"You're going to work during summer break?" Ryoma asked, surprised. They were studying together at the temple. Shinji was sleeping already.

"Of course I am." She responded naturally, writing some notes on a paper. A week had passed already and she was just waiting the confirmation to her emancipation request. Since things were done properly, the social worker said it would take a while, but it was just some stapping of papers and checking of data, so she was at ease. "I spent a lot of money traveling to Yokohama and submitting the forms."

"But…it's summer break." He said like it was something obvious no one should work during such sacred period.

"So?" she looked at him. "I've always work on summer break. What do you do?"

"Nothing. Like I'm supposed to. I stay home, in front of the fan, sleep, eat or play games."

"You're basically a couch potato for the entire vacation." She smiled at him.

"Pretty much." He showed her a small smile. "What about Shinji? You're not going to spend vacations with him?"

"His swimming lessons are in the morning. I'm going to get a party time job at this time and only during the week. On afternoons I will be home, so I will take care of the temple. At nights, I will study."

"Are you even able to sleep properly?"

"I have so many things to do. I can sleep when I'm old and retired." She grinned at him.

"So, what about the water park? Are we really going?"

"Yes! Especially since the fee is so cheap!" her eyes glistered. "I need to take Shinji to buy a swimsuit."

"What are you doing Saturday? Are you going to work already?"

"I'm free. Why?"

"We can go out with Momoshiro and Tachibana-san. You can eat together and buy what you need."

"Good idea." She smiled. "Let's go back to Chemistry now. You still have some exercises do to."

"Yes, general."

"You're so silly." Sakuno giggled.

############

"Nee-chan?" Shinji was at the dining table, doing some drawing while his sister was cooking dinner. It was Friday night.

Two weeks had passed and they were already on summer vacations. The little boy had started his swimming lessons and he was extremely excited about it. Sakuno would wake up early and take him there, before she would go to her part time job in a coffee place.

"Yes, Shinji?" she asked, without taking her eyes out of the grilling fish.

"How many days until we go to the water park again?"

"Just one more week. I told you we're going on the first Sunday on August. It's when the park will be open." She took a deep breath. Sakuno was not feeling well for a couple of days already, but she was trying to deal it with herself. With the tests, her stress over the emancipation process, work on the temple and another job, she was not really even eating properly.

"I really liked Momoshiro-san's girlfriend. Ann-san is very nice!" they went to buy his swim trunk together on the weekend before and Shinji had a lot of fun. He looked outside, from the back shoji that was opened. "Why can't I be with him and Ryoma-nii now? They're playing games!"

"You have to let them have their own private time sometimes." She smiled at him and there was some sweat on the red bangs already. "Don't you like to spend time with me anymore?"

"Of course I do!" he grinned. "But I also like playing games." He drew something more with his crayons and asked gently. "Can we have a videogame too?"

"Not really, I'm sorry. We have other priorities for now. But, I promise you that when I'm a proper grown up, I will buy the best video game for you."

"Thank you, Nee-chan!"

"You're welco…" Sakuno sentenced was cut by a sudden dizziness. She tried to support herself on the counter, but her legs failed her and she fell on the ground on her side.

Shinji ran to her and shook her body with all the strength he had on his little arms.

"Nee-chan, Nee-chan! Wake up, please!"

Nothing. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was difficult. Her skin was covered in cold sweat and she was burning with fever.

##############

"So, were you well on the tests?" Momoshiro asked, while they were in front of the TV, playing a fight game. His character punched Ryoma's twice.

"Regular, as always." He answered, uninterested.

"And Ryuzaki-san?"

"She scored top grades. People were pretty jealous."

"Your new girlfriend is so intelligent." He teased him.

"She is not my girlfriend." Ryoma took a deep breath.

"Are you telling me you're not even curious about seeing her on a bathing suit when we go to the water park? Ann told me she bought a really cute one."

There was a very subtle blush on his cheeks for a moment and he was all tense. The boy remembered their tragic encounter on the laundry room.

"I have no interest on such thing." He said, punching his friend's character with special hits.

"Come on! She is a gorgeous, nice girl living a few meters from you. You guys are always together."

"For the tenth time, there is nothing going on."

"Ryoma-niii!" Shinji's desperate scream stopped their game and Ryoma ran to the house's porch. The little boy came running and without air.

"Shinji, what happened?" he touched the child's shoulders and they were trembling. His face was already marked with tears.

"Nee-chan… Nee-chan…" he couldn't talk, his words mixed up on his sobbing. "I called her a lot of times, but she doesn't wake up!"