Why Not Make Both Twins 'Girlfriends'?-Chapter 12Volume 1 .5 - What If You Turn the Nail Upside Down...?

What If You Turn the Nail Upside Down…? 5

“Such a thing, that’s just too sad…”

“Too painful…”

Sakuto had a calm expression.

“But I don’t harbor any resentment towards Yuzuki. That event was the catalyst for me being able to express my emotions like this… It might sound strange, but that penalty game confession finally made me feel like a normal human being.”

Sakuto spoke in a gentle tone as if it were a fond memory.

“My heart was broken, but realizing that I had a heart to break was reassuring.”

Saying this, his expression turned awkward.

“Also, the penalty game confession from Yuzuki was my fault.”

“Why do you think that…? It’s the fault of those who made her do the dare…”

Sakuto shook his head.

“I was seen as a robot by those around me… so it was probably inevitable that they thought to tease me. I was a loner…”

Looking back, it seemed almost natural that he was chosen as a target.

He hadn’t expected Yuzuki to be sent to him, though.

However, in Sakuto’s mind, Yuzuki was more of a victim than a perpetrator.

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She was timid by nature and probably had no choice but to obey what others commanded her to do.

Sakuto made sure to convey this clearly to the twin sisters, then pulled out the letter from his pocket.

“This is the letter I wrote to Yuzuki. I didn’t get to give it to her, but maybe it’s better that way.”

“What does it say?”

“It’s about recent events and my gratitude. If it weren’t for Yuzuki, I wouldn’t be here now. But giving her this would only trouble her, and it seems unnecessary now──”

As he was about to tear up the letter,

“Let me hold onto that letter──”

Hikari suddenly snatched it away.

“Hikari? What are you going to do with it?”

“I’ll keep it safe.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s filled with Sakuto-kun’s important feelings, right? I won’t let it be destroyed until the day comes when Sakuto-kun decides to give it!”

Unable to argue with Hikari’s unusually assertive tone, Sakuto didn’t ask for it back.

(Well, having Hikari hold onto it might be a good idea… Though I probably won’t ever give it in the future──)

Then, Sakuto turned to Chikage with a calm expression.

“I started going to the same tutoring school as Chikage after that. I chose a place a bit far from Yuzuki so she wouldn’t feel guilty seeing me.”

“That’s so…”

“Well, it turned out for the best in the end. I met Chikage there and was fortunate enough to be liked by her, and now we’re dating.”

Tears fell from Chikage’s eyes.

“So, the reason you didn’t try to stand out was…”

“The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. I always thought that those who were hit by that hammer were always the people who matter. I don’t want to cause pain to others because of me, like what happened with Yuzuki.”

Thinking about the people underneath the sharp end of the nail, he realized he couldn’t burden them.

His mother and aunt Mitsumi, who had guided and worried about him, Yuzuki, and now Hikari and Chikage, were all important to him.

He couldn’t inconvenience anyone because of his different actions.

That’s why he decided to be ‘normal.’

He had been constantly on edge, suppressing his heart and actions all this time.

Finding comfort in not standing out, he had taken the easier path.

He realized he had been running away ever since the day of that dare confession──

“After meeting Chikage and then Hikari, my way of thinking changed. No, I wanted to change.”

“How so…?”

Hikari asked with tearful eyes.

“Just flip the nail over. …Like a reversal of thought, you know? If you flip the nail, the sharp part ends up on top. Maybe no one can hammer you down if you’re sharp enough.”

“In other word, what does that mean…?”

Hikari wiped her eyes.

She probably understood what he was trying to say. She was incredibly sharp.

Although that sharpness sometimes gave him chills, there was no longer any need to hide anything.

He had to face Hikari and Chikage squarely──

“I want to be a boyfriend that Hikari and Chikage can be proud of. I’m scared of being alone… so I want to stay together with you two from now on. …Is that okay?”

As Sakuto said this with a smile, tears flooded from Hikari and Chikage’s eyes,

” ” Waaaaaaahhhhhhh── ” “

And then they both hugged him from either side.

“Hey, wait! What’s wrong!? Both of you…!?”

He didn’t understand why they were crying.

Moreover, as they continued sobbing, he couldn’t even ask them why.

He was truly at a loss.

‘In moments like this, what kind of face should I make?’

‘When someone is crying, ah, I know the kind of face to make for such a time.’

It was a face he had learned from Yuzuki.

But it was also a face he learned later from Hikari and Chikage.

Sakuto smiled.

It was a smile from the bottom of his heart, filled with empathy, encouragement, affection, expressing his gratitude for the past and his wishes for the future.

“──Thank you, both of you. Let’s keep supporting each other, okay?”

With that gentle, carefree smile, he continued to stroke their heads and stay with them until they stopped crying.