CH 76

Enka took out an electronic thermometer tucked under her arm.

37 degrees 3 minutes. That’ s still a fever.

It’s my second day off school.

The night before yesterday, I caught a cold because I spent hours in thin clothes under the cold January weather.

Yesterday I had a fever of late 38 degrees Celsius.

If …… He hadn’t seen me. I really could have had at least pneumonia. I might have died for real.

As Enka thought about this, she remembered the face of a man.

Yuu Isshiki. A man who had recently started dating her sister, Touko, and whom Enka’s best friend, Meika Ishida, had had a crush on for a long time.

When she thought of Yuu, she felt her heart “throb” again.

That idiot. If you’re going to come, come earlier. I’ve been by your house for a long time.

Enka felt that her face was getting hotter. She rolled over to hide it.

For the past two days, all she could think about was Yuu.

When I first met him, he taught me how to study diligently.

Afterwards, he searched for my phone with me, unaware that it was a trap.

The expression on his face when he found out it was a trap and got really angry.

The troubled smile on his face when he was with Meika.

When Yuu came running up to me in the park at night, looking worried, when I ran out of the house in the park, I was so happy that my heart skipped a beat.

[Your body is getting cold, isn’t it?]

The image of Yuu saying that and pulling my hand back into the car comes to mind.

The warmth of Yuu’s hand that held me at that time, and his figure when he was quietly listening to me in the car.

All of this gave Enka a strange feeling, as if she was sad, but also as if she wanted to feel it all the time.

I’ve never felt like this before. I had never felt it even with someone who was my boyfriend.

Since that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about Yuu.

Again, I feel a tightening in deep in my chest.

I’ve been thinking about him since that night. … Ah, what’s wrong with me!

With light pressure, she pressed her face against the pillow.

“I heard a light ‘puff’ sound, but I still couldn’t clear my head.

Yuu’s words come to mind.

[From my point of view, you’re as beautiful as Touko-senpai in terms of your appearance.]

A smile caused by 30 per cent embarrassment and 70 per cent happiness appeared on Enka’s face.

But ……

“Then why are you with my sister~~!”

Enka held the pillow with both hands, then raised her upper body and slammed the pillow onto the duvet.

She remained in the same position on the bed for a while, continuing to think.

I have fallen in love with Isshiki-san.

It’s something I’ve been thinking about for the past two days.

“Isshiki-san, why do you like my sister so much?”

She unintentionally mutters to herself.

She mutters to herself unintentionally.

It is true that Touko is a proud older sister whom Enka can look up to.

She loves her, and would do almost anything for Enka.

But what is that inflexibility and logical stubbornness?

To be honest, in the eyes of Touko.

“I think that even the guys who initially come close to her because they are attracted by her looks will probably leave her if they know about her stubbornness.” It seems to me that.

[One thing I can relate to when I hear your story…]

Again, Yuu’s words come to mind.

Yes, I think so too.

I think I’m more comfortable with Isshiki-san than with her sister.

I feel that I can be naturally honest in front of Isshiki-san.

Because I feel like what I’m feeling and thinking are the same.

Isshiki-san must feel a strong relate with me too.

As far as I’ve heard, even though they’re “together”, they’re hardly involved in anything.

In fact, he said, “We’ve never kissed or even gone to karaoke together.”

And if she says she won’t have sex until marriage, she’ll really go through with it.

” If I’d go out with Atashi for …. would be fine …….”

Enka said as she unconsciously squeezed the pillow she was holding with her fingertips.

“Wow! What a thing to say Enka!”

While involuntarily saying this to herself, Enka blushed and leaned her body forward, burying her face in the pillow.

She remained in that position for a while, but eventually slowly looked up.

Yes, my sister and Isshiki-san are still nothing! They just say they are dating.

Meika has been thinking about Isshiki-san longer than me, and if it’s kissing, I’m the one who kissed him first.

If Isshiki-san says he wants a virgin for a girlfriend, then I’m totally ready for that too!

There is no need for us to give up on Isshiki-san. Yeah, I don’t want to give up.. Even if the other party is my sister..

At that time, the phone vibrated.

For a moment, Enka hoped that it was “Isshiki-san?” but the incoming caller on the display was Meika.

Letting out a light sigh of disappointment, Enka picked up her phone.

“Yes.”

“Hello, En-chan? I heard you caught a cold? How are you feeling?”

“Yeah, I guess I had quite a fever yesterday. But today the fever has gone down a lot, so I think I can go to school tomorrow.”

“Good. So I’m going to give En-chan the homework printouts from yesterday’s and today’s classes. Is it okay if I go to your house?”

For a moment, Enka’s words stopped. But in that moment, a thought flashed through her mind.

“Okay, thank you.”

“Then I’m going to En-chan’s house now. I think I’ll be there in about 30 minutes.”

