Chapter 2

I Wish to Have Fun

Chihaya knows what a weak body can do to a maiden. Especially to some cute and innocent ones like Chitose…and now Yuu-chan has the same condition. For him, it's like God has given him a second chance to raise and help the maiden he failed to save previously. No matter what it takes, Chihaya will help Yuu-chan live a good life without any hurt. After skimming through her journal, he wonders what he can do to add to that notebook. Probably something with more meaning so she can look back into her life while she was sick. Because most of it contained drama and the way she was coping with it didn't go so well. Heck, he found one entry where Yuu-chan first met Chihaya, calling him an "angel". She was sitting in the rain where she would've gotten hypothermia if it weren't for him. But the real question is: why would she do that if she has a condition? Why won't she eat anything up until Chihaya showed up?

It's late afternoon and Kaoruko and Chihaya head to the library to do their homework like usual. However, as they enter, they see Yuu-chan once again, writing in her notebook. The couple casually walk over toward Yuu-chan, which surprises her and she immediately closes her book.

"Ah…" she gasps softly and puts her notebook away.

"You're here again," Kaoruko says.

"It's the second time we've seen you in here," Chihaya says as he takes a seat next to the small girl. "Don't worry. Whatever you're doing is your business. We won't pry."

"Oh…" Yuu-chan feels relieved, but also wonders if she can trust Chihaya or Kaoruko enough to show them the journal she's writing.

"You want some help studying something?" Kaoruko asks Yuu-chan. "I can help you if you'd like. Or better yet, Chihaya will do the honors. She is a much better tutor than I~"

"Ah, come on. Don't say that," the soft spoken trap says with a small smile. "I do have some subjects I struggle at."

"But you, Chihaya, are smarter than me," Kaoruko points out. "Don't be so modest~"

"Well, if you say so," Chihaya shrugs and scoots a bit closer to Yuu-chan. "So…do you need any help?"

Yuu-chan pauses for a second before shaking her head. "I'm fine…"

"Aw, don't be shy," Kaoruko encourages. "It'll worth it if you give Chihaya a chance."

The smaller girl looks up at silver haired trap with her big and innocent visible eye. Then, she looks down at her school bag and unclips it. "Well…it's not studying but…would you mind helping me with something more…personal…?" She takes out the same notebook she's been writing on. She hands it to Chihaya first.

Though he has seen some of the contents before, he acts as though he has never seen it. He reads through it and glances over at Yuu-chan, who is staring at him.

"What's it about, Chihaya?" Kaoruko questions.

"It contains…sadness and full of drama," Chihaya says. "It starts off with how she was diagnosed…and how she coped with her condition."

"Let me see," Kaoruko takes the notebook and reads through it. Her ruby eyes widen at what Yuu-chan wrote. Indeed, it's full of sadness and drama. However, her writing also tells how she tries to stay positive despite all this. The dark haired girl looks at the smaller girl with a sad expression. "Yuu-chan…I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. No friends because of your condition? At least your family was kind enough to take care of you."

"Yes…" Yuu-chan nods. "But…at this point, with my condition, do I really need to just stay at the dorms in bed all day and read? My life wasn't that exciting back then…even to this day."

"Then how about we take you to town tomorrow?" Chihaya suggests. "I know a little restaurant we can go to that has delicious food. You can eat whatever you like there."

"C-can I really…?" Yuu-chan gasps softly, leaning closer to her "angel".

"Of course~!" Kaoruko says. "But we need to speak with Hatsune about this. She's Yuu-chan's onee-sama after all since she's the one who looks after her."

"Good idea," the silver haired trap says. "We need her permission first."

"Yeah…." Yuu-chan nods in agreement.

**Later at the Dorms**

"You want Yuu-chan to go downtown tomorrow?" the pony-tailed student council president asks.

"Yes," Chihaya says. "If you please. Yuu-san wishes to see the world. The world she hasn't seen for a long time since her diagnosis."

