Chapter 23 End Meeting the Shijou Sisters on the Way to College in the Morning

Meeting the Shijou Sisters on the Way to College in the Morning

One morning the following week.

“Hmm, I’m still a little tired today….”

I walked to the university with my arms wrapped around me. Actually, I’ve been working part-time almost every day lately.

I quit the club, so I thought I’d save up as much money as I could while I had some free time, so I took a lot of high-paying part-time jobs… but I guess I’ve been working too much lately….

I’m getting tired, so I’m going to stay home and take it easy this week.

“Ah! Good morning, Senpai!”

“Ah, good morning, Sawashiro-kun.”

“Hmm?”

While I was thinking about that, I was suddenly called out from behind. Wondering who it was, I turned around to see Shijou-san and Akane-chan standing next to each other.

“Ah, Shijou-san and Akane-chan. Yes, good morning. So you two are going to college together today?”

“Yes, we are. For the first time in a long time, Akane didn’t oversleep today, so we went to college together.”

“Hey, hey, Nee-chan! Don’t say such uncool things to Senpai!”

“Fufufu, if you don’t want me to say that to Sawashiro-kun, then wake up earlier from now on, okay?”

“What!? Ugh, ugh… such a thing….”

Shijou-san and Akane-chan played with each other like sisters.

“Hahaha, I see. Still, Shijou-san and Akane-chan have a really good relationship. I’m jealous of how close you two are.”

“Fufufu, that’s right. We are really good sisters, right?”

“Yes, yes, we are! Because we have the same likes and dislikes!”

“Wow, even your likes and dislikes are the same? That’s amazing. But it must be hard when there’s only one thing you both like. Do you end up fighting over it?”

“No, we would never do that. Fufufu, because if there’s only one thing we like… we’ve always decided since we were kids that as sisters we would get along and share that thing.”

“Yes, yes. That’s why we never fight. We get along and keep the things we like together…and on the other hand, we decided that if there’s something we don’t like, we’ll get rid of it together!”

“Wow, it’s amazing that you two share your likes and dislikes so thoroughly. But anyway, is there anything that Shijou-san and Akane-chan like that much?”

“Eh? Well… Fufufu, it’s a secret.”

“Yes, yes, it’s true. It’s a maiden’s secret. So I can’t tell you yet.”

When I asked, Shijou-san and Akane-chan laughed and avoided the question.

Well, it does bother me a little if it’s kept a secret, but I think it’s bad manners to ask about such things, so I try not to force myself to ask.

“Hahaha, it’s certainly not a good thing to try to ask a girl’s secret. Then let’s talk about something else. Oh, that’s right. By the way, last Friday you went to a club to drink after a long time, right? Did you like drinking in a club after a long time?”

“…Eh?”

So I decided to bring up a completely different topic with a smile on my face. But….

“Ah, yes, that’s it. Well, actually… Kusumi-kun and Narumi-kun, those two… They’re currently suspended. And it looks like they’re going to quit voluntarily. That’s why all the drinking parties in the club have suddenly been canceled.”

“Eh…what!? Those two are suspended!? And they might even quit… What the hell happened?”

“Umm, sorry, Sawashiro-kun… There’s a gag order from the university, so I definitely can’t tell you the details of what happened….”

“I, I see… I see….”

A gag order from school would only happen if you did something really bad. Have those guys done anything dangerous?

“Umm, well, that makes me really curious… But if there’s a gag order from the university, then I shouldn’t ask about it at all. Yeah, I get it. I’ll let the story end there.”

It was a really curious topic, but I felt uncomfortable asking further about it, so I decided not to ask.

“Yes, thank you very much for your thoughtfulness, Senpai…Oh, that’s right! Then let’s talk about something fun!”

“Yes? Fun stuff?”

“Yes! Senpai, I’ve actually decided to move into the student apartment where Senpai lives!”

“Oh, really? Yeah, that’s definitely fun news! Wait? But it’s not like Akane-chan lives that far from the university, right? So why would you go to the trouble of moving into an apartment?”

My parents’ house is in the countryside, so I moved to a college dorm, but Akane-chan is supposed to live in Tokyo normally, right?

So I guess there’s no reason for her to move all the way to a student apartment?

“Yes, it’s true that it’s about an hour by train from my parents’ house to the university, but I wanted to study harder from now on, so I asked my parents directly if I could rent an apartment near the university and commute from there! That way, I could use all my commute time to study!”

“Ah, I see. That’s a good reason to study hard. Well, in that case, keep studying hard!”

“Yes, thank you; I’ll continue to do my best!”

