Translator: Reflet

  Editor: ryunakama

  The next morning, on the way to school.

  Taiyou, Kotone, Suzune, and Kazane were more enthusiastic than usual, and Ruri thought that to be odd.

  “You’re…awfully happy.”


  “Are you sure?”


  “But I’m pretty sure…”


  “We’re the same as always.”


  The three sisters answered in their signature chorus.

  They may have insisted on this on the surface, but it was clear as day from how they were grinning.

  “No, you’re definitely in a good mood…did something happen?”


  Ruri asked again, and the sisters giggled at one another.

  “It’s because we were right next to Taiyou all day yesterday.”


  Kazane explained.

  “I see…that makes sense.”


  Ruri was about to accept that, but…


  “Wait…but Kotone was the one flirting with him.”


  A new doubt flickered in her mind.

  “And yet…Suzune and Kazane are also happy?”


  “””Of course.”””


  The three sisters answered all at once. They were so in-sync that it was like they were one person.

  Ruri tilted her head in confusion.

  “That’s just how they are, Ruri.”


  Taiyou had now entered the conversation.

  “You haven’t been with us for very long yet, so maybe you’re not used to it.”


  “Is it because…they’re triplets?”


  “Yep.”


  Taiyou nodded.

  “I was right next to Kotone all day yesterday, but it felt more like I was right next to all three sisters. That’s how it is even when you’re away from two of them.”


  “So then…what if someone gets hurt?”


  “Now, I’m not sure about that.”


  “We haven’t gotten injured recently.”


  “Ever since we met Taiyou-san.”


  The three sisters all said, inclining their heads.

  When one twin gets hurt, the other twin gets hurt in the same area. If it’s a cut, then even though the other twin wasn’t technically the one who got hurt, a cut will appear in the same area. Reports of such incidents were not uncommon, and that was probably what Ruri was referring to.

  “Let me try it out.”


  Suzune said, putting a hand into her bag.

  “Try it? How so?”


  “Okay, all done.”


  She said, taking out a compact sewing set and a sewing needle before poking her finger with it. Taiyou hadn’t liked where this was going, but decided that this wasn’t too bad.

  Blood came dripping out from her index finger. Kotone and Kazane then monitored their fingers.

  After a bit…


  “Ah, there it is.”


  “Taiyou-san, look, look!”


  Red blood came out of their fingers too.

  “Yep, I see it’s the same for you three.”


  This would normally be an incomprehensible phenomenon to anyone else, but Taiyou took it in stride.

  “Super…strange.”


  “Well that’s just how it is.”


  “But……strange.”


  Ruri repeated.

  Taiyou was about to say that Ruri was stranger, but realized that it was possible that the sisters were a bit higher. Identical triplets was unusual, but not strange. However, in their case, their heights went down from oldest to youngest. Kotone, the eldest, was 150cm, followed by the middle sister, Suzune, at 140cm and the youngest, Kazane, at 130cm.

  Much like their height, the growth of their bodies was also different. Standing next to each other, they would appear to be the same person during different growth periods in life. In addition, they could use telepathy and share each other’s wounds.

  “Yeah, you girls might be a bit higher on the strange scale.”


  “We are not!”


  “Oh Taiyou-san, so rude.”


  “It’s totally normal.”


  The three sisters said in a pouting tone.

  “Nah, but I like strange things. Like yesterday, that was amazing.”


  “There we go!”


  “That’s our Taiyou-san!”


  “Got to have your girls a bit on the strange side, right?”


  Their expressions did a 180. It was always easy to get on their good side.

  If Taiyou liked strange things, then if anything, they would prefer to be seen as strange. That was essentially what they were implying.

  “I can…do that too.”


  “What do you mean?”


  “First…I split myself.”


  Ruri said, splitting herself into three as she would normally do. One of the three forms walked up to Suzune.

  “Lend me…that needle.”


  “O-Okay.”


  While not quite sure what she was trying to do, Suzune lent Ruri the needle. Ruri copied what Suzune had done earlier, pricking her finger with it.

  “Like this…poke.”


  “And everyone…bleeds.”


  “But faster…than the triplets.”


  “Well yeah, no duh!”


  Taiyou quipped loudly.

  “With those offshoots, it’s not even about how long it takes because it’s all at the same time!”


  “I…was…”


  “Fine…today…”


  “As…always.”


  This time she attempted to mimic the three sisters, albeit in a joking manner.

  “Amazing!”


  “It looks like three people from here.”


  “But it’s actually just you moving fast, right?”


  “Yes…you are right.”


  “We are…breaking the sound barrier.”


  “But we…can do this too.”


  The three Ruri’s said, holding hands with each of the triplets.

  “Y’know, you did this before, but it’s weird isn’t it?”


  Taiyou interjected.

  “Why is it that you can maintain those forms while holding hands or hugging people?”


  “The reasoning…is simple.”


  Ruri responded.

  “Just move…faster than humans can detect.”


  “Yeah, kay kay.”


  Taiyou grimaced at the overly simplistic answer. But the simplicity of it all was probably one of the great things about her.

  Plus this wasn’t half bad. He had the privilege of essentially walking to school with two sets of beautiful triplets. As the students around him stared in surprise and envy, he relished the sensation.