Life In The Reverse World

“Thank you very much for shopping with us. Please come again!”

To the sound of the sales clerk’s polite send-off, Chouko left the last clothing store together with Sato.

“Chouko, I’m really sorry for making you spend so much… I really—”

“Alright already, Onii, saying that to me is pointless. Just think of it as money spent so we can be a bit more comfortable today. If you really feel bad about it, then study hard, get into Todai, find a good job, and pay me back then.”

She cut off his fourteenth apology in a row. The helpless tone in her voice was already the very limit of her patience.

A black jacket from ADRER, plus black mid-cut thick-soled sneakers, 17,600 yen in total.

A pair of dark green wide-leg casual pants from Freak’s Store, 5,996 yen.

Replacing nearly half of Onii’s outfit came to a grand total of 23,596 yen.

For her, even after her family had cut off her allowance, this amount was nothing worth mentioning. But for Onii, whose wallet was far from well-off…

When she recalled the cramped, uneasy look on his face as he’d stared at the price tags, she couldn’t help finding it both amusing, and a little pitiful.

In life, people are forced to face countless multiple-choice questions. Yet there are only two things one can never choose: birth and death.

Just as she, Shihou Chouko, longed to live as an “ordinary” girl, and just as Sato Kaoru wished he’d been born into a wealthy family, blessed with sharp intellect.

Because they’d gotten off the train halfway after finding clothing stores on Google Maps, they now had to return to the station and take the Hanzomon Line to Chidorigafuchi.

As she boarded the train, she noticed the car was already starting to get crowded. And given Chidorigafuchi’s reputation as a sacred cherry-blossom-viewing spot, she couldn’t help worrying about what kind of scene awaited them.

May 5th, 12:41.

Chidorigafuchi, the moat surrounding the Imperial Palace, took its name from the way its shape resembled a thousand birds taking flight. It rose to fame years ago thanks to the eight hundred cherry trees planted along its embankments, making it the second most popular cherry-blossom spot after Ueno Park.

The last day of Golden Week marked the final month of spring, and the final countdown of the cherry blossoms’ brief lives. Countless families, couples, and friends gathered to row boats along the river just to witness the blossoms at their peak.

As a result, when she and Onii arrived, the most eye-catching sight wasn’t the cherry blossoms, but the endless sea of people.

“Looks like we’ll have to line up…”

Onii sighed helplessly and looked to her for an opinion.

But what could she say?

“Well… it is a holiday.”

They joined the end of the line for boat rentals. Amid the noisy chatter, a thought crept into her mind,

If we hadn’t gone shopping for clothes and had come earlier, maybe we could’ve avoided lining up while everyone was eating lunch?

But the moment the thought surfaced, she shook her head and rejected it.

Compared to waiting in line, having Onii dressed like a disaster was far more unbearable!

The former was like waiting for meat to sizzle properly on a grill.

The latter was like eagerly anticipating grilled meat, only for it to come out burnt black and bitter.

Bored, she craned her head out of the line and looked ahead.

At the far end of the pier railing stood a signboard listing the boat rental price, 800 yen for thirty minutes, along with various warnings and rules.

And closer by…

Onii was actually looking down at his phone?!

Of course she understood, and could even sympathize, with scrolling on one’s phone while waiting in line. After all, words like “smartphone zombies” were common on TV talk shows and news reports, and lining up was genuinely boring, but—

But was she, Shihou Chouko, boring too?

Even if they talked on the phone or chatted on LINE, after more than a month without seeing each other face-to-face, didn’t he have anything he wanted to talk about?

Nothing he wanted to ask her?

Even asking whether she’d made new friends, or checking on her studies would’ve been fine. Even rambling about club members or upperclassmen she didn’t know,

Yet here he was, silently scrolling through his phone.

“…Tch.”

She pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. After that barely audible complaint, she took out her own latest-model iPhone from her handbag and began checking Twitter’s trending topics, as well as new messages in her LINE groups.

Huh?

[Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little siste)]: [Image]……--- 12:31

Earlier that morning, she’d helped prepare breakfast with Harutaki’s younger sister, Ayaka. Finding they got along well, Chouko had added her on LINE. The last message had been an invitation from Aya-chan to visit the Hoshikawa household again sometime. After her “date” with Harutaki at Shibuya PARCO that day, she’d gone straight back to her own apartment.

Why was Aya-chan messaging her at this time?

