18. Duplets Chemistry

...

I couldn't believe that had been two years ago.

But after that, a transfer student from the United States named "Hanase Shiro" was suddenly introduced to my class. And everything moved quickly shortly afterward.

The vice captain changed. And suddenly, she became one—through voting.

As if my life had already been rigged from the start.

My eyes felt heavy, but then—

"Akira-kun."

"Akira-kun."

The voice, eerie as ever, followed itself in a strange rhythm.

"Wake up, Akira-kun."

But then, they overlapped.

Those female voices, similar to the ones from the opening song, screamed inside my head.

Well, you know which ones.

What is this? A dream?

Their voices echoed endlessly inside my mind.

No, that didn't seem quite right at all.

Maybe I had just watched too many romcom shows...

Or maybe my exhausted brain simply couldn't separate reality from memory anymore after everything that had happened between us.

"You really love daydreaming too much, huh, Akira-kun."

Rin replied with a familiar jab, as if she had already noticed.

"Yeah, yeah... what a pervert he is, I guess."

Can you not backtrack your insult? That's even worse than a direct jab!

However, I was suddenly pulled back to the present.

Yes, my very own present.

The one where I was supposed to be free to do anything.

Yet maybe I wasn't.

I wanted to argue with them too, but... wait.

Wait, did I just doze off again?

Maybe that event had gotten to me again.

No, probably even worse.

But instead of a hospital bed surrounded by intensive care units, this was just a friendly rest room for students. That typical boring, plain white room.

A sofa here. A clock there, its right hand pointing at four.

That was it. Nothing special.

Yet somehow, the current situation made it feel otherwise.

And then, before finally returning to reality on my own, I let out a small sigh.

"Why are you both here anyway?" My tone was dismissive.

"Are you stupid, an idiot, or what?"

Aren't those basically the same thing?

"Also, you still haven't explained why you were cheating."

Rin sighed after saying that.

Ah, right.

Simply put, I didn't see any chance for Shiro to win.

Not in the slightest.

Rin was simply far too superior, so I couldn't help but wonder if I could alter the outcome by buying some time. After all, I didn't know whether it was a fair match or not.

But how should I explain it to them?

"It wasn't really cheating," I answered, my tone a little shaky.

"Then what was it?" Shiro stuck out her tongue, still as sharp as ever.

Deep down, I already knew who they were. But spelling it out would definitely hurt their feelings. Would anyone tell me if it was fair for me to choose between them?

Because no, I couldn't. Reality was simply too cruel for me to say anything that might hurt either of them in the process.

"You both are mistaken," I replied again, this time louder than before.

All of a sudden, I regained my confidence as I adjusted my glasses like usual.

"That dating experiment had zero control to begin with."

"Which means the advantage should've belonged to you, Rin."

"Not Shiro."

Both of them froze, showing nearly identical expressions in front of me.

Their faces reddened, and both clenched their fists.

Except one of them was calmer than the other. Or at least, she seemed to be.

And just like that, what I said completely overturned the situation they thought they controlled.

"Wait, are you accusing us of something?"

Rin asked, unsure about where I was going with this explanation.

And I still remembered those moments in detail. Mostly because the memories were so vivid, and because I thought I had spent most of that time with Rin. But something had always felt off.

"The school festival last year..."

"Did you switch places with Shiro?"

That jab landed smoothly. A low blow more than enough to shatter this fake scenario.

Rin didn't hide her embarrassment. She looked away for a moment before sighing.

And almost at the same time, Shiro looked even more shocked.

She curled her fingers before burying her face in both hands.

In her mind, she had probably thought she was playing her role perfectly.

She never realized I was going to expose everything after all these years.

This drama, which didn't even belong to my favorite genre, was only going to escalate further. If I wanted to reject her offer to join from the very beginning, then this was exactly the opportunity I needed. And if I could use this moment to sever my ties with Rin forever, then so be it.

However, the expression that followed the reveal was only a short, disappointed sigh from her.

Hanase Rin.

"Fine."

A short answer.

"You win."

And then another one, still filled with hesitation.

Silence followed immediately after her confession.

Not the peaceful kind either.

It was the suffocating sort of silence where even breathing felt awkward.

Shiro avoided my gaze entirely. Rin crossed her arms and looked toward the window instead, almost as if the outside scenery suddenly became more important than this room.

And somehow, that made it worse.

Because for the first time, I realized I could no longer separate my memories of the two of them cleanly anymore.

Which smile belonged to Rin?

Which voice had called my name that day?

Which one was actually beside me during the festival?

The answers, once obvious, had already begun blurring together long ago.

"Wait, I don't understand. Sis? What's going on?!"

Shiro apparently couldn't follow the direction of the conversation. Or rather, she was desperately trying to figure out where she had gone wrong. After all, the setup had already been absurd from the beginning, and it could've become even worse if I hadn't ended up receiving treatment in this room too.

Thus, the scar from a year ago remained.

"It was simple," Rin replied with a breathy sigh. No honorifics this time.

"He won because he knew you were the one dating him. And that lab experiment was connected to your obsession with quantum physics."

"I would've lost instantly if it had just been a normal quiz session."

"That's why."

Yep, exactly that. And even if I dug deeper into it, Shiro was actually smarter than Rin. They were both twins, but Rin had probably been forced to push herself harder just to appear superior.

Hence, the manipulation.