Kore wa ai de koi janai [Chapter 5]

Narration: “I don’t hate this gentle Hidaka... *scenes of smiling Yusei* But, that is because I’m imouto--” Ren is surprised to see Yusei already in the bathroom where he is brushing his teeth.

Slightly flustered Ren greets him a good morning. “You were the one who brought me in the room, right!! Thanks--” Yusei interrupts by saying geez, she only gives people trouble. Ren looks surprised. She then shouts that someone is thanking him so what’s with that tone...!

Yusei says that if she’s sleepy then she should go back to the room. “You’re no longer a kid.” Irked Ren says ah~~ “Then, I’m really sorry about that!! For acting like a kid.”

Pointing at Ren, Yusei tells her not to dilly-dally. “Quickly wash your face and tidy up. Or else, I’ll go ahead [and leave you].” In her room, Ren angrily thinks, “Geez- He has this kind of attitude after knowing that my soul is Yaotome!! *wearing her socks* Ah, isn’t it just school? I can even go there by myself...

...You, deadbeat siscon jerk. *sees the broken bracelet on the table and picks it up* Imouto-chan’s important bracelet, can it still be fixed--” While carrying her bag, Ren goes out of the apartment to see Yusei waiting for her. With crossed arms, he says that she’s so slow.

After looking surprised, Ren teasingly points at him and says, “Wh~at~ Saying that you’ll go ahead and leave me yet you still waited for me? So nice ah~~ Big brother♥”

Slightly flustered Yusei says, “Ah? I’m not waiting for YOU. And, don’t call me brother.” Walking ahead, Ren says, “Ya, ya, I know that you’re worried about your imouoto--” Yusei shouts hey, those loose socks! “There’s no need to wear that.”

Ren says huh, wha, she can’t hear him. Narration: “Even if he despises romance, but for him to treasure imouto this much, if he has a girlfriend, he’ll also really treasure that person, right...”

At the shoe lockers, the two goes ‘...ah’ when they saw Manami. Manami also looks surprised. Behind the school building, Yusei asks Manami how she is doing. Manami lamely says, okay...

This made Yusei grab her shoulders and asks if she is not feeling well...!? “Exchanging bodies with Yaotome is really tough on you. It’s simply a disaster.” Ren darkly says, hey.

Manami says that her health is totally okay... “it’s better to say that the situation is quite good. ...but, I unexpectedly become a high schooler and I totally don’t know anyone. I also cannot become like senpai... I...am always very uneasy...”

Manami suddenly holds on to Yusei. Aghast Ren thinks, “Wait...a minute, using my body to do that-!!!!” Ren feels her heart is tightening when she sees Yusei pats Manami’s head.

Ren wonders, “Huh... how come I’m feeling... really don’t like [this]...” She suddenly shouts, “Isn’t... it almost time to break it up!!?” Yusei holds up his hand says, ...ha? Surprised Ren wonders what is she saying!?

Pointing at him, Ren shouts, “Look. Uuu...using my body to do that kind of thing, what if it is seen by someone!? Won’t that cause trouble for everyone...!? *turning to leave* Okay!! I’ll go to my classroom first.”

Flustered Ren leaves and wonders how come her chest had become so tight [and unbearable]... While looking at Ren, Manami says, “...brother..., there’s something that I want to ask of you...---”

Going in the classroom, Ren laments that she unexpectedly says those words to an uneasy imouto... Then, she sees her classmate with a similar bracelet like hers. The girl is telling her friend, “Ah, listen up, listen up! I bought the legendary jewelry! With this, I can get a boyfriend, right♥”

Seeing the bracelet, Ren asks if the girl also bought it in the matsuri [stall]-! “Could it be that store is really famous!?” The girl says, “Eh- you don’t know? Wearing it on the hand as a rosary. In general, it can be bought in the internet. There’s a rumor that wearing this jewelry, your wish can come true.”

Looking surprised, Ren says eh...wish can come true... “Thanks!” The other girl asks her friend who is that. The girl says that it’s Hidaka, right? “Even if I never talked with her before.”

Narration: “Wish come true... if it’s true, then perhaps, I can go back to my original body...!?” At the place where matsuri is held, Ren looks around and wonder if the stall yesterday is still there.

She has found it after seeing a woman wearing a western style outfit in a stall. She goes to the woman and says, “About that...Can I ask... *holds up clenched fists* I heard that the jewelry in this store can make wishes come true, is that true!?”

The woman looks surprised. Then, she says, “You are from yesterday... Making some wish come true, that’s quite exaggerated. It’s simply something which the local junior high students call as a love granting jewelry. It’s just a rumor.”

Ren says is...is that so. “Ah, that’s right. *takes something from her bag* This bracelet seems to have been bought from here before. *holds out the bracelet in a small re-sealable bag* Can this be fixed!?”

Taking a look at the broken bracelet, the woman says that the parts aren’t complete. “This bracelet is also very worn out... I have no way of totally fixing it back to its original form. It will probably change...

...but, perhaps for it to be broken, it shows that the romantic love has already been attained. *Ren goes huh?* I always get a sns [text] with this kind of private message saying that when the bracelet is broken, the romance has been attained. No good- I have to make the knot tighter.”

