Why Not Make Both Twins 'Girlfriends'?-Chapter 7Volume 3 .3 - The Legend of the Twins and the Cat...?

The Legend of the Twins and the Cat…? 3

“──Well, that’s the story… It’s commonly said around here that a cat living long among humans will come to possess human emotions.”

The old woman said with a hint of regret, and Sakuto spoke with a solemn expression.

“…What happened next?”

“The twins, not knowing that the cat had been turned into a tiny stone, went to the beach in search of the man. They searched the beach while crying, but they didn’t know about the cat turning into a man or being turned into a stone.”

“Is that so…”

“Eventually, morning came, and the heartbroken twins realized the foolishness of their quarrel. Then, the elder sister headed to the sea, and the younger sister to the mountain…”

The old woman said with regret and let out a big sigh.

“You can see the island from the beach, right? That’s ‘Aneko Island,’ and the mountain opposite it is ‘Imoko Mountain’… And the beach between them is──”

” ‘Koishi Beach,’ right…”

(TN: Ane (姉) in Aneko (姉子) means older sister, Imouto (妹) in Imoko (妹子) means younger sister, Koi (こい) in Koishi (こいし) means love.)

As Sakuto spoke, the old woman said “That’s right” and sighed again.

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“The twins ‘yearned (恋し, koishi)’ for the missing cat, who had turned into ‘pebbles (小石, koishi),’ hence the name ‘Koishi Beach.’… An ironic name, so they decided to name the town ‘Futagoko (Twins Child)’ in hopes that the twins and the cat could always be together… ‘He that hunts two hares catches neither’… It’s a cautionary old tale about not chasing after two goals.”

Sakuto felt as if he couldn’t just listen to the story as if it were someone else’s affair.

“It’s a well-crafted tale, isn’t it? Dark and rich in irony…”

“It might be a made-up story, but around here, there’s an old saying from long ago: ‘Don’t let the elder sister go to the island, don’t let the younger sister enter the mountain.'”

“Why is that?”

“It’s said that the elder sister will be taken by the sea, and the younger sister will not return from the mountain.”

“That’s just superstition. There’s no way that’s true…”

“Yes. That’s why, when we were promoting the town, we decided that if there were such dark stories and superstitions, people would stop coming, so we made it a rule not to tell tourists about them.”

That explains it, Sakuto thought.

When he came to this town, the train conductor had reacted strangely to Hikari and Chikage.

Surely, he must have known about such sayings.

“Why did you tell me, then?”

“Because you seemed eager to know.”

“Well, yes… but I felt like you wanted to tell me specifically.”

The old woman suddenly gave a wry smile.

“You have feelings for those twins, don’t you?”

“Huh…?”

“I won’t say anything bad. Accept one and give up on the other. Otherwise, a tragedy will happen someday.”

Sakuto remained silent, clenching his fists on his lap.

“I think that old tale from earlier was created by our ancestors to pass down their experiences to future generations… In the end, it’s about whether they end up separated or not…”

“But I—”

—Reality might be so.

There’s a reason why they keep their relationship a secret—

《The fact that the three of us are dating will be kept a secret》

This rule exists to bind us together while also protecting each other.

This rule binds them while also protecting them because they believe that others might not accept their situation.

Yet──

『I like both of you.』

There was no deceit in his feelings during that confession at the Western-style Dining Canon.

And he had decided to genuinely face both of them.

『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?』

Since he became their boyfriend, he must prove it──

“──I… no, the three of us, are making an effort to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

The old woman looked at Sakuto with a “hmm,” her eyes testing his resolve.

“We’ve managed well together so far, and we’ll continue to work hard to get along well as three.”

This declaration was not just for the old woman, but for all the various beings in this world.

“If anything happens, I will definitely protect Hikari and Chikage… I will—”

Sakuto’s eyes widened in surprise because—

“S-Sakuto… What are you talking about all by yourself…?”

“Um, Sakuto-kun, uh, well…!”

The old woman had vanished in an instant… She was a granny well-known for her sudden disappearances.

However, it wasn’t just that she had disappeared.

In her place stood Hikari and Chikage, dressed in retro fashion. Wearing different colored hakama, they stood frozen with bright red faces, looking as if they were dressed for an early coming-of-age ceremony.

In fact, the twin sisters had been standing by Sakuto’s side all along.

Unaware of their presence, Sakuto had continued to talk to the absent old woman, earnestly making a grand declaration… He had really gone through with it.

In short, Sakuto had boldly proclaimed something quite embarrassing in front of ‘the very people’ it concerned.

Consequently, the atmosphere between the three was a blend of surprise, embarrassment, happiness, regret… An indescribable awkwardness.

“Uh, that just now, was, um, like a practice run, you could say…”

“I-I’m happy about it, but… we’re outside… but yes, I’m happy…”

“Y-you said you’d protect us… protect us… protect… haa… haahh~──”

“Chikage!?” “Chii-chan!?”

10:23 AM——Usami Chikage p̶a̶s̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y̶ honorable death.

—And thus.

The revived Chikage, the grinning Hikari, and the embarrassed Sakuto took a photo together against the backdrop of the shopping district.

Traveling embarrassments are quickly forgotten—

No, for the Usami sisters, it became a wonderful memory that would last a lifetime.