AN: Heeeeeeeeelllloooo everyone! That's right, it's your boy, he's back! Well, I never left, as any of you who have been reading my other stories will know, but I'm back to writing about Yosuga no Sora! I kind of promised you all this sequel would come out in 2020, and what do you know, I've left it right at the last minute, as usual. I nearly managed to get this out before the year ended, but my own laziness as well as my laptop charger dying delayed it. But, the good thing is that this sequel story is finally here, and we'll all be able to take solace in the fact that 2020 is finally over… Though I feel that unlike Yosuga no Sora, that one will get a second season. :P
If you're reading this story and haven't read my first Yosuga no Sora fanfic – titled "New life of the Kasugano Twins" – I would recommend that you do so, as this is a direct sequel to that story. This sequel will be similar to the first story in many aspects, but there will be less of a focus on the OCs and crossover characters. They will still make appearances, as they have been integrated into the story quite permanently, but the main focus will be on Sora and Haruka and their readjustment to life back home, amongst their friends. There will also be smut along the ride, of course, so you have been warned.
Now, without any further ado, let's get right into this sequel!
Chapter 1 – A New Beginning
"...Did we really leave this place in such a state..?"
"Well, we didn't really know if we were going to come back here, back then. Still… it's our home."
I stood in the entrance hallway of the house of our late grandparents, which had more recently become the property of me and my sister, who was currently standing next to me, her hand holding onto mine. She peeked in through one of the doorways, staring in disbelief at the disarray we had left things in before our trip to Finland. The house had been uninhabited for over a month, so a thin layer of dust could be spotted covering the untouched furniture, and a thought occurred to me that we might have to deal with some vermin that might have taken residence here in our absence. Still, at this very moment, I couldn't be happier, standing with my sister in our home, after having overcome many hardships together.
"Sora! Haruka! Where do you want me to bring this luggage to?" Both of us turned simultaneously – perhaps due to our connection as twins, or the deeper bond the two of us shared – to the voice coming from behind us, seeing a blue-haired man in his mid-twenties carrying in bags of luggage – Okazaki Tomoya, whom we had met during our vacation, and who, due to recent events, was now our legal guardian.
"Ah, you can just leave them here at the entrance. We… have a lot of cleaning up to do before we can start unpacking everything." I replied to Tomoya, who nodded in reply, setting our luggage down. Feeling my Sora pulling on my sleeve, I turned to my sister. "What is it, Sora?" I asked, and she leaned closer to me to whisper in my ear.
"When are we… going to tell him? We decided that we'd do it as soon as possible, before we go out and meet anyone else." Sora asked from me, and even without mentioning anything specific, I had no doubts that she was speaking of our relationship.
"We'll clean everything up and then unpack our luggage first. Once we've settled down, we'll explain everything to him." I whispered back to my sister, and she replied to me with a nod. Best case scenario, we would have been able to tell both of the Okazakis at the same time, but with the way things are right now, we'll have to do things this way. I turned back to look at Tomoya, who made his way over to us. "We should get started. The quicker we clean up the place, the sooner we'll be able to show you around."
"Sounds good to me. Right, let's get to it!" Tomoya replied while pumping his fist in the air, his enthusiasm rubbing off on me in the form of a smile.
Without any further ado, the three of us began to clean up our house. While Sora fetched the vacuum cleaner, some dusters, and other cleaning supplies, Tomoya and I got to work, starting out with the living room. Apart from generally cleaning up the place, and the need to replace a broken window, there didn't turn out to be that much to do, but that didn't mean this was going to be a quick job – some of the furniture was still left in a messy state, as Sora and I hadn't bothered to fix them up after our argument. After finishing up with the main hallway and living room, we moved onto the kitchen, where it became quickly evident that we would have to go grocery shopping soon. We had emptied the fridge before leaving on our vacation, so as to not leave any perishables to spoil, so the only bits of food left were some dried foods and a box of cereal found in one of the kitchen cabinets. We had eaten on the train ride here, so we weren't hungry yet, but that was bound to happen by the time we would be done, so procuring food was necessary.
Once we got to cleaning the bedrooms, another task reared its head: airing out the futons, which became my responsibility as Sora and Tomoya cleaned the rooms themselves. Our irresponsibility when we left over a month ago now came back to haunt us, but there was no-one to blame but ourselves. There was no point in grumbling, though, and I didn't mind doing housework, having been the one to do most of it before. As I was airing out our futons outside, somewhat surprised that they – along with everything else in the house – had managed to stay in good condition despite being unattended for a month, I saw a familiar figure approaching our house, stopping briefly as she saw me and offering a small wave before she walked up to me. It was inevitable, but… A part of me didn't want our reunion to happen so soon.
"I thought I saw people entering. Welcome back." Yorihime Nao said to me with a gentle smile, stopping just in front of me.
"It's… been a while, Nao-chan." I replied to the black-haired girl and flashed her a smile, before an awkward silence fell upon us. We did leave things on peaceful terms, at least, but… Talking with her still feels awkward. We need to sort things out with our friends as soon as possible.
"So… Did you and Sora-chan have fun on your vacation?" Nao asked after a small while, tilting her head at me, and I was momentarily reminded of why I had once felt something towards her. I want to properly apologize to her again, as well…
"Ah, yes, we did. We… met a lot of new people and experienced new things. There's been… a lot that has happened in the past month, and, well, more specifically in the last couple of weeks." I said and rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, rolling up the futon I was holding under my other arm, while Nao nodded to me in reply.
"I would… love to hear all of it, Haru-chan. Oh, was there… someone else with you two? I thought I saw three figures earlier." Nao asked, her gaze briefly flicking to our house.
"Oh, yes, that was Tomoya-san. He is… Well, it would be better to explain everything in person." I said and pointed a thumb towards the door. "If… you would like to come in..? I… I understand if you don't..." In reply, Nao smiled at me, though there was a hint of melancholy in her smile.
"It's fine, Haru-chan. I know you and Sora-chan have made your decision, and it's not my place to tell you how to live, or to love." Nao replied, turning her gaze upwards as she adjusted her glasses. "I've had a lot of time to think, while you were gone. It's given me some… clarity on things." Nao returned her gaze to me, still smiling. "I don't think I'll be able to directly support you two, at least not openly, but I can accept you two and am willing to… coexist, if that makes sense."
"That's… more than what I could have asked for, Nao-chan. Thank you. And… I'm sorry for everything, again." I gave Nao a bow, but saw her shaking her head at me.
"Don't be. I understand you, Haru-chan. You can't choose who you fall in love with." I lifted my head and smiled back at Nao. It's great she's so understanding… I still feel a little bad for her, and Sora and I will need to have a talk with her – with all of our friends, but Nao especially – as soon as possible. Here's hoping everyone else will be as open-minded as her. "You were cleaning, right? I'll come and help you. If Sora-chan will have me, that is." Nao said and pointed a finger at the futon I was holding.
"Thanks. And, you don't have to worry. Sora's changed the most out of the two of us due to this trip. She... might even be happy to see you."
