HS Chapter 21: The hopeless sister goes on a date.

“Etto… Kooma?”
“(*Mumble*, *Mumble*)…”

We, the Tachibana sisters, left the clinic after Koma’s examination and tests were over and then received the medication. Originally, me and Koma were supposed to have fun together after that, but…

“Hey, Tachibana Koma? My lovely, Koma? Can you hear me—-”

“—-(*Mumble*, *Mumble*, *Mumble*)”

“… The answer is a no, huh.”

I wonder what’s wrong. My angel, my beloved Koma, seems to be in a bad mood.  She didn’t seem to hear my voice, and after we left the clinic, she had been mumbling something while wandering around with my hand in her hand.

She’s been like this ever since her tests were over, and no matter how I see it she looks angry… Now, I’m in trouble. It’s rare for the originally good-natured Koma to be angry this much but I have no idea why she is so angry.

I wonder if I’ve done something that angered Koma…? But, I can’t think of anything like that—- No, wait, is it maybe that…?

I’m going to repeat what just happened. Koma looked normal before she went to get examined, but when she came back to the examination room and saw me and the doctor, she became very sulky. That would mean something happened in the examination room that angered Koma.

I analyze my actions at that time and rethink what went wrong, and I come to a conclusion… I see, basically—–

“(In other words, Koma is thinking… ‘What is Nee-sama thinking, bringing sweets to a hospital?’)”

Mumumu… I understand. Certainly, if you think about it well, my rash action was completely lacking common sense. Even though the doctor was a gentle person, bringing sweets and having them eaten on the spot (well, to be precise, it was the doctor who wanted to eat them on the spot), it’s only natural for the diligent Koma to be upset.

If that is so, then I can understand it. In that case…

“… Chiyuri-sensei… We’ve been in her care… however… touching Nee-sama… that’s the only thing I won’t forgive…! Besides, the doctor… has her girlfriend(Sayuri)!”

“Koma!”

“….Eh?….Ah? I’m sorry, Nee-sama. I zoned out for a bit… What were you saying?”

I walk to the front of Koma and face her. Take a deep breath and then…

“I’m sorry!”

“Yes?”

60 degrees… No, I apologize by bowing my body 90 degrees. If I’ve done something wrong then I should apologize firmly! It’s the obvious thing to do.

“I didn’t mean to anger you or anything like that! But since I’m always helped by Chiyuri-sensei… I thought that some homemade candy would be a good way to thank her!”

“Ehm… Nee-sama?”

“Also, I had made those cookies thinking she’d eat them later… However, I didn’t think she’d eat them right away… Anyway, I’m sorry for being such an absurd sister!”

If she doesn’t forgive me then I’ll kneel on the ground and do whatever she asks of me. I thought about it and gently raised my body up to ask the Koma once again.

“I’m sorry, Nee-sama but what are you even talking about?”
“Mn?”

I apologized to her, but she seemed to have no idea what I was talking about and looked at me blankly.

Aah… I don’t see Koma’s surprised face more than her angry face, so it’s super rare and cute.

—-That’s not it. Huh? I don’t understand. She’s not… angry?

“Eetto… pardon me. I have no idea why Nee-sama is apologizing in the first place.” 

“Eh? Because Koma… It seemed like you were angry at me… I thought that I must’ve done something wrong…”

“Angry!?…. You said… I was… angry… at Nee-sama!?”

“U-Un… Koma was angry that I was bringing homemade sweets to the hospital and feeding them to the doctor… That’s what I thought… Was I wrong?”

Koma begins to smooth it over panicky in response to me.

“You’re wrong, Nee-sama! I’m not angry! I’m not angry at you at all! I’m not going to get angry over that!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! It’s impossible for me to be angry at you… Nee-sama has absolutely done nothing wrong! In the first place, it wasn’t Nee-sama who was at fault…”

“It wasn’t me?”

