Author Notes
I was writing and writing. Whenever time was available for typing, but alas Sunday came and went. So it's a Monday release. :P
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Weekends Without You: Sunday
May you enjoy! *O*
Sunday; a day for respite, leisure and quality time with yourself or with family and friends. Or for a high schooler like Honoka, eldest daughter of the popular Manjuu store, Homura, an early morning to prepare and help the store.
The door to the still slumbering orange haired vampire opened, and the one in charge of wake up calls entered.
"Onee-chan, wake up. We're helping out for all of Sunday." The redhead little sister turned on the lights, causing the bed to groan.
Ugh…why is there light? What day is it? What time is it?
"Yukiho…Five more minutes…" The blanket requested.
"Your morning five minutes is as good as five hours, so no." Yukiho pulled the blanket away and Honoka flipped upside down to hide away from the light.
That's not true…Ah! The light is so bright..!
"Ahh! The light! The light is..! It's hurting me..!" Honoka shouted exaggerating the situation as she squirmed on her bed.
Yukiho looked on with uninterested eyes. "Really, Onee-chan? This light can't hurt you and the sun is not even up yet, so that isn't a reason."
The sun isn't up yet? Then all the more we should still be tucked under our warm blankets and sleeping, Yukiho!
"Exactly!" Honoka backed herself up against the wall as she pointed at her little sister whom raised an eyebrow at her sister's sudden exclamation. "The sun is not even up! We should be sleeping too!"
Yukiho sighed, she should have expected it. "The sun is working on the other side of the world."
Working..? Other side of the world..?
Honoka blinked. "Eh? Really? I didn't know that…" Honoka was pretty much awake as her eyes widened in awe for the sun's hard work.
"Mm-hm. Now let's-" Yukiho took a step closer to pull her sister out of bed, but that got Honoka agitated as she grabbed her blanket and rolled herself in it.
"T-That's a different case all together! Good night!" Only Honoka's messy hair was visible as she curled herself with her blanket, attempting to become one with it.
I'm not letting go of this blanket even if my life depended on it! I'm sleeping!
Yukiho sighed. "Do we have to do this every Sunday morning?"
We don't have to if you leave me alone…
The Honoka-blanket-roll shook before pretending to be still.
"Onee-chan…" One last chance was given for the adamant older sister to get out of bed, but silence and stillness was the reply.
Nope. I'm not giving in. Sleep calls me!
A grin curved up the redhead's lips. "It's your choice." Yukiho climbed up Honoka's bed and sat on her.
Eh? Wait! Is Yukiho going to-
"Oof!" Honoka-blanket-roll tried rolling away, but was stuck. "Yukiho!" She complained.
You know I won't throw you off! You're cheating!
"Wake. Up. Now." Yukiho pulled at the blanket while Honoka held on to it tightly.
"Don't' wanna!"
"Get. Up. Now!" Yukiho tugged again in which Honoka pulled.
I'm not giving up without a fight!
"I'm telling mum on you!" Yukiho began the threatening tactic while Honoka shook her head in defiance.
What? The Mum Card? Sheesh!
"I'm not afraid of mum!"
"I'll get her to cut your allowance!" Honoka flinched and wavered for a moment before steeling her resolve; hugging the blanket closer to her chest she pouted at her younger sister.
Uu…my allowance…I can't buy more bread or stickers if my allowance gets lesser than it already is!
"I've got savings and Maki-chan!" Yukiho rolled her eyes.
"Sure you have savings. I'm telling mum to ban you from eating bread!" Honoka gasped and loosened her hold which allowed Yukiho to pull most of her defense away.
B-Ban?! From bread?! That's a catastrophe! I can't not have strawberry jam bread!
"T-That's not fair!" Honoka puffed her cheeks out and sat up to have a stare down with her sister that was sitting on her lap.
"You've got to work for bread." Yukiho stated.
Work for bread…Yukiho is a demon…
"Boo…" Honoka's fighting spirit has mostly thrown in the towel as she kept her pout.
"You could have made things easier for yourself…" Yukiho muttered as she got off Honoka and the bed to head downstairs.
It was a battle between sleep and bread…
"I love sleep too…" Honoka was still sulking.
"You love everything at a certain time. I don't see you sleeping early when you have sleepovers with Maki-chan and Umi-chan." Yukiho pointed out.
"That's different!" Sleeping in and staying up are two different matters regarding love for sleep.
How can you not understand wanting to chat more during a sleepover with your best of bestfriends and sleeping in while you still can!
"And you love the sun once you put on No-Burn."
The sun is warm and not painful once I apply Maki-chan SP60…
"There's no reason to dislike something that doesn't harm you anymore…" Honoka tries to defend her fickle likes and dislikes.
"Can you get ready so I can help you with the sunscreen and then we can start helping out with the store? The faster we start, the sooner we finish." Yukiho smiled encouragingly to her laze seeking older sister.
Ah, right. Yukiho is going to help me with my back…Eh? Starting earlier means more work! You can't cheat me, Yukiho!
"Helping out the store doesn't work that way." Honoka sulked her way to the bathroom.
The routine sister battle of waking and staying in bed for has long as she can prolong it ended, and Honoka and Yukiho were down at the store helping with serving customers and restocking while the sun has long hung above the clouds and customers flowed in and out.
Today is kind of busy, but it's fun to see the satisfied or expectant smiles of the customers~
Honoka had a jolly grin as she served the next customer; taking his order and billing.
"Honoka, Yukiho, I've got a delivery task for the two of you." Honoka's mum called for her daughters' attention.
"Okay~" Both sisters replied as they gave their attention to the next instructions to be given.
I wonder where we will be delivering manjuu to today~
"Take these three sets of manjuu to the airport for Mr Juuman. He will be in a suit at terminal three. You can give him a call when you reach. Deliver it by 11am."
"Got it."
"Oh~ Mr Manjuu~" Honoka giggled while her mum gave her a stern look.
"Don't make fun of others name."
"I'm not~ Mr Manjuu agrees! He says, 'I know, I tell my parents that they should have named me Manjuu instead of Juuman.' !"
Honoka's mum smiled. "Well, if he doesn't mind. But don't mindlessly comment on other's name, some might not like it."
Everyone should have a good sense of humour like Mr Manjuu and not be upset~ But…I suppose I understand.
"Okay~" Honoka took the packed manjuu and started for the exit with her younger sister.
"Follow me." Yukiho led the way.
"Aye, aye~" Honoka answered twice since she was a little put off that her younger sister is the one leading, not that they didn't give her chances; five late deliveries in a row because she got lost was enough, and two times the manjuu didn't get delivered because Honoka dropped them or got them destroyed because she was playing with stray cats added to the reason.
I can so deliver manjuus on my own~ I always can when it's Umi-chan's or Maki-chan's house!
Despite Honoka's indignant feelings towards not being allowed to deliver on her own, she was still grinning happily as she skipped beside her younger sister.
Reaching the airport ten minutes before meeting time, Honoka was looking around for the bread store. Airport strawberry jam bread is of a different level and different cost too.
"Don't get distracted, Onee-chan. Look for bread only after we safely deliver the manjuus." Yukiho chided.
"Okay~" Honoka chimed as she started looking out for their recipient.
"Should we call?" Yukiho looked to her older sister for decision.
"Or we could sniff him out?" Honoka beamed excitedly.
"You know his smell?" Yukiho deadpanned.
"Um…Like manjuu?" Honoka made a wild guess.
"Then you'll be circling yourself for sure." Yukiho frowned at the image of Honoka walking in circles as she was following the smell of manjuu in her hands.
