Author’s notes: I am really sorry for the delay in updating, due to sudden appointments… Even though I had to change the updates to Sunday…
No, giving more details is unnecessary. Thank you for waiting patiently. Please continue supporting this series.
~Side: Mako~
It’s been three days since Kanakana made a passionate confession. The deadline(time limit) for replying to the confession promised to Kanakana is five days away. In five days I have to come up with an answer that makes sense to Kanakana and then to myself.
In the meantime, there’s still plenty of time to think about it, but I can’t relax too much. Since that day when she confessed her feelings for me, I had been thinking hard in my own way about how I should reply to Kanakana with what little time I had left.
“—-Haaa…”
“… Hey, Mako-chan. What’s wrong?”
“…. Eh?”
Today is the day of the regular monthly check-up for Koma, who suffers from taste disorder. There is nothing in particular I can do while Koma is being examined, and I was wondering what I should do with the open time and how to respond to her…
Dr. Chiyuri, Koma’s doctor and one of the few adults I respect, suddenly asked me this with a doubtful look on her face. Even if you ask me what’s wrong… What do I talk about?
“Eetto… Dr. Chiyuri? ‘What’s wrong?’… What do you mean by that…?”
“Exactly what I said. Mako, are you all right? Are you having some troubles now?”
“Huh, yeah? …. No, not at all, what are you talking about, Dr. Chiyuri? I don’t have a single worry! After all, I’m an idiot and I don’t have a brain to worr—-”
“Mako-chan, liar. Something must have happened recently that’s just been troubling you, right?”
They were putting a lot of effort into treating Koma, and I tried to make things right in a hurry so as not to cause unnecessary worry to them, however… It was easy for Dr. Chiyuri to see that something was going on.
“You let out at least five gloomy sighs in front of me alone, Mako-chan. Not just sighs… This menu you submitted to me today is also full of typos. Also… I’m going to be harsh with you, but this is the worst menu list till now.”
“…. au. I’m sorry…”
“Aah, that’s not it, Mako-chan. I’m not upset about the quality of the menu. Just that… Mako-chan, who cares about Koma-chan more than anyone or anything else, submits such a poorly prepared menu list… It’s only natural to suspect that something has happened? Am I wrong?”
“…. No, you’re not.”
… Dr. Chiyuri has been looking after me and Koma for many years and seems to know exactly what I’m going through. I don’t think I can hide anything in front of her…
“So, what has happened? If it’s fine with you, would you talk with me?”
“But, that’s… nothing important… It’s not exactly the kind of interesting story that the doctor would specifically want to listen to…”
“If it’s not a big deal, then there shouldn’t be any problem talking about it.”
“That’s true, but… But…”
“… Look, Mako-chan. If it is a big deal then… I’ll be troubled.”
“Eh…?”
Staring at me with a penetrating gaze, Dr. Chiyuri begins to talk to me.
“If the problems Mako-chan is having now were a big deal… Not only would Mako-chan have a hard time, but your little sister Koma-chan will have a hard time too.”
“Koma will have… it hard too?”
“Yeah. I’ve explained it to you many times before. Koma-chan’s taste disorder was caused by ‘psychogenic reasons’. Koma-chan is very protective of her sister, and if Mako suffers or has a hard time, Koma-chan will be hurt just as much as Mako. Koma-chan’s loved Onee-chan, if you suffer or have a hard time, Koma-chan will be hurt just as much as Mako-chan.”
“… That is… That’s right. Koma, is a tender girl…”
“You get it, now? And then… If Koma-chan is hurt and mentally unstable, her taste disorder, which had been getting better, could worsen.”
“…..!”
I freeze at the doctor’s words.
“As Koma-chan’s doctor, I’d be very troubled if that happened. Do you get it, Mako-chan?”
“Ye-Yes… I understand…”
“That’s why. So why don’t you go out on a limb and tell me what happened for my sake? Of course, even though I’m an imperfect doctor, I’ll never divulge personal information about my patients, and besides, you don’t have to talk about things you really don’t want to talk about… That’s why, please, Mako-chan. Please let me hear your problems.”
“… Okay.”
Dr. Chiyuri is gently stroking my head as if she were my real mother and encouraging me to tell her what happened to me.
