HS Chapter 87: The hopeless sister experiences love troubles.

“… Kanai-sama. Aren’t you sticking to her a bit too close?”

“Eeh, I wonder… Instead. Isn’’t Koma-chan too close? I think you’re sticking too close to her.”

“… Ehm… You two…?”

… How did it come to be like this.

“I’m allowed to do so. Because… We’re twin sisters, so it’s normal for us to be this close… Isn’t that right, Mako-nee-sama♡.”

“U, un… I think, that it’s… normal?”

My right arm is tightly held close by my beloved little sis, Koma. (Her breasts are hitting me alot…) 

“Huh? I see, it’s normal. But, well, I’m best friends with Mako too, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us sticking together like this… Right, Mako♪”

“That’s right… I think…?”

My left arm is tightly held close by my best friend, Kanakana. (She has no breasts…) 

“… But, you see, Kanae-sama. However close and good friends you may be, it would be annoying and difficult for Nee-sama to walk around if you were so attached to her. Isn’t it time for you to leave her?”

“Koma-chan, no matter how close you are as sisters, if you cling to Mako so forcibly, she might lose her balance, fall and hurt herself. So why don’t you let her hand go?”

“… Ettto….”

I’m sandwiched between two beautiful girls of different types, and I’m troubled by this situation where I have flowers in both hands.

… Let me say it again. How did I come to this.

~30 minutes before it became like this~

My best friend, Kanai Kanae—-Next day after Kanakana’s shocking kiss and confession.

I, Mako Tachibana, was very worried as I prepared to go to school.

What on earth am I worried about? Well, that’s obvious.

“What should I reply to Kanakana…”

She gave me such a heart-thumping confession, and I want to reply to Kanakana with a proper answer of my own. Also… Whatever the reply, part of me doesn’t want to keep her waiting for a long time.

But… I slept through the night and thought about it, but in the end I had no answers, how pathetic. I’ve been confused the whole time, and I’ve had trouble sorting out my feelings and I haven’t been able to think at all…

“Being confused about love between girls—- I don’t think that’s the case.”

I was certainly more than a little surprised when I heard Kanakana coming out yesterday, but… But as I was listening to her, I didn’t mind it at all. When Kanakana declared ‘I like girls’ she didn’t sound strange to me at all.

I believe that life is too short to waste it if you don’t love the people you love… Kanakana was brave enough to come out to me… I even thought she was cool.

Then, why am I so troubled? Why do I have trouble replying to her? 

“…. Calm down, me. Think about it carefully…”

In order to get an answer as soon as possible, I decided to do a calm self-analysis for now… First of all, as a basic premise, what do I think of Kanakana? 

“… I don’t hate Kanakana even one bit.”

Kanakana became friends with me when she first joined this school because she approached me. Now I can proudly say she’s my best friend.

“… ‘Mako’s cheerfulness and kindness have always helped in my life since we met’… I too have helped from the moment we met.”

I mutter this as I recall what Kanakana said to me before her confession. Sometimes she stops me when I get out of control whenever it’s about Koma, sometimes she gives me a look of surprise and tsukkomis me when I do something silly, and sometimes she helps me when I’m in real trouble…

Kanakana was friendly and kind to me, who is a self-admitted pervert and weirdo, a hopeless person. Serious, lively and sometimes hot-blooded… And then my best friend is awfully thoughtful. I was the one who received help and Kanakana is an important person to me. 

‘… Tachibana Mako. I, Kanai Kanae—- I love you!’

… Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that Kanakana would confess to me.

I love Kanakana as a friend, too. That I can assert… But, did Kanakana tell me she loves me in that sense? 

“… I don’t understand…”

Then, do I go out with Kanakana?

“… To begin with, I… I don’t imagine myself… going out with anyone…”

… I’ve never had anyone confess to me before, and I never dreamed that I, who is hopeless, would be confessed to…. I kept thinking that I shouldn’t have anyone who liked me, a useless person who couldn’t protect even her own sister.

That’s why, I by no means… Can see myself as someone who likes someone else, or someone who likes me as a lover. I never imagined myself loving someone. I can’t even imagine…

“… However… Kanakana confessed then kissed me…  What did I think of it?”

