"I know I'm not good enough for the future..., but, will it even amount to whatever I did in the past?"
The hollowed heart. She didn't need to know just how much hurting had been done to her in the past months. All the bickering and snickering behind her. Everything was coming for the worse. She didn't do anything. More like, she couldn't do anything. All that she could do was to sit and still, covered in agony of helplessness. "If only I was born normal…"
Riko never had the nerve to purpose such ideality like "I want to change" or alike. She's humble. Foolishly good, so great at that. All that she could do was to follow the current. No matter how much hurting she got, all she could do was to accept. Accept everything. After all, it was her fault for being too useless every day.
Looking through the album, she couldn't even find the whole happiness she once held dearly in her broken heart. "Why do people have to lie to each other?" "If they were never fond of me, why did they chose to adopt me?" "It's better if they'd just kill me right now…" That night, was the first time Riko thought of something she wanted to do rather than just take them all in. The torture, that is.
The night afterwards, she saw something a bit outrageous. A head was falling off from the ceiling where the big fan was supposed to be located before it also fell down altogether just now. There was never any chock burst from Riko. She was never a girl who's bad at horror or something alike. She'd just accept them all like they're normal, including the fact that her father's head had just been kicked out by her mother. "You are not to tell a single soul about this, understand?" and thus Riko nodded as usual.
After a week passed without a hitch about the silent murder, a sick one at that, Riko found herself standing right behind the very mother who hissed her regarding it. She was silent all the time as the sirens were all dreading their surroundings, out in the yard of their house. The polices were eyeing, trying to figure out whether the mother of hers would try to do something funny, or should I say dangerous, before the sound of the shot echoed in the skies.
The sky was dull as usual. "Where would this road leads me to?" Riko was detached as usual. The emptiness inside her was nothing new and thus she would just look at the scenery outside the window of the car. She didn't felt anything from it. She thought it was boring. Boring as hell. Yes, so did the journey to find her new home, too.
The new mother greeted her with a smile full of alien feeling to Riko. Also the father. There's also a daughter in this family but she was busy so she rarely came home when the sun is still out. The police who took care of Riko simply said thanks as he handed the new mother an envelope. The new mother said he didn't need to do that, but the police insisted. Afterwards, the police went back on car, saying final goodbye to Riko and told her to take care of herself. Riko complied like any other day. It's not like things will be different from how the other family treated her after they knew about her circumstances.
It's almost been seventeen years since she born on this world. Maki had never been happier. The thought of living her life now as a girl who's taken, and by a stunning beauty at that, really puts her on an invisible pedestal. Blessed with such great flows of fate, never really had to deal with something troublesome, and now also being loved by the one human she really loved the most, were just outstanding. She loved it all to the core.
She knocked on the door of her house. After a moment passed, she heard a few footsteps reaching her way. When the door was opened, she couldn't believe her eyes. There, stood someone unknown to her. The girl with golden eyes who stared at her blankly then greeted her. "Welcome home, Maki-nee-san. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Riko. Your new sister."
"What's the meaning of this, Mom?!" Maki shouted at her mother who didn't really flinch at filling the empty glass of her husband
"As Riko said herself, she's your new sister, Maki. I know you're really surprised by this sudden news but please calm down and listen to us first, okay?"
"Fine…" Maki mumbled, afraid of the glare she got from her father who sipped the tea as he caressed the head of her supposed to be new sister
"Maki" her mother started "You're going to leave the house when you finally entered the college, right? Without anyone to dote on and having almost nothing to do at home, Mom find it really hard to enjoy being in the house. Thus, Riko-chan came as solution."
"Huh?!" Maki groaned
"Maki!" but her father seemed to do not take that opposition for sure
"But father…!?" Maki tried again
"Maki, let me ask you this. What is even the downside of us adopted a daughter? It's not like we didn't have the wealth to feed her and you altogether." And Maki just fell silent at those words
Thus, her supposed to be happy day was dumped by the sudden move of her mother. The sound of Maki fell on the bed was loud enough, though it was intentional. She was furious at both of her parents. Yes, she knew there was nothing wrong with adopting another daughter, a beautiful one at that, but still…, telling her first would make it easier for her to take. Well, not that she minded it, though.
