—–Ten minutes before Koma collapses—-
~Side: Koma~
“…. Haaa…”
The day after my date with my beloved Mako-nee-sama. I, Koma Tachibana, was breathing a melancholy sigh in the early morning classroom, which was not appropriate after such a great day.
“… This is your 30th sigh. Also, you look kind of pale.”
“……Eh?”
“…. What’s wrong, Koma?”
“Ah… Hime, sama…”
Hime-sama, who I can confidently say is my only close friend, points this out to me… 30th time. That much…? It seems I was so depressed that I wasn’t able to notice it myself.
“What’s wrong… What are you talking about?”
“Stop trying to escape. You look ill? Or… Did something happen on the date with Mako yesterday?”
“….!”
Without warning and without any hesitation whatsoever. I was momentarily taken aback by Hime-sama’s sudden conviction.
“N, no… It’s nothing really… Why does Hime-sama think something happened?”
“… Because, you had a date with Mako yesterday. Sighing the day after that, it’s not like Koma at all.”
“I, is that what you think?”
“Un. If it was the usual Koma, you’d be talking about how great your date with Mako was, so passionately that I’d be taken aback even though I hadn’t asked about it. That’s why, something has happened.”
“…. Is that so?”
… I’m aware of it to some extent, but… I don’t think I usually talk about it enough for her to be taken back…? I don’t talk that much… am I wrong?
“So. What happened, Koma? You might find it easier if you talk to me.”
“Ah… No, that’s… Nothing happened yesterday. I’ve had a bit of a poor appetite since this morning… And…”
“… So, that’s why you’re pale?”
“Y, yes. That’s right…”
“Fuumu…”
Hime shows a look of like she’s not convinced by my argument. She was about to say something to me for a moment—–
“…I see. If you don’t want to talk about it, then I won’t force you.”
— But she swallows her words and tells me that.
“Hime, sama…?”
“I won’t forcefully ask you. But if Koma wants to talk, don’t hesitate to do so… I’m still Koma’s best friend. If you need to talk, I’m always okey with it.”
“Hime-sama… that…”
“It’s almost time for the morning assembly, so I’m going back to my seat. Then, till later.”
After having said that, Hime-sama quickly returns to her seat…. She was concerned that it was better to leave me alone for now.
On top of that, she told me I could talk to her anytime I wanted to… Hime-sama is a truly kind person. I thank Hime-sama in my heart with a ‘thank you very much’.
“Haa…”
I am thankful to Hime-sama, while I naturally let out a sigh and my head fills up with thoughts about yesterday. Yes, it was yesterday when Mako-nee-sama went out on a date with me.
Her inviting me to a date made me so happy I could ascend to heaven. My date with Nee-sama was an exciting and wonderful time. I thought it was fine to die when she presented me with a beautiful night view and a handmade brooch… But.
“I… Actually, there was something I’ve always wanted to say to Koma.”
“I know that if I don’t, it wouldn’t be good for me or for Koma…”
“I… I, Koma’s—”
At the end of the date. Nee-sama began to talk to me like that. That time… In a certain way, I’m fortunate that Kaa-sama called me, and didn’t get to hear it until the end…
“(Nee-sama would’ve continued like this. ‘I’ve always thought of Koma as troublesome. It’s always been hard for me to be with Koma…)”
My kind Nee-sama. She’d probably put it a bit more roundabout and less hurtful to me… Nee-sama… probably that’s what she wanted to convey to me… (TN: No, you dumb)
Thinking about it. The timing—- The timing of the mother’s remarriage and the suggestion that we twin sisters should live separately— and she also says she sees the true motives of Nee-sama’s sudden offer to go on a date with me.
Surely, Mako-nee-sama—- Before we live separately—- I think she thought she would make one last memory with me, so she offered to go on a date with me… She wanted to make one last memory and then cut our relationship as sisters off cleanly, with no lingering regrets or regrets.
“(… It’s natural. Having to kiss someone you don’t like at all hours of the day… If having a trauma over a long period of time… It’s only natural you’d hate them…)”
I found out that day. That Nee-sama being with me was just hard and painful for her.
Honestly speaking, I don’t want us to be apart. I want to be with Nee-sama for the rest of my life. I can’t imagine a day without Nee-sama… I don’t have the slightest confidence in my ability to survive without her.
“(But… If I consider Nee-sama’s happiness, I…)”
…Yesterday, Kaa-sama called again to ask me and urged me, ‘You still can’t answer?’ but I have not been able to respond to her… To live with Kaa-sama or not to—- Rather, an answer to leave or not leave your Nee-sama.
… At the very least, I wanted to make that decision after Nee-sama had said directly to me that ‘She wanted to live away from Koma’.