With Nao following me, I went back inside, my companion uttering a brief "Pardon my intrusion" as she stepped past the threshold of the house, stopping momentarily in the entrance, and I had a pretty good guess of what she must have been reminded of. Doing it there was a bit foolish of us… I'd like to believe we've both learned some restraint, though. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, then continued towards Sora's room, where I could hear my sister talking with Tomoya. I looked back at Nao briefly as we got near, and she nodded to me with a smile. Alright, Sora. Don't make me eat my words. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the doorway to Sora's bedroom.
"...And I think you could move that one over to the corner… Ah, Haru!" My sister turned to face me, while Tomoya seemed to be moving a piece of furniture. "I figured that while I had the chance, I could move some things in my room. That way..." Sora began to move towards me, and at the same time, Nao stepped forward, coming into my sister's view, who immediately stopped and went quiet.
"Hello, Sora-chan. It's good to see you again." Nao said and smiled at my sister, briefly glancing towards Tomoya, who now also turned his gaze to the doorway upon hearing the new voice. "Your brother said it was okay, so… I came to help you with your cleaning." She continued somewhat hesitantly. Sora blinked once, glanced at me, before her expression of surprise turned into a slight smile.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up. It's good to see you again too, I suppose." My sister replied, and I inwardly let out a sigh of relief. At least she doesn't seem to antagonize her any more... "Oh, I guess we need to introduce you two. Tomoya-san, this is Yorihime Nao, a childhood friend of ours, and our next-door neighbour." Sora continued as she turned to Tomoya, introducing Nao to her.
"Yo! The name's Okazaki Tomoya, and I'm the legal guardian of these two." Tomoya introduced himself with a smile and a raised hand. "If you're a friend to Sora and Haruka, we're going to be seeing each other a lot, so you can just call me Tomoya."
"Legal… guardian..?" Nao turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow, her confusion evident on her face. Right, we have a whole lot to talk about…
"It's… a long story. We can talk about it afterwards, okay?" Nao nodded to me in reply, while Sora took another step towards us and pointed a finger at Nao, bringing the older girl's attention to her.
"So, you came to help us, right? Well, you better get right to it, because I'm not going to let you go back on your word, 'helpful onee-san' from next door." Sora said with a grin as she pointed at Nao, whose eyes widened slightly in surprise behind her glasses.
"...You're a lot more… energetic than the Sora-chan I remember..." Nao said after a few silent moments, and my sister shrugged in reply. Well, she's not wrong. If I compare the Sora from before our vacation to the one in front of me right now… There's definitely been a big change. For the better, I'd say. I smiled to myself as I looked at the pair, hoping that the two of them could get along, and that we could do the same with our other friends.
"Let's just say everything we've experienced has made me see some things in a different light. I can always go back to treating you the way I did before, if you're dissatisfied… But I'd like to take this chance to go for a… fresh start." Sora smiled at Nao and averted her gaze from the girl, but the softening of her expression only lasted for a moment. "W-well, the possibility of that we need to see to later. Right now, we need to get this house cleaned up, so get to it!"
Acquiescing to Sora's words, we continued with cleaning up our house, now with the added help from Nao. With the four of us all working together, cleaning up the rest of the house was quick, and after just a little more than an hour, the only thing left for us to do was to replace the broken window, which we were unable to fix at the very moment. While we worked, Tomoya chatted up Nao, who told him more about Okukozome and the residents here. Now having seen it first-hand, Tomoya could easily say that Hikarizaka was much bigger and more developed (which Sora and I could also agree with, having visited Tomoya's home town when we returned earlier in the week), but he liked the place all the same. Tomoya also asked Nao about the relatives his friend Sakagami Tomoyo had spoken of, but Nao didn't know them personally, and advised him to turn to some of the other, older residents of the town.
When we finished, the three of us were starting to feel quite hungry, and Nao invited us to come and eat her mother's cooking – an offer which we gladly took. Nao's mother welcomed us in gladly, apparently happy to see that Sora and I had returned. While we awaited for the food to be ready – and continuing while we ate – we explained to Nao what exactly had happened between us and our relatives, and how Tomoya and his wife Kyou were now our legal guardians. We also told her of the people we had met and the things we had experienced during our vacation, how we met Tomoya and Kyou, and how the friends we made helped Sora come out of her shell. Nao and her mother listened to our story intently, with the latter saying afterwards that she felt our aunt and uncle had done a disservice to the Kasugano name, after everything our grandparents had done. Nao didn't feel as strongly about the whole thing as her mother, but she still condemned the actions of our relatives, and both offered to help us in any way they could – though both Sora and I insisted that everything would be fine now that Tomoya and Kyou were with us.
After eating, Tomoya began to talk with Nao's mother, so Sora and I took the opportunity to pull Nao aside for a private talk. I could tell Sora was feeling a little nervous, but she kept it to herself as we made our way out to the veranda of Nao's house. I don't think Tomoya-san will be talking for long, so we need to be brief.
"...Okazaki-san seems like a wonderful person. You two are lucky to have met him." Nao commented idly as she sat down, turning her glasses-framed gaze to Sora and I, a small smile on her face. "But… You haven't told him yet, have you?" Sora and I briefly looked at each other, then shook our heads.
"We are planning on telling him everything right after this, before we go out. We've been honest with him and everyone we met about everything else, but our relationship is the one thing we've kept secret." I explained in a lower voice, looking out across the yard. "Tomoya-san and Kyou-san deserve to know, though. We can't hide it from them forever anyway." I glanced at Sora, who in turn glanced down at her own stomach, fully understanding what I meant. That will be something we might not tell them straight away, though… We'll have to tell them and everyone else here before Sora starts to show, however.
"...How do you think they'll react?" Nao asked after a few silent moments, turning her gaze frontwards as well.
"We won't know until we do it." Sora replied in my stead. "I have confidence that Tomoya-san and Kyou-san will be able to accept us, though. They wouldn't abandon us after everything. I'm certain they'll accept us." Sora was holding onto my hand, and tightened her grip as she added in a near-whisper. "...They have to." Sora…
"I suppose I can only wish you good luck, then." Nao glanced back at us, then stretched as she stood up and turned to face us fully. "Was there something else you wanted to talk about?" I glanced at Sora, who nodded to me.
"...Yes, there was. I… I wanted to say that I'm sorry. For everything." I bowed my head to Nao, and my sister followed suit. "I know I already apologized for hurting you before we left, but… I don't feel like that was enough. Sora and I… We could have handled everything much better back then. I don't regret the events that took place, as it allowed for Sora and I to get and stay together, but… I still feel bad for what I did to you, Nao-chan. And our friends, too. So, once again… I'm sorry." Hearing no reply from Nao, I slowly lifted my head, and my sister did the same, both of us looking directly at Nao.
"What I said about… the fresh start… I meant it. I… I don't know if I've quite forgiven you for what you did to Haru all those years ago, but I know that… I've let my stubbornness and hatred blind me before." Sora spoke after me, biting her lip briefly and then taking a deep breath before continuing. "If there's one thing I learned during our trip, it's to stop judging people on first impression alone. So… I'm willing to give this a chance. Willing to give us being… friends a chance. If you can accept Haru and I like this… I'd like… for you to continue being our friend..." Sora couldn't keep her gaze on Nao the entire time, averting it about halfway through, and I saw Nao's expression of surprise slowly morph into a smile.