It seems that Akane-chan really wanted to study harder from now on, so she asked her parents. Well, it’s true that her grades at the university are amazing as well. So I could understand why she wanted to study harder.

“But your parents were very lenient about letting a girl live alone, weren’t they? Didn’t your parents object to you living alone?”

“Eh? Ah, no… Actually, like you said, my parents told me at first that they would never allow a girl to live alone. But I kept asking them, and they said they would only allow it if I shared a room with Nee-chan in a student apartment!”

“Oh, really? Wait, so… does that mean Shijou-san will be living in the apartment with you too?”

“Yes, I was impressed by Akane’s determination to study hard, so I agreed to share an apartment with her. Then, when I was looking for an apartment, the room next to Sawashiro-kun’s became available, so I signed a contract for it.”

“Eh? The room next to mine? Oh, that reminds me….”

By the way, the person who lived in the room next to mine recently moved away somewhere, so the room was vacant.

The room next to mine is a corner room and a little bigger than the others. So the rent is a bit higher.

Well, the size of the room shouldn’t be a problem for the two sisters to share.

(…Eh? But now that I think about it, why did the previous occupant suddenly move out?)

I just remembered that the student living next door was still a second-year student. He shouldn’t have graduated from college yet. Come to think of it, why did he move in halfway?

“…Senpai? Is something wrong?”

“What’s wrong, Sawashiro-kun?”

“Eh? Ah, ah, no, nothing.”

While I was thinking about it, Shijou-san and Akane-chan suddenly looked at me with puzzled expressions.

(Well, there’s no point in thinking about it, so I don’t have to worry about it.)

So I decided to stop thinking about my ex-neighbor. I guess he went back to his parents’ house for family reasons or something.

“But it’s great that Shijou-san and Akane-chan are moving in, so we should do something to celebrate! Ah, then when you move in, I’ll take you two out to dinner to celebrate!”

“What? Really? That would make me so happy!”

“Eh? Is that okay, Sawashiro-kun? But wouldn’t it be too much trouble for Sawashiro-kun?”

“Hahaha, it’s no trouble at all! I mean, you two are dear friends of mine, so let me treat you to a meal!”

“Senpai….”

“Sawashiro-kun….”

As I said this with a smile, both Shijou-san and Akane-chan stared at me with a kind of dreamy look in their eyes. Hmm, did I say something strange?

“…? Well, never mind. So, do you two want to eat? If you want to eat, I’ll look up some good restaurants first.”

“Hmm, well… something we want to eat….”

“Oh, yes, yes! Then I… want to eat Senpai’s cooking!”

“Eh? My cooking?”

“Oh, I see! That’s a good idea! Yes, Sawashiro-kun’s cooking is very tasty!”

“Yeah, I think so too, Nee-chan! Senpai always makes all kinds of delicious things for our barbecues!”

Suddenly, Akane-chan said she wanted to eat my cooking. And Shijou-san agreed with her, looking happy.

“N-no, I’m really happy that you said that… but I have no place to cook for you two….”

“Hahaha, there’s a perfect place. You can use our room!”

“Yes, yes, that’s right! We’ll move into the room next to yours, so you can use it as much as you want.”

“Eh? No, no, I mean, I think it’s bad for a guy to go into a girl’s room….”

“No, no, it’s okay. I mean, Sawashiro-kun said something like that before. But that was about it being bad for a guy and a girl to be alone in a closed room, right? But this time the situation is completely different, right?”

“Eh? Ah, well, that’s true?”

“Isn’t that true? So Sawashiro-kun has nothing to worry about. Since we live together as sisters, there’s no way we’ll get into a situation where a guy and a girl are alone. In that case, it won’t be the bad situation Sawashiro-kun is worried about, right?”

“I-I see… Yeah, well, you might be right, Shijou-san.”

When Shijou-san said that, I was a little convinced. Well, it’s true that as long as it’s not a room where a guy and a girl are alone, then it’s okay, right?

“Yes, I understand. Well, as a housewarming celebration, I’ll serve Shijou-san and Akane-chan home-cooked food in your room. Ah, but I’m a little reluctant to cook in someone else’s kitchen, so I’ll cook in my own room. Is it okay if I deliver the finished dishes to your room?”

“Yes, that’s no problem! In fact, I would prefer that since we don’t have any cooking utensils in our kitchen yet.”

“Okay, I get it. Let’s celebrate the move that way. By the way, when are you planning on moving? If you need any heavy lifting or anything related to the move, I’ll help you out.”

“What? Really? Yes, that would be a big help! Then, as soon as the moving date and details are set, I’ll let you know again on LIME!”

