Cuxie: Eheh. Yo!
Ritsu: Yo!
Yui: Yo!
Mio:...What's going on?
Cuxie: Eto...I'm not exactly sure. A story? Maybe?
Yui: Yosh!
Ritsu: Yosh!
Cuxie: Yosh! Let's roll! One-shot!
"Ui~! I'm home!" I sighed, relieved, and finally let myself look away from the clock. Although I really shouldn't let myself get distracted while cooking, I can never manage to ignore the clock until my sister gets home. My nerves are always a mess whenever she's even a few minutes late.
And she's exactly thirteen minutes late.
I cleared my throat, making sure my voice didn't betray my worry, before calling back, "Welcome home, Onee-chan!" I never want my sister to know how much I worry for her. For one thing, she is older. It's perfectly normal for her to stay out later with friends and such. I don't need to know her exact whereabouts all the time, I suppose. And also, she'd probably worry that I was stressing myself out. I don't want to worry her...
Her head popped into the doorway from around the corner. Her normally calm, chocolate-like eyes were sharp and attentive and I feared for a moment that she had read my mind. Then she sniffed the air and her expression lit up. "Ooh! Delicious!"
I sighed again and smiled placidly. My sister could smell a hot meal a mile away. "We're having potato croquette for dinner."
"Yosh!" She pumped a fist in the air and then blinked, seeming to remember something. "It's okay if we have one more for dinner, right?"
I nodded, still smiling. "You brought a friend?" I guess that explains why she's later than usual. "Is it someone from the Light Music Club?" I wouldn't be surprised if they came to help Yui practice or do homework. It's so nice for me to know that they're looking after her since I can't be around that much at school. Still...
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little jealous of Azusa-chan. She's my friend, but my sister does give her a lot of attention...
I followed Yui into the living room, smiling and carrying a tray with tea. "Hello," I started. "Make yourself right at-" The words fell right off my lips.
CRASH!
And the tray fell right from my hands.
"Oh! Ui," my sister cried, pulling me away from the broken shards of glass from the tea cups. I felt numb. Cold all over. My expression froze to emmulate my shock. Yui bent down around me, grabbing up the large shards in her hands. I would've been worried she'd get a cut if I was in my right state of mind.
Our guest got up and kneeled beside Yui. "Let me help," he said.
He.
He.
A boy! YUI BROUGHT HOME A BOY!
While my brain was just beginning to process this information, my body went into autopilot. "Oh you don't have to do that, um..."
"Arai," he said, smiling politely at me. "Arai Kyoji."
What are you doing in our house? "Nice to meet you, Kyoji-san. I'm Ui."
"Oh, I know." He stood up, holding out his hand out for me to shake it. "Yui-chan's told me a lot about you."
Yui-chan? YUI-CHAN? You call her by her FIRST NAME?
I cleared my throat and tried a warm and welcoming smile. Mechanically, lifted my hand and shook his once. "W-Well, make yourself right at home." I turned to my sister who was carelessly clutching glass shards in her hands. "Onee-chan, can you come help me in the kitchen?"
"Ah?" She blinked at me. "But the glass-"
"I'll vacuum it up in a minute."
She tried to stand, unable to push herself up with the shards cupped in her hands. She wobbled. "Wa~"
"Onee-chan!" Just as a reached for her, he moved past me, placing a hand on her arm and steadying her. "Wha?"
"Are you okay?" he asked.
My sister smiled reassuringly. "Heh. Fine fine. Thanks."
I felt my jaw twitch, threatening to reveal the irritance hidden by my smile. I grabbed hold of my sister's arm and pulled her out of that man's reach. "Come Onee-chan! I think something might be boiling over!"
"Eh?"
I ushered her into the kitchen.
"Ui...you're not boiling anything," she said after a quick survey of the kitchen.
In response, I poured some water into the tea kettle and placed it on the stove. Then I cleared my throat. "O-Onee-chan, who is that boy? How come I've never seen him before?" It took skill and effort to make sure my voice sounded soft and only mildly curious.
"I just met Arai-kun on my way home."
