Torn Between Twin Brothers - Chapter 35

Akira’s hand needed rest after an hour of constant drawing. So she put down her drawing pen and stretched her tired arms. She then got up and shook up her tired body before doing some slight bending by touching her toes, then up, then touching her toes again, then up.

“Ahhhh!!! That feels good.” She exclaimed as she continued her light exercise to stretch her aching body.

Suddenly she heard her phone buzz, and when she looked, she saw that there was an incoming call. She swiftly reached for her phone that was on the top of her desk beside the drawing board. Her eyes widened when she saw who was calling. Akira hesitated for a moment, debating if she should answer or not.

The buzzing ended, and the call was gone. She let out a sigh of relief. It was her other older brother James. The one who never smiled and always had a stern look plastered on his face. She wondered what he wanted.

===

James’s characteristics were just like their father– Tanaga, while Ashton always smiled sweetly like their mother. While growing up, he rarely joined his family for fun. He was always locking himself in his room playing his video games or studying; that’s why Akira was not that close to him.

Ashton, on the other hand, has always been charming. He always brought her gifts whenever he went out or came home from school. Although he went away from home to train to become an idol, he was constantly on facetime with her, just as if he never left. Their bond was much stronger than with their brother James.

This was why she wondered why James was suddenly calling her. For what reason could it be? Unless he needed something from her. Well, she really wasn’t interested in speaking with him right now; he could wait.

While she was in deep thought, her phone began buzzing again, and when she looked to confirm who the caller was, there was no mistake… It was James once again. She took a deep breath before she picked up the phone. Luckily it was a phone call and not facetime, so he would not see her reaction at all.

“Hello!” Greeted Akira while rolling her eyes upward.

“It’s James; I need to ask you something. You got a minute?” He barked, and from the sound of his voice, it seemed that he was in a foul mood.

Akira wanted to slide her finger on the screen to hang up the call, but she was worried that he would be more irritated and probably fly to the Kingdom of Stonasia to strangle her.

“Go ahead!” ‘What would you do if I said no?’ She thought while waiting for James to tell her what he wanted.

“You have been there a while now; what do you think of the school?” He asked nonchalantly.

Akira didn’t respond right away; she was wondering why James would suddenly want to know if she liked the school or not. But then, something was fishy, and she got curious all of a sudden.

“The school is to die for. Does that answer your question?” She was holding her breath, waiting for James’s response.

“That’s it? The school is to die for, anything else you can tell me about the school? How about the way they teach? How are they treating you? How’s the accommodation? The food? Your roommates?” He suddenly bombarded her with so many questions that shocked Akira; she couldn’t utter a word.

She had to think fast; it sounded like he was getting agitated as he had to ask the questions instead of her volunteering the answer.

“Big brother, as I said, the school is to die for, meaning it’s the best of the best for everything. In regards to my housemates, there are three of us living under one roof. The first daughter of the United States of America, my best friend from the Philippines–Ava Go…” Then she stopped.

===

When James heard Ava’s name, for some odd reason, memories of the time when he went to meet her for the first time and cracked a joke that hurt the poor girl’s heart came flooding in.

He also remembered his promise to his dad that he would not take her back from his twin brother no matter what she looked like when she grew up.

However, Ashly had made a grave error by sending him a copy of Sato’s picture from his social media account. It was a group picture with the three girls, Prince Edmund and Ashton.

Without realizing what she had done, Ashley pointed out who Ava was in the picture. Even if Ashley didn’t point out who Ava was, James would know. He could never forget that chubby but cute face.

“Brother! Hello! Are you still there?” Akira was almost shouting from the other end of the line. It was killing her that James hasn’t said a word since she mentioned her housemates.

“Yes, I’m still here. Thank you for the information, take care of yourself! Goodbye!” He then hung up as soon as he said his goodbye.

Akira was at a loss; she could not figure out why James was asking all those questions. However, she didn’t dwell on it and returned to her drawings as if she never had a conversation with James.

===

Meanwhile, James lay down on the top of his bed and thought deeply while staring at the ceiling.

He just received an acceptance letter from the Imperial College in the Kingdom of Stonasia. However, one of the requirements was for him to be a resident of the Kingdom of Stonasia for at least 6 months, meaning he has to move and live there. But what about his school?

He was currently attending one of the best high schools in Japan, which was also where his father studied, and he had no plans to change schools in the middle of the school year. He was currently a senior and top of his class; he worried that changing environments might affect his studies.

However, since his sister Akira was currently studying at the Royal Academy for the next four years, Ashley and Tanaga decided they would feel at ease if her older brother James attended college nearby…

They spoke with James and pitched in the idea; at first, he was hesitant… But, after seeing Ava’s picture, he suddenly changed his mind and agreed. His father worked on his admission the same day.

Before calling Akira, he just finished speaking to their father. James was informed by Tanaga that he was accepted with one condition: he must live in the Kingdom Of Stonasia and become a resident…. He doesn’t know what to do; he’s contemplating speaking to his parents to tell them he doesn’t want to go…