Chapter 1: An Unexpected Encounter!? ❀ Aim Towards The Radiant Light!


The sun shone brightly, glinting off the shimmering water and reflecting like crystals. The rays cascaded over the grass and penetrated even the darkest shadows. Heat rose from the ground in waves, creating the illusion of rippling water. Birds sang in an unknown melody, announcing that a new day had perfectly arrived. The outside city was slowly beginning to awaken with the sunlight, the trains vigorously passing by filled with adults and children alike, as well as old and young.

Stretching out of sight on either side of the road were identical semi-detached buildings, each with a path running down the side. Yet, the focus of this story centres on a peculiar one as its starting point: a red and white block of flats that stretched as far as the sky could touch.

Odaiba, an ultramodern area on Tokyo Bay.

This serves as the location for their story as well.

Who are they, might you ask? Well, it is time to find out by approaching the door number 803.

Inside that place was a dark room, where the sunlight was just beginning to enter through the delicate curtains. A medium desk for daily chores was divided into two, with respective chairs and different organization methods. One was clumsy, with opened textbooks spread all around, while the latter one rested in peaceful order. Posters and drawings on the walls could be appreciated, alongside photo frames. However, our true focus rests on a bunk bed.

A small child was standing up, vigorously moving a curled up ball on the lower end.

"Bro, it's way past seven thirty! If you don't wake up soon we'll be late for class!"

As they shook the bed abruptly, a blond-haired boy clung to the sheets as if his life depended on it. The other individual just kept insisting and wouldn't give up. After all, they had spent fifteen minutes to get a reaction out of the sleeping boy. The one who was awake, doing their best to get him to wake up, was an exact copy of rebellious blond hair except that they were already changed and ready to attend school.

Wearing a wool cream coloured hat, a long-sleeved mint coloured sweater and a pair of beige shorts, the awakened child kept on insisting while fixing their blond fringe, until a small mutter emanated underneath the bedsheets.

"Today's the last... day of class... the last day... before summer vacations begin... to go or not to go... one day won't make a difference..."

"I think that spending lots of time with Hajime-kun is starting to affect you in some way." Huffing their cheeks, the blond child replied with annoyance.

"If it wasn't for me though, you wouldn't be spending time with him y'know?" A tone full of mockery could be heard.

The small child cheeks burned with intensity after said statement, just to shook their head violently and dissipate the momentary nonsensical embarrassment from just hearing the name of a close friend of both. However, they knew they could get an act of small revenge somehow for that unfair move by using the best ace under their sleeve.

"Daddy! Bro failed mat—"

Nevertheless, before they could bust him by calling out the maths subject he had recently failed, Takeshi Takaishi rapidly stood up from bed with a messy pyjama. In a desperate act, he reached both hands towards their twin and covered their mouth with muffled words coming beneath them.

"Are you insane!? Do you really want us to arrive even more late to class than what we already are!? And for your information, I still have time to fix it and save my skin!"

Once the twin was freed, they focused on their brother's appearance. His blond short hair was a disaster due to his bad sleeping habits, plus his sapphire eyes were still a bit dazed due to his sudden outbreak after having them closed for more than seven hours straight.

"It worked though! You woke up. And by the way, I thought you just said to me that a day won't make a difference so why are you caring about your grades all of a sudden?" With a mischevious smile, they laughed.

"Okay, you win. Let's go to school and see those professors faces one last time."

"Très bien!" With a high-pitched French accent, they happily replied with small giggles underneath.

Indeed, this was just another ordinary morning for the Takaishi twins. Still, for Takeshi, it didn't mean the same thing. For him, it wasn't ordinary at all now! It was the last day of school before the summer vacations began, so he desperately wanted to be absent and have one more day of rest. His elder twin never gave in to his whims, always turning to their beloved father for help when things got out of control.

Quickly undressing, even if their twin protested to do it inside the bathroom and not in front of them, who now had to cover their face with the bedsheet, he changed into the first thing he found near his hand. In a couple of minutes, he was wearing a white shirt, slightly worn jeans, a short dark green jacket and his favourite sneakers.

"Hey, don't you get tired of using the same old hat every day?" he asked them while tying his shoes.

