I Can Distinguish the Twin Sister - Chapter 22

　Spending time with Rin’ne is so comfortable.

　The distance between man and woman vanished, and my nervousness was soon gone.

( I’ve thought this kind of thing many times )

　Just for a moment… a moment, really.

　Sometimes I almost forget that Rin’ne is a girl and treat her normally. Of course, it’s not that I think she’s a guy, but there’s something that makes me not feel any difference in gender.

( …well, that’s probably the same for her, too.)

　It is because Rin’ne’s attitude makes me feel that way in the first place.

　As I walked around town with her, looking at clothes and accessories or even having lunch, Rin’ne was always close to me, never leaving my side, even for a moment.

　The only time I left her was when I had to go to the bathroom.

“Hey, Rin’ne.”

“What is it? “

　I called out to her as we sat on the same bench.

　A few hours have passed since we met in the morning, and it’s almost 3 o’clock in the afternoon. We both had soft ice cream in our hands, and Rin’ne looked so cute as she licked it up deliciously.

“Thanks for inviting me out today, okay? It was really fun.”

“No, no, thank you very much. But the way you said that, do you mean you’re leaving me now? “

“Ah, no… we’ll play a little longer.”

“Of course♪, but are you sure you have enough time? “

　I nodded that I was fine.

　It’s a holiday today, and I’m sure it won’t be a problem if I’m late to some extent, and I’m sure Mom and Dad will find it rather amusing to ask me.

　I’m more worried about Rin’ne being late than I am because she’s a girl.

“Still, let’s split up before five o’clock. I’m fine, but Rin’ne is a girl, and her parents won’t have to worry if we leave around that time.”

“You didn’t usually worry about that kind of thing in the past, did you? “

　Rin’ne said, puffing out her cheeks.

　I had not said anything wrong, and I was confident that I had said the right thing… No, no, I would not be swayed by what she said.

“In the past, huh? Compared to now… well, now Rin’ne is a girl that guys around here can’t leave alone. You saw that this morning, right? I’m worried that something like that might happen.”

“You’re worried about me? “

“Of course I am. You’re an important friend of mine.”

　Rin’ne nodded her head.

　If something happened to Rin’ne, I would not be able to face Rin’ne’s family, but most of all, I would not be able to face Yomi.

　I had to protect her when we promised to meet each other, not by chance.

( No, it’s not an obligation at all. I just want to. )

　I finish my ice cream with these thoughts in mind.

　We had different tastes, and we exchanged mouthfuls without paying any attention to what we had put on each other.

　We continued to spend time together as she requested, and when we were about to part ways, I decided to give Rin’ne a ride home.

“I’m fine here,”

“Okay. So this is where we say goodbye.”

“Yes. Oh, that’s right, Akito-kun. Can I ask you one last favor?”

“Sure. “

　I said yes, but what was she going to ask me for?

　I tilted my head, and she turned her back in front of me, and then she moved backward toward me.

　Her back and my stomach were perfectly aligned, and she turned around her head with a big smile on her face and said

“I used to love it when Akito-kun hugged me from behind like this. Do you remember? “

” …… “

　After hearing those words, a scene came to my mind instantly.

　Not only the fact that I hugged her with her body close to mine like this, but also the fact that she liked to be hugged from behind…

　To be frank… to be really frank, sometimes my memories are mixed up with Yomi’s, but when she tells me, I can clearly remember that it was like that.

” …That, is that okay? “

“Yes. Please hug me.”

　Rin’ne’s face looked reddish, probably because of the sunset.

　I guess she was a little embarrassed, but more than that, I could see her genuine trust in me and her genuine desire for me to do so.

　No one was walking around us, so this space was silent.

　I responded to the anticipation in Rin’ne’s eyes by…. slowly putting my arms around her back as if to embrace her.

“Aki-kun♪”

“Ri-chan.”

　I wonder if it’s too emotional to instantly go back to the old way of calling her at times like this.

　But… I think it’s silly to be tense when doing this.

　Rin’ne thinks of me as a friend, and there is no difference between men and women in our relationship… so there was a sense of security that made me think there was no use in hoping for a chance.

　Well, I don’t know if I can call it a sense of security, but it is strange because I think it is also possible.

“Fufu, I wonder what will I tell Yomi when I get back?”

“Oh, you will? “

“Of course, I will. But then she’ll probably call you at night, so you’ll have to keep her company.”

” …that’s probably the case.”

“Yes.”

　When she nods her head happily at everything, I feel like I should just leave it to her.

“Anyway…”

“What’s going on? “

“No, I’m still a little nervous when I’m like this.

“…that’s right, me too.”

“Yes. I can also hear Akito-kun’s heart beating behind my back.”

　I thought that was right… and Rin’ne did something I hadn’t expected.

　She took my right hand, my dominant hand, and slowly lifted it up.

　Suddenly there is a soft sensation in the tip of my palm… and my finger sinks into it deeply that I can feel the thumping of her heart.

( !!? )

　Of course, I didn’t mean to be so stupid that I didn’t notice this feeling, even though I wasn’t looking at her from the front side.

　But it was true that I was taken aback by the suddenness of it.

　In the end, Rin’ne immediately let go of my hand and giggled.

“How? can you feel it? I was very, very nervous, wasn’t I? “

” Yes. But… but… whoaaaa!!!”

“Akito-kun, are you okay!? “

　Rin’ne is seriously worried about me with my head in my hands.

　If she was doing this on purpose, she would be a devilish woman, but from the looks of it, Rin’ne was really just doing it in the heat of the moment.

　I don’t know if she thinks that I’m a man who doesn’t mind touching her chest or if she doesn’t see me as a man at all… but whatever the case may be, I don’t know what to do when she does this to me!

“…Ah, you’re right. I guess that was a little bit out of line. Ugh……Akito-kun really makes me feel that everything is okay.”

“Everything? “

“Yes. Everything is… “

　Anyway… I’m just plain tired today.

　After that, Rin’ne and I waved to each other before parting… I let out a small sigh and headed home.

　Before going to bed, I got a call from Yomi, as Rin’ne told me, and we had a long call from after sunset until about 10:00 p.m.

[ You should go out with me next time, Akito-kun! ]

　I decided to keep my promise.

　After putting down my phone and darkening the room, my eyes accustomed to the darkness, I looked at my palm in a daze… and shook my head, wondering what the heck I was doing, then closed my eyes and fell asleep.