"I still can't believe you told my parents that there are 'special nature classes' being held only in that city and only during this winter!" Hibiya grumbled as he carried their luggage to the station. "Chichiue literally threw me outside with the dogs last night, and he only let me in once I agreed to go!"

"Ah, hey now, I didn't tell them," Hiyori replied innocently, skipping beside him. "I just told okaa-sama and otou-sama what Ayaka-nee told me: that they had held some of those dorky classes at the school she works close to, and that you're into that sorta thing."

"It just so happens that they overheard you and I talking on the phone the other day. And that our parents are close," she added cheekily.

"You're evil, Asahina."

Hiyori grinned sideways.

"I know you don't mean that."

Hibiya grumbled even more.

"Oh, cheer up Hibiya-kun! We're going to have so much fun!" she gushed. "Think of how pretty the city will be under the snowfall! All the lights and decorations! Won't that be so pretty?"

"Maybe..." Hibiya said, staring out at the railroads.

They found a bench to wait on. Luckily it wasn't snowing that day, so the train would probably be on time. Hibiya honestly didn't think it was that cold, but of course Hiyori, being the annoying pest she was, had made him get fully dressed in winter clothes. It took all his will not to blush when she told him how cute he looked in a jacket that was two sizes too big.

Ugh, annoying.

Even while they hadn't even boarded their train, Hiyori seemed to be having the time of her life; swinging her legs and filling the air with mindless chatter. Hibiya made sure to sit on the opposite side of the bench; trying his best to ignore her attenpts at making conversation.

"You're going to love Ayaka-nee! She's an archaeologist you know? Well, not anymore, she works as a doctor now, after her, uh, husband died." Hiyori rubbed her arm. 'Don't mention that okay?"

Hibiya nodded, eyes suddenly sharp and serious. "Of course"

Hiyori relaxed. "Thanks"

"Anyway, she told me she still has like, thousands of bones and fossils and stuff! All at her house; dinosaurs, bugs, and even dead people, which is so cool even if it's so gross..."

"I guess."

Nope. Gotta try something else.

"I can't wait to see Ayano, Shuuya, Tsubomi, and Kousuke again! Ayaka-nee stopped sending pictures after awhile, so I don't really know what they look like anymore. Their all still teenagers now I guess. It's funny almost- I'm technically their aunt but they're all older than me! Eheh..."

"...hehe."

He laughed! What else...

"You know what I heard?! There's this rumor, that the one and only Kisaragi Momo-chan lives in that city-!"

"R-really?!"

Bingo.

That certainly got his attention. Hiyori beamed.

"Yeah! But no one actually knows if it's true. No one even knows what she looks like, since she's a hiki-NEET and all. But I still really like her music and her songs! She writes them herself, right?"

"Of course," Hibiya replied dreamily. Then he caught himself. "N-not that I'm a fan or anything! 'Cause I'm not," he stated a bit too defiantly.

How adorable. "Is that so?" Hiyori teased.

"Urusai!"

"Hehe, well anyway, just how cool would it be if we got to meet her in person! Actually finding out what she's like?"

"That would be... cool, I suppose." Hibiya muttered to the side, sipping on the straw of the drink he insisted to buy himself.

"It'd be totally cool! Why, if I were to somehow meet Momo-chan while we're in the city, I'd ask her everything! Her favourite colour, song, food, season, celebrity, besides herself, of course! Then I'd ask her to go to her favourite restaurant, then play video games at an arcade, then go to an aquarium, sing karoke, take cute photos, eat ice cream, and, and, ahhh!" Hiyori collapsed into a fit of her own giggles.

Hibiya looked away, forcing the smile budding on his lips to die. "Baka-Asahina, that's way too unrealistic! The chances of either of us meeting a huge internet celebrity like her is practically one in a million! And sheesh, even if by some miracle you did get to meet Kisaragi Momo, the first thing you should do is get her autograph. Duh."

Hiyori ignored the sass dripping from Hibiya's voice. "Of course I'd get her autograph too, Hibiya-kun. I'd get a thousand autographs! One for everyone in town!"

Hibiya slapped a palm onto his face. "BAKA. There's a whole lot more people in town than that. Not everyone's a fan either. It's pretty much only you, and uh, definitely not me at all. So, if you want to go around a huge city looking for one person, be my gues-."

"Oh, I KNOW!" Hiyori exclaimed much too loudly, suddenly standing on top of the bench with a gleam in her eyes.

"That'll be our mission! To find Kisaragi Momo-chan and have fun with her!"

"A-Asahina!" Hibiya hissed and tried to pull her down. "We're in public! And what are you, five?"

"It'll be fun, Hibiya-kun! We'll be like a secret brigade, 'er something! Ayaka-nee and I used to play it all the time."

She dropped her voice down to the most serious tone she could. "We are top secret agents working for the mayor. Mission: Look around and find Kisaragi Momo-chan! When we find her, get her to come out of hiding so she can give the whole town a big private concert. Cha!" Just to make her point, Hiyori closed her eyes and struck a silly hero pose. She held it for a bit.

...

'Eh, maybe that was a bit too silly,' Hiyori winced to herself afterwards. A little embarrassed, she peeked open one eye, expecting to look down and see a scowling Hibiya. Instead however, she got a reaction that she had previously only dreamed about.