The older twin, who only showed some confidence by pulling down their mint coloured sweater blushed once more, sinking their cream wool hat over their face.

"Ne sois pas idiot, frère. It's comfy for my hair." They said in protest, while they delicately played with a bit of their fringe.

"Anyways, dad seems to still be asleep. Most likely he stayed 'till late writing his novel or something. His editor is driving him crazy."

"Yup! I heard him sneaking through the kitchen last night. Coffee is his best friend!"

After finishing their small chit-chat, they leave their bedroom with their backpacks ready. Takeshi looked carefully at the kitchen, especially the table, to run into his father's back. Lying on top of the laptop and million of untidy papers, Takeru Takaishi breathed peacefully without caring about the marks that the pens could leave on his face. His son just sighed, shaking his face, while extending his hand to his twin. Together, they tiptoed into the kitchen for a couple of packets of cookies and thus have a not-so-balanced breakfast on the go.

They opened the door to the outside world, rushing towards their last day of class.

Under the brutal heat, they kept going forward through the busy streets of the city. Salarymen, high school students, everyone seemed to have awakened with high energies going to their destined place. Traffic lights indicated the movement of every car and passerby, both twins crossing at each green light hurrying and picking up the pace while eating their improvised breakfast.

Once they arrived at the gate of the Minato Municipal Odaiba Elementary School, they kept up the pace making their way between the students who leisurely walked towards their destination.

Almost out of breath, they managed to arrive before the last bell rang, as well as finishing their express breakfast. Walking in the corridors, they arrived at their class on the fifth floor. Many of their classmates were standing up, chatting with each other, Takeshi even didn't hesitate to go to his group of lifelong friends, trying as always to make their twin talk with them.

Colourful voices. Different tonalities. Different people. The older twin knew from which mouth each one came, and that was amusing to them. The fact no student used uniforms at all made the scene even more picturesque. They subtly averted their gaze from the window, their sapphire eyes finding the group of teenagers with their brother who was still discussing their vacation plans, exchanging notes with each other, or simply planning what they would do at the end of classes.

Suddenly, the door opened without a sound, their homeroom teacher arriving. All the students ran back to their seats. He indicated that everyone should go to the gym due to the special assembly that there is every end of the semester during the morning.

"Just a few more hours, just a few more hours...!" Takeshi fidgeted back in his seat, ready to stand up after the indication was given.

Both followed their classmates down the corridor, making their way to the gym.

"Don't be so desperate, tout va bien!" His twin replied, smiling.

"Je sais, pour l'amour de Dieu… tas—toi!"

"Would you both mind? Stop the French arguing, gosh!" A voice both knew perfectly well made their way towards their ears, springing different feelings on each twin. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't something nice at all so apologize to Takashi, Takaishi!"

A young boy of eleven years old appeared magically behind them. Apparently, he had been running to catch up with them. As he reached them, he hung on top Takashi's back, who couldn't contain an intense blush to finish sinking so much their cap, causing them to crash into a wall.

"I think that the one who needs to apologize is you, Hajime," Takeshi said with a smirk.

Hajime Motomiya had no excuses to give as much as he already knew the reaction it would generate. As usual, after extending his hand to Takashi, they refused to finally rejoin on their own and walk quickly, mingling with the other students.

"Say, Takaishi... I think that your brother hates me." He sighed.

"Well, you always startle them that way. I'd hate you for it too."

"I don't get it though! We've known each other for a long time and he still treats me that way!" Placing both arms behind his neck, the new boy kept on the pace.

Hajime was a boy who didn't think much about what to wear before the start of the day. Almost always wearing the same crimson short-sleeved cotton sweatshirt and black pants, he attended classes on a regular basis even though he had the reputation of being one of the naughtiest students in his grade by being more than ten times in detention per month. His tanned skin shan under the light that came from the windows, his smile bringing his thoughts about Takashi to a halt.

"Say, Takaishi. Do you have any plans for summer vacations?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Now that I think about it, nothing."

The blond's silence said it all after he was done replying.

That was an uncomfortable subject for him and always will be.

Luckily there was no need to change the subject as they arrived at the auditorium.

