Chapter Three - Morning
As Wataru, Karen, Mami, and Yamada came into their homeroom, there was a big message on the chalkboard reading, "Congratulations, graduates. Good luck in your future!" Their teacher came up to them, and congratulated them. Wataru eased into his seat as class came to order. He reflected on his last three years and got lost in his daydream when his handheld computer went off. There were thirteen messages in Wataru's inbox, one from each of the girls. They were all congratulatory messages, along with invitations to have lunch with them in the field. The last message was from Karen, changing the location of their lunch to the school roof. A warm grin began to come across his face as he looked forward to lunch with his sisters. His daydream shifted to the morning's happenings, and his face tingled when he thought about the blushing Mami. He wondered just how long she was staring at him at the table. He smiled sheepishly and his face blushed in embarrassment of the moment, when he was suddenly pulled from his daydream. Karen called for him, "Big Brother! Big Brother, are you all right?" Wataru's face was as red as a beet now, as he snapped back into reality. "Big Brother, you're all blushy. Were you thinking about a girl?" Karen inquired, jokingly. "Oh, no, it's not like that at all…I'm fine," Wataru stammered nervously. "Oh, Big Brother, you can tell me anything, anything at all," Karen continued. "No, really, I'm okay, Karen," Wataru said uneasily. He exhaled sharply as he knew he'd almost been caught.
Wataru excused himself to the boy's washroom so he could wash his face and think for a while without any interruptions. As he walked, he sighed with relief, relief that his thoughts hadn't been brought into the open. Yamada burst into the washroom, startling Wataru. "Hello, there, Wataru, is everything all right?" Yamada asked, "I saw that you were a little edgy in class just now. Are you okay?" Wataru dried his face off and responded pensively, "Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking about this being the end of high school." Yamada stuck his arm around his friend's shoulder and said, "Well, I'm here for you if you need me for anything, but you already know that." Wataru felt a little more at ease as his friend reassured him that everything would be okay.
The two friends walked back to classroom, only to find that it was already lunchtime. "Yamada, you're welcome to join us on the roof for lunch today. Everybody's waiting for us. Let's go," said Wataru. Yamada thanked his friend and they both made their way to the roof. Wataru then wondered why his sisters decided to change the location of lunch to the roof instead of the field, but after taking in a breathtaking view of the school campus, his question had been answered convincingly. Haruka came to her brother's side and said, "Hello there, Beloved Brother, congratulations on your graduation. I am so happy that I am able to be with you for this happy occasion, blush!" She took his hand and led him toward the picnic on the roof. As they approached, all of the sisters said in chorus, "Hello, Dear Brother, congratulations once again!" Taking his spot on the blanket, Haruka gave him a cup of fresh lemonade. "For you, my beloved brother," she said. Wataru responded, "Thank you all so much for this, I appreciate each and every one of you many times over," gratefully. Shirayuki stood up and exclaimed cheerfully, "For today's graduation lunch, I have prepared Shirayuki's special sandwich buffet, complete with crisp watercress salad tossed in a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette, and fresh-squeezed lemonade! Dig in, everyone!" They all began eating, and they all complemented on Shirayuki's flawless meal. All the while, Wataru couldn't stop thinking about Mami. He began to concede to the fact that he could be falling for her. "Maybe this feeling is one of love for Mami... Maybe I'm falling for her; that's what this feeling has become," Wataru thought, as he savored another bite of the wonderful salad. As normal as he appeared on the surface, Wataru was deep in thought, giving into the lovestruck feeling that had been welling up inside of him since that day two years ago. No one knew but him.