CH 70

70 – Enka’s Thoughts

“Hey.”

When I called out to her, she looked up.

“Ah, Isshiki-san. You finally came back.”

As she said this, I saw Enka’s complexion was pale.

No wonder.

She was wearing only a jumper and jeans, even though it was under the cold January sky.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, …I was wondering if I could stay at Isshiki-san’s place tonight.”

Enka said this with a forced smile.

But while saying so, her lips are blue.

Her body shakes with a jerk.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I would never let you stay over.”

“Why, when a beautiful girl like this says ‘stay at your house’, wouldn’t boys normally be pleased?”

As she said this, she laughed, but then immediately looked down.

“….Yes, if you bring someone like me home, you don’t know what I will do to you. It’s too dangerous to let me stay here after all..”

Then, Enka hugged both of her shoulders.

“That’s good.! You know it yourself. Horah, Come on, I’ll give you a lift home.”

But she did not move.

“Hey, let’s go. Touko-senpai is worried about you.”

But she was still frozen and wouldn’t move.

“I don’t want to. I won’t leave.”

“What a stupid thing to say. You’ll die if you spend the night here dressed like that on a cold night like this. Come on, get in the car.”

I tried to grab her hand.

She shook off my hand and shouted.

“No! I don’t care if I die! I’m never leaving!”

“You …”

I was amazed at her stubbornness and stood still in front of her for a sec.

“..Don’t act like spoilt brat. What do you mean, even if I’m dead, it’s okay? Don’t say things like that lightly.”

“Because I’ve never seen my sister so angry with me and she looked really sad.”

It hurts my heart, too.

That’s my fault, isn’t it?

“It’s first time my sister has ever hit me. I can’t look at my sister’s face right now.”

Saying this, Enka put her hand on her right cheek.

I don’t know her thought pattern, but I’m pretty sure she’s in shock in her own way.

But she can’t stay like this here forever.

“At any rate, I’ll contact Touko-senpai. She was really worried. She told me to call her as soon as If find you. No matter time”

When I said that and took out my phone, Enka unexpectedly stood up with a quick movement and held my hand.

“Wait, please, don’t call her!”

I was more surprised by the coldness of her hand than anything else.

“You’re getting cold, aren’t you?”

I can’t leave her like this.

“Alright. I won’t call her right now. Get in the car instead. If you stay out there dressed like that any longer, you’re really going to catch pneumonia. Warm yourself up with the car heater.”

I took her hand and pulled her towards the car.

This time, Enka came along quietly.

I put her in the passenger seat, switched on the car engine and turned up the heating to the highest level.

Next, I bought a large hot can of coffee from a vending machine at the edge of the park.

“Here.”

When I returned to the car, I handed the canned coffee to Enka.

“Thanks.”

She did not open the can immediately, but held it in both hands to warm her hands.

I took a sip of my coffee.

“You, what do you really think about Touko-senpai?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know whether you like or dislike her. I don’t really understand that part.”

Enka replied, staring at her coffee.

“I love my sister. I even respect her.”

“Is that right?”

“But, I’m sure that somewhere in my heart I’m always jealous. There’s me thinking, ‘I wish you’ll fail.”

“Is there any reason that causes you to think that way?”

After a moment of silence, Enka spoke out in a hushed tone.

“My sister has everything I want. Even my parents only expect it from her.”

“Touko-senpai said that our parents are lenient to my sister.”

“It’s true that my parents are being lenient with me. But that’s not what I expect.”

Do siblings have such conflicts.?

As an only child, I didn’t really understand.

“Even My first boyfriend was really after my sister. I only found out later. In order to have a chance to meet my sister, he dated me. Don’t you think that’s terrible?”

That,  …indeed, is a terrible thing to do.

I chimed in with my heart.

“At junior high school, my sister was famous, so I was always forced to compare myself with her when I joined later. My sister was good at studying, so even though my grades weren’t that bad, they looked at me like I was just ‘Is this about this?’…look at with pity”

I remember hearing somewhere that ‘sisters are the closest rivals’.

“I like modeling, so applied for it several times in secret. But I always failed in the first interview. But my sister was scouted by just walking down the street like any ordinary person, and I thought I could compete with her in terms of looks…”

You mean that ‘my sister’s wall’ was in front of me at every turn?

