Chapter 13: The Trash Scion Persona Gets Engaged
The next day, Saturday, I visited the Hoshimiya Central Headquarters building.
I was called in because they wanted to speak with me in detail regarding Eitarou-san's engagement, and my mission as his shadow double.
The Chairman's Suite on the thirtieth floor, the top floor of the building, gave off the same spacious impression as before.
The last time I came here was at the end of summer. Today, under the cloudy skies of the rainy season, the wide room felt dim.
Sitting across from Chairman Genzou with a guest table between us, I listened to him speak while drinking the coffee he had poured for me.
"The other day, I met with Touka-san's parents at a certain gathering," Chairman Genzou said. "It came up in conversation. They mentioned that Eitarou is engaged in committee activities and is a highly regarded presence at school. They also said he seems to be close with Touka-san. Of course, they were talking about you, Kei-kun. Have you gotten close with her?"
"Touka-san is in the same class, and I figured it would be unnatural if I didn't interact with girls while playing the part of Eitarou-san..." I replied.
It was a painful excuse. I hadn't told Chairman Genzou that Touka had already realized I was a shadow double.
"As I spoke with Touka-san's parents, we got quite excited talking about the relationship between you two. The Hoshimiya and Rindou families are business rivals as corporate owners. But we hit it off, agreeing that it would be beneficial for the development of both families if Eitarou and Touka-san were to marry."
Chairman Genzou was in a great mood, as if envisioning a bright future.
I interjected to put a stop to this hasty talk.
"Please wait. Eitarou-san and I are different people. Touka-san doesn't even know the real Eitarou-san. So an engagement is..."
"Of course, we will arrange a formal meeting. When I spoke to Eitarou about it, he was very positive and said he definitely wanted to meet Touka-san. I'd like you to casually mention it to her as well. I hear Touka-san is a very wonderful young lady. If he gets engaged to her, perhaps Eitarou will develop a sincere personality."
If the womanizing Eitarou-san were to meet Touka, he would certainly want to marry her immediately. Though whether he would actually become sincere was anyone's guess.
"How are you going to explain this to her parents?" I asked.
"Touka-san's parents don't know what Eitarou looks like. If we stay quiet, they won't realize a thing. I will also tell Eitarou to play along."
Hearing that gave me complicated feelings.
It made me feel as if my soul was being pulled out of my body to be replaced by the real Eitarou-san.
That being said, from Eitarou-san's perspective, I was the one who was the fake...
"Now it all depends on whether Touka-san takes a liking to Eitarou. The success or failure of the engagement hinges on that."
"And if she doesn't like him?"
"Of course, the engagement is up to the two of them. We won't force it. They will meet in a formal matchmaking setting, and if they hit it off, they can move forward with a relationship that has marriage in mind. I merely want this precious opportunity to be a good encounter for Eitarou and Touka-san, as well as the Hoshimiya and Rindou families, and I'm simply hoping it turns out that way."
It seemed Chairman Genzou viewed this entire matter as a catalyst for Eitarou-san and Touka to meet.
In other words, the decision of whether to date or get engaged was ultimately up to Touka and Eitarou-san.
On the train ride home, I sat alone, lost in thought.
It wasn't a big deal. It was just a matter of Touka meeting Eitarou-san with engagement in mind. If she didn't like it, she could just refuse.
I felt a little unsettled, but it was entirely up to her to decide.
If Touka and Eitarou-san started dating, I would leave my current school.
Chairman Genzou had told me to decide on candidates for my new school.
Living as my true self at a new school?
I couldn't even imagine what that would look like. The only thing I could faintly picture was a person with a weak presence, just like how I was up until middle school.
In the end, could I never be anything more than a shadow double?
As I pondered this, the words I had heard from Touka before suddenly echoed in my mind.
"Maybe I'm scared of people finding out that I'm an empty person who only lives for the sake of the Rindou family."
In other words, an empty person who only lives for someone else...
