It was a normal Sunday for Maki, playing the grand piano after warming herself with a cup of hot chocolate were the things she considered happiness. She already did her homework and her new song that she had been composing was almost finished too. After playing a few piano pieces, she looked at her window with a cup of hot chocolate on her hand, admiring the state of peace and serenity. "What a beautiful day," she blurted that to herself as she concealed her smile by sipping her cup. Well, that beautiful day along with her time of tranquility was short-lived though, as a certain ginger-haired girl made a surprise visit.

"Please remind me, why are you here again?" Maki asked not removing her frown to her surprise visitor.

"Don't be like that Maki-chan, we're friends right?" Honoka answered, happily munching the all the cake and cookies that Maki's maid prepared earlier.

"Well for me, friends don't come in the middle of the day asking for food."

"Whatever, if you've nothing to do, the door is that way" Maki twirled her hair as a sign of annoyance while pointing her free hand's index finger to the main entrance.

"Aww but i totally have a legit reason to be here." A 'reason to be here' made her slightly curious but she lowered her expectations, it was Honoka after all.

"What is it?" She asked with a stern and unamused gaze.

"Hehe so you really want to know then let me tell you." Honoka tempted her first with such a reply. Honoka's eyes glint and she stood up with crumbs falling on her face. "You see, i choose this place...as the first destination of My First Kousaka Honoka Muse Home Visit!"

"The door is still that way but if you want, you can go to the back door which is that way," Maki stated with a uninteresting tone. She knew it, she didn't even need the guidance of Nozomi's cards to distinguish that it was another one of her random antics.

"Hey i'm serious, i mean the teachers do it now and then right? So i thought it would be fun for me to do it too."

"Whatever, i don't care anymore just make it quick okay." Maki humored Honoka's shenanigans for a while. She was greatly indebted to Honoka after all.

"Thanks Watson, now to reveal the truth of this room," Honoka said with a heavy accent, imitating a certain famous detective.

"Yeah, yeah, like there's a secret room here or something." Maki retorted, silently watching Honoka as she started some sort of inspection complete with a magnifying glass and a deerstalker. "Isn't this supposed to be a home visit so why there's an investigation going here." But then again, her actions was not surprising. She was Honoka after all.

Maki just sipped her mug again as she reminisced the times, why she was sincerely thankful to Honoka. It started since the day she was born, being parents of both prominent doctors her life was already decided to be a doctor. She always tried her best to meet their expectations but she was getting tired of it. What was the purpose of her studying if her future was already predetermined, its like she just lived to follow the path set by her parents. She could only find solace in front of her piano where she could free herself from the constant pressure and stress of her daily life. Because of her attitude and stature, her classmates chose to avoid her as she knew the gossiping behind her back. She was accustomed to this routine and thought it would always be like this, but ever since she joined the muse her dull and repetitive days became more and more...interesting. It was tiring for her both physically and mentally nevertheless it was something that she wouldn't change for the world.

"Maki-chan i found a secret room!" Honoka shouted.

"What!?" Maki nearly spit the hot chocolate that she drank earlier. She turned her head quickly and there was really a room more like an old looking door hidden by her family bookshelves.

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chances ever observes," Honoka quoted a line from that famous detective. Although she said all that, she too shared a surprise look with Maki which turned into a boastful smirk after a few seconds. "So you didn't know this, heh elementary my dear Watson."

"Don't be so full of yourself, it's just a fluke you know."

Honoka's sense of adventure tingled as she began to fiddle lightly the doorknob but for an old decrepit looking door it was securely locked. With the gentle approach didn't work, she started to forcefully pull and twist the doorknob. After a few minutes of pulling and twisting, copious sweats started to form in her body.

"Give up now, its locked for a reason you know," Maki said that although she knew that Honoka wouldn't give up so easily especially if she already put her mind into it. And like her, Maki's curiosity was piqued too. A door that was unheard from her Mama and Papa, lying there waiting to be opened but at the same time, she had a mysterious feeling that telling her to not open it at any cost. With her situation akin to the Pandora's box, the best thing to do was to not do anything. She sipped her cup again for the fourth time. Well, she had no worries, "Like Honoka can unlock that door." She thought that but...

"Maki-chan, i unlocked the door!" Honoka shouted again.

"What!?" This time Maki spilled a little chocolate over her favorite coffee table. She moved closely to the door and saw it was already half open.

"Hehe i always sneak out some manjuu at our store, so i learned some basic lock picking in the process." Honoka informed the girl standing proudly again with both hands at her waist.

"Hey that's not something to brag about."

"So let's go, Maki-chan," Honoka said with a bright smile. She extended a hand to Maki, which she reluctantly accepted. Her Pandora's box was already opened, time for her to know if it contained both despair and hope.

That was what Maki was thinking but unbeknownst to her, a cruel fate was about to befall her. A fate that so cruel that she would wish for a time machine just to stop herself from entering the room that day. The day that she marked as THE WORST DAY EVER.

They entered the room, dusts pervaded the air and cobwebs could be seen in their paths. But the most noticeable in this room was the absence of light. Well, they could see because of the light passing from the previous room but it only covered merely 1/16th of the area leaving the rest in pitch black. "Wow this place is so dark, good thing Eli-chan is not here hehe."