I close my eyes, and then I touch my lips to remember. I was kissed by my best friend suddenly, and then she confessed her feelings to me, yesterday after school.

The confession that followed after Kanakana’s kiss… It was only a few seconds in time and only a light touch. Normally, I’ve been kissing Koma with my tongue every mealtime every day, so it should be a light greeting for me.

“Despite that, it’s been stuck in my head all the time…”

Soft lips with a bit more warmth than Koma’s. The sweetness of the unusual lip balm that she wore. And the faint scent of her perfume, which was also unusually worn. Kanakana’s kiss has been stuck in my head and won’t leave.

Every time I remember, my cheeks get hot. It’s making my heart ache…. What is this feeling? 

“… sa, ma… Nee-sama?”

“… I don’t understand… In the end, I don’t under—”

“(*Suu..*) Mako-nee-sama!”

“Uhyaa!?”

As I force my absent mind to think at full speed, I suddenly hear a loud voice calling me from behind me. 

I turned around in a hurry and saw Koma standing there, getting ready for school.

“Etto… What’s wrong, Koma? Did something happen?”

“Asking me what’s wrong… I called out to Nee-sama several times, but you didn’t respond, so I was a little worried that something had happened to you…”

“… Eh, no way… Koma was calling me…? Several times…?”

… What on earth? No matter how much I was thinking, if I can’t respond to my beloved little sis’s call, then I am really an unfit sister…!? Not good, it’s a bit depressing…

“I-I’m sorry, Koma! Onee-chan is a bit absent-minded… I wasn’t ignoring you or anything!”

“Aah, no. I just thought it was time to get to school so I was calling you, so don’t mind it much, Nee-sama… More importantly, are you all right? Nee-sama was making different faces before I was calling you and above all your cheeks were red. You said you were absent-minded… Maybe you have a fever?”

“Uu…”

Koma, looks concerned about me with a worried expression on her face and a hand on my forehead. My different faces and my face being red was probably due to the fact that I was thinking back to Kanakana’s kiss and confession. It’s kind of embarrassing…

“I hope that you’re not pushing yourself too much. If you have a cold or you don’t feel well, why don’t you take the day off today, Nee-sama… (*Mumble*) That way, you won’t see that girl…”

“I’m f-fine! I don’t need to rest! I don’t have a cold! I’m really healthy!”

“…. Is that, so? If that’s so, then okay…”

I try to respond that way to Koma that encourages me to rest today. I can’t have Koma worry about me, and besides, I have to meet with Kanakana and tell her. I can’t rest.

… Rather, I’m an idiot so I can’t catch a cold, after all… If I call my teacher and say, ‘I’ve caught a cold’, she will say, ‘Don’t lie to me. You’re probably skipping school anyway, so quickly get to school’, and I don’t think she’d let me rest…

“Then, shall we go, Nee-sama? If we take our time slowly then we’ll be late for school.”

“Ah… Un. You’re right… See ya, Aunty! We’ll be off to school!”

“See you later, Aunt-sama.”

“Ooh, take care, you two!”

Me and Koma leave the house after saying our goodbyes to Aunty, who is working in her room. Today, as always, the two of us go to school side by side while chatting amiably together.

“It’s getting very chilly, isn’t it, Nee-sama? I feel like it’s even colder than yesterday!”

“I think so too…”

“I always do my runs early in the morning, but… It’s hard to do it at this time of year so it’s greatly troublesome. Well, it’s better than running in the middle of summer, when heat stroke and dehydration are more likely to occur♪”

“I see…”

… Ah, no. Let me correct myself a bit.

Koma going to school today with me… was a bit different from her usual.

“… Ehm… Koma? Onee-chan wants to ask Koma something… Is that fine?”

“Yes? What’s wrong, Nee-sama?”

“Why… Why is Koma holding my arm close…?”

Unlike usual… Koma was holding onto my arms with her whole body in a tight hug. I usually went to and from school holding hands with the Koma if there weren’t many eyes.

