"You do not have to push yourself to share." Akira shook her head.

"No, I want to tell you," Nanase said with a firmer voice.

Akira was not sure if hearing her aunt's secrets was a good thing for her. Everyone had things that they hid in their hearts. Their fears, hopes, dreams and past… If she learnt something uncomfortable, their short good relationship could change.

Still, she nodded.

"I did not grow up in Mountain Ridge. I was born in a town with a strong artistic culture. The town had the best in terms of old theatrical shows, traditional music performances and artistic displays. It was a real colourful place with a lot of tourism."

"My mother was a top actress in the local theatre. It might not seem like a big deal with the current accessibility of movies and TV shows. But it was a prestigious and well-paid position. She was the star who brought in people for the productions."

Nanase sunk into her memories as she began telling the story she had hidden in her heart for so long. She forgot that Akira was from the younger generation. Perhaps, it was because she was yearning deeply to talk about her old experiences.

She still remembered the stories people would tell her about her mother. She was the belle of the ball because she was a cultured beauty. Her local and foreign suitors could fill every corner of the town.

Her mother did not think about getting married because it would affect her position as the beloved sweetheart of the theatre. However, she would have a few dalliances with some of her suitors. The lifestyle worked out for her well.

Until she got pregnant with Nanase and her sister…

"Twins run in my family," Nanase told Akira. "But I hoped that I would not get twins. I was happy when I got Kensei and thought that I would not be affected by it. Then, I got the twins. I felt so afraid when I thought of raising them." Nanase said.

"Why?" Akira could not help asking.

"When we were very young, my mother sent my sister and me to live with my grandmother on a farm some distance away from the town. She wanted to keep living her bright life as a star, and two burdens would not be useful." Nanase replied.

She liked living with her grandmother and working on the farm even though she was little. It was satisfying and fun. But her sister could not bear with the dirty and smelly life. She was only happy when their mother told them she was taking them back to the town.

Nanase was not enthusiastic about leaving her grandmother, but she did not want to disappoint her mother. The three of them started living a life in her mother's bungalow, but it was not a comfortable and relaxing life.

Her mother started training them in the arts with a lot of vigour, even though they were only about ten years old. She was a strict and unforgiving teacher. She would not listen to their protests when they were too tired to move.

Sometimes, she would blame them for losing her original fame as a top actress in the theatre. When she was pregnant, a younger and hotter version took her position as the lead.

Her return was not as triumphant as she thought, especially after giving birth. She had gained a lot of weight, and her face no longer had its healthy glow. She had to take smaller and less glamourous roles.

Other times, she would encourage them to work harder because it was the only way they could make her sacrifice of giving birth to them worthwhile. If they did not become stars, they would have cost her everything for nothing.

When they just stepped into their teens, their mother debuted them officially. They had already participated in a lot of activities, but it was not on a significant scale. The official debut was quite glorious.

They were granted an opportunity to perform a folk dance before the most popular play. The folk dance emphasised synchronised movement and confusing people on the identities of the twins. With their mother's experience in the business, they were an instant hit.

After that, they participated in a lot of shows, including magic, singing and acting. The only thing that was common in all these was the emphasis on the pair package deal. It was a great gimmick for the tourists and locals.

"My mother became more and more obsessed with packaging us as some kind of wonder twins. We had to dress, talk, walk and even eat in the same way. She also wanted us to synchronise our habits and speech perfectly such that no one could tell us apart. It was frustrating." Nanase said.

Akira understood why she did not like it when Nana and Nami coordinated their behaviours and talked together. She would always tell them it was creepy or smack them lightly.

"I hated that life, but I did not know how to leave. It was not until I met Isami that I found the courage to tell my mother and sister that I was not interested in entertainment anymore. We met by chance when he was on a business trip in the town." Nanase smiled.

She still remembered how he offered her a stick of barbequed pork cubes while she was looking at the river while on a bridge in a downtrodden way. She was so hopeless and lost, and that stick of barbeque saved her from her horrible life.

'If you are thinking of jumping, you should eat these first.'

Of course, she had not been planning to jump. But she fell in love with him because that statement made her laugh from the heart for the first time in years. She did not know his identity then, and he did not look like a rich kid. She just liked him.

"I met him secretly for a couple of weeks until my mother and sister found out about it. I told them that I was not interested in that life anymore. I was going to get married and live my life. My sister was not willing to let go of things just like that." Nanase paused.

"I should probably not tell you about this, but I will feel a little better saying it after all these years. My sister found your uncle and seduced him. We were practically the same person, so she did not have a hard time fooling him. If I did not arrive on time…" Nanase sighed.

Akira did not know how to respond to the information. She was gobsmacked by this backstory. She could never have imagined the life that Nanase had lived.

"After that, I decisively went to a plastic surgeon and had my face altered a bit. I told Isami if he just liked my original face, there was another like it. I also reverted to my rowdy behaviour just like when I was a child on the farm." Nanase laughed a little.

Akira nodded. She had noticed that some points of Nanase's face were a bit unnatural from the moment they met. She would never have guessed in a million years the reason.

"I tried to raise the girls as separately as possible so they would have individual personalities. I did not dress them in similar clothes, and they never shared a bedroom. Each had a separate cake on their birthday. But the more I tried to keep them unique, the more they liked being similar." Nanase laughed bitterly.

"Sometimes I think they switch their identities, but I can't be sure about it. It's frustrating to think that they would choose the life I never wanted for them."

Akira reached a hand to comfort her aunt.

"Don't be hard on yourself or them. You allowed them to choose want they wanted. That is all you can do." She said.

She could not say anything more. She was not a mother, so her words were just based on her understanding of life.