I, Tachibana Koma… I’m in love. My partner is my other half—my twin Mako-nee-sama.
The first time I became aware of my love was six years ago, counting now. It was a certain June day when the rain was heavy and the thunder was deafening.
Maybe it was the change of season, or maybe it was the stress from my father and mother, who were fighting for insignificant things every day. Anyway, I was sick that day and had a fever that morning.
“Then, leave it to me! Onee-chan will take Koma to the hyospital♪!”
“I, it’s okay… Onee-chan has to go to school. Our mum and dad will take me to the hospital, so I’ll be fine.”
From that time onwards, my Mako-nee-sama, who was as kind and reliable as an angel of love, tried to take time off school to nurse me when I had a fever…
‘It’s a bit unreasonable for two primary school children to go to hospital together.’
‘I feel lonely without Onee-chan, but I don’t want to bother my dear Onee-chan’
I realized that so I had to refuse Onee-sama’s kind offer with great sorrow and convince her to go to school.
“Koma, make sure mother and father take you to hyospital. Onee-chan will be back quickly.”
“Un… I’m waiting.”
(I was reluctant to do so until the very last minute.) I sent my Mee-sama off to school, who worried about me in that way.
… So far, so good. The problem is after this.
“Since you’re cheating on me by having an affair, then I—-”
“How dare you! I told you there was a good reason for cheating—”
“You were the first one to cheat on me, so why are you so—”
Even after Nee-sama left for school, the usual morning quarrel between father and mother heated up instead of calming down. The argument was so heated that I, suffering from a fever upstairs, could hear them shouting at each other downstairs.
It was painful to hear them yelling at each other, their voices echoing in my aching head… I was honestly fed up with what I didn’t want to hear, both in terms of the volume of the voices and the content of that fight.
“(… After all… Hospital… Maybe I should have asked Onee-chan to take me there with her…)”
I pulled the futon over my head so that their voices couldn’t reach me, and thought about sleeping to recover my strength as much as possible while thinking about such things.
…. I can’t believe that while I was sleeping, both of my parents were so distracted by the fight that they forgot all about their daughter, who had a cold… As expected, I didn’t think that would happen.
A few hours later, I was woken up by a breathlessness that felt as if my chest and lungs had been grabbed and a chill that rattled my whole body, and when I opened my eyes… It was already late. My father and mother never said a word to me, and yet they had locked the door and disappeared from the house.
… Ah, by the way. Let me go ahead and say this so that there is no misunderstanding. I don’t have anything against those people… The fact that my parents had forgotten I existed didn’t matter in itself, to be honest.
I wasn’t angry nor sad. I really didn’t care about them. I only thought, ‘Oh, that’s just like them’ and ‘I knew Onee-chan was my only ally’.
“… This is a mess…”
Well, that’s why I didn’t expect much from my parents… Only this time I was a bit anxious too. My body. I knew best what state I am in. I had a scary fever, nausea and general malaise.
While I was very young, my body was warning me, ‘If I don’t go to hospital right now, I’d be in big trouble’… The situation is such that there was no one at home. It’s worrisome, right?
“For now… the ambulance…”
If I continue to rest in bed, the situation will only get worse. If I don’t have anyone I can rely on, I’m on my own. I managed to move my heavy body to get out of bed to call an ambulance first.
“…. e, h…?”
… By the way. The moment I got out of bed, I collapsed straight off my knees with no strength in my legs at all.
“… It’s a lie… I can’t move…”
I try to get up immediately, but I can’t move my limbs or even my fingertips properly. This is not good, this is not a bit of a joke, this is seriously not good…
“So… Somebody! Is anyone there? Please help me! Please call the, ambulance!”
If I can’t move myself, I’ll get help from someone outside. I raised my voice in a desperate attempt to get my neighbors or passers-by to notice me.
However… Unfortunately, it’s raining heavily outside. As if to add insult to injury, there was a rumble of thunder and my voice could not reach anyone… I still have a bit of a problem with rain and thunder, partly because of this one incident.
Still, I kept screaming as hard as I could, but gradually my voice was becoming hoarse and I couldn’t get it out. Suddenly, because of all the standing up, collapsing and raising my voice, my fever goes up even higher.
And with my eyes blurred, I began to feel hazy… In earnest, I became aware of my mortality… I despaired. I trembled with fear of death.
“(… Somebody… help me… I don’t… want to die… help me… please help me… somebody…)”
I couldn’t get my voice out anymore. I couldn’t think properly anymore too. The last thing that came to my mind was my most beloved twin sister, Mako-nee-sama.
“… Onee-chan… Onee, chan… Onee… cha…n…”
If I’m going to do either way… At least I want to see Onee-chan, the one I love the most. I just want to catch a glimpse of Onee-chan. While thinking that, I naturally called Onee-chan. I couldn’t help but call her. Otherwise… I wouldn’t have known what to do since it was painful and tough.
