Why Don't You Make the Twins Your "Girlfriend" Together? Volume 1 Chapter 6
Chapter 6
What Was Unraveled…?
It was Friday, June 3rd. His outing with Usami was tomorrow.
After finishing his class monitor duties, Sakuto left school later than usual. He hadn’t seen Usami in person since they’d made their plans, but their conversations on LIME had continued. While waiting for the traffic light to change, he opened the chat screen.
A few flicks of his thumb brought him to the cat sticker she had sent on June 1st—a date now easy to remember—with the simple message: Looking forward to it. Their exchanges since then were mostly lighthearted, touching on hobbies and favorite things, punctuated by simple greetings like Good night or Good morning.
He’d learned that Usami apparently enjoyed cooking; she not only packed her own bento for school on weekdays but also made dinner for her family.
That hits a little too close to home.
A pang of guilt reminding him he should be more proactive in helping his aunt, who was always so busy with work.
She also mentioned going to the movies sometimes. While she didn’t seem to be a hardcore film buff, he made a mental note to watch the movies she recommended. It would be fun to have another topic to share.
Otherwise, their messages were rather plain, and her replies were often slow. Taking a positive view, he figured she was carefully considering each word before sending it, a habit that seemed to reflect a serious and meticulous personality. For his part, Sakuto made sure not to overwhelm her with long, rambling messages. This pace, he felt, was probably just right for both of them.
Besides, they were going to see each other tomorrow. It would be a waste to spoil the excitement before then.
Ah, that’s right…
A slow realization dawned on him. He was enjoying this.
These LIME exchanges, getting to know Usami, imagining what she was like, the anticipation of their outing tomorrow—
As he lingered on the thought, the light turned green. He closed the chat, shoved his phone into his pocket, and hurried across the crosswalk as the signal began to blink.
As he walked toward the station, an image of Usami’s vibrant smile from their time at the arcade surfaced in his mind.
Come to think of it, he’d completely forgotten.
From what he’d seen at the arcade, Usami was quite the gamer, yet strangely, only mobile games had ever come up on LIME. She’d claimed she didn’t play them much, so the topic of Ensam never arose, and Sakuto had forgotten to bring it up.
Still, “doesn’t play that much”… Usami-san, you’re so humble.
What was someone who’d been duking it out with pros in Ensamu even saying? She must still be bothered by her loss the other day. He hoped they could have another match sometime.
Lost in thought as he approached the station, his feet suddenly stopped.
Is that… Usami-san?
He saw her standing in front of the arcade with two guys. One wore a knit cap, the other had long hair—they were the same guys he’d seen inside the arcade before.
He was too far away to hear their voices, but the one in the knit cap kept glancing restlessly toward the arcade entrance. The long-haired guy beside him fiddled with his phone, feigning boredom, but his feet were angled toward the arcade, betraying his desire to go inside.
It looked less like they were hitting on her and more like she was being challenged to a match. Her expression was one of clear annoyance, as if she couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.
Don’t go dragging her back in when she’s finally decided to turn over a new leaf…
Because of that rumor, Usami had her reasons for avoiding the arcade. With so many people around, if someone from school saw this, another bizarre rumor was bound to start.
Good grief, Sakuto thought, and began walking toward them—
＊ ＊ ＊
“—I’m telling you… I’ve been saying it’s not me! Who is this Koto-kyun?! You’ve got the wrong person!”
“Enough with the act,” the knit-capped guy insisted with a smirk. “Come on, Koto-kyun. Let’s have a match with us, yeah?”
“Look, if you keep being so persistent, I’m really going to call someone, you know?” Usami—Chikage—retorted defiantly.
The guy in the knit cap just snorted. “Someone? You mean that boyfriend of yours from the other day?”
“Boyfriend…? Who are you talking about?” Chikage asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“I’m tellin’ ya, you two looked pretty close at the arcade, right?—Hey?” he said, nudging his friend.
“Ah~… well, maybe?” the long-haired one conceded.
“I mean, that guy’s insane. He’s so good even I’d fall for him…”
“Who are you talking about? I’m not dating anyone yet!” Chikage denied it outright, her thoughts immediately turning to Sakuto. They weren’t dating, but she was going out with him tomorrow. The word “yet” was a hopeful blend of her aspirations and a touch of pride.
