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Chapter 106: Are You and I ‘Kindred Spirits’?
🕑 Added 2025-02-10 04:56:34 +0000 UTC"How could I have just died like that?!"
At the break of dawn, Chisato Nishikigi jerked awake from her dreams, staring at the empty room around her in utter disbelief.
Yes.
In the sudden memories that had surfaced in her mind,
How could she have died so early?!
Shouldn't she have outlived Takina Inoue, then outlived Minami, and only THEN passed away?!
"Why did I die so soon?"
Recalling the dream—after her own passing, Takina Inoue followed soon after, and in their absence, an elderly Minami sat alone in their empty home, silently gazing at the bench where the three of them had once sat together…
Chisato Nishikigi unconsciously placed her hand over her chest.
There… a feeling of unsettled emotions had begun to pile up.
She pulled open the curtains, looking at the sky, now turning pale white with morning light.
What kind of feelings had he carried, staring at that empty home all alone?
Taking a deep breath, Chisato Nishikigi tried to steady herself.
Even though she knew that the memories surfacing in her mind were completely baseless,
They just felt way too real.
As if she had truly accompanied that young man through spring and summer, through autumn and winter.
And it made her urgently want to call Minami, just to ask about his thoughts.
However…
In the end, she didn't go through with it.
Because, compared to that idea—
"I should go for a run."
Stretching her arms with determination, she murmured to herself.
She didn't want to die early like in those memories, leaving Minami behind all alone.
So even though she had never been interested in morning runs,
She decided, from this day forward, to start taking care of her health.
"Hmm… Outdoor sportswear… Oh, found it."
Rummaging through her closet, she pulled out a red tracksuit that she had barely ever worn.
Chisato Nishikigi stroked her smooth chin thoughtfully, then instinctively glanced toward her bedroom door.
She hesitated for a moment—Should she invite Takina Inoue to come along for exercise?
Because, according to those "memories" that had suddenly surfaced in her mind—
Takina Inoue hadn't lived much longer than she had.
Just two years after Chisato's passing, Takina had followed her in death.
If she was going to exercise and maintain her health, wouldn't it be better to have Takina join her as well?
She found herself caught in a dilemma.
After about a minute of internal debate, she shook her head.
"No… never mind."
Yes. Forget it.
At the end of the day, this was just a bunch of baseless memories suddenly appearing in her head.
Even if she was eccentric, even she couldn't bring herself to say something like—
"Hey, Takina, we're going to get married to Minami-kun someday, so let's start running now to prepare for a healthy, happy future together!"
That would be way too embarrassing.
Besides, Takina had spent all of yesterday balancing 'Riko-Riko's' financial accounts.
She was probably still fast asleep right now.
And Takina wasn't the type to have a habit of waking up early for a morning run, anyway.
She should let her sleep a little longer.
With that decision made,
Chisato stopped overthinking it.
Moving quietly, she changed into her red sportswear,
Then, gently pushed open the door and stepped outside.
And then—
"Eh?"
"Eh?!"
Two surprised voices.
The first was a calm yet slightly bewildered murmur from Takina Inoue,
The second was a more shocked reaction from Chisato Nishikigi.
Because—
They had both noticed it.
Each of them was wearing outdoor sportswear.
Both of them opened their mouths slightly, but for a moment, as if sharing the same thought, they fell into silence.
But even in this silence, Chisato Nishikigi's mind was in complete turmoil—
What the hell is going on?
She stared at Takina Inoue, who had tied her hair into a single ponytail and was quietly sneaking out the door—just like herself—completely confused.
She knew Takina very well.
Her best friend and housemate never had the habit of going for morning runs.
In fact, since Takina usually stayed up late working, she would always wake up at least ten minutes later than Chisato.
But today...
Takina was up early, already dressed for a workout, as if she were planning to go out for a run...?
This...?
For some reason, a bold idea suddenly surfaced in Chisato's mind.
She felt like it was impossible.
But...
Could it be that Takina, like her, had also suddenly gained those strange, seemingly lived memories?
She raised her head and sneaked a glance at Takina.
She couldn't tell for sure.
Because honestly... could something like this even happen?