With that, the call from Meika hung up.

Enka continued to hold onto the phone.

Less than thirty minutes later, Meika came to En-chan’s house.

Enka greeted her at the door, still in her pajamas, with a cardigan over her head. Meika was in her school uniform. She probably dropped by on her way home from school.

“Are you okay to get up?”

Meika asks Enka anxiously.

“Yes, my fever has almost gone down already. I think it’s mainly because my body got cold and I got sick. Come up.”

“Sorry to bother you.”

Having said that, Meika went up to the house, and Enka showed her to her room.

They sat on cushions in front of a low table.

“By the way, En-chan, how did you catch a cold?”

Enka told them everything that had happened the night before last, without wrapping it up.

“I see …… that it had come to that. I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”

Meika said so with a downcast look.

“Eh, it’s not your fault, Meika. Don’t apologise like that! It’s all my own fault.”

After saying that, Enka also cast her eyes down as well.

“Besides, …… it’s me who has to apologise…”

Meika’s eyes looked curiously at Enka, and eyes met as she looked up fearfully.

“Actually, that Oh, —I was also talking with Isshiki-san about various things, —a lot I was thinking —that maybe it’s pretty good, —or something like that.”

Meika looked straight at Enka.

“What do you mean by that?”

Enka lowered her eyes again.

“It’s hard to explain, but when I talk to Isshiki-san, I feel comfortable, or I feel like my heart is in tune with him. I feel like I want to stay with him a little bit longer. ……”

“Does that mean En-chan likes Yuu-san?”

Meika said this straightforwardly as she stared at Enka.

“ah –I can’t say I like him that much –specifically yet….”

For a while, Enka kept her mouth shut.

“Sorry, I lied earlier. I-I already like Isshiki-san, …….”

Meika, who had been staring at Enka for a while, let out a small sigh with a “huh”.

“I knew it. En-chan, you said [for me] with your mouth, but from the middle, you seemed happy to meet Yuu-san. I was also thinking that maybe En-chan likes Yuu-san too.”

“Eh, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Meika looked at Enka, who hurriedly tried to deny it, with a stern look.

“En-chan, you don’t have to make things up to me.”

Enka placed her hands between her open thighs and said with a nod.

“Is that so? Have I been like that for a long time?”

“Yes. I don’t know if you were aware of it yourself. I’ve been suspicious ever since I first heard that En-chan kissed Yuu-san. En-chan is certainly famous for being a kisser, but I’ve never heard that she kissed a boy.”

The sight of the tall, mature-looking Enka being beaten up by the petite, baby-faced Meika must have seemed comical from the side.

However, the two of them were unexpectedly in this kind of relationship.

Hanging her head, Enka thought.

Might be so. When you think about it. From the beginning, I might have been interested in him. That’s why I might have just gone to see Isshiki-san on the pretext of the Meika affair..

“Enka, you’re the worst …….”

Meika quietly said to such Enka.

“But it can’t be helped. Besides, no matter what En-chan’s true feelings are, it’s true that En-chan was trying to bring Yuu-san and me together. Thanks to that, I was also able to tell Yuu-san about my feelings.”

“Thank you, Meika.”

Enka looked up. A strong will is now in her eyes.

“I like Isshiki-san. And Meika has also liked Isshiki-san for a long time.”

Meika nodded clearly.

“It’s a complicated situation, but I have no intention of giving up either to Meika or, of course, to my sister. This is also the same for Meika, isn’t it?”

“Of course,” Meika said crisply here, too.

“Your sister and Isshiki-san are saying with their mouths [that they are in a relationship], but it doesn’t look like that to me. Those two haven’t even had a date yet, let alone a kiss. And Isshiki-san is clearly only taking a step back towards your sister. This can’t be called a lovers yet, can it?”

“I agree. I don’t think those two are like lovers.”

“So let’s make a fair and honest declaration, you and me. I want to be Isshiki-san’s girlfriend.”

“—”

“This time, we won’t use strange tricks. Both of us, Meika and I, are going to clash with Yuu-san head-on. The result of that is that it’s up to Isshiki-san who he chooses.”

Meika nodded with a strong light in her eyes.

“Alright, let’s do that. I don’t want to retreat without fighting now either. I’ve told him how I feel. This time, I want to attack him myself.”

“Yes, let’s do it. Let’s both declare war on my sister!”

Enka looked at Meika. Meika also stared at Enka.

They stared at each other for a while, and then both of them burst out laughing.

“But I’ve liked you for a long time. I won’t lose.”

To Meika, who said this, Enka also said back.

“Because my heat level has gone up because of this one incident. I won’t lose either.”

“No matter who wins, there’s no hard feelings, right?”

“Of course! Meika is my best friend and my sister is my only sister.”

The two looked at each other with a fighting spirit in their eyes and smiled.