Sleeping in on a Saturday morning is a sanctity that must never be broken; it's the principle that most students live by. But there are cases where the youthful spirit has to compromise on it for the sake of creating the valuable memories of one's adolescence. And what could possibly be more memorable than a first date?
Kagamine Rin was determined to make it an absolutely awesome one. Her preparations up until Friday night had been, in terms of seriousness, akin to those for a mission of utmost importance. She had compiled an elaborate plan on what to wear, how to style her hair and what sort of make-up would fit the occasion. Although Piko hadn't revealed a single detail about where they'll be going, she read each and every magazine with date tips that she was able to find in her vicinity. What's more, he had postponed it by a week, giving her that much more time to arrange everything. She was as ready as she could ever get.
Naturally, Miku had helped along the way to the best of her ability; it didn't amount to a lot, since she didn't have any first-hand knowledge about dates, either. For that reason, she had recruited Luka onto the team. Her friend had gladly accepted the position and offered to do Rin's make-up, since she possessed more expertise in that area. Hence it also served as the perfect opportunity for the tealette to introduce the two girls to each other.
Not to mention, she had both Kagamines to watch over at the same time amidst all the frantic planning. Curing Len of his sleep deprivation was the easier case, once she had finally recalled that miraculous inventions like sleeping pills exist. As it turned out, they had also proved to be quite useful in subduing Rin during her occasionally recurring panic attacks in anticipation of the big day.
The twins weren't the only ones that kept the tealette occupied. Although she worked her hardest to perfect her song in time for the music festival, she had her doubts about actually performing it. For one, it was supposed to be an energetic, cheery concert, reminiscent of the summer sun's strongly shining rays; the song's sincerity carried a melancholic mood that would've ruined the general atmosphere. Furthermore, it began to feel like too much of a private matter to just sing it out for everyone to hear. Alas, time was running out and she had less than a week to settle on her final decision.
Besides the numerous big issues, there were also the little things to worry about. She was still pretty jittery about bumping into Kaito, keeping up her usual level of awareness and always scouring the area for his figure standing out from the crowd, yet making sure that Luka wouldn't remark her weird behaviour. All in all, Miku had a lot on her plate; with her small appetite, she wasn't used to it in the least.
That certain morning, a nasty cough coming from the blonde's direction broke the room's silence, instead of the alarm clock. Because more complications were totally necessary. Coming to her senses, the last figments of Miku's dream vanished into the dark corners of her memory. Once her eyesight had cleared up, she glanced at the clock. Huh? It's only 7:00 am... I could've slept for another hour, at the very least.
"Miku-chan, I don't feel so well..." Rin's bleary voice broke off her thoughts. She climbed out of her bed and walked over to check up on her friend's state.
Before she put her palm on her forehead, she could already tell that she was suffering from a high fever by the laboured breathing, the flushed cheeks and the pained scowl she wore. Coming in contact with her skin, it was like touching a stove. Poor Rin-chan, getting a fever now, of all times!
"Does it hurt anywhere?" the older girl asked, traces of concern in her tone. If it's just the fever, and we manage to lower that, she might feel well enough by the time she has to go meet Piko.
"My entire body... aches... It feels like... someone dropped... a boulder on my head..." she answered, dragging her words out due to the agony.
"Uwah, that's not good, not good at all. I'll get you some medicine right away," the tealette informed her as she brushed aside a few strands of her golden locks that were dampened by sweat.
"Thanks... Get Len-nii, too..." Rin voiced her request. She nodded in response, before setting off to fetch them both.
What are we going to do? There's no way she'd agree to cancel the date, nor is she capable of going... The tealette began to ponder on the situation, hurrying through the hallway.
"Rin!" the male Kagamine burst through the door with a concerned shout, dashing directly towards her bed and kneeling down beside it. Miku followed closely behind, holding the bottle of medicine and a teaspoon.
"Len-nii..." she spoke his name in a hoarse whisper. She peered at him from beneath half-closed eyes. As each tell-tale sign of her illness registered in his mind, his expression became more and more distraught.
"Don't worry, Rin. You'll feel better in no time, after you take this," he reassured the sick girl, while aiding her into a sitting position. The tealette handed the items to him and he carefully poured some of the liquid out onto the spoon. The medication was a dark-coloured substance, a faint orange scent emanating from it.