It felt like that was what she had been saying.
I got off the train and tried to head home.
And yet, my gaze naturally shifted in another direction. Toward Touka's house.
What did she think about this whole situation?
Wanting to hear her thoughts, I started walking toward her house.
Since my future would be decided depending on Touka's choices, I at least had a reason to ask.
However, my feet came to a halt halfway there.
...This is Touka's problem... It's not my place to step in.
I turned my feet in the opposite direction, intending to retrace my steps.
"What are you doing here?"
When I turned toward the voice calling out to me, Touka was standing there.
She was wearing a sweatshirt and carrying a large tote bag. She looked to be on her way home from shopping.
"I was just out for a bit," I replied. "I went to see Chairman Genzou."
Touka's expression clouded over. Naturally, she must have heard the talk as well.
"Chairman Genzou... Eitarou-kun's grandfather, right?"
"......"
"Hey, I'm sorry for doubting you and calling you a fake scion."
"What's going on? So suddenly," I asked.
"Today, I want you to tell me, 'I am the real Hoshimiya Eitarou.'"
...There was no way I could say such a thing at a time like this.
"I am..."
She was going to find out anyway. So, at the very least, I should tell her from my own mouth.
"I'm not Hoshimiya Eitarou. I am his shadow double."
Touka listened in silence.
But she quickly regained her bright expression.
"Kei-kun," she said. "Tomorrow is Sunday, so why don't the two of us go somewhere together? I have a lot I want to talk about."
☆
The next day, Touka and I took a train far out to an amusement park in the suburbs.
Being this far from the town we lived in, there seemed to be no worry about running into anyone we knew.
"That! I've always wanted to try doing that once!"
Touka cried out, grabbing my arm and breaking into a run.
What lay ahead was a crane game set up in the park's arcade.
Touka usually wore plain casual clothes, but today she was in an expensive-looking white dress. It featured a bold design with open sides, and for some reason, it gave off an allure I had never seen from her before.
Meanwhile, I was wearing a thin jacket over a T-shirt. It was an outfit I had grown accustomed to wearing since middle school, which I had brought with me from my family home.
Touka had said she wanted to see me as my true self, so I had put it on for the first time in a while.
Arriving at the crane game, she peered into the case, her eyes sparkling at a penguin character plushie.
"Say, Kei-kun, are you good at this sort of thing?" she asked.
"I haven't played much. I don't really have the confidence to win it..."
"Then why don't we try it together?"
Touka pulled a 500-yen coin from her wallet and inserted it into the machine.
As the button's lamp lit up, she placed her left hand on it.
"Come on, press it with me. If we time it together, I feel like we can get it."
"Press it together...?"
I found myself staring at her left hand. The only way to press the button was by placing my hand over hers...
"If you don't hurry, the crane will move on its own!"
Being rushed, I reluctantly stood next to her and laid my right hand over her left hand.
I recalled the time I had grabbed her hand at the washing area.
Back then, I was 'Hoshimiya Eitarou'. But today, I was here as my original self.
"Nnh... H-Hey, Kei-kun, we have to aim it properly, okay?"
"Make sure you don't miss the timing either, Touka."
As the crane started moving and I focused my attention on the button, I could feel the warmth of Touka's hand seeping into mine.
When we pressed the button, it felt like I was pressing down and capturing her hand.
Next, we arrived at the Ghost House.
It was a fully fledged attraction where we rode a two-seater cart along rails to do a lap around the inside.
"It's creepier than I thought..." she murmured.
Sitting in the seat to my left, Touka held the penguin plushie we had just won under her left arm, wrapping her other arm around mine.
As the cart advanced, a coffin embedded in the wall flew open and a skeleton sprang out.
"Eek!!"
Touka let out a small shriek and pressed her body against mine.
Our shoulders pushed together, and her hair tickled the nape of my neck.
Honestly, my attention was far more focused on Touka than the ghosts.
