Bizarre Love Triangle - Chapter 2.5

TL : listlessI

Editor : Spynine01

It’s not only that though, Akiha not only lives in this room, but she also does her make up, studies and even changes her clothes right in this very space.

So, for example, the chest over there, or maybe even the closet there, is where she keeps all her underwear and accessories.

If she went and accidentally opened one of them, I’d be able to see what she was currently wearing…

…What am I thinking?

I shake my head and rebuke myself for thinking like that.

Such rude thoughts, even though Akiha led me over here with only good intentions in mind.

However, whether it’s her bed or underwear, half of them belong to Haruka as well.

As expected, it’s really insincere to hold such feelings against a girl who’s also your friend.

[…………But that was really unexpected.]

I forcibly opened my mouth to force these evil thoughts away from my head.

[I thought you’d say no to me coming over to your house.]

When you think about Akiha’s personality, one might think that she wouldn’t really let anyone enter her private space.

And even if Haruka asked me to visit her, I thought that she would refuse instead.

Hereupon, just as I thought,

[Certainly, I’m not very good at inviting people into my house.]

Akiha replied simply.

[I think this is the first time that someone of our age has actually been in our room.]

[So it was like that after all… that means…  I’m sorry, perhaps we’re forcing you too much here.]

I got up from the bed feeling a surging impatience from those words.

It couldn’t be helped this time since we had selfishly advanced with our talks without even consulting her… so there’s no excuse for what we did this time.

[No, it’s fine.]

But once again, Akiha simply shook her head in refusal.

And then, in the same tone of voice as before—–

[It was only about choosing the right person to be here. I don’t mind if it’s Yano-kun.]

I think it’s better not to expect too much from this situation.

Maybe she’s saying it just because we are friends.

Or maybe it’s because I’m helping Haruka.

Still… the way she’s treating me like I’m someone special to her made me feel so hot-headed that I even stopped thinking for a bit.

I couldn’t help but feel a smirk creeping onto my cheeks.

[Well then, let’s get into it.]

At the perfect moment, Akiha’s voice shut me out of my thoughts.

[So, I should explain my hobbies and lifestyle, right?]

[Yes… that’s right. As impudent as it may be, your cooperation will help me out a lot.]

[Okay. I understand. Yano-kun is helping Haruka, so I’ll do this much for you. Besides…]

Akiha chuckled and said,

[Rather than teaching them to Haruka myself, I’m more at ease to pass them through Yano-kun instead.]

I couldn’t help but blurt out to myself.

[Certainly. If it’s Haruka we’re talking about, she might misunderstand or even lose focus or something.]

[Right? Then, first is…]

Saying that, she moved towards the bookshelf,

[Let’s start with books. Yano-kun may also be interested in this.]

She cleared her throat and began to talk about her hobbies——–.

[——-Well actually I think I have read most of what Yano-kun has read.]

[——The only thing I could enjoy in the hospital is the radio, so that’s how I got interested in jazz. Let’s listen to some of it for a bit—–]

[——–I watch at least one movie a day, but I feel frustrated that I can’t watch anything longer than the changeover time in one sitting.]

[—–I hate being called by the store employees, so I usually buy my clothes online at a site called Glacier Mall—–]

——–I listened to her story for about an hour.

We were trying out some records and watching a couple movies, 

[Roughly speaking… that’s kind of feeling it is.]

Akiha turned towards me as she put the records back on the jacket we’ve just listened to.

[That’s still superficial knowledge but I don’t think others will get into anything deeper than this. Let’s leave it at this, since we’ll change in around three minutes now.]

[………..I understand]

Akiha said “Three minutes” without even looking at the clock.

I was a little surprised but maybe the time it takes to switch from one personality to the other is ingrained in her body due to living a long dual personality lifestyle.

[Thank you. You have been a big help to us.]

I thanked her and finished summarizing what I had heard in my notebook.

[I think knowing that much should be enough for the time being…]

Perhaps it was because of her reasonable way of speaking, but Akiha’s explanation was packed with a high density of information. If I could engrain all this into my head,just like she said, I’d have no trouble finding something to talk about for the time being.

This harvest was well beyond my expectations, and I felt happy as I looked at the pages filled with words about her.

[……..You’re working really hard, aren’t you?]

Suddenly, the bed I was sitting on swayed a little.

Looking towards the area with a sudden movement——I could see Akiha sitting right next to me.

She was sitting in a position where our shoulders were almost touching.

Through the fabric of her clothes and the air that separates the two, I could almost feel her body heat fro—-

My attention, which I had been devoting to writing the information about Akiha, was suddenly drawn towards her..

The minute hand of the clock on the wall slowly ticked forward.

[You know, I’ve been wondering about this for a while………]

[…….Wh-What’s wrong?]

