My love game with them that will lead to certain death

"I, I really don't have much start-up capital right now... But I can guarantee that if I sell it, I will definitely get a share of the profits. In short, I won't treat you unfairly, Eriri!"

"That's not important. What I want to know more is..."

"Eri" paused, and then met Kasumigaoka Utaha's gradually solidified gaze.

"I only ask you this of me" - is that true?

Chapter 22 Your brother is good, but mine

In fact, it doesn’t matter what Tomoya Aki’s answer is. It will not affect Toru Narumi’s impression of him or the final outcome of the incident.

Because this guy is the one who has been brooding over this for so many years but still can't even ask Eriri "Why did you betray me back then?" He pretends to be indifferent but is actually trying to avoid the psychological trauma of the past.

Therefore, it doesn’t really matter what Aki’s answer will be.

What really matters is, how will Kasumigaoka Utaha respond to this?

"…Is this some new form of provocation, Sawamura-san?"

But as expected, Kasumigaoka Utaha mistakenly thought that Eriri was showing off Aki Tomoya's "special treatment" as a treasure to be flaunted, and she frowned and did not respond directly to the other party's question.

Sometimes not responding is also an answer. Ming Hai already has a rough idea of ​​what her relationship with Aki Tomoya is like so far.

“Please don’t misunderstand me, Kasumigaoka-senpai. I definitely don’t mean to show off to you, because to be honest, Tomoya’s special treatment is more or less not impressive - if I must compare it, your affectionate treatment from the beautiful senior may be more attractive.”

“E-Eri, you…?!”

Amaki Tomoya, who had never expected the golden-haired girl to say such a thing, was stunned. Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was sitting in her seat in front of them and had originally planned to keep quiet, was also a little surprised.

"...You must have learned that glib way of speaking from your brother. It doesn't suit you at all. I prefer the way Sawamura-kun used to be when he blushed easily."

But she was only stunned for a moment, and then responded with a decent and elegant smile.

It should be said that the level of this woman, Kasumigaoka Utaha, is not as low as he imagined. He hopes that she can hear the meaning of Ming Hai's words that clearly distinguishes herself from Amaki Tomoya.

"After all, I don't want to get involved in a fight for a boy of Tomoya's level... It's a bit against my taste, alas. If I have to say, if the target is someone like my brother, I might be able to reluctantly consider it."

No one would mind if I spoke the truth through Eriri's mouth - it doesn't matter. Even in his original body, Narumi would say these words without hesitation, even though he would most likely be labeled a "narcissist" by others.

"Ah, the Sawamura siblings are just as the rumors say, they love each other very much."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's wine-red eyes flickered slightly, then turned in another direction.

Outside the classroom door, one can see a young man with golden curly hair running towards this side on the narrow corridor connecting the two teaching buildings.

“Tōru, eh, Eriri——? Why did you call me over here… eh?”

The one who suddenly appeared at the door of the empty classroom where the three of them were, with a confused look on his face - was Sawamura Eriri's twin brother, "Sawamura Toru".

Unlike the other two, Eriri was not surprised by her "brother's" arrival. Instead, she put her phone back into her shirt pocket with an expression that was as natural as it should be - it seemed that Eriri had obediently followed the message he had given her and came as soon as possible.

"Eh? Lun, um, Amaki-kun... and Kasumigaoka Utaha...senpai, why are they here too?"

Even though he was confused like an outsider, "Tōru Sawamura" still regained his composure as usual after a light cough.

"Well, I have something to discuss with you, Toru."

Completely different from her "brother" who was a little unsure but pretending to be calm, the "sister" with long golden hair walked briskly to the curly-haired boy, stood on the same side with him, and turned to look at Aki Tomoya who was standing still and Kasumigaoka Utaha who was sitting in her seat.

Her demeanor was more calm than composed.

It was as if he didn't care at all about what happened to him, and he was detached and calm, just like an outsider who had nothing to do with it.

"Ren also said that he wanted me to be the heroine of his new project. If the workload is heavy, he will probably let me help with character design and illustration. What do you think?"

"what……"

The eyes of the blond curly-haired boy sparkled a little when he heard the word "heroine", but he hesitated when he met the gaze of his "sister".