Two people sharing the same dream?
Waking up with identical new memories?
From a realistic perspective, that was completely impossible, right?
And on top of that...
Those memories were about both of them marrying the same person.
So, cautiously, Chisato decided to test the waters.
"Takina... This is rare. Are you going out for a morning run?"
"Uh..."
Faced with her best friend's question, Takina Inoue also felt a wave of panic rise in her chest.
Waking up suddenly from that dream, she had been so preoccupied with those newly surfaced memories that she had subconsciously dressed in outdoor workout clothes, intending to go for a run.
But—
She hadn't expected to run into Chisato the moment she stepped outside.
All she could do was nod.
"Yes... I just suddenly felt like going out for a run."
She then glanced at Chisato's red sportswear.
"Chisato, you too?"
The moment she said that, she immediately noticed something unusual.
The always cheerful and carefree Chisato suddenly looked a little uneasy.
She even averted her gaze slightly, and in an extremely unconvincing tone, mumbled—
"Ahaha... Yeah... something like that?"
Suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Takina knew Chisato all too well.
She knew for a fact that Chisato had a habit of staying up late watching movies.
Early mornings were not her thing.
So why the sudden change in behavior?
Takina couldn't figure it out.
But at the same time—
She had the exact same thought as Chisato.
Could it be that Chisato also...
Had suddenly gained the same memories?
Thinking about the memories in her own mind,
The usually serious and calm Takina couldn't stop a faint blush from spreading across her cheeks.
She couldn't help it.
Two people getting married... to the same person.
It was too embarrassing to even say out loud!
And yet—
She had actually woken up early just to exercise, because of those memories?
She seriously started to question if something was wrong with her brain.
But...
The memories had felt so real.
So undeniably real that she couldn't just brush them off.
Even now, the emotions from those memories still lingered.
Lost in thought, Takina absentmindedly placed a hand over her chest.
Just as she was about to say something,
Chisato—standing right in front of her—suddenly made a suggestion.
"How about... we run together?"
"...Okay."
With no real reason to refuse, and also curious about Chisato's state of mind,
Takina nodded in agreement.
Together, they stepped outside.
The morning streets of Tokyo, stripped of their usual bustling chaos, lay silent and peaceful.
One leading and one following, they ran at their own pace.
Under the early morning light, the sight of two stunning girls—one with golden hair, the other with jet-black locks—gracefully jogging down the street became a breathtaking scene.
If any Tokyo media reporters had been around,
They probably would have rushed over for an interview.
But...
For Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue,
The current atmosphere between them felt a little awkward.
They were both curious about each other's behavior.
Several times, they wanted to start a conversation.
But every time—
The words never quite made it out.
Finally—
Chisato was the first to break.
She couldn't take the awkwardness anymore.
She abruptly stopped running.
"Chisato?"
Seeing Chisato come to a sudden halt, Takina slowed down as well, looking puzzled.
"Ugh, I can't take this anymore."
Chisato Nishikigi—always the type to take action rather than hesitate—
Couldn't stand the awkward atmosphere any longer.
So she simply turned to face Takina and,
With absolutely zero hesitation,
blurted out what was on her mind—
"Alright, I'm just gonna say it straight!"
"Takina, did you suddenly get new memories too?!"
"Memories?"
Takina's soft pink lips parted slightly.
"That's right!"
Chisato Nishikigi put her hands on her hips and let out a confident "hmph," flashing an energetic smile, completely unconcerned about what others might think as she spoke bluntly:
"It's that dream—where Takina and I are part of a harem."
"H-H-Harem?!"
The wording was far too direct, and it instantly turned the usually serious and meticulous Takina Inoue's face into a bright shade of red.
She panicked, quickly scanning her surroundings to confirm that no passersby were nearby.
Only after letting out a relieved sigh, she hurriedly rushed over to Chisato's side and, in an extremely shy and hushed voice, protested:
"Chisato! Wait a second! What are you even talking about?! What do you mean by Harem?!"
By the time she got to the end of her sentence, her voice was trembling from embarrassment.
"What's the big deal?!"
Since the topic had already been brought up, Chisato no longer felt awkward at all.
