Prologue

A festival...which means... We could have a nighttime date...!

It was almost too good to be true. In fact, it was so amazing, Yuzu's mind couldn't stop but imagining worst case scenarios. She wasn't a negative person, but she was cautious, especially after the last year. It had been so different from any of the other years of Yuzu's life that she even questioned herself if it was really happening.

Yuzu remembered how it had all started and how different her original ideas and plans were for the upcoming year. She remembered hanging out with her girlfriends chatting about life, fashion, shopping, boys, and the great things about being a high school teenager. Specifically boys. What high school girl didn't like boys and the prospects of being in a relationship, having a young man defend you, going out on dates, the hand holding, and kissing.

Yes! Yuzu remembered how focused she had been about how magical and wonderful kissing had to be. It couldn't be something without emotion and reason. Just like in all those romance novels and manga Yuzu had begun reading since puberty. It just had to be all about...feelings.

How naive I was...

At least that's not how it started. Emotions were a part of kissing and intimacy, but it also could be nothing more than just a kiss. Even intimacy could just be sex. It was how a person chose to feel in those moments of expression. It was how that person thought of the other and vise versa. There was even a term for one having feelings for someone that would never be returned. It was called unrequited love. But that's not what had happened to Yuzu. What had happened in this last year was so different and yet so unique. Which is why Yuzu had been so conflicted, even up to this present moment.

Yuzu's mother had remarried and major changes in life came with it. A new place to live, a new school, and a new or rather addition to the family. However, Yuzu hadn't had the chance to meet her new stepfather when this new life had begun. Yuzu did get to see her new home, an apartment in a well established and well respected area of the town. Yuzu's mother—Ume—worked at a construction site of all places. But she was much stronger and capable than from her simple appearance. And she was more than simple. Ume had been the only parent Yuzu could look up to and revere as she grew up because of the misfortune of her father's death.

The worst part was that Yuzu missed out on what many kids experienced, no father figure. And there had been challenging days throughout her young life. To not have a protective father to make sure the right boy would enter her life and mature into the man she would need when of age. To enjoy father-daughter explicit activities and outings. To one day be given away at her wedding. To one day become a grandfather to her future children. These are great things and some women dreamed of such things—among many other life experiences.

But despite all of this, Yuzu still loved her late father and continued to visit his grave out of respect for him. She knew him from only what her mother shared as well as by reputation. One thing Yuzu knew and loved was that he had blond hair. And at a young age Yuzu bleached her own hair out of respect and in memory of her deceased father. It was more than just a hair color, more than just helping Yuzu stand out and be unique. Her hair was a symbol of her love and respect, not just for her father, but her mother. That was why Yuzu had been so concerned about her mother remarrying. She wasn't opposed to it. She wasn't angry. She was concerned. But as she had told her mother, "As long as you're happy."

That was one of the most important meanings of life: happiness. It was why people did what they did, to find and have this happiness. To feel good about life, to do something that fulfilled and gave people the sense of accomplishment. Work could bring happiness, education, travel, having good relationships with friends and family. Many things caused happiness for different kinds of people that existed in the world. And if being married made Yuzu's mother happy and brought meaning to Ume's life, than Yuzu was supportive. It even made Yuzu happy that her mother was happy.

But what struck Yuzu the most about her new life were two specific things that were interconnected: a new school and a stepsister. Yuzu was used to the typical public schools where kids got to choose what they wear, what they look like, and express their interests outwardly. Yuzu had enjoyed dressing up to look pretty and stylish as well as apply makeup to enhance her natural beauty. Even though she had never truly had a boyfriend or had been in a serious relationship, that didn't mean she had never been noticed. Yuzu was one of those girls that stood out so much it was hard not to notice her. But not just any boy would be suited for Yuzu. Some boys felt they weren't good enough for Yuzu. That was one scenario that Yuzu had come up with. But she had only been sixteen years old when attending her first year at this new school. Yuzu was still young and had plenty of time to be in a relationship and until that happened, Yuzu had been in the mindset of enjoying being a teenage high school girl. But her plans and ideas had been turned upside down. Anything Yuzu had imagined to happen in this year of her new life was far from her reality.

The last new thing in Yuzu's life is how she had come to the present moment she stood. Yuzu had been an only child and that made having a stepsister a unique experience. And one she had not been able to prepare herself for.

When she arrived at the new school she was immediately attacked because of her appearance. It had been a shock after all the time and work it had taken to put the ensemble all together. She hadn't just thrown anything on. Yuzu had wanted to look her best, for herself, the school, and the other students. But that was the second shock: an all girl's school!

No boys! Yuzu could have cried right then and there. But she continued to be scolded that all she could do was defend against such a bombardment of judgments. That was when the third shock had come: the student council president of the school known as Aihara Academy. It was also her new identity, Yuzu Aihara. But it had all been so new and come so quickly it was like whiplash. Yuzu was amazed she had kept it together so well.