“Okay! If you let me know the date in advance, I’ll make sure I don’t schedule any part-time work, so let me know as soon as you have the details.”

“Yes, okay. Then please help us move. And of course, let’s have fun together at the housewarming party!”

“Yeah, right! Fufufu, I’m really looking forward to it!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m looking forward to it too! I’ll wait for LIME to give me the details!”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Okay, I got it!”

So it was decided that I’d help Shijou-san and Akane-chan move in and have a housewarming party. I’m really looking forward to the party with Shijou-san and Akane-chan.

““Fufufu….””

“Eh? What’s wrong? Both of you?”

At that moment, Shijou-san and Akane-chan suddenly had a cryptic smile on their faces. It looked like a different smile than usual, so I asked them in a puzzled tone. But….

“Yes? No, it’s nothing, Sawashiro-kun?”

“Yes, it’s nothing, Senpai?”

“Eh? Really? Well, if that’s the case, that’s fine.”

But Shijou-san and Akane-chan both said it was nothing. Well, if that’s what they say, then I guess I don’t have to worry about it.

(Okay, then I’d better pull myself together… I have to start thinking about a delicious menu for the housewarming party!)

So I pulled myself together and decided in my mind that I would make delicious home-cooked food for Shijou-san and Akane-chan.

And then, as usual, the three of us went to the university we attended and chatted happily together.

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“Fufu—fufufu I won’t let go now, Sawashiro-kun….”

“Fufu—fufufu I won’t let you go anywhere, Senpai….”

Part 1: End

Bonus: Fufufu… Good Night…

One Saturday.

“Okay, let’s work hard together today to unpack the moving boxes!”

“Yes, thank you! Let’s work hard together!”

“Okay!”

Today is finally the day that the Shijou sisters are moving. So today, I’m going to do my best to help them move.

By the way, the younger sister, Akane-chan, seems to be cleaning up her parents’ house, so Shijou-san and I will be the ones unpacking the moving boxes today.

“So, what should I do first? I’ll prioritize tasks like carrying heavy things.”

“Yes, thank you! Well, first of all, could you please leave all the cardboard piled up here in Akane’s room? I think there are some heavy things inside, so please be careful when carrying them.”

“Understood. If we put them in Akanechan’s room, does that mean that all these boxes belong to Akane-chan? And if some of them are heavy, does that mean there are some pretty valuable things inside?”

There were quite a few boxes stacked where Shijou-san pointed. I was a little curious about what was inside, so I asked.

“Yes, that’s right. The contents of these boxes are all the electronic products that Akane uses at the university. Computers, printers, etc., and also some handicrafts she made herself. Well, there are a lot of things like that in these boxes.”

“Ah, I see. As expected from the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Okay, I get it. It looks like there’s some precision equipment in there too, so I’ll carry it carefully.”

“Yes, thank you!”

Since Akane-chan is in the Faculty of Science and Technology, the contents of these boxes seem to contain a lot of tools for use there.

(Hahaha, Akane-chan’s desire to study hard seems real.)

While I was thinking about that, I carefully and slowly carried the boxes piled up in the living room, one by one, to Akane-chan’s room.

But the contents of the boxes were heavier than I expected, so it took quite a while to get everything into her room.

“Phew, it took a while, but I got all the boxes into Akane-chan’s room. What should I do next?”

“Thanks! Umm, next is… Ah, then could you please open all the small boxes over here? They all contain dishes, so you can open them.”

“Yes, okay. I’ll open them now.”

With that, I opened the boxes that Shijou-san told me to open. Then, just as she said, the dishes came out.

“Is it okay to put all this in the cupboard in the kitchen? If so, can I put it in the cupboard for you? Shijou-san is busy unpacking other things, right?”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. In that case, I’m sorry to bother you, but could you take them to the kitchen?”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll take care of it.”

So I started helping with the move under Shijou-san’s direction. And not long after that….

“Phew. Is everything unpacked now?”

“Yes, everything is done! Thank you so much! Oh, then I’ll make some tea to thank Sawashiro-kun. And there are some cookies that Akane made for us. So let’s eat them and take a little break.”

“Oh, really? I’m glad to hear that. Well, I’ll take your word for it and take a little break.”

“Yeah, okay!”

With that, Shijou-san went to the kitchen with a big smile on her face. And a few minutes later.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here’s my special tea and Akane’s special homemade cookies. I’d be happy if you could tell me what you think of the taste.”

“Yes, I understand. Then I’ll take them right away!”

“Yes, please enjoy!”