"Wow, Riko-chan, huh?" another voice from Maki's phone. A conversation has been taking place after Maki finally finished taking a bath and worked her assignments
"Yeah, I will send you her picture later. To be fair, she's quite cute, you know?"
"It's fine for her to be cute, as long as you didn't forget that I'm now your girlfriend, okay?" the mysterious girl on the phone seemed like she's puffing her chest as she said those words
"Okay, Umi. Good night, then, I'm really tired from all those studies we did today. Love you!" Maki closed her phone after she heard a sound of a kiss from the phone together with a "good night" and "I love you, too"
The first three days were a disaster for Riko. Not much she knew about her new older sister, but from the look of it, that very sister wasn't quite fond of her. Well, truth to be told, not even herself was fond of herself, too. But, since there was never any downside she would take if she tried to talk to her 'sister', Riko tried with no so much response and attention she got. At least, not until the third day where her sister finally opened up to her and accepted her as her new family.
Riko found Maki to be quite intriguing. How her sister would always cut her hand when she tried to cook, how she would always stuttered at the mere mentions of her girlfriend, Riko found it all enigmatic yet relaxing. It was as if she found a way back to the fond feeling she thought she once had in herself. At that, Riko concluded, that it may be a good way for her to start believing in her new family. Just maybe…, maybe…, she would be able to trust again…
The days afterward were filled with more and more laughter. The family of four going out to the villa they had near a private beach. The BBQ they had on the mountain. The trip to a music gallery, which Riko found to be quite, or rather, really interesting. Riko found herself to be really liking this new family. And thus, her life afterwards were such a bliss Riko might even forgot about all the disaster that came her way back then…
After the holidays had been spend and the school terms are going to visit again, her father ought for the sisters to buy the necessities while the parents took care of the documents for the transfer. Riko smiled at the idea of her finally going to school again. After spending her life mostly being in her room, forbidden to leave, it was such a calming melody for her to claim what she had lost in her previous family. In a way, it was also the last chance for her to be together with her sister because tomorrow she's going to live her girlfriend together.
"So, Riko-chan, where would you like to go next?" asked Maki as she held the hand of her younger sister and also the bag of the school necessities they got before
"Anywhere is fine as long as I'm with Maki-nee!" Riko with her greatest smile answered
"You're just too cute, Riko-chan! Well, if I had to choose, how about we go buy that parfait for you? Have you ever ate a parfait?"
"Parfait?"
"Looks like you never did. C'mon, I will choose the tastiest for you!" claimed Maki as she led their way onwards. Riko happily complied
Now they sat at one of the bench together. Riko enjoyed her parfait so much as the sweetness of the strawberry fully entranced her tongue. She might like this fruit from now on. Maki, on the other hand, was busy trying to hold her laughter as she took photos of her sister and posted one on her Instagram, fully captioned "My little sister is too cute it's too unreal!" Maki didn't regret that post one bit. And not so far from where they stayed, a blue haired girl was sitting there while seemingly waiting for someone to come as she looked through her Instagram. Then, the newly posted photo appeared, one from her love. It was the face of her lover's sister who ate parfait on a bench near a place she knew too well. Surely, as she stood up from where she sat, she saw the two redhead sitting together there. The blue haired girl smiled.
Umi opened her contact as she searched for the number of the person she was waiting for as she headed to the bench where her lover is. She called the person.
"Hello, Yoshiko-chan?"
"Hello, Umi-nee, what's up? I'm sorry I'm late but I will finish in a moment, so please wait a little longer." Yoshiko seemingly busy finding the right accessories she wanted the other day
"Ah, no, don't worry about that, Yoshiko-chan. You can take your time. I just wanted to tell you that I will be waiting at the usual parfait stall."
"Thanks, Umi-nee. I will go there once I finish here." Umi closed her phone afterwards as she silently tiptoed nearing the taller redhead "Maki" she called, tapping the girl's shoulder which earned quite a big scream from the said girl
"U-U-U-U-U-Umi…?!" shocked Maki
Umi smiled at the redhead as she also waved her hand towards the also-surprised another redhead there. The little sister bowed a bit and smile at her. Umi found it really cute, by the way. "I'm sorry, Maki. Let me help you stand." Umi took Maki's hand and lift her up
"Why did you do that!? Are you trying to kill me!?" Maki, a bit pissed at her lover
"Maki, don't get angry like that. Okay, I'm sorry. I will never do that again, okay?" Umi still held the hand of her lover
"Hmph!" was all Maki muttered, though the hand she didn't let go, and Riko just silently smiled seeing that
After a few minutes chatting there, a voice called out to Umi from not so far away. The girl with dark blue hair ran as she tried to hold tight the shopping bags she had in her hands. "Sorry I'm late, Umi-nee!" said Yoshiko to her cousin, seemingly unaware with the gaze she got from the other two girls.