… Aah, this is. Her doing this is dangerous. I’m melting away. I raised the white flag from the doctor’s encouragement, and I consult with her.
“Etto… This is something my friend consulted me about…”
“… Fuun. Mako’s friend consulted with you…”
“That friend, doctor… The girl she thought was her best friend… co-confessed to her…”
“My…! That’s beautiful. And then, what happened?”
Well, ‘Truth is, I was confessed’—- It’s embarrassing to talk about how stupidly honest I am, so I start talking about it while falsely claiming that it’s just ‘a friend of mine got a confession’.
“But, I— No, my friend… She never dreamt that she would get confessed to… And my best friend was kissed before the confession… The person who confessed to my friend was her best friend and… most importantly, a girl.”
“Un, un.”
“… She didn’t know what was going on and she panicked…. And then, she got a passionate and heart-throbbing confession… I’m the one in the end who couldn’t respond to that best friend with her confession on the spot…”
“… I see. That’s why you were worried, Mako-chan.”
I think it was a difficult explanation to understand, but generally Dr. Chiyuri seems to understand what I was saying.
“That best friend… Thankfully, she said she’d wait a week if I wanted to respond to her confession. I’m trying desperately right now, in my own way, to figure out how to respond… After all, it’s my first confession… I have no idea how to respond to her…”
“It’s difficult, isn’t it. Everyone gets confused the first time. I understand, Mako-chan.”
“… There you have it. Dr. Chiyuri, if it’s possible with you, would you give me a reference? If it’s the doctor… If someone you thought was close to you suddenly confesses to you… What would you do? Do you have experience of being confessed to?”
“… Do I have, experience?”
Dr. Chiyuri is beautiful, cool and seems like a popular person in terms of appearance… She should have not just life experience but love experience too.
I should hear the valuable opinion of the doctor who seems to be reliable both as a senior in life and as an expert in love.
“Hnm… Let me see. If I were confessed by someone…”
“If you were!?”
I lean forward so as not to miss a single word of the doctor’s answer, wondering what kind of advice she would give me. The doctor looked at me with a smile, and while taking a breath she replied.
“—-If I were you, I’d give it a taste and see how it goes♪”
“Fumufumu, I see, having a taste… Eh, have a taste…?”
I freeze at her advice which is too unexpected… Tasting… Taste? Eetto, Dr. Chiyuri? … Why the sudden topic about cooking?
Bad… I can’t seem to understand the thoughts of smart people because I’m an idiot.
“I, basically don’t refuse what comes to me. I’ll taste them slowly and deliciously overnight as a trial first.”
“Ha, haa…”
“And if, after trying out different things, I find that their body is compatible with mine… I’ll keep her as my lover(2nd mistress).”
“Second…? Keep…?”
“Yeah, I will♡ If you’d like, Mako-chan, you can go out with me as a trial? If you’re willing to go out with me… I’ll teach you how to pick up girls, how to date, and how-to’s for the night, with a patient, attentive, and detailed manner…”
“…. Chiyuri-sensei. If you’re going to declare any more nonsense to Mako-san, then you’ll have to go without food this month, so brace yourself.”
“… I was joking, it’s just a joke, Sayuri-chan. It was just a playful joke from Chiyuri. I’ll never keep a second one, and the only one I really love is you, so don’t worry, Sayuri.”
“It didn’t sound like a joke to me? … Anyway, I’ll give you a sermon later, sensei.”
“…. Yes.”
I tilted my head while I wondered what the doctor was talking about, but before she could finish, the voice of nurse Sayuri-san, sharp like a knife and cold enough to send chills down my spine, came from the examination room next door.
“Oh, I was just joking, so don’t take it seriously, Mako-chan. Now that the tension has relaxed, let’s get back to talking seriously.”
“Ah, so it was just a joke.”
‘Second…Does she mean cooking 2 meals?’ or ‘Keeping the table? … Actually, why did the subject suddenly change from talking about a confession to talking about cooking?’, I was a bit confused but… Aah, I’m glad. It was just a playful joke from Dr. Chiyuri to relax the mood.
“Before I say anything further. I don’t think the story I’m about to tell you will be very helpful, so please don’t really take it through, Mako-chan.”
“Ah, okay. Please help me, doctor.”
