"I think the ceremony went pretty well, don't you think so Kyou-chan?"

"Somewhat," Kyousuke mumbled under his breath, "would have been better if the principle had stop Isshenji halfway through his rant. Honestly, you'd think the guy would get the hint if the entire crowd had started nodding off."

"He's always been the charismatic fellow. I'm sure he couldn't help it," Manami tried to defend her class rep's stance, but knew it was futile. What should have been a 5 minute inspiration dragged on to a 25 minute seminar about the upbringing of gentlemen in their society… rather, lack thereof in his view.

"He needs to cool down on the determination factor else he's gonna float away from all the hot air. Maybe he'll just burst instead," Kyousuke added as he expanded his arms to mimic the expression. Manami giggled while she continued to walk beside him.

Although the school event concluded later than expected, Kyousuke had plenty of time to hang out with Manami before reporting back home. He was thankful that the middle school let out much earlier than theirs, so Kirino should have already been preoccupied with other activities or schoolgirl escapades. Anywhere but home, Kyousuke desperately hoped.

"This is so refreshing," Kyousuke commented out loud all of a sudden.

"Eh? What is?"

"This routine walk home. Being with you. Even though it was just a single day off the usual tradition, I felt so out of place; out of mind."

Manami blushed before she looked down to the ground, attempting to compose her beating heart. "That's very kind of you, Kyou-chan. I... feel the same way. A bit."

Kyousuke chuckled, oblivious to the subtlety of her confession. "Yeah, it's much better than getting dragged around by that witch."

"You mean that girl… she was that mean to you?"

"As usua- AH!" Kyousuke bit down on his tongue to prevent himself from revealing more than Manami needed to know. However, to no prevail.

"Y-You've done stuff with her before? I didn't know Kyou-chan preferred his women like that…"

Kyousuke stumbled at his feet as he panicked by her misconception. "No no! You've got it all wrong, and I don't! Crap, I went and said too much." He slapped his forehead to atone for the slip of his tongue.

"Don't worry, I promise I won't tell anyone about your affairs, Kyou-chan!"

"Urgh, it's the fact that you KNOW which worries me. And it's not an affair."

"You know, it's better to forget this conversation ever happened," Kyousuke dully stated. "In fact, these past three days never happened. Cleanse." Kyousuke brushed his hand over his face in a swift motion, as if to wipe his mind.

Manami frantically shook his shoulders to regain his attention. The tease was too much for her to handle.

"Come on, just give me a hint of who it was."

"Nope. Out of sight, out of mind. Hey, I'll race you the rest of the way to the shrine!"

He quickened his pace once he turned down the familiar alleyway ahead. He used the nearby light post as a sling to build his momentum. He laughed heartily as he picked up speed, hardly hearing Manami's distant pleas for him to slow down. Deliberately, he lessened his face in order for her to catch up. All the while he took in the welcoming scenery before him.

The outlook of the popular street had not changed for as long as Kyousuke could recall, nor had the spirit of the people diminished. All of the residents he passed had pleasant smiles to greet him as they carried out their duties; it had always been like that since he was once a youngster running down the sidewalk to visit Manami. He might even convince himself that not even a drastic flow of economic times would tarnish their perspectives on life.

Each house stacked along the street row was well-maintained and followed a common pattern amongst the neighborhood; a splatter of light tan atop the roofs to complement the high sun above, and a coat of white to demonstrate their cleanliness. From every other light post spanned banners which upheld the street's name. In many ways, it was like the residents were always preparing for a festival coming, or host their own if necessary. Unlike the rest of the town, there was no sense of delinquency found in the form of graffiti or broken posts. The entire district relished in their outlook without much competition.

Perhaps they boast their morality because of the Tamura shrine which overlooked the lane from uphill. The shrine itself was more than a delight to see from the street, surrounded by bulky trees that add on the ancestry of the area. If only more trees were planted in between some of the houses, then the street would truly benefit from the natural view. Instead, urban cement stretched out for yards until reaching the dirt drive of the shrine. Nonetheless, this was Kyousuke's favorite street.

His senses were comforted by the many joys affiliated with his memories. By smell, he knew the local bakery was on the other side of the street, doors open to waft out the delicacy of their fine pastries (which reminded Kyousuke that he hungered). The screeching sound of the train hummed by his left ear, outlining to him its trajectory along the rail tracks on the adjacent road. The warm air splashed against his skin and hair as he jogged towards the low wind. This calming sensation would have motivated him to pick up exercising… if he cared for it.

