Why Not Make Both Twins 'Girlfriends'?-Chapter 10Volume 3 .2 - Beach Volleyball...?

Beach Volleyball…? 2

“Matori-senpai!? I’m so sorry! Are you okay…?!”

“I’m f-fine… really, it’s okay… ahahaha…”

Sakuto, watching from the sidelines, felt indescribable.

(It wasn’t on purpose… right?)

—And so.

After that, neither side gave in, and occasionally there were extended rallies, but Team Hydrangea reached match point first.

It was Team Hydrangea’s serve.

Yuzuki’s soft underhand serve landed in the Newspaper Club team’s court.

Hikari received it, Matori set it up, and it led to Hikari’s spike—

“Here it goes!”

Hikari’s spike with beautiful form flew straight towards Yuzuki.

“Kyah…!”

The moment she received it, Yuzuki lost her balance and fell on her behind.

The ball flew off in a completely different direction—

“Leave it to me!”

Chikage desperately chased after it and dove.

She managed to send it back into the court with one hand, and Yuzuki, who had just gotten up, returned it.

“Hikari! Another one!”

The Newspaper Club team was about to connect another spike.

After diving, Chikage hurried back to the court—but felt something off at her chest and saw her top had slipped, threatening to reveal too much.

“Not now…!”

Chikage frantically started to fix her top.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

Then—

“I’ll handle this…!”

Seeing Yuzuki’s determined declaration, Sakuto was impressed.

As far as Sakuto knew, Yuzuki wasn’t the type to get heated about such things.

In junior high school, Yuzuki would match the enthusiasm of others during sports festivals and ball game tournaments, but she always seemed reserved and not truly enjoying herself.

(So she can make that kind of face too…)

But on reflection, Yuzuki used to laugh a lot in elementary school, was honest, cheerful, and similar to Hikari.

It was around the time she started middle school that she developed a calm, or rather, languid atmosphere.

Yuzuki, who had never seemed passionate about anything, was now seriously tracking the ball with a determined expression, which felt both nostalgic and refreshing to Sakuto.

While this was happening, Hikari set up a toss, and Matori soared—

“Take this───!”

Matori’s spike flew to the right side from Yuzuki’s perspective.

Yuzuki’s body reacted instantly.

“This time for sure!”

Yuzuki’s receive was beautifully high, miraculously drawing a perfect parabola just before the net in a spot where a spike could be made.

“Chikage-chan…!”

Chikage took a run-up and soared into the air.

“I’ll finish it with this!”

The two-attack—Chikage’s spike exploited the gap between Hikari and Matori, landing precisely at the midpoint where the two stood.

Sakuto let out a slight smile and opened his mouth.

“The winners, Team Hydrangea.”

Upon hearing this, Yuzuki and Chikage hugged each other without thinking.

“We did it, we did it! Amazing, Chikage-chan!”

“Thank you, Yuzuki-san! It’s all thanks to you!”

Sakuto, watching this scene of friendship between the girls, felt a slight sense of relief.

Suddenly, the sun was obscured. Amidst the girls praising and comforting each other, Sakuto glanced towards Imoko Mountain.

(…Rain clouds?)

Despite the weather forecast predicting clear skies, dark clouds hung over Imoko Mountain.

***

Inside the beach house “Karen,” the five of them felt a chill.

“It’s really pouring…”

Chikage murmured while looking out the window.

The sudden downpour was so intense it seemed as if it could punch holes in the sand.

The beach was completely deserted, washed clean of people. Initially, some customers had taken refuge in “Karen,” but as soon as the rain eased, they quickly left.

“Business is dead…”

Matori said with a lack of amusement.

“How long is it going to rain?”

As Chikage asked this, Sakuto checked the weather on his smartphone.

The rain cloud radar around Futagoko Town indicated it would continue like this for the next two hours.

“Looks like it’s not stopping anytime soon.”

“Is that so…”

Chikage responded with disappointment, and Matori suddenly looked towards the entrance, searching around.

“What’s wrong?”

Hikari asked.

“Our guardian deities are missing.”

“The cats?”

“Yeah… I wonder where they’ve gone…”

Matori looked anxious, a rare expression for her, which made everyone else start to worry.

Sakuto asked Matori.

“Senpai, what do the cats do when it rains?”

“They usually stay under the eaves or inside the shop. It’s feeding time, so if they went somewhere, I’d expect them to return soon…”

Just then, the rain began to lighten. Chikage muttered

“Now’s the chance.”

“I’ll go search around here.”

Chikage, who was supposed to be afraid of cats, said this, and Hikari looked a bit surprised.

Matori thought for a moment and then agreed.

“Since we won’t be getting any more customers, I want to go look too. Chikage, can I count on you?”

With a nod that said ‘of course,’ Chikage agreed.

“Then I’ll go too.”

“I’ll join as well.”

Sakuto and Hikari said, and Yuzuki also chimed in with “Me too,” so the five of them decided to search for the cats.

They quickly split up to cover different areas: Matori around the beach house, Sakuto and Hikari on the beach, and Chikage and Yuzuki in the shopping district—

“Since this is Cat Town, if they’re mixed with other strays, won’t it be hard to tell?”

Yuzuki raised a valid concern, to which Matori replied, “That’s okay.”

“They’re wearing string-like collars, all with the same design.”

Yuzuki, who hadn’t noticed the collars, understood after seeing the images shared in the group LINE, but her face showed concern again.

“The question is where else to search…”

“The range of a lost cat, even at its widest, is about 500 meters.”

Chikage spoke up.

“The range varies depending on whether they’re kept indoors or outdoors and whether they’re male or female. For strays, the range is likely wider…”

“How much wider?”

“Maybe around two kilometers…”

Yuzuki frowned but didn’t say it was impossible.

“However, since they consider this place their territory, I don’t think they’ve gone too far. Let’s start by searching within a 500-meter radius. Also, cats have a strong sense of territory, so they’re likely outside other cats’ territories. Try to think like a cat and search dark places, narrow spaces, gaps in buildings, etc.—”

Chikage then listed all the specific places she could think of for everyone to search: under cars, under air conditioning units, under vending machines, inside storm drains, in bushes, and up trees.

(She really knows a lot…)

Sakuto listened to Chikage’s explanation, inwardly surprised, but then he noticed Hikari’s face.

Hikari seemed to want to say something, her expression complex.