The calmer, long-haired guy tilted his head. “See? It really is the wrong person, right?”
His friend paused, studying Chikage again. “Huh? You think so? …Nah, I’m pretty sure it’s her, though.”
“She’s saying it’s not her,” the long-haired one reasoned, “and her vibe is different—her clothes, the way she talks. She didn’t seem this serious, does she?”
“Well, that’s true… That guy’s girlfriend was more cheerful. I guess it really is the wrong person…”
So they mistook me for “that guy’s” girlfriend, Chikage realized. This whole thing was a case of mistaken identity from the start. It was getting seriously annoying.
With that thought, she reflexively reached for the ribbon she always used to tie her left side-tail, but her fingers met only empty air.
Huh…? Eh? …Eh!? Wait a second…!?
The ribbon was gone. She was sure it was there when she left school, but now there was only the simple hair tie underneath.
So that’s why they thought I was the wrong person… No, more importantly…!
A wave of panic washed over Chikage.
That ribbon was incredibly important to her—
“Um, if you understand that you have the wrong person, I’ll be going now—”
She tried to turn back toward the school to search for it, but just as she did—
“That guy’s name… was it Taka… Takayashiki? I think. If I remember right.”
The name from the knit-capped guy’s mouth stopped Chikage dead in her tracks.
“Eh?” she murmured, unable to stop herself from turning back toward them.
“Oh yeah, it was something like that,” the long-haired one agreed. “It’s an unusual name, right?”
“Um! Excuse me, just a moment!?” Chikage demanded, her voice sharp.
““Eh…?””
The two guys flinched in unison at her fierce expression.
“That… Takayashiki person, what’s he like!?”
The knit-capped guy, looking awkward, answered first. “Uh, I think he goes to the same school as you, in uniform… also, he has a sleepy-looking face, and is slim…”
“Does he come to that arcade often!?”
“Ah-… No, I’ve only seen him like, twice? —Right?”
“Y-Yeah…” the long-haired guy chimed in, having been abruptly dragged back into the conversation.
“He seemed super close with his girlfriend… But, that’s not you, is it?”
Chikage stood speechless, her expression slowly turning blank.
Chii-chan, if you don’t get the guy you like soon, someone else is gonna snatch him up, you know!
Suddenly, her sister Hikari’s words echoed in the back of her mind.
A prim and proper girl isn’t popular. She knew that.
That’s why she had tried to move forward, why she had done her best in her own way. And yet—
She felt as if she were standing stock-still in a long, cold rain, a chill seeping into her body and heart until she couldn’t stop shivering.
“No, really, sorry for the mix-up…!”
“W-Well then… we’ll be going now…”
The two guys offered a forced smile and tried to leave.
But just then, tears began to stream from Chikage’s eyes—
“Eh…? Huh… What’s this…?”
For a moment, she was bewildered, not understanding what was happening to her. Then, seeing the tears fall, she finally realized she was crying.
The dam of her emotions broke. As a flood of feeling she couldn’t yet name surged from her chest, Chikage collapsed to the ground, sobbing.
“Hey, what!? What’s wrong!?”
“Don’t cry, okay…?”
The two awkward guys glanced around worriedly. Just then—
“Usami-san…!”
Through her tears, Chikage saw Sakuto’s figure approaching.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Usami-san, what’s wrong…!?” Sakuto rushed to her side, his voice tight with alarm. “What happened!? Are you okay!?”
“Well, this is kinda… how do I put it…”
“Y-Yeah…”
Ignoring the flustered guys, Sakuto knelt beside Usami—Chikage. Her crying only intensified, and he knew he couldn’t ask what had happened now. Instead, he shot a silent glare at the two men.
They exchanged uneasy looks.
“W-We didn’t do anything… right?”
“Y-Yeah…”
Sakuto rose and stepped in front of them, shielding Usami from view. “It’s a fact that you were bothering her. Don’t ever invite her to the arcade again.”
His tone was sharper than usual.
“S-Sorry, we really didn’t mean it like that…!”
