Fluffy Moco School Life! ~ Hey Hey, What Shall We Eat After School Today? ~
Fuwawa and Mococo are twin sisters with fluffy white dog ears. Today marks their first day at a small local school. Fuwawa loves light blue, and Mococo loves pink. They always greet everyone together, saying "Hello!" in perfect unison.
Fuwawa, the older sister, is calm and a bit easygoing. Mococo, the younger sister, is full of energy and a little childish. Their favorite things are berry sweets like strawberries and blueberries, as well as games and anime. During free time at school, they play
Fluffy Moco School Life! ~ Hey Hey, What Shall We Eat After School Today? ~ - Who's the One Who Can't Read the Room——Kurumi's Shout and the Running Sisters
The morning of the culture festival.
The sky over Mofuresia had been gray and heavy since the night before.
The air of the town, which should have smelled sweet, felt oppressively thick today. The scent of berries seemed much farther away than usual.
Fuwawa lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Her body ached. Her head throbbed.
The high fever that had started the night before showed no sign of breaking. Beside her pillow lay a crumpled withdrawal form for the culture festival, and a smartphone she hadn't opened even once.
Somewhere deep in the screen, an unread message from Tanaka-kun was still waiting.
She was too afraid to open it.
"Fuwawa, can you try to eat a little breakfast?"
Her mother, Cocona, cracked the door open and peered in, her face full of worry.
Fuwawa pulled the blanket up to her chin.
"...I'm fine. I don't have an appetite."
"But you have to put something in your stomach. You need to take your medicine, too."
"I'm sorry. I just want to sleep a little longer."
Fuwawa turned her back to her mother.
Cocona opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she let out a small sigh and closed the door.
The room went quiet.
In that silence, Fuwawa's dog ears twitched faintly.
The hearing of the Kemomimi tribe could pick up a whisper from fifty meters away. Much less could sounds within the same house be hidden.
Just beyond the door.
Someone was sitting on the hallway floor.
The rustle of fabric. Small, rhythmic breathing. Occasionally, the sound of a sniffle.
It was Mococo.
She hadn't moved from that spot since last night.
Fuwawa closed her eyes.
(Mococo...)
She wanted to call out to her. But she couldn't find the words.
She wanted to apologize. But she didn't know how.
Inside Fuwawa's head, her mother's words from when she was ten spun around and around.
'Because you're the big sister.'
Back then, she'd thought they were just kind words.
Take care of your little sister. Protect your little sister.
Told that, she'd believed it was the right thing.
But now, it was different.
The words 'because you're the big sister' bound Fuwawa's heart like a chain.
A curse to suppress her own feelings.
For the first time, that's how it felt.
──
Mofuresia Academy.
The culture festival venue had been bustling since morning with crowds of students and visitors.
The school gate was decorated in vivid colors, and rows of food stall tents lined the courtyard. The smell of yakisoba sauce, the sweet scent of berry juice, and the laughter of students all mixed together, making the air tremble.
In the gymnasium, registration for the Pair Sweets Contest had begun.
"Team from Class 1-A: Tanaka Takeru, Fuwawa Abyssguard, and Mococo Abyssguard! Are all three of you here?"
A student from the organizing committee called the names into a microphone.
No response.
"Huh? That's strange. I'll call again. Tanaka Takeru, Fuwawa Abyssguard, Mococo Abyssguard!"
Still no response.
The students around the registration desk began to murmur.
Through that murmur, a girl with a chestnut-brown short bob pushed her way through the crowd.
A small mole under her right eye. A star-shaped hairpin on the left side. As always, anime can badges peeked from her pocket.
It was Tanaka Kurumi.
"Hey, Fuwawa-chan and the others haven't come yet?"
Kurumi asked the committee student at registration in a rapid-fire voice.
"Y-yeah. We called but got no answer."
"Seriously? That's weird. All three of them were so fired up until yesterday."
Kurumi crossed her arms and scanned the venue.
Tanaka-kun was nowhere to be seen.
Fuwawa-chan and Mococo-chan weren't anywhere either.
"...I'm gonna go look for them!"
With that, Kurumi took off running.
Classrooms. Hallways. The library. The courtyard.
