Chapter 26: Similarities and Differences
Although the feeling was quite strange, it was just that.
Our worlds didn’t need to intersect. The urgent matter was how to send her, another me, back to her original world.
She wouldn’t want to stay here, and her original world couldn’t be without her.
“Send me back? Can you send me back?”
“If I could, I would have sent you back already… In any case, let’s first go to the ‘scene of the incident’ and investigate.”
“That makes sense.”
Xiao Ai and I went back into the bathroom. I picked up the body wash bottle and put it back on the shelf, then walked to the side of the bathtub and said to Xiao Ai.
“How about trying to take a bath again?”
As she spoke, she immediately took off her clothes and, in front of me, stepped into the bathtub and sat down.
I was so surprised I couldn’t speak.
Hey, hey, taking off clothes so casually? And not even covering up? Even if I am you, aren’t you being too unguarded?
“…How long should we soak?”
“Hm? It’s just me, so it doesn’t matter, right? Besides, you’ve already seen and hugged me just now.”
That’s not how it works… and a lot of that was due to an accident just now.
Seeing my complicated expression, Xiao Ai tilted her head and asked me.
“Don’t tell me you have feelings for me?”
“Well, I am a man after all… It’s a physiological phenomenon, but after I learned that you were me, I inexplicably had no more worries. I hardly ever talk to guys normally, and my conversation skills are quite terrible, yet I can communicate with you normally. This ‘unnatural’ ‘natural state’ made me see you as a ‘safe’ person… If I caused you any trouble, I apologize.”
As Xiao Ai spoke, her face turned redder and redder. She sank her whole body and half her head into the water, covering herself with her hands. This is how a girl should react, I thought, and at the same time, I felt a little regretful.
No, regret what! Tsk, what the heck… Why did I say so many unnecessary things? We were getting along so naturally until just now, and now I’m making the atmosphere a bit awkward.
Actually, I felt the same. It was my first time having such a natural conversation with a girl I just met. It might also be due to my interactions with Lianbing and the others, which have made me somewhat accustomed to talking with girls. But more than that, it was because what she said was almost exactly what I was thinking.
“Well, then let’s talk about each other. Come to think of it, it’s quite rare for a self from a parallel world to transmigrate, and to be of the opposite gender, isn’t it?”
It’s probably more likely than…
“Yeah, probably more likely than winning the lottery ten times in a row.”
“…Well, is there anything you want to know?”
It was an indescribable feeling to have my inner thoughts spoken by another person. I scratched my head, found a stool, leaned against the bathtub, and asked Xiao Ai.
“That’s right, I have many things I’m curious about too. You said you already have a girlfriend? Is she, perhaps, a character in a game, or a pillow…?”
“That’s quite rude. I do have a girlfriend, and her name is Ji Lianbing. You should have heard of her.”
“Ji Lian… that rich young lady? Ho, that’s quite unexpected… Is she out of her mind to fall for you?”
“Hey, hey, you’re going too far with that.”
What kind of person do you think I am?
“It’s just that because I ‘know myself’, I have doubts. Or perhaps, as a man, you are more excellent than me?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, in any case, I’ll talk about my personality first, and you can listen. Maybe finding the differences between us will be the breakthrough.”
If you’re talking about differences, I’ve already found one, and it’s the biggest difference that made us experience opposite fates. – Well, it might be good to hear her out. “…Where should I start? Let’s start with personal information. My name is Zi’ai, born in 2000, I’m [age] years old today, my birthday is January 1st. My appearance is quite ordinary, and my measurements are [body measurements]… Ah, this must be different.”
… “You’ve said unnecessary things. In short, my appearance is also quite ordinary…”
I had to interject here.
“I think this level is already considered beautiful.”
“Is that so? However, since I don’t know how to dress up, it might just be an illusion caused by my being unclothed, or perhaps…”
Knowing what she was about to say, I interrupted her.
“No, it’s definitely not self-praise. If such a decent appearance isn’t considered beautiful, then the standard for beauties is too high.”
“…Then I’ll accept your compliment. But even if one’s appearance is good, if their inner character is bad, it’s all for naught. It’s not inferiority complex, but the reality.”
