I stared down into the luminescent screen of my phone, and read the presented message. That's right, I could read it. For a second, I thought my head was putting words there for me or that knowledge of the written language had somehow unlocked itself within my conscious. When I focused closer, I deciphered the truth to be much less complicated.

The wording of the message did indeed consist of the Latin letters of the English language, but the sentence structure made little sense without some thought. It looked as though the text had been ground through a rough translator, and that's where I drew my conclusion; my phone was equipped with a simple translator. I wish I had given the thing a more thorough look over.

Sekai's name graced the top of the message. It explained that she and Makoto had gone to the shopping district, but he was "acting like an idiot and not paying any attention to me. He says he's not sure how to grow closer to Kotonoha." She also added that she wanted to discuss more of the overall plan with me tomorrow. Same time on the roof.

I read the wording over and over, assuring myself that I understood the mixed message until the bright screen burned a glowing rectangle into my vision. Lunch on the roof with just the two of us? Again? When would I get to eat in peace? I'm supposed to be conspiring a plan with Yuuki, but he's proving to be difficult to catch a time slot with. I began typing in my response:

If only you had refrained from aiding their relationship in the first place. I do usually prefer to eat in privacy, but no matter. We'll figure something out eventually. Lunch on the roof is fine, but only if you bring more of your cooking.

It took me a few seconds to find the translate function on my phone. After a moment, the English lettering blinked into the crisscrossing lines and dashes of Japanese characters. I knew right away that the message would be just as ridiculous sounding as her's had been to me. The thought prompted me to add another line:

Please excuse my phone's crude translation.

I sent the message on its way, hoping that we truly could figure something out, but my doubts lingered. If the future began to look bleak, I would have to try to convince Sekai to leave the couple alone, but I knew that would never happen. Makoto would end up becoming too impatient with Kotonoha, just as he had before, and then turn to Sekai for his hormonal relief. The barbarian would have little trouble convincing her.

"We're here."

I nearly smacked into Otome's small back, my attention set upon my mobile phone. Without my notice, we had managed to wander into the school's large and vacant gymnasium. It had steely gray bleachers on each side of a standard basketball court, and it wafted a vague scent of sweat and rubber, but stood without a single body to greet us. As far as I could tell, we were its only current inhabitants. I took note of a large duffel bag set upon the last row of one of the bleachers.

"So," I started as my glasses scanned the gym. "Where's the rest of your team, Katou?"

"They're not here,"she mumbled quietly before she stole a secretive glance. I raised my brow in a look of befuddlement.

"So we're early?"

I had a good enough idea that this would not be the case, and she did little to hide her tells. Her dainty hands twisted at the ends of her shirt and she bit her lip. "No, they're not coming today. It's just going to be me."

I raised my head and gazed at her from under my glasses. Her voice came out with a confidence that ran opposite to her appearance. She was more fidgety than a caffeinated college student in a four hour class. I decided that maybe she just didn't want to admit that she desired more photos of herself in the yearbook as opposed to her teammates. That would explain why she steered away from any of the school's actual photographers. Someone familiar with the school's routine would require the entire team to be here.

"I guess if you really are fine with me doing this," I shrugged, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Lead me to the camera."

The gym echoed with her footsteps as she walked over to the duffel bag and uncovered a dense looking camera. It looked more sophisticated than any camera I had ever dealt with, and I was overcome with an unfamiliar sense of technological intimidation. She held the bulky device out to me with a mischievous curl of her lips. My hands clenched a death grip upon it, fearful of paying for damage costs.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to handle this thing?" I asked with a hint of uncertainty. I turned the camera over and eyed the many switches and dials. "It looks kind of expensive."

"It's okay," she giggled, bringing ease back into her unsettled mood. "It was a gift from an uncle, but I never use it. You don't have to worry about it."

"Wow," I admired. "I wish I got awesome gifts like this. You know, good camera lenses can be more expensive than the camera itself? It's a real money-burning hobby." Photography may not be an actual hobby of mine, but I learned a thing or two from my picture-loving father.

"Really?" the girl asked in awe as she bent down to tighten her shoe laces. "I'm glad I don't care much for it then. It's a shame that you lost yours though."

"Um, yeah that sucked," I laughed dryly, wondering who had relayed the lie from my first day's flustered introduction. My fingers poked at the many buttons until a screen flickered on. "I was just wondering, I mean it's no big deal, but how do you know so much about me?"

