"For better or for worse…"
If I had chosen any other way, then Rin would have sunk back into her old shy self. So of course, I chose to endure the pain instead of her. I didn't regret it. I'd never regret it. Yes, Rin had been mad at me for getting hurt for her sake, but I could sleep peacefully knowing that whoever those guys had been hadn't hurt her.
No one had ever chosen her before, so of course she'd be in shock. According to Rin, the guys were from her past and had caused her to become afraid of people. And according to Kyousuke, he had stopped them before by running away with her.
Ironic right? Kyousuke had been so dead set on teaching Rin and I not to run from fate, and yet he did exactly the same thing before. Well, I thought so. He had praised me for my decision to fight the guys, but had scolded me for worrying Rin. I knew he was conflicted himself; after all I was his favorite in the group.
A week passed by quickly, and I was asked to go into town with Kanata Futaki, Saigusa's strict twin sister. At the time Rin had been kept away from me by Kyousuke, under the premise of me needing time to heal, so I had agreed.
I didn't particularly have an issue with Futaki. In fact, I respected her. Futaki was strong; and often looked out for Saigusa. In her own special way, she was Kyousuke as a girl.
Saigusa and Futaki were twins, but they had separate father. It's a little complicated, but true. I knew the story of their relationship though. Futaki had been picked to be the best child, and had been pressured to hate Saigusa in hopes that she would excel in everything.
But the plan backfired and Futaki ended up loving Saigusa more than ever. As a child if Kanata didn't beat Saigusa in everything, then she would be beaten severely. Because of her love for her sister though, she intentionally threw one of the cooking competitions and let Saigusa win. As a result, she was beaten and whipped. She hid everything from Saigusa for all their life.
Until one day, Saigusa had fallen into a deep depression due to Futaki smashing her favorite bench. She was later charged with several charges of vandalism and theft, and was put on trial by the Disciplinary Committee. Saigusa lost her sanity for a brief moment when she felt the committee judging her the same way her family had.
Futaki spread out flyers, rumoring that Saigusa was the child of a murderer. Whether or not it was true, Saigusa was scared and believed it. She quit going to classes and even came close to quitting the Little Busters. I finally had enough and tried to cheer her up. I went with her to meet her supposed father.
At first it was a bad start. He didn't want to see her. In fact, he sent her off in tears. And that angered me. I wasn't going to just let him hurt my friend like that. So I decided to intervene on her behalf. Without any other choices, I found myself going to Futaki. Surprisingly…She was more cooperative than I thought.
In the end, thanks to my meddling, Futaki admitted the truth and became closer to Saigusa. They even got to visit their mother, and found out that the man who was said to be a murderer wasn't actually all that bad. He was a drunkard, but he did what he did in order to protect the two girls. He didn't regret it at all. He never said which child was his, but he knew it didn't matter. He loved both girls.
"Naoe, stop spacing out. It's creepy," Futaki instructed me.
"Sorry…I was just remembering what had happened between you and Saigusa. It kind of makes me happy to know that something I did ended up saving someone," I admitted.
"Don't play God anymore. You'll get in over your head and hurt someone eventually. Haven't you learned anything from my mistakes?"
"No. Not at all."
"Well, Haruka's lucky to have you to care for her. Sometimes I wonder what it means to be a sister. I wasn't much of one was I?" Futaki's voice had darkened with sadness.
"You were a great sister," I attempted to cheer her up, "Not everyone would have the strength it takes to burden themselves with high expectations so that their sister could live a care-free life."
"Even though it was out of selfish needs?"
"Even though," I confirmed, "The end result was the same. Saigusa doesn't hate you anymore. That's all that matters."
"I guess you're right," Futaki shrugged, "Regardless...What would Haruka like as a present?"
"Huh? Present?" I asked.
"Yeah. Our birthday is in a few days. It's the first time I've gotten her something. So I'd like your help," Futaki seemed sort of sheepish when asking for my help. But to me it made sense. The two hadn't gotten along until very recently. So of course she wouldn't know. But the problem is...I didn't know either. Saigusa was strange and unusual.
"Um...Maybe...Something creative and colorful. A paint set?"
"A paint set...That does fit her. I'll go find something. You should get her something also," Futaki gave a nod.