In the end, despite my hesitation, I let her say it.
“Because I feel that traveling is the most time-consuming thing in the world, I hardly ever go out. Normally, I just go to school or stay at home. Even during long holidays, I always stay at home. In a year, I might not even go out more than ten times.”
…
“Although I do like to communicate, my conversation skills are veryPoor, so it often leads to awkward silences. As a result, I didn’t make any friends in my first year of high school. I’ve made friends recently, but I’m not sure if they can be considered friends.
Because I don’t understand the meaning of friendship at all, and I always feel like they are a bit unusual, my daily life has been affected.
Hmm….
“I never go shopping for clothes myself throughout the year. I just wear clothes bought by my mom or younger sister. Of course, I don’t even bother with makeup. Sometimes I’m too lazy to even wash my hair, and it ends up sticking out raggedly, so I just use a headband to keep it down.”
Mmm-hmm.
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but speak up and continue her words.
“In my free time, I read manga, novels, and play games to pass the time. But I’m not that attached to games, nor am I interested in collecting figures or models. Overall, there’s nothing I particularly want to do.”
“My grades are average, and my mind isn’t particularly sharp. I don’t have anything I’m particularly good at, but I don’t think any of that matters. I live an extremely disappointing life without any self-awareness.”
“The only thing that could be called a hobby is cooking, but that’s just amateur level.” As she said this, I turned to look at her and found that she was also looking at me. Our gazes met with tacit understanding. I then said a thought that suddenly came to mind.
“Right now, I’m thinking, ‘Ah, even though there are two of us, it’s no different from talking to myself, hahahaha…’.”
….That’s exactly right.
“Haaaaaa….” x2
In the end, it turned out this way.
“By the way, you said you already have a girlfriend, so you’re not innocent…?”
“Um, sorry, I’m still innocent for now…”
Hoo….
“What’s with that sigh of relief?”
“…It’s just relief from knowing ‘I’m still myself’. Oh, and by the way, I’m also a virgin, but isn’t that natural? Hmph.”
…How depressing! As expected, even after turning into a woman, her true nature hasn’t changed!
“Even though my younger sister is a super social butterfly and the most popular person in class, I, as her older sister, am so useless. It’s really embarrassing for the family…”
“I don’t have that… Ah, this must be the difference. Because you’re a woman, you’re jealous of your more excellent younger sister.”
“Because I’m a man, I don’t get jealous? But since I’m a man in this world, does that mean Keling and Xinran will also turn out to be quite terrible? Are they both thinking of getting involved with you?”
“Impressive! How did you know?”
“What do you think? We called that ‘sisterly love’ back then, but calling it ‘brotherly love’ here is a bit…”
“…Sorry, I didn’t expect you to have a ‘relationship’ with your sisters… Ahem, perhaps the reason you don’t have a boyfriend is due to your sexual orientation…”
Xiao Ai was so agitated that she grabbed my collar and stood up, exclaiming.
“I was forced! Forced! And I’m not gay! Absolutely not! Don’t misunderstand, do you hear me!”
“Cough, cough, I get it. Let go of me first, don’t get so worked up… You’ll never get married like this.”
…Tsk, what an annoying way of speaking. What’s more annoying is “This part is also the same as me!”
“Now, now…”
I patted her shoulder, looked up at the sky, and she let go of me. She sat back down in the bathtub, hugged her knees, and said in a low voice.
“I’ve been soaking for quite a while, but there’s no effect.”
“It seems like there are some conditions required, or perhaps it was just a one-time accidental phenomenon…”
“So, does that mean I can’t go back…?”
“We can’t be so sure yet. Perhaps the bathtub is a special point that connects two worlds, and it’s just not the right time, so there’s no effect. In any case, let’s prohibit anyone else from using the bathtub for now. If my family members happen to transmigrate to your world while bathing, it will be troublesome.”
“That makes sense.”
After Xiao Ai got out of the bathtub, I handed her a dry towel, then drained the bathwater, and put a lid on the bathtub. The bathtub on the second floor was only used by me, Xinran, and Keling. I’ll just tell them when they get back.
