Author's note: After sacrificing a lot of timeironically, anime-watching timethe chapter is done. Woot.

Update 12/22/10: Thematic consistency, etc.


She had wanted to run all the way home.

That was what her feelings had demanded, after all.

It also seemed like a reasonable action to take, now that she was already stuck so far out. At this time of day there were plenty of pedestrians, especially other students, out on the streets. Many of them were her classmates, and would consequently recognize her.

Her disheveled appearance, lightly tear-stained cheeks, and inappropriate shoes had already attracted their fair share of attention. Stopping risked allowing someone to walk up and talk to her.

That was not what she wanted.

Unfortunately, reality had caught up with her. Her body couldn't take it anymore, no matter how much she pushed it. Her school was too far from her home, and she had never been that athletic.

The only mitigating factor was that she was now too far from the school for there to be many of her classmates around.

She ducked into a minimart she recognized, wet hair tangling itself around her neck, her lungs feeling like they were on the brink of collapse.

Leaning one arm onto the counter, she panted heavily, sweat dripping, waiting for her body to recover.

Well, she had worn herself out running, but at least now she could think rationally—somewhat.

She hadn't thought she had it in her, hadn't really considered the possibility that she was this vulnerable.

She played it all back in her mind…

She walked to her shoe locker with Uchida and Yoshino, like she always did. On the way, they stopped next to Yoshino's locker so she could change shoes. It would be more efficient if they changed shoes separately, but they generally felt it more important to stick together and keep chatting.

When Yoshino opened her locker, Uchida shoved her aside to look in.

"What? Nothing?"

"I don't know why you're the one looking so disappointed," replied Yoshino archly. "If you must know, I found one in my desk this morning. I tossed it. Does that satisfy you?"

"WHAT? You didn't even show me..."

Uchida looked quite miffed.

Uchida looked even more miffed when they reached her locker, which was only a couple of slots away from Chiaki's, and found nothing inside but shoes.

"I told you already," Yoshino sighed. "No one leaves these things in shoe lockers anymore. It's too cliché."

"Says you!"

They're just like an old married couple, Chiaki thought, watching them descend into another round of bickering from the corner of her eyes.

She opened her locker and, looking in, couldn't suppress a minor exclamation of surprise.

The immediately broke off their bickering and came over to look.

"See! I told you!" Uchida said.

"Tch," Yoshino responded, annoyed. "Well, it's not too surprising. Chiaki's too intimidating to approach in person."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Chiaki asked rhetorically, glaring at Yoshino out of the corner of her eye, carefully shifting the hat and other assorted gifts from her locker to her bag.

"Wait, you're not even going to read the letters first?" asked Uchida.

"They've given me a gift and I'm going to take it. It's my right, after all. Besides, whoever these guys are, they have good taste. This ribbon matches a skirt I have. And I've always wanted a hat for"

She froze. The world contracted around her as she lost all awareness of her surroundings. How could anyone know—

"Chiaki?" Yoshino asked, voice worried.

She grabbed the envelopes from the locker and tore them both open in one swift, efficient motion. Her heart thundered in her ears.

She didn't read them, not really. All she did was glance at the handwriting, which in retrospect she could have gotten off the envelopes, had she looked.

"Chiaki?" Yoshino asked, more insistently this time.

"Hey, hey, what do they say?" asked Uchida, pulling at her arm and craning her head to try and read them, oblivious.

"Chiaki!" Yoshino repeated, this time very worried.

"I, I want to gogo home. I need to go home."

She repeated it like a mantra, crumpling the letters in her fist. She wasn't ready for this.

"Chiaki, what are you saying?" Yoshino demanded, shaking her by the shoulders.

"I'm sorry!"

…and she had run off, desperately, without another word, barely remembering to take her bag with her.

She rubbed her feet. These indoor shoes weren't meant for running.

Turning now so that her back faced the counter, she looked at her open hand, the two sheets of parchment now wrinkled and sad-looking. She would have to read them more carefully later.

It wasn't normal to react this way, she knew. No one broke down just because a friend confessed their love. How—no, why had it broken her?

Was she really that afraid—

"Hey, is someone out here?" asked the shopkeeper, emerging from the door behind the counter, rubbing her eyes.

Chiaki turned around hastily, stuffing the letters in a pocket in her skirt.

"Sorry, I was on the ph—" the shopkeeper's excuse was interrupted by a tremendous yawn. More likely, she had been sleeping on the job. They'd caught her at it plenty of times before.

It was then that Chiaki realized she had made a mistake.

The woman's eyes focused.

"Chiaki-chan! What brings—is something wrong? Why are you here? Have you been crying? What happened?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong," she said, backing away and waving her hands and hiding her face. "Nothing."

Of course, because they came here so often, the woman knew who she was, knew who Haruka was. It was a mistake of the first order—

"It's not nothing!" the woman insisted, leaning over the counter. "Look, it's alright! You don't to have to tell me now, just stay—hey, don't go! Come back!"

The woman watched helplessly as Chiaki fled down the street.


Before she entered the building she and her sisters called home, she ducked behind a tree and cleaned herself up a little. Wiped her face, rearranged her long, balky hair, and focused on acting normal, not like she had just finished running a marathon.

Alright, she thought, after a couple of minutes. I think I'm okay.

Just to make sure, she set her bag down on the floor and dug through it for her small mirror, trying to ignore the gifts she knew were in there. She hadn't yet had occasion to use it, but it was a gift from Haruka, so it wouldn't do to just leave it at home. She wondered why Haruka had thought she would need one.

Well, you're using it now, aren't you?

She doubted this was what Haruka had had in mind, though.

She couldn't see anything out of sorts, so she put the mirror back in, zipped up the bag, and walked on, pausing to greet the doorman. The old man nodded amiably from his chair, just like she was sure he did to Fujioka, Touma, and everyone else who showed up here. He probably knew all their names by now.

She watched the elevator numbers silently, rummaging through her mind.

I have to be rational. I can't just throw these away just because of what happened. It's a nice hat. Then again, what if she were to see me using itargh, whatever! I'll use it regardless of what message it sends! The hair ribbon is in nice taste, but do I even wear those things? What, did he ask Fujioka for gift-buying advice or something? Wait, I don't even know who gave me what!

She knew she was skirting the issue, avoiding the topic by magnifying her usual brusqueness.

It was a relief when the elevator doors opened.

Anyway, I just need to get to my room safely, close the door, and not come out. I'm sure I'll be fine by dinnertime.

She took a deep breath, and turned the doorknob.

The television was on, which meant Kana was already home. That was unusual, but not unheard of. Just bad luck.

She gritted her teeth. No avoiding it, then.

She took off her shoes and set them aside. She had been wearing the wrong ones, of course, which one of them would notice soon enough. She would have no choice but to blame it on an implausible degree of absent-mindedness. Good thing she had more than one set of outdoor shoes.

She rubbed her sore feet. Hopefully this wouldn't last.

She took a deep breath.

"I'm home," she announced, walking by the living room.

"Oh! Welcome back!" responded Kana, looking up from where she lay under the kotatsu, cracker in mouth. "Haruka left a note on the table saying she'll be back soon. Wonder what she's doing…"

"I see…" Chiaki said, just a tad nervously, trying to hurry this conversation along by saying nothing meaningful.