I felt a bit sorry for this girl.

“From my point of view, I think you’re as good as Touko-senpai in terms of appearance. Though in a different direction.”

“You don’t have to comfort me.”

Enka said sulkily.

“I’m not trying to comfort you. I’m just giving you my honest opinion. But maybe in terms of atmosphere, confidence, creating a style that suits you, and that sort of thing, you’re different from Touko-senpai.”

“I don’t get it. …… What do you mean?”

“I’m just saying that what you’re saying, doing, and acting like right now is not who you really are.”

“……”

“One thing I can relate to when I listen to you.”

“What is?”

“The story of ‘being the sister of a famous person‘. It’s only been a few days since I started going out with Touko-senpai, but I’ve been asked about my relationship with her by a lot of people at university. Some of them were idiots who had never even spoken to me before, but they kept asking me about it. To be honest, I didn’t want to be with her in the cafeteria or other public places.”

“……”

“Well, in my case, it was an incident that became a topic of conversation that led us to get together. But I think it’s great that you are standing your ground even in such a situation. And even though she’s a girl, she’s the subject of all kinds of rumors.”

“I see, my sisters are having a hard time”

“But that’s not the only reason, is it?”

“What?”

“I felt it when I saw you and Touko-senpai together. Even though you are sisters, you seemed to be reserved. You were wearing a cat’s mask. I thought there was something that made you feel inferior to her.”

“……”

“I understand, because I too feel a little self-conscious, or at least take a step back, when it comes to Toko-senpai. So, I think it’s a good time for you to tell me all about it.”

Enka was silent for a while.

Eventually, she opened her mouth in a potty-mouthed manner.

“Do you know that she has a scar of about one centimetre in front of her right temple?”

“No.”

I don’t stare that close, and Touko-senpai has her fringes down.

“That’s my fault.”

“Did you have a sibling quarrel?”

Enka shook her head to deny it.

“When I was in the third grade, I had a rough time. I had a light relationship with some bad guys.”

I kept my mouth shut and listened, but it sounds like a common story.

“It was in the summer when I had a fight with my sister and ran away from home. I was walking around the city at night when I was approached by one of those guys. When I ignored him about four guys surrounded me. They tried to force me into their car.”

I imagined the scene.

It is true that there are many dangerous people hanging out in this area on summer nights because of the proximity to the ocean.

“They had been talking about how they were going to f**k me. I tried to resist, but I couldn’t escape against four guys.”

“No way, and then what?”

As I expected, I was also absolutely mortified.

But Enka shook her head left and right.

“Then my sister came looking for me and saved me. She called the police on her cell phone and jumped into the crowd of men to prevent me from being kidnapped. If my sister hadn’t come at that time, it would have been really dangerous.”

Earlier, when Touko-senpai said that she had run away from home before, was that what she was talking about when she was worried?

“One of the men violently pushed my sister out of the way. Then she hit her head on the corner of the car and lost a lot of blood. Even so, she was trying her best to protect me.”

“……”

“That scar still hasn’t gone away. It’s likely to remain for the rest of her life. So I feel bad for my sister…”

“Then why are you doing the same worrisome thing again? Touko-senpai, she was out looking for you. That’s why I was out looking for you too. It’s not safe for a woman to stay outside like this alone at night.”

Hearing this, Enka pressed her face against the dashboard and began to cry.

“I feel really bad too. ….But I just can’t call my sister. I’m scared that she really hates me now.”

As it was, Enka began to cry aloud.

I watched silently for a while, thinking it was best not to say anything.

…This girl is physically more than an adult, and she is swept away by eccentricities and behavior, but mentally she still has some parts of a child in her.

I felt a little relieved.

Did she cry for more than 5 minutes?

“Sorry …it’s none of Isshiki-san’s business..“

In a mixture of squeals, Enka said.

“Just today take it as a it’s special ocastion. But how could you run away from home after something like that?”

Enka raised her face a little to look at me from within the arms she had been buried in.

“I thought it would be fine, if i just stayed at Isshiki-san’s place.”

..Another nonsensical thing.

“Why is it okay if it’s at my place? Do you know what it means for a girl to stay at a man’s house?”