Kurumi ran all over the school.
"Fuwawa-chaaan! Mococo-chaaan!"
She called their names over and over.
But there was no answer.
Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her star-shaped hairpin sparkled as she ran.
"Hah, hah... Where are you guys, seriously..."
That was when Kurumi reached a corner of the courtyard where berry shrubs were planted.
In the shadow of a bench, she spotted a small, curled-up figure.
A pink ribbon. Fluffy white dog ears.
It was Mococo.
Hugging her knees, head hanging low.
"Mococo-chan!?"
Kurumi ran over.
"What are you doing!? The contest is about to start! Where's Fuwawa-chan? And Tanaka-kun?"
Mococo didn't look up.
"...I don't know."
It was a tiny voice.
"You don't know...? What do you mean?"
"My big sister got a fever. And Tanaka-kun's absent from school too, right?"
"What!? Fuwawa-chan has a fever too!? And how do you know Tanaka-kun's absent?"
"...Didn't I hear it from you yesterday, Kurumi-chan?"
"Oh, right. Yeah, that's right. Tanaka-kun contacted me last night — said he had a high fever and would be out today."
Kurumi crouched down beside Mococo.
"...Hey, Mococo-chan. What happened? Did you and Fuwawa-chan have a fight?"
Mococo's shoulders gave a small jolt.
"...A fight, sort of."
Mococo buried her face in her knees.
"I said something awful to my big sister. That she's always the one who gets everything. That I like Tanaka-kun too."
Kurumi's eyes went wide.
"Huh...? Wait a second. Mococo-chan, you like Tanaka-kun too?"
Mococo gave a tiny nod.
"Whoa, so that's how it is! So that means both you and Fuwawa-chan like Tanaka-kun!? A love triangle!? A love triangle between twins!? For real!?"
Kurumi clamped both hands over her mouth.
"Wait, isn't that like, a huge deal!? Oh, but don't worry! I may not look it, but I'm great at giving romance advice! So, which one does Tanaka-kun like!?"
"...I don't know."
"You don't know, huh. But you know, I feel like Tanaka-kun is always watching Fuwawa-chan. The other day too — when Fuwawa-chan laughed, Tanaka-kun turned red all the way to his ears."
At Kurumi's words, Mococo's ears twitched.
"...So it really is like that, huh."
"Oh, no, that's not—! That's just my hunch! I don't have proof! I just... notice these things a lot!"
Kurumi waved her hands frantically.
"...Mococo-chan. Yesterday, I heard something from Tanaka-kun's older sister."
"Tanaka-kun's... older sister?"
"Yeah. Her name's Sakura-san, and I run into her a lot in the shopping district, so we got to talking. And she said her little brother's been worrying about something for a while. There are two girls he's gotten close to at school, and those two are sisters... and he's been really torn up about it."
Mococo raised her head.
"...Is that about us?"
"Probably, yeah. Tanaka-kun said he's out today with a fever, but maybe it's really a fever of the heart. I think his body's fine — it's his heart that's exhausted, so he's resting."
Kurumi looked straight into Mococo's eyes.
"Hey, Mococo-chan. You guys aren't reading the room at all!"
Mococo's ears jumped.
"Tanaka-kun is suffering the most. He's caught between the two of you. And yet, both of you are leaving his feelings behind and just throwing your own at each other. Doesn't that count as not reading the room?"
Kurumi's words were fast and merciless.
"If you love him, then properly listen to what Tanaka-kun has to say. What he's thinking. What he's struggling with. If you keep pushing your own feelings without even asking, Tanaka-kun will only suffer more."
Mococo bit her lip.
"...But I don't know what to do."
"If you don't know, then go see him. Go to Tanaka-kun. Go talk to him properly."
"But he has a fever..."
"Even if he has a fever, if you want to see him, you should go. That's what will help him the most. I'm sure of it."
Kurumi said this with a bright smile.
"Besides, Fuwawa-chan probably wants to see Tanaka-kun too! I guarantee it! Because Tanaka-kun definitely likes Fuwawa-chan!"
Kurumi declared it outright.
But immediately after, she covered her own mouth.
