Chapter 3
The next day, the final
semester exams began, and on the last day of the exams, the answer sheets for
the first day's exam were returned during the last class.
Since I have to study at the
tutoring school, I'm a little worried that I won't be able to spend more time
studying for school exams as usual, but the results are generally almost the
same as usual.
Only the person with the
highest score in each subject is announced in our class when the homeroom
teacher returns the exam answer sheets. My name had never been announced
because I wasn't good in any subject, and the people who came first usually
stayed anyway, so I wasn't nervous.
At that time, we were waiting
for our turn to get the exam sheets for the culinary subject. In this unknown
subject, the first place always changed.
“Kurose-san, 94 points. Congratulations,
you came in first.”
When Sensei announced this,
Kurose-san came forward and happily received the test sheet.
The day after we stopped being
friends, Kurose-san went to school as usual, and she hasn't looked any
different since then. I don't think she couldn't feel the shock of being
attacked by a bully, but I was happy that she was still able to do well on the
exam, and that hasn't changed.
“Eh, so cool.”
“I only got a 30.”
The moment came suddenly,
amidst the murmurs of her classmates.
“As expected from Maria! You
really are the little sister I am proud of.”
A high, clear voice echoed
through the classroom.
“Eh...?”
It was obvious that none of her
classmates were listening to her, taking her words seriously. An air of
confusion washed over them, as if they were asking, “Are they that close?”
Seeing the reactions of her
classmates, Luna made a surprised face.
“Huh? You guys don't know? I
didn't say that before, did I? Me and Maria are twins.”
“Eh, are you serious? That must
be a lie, right?”
Tanikita-san said. After
hearing her answer, Luna shook her head.
“I'm serious! Because our
parents got divorced, we have different last names. Isn't that right, Maria?”
Kurose-san looked astonished
and surprised... but her face slowly turned bright red and she nodded slowly. I
could see that she was a bit panicked by the sudden attention of her
classmates.
“Eh, so this is real deal!?”
“Huh, really!?”
“Seriously!?”
The classroom immediately exploded
in shock, and the atmosphere in the classroom became slightly tense.
Kurose-san's cheeks flushed,
and she stood in the middle of the commotion with a slightly dreamy expression
on her face. Her eyes even looked moist.
Even after the exam papers were
returned and it was time to go back to school, there was still an atmosphere of
excitement in the classroom.
Luna sat next to Kurose-san and
was surrounded by a group of cheerful girls. Those who couldn't fit into the
circle - I was one of them - could
only watch the twins who were the topic of conversation from a distance.
“No wonder I thought something
was wrong, like the atmosphere between you two. So it turns out that you two
are siblings, huh?”
Tanikita-san, who was sitting
in front of Kurose-san, said as she crossed her arms and nodded.
“Lunacchi is very friendly with
Kurose-san, and Kurose-san seems very shy, right? After what happened in the
first semester, right? How can you be on good terms with each other? However,
Lunacchi still tried to be with Kurose-san in the cultural festival committee
and in the school trip group, Kurose-san also accepted her even though she
didn't like her, so I highly doubt the relationship between you two.”
Several girls around her nodded
in agreement. They were the girls Luna often talked to in class.
“Until now, I didn't know what
Lunacchi was thinking, and I didn't know if Kurose-san was a good or bad girl,
so I couldn't deepen our interaction. I really wanted to talk to her.”
Kurose-san still shrugged
shyly. Seeing her reaction, Tanikita-san spoke to her without hesitation.
“I've always wanted to ask, but
that's a Twister pen, right? One that was sold last year.”
Tanikita-san pointed to the
silver pen on Kurose-san's desk. It was something she used all the time, and it
had some kind of logo on it. The pens looked like merchandise, but I never paid
much attention to them.
“Do you know Twister?”
Kurose-san asked in a quiet
voice.
I think I've heard of it,
Twister... I think it's a popular social network game for girls.
“You know, you know~! I'm a
former D-Otaku! I started to feel that I didn't fit in with the people of
Twister and their violent fandom environment, because I liked Twister, I got
sick of them and started to leave them.”
“I see...”
Kurose-san was completely
overwhelmed by Tanikita-san's momentum.
“Eh, or could Kurose-san be a
bit of an otaku?”
“Huh? Y-Yes...”
“Are you serious? Hey, can I
call you Marimero?”
“M-Marimero...?”
“I decided to call you that
when I became close friends with Kurose-san!”
Luna smiled at Kurose-san, who
was surprised by Tanikita-san's behavior.
“Hey, Kurose-san, you used to
go to an all-girls school, right? Tell me what the school is like there~”
“Your hair looks really nice,
what shampoo do you usually use, Kurose-san?”
Starting with Tanikita-san, the
girls around her also tried to talk to Kurose-san, and even though Kurose-san
looked confused, she tried to answer them happily.
“Maria's hair is really
beautiful, isn't it? I envy you because my hair has been damaged ever since I
started dyeing it.”
Luna livened up the
conversation, and Kurose-san shyly stretched out her body.
Seeing Kurose-san surrounded by
a large group of classmates reminded me of her when she first moved here.
But what was different from
that time wasn't that she was trying to imitate Luna and forcing herself to be
liked by many people, but Kurose-san's true self, who was a bit shy, stubborn,
and had an otaku hobby.
And next to her was her twin
sister, Luna.
So Luna's 'friendship plan' was completed as the 'siblings plan'.
I don't have a role anymore.
I'm not even her friend, and Kurose-san may never smile at me again.
But it doesn't matter.
When I saw her surrounded by
her classmates, her cheeks flushed and a faint smile on her face, my heart was
filled with satisfaction.
She was able to get something
important that her heart had always wanted.
I felt so happy as if I had
experienced it myself.
“Thank you for your hard work,
Ryuuto!”
Today was the day I promised to
go home with her, so while I was waiting by the shoe locker, Luna finally
arrived a few moments later.
“Luna too, thank you for your
hard work. What about Kurose-san?”
“She's still in class! Looks
like she's going home with Akari and the others.”
“Oh, I see.”
We both changed our shoes and
walked out side by side.
“That was too blunt a way to
say it, you know.”
"I know. When I thought it
was an 'opportunity,' I just blurted
it out. Actually, my heart was beating really fast.”
Luna laughed happily “hahaha”.