After reuniting with Takashi, Takeshi took a seat in one of the chairs with the others that were part of his class. Hajime was in a different one, which is something he'll always be grateful of. They may have been best friends since they arrived in Japan from France six years ago, not forgetting the bond between their parents, yet they still had their differences and arguments, especially if it involved his older twin.

"Hey, when will you tell Hajime the truth?" Takeshi whispered under his breath, playing with his feet.

"Je ne peux pas le faire... It's been six years I've kept this a secret from him. How can I suddenly tell him the truth so easily?" The elder twin sighed, losing themselves into the gymnasium's auditorium's stage.

"Michiru..."

You see, the secret that the Takaishi twins hid from their friend was the following: Takashi, or in reality, Michiru, is a girl. The kanji of their name is often confused by one similar to their brother when read in the same way. Michiru had never been able to tell Hajime the truth, when they wanted to do it, something unexpected always happened, which is why at some point they gave up. However, that made the sport-loving boy think that they hate him.

"I just want it to be summer vacations already, so I won't have to see Hajime-kun and then, I can finally cut my hair... I hate having it as long our mother had it. I find it hard to fix it under my hat every day." The sadness in their voice was like a flowing river, cold and unending. It washed all the goodness out of them and left them a mere shell of what they had once been.

However, Takeshi placed his hand on top of theirs.

The Director's speech had begun, both twins muting all sound from the outside world.

"It's okay, Michiru. In the end, we aren't so different after all even if both of us have different ways of showing our excitement for summer vacations."

"Brother... I'm happy to be here in Japan, I will always be grateful... J'ai besoin de toi, I need you."

"I know, I feel the same."

When the speech came to an end, they believed that it would be the end of the assembly and thus return to classes to take their tedious subjects for the last time. They did not count on the senile memory of the director, announcing that a new teacher would dictate their first class today.

A tumult arose, especially around the fifth and sixth-grade students. The rumours spread insanely fast when the doors opened, the corridors being full of gossip.

In the distance, Hajime ran to catch up with the Takaishi twins, only to be slammed against the door when it was closed by their homeroom teacher.

He had the look of one who had grown too fast in his youth, his bulk never catching up to his bones. He had to duck on entering the room, before edging toward his vinyl desk in his jacket and decade-old flared trousers. Within seconds of entering the room, the kids had entered a complete halt with their conversations eagerly awaiting what he would say concerning the sudden news that were delivered during the assembly.

"As you all already know, I'm retiring this year and, when everyone comes back from summer vacations I won't be teaching anymore. However, don't worry about a thing. You lot will be in good hands, I can assure you of that!"

He was one professor the kids could never get the better off. Whatever witty retort they had, he had one better. He took their disobedience and turned into an advantage for himself, but not through belittling them or stamping authority. He checked their behaviour with a style of humour they could relate to, aspire to even. When he taught it was with the passion of a lifelong teacher.

"Now, come on in. Don't be reserved!" He made a gesture towards the sliding door as if showing someone the way inside the room.

An aura of tranquillity enveloped the classroom once their footsteps made echoes against the floor.

There was none of the nervousness about her that usually came with being new.

With a skinny profile, long light chestnut coloured hair and cinnamon coloured eyes, her sole presence was sparkling with radiance.

With her hands full of folders and notebooks, she forgot to leave them on top of the desk before bowing down to introduce herself towards the students. With clumsiness, her forehead hit the items she was carrying and the children didn't laugh at all, still mesmerized by her presence itself.

Takeshi got lost, never letting his eyes off her not even for a second. His breath even came short every single time he analyzed her closer with his sapphire eyes.

She's pretty. Very, very pretty. She reminds me of a doll.

"Are you alright?" The male teacher asked with a concerned voice.

"Yes, I'm okay! I can do this," thinking she just made a fool out of herself, she finally leaves all the things she was carrying on top of the desk.

"That's great to hear. Now, I will leave you all alone for a few minutes so everyone can meet properly. Good luck!"

And without further ado, he left, leaving her all alone in front of an eleven-year-old audience.

Takeshi was capable of noticing the pressure she was carrying over her shoulders, making him believe that, perhaps, this was the first time she was actually fulfilling her role as a teacher making her probabilities of being a newbie not too farfetched. Until, suddenly, his mind caught an idea that made sense towards his small theory making him stand up, startling everyone, throwing his chair to the floor.

