Chapter 15


TL: Scaramochi


***


Kujo Ran. She's Rinka's twin sister. 


She has an SS in the school and is more popular among the boys than Rinka in the school as a whole. 


I wasn't unaware of this woman's existence. I knew of her, but I was so preoccupied with Rinka that I had dropped her from my mind. 


Ran is considered innocent, cool, and an ice princess by those around her, but what she showed me was her black side. Even I wouldn't threaten her with a back account.


After threatening me with the back account, what Ran proposed to me in exchange was to join a club, which I never expected. 


"The occult research club?" 


"Yes. If two more members join, it will be recognized as a club activity. If you don't want this back account to be exposed, do as I say." 


"......I don't know how to say this kind of thing from me, but the threats you make using the back account, are you sure you want to do that?" 


"What is such a thing? For me, it's my wish to have this club recognized as a club activity. Come on, hurry up and fill out the admission form." 


"Okay." 


After that, I was threatened with a backhanded message, and I was really going to join a mysterious club called the Occult Research Club. 


There were three members in the club, including me.  


Apparently, there are some first-year students who are ghost members of the club. 


Of course, since they were ghosts, there was no way they would come to the club activities. 


It was just the two of us in the small club room. 


My body was shattered from an hour of organizing prints. 


I'm not going to do anything anyway, so I might as well take a nap....... 


"Mmmmmm." 


Apparently, Ran has no intention of slacking off. 


She has laid a piece of paper with hiragana written in Japanese syllabary order on the table, as if she has completed some preparations, and she has a look of accomplishment on her face. 


Even I, who am not interested in the occult, know what this is. 


It's kokkuri-san. 


"Now come on, put your finger on a five yen coin?" 


I put it down without resisting, because if I refuse, she will reveal my back account.


Ran, who is humming a small tune, "Hmmm, hmmm," as if she is happy to have a Kokkuri-san, also places her finger on the coin. 


"Kokkuri-san. Kokkuri-san. Please come." 


The atmospheric way she said it took my breath away. 


The 5-yen coin moved by itself without effort ...... I thought. 


Five seconds, ten seconds, twenty seconds, a minute. 


Of course, I should say, there was no sign of movement at all. 


"Ran. It doesn't move at all."


"Well, this kind of thing happens from time to time.......You must never tell anyone about what we just failed to do, okay? If you tell anyone, I'll spread the word about your back account to the whole school." 


She abused the threat with something trivial. 


"Of course I won't tell anyone." 


"Mm. That's all right." 


Ran turns up her nose like a lord. 


Even though they are twins and don't have similar hair styles, their similar bone structure makes me link them to Rinka in my brain. 


"Hey, Yanagi. You were just thinking about my sister, weren't you?" 


She asked with a miffed look on her face for some reason. 


"Yes." 


"Hmmm-hmmm. What were you thinking about onee-chan?" 


"I was just thinking that Ran looks like Rinka, since they are only twins. What kind of things did you imagine...... would say?" 


"Don't tell anyone, okay?" 


That's the most serious face I've ever seen. 


Is she going to tell me a secret? 


"Yes. I'm a very tight-lipped guy." 


"Actually, I..." 


She was about to tell me something. 


But then, the door to the room where we were alone opened with a bang.  


I was so sensitive to the sound that I jumped to my feet in surprise. I sat back down on the chair as if nothing had happened, but Ran gave me a white eye. 


The person who opened the door so vigorously was the one who caused such embarrassment. 


"Huh? Yanagi, what are you doing here?" 


It was Rinka. 


"Ri, Rinka? I was made to join a strange club called the occult research club....... What are you doing in a room like this?" 


"No, it's nothing, but..." 


She was pretending that it was just a coincidence, but she couldn't hide the fact that her body was moving. 


Rinka quietly closed the door and sat down next to me, acting unnaturally. 


I could see sweat on her forehead from running. 