"Ehehe~" Honoka laughed sheepishly with her hands behind her head. "Let's call Mr Manjuu then~"
Yukiho took her phone out and dialled. It didn't take long for Mr Manjuu to pick up and give them the proper directions to find him.
"Mr Manjuu~" Honoka waved as she ran over to the customer with her manjuu in hand.
"Onee-chan!" Yukiho felt embarrassed at the attention her older sister was drawing to herself with her childish behaviour.
The man in the dark blue suit laughed heartily and returned the wave. "Honoka-chan, Yukiho-chan." He greeted with a wave each. "You're as energetic as usual."
"With the power of manjuu!" Honoka lifted the boxes of manjuu in her hands proudly.
"You didn't even eat any manjuu today." Yukiho pointed out.
Honoka turned to her sister and winked. "I sneaked a few!"
Yukiho squinted at her older sister disapprovingly and muttered under her breath. "You definitely only drank the blood…"
"Yes, manjuu will indeed provide me with the energy to last the twelve hour flight and then reenergize me after my business is done." Mr Manjuu chuckled while Honoka giggled along, Yukiho could not help but smile at the relaxed scene.
"Well, I'll be heading off first. Thank you for delivering the manjuu to me." Mr Manjuu pulled his wallet out of his pocket to pay.
"Thank you for your patronage!" Honoka accepted the payment with a smile.
"We look forward to seeing you again." Yukiho added.
Mr Manjuu laughed another hearty laugh. "So do I. Give my regards to your parents. Your father just makes the best manjuu!" Mr Manjuu gave a backhand wave as he went off to the departure point.
"Bye bye~" Honoka waved for longer before jumping around. "Let's get bread!" She exclaimed with the cash in hand.
"Let's head home." Yukiho took the money out of her sister's hand and safe kept it away from her hungry sister's reach.
"Boo…" Honoka pouted at the loss of means for a snack.
Before they could reach the exit, a loud scream sounded and a man in a dark hoodie rushed past them.
"H-Help! A-A thief! H-He stole my purse!" A dressed in bright purple old lady was panting behind, unable to catch up with the thief.
A thief? Stealing from a helpless old lady too!
It didn't take a second thought for Honoka to take action. "Don't worry, obaa-san! I'll get your purse back!" Honoka dashed after the thief, taking care to not run too fast that others will be suspicious.
Yukiho blinked, surprised at the turn of events, but without missing another beat, she quickly ran after her sister.
"Onee-chan!"
"A trip and a kick!" Honoka had an excited smile; this sort of running – controlled and filled with adrenaline is rare. Yukiho nodded.
The moment Honoka was running beside the thief, she flashed him a bright smile. "Hey! Stealing isn't nice!"
"Huh?!" The thief eyes bulged widely at the orange-brown haired high school girl who was able to catch up to him with no signs of exhaustion, he was expecting middle aged security guards not little girls.
"Here's a dessert for you!" Honoka stuck her feet out and tripped the thief. "It's called just desserts!"
"Wahh!" The thief fell head first for the airport's shining floor but didn't reach it as Yukiho was in front to give a kick up his chin so he was sent the other way and fell on his butt. "Ugh!" He lost his grip on the purse when he landed so Honoka swiftly took it back.
"And I'll be taking this~" Honoka did a happy twirl with the purse in hand.
"At least apprehend him, Onee-chan." Yukiho chided as she did the job instead.
"Whoops! Sorry!" Honoka apologized but knew Yukiho won't have a problem holding down the human thief.
"L-Let me go!" The thief struggled in vain.
"Oh, just stay still." Yukiho pretty much effortlessly maintained the grip on the thief's hands, holding it behind his back so he can't run.
"I'll return the purse." Honoka got an affirmative nod before she ran off.
Where's the obaa-san~ Ah! There she is!
Honoka ran up to the purple dress old lady who smiled in relief when she saw Honoka running up to her with her purse in hand.
"Obaa-san~ I've got it back~ Hehe~" Honoka returned the purse with both hands and a slight bow.
"T-Thank you so much, little girl." The old lady thanked as she took her purse in hand. "How can I repay you?" The old lady was already opening her purse but Honoka placed a hand on hers to stop her.
"You can do that by staying safe, healthy and happy!" Honoka gave a show of pearly whites to the surprised old lady.
The old lady chuckled after a time. "You're a nice child…I hope you continue growing into a happy and healthy child too."
"Hehe~ I will! I will grow taller too!" Honoka declared with a fist to her chest. "Ah! I've got to go to my sister! See you!" Honoka waved and ran off.
"Yukiho~" Honoka called when she saw her younger sister. "Where's the thief?"
"The security police took him away. The purse?"
"Returned to the old lady, safe and sound!" Honoka beamed and stood with her hands to her hips proudly. Yukiho smiled, equally proud of her sister. "I would have like to give a piece of my mind to the thief though…" Honoka had a thoughtful look.
"He'll be getting it at the station already."
"Hehes~ I guess!" Honoka and Yukiho barely exited the airport when a shout stopped them.
"M-Miss! Um! O-Onee-chan-tachi!"
The Kousaka sisters turned around to face the voice that belonged to a light blonde haired girl who looked like she was around the same age as Yukiho – middle school.
"Are you calling us?" Honoka gave a warm smile to the light blonde haired girl who now had her hands to her thighs, catching her breath.
She nodded vehemently. "Y-Yes…"
"Um, is there something you need-" Yukiho asked but was cut short when the light blonde raised her head revealing starry eyes at the two sisters.
"Y-You two was so cool earlier! The way you effortlessly caught up to the bad guy and apprehended him!" She spoke animatedly with admiration shining in her eyes.
"Um…We-" Yukiho tried to calm the girl down while Honoka just nodded along, smiling with pride.
"How you tripped the bad guy was so cool! 'Your just desserts!' " The girl looked at Honoka as she spoke and imitated Honoka's lines.
"Ehehe~ It was?" Honoka rubbed the back of her head slightly embarrassed.
"Onee-chan-"
"And how you gave a…sky upper kick? That was just soo~ cool! He practically flipped and was rendered unable to run!" The girl continued fangirling, now Yukiho was the one embarrassed.
"It's all in a day's work as a hero!" Honoka put a fist to her chest proudly once again.
"Hero?" If possible, the girl's eyes were shining even more.
"Yup!" Honoka nodded. "I'm Kousaka Honoka! Hero for those in need!" Honoka sent a wink before broadening her already broad smile.
"Wah~" The light blonde girl had both hands held together as she stared at the Hero, Honoka, in awe. "W-Would you like to come over to my house for some tea and chat?" The light blonde girl grabbed both of Honoka's hands into hers, asking for their time earnestly.
Don't need the tea, but a chat sounds fun~ Ah, but we still have to help with the store, so…
"Ah…Um, we couldn't impose on your house so suddenly-" Honoka knew better than to agree just to skive on work.
"It's no problem at all! I'll be living with my older sister from today, and she's really nice! So I'm sure she won't mind!"
If she's as friendly as you, I'm sure she won't mind.
Honoka chuckled in her mind. Yukiho scratched her cheek lightly, not sure how to handle the ball of energy inviting them to her house. "We are actually working right now-"
"Oh…" The light blonde girl's expression was crestfallen, Yukiho felt guilty for making the cute girl sad.
Ah…She looks so sad, her grip on my hand have loosened a bit too.
"Yukiho…" Honoka felt sad for the girl too. Yukiho gave her older sister a look saying 'What am I supposed to say?'
Well, we can't just leave her sad…That's not what heroes do!
"Actually…" The light blonde girl started, and Honoka and Yukiho waited for her to continue. "I'm new to Japan, and I might get lost…So…I was hoping you Heroes can guide me there…" The light blonde girl looked up expectantly.
