Twin Talk──! ① Do I just have bad luck…?
“Sigh~~~~…”
After shedding her mountain girl outfit, Chikage, now in her underwear, let out a deep sigh.
(I really do have the worst luck…)
She wasn’t exactly averse to cats, but she struggled with them—it was a personal issue, but being in a town filled with cats made her feel restless.
It was unavoidable since it was a cat town, but she thought she should have told Sakuto about it before he suggested the trip.
(And then there was even a bear…)
The mountain hike she had been looking forward to was canceled, just adding insult to injury.
If it were just her own problem, that would be one thing.
But she had dragged Sakuto and Hikari into this as well. Ever since they arrived in Futagoko Town, she felt like she had been constantly causing them concern, which weighed heavily on Chikage’s mind.
(No, no, I have to keep smiling in times like this!)
Trying to cheer herself up, she slapped her cheeks lightly—
Bang───!
…Aaaaaahhh───
…──
Suddenly, the sound of gunfire echoed deep in her ears, startling her.
(Wait… I didn’t mishear that, did I?)
After the gunfire on Imoko Mount… that was a human scream.
Or could there be an animal that makes a sound similar to a human scream──
(And then, that old lady…)
Her last ominous words still echoed in Chikage’s eardrums──
『Remember this well──This mountain is a very dangerous place for you...』
What did those words mean?
(What is on that mountain…?)
After that, the old woman disappeared as if she had vanished into thin air.
Where on earth could she have gone──
“You’re wide open───!”
“Kyaa!”
Suddenly, Chikage felt someone grope her from behind.
“Wait, Hii-chan…!? Don’t scare me like that! And stop groping me!”
“I did it because you didn’t seem to notice me approaching at all. Besides, what’s got you so worried?”
This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēwebnovel.com.
“I’m not really worried. I was just… lost in thought…”
As Chikage said this, Hikari looked at her with an unusually concerned expression.
“…Could it be about Mashiro?”
“Eh?”
Mashiro, the white cat they had at the Usami household years ago—indeed, since coming to this town, the thought had lingered in the back of her mind, perhaps because of the dream she had on the train.
But that wasn’t what she was thinking about right now.
“No, it’s not that, it’s about that old lady.”
“Oh, right… where did she disappear to…?”
Hikari recalled and turned pale.
Hikari had always been scared of ghosts. Despite being well-versed in various fields of study, she had her fears, and while she claimed not to believe in unscientific things, she was visibly trembling.
Seeing her sister like this, Chikage felt silly for her own worries.
“Hii-chan, let’s get changed quickly and go to the beach? Don’t worry about me.”
“Eh? But…”
“the three of us have to make wonderful memories with Sakuto-kun, right?”
Chikage smiled brightly, and Hikari’s face lit up as she nodded in agreement.
“That’s right! Let’s make lots of fun memories!”
Hikari hurriedly began to change into her swimsuit, but Chikage, while watching her out of the corner of her eye, let out a small sigh.
(I don’t want to ruin the trip because of me… I have to make it a wonderful trip for the three of us!)
Was it a sense of mission or obligation?
Either way, Chikage decided to shift her mindset, but in the back of her mind, the words of the old woman and the thoughts of Mashiro still lingered faintly.