Volume 10 - CH 18

Moon: [Name]

“Onee-sama has everything….. You’re smart, athletic, beautiful, and talented. Misuzu envies you……..why does Misuzu have to be miserable like this when Misuzu never has anything!?”

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Misuzu berates me.

They are things that she would never bring up without the curse on her.

When she went to school, all her friends were looking at her like filth.

Misuzu would never be sweet toward me anymore.

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“Give up on Misuzu, she doesn’t have the talent.”

“N, No, that’s not true at all! Th, There’s still time, she will definitely become a Gift Positive!”

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It’s only been one month.

Misuzu only needs to endure this a little longer and her curse will definitely be lifted.

………….but my hope was shattered by Otou-sama’s words.

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“No, ………..if the crest doesn’t disappear after two weeks, it’s a failure. It will stay with her until she dies.”

“………..eh? It will never heal?”

“Besides, Misuzu is both foolish and selfish. It’s unsightly for her to blame me or you, Mitsuki…… I’d have no choice but to cut her off at this rate.”

“That’s….., isn’t that too much? …….it isn’t Misuzu’s choice that she has to suffer like this…….”

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From the start, I vaguely sensed that my parents didn’t look at Misuzu that favorably. It was me who they placed their expectations on.

But when Otou-sama says it out loud like that, my heart aches at how pitiful Misuzu is.

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“She’s your twin, I understand how you feel. ………but if you keep her around, she will definitely hurt you someday.”

“Hurt me……”

“The day will come when you will be forced to abandon Misuzu. I’m simply stating that I made up my mind earlier than you, Mitsuki…….”

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I know that Otou-sama doesn’t hate Mitsuki.

But this is still too much……..

There’s no way I would ever decide to abandon Misuzu…….

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Depressed, I parted with Otou-sama.

How did it come to this…?

I just wanted to answer Otou-sama’s expectations but why does that result in more pain for Misuzu…….

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“Haha. Ahahahahaha! Otou-sama’s already abandoned Misuzu!”

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In my room, I found Misuzu laughing.

I don’t know what she finds so amusing.

I don’t understand what can possibly be so funny about all this…….

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“Misuzu already knew. Even before this curse. They only love Onee-sama!”

“That’s not-”

“Oh it’s true!”

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Misuzu cut me off in a loud voice.

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“Even the stuffed animals we got for our birthday were different sizes. Misuzu always gets the smaller one. ….in the first place, the sizes of our rooms are already different…….Misuzu was never loved at all.”

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Tears dripped down Misuzu’s face and wet the crest on her face.

And they fell to the floor.

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“From the moment Misuzu was born, Onee-sama is like a big beautiful moon to our parents! Misuzu is just a plain old bell. They’re just too different right…… [Moon&Bell] there’s not even any use comparing……our names are the curse itself……..”

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Her name is a curse…….?

I like my name.

I have [Tsuki] the beautiful and brilliant moon in my name.

I like Misuzu’s name too.

She has [Suzu], the bell that makes the cute and beautiful sound in her name.

Please, don’t say those things about the names I love…….

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“Misuzu hates you…….Misuzu hates everyone.”

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Just like that, Misuzu ran out of my room.

…………I have to do something.

I told Misuzu that her curse will definitely be lifted.

No matter how many years it takes, I will definitely release Misuzu from her curse!

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That’s why I have to study harder.

It doesn’t matter what Misuzu says.

I will definitely find a way to remove that crest.

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“Towa…… you are moving away…….?”

“It’s really sudden isn’t it…….”

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My best friend, Miyamura Towa, I thought that we would always be together but it seems we will have to attend different middle schools.

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“It can’t be helped. I’m just a bird in a cage after all…….”

“…….I see.”

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She’s the same as me.

Towa is also bound by her family.

Perhaps that’s why we became such good friends.

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“I’ve never told you this before but I have a Gift.”

“……..I see.”

“So, I will probably have to enroll in a Gift Academy. I’m aiming for the 5th. Once you finish middle school, how about we aim for the same high school, Towa?”

“…….that’s nice! Let’s meet each other again in high school!”

“Don’t give up studying okay.”

“I won’t.”

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I made a promise to Towa to reunite with her in high school.

If I enter a Gift Academy, I might be able to find someone there who can help break Misuzu’s curse.

So I bide my time.

Even if I’m hated by Misuzu, even if I have to be cruel, I will drag her with me to that academy.

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No matter how many cruel words Misuzu throws at me, I did not get discouraged.

No matter how she may abuse me, I did not give up.

She can act a little violent at times but I keep going.

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Before I knew it, time had passed and we finally enrolled in the 5th Gift Academy.

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Author Note: That’s it with what the original has in common with the scumbag best friend timeline.

We will start to branch off in the next chapter.

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Towa became obsessed with studying after Hideyori erased all her memories with her friends and Emi. The reason was mostly due to how she was haunted by her family’s death and the promise she made to Mitsuki.

I mean, Takeru tried to get in her way and she called him [Unpleasant].

That’s V7Extra3