“Well, we’ll be going now…!”
The two scurried into the arcade. Good grief, Sakuto thought, scratching the back of his neck.
First, I should probably calm Usami-san down and then hear her out…
He turned back to Usami—
“Usami-san, are you al…k—!?”
Suddenly, something flew into his chest, and a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his back.
Sakuto’s eyes went wide.
Usami’s head was buried right under his chin.
“U-Usami-san, um, what happened…!?”
He was stunned by her sudden embrace and had no idea how to handle the situation. People were staring, but he didn’t have the luxury to care.
“I-It’s okay now… they’re gone…” he stammered, trying to soothe her. “I’m sorry, if only I’d gotten here a little sooner…”
Usami just shook her head, rubbing her forehead against his chest.
Then, she mumbled something into his shirt.
“Eh…? What was that?” he asked gently.
When he leaned in to listen—
“I’ve… been in love with Takayashiki-kun since middle school…”
Sakuto was stunned.
In an instant, every interaction he’d had with her flashed through his mind. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t hoped for something like this; a part of him had noticed the favorable glances and kind words she’d sent his way. But he’d never been confident. There were still so many things he didn’t understand.
The girl he saw at school and the one he saw at the arcade felt like two different people. It felt like he was being led on, yet also genuinely liked, and the incongruity of it all had made him decide not to overthink it until things became clearer.
He never imagined she would confess to him so suddenly, and like this.
Besides, why was she so sad? Why did her confession of love sound so sorrowful? This was almost like—
You see, I’ve been in love with Sakuto for a long, long time…
This is just like that time.
Once again, he had made someone sad. All because of him. Just like that time in his third year of middle school.
At the thought, a torrent of emotion—anger, sadness, frustration, maybe all of them—welled up from deep within his chest.
When he tried to pull away, Chikage’s arms only tightened around him.
“The truth is, I always wanted to talk to you… but I was too shy. I had no confidence… I couldn’t work up the courage…”
“I-I see…” he managed to say.
He could feel the weight of her long-held feelings. Was she blaming him? Did she wish he had noticed sooner?
No, she was clearly blaming herself. She was berating herself for not being able to act, and in doing so, was absolving him of not noticing. There was no hatred or scorn in her voice, only the quiet insistence that she alone was at fault.
Her kindness, in that moment, was heartbreaking.
“I’m sorry… for not noticing your feelings, Usami-san…”
“It’s fine… I’m not cute, so…”
“No, that’s not—”
“—I hate myself…”
“Eh? Um, Usami-san…!?”
Before he could say more, she pulled away and took off running towards the station. He stared after her, dumbfounded, before snapping back to his senses.
The words too late echoed in his mind.
Was it okay to let her go like this?
If he did, he had a sinking feeling they would never be able to face each other properly again. Everything they had built, everything they might have had—in this single moment, his entire relationship with her would be lost.
His gaze fell to the ground at his feet.
The ribbon that Usami always wore in her hair had fallen there.
As he picked it up and stared at it—
—Sakuto, I’m… I’m really, so sorry…!
Follow her!!—
Another self screamed inside him.
His grip on the ribbon tightened. A clear resolve hardened in his eyes.
I can’t let her go like this…!
Sakuto stuffed the ribbon into his pocket and sprinted after Usami.
＊ ＊ ＊
Sakuto burst onto the grounds of Yuuki Sakura-no Station, chasing after Usami.
The evening rush was already underway, and the flow of people was intense. He scanned the crowd, but she was nowhere in sight. He looked around frantically, knowing that with every second that passed, she was more and more likely to get on a train and disappear.
Which ticket gate…?
Yuuki Sakura-no Station served three train lines: the Tōzai and Nanboku lines, which crossed the city, and a subway line that ran northwest to southeast. Sakuto had never seen Usami on the Nanboku line he normally used, which narrowed her destination down to either the Tōzai line or the subway.
He closed his eyes, forcing his mind open.
He pulled memories from his third year of middle school out of a mental box crammed with things he’d rather not remember. But he had no choice—
A scene from his cram school classroom materialized—not as a fragmented photo, but as a video playing in his mind.
He rewound it like a tape.
