Why Not Make Both Twins 'Girlfriends'?-Chapter 12Volume 3 .2 - Cold Memories...?

Cold Memories…? 2

──Back when the Usami sisters were still in elementary school—

“Mashiro.”

When Chikage called its name, the white kitten sitting with its front paws raised replied with a “Meow.” Chikage made a proud face, saying, “See?”

However, to her older sister Hikari, this was an unusual expression.

Chikage, who was kind, shy, and timid, seemed to have found something she could boast about to her sister.

Hikari smiled secretly, happy that her sister was changing for the better.

“See, Hii-chan, just like I said, right? It responds when I call its name.”

“Wow, I wonder if it is just with Chii-chan?”

“Why don’t you try, Hii-chan?”

“Okay… Mashiro?”

Mashiro stared intently at Hikari but did not respond.

“Huh? Looks like it’s just Chii-chan after all.”

“Is that so, Mashiro?”

“Meow.”

Mashiro approached Chikage and gently kneaded her thigh with its front paw pads.

It was strange. Despite being twins and looking alike, Mashiro only reacted to Chikage’s voice.

Three months had passed since Mashiro came to their home—its once scrawny body had grown significantly thanks to Chikage’s devoted care. Even the vet had said,

“It’s gained weight and is growing up healthy.”

“Respond to me too, okay?”

“…”

Hikari laughed awkwardly. She felt she contributed too, even if just a little.

“It seems to really like you, Chii-chan. That’s great.”

“Yeah!”

“Meow.”

Of course, there was no sign that Mashiro disliked Hikari. It seemed happy playing with Hikari, but when spoken to like this, it only responded to Chikage.

For Chikage, this was the one thing she could boast about to Hikari.

She was happy to feel a connection with Mashiro, gaining confidence and feeling fulfilled.

A precious friend who was more vulnerable than herself—someone she had to protect——

But at that time, Chikage did not know that with every meeting comes a parting, and the more you care, the harder the eventual separation.

It was around the time when the autumn was approaching.

On that day, when the lingering summer heat had begun to soften, Chikage was on the first floor with her mother. Hikari had gone out to play somewhere, and Chikage was helping with the dinner preparations.

Mashiro had been left in Chikage’s room.

Lately, it has shown interest in human food, sniffing and trying to eat it.

After the preparations were done and Chikage returned to her room,

“Huh?”

Mashiro was gone.

She searched the room but couldn’t find it.

Then, Chikage noticed the window. The screen was open, even though she was sure it had been closed—

“Eh…?”

Seeing the gap in the screen just wide enough for a cat to pass through, Chikage turned pale, imagining where Mashiro could have disappeared to.

In a panic, she looked outside the window and saw a white figure crouched on the roof.

“Mashiro!”

She called out loudly, and Mashiro, startled, climbed down the roof to the garden.

Chikage ran out barefoot from the front door. She ran around looking for Mashiro’s white figure and spotted it running away just as it left the house.

“Wait! Mashiro!”

Chikage chased after it.

However, the kitten was fast, and it quickly got away.

“Please, wait!”

Why was it running away?

It always responded with a “meow” when she called its name, so why, why not now—Chikage, still young, didn’t understand that cats have curiosity.

Due to a lack of stimulation indoors, they may venture out, lured by sounds from outside.

Eventually, it reached a place with a busier street.

Mashiro’s figure had completely disappeared—

***

“—Mashiro… why…”

When Chikage woke up, tears were streaming down her face.

It was a dream—a resurgence of past memories. Having seen many cats since coming here, it might be natural to have such dreams.

However, such memories of the past also brought back feelings of loss—

(Did Mashiro come to dislike me…)

Overprotecting and paying too much attention—thinking that it might have left through the screen on its own out of disgust for such overprotection, Chikage felt her heart shrink.

The shock of that time was significant. Ever since, the sight of any cat would remind her of Mashiro, causing her body to stiffen, a reaction closer to fear than mere discomfort.

To combat her weaknesses, she dedicated herself to relentless effort, focusing on emulating her sister, Hikari, who was a natural genius.

Despite knowing she could never outshine her talented sister, Chikage threw herself into studying and engaging in activities Hikari found difficult.

She begged her parents to let her join a tutoring school from the first year of middle school, not to aim for a high-deviation school but to forge a resilient spirit within herself.

──I want to become a better version of myself… no, I will become one.

Once prone to hesitation and doubt even after making decisions, she no longer wavered.

I will become strong. To never lose something important to me again──

Thanks to those efforts, the current Usami Chikage was born.

Yet, the small, timid, and insecure part of herself, which she thought she had left behind, still sat curled up inside her heart.

Will there ever come a thing more important to her than herself?

That might be limited to just a few—her sister Hikari, her parents, and a handful of friends.

That’s all she needed, or so she convinced herself during that summer in junior high school—until she met Takayashiki Sakuto at the tutoring school.

His genuine care for others was real.

Despite being a genius, he was not condescending or self-righteous but was modest and capable of quietly performing acts of kindness—falling for such a person was inevitable.

(Sakuto-kun…)

Chikage pictured Sakuto’s smile in the darkness.

If Sakuto had been taking care of Mashiro, she thought, perhaps Mashiro would not have run away.

At that thought, a small, pitiful part of herself seemed to peek out, filling her with intense self-reproach.

(I decided to become a better version of myself, but I still end up being saved…)

Ultimately, she still failed and was alone.

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

Cold, lonely—waiting and hoping for someone to come, nothing has changed since the old days.

“Meow.”

“…I’m sorry. You were here with me…”

As I gently spoke to the mackerel tabby cat in my lap,

(I have to do something myself! I need to save this little one and see Sakuto-kun and Hii-chan again…!)

Chikage once again rallied the part of herself that was starting to feel weak.

However, the pain in her ankle was worsening. She tried to stand up leaning on the tree while holding the tabby cat in her chest, but involuntarily grimaced in pain.

(I can’t, I need to rest a bit more…)

Chikage, who had collapsed again, stroked the tabby cat’s head.

“It’s okay, I will protect you.”

At that moment──

Rustle, rustle…

Rustling noises came from the nearby bushes.

For an instant, she thought of a bear. If it attacked now, they would stand no chance.

Chikage hugged the tabby cat protectively and made herself as small as possible.

──And then.

A white cat appeared before Chikage’s fearful eyes.

(That’s the cat from the beach house──)

At that moment, Chikage was struck by a strong sense of deja vu and shuddered.

The white cat from the beach house—but then, its walk, appearance, and face suddenly seemed so much like Mashiro.

Chikage felt a heat in her throat and struggled to speak but managed to call out.

“Could it be… Mashiro?”

“Meow.”

Hearing that response, her eyes and the back of her throat suddenly felt very warm, and she found herself unable to speak.

“So it was you…”

The white cat slowly approached Chikage. Then it began kneading Chikage’s thigh with its front paw pads.

It seemed that its old habit still remained.

“Meow.”

“You’ve grown, Mashiro… I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you…”

Chikage took Mashiro’s front paw as if to shake hands.

Suddenly, the entire area was enveloped in a bright white light, and sparkling crystals of light illuminated the darkness.

It was a familiar light—a flashlight’s beam.

Blinking against the brightness, Sakuto was there with a wry smile.

“It’s me… sorry for being late…”

“Ah…”

Just a moment ago, Chikage thought she had grasped Mashiro’s paw.

But it seemed it was actually Sakuto’s fingertips.

“I see…”

Chikage realized she had been fantasizing again and smiled wryly.

“What’s wrong?”

Chikage smiled brightly──

“No… thank you for coming to save me.”

But as she said it, tears began to well up.

***