She opened her mouth without a single complaint. He slowly placed the utensil onto her tongue, tilting it to ease the medicine's journey down her throat. In the meantime, Miku poured some water into a glass and then handed it to Len while taking the spoon from him. The boy helped his sister with drinking that, too. The tealette took the emptied glass and placed the items on the bedside table.
"Go back to sleep for now. You won't even remember the fever by the time you wake up," he told Rin, whilst tucking her underneath the sheets. She slowly nodded and he impulsively bestowed a quick peck onto her forehead before he sat down on the rug between the two beds. He seemed ready to spend the entire day there, watching over his sister as she battled it out with the sudden cold she had attracted.
The tealette needed to speak to the boy, but didn't want to wake up Rin, so she grabbed his wrist to pull him to his feet. He remained firmly in his spot, like he had taken root there; he paid no mind to Miku's antics. She kept tugging him until she managed to exert enough force to drag him across the floor, towards the bathroom. Len kept focusing on his sister's bed, wearing a stone-cold expression. He only became aware of having reached their destination once Miku had cautiously closed the door behind them and Rin was entirely out of his vision.
The bathroom itself wasn't all that tiny, nor was it too spacious. The walls were painted a pale blue; the floor's tiles were in a matching shade, all in harmony with the sea-green bathtub. She took a seat on its edge, shortly followed by Len, who had somewhat come to his senses.
"Why'd you bring me in here? I need to stay with Rin!" the boy grumbled with discontent over the situation.
"That's exactly what we have to discuss. Do you really think she'll be cured that fast?" Miku wondered aloud, not attempting to hide the scepticism in her tone. She stared at her toes, wriggling them on the fluffy bath mat.
"Well, not really," he replied truthfully as he scratched the back of his head. "But I couldn't say that to her, could I? The thought of missing her date would've only worsened her condition."
"Yeah, probably," she admitted with a nod. "Then what are we going to do about that?"
"Tell Piko that she can't go, of course," he declared in total confidence, crossing his arms over his torso. "It must be a warning that she's not supposed to go on a date with that freak. I knew no good would come out of it from the start."
"And let all her hard work go to waste?" the tealette objected right away, directing her gaze towards the blond. "Could you honestly do that to Rin-chan?"
"Do you have a better idea?" he retorted. "I'm not letting my sister risk her health on a worthless piece of trash. If not, let me go back to her." His fingers curled into a fist as he spoke.
She took a few moments to consider the dilemma, drumming her fingers on the bathtub's edge. All of a sudden, a brilliant thought popped into her mind.
"Actually, I do have a better idea. You should go on the date in her place!" she announced, accompanied by a clap of her hands, sounding way too enthusiastic about it. "It'd be the perfect chance to check him out yourself, if he's worthy of Rin-chan or not."
Len almost lost his balance and fell backwards into the tub upon hearing Miku's unexpected suggestion; he grabbed onto the rim at the last second. He became as white as a ghost, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. She observed him with a bemused look, cocking her head to the side.
"I do believe I've heard you wrong," he finally uttered a couple of seconds later, regaining an upright pose, though he still had a shocked air about him. "Are you basically asking me to cross-dress as Rin? And spend the entire day with the person I despise, pretending to be head over heels for him? Seriously?"
"Yep, seriously. Don't you think she'll be thrilled to get your approval?" Miku attempted to reason with him, summoning a smile onto her lips. "You two are like peas in a pod, Piko won't notice the difference."
"No way, I can't do it. Knowing Rin, she'll kick me into outer space when she finds out that I 'stole' her first date," he expressed his disapproval, scrunching up his nose. "Also, we're not exactly the same anymore. She's... uh, well... no longer, you know..." he began to stumble over his words, a rosy blush appearing on his cheeks. He didn't even dare look anywhere near the tealette's direction. "What I mean is... that lately, she's... erm, grown. In that area..."
This time, she was the one to almost fall into the tub as she clamped her hands onto her mouth, in order to suppress her highly amused giggles.
"Oh Len-kun, the hormones are starting to guide your eyes, huh?" she blurted out the comment between sniggers. It was her duty to tease him in his sister's absence; one that she took up quite persistently.
"Hell no!" he shouted with a disgusted scowl, the rosy blush turning to deep crimson. He inched away from the obviously crazy girl. "It's just that... I couldn't not notice it after... uhm, after I... the time when, you know... that morning..."
"Ah, yeah, makes sense," she interjected, saving him from further embarrassment. There were more pressing matters to be dealt with at the moment; most of the jabs could wait for later. "But that's not exactly an insurmountable obstacle, to be honest."