Maki had a feeling that she shouldn't be here, like something ominous was going to happen. Trusting her gut, she urged Honoka to leave quickly. "We can't see because of the darkness, let's go-"

"Oh, a light switch." Just before she could complete her sentence, a light switch conveniently appeared. Honoka quickly flicked the switch. Soon the dimness was replaced with a faint light which was enough for them to investigate the room. "Hurry there's no time to waste, the truth is waiting for us."

"So we're really role playing Sherlock Holmes now. But most importantly, Watson is starting to theorize a conspiracy here. Why is the world always, i mean ALWAYS go in her way."

They went on separate ways or at least Honoka did as she was eager to start her small investigation down to the book area. Maki was left wandering on her own. She felt this place oddly familiar, like she had already been here before but no matter how hard she pried her brain, she couldn't remember a thing. On her walk, she found the room had many things to offer ranging from old books, antique glass wares and some elder looking chests. But the one that truly caught her attention was a small black box, it had a very exotic design and had the words 'do not open' on the top. She couldn't explain it but there was an enigmatic feeling that slowly drawn her to the said box. Her hands were just centimeters away from touching it when she heard a loud scream.

"Ahhh!"

Maki followed Honoka's voice with every steps filled with growing anxiety. The last thing she wanted to happen was for their play detective story became a real one. And just like she feared, she found Honoka cold, lying like some victim from a mystery drama and her only clue was the hoary photo album with a missing picture. "Honoka! What happened? Are you alright?"

"No Maki-chan, i'm dying..." Honoka mumbled weakly.

"What! No, don't go to the light or i will never forgive you, hey are you listening? Honoka! HONOKA!" Maki was on her knees as she held Honoka's hand tightly. She was shaking as she felt the powerlessness, regret and misery slowly creeping at her. She kept thinking: If only, they didn't enter this room then things would be different. If only, she hangout with the muse more, then Honoka wouldn't be here. If only, she was more honest on expressing herself perhaps she could be a better friend with Honoka. If only...

Maki's eyes were starting to well up, still holding Honoka's hand. With her seemingly last ounce of strength, Honoka took her free hand and cupped Maki's cheek. "...Don't be like that Maki-chan...i'm just dying...out of your CUTENESS. Look a picture of young you." Her almost lifeless body before became full of life as she stood with a picture of young Maki.

"WHO CARES ABOUT THAT! Don't ever do that again!" Maki yelled. This kind of things were bad for her heart, just earlier she was feeling worried and remorse but that was soon replaced by a mixed anger and relief then became embarrassed. Embarrassed because she didn't want anyone to see her like this, weak and vulnerable. She was still sniffling when she felt Honoka's hand at the back of her head, slowly pillowing her face to Honoka's chest.

With Maki in the state of comfort, Honoka gently brushed Maki's hair and properly apologized, "I'm sorry Maki-chan, i couldn't help it. The young you was way too cute and she was smiling in the picture too."

"So..am i..not cute..now?" Maki cursed herself for muttering such a childish remark. She hated it, she hated this state of being fragile and helpless. She only hoped that her silly question would go unheard. But unfortunately, Honoka heard everything as she gently wrapped her hands on Maki waist. "Of course, you're cute. You're so cute Maki-chan." At that point, Maki was all-red, she just buried her face deeply to Honoka's chest while her hands had a hard grip on Honoka shoulders.

They continued their shameless hugging like that until Maki finally came to her senses. And the first thing that came to her mind was to push Honoka away then distanced herself. She was still blushing and breathing in a fast pace; she couldn't believe that she had done something shameless on Umi's book. "It was all Honoka's fault, stupid Honoka." A few minutes later, her heartbeat and breathing returned to normal. She gave a 'don't talk about it or else' face to Honoka as she crossed her arms and did her signature pose.

"Are we done here, let's go now," Maki said back in her cold defaulted voice.

"Wait Maki-chan! I still haven't fully explore the place yet. By the way have you found something interesting?"

"Well..." Maki showed the location of the black box earlier. She figured out that this would save their time since it was the only thing that she found interesting in this room. Honoka's sense of adventure tingled again, her eyes lit as immediately tapped, shook, cracked the box randomly. But she failed to unlock it no matter what method she did. After a series of unsuccessful attempts, she turned to Maki and said, "This is weird, it says 'do not open' but there is no opening to begin with."

"So are you happy now, let's go."

"Wait, why don't you try it? I mean your way smarter than me so i bet, i will be a cinch for you, please," Honoka said with a hint of praise. She kept looking with puppy dog eyes until Maki agreed.

