"Sister, please," Mob said, grabbing my hand. "I have to… confess to her! Before she leaves! If you have any tips about confessing… please share them!"

I looked away, shrugging. "Sorry, big bro, I'm rubbish at romance. I can't even figure out if I like anyone half the time."

"Oh… I see." Shigeo said, sighing.

I patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe you could try asking some other girls in the school for advice? Not Tome, but, uh… maybe Mezato will know something? Or maybe Tsubomi's friends?"

Shigeo stared at his shoes.

"Maybe not," I said, frowning. "Well, I suppose you could try asking Mezato anyway. If that doesn't work… then I dunno, just confess to her. What do they always say? Be yourself?"

Shigeo stared at me.

"Yeah, my advice is terrible," I said, sighing. "Sorry, bro."

"It's okay, Arashi," Mob said, giving me a smile. "Thanks for trying to help me."

He walked away after that, leaving me to brood with my own thoughts again.

Dammit, I still can't tell him, I thought angrily. What's wrong with me?

I continued to walk around the school, getting increasingly angrier with myself.

Stupid, I scolded. So stupid. Why can't I say anything to anyone anymore?

As my trek went on, I noticed a large que, outside the school gym. For some reason, it was full of boys. Brows raised, I followed the que, and then stopped when I saw it was leading towards Tsubomi.

Seriously…? I thought.

Well, I shouldn't have been surprised. Tsubomi was the school's idol, after all.

From what I could tell, Tsubomi was rejecting each of the boys as they came up to her. It was like some kind of factory line.

Ouch, I thought. Honestly, I almost pitied her. I'm no men's lady, but it didn't seem like she was having a great time.

"Hi," I said, approaching her.

Tsubomi looked over from rejecting another boy, and gave me a small smile. "Huh…? Oh, hi, Kageyama-san!"

"Looks like you're having fun," I told her.

Tsubomi brushed her hair over her ear, laughing nervously. "Yeah! Uh… yep!"

"I kinda feel bad for you," I admitted. "Do you know any of these guys?"

"Nope," Tsubomi deadpanned.

"Ouch," I grimaced.

"Hey, karate girl!" some boys yelled. "Stop talking to her! We were first!"

"Shut up!" I retorted, flipping them off.

The boys looked like they wanted to start a fight, but Tsubomi raised a hand, instantly calming them down. It was like some kind of black magic.

"Don't worry about them," Tsubomi sighed. "You know what boys are like."

"That's right," I agreed. "They're like me."

Tsubomi gave me an odd look, before laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Nothing," Tsubomi said. "It's just… I haven't met a lot of people like you."

I wondered what she meant by that.

"You think I'm eccentric?" I asked.

"Maybe a little," Tsubomi winked.

I wasn't even sure if she was complimenting me or not. These days, I wasn't sure of much of anything.

"Hey, uh," I coughed. "You know… my brother? Shigeo?"

"Mob?" Tsubomi asked. "Oh, yes! What about him?"

"Just…." I wanted to tell her the truth about Mob's feelings, but if I did that, I'd ruin it for Mob himself. I couldn't do everything for Mob. He needed to get out there and achieve some things for himself, as well.

"Keep an eye out for him," I said, giving her a wink. I then walked away, once again left to brood.

Something felt wrong.

Maybe it was because I still hadn't talked about the whole music school thing. Maybe it was because I couldn't figure out whether I had fallen in love or not. Maybe I was just worried about my brother (as always).

I paced around in my bedroom, clinging onto Kumo like it was a life-line. My stomach felt tight, and my teeth were tightly gritted.

Calm down, I told myself. You'll set something on fire.

I took a deep breath, sitting down on my bed. I absentmindedly strummed Kumo.

"At least I'll still have you with me," I said, looking at the small ukulele.

But you won't have them.

I flinched.

You have to make a choice.

I thought of all the memories with my family. Breaking into the LOL Cult, fighting Claw, fighting my dad… saving the world.

But not just that. All the times my brother and I had been to my favourite noodle bar, just spending time together. They were simple, but those moments meant everything to me. If I left, I'd never get to experience them again.

