Chapter 164

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A Meeting with a Guest. (2)

“Oh, come to think of it—didn’t you say Natsu-chan is Korean?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Nana likes that! Kimchi!”
“…Kimchi?”

At the familiar word, I widened my eyes in surprise, and Miko-san gave me a gentle smile in response.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t had kimchi since coming to Japan.
Back in Korea, I practically lived off it every day.
Toya didn’t really eat it, and more than anything, spicy food often made me hiccup, so I’d kept my distance from it.

“Yup! I even make kimchi nabe—no, kimchi jjigae!”
“Really?”
“I’m serious! What do you say, want to come over? I’ll make you some kimchi jjigae.”
“I’d love to!”

But with her inviting me so enthusiastically, it wouldn’t be polite to turn her down!
Honestly, no one had brought it up before, but for someone like me with Korean blood running through her veins, kimchi was something I could eat three meals a day and still crave more.
As for the hiccups—well, I’d just have to manage them carefully.

“Wh-Why is your reaction so different compared to when you first met me…?”
“That’s because it was you, Inari.”
“That’s so mean!!!”

First impression? Pass.
Taste preference? Also pass.
Just imagining the food made my mouth water, and I swallowed hard. Seeing this, Toya suddenly had a serious look on her face.

“…Maybe I should start making it more often.”
“No, you don’t have to go out of your way for me… I’m just excited because it’s been so long!”

There was no need for her to force herself just because of me.
Food was all about personal taste, after all.
Though it was best when everyone could enjoy the same meal, sure.

“Alright, let’s head to my place then! Sounds good, Inari?”
“Yeah, well… I’m fine with it.”
“Natsu-chan and Toya-chan too?”
“I’m fine with it!”

Miko-san beamed as she spoke, and Toya nodded in agreement.
As we followed Miko-san, who offered to drive us in her own car, I noticed a strange expression on Inari’s face.
It was the kind of expression you’d see on someone headed into a situation they’d do anything to avoid.

“…Nacchan, let me give you a little advice—definitely wear your seatbelt.”
“Seatbelt? What do you mean all of a sudden?”
“…Just trust me.”

And so we arrived at the parking lot.
Inari took the front passenger seat, while Toya and I sat in the back.
The car didn’t seem to have any issues or anything.
If anything, it felt like a brand-new vehicle.
I even worried my shoes might dirty it with mud.

“Alright, let’s get going!”
“Nacchan, remember what I told you, okay?”
“Y-Yeah…!”

I nodded at Inari’s words from the front seat.
I had already told Toya to buckle up too, but I still had no idea what the big deal was.
While I was sitting there, tense but not quite sure why, the engine let out a rough roar—and just like that—
Um, so just like that—

BUAAAHHHNNGG—!!!!!!
“Hiyaaak?!!??!!!?!!”

—We took off.

—

“We’re finally here~ Huh? What’s wrong, everyone? You okay?”
“…I-I’m… not… not okay…”

So this was what Inari had been warning me about.
The moment I got out of the car, I dropped to the ground, offering a prayer of gratitude for still being alive—just like Inari, who looked like she had narrowly escaped death.
I really thought I was going to die…
No, maybe I had died and was just under the illusion that I was still alive?
It might’ve been because the car was faster than my thoughts could keep up.

“…Yeoreum, are you okay?”
“…No.”

One small mercy was that I didn’t feel nauseous or anything.
Truly, a good car makes all the difference. With a good car, you can survive even reckless driving like that.
At least the people seemed okay physically, but in a way, Miko-san might’ve been more dangerous than Inari.
How could a human being even drive like that?
She looked completely normal afterwards…
All the passengers were completely drained, but the driver alone looked like nothing had happened.
Maybe Miko-san had gotten used to driving like that every day.
I didn’t know when it’d happen, but if I ever drove, I swore to never drive like Miko-san.
…For the way back, I was definitely calling a taxi or taking the Shinkansen.

“Ahaha… Maybe I should’ve taken it a bit slower, huh? Sorry, everyone. I turn into a different person when I grab the wheel…”
“…”

It wasn’t just that she changed—it felt like she became a whole different person.
I didn’t even have the strength to respond, so I leaned against the arm extended toward me and closed my eyes tightly.
It wasn’t a time machine, yet the scenery outside had warped past so wildly that it still lingered vividly in my vision.
No wonder Inari had looked so afraid.