I probably shouldn't have asked that. Otome's composure crumpled like a rose in a hail storm, and she returned to her previous state of reservation. She jolted up from her kneeling position and turned away to fiddle with a basketball that sat next to her duffel bag.

"I-it's just what I've heard, that's all," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "My friends have never met anyone from America before, so they're really interested in you. I think they got the information from someone in your class. They talk about you a lot."

"Do they now?"

Great, just what I needed, more attention from the local populous. At this rate, I'd have the whole school following me around and nagging at me with irrelevant banter and complications. This is probably the highest level of popularity I've ever achieved, and it's never been more unwelcome. But when she brought up her friends, something about them prodded at the back of my mind. Something cruel...

"It just occurred to me, didn't one of your friends say you liked foreign guys?" I asked with a tint of unease. I've been having more and more difficulty thinking before I speak. "Because-"

"Oh wow, we've wasted too much time already! I'm gonna start warming up." the athlete yelled out abruptly after standing rigid like a board. She dribbled the ball onto the court toward one of the baskets, each step squeaking against the polished flooring. "Just go ahead and start taking pictures whenever you think they'll look good."

"Alright..." I called back weakly. Avoiding any further awkward conversation seemed a blessing. Too bad my big mouth worked in favor of my social downfall. With the black piece of hardware locked in my hands, I brought its viewfinder up to my face.

A blinding flare lit up the gym for a split second when I captured a test photo to reassure myself that I knew what I was doing. At least this thing functions the same as any other camera. Now that its storage held a gorgeous depiction of my feet, I could focus on the basketball player who, from the racket her shoes were creating, was currently going to town on that court.

Her stamping feet appeared to inhabit both the air and the ground simultaneously, an omnipresent blur. With each jump her figure cleared through space and slammed into the basket with relative ease. The image of her body sailing through the air while her shirt fluttered behind screamed super powers. I tried my best to predict and photograph the climax of each dunk, but my attention continued to stray. The audible swish of each precise toss perked my ears and brought a sense of satisfaction I had not known previously. I never cared much for sports, but if it was always like this, I wish I had.

She glided up and down the court, dancing between invisible opponents with the grace of an Olympic figure skater. More than once I had to force myself from standing and gawking and remember that I had a job to do. Despite her elaborate and fast-paced movement, her face glistened not with sweat, but pure determination that burned in her thin, furrowed brow. Never before had I witnessed someone evolve so dramatically and suddenly in demeanor and act with such palpable purpose. The sight left my lungs hungry for air.

Maybe I was overreacting, perhaps my exhausted brain had become vulnerable and easily impressed, but I could not deny that her skill surpassed the average student. I began to realize how quiet the gym was, other than her smacking steps and the clicks of the camera. Should I compliment her? That wouldn't be awkward, would it? I feel like I need to let her know just how impressed I am. Right now.

"You're amazing!"

"Eh-?" came Otome's tiny whimper before she lost her footing and tripped over the ball. At the sound of my comment, her head had snapped in my direction and her concentration had severed from the sport like a cutlass through a taught string. I could only watch from afar in horror as the poor girl became victimized by gravity, plummeting in a pile of sprawling limbs.

"I'm so sorry!" I nearly yelped as I jogged to her fallen form. She leaned on her elbows with teeth grit and eyes scrunched in pain. My worry-smitten self began to fear the worst. "A-are you alright? Can you stand?"

"It's alright, I'm fine," the girl groaned. I extended my hand out for her and she hesitantly grasped it with a hand that felt so much smaller than my own. The thought sent a haunting shiver up my spine before I evicted it and set back to gently levering the girl on to her feet. To my elated relief, she managed to stand evenly without effort. Aside from a few scuffs, her body appeared to have suffered no serious traces of damage. The second she gained her balance, her hand shot from my grasp like cat from water.

"I can't believe I let that happen," she sighed, brushing away at her clothes while hiding her rosy face. "I've never been so stupid before. You didn't capture that did you?"

"Of course I didn't," I reassured with open hands. "And don't beat yourself up over it. It was my fault for yelling out like an idiot. I shouldn't have done that so suddenly, could've thrown anyone's game off."

"Well in a real game there will be a lot more than just one person shouting. I have to do this in front of a crowd, and a screw up like that could cost my team the win."

I watched Otome with slight guilt as she huffed over to her duffel bag and pulled out a bottle of sloshing water. Her throat bobbed with each greedy gulp as I scratched my head with little else to say. A fierce breath parted her shining lips when she pried the bottle away.