With our bodies pressed closely together like an embrace, all I could feel was the soft swelling of her chest pressing against my arm. The terror of the ghosts seemed entirely blown away.
"Haa... That was scary..."
After the Ghost House, we decided a relaxing ride would be best, so we went to the Ferris wheel.
As we boarded the gondola together and looked out over the sprawling scenery, the eerie lingering of the ghosts began to fade.
"You're surprisingly bad with that kind of stuff, Touka," I remarked.
"I-I'm not scared! I was just startled! Don't you think it's unfair for monsters to just pop out suddenly like a surprise attack? Your heart was pounding too, Kei-kun!"
"Yeah, well, I was tense the whole time."
I decided to keep the fact that my heart was pounding more from Touka than the ghosts to myself for now.
Our conversation trailed off, and the two of us continued gazing out at the distant cityscape.
Just as the gondola reached the top, Touka finally spoke.
"Will you be able to keep attending your current school, Kei-kun?" she asked.
"If Eitarou-san decides on the engagement, I'll transfer to a different school."
Touka fell silent. The other party in that engagement was, of course, her.
After a while, she muttered again.
"...I intend to accept the engagement talk."
For a brief moment, we fell into silence once more.
"I'm rooting for you," I said.
It was a single phrase, a response that sounded like empty politeness.
"Both my father and mother said it's entirely up to me to decide. But deep down, they're hoping I get engaged. And I can't betray their expectations."
Touka spoke plainly as she stared out from the gondola.
"For the Rindou family, forming a strong connection with the Hoshimiya family is a very big deal. It will also influence our future as an owner's family. So as the daughter of the Rindou family, I need to live up to those expectations. That is the kind of household I was born and raised in."
By the time she finished speaking, Touka had a calm expression. It looked as if she had accepted her fate, but it also looked like she had given up.
Suddenly, I pondered.
Why was I even in a place like this?
Why had I chosen the path of attending my current school as 'Hoshimiya Eitarou'?
"...I wanted to change it."
Touka listened closely to my unintentional murmur.
"Hm?"
"I've never lived for anyone, nor for the sake of anything. I wanted to change that way of living. Regardless of the method, I wanted to change my empty life."
I recalled my middle school self, dreaming of painting his gray world with color.
"That's why I hate the idea of this ending without me changing a thing."
☆
Even though the weather had been nice during the day, the sky was cloudy on our way home. By the time we returned to our town by train, the evening sky was covered in thick clouds, and a light drizzle had begun to fall.
"Looks like it's going to pour if we don't hurry home," I said. "I should have brought an umbrella."
"Hehe, aren't you ill-prepared," she teased.
Touka took out a small folding umbrella from her bag and opened it.
"Wanna come in?"
"It's still just a drizzle..."
"We had such a fun day together, it would be a shame to ruin it at the very end."
Saying that, she held the umbrella over my head.
"Then, I'll take you up on that offer for part of the way."
We started walking under the single umbrella. Because it was so small, we had no choice but to huddle close and walk with our shoulders brushing against each other.
I figured we would go until the crossroads to my house... But the rain intensified much quicker than expected.
By the time we reached the split, large drops of rain were violently striking the umbrella.
"It seems the sky is telling you to stay under the umbrella."
"But we can't just stand around here."
Even as we stood there, rain blew in under the umbrella and wet our clothes.
"Why don't you take shelter from the rain? My house is right over there."
Since there seemed to be no other option, I ended up stopping by Touka's house.
Her room was just as orderly as before, with the furniture, accessories, and everything perfectly arranged.
It was a room so beautiful it looked like a model home.
The words she had spoken, about being an empty person.
Perhaps Touka had lived her entire life simply maintaining her outward appearance as the daughter of the Rindou family.
"You got quite wet. Take off your jacket, Kei-kun. I'll dry it over here."
When I handed her the jacket, Touka hung it on a hanger for me.
"Are your pants fine?" she asked.
"I-I can't take these off!"