"...You really have changed, Sora-chan. Or, perhaps I should say grown." Sora glanced back at Nao, who turned her gaze skywards yet again. "You've definitely changed a lot more than I have in this past month or so, but… I'm willing to start fresh as well, Sora-chan." Nao looked Sora in the eyes again, smiling warmly. "I said it to Haru-chan already, but… I know you two have made the decision to live like this, and I can't force you to stop it. You two aren't hurting anyone, so… I'm willing to live with it." I heard Sora releasing a sigh of relief next to me. Sora didn't really say it to me out loud, but I know she really wanted to fix up her relationship with Nao.
"Thak you. That… means a lot… I guess." Sora averted her gaze again and fidgeted a little, then let out a frustrated groan. "Augh, why is stuff like this so damn hard and awkward! I'm already starting to regret being more open..." Nao let out a little giggle at Sora's words, and I felt myself smiling as well, then heard sounds coming from inside. That must be Tomoya-san. There's just one more thing left, thankfully.
"Nao-chan, could ask you a favour?" I asked from the older girl, and she nodded to me in reply. "Can you see about gathering up our friends? Amatsume-san, Migiwa-san, Ryouhei and… Kuranaga-san." My last encounter with Kuranaga-san wasn't that pleasant, but… I would like to at least try to reconcile with her. "I want them all to know we're back, and… We want to talk with them about all this as well." Nao's expression turned serious, and she nodded to me in reply again.
"Sure, I can do that, Haru-chan. I… should tell you that… I have told Ryouhei and the others about you two already. I made them promise to keep it secret though, so..." I nodded to Nao in understanding, and as she finished, Tomoya walked out to the veranda as well.
"Got it. Thanks a lot. You can tell them to come to our house. Oh, and we've got souvenirs for everyone as well. We'll... talk with Tomoya-san in the meantime." I said, and Nao nodded again, then waved at us.
"Alright, I'll get going, then. See you soon, Haru-chan, Sora-chan. And you too, Okazaki-san." In response, we all waved at the girl as she made her way to her bike, Sora and I turning to face Tomoya as she got on it.
"What was that about talking about something with me?" Tomoya asked with a raised eyebrow, and I felt Sora's hand gripping onto mine a little tighter.
"We should… go back inside our house, Tomoya-san. It's important." I said and gestured towards our house, while Tomoya nodded in return, though his somewhat confused expression remained, perhaps sensing our moods.
After bidding our goodbyes to Nao's mother, the three of us headed back to our house. Sora and I stayed quiet as we stepped inside and headed towards the kitchen, with Tomoya following behind us, also keeping quiet. The atmosphere was quite somber all of a sudden, a stark contrast to what we had had before when eating with Nao, resulting from the nervousness both Sora and I felt. We felt confident, and trusted Tomoya, but it wasn't enough to stop our hearts from beating rapidly in our chests, or our interlocked hands from getting sweaty. Considering we were about to tell Tomoya something extremely important that could change everything in our relationship with him, our nervousness was reasonable.
"Have a seat, Tomoya-san." I said and gestured to one of the chairs situated at the dinner table, and after Tomoya sat down, Sora and I moved to the other side of the table and took our seats opposite to him.
"What's up, Sora, Haruka? You two seem kinda… tense." Tomoya said, his gaze flicking between the two of us. Sora's hand was still clasped onto mine, and I felt her tightening her grip momentarily, while I took a deep breath to try and calm down the rapid beating of my heart somewhat. Here we go, there's no turning back now. I glanced at Sora, and as our eyes met, we both nodded.
"There's something… we want to tell you, Tomoya-san. Sora and I… we've been keeping something from you, and… well, everyone." I began, and Tomoya raised an eyebrow in question, still keeping quiet. "But, we can't keep you and Kyou-san in the dark any more, not after everything, and especially considering things going forward."
"We wanted to tell this to both you and Kyou-san at the same time, but we didn't really get an opportune time for it when we were staying with you, so… We have to do things this way." Sora continued after me, and I saw Tomoya's expression turning more serious.
"Since we've come this far already… We won't circle around the topic." I swallowed down my growing nervousness and looked Tomoya square in the eye. "Sora and I… We have a relationship deeper than that of just siblings. We are… in a romantic relationship. We are lovers." I lifted mine and Sora's interlocked hands so they were visible above the table, and Tomoya's eyes widened in surprise, but Sora spoke before he could say anything.
"Haru and I love each other, much more deeply than regular siblings. But, we are still blood-related twins. That's why… we've had to hide our relationship, because most people see us as… wrong, even if we ourselves don't think that way." Sora said, then averted her gaze from Tomoya. "I'm… sorry that we didn't tell you or Kyou-san earlier, Tomoya-san. We didn't want to risk… losing things with you guys." Tomoya's expression was frozen in surprise as he gazed back at us, completely unmoving as he absorbed our words.
"I… I'm sorry as well, Tomoya-san. I want to say that… we haven't lied to you about anything. Sora and I are still… well, us. We just share a… special bond with each other. I… I hope you can understand..." Tomoya blinked once, moving his gaze between us for a few moments before he lowered it. We've told him the truth, so now we just have to hope for the best. I tightened my hold on Sora's hand just a little as I kept my gaze fixated on Tomoya.
"...That would certainly explain some things..." Tomoya finally said after a long while of silence, almost speaking more to himself than to us, before he raised his gaze again. "This is… quite a revelation. So you two… are like Kyou and I – or, I guess like Hikigaya and Yukinoshita – despite still being… siblings?" Sora and I nodded to Tomoya in reply, and he thought for a moment before continuing. "That's… I don't even know. This isn't some elaborate joke or prank, right? You two really have… an incestuous relationship?"
"That's correct. And our feelings aren't just some… kink or anything, Sora and I truly love each other." I replied. Though I can't deny that the knowledge of the uniqueness of our bond brings us pleasure when Sora and I make love, but our feelings for each other are the real deal. I averted my gaze from Tomoya and looked at Sora with a smile, which my sister returned to me, before leaning closer and giving me a quick peck on the cheek, the sudden kiss seemingly causing Tomoya to tense up slightly on the other side of the table.
"We know society doesn't accept us, and never will, but neither of us care about that, or what other people might think of us. Haru and I love each other, simple as that. The fact that we are twins doesn't matter in regards to that. But… You and Kyou-san have done so much for us, and I… we actually do care about you two, so..." Sora averted her gaze again, seemingly finding it hard to look Tomoya in the eye.
"We'll be seeing each other a lot more, now, so we couldn't have kept our relationship a secret from you and Kyou-san forever, and we didn't even want to do so. I know… it might be a lot to take in all of a sudden, but… We needed to tell you the truth, Tomoya-san, and I hope..." I glanced at Sora again briefly, before lowering my head in a bow, and my sister followed suit. "...that you'll be able to accept us, or at the very least tolerate our relationship. Please."
