Chapter 2: The Two Competing
"Yes, that's me."
On a certain page of a fashion magazine, a single lovely girl smiled at me, accompanied by a line that seemed oddly familiar.
Her hair was gray, her eyes a brilliant sapphire blue. She stood beside a snowman, dressed in a school uniform. A scarf wrapped snugly around her neck, tights covering her legs. And her face—so astonishingly beautiful that she might just be an angel.
So, who is this charming girl?
It goes without saying, doesn’t it?
Yes, that's me.
“Elaina, you look just like a model!”
“Wow!” Saya exclaimed, her eyes practically glued to the magazine as her excitement overflowed. “How much is this magazine? I’m going to treasure it forever.”
Treasure it, huh? That’s quite something.
I answered, “One hundred million yen.”
“Got it. I’ll buy a hundred million copies!”
“What are you even saying?”
“I could say the same for both of you,” Amnesia said from the side, giving me an exasperated nudge.
As she glanced at the magazine, she squinted and added, “But honestly, it’s surprising to see Elaina in a fashion magazine.”
“Is it?”
“I figured you’d hate being photographed.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
“Then why did you agree to the shoot?”
“I like money.”
“Suddenly, your reason for being in the magazine makes complete sense.”
Amnesia squinted her eyes again, this time with a different meaning behind the expression.
Oh no, did I just make her lose respect for me?
“Well, even setting aside the whole money thing, I thought it might be good to have this kind of experience once in a while,” I added, feigning innocence.
"It's not just about the money, you know. It's about the experience. Really."
“But you’re in a school uniform here—when did someone approach you about this?” Saya tilted her head, still completely absorbed in the magazine, now peering at it from an uncomfortably close distance.
“They happened to call out to me last month when I was walking alone.”
“I see…,” Saya murmured, nodding sagely. “Wait—wasn’t that when we were on a date?”
“What?”
“I mean, now that I think about it, didn’t someone call out to you when the two of us were walking together?”
“What are you even talking about?”
“Oh, and this snowman—it feels like I might have been the one who built it.”
Saya’s gaze remained fixed on the magazine, her eyes filled with what seemed like nostalgia. Or perhaps it was just delusion.
Actually, no—scratch that. It was definitely just delusion.
Watching our exchange, Amnesia shrugged her shoulders.
“Honestly, from my perspective, you’re both just saying completely nonsensical things.”
“No, no, no.”
Wait—am I being included in this? “I haven’t said anything weird, have I?”
“Oh no, Elaina, you’ve just said something extremely weird.”
“Have I, though?”
“The one who was with you when this photo was taken…was me. Isn’t that right?”
“What are you even talking about?”
“I just realized…I actually have a memory of making that snowman,” Amnesia said, her gaze suddenly becoming distant.
“She’s lost in her delusions…”
What’s gotten into both of them?
“I’m certain this photo was taken when Elaina and I were out on a date together. I remember it clearly,” Saya declared with confidence.
“Come on, Saya. It’s not good to indulge in fantasies. This was clearly taken when I was on a date with Elaina,” Amnesia retorted with equal conviction.
“Stop embarrassing yourself, Amnesia. This is obviously a cherished memory of Elaina and me!”
“No, no.”
“No, no, no!”
What’s happening here? Seriously, what’s gotten into both of you?
“That snowman was made by me.”
“No, I made that snowman. There’s no doubt about it.”
Actually, the staff on-site prepared the snowman.
“Oh, I remember it so clearly! It was such a tough job, building that snowman in the freezing cold. Really took a lot out of me!” Saya declared with dramatic flair.
“How strange. I remember it too—how difficult it was to make and how much time it took,” Amnesia added, nodding sagely.
For the last time, the staff prepared it!
What is wrong with the two of you? Seriously, can we not?
As I found myself nervously glancing back and forth between Saya and Amnesia, who were now glaring at each other and muttering “hmph!” under their breaths, a voice called out to me.
“You seem to be in trouble, Elaina.”
Turning toward the unexpected voice, I saw a girl with white hair, much like Amnesia’s, styled into long locks. Her youthful appearance carried a slightly childlike charm.
“Avilia.”
It was none other than Amnesia’s younger sister.
“Fufufu. It seems you don’t understand why my sister and Saya are arguing.”
“Ugh, no, not really. I was just worrying about what might’ve happened to make their IQs suddenly drop so drastically.”
“Do you know why they’ve ended up like this?”
Avilia glanced at the two of them briefly before continuing.
“Well then, let’s take a look at an example of ‘like this,’ shall we?”
“I just realized something—I feel like I might’ve been the one who took this photo,” Saya said.
“How curious. Actually, I feel like I took the photo. Come to think of it, I might’ve even been the one who made this entire magazine,” Amnesia replied confidently.