[Why do you care so much about Haruka?]

Akiha tilted her head and looked me in the eye.

[Yano-kun, you’ve been really good to her, haven’t you? Why is that?]

………When she asked me that question, I realized that I hadn’t really explained anything to her yet.

Looking at the present situation from Akiha’s point of view, it’s something like a boy from the same class as you is eagerly helping Haruka, who is a part of you for some reason. That might be a little unsettling for me too, in that case.

[…….It’s probably because we somehow resemble each other, Haruka and I]

So, I said clearly,

[Haruka, you see, she seriously thinks about wanting to be a ‘single person’, doesn’t she?…I also think the same way. You see, the first time we met, I was making a character, wasn’t I?]

[Yes, that was the case]

[I really don’t want to do that but to persist in class or school, I didn’t have any other choice. I had to create a character, make it easy to understand how to handle yourself in certain situations, play a role… to make the people around you laugh, put up with a facade to hide the hurt and sadness within. I thought that if I didn’t do that, the people around me wouldn’t accept me for who I was. That’s why I couldn’t stop making those roles, forever…]

[Yes, yes]

[It was at that time, I was told by Haruka. ‘I want to be a single person’. I thought the same thing myself. This girl is struggling with the same thing I am. If that was the case, I wanted to help her out and so I went and asked her to let me help her.]

[So it was like that…]

…In truth, that’s not the whole story.

I couldn’t say that I was actually hoping to get closer to her or that it was actually who was following Haruka.

I know it couldn’t be helped. But I felt guilty because I felt like I was making myself look like a ‘good guy’ in her eyes.

In the end, I haven’t been able to show my true self even to Akiha.

[….It has been like that for a long time, hasn’t it?]

She muttered those words quierly.

I was strangely curious about Akiha’s voice when she mumbled those words.

It was a voice tinged with dissatisfaction and a little sullenness present in it.

Once again, the minute hand of the clock ticked and moved forward.

[…See, that girl’s gap is completely visible to everyone around her, isn’t it?]

There was no trace of dissatisfaction in Akiha’s face as she said those words with a slight smile.

[That’s right…..]

[That quality of hers seems to attract a lot of good natured people towards her. That’s why, at the facility and the hospital, she was worried about by various people, and was taken care of very naturally.]

I guess she was remembering the old days.

A slight smile appeared on Akiha’s face as she said that.

The fact that her face is just within arm’s reach upsets me every time I look at it.

[I was… always the type of person to be left alone .Sometimes I envy the girl who’s cared for by those around her.]

Akiha’s voice sounded happy yet also a little sad at those words.

Those gentle eyes that make you think of yourself, as if you were looking at the lights of a distant city.

Her chest was rising and falling just in time with her breathing.

I decided at that time.

Let’s step out of my comfort zone for a bit.

After all, Haruka prepared this situation for me with so much trouble.

Let’s make an effort to move our relationship forward, even if it’s just a little bit further.

[I-I also…… to Akiha]

While pretending in a nonchalant manner.

I said while desperately hiding the shakiness of my voice.

[Certainly, Haruka is important to me but… so is Akiha.]

As if she was finally noticing something—— Akiha looked at me with such a face.

Her deep jet-black pupils looked straight at me.

[I care about you just as much as I care about Haruka.]

Yet at that exact moment.

The clock ticked again—–

[…Oh!]

Akiha shouted.

And then, with a look of extreme disappointment on her face,

[I’m sorry it’s already time for me to change…..]

——And then suddenly, all the tension disappeared from her face.

Her face was expressionless, like a badly made doll. It was as if her emotions had been drained away from her body.

<<Part 6>>

Then, after a moments of gasping,

[……….ah, we switched]

And her liveliness returned to her face.

Haruka, who had just switched from Akiha, looked around and puffed out her cheeks.

[Mu–, Akiha once again switched in front of Yano-kun like usual even though I said I don’t like it……..ah, so, how was it?]

She changed her grumpy expression and looked at me with a curious look.

[Did you make any progress?]

[Progress………]

[Yeah]

[………..I think I just missed it]

[……….what……?]

*

The lecture to Haruka lasted until just before her personality Changes again.

It continued for about two hours.

I was considerably worried about her who was in carefree mode preparing sweets and juice as if she was having a girl’s talk but after two hours, I realized something unexpected.

[I prefer trios and quartets for jazz rather than large groups. I also like albums recorded in the 60’s and 70’s rather than the modern sound. Famous names in that area include Bill Evans and John Coltrane.]

Finally, we decided to review.

Haruka was now reciting as much knowledge as she could recall from today’s lesson.

——–she absorbed all the knowledge faster than I expected.

It seems that she has already memorized most of what she was taught. She can easily recite what Akiha likes.

