When I arrived home that day, I found Haruka in the living room.
“This has gotta be a bad dream!” I cried. “I’m gonna wake up any second now, right?!”
“Oh, Hiromichi. Sorry for barging in like this.”
“H-Haruka, wh-what are you doing in my apartment?!”
I was immediately overwhelmed by a sense of panic, and a dozen questions erupted so quickly in my head that they practically caused my eyes to roll in their sockets.
Why’s Haruka here? How does she know where I live? What should I do? Should I serve her tea? No, now’s not the time for that! First things first, I need to know if she found out about Shigure, and—wait, where’s Shigure?
As I took a second to breathe, I gave the girl in my living room a long, discerning look. And just as I’d feared, she burst into laughter, that malicious grin plastered across her face.
“Ahahahaha! Your reactions never disappoint!”
“I knew it! It is you, Shigure!” I cried.
“Yep, it’s your adorable little sister. But wow, your responses are always perfect—have you ever looked into acting?”
“Give me a friggin’ break...” I grumbled as I slumped against the wall, completely drained of energy.
Since she’d been wearing Seiun’s uniform, I hadn’t been able to tell for a moment, but the girl in my living room had been Shigure all along. Good lord, she’d almost given me a heart attack—seriously, I think I’d felt my heart stop at least three times. But more importantly...
“Why are you wearing that uniform?” I asked. “Did you buy one?”
“You think we have that kind of money?”
“Then where did you get it from?”
“I exchanged outfits with Haruka, just for today. She wanted to try out Shueikan’s uniform,” Shigure replied without hesitation, puffing out her shapely bust. She’d tucked her shirt in, which made her chest appear bigger than usual. “Also, I really wanted to see how you’d react,” she added with a laugh.
“Well, I’m happy to have met your expectations, goddammit.”
“Ahaha. No need to get your panties in a knot over something as small as this. And anyway, it doesn’t really look like you’re upset over the whole thing.”
Huh? Is she referring to me?
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Haruka and I are identical—from our hairstyles down to our figures. Since I’m wearing her clothes, doesn’t it feel like it’s your very own girlfriend in your apartment?”
“You’re flying a little too close to the sun there, Icarus.”
“Hiromichiii... Can we go back to bed?”
“You lookin’ for a fight, ya little skank?”
“Wait, don’t come any closer with that serial killer look in your eyes! You’re scaring me! What are you planning to do with that 2B pencil in your hand?! I’m sorry! It won’t happen again!”
Geez, what a brat. I placed the 2B pencil I’d reflexively grabbed on top of the tea table.
“My God, talk about terrifying,” Shigure grumbled. “Blowing your fuse over one little joke—do you have no sense of humor?”
“I do if the jokes are actually funny,” I responded.
“Wow! Rude, much?”
“Hurry up and get changed. You must be dying in that uniform without any air conditioning in here.”
“Sorry, but I’ll pass. I was looking forward to wearing this, too. Let me enjoy it for a little longer, please. Oh, this is the perfect opportunity to take some pictures!”
With that, Shigure whipped out her smartphone. Why did girls like taking selfies so much? They’d even post them online. Personally, I didn’t want to leave behind a single picture of myself for future generations.
“Hmm... Something about this isn’t right,” Shigure said. “Big Bro, will you be my photographer?”
“Huh, why me?”
“There are only so many angles and poses you can do yourself when taking a selfie. How about this: if you take a few photos, I’ll change clothes after. But if you don’t take any, then who knows? Maybe I’ll end up wearing this the rest of the day... and since we’re home alone right now, I might even undo a few buttons.”
Shigure looked at me with upturned eyes and loosened her necktie, exposing her damp collarbone. At this point, I only had one option.
“Got it,” I sighed. “C’mon, hand over your phone already.”
“Of course. Make sure they’re cute, though. I’ll start getting ready.”
And with that, Shigure began to slowly peel her socks down, revealing her bare feet.
“Why are you taking those off?” I asked.
“Hm? Bare feet make for a sexier picture, right? It’ll really give off the ‘your girlfriend just came over to hang out after school’ vibe. Like, ‘If things get a little heated, maybe she’ll let her guard down, and I can push her down on the bed.’ Pretty steamy, don’tcha think?”
Yeah, I definitely get that.
Oh, crap—I’d just agreed with her whole-heartedly, even if only subconsciously. If I’d voiced that aloud, there was no doubt she would have ridiculed me into oblivion again.
This had turned into a matter of life and death—I was completely powerless to her usual teasing as long as she wore Haruka’s uniform. I’d snap a few, quick photos to satisfy her in the hopes that she would change.
“Let me know once you’ve decided on a pose,” I said.
“Alrighty.”
Once she’d settled on a few, I began to snap some photos on her phone. I followed her requests, adjusting the angle and distance, taking snapshot after snapshot. We used the living room as the backdrop, which she took full advantage of. She sat on top of the tatami mat, knees tucked up to her chest, and fiddled coyly with her toes. She spread a notebook open on the tea table and pressed the eraser end of a pencil to her pursed lips, pretending to be deep in thought. Finally, she returned to the mat, where she flopped on her back and peered up at the camera, eyes brimming with desire.
This is steamy as hell, I thought while taking the pictures.
“Hmm,” Shigure suddenly spoke up. “I want to show off my belly button while lying on the ground. Let me untuck my shirt, and then we’ll do it one more time.”
“Ergh...” I grumbled. What should I do?
My heart was racing faster than I’d anticipated. As I photographed her, I’d had to remind myself over and over again that it was Shigure behind the lens. But due to the uniform, I could only see Haruka—it felt like my girlfriend had come over to my apartment and let her guard down in front of me. And whenever Shigure wore a somewhat inviting expression for the camera, my mind would get all muddled trying to distinguish between the two of them. To me, it seemed as if my girlfriend was letting loose at my place.
This is bad.
If this bully noticed my sweaty palms, I’d be a goner. No matter what, I needed to conceal my nerves. In a desperate attempt to hide my expression, I snapped another picture.