"I wanted to bring Fujioka today," Kana added. "But he said he had to go somewhere. That guy…"

She couldn't act fully naturally, but, thankfully, Kana didn't seem to notice anything. She turned, and started to walk towards their room.

"Hold on a second," Kana said suddenly.

No.

She turned to look at Kana from the corner of her eye.

"What—what is it?" she asked, knowingly that by acting so tentative, she was already failing the test.

Kana said nothing, just stared at her with probing eyes.

It had taken Chiaki far too long to learn to fear those eyes. There had been a time when she had believed Kana was too much of an idiot to see anything. She knew better now. Kana only pretended to see nothing, interested only in her manga or the bag of chips next to her, but in reality, she was the most perceptive person in the family.

Nowadays, she usually didn't even bother to hide the fact that she was staring at you.

"If you're going to waste my time, then I'm going to go change!" Chiaki said, pointing at their room and trying to escape by slowly edging backwards.

Kana just turned her head slightly sideways.

"Today is Friday. White Day is this Sunday. You're acting strange, which means—"

Kana lunged at Chiaki suddenly, pushing her back into the hallway, and grabbing something off of Chiaki.

"—that these papers jutting out of your pocket are love letters!"

Shit! How did I forget about those?

"Ack!" was all she managed to say out loud.

"I'm right, aren't I?" said Kana, cackling to herself. "Well, well, let's see what they say." She held them up to the light.

"Give those back!" She lunged back at Kana, reaching for the letters, which Kana held away from her in one hand while keeping Chiaki away with the other, taking advantage of her superior height. Chiaki was all too aware that she was blushing the whole time.

"It's only fair!" Kana said. "You read mine—"

The front door swung open.

"I'm home!" said Haruka, stepping in, speaking loudly. "I think it's—eh?"

This last part was of course directed at the two of them grappling in the hallway, though now they stood frozen.


Disaster.

Haruka made some tea so they could drink it around the kotatsu.

Each moment she spent in the kitchen dragged on agonizingly. Why couldn't she skip the tea, on today of all days?

Haruka sat down at the table, distributing the tea with practiced care.

"So you're finally old enough to start getting love letters, eh?" she said.

Haruka smiled, wearing an expression that conveyed the message "how adorable!" so she didn't have to say it explicitly. It was an expression Chiaki had previously only seen in connection to Fujioka and Kana.

Yet with all of that, Haruka had never once hinted at anyone in connection with herself. It made her feel guilty, how much Haruka had sacrificed for the two of them, and it was something Chiaki tried every day to make up for.

What am I doing, thinking about that right now? She thought to herself.

She looked up at the cause of her agony.

"It was inevitable," Kana commented, barely containing her mirth, eyes still scanning the letters she held in her hands. "Guys are suckers for her type. They seem to like girls that hit them all the time. Increases their ardor."

Chiaki was too stymied by her embarrassment to respond to this dig at her.

"That's the only explanation for this one, anyway. Makoto? I can't say I'm too surprised, but you beat up on him all the time. Is it true what he says here, that you've given him chocolates on Valentine's Day two years running?"

"That was because it was on the floor, and you told me to, baka-yaro! And anyway, this year I gave them to everyone…" Her eyes slid away from the eye contact.

''I don't know, I remember only seeing four sets…" Kana said, before looking at Chiaki and giving her a devilish smile.

"Makoto is a nice boy. So polite! I don't see why you're so down on him all the time," interjected Haruka.

Chiaki bit her lip.

"He even asks in this letter for you to be nicer to him," commented Kana.

"Can I have them back?" Chiaki asked, as calmly as she could manage. "I haven't even read them myself."

"You haven't?" Kana looked at her, surprises. She searched Chiaki's eyes carefully. Unaccountably, the mirth drained from her face. Chiaki blinked at Kana's strange reaction.

"Why not read them out loud? That way we can all hear it," Haruka suggested.

The blood shot up Chiaki's face. She loved Haruka, but she wished desperately not to have to hear it out loud, and was appalled that Haruka would suggest something like that.

Kana glanced at Haruka with an unreadable face and closed her eyes, seeming to think. The change in atmosphere was suddenly palpable, and Haruka seemed to realize something was wrong.

"No," Kana said finally. "I don't think that's necessary."

She slid the letters across the table to Chiaki, and stared into Haruka's eyes.

"I—I see…" Haruka said, suddenly subdued. Now she, too, wore an unreadable expression.

"Anyway, the real interesting letter is the second one," Kana said factually, without the gleeful enjoyment she had possessed earlier.

"As you can see, it's from Touma, and—" she continued.

"WHAT?" Haruka exclaimed, glancing through the letter in question, in a loud tone of voice that was inappropriate for the now-quiet atmosphere.

They watched her.

"I'm sorry," she said, a moment later. "I was just surprised."

She was clearly nowhere near done being surprised, however.

"Chiaki," Kana said, reluctantly, like someone stitching a wound. "Touma says here that you asked her, several times, to kiss you. Is this true?"

Haruka looked up, this time not even hiding her overwhelmed expression. Chiaki looked away.

"Yes…but I didn't mean anything by it!" she insisted. "I only wanted, you know, to…"

She found herself at a decided loss for words. She moved her mouth uselessly, trying to convince herself to speak.

Kana spoke up.

"Honestly I'd suspected something like that, ever since—Well, I didn't really think it was true since it seemed so strange. But that does sort of explain why Fujioka…"

Kana paused, then continued.

"What were you thinking?" she asked, dosing her words with a slight hint of incredulity.

It was a moment before Chiaki was able to stammer, her words coming out in a confused jumble.

"I didn't really—I mean, I never thought either of them would ever take it seriously. I guess I've never thought of them that way, well, okay, sometimes, but I never really considered…"

Chiaki's voice dropped off. She stared at her hands, not wanting to look up.

"Sometimes?" Haruka asked, latching onto the word. She seemed totally lost in the conversation.

"I guess I wasn't ready." Chiaki said, finally, barely audible.

The three of them sat there, looking down at the table, not saying anything. Haruka wanted to say something, to try to fill the guardian role that usually fit her so well, but was having to deal with too many revelations at once. Kana wore an expression similar to the one she wore when trying to decipher a particularly difficult math problem. Chiaki was still embarrassed, but now felt...ashamed, for a reason she couldn't place.

Finally, it was Kana who spoke, putting a hand on Chiaki's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to put you through this, but I thought it was important that we discuss this. That Haruka know. But I'm sorry— "

The front door swung open, loudly.

"Ah, sorry for intruding!" exclaimed Fujioka, appearing in the entrance to the room, waving a camera. "White Day is approaching, so I figured I'd surprise you with— "

He stopped, having opened his eyes, looked around the room, and noticed everyone's expressions. They were staring at him exactly as if he were a Martian who had teleported into the room and asked to borrow a cup of sugar.

"What—what is it? Did I do something wrong?"


Fujioka's arrival ended all discussion between the three of them, despite his curiosity. Initial awkwardness quickly gave way to a comfortable settling into of old rhythms, of Chiaki sitting in front of Fujioka while they talked, Kana explaining the rationale for her latest pseudological scheme, and of Chiaki explaining for the umpteenth time why Kana is a baka-yaro.

Kana and Fujioka still behaved towards each other in the same way they had before that awkward day when Kana had come home, face red, and admitted what they had all known for so long.

She hadn't ever explained to Chiaki what had precipitated the decision, but Chiaki remembered that day, so similar to today, and so different.