"A-ah, just raise your heads, Sora, Haruka." Tomoya said in response, and we did as he asked. "This is… Well, it's definitely something new. I'd only ever heard of the idea of relatives being in a romantic relationship in Manga and stuff." Tomoya said and scratched his cheek. "I can't say that it isn't a little weird or unusual, but… aren't most things in life a bit weird in their own ways? If you two really love each other..." Tomoya paused for a moment, and both Sora and I nodded to him. And nothing that the world throws at us is going to change that, for we will be fine as long as we have each other. "...Then I guess there isn't much for me to say, even as your legal guardian. You say that you're still the Sora and Haruka I know, and since you're not hurting anyone… I can live with it." Tomoya finished with a smile, and after a few silent moments, a wave of relief washed over me. Sora must have felt the same, as she let out a sigh next to me.
"Thank you, Tomoya-san. This… means so much to us. We're so glad you're able to accept our relationship." I thanked Tomoya with a smile, and he scratched his cheek awkwardly. That's half of our fight done, now.
"Well, it's the least I can do, right? And like I said, since you're not hurting anyone, I don't really see a problem with it. Though, I was raised pretty light on morals, what with the lack of a proper father figure and all, but… Nevermind." Tomoya shook his head with a slight grimace, but before either of us could say anything, he continued. "How did you guys like, fall in love, then? The change from siblings to… lovers is quite drastic."
"Well… You know our past already. When Sora was little, she had to spend a lot of time away from home due to her… well, physical state. And when she returned home… She wasn't just my sister any more. She was a delicate, pretty girl I felt like I had to protect." I turned to my sister with a smile, which she returned to me. "I think I fell in love with her all the way back then, but over time those feelings became… distant, forgotten. But, they never truly left me, and started to resurface after we moved here after our parents' accident, and after everything that happened to us here. After being with just the two of us through all of this… it'd feel almost odd if we didn't fall in love." Tomoya nodded to me slowly as I looked back at him after finishing my explanation. The road was a bumpy one, but we're here now, together.
"I've loved Haru ever since we were children, and those feelings definitely never went away even as I grew up." Sora spoke after me, and Tomoya turned his gaze to her. "It probably started one summer when we were visiting our grandparents here, when they still lived. We had our first kiss together back then, and after that I knew that my brother would be the only one for me. And, after everything that happened since we returned, Haru and I were finally able to realize our love for one another." Sora leaned on my shoulder as she finished, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Society doesn't understand us, and other people shun us, and for what? Loving each other? What's so 'wrong' about what we have? It makes no sense. They should just all leave us alone and let us live our lives in peace." Tomoya cracked a smile as he looked at Sora, who had scrunched up her brows in annoyance.
"When you put it that way, I can't not agree with you, Sora." Tomoya said with a small chuckle and turned his gaze to the ceiling for a moment. "I can see you two are serious about pursuing this relationship, despite the challenges you might face." Tomoya looked back down, meeting both of our gazes in turn before continuing. "It honestly makes me just a little envious of your mental strength, but even more than that, it makes me proud to see you two so determined. Heh, I guess I really am a dad, huh?" We were so fortunate to have run into Tomoya-san and Kyou-san on our vacation. "Am I… the first one you two have told this to? I feel like even if you do your best, there will still be complications in the future if you want to live your lives normally here, so..."
"No, you aren't. There are… quite a few people who know about us already." I replied to Tomoya and scratched my cheek, trying to think of all the people who knew about mine and Sora's relationship. "Hideki was the first person we told, and our friend, Maria, also knows about us. They were both able to accept our relationship and supported our endeavours in their own ways. During our stay with all of you in the hotel, we also ended up telling Hikigaya and the girls, even though we initially planned on keeping it hidden from the three of them. Things were… a bit on edge with Yukinoshita-san at first when she found out, but… All three of them accept us, now." Tomoya nodded as I finished, then furrowed his brows as he spoke to me in a lower tone.
"...And what about Haruno-san? She was suspicious of you hiding things from the rest of us, which I suppose she wasn't wrong about, but did she find out about your relationship?" Tomoya asked, and I saw Sora's face twisting into a slight scowl momentarily, no doubt due to being reminded of Yukinoshita Haruno.
"She definitely had her suspicions, she said so to us multiple times, but we never told her the truth, and neither did anyone else who knew. Whatever she believes about us, she cannot know whether it is the truth or not, and she will never find out." I replied, and Sora nodded next to me. I do sincerely hope we never meet her again, but I am still unsure if her 'final goodbye' to us was really the last we'll see of her. She knows we live in Okukozome, and might attempt seeking us out on her own, or follow Hikigaya and his girls if and when they visit us…
"I see. How about anyone here? Nao-chan and her mother seemed to react quite normally to you two."
"Nao-chan… knows about us. She found out before we left for our vacation, and she accepts it. When we spoke to her just now, she also informed us that she'd told our other friends at school about our relationship while we were gone. That was… one reason why I asked her to gather them all for us at our house." I explained to Tomoya, and my sister let out a small sigh.
"Best case scenario, they'll all be able to accept us as well, but even if they don't, Haru and I can live perfectly fine with just the two of us. Of course, that doesn't mean excluding you and Kyou-san, but… You get what I mean." Sora added after me, then bit her lip as she looked at Tomoya. "Do you think… Kyou-san will be able to accept us..?"
"That's… a surprisingly tough question. I know Kyou well, but even I can't say for sure how she's going to react when she finds out. Of course, I know she wants to support and help you two with all her heart, and I know she won't just abandon you two because of something like that – at the very least, I won't let her – but I'm unsure of what her reaction to this would be." Tomoya replied, bringing a hand to his chin as he looked upwards thoughtfully. "I know I'm a pretty lax guy when it comes to most things, and due to my upbringing – or lack thereof, I suppose – I don't feel as negatively of you two having a relationship as I'm sure many others do. I've never really given any thought to the moral question of incest until now, and seeing the two of you as happy as you are, I can't really oppose it. But Kyou… She's actually grown up with a proper and functioning family, and she herself has a twin, so she's probably accepted the consensus of the general society on the matter." So, it might be another situation similar to what we had with Yukinoshita-san… "Of course, I'll be backing you two up, but…"
"She'll be able to accept us." Sora cut off Tomoya, and I felt her hand clasping onto mine harder. "We trust her, and I know she'll be able to support us. You two… you're our family, now. Kyou-san knows that as well, I'm sure." Sora's voice held conviction, but I could feel her nervousness, and I knew Tomoya felt it too, though he didn't comment on it and simply smiled reassuringly.
"I'm sure that'll be the case as well, Sora. Like I said, I know Kyou won't just abandon you two. Once she sees your conviction and how much you love each other, I'm sure she'll come to understand that there's nothing wrong with your bond." Sora smiled back at Tomoya's words and exhaled deeply through her nose, her hand relaxing again. Sora's right. Kyou-san will support us, no matter our relationship. She knows our past as well, so she understand what we've been through together. "Now, speaking of family… I suppose this means that… when you spoke about wanting to raise a child..." Tomoya spoke again after a small while and awkwardly scratched his cheek. Yes, of course…
"Ah, right… We… yes, we do want to… raise a child together. Our child." I replied to Tomoya. And it will happen sooner than we had expected… I turned to look at my sister and raised an eyebrow, then briefly glanced down at her stomach. Getting my intention, Sora loosened her grip enough to move her fingers, writing 'not yet' on my palm. Got it, Sora. I feel like telling Tomoya-san that Sora is pregnant already may be too much to take in, we've only just revealed our relationship to him, after all.