After a minute she left me to go shopping. Saigusa's birthday? Wait a second. That means that Futaki is going need a present also. This day had started out going well...But now it kind of sucked. I didn't know Saigusa that well, nor did I know Futaki very well. They both needed presents. For a moment I considered calling Kyousuke or Masato for help, but ultimately decided against it.
This was my own challenge. I had to do it without the help of the Little Busters.
I went to store after store looking for something. But I couldn't decide on anything. The two girls' interests were worlds apart. It was impossible to find something that the two would like from the same store.
"Excuse me," A girl's voice came from behind me, "But could you help me with something?"
I turned around to see who was talking to me. I was surprised to see a blond haired girl who's hair was tied back like Rin's hair. She had icy blue eyes, and she was slightly taller than me. She wore a school uniform that matched my school's.
"Huh? S-Sure..." I was slightly stunned. I wasn't expecting her to look so...Pretty.
"I'm looking for a present. There's this guy I'm friends with. But I don't know what boys like, so I was hoping you could help me pick out something. My name is Kanami Urushibara. You can just call me Kana," The girl spoke with an odd sense of dignity and eloquence. She smiled, despite me being a complete stranger.
"I-I'm Riki Naoe...You can call me Riki then," I couldn't help but to smile back. Something was wrong. She seemed too familiar. As if I knew her.
"Riki? I used to have a neighbor by that name. But he suddenly moved away after being in an accident," Kana laughed, "It's kind of silly...But I kind of thought we'd be friends forever. But now I don't know where he is."
No way. Kana had a friend with my name...Who moved away...Come to think of it...This blond girl always had played with me up until the time of my parents' accident. I couldn't remember her name though. I couldn't remember her face. Could it possibly be this girl who was standing in front of me? No. It couldn't be.
I shook the thoughts away, "Um...Does he play sports?"
"Yeah. He likes baseball. But...He never seems to fit in on a team. He heard of a group of kids forming a baseball team at our school, but he didn't have the courage to ask if he could join. He kind of regrets it," She sighed sadly.
"Oh...Baseball...What's his name?" I dared to ask, having an idea to help this girl out.
"Soujiro Akina."
"Hold on a second then. I have the perfect present idea for you," I took out my phone and dialed Kyousuke's number.
"Riki?" Kyousuke's voice sounded sort of like he was in pain.
"Kyousuke. How do you feel about having a second baseball game?"
"Sounds interesting. But you're the leader," He reminded me, "It's up to you."
"Tell the others," I said, "I'm going to introduce someone to you guys tomorrow. Later."
When I closed my phone and put it back in my pocket, I turned to face Kana, "Well Kana. Tomorrow, having this Akina guy come to the school's baseball diamond. Tell him his present is waiting there."
"Wait...You mean..."
"Soujiro Akina is officially part of the team," I smiled, "Starting tomorrow, he's part of my group Little Busters and will play in our second game."
"Oh my god thank you!" She hugged me tightly, "Thank you so much! He'll be happy to play! How can I ever repay you?"
"Actually...I need help picking out a gift for these twins I'm friends with. But I don't know what to get them," I admitted.
"I know! Get them matching charms! Something that goes together, like them!" Kana suggested.
"That's brilliant!" I said, "Thank you Kana! See you tomorrow!"
And then I raced from store to store searching for a set of charms. Finally I found a pair. When I began to buy them, I noticed a necklace that looked nice. When I got to looking at it, I noticed it had a cat on it. I sighed when I realized I didn't have enough for it, but to my surprise, the clerk smiled and told me I could have it. I explained that I was buying it as a gift, and she laughed and told me to consider it her gift. Then she told me that guys never came into the store, and it was a thank you gift for the laugh.
I didn't care though. I had gotten three gifts. When I found Futaki, I kept them all hidden. She told me it was time to get back to the dorms, and we started walking.
But when I passed Kana on the street, something happened. It hit. Narcolepsy. I was forced out of the world. When I noticed myself slipping, it all made sense. Kana. She had brought new painful memories. She was that girl. It had made me sad to leave her, but I left to be with Kyousuke and the others. Who would have thought that something that helped me feel better, would end up only making me feel worse?
All I remember about that moment, is Futaki suddenly screaming my name. She sounded and looked worried. I don't know what she did next, but I had worried another friend. Curse my problems.