Chapter 87: 87

Two People who are Similar

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

When Higoromo finished greeting Tsugumi and sat down opposite him, Mebuki, who was standing next to him, approached his side, put her hand on his shoulder, and said in a light tone.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it then. Take care of the rest, Tsugumi-kun.”

“…What? Hey, wait a minute. Don’t tell me, you’re seriously going to leave me!?”

Grabbing Mebuki’s wrist as she was about to leave the room straight away, Tsugumi raised an impatient voice. It was one thing to be suddenly brought in to a researcher, but to be asked to have a one-on-one conversation with him was a bit unreasonable.

As he looked up at Mebuki as if to cling to her, she lowered her eyebrows with an apologetic look.

“Even if you put it that way. Higoromo-san’s research involves a lot of confidential matters, so I’ve been asked to sit out this time. You see, there are strict regulations these days regarding the protection of personal information and such.”

“No, even so.”

“And, Tsugumi-kun.”

To the reluctant Tsugumi, Mebuki said in a quiet voice as she put her face close to his ear as if they were having a private conversation.

“–Higoromo-san seems to be investigating the great fire that happened eleven years ago. Hopefully, you may be able to hear more about it.”

The whispered words made his eyes widen involuntarily. Tsugumi didn’t recall ever once telling Mebuki that he was “investigating the disaster”. She would not have even pretended to want to know.

“You look as if you’re trying to say, how did you know that? –It’s easy enough to figure that out. You’re surprisingly easy to understand.”

Saying that, Mebuki laughed. When Tsugumi looked at Meibuki with an unsettled expression, she added in a small voice, “Well, the truth is that my friend saw you silently looking up a newspaper article about it in the library.”

…As expected, there is no way to prevent that from happening. Tsugumi thought so, and let out a sigh.

Not that he was doing anything wrong, but Tsugumi was trying to keep the fact that he was researching the great fire a secret as much as possible from acquaintances.

Needless to say, the reason for this was – because Chidori didn’t look good.

Whenever Tsugumi asked her about what happened eleven years ago, Chidori would give him a painful look and express her rejection. It was more like she was afraid of something rather than having a hard time talking about it.

Because of these circumstances, he had not been able to act too openly, but in a sense, this was an opportunity. Higoromo, who was in a position close to the government, might know quite a bit about the situation.

“…Please keep this out from Chidori.”

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“Yes, yes. I know this already.”

Mebuki cowered her shoulders and told him so, then turned her back to Tsugumi and turned toward Higoromo.

“I’ll pay for ours when I leave. If Higoromo-san wants to order more, he can do it himself.”

“Ah, I know.”

After saying that, Mebuki fluttered out of the room with a wave of her hand. Alone with Higoromo, Tsugumi felt somewhat uncomfortable and sipped the cold tea to cover it up.

–Even so, while thinking, Tsugumi looked at Higoromo’s face.

He had heard before that Yukino Shizuku was Suzune’s relative. However, he had never heard anything about Higoromo. Maybe it was just that there was no need to talk about it, but it bothered him somehow.

As Tsugumi was still in a daze, Higoromo, who had just finished spreading out the documents on the table, slowly opened his mouth.

“Actually, your situation was discussed once with Suzune Nagisa –a relative of mine. It’s mainly about that magic eye. Well, I’m afraid I can’t help you since I’m out of the loop there. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no. In my case, unlike Suzune-sensei, there are more times when I can’t use it. I don’t really care that much about it.”

“Is that so? If you’re not in trouble, that’s fine. But you should be careful. In some cases, it can get worse. …Especially that Nagisa, she’s really painful to watch.”

In the end, Higoromo closed the menu list and rang the doorbell at the side of the room. Then, as he ordered coffee from the waitress who came into the room, Higoromo asked Tsugumi.

“Is there anything else you want to order? Thanks for meeting with me. You can order whatever you like.”

Being told that, Tsugumi wondered for a moment if he should refrain from ordering, but then decided that it would be okay since he was the one who asked for it, and pointed to the apple pie on the menu.

“Then I’ll have one of these cake sets, please.”

As he watched the waiter leave with a notebook of orders in hand, Tsugumi opened his mouth to speak. He had been a little concerned about this for some time.

“If Higoromo-san and Suzune-sensei are related, could it be that Higoromo-san is also related to Yukino Shizuku-san of Jukka?

It was hard to tell with his tired complexion and large glasses, but Higoromo’s facial features somehow resembled Yukino’s. If he said that they were relatives, it would certainly be convincing.

When Tsugumi said so, Higoromo laughed as if troubled.

“Yeah, well, we’re like brother and sister. –There’s nothing to be ashamed of, but we have our reasons. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t spread the word too much about this. …Really, Nagisa’s a bit of a light talker.”

“…Ah, I’m sorry, I must have heard something strange.”

–Siblings who can’t go public. At that point, he sensed deep darkness. …He wondered if it was something like having different mothers. Although Higoromo himself did not seem to be particularly concerned about it, it would be safer not to mention it any further.

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While talking about such things, their orders arrived in the private room. As he pulled a plate of apple pie into his hand, Tsugumi asked Higoromo.

“So, what exactly did you come here to ask me today? I’ll tell you everything I can.”

