CH 24

Author: Sakurada Family.

Character Cheat Sheet: For everybody “including me”. To help remember all these names and characters.

Minazuki Amane(水無月周 aka あまね) Our protagonist. Ordinary black hair, cut shoulder length. Normal skin, not particularly fair with ordinary eyes. Slightly taller than Alice. And her breast are abit bigger.

Minazuki Alice(ありす) Golden Shiny hair, blue eyes. Fair soft skin. She is pretty much really beautiful. one of the two beauties in school.

Takanashi Rinka(高梨凛花)Aka Rin-chan. Black hair styled in twin tails. Eyes more slanted. Gives impression of strong woman. Is a diligent student who is kind with good looks. Very good athletically.

Kiniwa Ena(砂庭江奈) Aka Ena-chan. Shoulder length chestnut colored hair.Gives off the impression of a gentle kind girl. Poor with physical activities and got big boobies.

Yanomiya Sora(夜乃宮蒼穹) Aka Kuu-chan. Looks like a elementary student at first glance but she is a high school senior. Her long black hair goes down to her waist. She has large cute eyes and a really cute appearance in general. Is manly and reliable. Making her perhaps Amane’s favorite.

Yurizono Arisu-san(百合園 アリス) She has long silver hair which shines brightly in the sunlight. With mysterious red eyes and a clear beautiful voice. Other one of the two beauties in school.百合園 also has the kanji for Yuri as in the lesbian kind in it. Also has pretty decent size breast.

It’s Alice using the super cutesy way of her referring to herself with her own name. I don’t always translate it, but I’ll do it some times, so keep that in mind. Also I don’t always translate the “-sans” but Amane usually uses them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m currently at my desk in my room, just staring at something.

The usual guest Alice isn’t in my room right now. When I took a bath and she invaded, she wore her swimsuit. However the heat got too much for her to handle. So she is currently resting downstairs on the living room sofa.

Anyways, what I’m staring at is a silver lock.

This has been troubling me for the longest time.

The day I became a woman, I thoroughly searched my room trying to find any information. I couldn’t find anything valuable, but I did find a lock. One of the three drawers on my desk has a lock on it, keeping it from being opened.

Because it’s locked it may be harboring some important information. On the other hand, if you have a lock that means you don’t want it to be seen.

It must be really important for them that they can’t have anybody see it.

So I haven’t really put much thought into breaking into it.

Besides I’ve been doing relatively well since I came here. So I decided just to leave the lock alone.

However- – –

Three days ago I was cleaning my room while preparing for summer vacation.

And while I was cleaning I suddenly started getting nostalgic. So I took out some old books that I had lined on my bookshelf so I could look at them.

Then I suddenly remembered when I was a kid I took a lock and locked one of my drawers on my desk. Then taped the key to the back of my bookcase.

However, in my case. Alice destroyed my lock and after that I completely forgot that was a thing.

Thanks to that I found it.

I found a small key tapped to the back of the bookshelf.

It was the exact same spot I hid it.

Ever since I found it I can’t stop think about what’s in the drawer.

Should I open it and take a look?

If my female self had some dark history hidden away there, I probably would regret ever seeing that.

I honestly don’t know what to do. If she was the protagonist of a love novel there might be a diary or something.

If I’m wondering about whether or not I should or shouldn’t. Wouldn’t it just be better to leave it alone?

. . . In the end, I returned the key to its original place.

It is bothering me, but it’s probably better to leave a girl’s secret alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two days until summer vacation so I decided to implement some of my plans. 

I want to make sure I finish this before summer vacation begins.

The hot topic of the school is what people are doing when summer vacation begins, but all of that just goes in one ear and out the other.

All I could think about was preparing my plan.

Once school finished I rushed home with Alice. It was pretty hot on our way home. It’s truly summer time.

I was sweating the whole way home, thanks to the sun blazing down on me.

However thanks to this, the chances are better for it to succeed.

I quickly checked on the fruits of my labor. Then smiled broadly once I confirmed the results.

“Onee-chan, what’s that strange smell?”

She asked while pinching her nose.

Fufufu. It is rather stinky. However that can’t be helped.

I created a trap to collect insects.

It’s a large plastic container with a pickled vegetable in it. I made a hole in the lid with a stick on a rope that will fall and close the lid if triggered inside.

It was difficult to set that up.

I placed a banana that was fermented in shochu. The banana has a strong stinky sweet smell that hangs around the air.

I did this because I promised I would collect insects with Yanomiya. And because it’s been a long time since I collected bugs I needed to make sure I could do it.

I can’t fail Yanomiya’s expectations.

So I decided to practice.

The location for my trap was already decided. The park closed to my house. The park has a fair amount of oak trees and sometimes there are rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles.

However it’s rare.

The park is a bit different from the usual forest they live in. So they are unlikely to come, but they aren’t too far away. Which is why traps are handy.

If the odds are against you, then you just need to find a good place and you’ll catch one for sure.

“Alice, Let’s go to the park this evening.

I asked Alice while she kept her nose pinched, then her face went into a wide smile.

“A walk!?”

“Well, something like that.”

“Yes!”

After answering she hugged me.

I guess she really wanted to take a walk with me.

We are only going to a nearby park and she is still so happy.

Well perhaps we’ll get some ice cream on the way home. For her being so nice.

I thought that while brushing her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s the evening now. Alice and I went to a nearby park together and placed three traps at the base of some oak trees.

Once I removed a plastic covering, a dank smell was released. It was a strong stinky sweet smell.

“Pee Yew.”

Alice was pinching her nose as she said that in a nasally voice.

This stinky smell is perfect though. The placement is at a good spot as well. Now we just need luck.