“If Maria makes a disgusted
face or something, I'll say something like,
'Of course it's a joke, that means she's as cute as my sister,' and trick
her into thinking that.”
But in fact, there is no need
for such excuses.
Kurose-san had actually been
looking forward to this day for a long time. The day when everyone would recognize
her and Luna as ‘siblings.’
It's an easy thing.
Even though it's an easy thing,
of course it's impossible for Kurose-san at first. Because she did that to
Luna.
And Luna, who was treated like
that, also thought that Kurose-san hated her and couldn't do anything about it.
Then the thing that broke such
an impasse was...
“It's all thanks to Luna's
courage.”
“Yes, but...”
After saying that, Luna looked
at me.
“Ryuuto was the one who gave me
that courage.”
Two big sparkling eyes seemed
to look right into my heart.
“Because Ryuuto looked into
Maria's heart as my substitute... Because Ryuuto was kind to Maria, and Maria
was willing to open her heart to Ryuuto... that's why we were able to get back
together like this.”
Luna looked at me with a calm
smile.
“It's all thanks to Ryuuto, you
know.”
Wrapped in her warm tone, I
suddenly felt... I feel so happy that I want to cry.
My
reunion with Kurose-san doesn't mean nothing to either of us.
I'm
happy because I fell in love with her once.
I
hope that one day she will feel the same way.
I
hope she feels happier than anyone else in the world at that time.
◇◇◇◇
Schools are closed from the
next day until the closing ceremony a week later.
I spent the early winter holidays
studying in the self-study room in preparation for the winter semester at the
cram school. Occasionally I would see Luna and call her.
One night, while I was having a
video call with Luna in my room, Luna suddenly asked me something.
“Ryuuto, I want to talk to you
about something.”
“What?”
“Next Christmas dinner, can I
change our plans a bit?”
“That's fine, but why?”
On Christmas Eve, we were
supposed to have a party at Luna's house with her family and Luna's home
cooking.
“You see...”
Luna fumbled for the words to
say as she squirmed.
Lying on the bed in her room,
Luna looked cute today in her soft nightgown.
“I have a dream I can't leave.”
Her voice was deep but had a
certain firmness.
“Maria and Onee-chan... but
since she's already independent, so maybe it's a little bit, but I want to live
together again in the same house, with mom and dad.”
“Oh, I see...”
But
your parents are divorced... when I thought that, Luna continued.
“I know very well that the
current state of affairs is impossible to realize. That's why I want .... mom
and dad become husband and wife again.”
“Huh...!”
“I don't think it's impossible.
I think dad still likes mom, and even mom is still alone now... They both just
experienced dating for the first time and then got married and have three kids,
you know? I don't think it's possible for them to hate each other.”
“You mean falling in love with
the same person for the second time? But how?”
When I asked in surprise, Luna
replied cheerfully.
“I call it the [Two Lotte]
operation!”
“Lotte...?”
“You don't know? It's a story
called 'Two Lotte'. When I was in elementary school, my aunt gave it to me and
said it was a story about twins like us.”
The title sounded like
something I might have seen in my elementary school library, but I had never
read it, so I listened quietly.
“Two girls, Lotte and Louise,
meet and are surprised to find that they are very much alike. They live with
their respective mothers and fathers, but they find out that they're actually
twins, and their separated parents each took one child to raise. So the two of
them worked together to reunite their parents, and then their mom and dad
remarried and they all became one family.”
“I see....”
“It's a very happy story. When
I got the book, I never thought that our parents would get divorced. ...... Now
that I think about it, I am really jealous of them.”
Luna, who had been talking
excitedly, looked a little gloomy.
“When I told Maria about it,
she said, 'If you still haven't given up,
how about we give it a try?’. So we both thought about it together. This
Christmas Eve is our parents' wedding anniversary. So we called each other's
parents and met to have a party on Christmas Eve. I thought that if we had
dinner together for the first time in a long time, Mom and Dad would remember
the past and be inspired to be a family again.”
Luna, who had just finished
speaking on the other side of the screen, suddenly looked at me as if she was
worried.
“What do you think? Too easy?
Do you think this could work?”
“Well... I hope it does. If it
does, doesn't that mean I'm just a hindrance?”
At the very least, I feel a
little embarrassed to be at such a dinner party, Luna shook her head as I
thought that.
“No, I just want Ryuuto to
come! Dad seems to be a little busy lately, Grandma is also planning to go out
with her hula dancing buddies and said she won't be joining us this year.”
“Is that so.”
“That's why I said, 'I want to introduce my boyfriend,' and
made sure Dad would come. As for mother, Maria will invite her to dinner, just
to take a break from her work routine.”
“Oh, I see...”
Still, if he wanted to fall in
love with the same person for the second time, it wouldn't be much better if
there was no interference from family members, but if Luna said so, she thought
it would be a good idea to attend and leave the room when she saw the
opportunity.
“You don't want to? Ryuuto, can
you come with me? Oh, and of course, I'll cook a home-cooked meal for you, so
come to the house when you're done! Even if you're already full.”
I smiled at Luna who said that.
“Alright. If you're fine with
me. I also want to meet your father.”
I had already greeted Luna's
mother during the sports festival, but I hadn't met her father yet. I had
already introduced Luna to my parents, and except for going out with her and
dropping her off, I felt uncomfortable because I hadn't done anything I was
supposed to do as her girlfriend.
“Hooray! In that case, I should
tell my dad right away!”
Luna immediately exuded such a
joyful atmosphere.
“Because Christmas Eve is only
a week away, so I have to hurry and get ready! I have to make restaurant
reservations...oh yeah, I might even write a letter to my mom and dad!”
Seeing Luna make plans so
passionately made me smile and hope that her plan would work.
I hoped that Christmas Eve a
week later would be a memorable anniversary for Luna and me.
And my wish came true in
another way.
At that time, I would never
have imagined it──。
◇◇◇◇
On Christmas Eve, the sky had
been overcast since early morning. The weather was wintry with a northerly
wind, and as the sun was setting, my exposed skin felt cold and dry, so I put
on my winter coat and headed to the rendezvous point with Luna.
The restaurant Luna ordered was
a themed cafe-like restaurant near Station A. Actually, she wanted to book a
very memorable restaurant that she used to go to with her family, but the
restaurant was far from her current home, and when she checked online, the name
had changed since then.