I slumped down, feeling my eyes water.

Dammit… don't start…

"Come on, Mob!" a young Takane giggled. "Get a clue already!"

"Hey!" I snapped. "Leave him alone!"

"Why do you stick up for him?" a boy asked. "It's not like he does anything back for you."

I slapped him and ran away, taking Mob with me.

"He's right," Mob said. "Arashi… why do you stick up for me?"

"You're my brother," I said. "And you saved my life! I owe you everything!"

"But… I'm just some kid who can't share his emotions…" Mob said.

"It's because of your psychic powers, silly," I giggled. "They're all inside you, so they're still there! And besides, you are amazing. You're way more amazing than any of those guys back there."

"Really?" Mob asked.

"Really," I said. "And it doesn't matter if they're mean to you. Because no matter what, I'll be with you."

But I can't do that anymore, I thought, dejectedly. Not if I go away.

"That was dangerous, little sister," a voice said, breaking through my nausea. Someone helped me stand up. "You shouldn't go flying around like that."

I almost choked on my own spit.

"Shigeo," I said, staring at my big brother. Tears fell from my eyes. "I… I'm…"

"Let's go to your favourite noodle bar," Shigeo told me. "We haven't been there for a while."

I began to sob. I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him like he was going to disappear.

"I'm sorry," I whimpered.

Shigeo hugged me back, not saying anything. We stayed like that for a few moments.

"Noodle bar," I said.

Shigeo nodded. "Let's go."

Not again, I thought. Make it stop!

"No more distractions," she growled. She glared down at Shigeo. "Time for you to die."

"Shigeo!" I screamed.

Himiko raised her arms. Shigeo tried to move, but he was trapped. Himiko prepared to destroy him in one move.

"NO!" I roared. Just as she unleashed her energy, I stood in front of him.

I shook off the memory. My brain was tormenting now.

No. It was telling me I had to be honest.

I stood up, fists clenched. I had to do this.

"Ritsu?" I called, leaving my room. "Are you there?"

What? For life-changing stuff like this, ironically enough I found Ritsu easier to talk to about it.

Ritsu emerged out of his room, giving me a look. "Arashi? What is it?"

"So," I put my arms behind my back. "I kinda need to talk to you about something. I've been… having trouble making a decision for a while now."

"What is it?" Ritsu asked, giving me a sympathetic look. I appreciated it. Ritsu was a caring person, despite everything. He was protective, formal, but still loving. I regretted despising him for so long.

"You heard of this school?" I asked, showing him my phone.

"You need to tell Shigeo about this."

"I know, I know, it's just…"

Ritsu gently grabbed my shoulder. "Arashi, that school will be a great experience for you. I definitely think it's worth going. You shouldn't let worrying about Shigeo and myself stop you from attending it."

"Yeah, but…" I made a fist. "How do I tell Shigeo?"

"I'll go with you," Ritsu told me. "Come on, let's talk to him now."

I nodded, and we went to find Shigeo. He was in the living room, talking to someone on the phone.

"Alright, I'll see you then…" he said. "Thank you. Goodbye."

He hung up the phone, and turned to face us.

"Brother, sister," he greeted.

"Nii-san," Ritsu returned the greeting. He put a hand on my shoulder. "Our little sister wants to speak to you."

"What about?" Mob asked, turning to me.

"Well…" my throat squeaked, "so… um… a little while ago, I spoke to my real mom… you remember that?"

Shigeo nodded.

"Well… she offered me something," I said, forcing myself to continue. "She said, for a birthday gift, she would allow me to attend a really big music school over in Tokyo."

Shigeo nodded again.

"But it's a boarding school, and I'd be there for quite a while," I continued. "Which means… if I go, you won't see me for a long time."

"And you… are going?" Mob asked, his tone slightly shaky.

"I am," I confirmed, straightening my features.

Mob went silent for a moment, his figure trembling.

Oh, God, I thought. Is he gonna go 100%?

Then he looked up, grinning wide.

"Congratulations, sister," he said. "I am happy for you."