Since images didn’t preview in the chat list, Chouko tapped into the conversation while guessing it might be something Harutaki had cooked for lunch.

[Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little sister]: [Image], [Image]. Shihou-senpai, the cherry blossoms are so pretty! If you get the chance, why don’t you come take photos with my brother too?--- Read

Wait… wait a second!

That light-blue boat with white interior, the rippling green water, the grassy embankments and cherry trees lining both sides…

Wasn’t this sense of déjà vu a bit too strong?!

N-no… there’s no way it could be that much of a coincidence, right?

Trying to comfort herself, she thought that Aya-chan and Harutaki must be boating in some other park she didn’t know about.

[Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little sister)]: Shihou-senpai, you’ve heard of the famous Chidorigafuchi, right? There are sooo many tourists during the holidays! [Image] — Read

This photo… was taken while lining up, wasn’t it?

Seeing the newly sent message, she let out a quiet sigh. Earlier, she hadn’t spotted anyone with conspicuously cherry-pink hair in the line.

The fact that the photos were sent out of chronological order meant Aya-chan and Harutaki clearly weren’t at Chidorigafuchi today.

[Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little sister)]: The weather’s amazing today~ It’s such a shame it’s the last day of Golden Week. Otherwise, I could’ve had Harutaki bring you again, Shihou-senpai!

God, please… give me a break…

Holding her pink butterfly-flip Honey Salon phone case, Chouko’s hands trembled slightly. She stared blankly at the blinking cursor in the text box, unable to type a reply.

What if she ran into Aya-chan and Harutaki?

What if Aya-chan noticed her and ran over to greet her?

What if—

…Huh? Why was she so worried?

A moment later, she snapped out of it, bewildered by her own panic and unease.

She and Harutaki were just good friends, right…?

She and Onii were just going out normally, right…?

Then… then why?

Why was she afraid of running into Harutaki, why did she even feel guilty toward him?

Why was she afraid of Onii finding out about her relationship with Harutaki, like someone who didn’t want to be caught after doing something wrong?

The answers were painfully obvious, yet she didn’t dare face them.

[Shihou Chouko]: Ehh… I’m so jealous! The cherry blossoms really are beautiful, I love them too! —- Read

[Shihou Chouko]: The blossoms match Aya-chan’s hair color so well~ If only that annoying “scumbag” next to you disappeared, it’d be a perfect selfie of just cute girls~ — Read

[Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little sister)]: Ah! That shameless “scumbag” brother of mine is peeking at my phone! —- Read

H-he saw it?!

As the line slowly advanced, then stopped again, she regretted making that joke.

Harutaki didn’t take it seriously… did he?

No, of course not, she told herself. He wasn’t some bookish idiot like Onii; he could tell the difference between teasing and actual insults.

[Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little sister)]: He says he’s going to jump into the moat to cleanse his reputation, and hopes Shihou-senpai will observe three seconds of silence when you see “Hoshikawa (16)” in the evening news www】--- Read

“Eh?!”

“Huh? Chouko, is something wrong?”

Snapping back to reality, she hurriedly waved her hands and reassured the concerned Sato.

“Ahaha, I just tripped over my own foot for a second. Almost fell.”

“You’re the same as always, Chouko, so careless… Be careful, okay? Even if it’s wooden planks, falling still hurts. If…if anything happens, just grab onto me.”

Seeing his face turn bright red as he stammered through that, she felt a rare flicker of happiness.

Though she was no longer the same “Shihou Chouko” as before, Onii was still the same ordinary, clumsy, introverted, and insecure Onii.

Still… the fact that she’d almost laughed out loud just now…

That was all Harutaki’s fault!

Just as she silently blamed a certain someone, her phone vibrated again.

Bzz.

【Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little sister)]: [Image]. He says unless Shihou-senpai praises him, he’s jumping in right now…】

Then hurry up and jump already, you annoying “scumbag” who messes with my head all day!

She bit her lip hard, struggling to suppress her laughter so she wouldn’t make strange noises in the middle of the line.

It was too embarrassing! Just thinking about it felt rude and mortifying!

But…

She lifted her head and looked around, realizing she’d reached the last bend on the pier, one with a completely unobstructed view of the river.

She should be able to see Harutaki from here, right?

With that thought, she looked into the distance, and soon spotted him and Aya-chan.

After all, a good-looking normie standing at the bow of a boat with his arms spread wide like the Christ the Redeemer statue was impossible to miss.

