Chapter 44: A Girl Who Can’t Be Honest
“E-Even Koori-chan is wearing Onii-chan’s clothes too…!? Hah…! Onii-chan is building a harem inside the house…!”
“Hm…?”
While I was still shaken by Shirayuki-san’s unexpected appearance, I heard a faint click.
When I looked back, Hina’s bedroom door was now completely shut.
It seemed I’d ended up creating yet another misunderstanding.
…Though whether it was really a misunderstanding was questionable…
“She says that, but she’s enjoying it…”
And right in front of me, Emera was pursing her lips in displeasure, narrowing her eyes as she stared at Shirayuki-san.
In response, Shirayuki-san—
“I-I am not enjoying this at all…! I was dragged into it and had a terrible time…!”
—denied it in a flustered, agitated manner, her face still flushed red.
Well… yeah. From how it sounded in the video, it seemed like Furei and I had put her through a lot together…
From her perspective, she was only supposed to be watching and filming, so this must have been a completely unexpected disaster.
Since this was all Furei’s fault, it’d be a problem if the blame were pinned on me.
“You’re really not honest.”
However, it didn’t seem like Emera was taking Shirayuki-san’s words at face value.
Her attitude had shifted a little closer to that cold demeanor from before… unexpectedly, it seemed that side of her personality hadn’t disappeared entirely.
Come to think of it, after I left her alone yesterday, she’d apparently gone back to reigning as the school’s queen like usual. Maybe if she wasn’t involved with me, she’d naturally return to how she was before?
Hmm… but how would that really play out…?
It doesn’t affect me much, but for everyone else, it would mean that the troublesome queen would keep sticking around.
Or maybe, since they were probably just as confused by Emera’s sudden change as I was, her old attitude actually felt more familiar to them?
That’s probably something only the people at school would know.
At the very least, her followers would likely prefer the old Emera.
“I-I’m not some hardcore M like you, Emera-sama…!”
Apparently displeased with Emera’s response, Shirayuki-san hurled out an outrageous remark, despite the fact that she was speaking to her master.
Seriously, compared to Maria-san or Furei, doesn’t she take Emera way too lightly?
There’s no way she’d ever say something like that if it were those two, right?
“How rude. The only one who’s allowed to be mean to me is Eito-kun. As for Furei… well, it depends on the situation, but if someone’s mean to me, it still hurts.”
Um… Emera-san?
What was that supposed to be, exactly…? A confession?
You do realize I’m standing right here, don’t you?
I almost wanted to say that out loud. Emera’s true feelings were honestly giving me a headache.
When she said “it depends on the situation,” she probably meant it was fine if she was mean to her at night, but if she was cold to her all the time, it would hurt, especially since she dotes on her little sister.
Still, even if we were at home, did she really have to say something like that out loud…?
“And if you really hated it that much, then why are you wearing Eito-kun’s clothes?”
Emera crossed her arms and looked down at Shirayuki-san again, staring straight at her.
The way she narrowed her eyes made her look irritated… um, why was she the one getting mad here?
Come to think of it, she’d left Shirayuki-san out earlier when she suggested skipping school and taking a nap together, too…
Maybe they really didn’t get along after all.
She’d boasted about her back then, but Shirayuki-san was still a follower who’d gone against her wishes, after all…
“T-That’s because my own clothes weren’t in any condition to be worn, and this was just the right size to cover myself…!”
“So you thought you could get away with wearing it if you came up with an excuse like that, and that’s why you pulled it out of the dresser, right?”
“That’s not true…! I mean, Emera-sama, you’re wearing Eito-sama’s clothes yourself, aren’t you…!?”
“That’s different. I’m his fiancée, so it’s fine.”
Perhaps realizing she was at a disadvantage, Shirayuki-san tried to change the subject by pointing out Emera’s outfit, but Emera puffed out her chest with a smug look on her face.
No… that’s really not fine at all.
I don’t think that being someone’s fiancée is some kind of all-purpose get-out-of-jail-free card.
—or so I thought, but stepping in between them while they were practically shooting sparks at each other sounded like too much trouble, so I silently grabbed Emera by the back of her collar.
Character Summary (non-official)
- Aima Eito (愛真 英斗) — A second-year high school boy and twin brother of Hina. Level-headed and cautious, he knows more about the Tenjouin sisters’ cruelty than most after being in their class last year. He tries to stay quiet and unnoticed to avoid trouble, especially from the Tenjouin sisters who despise men.
- Aima Hina (愛真 雛) — Eito’s twin sister, a tiny 148 cm girl who’s adorable, clingy, and very attached to her brother. Sweet-natured and polite, but easily frightened, especially upon learning she’s placed in the same class as the Tenjouin sisters.
- Tenjouin Emera (天上院 翠玉) — One of the school’s notorious “twin queens.” A beautiful girl with long straight hair: a single streak of her bangs is white while the rest is gold. She has heterochromia—right eye red, left eye blue, and a flat chest. Cold, arrogant, and dangerously influential thanks to her powerful, wealthy family. Devoted entirely to her sister Furei.
- Tenjouin Furei (天上院 風麗) — Emera’s twin sister, with opposite hair colors—one golden streak in her bangs, the rest pure white—and mirror-image heterochromia: right eye blue, left eye red. She has a bob cut and a voluptuous figure like a gravure idol. Quiet, expressionless, and mysterious, yet incredibly dangerous beneath her calm. Furei doesn’t care about anyone except for Emera and the girls she favors, and even then, she treasures them more like pets than equals.
- Tenjouin Maria (天上院 真莉愛) — Maria is the foster parent who took Eito and Hina in from the orphanage when they were in second grade. An unbelievably beautiful woman who looks to be in her twenties—and still insists she is in her twenties—she has striking half-gold, half-white hair parted cleanly down the middle, brilliant blue eyes, and an ample chest. Though she appears elegant and composed, Eito describes her as a “demon in human skin,” having put him through countless extreme punishments whenever he failed to meet her expectations. Yet despite her terrifying side, Maria is helplessly weak to cute things, which is why she absolutely adores Hina and has spoiled her since they were little.
- Shirayuki Koori (白雪 氷) — Shirayuki Koori serves under the Tenjouin twins. She is a petite girl with pale blue twin-tail hair and an adorable, youthful face, paired with an icy, emotionless gaze. Despite her doll-like appearance, she is a highly trained combatant raised under special training since childhood. Competitive and proud, she hates losing and becomes flustered or emotional when things don’t go her way, revealing a childish side beneath her cool exterior.
- Shirayuki Hitomi (白雪 仁美) — Koori’s mother and Maria’s loyal maid. Like Maria, she is an unbelievably beautiful woman who looks to be in her twenties despite her age. Her appearance and personality resemble Koori’s, though with greater maturity, and she possesses the uncanny ability to read people’s thoughts at a glance. Despite her gentle demeanor, she may also have sadistic tendencies, given how she smiled gracefully while “punishing” Emera, all the while calling her pitiful.