Tokyo Soft Rice King.

Overwhelmed by shame, Makoto Hikawa was momentarily speechless, and Akira Kuroba, seeing that she had already opened her mouth, quickly stuffed the fried dumpling into her mouth.

"Well……!"

Makoto Hikawa, who was being forcibly fed, didn't have time to refuse. Moreover, the thought that the chopsticks that went into her mouth were from Akira Kuroba, and that she had unintentionally sucked on them, which was a complete and thorough indirect kiss, made her face start to burn. She chewed unconsciously, but couldn't taste the food.

Kuroba Akira, of course, would not show favoritism. As a master of impartiality, he would take care of both sisters. So he picked up another fried dumpling, turned to the other side, and prepared to feed it to Saionji Madoka.

"Ah~"

"..."

Meanwhile, Saionji Machi seemed to have known all along that she was also going to get a share, so when Kuroba Akira turned his head, she had already closed her eyes with a smile, slightly raised her chin and opened her mouth, waiting for him to feed her.

Wow, this looks good... I feel like I could put other things in there.

The current Saionji Madoka is somewhat like a succubus nun, possessing a sacred yet irresistibly alluring charm.

And it exudes a mature aura, somewhat like Sister Hong, and also somewhat like Aunt Qiuzi... like an older sister? Like a mother?

It's strange that this kind of temperament appears on a high school girl; even the class monitor, who loves to take care of others, has a stronger girlish vibe.

After Kuroba Akira fed the fried dumplings to Saionji Mako, she deliberately grabbed the chopsticks and leaned back playfully, almost causing Kuroba Akira to drop them.

More than the taste of the dumplings, she wanted to savor the mixed flavors of her sister and Akira Kuroba stuck to them, which is why she held more of the chopsticks in her mouth—the front part tasted like her sister, and the back part tasted like Akira Kuroba… It was all just psychological.

She simply wanted to make Akira Kuroba's heart flutter through this behavior.

However, Kuroba Akira's expression and inner thoughts remained completely unaffected, because his threshold had been raised too high, and he no longer cared about such a childish act as indirect kissing.

For him, the feeding play couldn't even be considered flirting; it was just ordinary daily interaction. After all, during this period, the two girls who knew his tastes had kissed him so many times that he couldn't even remember how many times they had actually kissed.

Whether at school or at home, they are fed by others, and they have even started to stop using chopsticks.

So, when Kuroba Akira publicly fed the two sisters, he really didn't mean to tease them or have any ulterior motives. He just wanted to shut them up with the dumplings and prevent them from arguing.

Then, Kuroba Akira used the same chopsticks that the two sisters had used to pick up the fried dumplings and began to taste them.

They're called pan-fried dumplings, but they're actually more like potstickers, with the bottoms fried until crispy.

After enjoying the complimentary dumplings, Kuroba Akira paid the bill and thanked the manager.

"I'm full, thank you for the treat."

"Oh, no, I've had my fill of seeing... You must come often in the future!"

Thanks to Kuroba Akira, the shop manager and the customers were able to witness the exciting scene of the twin sisters fighting over a man. It was so interesting; it seems that the love of watching a spectacle is a universal human trait.

After finishing dinner, the three of them walked out of the ramen shop together. Kuroba Akira bought the two of them drinks, and then they returned to the lockers where they had stored their belongings. This place was also the train station, which meant it was time to part ways.

The three of them were heading home in different directions. However, Saionji Maki was taking the subway, while Kuroba Akira and Hikawa Makoto were taking the train, so they had to say goodbye to Saionji Maki first.

After receiving the shopping bag containing the shoes from Akira Kuroba, Makoto Saionji smiled and thanked him.

"Thank you, Kuroba-kun, and Makoto. I had a great day."

It was just buying something, watching a movie, and having a meal together—a perfectly ordinary date.

But for Saionji Mato, it was also a first-time experience.

Moreover, it was a date with her beloved younger sister and future brother-in-law, a memory she would cherish for a lifetime.

"Also, Kuroba-kun, I'll be representing our school in the kendo tournament at the end of this month. Could you and Makoto come and cheer me on?"

"A kendo tournament..."

Kuroba Akira remembered that the class president had mentioned that Saionji Makoto was the ace of the kendo club.

Speaking of which, besides the kendo tournament, Haruka Tomita also mentioned before that there would be a prefectural high school swimming tournament in November.

Holding a swimming competition in winter doesn't mean winter swimming; it will be held indoors.

Although swimming is not an event in the Winter Olympics, Japanese high school swimming competitions are held twice a year, in winter and summer respectively, as are kendo competitions.

Winter is generally the season for indoor events like baseball and soccer, which are usually held outdoors and are typically held in spring or summer.

That's why it's said that high school clubs in Japan occupy a large and important part of high school life, as most students dedicate their time to day-to-day practice in preparation for competitions.

Originally, Kuroba Akira had discussed with the class president asking Tomita Haruka to help him meet Saionji Machi because he didn't have the opportunity to get close to her. It would have been a long and complicated process. But now there was no need for that at all, as he had received an invitation directly from her.

Kuroba Akira certainly wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. As he nodded in agreement, he turned back to ask the sullen Hikawa Makoto.

