Yuzu stretched out her arms, giving up after going in and out of sleep for the entire night. She tried to ignore the figure across the room sitting at a desk, wanting desperately to avoid any interaction.
Yuzu rubbed one eye while she pulled out her phone to check the time. It was only five? And that girl was already up? Well, Yuzu was up too. How could she get comfortable sleep after something like that? Maybe Mei couldn't get to sleep because she was bothered by it too.
Trying to act inconspicuous, Yuzu stood up and walked to her dresser, looking over her shoulder at what Mei was doing at her desk.
That settles it, this crazy chick can't be human! She had a pile of completed homework on the left and was finishing the last page. They had all week for an assignment like that! With everything that happened, how could she focus so easily? Between kissing a teacher at school and kissing– Yuzu couldn't even bear thinking the words in her head. Why the hell did she do it? What the hell did she think kissing even meant?
"Can you please be quiet."
Yuzu blushed as she realized she had been smacking the top of her dresser, the sounds drowned out by her own thoughts. Mei's voice was tired and frustrated. As if she was the one with the right to be annoyed with Yuzu after what she did! Regardless, Yuzu couldn't talk about this with her new sister–she couldn't even look at her–and there was no way in hell she was telling mama. Yuzu got ready for school early, not knowing what else to do or think.
Ready an hour before having to leave, Yuzu idly scrolled her phone, not actually paying attention to anything. A door creaked. Yuzu's heart dropped, bracing herself for Mei's presence. Mama entered the room. Oh, thank god. She nearly collapsed.
"Morning, honey! How was the first night with the new baby sister?"
Yuzu's body shook and she blurted out, "Ah, nothing much. We haven't even really talked yet, she's so busy. Haha."
Mama smiled. "She is such a hard worker, isn't she? It's adorable. Bearing the responsibility as the chairman's granddaughter… I hope she's not pushing herself too hard, though. Maybe having a sister will help her learn to relax from time to time. Or some of her responsibility will rub off on my lazy daughter. Hehe."
"Hey!" With that, mama was already out the door. Geez. Yuzu crossed her arms. As if they could ever get along after last night. Yuzu couldn't understand someone who could kiss like it was nothing, but there had to be some way of starting to fix this.
"Harumin! Hey!" Yuzu jogged up to the friend she recognized from yesterday, finally feeling her body easing out. Harumin was probably the only sane person at her new school. Harumin grinned as Yuzu caught up and started walking beside her. They were almost at the school.
"Heya, buddy!" Harumin locked arms with Yuzu and playfully bashed into her. "Damn, what's with those eye bags? Up late partying on the first night of school, huh? Remember to invite me next time."
Yuzu groaned. "They're showing through my make-up? I shoulda known it was hopeless."
"And you're still going through with that get-up and hair dye? Why ya trying so hard? Unless…" A devilish grin spread on Harumin's face. "Got a crush here you're trying to impress? Hm?"
Yuzu smiled nervously. She would have played along with and enjoyed the teasing if she weren't so bothered lately. "What are you talking about? It's a girls' school."
"Well, yeah," Harumin said while waving her hand in the air. "But flirting between girls at a girls' school is the norm, right? I mean, it's better than nothing."
"Seriously?" Yuzu replied. She'd been so caught up in her gossiping about boys that she genuinely never thought about the idea of two girls together. Was Mei actually into girls and that was why she kissed Yuzu? That still didn't explain why it was so… passionless. Memories of the kiss that she'd been trying to repress flooded back in. Could she even call it a kiss? It was nothing like she thought it was supposed to be. Nothing about Mei made sense.
"And it's more than that, really. A lot of the girls here already have fiancés. Their whole futures have been set up from the start so they're just trying to have a bit of fun while they can." Yuzu watched their feet as they walked. Huh. Mei was probably just stressed about being the president and having a fiancé, and Yuzu was just an unexpected victim of her out-of-control hormones. Yuzu's gut tightened from the guilt of teasing her. Or Mei was actually just a robot. Theorizing about her mind was as hopeless as getting a boyfriend at a girls' school.
Yuzu could see Harumin staring at her through the corner of her eye. Yuzu rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, sorry, my mind's just been going crazy lately! No girl crushes here! Hahaha!" Yuzu knew her forced laughs were pitiful but committed whole-heartedly.
"Aw!" Harumin whined and wrapped her arms around Yuzu. "And here I was, getting my hopes up that it was me!" Yuzu blushed. She was suddenly self-conscious about a girl being so touchy with her. Calm down! Harumin is just being friendly, she won't pull a Mei and defile your lips. Harumin's hand crept up Yuzu's torso. Okay, there's my limit!
"Leggo, ya weirdo!" Yuzu and Harumin struggled back and forth like a couple of idiots. After a few seconds, Harumin gave up, and Yuzu realized they'd reached the gate. Who was that old man at the gate?
Harumin stopped in her tracks and pulled Yuzu to her. "Yuzu, that's the chairman helping with the gate check!"
