r18novel Page 197
Page 197
"Yes!" An and Subaru counted as instructed, inwardly wondering what was going on with these two.
"Like this, I'm close to Taro again, and I can definitely feel it." Hina's expression didn't change, and she smiled very easily, while doing push-ups perfectly.
"5, 6..." An and Subaru counted down while internally thinking: [This is definitely a confession, right...?]
"..." Taro didn't know how to respond to her, but there was one thing. Taro realized something was wrong with Hina.
He wasn't the type to keep quiet, so he spoke up directly: "Hey, what's wrong with you?"
"Why do you ask that?" Hina asked curiously, her hands moving steadily and precisely without stopping.
"..." Taro didn't know how to answer, after all, it was just something he sensed that was unusual.
“32, 33…” An and Subaru counted quietly, peeking out from time to time. People were coming and going, but with the shade of the trees, they were not noticed by others.
To be honest, she was really relieved. If this had been discovered, things would have been very serious.
Hina stopped talking, and her smile faded.
"99...100!" With An and Subaru counting, Hina's punishment game ended, and Taro walked down calmly.
"Well then, I'll be going now, bye-bye." Hina stood up and left as if she were fleeing.
Taro stared at Hina's retreating figure, slightly taken aback: "My coat...?"
An and Subaru exploded their heads with both hands, their faces contorted in pain. This shouldn't be their concern right now!
#25 Glacial Twins and Orcs
Run away, run away, run away.
Hina told herself this, and her legs ran away as fast as if they were powered by a motor.
I don't know how much time has passed, how far I've run, or where I've ended up.
"Huff...huff..." Hina leaned against the tree trunk, panting heavily: "Oops, I ran a little too far."
Hina's face was as red-hot as a piece of iron, perhaps from exercise, or perhaps from shyness.
She didn't know why, but she hadn't felt tired even after doing a hundred push-ups with someone on her back, but now she really felt it...
What's wrong with me? She touched her cheeks... They were burning hot.
Although she had never really cared about those things, it was still something she couldn't bring herself to invite Taro to ride on her back.
Upon closer reflection, I realize that I've been acting impulsively lately, often doing things I wouldn't have done before.
"I... I seem to be acting strange." Hina's eyes were full of confusion. She had to, she really had to talk to someone about it.
Taro...? No, he's the one involved; I just can't bring myself to say it. I knew it... it's her older sister...
Hina couldn't help but smile when she thought of that face; her sister's words would definitely be able to help her.
She recalled the path she had run from and ran back once more.
Hina returned home smoothly, and then ran into her sister's room.
At this time, my sister should be practicing guitar in her room.
"Sister~"
Hina burst open the door, eager to tell her sister about her confusion.
As Hina had expected, her older sister was indeed in her own room. However, this also surprised Hina-san (four) Phosphorus Neon Japanese Silk Eight-Sided—
My sister wasn't playing the guitar; instead, she was looking down at a photograph.
Hina remembered that photo. It was taken on a summer day when they were still high school students. It was a photo of them finally managing to get Taro to go to the island together.
It was a group photo of the three of us: myself, Taro, and my older sister. It was one of the very few photos of myself and my sister together, but not standing side by side.
In that photo, she was standing on tiptoe with her hand on Taro's shoulder, while her older sister awkwardly held Taro's wrist.
That photo truly captured many wonderful memories. Hina cherished those memories greatly.
But that's not the point. The point is... her tears fell silently, hitting the glass of the photo frame and splashing into tiny droplets.
Her fingers gripped the image of herself in the photograph tightly, like drops of water splashing down.
Hearing his own call, he panicked and put away the photo frame, turning his head away and demanding sharply, "Hina, why didn't you knock again?"
The older sister quickly pulled out a few tissues and wiped her face.
“Sister…?” Hina leaned against the door frame, looking at Saya with a complicated expression.
"Hina, what's wrong?" Saya tried her best to remain calm, but her reddened eyes said it all.
"As expected... Sister likes Taro too, doesn't she?" Hina walked in timidly. She only felt this way in front of her sister.
Her older sister is the most special person... Hina still thinks so, and she walks step by step toward her older sister.
That was her one and only older sister.
For some reason, Hina seemed to hear the sound of a string snapping.
But none of that mattered to her; what mattered was her sister's slightly red and swollen eyes.
"Sister...why didn't you tell me? Sister also likes Taro."
"No! You've misunderstood!" Hikawa Sayo's face could no longer maintain its usual calm, showing a hint of panic, her eyes trembling in their sockets.
We have to think of a way, we have to think of some way... we have to find a way to get through this.