“Ryuuto!”
Luna looked even cuter today as
she waved to me in front of the A Station plaza.
The combination of a red coat
and a white knit dress exuded a Christmas feeling that was easy to understand
even for a fashion layman like me, and made my heart flutter with joy. The coat
and dress were both tiny, and the completely bare feet between the long boots
looked cold yet sexy.
“It's really cold today,
right~!”
Luna put her hand on my arm as
soon as we met. The scent of flowers or fruit wafting in the cold air lifts my
spirits as I realize that this is my first winter with her.
“Ah, I'm getting really
nervous~"
Her blushing cheeks probably
weren't just from the cold. I would feel good if it was because she was with
me... but maybe it was for another reason.
Because Operation Two Lotte was
finally about to begin. Maybe that was why she was so nervous and excited.
"Ah, it's a message from
Maria. She said that mom arrived at the restaurant."
On the way Luna took out her
cell phone and told me.
“Everyone is coming faster,
huh.”
“Looks like Mom got the day off
today. Since she has been working a lot lately, she gets a day off on Christmas
Eve.”
“Does that mean Kurose-san is
coming too?”
“That's right, we baked
Christmas cookies together at noon. Besides, it is chocolate geteau. I told her
to bring me a piece because I want to eat it too!”
Seeing Luna's innocent smile
makes my heart warm. This is probably because I have seen that Luna is often on
good terms with Kurose-san, and that Kurose-san is usually on good terms with
her mother.
“I wish Onee-chan could come
too. Well, since it's Christmas Eve, it can't be helped, right?”
Looks like Luna's big sister
has a date with her boyfriend today.
“Instead, Ryuuto came today~.
Okay! Today we will enjoy the party and implement my plan~!”
Seeing Luna raise her voice to
inspire her nervous self looked really cute.
The restaurant was booked for 5
p.m., and we arrived five minutes early.
The venue for today's event was
a private room inside the restaurant right after we entered.
The place Luna chose after
consulting with Kurose-san was a cafe with brick wallpaper and a cozy
atmosphere with small bar-like chairs and tables, and I imagined that the
Shirakawa family used to go to a cozy looking restaurant like this.
“Mom!!”
When we entered the private
room, Kurose-san and her mother were sitting in the back. Seeing Luna's
arrival, her mother's eyes widened in surprise.
“Luna!? Ryuuto-kun... what's
wrong?”
“Nothing~, I thought we could
celebrate Christmas together.”
“Eh!? What’s the meaning of
this, Maria!?”
Even though her mother was
surprised, Luna quickly sat down and invited me to sit next to her.
The table in the private room
was for six, with me and Luna facing Kurose-san and her mother. Her father would
probably sit next to Luna... or maybe she would make him sit next to her
mother.
“Once in a while doesn't hurt,
right? Because we are family.”
Kurose-san said with a gentle
face. Her mother must have had reservations about this private room arrangement
because she probably persuaded her to have dinner with her. Even though she was
still shocked, her mother had a reassuring face.
“So, it's kind of a surprise,
huh.... Did you tell your father?”
When asked by their mother,
Luna and Kurose-san looked at each other.
“Umm, well…”
Luna replied hesitantly.
“Maybe he’ll come too...”
Then her mother opened her eyes
wide.
“Really!? That person is
coming!? Here?”
“Mom. I apologize for not
telling you.”
Kurose-san then immediately
spoke to her mother.
“We want to have another
Christmas party like before. If we had told you that Dad was coming, Mom
wouldn't have come, right?”
Her mother frowned at her
daughter's lonely request.
“Well, that's just because... I
don't really want to meet him.”
“............”
The expressions on Luna and
Kurose-san's faces darkened.
“But since you all want to meet
him, that's a different matter. Mom has grown up. Your father too."
Luna and Kurose-san looked at
each other with wide eyes.
“Then...”
“Well, that's fine. Let's have
fun at Christmas dinner for the first time in a long time."
Luna and Kurose-san looked at
each other when they saw their mother's smile.
“Ho-Hooray, we made it!”
“Anyway, what's wrong with you
two? Didn't you two have a fight a long time ago? I thought you made up because
Maria wanted to transfer to Luna's school, but you didn't tell everyone at
school that you're siblings, did you? I was so surprised during the sports
festival yesterday.”
“That was, um...”
“It's not called fighting
either...”
Luna and Kurose-san replied
confused by their mother's questions.
“Well, no problem~ really~!
We're good friends now! Come on, let's decide what to drink!”
Luna said cheerfully, handing
the drink menus on the table to the two people in front of her.
The process of making up between
Luna and Kurose-san was very complicated, and in order to talk about it, they
had to mention Kurose-san's jealousy of Luna and the bad rumors she spread
about Luna, which might not feel right for this occasion.
“Ehh~ which one do I choose,
then maybe I'll just have a drink today!”
Her mother let out a cheerful
voice as she flipped through the menu of the alcoholic beverage page, Luna and
Kurose-san silently looked at each other and smiled.
In the ‘Operation Two Lotte’ I heard about from Luna earlier, when the
atmosphere became more comfortable with the casual conversation between the
twin sisters and their parents who were slightly drunk from drinking, Luna and
Kurose-san would read the letters containing their feelings to the parents.
With the intention of taking the situation to a new level of relationship
development.
I was a little worried whether
everything would go as smoothly as planned, but so far it seems to be going
pretty well.
The rest is just the presence
of their father. According to Luna's story, it seemed that her father still had
feelings for her mother, so even if things didn't return to the way they were
before, today's dinner meeting would definitely be successful.
Amidst such feelings, Luna felt
tense but also excited when she met her father.
“Your other friend has
arrived.”
The door to the private room
was knocked and a voice came from the restaurant maid.
Everyone in the private room
saw the door open.
Luna's father was wearing a
suit, as if he had just come home from work. Carrying a coat in one hand, he
looked like a smart and elegant adult.
Her mother was also beautiful,
but as expected from Luna and Kurose-san's father, he looked quite handsome as
well. I've seen him from a distance a few times, but when I saw him up close,
his sharp, slanted eyes were similar to Kurose-san's. His hair was slicked back
in a soft two-block cut, and perhaps because of his slender build, he looked
less rugged. At first glance, it was clear that he was a man who cared about
his appearance, wearing well-fitting suits and not smelling like an old uncle.