"It would be a wonderful experience for her to take her at least once," Kaoruko adds.

Hatsune thinks about it for a moment before giving a nod. "Alright. Be sure to go easy on her."

"We will," the silver haired trap promises. "Kaoruko-san and I will be careful with her."

Yuu-chan turns to her "angel" with her big, bright visible eye. "Chihaya…! I'm going…?"

"Yes, you are~" Chihaya takes both of her hands and shakes them a little in a cheerful way. "Wear something nice okay? Hatsune-san will help you pick out a dress." He then turns to his maid, Fumi, who is done pouring some more tea. "Fumi, would you mind picking out a dress for me as well?"

"As you wish, Chihaya-sama," Fumi bows in respect.

Chihaya nods and smiles. This is a good start to add to her journal of all the fun things she can do while she's at her bad condition. It won't be easy, no, but that doesn't mean they can do nothing. Yuu-chan deserves a life she can be proud of and be loved like any other human being would like. He is determined to help Yuu-chan find her happiness.

**Next Day**

Yuu-chan's visible eye widens as she, Kaoruko and Chihaya arrive at a restaurant that is basically an all you can eat buffet. She is wearing a black frilly dress with white knee high socks and black Mary Jane shoes. Chihaya is wearing a light purple dress with high heels and black stockings. And lastly, Kaoruko is wearing a light green shirt, a long yellow skirt, white ankle socks and black high heels. Yuu-chan follows the two to a table for three and reserve it. They then stand up to walk toward the buffet to look at the food choices. Meat, vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy, curry, rice, you name it. Everything they could ever want is right there in front of them. No need to wait for a waiter to take their orders. Yuu-chan looks back and forth, her mouth slightly drooling from all the food in front of her.

Kaoruko turns to her boyfriend. "You should help her out a little bit," she says.

"Gladly," Chihaya nods and walks over toward the small girl to put his hand on her shoulder gently. "Yuu-san…since it's your first time here, let's start off with something simple, okay? You can still get what you want, but not too much."

"Yes…" Yuu-chan nods and grabs a plate.

The trio pick the foods they need, which takes about 5 minutes and then head to their reserved table. Yuu-chan looks at her own food that she served herself with the help of Chihaya. Some meat and veggies with mashed potatoes and gravy. She takes the first bite of the chicken with gravy. Her visible eye widens at the delicious taste and goes for another one.

"So good…!" she exclaims softly.

Chihaya giggles. "I'm glad you like it~"

"We made the right choices of food for Yuu-chan, it seems~" Kaoruko adds as she eats her curry.

"Chihaya…Kaoruko…I love this food…!" Yuu-chan says and keeps on eating.

The couple share some giggles and they eat their own food. It takes about 10 minutes or so before their plates are empty. Yuu-chan holds her plate up, as if to ask for some more.

"Still hungry?" Chihaya asks.

"Mmhmm…" Yuu-chan nods in reply.

"Okay, I'll go on ahead and help her," the silver haired trap starts to stand up and take his plate. "I'm actually still hungry myself."

"Then, I shall go, too," Kaoruko stands up as well. She winks and raises an index finger. "All three of us have to stick together, right~?"

"Yes," Chihaya says. "Yuu-san needs us. We can't let her out of our sight."

Yuu-chan tilts her head in adorable confusion, but the silver haired trap gently urges her to move forward and get the food she needs. However, as they go for seconds, Chihaya notices something in the dessert section. A piece of cheesecake on a plate. He stares at it for a bit as a flashback comes to mind.

**Flashback**

"Happy Birthday, Chitose-chan, Chihaya-chan~" the mother, Taeko, said as she set down the birthday cake she made by hand. "It's hard to believe, Chitose-chan, but you made it to your next birthday. I am so happy!"

"Ehehe! Thanks so much!" Chitose said.

"I'm so glad to celebrate it with Chitose-chan!" Chihaya said.