As Saya's mind raced, a sudden inspiration struck her, and she blurted out in a panic:
"Oh...right, those are tears of joy." She explained somewhat reluctantly, "When I saw this photo, it reminded me of that trip, and I was so happy, so..."
"Your sister is really bad at lying..." Hina gently grasped Saya's soft, boneless hand, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Saya:
"Sister...can you tell me why you didn't tell me? About your feelings for Taro."
Upon hearing Hina's question, the string of reason in Saya's mind seemed to snap instantly.
The tears she had just wiped away welled up again, and as if she had lost her mind, she angrily shouted, "What good will it do to tell others! Is it something to be proud of to tell others that you and your sister like the same person?"
"Then, is your sister going to give up?" Hina looked directly into her sister's eyes without offering any opinion on what her sister had said.
Saya covered her face in anguish, sobbing as she said:
"There's no other way, is there? Hina is my one and only little sister, I can't bear to see you suffer... So, I have no choice but to give up, right?"
"Although I was happy with what my sister said, I was also a little unhappy."
Hina's voice was unusually gentle as she softly embraced Saya's remarkably supple body and whispered:
"I keep feeling a gurgling, rustling sound..." Hina gently stroked her sister's hair, looking thoughtful.
Saya, nestled in Hina's arms, slightly raised her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes, and asked, "You mean, you're a little annoyed?"
"Yes, yes, that's it." Hina was completely unaware of what she had said, and just kept smiling, happy that her sister had understood her meaning.
"My sister's arrogance really annoys me!" The girl said, hands on her hips, her tone as cheerful as ever.
"It's like how my sister can win anytime she wants."
“Hina…?” Saya looked at her younger sister with a complicated expression.
The girl's eyes seemed to sparkle like stars, filled with emotions that Saya couldn't decipher. She said nonchalantly:
"I don't want my sister to give up." The girl's still warm hand tightly grasped Saya's already icy palm.
"Giving up without doing anything will definitely lead to regret someday. I don't want my sister to have any regrets."
"So, sister, go ahead and pursue your own happiness without worry."
"Is it okay...?" Sayo Yu looked up with tears in her eyes and asked softly, "Hina might regret it because of this, you know?"
"Hmm." Hina shook her head slightly and said softly, "I won't regret my decision."
Hina gently released Saya's hand, placed her hands on Saya's shoulders, and said softly, "Besides, even if I regret it myself, I don't want my sister to regret it."
Unseen by Saya, Hina's eyes flashed with a faint red light as she silently murmured to herself:
Besides, even if I regret it, it doesn't mean I won't have a chance to change my mind.
Her thoughts drifted to the scene after her sister's wedding, when she secretly slipped into the room... and her face flushed slightly.
But for some reason, Hina's heart was constantly struggling with the thought that this was wrong, this was wrong—
Her head was throbbing, but she still wore a carefree smile and didn't show the slightest sign of anything amiss.
“Speaking of which…” Saya composed herself slightly and asked sharply, “Hina, what’s the story with your coat?”
"Huh?" Hina casually released Saya, hugged her coat to her chest, and feigned ignorance, asking, "What's going on?"
"This is clearly Mr. Momoi's stuff, why did he bring it home? Also, what's with the footprints on it?"
"Who knows~" Hina hid her coat behind her back and said with a smile, "You have to keep it a secret from your older sister~"
Now that my sister is also involved, it seems I can no longer confide my confusion to her.
A flicker of doubt crossed Hina's eyes, but she eventually returned to her usual carefree and playful self.
————————————————————
In an unknown forest, a monster with a white head and a blue body let out a ferocious laugh:
"Hahaha, very good, very good, that's it, that's the kind of girl I like who's gloomy and shady."
He clapped his hands, his smile growing increasingly sinister: "That's it! A sensational story generates buzz, buzz generates discussion, and more, more—"
He had eight... no, six arms on his back. They were arranged like wings on his back, two of which had become mangled limbs.
There was a pile of origami cranes and a severed arm on the ground. When he excitedly stood up, he accidentally stepped on the blue arm.
He instantly flew into a rage, suddenly opening his mouth to shout a loud curse: "Damn the Dong royal family—they ruined my arm—"
The man in front of me is called Clown... oh no, I mean Kakimoto Hirokazu. As you can see, he is a crane-beastman.
His eight arms gave him the ability to weave destiny, and Hina's strange behavior was also influenced by him.
Of course, such powerful abilities naturally come with a small side effect: once someone breaks free from the fate he has woven, the arm he uses to manipulate it will be severed.
His two severed arms were either broken off by a five-letter pharaoh from Egypt who had escaped the loom of fate and then blown off.