After sitting down, the smell of her mousy perfume wafted through my nose. And, 


"Yanagi, I think you should look at yourself in the mirror now." 


Ran told me, and I realized I was drowning in the smell of perfume. 


I put on a nonchalant face as if nothing had happened, but apparently it was too late. 


"Could it be that Yanagi-kun likes the smell of my perfume?" 


Rinka had said it all. 


I can't help it if she thinks I'm disgusting now. 


I checked my throat and said, "Mmmm." 


"No. It's not like that, right?" 


I said in a roundabout way, "I like Rinka's smell better than the smell of her perfume," but I didn't get the message. 


Well, I'm glad I didn't make her feel uncomfortable as a result. 


"Oh...... I don't know what you want to say, so I'll just put this out there for now." 


Rinka gave up on the idea and took out a sheet of paper from her backpack. It wasn't a piece of paper with hiragana in Japanese syllabic order, but rather a "admission form" paper. 


"Are you serious?" 


"Of course. If Yanagi is going to quit the go home club, I'll join this occult club with him." 


"Onee-chan. This is the occult research club."


"Oh, that's right. If one more person joins, it will be certified as a club activity, so it's okay for me to join. Ran?" 


"I knew it. I knew you would say so!" 


Rinka lightly brushes aside Ran's attempt to hug her out of happiness with one hand. 


Just by looking at them, you can tell that they are close. 


"Yanagi. I'd like to ask you a few questions." 


"? What is it?" 


"Why did you decide to join this club?" 


She asked me the question that I would have most hated to be asked. 


But soon, I realized that the two people here already knew about the back account. 


"Actually, it's......." 


As a result of telling everything, Rinka's sharp eyes turned to Ran. 


"Ran."  


"Ha, hahi!" 


Ran responded with a shudder. 


Not long ago, she was a woman with plenty of time to spare, but now she looks like a frightened kitten. 


"You know you're not supposed to threaten people, right?" 


"Hahi! I knew that." 


"Then, why did you threaten Yanagi?" 


"Well, I wanted the occult research club to be recognized as a club activity......." 


"Oh, really? If you want to be recognized as a club, you can threaten people with their weaknesses!" 


"No, you can't! I'm totally sorry about this one. I'm sorry!" 


She vigorously rubbed her forehead against the desk. 


This is probably the first time I've ever seen Rinka angry. I like the normally gentle Rinka, but I also like the angry Rinka. 


"If you're going to apologize, shouldn't it be Yanagi, not me?" 


"Hey, Yanagi. I'm sorry!" 


"It's okay, it's okay. Don't worry about it. ......I knew someone would find out sooner or later. It was a good experience to see what it feels like to be threatened." 


"Pfft. You're so sweet......." 


Ran was happy that I had forgiven her and tried to hug me. 


But Rinka intervened and stopped her from doing so. 


"Onee-chan. Let me hug you." 


"No." 


"Then, I won't hug you, so let me shake hands with the new club member?" 


"............Yanagi. This shady club activity should be stopped right now." 


"What? Wait, onee-chan! Don't say such a thing without permission. Yanagi is an important member of our club!" 


"No, I'm not saying he's a member of the club......." 


The twin sisters begin to argue. 


"Rinka. I'm glad you're worried about me, but I'm going to join the occult research club as it is." 


"Yes!" 


Despite Ran's joy, Rinka turned worried eyes on me. 


"Are you sure you want to quit the go home club?" 


"......Yes. Even if I go home, I don't really have anything to do. I want to spend even one second with Rinka, so I will gladly join the club." 


"If that's what you want to do, Yanagi, I won't say anything." 


And so, in this way, Rinka and I joined the occult research club. 


***


"Eh. Why why why why. You like me, right? Right? You always say you like me, right? That's why you like me, right? Were those words a lie? You like me, right? You want to go out with me, right? I confessed, was that someone making you do that?" 


 

PREV | NEXT