However, all good things must come to an end for the poor Kyousuke. He noticed something- rather, someone familiar fashioned in school clothes halfway down the road as he slowed to a stop. He could not believe who it was, prompting him to rub his eyes. After a vigorous rub, he looked again to see her standing beside the main light post with arms crossed.

Kirino's face was tainted with anger, and her foot tapped in strong tempo against the ground. He couldn't fathom the cause for why she was waiting there, though knew he had to be the reason. He could foresee the tantrum building in her gripped hands on her bag's handle, tightening and pulsing as he drew near. Was he in that deep in shit for something he didn't know about?

Kyousuke knew she didn't mention a word about meeting up after the ceremony, so why was she waiting? Better yet, why was she waiting along the route to Manami's house? Granted it was no surprise that any casual day Kyousuke would walk Manami to her place, which had been a tradition since they were young, but for Kirino to patiently intercept them is a mystery. Even better yet, how long had she been waiting there? Yes, Kyousuke was definitely in deep shit.

He stopped in front of her and opened his mouth for a greeting, but couldn't think of the best way to avoid the upcoming anger. Anything beyond the scope of "hello" was bound to set her off, yet "hello" might promote a kick to the groin. Actions might speak louder than words like if he ran away, but she would catch up to him in no time as a track runner. What was he supposed to do in such a damnable situation?

Thankfully, Manami managed to catch up in time to prevent Kyousuke's blunder by breathing heavily. He probably should have known that she was not that athletic and let her catch her breath earlier, but this was the best timing for his safety. She took a moment to recover a bit before she brought out her casual smile.

"Good evening *gasp*, Kirino-chan. What are you *gasp* doing all the way *gasp* out here?"

"Waiting on this idiot here, Neighbor Girl. Otou-san told me to send you straight home. Now."

"Seriously? There's still about 12 minutes before I have to go home-"

"Did you not hear the 'now' part or are you too stupid to understand that?" Kirino left no room for argument as she grabbed the edge of his sleeve and motioned their leave. "Take me home already."

Kyousuke sighed to accept his fate. He wouldn't want to cause such an unnecessary scene in front of Manami. "Guess I have no choice. Sorry Manami, seems like our walk was cut short."

Manami waved her hands innocently. "Please don't worry about it. If Kousaka-san asked that of you, then I shouldn't get in your way. Thank you for walking this far though, Kyou-chan."

"Of course, I'll try to stop by in a few da- OUCH!" Kyousuke jumped at the sharp pain that rode up his arm. Kirino's grip dug into his skin as if to warn him of his words; this was farther emphasized by her stern expression.

"Okay, I'll give you a call. Bye Kyou-chan, bye Kirino-chan!"

Kyousuke managed to sneak a wave to Manami before Kirino gave another tug. He felt the aggravation rise in him as he heard her mumble in a dark tone.

"The hell is your problem? Shouldn't you be at home?"

He assumed she was ignoring him when she refused to respond, which only agitated him more. A few seconds later, he could no longer hold back his frustration once he pulled at her to get her attention.

"Answer me already, damn it."

"What the hell took you so long, dumbass?"

Kyousuke's eye twitched as he fell into their regular routine. "Stop avoiding the question. What do you mean what took me so long?"

"I had been frickin' waiting at that post for more than forty minutes. Your ceremony was supposed to be over long ago. What were you doing with Neighbor Girl all that time?"

"What reason would you have for waiting at that particular spot?"

"I know you walk Neighbor Girl along this street every day. Seems you're doing more than that though."

"Shut it, we did not. Her name is Manami, not Neighbor Girl. Besides, our ceremony lasted longer than needed."

"Liar." Kirino pinched at his skin once more which he twitched in agony.

"Quit that shit already! I'm telling you the truth. Now what's the real reason that you were stalking us?"

Unexpectedly, Kirino stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked up at him. He could outline the fire burning within her eyes if he had a marker.

"Why are you spending time with her? You're supposed to be pampering to my needs."

Kyousuke smirked at such a weird statement. What the hell was going through her mind? "What's this crap? You didn't schedule any harassment for today. I hadn't seen her in a while so I took my normal route."