Of course you can count on us heroes!
"Of course! I'll bring you there!" Honoka immediately replied with a bright smile which brought the girl's smile back too.
"You mean we will bring her there. You'd get everyone lost." Yukiho interjected while Honoka pouted.
"Boo…You don't know that…"
"Sure I do." Yukiho smiled cheekily at her older sister.
A giggle interrupted the sister's back and forth and they returned their attention to the light blonde girl. "Oh, thank you so much! I'm Ayase Arisa, by the way. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier." Ayase Arisa had a light blush as she bowed a greeting, she learnt that Japanese are respectful and bow to each other thus her bow.
"It's no problem, Arisa-chan!" Honoka took Arisa's hand in hers to give a reassuring squeeze. Arisa beamed at the honour of getting her hand held by a hero.
"So…where's your house, Arisa-chan?" Yukiho followed her sister's way of addressing the new girl; she kind of wants to be friends with the light blonde girl anyway.
"Oh." Arisa showed the address she got from her older sister to the two who nodded.
"It's this way then!" Honoka pointed to a random direction while Yukiho took the hand and pointed it to the right direction.
"This way." Yukiho smiled as she started walking.
"This way, Arisa-chan!" Honoka did not falter from her mistake and gestured for Arisa to walk first before she followed. Arisa was even more enamoured by Honoka's gentlemanly act as she caught up to the charming hero's younger sister.
Sunday; a day for respite, leisure and quality time with yourself or with family and friends. Or for a high schooler like Kotori, mother-daughter bonding in the morning and window-shopping for the rest of the day.
Kotori managed to get out of breakfast with minimal teasing damage from her mother, and now it was nearing noon, so she decides to leave the house for today's window-shopping cum inspiration gathering.
Since Kotori already visited some of the stores yesterday, she skipped pass them, only taking a glimpse with an appreciative smile before heading for the further stores she did not visit since she made detours with Eli and Rin.
Mm~ I wonder what clothing designs I'll get to see today~ That could inspire me for drawing Honoka-chan~ Ah, I mean draw something to amaze Honoka-chan!
Kotori almost filled her head with the orange-brown haired, cheerful classmate that she has a crush on within seconds. Closing her eyes as she continued walking a few steps ahead, she opened them after reciting multiple of twelves to see a opened door store. A single mannequin stared back at her in its white blouse and grey overcoat.
Ah…spring can still be kind of cold with the spring breezes that blow through town every now and then…Honoka-chan would look so cute in that long sleeved woolly overcoat…
"Ahchoo!" Kotori covered her nose and mouth as she sneezed softly. Feeling the second wave of spring breeze blow by, she shivered and hugged herself. "Ah…It's kind of cold today…"
Kotori was going to take another step when she felt warmth engulf her. A long overcoat was placed around her shoulders and warm hands pulled her closer as the owner of the coat tried to close the front.
"Um…" Kotori could guess who the kind, coat owner was, but she didn't want to make a wrong assumption and embarrass herself.
"The weather report said windy today, Kotori-chan." The coat owner placed her mouth near Kotori's ears as she spoke. "You should have worn more clothing." The owner's breath tickled Kotori's sensitive ears which made her glow red.
"H-Honoka-chan…I did not catch the morning news so…" Kotori lowered her gaze onto the loving hands that wrapped around her; her heart also did a few skips when Honoka giggled in her ear.
"Well, the weather report also said there's a chance of Honoka, so you're in luck." Honoka tiptoed to let her cheek reach Kotori's as she snuggled from behind.
"H-Honoka-chan…" Kotori leaned backwards into Honoka for more warmth and contact.
"Mm?"
"I hope that weather report was for me only…I wouldn't like it if the chance of Honoka-chan happened for someone else…" Kotori turned her head slightly to try and catch the warmth-bringer's sight.
Honoka chuckled. "Of course it's only for Kotori-chan!" Honoka moved to position herself in front of Kotori. Their gazes met and they both slowly leaned closer to one another, Kotori's eyes were slowly closing and…
Kotori blinked out of her spring daydream when a bicycle's bell sounded. Kotori was now looking at the grey overcoat on the mannequin instead of on Honoka or herself. There was also no smiling gingerhead in the vicinity, neither was it as cold as her daydream before the warmth-bringer arrived, nor as warm as when the warmth-bringer came.
Ah! I was daydreaming of Honoka-chan again..! And I thought I could get through the weekend without thinking of Honoka-chan too much…
Kotori's mind felt guilty, but her heart was feeling very warm, and her lips curved into a huge, silly grin without her permission.
But Honoka-chan is just so adorable…and kind…and warm…Ah~
Kotori held her reddened cheeks for a few more minutes, basking in the afterglow of meeting Honoka in her daydreams on a weekend. After those precious few minutes, Kotori took her sketchbook out to draw the grey overcoat before walking again, to get inspiration from elsewhere.
"Oh, this is different." Kotori stopped outside a store that had a section for rainwear. "It's not like it doesn't rain in spring after all…" Kotori smiled at the displays.
I wouldn't want it to rain when I'm outside though…Ah, that rain jacket looks so cool.
A black rain jacket was glistening from the sun's reflection behind the glass window, and it sported two large pockets on the front and large press buttons.
Those large pockets would be good for keeping our phone or wallets inside…Hm…I wonder what rain shoes they have.
Kotori approached the display window to check out the full set.
Ooh~ The shoes look like leather boots!
Kotori went in to pick it up.
Wah! It's so light! Well, lighter than leather boots that have metal belts on it too…This rain shoes has the look of a leather boot, but the lightweight of a rain boots! How fascinating…
Kotori's eyes glazed over for a moment but broke out of it when the sunlight shined into her eyes for a moment.
Ah…
Kotori placed the boots back down and shied away from the light for a moment to regain her eyesight.
I should walk somewhere else…Ah, the idea of rainwear in spring is nice too.
Kotori went outside the store and took her sketchbook out to jot the new ideas before continuing her window-shopping.
It was not hard for Arisa to find her new home as her worrywart of a sister was pacing outside the front door in wait for her.
"That's my older sister!" Arisa pointed happily to the tall blonde who crossed her arms across her chest as she paced about.
Yukiho and Honoka followed the finger to the person in question; it did not take long for another unexpected reaction to occur from the orange-brown haired vampire. "Eli-chan!"
Eli looked up and was surprised by a blur of orange that was now hugging her. "H-Honoka? What are you doing here?"
Before Honoka could answer, because she was busy hugging the surprised Class President, another voice spoke up. "Onee-chan, you know the Hero?"
"Eh? Hero?" Eli was even more flabbergasted as she tried to pry Honoka off her.
The mentioned hero released Eli from her hug and stood straight with a fist to her chest, smiling proudly again. Arisa nodded, while Eli's expression morphed into heavy worry.
"Did something happen? Are you alright?" Eli held her little sister dearly, checking for any injury until her sister giggled.
"I'm totally alright, Onee-chan. I'm so happy to see you!" Arisa hugged her older sister tightly, which Eli gladly returned.
The moment was disturbed by an "Aww~" from the Hero bystander.
Eli had a lopsided smile at the bizarre situation; she was not expecting her classmate to be here and be called a hero after all. "So, anyone going to explain to me what happened? Honoka being a hero…I can't imagine that."
"Boo! Eli-chan, I'm totally hero material!" Honoka pouted playfully while Eli chuckled.
"How about tea while I tell you what happened, Onee-chan? I promised them tea for bringing me here!" Arisa smiled broadly at the exchange between the older sister she admired and respect with the cheerful hero she has come to admire and respect in the past hour.
"Of course, come on in." Eli guided her little sister and guests into her humble abode.
