Chapter 90: Aya and Mizuki’s pranks

The next morning, I woke up with slightly stiff muscles from spending the previous day lazing around in bed. Normally, I would have met up with Mizuki and Aya for our walk to school, but since it was the weekend, and we had no plans, I decided to fully embrace my sloth-like tendencies and indulge in some quality “dried squid and web novel” time in bed.

“Ugh… what should I do today…?” I mused, my feet kicking idly in the air.

I’d spent all day yesterday reading, but finishing a 503-chapter novel in a single day was physically impossible, especially since it was in Korean. Even with my past life memories, my brain, having lived as Kurosawa Rina for so long, still struggled with the nuances of the language, the unfamiliar sentence structures and vocabulary making my head spin. It felt like my brain had been… slightly overcooked. I’d spent the morning pondering my next move.

[I Accidentally Debuted as an Idol]

The realistic descriptions, the nuanced portrayal of emotions, the deep understanding of the idol industry… it was captivating. And despite the “no romance” tag, the subtle undercurrent of… something… between the two female leads had pulled me in, fueling my fujoshi heart. The author had called it “chemistry,” but my yuri-senses were tingling!

“This is so good… I should savor it…”

Instead of continuing the story, I decided to search for other works by the same author. But it seemed she was a one-hit wonder, or perhaps a new writer, as there were no other stories listed under her name.

“Hmm…” I would have read them if there were any.

A LINE message notification popped up.

Mizuki: Rina-tan, are you free today?
Rina: Why? What’s up?
Mizuki: Want to hang out? We could go to a cafe or something~!
Rina: Ugh, sorry, I’m going to relax at home today. (｡•́︿•̀｡)
Mizuki: Aw, okay! See you later then, Rina-tan~!

Mizuki, stressed from the exams, probably wanted to go out and have some fun. But I needed some alone time. I had a novel to finish!

Just as I was about to close the LINE app, another message arrived.

Aya: Rina, are you resting?
Aya: Good. Relax this weekend.
Rina: I am!
Aya: [Picture of Aya and Mizuki]
Rina: ?!?!
Aya: Mizuki and I are hanging out.
Rina: Oh…

A picture of Aya and Mizuki filled the screen. They were standing close together, arms linked, smiling and making V-signs at the camera. The sight made my blood run cold. Wait a minute… why were they suddenly so… close? Aya’s smile was her usual elegant, serene one, but Mizuki… she was grinning mischievously, her arm linked with Aya’s, her head resting lightly against Aya’s shoulder. I shook my head, trying to dispel the strange unease that had settled in my stomach.

Aya wouldn’t… she wasn’t the type to… tease me like this. She was calm, mature, beautiful… not the playful, mischievous type! Well, she had become more playful since we’d become closer… but this was… different, a deliberate provocation, and I knew, with a sudden certainty, who was behind it.

‘Mizuki’s making her do this…’ But looking at the picture again, Aya’s smile… it seemed… genuine, happy.

‘Aya… why do you look so happy?’

“Uwaaaah! What am I doing?!”. I buried my face in my pillow, kicking my feet in frustration.

Too late. The image of Aya and Mizuki, arms linked, their smiles so… intimate… it was burned into my mind.

“Aya… you wouldn’t…” But I was the one who’d chosen to stay home. It was natural for Aya to spend time with Mizuki; they were childhood friends. But why did it… hurt? A strange ache in my chest. I opened LINE again, my fingers flying across the keyboard, needing to say something.

Mizuki: Aww~ is Rina-tan jealous~? How cute~
Rina: I’m not jealous! I’m not!
Aya: We’re at Momo Cafe on Shirasaki Street. Want to join us?

A cafe?

Just the two of them?

Sharing desserts and… being all lovey-dovey…?

Wait, what was I even thinking?! I slapped my cheeks lightly.

“No, no, no…!” Why was I feeling like this?

Rina: I’m coming. Wait for me.

I quickly changed into a summery dress and dashed out of the house. “I’m going out!”

“Rina? Where are you going?”

“Something came up!” I yelled, not waiting for her reply, and ran, my sneakers pounding against the pavement, the most comfortable shoes for running. The cafe was on Shirasaki Street, not too far from my house.

I arrived, breathless, and spotted them immediately, sitting together at a table near the window, their heads close together as they chatted. Silver and brown hair, their tall, elegant figures a striking pair. They looked… happy.

And seeing them like that… it twisted something inside me, a strange mix of longing and… something else… resentment, maybe? I hurried over, squeezing myself onto the seat next to Aya.

“Haa… haa… I’m here…!”

Mizuki grinned, as if she’d been expecting me. “Hee~? Rina-tan, that’s mean! I was just sharing a nice dessert with Aya-ring~!” She placed her hands on her cheeks, feigning innocence, and I glared at her, pouting, but she just grinned.

“Rina-tan, are you jealous~? You are, aren’t you~?”

“I’m not! I’m not jealous!”

“Hee hee, you’re so cute, Rina-tan~”

Aya, who’d been watching us quietly, covered her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her smile, and I, my face burning, looked at her, and she patted my shoulder gently, her eyes twinkling. “It’s okay, Rina. I was a bit lonely without you.”

“Aya… not you too…!”

“Haa… seriously, you two are the worst,” I grumbled.

“It’s okay, Rina-tan~ We can all hang out together now! I’ll buy you a parfait to apologize for making you jealous!”

“Mizuki! I wasn’t jealous, and you’re not my older sister!” I protested, but she just laughed, her teasing relentless. Then, a server appeared, placing a large parfait in front of us, piled high with fresh whipped cream, strawberries, bananas, and drizzled with chocolate syrup.

“Fine, you can be my older sister for today, since you’re buying me a parfait.”

“Hee hee, glad you’re not mad anymore~”

As I was chatting with Mizuki, Aya suddenly reached over and pulled me closer, her face inches from mine. ‘…W-We’re a little too close…’ I thought, my heart racing, but Aya, her blue eyes gazing into mine, whispered, “Call me ‘Onee-chan’ too.”

“H-Huh? W-What…? O-Onee-chan…?”

“Yes. Good girl.” She smiled brightly, and her angelic face, so close to mine, made my hand, holding the spoon, tremble.

‘…Aya, why…?’ She wasn’t usually this playful… This had to be Mizuki’s influence. I glanced at Mizuki, who was already happily devouring her parfait.

“Ugh… you two are mean…”

“You have to call us ‘Onee-chan’,” they corrected me. What?! Well, it was the same word for both “older sister” and “older brother,” so I mumbled, “…Onee-chan.”

“There we go. Good girl.” Aya smiled, and her angelic face made my hand tremble. ‘Aya… why…?’ She wasn’t usually this playful. This was Mizuki’s influence. I glanced at Mizuki, who was happily eating her parfait. “You two are mean…” I mumbled. “You have to call us ‘Onee-chan.’” “…Onee-chan.”

Why were they suddenly so insistent on being called “Onee-chan”? Whatever their reason, the parfait, with its towering layers of whipped cream and fruit, was too tempting to resist, and I dug in. The sweet flavors soothed my slightly frayed nerves. Aya, beside me, was also smiling, her gaze warm and affectionate.

”Rina-chan is cute. Small and precious.”

I was surprised, not just by the words, but by the fact that it was Aya, not Mizuki, who’d said them, her tone gentle, teasing, so unlike her usual self. And her smile, so bright, so… playful… it made me blush, my gaze dropping to my parfait, my cheeks burning.

‘Aya… called me Rina-chan…!’