"Well, it's not like I'm capable of leaving Rin's side while she's sick," he attempted to avert the discussion away from the option of cross-dressing. "Especially since she herself asked for my presence. I can't abandon her. We'll reschedule the date for next Saturday, simple as that. It happened once, it can happen twice."
"Nope, that's not how it works," she flat-out stated, raising her palm. "Seeing as Piko's the one who invited her, it's fine if he puts it off. It could even be his way of checking just how much she's interested in him. But if Rin-chan does that, it'd mean she's taking it too lightly, so there's a good chance that he might just cancel the date entirely... Saying 'you're sick' is like, the oldest trick in the book; he probably won't actually buy it, even though it's true this time."
Miku resumed her monologue after a short pause. She wasn't completely confident about the theory she had presented, and she couldn't afford letting him find a fault in it. "I understand your reluctance to leave her, but can't you trust me to take good care of Rin-chan? Switching places with her is something only you can do, Len-kun. And if this date doesn't happen, who knows when she'll get her next chance? On the other hand, if you act your role well, things will be off to a swell start. Your sister will be happy. Isn't that what matters most to you? Doing everything within your abilities to ensure her happiness?"
He had no immediate reply to that. His knuckles were turning white as he gripped onto the tub's frame. He shut his eyes tight and ground his teeth together in frustration as an ominous aura began to form around him. The heavy silence was starting to worry the girl a bit, until he snapped his head up and subjected her to a scrutinizing glare. Then she became even more worried. Oh dear, I'm done for, she noted to herself, trying to keep her calm on the outside with a meek smile.
"You swear she'll be happy? You swear she won't hate my guts for the rest of our lives? You swear this is what's best for her? You swear everything will work out fine?" he spat out the questions, the glare intensifying after each one.
"Yeah. I have a feeling that we need to go with this plan," she assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The gesture softened his expression, but just barely. And it has nothing to do with my curiosity over trying out cross-dressing in real life. Nope, not at all. This is just me being a helpful big sister.
He took a moment to consider things over again once more. To the tealette, it seemed like he was getting closer and closer to agreeing to her proposal. He suddenly leapt to his feet and took a deep breath before speaking. "Miku-chan, you always think of the weirdest things. And recently, they haven't worked out so well for me. So screw this, there's no way I'm making a fool of myself for anyone's sake!"
After that sudden outburst, he sprinted out of the bathroom. Or so he hoped to do. However, Miku's reflexes were faster than that. She latched herself onto his waist and tackled the blond to the ground. He tried squirming out of her hold, but to no avail. She mustered all her strength to keep him in place, eventually sitting on his back and pinning his arms down.
"Then, consider this. Wouldn't it be unpleasant for you if the lyrics to 'orange' were found by Rin-chan?" she inquired, masking the malicious intent with an innocent tone. "That'd be the more mortifying experience for you, no?"
The threat drew out a dramatic gasp from the boy. "You... You wouldn't dare..."
"Oh, I would. And we both know it. I promised I'd help set things straight. I never said I'd refrain from using debatable methods to achieve that," she declared her standpoint on the matter. "So, which will it be? Cross-dressing date or revealed song? What would make Rin happier in the long run?"
"You can be really evil sometimes, do you know that? Fine, I'll go on this stupid date..." he gave in to her wishes at last, sounding none too jubilant about it.
"I knew you'd come around," she praised him, patting him on the head as a reward for his wise choice.
With no warning whatsoever, she removed his shirt by grabbing the bottom of it and pulling it over his head. It happened so suddenly that he had no chance to retaliate.
"Mi-Miku-chan! What do you think you're doing?" he lashed out at her, trying to turn around and look the culprit in the eye. The pink tinge reappeared onto his face, coupled with a frightened expression.
"Oi, Len-kun, have you been eating properly?" she posed a question of her own, utterly disregarding his. Her lips curled into a displeased pout.
Indeed, the blond youth's upper body had started to show the obvious indications of malnutrition. He was nearing the point of being literally skin and bones, his ribs easily countable. She poked one of them, making him cringe.
"Fast metabolism, that's all," he replied, turning away from her and resting his face on the ground.
"Would it honestly be too much of an effort to take care of yourself, just a little bit?" she demanded, the words coming out a tad harsher than she intended them to.