“Now that’s just ridiculous,” Saya retorted.
“Claiming you took the photo is ridiculous too,” Amnesia shot back.
“No, no.”
“No, no, no!”
Yes.
Completely incomprehensible.
“So, do you understand why those two are acting like that?” Avilia asked.
“Not at all.”
“Well then, Elaina, have you ever heard this story?
There was a plain high school boy named Yuji. He had a crush on a girl named Kiyomi, who had lived in his neighborhood since they were kids. Yuji had quietly harbored feelings for her since they were little. But he had a formidable rival—Kotaro, a boy everyone in school called ‘the Prince,’ who was constantly showered with adoration and squeals of ‘So dreamy!’ from the girls.”
“Huh.”
“The two of them were always fighting over Kiyomi. Every little thing would spark an argument—‘I’m the one who truly loves Kiyomi!’ ‘No, I am!’ ‘I know Kiyomi better than you!’ ‘No, I do!’ This often escalated into brawls by the riverside. It was an everyday occurrence. In short, they were like cats and dogs.”
“...Huh.”
“But why were they always at odds? It wasn’t just because they were rivals for the same girl. The truth was that they also deeply understood one another. They recognized in each other qualities they didn’t have themselves. That’s precisely why they couldn’t help but compete all the time!”
“Your enthusiasm is really ramping up, Avilia,” I noted.
“Each of them constantly feared that if they let their guard down for even a moment, the other would seize the upper hand—that anxiety fueled their rivalry!”
“I see. And?” I tilted my head.
Avilia seized the moment to deliver her conclusion with a smug expression.
“Well, in short, my sister and Saya are likely feeling the same way about each other right now.”
“For all that buildup, this turned out to be a pretty ordinary explanation.”
Couldn’t she have just said, “The two of them see each other as rivals,” and been done with it?
“By the way, Elaina, have you heard this anecdote before? I like to call it ‘The Love Struggles of Yuji and Kotaro.’”
“I hadn’t, actually.”
“I haven’t even remotely heard of this before. Where did you get this story from?”
“It’s from a shoujo manga I’m reading right now.”
“And yet you managed to tell it like it’s some famous anecdote?”
“The duel scene between Yuji and Kotaro was absolutely spectacular. It was intense—the raw, no-holds-barred fistfight left them both battered, and it was truly moving to witness.”
“I feel like you’re enjoying this in a way that’s…not typical for most girls.”
“By the way, the story ends with the two of them lying side by side on the riverbank, looking up at the sky and laughing, ‘Heh heh heh,’ as they pledge eternal friendship.”
“Is that so?”
“But anyway, the important thing is this—Elaina, you’re in the same position as those two! You’re being fought over by two girls!”
“Could you not suddenly yell like that…?”
“And what a fortunate position you’re in. Tch.”
“Could you also not suddenly sound so annoyed…?”
I let out a sigh. Honestly, I’d prefer to just keep ignoring Amnesia and Saya’s endless back-and-forth. But the two of them were still at it, volleying “No, no!” and “No, no, no!” back and forth, making it clear they weren’t going to settle this anytime soon.
“Elaina, in light of this so-called ‘Love Struggles of Yuji and Kotaro,’ there’s something I want to say to you.”
“...What is it now?”
I tilted my head as Avilia placed a hand on my shoulder with a deliberate pon!
And then, she spoke:
“Oh, how fortunate you are to be fought over by two beautiful girls!”
“............”
“Well then, I’ll be off now.”
Rattle, rattle, slam.
And with that, Avilia exited the classroom as if nothing had happened, leaving the door clicking shut behind her.
“What was even the point of her coming here…?”
I stood there, dumbfounded, completely at a loss.
Meanwhile, Yuji and Kotaro—no, Amnesia and Saya—continued their heated standoff. Though it hadn’t devolved into a physical brawl, they remained locked in verbal sparring for a few more minutes. But then, the mood began to shift.
“—Honestly, if Amnesia was there, wouldn’t it make sense for her to be featured in the fashion magazine too? I mean, she’s as stunning as Elaina!” Saya exclaimed passionately.
“...!” Amnesia gasped, her eyes widening. “If…if you put it that way, then…shouldn’t Saya have been in the photos too? It’d only be fair…since you’re so cute...”
“...! A-Amnesia-san…” (T/N: Wth)
“…………”
Their faces flushed crimson as they turned awkwardly away from each other.
………
What is even happening here?
“I feel like their IQs just dropped again,” I muttered, staring at the scene before me. “What is going on here? Seriously, what?”
“Fufufu, Elaina.”
Rattle, rattle.
Avilia returned, stepping right back in and casually tapping my shoulder.
“Looks like you’ve been rejected.”
I let out a long, weary sigh and replied:
"What are you talking about?"
Chapter 2 END