Why Not Make Both Twins 'Girlfriends'?-Chapter 11Volume 2 .3 - An Unexpected Appearance...?

An Unexpected Appearance…? 3

“We were aware that we were inferior to the senpai who won the Asada Newspaper Award the previous year… So, maybe that’s why we felt pressured? The graduated senpai were nice people, but there was this insurmountable wall, you know? That kind of thing was there…”

Sakuto could understand that, but something still bothered him.

“But to change direction and run with scandal articles, I think that’s a bit questionable.”

“Because the Broadcasting Club became so popular. Well, Ayaka said she wanted to somehow keep the Newspaper Club for the next person, Wakana, but I wanted to leave some sort of mark during our time.”

‘I see’, Sakuto said, understanding yet dismayed.

“More like scars than marks though? Scars that last a lifetime.”

“Shut up! I know! I’m sorry, okay…!?”

Matori said this and then sighed deeply.

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“…I really am reflecting on it.”

Matori’s dejected look was somehow endearing, unlike her usual character.

“Then, why don’t you appear on the Broadcasting Club’s broadcast? Show them that you’re reflecting and trying hard.”

“That’s a different matter altogether!”

“Why is that?”

“Because it’s a school-wide broadcast, it gets archived and goes on YouTube, right? I’ll definitely mess up if I go live with this character!”

She seemed reluctant to show her face that much.

“There’s no such thing as ‘definitely’—”

“If I mess up, I’ll become a topic for having a cute embarrassed face, and that’ll be broadcast all over the world on YouTube, and then I might get scouted by a talent agency, become a model or actress, gain even more popularity, and eventually end up as the wife of a rich IT company CEO!”

“That’s definitely not going to happen!”

Sakuto declared emphatically at this point.

“That’s terrible! You just said there’s no such thing as ‘definitely’!”

“Then I stand corrected! But why does it sound like you end up leading a pretty good life as the story goes on!?”

“The possibility is not zero, right!?”

“Zero, it’s zero───!”

‘Ah, this person is beyond help’, Sakuto thought.

Then, as if the previous conversation had been a joke, Matori laughed and began to fiddle with her smartphone.

“──Here you go. Sent it.”

Puzzled, Sakuto checked his smartphone.

Displayed on the screen was a photo of Hikari with a lovely smile.

“Took this a while back. She had a nice expression, so…”

“…Why are you sending this to me?”

“It’s kind of frustrating that Hikari always makes that face when she’s with you. She must be really into you, huh? That couple shot from yesterday looked good on you guys too. Why don’t you just date already?”

Sakuto responded with a wry smile to the teasing remark.

“Photos capture the truth… I can tell a real smile from a fake one. Your smile seems fake too, but so does Hikari’s. She’s gradually opening up to us, but that face of hers is still holding back. Ah, I can’t take it anymore〜”

With that, Matori walked off towards the clubroom.

“Photos capture the truth huh…”

Looking at Hikari’s smiling photo again, Sakuto wondered if perhaps Matori had always noticed Hikari’s fake smiles.

* * * *

The meeting with the Broadcasting Club lasted a little over an hour, and it concluded with the three who would join asking questions about the parts they were concerned about.

“Alright then, see you after the three-day weekend on the 19th at noon.”

“Do your best, okay?”

Ishizuka left with a smile, and Tachibana left with a soft chuckle.

“I’m getting nervous. But let’s do our best! Newspaper Club, fighting!”

“Y-Yeah, I’ll do my best too! Fighting!”

While Ayaka and Wakana were psyching themselves up, Sakuto spoke with Hikari.

“Hikari, do you think you’ll be okay?”

“I guess I should be fine if I just act normal? I just need to memorize the script…”

Then with a complicated expression, Wakana approached Hikari.

“Ugh, I said I’d do my best, but now I’m really getting nervous…”

“Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah…”

As Wakana seemed nervous and unsure, Sakuto wondered what Hikari would say. Quietly, she moved closer and gently hugged Wakana.