"You must be the new professor they announced during the assembly!" During his outburst, the blond twin couldn't help but point his finger towards her.

"Frère, please sit down!" Michiru whispered underneath their breath.

"W-Well, I..." fidgeting with her slender fingers, she opened one of the folders she left on top of the desk as if looking for something until a specific sheet was reached. "Let's see... According to this, your name is..."

She remained speechless, intensely analyzing what was written.

The silence caressed Takeshi's skin like a cool summer breeze, smoothing him soul. Bereft of any wind the leaves outside hung limply until they fell of their own accord, there was no whispering noise nor rustling. When his ears became more accustomed to the lack of sound he thought he could hear birds flying in the distance, outside the classroom, however that was a huge mistake. That noise was the sound of his rhythmic breathing breaking the air with his uneven heartbeats.

"Takaishi-san, let me answer your question in an appropriate manner. Yes, I'm your new homeroom teacher for the next semester, as well as the new English teacher for this grade. You can now go back to your seat, but before you do that, I'll let you know that pointing fingers towards other people is bad manners." She calmly smiled.

"I'm sorry," Takeshi replies and fixes his chair, doing what he was told while he felt ashamed of his sudden outburst.

And then, the first period finally began.

As the minutes and then, hour, passed, the ceaseless buzzing of the classroom and the unlimited amount of energy the students contained increased, which would be a rare sight if the class was under their previous teacher's supervision. Of course, even if she had some problems communicating with her new students, everyone managed to make her feel at home.

However, reached a certain point, the light chestnut haired teacher felt exhausted with unrelated questions about her instead of things focusing on their English lesson.

Until the bell rang, freeing her.

"I hope we have fun learning next semester! Have a pleasant vacation time!" She smiles once again before exiting the room.

Now that I think about it, she never introduced herself, didn't she?

The rest of the lessons went by amazingly peacefully.

After the recess bell rang, every student made their way towards the cafeteria, thing Takeshi and Michiru never did.

Even if their father was caring, he usually forgot to make lunchboxes for them, and the twins were lazy to do them as well and were already spoiled by their friends who always gave them some of their food anyway.

As always, everyone had agreed to meet on the rooftop.

When the twins arrived, the first kid to run towards them was Hajime. However, his face didn't reflect happiness nor goofiness. It was one filled with despair and pure terror as if his worst nightmare had become true.

"My worst nightmare became true!" He confirms said hypothesis with his own words. "My worst nightmare, guys!"

"Hajime, breathe. What happened?" Takeshi asks, holding onto his twin's hand.

"Why don't we sit with everyone else first?" Suggested Michiru, doing their best to avoid being near Hajime at all costs.

"Okay..." The mahogany haired boy kicked the ground.

And thus, the longtime friend's circle was now complete.

Takeshi sat down beside a young boy who had part of his hair tied down into a small, delicate low ponytail. His haired shined with the sun rays of the unavoidable summer whose footsteps were nearer and nearer with each passing hour, emphasising its dark indigo colour very much the same as a casket of stars.

Kei Ichijouji's smile was exclusively reserved for every time Hajime made an exaggerated remark. Both boys were raised together since their early childhood and they seemed to understand each other deeply, which in turn made Takeshi curious.

"That's what you've been saying all day, Hajime-kun," Kei whispers softly.

"It's my WORSE nightmare, Ichijouji! We're in the same class, you should understand what I mean!" Hajime yelled.

"She doesn't seem to be a bad teacher, as far as I could tell."

"You never see anyone as a bad person per se so I can't trust your judgement on this."

"You're right, haha." With a timid smile, Kei adds a burst of small laughter in the end. "In any case, you were asking for it, Hajime-kun. It's your fault things ended up the way they did."

"Hajime, looking for trouble as always. Troubles themselves should hide away from him since he's such a bother." A girl with the same hair colour as Kei spoke, her tone being one of pure disappointment.

"Mayaka-san, I think that this is not the right time for this kind of comments..." Kei raises both hands to calm down the humour of his elder sister, even if the difference between them was of only a year.

"You are totally right, Mayaka-chan! I should stop looking for trouble and have the trouble itself look for me!" Hajime rapidly replies with a silly smile.