I honestly do want to go a few times tonight to check on them. However if I go Alice will follow me.

Even though the park is nearby, at night time it is a ghost town. So taking a beautiful girl there is like leaving a butterfly while knowing there is a spider web nearby.

So I’ll just have to endure my curiosity and check early tomorrow morning.

Before we head home. Alice and I then got ice cream from a nearby convenience store. We sat down together on a bench in the park and enjoyed our ice creams.

We watched the sunset together while Alice swung her legs from the bench.It reminded me of Yanomiya a bit.

I brushed her head as we continued to just enjoy the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My eyes shot open. I threw my hand to make sure the alarm clock was off.

It’s currently 4 am in the morning.

I gently lifted the hugging Alice off of me and got out of my bed. I went to the window and peaked behind the curtain.

There is already morning light out.

I opened the window to get some of that fresh morning air.

The heat of the day isn’t here yet.

It’s still kind of warm and humid, but these are good conditions for collecting bugs.

I closed the windows and went to the bed. Alice breathing was soft as she slept. I gently shook the sleeping Alice from her shoulder

“Alice, Alice. Let’s go to the park.”

I whispered.

It’s a bit pitiful that I have to wake her up while she is gently sleeping, but if she wakes up and I’m not there, there will be an uproar. So to prevent her from crying I need to let her know.

It’s probably better if I just invite her.

“. . .Kyuu.”

I gently shook her shoulder several times until she finally opened her eyes and released a “Kyuu.”.

She really is a spoiled child.

While I thought that I lightly kissed her cheek.

“Ohayou, Onee-chan. . .”

After I kissed her cheek she gave a wide smile, got up and gave me a morning greeting. She stretched and yawned.

“Ehehe.”

She looked at me and happily laughed.

She was woken up at 4 am, but looks so happy. Just from me giving her a kiss on the cheek she woke refreshed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s sunny outside, but at the same time, it’s 4 am so there are hardly any people here. I brought a flashlight and a safety buzzer just to be safe.

I thought there would be no people, but on the way there where a few people jogging or walking their dogs.

We eventually got to the park after exchanging morning greetings with those people.

We are getting oh so close to the trap and I’m brimming with excitement.

As we got closer we had to pinch our noses.

I have to rely on that smell though.

Expectation and anxiety were mixed together as I checked the first trap.

“. . .No good.”

There was nothing in the trap. Just that strong smell.

I checked the trunk of the oak tree just to be sure, but there was nothing at all.

There is also the second trap. Maybe- – –

“No good as well.”

There was nothing just like the first one.

Only one left.

I placed the last trap close to some sap from an oak tree.

This place is our greatest chance at getting one.

And once I found it.

“. . Nothing.”

I leaked a sigh as I saw nothing in the box.

Well, I guess it does just come down to luck. Besides, it’s a pretty rare spot to catch bugs.

I really wanted to catch one, but I guess I’ll just need to try a few more times before we going camping.

I lifted up the trap to move it but I felt like there was something weird in it.

Something is moving in the container.

I looked closely and saw a tiny stag beetle.

“It’s a female stag beetle!”

I unintentionally yelled that.

“There’s a bug in there?”

Alice wearily asked. She is scared of bugs.

I covered the hole and slowly brought it to Alice. I had to go slowly and cover it so it wouldn’t scare her.

“It’s a female stag beetle. It’s so small and cute.”

I brought the container closer to Alice and pointed at the small beetle.

“Ah, It is small. It’s impossible for me to touch that thing, but it’s cute to see.”

Alice smiled at me after saying that.

I brushed her head and took out my smartphone to call somebody.

I was thinking about keeping this a secret so if I wasn’t able to catch one I’d be able to switch one out, but it’s better to share the enjoyment.

Fifteen minutes later after waiting at the park entrance. A small little high school senior with her long black hair fluttery behind her, was riding a bike frantically towards us.

“Amane!”

Yanomiya desperately called out to me with a ragged voice .

I waved at her in response.

“Is it true you caught a stag beetle! Even though it’s rare to catch one!”

She braked in front of us and said that while out of breath.

“Yup. Here it is.”

I offered the box with the female stag to Yanomiya.

“Ooooh. . .”

She raised a small voice as she peaked into the box, trembling with excitement.

“Waahhhh! It’s really true! It’s a female stag beetle! Cute—!”

Her eyes lit up in excitement with a bright smile, as she exclaimed her happiness.

“Thank you! Thank you Amane!”

Yanomiya gave me plenty of smiles as her eyes getting wet.

We were only able to catch one female stag beetle, but if it made her this happy, that makes all of the trouble worth it.

“And because it’s in a residential area it was even harder to catch, but if we were able to do it here, we will for sure be able to do it again at the campsite. There also other cool bugs over there.”

“Woah new bugs! Maybe a miyama stag beetle! Or a hirata stag beetle! Woooooo!”

Yanomiya got really pumped after my words.

Once we were done with that we released the female stag beetle back into the wild where it was caught.

She doesn’t want to keep them. She just has fun of catching and seeing the insects live in nature with her own eyes.

On the way back- – –

“Amane knows a lot about insects.”

“I was also surprised.”

Yanomiya and Alice muttered to each other while glancing at me.

Well it’s because your Onee-chan was originally your Onii-chan.

However I can’t just explain that. If I explained that their entire concept of reality might be broken, so it will just lead to huge amount of problems. So I just laughed it off and gave a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What’s in the box? Who knows. Maybe it’s a diary that tells her true feelings. Maybe it will show that this Amane was always suppose to be in this world. Or maybe it will be a hologram that will set up and intergalactic space epic across the cosmos to save a princess.

Who knows. But I do know one thing. Summer vacation starts next chapter. And that’s in 3-5 days.