"Huh?" Yuzu said. She looked at the old man standing at the gate. Mei was with him. Yeah, he was her grandfather alright. Mei was much cuter but they both had that same stern robotic expression. Hold on a second. If Mei was Yuzu's sister, then Yuzu was the chairman's granddaughter too! This was a perfect opportunity to start fixing the tension with her new family.
Yuzu glided toward the gate, smiling gently and waving her hand wildly in the air. Harumin didn't follow.
"Morning, Gramps!" Yuzu said. He frowned.
"And who are you?"
Yuzu stopped walking and held her arm awkwardly in the air for several seconds before bringing it down. Was… was he not told about his son's new family?
"You're using our uniform but flaunting it so disrespectfully. Such obscene amounts of make-up and hair dye is disgracing to our academy… Mei!"
"Yes, sir?"
"What is something like this doing in my school? I give you the responsibility of keeping things in order and this is what happens?"
"I apologize, sir."
Mei stood next to her grandfather, her figure tense and slumping lightly. The chairman's criticism and vibe had shaken Yuzu to the bone but having seen Mei look the way she did brought the pieces of Yuzu's shattered confidence back on the table.
"S-sir," Yuzu said, correcting her mistake–though she suspected it didn't matter much anymore. "Don't yell at Mei! I'm the one who broke the rules! How could she have known I'd–"
"Telling me how to discipline my own granddaughter too? Enough. This school has no place for insubordinate individuals like you. Leave." The chairman's anger cooled into simple judgement. Mei looked as tense as deer in the presence of a wolf. Yuzu was frozen still.
"I said leave. I will not do so a third time."
Yuzu let her tears and filter break. "I'd rather be an insubordinate thing than a rude jerk who can't stop and listen to someone else's side!" Yuzu ran off to the side of the school, not looking back once.
When Yuzu reached the easiest spot to climb over, she saw Harumin had followed her. She was clutching her gut, seemingly from a mix of running and laughter. "As worried as I am for how much trouble you're gonna be in," she said. "That was amazing! I can't believe you called him gramps! Wait, are you still trying to get into school?"
Yuzu stepped onto a trash bin and gripped the top of the wall, pulling herself over. Her throat felt tight. "I'm not missing school just 'cause of a jerk like that."
Yuzu stumbled as she hit the ground. Her spirit felt just as wobbly. Way to go, Yuzu. Trashing your reputation with your grandpa, and putting more pressure on your sister, all while making a fool of yourself. Maybe she ought to leave things alone. It seemed like every time she tried to fix things, she just made them worse. She imagined coming home and seeing Mei with that look of weight pushing harder on her because of Yuzu. She shook her head. No. No, no, no. She had to do something, even if it kept blowing up in her face.
Yuzu's leg shook uncontrollably at she watched the clock tick during the last five minutes of school. She had gone over her plan at least a hundred times in her head and did a pretty good job in convincing herself that it was a good idea. But looking at that clock hand almost reaching the hour had shown otherwise. The teacher's voice felt like meaningless dribble in the background.
Class ended. Yuzu forced her body up. Just moving felt like pushing through mud. Yuzu went through the hallways exactly how she went over it in her head so many times. The closer she got, the stupider she felt. Maybe she could try another day.
Oh shit. There he is. "Mr. Amamiya," Yuzu called through the dim chatter of students in the halls. "Can I ask you something?" The teacher spotted Yuzu and made like he was going to reply, but then pulled out his phone.
"Uh," he said. "Sorry. I have to take this right now. Important, uh… family business. Wait here for me."
Yuzu's stomach dropped. As Mr. Amamiya stepped outside, Yuzu nearly pulled her hair out. All that planning of how I was going to ask him for advice about Mei and he gets a phone call?
Yuzu tried to breathe. He was going to come back. There was no need to panic. It was just an urgent… family call? If Mr. Amamiya was engaged to Mei, could it possibly be about Mei? Yuzu tightened her fists. Even if there was a slight chance, she had to try. The whole point of this plan was to get some information to better understand Mei, and it'd be even better if she didn't have to ask for it.
Yuzu rushed in the direction that the teacher went, the students scowling at her as she passed. She opened up into the parking lot. Oh, no. She turned her head left and right three times but couldn't see him anywhere. I guess this is a conversation you don't want anyone hearing, huh? Yuzu smiled through her nerves. With that in mind, she took her best possible guess. She rushed up to a corner of the building, where the building was almost right up against the grounds wall. No reason for anyone to come back here. That's where I'd go to avoid being heard. As Yuzu reached the corner, she heard a voice coming from around the bend. Jackpot!
"Don't worry, babe. Once I marry the Chairman's granddaughter, that won't be problem, we'll be set. Yeah. Uh, huh. It's still two years, but I promise it'll be worth it. I'm coming home now. Yeah, I love you too."
All of Yuzu's nerves disappeared as if all her blood drained from her body. She just barely came to her senses in enough time to scurry out of there before Mr. Amamiya caught her.
Yuzu walked home slowly, all the ambient sounds of the city blurring into white noise. She had a sick feeling in her gut that got worse as she wrestled with what to do now. There was only one thing to do. As much as it upset her that she'd be putting even more burdens on Mei, she had to know.
