Chapter 139

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**Two Pairs of Sisters. (3)**

> “…Sorry, Koyuki.”

> “I’m sorry too, Yeoreum.”

So, we made up—well, sort of.

Honestly, Koyuki being all smug and giggly inside was a little irritating, but it felt right to at least _act_ like we were making up.

I didn’t want to argue anymore, and if we dragged it out, I knew Koyuki would just get even more playful about it.

Anyway, whether it was because of our little scuffle or not, Toya and Nozomi seemed more relaxed now.

Could that have been Koyuki’s intention?

…Nah, no way. She’s not the type to plan that far ahead.

She was all instinct and vibes.

> “By the way, Yeoreum.”

> “Yeah? What’s up?”

> “Are you hungry? I think I heard your stomach growl earlier.”

> “Umm…”

I wasn’t _starving_, but I was definitely a bit peckish.

Was there anything to eat at home?

I almost never opened the fridge, so I had no idea what was in there. But since Toya was asking, I figured she probably had something in mind.

I didn’t trust my memory—but I _did_ trust Toya’s diligence.

> “I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten _anything_ today~”

> “Then should we order something?”

> “Ooh, I want pizza!”

> “You okay with all the veggies that come on pizza?”

> “You’re not thinking of _veggie pizza_, right? Of course it has to be one loaded with _meat_!”

Yeah, no such thing as an all-meat pizza with _zero_ vegetables.

And also—this isn’t your house! Don’t just start deciding the menu!

To someone like Toya, who kept up her figure with strict diet and exercise, pizza was probably a no-go. It was salty, packed with carbs, covered in rich toppings, and super high-calorie.

> “Sure.”

> “Pfft…”

> “Don’t laugh…”

But contrary to what I expected, Toya replied pretty casually.

Did she read my mind?

Koyuki couldn’t stop herself from laughing at Toya’s easygoing answer.

Now that I thought about it… come to think of it, I’d never _actually_ seen Toya restrict her diet. Who knew where everything she ate went—it certainly didn’t seem to turn into body fat.

Maybe to Toya, calories were just extra energy to burn through more workouts.

> “How about you? Is that okay?”

> “I don’t mind.”

She sounded a bit cold, but the fact that she asked Nozomi at all was pretty sweet.

Seriously, couldn’t they just get along like this all the time?

When I giggled while watching them, both Toya and Nozomi gave me the same exact look.

Oops—maybe I laughed too loud.

I wasn’t used to _multiple_ people staring at me like that, so I quickly looked away.

And of course, Koyuki took that chance to mess with me, ruffling my hair like crazy, making me even more embarrassed.

> “Yay, we’re getting pizza! Oh, and we’re definitely adding cheese crust, right?”

> “If Koyuki wants it, of course we are.”

> “…Toya, what about me?”

> “Yeoreum’s a given!”

“Is this… jealousy?” Koyuki teased, clearly enjoying my flinch.

Ugh. I’d unconsciously acted _exactly_ like her just now.

I wasn’t the type to ask for things first, so hearing Toya be so decisive with someone else _did_ make me a bit jealous.

No—not a bit. A _lot_.

Whether Toya noticed or not, she just kept smiling as she looked at the two of us.

It seemed like just seeing us together made her genuinely happy.

> “Well, I’m eating too, so I should chip in—”

> “What kind of rookie office worker has money? Just shut up and eat. This is your congratulatory meal for getting hired.”

> “…”

Toya cut off Nozomi, who was about to offer to pay.

I guess she still felt guilty about being out of touch all this time.

Nozomi looked super awkward about it—like it wasn’t that she didn’t want to accept the food, but more that it felt weird accepting something like this as a full-grown adult.

Still, older sisters are all the same in the end.

They always want to do more for their younger siblings—even if they’re mad, they still want to treat them to something good.

> “Why are you staring at me like that?”

> “Because I’m happy you’re Koyuki’s twin.”

> “Heehee, right? I’m _so_ glad I’m Yeoreum’s twin~”

I wasn’t sure if Koyuki had picked up on my earlier thoughts, but she smiled so brightly it felt like my feelings had been understood.