That had been a much lighter discussion, full of joking comments. Haruka had even clapped, teasing Kana. That couldn't happen today.

For Fujioka and Kana, though, formalization had in practice changed very little. The only visible changes lay in the small things: faint blushing, light embarrassment, a newfound reluctance by Kana to shove or touch Fujioka. These were forgotten in seconds, lost in the enjoyment of passing time.

The only blemish on the evening was a careful request Chiaki worded to Haruka while they were washing the dishes, Fujioka and Kana in the other room watching TV.

"Haruka-nee-sama," she said. "About earlier…"

Haruka looked up, her hands pausing.

It might have been Chiaki's imagination, but it seemed that Haruka's hands were shaking, just a little.

"…yes?" Haruka responded, finally, warily.

"I'd rather you not mention this to Natsuki," Chiaki said, sorry because she knew how much Haruka hated discussions like this. "Keep this a secret, just for now. For Touma's sake."

Haruka seemed to think about it, then nodded once, tersely, her hair fluttering briefly around her neck.

"Alright."


Much later that night, Chiaki sat in front of the monitor in her pajamas, considering whether it was worth signing on to chat with Uchida, Yoshino, and…Touma. It would be expected, since it was a Friday night. But…how would she face them?

She could already see Uchida and Yoshino's worried messages, flashing insistently on the screen. She was surprised they hadn't already called, desperate to talk to her, or at least to her sisters.

They had probably spoken to Touma and Makoto, but at this point they were the least of her worries.

As for Touma, would she even be on? If so, what would Chiaki do? Ignore her?

Even Makoto would be there. Not someone she talked to frequently, but he would another nagging reminder, another reason that it would be far stress than it was worth.

In the end, it wasn't even a tough decision. She wasn't ready to face them.

She didn't have the motivation to do anything else, so she just walked back over and flopped back onto her bed. Might as well sleep early.

If only Haruka had consented for them to have their own TV, she mused wearily. At least then, she could mindlessly watch it for as long as she wanted, listen to the soothing pitchmen extol the quality of their knives, or some other mindless late night entertainment.

"Good evening!" Kana exclaimed, hurling aside the mechanical curtain that separated their beds. She held a hair brush in one hand

"What do you want?" Chiaki asked, hugging her pillow and staring at the wall.

Kana sat down, rocking Chiaki's bed and destroying any faint chance she had of sleeping. Kana's long hair tickled Chiaki's neck.

"Why so harsh? I just want to chat. You know, like we do all the time." Kana said, pouting.

Not true, Chiaki automatically thought, but of course Kana knew that.

Kana pulled her hair in front of her and began brushing it absent-mindedly

"We are sisters, after all. Can't I do something nice once in a while? Not everything is a trick so I can eat you. You don't have to go running to Haruka."

She reached for Chiaki's hair, preparing to try and brush it.

"Go away."

Chiaki shifted away from her and tried to glue her eyes shut.

"You know," Kana continued, ignoring her, continuing to brush her own hair, speaking slowly and deliberately. "I was all set to get some good and decent revenge on you guys for the way you made fun of me on…that day. Can't a girl get a boyfriend without mockery from her sisters? And finally, here was my chance! I was going to get you good. And you just had to go and ruin it. I couldn't touch you. I noticed something, something I decided not to tell Haruka—"

Chiaki couldn't resist turning her head just a little.

"I noticed that your eyes were red and bloodshot. I don't see this often, but I have seen it before. Now this is just a guess—"

At this point, Chiaki abandoned all pretense and turned back, trying to look Kana square in the face, only to find Kana looking at the ceiling.

"—you were crying, weren't you?"

At this point, she jerked her head back and looked Chiaki directly in the eyes, suddenly dead serious.

Chiaki looked away, at the bed.

"You noticed?" she asked rhetorically.

"A girl who is fine, who is coping well, and who should be left alone, doesn't cry just because a friend confesses their love to her," Kana said.

Chiaki said nothing.

"Anyway," Kana continued, jumping up, hair billowing out, tossing the hairbrush carelessly aside. "Now that I've got your attention, let's go to the living room. We can stay up. It's Friday, and it's more comfortable there. I'll even get you some of that soda you like so much, though I don't really think that's the best thing to be drinking in the middle of the night. Come on."

She reached a hand to Chiaki, making an insistent gesture.

Chiaki took it, and let herself be pulled up.

They migrated towards the living room, slipping quietly past Haruka's room; she was almost certainly asleep by now.

"I'll get us some drinks," said Kana, flipping the light switch and picking up a cup from the kotatsu, walking towards the kitchen.

Chiaki sat down, wondering she was about to undergo.

Kana returned, carrying a cup of water and an open can of soda, and setting them down appropriately. Upon sitting down, she immediately downed half her cup of water.

"Ah! This brings back memories," she began, setting the cup down.

"Of what?"

"The last time we did this. I read that entire forty-thousand character essay, you know. Every last character. Took me a while though."

Kana said this while pointing at Chiaki with the pinky of her hand holding the glass. Chiaki just watched her warily.

"I don't agree with you, though," Kana continued. "I see nothing wrong with looking like an idiot, as long as everyone is having fun. What does it matter how smart people think I am?"

Kana was acting strange, and her voice seemed slow.

"I don't buy that—" Chiaki began.

"Anyway!" Kana interrupted, jabbing her finger at Chiaki, who had reached for her can of soda. "You should really drop that soda habit. It can't be good for you. Drink milk or something."

To accentuate her point, she finished the rest of her water.

Chiaki ignored her, and started drinking her soda.

"Are you sure about that, Chiaki?" Kana asked rudely. "You'll never grow if you don't drink milk!"

Chiaki set her soda down.

"I'm growing perfectly fine, thank you very much!" she insisted.

Kana stared at her probingly, making it unmistakable where she was looking.

"Are you sure? That doesn't look 'fine' to me."

Chiaki turned away, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Whatever! You weren't any different at my age, and look at you now! I'll catch up."

Kana got up with her cup and walked towards the kitchen to get a refill.

"You keep telling yourself that," Kana said, pausing to wave her finger at Chiaki. "But I know I wouldn't be happy, always lagging behind Touma like that."

"Forget it! Why are we here anyway? What do you want to say to me?" Chiaki demanded, banging the table—quietly, so as not to wake Haruka.

Kana entered the kitchen and emerged a few moments later with a half-filled cup. Strange—Chiaki hadn't heard the faucet run.

"Not—not now," Kana said, waving a hand at her, before lying down on the floor and setting the cup on the table. It was already half-empty.

"Let's talk about other stuff first," Kana suggested.

"Like what?"

"Like Haruka."

Kana had her right hand spread and raised towards the ceiling, and stared at it carefully.

"Did you hear how flustered her chopping was today?" Kana continued. "Something's bothering her."

"Do I have to point it out?" Chiaki asked rhetorically, leaning over towards Kana. "It's obvious what's bothering her."

"No, not that. Something else. Something else is bothering her," Kana said.

She paused.

"You wouldn't see it," Kana continued, just as Chiaki started to think about it.

"Says you!" Chiaki shot back, annoyed by the insinuation. "I didn't sense anything!"

"You were too distracted," Kana said, matter-of-factly. "Besides, I'm the more perceptive person here when it comes to Haruka. We both know that. I've been around her longer."

