Why Don't You Make the Twins Your "Girlfriend" Together? V1 Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Is Usami Chikage an Honor Student…
Wednesday, May 25th.
The rainy season was still holding back, but the air was thick with anticipation. The moment fourth period ended, signaling the start of lunch break, a crowd began to form in the hallway. The midterm exam rankings were about to be posted.
This ranking chart was an old tradition at Arisuyama Academy Private High School. For a cohort of roughly two hundred and forty students, the names and total scores of the top fifty were put on display after every major test. It was always an event, and today was no exception. A mob of at least thirty students was already pushing forward to get a better view.
Pressed in by the shifting waves of bodies, Sakuto struggled to stifle a yawn, his face a mask of pure exhaustion. Comprehensive Japanese right after a grueling P.E. class was a brutal combination. Now, he felt like he was going to suffocate in the crush of students. He just wished they’d get it over with.
As he waited, another yawn escaping, he saw Tachibana Fuyuko, a math teacher and the student guidance counselor, plant herself in front of the covered chart and shoot a glare at the surrounding students.
“No photography! And I had better not see any of this posted on social media!”
Tachibana-sensei wasn’t his homeroom teacher, but she was well-known throughout the school. A beautiful woman, notoriously strict and devoted to her job. A few of the more peculiar students secretly fantasized about being stepped on by her stilettos—a niche desire, to be sure.
“And now, the unveiling of the ranking chart!”
At last, the paper covering the rankings was pulled away.
Fiftieth, forty-ninth, forty-eighth… The names ascended from the bottom up. A low buzz rippled through the hallway, growing louder as students, drawn by the noise, poured out of their classrooms, creating a massive logjam.
Tachibana-sensei and the other teachers repeated their warnings, but their voices were swallowed by the commotion.
Amidst the chaos, Sakuto finished scanning the list and let out a sigh of relief that was nearly a yawn.
Eighth place, huh? Well, at least it’s in the top ten. Eighth is more than good enough.
Once he knew his result, there was no reason to stick around. Just as he started to push his way through the crowd towards the cafeteria—
“Takayashiki-kun, do you have a moment?”
The voice was a girl’s, and it was familiar. Sakuto turned without any real surprise, recognizing it immediately.
But as he saw who it was, a chill ran down his spine.
Usami Chikage. She was something of a celebrity here at Arisuyama Academy.
They weren’t from the same middle school, but he knew her reasonably well from the cram school they’d both attended in their third year. Sakuto had thought she was beautiful back then, but she’d gained an entirely new level of polish after entering high school, making her one of the most eye-catching first-years. In his opinion, she was easily the best-looking girl in their grade.
And speaking of being the best, she was also a top-scorer. A quick glance at the chart moments ago had confirmed she’d taken first place on this midterm, too.
Beauty and brains.
It wasn’t that Sakuto had zero interest in her; she was, after all, exceptional in every way. He’d been disappointed they were in different classes but had hoped they might become friends, given their shared status as cram students.
Yet right now, that very same Usami Chikage was glaring at him with piercing eyes.
Did I do something? I can’t think of anything I’ve done to get chewed out for.
She closed the distance between them, her expression still stormy. An angry, beautiful girl was a seriously intimidating sight. Sakuto managed a faint smile and gave a casual wave of his right hand.
“Hey, Usami-san.”
“This is hardly the time for ’hey’s!”
“Wh-whoa… Why are you so worked up?”
“I-I’m not worked up…!” she retorted, looking and sounding incredibly worked up.
“Right, okay, you’re not… So, what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? That’s my line! What’s with your result on that list!?”
She planted her hands on her hips, her face sullen. Is she mad about my rank? Eighth place?
“What do you mean, ‘what’s with it’? I got eighth place. And you got first, Usami-san. Congratulations.”
He said it calmly, his smile unwavering, but it only seemed to make her angrier.
“This is no time for congratulations!”
“Huh? You took first place and you’re not happy?”
“I-I’m not talking about me!”
Usami’s eyes narrowed, locking onto his. Sakuto met her gaze, completely baffled.
What is she even trying to say? Why is she so mad?
After a tense moment of silence, she let out a short, sharp sigh.
“…Why?”
The anger in her voice had vanished, replaced by something that sounded like disappointment.
“…Why what?”
Her expression tightened again, her features becoming sharp and dignified.
“…Why weren’t you serious?”
The question caught him completely off guard. Sakuto was bewildered.
“Um… what do you mean, ‘serious’?”
“Your true ability.”
“Err… in other words?”
“You could have gotten first place if you’d wanted to. So why didn’t you? Did you do it on purpose? Did you deliberately hold back?”
Though phrased as a question, her tone was clearly accusatory.
“Hold back… I don’t really understand what you’re saying…” Sakuto replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets with a wry smile.
Usami didn’t press him, but her eyes remained fixed on his, searching. This time, it was Sakuto who looked away.
