「Haa-chan! Haa-chan!」

A sweet voice like confetti falls like little rocks. Even before he opened his eyes, he knew it was Sayaka’s voice.

Has she come to wake him up today too? If so, he fell asleep again, but Haruki didn’t feel like he had fallen asleep. He thought that it was still early to get up.

「Ha-Haa-chan, Haa-chan…」

With a high-pitched voice, his body is violently shaken.

For Sayaka, it was an unusually common way to wake him up. He doesn’t feel the same mischief in any part of his body as when his ear was bitten off yesterday.

If he had to point out something odd, it would be that there’s an air of urgency in her voice.

Also, in the force with which she shakes it seems to be something out of place to be just Sayaka’s…

「Haa-chan! Hey, Haa-chan!」

「Wake up, Haa-chan, wake up…」

Again, the voices.

This time, he clearly noted a sense of incongruity with his auditory system.

What could be that of now?──He heard himself as if Sayaka’s voice was duplicated.

Holding his head still sleepy, Haruki slowly opened his eyelids.

──And then,

「Haa-chan! At last, you wake up!」

「Ha-Haa-chan…」

Looking at the scene in front of him, he is stunned.

There she was, Sayaka, looking at Haruki with teary eyes and──another Sayaka.

The other Sayaka looked at Haruki with a worried look.

Doppelganger.

Also known as self-image hallucinations, it is a type of hallucination in which one witnesses an image of the exact same appearance of oneself. It is said to be some kind of supernatural phenomenon. It’s not unusual for it to appear in science fiction stories, and it’s one of the strangest phenomena that’s been talked about in a long time.

However, the fact that it is not unusual is a matter of imagination, and if it becomes reality, the story is different──If you were to come across one, it could be said to be something shocking that would first make you doubt your perception and of yourself.

In fact, Haruki also couldn’t immediately think of it as reality.

「A-Are you Sayaka…?」

「「That’s right!」」

The two Sayaka harmonize their responses splendidly.

Because their voice tones were exactly the same, they sounded more like doubling than harmonizing.

「It’s a dream, right? Two Sayaka, like this…」

「It’s not a dream. Because, it hurt me.」

The Sayaka on the right makes a gesture of pinching her cheeks. Apparently, they have already verified if it is a dream or reality.

「When I woke up in the morning… Suddenly, it was like this.」

This time the Sayaka on the left explained the situation, but what she said with a weak voice was a simple concise fact.

In the morning, when I woke up on the bed in my room, another me was next to me──Such a fact, it is a reality that is difficult to accept.

Neither of the two Sayaka seemed clear on why this situation turned out this way.

──After hearing much of what happened, Haruki sighed deeply as if to calm himself.

「Just to make sure, I’ll check again… You two are indeed Sayaka, right?」

He asked vaguely.

The two, who looked exactly alike, nod at the same time as if imitating each other.

[*Okay, things might get a bit complicated from now on. Each Sayaka has their own way of speaking, take that into account.]

「Sayaka, it’s the real Sayaka. The one over there she must be an impostor!

「Y-You’re wrong. This Sayaka, it’s Sayaka…」

「Is that a lie! There is only one Sayaka! That one over there is definitely an imposter!」

「I-It’s not like that… Sayaka is the real one and the one over there is the fake one… Because Sayaka woke up first and the one over there was sleeping next to me.」

「That’s also a lie, it was Sayaka who woke up first! The one over there did it a little later!」

「First of all, Sayaka doesn’t talk like that, in a childish way… Something like ‘da mon’, I don’t say it that often.」

[‘da mon’ is used in a more casual way of speaking and also sounds more childish.]

「You too! You are shy and childish! Isn’t that right, Haa-chan?」

「Th-That, is not, right… Isn’t it, Haa-chan…?」

「Even if you ask me…」

Haruki was at a loss for an answer as he was seen by the two identical gazes.

If you compare the two Sayaka, a slight difference in their presences can be noticed.

The Sayaka on the right has a strong tone of voice and the way she talks is somewhat childish.

The Sayaka on the left has a somewhat docile demeanor, and although she has a firm manner of speaking, her tone of voice is weak.

Which of the two is more similar to Sayaka?──The more Haruki thinks about it, the more he feels that the two Sayaka are like Sayaka itself.

For example, the strong and childish tone of voice, like that of a spoiled child, displayed by the Sayaka on the right is a tendency often seen in Sayaka when she is in a bad mood, and yesterday she displayed a similar behavior. If we limit ourselves to the last few years, this one could be said to be more like Sayaka.

On the other hand, the Sayaka on the left gives off a more natural atmosphere compared to the one on the right. Originally, Sayaka was a bullied child, and she often became nervous and shy when she argued with people other than Haruki. You can see the clear manifestation of that trend.

In any case, it is still a strange phenomenon. If the one on the right is the Sayaka of the recent years, the one on the left is the Sayaka of the past, it can be said that it is a state in which they coexist as separate individuals. It’s not about which one is true, but Sayaka’s existence has been split in two in a state of conflict.

「For now, putting aside which one is the real one… Do you have any idea why you split in two?」

「「Any ideas…?」」

The two Sayaka looked at each other.

But they just looked at each other and didn’t seem to have any idea about this.

「So how did you get out of the house? While one was sneaking out?」

「Not. Normally, we both go out together.」

The Sayaka on the right responded immediately, but Haruki was getting more and more confused.

「Normally, you say… The number of daughters in the house has increased to two, right? Weren’t they surprised?」

「Absolutely. It was like, the same as always.」

「Breakfast too, it was properly prepared, for the two of us… Now that I think about it, there were also school uniforms for both of us, and ribbon ties as well…」

Added the Sayaka on the left.

The more you listened to it, the weirder the story got. It’s as if it had become natural that there were originally two of the person known as Sayaka…

Of course, it can’t be like that, but as far as Sayaka’s story goes, that’s the interpretation.

「Then, what about my parents? Weren’t they suspicious after all?」

Just in case, Haruki asked, but the two just nodded their heads.

──Sayaka multiplying is clearly an anomaly.

But at least, Haruki and Sayaka’s parents don’t recognize it as an anomaly.

It’s a strange story. In the first place, the existence of another person itself, should be abnormal…

「Sayaka, you unusually got out of school before me yesterday, didn’t you? What were you doing when you came home alone?」

「「Yesterday…?」」

Her indistinct voices overlap. Then, they look at each other curiously again.

Haruki thought it was an incomprehensible reaction. Why does it take her so long to remember what happened yesterday?

Haruki waited silently, but in the end, the two Sayaka remained with blank expressions.

「「I don’t, remember…」」

They only responded as if they were catching their breath again.