I Can Distinguish the Twin Sister - Chapter 44

Finally Realizing, and Moving Forward

Yomi is crying right in front of me.

I tried to take a step forward, but Yomi looked at me as if she was afraid as she took a step back… The moment I saw that, I had no choice but to stop.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry for raising my voice all of a sudden…”

Yomi, wiping her tears with her hand, sat down.

Seeing her desperately trying not only to stop her tears but also to suppress her sobs, I hated myself for being unable to do anything.

(Why did I go to Rin’ne?)

I never thought she would say something like that… At that time, when I took Rin’ne away, Yomi was watching from somewhere.

Something had happened between the two of them… I heard about their argument from Rin’ne, and I knew what it was about…

There was no doubt that both of them were hurt… In that case, it wouldn’t be strange for Yomi to think that I prioritized Rin’ne.

“…Yomi, I――”

What would be the right words to follow…?

Both Rin’ne and Yomi are precious friends to me, and there’s no hierarchy between them…

In extreme terms, if I were asked to choose one to save, I would definitely stretch out both hands intending to save them both.

(Is apologizing for that the right answer? Should I say ‘Sorry, it would have been better if I go to Yomi first’? No, none of them is the right answer… Because I don’t think I was wrong to act immediately upon seeing Rin’ne.)

Rin’ne had said thoughtless words to Yomi… and regretted it.

I’m glad I got to hear the story from her… Because thanks to that, I can spend time with Yomi now.

More than anything… I can act this way for the sake of those precious to me.

“………….”

I sat down next to the continuously crying Yomi and quietly offered her a handkerchief.

She looked up in surprise, but I didn’t say anything in particular… just waited for her to take the handkerchief.

“…Thank you”

“Yeah.”

Yomi, who took the handkerchief, wiped away her tears.

In times like this… because this kind of experience was a first for me, I didn’t know what to say… I probably wouldn’t have any complaints if someone called me thoughtless.

“…Hey, Yomi.”

“What?”

However, seeing her gradually calm down, I naturally began to speak.

“I… didn’t know what words to say. So… for now, I just sat here to be by your side as a sign of support.”

“Mhm.”

“I really wished I could handle situations like this better…”

“…On the contrary, if someone had to deal with situations like this so often that they got used to it, I’d think they have a pretty tough life.”

“…that’s true.”

That’s… definitely someone who would be incredibly considerate, but it does sound exhausting.

While pondering this, I glanced at Yomi. She was chuckling and looking at me.

“…I’ve been wondering why I said such things to Aneki. Aneki and I don’t always get along, but this time she really ticked me off, so I retaliated with full force.”

“Seems like it. I heard about the entire exchange.”

“Did you? Maybe she told you, ‘Don’t worry, we’re sisters, we’ll make up soon’?”

“…Something like that.”

“That’s so… typical of Aneki.”

‘That’s a bit annoying’, Yomi said with a wry smile and then gently laid her head on my shoulder.

“…Even though Aneki has everything, she gets jealous of me. At first, when I saw her like that, I was glad. Thinking, ‘Oh, I can make Aneki show this kind of expression too.’ Of course, right after, I felt terrible about it.”

“Is that so…”

“Yeah. And then, as you’ve heard, Aneki said something and I snapped, and that’s been bothering me up to now.”

“………….”

Being able to talk about it like this might mean she’s calmed down a bit… probably?

From what I see of Yomi, she doesn’t seem angry anymore. But I can’t see through to her feelings, so I can’t say for sure if she’s completely okay.

Yomi glanced at the clock and apologized to me again.

“It’s been quite a while… even though you invited me here to study.”

“Ah… I’m totally fine. In fact, I’ve had some things on my mind too, so being able to talk like this feels good.”

“…I see.”

Looks like we won’t be studying anymore today…

Neither of us seems to be in the mood, and besides, Yomi doesn’t look like she’s planning on moving her head off my shoulder anytime soon.

(This silence isn’t bad… it’s genuinely calming.)

I just stare at the changing numbers on the digital clock.

Neither of us speaks.

I just gaze at it… I might be questioned about what I’m doing, but it’s not bad at all when I know I’m not alone in this space.

“…Hey, Akito-kun.”

“Mhm?”

“Do you… dislike it when Aneki and I fight?”

“Of course. I really wish you two would get along.”

“What if you were the cause of our fights? Would you still feel that way?”

“………….”

That…

Seeing me fall silent, Yomi gives a wry smile and says, “Sorry, sorry,” and continues.

“Akito-kun… you’re truly a kind person. You not only pay close attention to both Aneki and me but also think about what’s best… just like you did this time.”

“………….”

“Being with someone like you, both Aneki and I feel happy… it warms up our hearts and makes us smile.”

“…It’s the same for me.”

Being with the two of them feels nice.

I’m really glad that we were able to reunite and that we became close again… Every day, I feel that they hold a special place in my heart.

When I conveyed this, Yomi blushed a bit, but soon after she asked me something.

“Hey, Akito-kun――can you hold me for a moment?”

“Huh?”

“Come on, it’s not bad, isn’t it? Come here.”

“…Alright.”

As I wrapped my arms around Yomi’s back to hug her, she let out a sigh as if she felt relieved, and she also wrapped her arms around my back.

“…I see… I guess that’s how it is for me… that’s how it is for us.”

“Yomi?”

“It’s nothing. Thank you, Akito-kun――I’ll make up with her by tomorrow, so it’ll be fine.”

Saying that, Yomi pulled away, showing me her usual smile.

All I can do is believe in Yomi’s words… But it’s strange how I feel reassured when she says it.

…However, for some reason, I had an intuition that something might change.

I didn’t know what it was, but I definitely felt it.

▽▼

“Aneki, I’m coming in.”

It was during a time when I was studying for a test in my room.

Yomi entered my room――we had had a fight and the atmosphere was tense, but Yomi looked at me and chuckled softly, continuing her words.

“You look upset… Hey, Aneki, have you been worrying about it the whole time?”

“…Of course I have.”

Ah, I shouldn’t have said it like that.

I have to apologize… I have to apologize for saying those harsh words to her… But as I thought that, the gaze from Yomi, standing right in front of me, was serious.

Looking straight into my eyes, Yomi said,

“Aneki, let’s talk――as sisters, and as women… There are things we need to discuss.”

Caught off guard by her sudden words, I was nodding firmly… I knew exactly what we needed to discuss.