"It is fine, Yoshiko-chan. By the way, did you get the accessories you wanted?"
"Yes, Umi-nee. By the way, may I ask who are the girls with you?" inquired Yoshiko as she pointed towards Maki and Riko
"Ah, I'm sorry. Let me introduce them, then. This one here is Maki, Nishikino Maki. She's the girl I talked to you about just the other day. The cute little girl here is Riko. She's Maki's little sister. By the way, she's going to enter the same school as you this Monday." Umi concluded
Yoshiko bowed her head and greeted the sisters as she took a better one more look at the girl with longer hair than her older sister. The girl named Riko. Yoshiko seemed like she saw something that was strange from how this little sister conducted herself. She didn't know what it was and delving into something too random at this point would do nothing good to herself, obviously, thus, she took down the idea instead of pursuing it.
Riko thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. The purple irises in front of her which seemed so kind and full of light, it seemed like she knew those light before. However, the answer wasn't something she could grasp at the moment. Giving up on the idea of asking, Riko opted to just enjoy the afternoon together with the three. After an hour, Umi and Yoshiko went their separate way as the Nishikino sisters went back home, Riko told her older sister she would help her packing for tomorrow. Maki smiled at that.
Tomorrow came faster than Riko expected. She couldn't hold the tears welling her eyes as she said goodbye to her sister. She hugged her one last time before Maki went ahead to find her plane. After sending her sister off, she went back with her parent home. On the way, however, they stopped at a shop Riko didn't know. When she asked why, her mother smiled and told her that she would need a phone for herself. Riko could only smiled at the kindness directed at her that moment. That night, Riko fiddled with her phone too much she got a light scolding from her father. Riko smiled at her father and together they went to the dining table where the mother was waiting for them.
That. That was one of the thing she never experienced back then. The warmth. The closeness. She felt it so strange yet joyful. She loved every last bit of it. Her parents, her older sister, she loved them all. They might be already people she'd gladly protect with all her life. People she'd gladly die for. People she'd love all her life. Riko realized that she'd finally found the right piece of her hollowed heart. At least, that was her thought before it wandered to this one girl she met yesterday.
That sense of familiarity. It was as if they had met in the past. However, looking back through and thorough, there was never any encounter she had with that girl. Then why? The feeling of calmness that she felt when the girl smiled fondly at her, even for a moment, was something she couldn't forget. Not at all. That was really strange. If the emotions she felt there was real, then there might be a chance her mind did some trick on her regarding her past. After all, she didn't remember half of her childhood. At least nothing connected to her life with her real family. Riko didn't know why. She tried to recall those memories, but seemed no answer and revelation brought out to her. Well, no use thinking that deep, so Riko chose to focus for what's ahead of her.
Monday came. The first day of school. Sakura are blooming around the way up to the hall of her beloved school. Otonokizaka. The school where her cousin once attended before she went to America for her college. Yoshiko really loved her school. The aura, the scenery, the people around it, everything. She just couldn't get enough of the joy she felt towards it. And then, the entrance of her class arrived in vision. "This is it, my high school debut!" claimed the bluehead before she realized her friends in the class was being silent suddenly. Shortly, she realized that her teacher was already behind her, wanting to get in. Embarrassed, Yoshiko hurriedly went to her designated seat. As soon as she sat and looked to the front, she caught a glance of the girl from the other day, fidgeting behind the teacher. The teacher then greeted the class before she went to tell the redhead about the seat for her. The said girl then followed the direction and sat just right beside Yoshiko.
It seemed like that girl didn't realized that they were not only attending the same school, they were also in the same class. But well, the talk would surely happen, Yoshiko thought to herself as the introduction started from the front. She did hers well, Yoshiko mused at her capability. And then, the turn finally arrived at the redhead:
"Hello, nice to meet you all. My name is Nishikino Riko. Let's get along well."