“Hey, hey… what’s with you two getting all cozy?

  Océan, left alone in the living room, appeared in the doorway, her face a mix of irritation and pouting. She plopped down cross-legged on Ciel’s bed. The springs groaned under her weight, and the bed shuddered.

  “Careful! Don’t break it,” Ciel warned.

  “Break it? Pfft. This won’t break from just this,” Océan muttered, sulking, her lips pressed in a stubborn little pout.

  “Océan… Are you jealous?” Ciel teased, tilting her head with a pyful smile. “Rex. I’m not going to take her away from you.”

  Océan huffed, cheeks pink with embarrassment, and turned her face away.

  “I’m doing homework in the living room,” Ciel said, rising gracefully. She gave me a brief, gentle smile before leaving the room. A few seconds of silence followed.

  “Do twins… ever end up liking the same person?” I asked, the question I’d been curious about for a long time slipping out.

  “Never happened to me. But anyone I like… somehow ends up liking Ciel,” Océan admitted quietly.

  “That… must be hard.”

  “Yeah. But she’s never been with anyone. The girls I liked would confess to her first—and get rejected. Then they’d come crying to me. I think… Ciel turns them down knowing how I feel. She’s… thoughtful like that.”

  I couldn’t help but wonder how wonderful it would be if I could have a sisterly bond like theirs with Roman. The endless tears over my sister, the jealous rage that left me shing out—not just at her, but at myself—had left me completely drained.

  Would it help if I stopped seeing Roman every day? Would my heart finally find peace when I could watch her kiss someone else and not feel pain?

  “Maybe… if I keep my distance from Roman, it’ll be easier,” I murmured.

  “Maybe. Might help for a while, but… forgetting someone you loved so much in a short time? That’s impossible, right?”

  “Before high school, my parents suggested it. They asked if I could try living apart from Roman.”

  I had never listened. Each time Roman got a boyfriend, I’d lose my appetite, spiral emotionally, even run away from home. At the time, the thought of living away from her was unbearable. But now… maybe my parents had been right.

  “If taking a break gives you some peace, why not try it? And hey… maybe being apart will let you notice other people, not just your sister,” my friend suggested.

  I nodded vaguely. The idea of seeing anyone but Roman… impossible. Even as a kid, I had no interest in making friends. All I needed was Roman. Back then, I had spent middle school and high school thinking only of her, never trying to connect with others. Yet here I was, talking casually with someone besides my sister—it felt strangely surreal.

  Maybe one day, if I could think of Roman even half as much as I do now, would something finally change?