Yuzu leaned her back against the wall, her arms behind her and her foot tapping, as she waited for Mei to return. Waiting to do this was nothing like her plan before. She wasn't afraid, she just felt awful. The door opened and then closed.
"Can we talk?" Yuzu asked. Mei simply took off her shoes and went toward their room. Okay. I'll just assume that's a 'sure.' Yuzu followed and then closed the bedroom door behind them.
"First off," Yuzu said. Her voice felt uncomfortably heavy. "I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to get you blamed for anything."
Mei started undressing from her school uniform. It was impossible to tell from her body language if she even heard her. Neither of them made any attempt at eye contact. "Instead of apologizing, just come to school in the proper attire. Or is that too hard for you?"
Yuzu's jaw fell, and she glared at Mei. "I just–ugh, whatever." Yuzu sighed.
"I caught Mr. Amamiya talking on the phone," Yuzu said. "It sounded like he's just marrying you for the money. He doesn't care about you at–"
"I already knew. So what?" Mei stared right at her. Not a single word came to Yuzu's mind.
Mei continued to change, pulling on her nightgown while Yuzu just stood there in stunned silence.
"I'm getting married for the sake of my family and the school. Why would I care what he feels about me?"
"That's… wrong," Yuzu said. It seemed so obvious to her. Why couldn't Mei understand? "I just wanted to look out for you since I'm your sister and all. Yanno, make sure you'll be okay and happy."
"It's none of your business," Mei said while she finished getting dressed. "You're an idiot who's more worried about love lives than her studies. Stop trying to mix me up into your drama. I'm busy."
Yuzu took a step back. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Yuzu was the one getting Mei into drama when Mei was the one who kissed her? That damn aggressive loveless kiss… 'That's what it was like. Magical enough for you?'
Yuzu bit her bottom lip, hard. Oh. I get it now. But she couldn't accept it.
"You shouldn't let him use you like that, kissing you when you don't want it." Yuzu said. Mei was starting to sit down at her desk but stopped from Yuzu's words, her hands gripping the chair tightly. "Something like that should be because of love, so if you don't want love then don't do those things!" The anger Yuzu had felt ever since Mei kissed her melted into a weird new feeling she didn't understand. For some reason, she didn't want to blame Mei. She saw what caused all this and wanted to help her.
"I told you," Mei muttered. "It's none of your business." Yuzu saw Mei's hands shaking slightly before she got them back into control. Mei pushed the chair back and starting walking out of the room. Yuzu watched Mei's face as she passed her. Mei's eyes had a tight strained look. She'd seen that same expression when Mr. Amamiya kissed her and after Mei kissed her. Mei did a pretty good job of appearing in control and saying that she wanted nothing to do with love. But the act kept breaking in those moments.
Yuzu clutched her shirt at her chest as the door closed behind her. Mei might've truly been convincing herself that being used wasn't important. Mei might've thought the only things in the world that mattered were living up to her family's wishes. But Yuzu saw that Mei was hurting even if Mei couldn't admit it to herself. Yuzu would do what she felt was right, even if Mei hated her for it.
An applause rang through the school grounds. The students were all gathered and perfectly orderly of course.
"Thank you, Mrs. Fuji Mineko! Up next is a word from our student council president."
I'd better hurry. Yuzu broke through the crowd, students stumbling as she pushed through. She climbed up onto the stand.
"Student council president, please–Ack! What are you doing?" the crowd murmured up at Yuzu who yanked the microphone right out of the student's hand. Damn, this was stupid, so why did she feel so excited?
"Just gimme a sec," Yuzu said clearly but loudly into the mic. "I have an important announcement. Breaking news." The students all looked panicked, and the murmuring got louder. "I'm new here. The name's Aihara Yuzu. We all know how boring speeches at morning assemblies are, so I'll make this quick." Yuzu raised her voice above the growing chatter in the audience. "Everybody's favorite hot teacher, Mr. Amamiya, was making out with a student right on school grounds! And even worse, he was totally forcing himself on her! Oh, and by the way, I'm the chairman's granddaughter." Yuzu smiled brightly before her closing. "I hope we can be great friends!"
The murmuring became a full-on uproar. Yuzu smirked from seeing this perfect orderly place exploding into some chaos. Yuzu walked off the stand and headed toward the school, knowing there'd be hell to pay, but not bothered in the slightest.
"Damn, Yuzu! You're amazing," Harumin said. Her face was beaming, and her eyes were teary from laughter. Yuzu walked down the street with her friend, utterly bewildered.
"I assumed they'd suspend me," Yuzu said. "But they just left me alone and acted like nothing happened."
"'Cause you said you were the chairman's granddaughter. Everyone's too chicken to get involved with that!" Harumin and Yuzu turned in different directions as they each went home. "Please promise you'll keep pulling these stunts all year! It always makes my day!"
"I'm not promising," Yuzu called back. "But it seems like I just can't help myself!"
Yuzu reached her apartment and went inside. The lights were off. Mama was sitting at the table with her head down. Yuzu walked up to her. "What's wrong, mom?" she asked.
"They… They took Mei away."