And this student council president appeared as expected: serious, strict, stood stiffly, and possessed a hard, cold stare that seemed to see through anything and everything. It was terrifying as well as amusing. This girl was everything Yuzu wasn't. This girl was the antithesis of what Yuzu represented. Polar opposites. And it was this realization that gave Yuzu the strength to form a grin and step right up to the student council president. But that was when the fourth and ultimate shocking event happened.

After being lectured about how appearance affected studies and the future of students, Yuzu was suddenly engulfed by this girl. At first Yuzu thought she was imagining it, but the sensations couldn't be denied. One moment she was standing her ground and the next she felt a hand probing her body. It had reached behind her, slowly caressing down her spine and across her rear. It was so shocking Yuzu couldn't move, but was surprised she could think. She had no idea what was happening, but her mind became like a whirlwind from dozens of emotions and thoughts. Not ever had Yuzu been touched like this, by anyone. Not ever had Yuzu felt her body freeze over and yet feel warm at the same time. The hand had touched skin, which were connected to nerves that lead all the way throughout her body and up into her brain. Synapses were firing, like fireworks, sending chemical responses from the stimuli that had caused this.

The hand finally came to a stop, at a pocket in Yuzu's jacket that was tied to her waist and hung down lower than her hiked up school uniform skirt. And as quickly as it had started, it was over. The hand had found its intended target: Yuzu's cell phone.

The student council president was already walking away. Yuzu couldn't even react to losing her phone—one of the most important devices that played such a huge role in her life. Her legs had lost the strength to hold herself up and Yuzu found herself up close and personal with the pavement. Her arms instinctively reached out to brace her fall and she was thankful for this. But she was still in shock as her mind played the event over and over.

What the hell just happened! But what was worse is she hadn't just felt violated, it had been mixed with a twisted sense of pleasure. All the time imagining and daydreaming what having a boyfriend would be like kept flashing in her mind. The way she had been touched was partly how she imagined a boy holding and caressing her. It sent a shiver down her spine. And in that moment Yuzu could finally move.

But even after surviving the day, once she returned to her new home, Yuzu had come face to face with her new stepsister. And she was none other than the Aihara Academy's student council president!

How Yuzu had not collapsed from so much shock that had piled upon her in just that one day, she still couldn't explain. Looking back on those early moments Yuzu felt both amused and surprised.

And unfortunately it didn't stop there, Yuzu reminded herself.

Prior to learning her stepsister was the student council president, she had accidently saw the strict girl being somewhat forced upon by an older man who was a young teacher. However, the girl barely reacted to anything that it was hard to tell what had really happened. Yuzu wondered if perhaps the girl wasn't human, but a robot. Yuzu just couldn't understand how a high school girl could appear and act so emotionless, so lacking in basic human characteristics. Yuzu had rushed away as quickly as possible, but not before being seen and locking gazes for the longest—most uncomfortable—moment with the student council president.

Fear and anxiety filled Yuzu's entire being and yet she still managed to muster up strength to dash throughout the school grounds, all the while her mind flooded with images of the secret make out session as well as her earlier semi-assault.

Again, thinking back to those days, Yuzu was amazed that she hadn't just fallen over and sunk into a coma from sheer shock of it all. And once safe at home, and though uncomfortable with a new stepsister, Yuzu remembered thinking, Things can't possibly get worse.

Oh how wrong she was. Even after everything, even after all that had happened in just that one day, there was something that couldn't just top it, but blew everything out of the water and possible deep into the farthest reaches of this planet. Her stepsister—also known as Mei Aihara—in an attempt to get Yuzu quiet, forced herself upon the innocent sixteen-year old who had never had a boyfriend and had never experienced physical sensations, stole Yuzu's first kiss. And like earlier, it had ended as quickly as it had begun. But unlike earlier, Yuzu felt like she couldn't go on. Her body wasn't just frozen, she realized that everything had changed in that single moment.

The student council president of my new school, my stepsister, the daughter of a highly reputable family just forced herself on me and all she could say was, "That's what it was like."

And also walked away as if something insignificant had happened. As if nothing but words had passed from both of their lips. And yet words couldn't completely describe what had happened or what Yuzu was feeling. She barely knew what she herself was feeling.

How! Why?

And that was how it had all started. Yuzu couldn't explain what had happened or why. And she also couldn't explain what had continued between her stepsister and herself. But they had grown close. Closer than either of them imagined, closer than was thought possible, and possibly closer than was accepted among society. And for a time that had caused so much conflict and pain. But finally—at least for Yuzu—she had come to a place that all that mattered to her now was her and her stepsister's happiness.

Just as I told my own mother that her happiness was the most important to me for her, so also does it apply to my stepsister and I. Even if we have to keep it a secret! I don't know what the future holds for she and I. But for right now the journey is the most important. Anything could happen, but nothing will if we don't at least try! I can't explain why I feel as I do, but I owe it to Mei, as her family, as the big sister, and as something else... to give her the love I feel she needs! This isn't about what we deserve, because to be honest, I don't know who deserves what. I only hope I never let her down. That would be my ultimate failure...