But, it was no use. There’s no way my voice can reach Onee-chan, because I sent her off to school. Even temporarily, Onee-chan should still be at school…
No matter how much I called her, I never thought my sister would come…
*Wham*
“(….eh?)”
Just when I was on the verge of giving up and fainting in despair. The door to the room was suddenly opened with a kick.
This time, I… I thought my heart was going to stop for a different reason than being sick. Why? Because…
“—-Ma… Koma!? Koma, are you okay!? Hang in there!?”
“…. One…chan…?”
… It was not my father or my mother who appeared, but my Mako-nee-sama, whom I had been hoping to meet by any means necessary.
Mako-nee-sama responded to my call, which I had assumed was impossible to reach.
Nee-sama rushed into the room and immediately picked me up from the floor… She was calling to me as hard as she could.
I don’t know where she found the strength in her little body, but she carried me downstairs in her small arms and called an ambulance and Meiko-aunt-sama on the phone.
With one hand she pressed the nice, cold ice against my forehead while holding my hand firmly in her other hand… She was desperate to encourage me to hang on and hang on until the ambulance arrived.
…. I will remember this event for the rest of my life. Nee-sama who gave me a helping hand when I was on the verge of wandering between life and death… I remember her dignified form. She looks cool, like a hero in a novel or on TV.
Maybe because she’s always been in front of me… I think, for that matter, I’ve had no small liking for Nee-sama ever since I can remember. If someone asked me ‘Who do you like?’, I had such love towards Nee-sama that I’d reply immediately ‘I love Nee-sama the most!’.
But this ‘liking’ did not go beyond ‘liking her as a sister’… That is until today.
Yes, that’s right. Today, I… For the first time in my life, I knew the emotion ‘love’.
~Side: Mako~
“…. (*mumble*, *mumble*) Wallet, mobile phone and a set of security items… Un, I haven’t forgotten anything… I’ve got a date plan in my head that I’ve created based on a relationship how-to book(reference book)… Already know the best recommended places to go. Eettoo, all that’s left is to check…”
I’m mumbling to myself in the square in front of the station, checking my appearance and today’s date plan.
Today is the date I (quite forcefully) promised Koma. Don’t misunderstand me, it’s not that date where we go out together for fun, but for me it’s as serious a date as it can get too. I’ve been on a losing streak recently, but today was the day I decided to make a proper confession to Koma, and I’ve been preparing and preparing.
“… Am, I okay…? I’m not dressed strangely or anything? She’s not going to get taken aback from being too fired up… right?”
After checking that I have not forgotten anything, I can now use the show windows of the shops near the square as mirrors to check my appearance. (Unusually for me) I don’t have bed hair and my lip care is on point. I also put on a light perfume that smells like something Koma would like, and I asked Himecchi, who has good fashion sense, to advise me on what to wear the day before, so… there should be no problem.
“Hold a bit, Himecchi!? Is this really fine…!? Isn’t this a bit too much emphasis on my breasts!? And the skirt is too short…!?”
“… Stop fretting. I’m sure Koma would be happier if you were aggressive. I guarantee it.”
… Well, I changed my clothes as per Himecchi’s much appreciated advice…I have to wear clothes that show my chestline, and my skirts have become a bit too short, I think it may be too much but…
But for some reason Himecchi was very confident that Koma would be happy with this, and there’s no way I’m going to change into different clothes now. I’ll believe in you, Himecchi…!
“There’s 30 minutes before our meeting time… Un, I look fine. And that book says that when you’re on a date, you have to be there half an hour before since it’s the basics of basics.”
I invited Koma, I can’t be late for the meeting. I glance at my watch and breathe a sigh of relief. Now I just have to wait for my sister and love, Koma, to arrive.
…. Ha? You and Koma live in the same house, so why are you wasting time meeting up? Wouldn’t it be more efficient if we went together?
HAHAHA! What kind of stupind thing are you saying? That’s because this is a serious date, of course. Dating… It starts the moment you meet up…!
“Koma comes at the appointed time… and asks me ‘Nee-sama, did you wait for me?’… and I reply ‘Not at all. I just came here♡’…. Un, un. This is what dating is about!”
I studied the love how-to book and learnt that situations are more important than anything else in a relationship. I’m fine with templates. Take no chances. Rather than being eccentric, it is the wisdom of our ancestors that makes my date a success… And following it will lead me to a successful confession.
“Now… I’m ready to go. There’s a bit more time before Koma comes… Maybe I should take a deep breath to prepare my heart.”
I’ve arrived earlier than the meeting time with plenty of time to spare, so I need to relax and be in top shape for my date.