“Hikari!? What’s gotten into you all of a sudden!?”

“My little sister, Chii-chan, she’s always been the type to get sick from nervousness.”

“That Chikage-san…?”

“Yeah, despite how she looks. But you see, doing this always cheers her up.”

“I see… Yeah, I kind of understand… It’s warm…”

Wakana’s tense expression softened.

Sakuto watched in amazement. The Hikari from a little while ago would never have embraced a classmate like this.

As Sakuto watched with a smile, Matori suddenly grinned mischievously.

“Takayashiki, what’s with that lewd look in your eyes?”

“What!?”

“Jealous? Should we give it a try too? Alright, bring it on. With senpai’s oppai—”

“You’re the last person I’d ever do that with!”

“That’s mean!”

A flustered Ayaka stepped in to stop Matori.

“Matori-chan, don’t get carried away. Takayashiki-kun has the right to choose too…”

“Ayaka, you’re the worst! Seriously—!”

“Eek!? Don’t cling to me…!”

Before he knew it, Wakana and Hikari had separated and were giggling to themselves.

Sakuto closed his eyes in relief.

Hikari is laughing genuinely.

‘Just a little more to go…’

Unbeknownst to the girls, Sakuto steeled his resolve once more in his heart.

＊ ＊ ＊

──And then.

The day of the much-anticipated live broadcast arrived.

Tuesday, July 19th.

Just as lunch break began──

“Sakuto, thank you for coming to help clean up. It was a big help.”

“Well, it’s quite a task…”

“The other person on duty fell ill, so it couldn’t be helped──”

Concerned about Hikari, Sakuto had come to the field. The first-year girls’ physical education class was hurdle running, and Hikari was left to clean up alone under the scorching sun.

Unable to watch her do it alone, he had decided to help. It took a considerable amount of time to load and transport the hurdles onto the cart.

The PE teacher had gone to the infirmary to attend to the sick student, leaving Hikari alone to finish the cleanup.

“By the way, where’s Higashino-san?”

“Wakana-chan? I let her go ahead. She offered to help, but Ayaka-senpai would have been in trouble if we both got delayed.”

If Hikari had been left to clean up alone, she might not have made it in time for the broadcast.

It seems coming to check on her was the right decision.

“The cart goes in that shuttered warehouse, right?”

“Yes! Thank you.”

Pushing the cart loaded with hurdles, they headed towards the shuttered warehouse.

This warehouse was used to store items for track and field events and the sports festival, and even old equipment that spoke of Arisuyama Academy’s history was kept here instead of discarded.

It was dim and damp but felt better than the heat outside.

Sakuto pushed the cart into the back of the warehouse and let out a sigh.

“Just the two of us, huh?”

Hikari’s teasing voice came with a chuckle, and Sakuto responded with a wry smile.

“You’ve got a broadcast after this, you know?”

“Tsk… we could have had some alone time here if it weren’t for that.”

Hikari sounded disappointed, but her expression was bright.

“Well, everyone’s waiting, so let’s get going.”

Hikari said, turning towards the exit.

Then──

──Bang!

Suddenly the shutter closed, and the warehouse was plunged into darkness.

“What happened!?”

“I-I don’t know, it just closed all of a sudden!?”

They knew the building was old and the fittings were poor, but they never expected it to close on its own.

However, if it was just the shutter coming down, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Sakuto approached and tried to lift the shutter from the inside, but──

“It’s so heavy…!?”

Even with Hikari’s help, the shutter only slightly trembled and rattled.

It seemed that something was caught in the box-like area where the shutter was supposed to fold and store, preventing it from lifting any further.

Looking around the warehouse, there was no other exit to be found except for a narrow skylight that was too high and too small for a person to pass through.

“It can’t be helped… for now, let’s try calling the staff room──”

Sakuto said this while reaching into his pants pocket, then his face turned pale.

“Damn it, my smartphone…”

He had left his smartphone in the classroom.

“Don’t tell me, Sakuto…”

“…Yeah. It looks like we’re trapped here…”