Comics, daily stories

He was once my true love.

She became He.

Nomiyama raised an eyebrow: "Why 'once'? Isn't it 'now'?"

Yukino Yukinoshita stood up, her eyes turning cold: "That depends on how much true love someone has right now."

Nomiyama chose to remain silent.

"Alright, Nomiyama-kun, study on your own. If you don't understand, just watch some videos. Anyway, you have a strong learning ability." Yukino Yukinoshita walked towards the door of the music room.

Nomiyama understood that she was going to the executive committee to preside over the cultural festival, so he just waved his hand and said, "If you find it troublesome, remember to ask Eriri for help. Sayuri told me that she had experience in this area during the summer vacation."

After Yukinoshita left, he sat on the bench in front of the piano and reached out to flip through the sheet music she had left behind.

That statement was indeed correct; he has a strong learning ability.

In the time that had just passed, he had noted down the order in which the other person's fingers moved on each key and the duration of their stay.

But it was no use... because the sheet music for the ensemble was different from what Yukinoshita played earlier; Yukinoshita played a piano solo.

Try it out with a solo piece, and see what it feels like to play the piano.

Thinking of this, he began to recall Yukino's opening move, placing his fingers on the corresponding piano keys.

"Oh, Scarborough Fair?"

The door was pushed open, and a loud, boisterous voice rang out.

Nomiyama stopped what he was doing, turned to look at the person who came in, and said with disdain, "Is there ever a day when you don't slack off?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled her eyes, walked straight to his side, sat down in the chair, and slumped back.

She stared at the ceiling, uttering the helpless lament of a corporate slave: "I've attended at least five club meetings this afternoon, and I'm already stealing a moment of leisure from my busy schedule."

Nomiyama looked at her lazy appearance and his eyes flickered slightly.

Okay, since Yukinoshita isn't here, I'll just play around with it for today.

Thinking of this, he turned around, reached into his shoulder bag, pulled out two comic books, and tossed one over.

"Jump's stock for the last two weeks, I remember you said last night that you haven't bought anything for the last two weeks."

"Hmm?" Hiratsuka Shizuka grabbed the comic book, perked up, sat up, and opened it. "How about this one?"

"Not bad?" Nomiyama opened one of his books and read silently.

Time passed quietly in their own moments of peace, until at a certain moment, a woman's voice rang out.

"Nomiyama, have you found your 'true self'?"

"The real thing?" Nomiyama looked at the comic without looking up.

"If you feel empathy, familiarity, pity, respect, understanding, envy, and feelings beyond these for a person."

Hiratsuka Shizuka stopped turning the page, her gaze fixed on the black and white paper, lost in thought.

"I've always had these feelings," Nomiyama said dismissively, continuing to turn the page.

After a long while, without receiving a reply, he looked up at the person who was lost in thought: "What's wrong, are you lacking love?"

"No." Hiratsuka Shizuka took a deep breath and closed Jump.

She remained slumped, staring at the ceiling: "I was just thinking, I'm already twenty-six years old, will I ever have a chance to encounter something like this again?"

"The real thing you're talking about?"

"Ah."

Nomiyama closed Jump and quietly watched her.

He has known Hiratsuka Shizuka for a long time, from the first year of junior high school until now.

Born into a family of educators, he smokes and drinks, likes action comics, and likes ramen and barbecue.

He may not actually like drinking, but he always gets himself completely drunk whenever he goes out at night.

As for what her story is, there isn't one, based on what I've heard her say each time I've picked up an alcoholic from home over the past few years.

Hiratsuka Shizuka stood out from her classmates from elementary school onwards. In junior high, she taught herself martial arts and was so talented that she could take on ten people at once. In high school, she excelled academically while also getting into fights and becoming one of the school's delinquents.

I went to a university where my grandfather was a student. He was a legend in the Japanese education world, with countless students and was highly respected.

Fighting is number one, studying is number one, and appearance is number one too.

Life has been smooth sailing; I've never even encountered the smallest setback.

But humans are always bound to have worries and imperfections, because humans have emotions and are creatures destined to be unable to be carefree.

Then her problems began to emerge; she discovered that she was too smart and too perceptive.

Yes, she realized her problem because she found herself to be too outstanding.

She could see through other people's subtle thoughts at a glance; she could see all their hidden, sordid, and unspeakable darkness.

Human nature is never kind.

She can't make friends because she can see through their deceptions and pretenses; she can see the falsehoods right in front of her.

She wanted authenticity, she wanted something without any concealment, she wanted the most genuine person, even if it was dirty, as long as the other person was willing to show her the truth.

"Hiratsuka Shizuka, why do you insist on the [real thing]?"

"I don't necessarily want it, I just want it."

Hiratsuka Shizuka stopped looking at the ceiling and looked at him, her eyes slightly complicated: "I originally thought that such a thing did not exist. There should not be such a thing as knowing all the true aspects of each other and still not caring, still unable to give up.

"Everyone has their own hidden and bright sides. How is it possible to understand and see all of someone's hidden sides, then accept them without any resentment, and continue to love them?"

"But you and she seem to have managed to do it. I can't understand it, but you got it."

Nomiyama waited quietly for her to finish speaking, then lowered her eyes and said, "It's not that I don't care at all, nor that I have no grudges. How could she not care about what I did? It's just that she still loves me, and we've both seen that."