 “It wasn’t Nee-sama… It’s…uuu…”

It wasn’t me? Then who else is at fault. I can’t think of anybody else…

“It’s nothing. I’m not angry at all, Nee-sama. It seems I’m a bit tired since the examination was long. I’m sorry, making you worry about me.”

“Ah…”

Conversely, Koma bows her head to me and apologizes. Tired from tests… Oh, so that’s why she looked angry.

I’m sorry, Koma… I’m disqualified for being your sister, since I didn’t notice you being tired.

“So it’s like that… Etto, after this we were supposed to have fun together, but if it’s hard for you we can go home.”

Afterall, GW just started and the places we’ll go are going to be filled with people and she’s bound to get more tired. In that case she should take it easy today and rest, and go have fun some other day. Koma’s health comes first. I tried to make a proposal due to it, but

“No, I’m okay. Let’s go.”

“Hey, Koma. It’s okay, you don’t have to force yourself. Our vacation just started… There are more chances to go and have fun…”

“…Nee-sama, you were looking forward to having fun with me today, right?”

“That’s right, but…”

Koma shakes her head while having her usual gentle smile and prioritizes her date with me… She’s so kind, putting me above her health.

“Of course, I also was looking forward to the date with you. I’m sure my fatigue will be blown away having fun with you… I’ll be sad if we go home now.”

“Muuu… When you put it like that…”

“I beg of you. Will you go out with me… Nee-sama?”

With a bit of blush cheeks Koma summons her courage to beg me to go…. I can’t refuse her. I don’t think I’m able to refuse such an adorable request out of Koma.

…That’s right. Just like Koma said, I also have been looking forward to the date.

“… Is that so. Un, I got it. Then, shall we go? But if it gets hard for you, you’ll tell me immediately, okay?”

“Yes! Then, let’s begin our date, Nee-sama♪”

In that case, I’ll take Koma’s word for it. I’ll look after her health properly next time, so let’s have as much fun as possible with Koma on our date.

◇　◇　◇

“Oh my, it’s pretty crowded!”

“It is GW, after all.”

For the date with Koma, we, the Tachibana sisters, came to the most prosperous shopping mall in town. It’s a shopping mall located in a city larger than our home town, and there are more people than we expected because it’s GW from today.

First of all, I’ll hold Koma’s hand tightly so that we don’t get separated.

“Now, what should we start with? Koma, do you have a place you like to go to? We’ll immediately go there.”

“Yes, but if Nee-sama has a place she wants to go, please say it. That’s my priority.”

At the entrance of the mall, both of us start to compromise on where to go. Hm, honestly said, I’m fine anywhere with Koma and she is my priority…

“Uun. I have no particular place to go, so we can go to the places Koma wants to go. Please tell me where you want to go.”

“We can start with Nee-sama. Just tell me where you want to go!”

“No, no. Koma’s side is more important.”

“No, not at all. It’s Nee-sama’s side that’s important.”

Well, this is how we are compromising each other without giving in. ‘Koma’s side goes first’ and ‘Nee-sama’s side is first’ is what we were arguing about, but after a short time we giggle and laugh together.

“Ahaha. It’s funny how reserved we are with each other.”

“Fufufu, we’re sisters… And twins, too.”

As expected of being twins even our thinking patterns seem to be similar. We seemed to have been standing at the entrance for almost five minutes out of reserve for each other, and the shop staff were looking at us strangely. Oh my, this is embarrassing.

“Then, Nee-sama. I have a suggestion. How about we take turns going to places we want? First is Nee-sama, then it’s me. After that, it’s Nee-sama— How about it?”

“Un, I agree, Koma. Sorry, I’ll be going first.”

 “No, not at all. Where should we go first?”

“That’s right. First is—”

~Grocery store~

“First is buying a souvenir for Aunt… Is it? That’s my Nee-sama. Always putting the needs of me and Aunt before your own, Nee-sama is really kind.”

“Ahaha… I’m not kind. Aunty said “Go buy a souvenir” so I had no choice but to buy one. If I forget to buy her one, she’ll throw a tantrum, and it’s best to just get her one early so I don’t forget.”

