A Moment of Truth

“Youli, I really didn’t mean to…”

A crisp voice, like a bird’s chirp, escaped my lips. Honestly, even now, this voice hasn’t become the slightest bit familiar. This is why I usually suppress my voice and speak with a raspy tone, avoiding conversations with these brats during both breaks and class time.

However, compared to my forced, ‘rough’ voice, this current tone seems more suitable for comforting others, don’t you think?

Over time, I’ve gradually mastered a ‘normal’ tone for myself, haven’t I?

Class Monitor abruptly lifted her drooping head, her fierce gaze locked onto my eyes.

No! That look! I can’t bear to meet it!

****

‘What now, Ye Qi! I’ve had the psychological virginity of a twenty-eight-year-old!’

“Umm…”

I tilted my head, a bit awkwardly, and let out a sigh.

“We’re all girls, aren’t we? And it’s normal for girls to be affectionate with each other, right?!?”

‘Tears of accepting the truth of being a girl… I can only swallow them alone…’

Class Monitor wiped her red-rimmed eyes with her sleeve.

“N…normal?”

Looking at Class Monitor, her eyes red like a little rabbit’s, a sudden surge of confidence made my shy tone assertive.

“Yes! It’s absolutely normal and reasonable, with no hint of affectation! Think about it, why did the ancients create phrases like ‘affectionate,’ ‘sisterly bond,’ and ‘twin pearls’?!”

‘Well, those phrases, except for ‘sisterly bond,’ I’ve never heard of them either, but now, even if they didn’t exist, they must exist!’

This is something only someone who’s lived two lives could say!

‘Hmm… as long as it can’t be proven, my words are the truth!!!’

…

“…Is that so?”

“W…well… is it… okay for… for girls to… kiss each other?”

Youli’s face turned red, and her tears slowly subsided.

“…..Yeah! Of course! How can people of different sexes fall in love?? Cough cough… Right! Between you and me, even if we kiss, it’s just a song of friendship!!”

“Umm… is that so?”

“Yes! Class Monitor, you know, my father is working on the other side of the ocean. There, the only way to socialize and express friendship is through kissing! And sometimes, they even hug as soon as they meet!!”

‘…Unique… haha… well, if kissing hands and French kissing are considered the same, then maybe it makes sense…’

“…Huh?”

“So! You see! There’s nothing impure between us! That kiss just now was my way of showing my friendly intentions to Youli. From any cultural perspective, it’s a perfectly normal social interaction!!”

Youli’s red face gradually returned to normal.

“I’m sorry… Little Qi…”

“Little Qi rarely wants to be my friend… and I misunderstood her… I… I…”

Seeing Class Monitor’s eyes welling up again, I quickly stepped forward and did something I didn’t fully understand myself.

I tightly embraced Youli!

Youli, from my past life, whom I had vague feelings for but never confessed to. Even though we only saw each other for a few minutes each day, it still made me wait at that corner every day.

‘So soft!’

‘…No, no! Now isn’t the time to think about that! I need to reassure Class Monitor first!’

Even Class Monitor, who had just believed me, was still stiff and trembling. Of course, in this fairly conservative academy, even girls only hold hands.

“Youli, can I be your friend?”

‘…Hmm, for someone with such an old soul, saying such shy words feels completely natural!’

‘…But why is my heart beating so fast?’

‘It’s so annoying.’

“…..Okay…”

Class Monitor seemed to say something, but I didn’t hear it clearly.

I had to ask her again.

“Youli, can you really be my girlfriend?”

Apparently, to make sure I heard her, Youli raised her voice.

“Okay…”

‘Huh? Did I say something wrong just now?… Never mind, I have to see this through.’

“Hehe… Youli, so, the proof of our friendship…”

I stood on my tiptoes, looking directly into Youli’s eyes, and slowly brought my lips close to hers again.

…

“Huh? Again??”

“C…gulp… Of course.”

‘Who said anything about swallowing? It was just the sound of air friction!’

“…”

Thump thump thump…

A rhythmic sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

“Class 2B… there are still two students who haven’t arrived… Um, the teacher sent us to tell you to hurry up and go as student representatives to… speak…”

Outside the door, even without being asked, the boy with a standard student haircut was staring straight at me and Youli inside the classroom.

I turned my head strangely towards the direction of the youthful male voice.

“Little sister, why are you always…”

Then, another, more pleasant male voice also rang out, and soon the boy’s head appeared in the door crack.

His hair was styled with the short bangs popular among boys, fitting the current student fashion. Compared to the previous average student, this one indeed looks more ‘tall, proportionate, and handsome’…

Although not the kind of good-looking that makes everyone fall for him, he’s handsome enough to make even the north wind take notice…

Of course, this is just a personal opinion. This boy is probably a bit above average. After all, I lived with that face for so long, how can I criticize it? That would be criticizing myself!

Although I wouldn’t hold back with words…

“……”

As a result, the two annoying guys outside, who don’t know that time is money, stood frozen in silence.

Especially my own copy, my ‘cheap brother’, whose eyes were fixed on the scene inside the classroom.

The petite girl with long, straight black hair stood in a conqueror’s pose, one leg between the slightly more mature girl’s legs, her right hand on the desk, pushing the relatively more mature girl’s waist back, causing her to lean on the desk with her elbows, her face flushed…

And the distance between their faces… could only fit…

Two fingers side by side?

…

This is an eerie silence.

“Sorry to interrupt you two.”

The ordinary boy turned and ran away, but my ‘brother,’ Ye Sakaki, stood motionless in the classroom doorway.

“L…Little Qi…”

His voice was unusually dull.

“Y…you… what are you doing?”