[——–even in movies, she likes old ones and her favourite story is “Tokyo’s story”. She likes the story, but she also likes to look at the scenery of the time.She also likes “The Man Who Stole the Sun,” so maybe she likes extreme stories too.]

………..maybe.

I think I might have misunderstood her a little bit. 

She wasn’t making blunders just because she was not good at them…….but that there were other factors that prevented her from reaching her full potential.

[For novels, I prefer ennui novels from the early Showa era, especially the one where feeling of young girl—–]

[——-wa, wait a Minute, Haruka]

I decided to cut through the seemingly endless recitation and ask her.

[Well……I am going to change the subject]

[Ok……..]

[You took the entrance test when you transferred to our school, right? Did Haruka also take that? Not only Akiha]

[Um, that’s right. I also took it…]

[Was it really hard? Did you have to study a lot?]

[No, I went to school as much as I could and studied on my own at the hospital, so it wasn’t too hard. …….. I even studied for the test briefly…….I more or less studied for it]

……………Didn’t you have a hard time?

Miyamae High school, the school we attend, is one of the top preparatory High schools in this area.

I’ve heard that the entrance exam is harder than the regular entrance exam, so it can’t be that easy.

What’s more, since their memories are not shared, they only have an average of twelve hours a day to spend. The time they spend studying must be much shorter than the other students……..

……….I didn’t understand very well as a long time hasn’t passed since they have transferred schools.

But it seems like Haruka isn’t a slow learner.

Rather, isn’t she pretty smart?

[………..then, is there something you are good in physical education?]

I’ve been watching her during class to follow her, but I can’t do the same for the boys and girls PE. In image alone, it doesn’t seem like she is very good at sport but I wonder how it’s in reality?

[Um….. I’m not very good at it. When I’m in gym class, it’s so depressing]

So far, as expected.

[I see, what are you bad at?]

[Ball games……I guess. I’m playing volleyball with others but it’s hard to not get run down…….]

[I see……by the way, have you ever timed a 50-meter dash?]

[Ah, yes. It was measured in the first gym class]

[What was your time?]

[Um, well. I guess it’s around 7 Seconds…..]

[Really….?]

I couldn’t help but laugh at the unexpected timing.

Seven Seconds. I am also around at that time.

The average time for the 50-meter run is quite different between men and women, so it should be quite fast for women.

………with this, I feel one possible theory.

[I see…….]

[What’s wrong? What do you mean by that question?]

Haruka peeked at me curiously from next to the bed I was sitting on.

[No, I was just wondering if the reason Haruka make so many blunder is because she doesn’t have confidence]

[……… confidence?]

[Yes. You make mistakes not because you lack the ability but because of your feelings. But when you think about it, it’s natural. Akiha is obviously good at both study and sports, right? Since Haruka shares the same body with her, it’s not surprising that she can do the same.]

[…….Ah, that’s right. That might be so]

[In fact, you’ve been able to get good results in competitions where the body’s natural specs can be easily displayed, like the 50-meter dash. Besides, it was so easy for you to remember what Akiha taught you today, wasn’t it?]

[……… isn’t that something everyone can do?]

[No, it’s not like that. At Least I can’t do that]

I’m not a bad student, either.

It’s not like I’m any worse at memorizing than anyone else.

That means the memorization power of Haruka is by far the best.

[But when you’re not confident, you can’t show off your abilities well, right? In fact, it seems that Haruka is quite worried about her own mistakes… maybe that’s why you can’t do well?.]

[Oh, I see. That might be so……..]

[Well at best that’s just a hypothesis. There’s also the possibility that the effects of dual personality are restricted from what you can do?]

I’m not an expert in that area, so I can’t say for sure.

As a case of multiple personalities, there are psychological effects that limit what the main personality can do. I have heard that there are cases where a person can do things that his main personality cannot do. It’s possible that such restrictions are put on Haruka this time too.

But at least—–there isn’t doubt that Haruka can also work dexterously.

[I see, you’re right……..]

Haruka nodded while looking down at the rug.

[You are right. It’s strange that Akiha, who can do so much but I can’t, who has the same body, isn’t it?]

[So, if you want to unite your personalities, maybe you should set a goal to become more confident……]

As I said that——-I noticed that I was feeling a little uncomfortable.

The words “unite your personality” that I had just said as if it were a matter of course.

That’s the goal Haruka is aiming for.

If you think about it——-what exactly is that supposed to mean?

So far, I have unconsciously thought of it as a “good thing”. 

We have innocently believed that it is our goal.

However I wonder if it’s that simple.

I wondered if it would be enough to just say, “Good for you”.

[…….I see, confidence]

When I looked up to express my doubts, Haruka folded her arms and pondered.

[Indeed that wasn’t the case until now…….]

She wrinkled her brow and slumped down.