Hey! This is Tokyo, not Rio de Janeiro, Harutaki!

[Shihou Chouko]: Harutaki-kun is smart, handsome, gentle, considerate, and a good person!] — Read

[Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little sister)]: Aniki says that’s not enough, now he wants Shihou-senpai to say she likes him… What a “scumbag”! Should I just kick him into the water? — Read

What do you mean, “say she likes him”…?

That demand was way too much, Harutaki!

[Shihou Chouko]: I like him. I like Harutaki-kun. Aya-chan, hurry and tell him to get down already… Just looking at this through the screen is embarrassing enough! ---Read

Anyway—

Anyway, it was just joking around on LINE. That was what she told herself, even as she secretly decided that if she ever got the chance, she’d kick Harutaki straight into the water.

What an outrageous guy, using something like this to threaten her!

[Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little sister)]: My brother says he likes Shihou-senpai too, and tomorrow he’s bringing a marriage registration form to school for you to sign www --- Read

A m-marriage registration form?!

How could Harutaki joke about something like that with his little sister? Didn’t he feel embarrassed at all…?

She lifted her gaze from her phone and looked out over the river. She saw the ever-so-fulfilled handsome guy step down from the bow of the boat, give the pink-haired beauty a hug, and then the two of them sat side by side on the same bench plank, just like the couples in the other boats.

Wait. Can siblings really be that close?

After thinking for a moment, she remembered those posts online where people talked about bathing together with their older brothers or younger sisters.

As an only child, whose only playmate had basically been “picked up from the roadside,” namely Onii, she felt that a simple hug and sitting together probably didn’t count as anything strange.

If anything, families were supposed to be like that, weren’t they?

Not like her great-grandmother and her mother. Since as far back as she could remember, she hadn’t felt the warmth of a hug anymore… Huh? Then doesn’t that mean what happened last time with Harutaki was—

Buzz.

Her phone vibrated again, snapping her back to her senses.

[Aya-chan (Hoshikawa’s little sister)]: You really have to come with my brother sometime! I didn’t even know Harutaki was this good at rowing. I asked him where he learned, and he actually told me Hawaii…

Seeing that, Chouko couldn’t help covering her mouth and letting out a soft laugh.

Everyone knew that nationally famous anime, at least a little. “Detective Hoshikawa Harutaki,” huh?

—

【Mr. Kikuchiya announces the adoption of the most advanced treatment for his wife.】

【Due to recent global instability, the President of the United States has decided to increase dollar printing. The yen–dollar exchange rate continues to rise; experts predict a prolonged economic downturn that may severely impact exports.】

【This year’s Nobel Prize for Erotic Literature nominations announced. Mr. Murakami enters the list for the fifth time.】

……

After opening Twitter, Sato Kaoru merely tapped on a random news outlet he followed and kept scrolling. None of the information on the screen actually registered in his mind.

He’d finally managed to ask Chouko out, and yet he’d gone and made everything such a complete mess…

His left hand, hanging by his thigh, clenched tightly. His fingernails nearly dug into his palm, but the pain felt like it went straight into his heart, making his nose sting,

It hurts… It’s just because it hurts…

He tried hard to hold his breath and stop himself from thinking about anything else, but…

Forgetting to turn off the ten-o’clock alarm from when he’d had dinner with club members and upperclassmen;

Clothes he never had the energy to organize, all stuffed into the closet, wrinkled beyond saving;

Pouring all his effort into studying, being called gloomy and a bookworm, utterly clueless about fashion;

I’m sorry… I’m really sorry, Chouko…

His looks were average, he was only 170 centimeters tall, not particularly smart, had to study with everything he had just to get into Todai. On top of that, his personality was stiff and boring, and he couldn’t even find interesting topics to talk about,

All he could do was apologize, again and again.

Yet no matter how many times he apologized, the guilt and self-reproach in his heart only grew heavier.

When he’d looked back earlier, even though Chouko was trying to hold it in, he could tell that was a lively smile he hadn’t seen in years, one that belonged only to her childhood.

She must have been chatting with a newly made friend, right?

Chouko had finally found someone she could genuinely connect with. He should have been happy for her. He should have wished for her to make even more friends, and yet…

Why did his chest feel so awful?

Like a pressure cooker with the valve blocked, still being heated, ready to explode at any moment.

Why did it feel so sour?

Like mochi swelling bigger and bigger on the grill, jealousy expanding without end.

