Chapter 35: Inescapable Situation
“Nn… almost…”
“Almost?”
“—!?”
Since she had clearly noticed me, I reacted to the words she muttered—and for some reason, Shirayuki-san suddenly jolted and froze.
The moment I spoke to her, she seemed to have hurriedly hidden something under the futon, because the blanket from her chest down to around her waist was rising in an oddly unnatural shape.
What in the world is she hiding…?
“E-Eito-sama…!? Since when have you been standing there…!?”
After a pause of a few seconds, Shirayuki-san finally restarted, her eyes widen as if she were seeing something unbelievable as she looked up at me.
“Huh? I thought you noticed me since you were calling my name… I just came back because I forgot my wallet.”
“I-I see. Of course, I noticed your footsteps, you know?”
For some reason, Shirayuki-san’s face turned bright red, sweat forming as she let out a small, awkward grin.
Umm… why is she so flustered?
Besides, if she already noticed me, isn’t it strange that she looked surprised?
—That’s what I was wondering, when a certain thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Last night, she didn’t sleep at all and kept recording.
Her age is the same as mine, and while her demeanor is cool and somewhat mature, she has a young appearance, so she may have come down with a fever.
What’s more, she had been continuously subjected to the unfamiliar sight of her master losing composure for such a long time…
“Are you okay?”
Suddenly feeling worried about Shirayuki-san, I reached toward her head, even though she wouldn’t come out from under the futon.
“Ah—w-wait—if you touch me right now…!”
For some reason she panicked, but I ignored it and touched her forehead.
She might have a fever.
Her face was flushed bright red, so her body temperature was probably up.
But… what bothered me more was how, the moment I touched her, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
Even now, she kept them closed while trembling slightly.
“You don’t have to be so scared. I wouldn’t hit you or anything.”
I figured perhaps she had been hit before, which is why she flinched and closed her eyes when my hand went toward her head. Thinking this, I gently stroked her hair to reassure her.
Then—
“D-don’t…! Nn…!!”
—Shirayuki-san’s body suddenly shudders violently.
“Eh…?”
For an instant, not knowing what had happened, I froze.
“Nyo-nyothing’s wrong…”
Breathing unevenly, Shirayuki-san said that with moist, glossy eyes before I could say anything.
But the face that was usually sharp and composed was now slightly and sloppily relaxed.
“Well… but…”
“Nothing… it’s nothing at all… please don’t worry about it… and also, please don’t touch me…”
Maybe because my hand was still on her, it seemed she didn’t like it.
She may look young, but casually patting a girl’s head probably wasn’t the best idea.
Still… even so… what was with that reaction just now…?
“You’ll… be late for school, you know…? Please go quickly…”
While I still stood frozen, Shirayuki-san, looking somewhat pained, urged me to leave for school.
She seemed tired…
“Are you feeling sick…?”
“That’s not it… this is, um… something that will go away once I sleep…”
“You are saying sleeping will fix it… If you feel lonely being by yourself, I can skip school too…”
“Please stop… don’t push me any more than this…”
“Eh?”
Pushing her?
I wasn’t trying to force anything on her…
Just as I was wondering about it, Shirayuki-san suddenly wore a startled expression.
“R-right now… if Emera-sama doesn’t have Eito-sama by her side, she’ll get jealous. And I’ll be the one who ends up suffering for it, so please hurry and go…”
“Ah, well… that’s true. But if I tell her, I feel like the current Emera would actually listen to me…”
If anything, at this point Emera is so obedient that if I just told her, “Don’t you dare do anything to Shirayuki-san,” she probably wouldn’t.
“Please, just go already…!”
While thinking maybe I should stay behind after all, Shirayuki-san suddenly started getting impatient.
It was as if she wanted me to leave immediately and didn’t want me around at all.
She was fidgeting under the futon, but… she really does look like she’s not feeling well, doesn’t she…?
That’s what I was thinking when—
“Eito… that’s enough, hurry up…”
—it wasn’t Hina or Emera, but Furei who came to call for me.
“Why is Furei here…?”
I couldn’t hide my surprise that someone as lazy as her actually came herself.
Normally, instead of coming personally, this girl would definitely send someone else; if it’s not Emera, it’d be Hina, or perhaps a driver or a maid.
And the moment Furei appeared, Shirayuki-san, who had been lying in the futon, awkwardly pulled the covers over her head and disappeared underneath them.
Isn’t she hiding, instead of escaping…?
“Not really… I just thought… it’d be better if I came myself… that’s all… Hurry…”
“Wai—don’t pull me…! Shirayuki-san might be feeling unwell…!”
“Eito is misunderstanding… that girl is fine…”
“No, based on what…!?”
“It’s Eito’s fault… so having you here is bad for her…”
Although I protested, Furei, who is unusually persistent, kept pulling my arm and dragged me toward the car.
For the record, her physical strength was extremely weak, so it’s still a complete mystery how she managed to beat Pochi.
Also… something large and incredibly soft was pressing against my arm.
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.