that the three of us are dating will be kept a secret》

──She couldn’t say it. Absolutely not.

However, there was something conveyed through the fragments of Yuzuki’s words.

In Yuzuki’s words, there is always a connection to Sakuto.

And she sincerely wished for Sakuto’s happiness.

She believed that the suitable partner for him was not her sister Hikari, but herself.

Yuzuki herself had long since given up on any feelings for Sakuto, yet she still supported her.

Somehow, it was both heartwarming and painful, a mix of emotions that made it hard to articulate.

Before she knew it, any anger towards Yuzuki had disappeared.

At the same time, Chikage indulged in a fantasy──

──If what Yuzuki did wasn’t a punishment game confession.

Maybe Sakuto and Yuzuki would be dating now.

They could be a well-matched couple, walking arm in arm through town with smiles on their faces on weekends.

Perhaps Sakuto and Yuzuki would be living a different ‘now’──

“Yuzuki, uh──uugh───”

“Eh… Chikage!? What’s wrong!?”

Chikage’s smile suddenly twisted, and she started to drag her foot.

“I’m sorry, the pain just started to… ow…!”

“Pain? Why!?”

“Actually, I was playing volleyball earlier, and I kind of sprained it… ahahaha…”

Yuzuki looked into Chikage’s face with concern.

“Are you okay…?”

“Yeah── Oh! Yuzuki, look over there!”

When Yuzuki looked where Chikage was pointing, she saw two cats in the middle of the crossroads.

A tabby and a black cat. They both had collars, so there was no mistake.

“It’s true…! But, Chikage──”

“I’m fine. More importantly, they might run away, so let’s approach carefully.”

“O-okay…”

The two of them approached cautiously, albeit nervously, but──

──Rumble

With the sound of thunder, the drizzle transformed into a downpour. Startled by the weather, the two cats ran off in different directions at the crossroads.

“Ah! Wait!”

“Let’s run!”

They both started running in a panic.

As soon as they reached the crossroads, Yuzuki chased after the black cat and turned right. Confirming this,

“Let’s split up! I’ll chase after the tabby!”

Chikage turned left.

Another crash of thunder roared as the rain intensified and dusk neared.

A sense of urgency—almost a sort of obsession—drove Chikage to focus solely on the cat ahead.

(This time… this time for sure──)

***

“Where could it have gone…”

Chikage had followed the tabby to a long uphill slope near Imoko Mountain.

Away from the residential area, she searched along a path overgrown with trees.

Chikage was already drenched. There was no sign of the rain stopping, and it was getting quite dark. The pain in her sprained foot was throbbing.

She was about to consider turning back──when she saw the tabby leap out from the bushes.

Chikage hurried after it, but the tabby moved swiftly up the slope.