Eli's house had two levels, and the living room had two long sofas despite living alone, so Eli and Arisa took the one facing the television while Honoka and Yukiho took the adjacent one.
"I'll get us some tea then." Eli stood up.
"Oh, Onee-chan, I brought some from Russia!" Arisa got up to grab the gifts from where she came from.
"Arisa-chan and Eli-chan came from Russia?" Honoka's eyes were shining with excitement.
I wonder what Russian sounds like~ Arisa-chan and Eli-chan sound quite normal.
Eli nodded while waiting for her younger sister to bring her the tea leaves. "Our grandmother is Russian, so we're actually quarter Russian."
"Ohh~"
"Do you even understand what that means, Onee-chan?" Yukiho figured that 'Oh' is a generic answer when her older sister didn't understand something.
"I…I do…" Honoka averted her gaze from everyone to stare at the carpet.
Eli could not help but grin. "It just means that I'm not fully Russian, and that I'm part Japanese, Honoka."
Honoka looked up with more understanding. "I see! So you can speak both Russian and Japanese!"
"That's right." Eli smiled, happy that it did not take further explanation for Honoka to understand. Arisa returned with the tea, so Eli headed for the kitchen.
"C-Can I call you Honoka-san?" Arisa shyly requested.
Honoka nodded happily. "You can just call me Honoka!"
Arisa beamed. "And can I call you Yukiho-chan?" Arisa's eyes were sparkling.
"Eh? Er…S-Sure…A-A-Arisa-chan…" Yukiho was having a hard time making eye contact with the eyes that were filled with admiration and honesty.
"Honoka-san! Yukiho-chan!" Arisa tried calling the two heroes once more as Eli returned with the brewed tea and some snacks.
"You don't have to add the 'san', Arisa-chan!" Honoka gave a huge grin to Arisa.
"But I learnt that 'san' is added for respect for someone who is older…" Arisa was hesitant to break what she learnt.
"Eh? Mm…" Honoka thought for a moment. "It might be, but I insist that you drop the 'san'! It feels so distant." Honoka had a thoughtful frown, she did not like feeling distant to the people she wants to be friends with.
"T-Then…Honoka…chan?" Arisa decided to go with 'chan' instead of 'san'.
"Better!" Honoka beamed which made Arisa feel glad that she did not upset her hero.
"So, explanations?" Eli demanded with a wry smile as she made herself comfortable on her side of the sofa.
Arisa turned to face her older sister and started telling the tale of the Hero Honoka and Yukiho and how they stopped the thief at the airport and reclaimed the safety. Honoka gladly added in sound effects as she moved animatedly, while Yukiho smiled shyly at the twos enthusiasm at relaying the events.
Once the story ended, Eli was left speechless. She felt awe even though she was not there to witness it. She understood that her younger sister loves action shows, but she also knew her sister won't lie, so what happened must have been true, regardless of possible exaggeration.
"I was cool right?" Honoka couldn't stop smiling broadly as she was showered with admiration and attention from the youngest of the quarter Russian pair. It wasn't every day she was placed on the pedestal after all.
Eli looked at Honoka's child-like happy state and smiled, she decided to feed Honoka's ego a bit more.
"Yes, you were really cool. I'm glad you stood up for the old lady, but I think it was dangerous to engage with the thief without a security police by."
"Oh, that's no problem at all! I can take on- Ah!" Honoka was jabbed by her younger sister, and she sat quietly the moment she took in the stern glare from Yukiho.
"Um..?" Eli was surprised by the sudden attack and change of mood.
"I-It's nothing, Eli-san." Yukiho put on a smile to cover up. "I just didn't want to let my older sister exaggerate her capabilities any more than she should…You know, older sisters with a bighead aren't very fun to be around with…" Yukiho averted her gaze from the two quarter Russian sisters.
Eli had a small smile. "I'm not so sure, since I don't grow bigheads."
"Onee-chan is very modest." Arisa giggled softly while Eli smiled at her sister.
Honoka quickly recovered and seized the chance to lighten the mood. "I-I don't grow bigheads! My head's size is always the same!" Honoka held her head as though she was measuring it, which made everyone laugh even Yukiho.
"You know what we mean!" Yukiho punched Honoka's arm lightly.
"Ehehe~" Honoka placed a hand behind her head and laughed sheepishly.
The four continued chatting; about various things such as school in which Eli shared how Honoka was like which Yukiho agreed she could see happening, Honoka shared about Eli which Arisa agreed that her sister is that straitlaced. They also got to know that Arisa will be in the same school as Yukiho, so the younger sisters look forward to spending more time together.
"I think it's about time we returned to the store, so…" Yukiho felt like a lot of time has passed since their delivery.
"Eh~~ I still want to chat more!" Honoka whined.
"Don't try to-"
"I'd like to be able to talk more too…" Arisa admitted with a blush.
"Well…" Yukiho felt bad to be the one to break the happy, chatty atmosphere.
"They have responsibilities with their family, Arisa. We shouldn't hinder their time." Eli took the role as the voice of reasoning.
"I understand…" Arisa smiled to Yukiho and Honoka which allowed Yukiho to sigh in relief that she didn't have to make the light blonde girl sad, while Honoka was still pouting.
"I wanna chat…"
Eli and Yukiho looked to Honoka with eyes that read 'Can't you be more mature?'.
Eli went to open the door for the redhead sisters while Yukiho pulled a reluctant Honoka off the sofa.
"I hope we get to meet again!" Arisa spoke to Honoka.
Honoka smiled brightly; she may be reluctant to go back to work, but ecstatic feelings for a fellow Hero-believer won over the former. "So do I! Eli-chan, I can come over to play, right?" Honoka directed a winning smile to Eli.
"Of course." Eli returned the smile. She felt glad that Arisa was adapting quickly to Japan thanks to Honoka and her younger sister.
They waved goodbye and started for home.
"I hope mum isn't too angry at us…" Yukiho commented but Honoka wasn't paying attention.
"I hope so too! I'll leave mum to you, Yukiho!" Honoka shouted and changed into a bat to fly away from her little sister; she still did not feel like returning to Homura, and the only way out of this is to escape from her little sister.
"Eh? O-Onee-chan!" Yukiho turned around to see the silhouette of her older sister in bat form disappear. "Onee-chan!" Yukiho shouted and sighed heavily. "You better return home soon!" Yukiho knew she lost her older sister already, so she has to return to Homura alone and face the music first.
"Hahaha!" Honoka-bat laughed as she flew further away from her younger sister's sight, she did a loop de loop before flying normally again. "Escape, successful!"
Thunder rumbled in the sky.
"Eh?" Honoka-bat blinked at the quick moving grey clouds which screamed storm. "Is it going to..?" Honoka-bat was not allowed to finish her question when another thunder shook the sky as the flashes of lightning lit the dark clouds and large droplets of water was pelted down from above to the ground below. Honoka-bat took a few of the droplets headfirst.
"Ah! Oh no, it's raining!" Honoka-bat flew ways away from the housing district now, and she wasn't sure where she was, but what she needed now was shelter, where she was did not matter.
Honoka-bat was soaked from head to toes and wing to wing before she landed in an alley which had a small roof jutting out for shelter from the rain. "Ah…I am so wet…" Honoka-bat dropped her wings onto the cold floor, raindrops dripping off her entire body.
Maybe I should change back to human form..?
Honoka was contemplating changing back when another human ran into the same alley shelter she was using.
Woah! T-That was a close call! That's…
Honoka-bat made eye contact with the human, and the human's eyes widened along with Honoka's.
Kotori finished her sketches and began taking a slow stroll, stopping by a bread shop, she was immediately reminded of the indirect kiss she had with the bread-loving gingerhead. She took a strawberry jam bread off the rack and paid for it.