But… She’s never been so bold, and she has never held my arms so that we could show them off to everyone during the highly visible morning commute to work and school till now… Why is, Koma doing this…? 

“… Aah, are you talking about this? I told you? ‘It’s gotten colder’. If we hug like this, you and I will both be warm♪”

Koma says that with an innocent, angelic smile on her face as she hugs me in her arms. Aah, I get it, so it’s like that…

“But, Koma… That, everyone is looking at us with weird eyes… We can do things like this when we are alone…”

“Oh my… Why is that? We’re sisters so this much is normal. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about… Or do you think there is a problem?”

Koma asks me curiously. She asked if there is a problem? …. There are a lot, my Koma…! 

I don’t need to tell you this now, but my lovely little sis Koma is an idol at our school. She is popular with both men and women alike, and even has an official and unofficial fan club (oh, and by the way, I am the president of the official fan club).

Now, what would happen if the others saw Koma with me, the most troublesome girl in school, going to school together, arm in arm, flirting?

“Oi, look at that…!? That Tachibana is walking arm-in-arm with Koma!”

“… Damn her…! That hopeless girl sticking so close to Koma, the girl of my dreams…!”

“No matter how close sisters they are… Being so close to Koma…! I wonder if Mako is trying to show off…!?”

The answer is something like that. I can hear the jealous curses emanating from everyone on the way to school, whether I want to or not, and it bothers me. The sharp, physically piercing stares that fly in from all directions from everyone who likes Koma are very painful.

Well, I’m used to this kind of staring, in a way, because of my delicious position as Koma’s twin sister. So if you ask if it’s a problem then it’s a problem, but it’s not that serious a problem in this regard. So what’s the biggest problem with having my arms crossed with Koma? That is…

“(… It makes me weirdly aware of… Koma herself!)”

Yesterday’s kiss and confession from Kanakana had an unexpected side effect on me.

As you already know, I’m a siscon. It is also the case that I am an unbelievable siscon who is inwardly and seriously sexually attracted to her younger sister. But since I love my little sis, I can never touch her. So far, I’ve tried desperately to fight my inner struggle and not be overly conscious of Koma.

“(And yet… Since yesterday, I haven’t been able to see Koma as my little sis…)”

…. If that’s so. Yesterday’s kiss with Kanakana, and her confession. They’ve changed something in me. Since yesterday’s incident, I have been… More conscious than usual of Koma. 

For example, Koma’s kiss.

Till today… ‘This is a kind of therapeutic act,’ ‘it’s like artificial respiration’ are the assumptions I used to kiss Koma… I intentionally changed the word ‘kiss’ to ‘kissing’ to bring back Koma’s sense of taste, and I was admonishing myself desperately not to be conscious of it. (TN: Mako uses “口づけ” when she mentions “kiss” instead of “キス”. Both mean the same thing, just that Mako wants to deceive herself?.) 

… However, Kanakana’s kiss kicked all those delusions away. No matter how I deceive myself, the actions I have taken with Koma so far are… kissing my little sister… I’ve been made aware of it.

Thanks to that, today and yesterday were tough. I’ve been doing this for six years and I’m supposed to be a veteran when it comes to kissing… I couldn’t kiss her at all. I felt as if I was kissing Koma for the first time, and it was a challenge just to put my lips on hers.

…. Well, because of that, Koma took the lead and kissed me more aggressively than usual, so she managed to get her taste buds back…

“… My? Nee-sama, your face is red again. Are you sure you don’t have a fever, Nee-sama?”

“Yes, I’m sure that I’m fine! I’m healthy as you can see!”

In that mental state, what would happen when Koma is sticking to me is… I think you can imagine it easily. The warmth of Koma’s body through her clothes, the puffiness of Koma’s chest, the sweet smell of Koma’s body, they ruin my brain… Every time I see Koma’s lovely profile, my heart beats faster.

Aah, jeez… Normally I would have to think of a reply to Kanakana’s confession right now, but I’m so conscious of your sister that you can’t think straight… What a lousy girl I am. I feel bad for Kanakana, who kissed me and confessed to me like this—-

“— Oh, Mako. And if it isn’t Koma-chan too?”