The girl's eyes were calm, but what was conveyed from those beautiful sky-blue eyes was not any positive emotion such as encouragement.

"My advice to you is to stop before it's too late. Otherwise, not only will you not get what you want, but you will also lose both the wife and the army, Eriri."

Perhaps there really is this kind of wonderful telepathy between twins who know each other very well. She can guess Che's current psychological activities.

Because of this, the real Eriri who was in Toru's body, who was about to blurt out the words of agreement on impulse, remained silent.

"Oh, do I need to report this to my brother? Sawamura-kun is unexpectedly clingy."

A sudden joke from Kasumigaoka Utaha made the brother and sister stop looking at each other. It was obviously a teasing directed at the sister, but for some reason the brother retorted with some concern.

“W-Where is the sticky part…!”

"Ah, we twins are like this. We get restless even if we're not together for a minute."

"Eri" quickly held her "brother's" hand, and the latter realized that his behavior was not in line with his previous style and reacted without saying anything more.

"Besides, for such a big matter, I have to discuss it with my brother first."

The blonde girl tilted her head and looked at the boy who looked a little uneasy.

"Can you trust me to give up my previous job and our "agreed rules" and work for Renye for free, brother?"

The "curly-haired boy" was stunned.

If she hadn't suddenly had a twin brother, if she hadn't suddenly been involved in such a strange thing as body swapping... I believe she would have nodded without hesitation.

But when the real "brother" in her body threw the question to her, she found that she couldn't make such a rash and arbitrary decision.

It's better to say that from the perspective of "brother", I can't make a decision for "Eri".

So cunning.

This guy Che had never forced her to do this or that since she was a child, but he always used cunning methods to prevent her from making a choice.

"A pair of identical twin siblings standing together... to an outsider who doesn't know the inside story, they look like a couple no matter how you look at them."

While Eriri was struggling internally, Kasumigaoka Utaha's stunning words suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

"Sawamura-san may be the perfect heroine of your dreams, but it's clear at first glance that you can't be her hero."

I don't know if it was an unintentional teasing or sincere words with a hidden meaning, but after Kasumigaoka Utaha made this comment to the somewhat distraught Aki Tomoya, she looked at the twins standing together and smiled.

"But if Sawamura-kun doesn't mind... I'd also like to get to know Brother-kun better. What do you think?"

Even Narumi didn't expect the explosive words to come out of Kasumigaoka Utaha's mouth.

No, this woman should have noticed something.

Chapter 23: Love rival becomes sister-in-law?

"W-what did you say?!"

After Kasumigaoka Utaha said those words that shocked everyone present, the "curly-haired boy" involved could not control the surprise and resistance on his face. This behavior made Utaha, whose plan had succeeded, tilt her head with a smile, and also made the "real person involved" hold his forehead with helplessness.

"Ah, I'm just curious and want to know more about you because my brother-in-law seems to be a little different lately. You don't have to be so nervous. Of course, the same goes for Sawamura-kun. Don't worry that I'll have such a sinister mentality as "If I can't snatch you away from Renli-kun, then I'll snatch your most important brother away from you."

"But there is definitely an element of wanting to tease Eriri."

Ming Hai curled his lips helplessly. If he and Eriri were still in their original bodies, Eriri would definitely start to get angry without any concealment, and Kasumigaoka Utaha's provocation would definitely succeed.

"But it's true that such an important decision cannot be made on a whim. You did a very wise thing in this regard, Sawamura-san."

Sitting in her original seat, Kasumigaoka Utaha crossed her legs and then turned her beautiful burgundy eyes to Aki Tomoya who was standing beside her.

"To be honest, if Ethics-kun had said something like that to me... I'm not sure I'd be able to be so rational. It seems like you've really grown a lot, Sawamura-kun. And I..."

She paused, then met Aki Tomoya's somewhat uneasy gaze.

"Even if you, Ethics-kun, made the same request to me, I think I would need some time to think about it. After all, whether or not to put aside the work at hand to start a project that may have no return at all... this is a decision that deserves careful consideration and repeated deliberation."

She stood up gracefully and calmly, nodded to the three people, then turned and left the third grade classroom.

Instigated Kasumigaoka Utaha to question her cooperation with Aki Tomoya, and completed it.

