Turn Around and Face Me! 08

My Other Half 　

※Told from Mei François’ perspective.

Mei looked at Alea, who was clearly excited about joining Lily-sama’s new club. A veiled sigh escaped from Mei’s lips. As always, Alea only had eyes for Lily-sama. While Mei knew that was only to be expected, a dull pain still ran deep through her chest.

―Even though Alea used to belong only to Mei…

Alea may have forgotten, but Mei remembered. Mei has memories of their birth and the events that followed. For the longest time, the two of them only had each other.

Papa had died before they were born, but Mei still remembered mama. Though she didn’t know exactly where, Mei’s first memories were of a place that resembled ruins. Mama was the one to take them to Bauer, but she too died just as they arrived. Mei’s memories of their life after that still pained her to this day.

Though it had since been lifted, the twins possessed cursed blood. Anything that came into contact with that blood, animate or inanimate, turned into magic gems. The relatives of our late mama tried to abuse this curse, making us their golden hens. They’d hurt us, make us bleed, and sell the resulting gems. It did hurt and neither of us liked that, but both Alea and Mei just thought it was normal.

Our situation only changed when Mt. Sassal erupted. The calamity ravaged Bauer’s royal capital, killing all of our relatives. Though we were alive, at the time the two of us were still only five―there weren’t many options available to us. The capital’s slums were flooded with refugees and other victims of the eruption, even among all those people the two of us were left to cuddle together for warmth. We were forced to make and sell magic gems with our blood, just to survive. Mei remembered it all.

After some time, someone from the church who heard about us came hoping to take us into their care. Unfortunately, at that time we had already lost our ability to trust others. In order to protect Alea, Mei used her own cursed blood to repel everyone who came.

After a number of people had fallen victim to our cursed blood, Lily-sama came next. Lily-sama was clearly different from the others. Rather than approach us immediately, she quietly sat down at a safe distance.

『P-Pleasant weather we’re having, huh…』

Lily-sama’s visits were frequent, but it was just a repetition of vague rambles. We ignored her at first, but our interest in her grew over time. To the very least, the abbey she spoke of seemed to be a more pleasant place than the slums.

After a number of exchanges, Lily-sama finally asked if we’d consider coming with her. Alea and Mei felt that we were at our limits living in the slums. Rumors of children who could create magic gems had spread, and among those who knew, some began threatening us with violence, hoping to take advantage of us for their own purposes. In that situation, this was an all or nothing bet, but we decided to go with Lily-sama.

Just as Lily-sama said, our lifestyle at the abbey was much better than at the slums. We could eat when we were hungry, we were given clothes to wear, we had shelter from the rain, and didn’t need to be scared of people stealing from us or assaulting us. Instead, we were met with stares of curiosity and rejection.

As the nuns at the abbey knew about our curse, they were very careful around us. Though no one actively harmed us, there were clearly some devout believers who saw us as heretics. At this point we didn’t even have names, Mei remembered how they would refer to as twin un and twin deux. Even here, we could only trust in one another―and things remained that way for a while.

(If Mama Rei and Mama Claire never came for us, Mei is sure we wouldn’t have lasted long.)

Our second turning point was presented to us when Mama Rei and Mama Claire adopted us. When the chaos of the revolution settled, Lily-sama decided that she would leave on a pilgrimage of atonement. She was against leaving us on our own at the abbey, so she entrusted us to our new mothers. Mama Rei and Mama Claire were… Very different from all of the other adults we had met.

They were the ones who, for the first time, granted us human warmth.

Despite our severe distrust of others, the two of them remained patient as they continued to reach out to us. They didn’t reject us, they weren’t cold to us, instead, what they gave to us was genuine and generous love. Gradually, Alea and Mei’s frozen hearts began to thaw.

(We were finally able to trust someone other than just ourselves.)

Even if Mei were to try and express gratitude toward Mama Rei and Mama Claire, nothing would be enough. Mei considered the two of them to be her real parents.

―Even then.

Even then, to Mei, Alea was special. She was in her own category.

(The two of us are one… Isn’t that right…? Alea?)

My other half. That was an expression people used. To Mei, Alea had always been that kind of existence. No one could ever replace her, Mei’s other self, she was everything to Mei. Even if Mei was forced to choose between mamas and Alea, Mei would choose Alea without question.

And yet.

(Alea changed.)

In the past, the two of us only had one another. Mei was the only one in Alea’s heart, and Alea the only one in Mei’s. Mama Rei and Mama Claire became our guardians, but what was between Alea and Mei was special. But now, one other person, Lily-sama, resided within Alea’s heart.

(Look at Mei, Alea.)

Mei was thankful to Lily-sama too. She was the one who took us from the slums, and allowed us to live as people. But if she was going to steal Alea from Mei… that was different.

(C’mon, Alea, just look at Mei.)

At first, Mei tried to do everything she could to get along with Alea even better than before. However, that was no longer enough to keep Alea by Mei’s side. Mei then decided to take the opposite approach. She would instead maintain her distance.

By no means had Mei given up. Until now, Mei and Alea had simply been too close. With some distance, they would both be able to reassess things and something would change. That’s what Mei thought.

However―

(All Alea thinks about is Lily-sama.)

Recently Alea had taken notice claiming that Mei was the one who had changed, that Mei had become unsocial. But it was the opposite. Alea was the one to change and distance herself first.

As Mei watched Alea happily chat away with Lily-sama and Simone, the other members of their newly formed club, an unpleasant feeling surged within her.

(Even though Alea should belong solely to Mei…)

For now, Mei could still hide these feelings. Alea and Mei were blood related siblings. Even though gay marriage had been legalized in Bauer, marriage between relatives remained forbidden. Even if Mei were to confess her feelings to Alea right now, she was sure that nothing would come of it.

(Mei can understand Lene-san and Lambert-san’s struggle so well it hurts.)

The two of them were old acquaintances of Mama Rei and Mama Claire. Even though they were siblings, they were able to hide that fact to start new lives as a couple in another country. Apparently there was even a time when their forbidden love forced them to oppose Mama Rei and Mama Claire. Holding romantic feelings toward a family member was something that had grave consequences.

(But that’s not enough reason for Mei to give up.)

We’re sisters? We’re related by blood? It’s taboo? Illegal? Why would any of that matter?

No matter what others said, no matter who said it, Mei wouldn’t allow them to deny her feelings. Even if that person was Alea herself.

Alea was having fun talking with Lily-sama, and in response Lily-sama wore a troubled smile. As she watched, a storm of pitch black emotions raged within Mei’s heart.

―Look at Mei, c’mon, look only at Mei, Alea.

Would a day where Mei could openly say these words ever come?

---

Translator Note: I’m curious where Inori-sensei intends to take things from here. For example Alea needed Lily to come in and kinda open up her world and give her more perspective, it’s possible that Mei needs to meet that someone too. It is an interesting point that Mei’s been able to retain her childhood (and maybe even birth?) memories while Alea’s said that she’s already forgotten a lot of it. I guess we’ll just have to see where things go from here.

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