“Asae...!”
When their father entered the
private room, he looked surprised to see the figure of his ex-wife. The names
he muttered were definitely the names of Luna and Kurose-san's mother.
On the other hand, their mother
also looked confused.
“Who is that person over
there...?”
Huh? I was
a little surprised, and when I turned toward the door, I saw the figure of
another person different from the restaurant worker behind their father.
“Oh, Ah...”
Her father then motioned to the
person and the figure walked into the room, clearly visible from where I was
sitting.
She is a petite woman. Although
she looks young .... she is probably in her thirties with the appearance of an
office worker. The rounded bob hairstyle gives an impression that is more cute
than pretty, but it can be said that the appearance is more than average.
“Since Luna said she wanted to
introduce her boyfriend... I thought this would be the right opportunity to introduce
someone as well... I'm planning to move in with her starting next April, so I
think I should inform my family members first before New Year's Eve...”
Luna's face immediately turned
into a frown at her father, who stammered as if to apologize.
“... What do you mean!? What do
you mean 'live together'...!”
Her mother actually looked calm
when Luna looked annoyed.
“You want to get married
again?”
The father looked back and
forth between his ex-wife and the woman behind him and nodded awkwardly.
“Yes...”
The woman behind him also
looked at him with a face that implied, “This
is different from the story I heard?” Since it seemed that he could not
stand that kind of pressure, the father took a step back.
“This... ? What exactly
happened today...?”
A very tense silence enveloped
the private room of the restaurant.
The person who broke the ice
was Luna.
“... Terrible... this is so
cruel...!”
She spoke with trembling
shoulders as she plopped down on the table and began to cry.
“Luna...”
The only thing I could do was
to put my hands on her back and stroke her gently.
I didn't have time to look
around, but I could tell from the expressions on their faces that the
atmosphere in the room was becoming uncomfortable.
◇◇◇◇
In the end, we couldn't
continue with our dinner and the meeting ended.
As Luna's mother and Kurose-san
tried to pay, the waitress said, “You
haven't ordered anything and since it's Christmas Eve, we think the private
room will be full of other guests soon”. Their mother then said to us with
a smile, “Sorry for bothering you guys,
I'll definitely come back sometime in the future.”
Compared to Luna, Kurose-san
and her mother's reactions were normal. They said, “Because it's been six years," and “I got remarried once after all,” and then left with a
light-hearted expression. They wanted to have dinner again at their favorite
yakiniku restaurant near K Station. Although we were invited, we apologized and
declined their invitation because Luna said, “I want to go home.”
Afterwards, when she saw Luna
sobbing, the woman who would become her father's wife came out of the
restaurant in shock, and her father tried to chase after her, leaving us alone.
And right now, Luna was lying
on the kotatsu table, which was the Shirakawa family's dining table. Of course,
she was no longer crying, but she seemed to have lost her will and energy, not
even having the strength to talk to me.
This is not surprising.
During that week, Luna was very
excited. Even though she should have been busy preparing for “Operation Two Lotte”, she didn't look
tired at all. Her eyes are always shining.
—
I always wanted to go home. With Dad, Mom, Onee-chan... and Maria, in the house
where the five of us live together.
It was like seeing someone else
when I looked into those sad, empty, depressed eyes.
She really wanted to return to
her former home, there was a chance that it could come true.
It is hope that made her shine
in the past week. But now that hope has vanished in an instant with fragility. In
the form of her father's remarriage.
Besides, Luna always thought
that “Dad still loves Mom very much,”
so the shock she received sent her into a deep shock.
“......”
The analog clock on the wall
showed almost 7 pm.
Today is not the right time to
celebrate Christmas Eve.
I have no words to say to this
heartbroken girl because I am not part of her family. I stood up carefully. I'm
thinking of giving her some time alone now.
“Then I will go home first...”
When I said that, my sleeve was
suddenly grabbed.
Luna, whose head was slightly
raised from the kotatsu table, looked at me with upturned eyes.
“Please don't leave me alone
tonight.”
Wh-What did she just say!?
My heart was beating so fast,
as if it would explode at any moment.
“N-No, you're not alone, right,
because your father will also come back here...”
“How could he ever come home?
It's Christmas Eve, you know? I'm sure he must be with that woman.”
“That’s...”
Even though he has a daughter
who is still in high school, how can a father choose to spend time with his
girlfriend instead of coming home? Or is he so caught up in the vortex of love
that he forgets himself as a father?
“So please...”
Luna looked at me with wet
eyes. Her red and swollen eyes are charming... When I'm looked at with those
eyes, I.....
“S-Still, that can't do that,
Luna. That...”
Don't
go home? Don't leave me alone tonight?
Does
that mean I can stay here?
The white knit dress Luna was
wearing opened like a slit at the shoulders, revealing her delicate white skin.
From under the kotatsu blanket, I could see her white, smooth thighs....
Accidentally, my throat
swallowed dry saliva.
“Why?”
Luna still held my sleeve and
tilted her head with an adorable face.
“E-Even if you ask that...”
Her grandmother was away, and
her father didn't come home... In the Shirakawa household, I had to spend a
night alone with Luna.
As a virgin, I wasn't sure if I
could hold it together until morning.
“N-No, you can't!"
I
had decided to respect Luna's decision. I wouldn't touch her until she wanted
to...!
Just as I was about to leave
with this thought, Luna was still tugging at my sleeve.
“Why do you say such things...”
Tears began to form in the
corners of her eyes and trickled down her lips.
“I don't want to... will Ryuuto
leave me too...?”
Her eyes and cheeks were
flushed, and her body, wrapped in Christmas Eve clothes, wriggled sexily as if
inviting.
“...No...!”
I tried to keep my sanity by
closing one eye as if the sight was poisoning my eyes, but Luna kept pleading
with a longing look.
“I don't mind, you know?”
Those softly parted lips looked
seductive. My eyes involuntarily fell on the tip of the red tongue sticking out
of them.
“If it's Ryuuto, you can hug me...”
“……!?”
“So please... stay with me
until morning...”
After saying that, Luna threw
herself at me. Luna, who was sitting up, embraced my standing leg as if she was
entrusting the weight of my whole body to it.
