"Are you done?" Daisuke said.
"I'm not done, but I quit. If I keep drawing, it'll get worse." Reiko said. "So I should draw like that? There really is a big difference in talent."
"Let me see." Daisuke said.
"You can't!" Reiko said.
"Just a little." Daisuke said.
"No way." Reiko said, then sighed. "Here."
"It's unique! I envy you, because I can't draw freely like this." Daisuke said.
"You don't have to try to find a way to praise me. My family isn't good at art-related things at all." Reiko said.
"Your family?" Daisuke said.
"Kuri knows how to get around it, so she purposely draws a messy one, gives it a weird title, and calls it an abstract painting. Have you drawn anything for your art club to submit for the cultural festival?" Reiko said.
"I haven't decided what I'd like to draw yet. But I think I'll get an idea soon. It just feels that way." Daisuke said.
"Yeah." Reiko said. Niwa's gotten taller. When did that happen?
Xxx
"It's happening more and more lately. It's strange." Kosuke said.
"I'm home! What is it?" Daisuke said.
"No, it was just my imagination." Kosuke said.
"Did something happen, Dad?" Daisuke said.
"Well, the Rutile has been acting strange lately. Daisuke, has anything unusual happened lately?" Kosuke said.
"Anything unusual? No, not particularly." Daisuke said.
"Nothing at all, right? Except that you often get phone calls from Reiko Hikawa." Emiko said.
"Oh?" Kosuke said.
"It's about school stuff." Daisuke said.
"Schools these days must have a lot of things that you need to talk about with others. Haven't you been talking with her for nearly an hour, all the time?" Emiko said.
"So what's wrong with it?!" Daisuke said.
"Oh, you're blushing. How cute!" Towa said.
Xxx
"Okay, I've decided!" Daisuke said.
"Snow? Why snow, when it's still hot?" Dark said.
"You don't usually get interested in paintings. This scenery has been coming to my mind
all the time lately." Daisuke said.
"Daisuke, have you seen my memories?" Dark said.
"Your memories? There's no way that I could see them, right?" Daisuke said.
"Coincidence, then?" Dark said.
Xxx
"I see, so you decided on a snow painting." Reiko said.
"Yeah." Daisuke said. "But do you think it's strange to have a snowscape for the fall cultural festival?"
"I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Draw what you want to draw. Art is impulse! Let me see the painting when you're done." Reiko said.
"Sure." Daisuke said.
"Niwa..." Kuri said.
"What is it?" Daisuke said.
"I'd like to ask you to help me carry the mat." Kuri said.
"Yeah, okay." Daisuke said. "Oh, you don't have to do it, Miss Hikawa. Miyamoto!"
"Yeah?" Miyamoto said.
"Lend me a hand. Help me carry the mat."
"Hey, why did Niwa start calling you Miss Reiko recently? He still calls me Miss Hikawa." Kuri said.
"Who knows? Maybe because it's hard to say Miss Kuri?" Reiko said.
Reiko really has changed lately. She must be hiding something. Geez, why wouldn't she be completely open with me? We're twins! Kuri thought.
"Kuri, help me carry one." Reiko said."That was refreshing! Feels great!"
"What are you looking at?" Kuri said.
"I was remembering. That meteor shower was beautiful." Reiko said.
"Yeah, it was." Kuri said. "They say that if you make a wish before a shooting star disappears, your wish comes true. But that's pretty hard, because it disappears instantly."
"Hey, Kuri, you said before, that happiness could lie very close to you." Reiko said.
"Did I say something like that?" Kuri said.
"You did. It's true. You notice it when you least expect it." Reiko said.
She's talking about Niwa. Just as I thought, Reiko likes Niwa. Kuri said. "There's something that I realized."
"What is it?" Reiko said.
"That it's pointless to look for the image of someone you love in someone else. I can try to like someone else instead of Mr. Dark, for example, like Niwa, but in the end, it's different. It probably wouldn't have made me happy." Kuri said.
"Kuri..." Reiko said
"Hey, don't you think it's strange? Somewhere under this sky, there could be a person who you'll live together with in the future. I really wonder what he's doing now?" Kuri said.
Kuri walked into the library and looked through the books. "I see. The ancient Grimoire of the Hikawa family. Wait a second...that kanji is...Hi-ka-ri..."
Kuri went to the hall of records in her house. She opened up the page on the family tree. "Midoriko Hikari, only a Hikari by marriage, changed the family name in the 1920s to Hikawa in order to possibly break the Hikari family curse. Unsuccessful, she turned to her husband Ritsu Hikari-Watanabe's family branch of magic. Ritsu was a true Hikari, born and cursed with the White Wing since birth. The name Hikari was originally Hikari-Watanabe after the first union that brought about the curse: Ryo Hikari, the artist, and Tsubaki Watanabe, the dark priestess whose magic he used after pledging himself to her body and soul."
Kuri stood, staring at the family tree. "Hikari. The name that battles and rivals Dark. It's my name. No wonder he is wary of me. And...this is..."
She pointed to a name at the bottom. "Hiwatari Hikari Satoshi. Son of Hikari Rio and Suoh Yuzuro. That makes him my half brother. I wonder if he knows, and how much he knows."
Kuri sighed. "But as for a method to break...it seems only...that way...is my only option."