"I-I'm sorry, Hudson, I didn't mean for you to see me so upset like this. It's just, ugh, my thoughts have been all over the place lately and I haven't been able to get my head in the game like I used to."

"Oh I know the feeling," I said, nodding my head until my glasses almost fell off. "I've been like that for the last day and a half as well. My brain's been in a whirl, I can hardly think straight."

Otome brightened up with friendly concern and set the bottle down. "Yeah, it must be difficult moving somewhere so far from home. Here, let me take that, I think that's enough pictures for now. So have you been settling in at the school well?"

I walked over and removed the camera strap from around my neck. "You could say that. I guess the school system here isn't too drastically different from back home, and I've definitely been making friends faster than I could have hoped." Maybe faster than I would ever like. "I never would've expected to take on yearbook photo duties within the first couple of days, though."

"Thanks for that, by the way," she smiled as she took the device. "I just don't trust the other kids in the school to take very good photos, and this way I can send in the ones I want used."

"But you trust me?" I pondered aloud while skeptically peering over my glasses. She froze and turned to begin tossing her things into the void of her duffel bag.

"Someone like you popping up with a story as a camera hobbyist just sounded too convenient to pass up. I-it's nothing more than that."

"Alright, if you say so," I replied, covering up my suspicion. I didn't really care either way, I needed to get back to Kotonoha. "Well it's been fun, Katou. I, uh, need to hurry on back to the library now. Hope the pictures I took aren't too off-center."

"W-wait!"

Her sudden outburst caught my fleeing form in mid stride, causing me to slip a few inches on the waxed court. With a subtle slump of my shoulders I shuffled in place like a tank to face her.

"Is there a problem?"

"I-I just remembered, has anyone told you about the events we hold around here?"

Events? Now that she mentioned it, I did feel the itch of some recent memory remnant throbbing away in the folds of my cranium, but I couldn't quite retrieve it.

"No, I haven't gotten a full grasp on the local calendar just yet. Why? Is there going to be some kind of talent show?"

"Nothing like that," she brushed away. "It's sort of a big festival that each class prepares for, we do it every year. Each class has a booth and the students and their families walk around and play games. There's also food and a bunch of other activities."

"Ah! Now that you mention it, I think I heard it in passing somewhere." Heard it in passing? Of course I knew about the festival! The memory hit me like a bucket of ice water. So much potential for disaster, if only I could remember what originally happened at it. I know there's a dance for couples and that Makoto absentmindedly partakes in it with Sekai, but other than that-

"Great, so, uh, you know that most go with a friend, right?" Otome stammered. She had left her bag behind and stood only a couple feet away. Her voice came in dulled breaths, forcing me to lean inward to hear.

"Yes, I think I remember something like that. Why?"

"I was wondering if you would- if you would like to go together..."

If I were back in the real world, this would have turned out to be an elaborate prank, ending with me looking like a desperate child. Of course I've grown more callous since those times, but I could only stare with a crooked eyebrow while she evaded my sight with the cover of her bangs and a sidelong look. This was no joke. She wanted to go to together? With me? Why? Isn't there someone else she would rather spend her time with? I swear this conflicted heavily with a point in the original story, but I couldn't for the life of me remember how. Hold on, I need a minute to think. Just the idea of this is so-

"I-it's just as friends," she finally squeaked to shatter the silence. Her frantic hands molded wrinkles into her white shirt. "It's not like a date or anything, I just don't want to go alone, that's all. And I want to talk to you more about your home country."

Just as friends. Duh just as friends, must I overreact at every little thing? I almost laughed out loud at my flawed train of thought. She's the other girl chasing Makoto, remember? Get your head out of the gutter and stop thinking so deeply for once, idiot.

"Of course, yeah sure, I'll go with you," I finally gasped with relief, snagging a finger at my collar. "When is the festival being held exactly?"

Otome's clothing jiggled when she performed a mini jump and her face lit up like a Christmas tree at my response. "It's in two weeks."

"Two weeks?!"

Kotonoha nearly rocketed out of her chair at my reaction. When I returned to the library, I had asked her to confirm the rapid encroachment of the school holiday. The whole journey back was a blur of fast steps and heavy breathing, my rapid gasps bouncing off the school's barren halls. I had barely even said good bye to Otome, which was regrettably rude now that I thought about it. There I go, overreacting again.

"Y-yes, i-is something wrong?" she croaked with startled eyes.