“(…. I wouldn’t want to hear her say that even if I die.)”
I don’t want to hear it. But, I have to hear it from her.
“…. Haa”
I’m feeling depressed and gloomy. I’m getting a throbbing headache. I can’t stop feeling nauseous and queasy… Pull yourself together, Tachibana Koma. Nee-sama has had a harder time with me so far than I have with myself… Face it properly…
I try to pull myself together, I shake my head and open my eyes and that’s when it happened. I only became aware of my abnormality. I became aware of my abnormality.
“(… E, h…?)”
At first I thought it was tired eyes from lack of sleep. I couldn’t sleep yesterday, so I guess that’s why the view I’m seeing is strange. I rub my eyes and open them again to wipe away the feeling of discomfort. But…
“(What, is this…?)”
The faces of my classmates… They seem hazy. I know I’m saying this myself, but I have an excellent memory, and as a masked honors student, I try not to make unnecessary enemies, so I get on reasonably well with them. Moreover, it would be impossible to forget the faces of my classmates who, until just a few moments ago, were easily identifiable.
That’s why… I don’t understand it. I should be able to see with my own eyes who that person is and what they look like… It’s as if noise has affected me, and I can’t tell the difference.
I was confused by the sudden abnormality and involuntarily sat up. Thanks to me hastily standing up, my chair fell over with a loud *Bang*. When my classmates hear the sound, all their gazes turn to me at once.
“… Etto, Koma-san? Is something wrong?”
“Are you fine, Koma-chan? Are you hurt?”
“Suddenly standing up… Did something happen? Was it maybe a bug? I’ll take care of it for you!”
My classmates call out to me like they are worried about me. I can feel their many gazes on my skin, but… The expressions on the faces of almost all my classmates… They are not readable at all.
Partial parts such as the eyes, nose and mouth should be properly visible… But, If I try to see the whole picture, I can’t recognise who’s who… This abnormality, strangeness, in its differentness. I feel terribly dizzy and…
“… Koma. Aren’t you trembling? What’s wrong suddenly?”
“… Hime, sama… Hime-sama… I…”
“Un.”
“Hime-sama, and… Everyone—”
“…!? Koma, Koma… What’s wrong…!?”
… For some reason, she was the only one in my class. I told that to Hime-sama at the end, whose face and expression I could read. My consciousness sank into the dark bottom…
◇ ◇ ◇
~Side: Mako~
“… Please, listen to me calmly… Koma, she collapsed.”
One of my best friends, Himeko Asou, who is in the next class—- Himecchi told me that.
“—–Kooooooooomaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”
… Well, of course, it’s not like I stay calm as I was told to stay calm. I run at full speed down the corridor in front of the student guidance teachers, passing from one student to another on their way to school and tumbling down the stairs… I didn’t stop and rushed to Koma at once.
I opened the door to the infirmary knocking, with the force of smashing it open, I saw Koma lying on the bed.
“Koma, Komaa!? What’s wrong!? What happened? Will you be okay, Komaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”
“Be quiet, Tachibana Mako. You’ll wake up Koma-san.”
“Nu-Nu-Nu… Nurse!? My cute, adorable, Koma… Is everything okay with her!?”
“Gueh….!? Wa, wait… You’re… You’re strangling me, Tachibana-san…”
I was stopped by the health teacher when I tried to run up to Koma, and I grabbed her by the collar and frantically asked her.
“… Stop, Mako. If you don’t let her go then the nurse can’t explain. And like I said before, relax.”
“Uuuu…! B-But… Himecchi…. My Koma is….!?”
Himecchi comes running after me and stops me by binding my arms behind my back. Even if you tell me to relax…! When I think about whether something has happened to Koma… I…!
“She’ll be fine. For the time being, she’s not in a life-threatening situation… Isn’t that right, nurse?”
“Y, yeah… I haven’t seen any physical wound on her, and her respiratory status has stabilised. She’s got no fever, so she’s just sleeping a bit now, and I think she’ll wake up soon.”
“Is, is that true… Aah, I’m glad… I’m really grateful…”
Himecchi and the health teacher advised me, and I sat down on the floor like I collapsed. For the time being, I can be relieved…
“… And then? Himecchi. What happened to Koma…? Why did Koma collapse? Do you know something?”
“Asou-san. I also don’t know the cause of how she collapsed, and I was wondering if you could tell me what you know, if you know anything at all.”
For now, I can rest assured that nothing is going to happen to Koma right now, but the truth remains that Koma has fallen. What in the world happened to Koma… I have to know. Together with the nurse, we ask Himecchi, who knows the situation before and after Koma’s collapse, to explain the situation.
Himecchi folds her arms and makes a complicated face when the nurse and I ask her questions.