Holding the broken bracelet, Ren wonders if imouto’s love wish has already been attained...? “Could it be that this bracelet...---?” Arriving back at the apartment, Ren says that she’s back... She looks down and sees the shoes on the door. Ren looks surprised to see HER own shoes.

Manami welcomes her back. Startled Ren exclaims how come she is... Manami smiles and says that she is really uneasy being always alone so she asked her brother to let her stay over today. Feeling confused, Ren says is, is that so...

Manami asks where did she go just now? Ren says ah, that’s right. “...this is inside your uniform’s pocket. Did you make some wish on it...? It’s possible that it already doesn’t have any effect... If we use my gift that was bought yesterday, and afterwards, be in the same situation like that day [of the accident]... perhaps, we can go back to our original...!? Let us try it, okay...!?”

After a pause, Manami says that she doesn’t want to. Ren says ya, she knows that it is a bit dangerous but Manami also wants to return to her own body as soon as possible, right!? “So--”

Looking straight at her, Manami says, “...I don’t want to change back to how it was.” Surprised Ren goes ha...!? Holding Manami’s arms, Ren exclaims, “Wh..why...!? You don’t want to go back to your own body!?”

Manami calmly says that it is because if they went back to the original situation... “Not only a weak body, I’ll also be Hidaka Yusei’s imouoto, right... It’s no good if I’m the imouto...!”

After looking surprised by her outburst, Ren mutters that it turns out that towards Hidaka, she... Manami says that’s right. “I like brother...  So, for my wish to come true, I’ll always, always pray to become some other girl, other than ‘imouoto’--!! Finally, my wish came true... but the truth is unexpectedly exposed...”

Ren nervously asks what is she saying? “Even if you hid the truth, using my appearance to go steady with Hidaka, *points at Manami* but essentially, he doesn’t like you, imouto...!?”

Manami shouts, “That doesn’t matter. Compared to brother belonging to some other girl, it would be better that he makes me his girlfriend...!! *holds Ren’s wrist* this bracelet that brother gave you... give it to me...!! *Ren is startled that she goes, eh...!?* That is originally a gift bought for me, right?”

Ren looks flustered and looks at her bracelet. She thinks that’s right, then her [Ren] wish cannot come true. “...but I don’t want to give it to her...---” Just when Ren is apologizing to Manami, Yusei goes out of the room and calls out to the two, hey, what’s going on. “What...you’re here, Yaotome...”

Mianmi says ah, about that, brother... “Before, brother bought this gift... you bought it for me, right? So, I want Ren-senpai to give it to me. Is that okay!?”

Ren glumly thinks that is so cunning. “Saying that to Hidaka, he’ll definitely make me give the gift to imouto...---” Yusei looks at flustered Ren holding the bracelet. Then, Ren says, “here, I’ll give it to you...”

Yusei suddenly grabs the bracelet and says, “Wait, do you want it that much? *Mamami is surprised* Then, I’ll buy you one next time. *gives the bracelet back to Ren* Here.” Taking the bracelet, Ren asks if she can...take this?

Yusei says, “During that time, the one who wanted this bracelet is you, Yaotome, is it not? *crossed arms* Of course, if you didn’t become my imouto, I absolutely wouldn’t have bought it for you. *Ren not reacting* Hey, are you listening?”

Blushing Ren looks at him and says, “...thank you. *Yusei looks surprised* I’ll go change my clothes.” The siblings watch her go inside. Surprised Yusei mutters, “What a weird girl.”

Manami looks surprised upon seeing her brother slightly smiling after saying those words. Narration: “No good. I’m so happy. What should I do, I can’t stop-- *Ren looks flustered while standing behind the door* falling in love with Hidaka...”

Comment: Even if Yusei is acting like that with Ren, he still cannot just let her be. It’s quite obvious that he somewhat treats her differently compared to the other girls. It is really something that he didn’t do as Manami said and let Ren keep the bracelet. After all, he has a major sis complex with her.

The girls are having a bit of love rivalry. At first, it is Ren who went in an outburst over using her body to hug Hidaka. Then, it is Manami demanding that Ren give the bracelet back to her since it was technically given to her.

I guess the scary part is Manami wanting to keep Ren’s body. It is like a horror story in Zekkyou Gakkyuu Tensei. Like, yes, thanks to this switch, the two knew each other more and fell in love but what if Ren cannot go back to her original body. Their love will forever be forbidden since she is his 'imouto'. 

She's also in a weak body so she cannot easily do what she wants to do. Manami would actually be happy with that since her brother will be forever 'single' since he cannot marry the one he likes. Hehe, this is shoujo though so that scenario would most likely not happen. 😅

Anyway, I’m not too happy with Ren suddenly becoming timid over the bracelet when she confronted Manami. But then, I’m not sure if she can really react strongly towards her. She only has these two siblings to depend on since no one else knows the truth. 

Hm...but then, perhaps her mother will believe her? Hm...maybe tell Yusei about it? Though I'm not sure Ren can do it since it might destroy the two's relationship. But then, I’m not sure if Ren can do much if the other party won’t cooperate in getting each other’s bodies back to how it was. And, does it have to be the same exact situation as before? Will it work if it's deliberate and not a coincidence? Scans by 正宮汉化组

Quote of the day:

Be careful... not all are what they seem. Some people pretend to be the beach, but they’re actually quicksand. ~ Steve Maraboli