Chitose looked back at the yummy cheesecake in front of her with ten lit candles. She wanted to blow them after making a wish, but due to her condition, she might not be able to. She took a few deep breaths…and then a few more. "Haaah…haaah…" She clutched her chest.

Chihaya acted fast and gently grabbed her shoulder. "If you are not up to it, I will blow them for you."

"N-no…" Chitose shook her head and gave a weak smile. "I can do this. It's our birthday and I'm the older one." She turned back to the cake and gives a few more deep breaths. But Chihaya put a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Let's do it together," he said.

"Ahh…." Chitose gasped softly, but nodded. It was their birthday, so they need to blow the candles together.

Both took deep breaths and blew the candles. Taeko clapped her hands happily.

"Way to go~!" the mother cheered.

"I'm so proud of you, Chitose-chan!" Chihaya gently and cautiously hugged his older twin sister. "I love you!"

The frail girl hugged him back. "I love you, too…Chii-chan~"

**End of Flashback**

"Chihaya?" Kaoruko asks, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"Ah." Once he comes too, he looks at the confused expressions of his girlfriend and Yuu-chan. "I'm alright. Are we done here?"

"Yes," Kaoruko says. "Are you finished serving yourself some food?"

"Yeah," Chihaya says as he scoops a couple of mashed potatoes. "Let's go."

The trio go to their reserved table and eat their food. It takes a while, but the three of them take their time as they are not in a rush. It's their day off from school, so it's fine. They eat their second helping until their plates are empty once more. They wait for a bit before Chihaya turns to Yuu-chan.

"Do you have enough room for dessert?" he asks.

"Oh…dessert…~" Yuu-chan says and nods. "Sure, I'll have one."

"Would you like some, Kaoruko-san?" Chihaya says.

"Only if you would have some with me," Kaoruko replies.

"Great, then wait here," the silver haired trap stands up. "I'll be back in a bit."

The two girls nod and in a blink of an eye, Chihaya goes to the dessert section. While waiting, Kaoruko turns to the smaller girl.

"How is it so far?" she asks. "You know…visiting the world you have longed to see?"

"It's amazing," Yuu-chan replies. "I feel like I've been reborn or something. I have opened the door to this new world. I'm very happy."

Kaoruko smiles. "That's great. It means that Chihaya and I are doing a good job. We're starting off strong."

"Yes," Yuu-chan says as she gives a small smile. "Hatsune-onee-sama was there for me, too, but you two. You two also made my life so wonderful, especially Chihaya. She is…she is someone so meaningful to me…" She puts both hands on her chest and closes her visible eye.

Kaoruko looks at the smaller girl. Yuu-chan doesn't have a single idea as to why Chihaya chooses to be so close to her, probably more than Hatsune ever would.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," the silver haired trap arrives with two plates of cheesecake. "I don't know if this is what you'd want, but I figured I would bring these."

"Is that why you've been staring at it since we got up earlier?" Kaoruko asks.

"Oh, yes," Chihaya says. "This cheesecake is delicious, just like how my mom made it."

Yuu-chan looks down at the cake, her mouth forming an "o" and her visible eye widens at the yummy dessert. "This is…cheesecake…?"

"Yes," Chihaya says.

Yuu-chan's visible eye sparkles and stares in awe at the yummy cake. Kaoruko giggles.

"Yuu-chan is so mesmerized she cannot choose whether or not to eat it~" she teases.

Yuu-chan snaps out of it and looks at the two who are smiling at her. "M-mou…Kaoruko. You sound like Kaori just now…" She takes the fork and cuts a piece off. She takes a bite out of it and chews. The cheese flavor and the creamy part of it melts in her mouth and she swallows. Her visible eye widens at the yummy taste. It's so good. Very good. In fact, it's so delicious that she has a hard time finding the words.

"Yuu-san?" Chihaya asks.

"Ah…" Yuu-chan wipes her mouth with a napkin. "My apologies. It's so good that…"

"It's alright," Chihaya gently cuts her off. "I'm so glad you like this dessert."