"No you're not!" Chiaki insisted. "Take that back!"

She was angry at Kana's tone, rather than the factual content of her statement.

Kana rolled over onto her belly, staring out the glass doors leading to their balcony, which was dark now except for the light leaking out from the room.

"You know, Chiaki," she said, in a much softer tone, but voice steadily raising. "Haruka won't be around forever. It's already been almost a year since she graduated from high school. What's her future? I won't let it just be watching over the two of us forever!"

At this juncture, Kana clenched a fist and suddenly jumped up, turning to face Chiaki and thrusting her finger out at her yet again.

"All the same, are you ready for her to leave? Are you mentally prepared? I don't think you are!"

Chiaki stared at her for a moment.

"Are you alright, Kana? You're acting strange—"

"I'm fine!" Kana said, slicing her hand through the air decisively. "I brought you out here to talk, and that's what we're going to do, so I'm going to tell you a story!"

"A story?"

"Yes, a story! Just like the ones mom used to tell us—no, wait I guess you weren't here for that—well, anyway—"

She stumbled.

Kana had started walking around, and somehow managed to trip over her own feet, toppling in the direction of the kotatsu.

Chiaki watched it unfold in slow motion, Kana's balance failing, her arm barely starting to reach out, her hair pointing downward, following gravity away from her head—

Chiaki jumped up and ran forward, catching her just in time.

"Oh, Chiaki, thanks for catching me!"

Kana chuckled to herself, as if she had made a great joke.

It was then that Chiaki finally noticed that Kana didn't seem alright at all. Her eyes were only half-open and she didn't seem fully awake.

"Are—are you sure you're okay?" Chiaki asked, eyes sliding warily in the direction of Haruka's room, wondering if she should go wake Haruka up.

She moved her hand to Kana's forehead. Kana didn't seem to have a fever…

Kana shook her head, seeming to shake it off.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Just a little sleepy. Let me sit down."

Now it was Chiaki who stood, cautiously watching Kana, who sat at the kotatsu.

"Sit, sit!" Kana insisted, waving a hand.

Chiaki sat.

"I always knew this day would come," Kana said to no one in particular, looking unsteady.

Chiaki just stared at Kana until she seemed to shake herself awake and focus.

"Anyway," Kana continued, leaning over shakily and pointing at Chiaki, "Listen to me carefully."

"There was once a girl. This girl was part of a, uh—family: a father, a mother, and an older sister. And everyone was happy. You know, like on TV. But one day, the mother died. Then the father died. Kind of ridiculous, right? It broke her heart."

"But when she was finally able to be happy again, she, uh, vowed that she would spend the rest of her life making sure everyone around her would be happy, and that everyone would always have fun. After all, how could anyone be sad if all everyone did was have f—fun? She swore she would never be sad again."

Her last few words came out a little mumbled. She shook her head and kept talking.

"And it worked. It made everyone happy, especially, her, uh, younger sister. And everything was good, even if the girl wasn't so sure anymore. She, uh, she—"

Kana paused again, but this time it didn't seem to be from haziness.

"Suddenly, one day, there was this boy who wanted to be friends with her. At first, she was delighted because she liked the boy. But then she started thinking about it, and the more she thought, the more scared she got. To make it worse, he resembled her—her dead father just a little bit. Just a tiny bit. Eventually, she got so scared of sadness that she didn't dare to accept. It wasn't safe to be friends with someone like that, but what if something terri—bad happened? So much more fun to just stay away."

Kana sucked in a breath.

"Because of this, the girl accepted any excuse, even the most illogical, to pretend the boy had never asked. But one day—"

She paused again, gathering strength.

"One day, she realized that all this pretending was doing nothing but making her sad, and making the boy sad as well. She realized she had made a horrible mistake. So she finally accepted. And that was that."

She looked at her half-filled cup of water, and grabbed it, drinking it in one go.

"Anyway, this girl had a little sister. This sister was only a baby when their parents died. Even so, she dearly missed them. But she tried to make up for it. She loved their older sister, and pretended she was their mother. She had friends, of course, but when they got too close, when she liked them too much, she started to think of them as part of her family. How could they be anything else? No one that close could be anything but family."

Kana looked up and pinned Chiaki with a look, but the force of the look rapidly receded from her eyes, and Kana went back to staring at the table.

"So she treated them like, like brothers. And it was risky, far too risky, to ever love anyone not in her real family, because her family might leave her. All of her family. Even if th—they loved her too, too many things might happen, just like they'd happened to everyone else. Better for everyone if none of that shit happened."

Chiaki was momentarily startled by the sudden expletive, but Kana kept talking.

"Already, she knows her older sister can't stay forever, and she would do anything to keep her as long as possible, but at least that—that, she knows is coming. But, for the others—for the others, she knows she doesn't have the heart to turn them down, the heart not to love them. But even so, she's being self—selfish, she tells herself, so with—"

A deep breath.

"—one hand she gives, and the other she takes away, fighting herself every step of the way. And the day—the day that—"

Kana stopped, closing her eyes, as if she were in pain, but managed to finish:

"If any of those brothers were to ever ask to be something else, to ask for love, force her to choose—it could only break her."

Suddenly Kana's head flopped down, barely being caught by her right hand. She seemed to be nursing a monster headache. She continued quietly, voice almost too slurred to be understood.

"But she's wrong, of course. Her family would never abandon her. Never. None of them. She's being sad for no reason."

Chiaki just looked at her, bewildered.

"And even if one of them did, you could take it. God, that sounded so much better in my head than out loud," Kana said after a long pause, looking up and smiling weakly. "But you get my point, right? Chiaki?"

Again Chiaki just stared at her.

"I—I do," she said.

And maybe she did, but something was wrong with Kana. That was the important thing right now.

"I'm going to get Haruka, okay?" Chiaki said, gently, reaching over. "You don't look—"

"I told you I'm fi—"

Kana's arm buckled suddenly, and her head fell to the table.

"Kana?"

She didn't answer.

Chiaki got up and shook her by the shoulders.

"Kana!"


By the time Chiaki woke, the sun was up, but was no longer shining through the window.

Really late, she thought.

She lifted her head from the table blearily.

Haruka sat next to her.

"Good afternoon, Chiaki," she said amiably.

"Wh—what time is it?"

"Three o'clock, time for afternoon snacks. But you probably need more than that. Let me get you something."

Chiaki looked to her other side. After they had been unable and unwilling to move Kana last night, Chiaki had sat up and watched her until she, too, finally fell asleep.

Kana wasn't there anymore.

"Wait, Haruka-nee-sama!" she exclaimed. "Where's Kana? How is she?"

Kana stuck her head out of the kitchen.

"I'm over here," she said quietly.

She seemed subdued.

Haruka turned back to look at Chiaki.

"We figured out what it was. It—"

"That juice bottle with the enticing label," Kana interrupted. "The one that was all the way in the back of the fridge. It turns out that was Hayami's gift juice."

After a moment, Chiaki understood.

"Ah," she said.

Kana rubbed her forehead with her hand.

"I can barely think with this headache," she lamented.

"That's why you don't open these kinds of things without asking me!" Haruka said, placing some food in the microwave.

"I apologized already!" Kana shot back, immediately cringing at the loudness of her own voice.

"Geez, it's not like I know what the stuff tastes like," she said a moment later, much more quietly. "Who's the one who didn't label it properly? You have to put warning stickers or something."