The first place we visited was the grocery store. Before we left home, I lost a bet (one-sidedly to Aunty) so I have to get a souvenir since she demanded it.

Good grief. Aunty made such a troublesome demand.

“You’re modest again. You’re so kind, Nee-sama. Also, what are you to get for a souvenir?”

“Hmm… Well, it’s a souvenir for Aunty, so I’m just going to get her favourite things…”

“Aunt’s favourite thing… is it? Etto…”

Now, what would Aunty’s favourite be? After thinking for several seconds, something pops up in my mind at the same time as Koma. That is—-

“”Alcohol…””

….Aunty = alcohol. As expected of us twins. It’s the perfect image of Aunty.

“No, alcohol is bad. Aunty needs to be sober soon otherwise I fear the damage to her liver.”

“That’s right. Also… We’re minors so we can’t buy it even if we wanted to. For now, let’s take delicious sweets mixed in with snacks as souvenirs.”

“I thought so. Let’s find appropriate ones and buy them. Where does Koma want to go next?”

“Me? I want to—”

~Sportswear store~

“I’m sorry, Nee-sama… I made you come along to this place. It’s not fun for you, right?”

“Uun, It’s exactly the kind of place I wouldn’t go into on my own, so it’s new and fun.”

Next store is the sportswear one. I belong to the same Seijokai club as Koma but that doesn’t mean I exercise…

“So, what is Koma going to buy?”

“Etto… First is some additional weights… Then, I want to see the new training wear…”

But, Koma is extremely athletic and she runs and works out almost every day as a hobby. She’s especially good at running and she loves running.

“Now that I remember, Koma, you participated in some kind of competition again the other day and won an award, didn’t you? Congratulations for the second time. Onee-chan loves seeing her Koma run… You’re so cool it’s mesmerizing.”

“I-Is that so? Hearing you say that… I’m, happy. Ah, that’s right. How about you run together with me, Nee-sama? It’ll be fun.”

Koma, while being embarrassed by my praise, she makes a suggestion to me… Muu. Koma And I running together, is it? It’s a tempting offer, but… 

“Thanks but I feel like I won’t be able to keep up with Koma… I think it will be difficult for me to run together.”

“It’s okay. If it’s jogging and walking, then we can do it together!”

I’m smiling bitterly and Koma is trying to persuade me forcefully. Jogging and walking…? Ooh, I get it. If it’s those then I can do it too.

“Nhm, I can do it if it’s walking.”

“Right, right? Then let’s immediately get our matching wear—-”

“Also… It’s good for dieting.”

“….Eh?”

Unlike Koma, I don’t exercise often so I’ve gotten a bit squishy in places. No, no, I’ve been told that I’m the standard weight for girls my age.

But I’d like to lose some weight, because I’m sure I’ll stand out and stand alongside the stylish Koma. Also, Koma would definitely find me more attractive when I’m slim rather than being plump… 

“… I’m sorry, Nee-sama. Let’s say this conversation didn’t happen.”

“Hee?”

“….(*Mumble*, *Mumble*) The current Nee-sama is punipuni… She’s cute… Her going on a diet… I definitely won’t allow it!”

~Cooking utensils store~

“Fuoooaaaa… What an amazing pot…”

This store was the one I wanted to go to next, this one has all the cooking utensils that are essential for making sure Koma and Aunty have a good meal.

“This toughness! It’s an amazing weight! The cool lid with handle! Wow, the pressure cooker is just wonderful!”

I picked up the pressure cooker on display, I couldn’t help but be enchanted by it. Aah, this is excellent… I super duper want it. Unfortunately, it’s too expensive and my budget for today doesn’t allow me to buy it…

“Hee… This is a pressure cooker? Is this really that amazing, Nee-sama?”

“Un! It’s amazing!”

When Koma asked me that, I immediately flip-flopped my mouth.