Although I'm not sure whether they will be able to overcome this hurdle and resolve their past grievances in the end, at the very least, the goal of putting Tomoya Aki's behavior in abeyance to a halt has been achieved at this stage.

And when she passed by the twins of the Sawamura family, her gaze lingered on the boy with golden curly hair for a second longer.

"…You are a very competent and qualified brother, Onii-kun. With you around, Sawamura-kun can indeed be as fearless as a kitten who dares to show its most vulnerable belly."

Before she uttered these ambiguous words, she winked maliciously at the girl with long golden hair.

"——So, if I really transfer my affection to my brother-in-law, it must be because I am too obsessed with you, Sawamura-san."

"Hello, hello!"

However, her action, which was obviously a joke, did not cause any change in the expression on the blonde girl's face. Instead, the curly-haired boy blushed.

After taking in this interesting scene, she left the classroom humming an unknown tune.

Standing alone, a long distance away from the twins of the Sawamura family, Tomoya Aki pushed up the legs of his glasses, and when he looked up again, he looked exhausted.

He did plan to invite Kasumigaoka Utaha to collaborate later... but he didn't expect Eriri to suddenly launch such an unexpected attack, which completely disrupted his plans.

But it is this unpredictable characteristic that may be the proof that she can become the heroine of his new project.

"…Eri, how about you think about my proposal again?"

So even though Shiyu was not very optimistic about the cooperation, Aki Tomoya still patiently showed a gentle smile to "Eri" again.

If Kasumigaoka Utaha is no longer sure of victory, then now that things have come to this, she must win Eriri's vote at all costs.

"If you have to take your brother's advice into consideration in everything you do, how long will it take for you to be able to think independently?"

"..."

The blonde girl fell silent, but she looked at Aki Tomoya without any hesitation. On the contrary, the boy with golden curly hair seemed a little absent-minded under Aki Tomoya's persuasion, or rather, he didn't have the confidence.

"why not?"

The girl gave an unexpected answer.

Then, without paying any attention to Aki Tomoya's increasingly tense expression, he looked frankly at his "brother" beside him.

"Tell me what you think."

In Tomoya Aki's opinion, this was just another case of a sister's dependent behavior of seeking her brother's advice.

But only this pair of twins knew that this was not the spoiled sister asking her brother for advice - but the brother asked the question out of respect for his sister.

"...I also think it would be better to discuss this matter later."

Knowing this well, Eriri borrowed her brother's body and answered in a hoarse voice.

"I...well, Eriri and I have been a bit busy with some things lately, and her current condition is not very suitable for joining any project. So..."

Therefore, unlike Kasumigaoka Utaha's "let's talk about it later" which might be a sincere expression of her feelings, this is actually a tactful rejection.

But at this stage, Eriri probably wouldn't be able to say it all.

"But it's okay. It's fine this way, Eriri."

There was a hint of comfort in the brother's eyes, even though it came from his sister's body.

"……I see."

Knowing that he was asking for trouble, Amaki Tomoya simply stopped the boy from speaking and just nodded coldly and took over the conversation.

"But no one's asking you... I'm asking Eriri."

But the look he directed at the curly-haired boy was so cold that it made people shudder.

"You can do whatever you want just because you're her brother... You must be very happy to have Eriri hiding in your shadow and following your instructions since she was a child, living like a puppet without her own opinion."

When they passed each other, Eriri saw Aki Tomoya with that expression on his face for the first time.

"...If only she didn't have a brother like you. If that were the case...I would have always been..."

The unfinished words stopped here, but what came out was undisguised hostility.

That look, as if he had been harboring resentment towards his brother for a long time, made Eriri unable to let it go for a long time - until Aki Tomoya also left the classroom, and the "girl" next to him snapped her fingers at him.

"Why are you stunned, Eriri?"

When they make sure that there is no one around, the two people who have exchanged bodies will still call each other by their original names.

"You're not mad at me for ruining the collaboration between you and your beloved Aki Tomoya, are you?"

“Well, that’s not the case… I’m not that unreasonable… But, Toru… Toru’s attitude just now…”

Ying Lili opened her mouth hesitantly, but finally expressed her doubts with a nervous mood.

"He... Could it be that he has always been like this to you..."