Some of that anger was directed at herself... Why, oh why didn't I notice it sooner? I'm doing an awful job at watching over him. At times like these, he's really just like a fragile little kid. His physique is nothing like Se Taka- I mean, Shion-kun's... The image of his figure from that day briefly popped into her mind. She shook the thought out of her head before a blush could burst onto her cheeks.
"Well, what I can do when I feel sick from the very thought of putting food in my mouth?" he snapped back sharply. "I do keep myself properly hydrated, so it's fine..."
"No, it's aeons away from being fine. You're at a crucial age where your body needs the vitamins and nutrients! Just... eat first, think about it later, okay?" she endeavoured to convince him. "Otherwise I'll have to keep you under constant surveillance or something."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he brusquely agreed. "Just get off of me, you're heavy... And give me the clothes already. The sooner we're done with this, the better..."
She did as she was instructed, letting his veiled insult pass unanswered for once. And he doesn't even know yet that Luka-chan's coming over, too.
Dressing Len into Rin's pre-selected clothes turned out to be not such a simple task after all. Understandably, he was extremely reluctant to wear a mini-skirt... Thus some modifications had to be applied to the original plan. Miku ventured out to invade the girl's closet and she quickly checked up on her as well: luckily, she was still asleep and her condition appeared to have improved by a little. Minutes later, she brought a large pile of clothes to the bathroom, dropping them on top of the washing machine.
"Go on, pick out something nice for yourself," she instructed him, her grin reaching from ear to ear. I wonder if he has the ability to instinctively pick out the right clothes...
"What makes you think I'm capable of doing that?" he retorted, raising his eyebrows. "You're the girl, you should know! I'm just the poor, abused victim again..."
All right, I guess not, the tealette deduced. She began rummaging through the articles of clothing in search of suitable ones for him. Unfortunately, he was quite the critic, as he rejected each one she presented to him.
"Are you sure you don't want to try it yourself?" she suggested to him after a fruitless half hour. "It took us days to pick out the original outfit in the first place. And you seem to know so well what wouldn't work for you."
"I guess it can't be helped..." he said, ambling over to the pile. He pensively stroked his chin, merely observing the selection for a while.
Miku couldn't believe what she was witnessing. He soon began to strategically sort through them, comparing colours and materials to find the right match for an outfit.
"This should do it," he proclaimed after roughly five minutes. He held out the clothes for her to see; she couldn't restrain her jaw from dropping in astonishment. Noticing the gesture, a victorious smirk lit up his features. "It appears I'm better at this than I assumed. Now, turn around while I change."
She almost complained that there was no need for him to do so, since he was without a shirt all along. Just almost; she decided against it at the last moment, instead silently complying with his request.
"Uhhh... Miku-chan, help," he announced after several minutes of fervent fumbling. "This... thing... is horribly incomprehensible."
The tealette turned around and saw that he was in the middle of solving the chest area problem. It was a comical sight to behold and she really had to concentrate on keeping her giggles to a minimum. She stepped closer to him and lent a hand in fixing the undergarment so it would give the proper allusion, by grabbing a handful of tissues from the box on the counter. Nah, this isn't awkward at all, a sarcastic little voice echoed in her thoughts. She could feel his body temperature rise and heartbeat speed up when her fingers brushed against his skin; something comparable could be said about herself.
"And you'll have to shave your legs to wear that, you know," she informed him, putting some much needed space in between them once she was finished.
"Dammit," he hissed angrily. "It's a painful experience, isn't it?"
"Yup. Especially the first time."
The clothing-related crisis successfully conquered in the end, it was time to move on to his hair. The tealette brought a chair in for him to sit on, so as to facilitate the task at hand.
"Can I ask you something entirely hypothetical?" Len spoke up in a hesitant tone, as Miku started to comb through his sunny blond locks.
"Sure, what is it?" she urged him on, stopping her strokes for the moment.
"How can you tell the difference between sibling love and romantic love?" he straightforwardly raised the question on his mind. He stared straight ahead, making it impossible for the girl to covertly read his expression. That's a truly random subject to bring up all of a sudden...
"Uhm, I don't really know, actually..." the tealette replied, pausing to reflect on it for a while. She recommenced brushing his hair; she had a feeling that it'd turn into a long conversation, for which they didn't have too much time to spare. "I'd imagine it's just something that you feel as an instinct?"
"Well, if you've only ever known one of the two, how would you know if it's the other one? Is there such a huge discrepancy between them?" he probed further into the matter, sounding slightly irritated. A wave of nostalgia washed over the girl. We've had a similar conversation before...
