Chastity Reversed: Part-Time Life by the All-Girls High School - Chapter 52: Because He's Mine

“Wheee!!”  

“Wheee!!”  

Man, this was fun. No matter how many times I went down a water slide, it never got old.  

If I ever made it to old age, I’d like to ascend to heaven via water slide. Yeah, that’d cause a lot of trouble, for sure.  

Even in this changed world, pools remained the same.  

Now that was what I called perfection (enlightened).  

“So much fun!!”  

“So much fun!! (IQ plummeting)”  

I’d lost track of how many times I’d gone down the water slide by now.  

We then spent ages floating down the lazy river, and here we were.  

I think my intelligence might’ve floated off somewhere along the way.  

Still, things turned out well. Akari, who had been acting distant, seemed back to her usual self.  

…Was my swimsuit too weird after all?  

Compared to the ones I was used to in my old world… right now, I’d love to just go shirtless.  

But that wasn’t an option, so I chose something just a bit more open. After all, it was the pool.  

“Wow, it’s already been two hours. Want to grab some juice?”  

“Yeah!”  

“Let’s go then—”  

“Huh?”  

“Ah!”  

Just as we were heading toward the food stalls, someone called out from behind us.  

This smooth, husky voice could only mean— 

“Natsuki!”  

“So you’re here too, Sato-kun!”  

I turned around to find myself face-to-face with someone familiar—my old failed crush.  

She was wearing a black swimsuit, just like me.  

But—  

“That’s… a bikini!” (Impressed)  

“U-um, don’t stare so much. It’s embarrassing.”  

“Not at all. It suits you really well.”  

“Thanks… this is just the easiest one for swimming!”  

“Ah, I see. Makes sense.”  

Maybe in this world, serious swimmers actually wore bikinis.  

It didn’t give off a “cute” vibe, though. It was more stylish.  

Sporty, yet with plenty of exposure—yeah, no doubt about it, this was a bikini.  

Even in this reversed world, bikinis existed. Victory for humanity!!  

“Hey, who’s that guy with Natsuki-san?” 

“Uh… I don’t know where to look…”

“Haha, you’re here with… those friends behind you?”  

“Yep!”  

Two figures peeked at me from behind Natsuki, as if hiding.  

Since they weren’t classmates, they were probably her clubmates.  

“…”

“Oh, are you Sato-kun’s younger sister?”  

“…Yes, I am.”  

“Ah, are we bothering you?”  

“…No.”  

Without warning, Akari stepped in front of me.  

Her voice was unexpectedly low.  

“Akari?”  

“Ahaha, we’ll be going now. See you later!”  

“Hm? Oh, enjoy yourselves!”  

I was shocked. 

It had been a long time since Akari spoke in such a tone.  

“Hmph.”  

“What’s wrong?”  

“Nothing. Sora-nii… how do you know her?”  

Her expression was intense. It reminded me of how she’d acted when we first arrived in this world.  

“We’re not close or anything. She’s just a classmate.”  

“You seemed pretty friendly, though.”  

“Oh, well, Old Me apparently confessed to her.”  

“Wait, what?!”  

“Haha, crazy, right? When she tried to respond, ‘I’ had already switched out with this version of me.”  

It sounded insane when I said it out loud, but it was the truth. Scary, huh?  

“Does the current Sora-nii… still like ‘that kind’ of girl?”  

“Hm? I mean, Natsuki does seem super popular, but…”  

Akari might not fully feel like my sister yet, but she was.  

So—maybe it was okay to open up a bit more.  

Even if it was something that was considered “weird” in this world.  

I think we’d built that kind of relationship.  

“Honestly, I don’t really go for cool girls. Not that there’s anything wrong with them.”  

“!!”  

“To me, Natsuki’s just a handsome girl, that’s all.”  

“…I see.”  

“Yep. Anyway, it’s about time to grab lunch. Let’s go.”  

“Mm!”  

Ah, there was the Akari I knew.  

This was what I’d been missing.  