"In either case, you are bothersome. Even Mayu-chan is smarter than you."

"Mayu!?" Hajime's body froze.

"Mayaka-san!" Kei spoke. "I think that's enough. It's true that little Mayu-san is pretty smart but you don't have to sink Hajime-kun's pride even lower."

"Ichijouji... Even Ichijouji thinks that..."

"W-Wait, Hajime-kun, it isn't what you think!" Kei shook his best friend's shoulders, trying to bring him back to reality after his honest mistake.

Kei and Mayaka were siblings with completely opposite personalities even if their tastes were alike. They both enjoyed and disliked the same things, Mayu being a big difference from them both.

The indigo-haired boy was wearing an olive coloured sleeveless dress shirt that matched perfectly with his appearance, alongside a black pair of jeans. On the other hand, Mayaka Ichijouji wore a pair of spectacles in order to see her surroundings much better since she had the same sight problem like her mother. Her hair was absurdly long, so, so long that the two low pigtails she used weren't enough to keep it off the ground.

She was wearing a short-sleeved pastel orange coloured jacket which reached her waist. Underneath, she had a white sleeveless top that made her necklace shine brighter. Finally, she wore a pair of denim shorts, showing her long legs which indicated her tall height.

Even if she argued that fashion wasn't one of her top interests, she always knew what to combine and wear according to the occasion. And that detail always pulled Hajime's growing interest towards her.

Michiru held their knuckles together, not knowing what to say or do. Takeshi noticed this abrupt change in his twin, thus he decided to try something out to break the uncomfortable atmosphere Michiru created on their own, for themselves.

"Say, Shiki. What did you bring for lunch today?"

"Rice, a little bit of tofu... Oh, and some lemon chicken that Takashi likes!" The smallest girl from the circle of friends finally spoke, showing her lunch to the twins.

Shiki Hida, aged nine, was well known for her mature personality, being Michiru's closest friend. She was the only one who knew about their true name and identity, yet to keep their secret at bay, she kept referring to them as Takashi instead when everyone was hanging out together.

Her chocolate coloured hair reached her hips, and she always used a light-blue headband. She loved wearing dresses and in this case, the one she had on, had the top part be of a white colour while the skirt of the dress was of a dim fiery blue with two pieces of cloth that went over her shoulders.

"Thank you so much, Shiki-chan!" Michiru takes a pair of chopsticks to taste the food that laid in front of them. "Delicious as always!"

"You should take care of your health and eating habits. Both of you," Shiki said sternly, worried for her best friend.

While that small chit-chat took place, Takeshi started to ponder what to do in regards to Michiru. He knows perfectly well that they want to stop this act, this facade of using another name and properly be called by Michiru. However, the problem itself laid on Hajime, who was the source for Michiru's indecision.

Still meditating, he sighed while looking towards the neverending sky.

"Oh yeah! I was going to tell y'all about my worst nightmare!" The tanned boy's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Did something bad happen, Hajime-kun?" asked Michiru, lowering their voice.

"Something bad? It was a huge disaster! Of huge proportions! It's so, so terrifying for it to happen on our last day of class! My fate is indeed the worse!"

"Everything will be alright, Hajime-kun! Ne t'en fais pas!"

"Don't spoil him so much, Takashi-kun. Hajime always exaggerates. It can't be as terrifying as he makes it sound." Mayaka intervenes, crossing both arms.

"Did I say terrifying? I meant to say terrific! My worst nightmare is surprisingly terrific!" He corrects himself, still with a silly smile plaster on his mouth.

Idiot. Hajime c'est un idiot.

Resigned, Takeshi looks towards the sky once again, resting his back against the concrete floor of the rooftop. Seeing the world upside-down, he closes his eyes yearning for a few minutes of sleep before continuing with the rest of the day. As far as he could hear, the conversation had diverged into nonsense once again... Until he openes his eyes again and his sapphire irises meet with the unknown.

A silent child was sitting on their own right next to the rooftop's fence, slowly eating their lunchbox while losing themselves looking at the horizon. Their short light chestnut hair was swayed by the wind, as well as their yellow formal longsleeved dress shirt. On his neck, a small whistle made delicate noises.

I've never seen them before.