“Yes, likewise… I’ve always been quite popular, if I do say so myself. When I was at school, it was not uncommon for girls to confess to me. I remember at the most I was getting a confession every three days, and I think I was seeing a good number of people.”
“Every three days…!?”
Dr. Chiyuri was more experienced than I could have imagined. The doctor is humble enough to say that it is not helpful, but… I think it would be insanely helpful. I can expect from her.
“And then? What did the doctor do when she got confessed to? How did the doctor decide whether to go out with them or not?”
“… You see. In my case… Whether to go out with them or not…”
“—–(*Gulp*)”
“… I decided it with intuition.”
“….. Eh?”
I barely stop myself from falling over. Impossible… How can that be, helpful to me…?
“…. Intuition… Did you say? Eh? Really…?”
“Yes. Intuition. Whether it was a love letter or a direct confession, if there was something in the confession that moved me… I didn’t hesitate to go out with them… Well, because I decided it like that, when I broke up, it was easy, and I broke up too quickly… I remember when I broke up as early as a week.”
“… Going out is something that simple…?”
… Eh, eeeh? Strange… Love and confessions… I thought it was something that had to be taken more seriously… Is my view on love wrong?
“…. I’m sorry, Mako-chan. As I thought, my story wasn’t helpful at all.”
“Eh, ah… No, that’s… It’s fine! I found the adult’s mature look on love very helpful”
“Fufu♪ You don’t have to force yourself. It’s no wonder Mako-chan can’t understand the thoughts of someone like me who was insincere about love. Because unlike me, Mako-chan is a good, serious girl.”
“No, that is…”
Dr. Chiyuri says that with a smile. What should I say at times like this… I’m at a loss how to respond, doctor…
“….. But. You can take it easy on yourself, Mako-chan.”
“….Eh?”
I was very confused, but suddenly Dr. Chiyuri changed from her teasing expression. She says that to me with a very serious face.
“I’m sure Mako-chan is thinking properly about your situation. ‘I have to give her an answer now.’ or ‘’She has given me a week to respond, and I’ve got to give her the right response.’ or ‘If I don’t respond well, I’ll hurt her.’”
“…..”
“It seems I hit the mark judging by your reaction.”
… The doctor tells me what I’ve been thinking about since the day Kanakana confessed to me. How does the doctor know exactly what I’m thinking so well…
“…. Mako-chan. I don’t know what kind of girl confessed to Mako-chan, or what Mako-chan thinks about the girl who confessed to you. That’s why… If I can give you advice then it’s only one thing.”
“One thing… is it. That… What kind of advice is it?”
“Don’t overthink it too much. That’s it.”
Eh…. That’s it?
“Mako-chan is a serious and very kind girl. I could tell that you cared about that best friend of yours. It’s easy for me to imagine that you’re doing your best for that girl, thinking and thinking so hard that you can’t sleep at night. But, you know, you don’t have to be so desperate, Mako-chan. You can take it a bit more relaxed. And enjoy your love life.”
“Enjoy, my love life… But, doctor!? Kanakana tried very hard to confess to me!? So, I have to think it through to respond to her confession—-”
“… Mako-chan. I’ll warn you ahead of time. If you want what’s best for her… All the more that you mustn’t overthink about her.”
The doctor restrains me from refuting her and says such an unbelievable thing flatly. I mustn’t overthink…?
“… Maybe, Mako-chan is like Sayuri-chan.”
“Huh? That Sayuri-san… I’m like her? I think that I’m completely not like her, but…”
… Me who’s representation of hopelessness is like the earnest and caring nurse Sayuri-san…? I wonder if the doctor might have misunderstood something about my character…?
“On the contrary, I think you’re a lot like her. Mako-chan, and Sayuri-chan too. The girl who is kinder and more responsible than anyone else. And so, you’re the type of girl who gets preoccupied and thinks about a lot of things… Though, I do think it’s important to think about the person you’re working with and try your hardest.”
“You think so too? Then, why shouldn’t I think…?”
“… But, you see. As a senior in life, I have to say this. The answers that you come up with after forcing yourself to think about a lot of things like this… It’s usually not a good answer, Mako-chan.”
“…..”
The doctor warns me with emotion, as if she has given such a lousy answer before.
“Mako-chan has it all wrong. The important thing is not to think about what you’re going to say back to them. What really matters is… What are your own feelings towards her—- Just that.”