"...I see. I'm not really an expert on all this stuff, but… Aren't there… some biological reasons behind the whole moral question thing?" Tomoya's tone of voice started to sound awkward, and for understandable reasons.
"There are risks, of course, but… It's not like anything is guaranteed when it comes to genetics. And, even if we are unlucky, Sora and I will be able to love and take care of our child no matter what." I replied, and Sora nodded with a smile. I don't really know much about how genetics work either, but I would guess that if Sora and I were to have a child, there would be a higher likelihood of Sora's physical weakness being passed down to them… Though, given that I didn't inherit it from our parents but Sora did, I'm not really sure. "The main worry we have is Sora's… condition. As you know, she's not the strongest physically, and when you told us about your late wife…" I trailed off and averted my gaze from Tomoya, not wanting to stir up any unpleasant memories, but he simply shook his head at me with a smile.
"...It's fine, Haruka." Tomoya said, then toon a deep breath before continuing. "Well, Nagisa gave birth to Ushio at home, which obviously affected the… outcome of the situation. But, if Sora… gave birth in a hospital, surrounded by professional doctors and nurses, everything should be fine for you two. There… isn't a hospital around here, is there?" In response to Tomoya's question, I shook my head. "Hmm… Well, there is a hospital in Hikarizaka, so when the eventual does happen… You two could come and stay at our place to ensure… a safe delivery." Tomoya then suggested with a smile.
"That… would be wonderful. Thank you, Tomoya-san." Sora was the one to reply, and Tomoya simply nodded to her.
"Well, this is all going to happen in the future, so we should focus on the things in front of us right now, eh?" Tomoya then said, and Sora and I glanced at each other. Well… It might happen sooner than you think, Tomoya-san… But he is right. "Was there… anything more you wanted to talk about? Your friends are coming over soon, aren't they?"
"Yes, they are. We… should get our things unpacked." I said and looked to Sora, who nodded to me, while Tomoya stood up from his seat.
"Alright! Let's get to it then." Tomoya exclaimed and started to exit the room, but I quickly stopped him by grabbing his arm over the table. "Hm? What is it?" He asked as he turned to look at us again.
"I just… wanted to say thank you again. You accepting our relationship means so much to us, Tomoya-san. So… thank you so much." I gave Tomoya a bow, and my sister followed suit.
"It's no big deal, Haruka. It… will take me a little bit of time to get used to the whole thing, but I'll manage. You two are still the same twins I know, you just happen to have a more special bond than most siblings, right?" Tomoya said to us with a smile. "Now, let's start unpacking, shall we?"
Sora and I looked at each other again, smiled, then nodded to Tomoya in sync. We truly are lucky to have met him and Kyou-san. Standing up from our seats, we followed after Tomoya to unpack our luggage, mentally preparing for meeting all of our friends as we did so.
"Sora! Haruka! I think your friends are arriving!"
The two of us moved over to the window Tomoya was looking out of and saw a group of people lead by Nao walking up to our front lawn. Here we go, then. I turned to look at my brother and took his hand into my own.
"Haru."
"What is it?"
I squeezed onto Haru's hand and pulled him away from the window, then glanced at Tomoya, who had now turned to look at the two of us. Looking back into the eyes of my brother, I pulled him close for a quick kiss on the lips.
"Okay, I'm ready to face them now." Haru looked confused initially, but then smiled and nodded at me.
"It'll be fine, Sora." Haru gave me a pat on the head, and I smiled back at him. I'm still so nervous about seeing them… Ugh, I wasn't even really friends with any of them before, but now… I just hope everything goes well.
Soon enough, there was a knock at our door, and Haru and I made our way to the door. As Haru reached out for the door handle, I took a deep breath to calm myself and squeezed onto Haru's hand tighter. Just take it easy. As Haru opened the door, we were greeted by Nao, and saw the others behind her some distance away.
"Hello again, Sora-chan, Haru-chan." Nao said to us with a smile, then peeked past us to see Tomoya in the hallway just behind us. "Did… your talk go well?"
"Tomoya-san… was able to accept our relationship, yes." Haru replied to Nao, who nodded in reply. "You… managed to gather everyone?" Nao smiled a little guiltily at Haru's words.
"Nearly everyone. Kozue-chan is the only one who didn't come with us." Nao admitted somewhat sheepishly, and the events of that day were replayed in my mind again. Kuranaga Kozue… Hmph, so she doesn't want anything to do with us, huh? I hope she doesn't stir up any trouble.
"I… expected as much. We'll just have to speak with her another time, then. Even… if she doesn't want to associate with us any more." Haru said and turned his gaze downwards, then shook his head. "Did you tell anything else to the others?"
"Just that you two had returned. I said that you'd be able to tell them everything best by yourselves." Haru nodded to Nao in reply.
"Alright. We'll… call them in then, I suppose." I took another deep breath as Nao turned around and motioned towards the group of people behind her, then moved out of the way as they began to approach, familiar faces that I had not seen in a long while. Here we go.
At the head of the group was Nakazato Ryouhei, who offered us a wave accompanied by a large grin as soon as Haru and I were visible. On his left side, waving at us excitedly was Amatsume Akira, who began to rush towards us with open arms while Migiwa Kazuha – who had been standing behind Ryouhei – tried to stop her by reaching out a hand. Once her eyes met mine, however, she stopped and took another step back so Ryouhei was covering up half of her.
"Soooora-chan! Haaaaaru-kun!" Akira shouted out loud as she ran to us, and before any of us could react, she had captured both Haru and I in her embrace. "Eheheee… It's been so long since we last saw! Did you have fun on your vacation? Where did you go exactly? Ooo, did you bring us any souvenirs?" Akira's rapid-fire questions caught both of us off-guard and we were unable to respond, being completely taken aback by how energetic she was.
"S-slow down… And let go, please..." I pleaded weakly as Akira squeezed onto us both, while the girl simply hugged us harder. Well… I suppose she hasn't changed much…
"Yo! Haruka, Sora-chan. It's been a while." Ryouhei greeted us as Akira finally dislodged herself from us. "It's good to see you two are well." As Ryouhei stepped up to us on the porch, he took a step sideways, revealing Kazuha from behind him, the girl looking like she had just been pushed onto a stage in front of thousands of people.
"A-ah… I… see that Yorihime-san wasn't lying when she said that you had… returned..." Kazuha said, her gaze flitting between me, my brother, and the ground. It… seems she has some problems facing us…
"It's… good to see all of you again. And thank you for coming here, even when this was so sudden." Haru said and used his free hand to rub the back of his neck, a gesture which seemed to bring the attention of our friends to his other hand, currently holding onto mine.
"Don't sweat it, Haruka. Of course we'd come and see you! You didn't say when you would return, if ever, and didn't even inform us that you were coming back ahead of time. I definitely missed you two, and I'm sure everyone else did too." Ryouhei said with a smile and patted Haru on the shoulder, and my brother smiled back at him.