“From what I’ve seen so far, I know that Isshiki-san is not the type of person who would do something Inappropriate. I think so from what I saw with Meika. As long as I am your sister, you would never touch me.”

“That’s true, but…”

It was a strange way to be trusted.

“Besides, my sister would find me in ASAP if went to Meika’s house or somewhere like that.”

I chuckled with a sigh.

“I understand your crookedness and twisted love a little better now. Does this make you feel better?”

Enka raised her body without saying anything and shook her head in a small gesture.

“Now then, I’m going to contact Touko-senpai. She was really worried about you.”

I said that and opened my phone.

This time, Enka did not resist.

> (Yuu) Enka-san was found. She was in a park near my house. She is safe.

The reply came quickly.

> (Touko) Good! Thank you! I’ll take a taxi to pick you up, so wait there.

> (Yu) No. I’ll drive her home now. Please wait at home.

I’ll message you back like that.

“Touko-senpai, was coming to pick you up, but I’ve decided to give you a lift anyway.”

Enka just stared at me.

“If you feel better, let’s go home.”

Again, Enka shook her head Up-n-Down. cockily.

***

Inside the car on the way to her house.

“Hey, why are you dating my sister?”

Suddenly, Enka asked her.

“Why? Because I like Touko-senpai.”

“But my sister would never let you have sex with her, right?”

“Well… I guess so. She”s already declared ‘not until marriage.”

“I don’t understand up to that point. I think it’s okay if you really like her.”

“But there are not many women like that nowadays. I think that’s part of her charm.”

“Isshiki-san, are you an M-type, Aren’t you?”

I let out a sigh.

The usual Enka was back again.

“Kamokura-san also said, “I love Touko the most, but that’s not enough for a man.”

“I don’t deny that. But as long as Touko-senpai says no, there’s nothing I can do about it. We’re both lovers, so we have to respect each other.”

“Can you hold back all the time? Perhaps you’re a virgin or something?”

“I’m not going to talk about that kind of thing lightly! You’re still a high school girl, right?”

“Isshiki-san is also a minor, only two years older than me, isn’t that right? But you’ve already experienced it, right?”

I was speechless.

“Hmm, So you like virgins.”

For some reason, she said happily.

“I don’t want talk about this subject with you anymore. More importantly, are you interacting with Kamokura-senpai?”

I was worried and asked her about it.

Maybe what happened between me and Touko-senpai has been leaked to Kamokura through her.

“That’s because he is my sister’s ex-boyfriend. When Kamokura-san was home for summer vacation or something, I met him together with my sister. We exchanged e-mail addresses and SNS ID’s. Right after Kamokura was dumped by sister, he contacted me.”

“Did you talk to Kamokura-san anything about us?”

Enka shook her head left and right.

“It’s my sister’s affair, and it’s not something I should say anything about. Besides, he just asked me to help him get back together with her by creating chance to meet them together. ”

“But you were a big Kamokura-san pusher, weren’t you? You don’t want to walk with me, but you said you could walk proudly with Kamokura-san.”

“Don’t say those bygone things. And I didn’t say ‘I don’t want to walk with Isshiki-san’..”

Then she cowered her shoulders in embarrassment and said.

“Because of what happened tonight, I’ll be the ‘Isshiki-san faction‘ for now. So that’s fine, already.”

I chuckled.

She is only a high-flying girl.

When I arrived in front of her house, Touko-senpai was already waiting for me at the gate.

“Enka!”

“I’m sorry for worrying you. Sister.”

“I’m sorry I hit you too.“

I looked at them and wondered if they had been like this since they were little.

I am sure that Touko-senpai is looking for something from Enka, and Enka is looking for her admiration and her ideal in ToUko-senpai.

Is this also ‘co-dependence of girls’?

Then Touko-senpai looked at me.

“Thank you so much this time. It’s thanks to Yu-kun.”

“No, that’s not..”

If anything, I think it was my thoughtless behavior that caused it.

Just then two figures appeared at the entrance.

They must be the parents of senior Touko-senpai.

I was not prepared to meet them here.

“Un, I’ll be off then.”

I said so hurriedly and jumped into the car.

It seems that Touko-senpai said something, but I pretended not to hear it and started the car.

In the car on the way home, I thought…

I might be a little jealous of the siblings after all.