Now that she was back to herself, it was time for lunch—  

“Huh?”  

A voice called out from behind us.  

Ever heard of déjà vu? Please, spare me this time!  

“Huh?”  

“Huh?”  

Wait, there were multiple voices this time.  

Did Natsuki just split into clones? No, of course not.  

I didn’t recognize these voices…  

“Who… are you?”  

“…”  

When I turned around, I saw three girls. They looked like middle schoolers.  

…Oh. Was this what I thought it was?  

“Heheh, those are my clubmates, Sora-nii.”  

“Ah, figured as much. Nice to meet you!”  

“…” (Quiet nods from all three of them.)  

They all turned away from me.  

…Could I cry now?  

“Um, Akari, can we talk for a sec?”  

“Huh? What is it?”  

Avoiding looking at me, they whispered something to Akari.  

It was as if I were a dangerous object—nitroglycerin or something.  

…Seriously, could I cry now?  

Also, why did Akari look so smug?  

Better than her being moody, I guess.  

“C’mon, this way.”  

“Alright, fine. Sora-nii, wait here for a bit, okay?”  

“Sure thing (dying inside).”  

With that, Akari nodded and followed her friends toward the back of the food stall area.  

Getting the cold shoulder from younger girls was rough.  

I guess I’d drown my sorrows in some overpriced soda.  

☆

“Akari, you’ve always talked trash about your brother!”  

“You called him an inconsiderate trash heap!”  

“And what’s the deal with that swimsuit?!”  

“You told us your urgent plans were… going to the pool with him?!”  

“Your brother’s so hot it’s unfair!”  

“Totally jealous!!”  

“And your brother wasn’t like that before, right?!”  

“You two were so close!”  

“Totally jealous!!”  

At the back of the food stall area, her friends immediately bombarded Akari with questions.  

“…Hehe.”  

“What’s with that look!?”  

“This little…!”  

“Totally jealous!!”  

“Sora-nii’s changed a lot recently. That’s why he’s like that now.”  

“Huh?!” (In unison.)  

“You don’t have to believe me. Anyway, can I leave now?”  

They’d find out sooner or later.  

Running into Sora-nii in his swimsuit was pure luck for them.  

“Ugh, give us back this moment, you idiot!”  

“Whatever.”  

“What’s with the whole ‘he’s different now’ thing? Are you so close with him?”  

“…Yep ♪.”  

“Aaaaagh!!”  

“Totally jealous!!”  

One asked questions while the other two just shouted.  

Since we were still at the pool, at least they kept their voices down.  

“It doesn’t even feel like you’re siblings anymore!”  

“…Really?”  

“You’re more like a couple!”  

“…Hehe, you think so?”  

“Totally jealous!!”  

“That’s all you’ve been saying!”  

A couple, huh?  

Was that how people saw us? That made me… happy.  

[There’s no way I’d hang out alone this late.]  

[Ah, I went to a friend’s house after that.]  

But then, I remembered.  

When Sora-nii came home late that night with that faint perfume smell lingering on him.  

[It was something active, like sports. Bowling or something.]  

He’d only gone out to buy a swimsuit, but somehow, he came back late.  

Old Sora-nii hated physical activity—and none of his friends would invite him to do that kind of thing.  

“…”  

“Akari?”  

A feeling of unease crept in.  

But I couldn’t bring myself to ask him directly.  

I was scared.  

Whatever Sora-nii was hiding… I was afraid of what it might be.  

“There’s no way… he has someone.”  

The words left my mouth before I realized it.  

Even I was surprised by how cold my voice sounded.  

It was much, much colder than when we ran into Natsuki.  

“Huh?” (In unison.)  

“Sorry, I have to go. Sora-nii’s waiting for me. See you at practice.”  

“Ah… okay. See you!”  

I ran back to where Sora-nii was waiting.  

Back to just the two of us, enjoying this fun day at the pool.  

“Sora-nii is… mine.”  

My muttered words dissolved into the hustle and bustle of the pool. But the dark cloud in my chest refused to fade…