"Ku-!" I gripped the counter for support. You only met a few minutes ago and you're already calling him 'Arai-kun'? I tried to remind myself that my sister isn't a formal person and that this probably doesn't mean anything. And now was not the time to lose it. I had to be calm for her. "Onee-chaaan! You shouldn't bring strangers home like that..." I kept my tone only mildly scolding and adopted an expression of sisterly concern. "He could be dangerous," I said, dropping my voice a little so as not to be overheard.
Yui giggled. Then she placed both hands on my shoulders. "I won't let Arai-kun hurt you. I'll protect you with my life!" she declared in mock seriousness.
"Onee-chan..." It's times like this when I simply can't imagine sending her off to college. Even if Mio-senpai, Ritsu-senpai, and Tsumugi-senpai go with her.
"I'll go keep an eye on the enemy," she said, giving me a military salute and charging off into the living room, shouting something about kendo.
I let my mask drop as she left, absent-mindedly tending to the three-person dinner I was apparently making. Onee-chan's never brought home a boy before. Onee-chan's never mentioned liking any boy before, apart from a few famous actors and idols. Why now? I'm not ready for this...
The tea kettle squealed, making me jump. I quickly placed it on another burner and turned the stove off. Get a grip, Ui! I-If Onee-chan...likes this boy, then I have to make him feel welcome. For her. I placed three new cups of tea on the wooden serving tray. She'd do it for me. She'd do it for me. I took a deep breath and plastered a smile onto my face.
They were seated around the small table, a little too close together for my comfort. My smile wavered and the tray shook in my hands, but I managed to keep a grip on it this time. "Here we go!" They both looked up at me and I tried to keep my eyes on my sister. I set the tray down, squeezing myself in between the two of them.
"Thank you," Kyoji-san said, dipping his head slightly.
"So, um...Kyoji-san, right? H-How exactly did you and my sister meet?" Relax. Keep your voice calm...
"At the music shop," he answered promptly, smiling past me at my sister. I hated the sound of his voice.
"I was looking at the new picks," Yui added. "They've got such fancy ones now. All different colors with painted designs and pictures. I saw one that looked like Ton-chan!"
I smiled placidly at my sister, easily pulled into her carefree atmosphere. But then his voice assaulted my ears again, jolting me out of my calm. "I recognized Yui-chan from a live house last year."
"Can you believe it?" she asked excitedly. "Even though it was a year ago he still remembered our performance!"
"How could I not remember? You played so well. And you have such a cute singing voice." At that my sister giggled bashfully.
My jaw twitched. Here. In our home. A strange boy is making my sister giggle. He's sweet-talking her and making her giggle!
I jumped straight up out of my seat, the sudden movement making the table jolt. "I have to-!"
"Ow!" Another cup had fallen, although this one stayed intact. A large, rapidly spreading tea stain colored the front of Kyoji-san's jacket, the piping hot liquid soaking straight through. My sister reach over to him, making small clucking noises and helping him out of the wet garment.
Still standing, I watched them. A small bubble popped somewhere in my stomach. Then another. And another. Quickly and quietly, I retreated into the kitchen.
Once I was safely out of sight, I exploded into a quiet fit of giggles. I hadn't meant to spill the tea on Kyoji-san, of course. But I couldn't truthfully say I regretted doing it. That's exactly what he deserves for being so forward with my sister. An idea was quickly forming in my head. Perhaps there was a covert way of dealing with this Kyoji-san after all...
Glancing at the three plates of croquette, I reached into the cupboard and pulled out some red hot chili flakes...
"Oishi!" After Onee-chan hung his jacket up, and I vacuumed the leftover glass shards, I served all three plates. One specially made. I happily watched my sister eat her fill of potato croquette, one of her favorites. It was adorable how animated she got over food! "Isn't Ui-chan's cooking amazing?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the way Kyoji-san jolted at the question. I turned to him, masking my clever grin with an innocent, hopeful smile.
He had a pinched expression on his face, his cheeks puffed with food. "It's..." He swallowed, painfully it seemed. "I-It's something, alright." I watched in earnest as he took more bites under my close scrutiny. While Yui's and my croquettes were artfully decorated with bland herbs and spices, his was flavored with a good heaping of identical-looking chili flakes. His cheeks were red and small beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead. I couldn't help but think that with his expression, coupled with the huge stain on his white shirt made him look disgusting and untouchable. Completely unfit for my sister. I watched him reach for his tea, then remember it was hot and set it back down. "Do you, um, do you have any water? Cold water?"