Hehe~ Perhaps I'll eat this later.
Kotori stepped out of the bread shop in which many people were entering and noticed that the street has mostly reduced in number and the remaining ones were hurrying somewhere. Kotori looked up to see the sky has darkened considerably.
"Is it going to..?" Kotori was given an answer to her unfinished question as the sky rumbled and began raining. "Wah!"
Oh dear! I-I've got protect the sketchbook!
Kotori ran in search for shelter as most stores were filled, she also neglected to bring an umbrella since the day felt perfectly sunny earlier.
Anywhere, anywhere that can provide shelter…
Kotori saw a small coverage in an alley and dashed for it, positioning her bag away from the rain and panting to catch her breath, she looked down and saw two round blue orbs staring back at her, her eyes widened.
H-Honoka-chan?
Kotori shook her head.
No, that's a bat. Wait, a bat?
Kotori took in the state of the blue-eyed bat that was staring back at her. It was drenched and seemed to have frozen in place.
I wonder if it's the same bat that Rin-chan saw…
"K-Kotori-chan?" Honoka-bat did not expect a human, and definitely not someone she knew too, she raised her right wing to wave but quickly pulled it back to her as she remembered Umi's reminder to not do humanly actions.
Kotori witnessed the bat raised its wing before hugging it close to its body.
Is it shy?
Kotori gave a small smile and squatted carefully, making sure the white one piece that she was wearing did not reach the floor. "Hello?"
"Hehe~ Hello, Kotori-chan!" Honoka-bat hopped once to the front before jumping backwards. "Ah! I can't turn back into human form! That was a close one…" Honoka-bat sweatdropped and moved her wing across her head in a show of wiping the sweat.
Kotori watched on with awe, this bat was definitely special, whether it was the same one that Rin saw or not.
This bat is so adorable…I never knew bats made such humanly actions. Ah, but it's all wet…
"Are you okay? You must have got caught in the rain too…So did I." Kotori giggled softly with a hand covering her mouth.
"Mm-hm, I got caught in the rain! I was up in the air and the rain got a bunch of direct hits before I could find shelter…" Honoka-bat pointed to the sky and gestured to her back, and sat down; almost changing again. "Wah!" Honoka-bat jumped to her feet. "I almost changed back into human form again…Kotori-chan…You're making this conversation feel too relaxed!" Honoka-bat pouted at Kotori who just kept smiling, though her expression has changed from surprised to fascination and now worry.
It must be describing how it got caught in the rain…
"The rain did fall really suddenly…" Kotori looked out where the rain was falling to see that the rain wasn't letting up, and has only gotten stronger.
"Wah…It's raining even more now…" Honoka-bat followed Kotori's line of sight to see the heavy rain.
Kotori returned her gaze to the drenched bat.
It must be feeling cold since it's all wet…maybe I can help warm it up?
Kotori beckoned to the bat to come closer.
"Mm? You can't hear me from the sound of the rain?" Honoka-bat was not cold; she also guessed Kotori's intentions wrongly as she went over to Kotori.
It trusts me~ Now I can hug it to give it some warmth.
Kotori grinned wider, glad that the bat trusted her enough to come closer. She scooped the bat into her arms to hold it closer, with all the honest intentions of warming the little bat. However, the results were like a mischievous devil at work as she pressed the bat's face against her rather exposed chest.
The rain had made the white dress Kotori wore stick to her body and also translucent; as the fabric and skin below is now more visible making Honoka-bat squirm.
"Ah, um, Kotori-chan! K-K-Kotori-chan..!" Honoka-bat tried to break free and pushed, but froze in mid-action when she realized that would be molesting the unknowing girl. "Ah..! I-I-I can see Kotori-chan's pink…lacy…bra…Ah! Don't look, Honoka!" Honoka-bat hid her face behind her wings to hide her blush.
Does it not like how I'm holding it..? I hope I didn't hurt it…
Kotori was worried that she hurt the bat, so she brought the bat away from her chest and let it rest on her palms instead.
"Sorry, I hope I didn't hurt you…I just wanted to warm you up because you look quite cold…" Kotori smiled a gentle but nervous smile to the shivering bat that hid behind its wings.
Honoka-bat shook her head violently when she heard Kotori's intentions. "Y-Y-You didn't hurt me, Kotori-chan! It's just that-"
Honoka-bat made the mistake of opening her eyes which provided her the zoomed out view of Kotori's tinted light pink cheeks, traces of rain from earlier trickling down Kotori's neck to the space in between her chest, and the white against pink. Honoka-bat flipped in Kotori's hands and buried her face in Kotori's soft fingers, exposing her butt for Kotori to see, though since it's a bat's butt there isn't a problem.
"Wah…!" Honoka-bat screamed into Kotori's soft fingers, not sure what she should be doing.
"Eh? Um…" Kotori did not know what to make of the situation; the bat seemed to dislike what she just did, but it was making such cute noises and actions that it made Kotori want to smile.
This bat is just so adorable…It reminds me of Honoka-chan…
Kotori giggled which made Honoka-bat peek behind to see Kotori.
Ah…Maybe I could help dry it and keep it warm with my cardigan.
Kotori placed the bat onto the floor carefully and took off her short, baby blue cardigan.
Honoka-bat who just got off Kotori's hands went wide eyed. "K-Kotori-chan?! You should try to cover as much as you can-"
Honoka-bat was cut off when Kotori used the cardigan to rub gently at its back to the wings, which Honoka-bat could not help but spread for Kotori to dry.
Ah…The bat is allowing me to dry it…Hehe~
When Kotori pat softly on Honoka-bat's cheek, she was reminded of where her cheek was earlier. "K-Kotori-chan!"
Honoka-bat grabbed the cardigan with her feet and flew at Kotori, wrapping the garment around Kotori's chest. "You should cover yourself! What if someone s-saw!" Honoka-bat exclaimed as she kept her altitude around Kotori's face.
Eh? I'm not feeling very cold, little bat…
"Eh? Um…I'm okay without the cardigan…" Kotori smiled, thinking that the bat might have thought that she would be cold without.
"No, you're not!" Honoka-bat was feeling very exasperated, and had half a mind to change back to human form so that she can tell Kotori what's wrong, but she knew better than to do that. Honoka-bat puffed her cheeks at Kotori before crossing her wings across her chest.
Ah…I think I made it angry…
"O-Okay…I'll wear the cardigan, since you insist." Kotori gave a small smile, hoping to appease the bat, and it did, since the bat stopped pouting.
"Ah~ I can't wait to finish the banner and meet that rea~lly cute bat again, nya~" Honoka-bat looked behind Kotori while Kotori turned to see Rin wearing a cat-eared rain coat as she skipped by.
Kotori would have called out to Rin if she had an umbrella, but since she doesn't she just smiled at Rin skipping through the streets in the rain.
Perhaps Rin-chan is running an errand…
"Oh, Rin-chan hopes to see you again. Ah! If you're the bat that Rin-chan met!" Kotori added since it's not confirmed that the bat Rin met is the same as this one, though Kotori don't think that there would be many bats that reacts like a human around.
"Rin-chan wants to see me again? Hehe~ That sounds fun!" Honoka-bat chuckled.
"If you know a bat that met a cat-like girl who was eating ramen in the night…you could tell your friend to go see her…" Kotori tried relaying the message, or hoped that the message would be relayed that Rin wants a second meeting.
"I will! Thanks for letting me know, Kotori-chan!" Honoka-bat beamed at Kotori with her fangs.
"Let's wait for the rain to let up together?" Kotori leaned against the dry but cold wall and looked over to the bat who nodded and lined itself by the wall beside Kotori.