She flipped to the back of the Grimoire, a page labeled "Shi-kon: a spell to do anything. For use once only. Only in emergencies. Failure results in soul crystallization."
"Soul...crystallization..." Kuri turned over a silver bead around her neck. "Then this is...she must have tried to save him." She gulped. "I-I cant afford to lose courage now!"
Xxx
"Come in." Kei said. "Satoshi, what's the matter?"
"You were supposed to leave the matter of Dark to me, right?" Satoshi said.
"That's right. What about it?" Kei said.
"Please stop these foolish tricks. It'll affect my plan." Satoshi said.
"What are you saying? No one, aside from a member of the Hikari family, can deal with Dark. So I can't do anything but leave the matter to you. Good luck." Kei said.
"Father..." Satoshi said.
"Sorry, but I have work to do." Kei said. "We'll spend more time together next time."
"That's...Please excuse me." Satoshi said.
Xxx
"Grandfather? What's the matter? Grandfather?!" Daisuke said. "What's wrong? Are you all right? I really think you should go to a hospital."
"No, I just strained my back. It's best if I just stay like this." Daiki said.
"What shall we do? Mr. Kosuke and Mrs. Emiko are both out." Towa said.
"I'll watch him for a while." Daisuke said.
"Then I'll go and look for a heat patch." Towa said.
"You don't want to be rich in years. Is Dark laughing?" Daiki said.
"He's worried, of course. Dark has been unusually serious lately. He doesn't tease me very much anymore." Daisuke said.
"I see." Daiki said.
"Grandpa, can I ask you something? When you were Dark, did you always love Grandma? In other words, was Grandma your Sacred Maiden?" Daisuke said.
"Daisuke, minds change. The person you feel for at that particular moment is everything to you. Your feelings are the most important thing. Do you understand?" Daiki said.
"Yes..." Daisuke said.
"I was popular with the girls, so sometimes I would get to where I didn't know who I should feel for." Daiki said.
"Grandpa!" Daisuke said.
"No, I'm all right if I stay like this. Daisuke, bear with it just a little longer. Things will probably be settled before too long. Kosuke and Emiko are also working very hard for that end right now." Daiki said.
"Yes..." Daisuke said.
Xxx
"I'm late! Sorry I'm late!" Daisuke said.
"Congratulations, Niwa!" Kuri said.
"What's this all about?" Daisuke said.
"You came in at just the right time, Daisuke. We've just decided." Teacher said.
"Decided? What was decided? This was. This..." Daisuke said.
Ice and Snow
Cast: Freedert
Niwa 19 votes
"Sorry that we decided while you weren't around, but, well, what's decided is decided." Takeshi said.
"But this is..." Daisuke said.
"You don't know about "Ice and Snow"? All the girls wanted it, no matter what. Because it's romantic! Right?" Takeshi said.
"Yeah!" Kuri said.
"But if I'm not mistaken, Freedert is..." Daisuke said.
"Yes! It's a woman! You're the heroine, the main character, you know." Takeshi said.
"I knew it! I don't want to do this!" Daisuke said.
"Hey, don't complain! You were unanimously elected to be the heroine!" Takeshi said.
"Unanimously?" Daisuke said.
"Sorry, I voted for you too." Reiko said.
"Even you, Miss Reiko? I'm shocked." Daisuke said.
"Well, don't worry about it, Daisuke. I'm even a middle-aged village woman." Takeshi said.
"I don't want to see that. But why am I the heroine when there are girls in the class?" Daisuke said.
"To stand out in the cultural festival, what's important is impact! The usual stuff is boring,
so we tried to make an all-guy cast. It's Shakespearean style, in a way. All the girls will be assisting behind the scenes." Takeshi said.
"Niwa, we'll make a cute dress for you." Girl said.
"We'll put some good makeup on you too." Girl said.
"In charge of music is Monsieur Miyamoto!" Girl said.
"We're counting on you!" Girl said.
"Leave it to me! I'll compose music that'll bring people to tears." Miyamoto said.
"I'll help you too." Girl said.
"By the way, the role for Elliot, your boyfriend and the son of a feudal lord, is..." Takeshi said.
Elliot
Hiwatari 11 votes
Saehara 1 vote
Nishimura 2 votes
"Collecting all the girls' votes, we decided on Hiwatari! It fits Hiwatari perfectly! I've already thought of the clothes for him. He'll definitely look handsome." Kuri said.
"I should've known." Daisuke said. "Hey, is there going to be a love scene?"
"Of course! That's a highlight scene!" Kuri said.
"No way!" Daisuke said.
"A love scene between Niwa and Hiwatari?" Kuri said. "I want to see that!"
"How dangerous!" Girl said.
"I feel bad for Niwa, but I'm looking forward to it!" Kuri said.
"Saehara!" Daisuke said.
"I'll write the script and direct it! I won't accept any complaints! So we'll start the preparation and practice right away." Takeshi said.
"This can't be happening. You've got to be kidding me. Out of all these people, with Hiwatari..." Daisuke said.
"Accept it. This too is your fate." Satoshi said.
"Hiwatari..." Daisuke said.
"Or perhaps, laid as a trap?" Satoshi said.
"This semester's crazy!" Daisuke said.