“Toya, are you okay…?”
“Me? I mean, I’m f—actually, no, I don’t think I’m okay.”
“Don’t get sick, okay? You’ve got a stage coming up.”
“I won’t get sick. Not if I’ve got you with me, Yeoreum. So don’t worry too much.”

Toya’s face had gone pale, but she didn’t seem too shaken otherwise.
…With this, even going inside Miko-san’s house felt a little dangerous.
Like you’d say, “Oh, it’s cleaner than I thought,” and then suddenly a blue monster would jump out and eat you.
Anyway.

“Yoohoo~ Rinco! I’m back~! I brought some new friends too!”
“…”
“Rinco? Rinco! You’re home, right?! Rinco! I said I brought guests!”

As soon as we entered the house, Miko-san began calling out a name—presumably a family member.
But the house was completely silent, save for Miko-san’s voice.

“Seriously, she’s never around when it counts. So unhelpful.”
“Um, Miko-san…”
“Yeah? What is it, Natsu-chan?”
“Rinco—could that possibly be…”

It didn’t feel like she was calling for a younger sister, and there was no tone of respect like you’d use for an older sister either.
And she wouldn’t call a pet like that.
Maybe a roommate?
It wasn’t unusual for corporate VTubers to live together, so maybe she was living with another talent from her company.

“She’s my twin. My twin.”
“…Your twin?”

The words that came out of Miko-san’s mouth weren’t what I expected at all.
A twin? …Could it be the kind of twin I was thinking of?
Now that she said it, I felt like I understood why she called Rinco the way she did.
Koyuki and I didn’t call each other with the formality of “sister” or anything like that either.

“Yup. I have a twin who’s totally different from me. You’ll be shocked when you see her. You’ll definitely say, ‘How can twins be this different?!’”
“Really?”
“I’m telling the truth!”

Can twins really be that different?
I’d never met any other twins besides me and Koyuki, so I didn’t really know, but looking at just us, we were practically copy-pasted from each other.
From our height to appearance and even our tastes.
Of course, there were a lot of small differences, but it would be pretty hard for someone meeting us for the first time to tell us apart.
But for someone to say, “This different”?

“Well then, let’s sit down and res—”
Creaaaak

“Rinco? You were home? Why didn’t you answer? Huh?”
“…Huuuh.”

The door Miko-san had been knocking on earlier opened, and a woman emerged.
Unlike Miko-san’s long, flowing hair, this woman had her hair neatly tied up and wore black-rimmed glasses.
She let out a deep sigh, dark circles heavy under her eyes.
So, this was… Miko-san’s twin?

“…Riko, didn’t I say I had a deadline this morning, so I stayed up all night working and would be sleeping during the day? And to please keep it quiet?”
“…Did… I?”
“…Huuuh.”

Rinco-san, Miko-san’s twin, had the exact look of someone completely marinated in exhaustion.
Not just a day or two either—it looked like she’d been sleep-deprived for years.
Miko-san’s face didn’t exactly radiate goodwill either.
She clearly just remembered Rinco saying that.
If not, she wouldn’t be making that “Oh, right…” kind of face.

“A-Anyway! Even if you just woke up, you’ve got to do the bare minimum! Okay, this is Ichinose Natsu-chan! You know her, right?”
“…Yeah. Seeing it in person, it’s uncanny. I already thought whoever modeled Ichinose Natsu must be some kind of massive pervert, but seeing it live really seals the deal.”
“Ahaha…”

Well… Ragu-sensei is a bit like that sometimes.
I recalled the time Koyuki looked at Natsu’s model and shouted, “Minori’s a pervert!” and gave an awkward laugh.

“Nice to meet you, Ichinose-chan. Just call me Rinco-san.”
“O-Okay… Nice to meet you, Rinco-san…”
“What the heck? You’re using real names? Just call her ‘Kemomimi-sensei’ or something—”
“…Adding ‘sensei’ to it actually makes it more uncomfortable, you know?”

Sorry, Rinco-san, but there are people who feel more comfortable using polite speech.
Like me, for example.
Just me, really…

Anyway, I finally understood what Miko-san meant when she said, “Even though we’re twins, we’re totally different.”
No—not just understood. I knew it for sure now.

Fables