I'm Being Threatened by My Sister's Ex-girlfriend. (GL) - Chapter 6

The eco-bag was filled with ingredients like long onions, pork, tofu, shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves), shiitake mushrooms, and of course, kimchi. Apparently, she had come to make hot pot.

“Why?”
“Because you don’t seem to be eating anything decent,” Hakobe said.

“No, no, no. At least make an appointment first!”
“I thought you’d probably turn me down if I did.”

Well, yeah, I would. Hakobe, oblivious to my frustration, began arranging vegetables on the small kitchen counter.

“If you get pimples from eating junk food, it’s going to be a problem for me. What if the scars stay?”
What kind of logic is that?

I moved away from Hakobe, who was rummaging through the kitchen with a shiny new ceramic knife, and sat across from Hayasegawa. His sharp eyes behind his glasses were watching me closely, like he was analyzing me. I felt like I was being scolded, even though I had done nothing wrong.

“Who?”
“Uh, just… someone I know.”
“Doesn’t seem like some mix-up. Should I go home?”
“No, actually, I’d rather you stay. Although, to be honest, the one who should leave is her…”
I couldn’t force her out. I wasn’t sure what she’d do if I did, and she was holding a knife. It’d be like giving a sword to a demon.

“I didn’t make any promises. She just showed up out of the blue, wanting to make hot pot.”
“Hot pot?”
“Kimchi hot pot.”
“Kimchi hot pot, huh?” Hayasegawa put his hand to his chin.
“Been a while since I had that.”
“Is that the issue?”
“Well, she’s your friend, right?”
No, Hakobe wasn’t a friend. She was a threat, using me as a substitute for my twin sister.

“Not really… a friend…”
“Really?”
Hayasegawa’s gaze sharpened. When he got mad, he was intimidating too.

“You’re letting someone like that into your house?”
“Well, I mean, she’s a girl…”
With a look of disbelief, Hayasegawa spoke.
“That’s not the point. Not just men are dangerous.”
With a firm shove, Hayasegawa pushed my shoulder. Our size difference made it easy for him to send me tumbling onto the rug.

Before I could protest, his legs pinned me down. I couldn’t move.

“See?”
“What do you mean, ‘see’?”
“You need to understand how weak you are. In a fight, someone like you wouldn’t even be able to beat a high school girl.”
He crouched down and pinched my cheek, his long hair brushing against my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

This felt all too familiar. His handsome face was so close, and I could feel his body heat through our clothes. I turned my head to the side, instinctively.

“Stop it…”
“See, that’s exactly it. If you don’t resist properly, people are going to get the wrong idea.”
The wrong idea? In a situation like this?

“Uh, the hot pot’s ready.”
“Ah.”

“Hakobe? Do you have any sisters?”

“Ah, yes. I have an older sister.”

“I see.”

Hayasegawa looked at Hakobe’s face, after she introduced herself with her full name, and nodded thoughtfully.

And then, the conversation stopped.

Normally, I would have pointed out the awkwardness and tried to steer the conversation in another direction. The fact that she had an older sister was new information, too.

But right now, my tongue feels stuck. The kind of tension that arises when two people meeting for the first time try to gauge each other’s distance fills the room.

“I-I’ll dig in.”

I reached for the pot to break the silence. Even though it’s called a “nabe,” the pot was actually a frying pan. We didn’t have a proper trivet, so we were using a magazine as a substitute.

Hakobe’s kimchi hotpot had a… wholesome taste. Instead of just being delicious, it gave me the sense that I was eating something properly prepared.

As soon as I swallowed the first bite, as if that was some kind of cue, both of them began moving their chopsticks.

“This is good.”

Hayasegawa said with a hint of admiration. She was eating the ingredients and pouring the leftover broth into her sake to drink. What a professional way of drinking.

I decided to ask Hakobe a casual question to fill the gap.

“So, Hakobe, what’s your plan for tonight? It’s almost 8 o’clock.”

“What do you mean by ‘plan’?”

“Well, it’s already night. Hayasegawa’s staying, but what about you? Are you catching the last train?”

Hakobe’s chopsticks froze.

“That person is staying?”

“That person? You mean Hayasegawa.”

“Is she staying?”

“Yeah, she is.”

For some reason, Hayasegawa answered, even though it was clearly my turn to respond.

“It’s a regular thing.”

“Really?”