A gentle breeze brushed his cheeks. Under the warm spring sunlight, Sato felt restless and overheated, as though he already had one foot stepping into the blazing summer.

If only he were somewhere with no one around, then he could shout at the top of his lungs and vent all of these negative feelings.

He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, hoping to ease the pressure stuck in his throat just a little.

Absentmindedly scrolling on his phone, taking two steps forward when the person ahead moved, stopping when they stopped, he had no idea how much time passed before his endlessly wandering thoughts were finally pulled back by a staff member at Chidorigafuchi.

“Thirty minutes, 800 yen. Please choose the type of boat you like. Take care of your belongings and be careful not to drop anything into the water.”

“…Here’s 1,000 yen. Thank you.”

Pulling a slightly worn, faded wallet from his pocket, he handed over a 1,000-yen bill.

“Here’s your change, 200-yen.”

They nodded politely to each other. He pocketed the change and walked with Chouko to the edge of the dock, asking what kind of boat she wanted.

“Of course the rowboat. If it has a roof, I won’t be able to take photos~”

“Um, Chouko… I can’t row…”

He couldn’t help feeling guilty all over again. He should have looked up a tutorial online last night.

But before he could explain anything, Chouko hopped straight into the boat and waved at him to hurry up and follow.

“If you can’t, then go learn in Hawaii, you dummy, Onii.”

“Hawaii? Can’t you just learn online?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized she probably didn’t mean Hawaii literally.

“Onii, you used to watch Detective Conan with me, remember…”

“I, I mean, how about you quiz me on the structures and chemical properties of common organic compounds instead?”

?

“So, how did she reply?”

After leaving Chidorigafuchi, Harutaki walked with his sister Ayaka toward the nearest dessert shop. Once they were seated, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer and asked about Chouko’s reaction.

“You idiot, Harutaki… what do you think?”

Ayaka pouted as she looked down at the single-page menu, tossing the question back to him.

“She said she likes me?”

“She said it’d be best to kick you, this ‘scumbag,’ into the water.”

Then at least wait until summer, he thought. The river was still pretty cold right now.

From Ayaka’s expression, he could more or less tell, Shihou had probably replied with “like.”

Using jokes to probe usually lowered a girl’s defenses little by little. But without an existing closeness, that approach usually just earned irritation.

“Still, I tested the waters a bit. As for going on dates with you in the future, Shihou-senpai doesn’t seem opposed. Remember to invite her before the next holiday.”

Ayaka herself didn’t really want to do or say things like this. But if there was any choice that might lead to everyone being happy, then the only option was to keep going down this path.

If she didn’t want to hurt Harutaki, she had no other choice.

“You don’t necessarily have to wait for a holiday. After school on regular days, you should be more proactive too. Ask Shihou-senpai out to Starbucks or a dessert shop near school…”

“Huh? Ayaka, why are you so invested in my business with Shihou-san? Is it just because you don’t want me ending up with a troublesome girlfriend?”

In Harutaki’s impression, Ayaka was nearly perfect in most aspects, except that her personality was incredibly twisted. If she liked him as much as she seemed to, then why was she going out of her way to set him up with another girl?

People’s actions were always driven by goals and benefits. Following that logic, he tried to deduce her motives.

What did Ayaka gain from this?

Another capable helper for housework and cooking in the future?

He joked to himself. It couldn’t be that Shihou had asked Ayaka to do this, right?

Or maybe Ayaka had some special kink, she liked the thrill and immorality of being the third party, planning to have an affair with him after he started dating Shihou?

As his thoughts spiraled, he even felt like he could spin a whole pile of messy, forbidden stories out of Ayaka’s baffling behavior.

Clatter.

Clatter.

The two desserts Ayaka ordered were set down on the table.

In front of her was a plain fruit cake; in front of him, a pancake drizzled with honey and topped with a scoop of ice cream.

“When you go on a date to a restaurant or dessert shop with a girl, remember this: first, order items of roughly similar portions.”

As she explained the do’s and don’ts of dating, she pointed at the cake and pancake, finally making this feel a bit like “date practice.”

Harutaki had almost thought that today, under the banner of “date practice,” was actually just him accompanying Ayaka on a date.

“If the girl orders something small and you order something big… eating too fast looks rude, but eating too slow leaves you awkwardly still eating after she’s finished.”

“Oh…”

“Second, if you’re the one ordering, pay attention to the girl’s expression and mood beforehand. You can ask for her opinion, but don’t ask more than twice, or you’ll seem indecisive.”