"I don't think that's the case. Because as I see it, they're all the same to an extent; the fact is that you care deeply for the person in question. But still, there's something that sets them apart... Sort of like, you wouldn't want to kiss your own sister, right?" she tried to guide him in the direction of a plausible answer. She moved onto his bangs, partly so she could see his reactions.
"Ewww, kissing's gross either way!" he expressed his disapproval, creases appearing on the bridge of his nose. "Makes no difference if it's Rin or anyone else."
"Then, it isn't even about either kind of love yet. Maybe it's just admiration, or fascination, or attachment, or something like that; the possibilities are endless of what else it can be. In my opinion, it's absolutely useless to worry if it's in the 'love' category at all until you no longer think kissing is gross," she responded nonchalantly. I take that back about the hormones. With an outlook like this, it's obvious how young and childish he still is on the inside.
"That's honestly it? Love starts with wanting to kiss?" he inquired, a puzzled expression signalling his inability to wrap his mind around the concept.
"Perhaps on a more vague level, you could call it physical attraction? It's not the only thing to define it, but it's definitely a part of it..." she offered an alternative, although her tone wasn't very convincing. All I can rely on is the stuff I've seen in various series over the years...
"No, I still can't accept that; I won't accept that. Merely lusting after someone is just too flimsy as reasoning, for something so significant. It's extremely disappointing to have something other than profound feelings at the base of love... And that applies to the separation between sibling and romantic love, too. If there absolutely has to be one, why one can't turn into the other, it's got to be something huge. Otherwise, it's just not fair..." his voice lowered to a whisper during that last phrase, the pain visible in his eyes. "Is it possible that you only learn what it is when you're older? Am I too young to know yet?"
Miku was taken aback for a moment. Wow, logic like that is far from being young and childish... Perhaps this matter has been on his mind for quite a while now...
"You certainly don't sound too young. Seriously, you'd fit right in with the grandpas at a retirement home, talking like that. But it's true that an older person who's experienced more situations would be able to identify the various kinds of 'likes' and 'loves' better. However, I don't think that there's a predetermined age limit. After all, many people end up marrying their high school sweethearts," she began to elaborate on her philosophy. By that point, she had completely abandoned the task of styling his hair. "So it's probably a stroke of luck if you can find your fated person this early in your life. I mean, if it's the one true love, then I'm sure that even a young heart would know better than to let it slip away."
"In the end, it really is just an instinct thing?" he wondered, raising his eyebrows in doubt. "There's nothing you can rely on for sure?"
"As far as I know, yeah. You just have to listen to the whispers of your heart," she declared with a poetic edge.
"Even though I'm completely against it, I'm asking just out of pure curiosity: where would physical attraction start? Is it smaller and less repulsive than kissing?" he wondered, tilting his head a bit.
"I suppose so. I mean, there's hugging and cuddling before that..." she cited a few examples for him, counting them off on her fingers.
"What about... wanting to be beside the person? Always? Yearning for their presence just as much as air? Just... wanting to hold their hand and never let go?" he suggested examples of his own in an unsure tone. The way he expressed them made each simple word sound like a heavy burden.
"Oooh, that's it, that's it! I'd say such feelings would certainly be enough to call it 'love' already," she told him, pointing up her index finger. At that moment, the little events from the past weeks connected together in her mind. "This wasn't an entirely hypothetical question though, was it?"
"Can't you be dense about this like you are with everything else?" he retorted as a means of avoiding the obligation to answer, turning his head away from her.
"Sorry, no can do. Blame yourself for being excruciatingly obvious about it and dropping too many hints," she gently chided him. "Just to make sure I'm not misunderstanding it: it's about Rin-chan, isn't it? You love her a bit differently than normal for a brother?"
"Yeah. Probably. I'm still not exactly sure yet... Because, you know, I've mixed up the two before... Keep it a secret, okay?" he pleaded, still facing away from her. His tone was enough to convey his fretfulness over the matter.
"Of course, that goes without saying," she reassured him, accompanied by a squeeze on his shoulder. Perhaps I'm the source of his confusion? Did I say something in a way I shouldn't have, that certain afternoon on the rooftop? And the things I said just now?
"Is... is it... weird? Is there... something wrong with me? Am I... a despicable person? Do I even count... as a human being?" His worries spilled out one by one in a shaky voice.