I could feel the soft, warm
elasticity of her whole body bending against my legs.
Th-That's
bad... At this speed... “I'm standing up" will turn into "I'm tensing
up" and there's a danger that something will stick out in front of Luna's
forehead...!
Since I’m in panic, I don't care what happens! I hugged her
shoulders tightly.
Hot.......
I've felt it since my legs
embraced her, but I feel that her body is experiencing unnatural heat.
“Luna, do you have a fever?”
This hot temperature doesn't
look like a normal fever.
Worry overcame my lust and my
senses quickly returned to calm.
“Hoeee?”
Luna stared at me with blurry,
unfocused eyes. Her lips were half-open in a seductive way.
Come to think of it, the reason
Luna looked so hot a while ago was probably because of her fever.
“Do you have a thermometer?”
“In the drawer over there...
After I found a thermometer
with Luna's slightly confused instructions, I was surprised to see the
thermometer's numbers sticking out from under her armpit.
“38.9 degrees!?”
I was startled by the numbers,
which almost reached 39 degrees.
“Medicine... maybe it's better
to get it from a doctor... Cold compress... I've heard it doesn't work on a
fever... How about a wet towel! Do you have a wet towel?”
“Wet...? If it's not wet, it's
okay, right? Then let Ryuuto wet it...”
Luna's statement sounds very
naughty! Is it because Luna, who has a fever, looks too sexy, or is it because
my mind is just too dirty!
Despite my anger, I managed to
fill the sink with water and soak the towels in preparation for treating her.
“Luna, are you okay? Can you go
to your own room?"
I asked her, still limping in
the kotatsu, and Luna shook her head helplessly.
“Impossible... I can't move...
My head feels heavy and dizzy...”
“.....”
Hearing her say that, I carried
the limping Luna and walked up the stairs.
Even though Luna has a light
weight for a girl, I'm not sure if I can carry her like a princess sling
because my strength is limited.
I felt two soft, springy bumps
pressing against my back.
“Fufu...”
Perhaps due to the effects of
the fever or because she was about to lose consciousness, Luna laughed like
someone delirious in their sleep.
Her breath hit my neck and
tickled me.
“Fufufu... I can smell Ryuuto's
scent...”
“Eh!?”
Smell? Smell...!?
I take a good shower in the
morning, right?
Ah, if only I took another
shower before I went out... I don't want my family to know that I expected
something I can't do well.
“It’s smells good... I feel
relieved...”
Luna whispered charmingly.
“........”
My heart continued to beat fast
without stopping. For now, I'm happy enough that she doesn't think I stink.
Anyway, I told my parents
earlier that ‘Luna has a sudden fever and
is home alone, so I'll stay with her tonight to take care of her,’ but they
probably smirked.
“Ryuuto... I like you...”
Ahh, if only Luna was healthy
now! I could barely contain my excitement as my body shook.
It was my first time carrying
someone up the stairs, but I didn't have any trouble because I was so excited.
I just feel a little difficulty walking.
The softness of her thighs that
I feel in my hands, the touch on my back, the breath on my neck, everything is
so precious that I don't know where to focus.
I wished this journey up the
stairs would never end, even if it was only ten steps.
Of course, without any mercy or
you could say it was appropriate, I quickly reached the second floor.
“Your room is over here,
right...?”
I opened the back bedroom door
and visited her room a second time. Even though I was used to seeing her in the
background during video calls, it's been a long time since I've actually seen
her. As the scent of the room enveloped me, my heart fluttered as if
celebrating victory.
Right now, though, my main goal
is just to take care of her.
I tidied up the blanket, which
was a bit messy and still seemed to have the shape it had when I got up early.
.... and gently let Luna down from my back.
“Hmm~...”
Luna, who fell limp with her
eyes closed, rolled onto her bed with a pampered sound.
With that momentum, her short
knitted dress lifted up, and I wasn't expecting it!
“...!?”
A white cloth resembling white
satin protruded from her groin.
“Uwahhh!”
I reflexively covered it with
the blanket.
The white, shiny cloth
obstructed my vision.
What a shame... However, I
don't have the courage to look at her directly now.
Yes,
I came to take care of her. Reminding myself, I grabbed a bucket from
underneath to compress it.
“Ryuuto...?”
When I placed the wrung out wet
towel on her forehead, Luna opened her eyes slightly.
“For a moment, I thought it was
Mom. Even though it's impossible, isn't it?”
With a lonely smile, Luna
turned her eyes to the ceiling of her room.
“When I had a fever when I was
little, mom used to take care of me like that.”
Perhaps under the influence of
her high fever, Luna narrowed her eyes with a hint of longing.
“Mom often peels apples for me,
gives me ice cream... Even though I don't have an appetite, she always gives me
much more than usual.”
“Yes, parents are often very
concerned when we are sick. Even though we want to be left alone because we are
not feeling well.”
As I sat down on the floor next
to her, Luna turned her head to look at me and giggled.
“...Ryuuto, in front of your
mother, you feel more presumptuous than usual, don't you?”
“Huh!? Re-Really?”
I was surprised because she
said something I was completely unaware of.
“Is that so...? I don't think
it's because of puberty or anything...”
Maybe because I didn't want to
seem like a daughter who was too close to her mother, I unconsciously became a
little indifferent. Does she see me as a
disobedient child? I thought desperately.
“Fufu, I know that.”
Luna smiled as if she saw
something funny.
“I can see that you grew up in
a safe and comfortable environment...to be able to say such selfish
things....When I see your family like that, I feel jealous...”
She murmured in a voice that
contained clear sadness in her eyes.
“When I met Mom, I was really
bad. I was too happy... to the point that I acted like a child again.”
She whispered with a bitter
smile.
Seeing Luna's self-mocking
smile, I was reminded of her appearance during the sports festival.
Luna looks happy like a child
when her mother caresses her head. I had thought it was an expression of
honesty, but it was indeed a somewhat strange reaction from a high school girl.
“..........”
Come
to think of it, I thought.
Luna sometimes asks me to “pat
my head, please”. That's what happened on the Ferris wheel after we did Savage.
I get nervous when I touch
Luna, but... Maybe this is Luna's way of seeking the security she usually gets
from her mother, huh?
“If only mom was always with
me... I probably never thought 'I want a
boyfriend' since I was in elementary school.”