"Regardless, it's in the trash now," Haruka said. "There'll be no more of that in this household. And that Hayami, the next time I see her…"

Chiaki and Kana both instinctively flinched at Haruka's clenched fist and the expression she was making unconsciously.

"Huh?" Haruka said, glancing around at their reactions.

"Oh, sorry, that wasn't meant for you," Haruka said, a moment later.

"Anyway," Kana said, turning towards Chiaki. "I don't remember a thing. What were we doing out here yesterday, anyway?"

"Ah, well, you said you wanted to talk, and you started saying something about milk and you were chugging water like—that wasn't really water, was it?"

"Probably not," Kana said.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Did I say anything else? Did you—"

"You did. I understand. Trust me. I do," Chiaki insisted.

She did not want to go through all of that again.

"You do?" Kana asked rhetorically. "I—I see."

Kana seemed unsure of something.

"Oh, Chiaki, I'm sorry to ask you," Haruka said, interrupting the moment to set some food down in front of Chiaki. "But after you eat and get changed, do you mind going to the supermarket for me? I've been waiting for you to wake up."

Chiaki didn't have to think to know the answer.

"Oh, sure."

"Why not send me?" Kana asked. "Or I could go with her. I need to—"

"No, I need you here," Haruka retorted. "We need to continue your cooking lessons."

"Ugh," Kana said, clearly realizing her escape had been foiled. "Do I have to?"

"Kana! It's important for the future."

"It's not like Fujioka cares how I cook…" Kana said poutingly.

"It's not about Fujioka, and you know it!"

"Yes, yes, I get it already. It's too early to be cooking though, so if you want me I'll be in my room," Kana said, talking quickly so no one could interrupt.

She strode off, looking peeved.

Chiaki made a mental note to be careful which dishes she ate that night.

While Chiaki was on the way out, shopping list in hand, she remembered something to ask Haruka.

"Haruka-nee-sama, it's Saturday. Has Touma shown up yet?"

Haruka shook her head.

"I'm sorry, she hasn't."


She breathed in the spring air.

It was good getting out of the house, she supposed. Buying food was always calm and soothing. How could it not be? Well, as long as Kana or Uchida weren't around to make it pointlessly hectic.

Upon thinking of Uchida, she sucked in a deep breath.

No, she would deal with that later. For now, she would focus on nothing on nothing but the spring air, her warm jacket, and the shopping list in her pocket.

And that was what she did, strolling her way under the still-bare trees, carefully keeping her mind focused on the pleasant experience of walking, falling into the rhythm...

Ah, I'm here, she thought, looking up at the store sign, mildly surprised.

Entering the heated store, she immediately unbuttoned the top few buttons of her coat; no need to make herself sweat, after all.

She grabbed a basket and continued merrily on her way.

Best to buy them in whatever order was most convenient. Plus, she should buy lighter things first, since she would have to spend the whole time lugging around whatever she bought first.

Hmm.

Then perhaps Haruka's cream puffs first?

No, frozen goods should come last.

Vegetables, then.

She greeted the prospect of onions and carrots with mixed feelings. On the one hand, she was trying to train herself to eat them, to feel the "love" in them that the curry fairy had talked about. On the other hand, it was still rough going. She was getting used to it—very, very slowly.

Well, better get to it.

She grabbed a clear plastic bag. Onions were at least relatively easy to select. Not too misshapen, hard, and not obviously rotten. Those were the only necessary criteria.

Spotting a likely candidate in the pile, she reached forward—

Another hand grabbed it before she could, rather rudely.

She looked up, her intuition already warning her.

It's him!

The curry fairy himself, holding an onion and studying it intently.

She had promised herself that the next she saw him, she would say something, ask him for advice about carrots, something.

She dug around hurriedly for something to say

"Er, excuse me—"

"No!" he exclaimed suddenly, turning around swiftly in dramatically wide arc, almost startling her into jumping and dropping her basket.

"This won't do!" he insisted. "It won't do at all! It's not good enough! For Minami Haruka, it has to be perfect!"

Already getting ready to overhear another of his fantastic monologues, Chiaki again almost dropped her basket.

HaHaruka? Chiaki thought to herself.

"Excuse me," she repeated, more insistently. "Who are—"

The man sighed loudly.

"Why, why is it so hard to find the perfect ingredients? I will not accept anything less than perfect for Haruka. Ah, Haruka…"

He began to unbutton the top buttons of his shirt, exposing bare chest. Naturally repulsed, Chiaki started to back off.

What the hell is he doing? Is he a pervert? What—

Then it hit her.

"It's you!" she blurted out, thrusting her finger outward. "You're that man, the one we met in that forest!"

Suddenly, she realized that her outburst had inadvertently caused the patrons around her to look at her—and at what she was pointing at.

"Isn't he that chef from…" she heard one of them say.

Embarrassed, she pulled her finger back, hiding it in her other hand, trying not to look around.

Fortunately, the man had enough sense to notice, and immediately button up. He turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Hmm?" he began, glancing over her face skeptically, voice arrogant. "What could you be talking about? I don't know—"

Suddenly, his face, too, lit up with the shock of recognition, the shock transmitting itself into his voice.

"You—you couldn't be—Haruka's—"

Chiaki was already nodding.

"—daughter, would you?"

Chiaki almost tripped with surprise.

"Daughter?" she asked incredulously, recovering with surprising aplomb. "Are we talking about the same Haruka? She has no daughters. I'm her sister."

The man blinked at her as if she were insane. Chiaki reciprocated in kind.

"Sister?" he asked. "But Maki said—"

HIs eyes flew open wide, remembering back to exactly what Maki had said.

He put his hand to his chin, making a gesture of understanding.

"I see. I see," he said, voice arrogant alone. "I have been a fool all along. I thought I knew but—I'm no papa. I'm a brother!"

"Excuse me?" Chiaki said, finding her voice now that she sensed a threat to Haruka.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "Do you have designs on Haruka? I warn you, I would never approve of someone disgusting like you for Haruka! Curry fairy or not! You pervert! No one becomes my brother without my express consent!"

She stopped, chilled by the semantic connection to what Kana had said last night.

Instead of responding, he bent down slightly, patting her on the head, ignoring her indignation, already lost in his own private world.

"Do not worry," he reassured. "I won't bother Minami Haruka. Not until everything is perfect. I would not dare approach her without all preparations complete."

He turned away and held a dramatic pose, hands on hips.

"Take my advice, little sister of mine! Love is not so simple! You must make sure everything is right and that you're ready! You can't just love anyone! You have to make sure it's the right choice!"

He started laughing maniacally.

That was too much for her.

"I already told you…I'm not your sister…" she said, backing away slowly, scanning for escape routes.

Suddenly, three employees emerged from the storage room entrance next to the potatoes, behind the man. One of them, who looked like a manager, tapped him on the shoulder. Another waved a broom menacingly.

"Again?" the man said, turning. "I thought—"

"Sir," the manager began officiously, swallowing slightly, clearly reciting a prepared speech. "We've received reports that you're disturbing our customers. Again. As you'll recall, this is not the first time. Specifically, this time, we've received reports that you're harassing a minor, made lewd comments, and…started stripping. This is a new level of perfidy, even for you!"

He glanced at Chiaki, who was doing her absolute best to appear completely uninvolved by staring intently at the onions. It didn't work.