"Thank you. If you could all come in, we'll tell you about everything. And… address what Nao-chan has already told all of you." Haru's gaze moved between our friends, each of whom gave him a nod in return. "Alright, come on in, then."
Haru and I moved out of the way as our friends entered one by one, with Nao being the last one and closing the front door behind her, as everyone was taking off their shoes, Tomoya walked up to us and greeted our friends.
"Hello! So you're the friends I've heard so much about, eh?" Tomoya said with a raised hand as he scanned over Akira, Ryouhei and Kazuha. "The name's Okazaki Tomoya, and I'm Sora's and Haruka's legal guardian, along with my wife, Kyou, who isn't present right now." Tomoya extended a hand with a smile, and our friends shook it in turns – first Ryouhei, then Akira, and finally Kazuha.
"Legal guardian? He isn't your uncle, Haruka?" Ryouhei asked and turned to my brother, who shook his head in return.
"No, we'll explain everything in a moment. Come this way, please." Haru led everyone into the kitchen, where the two of us stood at the end of the dinner table, on top of which was a plastic bag holding the souvenirs we had bought for everyone. At the very least, they'll accept our souvenirs… Though based on their reactions so far, things are looking good...
"Take a seat." I said and gesture to the chairs around the dinner table, while Tomoya circled around to stand next to Haru and I. Once everyone had sat down – with the exception of Nao, who stood just behind Ryouhei – Haru glanced at me, then cleared his throat.
"Right, so… Thank you all for coming to see us. It feels good to see our friends again after our vacation. I… suppose we'll start with telling you a bit about what happened during it, and, well… specifically relating to Tomoya-san. To put it shortly, while Sora and I were on our vacation in Finland, we met with a group of other Japanese tourists at the hotel we stayed at. Tomoya-san, his wife Kyou-san, and his daughter Ushio were a part of that group, which is how we got to know them. I'm… sure all of you here know mine and Sora's past, and the fate of our late parents, so I won't go too deep into that, but… Our experiences helped us get closer to Tomoya-san and his family as he also… Well, do you want to tell them yourself?" Haru turned his gaze to Tomoya with a raised eyebrow.
"Sure. So… Well… Haruka mentioned my daughter, Ushio. She… isn't Kyou's – my current wife's – daughter. She's from my previous marriage with a woman called Nagisa. She was… like Sora, in way. Both physically weak." Tomoya paused for a moment and looked off into the distance, perhaps reminiscing about his late wife, while I noticed Akira and Kazuha reacting to the fact that Tomoya was speaking in past tense, the two girls sharing a look as their expressions darkened slightly. "Nagisa passed away five years ago, when she gave birth to Ushio. Her passing… It affected me greatly." I saw Nao's eyes widening at the revelation, as Tomoya hadn't spoken of it until now. I feel bad for Tomoya-san for having to recount these events, as it must still hurt him to do so...
"I'm so sorry to hear that, Okazaki-san..." Akira spoke out when Tomoya went quiet, and he shook his head in return.
"Don't worry, I've… mostly gotten over it, thanks to the help of my current wife, Kyou. Anyway, when we heard Sora's and Haruka's story about their parents… We wanted to help and support them. The loss of a loved one… Both Kyou and I had experienced it with Nagisa, and the loss of a parent…" Tomoya trailed off briefly, but shook his head and continued. "I know how horrible it is. Sora and Haruka are strong to have made it this far on their own, but we offered our support nonetheless, and they accepted it. And that support came in needed when we found out about what their uncle had been up to." As Tomoya finished, he looked towards Haru again, who nodded to him.
"Ryouhei questioned it earlier, but… Well, Sora and I aren't completely alone when it comes to relatives. We have an aunt and an uncle from our father's side, and our uncle became our legal guardian after our parents passed away. However… At the end of our vacation it became apparent that our relatives didn't have our best interests in mind, and we instead planned on having them accept making Tomoya-san and Kyou-san our legal guardians in our uncle's place. Then, once we returned home with Tomoya-san and Kyou-san, we found out with the help of a lawyer we had also met during our vacation that our aunt and uncle… had schemed to cheat us out of our inheritance." Our friends' eyes widened in surprise as Haru finished, and I saw Ryouhei's hand balling up into a fist.
"That's… horrible! They weren't successful, were they?" Ryouhei asked, and I heard genuine anger in his voice. The fact that they seem to care so much for us… I shifted my gaze to Kazuha, who – despite having seemingly been somewhat uncomfortable seeing us again – wore a concerned expression on her face as well. I really hope we can all be friends after this. Haru telling them about all this is just build-up for what we really want to speak to them about, after all.
"They almost were. But, thanks to the help of Mikami Teru, the lawyer who aided us, their scheme was exposed to the authorities when we met our relatives in court yesterday. Long story short, our aunt and uncle, along with his lawyer, are facing charges for tax evasion, and they have to reimburse us the inheritance money that they tried to cheat away from us." Akira and Kazuha sighed from relief, the latter quickly averting her gaze after seeing me look her in the eyes, while Ryouhei smiled at us warmly.
"That's good to hear. I can't believe your own family would try to do something like that…" Ryouhei said with furrowed brows, but his cheery demeanour returned soon enough. "Well, if I ever see your uncle, I'll be sure to give him a good smack for messing with my pal Haruka!" He then continued with a grin and flexed his right arm, placing his left palm on his bicep, eliciting a small chuckle from Haru. Maybe this guy isn't as bad as I thought he was.
"Yeah yeah! And I'll be right there with you to give him the old one-two! Pow pow!" Akira followed up and threw a couple of punches above the table. At the same time, I saw Kazuha pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation – a motion that brought to mind Yukinoshita Yukino – but underneath her hand, I could also spot a small smile on her face.
"You… don't really have to go that far, guys. Justice has been served, and things went well. Right now we just need to wait for all the legal proceedings to go through so can get our inheritance money." Haru said and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Hmph, I know I would certainly like to see our uncle getting exactly what he deserves for treating us the way he did." I followed up after my brother with a smirk, and Akira smiled back at me deviously, her hands still clenched into fists. "But, what Haru said is true. In any case, we likely won't be seeing our relatives again. Tomoya-san and Kyou-san are our legal guardians now, so they have nothing to do with us, even ignoring the fact that they're now criminals." I then continued with a shrug. Well… our aunt might get away with it, but she was still in on the scheme, right? I don't really know how these things are handled, though…
"If… you don't mind me asking… Where is your wife currently, Okazaki-san? I would have thought that she would be here with you if you returned to Japan with Haruka and Sora-chan." Ryouhei asked from Tomoya, and his question seemed to intrigue Akira and Kazuha as well.
"Oh, Kyou had to stay behind at Hikarizaka, where we live. We returned to Japan early in the week, and Sora and Haruka spent a couple of days there as we waited for the court case with their relatives. Kyou works at the kindergarten Ushio goes to, so she couldn't come here for the weekend, even though she wanted to." Tomoya explained, and Ryouhei nodded in return. "I don't think it will take long before you all get to meet her, though. Kyou wanted to come here with Sora and Haruka probably more than I did. She'll come and visit soon. Just… as a slight warning, don't get on her bad side. The numerous bruises she caused me during our high school days speak volumes of how bad of on idea that is. And please don't tell I her said that." Tomoya then continued, bringing a finger to his lips as he winked, managing to bring a sly smile to my face, and an awkward one to Haru's face, while our friends sported more or less amused expressions. Heh, if only Kyou-san had been able to come here as well… Not just because we could have told her about our relationship at the same time as Tomoya-san, but also because it would have been super fun. Speaking of our relationship, though…
"Haru." My brother turned to me as I pulled on his sleeve, and he lifted an eyebrow in question. "We should probably move on to that, now. We can talk more about our vacation afterwards." Haru's expression turned serious, and he nodded to me, before looking back at our friends.