“*Suu*…*Haa*…*Suu*…*Haa*…”
The basic principle of deep breathing is to take a deep breath in through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth. In this way, you can calm your breath and your mind… Okay, okay. I feel a lot calmer now.
Let’s do it one last time just to be sure. Take a deep breath through your nose an—-
“Thank you for waiting, Mako-nee-sama.”
“*Buphwo*!?”
— And then greatly choke. In the middle of taking a deep breath, I was so surprised to be suddenly accosted from behind by Koma that I nearly had trouble breathing. Preparing my heart…!?
“!? Ne, Nee-sama!? Are you fine, Nee-sama!? What happened!?”
“… I’m fine… Onee-chan, is choking a bit, nothing more… I’m fine… don’t worry…”
“Really? How about going to the hospital or something?”
“U, un… I’m really fine, that’s why… I’m thankful for you rubbing my back, Koma…”
Koma rubs my back and I keep my head down to catch my breath. I was supposed to be taking deep breaths to relieve my nerves… What am I doing, getting into a panic…?
Calm down… and stay calm. First I have to catch my breath…
“More importantly, what are you doing here, Koma? There’s still time till our date…? Did Onee-chan get the meeting time wrong by any chance?”
“Ah… etto, that is… there is still time before our date, but…”
“But…?”
“I’m sorry. I’m looking forward to my date with Nee-sama today… Really looking forward to it. I couldn’t wait until the meeting time and ended up…Arriving here… That’s… Did I cause trouble by it?”
“…..(*Drip*, *Drip*)…”
“Ne, Ne, Ne… Nee-sama!? You’ve a nosebleed! Your nosebleed is endlessly…!?”
Her destructive, girlish one-liner made my heart skip a beat, and… my disturbed breath, disturbed mind became even more disturbed. And my love(nose) for Koma goes out of control. I’ve lost… I don’t have time to calm down…
“I knew it, Nee-sama you must be ill somehow! Why don’t we cancel the date for today and go to the hospital together now?”
“Hah!? Canceel it!? Stopping iiit!? What are you going on about, my Koma!? Da, da, da… Stopping the date!? No, we won’t! I won’t allow that!?”
Tachibana Koma was suspicious of my (usual) unusual behaviour. She proposes to cancel the date here. The kindness of Koma pierces me, but… It’s not a joke…
I haven’t even confessed yet, and I haven’t even started anything in the first place, so I can’t just cancel it… Anything but that…
“I, I’m fine! Onee-chan’s noise was itchy and I rubbed it and I just got a bit of a nosebleed! I’m really fine now that it’s stopped! Look, I’m fine!”
I’m desperately trying to appeal to Koma that ‘I’m okay now’. In a great hurry, I rolled up a pocket tissue and shoved it into my nostrils, forcing the bleeding to stop and then looked up to show my (empty) cheerful face to Koma— The next moment.
“(*Sprayyyy*) Fuoooo… Fuoooooaaah!?”
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaa!? Nee-sama’s blood… It’s flowing like a waterfall!?”
An enthusiastic jet of nosebleed pushed aside the pocket tissue that had been shoved into my nostrils to act as a plug.
“(*Drip*, *Drip*, *Drip*, *Drip) Hwa… Hwaaaa!? Hwaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”
“Nee-sama, get a grip on yourself! Please get a grip on yourself! What happened all of a sudden!?”
I was so shocked that I even forgot how to speak, and I was in a strange voice and my nose was bleeding and I was moaning… No, un, but, I think this was inevitable.
I looked up to see my sweet, lovable, prided little sister Koma…… beautifully dressed up.
Her hair is more moist and shiny than usual and her shampoo smells pleasant. She doesn’t usually wear make-up, but today I’m wearing a lot of make-up and I look even more radiant and shiny. When it comes to her clothing, she’s exposed all around… The shoulders and chest are quite boldly open, and the thighs visible between the skirt and black high socks are unbearably erotic… Her zettairyouiki is erotic. Erotic…
Overall, there’s a sense of a very erotic adult woman overflowing from her… Onee-chan’s heart is beating super fast…
“(*Fwiiiiiiiiish*) Kohyuuuu…”
“Are you breathing properly!? Your nosebleed isn’t stopping!? Actually, are you conscious, Nee-sama… Nee-sama?!”
As I gazed at the erotic Koma, my nosebleed increased in intensity and a puddle of blood formed at my feet. My breathing is not just rough, but also hyperventilating and not being able to breathe properly.
Ko, Koma… The relationship how-to book doesn’t contain information on what to do if this happens on a date… What do I do…?
Well, like this with a tired feeling. My date with Koma had begun.
Author’s notes: The first half of the chapter took place six years ago from Koma’s point of view. No wonder she’s in love with Mako. And in the second half, in a way, it’s Mako as usual. After all, Mako is not a Mako unless she has a bloody nose.
Tintan 