“How I feel… towards her…”
“Because, this is love for you, right? So you don’t have to worry about anyone else at all. Be honest and tell her how you feel about her… That itself is just fine, Mako-chan. I’ll repeat myself. Don’t force yourself to think about it. Express your true feelings to her… That’s all you have to do.”
“Ha, haaa…”
“… Sorry. It became such a strange story that it can’t be an advice anymore. But… Now leave what I’ve just said in the corner of your mind. So that you’ll avoid making fatal mistakes at the most important moments… Please, remember it, Mako-chan.”
“Yes…! Thank you very much for your guidance, Dr. Chiyuri!”
I thank the doctor who gave me her advice… Speaking frankly, I don’t understand most of what Dr. Chiyuri is saying today.
But… Since Dr. Chiyuri says it must be important. As she told me, I put Dr. Chiyuri’s words to the back of my head.
….. Even so. Don’t overthink it? … Is that really fine…? Wouldn’t that be disrespectful to Kanakana…?
~Side: Koma~
‘…. Chiyuri-sensei. If you’re going to declare any more nonsense to Mako-san, then you’ll have to go without food this month, so brace yourself.’
‘… I was joking, it’s just a joke, Sayuri-chan. It was just a playful joke from Chiyuri. I’ll never keep a second one, and the only one I really love is you, so don’t worry, Sayuri.’
‘It didn’t sound like a joke to me? … Anyway, I’ll give you a sermon later, sensei.’
‘…. Yes.’
Today is my usual routine check-up day for my taste disorder. On this day, I was consulting with Sayuri-sama, a nurse at the clinic and one of the few adults I respect, in between my own examinations, however…
“(*Grumble*, *Grumble*)… Good grief, she is…! ‘Want to be my lover?’ why are you saying such stupid things to an junior high school student…! Usually, you’d be sued for sexual harassment…! … It’s a blessing in disguise that Mako was pure and innocent and didn’t understand much of the talk related to that… And for that matter, it’s not a good joke to say to a child who is seriously asking for help with a problem—- I mean, to begin with, what Chiyuri was talking about, is it really a joke!? If she’s not joking, and she’s secretly making a mistress(second) behind my back, she’s definitely not going to get away with it. I have my own plans…”
“Erm… Sayuri-sama…? Is everything… okay?”
Sayuri-sama was even more furious than I was at the ill-advised comments of my doctor, Chiyuri, which came from the nearby examining office. She is mumbling something and emitting a black aura.
…. In this way, I may be like Sayuri-sama…
“Ah… Please pardon me, Koma-san. I’m sorry to have shown you my ugly side… How embarrassing of me…”
“Ah, not at all! It’s okay…Thanks to you, you saved me the trouble of getting angry with the doctor… Ahahaha…”
Sayuri-sama was quietly angry, forgetting my presence, but she came to her senses when I called out to her fearfully.
“Etto… And then, Koma-san? I’m sorry, where did we stop?”
“Ah… Yes. That’s… It’s about Mako-nee-sama being confessed to by a girl who is a classmate of hers…”
“Aah, yeah, that’s right… After school, on the roof, that classmate confessed to Mako-san with a kiss, right?”
“… Yeah, that’s how it ended….”
The content of the conversation I was discussing with Sayuri-sama was nothing else but this. It’s about Kanai-sama confessing to Mako-nee-sama.
“For the past three days, I… I have been watching Kanai-sama carefully as a rival in love… And I understood.”
“What did you understand, Mako-san?” (TN: I think the author messed up here and should be Koma-san instead of Mako-san.)
“… It’s frustrating. That she is a lovely woman, worthy of confessing to Nee-sama…”
Kanai Kanae-sama—- I looked into her. While treating her as a rival in love. I saw more and more of the wonderful things about her.
“Bright, kind and well-liked by all her classmates. That kind of cheerfulness is similar to my Mako-nee-sama…. She looked radiant to me. She had what I lacked the most…”
“What you lacked…? Is there something Koma-san is lacking…?”
“… You see, Sayuri-sama, I. Till now… I played the part of a ladylike honour student, desperate to show Nee-sama my good sides. But… I really wanted to be like Kanai-sama… I wanted to have a relationship like that, where I could really open up to my Nee-sama and be honest with her…. ‘I won’t confess until my taste disorder is cured’—- I wish I had the courage to confess to my Nee-sama as openly as Kanai-sama did, instead of making such a pathetic excuse ….”