"Right, of course. Ahem, so… there was another reason we called you all here, which I alluded to earlier." Haru began, pausing briefly to gauge everyone's reactions, and the expressions of our friends turned serious as well. I gripped onto Haru's hand tighter, feeling my heartbeat becoming more rapid again. "Nao-chan said to us earlier that while we were gone, she told you all something that she herself had found out before we left. Something… about Sora and I. More specifically… our relationship." As Haru finished, he glanced at Nao, who nodded at us, while the others stayed silent and kept their gazes on the two of us.
"Since you already know what's going on, we won't waste any more time." I said and let go of Haru's hand, then locked elbows with my brother and pulled him close to me. "Haru and I love each other, not as regular siblings, but as something more. We are lovers." There were no shocked expressions, and only silence followed my declaration. Only Kazuha seemed to react, averting her gaze from Haru and I as soon as the word 'lovers' left my lips.
"It's… as Sora says. We've… had these feelings for a long time, and when we came back to Okukozome, they started to resurface along with the memories from our childhood." Well, it was somewhat different for me, but I suppose it doesn't really matter much in this situation. "We know society doesn't accept us, but we don't care about that. Our love for each other is real, and as long as we get to be together, that's all that truly matters to us. But… Okukozome is our home. You are all our friends, and..." Haru glanced at me briefly, before returning his gaze to our friends. "...both Sora and I would like for things to stay that way. Nao-chan has already accepted our relationship, so if it's not too much to ask…" Haru lowered his head in a bow, and I continued after him.
"...We would really appreciate it if you could do the same, or at the very least, tolerate it and let us live in peace." I lowered my head as well, snaking my hand down Haru's arm to grasp his hand again. Now we hope for the best… I could feel my heart thumping in my chest, and it only made more anxious. A month ago, I wouldn't have cared what our friends back here thought of mine and Haru's relationship, but right now, I felt like a large boulder had been placed on top of me, and the responses of our friends determined whether it was lifted off or was left to crush me.
"...Nao did tell us about your… unique relationship, some time after you two had left." Ryouhei spoke after what at that moment had felt like an eternity of silence, and my brother and I slowly lifted our heads again. Ryouhei's expression was still serious, but his gaze was now directed at Nao. "We were all surprised, and even more so when she told us that she was fine with it." Ryouhei turned to Haru and cracked a small smile. "I thought she had gone crazy, at first. You two did date for a little while, after all. But… when I thought about a little… What Nao thought of you two and your relationship… it started to make sense." Ryouhei looked back at Nao with an expectant look on his face. Make… sense..? So then…!
"You… can't choose who you fall in love with..?" Nao replied after a few moments of silence, after realizing what Ryouhei had meant, and he nodded in reply to her, then turned back to us.
"Exactly. I figured that since love is something you can't control, and as long as you two were happy with the choice you made, there's no reason for me – or anyone – to get mad about it. You two love each other, and that's it. You just happen to be siblings as well." Ryouhei said to us with a smile. "So, I guess to answer you… I'm willing to accept your relationship with each other. Like Haruka said, we're still friends, so I'll welcome you two home with open arms and an open mind." Ryouhei spread his arms, and I could feel relief starting to lift off the metaphorical boulder on top of me. I used to think this guy was just a perverted idiot, but… I guess Haru was right when he said that he was actually a good guy.
"Ryouhei..." Haru's expression had been one of surprise, but it now morphed into a smile. "...Thank you." In response to Haru's words, Ryohei simply grinned and waved his hand dismissively.
"It's no biggie, Haruka. Of course, a part of me is jealous you managed to snag such a pretty girl for yourself, but if you two love each other, I can't complain." Ryouhei then said with a shrug, before turning to look at Akira and Kazuha. "Speaking of pretty girls..." Having turned everyone's attention to the pair, Kazuha turned her gaze downwards, not meeting anyone's eyes, while Akira looked at Haru and I with a smile.
"I'm with Ryouhei-kun on this. It was… a surprise, definitely, when I first heard about your relationship. But once I gave it some thought… Like Ryouhei-kun said, it started to 'make sense', I suppose." Akira began, then her expression became a little somber for a moment, her hand moving to clutch the pendant she wore around her necklace. Wasn't that… her mother's..? "I... never really had anyone who could have taught me about stuff like this. But, that meant that when I was finally confronted with a… moral question such as this, I was able to ponder it all on my own. And… I figured that it wasn't as bad as what most people would make it out to be. What Haru-kun and Sora-chan have together is certainly unique, but it's still love. Who would I be to deny the honest love between two people? And as long as you two are sincere about your feelings for each other and aren't hurting anyone, I'm sure even the Gods would approve of it." Akira finished with a beaming smile, her words having left the rest of us quite speechless. I didn't know she could be that… mature… Was she always like that? But, even more important than that… She also accepts us. Which just leaves… While Akira's maturity seemed to have come as a slight shock to everyone, the one who I turned my gaze to now – Kazuha – seemed to be affected the most by it.
"A-Akira!" Kazuha stood up suddenly, her chair scraping against the floor, bringing everyone out of their stupor. "You can't… I thought you would..." Kazuha looked devastated by what Akira had said. Her hands were trembling slightly, and she bit her bottom lip as her gaze flitted between Akira and the floor. "How can you just… say that? A-and you too, Nakazato-kun! To so easily accept something so… so… immoral!" Kazuha looked at Haru and I, her expression a mix of many different emotions. So it's going to be like this again…
"Migiwa-san…" Haru began, but Kazuha looked away again and my brother stopped, then steeled himself and continued. "I know how you must feel right now. Sora and I… We're not strangers to this type of reaction, and it's understandable. You been taught that the love we share is… immoral, as you said, but… try to see it from our perspective." Haru looked to me momentarily and smiled. "Sora and I don't have anyone else other than ourselves. Our past is filled with tragedy and sorrow, but also happy moments spent together. Our circumstances lead to us loving each other as something more than just siblings, and instead of hurting ourselves by forcing these feelings away just because society doesn't see them as acceptable, we embraced them. And we couldn't be happier." Kazuha kept her gaze away from us, sparing only a few quick glances at Haru as he spoke and crossing her arms under her chest in a somewhat uncomfortable manner.
"It's just like she said, what we have is no different from any other form of love." I continued after my brother and motioned at Akira. "We just happen to be siblings as well, that's all. We aren't causing anyone any harm by loving each other, are we? I know… it might be hard for you to dismiss what you've believed for a long time, but… please… At least try to find it in yourself to accept us. I would… still very much want to be your friend..." I pleaded to Kazuha, and from her expression I could tell she was feeling very conflicted. Please…
"..." Kazuha stayed silent as she kept gazing at the floor, occasionally glancing at one of us currently here, until her gaze finally landed on Tomoya and stayed there. "...Why aren't you objecting to this, Okazaki-san? These two… You're their legal guardian now, aren't you?" In response to her question, Tomoya shrugged.