Luna began to tell herself, as
if to confirm my earlier thoughts.
“Even though I love Dad, but...
I can't trust my heart like I used to, nor can I forgive Dad for betraying us.
I only saw my grandmother a few times a year, so even if we started living
together, I couldn't suddenly be spoiled by her. While Onee-chan often goes to
her boyfriend's house and rarely comes home... There's no one in this house who
can make me act spoiled.”
While she stared at the
ceiling, her eyes unfocused due to the fever, Luna whispered as if muttering to
herself.
“Mother and Maria left as
well... So I was left alone. Even though I had a lot of friends at school... I
wanted someone closer than friends.”
It sounded like a sincere and
deep plea from her heart.
“I want to be hugged when I'm
hurt, I want someone to pat my head and say, 'Luna is a good girl’. I want someone to listen to my silly
stories, morning and night, for hours... But if someone wants to do that, it
can only be my boyfriend. Because I'm not a child anymore.”
If I remember correctly, Luna
had a lot of physical contact with girls. Especially when they're with
Yamana-san, they're so attached to each other that it's too much.
If she were to ask a guy for
the same thing, it would definitely go in a more perverted direction, and the
reason why her ex-boyfriend was quick to bed Luna probably wasn't just because
they were jerks.
I also feel nervous and
uncomfortable when Luna makes excessive physical contact. Because of what
happened the last time I was in this room, I had to control myself and
sometimes I was almost tempted to fall to the dark side.
Until now, I always thought
that Luna was much more mature than me.
But maybe, just maybe...
Maybe a part of her was still a
child.
Even though she had a lot of
experience, maybe Luna wasn't that mature either.
It's the first time I've
thought of something like that.
“...My mother always hugs me
before I go to bed.”
Suddenly Luna mumbled.
“Mom...”
Her eyes narrowed and her gaze
wavered like the surface of water.
“That turned out to be a
mistake... Me and Maria can't become [Two
Lotte].... I can't live with my mother forever...”
Looking at Luna who was
trembling, an unbearable feeling flashed through my heart.
“I'm here, you know.”
Unconsciously, I had hugged
Luna.
“I may not be able to replace
your mother, but I'm here for you now.”
“Ryuuto...”
Luna took my hand and wrapped
her arms around my back.
“Thank you, Ryuuto...”
My heart was beating fast.
On Christmas Eve, it was just
the two of us in Luna's room. I knelt down next to the bed and hugged the
sleeping Luna.
No, I shouldn't think of
naughty things. Because Luna is sick right now.
I reminded myself and tried to
understand Luna's feelings.
How do you think Luna felt when
she spent her time in this room?
Maybe the reason why Luna calls
Yamana-san every night is to distract herself from her loneliness when she's at
home.
Even though her father took
custody of her and has better financial stability than Kurose-san, the
emotional support for Luna is her mother. The loss must have had a huge impact
on her.
I could hear Luna's slow
breathing next to my ear. The embracing body still felt hot. But the lust that
had arisen in me had disappeared.
I
want to protect Luna.
She's
the only woman in my life.
I
wish her a quick recovery. Be her body or mind...
As I hugged her with such
hope... Luna's arms suddenly loosened.
“...Luna?”
I pulled my body away and
looked at Luna with closed eyes. Her breathing was calmer than before.
She seemed to have fallen
asleep.
The cloth on her forehead was a
little dirty, so I took it back and moistened it with cold water, then put it
back on her forehead.
Just as I was about to get some
cold water because I had run out, I heard Luna's voice and stopped.
“Ryuuto...”
I turned around as soon as I
heard her voice, and Luna smiled weakly from the bed.
“Don't go, Ryuto...”
“I'm not going anywhere. I'll
be right here.”
But there was no answer from
Luna. Her eyes were still closed.
“She was half asleep... maybe?”
Still, I felt happy at the
thought that I had appeared in Luna's dream.
The quiet Christmas night
passed slowly.
◇◇◇◇
I opened my eyes as I felt a
soft weight land on my back.
Or rather, it was only then
that I realized I had overslept.
“Ah, did I wake you?”
As I looked towards the voice,
I saw Luna standing there. A blanket covered my body, which was lying face
down.
I was confused by the situation
for a moment, but apparently I was in Luna's room and had fallen asleep on the
floor last night while taking care of her. Maybe because I didn't get much
sleep after studying at the cram school.
I looked at the clock in her
room and noticed that it was already seven in the morning. Morning light
streamed in through the cracks in the curtains.
“Ahh, good morning...”
Luna had already changed from
her white dress into her usual pajamas.
“How is your condition? Have
you had enough rest?”
I asked her and Luna replied
with a smile.
“Yes. My fever seems to have
gone down. My stomach suddenly felt hungry.”
Ahaha, Luna laughed a little
shyly.
“Oh, that's right... sorry, I didn't
prepare anything to eat.”
"No, I should be the one
to apologize for not being able to serve you anything. Are you hungry too,
Ryuuto?”
Even though I'm still in a
sleepy state, it's true that I felt hungry all night.
“I made delicious food for the
Christmas party, you know? Because I thought we were going to eat at a
restaurant, so I just made fried chicken and cake.”
“I see...thank you.”
“Shall we eat it now?”
“Ehh, this early in the
morning?”
Chicken and cake?
“You don't want to eat it?”
“Not really, I just want to eat
it now.”
Luna laughed happily when she
heard my answer.
“Hooray! Let's eat, let's eat!”
When we went downstairs, the
living room was still the same as last night. As expected, it looks like Luna's
father isn't coming home.
Luna has prepared a whole roast
chicken and a Buche de Noel Christmas cake. The cake is made on a commercial
roll basis and follows a video guide. The way the cream is spread looks
amateurish, but it makes it feel so loving and adorable.
“Itadakimasu!”
After taking the food to Luna's
room, it was our Christmas party, which started at 7:30 in the morning.
“Oh yeah, my body temperature
is about 37.5 degrees. I think my fever is completely gone...”
Luna, who had inserted the
thermometer I had offered her, took it out of the neck of her jacket and put it
on the table.
“Don't overdo it, you'd better
rest for today.”
“Yes, you're right... I wanted
to meet Nikoru and the others, but I'll cancel it.”
Luna immediately took out her
smartphone and started typing messages at high speed.