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The cake put Tsugumi in a good mood, and Higoromo opened his mouth as he looked over the material.

“Ah, first of all, I want to talk about your aptitude as a Magical Girl. –Do you know why you, a man, have the aptitude to be a Magical Girl?”

Surprised at the sudden nature of the question, Tsugumi answered in a troubled manner.

“No, I have no idea. I’d rather ask that myself…”

“I have been informed of the Irregularity at the Amusement Park in February. I have reviewed your hospital records, including your fitness diagnosis, and found nothing unusual about your body. I can’t help but wonder about that.”

Saying so, Higoromo elegantly brought the coffee to his lips.

“There have been a small number of male Magical Girls in the past, but their existence itself has been concealed, partly because of their own wishes. But the men whose aptitude was extremely higher than usual – they had some similar characteristics.”

“Characteristics?”

When Tsugumi asked suspiciously, Higoromo nodded slowly.

“Yeah. Most of them, as documented, had a twin. Or in this case, they were supposed to. –Do you remember the term ‘vanishing twin’?”

“No. I don’t know.”

He twisted his head at the unfamiliar words. Then Higoromo gave a small nod and continued.

“Well, I’ll explain briefly. The vanishing twin is a case in which one of the fetuses that were supposed to be born is absorbed by the mother during its growth and disappears. There have been rare cases, though, in which one fetus has been absorbed by the other. In the latter case, some of the organs of the fetus that did not fully grow remain in one half. –And in the body of the now confirmed male Magical Girl. I was able to find a small organ missing when I examined it. I have a couple of hypotheses on this.”

Saying this, Higoromo held up two fingers. Then, bending them one by one, he continued his story.

“The first one. The missing half was originally supposed to be born as a woman. Second. Their aptitude as Magical Girls was the same as that of the other half that had been absorbed. In other words, their high aptitude could be considered as simply inheriting the aptitude of their twin siblings, rather than their original aptitude. I contacted the retirees and had MRIs taken, and every one of them had the same organ or bone fragments in their bodies that did not belong to them. –If that’s the case, what is it about you that makes you so highly qualified when there’s nothing unique about your body? It’s very interesting.”

As Higoromo smiled at him, Tsugumi turned pale and clenched his right hand.

–I’d like to know that myself.

He had no idea why he fit the job, no matter how much he thought about it. Even Bell, a God, couldn’t figure it out, so it was troubling to be asked such a question.

“I have a twin sister. Perhaps I am just sharing some of her talents.”

If Higoromo’s hypothesis were taken seriously, this might be the closest to the truth. When Tsugumi answered, Higoromo narrowed his eyes and murmured quietly.

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“Your sister – Chidori-san, was it? I’ve heard that she has no memory before the great fire just like you, is that true?”

“Yes, that’s true. What does that have to do with anything?”

“I’m just checking. The two of you were taken in by a man named Nanase Yozuru after the great fire, I heard. Do you remember the exchange at that time?”

Bewildered by the questions that kept popping up from Higoromo, Tsugumi opened his mouth.

“Hmm, I think we were at the shelter when Grandpa… Yozuru-san approached us. He looked so stern that I remember Chidori was frightened. He left without saying anything at the time, but I was surprised when he took us both in a while later.”

“Why is that?”

“Because that person doesn’t like me.”

–He didn’t care in the past, but now that he was older, he could understand. That person–Nanase Yozuru–had no interest in Tsugumi at all. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was estranged.

–He didn’t need to be told anything, but the occasional look in his eyes was eloquent. When he looked at Chidori, he would show a gentle color, but when he looked at Tsugumi, he showed a somewhat cold color.

It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t sad, but he still owed Yozuru a great debt of gratitude. He would like to repay him someday. But more than that, he had doubts.

“I may sound ungrateful to say this with all the food, clothing, and shelter, but I don’t understand why, aside from Chidori, that person took me in as well.”

Did he think it was pitiful to separate siblings, or was there another reason? Now that he thought about it, Yozuru was relieved to see Tsugumi when they first met, even though he had a grim look on his face. Perhaps he had known Tsugumi before the memory loss.

…Yozuru wouldn’t answer if he asked about it, though. It would be a waste of time.

When Tsugumi said so, Higoromo looked pained, started to say something, and then kept his mouth shut.

“That… No, I’m sorry. I made you tell a terrible story.”

“No, I don’t really mind. …Ah, but please don’t talk to my sister about this. She’s the kind of person who gets bothered by this sort of thing.”

He didn’t know if Higoromo would go to see Chidori or not, but he nailed it that way just in case. Then, Higoromo smiled a little awkwardly and said.

“I won’t tell about anyone’s situation unnecessarily. Rest assured. –This is the last question.”

Higoromo then took a small envelope from among the materials scattered on the desk. He took out a sheet of paper and gently held it out to Tsugumi. The paper was shown on the back, so he could not see what was written on it.

“Um, this is …Huh?”

Puzzled, he took the paper and looked at the front page. –What he found there was something he didn’t expect.

“Answer honestly. –Do you know her?”

“Hagakure Sakura… No, this is different. She is–“

The girl with long, supple black hair and a soft smile. Her eyes were the same color as Tsugumi’s. –The actual “Sakura-oneechan” was there.

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