I smiled placatingly. "Of course!" As slowly as possible, I got up and made my way to the kitchen. Now what can I get him? I wandered lazily around the kitchen. Taking my time to a) make him wait; and b) wonder what I could possibly "flavor" his water with. Oh!
Moving faster now, I got a tall glass of water. Then I grabbed a spoon and a bottle of vinegar. Adding a few spoonfuls of my special "flavor", I stirred it carefully so the spoon wouldn't clink too loudly against the glass. Experimentally, I took a sip... "Geh!" Then promptly spit it into the sink. "Perfect..."
"Arai-kun...are you okay?" I heard my sister ask. I hurried back into the living room.
Kyoji-san's face was twisted grotesquely. The rice bowl was in front of him. He had doubtlessly attempted to mask the spiciness of the croquette with a few bites of white rice. Big mistake. I'd made the rice a little...salty. "Here's your water, Kyoji-san," I said, pretending not to notice the look on his face.
Riiiiiing! Riiiiing!
Darn! "Onee-chan? Can you get the phone?" I wanna see the look on this baka's face when he tastes this... My sister, after shooting her friend a concerned look, left the room. I handed the glass to Kyoji. He grabbed it and gulped it down greedily. And then I got to see my first live-action spit-take.
"Khek! What was that? That wasn't water!"
With my sister safely in the other room, I let my mask drop. "Aren't you a smart boy," I sneered.
He gaped at me like some sort of demented fish.
"Don't do that. You look stupid enough as it is."
"S-Stupid?"
"Yes, stupid." I crossed my arms and stood over him defiantly. "You do understand what that means, don't you? Idiotic, inane, foolish...need I go on?"
"Ui-san...why-"
"Why? That's a good question! A question I could ask you. Why are you here? Why do you think you're good enough to talk to my sister the way you've been talking?"
He shot up. "What do you mean? What could I have said to Yui-chan?"
I all but exploded. "'Yui-chan' for starters! Who gave you permission to use her first name? Who told you that you were allowed to walk her home and sit so close to her and act like you know her so well?" I stalked over to him and jabbed a finger at his chest. He stepped back. "You've been way too familiar with my sister, and frankly, I don't like. At. All."
"W-Wait a minute, Ui-san..."
"Get. Out."
"But I-"
"Get out!" I grabbed the glass from him and splashed the diluted vinegar in his face.
"Wah! My eyes!" He wiped at his face, spreading the liquid around more. I hurriedly shoved him towards the door. "It's burning my eyes!"
"Shut-up," I hissed. "Before-"
"Ui-chan? Arai-kun?" My sister called from the other room. "What's going on?"
Uh-oh! I shoved Kyoji roughly out the door, not even bothering to watch him stumble on the steps before I slammed it shut.
Yui reappeared, holding the phone and looking around, puzzled. "Where did Arai-kun go?"
I swallowed. "He, uh, had to leave suddenly. Who was on the phone?"
"Just Oka-san. Did Arai-kun say why he was going?" She made a move towards the door.
I blocked her path. "Um, uh, s-something personal, he said."
"Oh." She looked dejected.
I felt the aftermath of guilt overcome me. What had I just done? I may not have liked Kyoji, but he was the first boy my sister had ever brought home. Possibly her first love...and I ruined it. I covered my face with my hands. And I just lied to her too... I felt very sick all of a sudden.
Then I felt a pair of hands close around mine, pulling them away from my face. "Yajiru!" Onee-chan made a pig face, something she always did to make me laugh that still worked today.
No guy will ever be good enough for Onee-chan. This I knew for certain. Still... "I'm sorry...that Kyoji-san had to leave so soon." Next time I'll be better, Onee-chan. I promise. The next time she brought a guy home (which hopefully wouldn't be anytime soon), he would be treated like a prince in this house, no matter who it was or how much I disliked him. After all, if Onee-chan found him to be worth liking, why couldn't I?
"It's alright. I call his leftover croquette!"
"Hmm...NO! Onee-chan, wait!"
Cuxie: Banan! Finished!
Ritsu: I wasn't in it!
Azusa: Don't be whiny.
Tsumugi: Please R&R if it's not too much trouble.
Cuxie: You remind me of Lettuce, but for some reason I like you a lot more.
Lettuce: TT_TT