"Of course, I'll definitely go. Makoto, you'll come too, right?"

"...If you have time..."

Hikawa Makoto neither refused nor accepted, saying something ambiguous, indicating that whether she would come or not depended entirely on her mood.

Saionji Makoto smiled, knowing that given Makoto's personality, it was already quite impressive that she had gone this far.

Moreover, whenever Kuroba Akira comes, she will most likely follow him out of concern.

Then... the 'exchange' can be completed.

No matter which younger sister it is, as the older sister, I will take good care of her...

"Well then, goodbye, Kuroba-kun, and... my sister."

Saionji Makoto took one last deep look at Hikawa Makoto, then waved goodbye to the two of them and left.

When only Akira Kuroba and Makoto Hikawa remained, Akira was about to invite her to come along when he saw Makoto Hikawa cover her face with her hands and say with great sorrow.

"...Tsk...It's completely deteriorated..."

After rubbing her face, Hikawa Makoto raised her head and asked Kuroba Akira with a serious expression.

"Hey, Akira Kuroba, stay with me a little longer? You're not in a hurry to go home, are you?"

"...Alright, I'll play along to the end."

This is certainly not an extension of the date.

Kuroba knew that Hikawa Makoto had something she wanted to tell him, and it was about her sister, or rather... it was a secret between the sisters, and he, as the person involved, was now entitled to be told.

The two went to a KTV and booked a small private room. It was a suitable place to share secrets, as it was well-soundproofed and wouldn't be disturbed. It was also a classic spot for couples to date and flirt.

In addition, Hikawa Makoto was also feeling a bit depressed and wanted to release her stress by singing, which was also one of her hobbies.

In short, without saying a word, she sang three fast-paced songs that required hitting high notes, and shouted them out to her heart's content.

"Phew~ That feels much better... Aren't you going to sing?"

After finishing her song, Makoto Hikawa sat back on the sofa, put down the microphone, crossed her legs, and took a long breath before asking Akira Kuroba a question.

Kuroba Akira shrugged and said.

"Unlike you, I don't have that much pressure. I feel like I had a pretty good day."

Hearing his pointed sarcasm, Hikawa Makoto rolled her eyes and said...

"You rascal, you're secretly enjoying watching two women argue over you, aren't you?"

Then, without waiting for Kuroba Akira's reply, she glared at him and pointed at him, shouting.

"However, let me tell you, Kuroba Akira! The conflict between me and Makoto has absolutely nothing to do with you!"

Kuroba Akira shrugged and said.

"I'm not so presumptuous as to think you're really fighting over me, nor am I so cynical as to want to see you sisters argue. I'm just a little curious."

"Hmph... What's there to be curious about... You've probably already guessed it, haven't you?"

"If you're referring to the unusual relationship between you sisters, I do have a fairly reliable answer in mind."

Kuroba Akira paused for a moment before giving his answer.

"You two sisters 'swapped' identities, didn't you?"

"..."

Hikawa Makoto remained silent, but judging from her regretful expression, Kuroba Akira knew he had hit the nail on the head.

After giving the default answer, Makoto Hikawa said with a worried expression.

"Kuroba Akira... don't tell anyone about this."

"I know, don't worry, I'm tight-lipped. Even if it's your closest person, I won't tell her unless you ask."

"...I'll trust you this once."

After sighing, Hikawa Makoto acknowledged and began to recount her past.

"That's right, I'm actually the older sister, and she's the younger sister."

"Why would you do something like this? It's not just a prank, is it?"

“We used to play around like this occasionally, without even my friends noticing. We were just that alike… but the real decision to switch identities came when our parents divorced.”

"Iwakawa Makoto said with deep regret."

"All I wanted at the time was... to give my sister a better life..."

"What exactly happened? Explain it clearly!"

“When my parents divorced, my father originally planned to take me with him. If I stayed with my father, I could stay in the Saionji family and continue to enjoy a comfortable family environment without having to suffer with my mother.”

"Why is it that living with your mother means suffering?"

“The Saionji family is a large family, but my mother came from a commoner background. So after my parents divorced, my mother didn’t get a single penny. She was essentially left with nothing.”

"Isn't this going too far?"

"However, my father wasn't a completely irresponsible bastard. He secretly gave my mother a small house in Tokyo and would regularly pay child support, which is why I was able to stay in Tokyo to study. Otherwise, I would have gone back to the countryside with my mother long ago."

"That's more like it..."

Even so, my mother still had a hard life. My mother and I lived a very frugal life, and she couldn't give me much pocket money.

"I see. No wonder you work at the bookstore, Makoto."

"Yes, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it, after all, it was 'my own choice'... But now I regret it, not because I'm not doing well, but because of my 'wishful thinking,' which pushed my sister into a fire pit..."

Then Hikawa Makoto began to talk about the mistakes she had made.

“When my parents decided to divorce, I thought about how living with my father or mother would determine my future standard of living… and at that time, my father actually planned to take me with him.”

Makoto Hikawa quipped self-deprecatingly.

"Don't let my current appearance fool you, back then I was a very talented young lady who won many piano competitions and also won first place in a dance competition with my sister."