Volume 1 Chapter 89 Yuki Ami's Confession： 'The Sin I Committed' (I)
......This is a story set a little ahead of now.
My name is 'Yuki Ami.'
From here on, I intend to speak about the 'sin' I committed and the 'truth stranger than fiction.'
Let me begin with the story of 'the sin I committed.'
I am the eldest daughter of the Yuki family, and my younger sister Yumi is my twin.
Since our faces look alike, as twins often do, I wear a cherry hairpin on the left to distinguish myself while Yumi wears hers asymmetrically.
Incidentally, mine is on the left.
Just to be clear, it's not that Yumi and I don't get along or anything like that.
It's just that I somehow didn't like the idea of us looking exactly the same as twins, so we made that small distinction... That's all there is to it.
Well, you could say it was a desire to 'express individuality.'
Yumi probably feels the same way.
Though we look similar, there are differences between the two of us.
For instance, I'm over 10 cm taller than Yumi──I'm about 165 cm (5'5"), while she's around 153 cm (5'0").
But... but!
When it comes to chest size, my younger sister Yumi surpasses me by... an astonishing, t-ten centimeters or more...!
Though her height is small and adorably petite, her chest size is anything but cute!
"W-why, why is there such a difference even though we're twins?!!!!"
Huh?!
I lost my composure!
This isn't good, not good at all.
......Moving on.
Anyway, I, Yuki Ami, if I may say so myself, excel in sports.
My academics... well, they're so-so.
Despite being naturally athletic, I'm currently deeply troubled.
What am I struggling with, you ask? It's about... becoming a 'Seeker.'
I'm still keeping it a secret from everyone, but the truth is, I've been pondering whether to become a Seeker ever since this past summer vacation.
By the way, the first time I wanted to become a 'Seeker' was back in fifth grade.
It was when I watched an episode of 'The Professionals──The Pride in Their Work,' which featured the 'Dungeon Seekers,' explorers investigating the enigmatic structures known as dungeons.
As I listened to the stories of those who had made Seeker their life's work, my heart began pounding with excitement.
"I want to become a Seeker!"
And with that, the desire exploded within me.
After that, I thoroughly researched how to become a Seeker online.
I found out that you can only be active as a Seeker if you're '16 years or older,' which was disappointing.
I really wanted to become one right away.
But then, I calmed down a bit and thought, "Well, that makes sense."
After all, it's a profession that's already fraught with danger... being a 'Dungeon Seeker.'
So, I made a decision.
"For the next 6 years until I turn 16, I'll focus on building my body to become a Seeker!"
* * *
And so, I dedicated those 6 years until I turned 16... to physical training.
I already had good athletic ability, and I pushed my body to its limits.
Thanks to that, once I entered middle school, I overwhelmed other students in all sports.
To give a clear example, I easily outpaced the athletes from the official track team at the annual school athletics meet... something like that.
By the way, I didn't participate in any club activities.
The main reason was that 'building my body to become a Seeker' was my priority.
However, even in middle school, both students and teachers often said, "If Ami joined any sports club, she'd definitely be at a national level."
Personally, I was happiest that such external voices were reflected in my report card.
Because that would serve as a 'weapon' when convincing my mom to let me become a 'Seeker.'
With my preparations to become a Seeker all set, I entered high school.
I turned 16, finally reaching the age to register as a 'Seeker.'
Ideally, I wanted to tell my mom on my 16th birthday, "I'm going to become a Seeker!"
...but I decided to hold off for now.
This was because I remembered a show I watched in elementary school, where a girl who became a Seeker while still a high school student said, "My parents supported me now, but they were quite opposed when I said I wanted to become a Seeker."
I had already built up my achievements in middle school.
My mom even asked, "Why don't you join a club when you're so good at sports that your teachers praise you?"
At that time, I dodged the question, saying, "I have something I want to do. But it's still a secret!"
Mom probably thinks something like, "Is there something you're aiming for?" when she sees me like this, and that's exactly what I'm going for.
In other words, all of this is part of my plan to fulfill my wish of 'becoming a Seeker' and 'earning my family's support.'
So, I was waiting for the right opportunity without rushing things.
However, it was at that moment...
"Huh? Takeru(-nii) is becoming a Seeker?!"
* * *
I couldn't believe my ears when Takeru-nii made that confession.
Takeru-nii... becoming a Seeker?
Moreover, according to the story, he already had the 'Level 2' required to become an F-Class Seeker.
It turns out he secretly snuck out of his room during summer vacation to train in the 'Seeker Training Dungeon.'
What?
Th-that fast?!
I mean, summer vacation is only about 2 months long!
Frankly, Takeru-nii isn't exactly athletic.
So, I just couldn't believe the story.
But Takeru-nii said, "Tomorrow I'm going to register as an F-Class Seeker."
He also added, "Don't worry, I can cover the registration fee with my savings."
If he's saying that much, it must really mean he's ready to become a Seeker.
I never imagined, not even for a moment, that someone in my family──let alone someone older than me──would become a Seeker before me.
Especially not Takeru-nii, who's neither particularly fit nor unfit.
At that moment, I made sure to act as if it didn't shock me at all, but inside, my mind was swirling with turmoil.
And so, the next day... I waited at home the entire time for Takeru-nii to return.
The reason, of course, was to find out whether or not he had actually managed to become a Seeker.
It was then that it happened.
Suddenly, I got a call from a friend who, excitedly and in a rush, told me, "There's this incredibly entertaining D-streamer who just showed up! Check out this channel!"
"F-fine, I got it! Stop rushing me!"
Honestly, I figured Takeru-nii wouldn't be back until evening anyway, so I was already thinking of ways to kill time until then. The timing couldn't have been better.
So, I immediately watched the D-streamer's channel stream with Yumi.
"Huh? What is this?"
There was someone wearing sunglasses and a mask, with a blue checkered long-sleeve shirt and jeans──quite a disappointing appearance.
My first impression of this was,
"Just some suspicious person!"
That was it.
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