"Polluting a pure girl like that!" he continued. "You are one of our most valued customers, but frankly, I am greatly disturbed by these reports. If there is any truth to this, I must ask you to immediately depart and—I regret this—never return again."

He looked at Chiaki for confirmation.

Chiaki looked around at the other patrons, and saw that they were all looking at her. She couldn't get out of this. She had to tell the truth.

"Actually," she said hesitantly, blushing even though she knew that was the last thing she should do. "He's not really a pervert, I don't think. Just very…strange. Maybe crazy."

"You see! This is another misunderstanding!" the crazy man in question interjected, making a visible effort to keep his voice down. "There is nothing wrong here! I know this girl! We were merely talking."

"He's done nothing wrong," Chiaki added, feeling a little sorry for her erstwhile mentor.

"Is that so?" the manager asked rhetorically, looking skeptical. "Well, please keep it down, then, and stop alarming the other customers. And I will be watching you"—he stuck his finger in the man's face—"so don't try anything funny!"

The three of them trod away, glancing back suspiciously until they reentered the doorway.

The man sighed in relief after they left. Really, he would have to start being more careful.

But where was that girl—

When he turned to look, Chiaki had already fled precipitously for the meats section, basket on arm. The customers around him glared at him suspiciously, not exactly believing his innocence.


After Chiaki had finished hurrying through the rest of her list and escaped the store, she too heaved a sigh of relief, leaning on the store wall.

The curry fairy had been disappointing in more ways than one. It would be imperative for her to be on the lookout for him, and not let him get anywhere near Haruka.

Still, she had meant what she said. He was not a pervert, and didn't seem like a bad person; indeed, his previous advice about curry and carrots had been indispensible. He was just intolerably strange…and probably crazy.

Also, there that thing he had said, about love, that might be worth thinking about. It might once again be good advice. What had it been exactly—

"Hey, isn't that Chiaki?" Yoshino said, voice ringing out next to her, almost making her jump straight out of her shoes.

"It is!" Uchida responded. "Hey! Chiaki!"

Without pausing to think, or even to look back, Chiaki took off running; not very easy, considering the bags of food she was carrying.

"Hey! Wait!" Yoshino yelled.

"Chiaki!"

"Come back!"

Strangely enough, it was only then, running at half speed trying not to drop her bags, and hearing Uchida's voice fade into the distance, that she realized she had forgotten a crucial detail.

She had never even asked him his name.


Chiaki only barely stopped herself from opening the door before realizing what she was hearing.

Their voices were muffled, due to the fairly high quality of the sound-proofing of the building, but there was no mistaking it—Kana and Haruka were having a full-on yelling argument.

They argued all the time, of course. All three of them did. But it was never serious, never heated. Kana whined and needled at Haruka, who could always end it in a moment by putting her foot down hard—though she was no dictator, and rarely did so.

For it to have gotten this far meant that it was a topic on which Kana did not concede that Haruka had greater authority or knowledge—and that it was important enough that neither was willing to just drop it.

In fact, Chiaki couldn't remember the last time they had argued like this; well, except for vague memories from when she was very young. That hadn't been very fun at all, living with Takeru and his mother, and she didn't like thinking about it.

That they were arguing now was highly disturbing, and she doubted it was a coincidence.

All this flashed through her mind in the fraction of a second during which her hand froze over the doorknob.

Instead of announcing her return, then, she opened the door as quietly as she could, taking care that when she put her shoes on the rack—replacement shoes for the ones still stuck at her school—she made no clattering sound. She then pressed herself against the right wall, and listened, closing the door quietly and setting the food on the floor.

"—can't believe you're arguing something like this!"

Haruka's voice, as Chiaki had walked through the door.

"I can't believe you would think something like that!" Kana yelled back.

"How could you even think about encouraging her like that?"

"Encourage? All I did was offer her support! You know, like we're supposed to!"

Chiaki tried to imagine their faces, listening to their disembodied voices.

"And I'd do it again, too!" Kana continued. "That is, if I actually said it, since I can't even remember. I don't know why I even brought this up! This is certainly the last time I tell you anything!"

"You're only supposed to support something if it's a good idea," Haruka growled. "This is certainly not! She's too young—"

"Too young? Sure, that might be a good argument, if you hadn't clapped and smiled when I first came home with a letter from Fujioka! I was only what, maybe half a year older than she is now—"

They must be talking about her, Chiaki realized.

"—and as I recall, it was all flowers and roses! It doesn't make any sense—I thought you would agree with me! You know how she is, her unnatural fixation on you and us, her paranoia, all that other stuff; you agreed with me that it was unhealthy! So I thought to myself, maybe a bit of puppy love would be good for her, help to ease her emotional dependence on the two of us. Maybe get her to smile more often. And if it took just a little push out the door—that's why I let it go, those times I noticed her and Touma! As long as we watch her carefully—"

"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound?" Haruka interrupted incredulously. "What kind of dangerous ground you're treading on?"

"Of course I do!" Kana said. "But it's worth the risk, as long as it makes her happier, breaks her out of all of this—"

"And if things go wrong? That's part of our job, too; warn her away from bad ideas!"

"You can't protect her from everything!" Kana argued. "And once again, you make no sense: if you really thought she was too young to have a relationship, then what about me and Fujioka? Weren't we too young also?"

"Alright, so I was wrong! Is that what you want to hear? You were too young and I shouldn't have been so happy with it. I was younger then, too. But it worked out for the better, Fujioka is a nice boy—"

"And Makoto isn't? You've had plenty of chances to see the two of them. None of us even talked to Fujioka before that letter!"

"Nonetheless—"

"You're being disingenuous. I think I've figured it out now. Her age isn't the real issue here at all! Yesterday, you were nothing but smiles until you heard about Touma! Touma is a girl; there, I said it! The elephant in the room. You're just not comfortable with it!"

For the first time since Chiaki had got home, silence. Chiaki clung to the wall, far more tightly than she needed to. This entire situation—it was insane.

"Alright, fine, you got me," Haruka conceded. "I won't lie; I'm not comfortable with it. Of course I'm not! But if it were just that, I wouldn't say a thing! Not out loud. But you know it's not so easy! What will the neighbors say? What will her classmates say? What will the other family say? How will Chiaki react, the first time someone makes fun of her in the hallway? The first time some boys follow her home because of what she and Touma are? You know it could be worse than that! Far worse. And she's considering it; she's seriously considering it, like she's not even surprised! I never thought she—"

Haruka hesitated for just a moment.

"—would be the type of girl who would, but she is. We wouldn't be arguing if we didn't know that to be true."

"So not rejecting Touma out of hand is 'considering it'?"

"For this it is! Don't be 'disingenuous'."

"I didn't think you were so narrow-minded."

"Narrow-minded? If I were narrow-minded, I would be on the phone with Natsuki right now, plotting with him how best to lock them in their rooms!"

Haruka paused.

"I'm only considering reality," she continued. "You know that. Besides all the other issues, things like this rarely last more than a few months. How will she handle it, when it ends? Like last time? It didn't end well, as you'll recall. She's young, and before you interrupt, yes so were you! But you and she aren't the same. Despite all those weird games and tricks you played with Fujioka, you knew exactly what you were doing. You were ready; she isn't. Not at all! I was happy for her yesterday, yes, and I was wrong. I realized that, once I finally figured out what was going on."