"Idiot!" Kirino kicked his shin, causing him to crumble over to holster the blunt pain. She had plenty of power behind her kicks, as Kyousuke already knew. Then she walked away with a humph and a hastened pace.

"Owow, what the hell was that for?" Kyousuke mustered the strength to ignore the stinging twinge and hurried to catch up to her. He managed to grab her hand before she increased the distance, and forced her to stop.

"Explain this nonsense already, I don't get why you're so angry when you're in the wrong."

Kirino spun around as if getting ready to slap him unconscious. "You're in the wrong, dipshit! You're going out with me, not her!"

"Wha-What? Why are you bringing that up?"

"Because it's true! You're not allowed to flirt with other girls!"

"It's not flirting Kirino, we are hanging out like we always do!"

"That's flirting!"

"How is that even- Urgh," Kyousuke rubbed his eyes which throbbed ferociously. He was in the middle of a once peaceful scenario having a stupid argument with his sister. Why can't he even get a day away from this havoc?

"…You're making me… -lous." Kyousuke could not hear the last of her response before she turned her face away from him, bowing down her head in the process.

"What? Speak up." He knew he was going to regret saying that.

"You're making me jealous, idiot!" As he feared, she poured her anger into her tone. The volume was nearly screaming even if he had covered his ears. He didn't know if he was more fazed by the sheer magnitude of her voice or the meaning behind it.

"Jealous? Of Manami?"

Kirino didn't respond verbally, but instead grabbed his hand and tightened her squeeze. He was baffled by how much intention she had to pull through this relationship ordeal. She was being completely serious to the point that she thought of Manami as a potential obstacle.

"…I can't believe this." Kyousuke rubbed his free hand through her hair as he moved closer. He could hear the tail of a hiccup escape her mouth as he pulled her head close to his chest. Was she sobbing? He tried to calm himself in order to prevent any more of a scene. Kirino was not making things better as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

'She's really messed up,' Kyousuke thought before he moved his hand down to wipe her eyes, feeling the tears starting to form.

"It's not like that. Don't even think of it like such either; Manami is my friend, that's all."

Again, Kirino chose not to respond other than with her hand. Kyousuke took it as a sign to get her back home before anything more came from this breakdown.

"Alright let's go, we need to get home anyways. Wasted enough time yammering on about this dilemma." He pulled her aside and motioned her to follow. He tried to slip his hand out of hers, but felt her tighten around him. He didn't need to look down or listen to hear 'please hold my hand.'

"Tch, you can be so needy Kirino…" He didn't think to look around to see if anyone was observing them as he laced his fingers with hers. His mind was already preoccupied with the devastating outcomes that were bound to trigger with this confirmation: Kirino was desperately in love with him, or at least that's what Kyousuke feared. Yet at the same time…

Kyousuke shrugged off the trailing thought. This wasn't the time for analysis of that sort.

Unbeknownst to Kyousuke, Manami had been hiding behind a narrow passage between two houses. She had inconveniently heard Kirino's outburst, worried that something had happened to her friends. Her worry worsened once she came across the two bound in what seemed like an embrace.

Initially, she understood it as a sibling makeup; she knew how sometimes Kyousuke and Kirino would have a dispute over little things, so it was only natural that they would hug to seal the deal. Manami didn't want to be caught as some spectator to their personal moment, so she snuck over to the darkened spot to her side to stay hidden. She giggled at the thought of seeing Kyousuke so caring for his sister, and wished he'd do something like that for her someday.

'I-It's not like I want him to openly hug me though,' Manami denied her inner thoughts as if she was being accused of liking him. However, she knew that was truer than rain. She feared to admit it, yet at the same time wanted to declare it. He did like her back, right? After all, he did buy her that one present (which she still sleeps with) when he thought she was depressed.

Reality returned to her after she looked back to see Kyousuke motioning Kirino to start moving. Manami chuckled before whispering a 'good luck,' and was about to step out to resume her walk home… but then it happened.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Kyousuke's hand grasped in Kirino's. The gesture caught her by surprise, but she waved it off as a handshake. Nothing more could come out of such. However, that handshake became much more intimate in appearance as she noticed Kyousuke's fingers slipping into Kirino's with more than just friendly intent.

Although Manami was inexperienced in romance, she understood that sign enough to cause her heart to skip. She refused to believe what she saw, yet the sight haunted her; the illusion was too persuading to disregard. Her hands folded up against her chest as she shook in panic.

"Kyou-chan… was he..."