“Got it.”

He nodded, listening attentively.

Even though he didn’t really need a lesson from Ayaka, who had zero dating experience, he couldn’t waste her goodwill.

“And when you’re waiting for the food or eating, absolutely don’t play on your phone! Actually, during a date, don’t look at your phone at all if you can help it.”

“Mm.”

Ignoring the person you’re with and playing on your phone was obviously rude and disrespectful.

“Umm, after you finish eating, pay attention to cleanliness too. If there’s sauce or cream on the girl’s face, don’t point it out too bluntly. Most of the time, just hand her a napkin. If you’re closer, you can help wipe it off, but be gentle and slow. Like this, ”

She lifted her pink, chubby cheek, deliberately smeared with cream, and said,

“Help me wipe it off.”

Harutaki picked up a napkin. Just as his hand reached halfway, he saw Ayaka close her eyes without realizing it.

It’s just wiping her mouth, right?

“…Are you hinting that I should lick the cream off?”

“…Y-y-you pervert! Don’t say gross things like that when you’re on a date, idiot Harutaki…”

In the end, he still just wiped the cream away with the napkin.

Eating rice grains or licking cream could be fine in private, but doing that in public was basically social execution.

After that, they tried feeding each other a bit, chatting idly about whether to cook dinner themselves or buy food to take home, about what Chiaki and Fuyuno might be doing right now, about his daily life at school… And before they knew it, the topic somehow drifted to Nogami.

“Hey, Harutaki… what do you think of that Nogami-senpai?”

Ayaka rested her elbow on the table, propping up her cheek as she looked at him. Her aqua-blue eyes blinked like stars in the night sky, and when she tilted her head, her pink hair swayed gently like cherry blossoms in a spring breeze.

“She’s probably a friend.”

A girl he couldn’t let go of.

Harutaki turned to look out the floor-to-ceiling window at the sparsely populated street, not wanting Ayaka to see his true feelings.

Left arm, right arm, he knew that much himself. If Ayaka found out, she’d probably really look at him with disgust.

But…

At that thought, he froze.

Ayaka knew he liked Shihou and was planning to date her, so why had she been so unresistant before, even taking the initiative to kiss him?

“I’m kind of curious too. Ayaka, why are you asking about Nogami-senpai?”

“I, I-I’m just worried about how your school life is going, that’s all…”

Ayaka also turned her head away, not wanting him to see her expression.

After a brief stalemate, she suddenly slapped the table, stood up, slung her WN ZANDL square backpack over her shoulders, and dragged Harutaki straight to the counter to pay.

“So, where to next? Shopping? I kinda want to see you in tights, Ayaka.”

Sensing the mood, he changed the subject, joking to lighten the atmosphere.

“To the station. Our next destination is Shinjuku!”

Huh? She didn’t call him a pervert or trash this time?

The way she grabbed his hand and marched forward in silence only deepened his earlier doubts,

Ayaka was definitely hiding some unspeakable secret, and that secret was probably related to him.

“…Pervert.”

Ayaka, of course, noticed her brother Harutaki’s suspicion. But how could she possibly explain the “scumbag plan” to him?

She knew that avoiding the issue would only make him more curious, but she couldn’t think of any better way to dodge his questions,

Was she supposed to copy TV dramas and make him forget everything with a suffocating kiss?

At that moment, she recalled how it had felt on the boat, and had to bite her lower lip to suppress the embarrassment rising in her chest.

….

Because Sato couldn’t row at all, the ten-plus minutes he and Chouko spent on the river were a disaster. For the first half, they were either bumping into the shore or spinning in place. In the end, Chouko took over herself, imitating how others rowed. They quietly enjoyed the cherry blossoms along the riverbank for a bit, snapped a few photos, and then headed straight back to the dock.

“Onii, I’m hungry~”

With her hands clasped behind her back, Chouko quickened her steps to keep up with Sato, voicing her dissatisfaction one word at a time.

The cherry-blossom boat ride had been bumpy, but watching Onii flail about had made it not entirely boring.

At least it was kind of fun… she thought. Even if it might not have been as enjoyable as chatting with Harutaki at Starbucks.

“Is there anything you want to eat, Chouko?”

“I’ll eat whatever you eat, Onii.”

“Then… there’s a restaurant nearby my senpai recommended to me…”

Hearing him mention his senpai again, Chouko felt both irritated, and oddly uneasy.

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