“First, being able to cook the food in a short time is the best part! What would take almost an hour in your average pot can be done in simply 5 or 6 minutes… Thanks to that, you can save up on gas bills! In addition, it can boil chunks of meat to make it tender, and it can also make boiled dishes a lot more delicious than ordinary pots! And then there’s the—-”

“Fufufu… You look like you’re having fun, Nee-sama.”

Koma was looking at me with an expression full of kindness while I explained in a daze. It’s like a mother watching over her child who wants to talk.

I came back to my senses when I noticed her looking at me… I got too into it…

“I’m sorry, Koma. Nee-chan becomes passionate when it comes to cooking… Also, coming here is not fun for Koma… I’m sorry for getting excited just by myself…”

“No, not at all. I couldn’t have had more fun than this.”

“Is that so…? I’m glad you said that.”

I dropped by at the cooking utensils store for both hobby and practical use. I was worried that Koma wouldn’t find this place amusing since she rarely cooks, but it doesn’t seem like that due to her words of praise.

I stopped whenever I found a new cooking utensil I liked, Koma smiled happily while I’m excited. Anyhow, I’m glad that she’s enjoying herself.

“(*Mumble*, *Mumble*)  I get to see Nee-sama having this much fun, after all. It was worth coming along.”

~Game corner~

“Uumu. It’s a bit unexpected. I thought that Koma would never want to go to a place like this.”

“Ehehe… I wanted to try it once.”

The next place that Koma wanted to go is… The game corner in the amusement center.

At school Koma is an honor student, so I feel this is her gap moe for her to want to go to this kind of place.

Obviously I don’t have to say it, however, this gap is also one of Koma’s charming points.

“So… Koma, you wanted to play this?”

“Yes… I’ve always wanted to try it with my sister someday, since I’ve watched my class do it from time to time. Nee-sama, is it fine… if we do it together?”

“Un. It’s okay, let’s do it.”

The thing Koma was pointing at while saying is… The so-called photo booth. It’s the ones you see in most arcades where you take a picture with a camera and make a sticker.

“So this is the photo booth? I’m sorry, Koma. I’m embarrassed to admit, but this is actually my first time too.”

“Oh my… Is that so? Let’s do our best together as novices, Nee-sama. Eeeto… How do we use it?”

“Hm… For now, why don’t we put money in it and find out?”

Since it was the first time for both of us, we anxiously put in about 400 yen in coins. When we inserted the money a voice came from the case of the machine. It seems that we’ll be guided by voice guidance, so we follow the instructions and try to take pictures in the photo booth first. 

“Next is… This and that? Go to the graffiti booth?”

“Hee… Nee-sama, Nee-sama. It looks like it can be done in many ways.”

We could process the pictures of us standing side by side in any way we want. Doodle on frames, stamps, pens, etc. It looks like it can be printed as well, but since it’s a good opportunity, I decided to go with doodling.

We took a peek at the control screen to see what other functions were available.

“”(…..Heart….Symbol…!?)””

“Oh my, since I’m new at this it seems I’ve made a mistake! I-I’m sorry, Koma. I’ve selected the Heart Frame in the photo booth!”

“No, no, you don’t havve to mind it all! I’m a novice too, so I don’t understand it… But before I knew it, my hand had been pressing the Heart Stamp… We’ve both done it.”

Five minutes later. We both came out of the photo booth with the completed pictures in our hands. With that being the reason, Koma and I both managed to complete a photo booth with an abundance of heart symbols.

“So… what are we going to do with these pictures…? Throwing them is a bit… Wasteful, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, isn’t it!? It’s our first time doing the photo booth… Making mistakes is a good experience!”

“Yes, yes!”

We both said that while having our cheeks blush red, and keep the pictures we made.

…. I’m sorry for telling a lie, Koma. Compared to Koma, I’m… I’m saying I made a mistake, but really I made it look like a mistake and purposefully put a heart symbol on the picture with Koma… I’m sorry I’m such a hopeless sister that can’t resist temptations…

— And like that, we took turns going to places we wanted to go and enjoying ourselves to the best we can. Our date has just started.