The Gemini Princess wants me to confess my feelings!

What's going on?

Am I hallucinating?

Kirihara Akira picked at her ear and asked again, "Excuse me, I had a problem with my ears just now. What did you just say?"

Mori Shizue said very seriously, "You and my sister, and Mori Kiyoha, go on a relationship."

Her serious expression silenced Kirihara Akira.

Kirihara Akira wondered if something was wrong with the world.

Two full minutes later, Kirihara Akira finally managed to ask with difficulty, "Why?"

The person who started the outrageous remarks instead showed a surprised expression and asked, "Don't you like Qingye? I see you two together every day, I thought..."

"No, no, wait a minute," Kirihara Akatsuki quickly stopped her, saying, "What are you talking about? How can we be in love with each other?"

Mori Shizue retorted, "You don't like Kiyoha at all?"

"No, that's not it," Kirihara Akatsuki said. "My question is, why do you want me to date her?"

Mori Shizue's answer was perfectly natural: "Because I want her to be happy."

Kirihara Akira met her gaze, and this time she showed no shyness whatsoever.

"You really think highly of me. Dating me is happiness..." Kirihara Akira said.

Mori Shizue's face remained calm, but the constant wiggling of her feet hidden under the table betrayed her: "No, that's not it. You're a dangerous guy, and I still think so."

Kirihara Akira couldn't fathom Mori Shizue's thoughts at all, and said, "Then why are you pushing your sister into a fire pit?"

Mori Shizue looked at Kirihara Akira, frowned, and said, "Are you really not aware, or are you pretending?"

Kirihara Akatsuki was a little confused by the question: "What do you mean?"

"...Never mind, there are some things I can't say." Mori Shizue sighed helplessly and said, "In other words, I hope she can have freedom, to be with whomever she wants, that's a precious kind of freedom."

In other words, I hope she can enjoy a carefree life, a freedom she earned in this family at the cost of her mother's love.

Kirihara Akira finally understood, and he said thoughtfully, "So, can I interpret this as you hoping she won't worry too much about you?"

Mori Shizue twisted her fingers, somewhat unaccustomed to Kirihara Akira's bluntness: "You could explain it that way."

Then she saw Kirihara Akatsuki smile and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"You two really are twins, you're so in sync," Kirihara Akatsuki said. "Want to know what your sister said?"

Tell me about it.

......

......

Around the time Gemini was in junior high school, they gained a profound understanding of their destiny.

At that time, the Mori family faced turmoil brought by the changing times. Due to some historical issues, the Mori family inevitably had dealings with various forces, including the underworld, to varying degrees.

The interpersonal relationships among the nobility were something that Mori Kiyoha was not good at, and Mori Shizue disliked. These things gave them a strong psychological burden—or even a psychological shadow.

In this family, if you ask who can relieve their worries, it goes without saying that it is the sisters' father.

They complained to their father as usual, hoping that Hayato Mori would make them laugh with his usual witty remarks.

However, their expectations were dashed that time.

Hayato Mori was a son-in-law of the Mori family. Perhaps it was because he happened to be dealing with some helpless and agonizing family matters at that time, that he was not in the mood to tell jokes to the two sisters that day.

He, of course, maintained the wisdom expected of a parent, remaining both frustrated and composed, uttering words that were difficult for the child to understand: "We each have our own destiny."

If it were just their father's discouraging words, the two sisters might not have cared. But the lady's improper upbringing taught them what it means to be subject to a fate beyond one's control.

When they were about to enter high school, the two sisters decided to rebel.

Their first step was to divide the work.

Back then, the twins were inseparable. Although they had naturally different personalities, they were both very reserved.

This can't go on; the two obedient girls will never have a chance to turn things around.

Their ideas were very simple and naive.

They can be the rebellious child on one hand, and continue to play the good girl on the other.

The benefits of doing this are obvious: if one child is a bad role model or a failure, the other child will be under much less pressure.

Driven by such naive motives, they began to discuss who should be entrusted with this important task.

Even though they are all born from the same mother, there are still differences between the individuals.

Without a doubt, Mori Kiyoha was born to be somewhat unconventional.

Subsequent events proved that Mori Kiyoha made good use of the "rebellious" trait.

The decision to have her younger sister play the rebellious, ugly character will be something Mori Shizue will regret for the rest of her life.

An indecent argument, which should not have happened, occurred in the aristocratic family.

Despite being at the center of the argument, Mori Kiyoha didn't see it as a terrible thing.

Mori Shizue felt indebted to her younger sister for the rest of her life, because this decision almost caused her sister to lose her mother's love.

Contrary to what Mori Shizue thought, Mori Kiyoha felt she possessed immense power—the power to be angry.

And what about Mori Kiyoha later? She too began to feel indebted.

She realized that she seemed to be enjoying a free life without wearing a mask, while leaving all the burdens of being a noblewoman to her sister.

At that time, Mori Akari was completely disappointed with her second daughter, and she was grooming her more rational and virtuous eldest daughter as her only successor.

In the future, Shizue Mori will be the next Akari Mori, with a pre-arranged son-in-law to take over the entire family.

It was from this moment that Mori Kiyoha realized that her older sister had never shown a genuine smile again.

She had thought that this tragedy, which began as a farce, would haunt her sister's life.

Until Kirihara Akira came to this house.

In the library, Mori Kiyoha saw her sister's long-lost joy.

......

As soon as Mori Kiyoha woke up, Asahi and Kanade were already waiting beside her, ready to help her change her clothes.

"Miss, have you decided what gift to give your sister for her birthday?"

An untimely question brought Mori Kiyoha back to her senses.

"No," Mori Kiyoha said.

Asahi Kasano knelt before Mori Kiyoha, placing his hands on the small hill as he buttoned her clothes, saying, "You two always exchange gifts in previous years, is this year going to be different?"

Mori Kiyoha's face was cold. She didn't answer, but instead asked a seemingly unrelated question: "I heard you want to help Kirihara Akira pursue my sister?"

"Ah." Asahi Kasana broke out in a cold sweat: "No, what I meant was—"

"No need to explain," Mori Kiyoha interrupted her, saying, "I agree with your idea. How about this, you help me think of a way to get Kirihara Akira and Mori Shizue on a date."