Feeling like she might seriously strip me of them, I reflexively held down my pants with my hands.
"Well then, I'm going to change."
Saying that, Touka laid a hand on her dress.
I hurriedly turned around and stared at the wall.
"I'll step out into the hallway!"
"It's fine, you can stay there. Now is the time to show the results of our training."
I had no choice. I sat straight on the floor and closed my eyes.
Once silence fell, the quiet rustling of Touka changing clothes echoed amid the sound of rain from outside.
The rustling stopped, leaving only the sound of rain.
I felt her presence right behind my back, and heard the sound of her sitting down.
"...Hey, Kei-kun. I want you to turn around."
Because a similar situation had happened before, I somewhat understood. Touka probably hadn't finished changing yet.
"I-Is this also seduction resistance training?"
"No. It's not training."
With my eyes still closed, my heart hammered like a firebell.
Touka placed both her hands on my shoulders from behind. She snuggled close, and her breath fell softly on my neck.
As if drawn in, I turned around. And slowly, I opened my eyes.
Touka was in her underwear. Clinging to her slender figure were only a white bra and matching panties.
Perhaps her breathing was slightly ragged, as the bra holding her rich bust was rising and falling like a swaying wave.
"Stay... the night. I don't want to be left alone..."
She sounded as if she were begging.
Her expression seemed to be a mix of tension and sorrow.
When her words cut off, the sound of rain resounded, as if speaking on behalf of her emotions.
"Touka, from now on you are going to be with Eitarou-san..." I started.
She looked down slightly.
"...I know I'm doing something bad. I know this means betraying my father and mother. But, this much is fine, right? I've always lived up to their expectations. From now on, I'll continue to keep those expectations in mind. I'll become a splendid woman as the daughter of the Rindou family. —So, it's fine, right?"
Touka leaned in, embracing me as she rested her weight against my body.
"Just for tonight, I can be forgiven for being a bad girl, right...?"
Her shoulders trembled as if she were feeling helpless.
When I wrapped my hands around her back, her trembling subsided slightly.
Her spine was slightly raised along the smooth skin of her back.
As I rubbed and stroked it, my fingertips accidentally caught on the back of her bra.
"S-Sorry..."
Trying to pull my hand away, my fingers accidentally tugged at the bra.
Touka reached a hand around her back and deftly unhooked the clasp.
The straps of her bra slipped down off her shoulders.
She leaned against me, pressing her defenseless breasts into my body.
"You can do whatever you want with me. Or, will you let me do whatever I want with you?"
Touka's voice was tinged with sweetness.
My brain felt like it was going to melt from her voice.
Soon, my role as a shadow double would be over anyway. There was no need to remain bound by my mission.
My hand stroked her shoulder, and then slipped further down...
"Touka..."
Suddenly, I stopped my hand and pushed her shoulders back.
With Touka's chest threatening to spill into view, I averted my gaze.
"We can't. Let's stop."
She said nothing, merely looking down in sorrow.
After that, Touka changed her clothes again, and we spent the rest of our time in silence.
Eventually, the rain weakened, so I borrowed an umbrella and decided to head home.
"This umbrella is a lifesaver. I'll be careful not to dirty it," I said.
Touka saw me off at the entryway, forcing a smile in an attempt to keep up a bright attitude.
"I'm sorry. I think something came over me. Having you turn me down brought me back to my senses."
As I put on my shoes, I shook my head.
"I didn't turn you down."
"Then, why...?"
"Touka, I want you to walk the path that you desire."
"What is that supposed to mean...?"
Touka asked in a bewildered voice, but without answering her question, I simply said,
"Well then, Touka. See you tomorrow at school."
I left through the front door, opened the borrowed umbrella, and made my way home.
That's right. I wouldn't let things end like this.
I was Hoshimiya Eitarou's shadow double. But I wasn't just a fake.
From here on out, I would become the Hoshimiya Eitarou that I myself envisioned.
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