In Reina's classroom-
"Alright class, I know you're all excited and all for the end of the school year, but we do have someone joining us."
Walking into the classroom at the teacher's signal, I notice everyone's gaze are on me. In what felt like only a second, everyone who was relaxed immediately straightened their back upon looking my way as I make my way to the front. Doesn't seem like I'm in the same class though...
"Would you like to introduce yourself?"
"Reina... Reina Iwasawa. I come from a small village from the north so I'm still learning how things are like here in the city. It's nice to meet you all."
I do a quick bow before straightening myself. It's then that the class immediately became rowdy with numerous groups whispering to each other. I can't make out what they're saying, but I can probably guess.
"Now now, settle down everyone. Reina, would you like to take the empty seat at the back there for now?"
"Mm. Thank you."
Walking past the aisles of students, they all turn their gazes away from me the moment I make eye contact with them, almost as if the idea of looking at me could be the end of their lives. I was expecting some kind of weird reaction, but not to this extent...
The classes went by with a breeze as I had no trouble following along with what the teachers were teaching us, mostly due to the fact that I learnt most of these things already in my old school. I guess my old school was moving a bit faster than this one? I would've thought bigger schools would be more ahead...
However, the moment the bell rings, signalling the start of lunch, I stand up from my desk as soon as the teacher dismisses us before walking out the door, ignoring the students. Right... If she's not in the same class as me, then I have to make sure I find her during this time!
On the rooftop-
"Ooooh~ You're getting better!"
"Ehehe."
Sitting down on the roof of the school, I open up Midori's homemade lunch as she's even chosen to throw in some fried chicken as well this time. Just from looking at the surface of it I can tell just how well seasoned it is. I have to say, I'm impressed. To think that Midori, the same person who could barely even cook rice and not even know the existence of salt can now cook up something like this.
"W-well, Alisa helped me with the chicken. I wasn't exactly sure how long to cook it for."
"Hmm? Alisa?"
"Oh, she's my father's attendant. She's the one that drove you that one time, remember?"
"Hmm- oh! You mean when I was sick?"
"Mhmm! Hehe, when she saw me trying to cook, she ended up helping me despite me saying I wanted to do it myself. We compromised with the chicken though, hehe."
"So you cooked everything else yourself then?"
"Yup!"
Okay, leaving aside the fried chicken, everything else does seem a lot more flavourful and vibrant. Even with the egg rolls, I can notice the parsley cut up inside it. She's finally experimenting with new things, although for me personally, I wouldn't add something like parsley "inside" egg rolls, maybe as a garnish or something instead, but I won't critique her on that.
"So? You gonna eat?"
"Nn! Thank you for the food~"
And so, we both start eating our lunch together with Midori now wrapping herself up in a blanket of sorts.
"Mmm, wait. Isn't that-"
"Hmm? Ah- hehe. Mm. It's the blanket you got me."
"Thought so."
"It's quite cold now, so I wanted- an extra layer, hehe."
Biting down on a piece of fried chicken, the crunch could be heard from all corners of the rooftop.
"True, but I think this is plenty to warm me up."
"I don't know how you do it."
"Oh! Wait, isn't your birthday soon?"
"Eh? U-uhh, mm... In a couple days."
"I almost forgot. Sorry."
"It's okay. Actually I'm surprised you remembered. Especially with your sister now back and all."
I admit that that played a big part in me forgetting. Straight after exams, it felt like she just came in out of nowhere, taking up all my thoughts. But now that everything is settled and we're now living together again, I can finally think about other things.
"Hmmm. Do you have anything you want for a present?"
"Huh?"
"For your birthday, silly."
"Y-you don't have to! I kinda took this blanket as something like an early birthday present, ehe."
"Come on, that was ages ago."
"Even still..."
She says as she cuddles up with the blanket as a small gust of wind bows past us. Even I find myself shivering a bit as the wind brushes my neck, sending chills down my spine.
"Ah!"
"L-Luna?"
"I got it."
"Got... what?"
"You'll have to wait and find out~"
"A-as long as it's not expensive..."
So she already pieced together that I was thinking about her present. I guess it's not too hard given that we were just talking about it. Feeling the cold on my neck, surely a scarf would be the best choice right? It's the only thing that's on my mind now. But I guess that's probably due to the fact that the scarf given to Reina and I from our parents was the last present we ever got...
However suddenly, just as Midori and I were both biting down on another piece of fried chicken, at the same time, the door to the roof opened up with a creak, causing both Midori and I to freeze in place.
"S-shh."
"Midori?"
"We're technically not meant to be up here."
She whispers to me, but honestly, I would barely consider it a whisper as even the sound of footsteps began to grow louder with each passing second.
"Hnnng! It's so cold up here! Can't we just have lunch in the cafeteria?"
But it's then that a voice could be heard, one that I'm not familiar with, but at the same time-
"Th-that doesn't sound like a teacher..."
Midori whispered exactly what I thought as the two of us loosened up at the realization.