“No, I mean, I did my best. But there were a lot of questions… and I just ran out of time.”
“…You ran out of time?”
“Yeah. You could say I received Arisuyama Academy’s baptism by fire. It’s a whole different level from middle school, you know?”
He shrugged, but Usami just stared at him, her eyes filled with suspicion.
Maybe I should try to make this less awkward…
“I know!”
“…Huh? Wh-what is it?”
“The fried chicken set meal.”
“The… fried chicken set meal?”
Her expression went completely blank.
“Today’s daily special at the cafeteria. It’s seriously amazing.”
“What about it…?”
“Wanna go together? My treat,” Sakuto offered with a carefree smile.
Instantly, Usami’s face turned bright red. She began to fidget, nervously twirling a strand of the hair tied back by her ribbon.
“I, um, I brought a bento today, so… and while I am interested in going to eat with you, Takayashiki-kun… I really am, but…”
Something about her sudden shift in demeanor felt off.
Why is she blushing? More importantly, wasn’t she just furious a second ago?
“Oh, you don’t like the cafeteria?”
“That’s not it! It’s just, having lunch together, just the two of us… I think that’s something a couple would do…”
That was a perspective he hadn’t considered. Sakuto put a hand to his chin, pondering this.
“I see… so I can’t invite Usami-san to the cafeteria unless we become a couple…”
As he mumbled this thought aloud, Usami, for some reason, began to panic.
“Ehh!? Does that—I mean, is that what this is about!?”
“…‘This’?”
“I mean, um… d-does that mean you want to be a couple with me, Takayashiki-kun!?”
Sakuto nearly tripped over his own feet.
“Ah—no, no! I was just thinking that the condition, or rather, the hurdle is pretty high. It means I can’t invite you to the cafeteria unless we’re dating, right?”
When he replied calmly, her face flushed an even deeper shade of red and her anger returned.
“Th-that’s just how it is when a boy and girl have lunch together alone!”
“I-is that so…”
Sakuto had a hard time following her logic, but he could sort of grasp what she was getting at. She probably meant that if a boy and a girl were seen eating lunch together, people would assume they were a couple, regardless of their actual relationship.
She could just not care what other people think…
He entertained the thought for a moment before reconsidering. It was true that being alone together in the cafeteria would draw attention, especially with someone as prominent as Usami Chikage. He didn’t want any weird rumors to start; that was the last thing he wanted…
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down after all…
“You don’t want to be misunderstood by everyone, right, Usami-san?”
“That’s true, but… in romance manga, there are cases where people become a couple after being misunderstood by everyone around them, so…”
“Sorry for inviting you so suddenly.”
“Ah, but, but! It’s not like I’m totally against it, or… Huh? Sorry?”
“Well, I’ll invite you again if I get the chance—” Sakuto said, turning his back to her.
Maybe that was too rash. Not just with Usami, but this kind of thing probably needs a proper order. Instead of jumping straight to a meal, I should start by getting to a point where we can just talk casually.
Just as Sakuto had revised his approach and started to leave—
“Wait a minu— Kyaa!”
Startled by Usami’s scream, Sakuto spun around. His jaw dropped. “Whoa—”
For some reason, she had lost her balance and was pitching forward. He lunged instinctively, catching her just as the side of her face thumped softly against the center of his chest.
“—Gotcha! …Phew, that was close. You okay, Usami-san?”
“Y-yes~…” she managed, her voice muffled against his uniform.
“…What happened?”
“Um, well… I was pushed from behind…”
Looking past her, he saw the backs of the students still swarming the ranking chart. Someone must have bumped into her accidentally. It was only then that Sakuto became acutely aware of their position. His left hand was wrapped around her waist, and his right hand was resting on her head, effectively holding her in a full-frontal hug.
He could feel the warmth of her body through his chest. A sweet, distinctly feminine scent wafted from her silky hair, and his heart began to pound violently. As soon as he was sure Usami had regained her footing, Sakuto quickly let go.
“W-well then, be careful!”
“Y… yes~…”
Leaving a blushing, frozen Usami behind, Sakuto made a hasty retreat.
＊ ＊ ＊
Usami-san, huh…
Sitting in the cafeteria, poking at the breading of his fried chicken, Sakuto replayed the scene in his mind.
Even though it was an accident, I ended up hugging her. Did she hate it? Having a guy who wasn’t her boyfriend, not even a close friend, do something like that…
“You mean Usami-san from Class 1, right?”
A girl’s voice from the table behind him made Sakuto jump.
“The girl who got first place in last year’s national third-year middle school unified exam ended up coming here, right?”
“Well, she was the top-scorer, and she got first on the midterms this time too… so that’s probably her, yeah?”
Relieved that they weren’t talking about what had just happened, Sakuto let out a quiet sigh and couldn’t help but eavesdrop.
“An average of ninety-seven is insane, isn’t it? And she’s an external student.”
