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Chapter 06 — Lovers
From the next day on, the two of us became lovers—our little secret, known only to us. Unlike other couples, we couldn’t make it public, and we couldn’t even act affectionate in front of others. And yet, as long as we could be together, we both agreed that it was enough. That was our relationship.
“Mana, hurry up,”
“Ah… yeah.”
Of course, we also decided to go to the same university.
Our parents asked us over and over if we were really sure about it, but in the end, we chose our university for a ridiculous reason—because we wanted to stay together.
I had actually been thinking of giving up art school… but Aika-chan objected, so in the end, we stuck with the original plan.
After school, we went home together. At home, we studied together. Those little, ordinary things felt strangely fun. We were never the type of couple I had ever imagined… and yet, somehow, this felt the most natural of all.
Being together had always felt “normal” to me—but now, more than anything, I wanted to be together.
That feeling was mutual between us. It made me happy… and a little ticklish, in a way that was hard to explain.
“Hey… can I ask you something?”
It was about a month after we started dating. We were eating lunch together as usual when Mamimi suddenly spoke up, glancing around cautiously.
Recently, I had been eating with Aika-chan about half the week. We went home together, and after school too. Because of that, I barely had time to talk with Mamimi anymore—only during lunch break.
“Hm?”
I looked at her while biting into a slightly sweet tamagoyaki. Mamimi kept checking the entrance over and over before lowering her voice.
“Your sister… I mean Aika-san. Did something happen to her?”
I blinked.
Why was she looking around so suspiciously just to ask that?
It wasn’t like it was something she needed to whisper about.
“Nothing happened, I think. Why?”
Of course, I couldn’t tell Mamimi about us. Even if she was my closest friend, there were things I couldn’t say.
“I mean… she actually greeted me.”
“…Huh?”
“That’s what I said. She greeted me.”
I almost dropped my octopus-shaped sausage.
“…Wait, what?”
“I’m serious! I’ve tried greeting her before—since she’s your sister and all. Like when we pass in the hallway, or bump into each other at the school gate. But she always ignored me. Sometimes she even glared at me, you know? But yesterday, and this morning too—she just said ‘good morning’ first… I honestly thought it was going to rain spears or something.”
That was… quite an exaggeration, but I could understand.
Aika-chan didn’t like interacting with others. She ignored classmates who tried to talk to her, and even treated teachers coldly.
Because of that, she had strange rumors attached to her, and people whispered behind her back. So for her to show any change at all was… surprising.
Or rather, she just didn’t show that side of herself in front of me, so I hadn’t noticed.
“…I wonder what’s going on. Maybe I should ask her.”
“Maybe it’s that, you know? The only thing that changes a girl is that one thing.”
“That one thing?”
“Love! Isn’t that the only thing that can turn someone like a doll into a different person? Hey, Manaaa… aren’t you going to ask her anything? Wait—are you okay?”
“I-I’m fi—fine…”
The moment I heard the word love, I accidentally spat out my tea.
It went the wrong way and I started coughing violently… seriously…
“Anyway, aren’t you going to ask her?”
“W-well… I mean…”
“Come on, I told you this for a reason~”
“Uh, I mean… stuff like love… isn’t really something other people should interfere with…”
“But didn’t your beloved sister interfere with your friendships all the time?”
“T-that’s true, but…”
When it came to Aika-chan herself, I couldn’t really argue.
I didn’t think she had changed that much… but if Mamimi said so, then maybe she really had.
Was it really because of me?
I spent the rest of the lunch break feeling strangely unsettled.
“…Huh?”
When I asked Aika-chan later, she gave the exact same reaction I had. It really hit me again—we really were alike in weird ways.
“S-so… Mamimi said that. And she also said she’s never seen you act like that with people before.”
“Ah… I might’ve said hello to Aizawa-san, I guess. Maybe we just made eye contact… or I thought I should greet her since she’s your friend. I don’t really remember.”
“You don’t remember? So you did it with other people too?”
“Hmm… I guess I did. Teachers, maybe… and the class representative in my class too.”
So there had been a change.
Before, she would never have done something like that.
It made me genuinely happy that she was slowly becoming the kind of person I had always wished she could be.
My face must have softened, because she reached out and pulled my cheeks.
“Ah—sto-op it…”
“You were grinning. So sloppy.”
“Mm… I can’t help it. I’m happy.”
Rubbing my cheeks, I spoke again, and Aika-chan tilted her head slightly.
“I’ve always wanted you to have more friends too. Like Mamimi or Orihara-san… people you can share friends with.”
“Hm. But just because someone greets you doesn’t mean you become friends. I don’t think so either. And honestly… I don’t think I’d get along with Aizawa-san or Orihara-san anyway.”
“Eh? I don’t think so…”
“Well, I’ll think about it myself from here on out. You don’t need to worry about it, Mana.”
“Okay…”
I smiled, and she smiled back. Without even thinking, our hands naturally found each other.
Her slightly cold palm slowly warmed as our body heat mixed.
I wanted us to close the distance between us step by step like this—closer, little by little.
Holding her hand tightly, I made that wish in silence.