"...pffffft, haha," she heard him laugh. Hibiya tried and failed to suppress it with a hand over his mouth.

"Geez, you almost make that ridiculous idea sound serious." He wiped away a tear from his eye and smirked up at her. "I didn't know you were a 'superhero-comic-cartoon' kind of girl."

Red-faced, Hiyori was left sputtering for once in her life. "N-no I'm not! I wasn't being serious you know! I just thought it would be fun to look around a bit for Momo-chan, is all."

"Now I know that you're really a five-year-old."

"Hibiya-kun!"

Looking smug, Hibiya crossed his arms. "Tch. Fine Hiyori, I guess I'll help you snoop around a little. Just 'cause you'll probably get hit by a truck if I don't babysit you everywhere."

"E-eh?! You're so mean Hibiya-kun!" Hiyori whined, cheeks flushed. She hopped down and sat back on the bench in a pout.

...

Wait.

"D-did you just call me 'Hiyori'?!"

Hibiya almost choked on his drink.

"W-wha- AH, NO! O-of course not, Asahina! Why would you think a crazy idea like that?!" It was his turn to stutter and blush.

"You did! YOU DID!" Hiyori gasped, stars in her eyes.

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"URUSAI!"

"Hehe!"

Banter similar to this continued between them for another hour or so, until the train finally pulled up. They (Hibiya) lugged all of their bags and the two twelve-year-olds boarded. Hiyori was very pleased, toting a bright smile to prove it. Hibiya was too, though he hid his own smile deep inside him.

"I can't believe we're finally here!" Hiyori couldn't stop shouting as the train finally pulled up into the city station. "I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so excite-"

"I heard you the first few thousand times Asahina." Hibiya was trying his best to peel her face from the window. "Now, come on! At this rate we'll miss your sister in the crowds."

"Oh, yeah right!"

Hibiya and Hiyori (for once) both grabbed their belongings, and shuffled out of the train car and onto the platform. Pushing through crowds of people greeting their loved ones, they plunked down on another bench to catch their breath.

"Didn't your sister say that she'd be right around here to meet us?" Hibiya scanned around the area.

"S-she'll be here! She promised!" Hiyori quickly reassured, admittably more to herself than to Hibiya.

"You can't miss her; she looks like an older version of me! Dark eyes, dark hair in a ponytail usually, two red hairclips... though I think she used to wear blue ones..." she started to ramble.

"Don't get off topic Asahina. Keep searching, since you know firsthand what she looks like." Hibiya barked.

"Eh, sorry," she repiled sheepishly.

They spent a few more minutes looking around. Hibiya pointed out a few dark-haired women, but Hiyori was quick to dismiss them. They both grew impatient eventually.

"This isn't working," Hibiya sighed. "Just call her."

"Alright." Hiyori agreed and flipped out the pink cellphone her parents had bought her for her last birthday. She mumbled to herself as she listened to the dial.

"Please pick up this time, pick uuuuuup, please pick uuuuu-"

~RIIIIIIING~

Both she and Hibiya startled; Hiyori almost tripping, Hibiya falling off the bench. They looked frantically from left to right.

"T-that didn't come from my phone!"

"Mine neither Asahina."

"Hehe, nope. It was mine!"

Hiyori froze. On the balls of her feet, she slowly she turned around. Was it? Could it be? Really...

"I'm so sorry that I came a few minutes late Hiyo-chan, Amamiya-kun," Ayaka called remorsefully, walking towards the two pre-teens, quite a few paces away. "Traffic is killer in the city, y'know?"

"We understand completely, Tateyama-san," Hibiya called back respectfully with a bow, getting up to go greet her. He only stopped when he realized that he had passed by Hiyori. Hibiya tilted his head in confusion.

She wasn't moving. Her bangs were covering her eyes. They were glazed over and glassy.

Those clips. Her hair. That labcoat under her jacket.

"Asahina? Aren't you going to greet your sister?"

It's her.

"Aya...ka...nee."

"I mean, you seemed pretty excited to see her again an-"

"AYAKA-NEE!"

Hiyori bounded forward, not caring that Hibiya had almost fallen over as a result. She met Ayaka half-way, immediately wrapping her arms around her waist, burying her face into her older sister's pink jacket.

It's really her.

"Ah? Hiyo-chan? I, uh, erm..." Ayaka let out, caught off guard, arms raised above her head. But as Hiyori nuzzled further and her hugging arms shook, Ayaka's mouth warmed into a smile. She bent down and hugged her little sister in turn.

"...mphhh, oh Hiyori-chan. I missed you so much too," she whispered soothingly into the young girl's ear. "Onee-san's here now, we're together again..."

After a minute or so, Hiyori finally released her arms and looked Ayaka in the eyes, struggling to blink back tears. Thankfully, Ayaka rubbed them away for her.

"No need to be lonely or sad anymore, we're going to have fun instead," Ayaka stood up proud, laughing and winking. "You're going to have the best time ever!"

"...A-Ayaka-nee, daisuki. Thank you so much. I'm just so glad that I got to see you again and, and..." Hiyori hiccupped.

"Shhhhh. I know." Ayaka patted her head back and forth.

Hiyori smiled even more.

Hibiya smiled too, watching the two of them laugh and hug.

And this time, he didn't hide it.

Tch. Oh, Hiyori.