"Well, going back to my terrific terrifying nightmare!" Hajime fixes his throat, just to be interrupted by Takeshi's impromptu movement. He stood up, without listening. "Takaishi? Calling Takaishi!"

After not getting an answer from him, Hajime only watches how he begins to walk, ignoring him completely.

"Hey, Takashi... Is your brother feeling okay?" Hajime approaches Michiru, causing their knees to meet each other with a slight brush. However, Michiru instinctively reacted with punching him on the face without thinking it twice. "Why is everyone so violent towards me today!?"

"That happens for not respecting personal boundaries," says Shiki, defending her friend who, just now, started to cover their face with their woollen hat due to the embarrassment.

"So unpleasant," mutters Mayaka.

"That's wrong, Hajime-kun." Kei just limits to shake his head.

"What have I done? I don't understand what's going on anymore!" He cried out.

Meanwhile, having the voices of his friends as background noise, Takeshi approaches the silent child with insecurity inside his heart. Takeshi has never had any problems making friends but, for some unknown reason, he felt an unusual connection with them and felt the need to be next to them at all costs. The light chestnut haired child seemed to have his same age and, when their gazes met, the world came to a halt.

It's as if I've known them my whole life. Why is this happening?

"H-Hello there... I'm Takeshi Takaishi. Eating right here at the rooftop can be pleasant, am I right? Is this the first time you eat here? I-I've never seen you before and..."

"I think it would have been better and less awkward if you just stopped with your name," They replied with a smile, making Takeshi notice his mistake. "I'm a transfer student here. That's why you've never seen me before. I hope that answers your question."

"A transfer student? The last day of the semester?"

"I know, it sounds strange even for me but I couldn't help it. My mother is a teacher, you see. She wouldn't forgive me if I skipped a day." Happily, they kept talking, their whistle moving when they shook their head. "I'm Yagami. Hekiru Yagami. It's a pleasure to meet you, Takaishi-san."

"You can call me Takeshi! I have no problem with that! Enough with Hajime calling me by surname..." Smiling, Takeshi found himself mesmerized by the child. "Wait a second, Hekiru? Isn't that... Ohmigosh, I'm so sorry, I thought you were..."

"You thought I was a boy and then found out I'm a girl? You're funny," Hekiru laughs with a carefree smile. "To be honest, I am a boy so you were not wrong with your initial assumption. Names shouldn't be gender specific."

"I... I see..." Takeshi found himself in a pickle. "And, um, in what class are you, Yagami?"

"You can call me Hekiru."

"H-Heki..." And for some unknown reason, Takeshi's face gave out a slight blush. "I can't say it, I'm so sorry! After my embarrassing mistake, I don't find myself in the position to call you by your name... I feel I don't deserve to do that."

"Take it easy, Takeshi-san. There's no need to beat up yourself for that. It was an honest mistake. In fact, I'm happy you approached to talk to me!"

"R-Really?"

"Yup! No one has said a word to me all day. I'm the sudden transfer student, after all."

"That's so rude from their part."

"Unfortunately, that's the way the cookie crumbles... In any case, I appreciate your kind gesture, Takeshi-san. I hope we can talk again soon."

Hekiru gave him a warm smile.

"Well, we're friends now so you can bet on it!"

"Friends... such a lovely word."

The sound of the bell was enough to bring their conversation to a halt.

Once again, everyone hurried back to their classes.

And, in a couple of hours, everything was over.

Everyone was running down the halls, hurriedly, excited to go back home and enjoy the start of summer vacations!

And Hajime Motomiya was no exception for this! Until he decided to jump onto Michiru's back without consent and find himself being beaten up again, not learning his lesson.

"Cela ne veut pas faire ça! He needs to stop doing that, I don't want to hit him anymore!" Michiru yelled in agony, feeling sorry for their acts.

"To be honest, he asks for it." Takeshi crosses both arms behind his neck.

"This has been my worst beginning of summer vacations..." Hajime sighed after standing up.

"I thought you said that it was terrific," Takeshi said slyly.

"Haha, how funny," Hajime replied in annoyance. "I need to impress Mayaka! It's... It's Mayaka for crying out loud! Mayaka! You get what I'm talking about, right, Takashi?"

"Well... I..." Michiru covered their face with their hat, as always.