"Hmmm~ But I thought I heard- ah!"
"EH?!"
"..."
In the next moment, Midori and I find ourselves face to face with the two people that have came up to the roof as well. Like we thought, they weren't a teacher, but I never would've expected to see the silvery white strands of hair blowing through the cold air, along with an all too familiar scarf.
"R-Reina?"
"Found you!~"
In a blink of an eye, Reina catapulted herself towards me as I barely catch her in my arms, saving her from scarping her knee on the ground. Talk about recklessness... However-
"Wh-what are you doing here?"
I end up saying the question immediately in my mind as Reina sits down properly on the ground, with her scarf now a bit dishevelled from before.
"Fufufu~ This is my school!"
"What?"
"Fu-fufufu! You should've seen the look on your face."
"Wait, you knew?"
"Mm!"
"Then why did you-"
"I wanted to surprise you, sis! You figured we'd be in different schools, so... hehe."
"Hahh~ Is 'that' why you didn't change into your uniform when we were at home?"
"Fufufuu~"
I take that as a yes. Haaah~
"Wow."
It's then that I realize that it's not just Reina, but she also brought along someone else. Just from their looks, they look to be a third year, but their tie on their shirt indicates that they're only a first year... They're pretty tall for a first year if that's the case.
"Oh! Sis. This here is Anna! Anna, this is my twin sister, Luna and her friend, Midori."
"H-hi there."
"Hello."
"...N-nice to meet you!"
Midori kept silent for a moment before quickly greeting them.
"You two don't mind if we join you, right?"
"Of course not. Midori?"
"Uh- yeah! I don't mind..."
"Hehe~"
And just like that, our group of two became a group of four as we all sat around in a shape of a circle... or at least we tried to make it a circle as Reina decided to practically glue herself to me. But that's to be expected since she wrapped the scarf around the both of us, making the cold winds from earlier no longer an issue. Anna sat next to Reina with Midori sitting next to me. Looking at it again, it looks more like a "U" shape rather than a circle. That said, I think we should definitely consider having our lunch back inside at some point before it gets too cold.
"Mmmm~"
Reina barely touches her food, only picking out bits here and there as she seems to be more focused on cuddling up next to me. Of course I don't mind in the slightest as I too find myself doing the same, only eating every once in a while.
"You two sure look alike, huh."
"Mhmm!"
Anna speaks up first in the midst of eating.
"Hehe. I'm happy for you, Reina."
"Ehehee~"
"..."
Midori on the other hand seems more focused on eating rather than engaging now. I guess she's always been a fan of food. I remember the time when I made those chicken sandwiches when we all went to the movies, she figured that it was all meant for her. I can't help but smile as I recall those times.
"But seriously, I don't feel like I can ever be 'that' close to Kanon..."
"Well~ Can you blame me? We've been apart for like a decade! Of course I'd find any chance I get to be like this with sis~"
"Heh, yeah..."
When Anna first brought it up, I thought maybe she found it weird that Reina and I are this close, but after taking a second look at her just now, her eyes seem sad rather than concerned, contrary to her smile.
"...Are you and your sister not close?"
So, I end up speaking up.
"Huh? Uhm, no. Not necessarily. We're close, but like, I feel like it's been a long time since we've been like... that. I get it though. She's focusing on college while also working... She's... amazing. I just wish that I could go back in time and properly take in the times I had fun with her."
Going back in time... I've thought about it quite a few times in the past, mainly about how if I perhaps said that I'd prefer staying home with our family that maybe that car crash would never have had happened. Maybe our family would've never broke apart... But of course that's all just a fantasy.
"Well I think you two are still close! When I work with Kanon, she brings you up all the time. She really cares about you."
"I know that... but yeah... I guess I just wish we had time."
"Then why not close that gap now? School break will be starting soon, right?"
"But I don't want to get in the way."
It's then that Reina turns to me, giving me a look in her eyes that say it all "I want to help!" I give her a smile as she too smiles back before turning back to Anna. I guess Reina will be helping Anna out with that one of these days. I guess that works. I'll be working after school so this would give Reina time to do her own thing.
After school at Midori's
"..."
After getting home, I collapse face first on the bed, my legs now too tired to hold my body up, exhaling deeply into my pillow.
Thank god Luna didn't notice... She was too preoccupied with her sister, but I really couldn't speak at all the moment we were interrupted by those two. I was meant to make some sort of move but then out of nowhere, Reina is now at our school? I thought that school would be the time I'd be able to spend with Luna, but now her sister is there as well? Why is it that all of a sudden, Reina is just everywhere? Why can't I get some alone time with Luna? I could just ask Luna for some of her time, but she'd definitely think that's weird. Plus...
"That'd be selfish..."
She reunited with her sister, of course they'd want to spend time with each other... But why... Why can't I be happy for them?
Giving up from my thoughts, I reach over for my phone as I go to ring Nicole in hopes to distract myself. She wasn't at school due to being sick so I should check in on her at the very least. After a few seconds of ringing-
"-Hello?"
