I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

So, here I am, officially in the chaotic whirlwind that is second year of middle school.

Of course, just because I’m in second year doesn’t mean I’ve suddenly caught middle school syndrome. Strangely enough, the hormones in my body don’t seem to have much impact on my mind. Honestly, I’m not even sure if those hormones are actually being released.

My height hasn’t changed at all. Little by little, my friends around me are growing taller, and seeing Shii getting almost as tall as me made me wonder if I should be feeling a little threatened, but worrying about it wouldn’t really change anything about height, would it?

I just decided to accept it. If I grew taller than Kagami, it would just make it awkward when we’re hanging out.

Most importantly, I had a companion.

More like a sister, really.

“Koto Ne?”

“Yeah?”

As I blankly stared out the window, I heard that calling from behind me.

Koko was looking at me intently.

My hair is managed to a decent length, hanging around my shoulders, but Koko’s hair is not something you can just easily trim.

So, Koko goes around with her hair braided, done every morning by Kagami.

That’s cute, in its own way. I briefly thought that glasses would suit her well, but it felt a bit too much, so I let it go.

Koko has a good sense.

Her usual demeanor is so innocent that she sometimes seems a bit slow, but her gaze when she’s observing something is keener than I could have anticipated.

Especially if it’s something she’s interested in, her sharpness increases even more.

And I’m one of those “interest subjects.” Koko weirdly likes me a lot, and wherever I go in school, she’s always right there trailing behind.

Thanks to that, it seems we are almost treated as a packaged deal by our friends, seen as cute. After all, identical twin girls—honestly, even at this point, that feels like a bit too much of a setting. Though it’s a common trope.

“Why?”

Koko tilted her head, asking that.

I briefly thought that it should be me asking such a question right now, but there’s no need to pressure Koko.

“Just because.”

Koko’s question had no real meaning, so I gave a meaningless answer, patting her head. Koko immediately brightened up.

…It’s peaceful. Almost enough to make me anxious.

I haven’t stopped hunting Yōkai; I still occasionally go out with Yuka. Koko wanted to follow me, but each time, Kagami would hold onto Koko tightly, making her brighten up again.

Since I’d be back home a few hours later anyway, I don’t think Koko was overly worried about it.

But still, even recognizing that fact feels weirdly peaceful.

At the sound of the classroom door opening, I turned my gaze back to the front.

I pulled out a book from my desk and laid it out on top, getting ready for class.

Class was as boring as usual.

Boring as it was, I found comfort in the fact that it was the same as always.

*

Living in this world, I’ve come to one undeniable realization: no matter how much life feels like a series of extraordinary events, if you keep repeating those, they will eventually turn into “daily life.”

I know, it’s a bit of a strange logic, but that’s how it is.

My job was like that too. Entering the flames, clearing accident scenes, facing dying people—these things might be considered extraordinary from a regular person’s perspective, but for me, they were part of daily life.

Whether I liked it or disliked it didn’t matter much. Regardless, I continued to do that work, facing those scenarios day in and day out.

Yōkai hunting also became part of my daily life, and in some ways, I started to feel it was… how should I put it, ordinary. It felt a little dangerous, yet it was something I couldn’t escape from. Even if it wasn’t frequent, it kept repeating.

In that sense, a “human stalker” felt more “extraordinary” than a Yōkai to me.

…Is it okay to express it this way?

“Koto Ne?”

“Shh.”

I put my finger in front of Koko’s mouth. Koko blinked her big eyes but listened.

I pushed an ice cream toward Koko and then looked back outside the café.

“Hey, Senior?”

Shii, who was sitting next to me, called out.

Well, technically, since she couldn’t have heard our conversation, a bit of noise was probably fine, after all.

I called her a stalker, but honestly, I had no real certainty. They didn’t look too creepy.

Well, most criminals do look pretty normal at first—just being “normal” isn’t enough.

A pretty girl stalker.

