Chapter 134

Rea‍d​ ‍o‍n‍​ ‍Ka​t‍​Re‍​a‍d‍in​​g‍​C‌af‍e‌

**Nozomi-san. (5)**

There’s a word in this world: _force majeure_.

A force beyond human control—unavoidable, unstoppable.
And yet, among all such forces, the one we feel closest to… is fate.

I grew up in an orphanage, became a VTuber, changed genders, quit VTubing, and then Toya came to find me. We moved to Japan, became VTubers again, met Ragu-sensei, and through that, I reconnected with Koyuki—

Some might call it an incredible series of coincidences, but when coincidences stack up, they become fate.

So perhaps it’s better to just accept that all coincidences in life… are simply fate in disguise.

That was a long introduction, but right now, I was silently watching Toya and Nozomi-san, lips pressed shut, thoughts swirling in my head.

If you’re wondering why I was completely silent while the two of them were meeting—yes, it’s because of fate.

A very _ridiculous_ coincidence—or perhaps, fate.

**”Up until this morning… things were peaceful.”**
Yes, everything had been going so well. I was actually excited to introduce them.
Toya even seemed low-key excited too.

But the moment they met, everything went up in flames.

Not only did they not get along—they _instantly_ started arguing like lifelong enemies.

> “Ha, so _this_ is where you disappeared to? And what’s with that name—Toya? Did you change it because you didn’t like your real one?”

> “Wow, your personality’s gotten even worse since I last saw you. No, wait—it was _already_ terrible, so I guess now it’s just _more_ terrible.”

> “U-Um…”

Nope. Useless. No matter what I said, they weren’t listening.

They glared at each other like bitter rivals, and my confidence drained rapidly.

How was I supposed to know they were sisters?!

How could I have guessed that the “little sister” Toya mentioned and the “annoying older sister” Nozomi talked about… were _each other_?!

…Well. Okay, maybe there were clues.

Toya didn’t talk much about her sister, but I do remember her once saying she was a nerdy, glasses-wearing overachiever.
And Nozomi’s rough words, in hindsight, were basically just Toya’s story from the other side.

But come on! You’d assume it was just a coincidence, right?! Not like there’s only _one_ girl like that in the world.

No wonder I kept thinking Nozomi reminded me of Toya…!

Still, it was too late now.

> “What, you showed up just to rub in how great your life is now?”

> “Ugh, get over yourself. Who said I came here to see _you_?”

> “Um, guys…?”

I tried again—bravely, I might add.
Still nothing.

I’d thought all the time we spent together exercising had built enough trust for Nozomi-san to listen to me.
And Toya? Toya, at least _you_ could give me something!

…Okay, fine, maybe my voice was too small.
But still, the hostility between them was honestly scary.

So finally, I played my trump card.

> “If you two keep fighting… I’m going back to Korea!!”

> “…Ah.”

> “…Huh?”

That wasn’t something I ever wanted to say.
But watching the people I cared about say such awful things to each other—it hurt.

They were always kind and warm to me, but seeing them like this?
It was frightening.

Like a child watching their parents argue—
Well, I wouldn’t _really_ know. I grew up in an orphanage.

> “…Sorry, Yeoreum. I wasn’t thinking.”

> “…”

> “Nozomi… I’m sorry too.”

Toya crouched down to meet my eyes and apologized.
A sincere, heartfelt apology.

But it wasn’t just _me_ she needed to apologize to.

Without me saying anything, she seemed to understand and turned to apologize to Nozomi-san as well.
She still looked a little annoyed, though.

> “Haah, seriously… I didn’t expect _that_ person to be the one you wanted me to meet.”

> “You…!”

> “Let’s leave out the rude ones and talk, Ichinose-san.”

> “Hey!!”

Nozomi-san scooped me up and walked right past Toya, totally ignoring her.

U-uh… Nozomi-san? Maybe antagonizing her right in front of her isn’t the best idea…?

I looked up at her meaningfully, but she deliberately ignored even my gaze.

She was definitely doing this just to get under Toya’s skin.

_Are they going to end up actually fighting…?_

Nozomi-san didn’t usually carry me.
And from how awkwardly she held me, it was obvious. But Toya, in her flustered state, clearly didn’t notice.

> “Um, my back hurts… Can you put me down?”

> “Of course.”

She immediately did so.
She must have realized what she was doing. Her face and ears were _bright red_.

> “Yeoreum is mine.”

> “Eep…”

> “So don’t even think about taking her, Nozomi.”

Of course, stopping the fight didn’t mean they’d made up.

Now Toya picked me up and _she_ was the one poking at Nozomi’s nerves.

Nozomi-san, for her part, scowled even deeper.

Looking at them now, I couldn’t help but think…
They really do look like sisters.

The way they acted, the way they reacted—it was _identical_. It almost made me laugh.

_I—I shouldn’t laugh… but pfft…_

I couldn’t hold it in and giggled while being held in Toya’s arms.
Both of them instantly turned their attention to me.

U-uh, sorry. My bad.

But it was just too funny—and cute!

Of course, it would’ve been _even better_ if they were actually friendly sisters, but still…

> “I-it’s just… watching you two bicker is kind of cute…”

> “Cute?”

> “You think _this_ is cute?”

They both gave me the exact same _“are you serious?”_ look.

To someone like me, who never had siblings, their bickering looked… oddly sweet.

It had started off scary, sure. But as it went on, it became kinda funny.
I’d never had a sister to fight with, after all.

Koyuki and I had similar tastes, personalities, and always got along.
The closest we came to fighting was getting competitive in games.

But that was always just fun teasing, and we both knew it.

> “Never say that again, Yeoreum.”

> “Please don’t say that again, Ichinose-san.”

“See? Even your responses are the same.”

The phrasing was different, but the meaning was identical.

Are you two… actually twins?

They clearly disliked each other, but kept unintentionally syncing up. I couldn’t help but laugh again.

Wait… was _I_ the bad one for laughing right now? If so—uh, sorry?

> “Stop copying me.”

> “You’re the one copying me, _Momiji_.”

> “…Oh, you did _not_ just say my name like that.”

> “What, should I call you _Nagakawa-san_ instead?”

Once again, the air flared with sparks.
And once again, I felt a creeping sense of dread.

…They weren’t actually going to _fight_, right?
Both of them worked out. If they started throwing punches, it wouldn’t be a small fight.

And I was caught in the middle… too scared to intervene…

Should I call Inari now…?

> “Call me whatever you want. I don’t want to be called Toya _or_ Momiji by _you_ anyway.”

> “Same here, thanks. Like I’d want to be called Nozomi by _you_.”

> “Ah, then let’s just call each other ‘Nagakawa-san’ from now on.”

> “Perfect. Good idea, _Nagakawa-san_.”

Looks like… they found a _very_ specific truce.

…But wait. If they’re both _Nagakawa-san_, how am I supposed to tell them apart?!

Fables