Author Note

I am bad at regularly writing and uploading and I know a lot of people are disappointed. Sorry.

Hopefully everyone is in good health and taking good care of themselves and their loved ones during these difficult times!

Stay safe! ~SilkHandkerchief

Chapter 91j: Unus Pro Omnibus (16 October 2003, inside Jenny's room during an autumnal storm)

Autumn has most definitely arrived with all the bravado that is natural to one of its storms. Gusts bring along showers of little droplets that melodiously clash against the windows as the cold mercilessly invades the room. And right after, you can feel the pressure pulling away, dragging ever so slightly at the frame of the windows and leaving an eerie calm in its wake.

The only thing lacking is the dancing flame on top of a candle; if we had that, the mood would be perfect to watch a nice slasher movie. But unfortunately enough the power grid is holding up just fine.

I glance down at the cards in my hands, and my brows furrow slightly.

These cards are great.

But it just so happens that I need to put actual effort in to win nowadays. If I take it easy, Setty's going to tryhard and win yet again, and I'll never hear the end of her ever-ballooning pride.

Now isn't the right time yet, though. I look up, smiling at her as I discard a matching color to what is already on top of the pile.

Look at her smile - I can already tell she's building up some sort of combo to ruin my day. I probably have to draw two. Or maybe she's got the big guns?

"Are you sure you want to do that, Nee-san? I don't want to beat you too badly like last game."

She's gloating even as she sits opposite me on the bed, her cards protectively piled up and clenched in her hand so that I can't 'cheat' by looking at how many cards she's got left.

How many does she have left anyways? Three? Four? She didn't call 'Uno', so…

She throws down a red skip card that matches my cards colour as she laughs. Here comes her killer combo..!

"Oi, squirt. Not again! Why do you keep ending up with all of these cards every time?"

She laughs even louder, maniacally almost as she throws down another skip card, although this one is blue. I try to eye her cards, but with little success.

Shit. How many does she have left over? One? Two? Maybe three? My eyes meet hers… and I know what comes next.

"I'm so not sorry, Nee-san. Gomenasaiii."

She offers this sarcastically-laden bomb shell of an apology as she drops the heavy guns on top the pile. Draw four cards.

Seriously..? I finally got my messy hand down to three cards, and now this nonsense rears its head again? This has to stop at some point!

"You won't like it when I make my comeback..!"

I warn her as I give her a playful push before going to collect my four cards of punishment, all of which is to her great delight.

"This is my comeback! You've been cheating so much when we used to play during the last few storms, it is only right fate favors me today!"

She giggles while righteously pointing her finger at me in blame. Geez.

The visuals of her mischief and delight meeting in one singular image draw a chuckle out of me, but I do my best to stifle it. She gets away with too much bullshit as it is.

"What? You admit it, huh?"

She is quick to cast the blame again, and I shake my head as I lean back against the wall. I eye her steadily as my hand brushes some itchy bangs away to the side.

"I just think it is silly how proud you are. Obviously winners will lose at some point, and the losers will win, but later those losers will lose again, so won't I come out on top in the end?"

She thinks I don't know, but it is pretty obvious that her stupid brother told her some things about bluffing and probably facial expressions, which has since brought on her insistent challenging me at this game while she stares so haughtily at me.

Whatever, that's fine. The part that truly puzzles me are her motives; I've felt she wanted to beat me at my own game and make me suffer sometimes, yet at other moments she's been like the little sister I know that grabs every opportunity to hang out and be up to mischief.

And at the same time, this is the part that really, REALLY pisses me off most! If she's being an insufferable brat, I don't mind rubbing her face in feces just to put her in her place or get rid of her for a while. But when she's all sweet and coy, how could I possibly say no to her asking me for our friendly game of cards?!

"But does it matter when I am about to win?"

Setty counters my question with a know-it-all grin of her own, and I roll my eyes. This is exactly it! Do I punish her childish insolence, or do I let her get away with another win?

She throws down her final card. My hand is holding so many cards that it is a pain holding on to them, and she's being all cocky in the way she proudly claps her hands in self-satisfaction.

Okay. She's totally being an insufferable brat. Thanks for helping me make up my mind, you little bitch. The gloves are finally coming off.

As I smile at her, I can see the recognition in her eyes. Maybe it is my expression, or maybe she realizes her mistake. Either way…

"You forgot to say Uno, squirt. Two more penalty cards for you."

The initiative is all mine now.