She let out a mischievous chuckle and playfully poked Takina's chest, teasing:
"Ahhh, in my memories, Takina-san was surprisingly proactive, huh? You were even willing to do things like this... and that... for Minami! What was that phrase again? Oh, right—men's favorite Yamato Nadeshiko—Hmph!"
Before she could finish her sentence, her mouth was firmly covered by Takina, whose snow-white cheeks were completely flushed red.
Talking about something like this in public?!
Although she was long accustomed to her best friend's blunt personality, even Takina couldn't help but glare at her.
"Ahaha—what's there to be embarrassed about?"
Effortlessly slipping free from Takina's grasp thanks to her high-level athleticism, Chisato covered her mouth with her hand and smirked mischievously.
"I'm the same, you know!
Even though I haven't actually experienced that kind of thing...
Even though it's just a memory that suddenly appeared in my head..."
"A... memory?"
Takina, still too flustered, tried to play dumb.
"Yeah, yeah! Like—"
"For example, Takina, even though you were already drenched in sweat, you still clung to Minami on the bed, saying you wanted more—Hmph!"
For the second time, Chisato's mouth was forcefully silenced.
And this time—
She could clearly feel the furious yet mortified gaze of Takina boring into her.
"Fine! I admit it! I admit it!
So please stop talking about this in public!"
Takina finally released her hold, but her voice remained low—even though her tone was raised in exasperation.
Her words, however, only made Chisato even more excited.
"So it's true! You have those memories too, Takina!"
"...Mm."
For all of Chisato's playful energy, Takina found herself unable to do anything against her.
"So that means... you also have those embarrassing memories?"
Chisato asked again, pressing further.
"..."
Takina really didn't want to answer that question.
She pulled up the collar of her sportswear, using it to hide her red face.
"C'mon, tell me!"
Chisato, unwilling to let it go, kept pressing.
"...So what if I do?"
Takina let out a deep sigh, rubbing her aching temples before finally giving in and answering the embarrassing question.
If possible—
She really felt like strangling Chisato on the spot.
"Hehe... What's there to be so shy about?"
Perhaps realizing that this was a bit much for a 17-year-old girl,
Chisato cleared her throat and said more seriously:
"I have those memories too...
For example, with Minami—"
"Stop! Don't say another word!"
Takina immediately cut her off, looking at Chisato with an expression of pure disbelief.
She really couldn't understand—
What was even the point of continuing this conversation?!
"Oh, come on, I'm just a normal teenage girl!
It's perfectly natural for me to be interested in these kinds of things."
Chisato shrugged it off, completely unfazed.
But for Takina, who had a more traditional mindset,
Chisato's free-spirited attitude was something she simply couldn't agree with.
"A normal teenage girl wouldn't be talking about dirty jokes all the time."
Takina retorted, her voice full of disapproval.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore..."
Chisato waved her hand dismissively before smoothly switching topics.
"But, Takina, you also have those memories where we got married to Minami, right?"
"...Yes."
"I see..."
Chisato Nishikigi tilted her head slightly.
"Do you think this is normal? The fact that both of us suddenly gained memories of each other?"
"Normal or not... well, the scientific community does talk about things like telepathy, right?"
Takina Inoue gazed at the passing street scenery as she casually answered.
"But isn't that something that only happens with twin brothers?"
Chisato blinked in curiosity, her bright red eyes staring intently at her closest friend in the world.
Perhaps feeling the sharpness of that gaze, Takina instinctively averted her eyes and softly asked:
"So, what exactly are you trying to say, Chisato?"
Yes.
Telepathy, twins, memories...
These topics were jumping around way too much,
So much so that even Takina struggled to keep up with Chisato's thought process.
But what Chisato said next made Takina's head snap up in surprise.
"I was just thinking about something."
Chisato clasped her hands behind her back, leaned forward playfully, and with a sweet smile, shared her thoughts.
"I was thinking—"
"What if Minami has the same memories as us?"
She spoke with a cheerful tone,
But within that voice—
Lay endless anticipation and joy.
Yes.
The person she loved most...
Could he also... be just like them?
