"Eeeeeh? You still don't have a girlfriend?!"

I sighed. "Clarisse, I—"

"But you're going to turn seventeen this year!" she protested. "It's unbelievable that you still don't have one. Don't you even have a crush on anyone?"
"That's right," my mother called back. "Has anyone even caught your eye yet?"

…Hm. No.

Within two days, I'm going to be a second year in high school.

Ever since I was about thirteen years old, I've been going to W Academy, a multicultural private boarding high school, located in Tokyo, Japan.

Why? Because of my mom.

My mom is one of those parents who always has high expectations of her kids, especially her sons. My dad doesn't really mind, as long as his kids are happy, but he likes to agree with whatever my mom says.

…Hm.

Well, nothing I can do about that.

And that troublesome girl who keeps asking about my private life and any possible relationships associated with it? That's my cousin, Clarisse. She's from the Philippines, but she's going to be staying with my family here in Spain for a few months.

(She's kind of annoying, though.)

"I'm not actually sure about getting into a relationship yet, though," I quickly said. "I need to get better grades, study, you know…"

"Get a life!" Clarisse snorted. "You're so boring!"

"At least I'm not like Francis," I muttered.

Clarisse puffed out her cheeks. "I know that your friends are really weird, because you told me about them. But I'm going to be in the same school as you this year, so I'll be able to observe you and other shit, putang ina!"

"Clarisse," my mom called back. "No swearing!"

"Okay~" she replied in a sweet tone, before facing me again, her face full of scorn. "I'm not done with you yet."

"You're the one who should get a life," I protested. "I actually care about studies, and all you care about is boys, food, and boobs!"

Her face reddened. "T-That's…!"

"Go to sleep already," my brother João called out, walking out of his room. "You're both so loud. It's 11 PM."

"YOU go to sleep!" Clarisse retorted. "TARANTADO! BOBO!"

I covered my ears. "Ay, shut up!"

Clarisse stomped upstairs to her room, and glared at me. "No wonder you're still single. Putang ina mo!"

"Back at you," I muttered under my breath, as she slammed the door. She's so childish.

But I wonder…am I really that boring? Is that why I've been single, all these years?

…Come to think of it, I've never actually fallen in love with anyone, either.

Mom glanced at me, and sighed. "Leave her alone for a bit. She's 13. I'm sure you were like that at that age."

"No. I don't remember."

She laughed. "Clarisse will be okay in a bit. Just let her be."

I walked through the hall, and heard small sobs coming out of the room beside me. I knocked on the door.

"Clarisse?"

The sounds stopped, and the door creaked open.

…Wow, that was fast.

"Why are you here? Ano ba?" Clarisse asked, wiping away her tears.

"She told me to leave you be, but I heard you crying, so I decided to talk to you," I said, running a hand through my hair. "Um…are you okay?'

She rolled her eyes. "Ang bobo. Does it look like I'm okay?"

…No.

"Sorry," I quickly replied. "Should I go?"

Clarisse shook her head. "Nah, come in. I need someone to talk to. Someone who isn't one of your other siblings. They're weird." I sighed, and walked inside her room.

Ever since we were little kids, Clarisse would visit every now and then, and we kind of grew close, I guess. Though she's my little cousin, younger by two years, she constantly clung onto me, as if I were her older brother – and she even got into the habit of referring to me as 'Kuya Toni'.

But by the time she was about ten, she soon grew out of that habit, and got sassier.

…She grew taller, too. But she's still the shortest member of our family.

Ay, I miss the times when she wasn't always screaming about the little things.

After all, isn't it a good thing that I'm trying to be studious? Next year, I'll be 18, and then I'll graduate…

There's so much on my mind right now, though. I leave for Japan tomorrow, and my flight is at 2:30 AM. I guess you could say that it's a tight schedule~

"Are you listening?"

I blinked twice, and nodded. "Yeah."

Clarisse sighed. "I didn't say much, don't worry. Hnngh. I got rejected, okay?"

Oh.

"You liked someone?" I asked. Clarisse glared at me.

"A classmate from the school I used to go to, back in the Philippines. He rejected me last week, and I've been grumpier ever since."

I hugged her. "Hey, it's alright. I don't know much about love, but there was probably just something that didn't click between you and him, right?"

"Hmph. He ignored me all the time."

"Then he's an asshole," I said, squeezing her hand. "Don't sweat it, okay? I'll always be here for you, no matter how annoying you are."

Clarisse grinned. "I always make fun of the fact that you're single, yet there's something inside of me that has the tiniest bit of hope for you."

"I doubt it," I sighed. "If there's a single girl in the school who'll like me this year, she's probably a turtle."

"Aw, c'mon!" Clarisse chided. "It's not like you to be talking so negatively!"

I stood up, and shrugged. "I don't know, Clarisse. At this point, it's been so long that I've been single – my friends are beginning to suspect that I'm gay."

She roared in laughter. "Really?! Gay? You?"

Clarisse stopped for a moment, and glanced at me, her eyes serious. "Wait…are you?"