"No, sorry," I lamented as my feet slid under the table while my body slumped in its seat. "It's just, I had a few things planned and there may be a slight possibility of interference." My knuckles dug at my temples and massaged the inflating frustration that bubbled beneath. I had completely forgotten about the festival in the story, and now it was coming up too fast. There was no way I could straighten out these kids in two weeks, was there?

"I'm sure everything will turn out fine," she reassured with warm optimism. I could only grin back in thanks.

"I'm going to go check a few of these books out now," Kotonoha announced as she scooped up her pile of texts. She looked rather silly with so many books clumped together in her dainty arms.

"Uh, here, let me carry some of those," I offered as I jumped up from my seat.

Ten minutes later, the two of us were strolling alongside the streets of Japan. I continued to silently mourn over the fact that Yuuki had not been at the checkout desk, some other kid had taken his place. While we walked, I made a comical effort to juggle Kotonoha's books and send the boy a text simultaneously, but it was no use. Luckily, the train ride proved to be a much needed break, granting time to compose a message that I used to inform him of where I had gone off to since he disappeared and that I would try to contact him tomorrow... What day was tomorrow anyway?

"Hey, Kotonoha, what day is today?" I mumbled over a stack of books sitting on the seat between us.

"It's Thursday, so after tomorrow we have the weekend to look forward to," she answered in her usual innocent tone. "Though I have a student council meeting after school tomorrow."

My spine perked in pleasant surprise. I had started school in the middle of the week, and the notion of weekends had slipped my mind. This was fantastic, two whole days of freedom to mull things over were just around the corner. I revised a bit of my text to Yuuki and asked him if it would just be easier for us to meet up over the weekend. Plenty of time to formulate a potential plan, and anything Sekai and I came up with at lunch tomorrow would be an added bonus.

"I didn't know you were in the student council," I said as we left the train station. A car sauntered by on the peaceful street.

"Oh, yes. In fact I have a lot of planning to do for the upcoming festival," she admitted with a tired look. Her extensive lengths of deep violet hair dangled like exhausted curtains as she aimed her eyes to the ground.

"Don't work yourself too hard, Katsura," I warned with a grin. "If you need any help with that festival stuff, you can come to me about it."

"I couldn't bother you with these things when you've only just gotten here," she giggled, making her shoulders bounce.

"No, really, it's all fine," I insisted. "If that whole ordeal this morning was any indication of the difficulties you face around here, believe me, it's the least I can do."

She hid her face from me once more. "Thank you."

"Well, this is me," I indicated when we stopped before a familiar building. "How much further until your house?"

"Oh, it's not that far," she smiled as she inched closer to receive the books in my hands. "I think I can manage it the rest of the way."

I smirked at her and shook my head. "Don't worry about it, I don't mind carrying these a little longer."

With such a constant air of modesty, you could never tell if she was being truthful or just polite. I failed to control a quick, longing glance at the front door of my home. My paining arms would not forget this. Come on man, the least you can do for this tortured girl is carry some of her books a bit further. Besides, a little more walking would do you a world of good. God knows you need the exercise.

Nearly twenty minutes later I was mentally punching myself in the back of the head for insisting on helping her. The hard edges had sunk into the soft flesh of my arms, each step sending out sharp bites of pain. I feared that to loosen my grip just the slightest bit would send the pile of literature to the asphalt, so I settled on squeezing my arms as tightly as possible.

"Thank you so much," Kotonoha bowed as we reached her home's entrance. "I'm sorry it was a longer walk than I may have lead on."

"Hah, it's no problem," I chuckled with a grimace as I continued to strain with the weight. "Now I definitely know not to let you go home alone with so many books."

"Here, um, you can come inside to put those down, if you want," she blushed as she fumbled with the doorknob.

I blanched with my chin resting on a hardcover. She was inviting me into her house? I'd never been into a girl's house before. Were her parents home? They wouldn't misunderstand this situation would they? It's fine, it's cool, it'll just take a second for me to put her books down and be on my way.

"Welcome home big sister!"

"Ah! Stop it, Kokoro, calm down!"

Within seconds of the front door creaking open, a miniature girl blurred from within and latched onto Kotonoha's body like some kind of leech in a fluffy dress. It took Kotonoha a flustered minute to calm her younger sister down and pry her off, and I'm sorry to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed watching her struggle with such an energetic child, even if it meant I had to suffer longer with my heavy load.

