Why Not Make Both Twins 'Girlfriends'?-Chapter 2Volume .2 - Usami Hikari and the Newspaper Club...?

Usami Hikari and the Newspaper Club…? 2

“—Wow, you sure know a lot.”

Sakuto was impressed, but Chikage awkwardly brought both hands to the top of her head, making pretend dog ears.

“Woof-woof… just kidding… ahahaha…”

Seeing Chikage’s wry smile, Sakuto couldn’t help but groan,

“Could it be, you’ve become a ‘dog’?”

“Yes… I’ve become a ‘dog’…”

Come to think of it, Tachibana Fuyuko, the math teacher, is also in charge of student guidance.

(So that’s why Tachibana-sensei called her…)

At her request, Chikage had become the dog of the student guidance department.

“Couldn’t you say no this time either?”

“No, it was Tachibana-sensei who asked me, but this time I’m rather positive about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“After the incident last time, I felt inadequate, so I wanted to take revenge. This time, I want to do my best with the tasks given to me without relying on Sakuto-kun or Hii-chan!”

I see—Chikage was still concerned about the ‘Hydrangea Festival’ in June.

Back then, Sakuto had taken Hikari with him and managed to make the event a success, but Chikage regretted not being able to handle it on her own.

It was quite characteristic of the earnest Chikage.

Sakuto smiled.

“If Chikage wants to do it, I’ll support you. Good luck, okay?”

“Woof!”

“Ah, um… you don’t have to actually keep become a dog, really…”

Sakuto imagined Chikage would be wagging her tail if she had one, and at that moment, both he and Hikari realized something.

“Chikage, just to make sure, I want to ask…”

Before he could ask, Chikage made an awkward face.

“…Did you notice? Yes, the club I’m auditing is the Newspaper Club that Hii-chan belongs to… whimper…”

“You’ve got to be kitten me!?”

“Hikari, you don’t have to start to become a cat too…”

Sakuto was exasperated by the anthropomorphizing twin sisters and wondered why that was the case.

(It’s hard to believe this is a coincidence…)

The club Chikage was about to audit was the Newspaper Club to which Hikari belonged.

Sakuto furrowed his brows as he pictured the person who was trying to forcibly bring the twin sisters together.

***

“Tachibana-sensei, good morning.”

“Good morning, Takayashiki. It’s hot again today.”

“Yes… So, what are you scheming this time?”

The next morning, shortly after arriving at school, Sakuto asked Tachibana Fuyuko, who was pruning hydrangeas in the flowerbed next to the school building, close to the staff parking lot.

Tachibana let out a silent chuckle.

“How rude, I’m not scheming anything… I simply asked Usami Chikage to do a job, that’s all.”

‘Just as I thought’, Sakuto mused.

He hadn’t even mentioned Chikage’s name—rather than being perceptive, Tachibana must have anticipated that Sakuto would come asking like this from the start.

It was always helpful how quickly she got to the point, but what exactly was she planning?

“You assigned Chikage to the Newspaper Club because Hikari is there, right?”

Tachibana, without affirming or denying, simply continued to prune with a faint smile.

It didn’t seem like there was any particular meaning to the way she cut; she wasn’t aiming for a neat shape.

“Well, setting aside any schemes, the Newspaper Club is in a pretty tough situation right now…”

“…? Are they being driven to disbandment?”

“You’re quick to catch on.”

“That was just a guess. But if there is a problem, I think it’s inevitable that the club might be disbanded, right?”

“It’s the opposite. It’s troublesome because we have to keep it…”

Tachibana let out a sigh and put her scissors away in a leather case.

“You see, club activities aren’t something you can just easily crush. If you disband one, there will be demands from students, parents, the community, and supporters to upgrade other associations to a club or to create a new one.”

“That sounds complicated, huh?”

“Oh, it’s very complicated. People tend to think it’s trivial, but creating a new club causes friction and discord. It’s not easy for the teachers when adults are involved.”

Tachibana gave a wry smile.

“That’s the reason why we leave any club that has even one active member. If everyone leaves, we take the form of a ‘suspension’ to prevent the creation of new clubs.”

But something didn’t sit right.

What was the point of a “club” that was just a shell in form only?

Wouldn’t it be wiser to create a new club with people who are motivated?

“However, the Newspaper Club is currently on the verge of disbandment. Its former glory has fallen, and it has been unable to publish even a single issue for a while. Moreover… well, there are various complicated circumstances…”

Tachibana held her head. Those “complicated circumstances” must be the source of her troubles.

Nevertheless, the circumstances of the Newspaper Club didn’t matter.

For Sakuto, what was important was Hikari and Chikage—whether or not they would be negatively affected.

“Um, Tachibana-sensei—”

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“By the way, Takayashiki, do you know why the color of hydrangea flowers changes depending on where they are planted?”

“…? Why? It’s because of the soil properties. If the soil is acidic, the flowers are blue; if it’s alkaline, they’re pink, but what does that have to do with anything…?”

“Correct. You’re well-informed, aren’t you?”

“Well, that’s what I learned… It’s like the reverse of litmus paper…”

While gazing at the hydrangeas, Tachibana smiled.

“Hmm. To be precise, it’s about the pH of the soil. Originally, hydrangea flowers were pink. The pigment called anthocyanin is inherently pink. However, when it absorbs aluminum, it reacts chemically with the anthocyanin and turns blue—”

Tachibana crouched down and pinched the soil with her fingertips.

“Aluminum dissolves easily in water in acidic soil and is less soluble in alkaline soil. We use this property to bring out the color we want… though it also depends on the variety.”

What is she trying to say with all this?

Is she trying to evade the topic with irrelevant stories?—No, it’s about time to steer the conversation back.

“That’s interesting. So, about my question—”

“The point is, it’s about the soil. That’s what’s important.”

Tachibana glanced at her watch.

“—Oops, I can’t be late. It’s time for the morning staff meeting.”

“Sensei, we haven’t finished talking—”

“Well, since you’re here. Why don’t you try helping out the Newspaper Club? I’d like to see how far someone serious like you can go—”

With that, Tachibana quickly headed toward the school building, leaving the conversation in a haze.