"Alright, alright but after this it's go time okay." Maki mentally groaned and twirled her hair again but in the end, she found herself spoiling Honoka's request. "Honestly, your so hopeless. It's too easy, all you needed to do-" The box instantly opened as soon as it touched Maki's hand. This surprised Maki and she dropped the box on floor, there was a complex piece of moving machinery ticking from the box. After the sound halted, Honoka and Maki curiously peeked at the box but a swirl of dark wind quickly spiraled around the place. The said wind kept growing stronger and stronger and soon the old shelves were starting to fall while small things were flying around the place. Their made-up detective story took a sudden turn into a horror one as Honoka and Maki quickly dashed for the exit, but just like in every cliche horror movie, it was locked shut. Maki hammered the door and twisted the doorknob with extreme panic however it didn't budge at all, Honoka's lock pick was useless either. They were trapped in a room that had a weather on its own. Maki was frightened as she couldn't stop herself from shaking. She usually calm most of the times but this phenomenon was something that couldn't be explained by logic. Honoka hugged her again but this time, it was different. She was protecting Maki at the cost of her own body while leading her in the corner. With Honoka's guidance, they sheltered themselves from a fallen shelf waiting for the storm to subside. Both of them were beaten up by those flying objects and slowly losing their consciousness. But even with the fear coursing through her, Maki still managed to say one thing. "Don't ever leave me, i'm scared."

Honoka's hug became tighter, sharing her last warmth to the girl. "I promise you, i will never leave you."

Those were the last words Maki heard before her vision turned dark.

"Arghh...worst day..ever..." Maki groaned while steadily opening her eyes. She found herself lying on the floor with a bruise around her right shoulder, slight headache and a mild pain on her left leg but aside from that everything was fine except for one thing. Honoka was pillowing her head at Maki's chest, her right hand was still grasping Maki's hand and her body was partly rested on Maki as well. She removed the clutch from Honoka's hand and gently tugged the girl. "Hey, Honoka it's over now, hey." She woke up a few minutes but still not moving an inch. Maki knew that unlike her, Honoka covered most of the damage. So when Honoka was finally able to move, she just slid her body towards Maki meeting her face to face and chest to chest.

"...Maki-chan..what is...it?" Honoka mumbled weakly.

"Are you alright? And by the way, it's touching Honoka." Maki asked with a genuine concern at the same time, pointing at their boobs. Which were already engaging in the battle for space and dominance. Surely, for Honoka she wouldn't mind it but for her, she WOULD mind it A LOT especially if her breasts were losing due to Newton's law of universal gravitation.

"...I'm fine and it's okay we're the same size anyway." Honoka's voice was getting weaker but she still gave a smile.

"Wha- how did you know that?"

"...Nozomi-chan said that she already groped you once, so she knows..." Maki remembered it. She was just at the shrine, trying her best to give Honoka the music CD when Nozomi washi washi her chest.

"That Nozomi! Wait till i get-"

"Maki-chan...i really wanted to sleep now...so if i'm a bother, just push me aside ..." After Honoka said that her eyes slowly closed and fully cushioned her body to Maki.

"Honoka, Honoka..." Maki called her name but there was no response. She snaked an arm at Honoka's back and felt blood on her fingers. It was a small wound and the condition was not critical but this wasn't a situation where she could be happy about. She wanted to apply first aid right away but she was lacking on medical materials, the door was locked and the room was a mess. So her best course of action was to let her patient rest to avoid further blood loss.

"You idiot, like i will push you aside..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Maki was staring blankly at the old ceiling without the knowledge of how many seconds, minutes or hours had passed. She just continued her staring contest while taking mental notes of Honoka's breathing and heartbeat. Well, Honoka's face was too close to her cheek while her chest part was still directly positioned to her chest. As time passed, Maki's eyes grew tired and weary but she still persisting. "If i close my eyes now, who knows what will happen to us." That single thought fueled her determination to stay awake until she heard the unlocking at the door. She felt relieved and wanted to glance at the person who opened the door but her eyes were slowly meeting the darkness once again.

"..Where am..i?" Maki muttered. She heard a good music was playing and noticed that her body was lighter than before. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the vision of the old ceiling earlier was replaced with a beige colored one. Maki found herself lying again but this time in a soft bed, fully nursed with some bandages and medical ointments. Honoka was just beside her also treated in similar way however unlike her, she was still unconscious.

"Ahh so your awake now, dear." The voice came from her mother who was sipping a mug of hot chocolate while listening to classical music.

"Mama, thank you for saving us. I like to-" Maki sluggishly got up in the bed, wanting to express her gratitude but her words were cut shortly.

"Don't move yet, you're not as good as you thought."

"But why Mama? I feel light as the feather now, thanks to you of course." Maki was puzzled. She made some random arm movements and everything seemed to be fine. The pain and headache of her body that she was feeling earlier was all gone, thanks to the medical prowess of her mother.

"I'm not lying dear, you opened the box didn't you?" Maki's mother placed her mug on the table, turned off the radio and looked Maki seriously in the eyes. Her mother never showed that she was angry but Maki could trace it in her tone and the way she talked. Feeling the guilt coursing through her, she averted her eyes fast. If there was one thing she didn't want to ruin that was her image to her parents. For them, she was a straight A student that could balance everything in her life. There was brief silence between the mother and child before her mother spoke. "Don't worry dear, i'm not angry but there's something you must know."

"What is it, Mama?" She asked still averting her face on her mother. But at least, she was relieved that everything was over now.

"Well, don't be surprise dear, but both of you were cursed."

"CURSED!?"