I drank the tea Shijou-san made for me right away and also ate some of Akane-chan’s homemade cookies.

“Munch munch… Eh! It’s so delicious! The tea and cookies are so good!”

“Really? Fufufu, that’s good! Then there’s plenty more tea and cookies, so please keep eating!”

“Yes, thank you! Don’t hesitate!”

Then Shijou-san brought more tea and more cookies with a happy smile on her face.

So I took advantage of Shijou-san’s kindness and ate more and more of the tea and cookies she brought me. But soon after that….

“Eh… Huh… What’s this…? I feel so sleepy….”

“What’s wrong, Sawashiro-kun?”

“Eh? Ah, well… I’m starting to feel a little sleepy… Eh, huh….”

“Eh, really? Ah, maybe you’re tired from helping with the move today? You know, you carried a lot of heavy stuff today, right?”

“Ah, uh, yeah… Maybe… That’s right… Maybe… I guess… Suh….”

“Eh? Sawashiro-kun? Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Suh… Suh… Suh….”

Before I knew it… I fell asleep.

“Fufufu. Good night… Sawashiro-kun….”

After a while.

“…Sigh!”

I woke up. Of course, it was the living room of Shijou-san’s house. The sky outside the window was orange, so it was probably evening.

And there was a blanket draped over my body. Shijou-san must’ve done it for me.

“Ah, good morning, Sawashiro-kun.”

“Eh? Ah, good morning, Shijou-san. Um, well, maybe… I was sound asleep?”

“Yes, you were. Fufufu, you slept like a baby, you know?”

“I, I see. Eh no, that’s a little embarrassing….”

It seems that I was fast asleep and looked very comfortable. It’s embarrassing to think that Shijou-san saw me like that.

“Fufufu, that’s okay. I mean, Sawashiro-kun worked really hard to help me move so that you would get tired and fall asleep, right? That’s why I’m so grateful to you. Thank you for doing all the hard work for me.”

“I-I see. Yeah, well, that’s okay.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right. Ah, that’s right! By the way, Sawashiro-kun… You left your door unlocked, didn’t you?”

“What… Eh?! Really?!”

“Yes, really. After Sawashiro-kun fell asleep, I was worried about whether his room was locked properly, so I went to his room. I was shocked to see that it was unlocked.”

“What?! W-what… I have to hurry and lock the door…!”

When Shijou-san told me that, I panicked. Anyone would panic if they were told that their room was unlocked. But….

“Oh, don’t worry so much. I noticed that the door was unlocked, so I borrowed the key from Sawashiro-kun’s pocket and locked your room right away.”

“Really?! That’s really a big help! I’m sorry for the trouble!”

“Fufufu, don’t worry about it. I mean, I’m the one who touched Sawashiro-kun’s sleeping body so many times… So I’m really sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable by touching you so much….”

“Eh?! No, I don’t think so! Thanks Shijou-san!”

“Oh, I’ll give you the key back. Here it is.”

“Yes, thank you!”

And with that, I got the key back from Shijou-san.

“Okay, I’ve stayed here too long, so I’ll go back to my room now. I’m also looking forward to the housewarming party next week!”

“Fufufu, you’re right! Then the three of us will have fun together next week, including Akane!”

“Okay, I get it. Well, thanks for the tea and cookies today. They were really delicious. See you at college.”

“Yeah, thanks. See you later… Fufufu.”

With that, I left Shijou-san’s room and went back to my room next door.

—Click!

So I immediately opened the door and tried to go into my room, but then….

“Hmm? I smell something sweet.”

But as soon as I entered the front door, I smelled a faint, sweet smell. Could it be… the smell of perfume?

“Hmmm… Oh, that’s right! Now that I think about it, Shijou-san locked my room today.”

Shijo-san probably opened the door to my room once to check if it was locked and then went right in. So the sweet smell I smelled coming from my room was probably Shijou-san’s perfume.

“Yes, then there’s nothing strange about this sweet smell.”

With that conclusion, I went back to the living room without worrying about anything. And then I yawned loudly.

“Huh, ah… Hmm, but why am I so sleepy today? I was sure I was asleep just now….”

For some reason, today was a day where I just couldn’t stop feeling sleepy. Shijou-san said it earlier, but maybe I’m more tired today than I thought…. 

“Sigh… I guess I’ll just go to sleep earlier for now….”

So I quickly put on my pajamas and went to bed. I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m going to sleep really well tonight….

“Phew… then… good night… snooze… snooze….”

I mumbled these words and quickly fell into a light sleep.

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“Fufufu, good night… my Sawashiro-kun….♡”