"Why should I? I've been with Haruka and Sora for the past few weeks, seen how they interact with each other, and I know their past. I only found out about their relationship today, but that doesn't change that they're still the same people I've been with. If being in a romantic relationship makes them happy, why should I deprive them of that happiness? Like you said, I'm their legal guardian, so it's my responsibility to make sure they can live happy lives." Tomoya reached out with a hand and ruffled both mine and my brother's hair. "Society might see their relationship as wrong, but I don't. They aren't doing anything illegal, nor are they hurting anyone, so there's no reason to be upset." Tomoya looked at Kazuha and smiled, who let her gaze drop once again.
"I know you best, Kazu-chan, so I know what you're feeling right now." Akira said and grabbed Kazuha's hands, and the girl swiftly raised her gaze again to meet the other girl's eyes. "Deep down, you want to stay friends with Haru-kun and Sora-chan, but you don't know what to think or do because of what you've been taught. But… just like their relationship, aren't there a lot of things in this world that society might look down upon, but which don't always lead to bad things? Just look at us, Kazu-chan. Look at me." Kazuha's eyes widened at Akira's words, though their meaning was unknown to me.
"You know, Ojou… Okukozome's a small place. Your family's got a history with this place, so you must know about the kind of people who live here, and have lived here for generations." Ryouhei continued after Akira, crossing his arms as he spoke, while Kazuha looked at him with a slightly confused expression. "If we think of all the families who live here today… I doubt you'll have to go back many generations to find a familial connection between them. I know for a fact that my grand-uncle from my father's side married his own cousin, and no-one in the family batted an eyelid. Sure, with Haruka and Sora-chan the blood relation is closer, but… Is it really all that different? This kind of stuff happens, more often than you'd think. Love is still love, and like Okazaki-san said, if it makes them happy, what friends would we be if we wanted to deprive them of that happiness?" I could feel a smile growing on my face as I heard Ryouhei's words. Maybe if this guy spoke like this more often, he'd have more luck with girls than just trying to flirt with them…
"..." Kazuha looked down again and closed her eyes, and Akira let go of her hands. After some time of silence, she took a few deep breaths and opened her eyes again, looking at me and Haru. "I… I think I need some… time to think about all this. I still… think what you two have is… wrong, but… I-I can't… not right now..." This… really reminds of my what happened with Yukino-san… I can only hope it will end the same way.
"We… aren't rushing you into anything, Migiwa-san. And… we understand if you can't come to accept us either. If that is what you choose… we'll respect your choice, and I hope you'll respect ours." Haru said to Kazuha, and she slowly nodded in reply.
"I… didn't really get to know you before we left, but…" I spoke out afterwards, pausing for a moment to find the right words, still having some difficulty interacting with others honestly without resorting to what I used to be like. "I think… we would get along well, so… I-I want to get to know you better… M-Migiwa-san." I had to avert my gaze from Kazuha as I finished, but I could see that she hadn't done the same this time, instead keeping her gaze on me.
"...I need to think about it." Kazuha finally said, then looked to everyone in turn before speaking again. "If… If that was all… I would like to take my leave, now. I will… seek you two out when I know… what to think..." Haru and I nodded to the black-haired girl in reply, and she gave us a brief bow. "I'll… call Motoka to come and get me." Kazuha looked to Akira for a few seconds, then exited the room. All of us kept quiet as she left, none of us speaking a word until we heard the front door close behind her.
"...Well, I suppose not everything can be expected to go smoothly." Tomoya was the first one to speak, bringing everyone's attention to him. "She really reminds me of Yukinoshita – the younger one, that is. You said that she'd accepted you two, right, Haruka?" My brother nodded in response to Tomoya's sudden question. "Well, then I'm sure things will go fine with Migiwa-san as well." He then continued with a smile. We can certainly hope so… I still can't help being pessimistic, though.
"Kazu-chan… really wants to be friends with you, Sora-chan. That's why she's been conflicted about her own feelings ever since she found out about your relationship. But… even I didn't know she was this torn about it..." Akira's gaze was turned downwards, her expression somewhat melancholic, but she quickly shook her head and replaced it with a confident smile. "I'm sure she'll be able to come around and accept the relationship you two have. Kazu-chan understands what you've been through, and she's not the kind of person to just suddenly cut all ties with you just because of something like this." Seemingly satisfied with herself, Akira nodded twice after finishing.
"Your optimism certainly is admirable, Amatsume-san." Haru said with a small smile, then shifted his gaze to Nao. "I'm just hoping this won't turn out to be a repeat of what happened with Kuranaga-san..." Haru did say that we needed to talk with her as well. As much as I would be fine with just leaving things as they are… Not speaking to her might result in some problems later on, ones that could be instigated by her.
"I… tried to get her to come as well, but… When I visited her home, she shut the door on me immediately when I said you two had returned." Nao replied and bowed apologetically, while Haru shook his head in return.
"I'm assuming this 'Kuranaga-san' is another friend of yours who… didn't take kindly to finding out about your relationship with Sora?" Tomoya asked from my brother with a raised eyebrow, and he nodded in return.
"Precisely. She… found out at the same time as Nao-chan did, but her reaction to it was… A lot more dramatic, one could say. I tried to reconcile with her before we left, but we didn't quite leave things on a positive note." Haru explained as he rubbed the back of his neck, and Tomoya gave an understanding nod to him in return. I honestly doubt she'll be able to accept us, but we need to make sure she won't cause any trouble for us, at least. "Anyway, I want to thank the rest of you for understanding us, and still remaining our friends despite everything." Haru bowed to Nao, Ryouhei and Akira, and I did the same. "This means… a lot to us."
"We're friends, Haruka, so don't sweat it so much. You two are happy together, so as your friends, we've got to support you." Ryouhei replied with a grin as we raised our heads again, and Haru nodded to him with a smile. "Now, I do remember Nao mentioning souvenirs, so..." Ryouhei's gaze flicked between Haru and the plastic bag on the table.
"Yes, of course. We didn't forget, though with our budget being quite limited at the time, we only managed to get so much." Haru replied, then glanced at me, and I nodded to him.
Pushing away any lingering negative thoughts still in our minds, we focused on what was in front of us right now, and that was our friends having accepted mine and Haru's relationship. The crushing weight of the boulder had been lifted off for now, allowing me to breathe freely, and I could even smile as I watched Akira and Nao compare the gifts Haru had bought them as souvenirs. It feels…
It feels good to be home.
AN: Well, I took a stupidly long amount of time write this, but I'm happy with how it turned out. I'm also just happy in general to be back to writing about Yosuga no Sora. That being said, I am also in a situation that I previously said to myself I would avoid getting into, that being the fact that I am working on three stories at once (plus having plans in my head for two others…). That means that updates will be slow, though as my readers, you're probably all used to that anyway.
I'll see you all in the next chapter, and happy new year!