Hiratsuka Shizuka paused slightly, then smiled wryly: "Doesn't this further illustrate the [true thing], that they cannot be separated by obscurity?"

Nomiyama tilted his head back and exhaled: "In the end, why do you want [real things]? To understand someone's flaws, to expose your own flaws, and then to accept those flaws because you like each other too much, what's the point?"

Nomiyama stretched out his leg and kicked her: "Compared to this kind of real, disgusting, and unbearable thing, isn't 'being truly for you' something much better? You don't need to understand the other person's hidden meanings, you just need to be sure of one thing: they are someone who would never treat me badly."

"As long as that is confirmed, that is enough."

"Heh, how can you be sure if you don't know enough?" Hiratsuka Shizuka sneered. "With this kind of thinking, one day you will entrust your trust to someone you don't know well, and then die a miserable death, losing both your money and your life."

“Then I don’t know.” Nomiyama sighed. “I’ve known since I was a child that there are people who would never bear to hurt themselves.”

At this point, he blinked and asked, "Are you angry?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka, like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey.

Nomiyama turned to the side, causing her to miss and fall onto his lap.

He glanced at the person, then reached out and flipped them off his lap, knocking them to the ground.

I feel bad for my girlfriends if I lie down for too long.

"Nomiyama, you bastard!" Hiratsuka Shizuka propped herself up.

"Men and women should not touch each other." Nomiyama said seriously.

"Bullshit! Yukinoshita didn't mind you carrying me home last night, what nonsense are you spouting!" Hiratsuka Shizuka stood up, her anger surging.

It seems that's really the case?

Nomiyama was a little embarrassed and whispered, "Um... could you lie back down again?"

The next second, Nomiyama looked down at the person lying on his lap.

How did they actually manage to climb up there...?

That's what they thought, but their actions were gentle.

Nomiyama silently massaged her shoulders and neck to express his apology for knocking her to the ground earlier.

"Hmm... Your technique is alright. Where did you learn it?" Hiratsuka Shizuka squinted, stretched her legs out on the bench, and relaxed her body a little more.

"My girlfriend," Nomiyama replied casually.

"Yukinoshita actually studied massage?" Hiratsuka Shizuka was somewhat surprised.

"No, it's another girlfriend," Nomiyama denied her statement.

"Kato Megumi?"

"Do not."

"Sakurajima Mai?"

"Do not."

"Eri Sawamura?"

"Do not."

"Yang Nai?"

"Do not."

"Hiss! You bastard, you actually got Yang Nai too?" Hiratsuka Shizuka gasped.

Nomiyama was silent for a while before realizing that she had tricked him and that he hadn't denied that Yono was his girlfriend.

"Aren't you afraid that Haruno's side will cause problems? I don't think Yukinoshita seems like the kind of person who can accept this." Hiratsuka Shizuka's tone was somewhat strange.

Nomiyama thought for a moment and gave his answer: "If we had explained it to her at the beginning, we would have been able to appease Yukino. Now that we've kept it from her for several months, I'm not so sure anymore."

"Oh? The focus isn't on the sisters' issues, but on the cover-up?"

"No, it's about 'hiding her relationship with her sister all along.' Hiding some things isn't a big problem; Yukino usually doesn't care, and I can reassure her. But hiding her relationship with her sister changes the nature of the problem. The longer it's hidden, the bigger the problem becomes."

"Why didn't you tell her sooner?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked curiously.

"Because Yono is a lunatic," Nomiyama said irritably.

I agree with that.

Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled over to face him, stretched lazily on his lap, and said with a half-smile, "Now you're in for it. When the bomb explodes, you'll be in for a world of hurt."

Nomiyama remained silent.

He's been thinking a lot lately about how to explain things to Yukinoshita.

Yang asked for some time in a strange way, and he agreed.

But whether she can handle Yukinoshita is actually a question.

Yukino has always had a biased view of her older sister. She respects, admires, and is close to her sister, and is always willing to exist as the younger sister in her sister's place. But what if, what if her sister cheats on her with her boyfriend?

Thinking of this, my eyelids started twitching involuntarily.

Nomiyama still hasn't learned the real reason for deliberately concealing the truth from Haruno. She only knows that Haruno wanted to make some preparations, some preparations that would ensure everything went smoothly after the confession.

But Nomiyama felt that things would get problematic if things continued like this.

He and Yukinoshita had an unspoken understanding: they could remain silent and give irrelevant answers, but they could not lie on purpose.

Therefore, once this incident comes to light, the question of the timing will inevitably be raised.

I've been dating her sister for almost half a year now? And I've been keeping it a secret from her all this time?

If Yukinoshita were to ask any more probing questions, even her experiences from her second year of middle school would be brought up.

The reason I've changed like this is actually because of my sister.

Nomiyama felt a headache coming on.

"What? There's no other way?" Hiratsuka Shizuka began to gloat.

"What's it to you, you older single woman?" Nomiyama sneered.

What's wrong with being single?

"Being single is great anywhere, I hope you stay single forever." Nomiyama casually cursed her.

"Then you'd better prepare to take me home for the rest of your life," Hiratsuka Shizuka said through gritted teeth.