Again Haruka paused to gather her thoughts.

"You yourself told me you think she was crying. And I know she was; I know someone who saw her. She isn't ready for this! I object just as strongly to Makoto as I do to Touma."

Another silence.

"So then what?" Kana asked, dangerously quiet. "You talk to her, and tell her you forbid it? Withdraw from her the very support I promised her she would always have? Make her worst fears come true? I doubt you have the guts."

"No, this is where you misunderstand me. I would never forbid it. I would just tell her why I think it's a bad idea. She's free to do what she likes. But we have to give her guidance. We can't just throw her out there and expect her to fend for herself, chasing after a happiness that might not even be there!"

"And that's just the same as forbidding it. But even so, if that's what you believe, then why haven't you talked to her? Why not yesterday?"

Chiaki hoped her heavy breathing wasn't giving her away, during this longest of pauses.

"…don't be like that, Kana," Haruka said, voice sad. "You know how I am with this. I can't…work up the courage to say anything."

Kana sighed.

"Then how about this?" she suggested. "We'll call this stalemate. We won't say a word to her, not until she makes a decision. If she decides to accept their feelings, either of them, then we can say what we think. And if she asks for advice first, then we will say everything. I expect she will anyway. That sound equitable?"

Again, there was a long pause.

"Yes," Haruka said carefully. Chiaki could imagine her nodding.

Haruka too sighed loudly, a moment later.

"I'm sorry about all this. You're right; I'm being overprotective of her. I always have, compared to you. It's just—"

"No, it's okay," Kana said. I understand. I'm sorry too. You're right, I'm being too reckless. I just thought that...that she would be happier this way. She seemed to be wavering, so I thought I should push her. But I've been so caught up in my vision of happiness for her that I didn't even consider the risk. I just…want what's best for her."

"So do I."

There was yet another long pause.

Suddenly Kana laughed, loudly and melodically.

"Kana, is something—are you okay?"

Kana barely got her laughter under control.

"It's just—we're arguing over something like this. I never thought I'd see the day. And at the end we compromise. We're not built for this."

"Let's just focus on being calm," Haruka said. "When Chiaki gets back, this conversation never happened, alright? And who cares what the neighbors must think."

"Yes, and I need a cup of water. My throat is killing me. I definitely remember why we stopped doing this."

Shit, Chiaki thought, concisely.

Hearing Kana approaching, she panicked, started to move—and tripped over a shoe on the floor.

She barely caught herself on the ground with her arm, knocking over one of the bags of food—just as Kana walked through the doorway, looking for the source of the crashing sound.

"Ow…" Chiaki said, giving up entirely on stealth.

"Chi—Chiaki?" Kana asked, sounding uncharacteristically nonplussed. "How long have you been there?"

"I heard most of it," Chiaki responded from a prone position on the floor, pushing herself up.

Inside the room, Haruka made a strangled noise.

"It—it's alright," Chiaki said, standing up. "That was just what I needed to hear. I'm…just glad you care so much."

"I—I didn't think you'd be so calm," Kana said, clearly surprised.

"Well, you underestimate me."

Chiaki focused all her energy on keeping her face calm, and suppressing the storm inside her. She hoped Kana wouldn't notice she was hiding her hands behind her back—and they were shaking.

They didn't think she was ready, and if she were honest to herself, she wasn't. But she would make herself ready, show them that they didn't need to support her that much.

Whatever it took.

"Now let's hear that advice you guys were going to give," she said, with as much blasé as she could muster. "But this food is going to go bad if I keep leaving it out here."

"That—that's right," Haruka said, standing up, visibly shaken. "Especially the milk."

"Oh, and the fish!" Kana said.

Some semblance of normalcy at last.


That night, Chiaki once again sat in front of their computer, headphones on. She and Kana were obliged to share an old-fashioned desktop, while Haruka had her own laptop which she barely ever used. It seemed unfair, but Chiaki would never say so.

She sighed.

No, she didn't want to face Uchida and the others yet. Even in virtuality.

Maybe there were some videos worth watching…

Ah, there was a new episode uploaded in that series. It was an idiotic series about a group of fifth graders, and perfectly suitable for baka-yaros, as she had vocally pointed out to Kana when she had first seen Kana watching it.

Thus, she would be absolutely mortified if Kana discovered that she had watched it out of morbid curiosity, been interested against her own better judgment and…well, now eagerly awaited each episode, watching it religiously whenever Kana was not present.

Actually, where was Kana anyway?

"Oh, Chiaki! What are you watching?" Kana asked from behind her.

Gah!

She instinctively hid the window, but foolishly didn't close it.

"Oh? What are you hiding over there?"

Chiaki could easily picture Kana behind her, fresh from the shower with towel on head, smiling deviously and rushing forward to grab her mouse.

She jerked her hand over, intending to close the window, but wasn't quite fast enough, Kana's hand grabbing hers and starting a minor tug of war over the mouse.

"Watching porn again, Chiaki?" Kana said mockingly, pursing her lips, bending over the screen. "Come on, show it to me. You don't have to hide it. I want to know your tastes."

"As if!" Chiaki retorted, thrusting her head rightward to try and hit Kana, who had already preemptively dodged, though she forgot about the towel on her head, which fell to the floor

"Hah! I'm not so easy to hit!" Kana said, bending down to pick it up.

Chiaki took the moment to close the window with some quick keyboard commands.

"Fine, if that's how you're going to be, I'm going to sleep," Kana huffed.

"Go ahead," Chiaki responded, going back to browsing the internet.

A while later, Chiaki got up, stretched tiredly, and headed for bed.

Why is Kana's bed empty? She wondered as she passed it. I didn't hear her get up…

She circled the curtain that separated their two beds—and found Kana already there.

Kana opened her eyes and turned over.

"You take forever. Can't you sleep a little earlier?"

"I don't want to hear that from you, of all people. And what the hell are you doing here, baka-yaro?"

"I figured you'd have trouble sleeping," Kana said blearily. "So I figured I'd sleep with you."

Chiaki was about to protest, but decided against it. Once Kana got it in her head that she needed to start acting "like a sister", it was impossible to convince her it wasn't necessary.

Chiaki sighed.

"Well, move over then. You're taking too much space."

Kana didn't help. Chiaki still had trouble sleeping. And it certainly didn't help that Kana kicked at random intervals, muttered nonsense in her sleep, and hogged the blankets.

Well, at least it distracted her from her thoughts.

I hope Fujioka knows what he's getting himself into.


When she trudged out of their room the next morning, she heard voices coming from the living room.

She knew who they were, but walked over to look anyway.

"—and then Touma said—" Yoshino was saying, before she turned her head to look at Chiaki.

"Hi, Chiaki!" Uchida said, smiling, waving unnecessarily.

The two of them were seated on one side of the kotatsu, cups of tea in front of them, apparently in conversation with Haruka and Kana.

"Hello," Chiaki responded, eyes narrowing, a bit more monotonically than usual. "Let me get changed, I'll be back."

When she returned, there was a plate of food on the table.

"Sorry, it's just Chiaki hasn't eaten breakfast yet, and I don't want her to go hungry," Haruka explained.

"Oh, it's alright, we don't mind," Yoshino said.

"Come on, Kana, let's go make lunch. Let's leave these three alone," Haruka said.

"What? But I wanted to— okay, yeah, let me get up."