"Are you her boyfriend!?" the little girl cried out when she noticed me in the doorway. Her face was nothing but wide, gleaming eyes.

"Ah, no I-"

With a strength beyond the limitations of a girl her size, Kokoro ran to my rear and shoved me toward a quaint little living room with vanilla walls, giggling loudly all the way.

"Come in, come in!"

"W-wait a minute, Kokoro, stop bothering him!" Kotonoha flustered as she followed. "Here, Hudson, let's go upstairs so you can put those books down."

"Aw, you're no fun keeping him all to yourself big sis," the girl pouted as Kotonoha tugged my coat sleeve to the stairs.

Too much happening too fast, I could barely take anything in while I followed along. I only caught fleeting images of the house's simple yet elegant decorum before I found myself in a very foreign and feminine room. This is a girl's room. I'm in a girl's room. I'm in Kotonoha's room. How did this happen?

"You can just dump those over there," she said, gesturing to a very comfortable looking bed.

With a grunt I released the pile of books and nearly fell backward from the sudden imbalance. My arms were stiff and I could feel the blood throb in my hands. My fingers pressed and prodded into the sore tissue of my arms as I attempted to accelerate the circulation. While I massaged my arms, I took the moment to gape around at the room's furnishings: an endless shelf of books, a tidy desk with stacked papers, a round vanity, and a small television, all surrounding a book-draped bed. A cute and clean atmosphere.

"I-it's nothing special," she said when she noticed my gaze.

"Hah, are you kidding? You should see my room, it's a jungle in there. Yours actually looks like it belongs to someone who has it all together."

"Would you like some tea?" she asked after shaking her head in bashful innocence at my comment. Her face was a blur of crimson and her hair tossed around in a jumble with her head.

"I don't want to be a bother-"

"It's no trouble at all!" she interrupted before sending a hand to her mouth. Geez, people here really loved cutting you off. Hmm... poor choice of words.

"I mean," she continued. "I want to repay you for helping me with my books, even though it's not much. I don't mind at all."

"Well if you're sure, I guess that'll be fine then," I chuckled sheepishly. "Hopefully it will be just as delectable as your cooking from lunch the other day."

Kotonoha beamed until she disappeared into the hall while I internally cringed with regret. If her previous cooking is anything to go by, I'm in for a rough next few minutes. Maybe I can hole my nose without her noticing..

"Hey, you didn't answer my question!"

I spun to find the culprit of the sudden yell floating in the bedroom doorway. Kotonoha's little sister flashed a toothy smile at me while I stared back, my mind still reeling from the shock of her sudden apparition.

"What question was that?" I asked cautiously with my hands in my pockets.

"Are you my sister's new boyfriend?" she asked with her head cocked to the side like a curious bird. "I heard about you yesterday! She's been so happy since she made a bunch of friends."

It was such a humbling statement that I actually felt my stomach respond with a warm fluttery sensation. It began to occur to me that Kotonoha really hasn't had a lot of friends her whole life, has she? To have been alone for so long and suddenly gain a kindly, albeit loud, group of friends as well as a boyfriend, of course she'd run home in soaring spirits. I never realized just how drastic an effect we would have on her, and that made it all the more tragic that I would have to tear it down for the greater good...

"No, I'm not her boyfriend," I laughed uneasily. Thinking about it racked my nerves with tendrils of dull anxiety. The little girl's shoulders slumped in disappointment, hitting me with a fresh pang of guilt.

"Are you sure?" she frowned, her enormous eyes shining with sorrow. "Aw, I wanted to meet my new older brother since Big Sis doesn't really talk about it. But does that make you one of her new friends?"

I searched the ceiling for an answer before replying. "Sure, I guess you could call us friends... maybe? We haven't really talked much, your sister and I. By the way, what was your name again? Mine's Rupert."

"I'm Kokoro!" she blurted out. "Nice to meet you!"

I almost lost my footing at her outburst, she nearly blew out my ear drums. A quick succession of light thumps could be heard coming from the hall, then Kotonoha's head appeared around the doorway. Presented upon her hands was a large silver tea tray weighed down with tea essentials. I've never actually had tea from a traditional pot before.

"Kokoro?!" Kotonoha yelled loudly, or at least as loud as her soft voice would allow. "Stop bothering Hudson and get out of my room!"

With a frantic wave, the little girl skipped out of the room, but not before sticking her tongue out at her sister in a fantastic show of sibling rivalry. Kotonoha's cheeks puffed in red response. It seemed so strange to think that Kotonoha could be involved in such a typical family situation such as this. All the violence she would mix herself with in the show just became infinitely more heartbreaking.