"Sounds like a plan~" Honoka-bat relaxed for a bit before going on high alert again. "I almost changed again..! Let's talk more, Kotori-chan! So I don't' let my guard down…"
Kotori smiled at the bat that copied her actions.
This bat is really intelligent…I wouldn't mind bringing it back home~ But mum definitely won't allow it…I think…
At a table outside the café, three vampires who decided to meet up this Sunday to get to know each other more were now stuck at the café till the rain lets up.
The three vampires don't fancy drinking human beverages though water is fine, but since they were going to take up a table, they ordered a single hot tea in the pretence of trying the same drink.
"The world sure knows how to throw a wet blanket on our fun." Nico has been staring at the rain falling from the clouds for some time now, while Nozomi and Hanayo followed suit to enjoy the sound of rain and quietened chatter from inside the café.
"Aw, I'm still having fun~ Don't be such a downer, Niccochi." Nozomi tapped lightly at Nico's feet with her own, feeling a little lazy to move her hands.
"…" Nico frowned. "Stop kicking me. You're going to get my shoes dirty!" Nico threw a glare at the grinning purplenette.
"I-I'm still having fun too!" Hanayo stuttered, despite opening up a lot more from spending more time with her new friends earlier in the day. "J-Just being with…N-Nico-chan and N-Nozomi-chan…is fun…for me…" Hanayo fidgeted and spun her fingers around each other nervously.
Nozomi looked over at the shy vampire with a caring and understanding gaze. "I feel the same way, Hanayo-chan. Right, Niccochi?"
Nico raised an eyebrow before looking away to hide her reddening cheeks. "Yeah, whatever."
Nozomi chuckled at Nico's dishonest display while Nico huffed. Hanayo looked on at the interaction between her two new friends and hope that she can naturally tease or just speak with them someday.
"So…" Nico rested her chin on her left hand. "I get that Nozomi is an annoying, spiritual-believing, glutton who loves meat vampire-"
"And Nicocchi is a short, small, tiny, petite-"
"Hey!" Nico glared at Nozomi while Nozomi raised both hands up in surrender.
"I'm just returning the favour~"
"Ugh…" Nico groaned before resting her chin on her palm again. "And Hanayo here is an overly shy, rice-loving vampire. Plus your bestfriend is a human."
Hanayo nodded shyly.
"Well, we're done knowing each other. Let's-"
A cat-hooded girl skipped pass their table which made Nico stop mid-sentence. The other two followed her gaze.
"R-Rin-chan?" Hanayo recognized the bubbly, orange haired girl under the cat raincoat.
The passer-by paused her happy pace to turn to the voice that called her; her face broke into a wide smile. "Kayochin, nya! What are you doing here? I just went shopping, nya! What a small world~"
"Ah…Um…I'm with Nico-chan and Nozomi-chan…" Hanayo gestured to her company.
"Oh~! Hello, Nico-chan, Nozomi-chan nya~!" Rin greeted.
"Hello, Rin-chan." Nozomi smiled to the energetic girl.
"Hello." Nico greeted with her eyebrows raised, wondering who would go shopping when it's pouring so badly, even if you have a really cute cat-hooded raincoat and rain boots.
"What did you shop for, Rin-chan?" Nozomi asked the question on the mind of every one sitting at the table.
"Nya?" Rin blinked once before bouncing. "Oh~ I wanted a glittering orange marker for my banner!"
"A banner?" Hanayo asked which Rin nodded excitedly to.
"Yes, nya! I'm gonna make a 'Welcome Bat' banner!" Rin's eyes were sparkling with excitement as her broad smile portrayed how proud she was of her wordplay.
"W-Welcome bat..? Not back?" Hanayo hoped she heard wrongly while Nico frowned, and Nozomi tried to keep her grin.
"Yes, nya! Rin think bats would say 'Welcome bat' instead of 'Welcome back' right?" Rin shared her thought process with a giggle. "Isn't Rin smart, nya? Rin is gonna welcome that really cute bat back, nya~ Rin hopes we can meet again." Rin smiled fondly at the memory of the very interesting bat she encountered that night.
"Mm…" Hanayo didn't know what she could say.
"Well, Rin gotta go now, Kayochin. See you tomorrow! Bye bye, Nico-chan, Nozomi-chan!" Rin waved goodbye with the orange marker that was now getting wet by the rain before skipping off.
"…" Silence returned to the café table while Nico, Nozomi and Hanayo held worried expressions and feelings.
Nozomi tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Rin-chan wanting to meet the very different bat is so cute…don't you think?" She looked over to Hanayo who had worry spilling out of her very existence.
"How is that cute? It's horrible, Nozomi!" Nico the realist places the facts on the table. "That bat is definitely vampire!" Hanayo paled even more.
"W-What should we do?"
"We've got to do something." Nico stated as a matter of fact. "We've got to do this fast before the bat visits." Nico furrowed her eyebrows, while Nozomi nodded, agreeing that it's better to not let there be a chance for the bat to see the Welcome banner.
"Um…Rin-chan isn't very good with handiworks and arts & craft…So I don't think she will be able to complete it so fast..?" Hanayo shared her knowledge for planning.
"Hm…" Nozomi hummed in thought. "How long do you think she will take?"
"Um…maybe…perhaps…it could…"
"Oh, just get with the estimation." Nico lost her patience.
"Ah, um." Hanayo squeaked, surprised at Nico's raised voice. "Maybe two days?"
"Two days, huh." Nico counted the date in her head.
"If Rin-chan focuses and does it…I think." Hanayo added.
"That's good enough information. How about we meet at Rin-chan's place on Tuesday night then?" Nozomi suggested.
"To Rin-chan's house?!" Hanayo voiced worriedly.
"Duh, we've got to remove that banner." Nico pointed.
"We'll be at her window, not her front door, Hanayo-chan." Nozomi guessed that Hanayo thought they were planning to confront Rin face to face, but that of course was not the plan.
"Oh…Okays. G-Good luck?"
"You're coming too, Hanayo."
"Ehh?!" Hanayo shrieked at the thought of climbing to her bestfriend's window to take down her hard work.
Nico stared at Hanayo. "You do know you're the one with knowledge of where Rin lives right?"
"Ah…Right…" Hanayo only just realized.
Nozomi giggled. "With that settled."
"What's settled?" Nico grunted.
"Let's enjoy our date, yes?" Nozomi clapped both hands together, grinning.
"M-Mmph…" Hanayo had a small smile, still afraid of expressing herself.
"It's still raining cats and dogs, so we're stuck at this café." Nico pointed at the sky with her pointer finger.
The other two lowered their gazes, feeling slightly upset that they can't walk around and play more.
The sun or rain did not really matter for Sonoda Umi who was spending her weekend indoors. However, the Sonoda archery range is open-aired, so it was a fortunate thing that she had practiced scoring at least a 90% bull's eye in the morning. She only shot an off mark when a certain orange-brown haired childhood friends of hers pop by in her head saying "Umi-chan, your form is so pretty~" which made Umi blush and lost her posture.
It was nearing evening when she did some self-study, Umi then moved to the dojo for some kendo practice with her father. The Sonoda family believes that learning the tools that humans use can come in handy as an extension to their natural ability and her father is already considering the usage of guns in the future.
Umi and her father bowed before the beginning of their match.
I hope to get three points out of Father today…
"Ha!"
No, I should not be hoping. Fight for it.
"Ha!"
They exchanged blows, side stepping and parrying for a good thirty minutes before her father got her good with a back attack.
Umi blinked out of her concentration and smiled, though it was not visible under the mask. They faced each other and bowed once more, each taking their mask out, now revealing their satisfied smiles.