Yuu-chan notices that her "angel" hasn't had a bite of cake yet. Kaoruko has a piece for herself. The smaller girl takes a piece with her fork and holds it up, putting her hand under it. "Chihaya….ahhhhhn…"

"Eh…?" The silver haired trap is caught off guard by this gesture. Kaoruko giggles at this.

**Flashback**

"Chii-chan…ahhhnn~" Chitose said as she offered the piece of cake to him.

"Huh? What are you doing, Chitose-chan?" the young boy asked.

"Hehe! I want you to have some cake with me!" the older twin said.

"But isn't that…?" Chihaya looked at the mother, who was smiling and giggling.

"How grand~!" Taeko said as she clasped her hands together. "My babies have grown even closer, almost like a married couple~!"

"C-Couple!?" Chihaya and Chitose said in unison and they turned toward each other with a slight blush. But the older twin still had some of the piece of cake on her fork, so she continued to offer it to him, leaning a bit closer.

"Please, Chii-chan~?" she begged. "It would really mean a lot."

"Alright," Chihaya gave in and ate the cake she offered. Chitose smiled happily.

"Yaaaaaay~!" Taeko cheered as she applauded.

Chitose kept her cute smile as she pulled away. "How is it~?"

Once Chihaya swallowed, he returned the smile. "It's delicious~"

**End of Flashback**

The silver haired trap finds himself leaning in and eating the cake Yuu-chan offered him. The taste is the exact same as when his mother made it. And that's wonderful.

"Delicious~" he says, making the smaller girl smile.

Kaoruko offers hers to Chihaya. "Here, my turn!"

The silver haired trap eagerly accepts it. "Yummy! Thanks, Kaoruko-san~"

Pretty soon, they finish dessert and Chihaya pays for everything at the counter before leaving. They walk through town until they find a nearby park with a large bench that can fit 3 people. They take a seat to rest for a while and observe the people walking by, minding their own business. Yuu-chan looks up at the silver haired "girl", seeing a lonely look in "her" eyes. The smaller girl then looks down at her lap, her hands placed on it and fiddling with the hem of her long skirt.

"Chihaya.." she says softly. "You are so popular here at school. Because…you are so beautiful and elegant. I must ask…were always this popular in your previous schools?"

Chihaya falls silent, as he is very sensitive to this topic. But Kaoruko gives him a reassuring nod, telling Yuu-chan that she deserves to know a little about the past. He looks down at the ground.

"No…I wasn't always this popular," he says. "I don't think anyone was interested in me, so I never took interest in them."

"Then, why…?" Yuu-chan starts but Chihaya gently cuts her off.

"My life isn't what you think it is," the silver haired trap says. "But…the very reason I took interest in you is because…I had a sibling with the very same condition as you do. She passed away when we were young. When I first saw you…and I found out about your condition…it felt like my sister has come back to me. To give me second chance to save her."

"Chihaya…" Yuu-chan says.

The silver haired trap turns to the smaller girl with a sad smile. "My life wasn't the same without my sister. My family life got turned upside down and people did not treat me fairly in school. I was ready to give up hope when…my mother asked me to transfer here. That's how I got here." He lets out a soft sigh.

The smaller girl moves her hand to slowly put it on top of his, making the silver haired trap look up.

"Chihaya…you have friends…you're so popular…" Yuu-chan says. "I want the happiness to stay with you. Just like how you are trying to find and keep my happiness. And…it's working. Never give up…"

"Oh, Yuu-san," Chihaya says.

Kaoruko smiles. "Yuu-chan is right, Chihaya. Your life here is like your own home. Your new home. Your happiness is with us. Okay?"

The silver haired trap looks at both Kaoruko and Yuu-chan and then, he smiles a soft smile. "Thanks, you two."

Then, Yuu-chan hugs Chihaya, resting her head on his chest. He gets caught off guard a little bit, but he smiles and strokes the small girl's long hair. Kaoruko hugs him from the other side, resting her head on his shoulder. The trio stay like this for over a half hour.