Hakobe’s gaze turned to me, and for some reason, I felt like she was blaming me. Why?

“Well, yeah. It’s not unusual to crash after drinking at home.”

“Is that so…”

Hakobe took a sip from the tea bottle she brought. She’d only been drinking tea the whole time. We were all eating the hotpot together, so she could have had some of the chu-hi lying around, but despite having her hair dyed a bright color, she didn’t seem like the type to be a troublemaker.

Well, she’s probably not allowed to drink. She’s still in high school, after all. Yeah, that’s right.

I decided in my mind that if she tried to drink, I’d stop her.

“So, university students live like that, huh?”

Hakobe’s comment made Hayasegawa shoot her a reproachful look. Wait, is she really a high school student? Yes, yes, I’m sorry.

I decided to ask Hakobe directly.

“How’s high school life going?”

“Well…”

From there, a natural conversation began. Even looking back, I can’t remember a single detail of what we talked about. It was one of those conversations.

Hakobe ate with good manners and, surprisingly, she had quite an appetite. I used to think that girls who like inner hair colors were all small eaters, but it seems that was just a stereotype. Watching her chew quietly with her small mouth had a strange charm to it. Simply put, she was cute.

I thought to myself how lucky it is to have good looks.

Around 9 p.m., Hakobe said she was going to head home. All three of us had finished the final bowl of udon, and there wasn’t a single drop of broth left in the pan.

“I’ll walk you to the station.”

I called out to her as she put on her loafers. I heard a small “Thanks” in response, so I grabbed my sneakers.

We left the apartment. The warm July night breeze cooled my cheeks, which were flushed from alcohol.

There were two routes to the station: the main street along the road and a back alley. Since it was nighttime, I decided to take the main street just to be safe. From time to time, the red glow of car taillights softly lit up Hakobe’s profile.

About halfway down the street, Hakobe suddenly spoke.

“Tsuguno-san, you have friends, huh?”

“You thought I didn’t?”

“I just figured people who try to fulfill their need for approval through streaming don’t usually have many friends.”

“That’s harsh…”

“Then why did you start streaming?”

Usually, I’d brush off questions like that, but I guess the alcohol made me more talkative.

“It’s not a big reason. I failed to get into my first-choice university, so I wanted to see if I had any value… Which, I guess, means it was to fulfill my need for approval.”

“Your first choice was…?”

“Mihama Law School.”

I heard a small gasp. Of course, she knew.

Mihama University’s law department was where Ichika was enrolled.

“You know what kind of person Ichika is, right?”

“…Yes.”

“If your older sister is like that, it must be tough for you. Especially when you’re twins.”

We were identical twins. Two halves of the same design, cut from the same orange.

I remembered Ichika’s straight posture and her bright, summer-like smile. Where did our paths split?

If it had been from the start, there might have been hope, but it was clear that wasn’t the case.

“Um…”

Hakobe grabbed the hem of my shirt and said, looking downward.

“At least in terms of looks, you’re not behind Ichika-san.”

“…Thanks.”

I knew that.

But that was also a question. Maybe, as we got older, differences in intelligence, facial expressions, and lifestyle would show in how our faces looked.

When we were kids, my sister was my other half. For a long time, that was my greatest pride. Ichika-chan was good at talking, fast at running, and always surrounded by friends. The fact that I had the same exact genes as her was something I was proud of. Since we were identical twins, I believed we were equal in every way.

What a misunderstanding that was. Equal to Ichika?

Looking back, I realized I never beat her in anything—study, sports, nothing. I was always “Ichika-chan’s twin sister,” the “other one.”

By the time I entered middle school, I began to sense the unbridgeable gap between us.

After I took the high school entrance exam, that inferiority complex finally outweighed my sisterly love. I failed to get into Mihama University’s affiliated school, while my twin sister passed.

Then, at the end of my adolescence, I struggled to catch up—and failed again.

That’s when I started streaming. I wanted someone who didn’t know Ichika Shinonome to see me and evaluate me. I wanted an absolute evaluation, not a relative one.

Once I started, even though my singing and talking skills were average, I managed to gather a decent number of viewers. After all, my face and voice were exactly like the real Ichika Shinonome’s. In a market where people didn’t know the original, there was a demand for a lesser copy.

“This is good enough.”

Hakobe stepped forward and turned around. We had somehow reached the station. The white light shining from the station entrance softly illuminated her outline like a halo.