“Isn't the taste of this
chicken less strong? I'm sorry~. Do you want to eat it with salt?”
I shook my head as Luna started
to get up.
“No, I'm fine.”
There seems to be a difference
in taste, so I've been trying to find something darker and something lighter to
eat together.
“Is that so? ... Oh yeah, I
almost forgot! Here, a Christmas present from me!”
Luna opened the bag she had
brought yesterday and handed me something that had been taken from her. It was
a present wrapped in a green bag with a red ribbon.
“Come on, open it, come on!”
“Y-Yes...thank you.”
When I opened the bag, there
were several white paper bags inside. I took them and saw ......
“Amulet?”
What I found was an amulet that
is often sold at shrines. There are some that say 'Amulet for Education' or 'Amulet
for Graduation', and some say 'Amulet
for Health' or 'Protection from
Disaster', and even 'Safe Driving'.
“Yes. At first, I just wanted
to buy a study amulet, but when Nikoru said, 'If your boyfriend studies all the time, his body might break down, you
know?’ I get worried and feel anxious about various other things as well.”
Ehehehe, Luna
smiled innocently.
Aside from the various talismans,
if I looked closely, I noticed that the name of the shrine wasn't the only
thing inscribed on the amulet.
“Could it be that you have been
going to visit some of the other shrines?”
“Huh? Yeah... Something called
the 3 Gods of the Kanto Region? I found it while looking up information on
amulets for study.”
“The Three Gods of the Kanto Region?
I've never heard of it.”
“Yes. Since I wanted to try to
collect them all, I went there with Nikoru yesterday.”
“Is that so...? This, Tani...
Ho... Tenmangu? Where is that?”
“Ah, it looks like it says 'Yabo', you know. Hmm, I took the Keiou
line from Shinjuku and after one change it was there.”
“Eh, isn't that far? That means
you visited it three times before going to the restaurant?”
“Yes.”
“From so early in the morning?
Must be cold, right?"
“Ah yes. That was my
miscalculation. Even though it was still warm the day before...”
Luna smiled bitterly.
Since the shrine is basically
outdoors, the trip to the shrine must have been cold with Luna's appearance
yesterday. Maybe that was the reason why he suddenly had a fever... somehow, I
felt guilty.
“After all, Ruuto, you have
been putting a lot of effort into your studies lately, right? I can only do
little things like this...”
“Thank you, Luna."
Luna's feeling makes me happy,
and a warm feeling fills my chest.
“I will wear all these
talismans. There's still a year until the university entrance exam, so I need
to be well protected.”
When I said that, Luna blushed
and smiled shyly.
“Hehehe.”
“By the way, I also have a present
for you, Luna.”
“Eh!?”
When you meet your loved ones
at Christmas, it's only natural to prepare a present. However, Luna looked
surprised and widened her eyes.
“For real!? What's this?”
“I'll take it now... Wait a
minute, okay?”
With that, I grabbed my bag and
left the room.
“Merry Christmas.”
I came into the room with an
unusually cheerful voice, making Luna jump and wink.
This is bad, did I slip...?
I wore a red hat, a red coat, a
white beard and glasses. All of them are simple Santa outfits that I bought at
the sundries store.
──Santa
came to the house and gave us presents in person. I feel very happy.
──But
apparently it was just my dad dressed as Santa.
For the sake of Luna, who loves
surprises, I want to recreate those childhood Christmas memories she's told me
about before.
When I prepared it, I never
thought that yesterday's meeting would end like this, and reminding her of
memories with her father might be counterproductive... Anxiety came over me
when she didn't react.
“Um... here's a present for
you...”
I handed the wrapping paper I
was holding to Luna.
I should do something to cover
this atmosphere with words... But just as I thought that and was about to
speak....
“... Fufu...”
Luna laughed.
As she laughed, tears began to
flow from the corners of her eyes.
“Eh!? Lu-Luna...?”
I immediately panicked when I
saw her reaction like that, and she was shedding tears from the other eye.
“Fufufu... You're Ryuuto,
right? I can tell because you're wearing the same socks...”
Luna pointed at my feet and
smiled. Not only were the socks the same, even the pants were the same, and as
a costume, it was of very low quality, but because Luna was laughing happily
while crying, I smiled as well.
“Haha... Looks like I made a
mistake just like Luna's father...”
After I said that, Luna's tears
flowed even more, and I realized that the word “father” was still a really sensitive thing.
“I-I'm sorry...”
I panicked and apologized, but
Luna shook her head with tears in her eyes.
“That's okay, because my Santa
Claus isn't my father anymore.”
Luna said with a small smile,
then she suddenly came closer and leaned towards me.
“...!?”
I froze as Luna suddenly hugged
me and whispered in my ear.
“....I know that the one who
gave me happiness is you, Ryuuto...”
“Luna...”
Her wavy hair tickles my nose
and my heart beats fast.
Then she slowly moved away from
me, and Luna looked at me a little shyly.
“Hey, can I open the present?”
“Uh, yes, of course...”
After taking another look at
her present, Luna carefully unpacked it on the table.
“...Ah, earrings!”
“Yes. That ring, made of
moonstones... right? I found the same stone.”
“Really!? Wow, it really is the
same!”
Luna alternately looked at the
ring she wore on the ring finger of her right hand and the earrings. Ever since
I gave her the ring at the Summer Festival, Luna always wears it when we meet
outside of school.
Now, the earrings I gave Luna
are the same design as the ring, with a base of shiny gold and the same white
natural stones. Even though they weren't from the same store because I bought
them online, I feel like I found something similar.
“I think Luna already has a lot
of earrings...sorry, that's the only idea that comes to mind.”
“No! I am happy! Even if I have
a lot of earrings, I will still collect them.”
Luna shook her head
enthusiastically.
“Besides... at the thought that
this gift was chosen and bought by Ryuuto, I feel really happy.”
With rosy cheeks, Luna smiled
and looked at me.
“Thank you, Ryuuto... I'll try
to wear it now.”
After saying that, Luna started
to take off the earrings she was wearing. Then she placed moonstone earrings in
both of her ears.
Her hair was pulled back to one
side for ease, exposing the nape of her slender white neck. I was fascinated by
her beauty and charm.
“Done! What do you think?”
Luna happily showed me her new
earrings.
“Yes, it really suits you.”