"Oh Len-kun... Feelings and emotions are fickle things. You can't fully control them, no matter how much you want to. I won't deny that there's nothing wrong with you, because there's something wrong with everyone, but it's not this. At least, I don't think so. And if you stop thinking like that, too, then it won't count what anyone else thinks, either," she attempted to console him, moving over and standing on her knees to look him directly in the eye.
"What Rin thinks counts, too," he remarked, trying to avert his gaze from hers. "And I'm sure she'd banish me from her plane of existence if she had the faintest knowledge of it. She'd be disgusted with me."
"Hey now, have some faith in her. You're just exaggerating; she wouldn't be that cruel to you. Even if she doesn't reciprocate the feelings you have for her, it doesn't automatically imply that she doesn't care about you in the least, you know," she reasoned, taking his hands into her own.
"Well, I guess... Although she doesn't really act like it nowadays. And yet, here I am like a pathetic idiot, risking my pride for her happiness with a dubious guy! When I'm the one who needs to be at her side..." he complained, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Okay, hold on a sec. Friendly word of advice: never tell a girl that you desperately 'need' her," she noted, shaping an X with her hands for the added effect. "That's like, the ultimate warning bell for a psychopath on the loose."
"Thanks for calling me a nutcase," he interjected with a grumble. "Just what I needed to hear now."
"Anyways, just phrase it differently so it'll sound less stalker-creepy," she advised. Starting to feel uncomfortable on her knees, she decided to sit on the bathtub's rim again. "You aren't planning on confessing to Rin-chan anytime soon, right?"
"Eeeeehhh? Like hell I would!" his exclamation almost had him tumble off the chair. "Not until I know for sure that's it romantic love, and not simply intense sibling love. I can't risk what little we still have, even though it hurts so freaking much that she barely acknowledges my existence anymore and favours the freak over me..." he explained, closing his eyes for a few seconds.
Things are really getting complicated between Rin-chan and Len-kun... Even more so than I had previously thought it to be. But I can't back down now, because they're important to me. I just have to figure out a way to make them realize that they're important to each other, too; without excessive meddling, if possible. Too bad it's easier said than done, she brooded over the current circumstances. Well, first, we need to get through today's date.
"All right, that's enough moping around for now," she announced, standing up and clapping her hands together. He jolted from the noise, opening his eyes at the same time. "I still have your hair to finish, and then your make-up to do."
"Oh joy," he remarked in a contemptuous manner. "Do you even know how to do that?"
"Relax, I got it covered," she told him. Minus the tiny little detail that she won't actually be the one in charge of it.
"And it's finished!" Miku announced cheerily, putting her hands on her hips and taking a step backwards as she observed Len's hairdo.
The boy stood up from the chair. For all it mattered, it could've been Rin sitting there a moment ago. He had been transformed into the perfect clone of his twin sister. The tealette couldn't stop her gaze from travelling up and down his figure. He cleared his throat before speaking up.
"Do I look okay?" the blond asked a bit hesitantly, yet sounding like a natural at imitating a feminine voice.
"Perfect," she replied once the question had registered in her head, giving him the thumbs up. "You and Rin-chan are like, the same person in two copies."
"I'm not sure if I should think of it as a good thing or bad thing..." he murmured gloomily.
Before Miku could comment, she was interrupted by her cell phone vibrating with an incoming text on the bathroom counter beside the sink.
Date: 06/15 AM 9:12
From: Luka-chan
Subject:
Message:
Good morning Miku-chan~ How're the preparations going for Kagamine-chan's date? Can I go do her make-up now :D? Either way, I'm almost there to help out~
The tealette smiled at her friend's evident enthusiasm. She quickly began pressing the buttons to write a reply.
Date: 06/15 AM 9:14
To: Luka-chan
Subject: RE: ^^
Message:
Good morning Luka-chan! Yeah, we're all set. She'll look amazing with your finishing touches :3 I'll meet you in front of the dormitory.
Having sent it, she placed the gadget back onto the counter. She took a deep breath to calm herself a bit. It was time for her to tell Len about the special assistance that was about to arrive.
"So, you know how I said I had the make-up part under control?" she breached the topic directly. The boy nodded in reply. "Well, I-asked-Luka-chan-to-come-and-help," she blurted out the sentence, innocently batting her eyelashes.
"You've got to be kidding me..." he complained, facepalming himself.
"Consider it the trial run. If you can fool Luka-chan into thinking that you're Rin-chan, then you can do the same with Piko," she reasoned.