"Huh?"

She waved around her hands frantically. "N-Not that it's a bad thing if you are, though! I actually have a few classmates who are gay, some of them are my friends…ahahaha!"

I smiled. "That's actually a good question. I don't know the answer to it, though."

Clarisse raised an eyebrow. "So you're questioning?"

"That'd be a good way to put it, yes," I said, nodding. "But I don't think about my sexuality too often, and I'm not interested in romantic relationships at the moment, either."

"You might be asexual," Clarisse said. "It means that you aren't attracted to any gender. Oh, but I'm not assuming or anything, it's just a guess…or a suggestion!"

I grinned. "Thanks, Clarisse. I'd better go – my flight is early in the morning, tomorrow. I need sleep - and so do you!"

"Are your siblings going to the same school as us?" Clarisse asked.

"Only a few of them. The rest are staying here with our parents, until they both decide that they want them to go, too."

"Oh. Good night, then."

I waved, and shut the door. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day.

"Clarisse, wake up. We're leaving."

My cousin sat up, and her eyes widened. Her clothes were tossed onto the ground, and she was in her underwear.

…Oops.

…I can't blame her, though. It's hot.

Clarisse screamed, and dived underneath the covers. "What time is it

"It's…" I looked around for any clock or watch available. "It's early, and we have to go."

"If it's so early, then surely I can sleep for a bit more. Good night." She looked away from me, and shut her eyes.

I sighed. "If you're not going to wake up on your own, then I guess I'll just have to do it the old way, and drag you out of bed~"

My remark earned me a slap in the face, and an even angrier Clarisse.

"Fine. Get out of my way," she mumbled. "And stop staring at me. You're gross."

"Um, well, your bra strap is falling down, and I wanted to let you know, because I'm a nice person," I explained. "But if that's fine with you, then okay~"

Clarisse huffed another annoyed breath, and adjusted the strap, before walking away to get dressed.

"Are you all set?" Mom asked. "Passport?"

"I'm not a little kid," I mumbled. "But yeah, I have everything. Thanks!"

I narrowed my eyebrows together. "Why are you packing?"

"Oh, we didn't tell you—we'll be staying in a house in Tokyo for the year! So we'll be here with you the entire time~"

"Mom, W Academy is a boarding school," I laughed. "I'll be in the dorms."

"Psh! I know that you'll be in the dorms, but it's good knowing that you won't be too far from us. I hope you get a good roommate this year!"

I thought about it for a moment. Every year, I was always paired up with someone I know, so everything was usually okay. Things always went smoothly.

…Except for those times, when Gilbert and I were roommates. We were fifteen, and we would go door to door, pranking everyone in the different dorms. It was all good fun and games – until it got to the point where the school staff were actually at the brink of suspending us. Yikes.

Ever since then, we were never paired up by the teachers for any activity whatsoever.

"Hoyyyyyyyyy! We're here!"

Startled, I woke up, to see Clarisse staring at me.

"Did you sleep at all?" I asked her. Clarisse shook her head.

"I was too excited! Also, I watched a horror movie on my phone~"

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh? What was it about?"

"Demons," she said. "You know, the kind who possess you, and take your soul."

"Oh." I had never really been a big fan of horror movies, though it was always fun to watch them with my siblings on Halloween – their reactions to the jumpscare scenes were always priceless.

As for Clarisse, well…

"I couldn't watch the rest of it," Clarisse said, shuddering. "Too scary."

Yeah. She probably clicked on the movie, thinking that it'd be some sort of dystopian fantasy film or something.

"But you know," she said, grabbing her luggage, "I kinda feel bad for them."

"Them?"

Clarisse's gaze met mine. "The demons. You know, how some of them have to take a mortal's soul in order to thrive or live, and if they don't, their existence is no more. It's just not fair – for the mortal or the demon."

"Well, our world is a cruel one," I sighed. "Don't think about it so much. They aren't real."

"So you don't believe in them? Supernatural beings, or spirits?"

I looked back at her. "I mean, I do believe in spirits, but I feel like demons are just, you know – a fairytale of some sort."

Clarisse grinned. "You're interesting. I'll have to disagree with you on this one, though – I feel like they exist, you just don't know that they do. C'mon now, we have to get off the plane. Bilis na!"

…Hm. Interesting.

But maybe I shouldn't sweat over it so much. Clarisse is a pretty weird girl, after all.

Some may say that it's a sign that she's constantly talking about demons, but I feel like it isn't a sign of the future or anything.

It's just a phase.

- Afterword –

NEW FIC! I hope you guys liked this chapter!

After my last fic 'Holiday' (published on Wattpad) hit 1k reads, I couldn't resist making a new one.

This one will take on a darker theme than the last one, but there will be meme spots every now and then!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please look forward to the next one, which will be released very soon ~

(This fic is also published on my Wattpad, though it is unfinished. I prefer this platform, but in case you want my Wattpad, it's 'ChocoRenRen'. I know, lame name...I was about 12 or 13. But I hope you enjoy this fic!)