There was something wrong with Rin's sister.
Well, of course there was something wrong with Rin's sister. There was always something wrong with Rin's sister. But recently, Lenka had been acting weird. Rin could tell- something was about to happen with her. Something big. She just didn't know what.
Her first hint, though she didn't know it at the time, started as a completely innocent question. "Hey, Rin?" Lenka asked suddenly one day when they were getting ready. "What do you think I'd look like as a guy?"
"Probably the same, but with shorter hair, maybe," Rin replied, trying to fix her hairbow in the mirror. "Why? Thinking of changing?" she teased.
Lenka stuck her tongue out at Rin. "Very funny." Silence. "But, theoretically, if I did change, what would you think of me?" she asked.
"Are you kidding me?!" Rin yelled, whipping around. "I wouldn't be able to love my own sister!" Lenka froze. "After all, I wouldn't have a sister to love," she explained. "But I wouldn't love my brother any less."
Lenka relaxed. "That's sweet. I was just wondering, of course, but it's nice to hear you say that." She smiled at Rin.
"It's just the truth, but you're welcome," Rin replied, going back to fixing her hair.
Her second clue happened later that year when they got their yearly haircut. Up until then, they always got matching haircuts, same length, same bangs and everything- the only difference that they had the part reversed to tell them apart. Lenka's bangs parted to the left, Rin's to the right- it was easy to remember.
But this time, when it was Lenka's turn, she went to Rin first. "Hey... I know we usually get it identically, but... mind if I try a new style this time?"
"Sure, sis," Rin replied, grinning and nodding. Lenka gave her a nod of thanks and went to get her own hair cut.
"Could you try doing a short and spikey kind of cut?" Lenka drew spikes around her head in the air. "Like this? You know, like an anime boy?"
"I sure can try," the hairstylist replied. Try they did, and sure enough, Lenka had a spikey anime boy haircut at the end.
"What do you think?" Lenka asked her sister.
"You look like a guy," Rin teased. Lenka gave her a frown.
"Gee, thanks," she replied sarcastically. There was still some hair hanging down on the back of her neck, and she pulled it up into a short and just as spikey ponytail. She wore it that way all the time, only taking it down when they went to sleep.
Her third sign was an act of outright defiance and rebellion. "I'm swearing off skirts and dresses," she announced one day, going through their closet and taking out said items, dumping them in a pile on the floor. "No more."
"Good for you!" Rin told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I did that a while ago, but I always figured you were more feminine than me," she remarked, ruffling her sister's short hair. Lenka glared. "But what about formal events that mean dresses and makeup and hairspray and heels?"
"Not even then," Lenka said confidently. "I'll get a nice formal suit and I can wear that."
"If you say so," Rin said, digging through the pile. "Some of these things are pretty cute though, you sure you're completely giving them up? Even I wear them sometimes, I mean, they're pretty!"
"I'm absolutely sure," she insisted. "I'm not going to wear them at all unless I absolutely have to."
"Alright, if you're sure," Rin replied, pulling out a cute summer dress. "But I'm keeping some of these."
If it wasn't for their genetics, Rin would've seen a fourth signal. But both of them were as flat as tabletops when it came to their chests, so Lenka never had any problem with it. If Rin had looked, though, she might've seen all of her sister's bras stuffed in the trash.
The final step was a request. "Hey, Rin?" Lenka asked one day.
"Yeah, sis?" Rin replied, glancing over. She looked kind of bashful, and Rin went over to her, smiling and putting a hand on her shoulder supportively. "You want something?"
"Yeah," Lenka said. "Um... could you maybe drop the 'ka' at the end of my name, please?"
"Sure thing, Len," Rin agreed. "So, just to make sure... who are you, Len? You can tell me, you know," she told her, smiling supportively.
"Um..." Len glanced down, then back up. "Remember when you said you'd still love me if I was your brother, not your sister...?" he mumbled.
"Of course," Rin replied. "And I still mean it." She hugged Len.
"Thanks, sis," Len said, hugging her back.
"No problem, bro."
And so everything was right with Rin's brother.
Hi there! This is Seth, with my first contribution to the universe and one of the more important backstory things, in my opinion. Hope you enjoyed! PS: If you're getting deja vu, I posted this once before on a previous account, but that one's gone now. Anyways, thanks for reading!
Cover Credit: piapro . jp / t / cFmS