“”!?”” 

At the very moment I was thinking about that. One girl calls out to me and Koma from the front. This voice… don’t… tell me…

“Ka-Kanakana…”

“Good morning to you, Mako. I’m happy to see you cheerful as always.”

“………….”

Smiling and greeting me in the morning was my much-talked-about girlfriend… Kanakana.

“Ah… ehm, etto… Morning, Kanakana…. I’m glad to see Kanakana lively too…”

I didn’t expect to meet Kanakana so soon, so naturally I wasn’t prepared for it. I return the morning greeting anyway, even though I’m stuttering.

“Yes, I’m lively, naturally, Mako. Because… Yesterday I finally got to tell a certain someone how I felt♪”

“uu…”

Kanakana says this happily while winking. That casual gesture by Kanakana unintentionally makes my heart go *thump*.

“… My? What’s wrong, Mako. Your face is red for some reason? Do you have a fever? Are you okay?”

“No, no, no, no! It’s nothing! It’s nothing at all! … More importantly! Why are you here, Kanakana? Do you have something to do in this area?”

“…. Nee-sama is right. Why is Kanai-sama here? If I remember right, you… Your house should be in the opposite direction?”

I ask Kanakana that way with the intention of changing the subject for now. Koma is right, Kanakana’s house is across the school in the opposite direction. Basically, she isn’t supposed to be on this school route and yet… Why is she here in this place?

In response to this question, Kanakana replies with a look of bewilderment.

“You’re quick to get to the point, Mako. That’s obvious, isn’t it.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been waiting here all morning for you to come.”

“Eh!? Wait, wait… Why? We’ll see each other immediately at school when I come. You don’t have to come all this way… I… Did I perhaps promise something to Kanakana…?”

“… Idiot, you still don’t get it? I want to go together with Mako to school… (*Mumble*) After all, you’d want to go to school with the person you love.”

“Hau…!?”

“……. Muuuu”

Kanakana mutters embarrassing things in my ear so that only I can hear. The blood rushes to my head the moment I hear her words. Thanks to her, my cheeks, which were already red, are now like a boiled octopus, I can see that, too…

“By the way… Mako and Koma-chan. There’s something that’s been bugging me for a while now… May I ask you something?”

“W-What is it, Kanakanwa?”
“… What could it be, Kanai-sama?”

“Why is Koma-chan sticking so close to Mako? Isn’t it difficult to walk like that?”

“Eh, etto…”

I was stuck, not knowing what to say to her reasonable question. No, well, yeah… I can see why you might think we’re a bit too attached, no matter how close we are as sisters, Kanakana…

“I wonder if the two of you are always like this whenever you go to school and to home? You’re closer than I imagined.”

“Aah… No, we aren’t close to each other like this usually…”

“… It’s getting a lot colder and I’m just doing it on my own because I think it’s warmer this way. We’re girls, and twin sisters at that, so I think that’s pretty normal… Kanai-san, do you have something to complain about?”

“eeh…?”

I’m a little surprised at Koma’s unusually combative tone. Eh, what…? Koma, what happened…? 

“Not at all, I have no complaints, Koma-chan. But, you see—-”

Kanakana, not disturbed by Koma’s poking remark, smiles at her. And then, the next moment.

“I thought it would be warmer if I did this♡”

“UooH!? Ka-Ka-Ka… Kanakana!?”

“Nhwh….!?”

Kanakana hugged me in the same way as Koma, on my arm opposite the arm Koma was hugging me.

“Wha… What… What are you doing, Kanai-sama!? Please let go! Please let go of my Nee-sama!”

“Eh? Why? Isn’t it warmer this way. Also… We’re both women, also me and Mako are best friends. I think if it’s just as normal as this then it’s okay, just like why Koma-chan is hugging Mako.”

“Uguu… That is… That might be true… But… But… ouh!?”

Koma mumbling something in frustration, as if unable to deny Kanakana’s statement. I, on the other hand, am in a complete panic.

