Chapter 7
"When did Akira-oneechan get so sneaky?" Shoko Sashinami asked herself wondering if some of herself rubbed off onto that now brazen sister of hers.
"She was such a shy girl before Saki and I got our hands on her" she chuckled in her head. "Well, she's watching so I better not let her down" she thought.
The walk across the room felt like miles not just the few yards that stood between L-elf and herself. She could feel her heart beating; hear herself take every breath. She knew she had only one chance to get it right. "Here goes!" Shoko mustered the nerve hoping to do her big sister Akira proud.
"We did it, Prime Minister. In just a few days we'll have your Haruto back for you".
"He did it for me?" Shoko thought to herself questioningly. "He did it for me!" she began to realize.
Shoko took a deep breath and launched herself forward wrapping her arms around the brave young man she obviously fancied.
"This is a thank you for what you did for Akira-oneechan" she hugged him tight.
"This is a thank you for what you did for Haruto" Shoko gave L-Elf a soft kiss on the cheek.
"And Saki-oneechan" she kissed his other cheek.
"And this, ever-faithful sweet L-Elf is a thank you from me" as she moved in and planted a soft gentle kiss on the handsome young man's lips before turning away and walking back toward her smiling sister.
"W-what does this mean?" he asked hoping for a clearcut answer.
"You're my Secretary of Defense" You figure it out Shoko chuckled. Leaving the poor young lad almost as frozen and comatose as the young man they were trying to save.
"Hold it right there young lady!" Akira shouted scolding Shoko as any sister should. "You should never leave a young man hanging with a question on his lips".
Akira marched right over to L-Elf and began to whisper in his ear.
"What is she telling him?" Shoko asked herself "surely she can't be?".
"Saki-oneechan's Haruto?" L-Elf repeated in a zombie-like trance.
Shoko looked on confused.
"Shoko-oneechan's L-Elf?!" he said aloud in a daze as Shoko began to blush.
"Akky-oneechan!" Shoko screamed in shame. "He was supposed to figure it out himself" she thought.
Akira took L-Elf by the hand leading him over to her beet-red oneechan. Putting his hand into Shoko's she'd speak. "Talk. Use your words". She remembered Shoko giving her the same advice when all she wanted to do hide behind her text and voice synthesis programs. "you have a beautiful voice, use it!" she'd scold her oneechan once again.
"You like me?" L-Elf asked wondering exactly when she began to share his feelings.
"It depends. Do you like me?" Shoko asked hoping for the right answer.
"I have for a very, very long time Shoko-Chan" L-Elf would stumble to get the words out of his mouth. To Shoko they seemed just right.
"Me too, I guess", Shoko shyly smiled. "All I know is the more I saw you around other girls the more angry I became".
"Angry? At me?" he thought.
Almost, as if reading his mind, she quickly shook her head no. "Angry at myself, for almost missing my chance to tell you how I feel".
"Now, that we know? What do we do?" L-Elf asked never really having an adult relationship before. He was a master strategist; A near perfect hand-to-hand combatant; but a lover? Never before.
Almost, like clockwork Akira chimed in. "You kiss her!" her sharp tongue coming into play. "I'm supposed to be the ex-Hikikomori here and yet you kids are the oblivious ones!".
"Kids" Shoko giggled to herself. "We're only a few months apart Akky-oneechan. Stop being so overly dramatic".
L-Elf listened to Akira-chan's advice, hoping it was the right thing to do.
Shoko's lips parted slightly as they met poor nervous L-Elf's. "He's shaking almost as much as I am" she thought to herself just before their lips touched. The kiss was like nothing she ever experienced before, her mind drifted, her knees began to get weak, her stomach began to do flip flops and her heart began to beat a bit faster. There was no denying it, she owed her sister big. Boy did she ever, and from the look on his face so did he.
As they broke off the kiss, Akira took her oneechan's hand.
"Okay! That's good enough for tonight! It's time to go Shoko-oneechan!".
Both Shoko and L-Elf turned to Akira with a puzzled look in thier eyes.
"We're going home now young lady!" Akira ordered her Oneechan in a matronly way. "I'm the big sister and you're my responsibility" Akira announced out loud turning right to L-Elf. "Now as for you! You got your answer! Now in the morning you will be sure to give Shoko-oneechan a call and ask her out on a proper date. There will be no games! She will say yes!". Turning once again to Shoko "It's time we got you to bed!". Akira grabbed Shoko by the hand dragging her out of the hangar.
"What was" Shoko began to ask her oneechan confused over what happened.
"That all about?" Akira continued Shoko's thought. "Tell me who would you consider your greatest strategist?" Akira asked.
"That's simple" Shoko answered. "L-Elf is the best strategist we have in the art of war".
"And in the art of love?" Akira inquired with an impish grin.
Thinking for a second, about to say Saki-oneechan Shoko had to stop herself. "What just happened ?" she thought; Looking at her self-proclaimed big sister in a new way. "You?" she answered almost unsure of when or how it happened but somewhere, somehow it did. Somehow Akky-oneechan became her secretary of Love. An asset Every Prime Minister and every young woman should have. "What just happened?" Shoko finally asked out loud.
Akira giggled at her sister's dumbfoundedness. "What is the first thing you do before going to War, oneechan?" Akira asked.
"That's an easy one, you offer to start talks."
"And what's the best way of conducting talks?"
"You find a neutral place and bring in a neutral mediator." Shoko remarked with a smile finally catching on.
"What else is important?" Akira continues.
"Offering an olive branch; stating demands from both sides necessary to meet a peace accord; planning more summit meetings for future discussion." Shoko was floored realizing that Akira had in fact negotiated a "Love Summit" for she and and L-Elf.
"Now remember, the secret to successful summits. Never give in to too many demands too early. Especially ones you don't find beneficial giving into".
"In other words, don't put out on the first date!" Akira continued.
Shoko blushed at her oneechan's comments.
"You make him work for it and you have your guy for life!" Akira- chan proudly remarked.
"Now for part two of the plan". Akira continued.
"Part two?" Shoko looked on inquisitively.
"You have L-Elf help me get my man!" Akira exclaimed excitedly.
"Her man?" thought Shoko. "Whoever it is has no hope in sight". Shoko giggled.
"Now Who exactly is this man?" she asked.
Akira smiled a half-crazed smile "Just you wait and see".