"Except for the part where she hasn't even met Rin before, while the creep has," he pointed out the fault in her logic.
"The crucial part is that you pass for a girl. Since Rin-chan doesn't usually wear make-up, he'll attribute any strangeness in appearance to that," she adeptly covered it up.
"How do you plan on explaining why there's someone sleeping in Rin's bed?" he found yet another blunder in Miku's scheme.
"Simple! We'll say that it's you, on the account of having stayed up too late working on a school project," she came up with the scenario on a whim.
"On a Friday night? Before an important date? Yeah, that's very likely." he cynically noted.
"Tch, whatever, I'll just say it's a long story and leave it at that," she decided, with a casual flick of her hand. "Anyways, you stay put while I go and meet Luka-chan downstairs."
"Luka-chan, meet Rin-chan. Rin-chan, meet Luka-chan," the tealette presented them to each other. The three of them were standing in the bathroom, which was starting to get a little crowded by then.
"Pleased to finally meet you, Rin-chan," the pinkette said, bowing her head and amiably smiling. "It's fine if I call you that, right?"
"Of course. Nice to meet you, too, Luka-senpai, if I may," the disguised Len finished the exchange of formalities.
"Yeah! Being called 'senpai' makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside," she revealed, touching her cheeks with the tip of her fingers. "Let's get to it, shall we? Though I must say, you're plenty cute enough already!"
All the while, Miku kept the pinkette under close watch, to see if she suspected anything about the identity of the 'Rin' before her. That didn't seem to be the case, as the two of them had started to engage in casual conversation while Luka worked her magic.
I didn't think Len-kun would be able to assimilate into his role so easily! He's chatting with her just as naturally as Rin-chan would in this situation... He's taking this really seriously. Because it's for his sister's sake, she concluded.
The minutes ticked by and Miku could only stare in awe at Luka's skills. She had brought a wide variety of cosmetic products with her; the tealette barely recognized around half of them. She worked quickly and efficiently, picking out the shades that would compliment Len's complexion the most with ease. There was enough time left for a simple French manicure as well. Learning all this beauty stuff... is that what being a lady is about?
When the pinkette had finished, she took a few steps back to stand beside her friend and observe the end result of their combined efforts. They gazed upon their kouhai in amazement, clasping their hands together and excitedly squealing at 'her' unparalleled cuteness.
The Rin-ified Len wore a ruffled maroon skirt with embroidered flowers on it that reached just above his knees and a pair of polka-dot leggings underneath it. The top he chose to go along with them was a light orange, short-sleeved chiffon blouse that had a dark orange ribbon around its waist. Vibrantly coloured plastic bangle bracelets decorated his wrists. Luka's make-up was nothing exaggerated; it was modest and gave him a natural, yet matured look. Miku couldn't leave Rin's trademark white bow out of his hair; instead, she exchanged her hair pins for fancier ones, with little gems on it and brushed his hair in a way that it'd seem more voluminous.
"Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it," he expressed his gratitude to his senpais, figuring that that's what his sister would've done. He fidgeted in his spot, looking away from them abashedly.
"It was my pleasure, honestly," Luka said. "Even though I only had a small part in it. But if this doesn't win Piko over, then he can get lost!"
"Yeah, that's right," the tealette agreed with her friend, a broad smile on her face. "You look absolutely charming and adorable!"
If Rin-chan could see him now, she'd surely think the same. And if she were a guy, she totally wouldn't be able to resist his appeal... she commented to herself. Not entirely aware of her actions, Miku grabbed her cell phone from the counter.
"Say cheese~" she said, quickly snapping a photo of the boy before he had a chance to stop her. She quickly sunk it into her pocket. His slightly frightened expression made the shot that much sweeter.
"Delete it right this instant!" he hissed at her, trying to keep his voice from becoming too loud. In mere moments, his face was scarlet with anger.
"Nuh-uh," she refused his demand, wagging her finger. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime occasion that needs to be documented. And rather than arguing about that, you should get going soon. It's almost 10 am."
"I'll get you for all of this one day, Miku-chan," he threatened her in an off-handed manner. He turned around and put a hand on the doorknob. "Ittekimasu."
"Itterasshai," the girls said simultaneously. "And have fun!"
Author's Note: Happy Halloween in advance~ Hope everyone has a fun time :D
Len's sleeping pills are courtesy of Kiyutsuna's review :3
An enormous thank you to everyone who keeps following this story ^w^