"Nicole? Hey, how're you doing?"
"Oh, I'm doing fine. My cold has gotten better with rest, I should be able to be at school tomorrow."
"That's good to hear.
"Oh! But while I was sick, I've been thinking that maybe it'd be a good idea to get an after-school job."
"Eh? Wait, seriously? You?!"
"Oi, why do you make it sound like that's such a surprise?"
"I mean come on. I thought you didn't want to work a day in your life if it wasn't beauty related?"
"Yeah, but... Lately I've been thinking of Luna."
Eh? Wait, Luna? Why is Nicole bringing her up as well?
"-She's quite amazing, right? Given everything she went through, she pushed herself so much saving up all that money just to find her sister, on top of keeping up with being the best in her grade at exams and sports."
Nicole's words of praise towards Luna feels like their clamping down on my chest, making it even more difficult to breathe… I was hoping this call with her would help, but now I'm feeling a tinge of regret...
"-I Just felt like maybe I could do better, you know?"
"...Mhmm."
"Hey, Midori?"
"Yeah? I'm fine."
"Alright, then turn on your camera."
"Eh?"
"If you say you're okay, then we can video call."
"I uhm..."
Great, now my chest feels like it's getting even more tighter than before as I feel like I'm breathing in more than I am breathing out.
"...Okay fine. I'm not okay."
"Then what's up?"
"I don't know... Just hearing you praise Luna so much got me feeling... weird."
"Weird?"
"Like my chest feels so tight. It's like I'm suffocating in a way."
I try my best to come clean with what I'm feeling, but what I get is-
"Pfft-hahaha! You're jealous? Is that it?"
"J-Jealous?!"
"I'm not gonna 'steal' Luna away from you, don't worry."
"Even though you praised her so much?"
"You're 'that' down bad for her, huh?"
"...It's not just that, but. I also feel the same with her sister."
"Huh?"
So, I end up speaking up about my thoughts regarding Reina's sudden appearance at school.
"-So yeah... That's the gist of it. I know it's weird! Don't get me wrong, but I just can't stand the thought of being pushed to the side like this."
"Hmmm, I see."
"...Is that all you have to say?"
"No, but have you even said anything to her about your feelings? Have you even asked her out on a date yet?"
"N-no..."
"Then hurry up, or else her sister might actually 'steal' Luna away instead of me, hahaha."
It's true that I haven't truly acted on my feelings yet. But-
"But is that really okay? I mean, Luna 'just' reunited with her sister. I don't want to-"
"Hey, Midori."
"E-eh?"
"It's okay to be selfish sometimes. It's a normal thing. You think being selfish is like some sort of bad thing."
"But-"
"No buts. Just listen okay? Sure being too selfish is bad, but you shouldn't 'always' put someone else before you. I get that you like Luna and you want what's best for her, but you also need to think about yourself. Luna and Reina will always be sisters, you can't take that away from them, so you shouldn't worry about taking a day away from Luna to hang out with her."
"You're..."
"I'm right, right?"
"...But then how would I find the time to ask that? I can't just say it in front of both Luna and Reina."
"You could always text her? That's what I'd do."
"No. I feel like conveying this would be better in person..."
I can just imagine it... If I sent a message to Luna asking to hang out, she'd probably bring Reina with her. And if I ask her to come alone, she might not even know my intentions. Sure I could confess through text, but that just doesn't feel right at all...
"Well, she works, doesn't she? You could try and catch her after work?"
"Work... That works!"
"Oh? You know where she works?"
"Mhmm!"
"Hehe, there's the Midori I know. I can practically see you smiling even without the camera."
True to Nicole's words, I'm smiling, but my heart is still tense at the thought of actually going through with this...
"Th-then, would I just turn up? Or do you think I should text her first?"
"Up to you. I'd vote for showing up, give her a surprise, you know?"
"Mm! I'll go with that."
"Alright~ Now that 'your' problem is sorted out, have you ever heard of a place called, 'Purple Palace?'"
"Eh? Purple Palace? I don't think so. Why do you ask?"
"It's a place I'm thinking about working at. I rang them up and the lady on the phone seemed nice. They gave me an address if I wanted to go, but I figured I'd ask you if you knew anything."
"Yeah no, I've never heard of a place called that."
"Eh, oh well. I'll probably check it out this weekend or something. Apparently it's a customer service job so it could also help with my beautician career."
"Hmmm, but seriously? 'You' working?"
"Pfft, is it really that surprising?"
"Well maybe I could also come with you? Maybe I'd also like a job?"
"Don't you need to focus on running for student council? That's practically a job in an of itself..."
"I guess..."
After what felt like hours of calling, we finally end the call as the weight that was crushing my insides have completely lifted thanks to Nicole.
"Pfft. Nicole working, huh. I'd love to see that."
Talking to Nicole really did help, but now I need to seriously start thinking about how I'm going to go about doing this; asking Luna on a date.