Chapter 6

“Hee-hee, just like Eve’s, huh…? Now that you mention it, you’re right!” We giggled and played around in front of the mirror. My clothes and hair were different now that I’d become a junior high school student. It was exciting, like I was gradually transforming into a new me. “Now it’s Shizuki’s turn.” Shizuki flinched a little when Nitori called her over. Shizuki’s skin was so fair that I couldn’t help but stare. She was a size smaller than me and my big sisters. Her eyes were always half lidded, and she looked a little sad…but that only made her long lashes and dark eyes stand out more. She seemed like a doll, sleeping in a big, empty mansion. Our little sister, Shizuki. “What do you wanna do? If there’s a hairstyle you like, tell me, and I’ll whip it up lickety-split.” Nitori held out the purple hair clip and smiled, but Shizuki looked down. “…No, thank you,” she declined in a nearly silent whisper. “What? Why not? Shizuki, you’ve got a purple towel and pencil case, right? I figured purple was your favorite color… Do you not like it?” “Um…” Shizuki opened her mouth to speak as Nitori stared, but— “…I said, no thank you.” She turned Nitori down even more firmly, the sad eyes behind her glasses revealing very little. Why didn’t she want her hair done? Maybe she was too shy to match with us? I didn’t know what to say, so I just toyed with the ends of my braids. “Well, it does help differentiate us, but if you don’t want to wear one, that’s cool, too,” Nitori assured her. “Oh no, look at the time!” Ichika pointed out. “Get your bags. Does everyone have everything? We’ve gotta hurry.” The atmosphere had gotten a little awkward for a moment, but we finally left the house, hurried along by my big sisters. The weather outside was beautiful and perfect for a ceremony. A gentle breeze blew, and white clouds hung in the blue sky like veils. Shizuki would’ve looked adorable with her clip in… I couldn’t help but feel it was a shame as I gazed up at the sky idly. But there were always kids who didn’t fit in right away. I’ll wait a little longer until she’s ready to open up, I decided, gripping the handle of my bag firmly. Our new school, Ayame Junior High, was a fifteen-minute walk away from our house. Each grade had six classes, and there were over six hundred students in total across three grades. Ayame Elementary and Ayame High were attached to the junior high school grounds, so when you combined the elementary, middle, and high schools, the whole campus was pretty big. “Geez, there’s so many people…!” I couldn’t believe my eyes. Tons of parents had come to the entrance ceremony, so the area around the gates was jam-packed. The first thing we did was check the class assignment board, our eyes darting around frantically as we searched for our names. “Miyabi… Miyabi… Oh, there we are!” Ichika was in Class 1. Nitori was in Class 2. I was in Class 3. Shizuki was in Class 4. “They split us up,” Ichika said sadly. “Oh well, what’re you gonna do.” Nitori clasped her hands behind her head. “Yeah…having the four of us in the same class would be a mess,” I said, imagining it. For example, if the teacher called on us during class… “Next question…Miss Miyabi.” All four of us would stand and respond in unison, “Yes!” Our classmates would burst out laughing and say: “There are four Miyabis in the class, miss. You have to use their first names!” “Right…let’s see…” And our teacher would compare the four of us to the class roster, but we looked exactly the same. Even the teacher wouldn’t be able to tell us apart! Hee-hee-hee, that cracked me up! “What are you giggling at, Mifu?” “Welp, this is where we split up. See you guys later!” “Oh, um, Ichika, Nitori…!” Startled, I turned around to see Ichika and Nitori disappear up the stairs to the third floor. My class was on the second floor. Shizuki’s was on the second floor, too—Huh? She’d disappeared without me noticing. “Haaah… Alone after all…” We were supposed to stay in our own classrooms until the ceremony started, but I didn’t know anyone in this new school other than my sisters. I…wasn’t that great at making friends. But I wasn’t brave enough or confident enough to handle being alone. “…” I pretended to read a printout and organize my pencil case. I toyed with the penguin charm attached to my bag. I curled into my seat at the very back of the classroom, feeling nervous. “Hold on a minute…,” a loud voice piped up. The sudden voice sent an electric shock through my body, and I snapped upright. Nervously, I turned to face the source of the voice…and locked eyes with a boy who was staring at me, his mouth agape. “Hey, you were singing that Swallowtail song in the hallway before. Are you new in town? Wait… Did you change your hairstyle?” He came closer and closer, speaking in a cheerful tone. “I swear I saw you on the third floor…” He cocked his head, his eyes glistening with curiosity. “Oh… Um… Well… That was probably my big sister,” I stammered in reply. A Swallowtail song could only mean Nitori. “Your big sister? Ah, I get it, you’re twins.” “U-um…” “Oh, my bad, I’m Minato. Minato Nomachi. My seat’s right next to yours. Nice to meet you!” He had floppy, kind of long hair, and his wide-open eyes made him look smart. The way he wore his uniform just like the rules stipulated, not trying to show off one bit, gave him a kind vibe. His smile beamed dazzlingly like the sun. He held out his hand to shake mine, and I found myself moving instinctively. “!” I squeezed his hand. My heart leaped, and my body leaped up with it. “I-I’m Mifu Miyabi! Nice to meet you!” I’d jumped to my feet without thinking, and my chair crashed to the ground. I quickly let go of Minato’s hand, but I could still feel his touch. His angular hand reminded me he was a boy… Ugh, I was too nervous. “Mifu, huh? That’s a cute name. Twins are super cool. You two look just alike!” My cheeks were on fire after he complimented my name. My heart felt full, like it was crammed with sweet candy. I wanted to correct him and say we’re actually quadruplets, not twins, but I couldn’t get the words out.