“I heard she came from a normal public middle school, too.”
“““For real!?”“”
There were four girls at the table. From their conversation, they were clearly first-year internal students.
Arisuyama Academy was an integrated school that ran from kindergarten all the way through high school. Most of the students came up through this “escalator system” and were known as “internal students.” The rest were “external students” like Usami and Sakuto, who had passed an entrance exam to get into the high school. The student body was about eighty percent internal and twenty percent external, and a subtle, invisible wall existed between the two groups.
Even now, looking around the spacious cafeteria, Sakuto could see it. The tables were naturally divided into cliques of internal and external students. The internals had their pride, and the externals had theirs. It was this quiet conflict that had likely built the slimy, invisible barrier between them.
In that environment, Usami Chikage’s existence was impossible to ignore. The top-scoring external student, first in the entire grade. Her success meant that an outsider who had just shown up was more capable than the internal students who had been rigorously trained here for years. The fact that the top student was an external wasn’t a comfortable situation for many. Add her stunning looks to the equation, and it was no wonder rumors might start just from her talking to a boy in the hallway.
Even now, those girls were gossiping about her. As he’d expected, their tone wasn’t exactly full of admiration.
“Is she one of those genius types? It must be nice to be naturally smart~…”
“High IQ comes from your parents’ genes, right? I think I read somewhere that like, fifty percent of it is inherited.”
“Plus she’s super cute and has a great figure…”
“Isn’t it totally unfair to be smart and cute?”
That’s not quite right...
Her looks might be natural, but her intelligence was purely the result of her own relentless hard work. Sakuto knew that for a fact from their time at cram school together.
During their third year of middle school, she had been practically glued to her desk. She took classes more seriously than anyone, pestered the instructors with more questions than anyone, and studied with a ferocity that bordered on obsession.
Why was she so driven?
While others kept their distance, a little intimidated by her intensity, Usami was always giving it her all. That effort paid off when she passed the entrance exam as the top-scoring applicant, and she hadn’t stopped since, continuing to claim first place. She was the very definition of “practice makes perfect.”
That was why he had such a favorable impression of her. He wanted to be friends with her, to learn from her.
Where does that strength, that sheer fortitude, come from?
But after what happened earlier, that seemed a lot more difficult. If she had a terrible personality, he could have just given up. But she didn’t. She had a very human side to her; her reactions were huge, and she could even be incredibly cute. She was a wonderful person with no real faults. He genuinely wanted to get to know her.
Suddenly, her words from the hallway echoed in his mind.
…Why weren’t you serious?
The question had been so direct. It sounded like the cry of a disappointed rival, someone who had acknowledged his potential and was pleading with him to actually use it.
Conversely, could we become friends if I get serious?
The thought was a simple one, almost shallow. But there were reasons he couldn’t get serious.
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.
A person whose spirit has been broken by that hammer knows the pain all too well.
“But, you know, that girl… she feels like she has a hidden side, right?”
“Ah, I totally get that—!”
“Actually, there’s this funny rumor I heard…”
Hearing them start to whisper and giggle, Sakuto let out another soft sigh.
In the end, it’s the same everywhere…
He decided to ignore them, taking a sip of his now-cold roasted green tea.
…Still, why did Usami-san single me out?
They went to the same cram school, and they were both external students. That was their only connection. Was it just a sense of rivalry?
With that question lingering, Sakuto took a bite of his fried chicken. The fragrant aroma and savory, juicy flavor spread through his mouth. And then—
“U-um…!”
The chicken almost got stuck in his throat.
He turned to the side and saw Usami standing there, her face beet-red. Sakuto quickly forced the food down with a gulp of tea.
“…U-Usami-san!?”
“Um, I forgot to tell you something!”
Flustered, he glanced around. The gossiping girls behind him had fallen silent, no doubt surprised by this sudden development.
“F-forgot to tell me something…?”
Is this a continuation of the ‘true ability’ talk? Sakuto braced himself.
“Th…thank you for earlier!”
“Eh…? For what…?”
“I-I mean, when I was about to fall and you cau—”
“Ah, oh! That’s what you mean!?” Sakuto cut her off in a hurry. “It was nothing! Don’t worry about it!”
If a word like “caught” came out of her mouth right now, all sorts of strange rumors would start flying.
What a dangerously naive person.
“…You came all this way just to thank me for that?”
“Y-yes! Well, I’ll be going now—”
And with just that, Usami scurried out of the cafeteria.
As he watched her retreating figure, he heard the whispering start up behind him again. It suddenly felt so foolish to care about rumors. In fact, he felt strangely refreshed. That’s why—
“Usami-san is a really kind person,” he said, his voice just loud enough to carry. “She’s serious and a hard worker. I should really learn from her.”
Somehow, in that moment, he felt a new confidence, a certainty that he understood her true self a little better. And at the same time, a small hope began to sprout within him—a hope that maybe, just maybe, they could become friends after all.
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