The Woman Whose Life I Saved Turned out to Be the Mother of the Popular Twin Sisters in My Class

Chapter 8 – Twin Sandwich

It has been a tough day.

It took until noon to clear up the misunderstanding from the morning, and during lunch break, I was desperately trying to escape from the Kotobuki sisters who were searching for me. And then, the afternoon class was a tough P.E. class.

Now that everything is finally finished, it’s finally after-school.

The thought that this would continue from tomorrow onwards made me really depressed. I just wanted to live a quiet life in the shadows, without attracting attention from others or being pushed around by anyone.

“Hey, Ao-kun, do you want to talk for a bit?”

“We won’t let you get away this time!”

Perhaps they had expected me to go home early, the Kotobuki sisters stood in my way, blocking my escape route.

But…

I have no intention of running away or hiding.

I have decided to end this matter today so that I can live my peaceful days again starting tomorrow.

“I’m not planning on running away. I also had things I wanted to talk to you two about.”

◇

Going outside of school is a pain, but it’s hard to find a place where we won’t be seen after-school.

There are students in all different places with all different purposes. While I was wondering what to do, I noticed that my classmates had disappeared from the classroom.

High school students seem to be busy after school, whether it’s going to club activities, part-time jobs, going out to play, or even going home.

“Inside a classroom after school, this is the perfect situation for a confession.”

“My heart is not ready yet.”

“I’m always ready.”

“Even so, I’m the one who will be confessed to.”

“What are you talking about? No matter how you look at it, it’s me.”

“No matter how you look at it, this isn’t the time for confession.”

I stopped the two who had started saying whatever they wanted.

The Kotobuki sisters pursed their lips and then turned to me once more.

They both looked at each other and bowed deeply once more.

“”Thank you so much for your help.””

Seeing the two of them like that, I let out a big sigh.

“I told you it’s not necessary. If you use words of gratitude too much, it loses its value.”

When I said that, the two hesitantly raised their heads.

Seeing them side by side like this really makes me realize once again they are twins. They look very similar even though their hairstyles and fashion are different.

“What did you want to talk to us about?”

Yuzuki asked, as if resetting the conversation. I glanced at the two of them before slowly opening my mouth.

“I don’t like to stand out.”

Neither Yuzuki nor Hikari showed any reaction to my words. However, I was sure they were properly listening, so I continued.

“If possible, I would like to spend my days without attracting attention, so that no one would even know if I was there.”

“For someone who says that, you’ve done some pretty attention-grabbing things.”

Yuzuki’s point was valid, and even though it was what I expected, I was at a loss for words.

Even though I didn’t want to stand out in the crowd, I made a move to help their mother who had collapsed.

If I really didn’t want to stand out, I could’ve just stayed out of it. That’s probably what Yuzuki was getting at.

However…

“Well, it couldn’t be helped. There were people in trouble, and I had the means to solve that problem, so I couldn’t stay still.”

In the end, that was all there was to it.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect that the scene would be filmed and posted online, causing a stir.”

That’s right.

In my mind, it was meant to end then and there. But someone, for some unknown reason, threw the video into the ocean of the internet, and things turned out the way it did.

“But what’s done is done, and I’m not here to complain about it now.”

“So, what’s this about?”

I gave a sharp look to Hikari, who tilted her head in confusion.

“Even just from today, I’ve realized that the two of you have a lot of influence. Getting involved with you is going to disrupt my peaceful life.”

“So, are you saying it’s a bother if we talk to you?”

“Are you asking us not to speak to you?”

Both of them asked seriously. There was a hint of anger in their expressions.

Well, that makes sense considering what I’m saying.

“To put it bluntly, yes, that’s what I mean…”

“No way.”

“Not happening.”

They answered immediately.

However, their reaction was within my expectation, so I wasn’t surprised or confused.

It’s not hard to understand why they would feel that way. After all, saving the life of an important family member is bound to leave a lasting impact.

However, I still can’t accept that it would go that far just because of that.

In fact, it seems that’s what’s going on in their minds.

“I figured that might be your answer. In fact, I was almost certain you’d say something like that. So, let’s talk it through from here.”

“Talk about who you’ll go out with, me or Hikari?”

“Did you listen to what I said? Go study Japanese again.”

“I was just joking.”

Apparently, Yuzuki is rather mischievous. But strangely enough, I don’t dislike it, and maybe because of that, the tension is gone and it even feels comfortable.

“I want you to refrain from talking to me in front of the classmates in the classroom as much as possible. I want to continue to be just classmates as before.”

“So you’re saying… We can talk when no one is looking?”

“That’s right.”

“…But that means we won’t have much time to talk.”

Exactly.

I usually read novels in the classroom during breaks. I wasn’t going to start moving around just to have a conversation.

“If necessary, we can arrange time after school or on weekends, outside of school.”

“So that means…”

“A date?”

I blushed slightly at their directness but nodded silently. When I looked at them, they were both standing there, mouths agape in shock.

“What’s with that reaction?”

This was one thing I hadn’t expected, and I couldn’t help but ask. Maybe I was being too self-conscious or over-confident.

“No, it was a bit surprising.”

“Honestly, we thought you found us annoying.”

So that’s what they were thinking.

I thought they could’ve been more considerate of my feelings, but then again, maybe my own actions made them think they had to push that hard just to connect with me.

“Please don’t get me wrong, but I don’t find your affection for me annoying at all.”

I scratched my head, even though it didn’t itch.

I wasn’t used to speaking like this, and my eyes wandered around aimlessly. The cool breeze against my flushed cheeks felt surprisingly nice.

“I just don’t think it’s right to suddenly start dating. I think it would be a mistake to make a decision without really knowing each other. That’s why I think we need time to get to know one another.”

I don’t know them, and they barely know me either.

Sure, I may have seemed like a cool hero who saved their family member, but that’s only a small part of me.

And it’s even possible that it’s just an illusion, painted over by fantasy.

If we started dating right away, and later they found out who I really was and lost interest, getting dumped would hurt.

Thinking about all that, I realized we needed time to understand each other better.

“How does that sound?”

I glanced at the two of them, trying to gauge their reaction.

Yuzuki and Hikari looked at each other, then turned towards me with big smiles.

“No complaints here!”

“Absolutely no objections!”

Their smiles lit up the room like flowers blooming all around us, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

Yuzuki and Hikari ran over, positioning themselves on either side of me. They leaned in close to my ears and whispered,