It was much more than I thought
when I bought it online, and the earrings really fit Luna.
“Yeayyyy! Hehe. I'm going to
wear it all day~”
Luna exclaimed happily as she
brought the removed earrings to the bed. Looks like she wants to keep them on
the bedside table reserved for accessories.
There, Luna knelt on the bed
and pulled a doll out from under one of her knees.
“Oh, I even stepped on it. I'm
sorry, Chi-chan.”
Chi-chan?
The name sounded familiar and
surprised me.
“That...”
I pointed at the doll and Luna
picked it up.
“Oh, this? This is Chi-chan,
the cat doll. It’s cute, right? I got it from Maria when I was little.”
Luna, who had her earring in
one hand, held Chi-chan and got off the bed.
Chi-chan is a little stuffed
cat. I don't know which character she's from, but her round plastic eyes look
adorable.
“Maria, she used to be good at
begging. I've always envied her.”
Luna sat under the bed looking
at Chi-chan and suddenly muttered.
“I always say directly what I
think, so my feelings are taken lightly. When I say 'I want' for toys or
whatever, they just say yes and don't pay much attention to me.”
Luna smiled at me with a bitter
smile.
“But Maria was always quieter
compared to me. Even when she was in a toy store, she would just look at the
toys. Adults seem to want to buy something for a child like that. Maria has
always had the attention of our aunts since she was little, and she always gets
all kinds of things. This doll is one of them.”
“So that's how it is.”
“But Maria doesn't really seem
to want it. Because she didn't want it, she never said 'I want it'. That's why I accepted it.”
It was refreshing to hear
Luna's perspective on the story I had heard from Kurose-san.
“But there was a time when
Maria asked me to bring Chii-chan back,” Luna said with a slightly sad
expression on her face.
“I felt very sad at that time.
Chi-chan was cute from the beginning, but wasn't she the one who was collecting
dust in the corner of the room? If she wanted her back like that, she should
have taken good care of her from the beginning. But why would she say such
things after I started to appreciate her? I felt sad and angry, so I hit her.
But that's not a good reason, is it?”
Luna's expression was mixed
with guilt and disappointment.
Seeing her expression, I told
her.
“...Kurose-san doesn't want
Chi-chan. Because Chi-chan is something Luna cares about, so she feels like
having Chi-chan.”
“Eh?”
“Because she loves and admires
you, so she wants to get closer to Luna.”
“Is that what Maria said?”
Luna showed a slightly stiff
face.
“Yes. When she and I were still
friends.”
When I said that, Luna bit her
lips slightly and lowered her head.
“Oh, I see...”
When she raised her face again,
her expression had brightened.
“So Ryuuto already knows about
Chi-chan, huh?”
“This is the first time I've
seen her in person. I was surprised because she was cuter than I thought. Looks
like you took good care of her.”
Although she looked a little
worn overall, there were no dirty stains, and it was obvious that she had taken
care of her carefully and lovingly.
“Yeah!”
Luna hugged Chi-chan and
smiled.
Seeing Luna's reaction like
that, I smiled too.
“I'm glad your relationship with
Kurose-san is back to normal.”
“Hmm, yeah.”
I was worried by Luna's
momentary hesitation when she nodded.
“...Is there still something
you're worried about?”
Luna shook her head slightly
when she heard my question.
“Hmm, nothing. But it feels
like we're not quite back to the way we used to be. Like there's a wall between
us... Because for six years there was almost no communication between us. I'm
sure there are many things I don't understand about Maria's feelings and her
situation. Maybe it's the same on her side.”
“I see...”
Maybe it was something that
could not be avoided.
“But hopefully the two of you
can talk and gradually return to the way things were before.”
“Yes.... I really hope so.”
Luna murmured quietly with a
faint smile.
“Even if we can't live together
like before... but at least I want to be as close to Maria as before.”
I really think so too. And I
also wish Kurose-san would smile more.
“...I kind of look like an
idiot, right?”
At that moment, Luna suddenly
continued in a self-deprecating tone.
“Because Christmas Day is a
wedding anniversary, you know? Both father and mother stepped forward a long time
ago.”
Luna hugged Chi-chan tightly
until her chin rested on Chi-chan's head.
“For the past week, I've been
recklessly overjoyed, making mistakes and disappointing myself... it's kind of
like what I've been doing all along.”
“Something like that...”
I felt sorry for Luna and tried
to find a way to change the subject.
Then I suddenly blurted out an “Ah, that’s right”.
“Speaking of anniversaries...
last week was our six-month anniversary, right?”
When I told her, Luna's eyes
widened in surprise.
“Oh yes! That's right!”
As if she still couldn't
believe it, Luna exclaimed.
“Ehh, why did I forget it? Even
though I remembered it until the exam! Ehhh~~, I want to celebrate our six-month
anniversary together properly~”
“It can't be helped since
you're busy preparing for the Christmas Eve celebration, right?”
I was also too busy preparing
for winter tutoring after the exams, so I forgot about it until now.
I remember when I saw Luna last
week.
“...W-What's wrong?”
I froze in shock.
Luna was crying. Her tears fell
on Chi-chan's head.
“Luna...? Are you okay?”
Luna shook her head as I
wondered if she was so upset because she forgot to celebrate our six-month
anniversary.
“It's not that... I never
thought that there would be a day where I would forget my anniversary with my
boyfriend...”
She whispered and buried her
face in Chi-chan's head.
“When I feel that the
relationship with Ryuuto has become a part of my everyday life... I feel so happy...”
“Luna...”
How
did Luna feel when she celebrated her anniversary with her ex-boyfriend?
One
more month. One more week... Can she continue this relationship until then?
Was
she counting the days and feeling this way?
If so, maybe I could give Luna the
peace of mind that her ex-boyfriends couldn't.
When I thought that, I felt my
heart stiffen.
“Then let's celebrate. Our
six-month anniversary.”
When I said that, Luna's face
lifted.
“Yes! That's right!” she
replied, wiping away her tears and smiling.
We poured more coke into the
almost empty glasses, then we raised our glasses again.
“Merry Christmas! And... for
our six-month anniversary, cheers~!”
Luna's carefree voice echoed in
her little palace.
The first Christmas I
celebrated with Luna passed with a bit of bitterness, but it was still calm and
peaceful.