"Oh, crap. That was just my imagination! Not confirmed information! But, but you know, I do have evidence! During cooking class the other day, Tanaka-kun was staring at the whisk Fuwawa-chan used! That was definitely the look of someone gazing at something belonging to their crush!"
"...Kurumi-chan, you really are amazing."
Mococo smiled, just a little.
"Right!? I may not look it, but I'm the school's information hub! Oh, but the thing about Tanaka-kun liking Fuwawa-chan — I haven't confirmed that with him directly yet! Don't get that wrong!"
Kurumi frantically made excuses again.
──
Meanwhile.
Fuwawa was in her bed at home, gripping her smartphone.
The screen was still dark.
The notification of an unread message glowed faintly.
(Tanaka-kun...)
With trembling fingers, Fuwawa tapped the screen.
She was afraid to open it.
But if she didn't open it, nothing would begin.
The screen lit up.
There was a short message.
'I want to talk to you both properly.'
That was all.
Something deep in Fuwawa's chest grew hot.
(Talk properly.)
(Tanaka-kun was thinking the same thing.)
Fuwawa got up from the bed.
Her body was still hot.
Her head still hurt.
But she couldn't stay still.
Fuwawa grabbed the withdrawal form from beside her pillow.
The crumpled paper.
She didn't need this anymore.
Fuwawa put on her light blue sneakers.
"...I have to go."
Her voice was hoarse.
But her feet were moving on their own.
She opened the front door.
Under the gray sky, the cold wind felt good against her feverish body.
Fuwawa started running.
To Tanaka-kun's house.
──
"Fuwawa!? Where are you going!?"
Her mother's voice came from behind.
But Fuwawa didn't turn around.
"I'm sorry, Mom! I have to go, no matter what!"
Fuwawa raised her voice.
Running at full speed with a high fever.
Her lungs burned.
Her legs tangled.
But she didn't stop.
──
Mococo stood up after hearing Kurumi's words.
"...I'm going."
"Yeah! Go! Fuwawa-chan has probably already left the house too!"
"Huh? Why?"
"Just a feeling! My intuition! And it's usually right!"
Mococo waved to Kurumi and took off running.
Out the school gate.
Through the shopping district, into the residential area.
The road leading to Mococo's house.
Then, up ahead, there was a figure running unsteadily.
Light blue sneakers.
Fluffy white dog ears.
"Big sister!?"
Fuwawa was leaning against a utility pole, her shoulders heaving.
"Hah... hah..."
Her face was bright red, sweat pouring from her forehead.
"Big sister! Are you okay!? You have a fever — what are you doing!?"
Mococo ran to Fuwawa.
"...Mococo."
Fuwawa looked at her little sister's face.
"I'm sorry. All this time, I said it was for your sake, but I was just running from myself."
Fuwawa's voice was shaking.
"I noticed that you liked Tanaka-kun. That's why I hid my own feelings. I thought if you kept smiling, that was enough. But I was wrong. That was just me being scared of getting hurt. Just me being scared of facing Tanaka-kun's feelings."
Tears spilled from Fuwawa's eyes.
"I thought, because I'm the big sister, I have to endure. But that was just my escape. I'm sorry. Mococo. I'm truly sorry."
Mococo gripped Fuwawa's hand tightly.
"I'm sorry too. I called you unfair without thinking about your feelings. I didn't understand how much you were holding back."
Tears overflowed from Mococo's eyes too.
"I just wanted to be by your side, big sister. I just wanted the three of us to keep laughing together. That was all. But somewhere along the way, I left your feelings behind."
"Mococo..."
"Big sister..."
The sisters embraced on the side of the road.
Under the gray sky, their tears fell to the ground.
──
"...Let's go. To Tanaka-kun's house."
Fuwawa wiped her tears and spoke.
"Big sister, you have a fever — you can't!"
"I'll be fine. As long as you're with me, Mococo."
Fuwawa smiled.
"...Okay! Let's go together!"
Mococo linked her arm through Fuwawa's.
"Hehe. Mococo, you're heavy."
"It's fine! I'm supporting you so you don't collapse!"
The two began walking slowly.
Toward Tanaka-kun's house.
──
Tanaka-kun's apartment.
An old two-story building
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