"Hajime! Say, why don't you tell us about your worst nightmare coming true?" Takeshi meddled in, saving his twin.

"Oh yeaaaah! Although it would've been better if everyone was here. Oh well! Ya see, today we had English class and... our teacher is a witch! An authentic witch!"

Silence took ahold of the twins, not knowing what to say nor what expression to show.

"Did you listen to me?"

"A witch? Hajime, all teachers are witches and demons." Takeshi finally replies, holding his laughter.

Meanwhile, Michiru did their best to don't break into a burst of uncontrollable laughter as well.

"Don't mock me! I'm talking about a REAL witch. I'm not lying you guys! When she read my surname, her gaze turned super weird and like, she wouldn't stop watching me from the corner of her eye! It gave me the chills! And! And! And! She knew the exact moment I planned to throw her something! Like, before I could launch a paper aeroplane to her head, she had already confiscated my paper before I took it out for my master plan! How can she know all of that!? All my tricks!? And after I managed to throw her a piece of my rubber since she confiscated more than half of my stuff... She dared to send me to detention today, after class!"

"You deserve it." Both twins replied in perfect synch.

"Did you both miss the important detail? She's an ACTUAL witch!"

"If you are so afraid of the witch, then why don't you attend detention to avoid any curse she might place onto you?" Takeshi still did his best to avoid losing control over his laugh.

"Are you insane? There's no way I'll start summer vacations this way, especially coming from this newbie teacher! I have to risk it to get the biscuit!"

"Hold on a sec, you say she's a newbie?"

"Our homeroom teacher said she would teach English, it wouldn't surprise me if she weren't the one and the same," Michiru adds.

"But she's so sweet and pretty! A true angel!" Takeshi argues.

"She can't be the same person! No way!" Hajime starts to get carried away. "Let's describe her right now to find out!"

But before the game could even begin, Takeshi takes ahold of something in particular: Hekiru Yagami.

Walking all alone, he made his way towards the school gate.

Takeshi wanted to do something about the aura of solitude that enveloped him.

Until another person came into the picture: their homeroom teacher.

Hekiru ran in her direction, leaving said aura behind. Enveloping himself around his mother's arms, Takeshi's heart wouldn't stop beating.

"Takaishi? Are you okay? Today you've been out of it..." Hajime's words failed after he saw the unfolding scene.

"It's our homeroom teacher!" Michiru said filled with happiness.

"She's your what?! The witch is your what!?"

"A witch!? Her!?" Once again, both twins yelled at the same time.

"Yeah, Miss Yagami."

"Yagami?" It wasn't that hard to connect the dots. Takeshi was able to grasp their relationship quite quickly. "So that's what he meant when he said he couldn't skip even a day of school..."

"Yeah, if I recall correctly she's Miss Hikari Yagami. She's terrifying!"

"Say, Hajime..." Takeshi called him subtly.

"What?" He replies.

"Remember that you asked me if I had any plans for summer vacations?"

"Yeah...?"

"I think I have something on my mind."

"Tell me! Tell me!"

"I want my dad and Miss Yagami to meet each other."

Takeshi didn't know why he said that sentence. Yet, he felt it was completely logical and valid, even if it actually made no sense at all.

"That's your vacation plan? Have both of them meet? What kind of nonsense is that...? Whatever, I'm going home. I need to make a run for it before she notices me and sends me to detention..." Still, Hajime turned around to look at Michiru. "Say, you don't agree with him, right?"

However, Michiru didn't respond at all.

Before Hajime could escape without an answer, Takeshi acted without asking for his older twin's opinion on all of this.

Without thinking it twice, he gave a Hajime a punch towards the face, making a huge scandal so everyone could take notice of his violent act. Michiru reacted by screaming, helping Takeshi unbeknownst to them.

And still, without knowing what crossed his mind, Takeshi was ready to put this vacation plan into motion.


Hello, I'm Mariyannu! Thank you for reading the first chapter of my story.

You can also read this story at AO3!

I'll do my very best to update weekly, alongside introductions of each child since it might become a bit overwhelming to keep track.

As you can see, this is my version of the 02 Epilogue with some major changes.

I hope you keep accompanying the Takaishi twins in their adventures!

You can also follow me on Twitter for more updates!