"Sorry about that, I don't know what's gotten into her," she groaned as she balanced the tray over to her desk and gently lowered it. "Here."

With a movement that caught my senses off-guard, Kotonoha brandished a silvery object in her hand. She held it out in my direction with a speed so alarming that it squeezed a tight gasp from my throat. I jumped a step back, my instincts momentarily blinding me of any sensible logic.

"Hudson? A-are you okay?" echoed a concerned voice through the red haze that clouded my vision.

I blinked and stared at Kotonoha's worried face then gradually shifted focus to her outstretched hand, a shiny tea cup in its grasp. A quick shake of my head and the perilous fog dissipated immediately, as though it had never impaired my sight.

"Huh? Y-yeah yeah," I babbled while I reached for the offered cup. "Sorry, Katsura, I just- I thought- never mind, it's nothing. Please, don't worry about it."

"O-oh, okay," she replied. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say more, but withheld herself.

Even after that, Kotonoha still managed to serve me tea with a cute smile. It took a solid few minutes of sipping before another word was said between us, though. Surprisingly, she decided to lead in breaking the silence for once. At first she talked as though she measured each word with self-conscious vigilance, perhaps still fearful of my freakout. She started out asking me about my home back in America and what it was like there. Apparently she hoped to move there one day for educational purposes. Her speech steadily grew more and more fast-paced with each question, I felt like a wooden hut under siege by a chatty cannon, but I held strong.

"You've never had sushi?" she asked with wide-eyed amazement.

"Can't say I have," I mouthed between sips of tea. How had I not been addicted to this stuff before? "I've never really cared for fish personally."

She shook her head with a bemused smile before glancing up at the wall behind me. Her mouth rounded in contained astonishment.

"Wow, we've been talking for almost an hour now," she giggled while she watched me guzzle down another cup of tea.

"It's been that long already?" I gagged, almost sputtering out a mouthful of tea. Well I guess it made sense now that I thought about it. Kotonoha had refilled the tea pot nearly three times. "I should probably be heading home."

"Thanks again for helping me with my books," Kotonoha said as she accompanied me to her front yard.

"It was no problem, thanks for having me over," I shrugged with one brushing back a side of hair. "And honestly, thanks for the tea. That stuff was amazing."

A brilliant red blush was all she could muster in response. Her previous attitude that instilled the bombardment of conversation had quickly faded away. Easy come easy go I guess.

"Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow, Katsura," I said as I waved and began marching down the sidewalk. A deeper, sleepier blue clawed at the edges of the sky, the sun gently succumbing to the night's will. Still no busy life on the street, only a passing car here and there. I could live with a quiet neighborhood like this. Sure, nausea of homesickness flipped my stomach every time I thought about it, but for now I could take in the comfort of knowing that my reality could not reach me with its stressfulness. A conflicting mix of pros and cons banged within my skull.

I sighed and pushed my inner turmoil aside. At least the walk back shouldn't be as painfully long-

"Um, hold on a minute!" came Kotonoha's feathery cry.

"What's up?" I asked with a spin of my heel, ignoring the sinking feeling that I knew the situation. The girl stood only ten feet from me at the front of her home

"I just wanted to know," she spouted with her eyes closed and porcelain hands clenched at her chest in a sort of blind determination. "If you wouldn't mind calling me by my first name."

I stared with the dormant gaze of a maggot-ridden zombie for a few seconds before the impact of the statement hit home. She wanted me to call her by her first name? That's kind of a big, social deal isn't it?

"If you really want me to... sure I can do that," I nodded. What harm could it bring? "But in return you'll also have to start calling me Rupert. Using my last name makes me feel like a school teacher or something."

"Okay!" she agreed, her mouth stretching with joy and her face glowing with maroon merriment. "Then it's a deal, Rupert."

"It's a deal, Kotonoha."

Thank you all so much for your continued support! You have no idea how comforted I am by all your positive comments. I would like to especially thank TheOnlyMeThereIs and Grisly Soap for their kind words. I am notably indebted to Grisly Soap for the trouble they went through to help edit out some of my grammatical mistakes.

This took longer to pump out than I hoped it would, and I apologize from the core of my beating blood pump. I long to get these chapters out faster, but the future remains... unpredictable. I truly wish I was capable of getting these out when I wanted to.