Seeing Xiao Ai’s dejected expression, I comforted her.
“Don’t worry, I know some people who specialize in solving these kinds of problems. We’ll definitely find a way to send you back.”
“…However, that means I won’t be able to go back for a while. This is troublesome… The final exams are tomorrow, and if I can’t go back, my summer vacation will be ruined…”
“Yes, that would indeed be terrible.”
Xiao Ai mentioned that tomorrow is the final exam, which means… the time over there is synchronized with the time here?
“And there’s something even more troublesome. For example, an ID card. I, who came to this world naked, am practically a nobody. I have no identification at all.”
“I can help with that.”
If I explain the situation to the organization, they should provide assistance. After all, this is also an anomalous event.
“Really? Am ‘I’ that amazing?!”
“Please believe in ‘yourself’ a little more…”
In any case, identity and such should not be a problem. Food and clothing can also be handled with my salary. And more importantly…
“But more importantly, where will you stay during this period?”
…It seems unlikely. I can’t tell my family about such an unbelievable thing, and I don’t want my family to treat me like a stranger…
“That makes sense.”
Looking at it from another perspective, if I encountered such a situation as hers, I wouldn’t want to see my own family either… That would be too cruel.
This means she is enduring the heavy pressure of ‘perhaps never being able to go back’…
“…So, what should we do next? Shall we play a game?”
“No, let’s skip the game. I was planning to take a bath and go to sleep today anyway. Who knew that taking a bath could lead me to another parallel world.”
“If you hadn’t taken a bath before me, perhaps I would be in your world now…”
“Sorry, then let’s go to sleep.”
I gently patted her head. She didn’t refuse, and her stiff expression softened a bit.
It was the first time I had patted someone as tall as myself. The position of my hand felt novel, because even Lily, who was taller than me, would lower her head to cooperate when I patted her head.
After returning to the room, I told her.
“After the exams are over, I’ll find you a place to live. Until then, you can only stay in my room, is that okay?”
“It’s the only way… But what about Xinran and Keling? Don’t they often come into your room?”
“Don’t worry about that. They probably won’t come in anytime soon. So, you sleep on the bed, and I’ll sleep on the floor.”
After all, as she is a woman, I should take care of her a little more.
“…Ah, um, you… you should get on the bed and sleep too. The bed should be big enough for two people, right?”
“Eh–”
“We’re the same person anyway, and we’re sleeping in our own bed, so there shouldn’t be any problem, right?”
“Ah, ah… you’re right… Then, shall I turn off the light?”
As a result, less than three minutes after turning off the light and getting into bed, I regretted it.
We lay on our sides, back to back, listening to what seemed like even breaths, but were actually feigned. I suddenly felt like a complete fool.
Why did I agree? Am I an idiot?!
I don’t need to sleep at all!!!
Since it’s myself, it should be fine.
It’s anything but fine!
Even if essentially it’s myself, that’s still a ‘woman’!
I’m sleeping in the same bed as a woman I just met. Am I crazy? Huh?!
Anyway… she’s not ‘me’!
Because we are too similar, a false impression arose, but in reality, we are two different beings! We are both human beings with bodies, she is not a virtual character I imagined!
Ugh…
Wait, could she be thinking the same thing right now?
“Um, maybe I should get down then?”
“…I already said it’s ‘fine’!”
…It’s too foolish to take back what I said.
If I get down now, it might hurt her pride… This is certain.-. But to fall asleep, I have to take medicine.
Sigh, for now, I’ll just think of her as my ‘twin sister’. It will be easier to think that way.
Would it be better to get out of bed now and study… What about tomorrow’s exam…
Knowing that she wasn’t asleep, I whispered,
“By the way, Xiao Ai, how’s your final exam preparation?”
“I’ve put in a lot of effort for this final exam. It’s about the vacation, so I started preparing early. Passing should be no problem. But it’s useless to say this now.”
At this moment, a flash of inspiration struck me, and I thought of a brilliant method.
“What?”
“Tomorrow, you take the test for me!”
That is:
Let ‘myself’ take the test for ‘myself’!