Winter, just before the entrance exams.
Amidst a sea of uniforms from other schools, he found her—Usami.
She sat in an inconspicuous seat near the classroom wall, quietly moving her pen. Her uniform was worn neatly, just as it was now, but come to think of it, she had worn glasses back then.
He focused on her uniform—he could just make out a school emblem with the character for ‘West’ on it.
—Sakuto’s eyes snapped open.
Nishi Junior High… which means, the Tōzai line…!
He hurried toward the Tōzai line ticket gates.
And there, just before the turnstiles, he saw the familiar uniform of Arisuyama Academy.
There she is…!
With the look of a hunter on his face, he pushed through the wall of people, dodging, apologizing, and weaving his way forward, his annoyance growing with every person who blocked his path.
Impatience surged through him. He couldn’t let her get away. The past couldn’t be changed, but there was still time.
There’s still time.
When he finally caught up to her, his heart was pounding violently.
“Usami-san…!”
“Oh? Takayashiki-kun, what’s—…?”
Before she could finish, Sakuto pulled her into an embrace.
Passersby stared as they streamed toward the ticket gates, but he no longer cared about his surroundings. His mind was made up.
I won’t let you get away, he thought, putting strength into his arms, just as she had done earlier.
“Eh, eh, eh!? What’s going on!? What’s gotten into you!?”
“I’m sorry, there’s so much I don’t understand…” he said, his voice strained. “But there’s just one thing I need to confirm.”
“Eh…? Wh-What is it…?”
“…Is it true that you’re in love with me?”
“──────!?”
In his arms, she stiffened in surprise, but then, as if in resignation, her body went limp.
“Th-This is embarrassing, but, um, well… y-yeah, I love you, yes…”
“…Thank you. Then I’ll steel my resolve, too.”
“R-Resolve? What do you mean, resolve…?” she stammered. “T-Takayashiki-kun…?”
Sakuto gently released her and looked straight into her eyes. Her face was bright red as she looked up at him. She stared back, her own eyes teary, but this time, he didn’t look away.
Eventually, it seemed she understood his intention. She quietly closed her eyes and offered her lips.
Answering her silent request, Sakuto brought his face closer and gently pressed his lips against hers.
They were sweet and soft, and he could feel her slight fever through them.
Once their lips met, they did so a second time, and then a third. He continued to kiss her, not letting go.
He didn’t care about his surroundings anymore.
Because he had finally, truly found someone who loved him—
“Ah, there you are, Hii-cha… wait, Takayashiki-kun!?”
Sakuto went “Hm?” and looked toward the voice.
Huh?
Usami was standing there
But the person he was holding and kissing right now was also Usami.
And the person standing there in shock was also Usami.
“…Eh?”
Confused, Sakuto looked at the girl in his arms.
“Puha… ah, no good… My knees are about to give out…” she breathed, an ecstatic expression on her face, her body gone completely limp. This was, indeed, Usami, but—huh?
“T-T-T-Takayashiki-kun, j-just now, with Hii-chan, what were you…doing!?” the other Usami stammered.
“Eh? Um, Hii-chan…?”
“Oh~…? Chii-chan…? Just now, I… kissed Takayashiki-kun…” the girl in his arms said with a happy giggle. “So, the person I like is Takayashiki-kun… wait, huh? Chii-chan? Why do you look like it’s the end of the world?”
Hii-chan, and Chii-chan—I see, their nicknames are different.
I see now.
As the situation finally dawned on him, Sakuto’s face gradually turned pale—no, it was more of an ashen gray. He felt the life drain out of him.
“Um, are you two, by any chance—”
“We’re twins!”
“We’re twins, you know?”
Chii-chan, a.k.a. Usami Chikage, was fuming, her face beet red.
And Hii-chan, a.k.a. Usami Chikage’s older sister—Hikari—was also beet red, but beaming.
For now, both were bright red. But from the ashen-faced Sakuto, only a dry laugh escaped. “Hahaha…”
—I see… so that’s what it was, ahhhhhhhh~~~~~~…—
He finally understood the source of the unease he’d been feeling, but it was far, far too late.
This was a very, extremely, exceedingly bad situation.
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