Chiaki and her friends watched them leave.

"Haruka is pretty serious about this "teach Kana to cook" thing, huh?" Uchida commented.

"We already tried telling her it was insanity," Chiaki said matter-of-factly, swallowing some rice. "It didn't dissuade her."

"That reminds me," Uchida said, addressing herself to Yoshino. "I've always wondered why you didn't help teach Kana that one time she wanted to cook something for Haruka."

"I wasn't any good back then. You know that."

Yoshino started sipping her tea, but suddenly downed it in one go.

"You still have those goggles?" Chiaki asked, seemingly apropos of nothing.

"Of course I do."

Yoshino set down her cup and pushed it away, ignoring the teapot on the table, then leaned forward.

"You've been avoiding us. Why?"

Damn. Straight to the point, huh?

Chiaki looked off to the side.

"Do I even have to explain?"

"Of course you do. We're your friends; you've never failed to talk with us before! Not for anything important."

"Ha—have Makoto and Touma said anything?"

"They've told us, yes."

"Then it should be obvious!" Chiaki said, banging the table suddenly, then cringing at her own sharpness. "I—I mean, how could I—"

"It's not obvious!" Yoshino interrupted. "You—"

Uchida put her hand on Yoshino's shoulder to quiet her, then said:

"We're worried. Of course we are. We've never seen you like that! Even after we learned what happened, it still didn't make any sense."

Chiaki looked at Uchida as she talked, more careful than Chiaki had ever seen her.

"We wanted to call, but we didn't know if Haruka and Kana knew. We didn't want to…"

"We couldn't take it anymore!" Yoshino interjected. Do you know how worried we were? When we first found out what happened, we tore Touma and Makoto apart, do you know that? We had them on the verge of tears!"

Yoshino stopped for a moment.

"Can you imagine what they're going through?" she continued. "They're probably tearing their hair off. Is it even their fault? And then, yesterday, you just ran away from us!"

Chiaki visibly blanched.

Yoshino glanced around, visibly appalled at her own display of emotion.

"I—I'm sorry, it's just—" she amended, chastened.

"What's wrong, Chiaki? What's going on?" Uchida asked.

Chiaki glanced at the kitchen, wondering how much her sisters were hearing.

She shook her head silently, stubbornly. They didn't need to know.

Yoshino and Uchida glanced at each other.

"You've talked with your sisters, at least, right?" Yoshino asked. "I know they know what's going on, but do they know—"

Chiaki jerked her head into a nod.

Another glance between the two of them.

"Will you be okay?" Yoshino asked "That's what's important here."

Chiaki started to nod, then opened her mouth and said:

"Yes, I'll be fine. I'm okay, really."

She did her best to meet Yoshino's eyes.

The three of them looked at each other.

"Alright," Yoshino said, nodding.

The tension leaked out of the room.

"Is it alright to talk about it then?" Uchida began, leaning forward with sudden suppressed excitement. "I mean, if you're really okay."

"She's been holding herself back this whole time, as I'm sure you can imagine," Yoshino interjected, smiling slyly.

"Have not! Besides, it's only natural to want to, you know, talk—"

"You mean gossip," Yoshino pointed out.

"Yes, gossip! I mean, geez, Chiaki, what do you think about all this? I mean, if you don't want to—"

"I'm fine with it," Chiaki said, deliberately confident, and starting to eat her food again. "I need to think about this anyway. But first, what do you guys think about it?"

They were momentarily nonplussed, and once again looked at each other for guidance.

Uchida glanced away from Yoshino briefly.

"Er, well, one thing I've wanted to ask" did Makoto say anything about Mako-chan?" She asked, finally, hesitant.

"What does Mako-chan have to do with anything?" Chiaki asked.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Uchida quickly responded, looking away.

Yoshino quietly sipped her tea, but raised a curious eyebrow.

"Anyway, I've always thought Makoto would do this someday," Uchida added. "I mean, it was obvious! You can't seriously tell me you were surprised—"

"Is that so? Then what was all that you were saying Friday about him and Touma?" Chiaki probed.

Uchida glanced up, obviously a little stumped by the question.

"Well, I was just having some fun with her. It was just something I'd heard, and it didn't seem totally implausible, so I mentioned it. You saw how she reacted! I thought I was onto something…"

"You were partly right, I guess," Yoshino conceded, leaning forward and setting her tea down again. "The real surprise for me here was Touma. I mean, it'd gotten obvious how things are between the two of you, but I never expected her to actually realize it and act upon it. I mean, it's not easy admitting to yourself that you're…nontraditionally inclined."

"You even said you were going to try and talk to her about it, if I remember right," Uchida added.

Yoshino glared at her warningly. Uchida covered her mouth, realizing the error.

"I guess the question here is," Yoshino continued, "What do you think? Are you accepting either of them? Can you even accept Touma's?"

Chiaki considered whether to respond.

It's only fair I do so, she thought. They've stuck with me this far.

"Yes," she finally answered. "I could. Either of them. But the question is whether I should. Whether I want to."

From the kitchen, Haruka coughed loudly.

"I see," Yoshino said, looking at her with wide eyes, head tilted. "You don't know, do you?"

Chiaki shook her head.

The clock ticked away.

Yoshino seemed to reach a decision, closing her eyes momentarily.

"Well, whatever. Let's worry about something else for now. Uchida?"

She glanced at Uchida, and Uchida nodded seriously, pulling a folded sheet of paper out of her pocket, laying it out on the table.

Suddenly, looking down, her face broke out into a wholly unexpected smile.

"There's a new shopping center opening near where I live! They're having special discounts and I even have coupons! So I was thinking—"

"We figured we might want to take you, to take your mind off things," Yoshino interrupted.

"Correction: You're not taking me. We're going together," Chiaki insisted, standing, her plate finally empty.

"Sure, sure," Yoshino agreed. "Then you'll go?"

"As long as Uchida promises not to buy any more of these infernal horse-things."

Chiaki pointed at the horse with carrot in mouth figurine hanging off Uchida's bag near the door.

"I promise no such thing!" Uchida said, pouting.

The doorbell rang.

"Hmm?"

Chiaki started to turn.

Somehow Kana was already at the door.

"I told you you don't have to knock!" she said loudly.

"How am I supposed to know I'm not interrupting something again? What about what happened on Friday?" Fujioka's voice rang out.

"Let's just go," Chiaki said. "Before Kana notices and tries to follow us."


Haruka hummed to herself, checking her email.

It's finally

"Haruka-nee-sama?"

Haruka hurriedly closed the browser.

"Oh, you're back!" she said, a little nervously, to Chiaki, who was leaning into the doorway of her room, one eye past the doorjamb.

"Do you have envelopes? And good letter parchment?" Chiaki asked, moving a little and agitating the bags full of whatever she had brought home from shopping.

"Ah, oh sure," Haruka responded, a little nervously. "Hold on, let me get it."

She rummaged through her desk drawers until she procured the desired items.

"Will this be enough?" she asked, holding out two envelopes and several sheets of parchment.

"Yes, thank you."

Chiaki walked away.

Haruka continued watching the doorway long after she was gone.

Well, they would find out soon enough.


Author's note: If it seems implausible that Kana had no idea she was drinking alcohol, I can only submit that I, personally, have made that exact mistake. Not one of my better moments…

Speaking of which, however drunk she may be, her words are very meaningful…