I Can Distinguish the Twin Sister - Chapter 37

What does Rin’ne think of straightforward words?

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

Humans are strange beings; when someone calls out to you when you’re super sleepy, your voice seems to come out lower than usual.

Well, it’s my fault for dozing off during the end-of-day assembly… I lifted my head, and standing there were two guys.

They weren’t Yoshiki and Masashi.

“Come over here for a minute.”

” …….. “

Every day, I lead a life that’s not exactly plain but certainly not conspicuous.

These guys, who even dye their hair to give a flashy impression to others…They had glared at me several times before.

The moments when they glared at me were mainly when Rin’ne and Yomi were with me…I know what’s coming.

I do find it troublesome, but I feel like the time has finally come.

“…okay.”

With a sigh, I stood up.

I was led by two male classmates, Yonezawa and Anzai, to the stair landing not far away.

“So? What do you want?”

I don’t have any plans after school today, and I’d like to head home early and relax.

“What’s your relationship with Aragaki-san and the others?”

“You’ve become quite close to them lately, haven’t you? You weren’t like this before, but you’ve suddenly become friends with them.”

” ….. “

Just as I thought… however, I wanted to ask what they’d do with that information.

Stared down by the two, who didn’t necessarily have ill intentions but definitely weren’t friendly, I wondered what to say.

In situations like this, the right thing to do is probably to cover up the truth with lies or to be evasive, but….

(I shouldn’t say anything that leads to misunderstandings, and I shouldn’t make excuses that could bother them either… maybe I should express a little bit of how I feel.)

Thinking this, I met their gaze, and Yonezawa and Anzai widened their eyes slightly.

Though I was concerned about their reactions, I spoke straightforwardly in response to their question.

“What do you mean by ‘what kind of relationship?’ To me, they’re just close friends. Is there something more you’re implying?”

“Huh… You’re way too close for ‘just friends.’ “

“Those two have never been so close with any other guys before.”

I understand why others might be curious since it’s a scene they haven’t witnessed before…

But I don’t see any reason for them to question me about it this way.

Holding back my irritation, I continued speaking.

“Regardless of what you guys say, I don’t intend to change the way I interact with them. Even if you dislike my answer and do something about it, that won’t change…because I don’t want to make the two who are kind to me sad. I’m proud to consider both of them my close friends.”

They probably think I’m trying to act cool or something.

But I don’t care — not to sound arrogant, but I believe Rin’ne and Yomi consider me a close friend too.

Even if there was a reason to do so, moving away from those two would undoubtedly sadden them.

“Is that enough? Again, I consider them my close friends. Regardless of what others say, unless they distance themselves from me, I won’t distance myself from them either.”

Having said that, I turned my back to them.

It felt like I dominated the conversation from the middle, but in situations like this, it’s always better to take the lead and push through…

That went well, right?

” …… “

Feeling a slight unease but expecting them not to say anything further, I returned to the classroom to pack my things.

As I headed to the shoe lockers, I ran into Rin’ne.

“Rin’ne?”

“Akito-kun, I was waiting for you.”

“Waiting…?”

“Yes.”

When she said she was waiting, I racked my brain.

I was anxious that I might have forgotten a promise I made with Rin’ne due to my nap, but as far as I remembered, there wasn’t any… at least, I hoped so.

“Ah, no, we didn’t make any promises. I was waiting for you on my own.”

“I see… So I didn’t forget any promise.”

“Yes… So, what’s up? Do you have any plans?”

“Nope, no plans. Want to head home together?”

“Huh… Yes!♪”

Exiting the school with a delighted-looking Rin’ne, our conversation was just ordinary chitchat.

Still, there was never a lull; either Rin’ne or I continued to speak.

The conversation was utterly insignificant, but I genuinely seemed to enjoy these moments.

(By the way, if I’m not careful, I might end up talking about Yomi… She did ask me to keep it a secret, so I have to restrain myself.)

However… I have this feeling that somehow, the three of us will end up doing it together.

I wonder if it’s just my imagination.

Lost in thought, I suddenly noticed Rin’ne gazing intently at me.

Meeting her gaze, we locked eyes.

“…What?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Seeing Rin’ne chuckling in amusement, I naturally tilted my head, puzzled.

***

(Fufu, chatting with Akito-kun is really fun♪)

Rin’ne thought so as she observed Akito tilting his head.

As she told him when they met at the shoe lockers, they hadn’t made any promises.

So, for him, Rin’ne’s waiting was indeed unexpected.

(…I just wanted to be with him.)

That’s right… Rin’ne simply wanted to be with Akito.

Rin’ne was alone since Yomi went shopping, but like Akito, she had no particular plans… that’s why she happened to be there.

『Unless they distance themselves from me, I won’t distance myself from them either.』

Akito’s words were straightforward, and Rin’ne received the emotions behind them.

She couldn’t help but touch her chest to check her heart beat; that moment felt incredibly special to her.

It made her very happy.

“…friends…huh?”

“Yes?”

However…while being called a ‘friend’ still made her happy… There was no doubt she felt a faint sense of dissatisfaction.

Where her heart was headed and what she desired… Rin’ne felt she was close to understanding the answer to those questions.