“(This perfume… Yesterday…)”

Kanakana’s nice perfume tickles my nostrils because I’m being hugged and held so closely by her. It seems yesterdays… She’s wearing the same perfume today that she wore when she kissed me.

When I smelled that scent, I remembered the taste of the kiss with it…

“That hopeless sister…! She didn’t lay her hand just with Koma, but also with Kanai-san, who I’ve been secretly having an eye for….!”

“That Tachibana… She’s got two beautiful girls attending her…! How am I not as popular as her…!”

“Uuu… Kanae-senpai is the person of my dreams… So why is she flirting with that hopeless girl!?”

Kanakana stuck to me and even crossed her arms with mine, causing the others around us on our way to school to panic as much as I did. Aaah… Well, Kanakana isn’t as popular as Koma, but I’d completely forgotten how popular she is with both boys and girls (especially girls) in the school….

Some grief, some envy me, and some turn their sharp killing intent on me. This is bad, I…. I’m going to get stabbed by Koma and Kanakana fans today, won’t I…? 

I mean, depending on how you look at it, shouldn’t it look like ‘a group of three close friends having fun while going to school’… ? So, why is everyone around me seeing it only like ‘two-timing woman with two beautiful girls’…? Is it because of my usual bad behavior…? 

“—–Kanai-sama. Aren’t you a bit too close to Nee-sama?”

“Eh, I don’t think so? … Instead. Isn’t Koma-chan the one being too close? I think you’re sticking too close to Mako.”

“… Ehm… you two…?”

Just like this they’ve returned to the start.

“I’m fine… Because… We’re twin sisters, so it’s normal for us to be this close…. Isn’t that right, Nee-sama ♡”

“U, un… It’s normal, I think…?”

“Really? I see, so it’s normal? But, well, I’m best friends with Mako too, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us sticking together like this…. Right, Mako♪”

“That’s right… I think…?”

“… However, Kanai-sama. However close as best friends you may be, it would be annoying and difficult for Nee-sama to walk around if you were so attached to her. I think it would be wise to let go of my Nee-sama.”

“Koma-chan, no matter how close you are as sisters, if you cling to Mako so forcibly, she might lose her balance, fall and hurt herself. Why don’t you remove her hands?”

“… Ettoo….”

The two are smiling (but their eyes aren’t) across from me who is bewildered, and they are getting heated up. 

I have a feeling that if I don’t do something about it, it’s going to be irreversible in many ways…

However, I’m not able to stop these two… Somebody… Somebody, please help me here…!?

“… Aah. It’s the siscon sisters and Kanai-san… Hey. What are you three making a fuss about on your way to school?”

Finally, a savior appeared for me who sought help. This carefree and simple voice… It’s my other best friend— Himecchi!

Nice timing, himecchi!

“… Aah, Hime-sama. Good morning. You came at the right time. Won’t you tell Kanai-sama about it? It would be better for her to not be attached to Nee-sama further than this.”

“Morning, Asou-san. Just on time. I wonder if you, who are good friends with Koma, could tell her about it? If she could let go of Mako”

“…..? Hey, Mako. What’s with this situation?”

“(Please help! Help me, Himecchi!? Please stop these two!?)”

If I carelessly explain the situation to her, I risk stepping on the landmines of the two of them, and of those who still stare at me enviously. I’m desperately asking Himecchi for help using gestures without saying anything.

“…. Fumu. I get it…”

Himecchi, who took one look at me, Koma, Kanakana and the surroundings and pretended to think for a few seconds, mutters.

“… It’s a harem… No, is it a scene of carnage? Well, it’s that… I’m not saying to whom, but be careful not to get stabbed, Mako”

“Stop saying strange things and help me, Himecchi!?”

I cling to Himechi, who is waving her hands and heading off to school, as if to say, ‘let sleeping dogs lie’.

I beg you, Himecchi, don’t abandon me…!?

---

Author’s notes: Koma vs Kanakana, for now they are tied. No… I think the wind is blowing slightly towards Kanakana’s side? Next time could be Koma’s turn.

And I’m sure I’ll make it, but I’ve got things to do on Saturday and Sunday, so I’m sorry if I can’t update next week.