Yeah, yeah. I like being Koyuki’s twin.

I hugged her tightly as she clung to me like a playful puppy.

I turned my head instinctively—partly to avoid her head bonking me in the chin.

> ‘You’re doing this on purpose ‘cause I hit you earlier, aren’t you?!’

> ‘Eh~ nooo~ I just love you so much, that’s all~’

**Click—**

But our little wrestling match didn’t last long.

The shutter sound of a camera rang by my ear.

It wasn’t Toya’s phone or camera, which meant both Koyuki and I froze and turned our heads.

Wait… If it wasn’t Toya, then…

> “Ah.”

Getting hit by both our stares, Nozomi blinked with wide eyes.

Um. Yeah. Uh. Hm…

She looked like she was about to make an excuse, but the shutter sound had been _so_ loud there wasn’t much she _could_ say.

To be honest, I understood _why_ she took it.

I mean, Nozomi was making _the exact same face_ Toya usually made.

> “Did you see that, Yeoreum? Didn’t her expression look _just like_ Toya’s just now?”

> “I saw. She looked like a high school girl watching a cute animal video on Itube.”

> “Not sure why she’s making that face at _us_, but I guess it means we’re super cute?”

> “Yep, Koyuki’s adorable.”

Unlike me, who still struggled with compliments, Koyuki probably heard “you’re cute” all the time and accepted it easily.

To be fair, she really _was_ cute—way more so than I was.

And judging by how happy she looked after I said it, well… I couldn’t help but smile too.

> “Yep, I get it. I understand everything now.”

> “…Understand _what_, exactly?”

> “So, are you going to delete the photo? Or… send it to me first and _then_ delete it?”

Toya gently tapped Nozomi’s shoulder, a warm smile on her face.

Nozomi clearly wasn’t happy about it, especially when Toya asked for the photo before deleting it. She looked like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Honestly though, I didn’t mind if she _didn’t_ delete it.

As long as she wasn’t showing it to other people, it wasn’t a big deal.

Especially since, thanks to Ragu-sensei’s model, my face was already basically out there…

> “I’m not deleting it.”

> “Cool, even better. Send it to me.”

> “No. It’s _my_ photo. Why would I send it to you?”

Maybe sisters really _can’t_ be friends.

A bit rude to compare, but unlike Inari—who eagerly shared photos of me with Toya—Nozomi wasn’t having it.

Actually, now that I think about it, Inari was the first person to ever take a picture of me.

Back then, Toya had been way too careful around me to even think about photos.

> “You?! Did you just call your _older sister_ ‘you’?!”

> “You’re the one who said it didn’t matter how I addressed you!”

> “Even so! Who calls their big sister ‘you’?!”

> “I do, right here!”

Ugh. They’re fighting again…

Resting my chin on Koyuki’s head as she sprawled across my lap, I watched their sibling squabble unfold once more.

Thinking about it from Nozomi’s point of view, I could see why she didn’t like saying “big sis.”

And from Toya’s perspective, it must’ve been disappointing not hearing it after all these years.

But honestly… do honorifics really matter that much?

Koyuki and I never bothered calling each other “onee-chan” or “imouto” even though we’re twins.

> “Why? You _want_ to be called ‘big sis’?”

> “Not really.”

> “Yay! That means Yeoreum will call _me_ big sis, right?! I’m so excited~”

> “Yes yes, onee-chan.”

I lazily replied and gently bumped foreheads with Koyuki.

Was she secretly craving a younger sibling?

Well, I guess that made sense—Ragu-sensei was technically our mentor, which kind of filled the older-sister role.

Even though I gave her what she wanted, she still pouted, saying my tone wasn’t cute enough.

> “Can’t you say it in a cuter voice? Like ‘Onee~~chan~~!’ or ‘Unnniieee~!’ or something!”

Koyuki lightly smacked my thigh, grumbling nonstop.

Jeez… You seriously expect _me_ to act that cute?