“… Honestly speaking, I also don’t know why Koma collapsed. From the moment I saw her in the morning, she seemed upset about something. But, Koma, when she was talking to me, she was very receptive… I got frightened when she collapsed suddenly.”
“I see…”
“Asou-san. There wasn’t anything that happened in class that could’ve shocked Tachibana Koma?”
“… There wasn’t. At least, in my opinion, it was a normal morning. There was no event that caused her to collapse… No one else besides Koma had collapsed.”
“So that’s what happened… That’s troubling. This is a little hard to judge….”
“… Aah, but. Just before she collapsed, Koma was trembling… Also, I feel like she was saying strange things…?”
“”Strange things?””
Strange things… Like what?
“Let me see. I don’t really understand what she meant, but… If I remember right, ‘I can’t see anyone other than Hime-sama’— I feel she said things like that…”
“…..??? Eettoo… What does she mean she can’t see anyone other than Himecchi…?”
“I wonder?”
Can’t see anyone other than Himecchi? … It is difficult to read the true meaning of Koma’s, since, depending on how you listen to her, it sounds like a confession of love, so I and Himecchi are confused.
“—–u…nn…”
“””!”””
As we are having a conversation, a faint voice escapes from Koma’s lovely little mouth. I, Himecchi and the nurse all at once suddenly looked at Koma, who was lying on the bed, and Koma was just opening her eyes.
“Ko, Ko, Ko, Ko…. Koma! Are you okay! Are you okay now!?”
“……”
I rushed to the bed, took Koma’s hand and asked her that. Koma blinks and then turns to face me—-
“… Mako, nee-sama?”
“U, un! That’s right! It’s Mako, the one and only sister of Koma! Do you understand me?”
“…. Yes. Aah, I’m relieved… I see properly… Even, Nee-sama… I understand you… I’m glad, I’m really… glad…”
“Uhm… Koma?”
As soon as Koma sees my face, she shows a look of heartfelt relief as she squeezes my hand back in hers.
“I’m sorry… But where am I?”
“… School infirmary. Koma, I thought you were getting up suddenly, but then you collapsed in the classroom… Don’t you remember?”
“Aah, Hime-sama… That’s what happened… I see, I’ve collapsed…”
“Tachibana-san. Do you feel sick or have any pain anywhere?”
“…. E, to… Yes. I’m fine…”
“(… Huh? Koma…?)”
I, Himecchi, and the nurse. Us, three, talk to Koma one after the other. She reacts as usual to me and Himecchi, but to the nurse… For some reason, the coma seems to have been spooked by her for a moment… She showed a troubled expression on her face… I got a bit curious.
“I’m sorry, Tachibana-san. I will report this to Tachibana-san’s homeroom teacher at once. You can rest here until you feel better.”
“Ah… okay..”
“Tachibana Mako-san and Asou-san. That’s why I’m going to leave you with her for a bit. I think they’re in the staff room, so if you need anything, just call me straight away.”
“Yes! Thank you, nurse! Thank you for your support!”
“… Please”
The nurse leaves the infirmary quickly after saying that. Thank you nurse for lending my little sis a bed so early in the morning.
“Well then… Koma? What really happened? Do you have any idea why you had collapsed… Do you?”
“… The words you said earlier about ‘I can only see Hime-sama’ and the fact that you collapsed, do they have something to do with each other, Koma?”
“….”
As soon as the doctor left, I decided to ask Koma again, together with Himecchi. Koma seems a little hesitant to answer our questions, but. She starts talking in whispers with clear intention.
“… That, I don’t know much either, but…”
“”Un””
“… Suddenly, I began panicking. I thought, ‘What if I don’t even recognise Nee-sama what do I do, and suddenly it was pitch black in front of my eyes… Before I noticed, I found myself here.”
“”….Yes?””
Himechi and I, who didn’t understand the meaning of Koma’s statement, had question marks on our heads. ‘What if I don’t even recognise Nee-sama?’…. What does this mean?
“Eetto… I’m sorry, Koma. What did you mean by that?”
“… Koma. Could you explain so we can understand?”
“Aah… I’m sorry. I’m confused as to what is happening… Basically.”
Apologizing for her lack of words, Koma continued talking with me and Himekichi.
“—–I…. It’s like I can no longer…. Identify the faces of people… other than Nee-sama and Hime-sama.”
Author’s notes: This is true for Mako, as well as Koma-san who’s obsessed single-mindedly. So far things have been going in the right direction, but this time it is going in the wrong direction… or rather the worst direction. And now Koma has a new physical ailment. It’s the last volume and the story continues to be serious and dark, which doesn’t suit the hopeless sister, but I believe that serious breaker Mako can handle it.
Tintan 