Father is just amazing…I just could not decide when to attempt a fast one…
"Were you still waiting for an opportunity, Umi?"
"Yes…But Father's stance did not seem to leave an opening for attack at all…"
Umi's father had a small smile. "I told you; create your own opportunity."
Umi lowered her gaze to the centre of the dojo.
Create my own opportunity…It isn't as simple as it seems. There are so many factors to consider after all…
"Your stance was near perfect too, but I chose when to use my speed and pull a surprise attack when you were not expecting it. Or should I say, might have not been expecting that."
Might…that's 'hoping', is it not? Leaving it to the hands of fate…
"So it's…luck?" Umi furrowed her eyebrows while her father chuckled.
"Luck is always a factor, Umi. But if you don't do anything but play defend, you won't get the hit."
Umi smiled, thinking about how she had always been one to wait out for the "correct" timing, while Honoka would run off headfirst and somehow get something out of it.
If only I could be as fearless as Honoka…
Umi's father noticed the warm smile on his daughter's face. "Honoka on your mind?"
"Yes…" Umi answered without thinking, only realizing a second after, thus turning as red as her other childhood friend's hair colour. "N-No! I didn't say that, Father. I was thinking about how to improve in kendo…"
What was I thinking?! Just admitting to thinking of Honoka…Why is she so talented at embarrassing me, even when she isn't here…
Umi knew from her father's bemused and knowing smile that he was not buying whatever excuse she can try to come up with, so she sighed.
Children must be entertainment for parents…
"Not hanging out with her this weekend?"
"I have a busy schedule." Umi shrugged while raising her kendo sword.
I wonder what Honoka is doing now…Hopefully not causing trouble for others or herself…
"When you want to see someone, you will make time for them no matter what 'schedule' says. In fact, schedule will have that person's name in it." Umi's father's eyes twinkled, while Umi felt her admiration for her father growing again. The wise words from her father always strike her to the soul; providing wisdom to the inexperienced her.
However, since this word of advice was for a matter like meeting the annoying, smiling silly, impulsive ginger, she frowned.
Why should I be the one to make time for her? She should come and find me… Wait, what am I even thinking of? Do I want…Honoka to come and find me..?
"Let's wrap up and have dinner?"
"Ah, right." Umi reached for her father's sword to help return, while her father waited for her at the door.
Honoka is…She does things at her own pace so much that I can barely second guess her next action. I have to be the one to find her and set her on course.
Umi decided that her schedule would include Honoka in it anyways and so, making time for Honoka she will.
Maki wore a white lab coat and held a clipboard as she exited another room. Today she was on patient duty instead of experiments for future medicine or other handy discovery for humans and vampires alike. The previous patient being her last for the day, she went to the lounge to relax.
"Maki, thank you for today." Maki's mum greeted her daughter.
"It wasn't much, mum." Maki wore a tired smile and stretched after taking off her coat.
"Hm…" Maki's mum hummed in thought.
"Is something wrong?" Maki looked over concernedly.
"I'm thinking that my daughter has not been spending much time with her friends. And as a healthy teenager, she should be." Maki's mum had a playful smile.
Friends…Honoka and Umi are probably busy with their families' right about now.
"Honoka and Umi would be home, no?"
"Eh?" Maki blinked and took a step back defensively as her mum seemed to have read her mind.
Even if they are home…
"Papa and I will be busy this evening, so you could go look for them for dinner?"
Dinner with Honoka…and Umi, of course. But going over uninvited…
"Honoka always drops by every now and then too, after all." Maki's mum chuckled at the memory of the energetic ginger popping by, surprising the family of doctors but bringing along a bright smile.
"That's true…" Maki smiled wryly at the same memory her mum was thinking of.
It sounds fun too…Perhaps I could give it a try.
"Of course, we can always call to tell them you're on the way." Maki's mum shrugged at the phone on the desk which made Maki smile. Technology is abundant in this day and age, appearing in someone else's house without a word is could be considered rude already.
"Right. I'll stop by Umi's house first then."
We could head over to Honoka's house as per usual.
"Oh? Not Honoka's?" Maki's eyes widened, she can tell that the tease was coming, but she really could not do anything about. "And then stay for dinner with her, without Umi around."
Maki did not want to, but her body reaction was out of her control, she burned scarlet. "I-I won't leave Umi out of a…a friendly dinner…"
Maki's mum laughed. "Alright, alright. I've got to go now, so I'll just take one point for tonight."
Maki frowned. "Mm…"
Maybe I should team up with Papa to get back at Mama from all these teasing…
Maki's mum passed her daughter and leaned in to give her a peck on her cheek. "Have fun, Maki."
"Take care, mama." Maki pecked her mum's cheek too and left with her mum.
Maki called Umi to find out that they were having dinner already, so she said she will get dinner outside before going over to look for Honoka. Why not try having dinner at Honoka's? Because Maki felt like it would be too embarrassing to dine with the Kousaka family on her own even though she done it before many times.
Maki entered through the front door, Homura. "Honoka-mama, is Honoka around?"
Yukiho popped her head out of the kitchen. "Onee-chan flew off after we did a delivery! Maki-chan should totally scold her later!" Yukiho popped back inside the kitchen as suddenly as she popped out.
Maki had a wry smile before frowning. "Running away from responsibilities again?"
Honoka-mama chuckled, already coming to terms with today's case. "Would you like to wait for her upstairs?"
"Yeah, I'll wait for her upstairs." Maki started for the stairs but stopped. "Um…Honoka-mama, do you need any help?"
"It's okay, the evening crowd is manageable. Thanks for the offer, Maki-chan." Honoka-mama smiled at the sweet intentions from the redhead who was practically like another daughter to her, as with Umi.
Maki nodded with a small smile and went to Honoka's room.
Inside Honoka's room, she pulled out her phone to call Honoka, but it went to voice mail, so she messaged Umi about Honoka's absence before making herself at home.
"Do you know what time she will be back? I'm coming over now." Umi replied.
Honoka is an unknown case.
"She ran away from work. Not sure when she will be back." Maki sent her reply before returning to strolling around Honoka's room like it was a museum.
Honoka sure reads a lot of manga…I won't deny how funny or cute it can get but…she could try reading some astronomy or human anatomy some time…
Maki noticed a book with a star bookmark sticking out of the bottom shelf and bend down to take a look.
"My North Star…" Maki raised an eyebrow before flipping the book to check its summary.
The title sounds cheesy…And the story is romance, as expected…
Maki was okay with reading romance, but picking up someone else's read is a different matter. Her cheeks were glowing as she returned the book, however, her phone's beep surprised her and she dropped the book which opened to where the reader has stopped.
The main character, Maki assumed, placed her hand gently on the person lying beside her, obviously her crush or couple already, only the reader would know, and went on to spout cheesier lines that made Maki flushed.
"The brightest stars I see are always in your mesmerizing violets…"
Maki felt the need to blush even more when she realized the partner had violet eyes like hers, she quickly picked up the book to close it, but not before noticing the scribbles of messy handwriting that could only belong to the orange-brown haired vampire that attacked her thoughts at this moment.
"Reading a book about stars related to stars for Maki-chan!"
"…" Maki shut the book tight when two knocks sounded from the door, she fumbled in returning the book to where it belonged before standing up straight, trying to not look suspicious.
For me? What the heck, Honoka… Are you actually trying to make me flustered…Wait, why am I even feeling flustered? Ugh…
Maki hurried to her phone which made her knock into the coffee table. "Ouch!"
The door opened for Umi to see Maki clutching her leg. "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah…" Maki stumbled her way to Honoka's bed to sit.