“Yeah. Well then…”

“I’m happy that you started streaming, Tsuguno-san.”

I choked on the words I was about to say to say goodbye.

I really did feel happy, and for a moment, I wanted to punch myself. Don’t get the wrong idea. What she wants to see, what she’s looking for, isn’t me. It’s Ichika.

Just like all the other people I’ve met so far.

“That’s because you got some blackmail material, right?”

Hakobe didn’t say anything, just gave a soft smile. Her indigo hair flickered in the light. I wasn’t stupid enough not to understand the meaning behind her smile.

“Hey, Tsuguno-san. What kind of relationship do you think we have?”

“The Attacker and the Victim”

“Yeah, that’s right. Master and slave.”

“That’s not it!?”

“Eh?”

It’s not “eh.” If I had to concede a little, I’m the ex-girlfriend’s sister, playing the role of a stand-in.

“Then, stand-in ex-girlfriend, can you at least pretend to say goodbye properly?”

“‘Pretend’? What does that even mean?”

“Like, a kiss or a hug.”

“…How about a handshake?”

“Nope.”

Hakobe opened her arms as if to welcome me. I couldn’t help but think it looked like something I’d seen at a sushi restaurant. My brain was trying to escape into that thought, as if avoiding the reality of the situation.

“Well then, I guess, a hug.”

“Okay.”

Hakobe stepped closer, and I could faintly smell something sweet—a vanilla scent. It wasn’t perfume, so it must’ve been her natural scent.

I glanced around. Even at this hour, there were people walking near the station. A man in a suit, coming down from the station platform, glanced at us and froze in place.

I pretended not to notice and took a deep breath.

I threw my arms open, as if to say, “Fine, this is normal.” I tried to reassure myself. It’s not like I wasn’t used to hugging friends.

Our arms circled each other’s backs.

What should’ve been a familiar gesture made me feel incredibly tense. My heart was racing, and it felt like I couldn’t breathe, like it was the first time I’d ever hugged someone.

The sweet vanilla scent filled my nostrils.

Through the thin summer blouse, I could feel her body heat.

I could hear breathing. I wasn’t sure if it was mine or hers.

“Hyah!”

Hakobe’s hand, which had wrapped around my back, gently traced my spine. Up and down, repeatedly. It was such an innocent gesture, but there was a strange, almost deliberate feeling behind it.

To put it bluntly, it was kind of erotic. Her touch.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“No, your hand… Hyah!”

I let out another strange noise, pressing my hand over my mouth.

Hakobe’s fingers were tickling the skin of my waist.

“Wait, you…!”

“You’re still a little skinny, aren’t you?”

She whispered this in my ear, then pulled away from me. The sweet vanilla scent faded, replaced by the damp, summer night air.

Even when I glared at her, Hakobe remained completely unfazed.

“Making a sound like that from a simple hug, don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

“Do you want me to kick you?”

“I don’t! No violence!”

When I braced myself, she quickly skipped away, out of my reach, laughing like a carefree child. She was like a flower petal floating out of my grasp.

“You know—”

“What?”

“Were you like this with Ichika too?”

She froze.

By now, I was starting to understand. For Hakobe, Ichika Shinonome was always the weak spot.

Sure enough, the playful look in her eyes from earlier faded instantly, replaced by a deep, wistful sadness.

I suddenly remembered the tears I saw in her eyes at the karaoke room. She had looked like that then too. A gaze full of longing for something she could never have, like a reflection on the other side of a glass window.

Hakobe kicked the ground with the heel of her shoe, looking up at the stars as she spoke.

“—I never even got the courage to hold her hand properly.”

Her voice was low and mature, filled with a sense of resignation and nostalgia.

I had no words to say. I had never even been in love, let alone experienced a breakup, so I couldn’t relate to her pain.

After a brief silence, Hakobe turned back to me, and she was just like she always was.

“I’m a coward when it comes to the one I really care about. Don’t you think that’s kind of cute?”

“…Not at all.”

She laughed lightly, saying “How awful,” and then disappeared into the light spilling from the station building.

Left behind, the cool night breeze brushed against my bare arms. The alcohol had worn off, and the heat from my skin had faded. The chill felt like poison against my slightly sweaty body. I turned around and started my way home.

As I walked, an image of Hakobe hugging Ichika popped into my mind, like a half-dream. But since Ichika and I looked so alike, I couldn’t tell if it was really Ichika or not.