“… Koma-san.”
I…. I hate Kanai-sama. I find her upsetting. But… More than that, I admire her from the bottom of my heart.
She’s close to my Nee-sama, like a sister who’s even closer to her than me, her own sister… I envied her. I envied her for being able to speak her mind without hesitation with my Nee-sama like that, and skinship with her without a care in the world. And then… I envied her courage to express her feelings so openly to my Nee-sama….
… If we were to fight head-on, I’m sure I’d lose miserably to Kanai-sama. If I’m losing emotionally even before we start fighting, it’s all over, but… I don’t feel like I can win against her… But.
“I’m sure, Nee-sama… Nee-sama likes people like Kanai-sama. Because… Nee-sama, when she is with Kanai-sama… She seems to really have fun. She’s a much better match for Nee-sama than a dark-rooted, easily jealous, lousy, useless person like me…”
“What are you saying, Koma-san. That’s not true at all…”
“But… I don’t want to lose…!”
… However, just because I feel like I can’t win… I don’t to lose either.
“If I want Nee-sama to be happy, as an ideal little sister, I should let her get together with a nice person like Kanai-sama. I believe I should give her courage. But… But, I don’t want anyone to take my Nee-sama away from me…! For as long as I can remember—- No. I am sure that since I was in my mother’s womb… I liked my Nee-sama! I love her more than anything and anybody! There’s no one but her for me!”
“….”
The person in question, Mako-nee-sama, is in the next room, behind the wall. I reveal my feelings to Sayuri-sama so loudly that she can almost hear my voice.
That’s right… I don’t want anyone to take my Nee-sama away from me. Next to me… I want her to stay with me, forever…!
“… That’s why, I’m not afraid to do any dirty things as of recently. In order to remove obstacles in front of me, I used the newspaper club to expose Nee-sama’s relationship with me. In front of everyone it’s a punishment game to keep her in check… I kissed Nee-sama in front of Kanai-sama. And then… In order to prevent Nee-sama from thinking about Kanai-sama’s reply to her confession, at home I would give any reason to trouble Nee-sama by begging her, ‘Nee-sama, I want to get my taste buds back, so please kiss me’…”
“…..”
“… I’m the worst, aren’t I? Disgusting… Seriously loving my own sister. I have the habit of not having the courage to confess to my Nee-sama, but as soon as someone else confesses to her— I’ve become an unlikeable woman to not have her taken away—- I’m really selfish and lowest—”
“I’m the same, Koma-san.”
“….Eh?”
I was exposing myself to Sayuri-sama, who had been quietly listening to me for some time while she held my hand and said something like that to me.
“I don’t want her to be taken by anybody else. I want her to only look at me. I want her best smile only for myself…. I want that woman all to myself.”
“Sayuri, sama…?”
“… Isn’t it natural to think like that? After all, you love her the most, don’t you? You love her so much that you think she’s the only person in the world, right? I think that, too. I feel the same, too. I don’t want someone else to take the woman I love. I have been and I think I will continue to think so.”
Sayuri-sama puts strength into my clutched hands and says words like they have magic and inspire me. My melancholy, which has been bothering me for some time now, is gradually clearing up.
“It’s okay to be selfish. You don’t have to give her up. Be more honest with yourself… You can be as selfish as you want. Because it’s much better than denying that sparkling feeling that you have inside of you.”
“Sayuri-sama…”
“… I can only give you so much advice that is advice. But… I don’t think what Koma-san is doing now is wrong. As someone who loves a popular woman, I’m going to give you my full support, Koma-san… Good luck, Koma-san.”
“…. Yes!”
I was given powerful and reassuring encouragement… Thank you very much, Sayuri-sama. I’ll do my best…!
Author’s notes: Mako is unaware that she has unwittingly gone from ‘talking about my’ to ‘talking about Mako Tachibana’. Well, in any case, Chiyuri-sensei saw right from the start that ‘Oh, this confession is about Mako, isn’t it?’
Meanwhile, Koma consulted Sayuri-sama. Is Koma who’s become a bit sick charming?
Tintan 
koma needs to do some rubbing too
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