"Were you doing something you shouldn't be doing?" Umi had a wry smile, blatantly trying to tease the redhead who had a complexion matching her hair.
"N-No…Just looking at what manga Honoka has…" Maki looked away, willing her blush to die down.
"Hm, she should be reading her math textbook instead when she has the time…" Umi took a seat on the ground.
Maki reached for her phone. "Oh, missed your text earlier."
"No problem, I was just letting you know that we could formulate a plan to get Honoka back home." Umi's mouth set in a line, not sure to smile or frown.
Maki decided to smile. "Umi the expert at catching Honoka should do the trick."
"If it was that easy…It's about to be night already." Umi frowned, she did not want a repeat of Honoka's night escapade.
"True. I'm sure she won't be very late. It was raining earlier, so she might be taking cover."
"I'm surprised you know that it rained." Umi raised her eyebrows, the daughter of doctors tend to say she did not know whether it was sunny, rainy or had rainbows in the sky when Honoka shared her opinion of the weather.
"The floor was wet, so…" Maki explained.
"Ah, I see."
The two childhood friends sat around as they waited for the third of the party to return, at times chatting, at times just enjoying the silence.
When the rain had eased up, Honoka-bat immediately flapped her wings and flew in front of Kotori.
"Kotori-chan! The rain has let up~ Let's go home!"
Kotori giggled. "Mmph, the rain has let up…Do you want to come over to my house? Maybe get more dry..?"
I'd like to spend more time with you…
"Mm…I'm not very sure where I am now, so I guess following Kotori-chan first would be good…" Honoka-bat landed in front of Kotori and put a wing to her chin as she thought aloud.
Hehe…The bat must be thinking right now…I wonder where it learnt all those human actions…
"Let's go then, Kotori-chan! Before it rains again!" Honoka-bat pumped a wing in the air while Kotori stood up.
Kotori took off the cardigan that was haphazardly wrapped around her by the adorable bat beside her, so she can wear it properly. Honoka-bat saw Kotori taking off the cardigan and screamed.
"Wah! K-Kotori-chan?! B-But your chest!" Honoka-bat shot herself backwards which made her crash into the opposite wall and fell to the floor. "Uu…"
"Ah! Are you okay?" Kotori quickly donned her cardigan and rushed over to the fallen bat, picking it up gently.
"I-I'm okay…Kotori-chan…I sometimes…forget how to control my speed or strength…" Honoka rubbed her back and looked up to see that Kotori's dress has dried considerably, so it was no longer showing off Kotori's bra. "L-Let's go?" Honoka-bat pointed to the outside which Kotori understood as 'go out', so she carried the bat carefully as she went for the exit, not noticing the dent the bat had placed in the wall when it flew backwards earlier.
Ah, bats aren't really good with light, so…
Kotori moved the bat under her cardigan to give it coverage from the setting sun's light.
"Kotori-chan..?" Honoka-bat who had her eyes closed for a moment of relief that Kotori's bra was not visible, but opened them to be trapped within the baby blue cardigan and the white dress. Again, near Kotori's chest. "Wah!" Honoka-bat fell backwards onto Kotori's cardigan so as to not accidentally touch Kotori's chest. She decided that shielding her sight from the world until she reached Kotori's house was the best choice of action now, thus she wrapped her wings around her head.
"Oh, look." Kotori commented when she stopped by the junction which she would have to part with Honoka to go to her house. Honoka-bat peered out. "This is where I walk home from school."
"Same here~" Honoka-bat hopped to her feet and took a plunge. "See you tomorrow, Kotori-chan!" Honoka-bat flapped her wings and gave a quick wave before flying off for home.
"Ah, oh…bye bye…" Kotori was surprised by the bat's sudden movement but returned the wave with a smile. "I hope we can meet again…"
"Me too!" Honoka-bat called back with a grin and air flip.
Honoka-bat guessed that the front door would equate to nagging, but she knew she had to apologize, so she changed form when she was sure that no one was around, and went in.
"H-Hey…mum. I'm back…Sorry, I'm late?" Honoka smiled nervously, praying that she won't get an allowance cut.
"Welcome back, Honoka. Umi-chan and Maki-chan are in your room waiting for you." Honoka's eyes widened in horror at the names of her childhood friends.
"Am I going to get scolded?"
"I sure hope so." Yukiho crossed her arms and scowled at her sister.
"Ah…heh heh…I'm sorry for leaving you alone earlier, Yukiho…" Honoka placed her hand at her neck apologetically.
Yukiho just "Hmph" and went for her room.
"Oh well…guess I'll have to make it up to Yukiho later."
"You could buy her pudding." Honoka's mum offered.
"Mmph! See you, mum!" Honoka ran up the stairs to her room, but stopped outside, bracing herself for some scolding.
Honoka knocked her room's door.
"You don't have to knock the door to your own room, right?" Umi asked from inside.
Honoka laughed nervously as she opened the door slowly. "Well…I wouldn't want to scare you…" Honoka closed the door and gave a crooked smile to the two residents in her room.
"And where have you been?" Umi wore a serious expression deliberately; she discussed with Maki earlier that they could try to be less harsh on her, but for the sake of it, she will pretend to be stern at the beginning.
"Playing in the rain, Honoka?" Maki kept her poker face, though she was smiling internally, happy to see Honoka back before sun down.
"Ah…I didn't expect it to rain, really…It rained so suddenly! And so I was outside taking cover for some time…I saw Rin-chan too!" Honoka became bubbly as she recounted what happened.
"Don't tell me you…" Umi left her words hanging, hoping that Honoka did not go about acting humanly in bat form in front of Rin a second time.
"Oh, I didn't get to say hi. Rin-chan was skipping in the rain in this really cute cat rain coat!" Honoka smiled broadly.
"Cat rain coat, huh?" Maki smiled, wondering if Honoka would wear that, she blushed at the thought and quickly tried to physically erase the thought by brushing her hand above her head.
"Maki?" Umi did not know why Maki swept her hand above her head so she asked. "Is there a mosquito?"
Maki frowned. "If there was, I would be its only food source, so no."
"Hehe~ Maki-chan would prefer someone else sucking her blood right?" Honoka bounced on her bed, sidling up to Maki which made the redhead turn tomato.
"W-Why would I even want my blood to be sucked?" Maki leaned away from the vampire who was leaning extremely close to her neck.
"Stop playing around." Umi pulled Honoka by the shirt away from the only human in the house.
"Ehehe~" Honoka naturally moved her hand behind her head as she laughed sheepishly, though she was hardly repentant.
The three conversed about their weekend for a few hours before they decided to leave before it gets too late for Maki again. Umi reminded Honoka to clean herself properly, pack for school and that they will be hunting together soon, which Honoka just nodded with her goofy smile to each reminder. Umi shook her head, she could only pray for Honoka to remember any of the things she reminded her of, before she left for home with Maki.
Author Notes
Sunday; a day for respite, leisure and quality time with yourself or with family and friends. Or for a writer like Miyuki, staying home and writing so as to be able to share with everyone some love~ X'D
Hehes~ It's another long chapter! ^^ Sunday is fun isn't it? And rainy shenanigans too~
I kind of realized that Honoka tend to speak her mind…so if I try to share her thoughts there isn't much, since she might just say what she's thinking~ :P But of course, she still thinks, just not as much as Kotori or Maki~ XP
So~ Let me know what y'all thought of this lovely Sunday the girls had~ *O* Honoka and Yukiho meets the Ayase family! (I totally had fun writing that~ Eli worries while Arisa fangirls~ hahas~ XD)
Nico-Nozomi-Hanayo trio of vampires hanging out~
Mm…anyways! *O*
Leave a comment if you like~ I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts~ XD