With that expression and posture, Haruka looks like splitting image of Haruka.

Rather, she looks like Akiha on the surface.

Soon, I noticed that the pace of my pulse started to accelerate.

I know the one in front of me is Akiha.And yet, my heart felt a little higher than usual.

…………wait a min.

Up until now, I had been able to properly differentiate between Akiha and Haruka.

I have unrequited feelings only for Akiha.

For Haruka, I should have only feelings as friends.

Why is it that now I suddenly feel like I’m merging the two….?

I hurriedly cover my emotions from guilty feelings.

Holding such feelings when she is Haruka is betrayal to both Akiha and Haruka.

But……once you are aware of that, it’s not easy to suppress your emotions.

The sweet scent in the room, the warmth of her body over my shoulder, it’s hard to stay calm.

Then—–

[…..!]

I noticed.

Next to her, from this angle, I could see a little of her cleavage through the loose collar of her dress.

She looked slender, but her bulge stood out unexpectedly.Her skin was as white as soap, with no scars or blemishes.

Even though I knew it was wrong, even though I felt terrible self-loathing, I just couldn’t take my eyes off.

[………..hm? what’s wrong?]

My eyes met with Haruka who looked up at me.

I can’t gloss it over or make an excuse anymore.

[N, no, nothing……]

Although I said this, I can clearly feel my cheeks getting hotter.

Gradually Sweat gushed out from my forehead.

Perhaps noticing the meaning,

[……….huh?ah, well, that……ahaha…..]

After her eyes fluttered here and there for a while, Haruka held her chest, laughing.

[So, sorry. I’m not Akiha. She will be out soon, so wait a min]

[No, no. I didn’t mean it like that, I am sorry for looking with strange eyes. I was kind of confused somehow….]

<<<PART 2>>>

[No, no, I don’t think it can be helped. If I were in the same situation, I am sure I would be in confusion as well…]

[I, I see……]

The words were cut off, and an awkward silence fell over the room.

I feel a little uncomfortable at the atmosphere that was there before.

[Any, anyway, I think the confidence will become the key from here]

I forced myself to continue the conversation we just had.

[That’s why I think you might need to ask Akiha how to act with confidence or find your own method how to be confident]

It wasn’t meant to be a meaningful remark.

I just wanted to change the atmosphere so I just said something we could agree upon.

And yet,

[Yes, to that girl…….]

Haruka says that and looks down at her feet.

Then,

[……Does Akiha look like that from Yano-kun point?]

[………what?]

[Does she look confident to you?]

The heat on my cheeks immediately subsided at the unexpected question.

So far, all I have attention to is the way she carries herself.

Akiha, who didn’t Carried away by her surroundings, didn’t go along with the flow and kept her true feelings to herself.

I thought it was a sign of her self-confidence.

[Ah, of course she has a lot more confidence compared to me!]

Haruka waved her hands in panic as if to correct what she just said.

[Or more precisely, it’s funny comparing her to me who has no confidence at all…..but…..]

Then she smiled affectionately.

Just like how Akiha smiled when she talks about Haruka,

[I think they are lot of things she wants to say but she can’t]

[Things she wants to say but can’t]

[Yes. Because she isn’t very good at showing her weakness, she couldn’t ask for help…..]

Haruka reached over and picked up the record on the chest.

It was an old, austere record with a design that seemed out of place for a high school girl.

She caress her lovingly,

[That’s why I think that might be the reason I was born….]

———This is the reason why Haruka was born.

Certainly, it must exist in Akiha.

If so, then it’s just what she said.

It’s not that Akiha is strong or has self confidence.

Rather………she may have developed such a personality in order to protect herself from something, in order to defend herself.

But then Haruka——

[———–It’s about time]

Haruka confirmed the time on her smartphone.

[Oh, is it already…….?]

When she said so, I looked at the watch to confirm, 5:21 pm.

Around 126 minutes has elapsed since Haruka has switched to.

There is still some time left from the 131 minutes I heard before…….but just as she said, time changes slightly from day to day.

[Sorry but can you turn your back around for a moment…….it’s embarrassing to be seen……..]

[O, ok]

As I was told, I turned away from her, changing the angle I was sitting on.

Then, after a vexing few seconds or so,

[It’s okay]

Akiha was already there when I turned around at the voice.

———I wonder why that cold face.

Only a little but I could feel the lonely sign.

[……..well, that’s it for today]

But before I could say that.

Akiha stood up without resuming the conversation before she was replaced.

[Thank you for that girl. I will take you to the station]

[…….yeah, thanks to you too]

And I couldn’t say the rest of that line either.

*

April 15th (Sunday), Akiha

Today, Yano-kun came to our house.

I was glad that he enthusiastically note what I said and understood it.

I was glad that the lecture to Haruka goes well.

I’m really glad.