“Hm.”

I frowned, glancing at Sota, who was outside the window.

Naturally, Sota had probably already been informed by me, but seeing him alone out on the street without his usual group seemed a bit disconcerting.

From a distance, a girl was watching over him.

She looked similar in age to us. She seemed to be a little taller than I was.

She had a serious yet somewhat mischievous look that wouldn’t be out of place if we became friends.

“Is that the stalker?”

Yuka asked. Her eyes full of disbelief as she sipped her iced tea through a straw.

Is she having a hard time accepting it because of gender stereotypes? Or maybe it’s just this current era where vigilance is low?

“When did you first see her?”

“About two weeks ago.”

That was true. At first, I thought someone just moved nearby, but she showed up every time I visited Sota’s house.

“Right, Koko?”

“Uh-huh?”

Since I suddenly asked, Koko, who had been diligently eating her ice cream, perked up again. It seemed her interest had waned, and she had gotten focused on her food.

“You saw her too, right?”

“Yeah.”

Koko nodded.

“Since a month ago.”

“…”

Hmm.

It seems she came much earlier than I noticed.

Hearing that, Shii pressed her lips tightly together.

Yuka had a slightly shocked expression too.

“Can’t you just talk to her? If you’re interested, you could say something first.”

It was amusing to hear Yuka say that, who had been pining and unable to confess throughout the story, but that’s not what mattered right now.

For the moment, I should be satisfied that Yuka pointed out that she felt uneasy too.

“…”

We observed the girl briefly. Still, she wasn’t looking into the café, merely peeking her head out from the alley across the street, staring at Sota.

“…Yeah, now it feels a bit stalker-ish.”

“Right?”

Seeing Yuka finally acknowledge it, I nodded.

Sota was still out there, pacing back and forth alone.

“So, the reason you called me was to pretend to be a fake girlfriend next to Sota?”

“Um… that’s true, but are you okay with that?”

“Nothing wrong with it. Even if I look like this, I can quickly notice if the other party is holding something like a knife.”

Though, saying that made me feel a bit uneasy. I didn’t intend to create a situation where a friend was stabbed.

“Girlfriend…?”

Upon hearing that, Shii tilted her head and murmured,

“Girlfriend!?”

She shot up from her seat. This surprised not just me, but also Yuka and Koko, who turned to look at her.

It wasn’t just the three of us; everyone in the café turned to look at Shii. Her face turned red as she shyly sank back into her seat.

“W-well, in that case, perhaps I should…”

“I’ve been observing her for a month, do you really think I wouldn’t realize you were a younger sister?”

In response to my sharp comment, Shii shook her head and replied seriously.

“T-they could think I’m your girlfriend who lives together!”

Goodness, a middle schooler living with an elementary schooler.

Well, technically speaking, it is correct in a dictionary sense. But socially, it’s a completely different story.

Even if the age difference is only two years, the thought of a middle schooler having romantic feelings for an elementary schooler gives me the creeps. If that were really the case, then the stalker following Sota wouldn’t be the issue.

“…”

As Yuka and I stared at her fixatedly, Shii bunched up her shoulders, hiding her red face.

“Or, should I do it?”

“Hmm…”

Upon my question, Shii tilted her head and paused to think.

“Oh, right. That might be better.”

Yuka chimed in.

“If you’ve seen her for a month, that means you’ve probably seen her coming and going into that house a lot too.”

“…That makes it feel so weird when you put it that way.”

I ended up going to Shii’s house. I mean, she’s practically my little sister.

In the end, the one who was chosen for the situation was me.

Koko knew nothing about it, and Yuka had never seen that girl before.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be nearby the girl. If she tries to dart out alone, I’ll grab her.”

It was reassuring to hear Yuka say that.

But somehow, I felt a bit uneasy about walking around next to Sota.

Because…

If Shii is my younger sister, then Sota is still her younger brother, right?

Sibling rivalry is pretty natural.

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