Summary: two sisters have a chat about their changing lives.

Stories That Must Be Read Before Reading This One-Shot: preferably New Life and/or Teddy's Adulthood, because otherwise you won't know who these two characters are, but can be read as standalone.

Author's Note: this story takes place in 2025, or about the same time the second part of Hermes's Struggle

…

Rai and Shika had moved out of their parents' house just two months ago, and were living in an apartment on their own in downtown Danville. Currently, the two had just finished their two-year college courses. Rai had done hers in secretarial, administration, and office skills; and Shika had done hers in engineering science.

Rai was sitting at her desk, staring at the open letter in front of her, when Shika knocked on the door to her bedroom. "Rai?"

The twenty-year-old turned in her chair. "Oh, hey Shika. Come in."

"I don't have time," Shika said. "I'm about to go to the dog park with Ruby. All I wanted to say was I'm meeting Alex for dinner tonight, so I won't be-."

She caught sight of the letter that Rai was trying to hide. "What's that?" she asked.

Rai slipped the letter under a pile of papers on her desk. "Nothing."

"Rai, you never keep things from me. What is it?"

Rai looked into her younger twin's face and sighed. "It's a letter."

Shika looked slightly worried. "Saying what?"

"I've been offered a job working at OWCA," said Rai quietly. "I'm going to join OWCA as Major Monogram's secretary."

Shika stared at her in shock. "But…I thought you were offered a job from the same company I'm going to work for in England?"

"I was," Rai said. "It's just that…I only applied there because Major Monogram told me there was a slightly better candidate for the secretary job than me, so I applied to BMW Mini like you, but you knew that if I was offered the secretary job at OWCA I would."

"But BMW Mini is a great job opportunity!" protested Shika. "They recognised that even though you didn't do engineering at college like I did, you could still work as an engineer working on the machines."

"Exactly," said Rai. "I didn't do engineering at college. You know why? Because it's not my primary interest. I did secretarial, administration, and office skills because that's my passion. My secondary interest was engineering, and that's why I would have been happy to do the job in England, but now that I can pursue my passion, I don't have to. Do you see?"

Shika sniffed, and Rai was shocked to see tears falling down her face. "But I can't go to England without you," she said quietly.

"You'll be going with Alex," Rai pointed out. "So you won't be alone."

"Yeah, but we've always done everything together," Shika argued. "Everything, ever since we were five years old. We went to three tiers of schools together, from kindergarten to middle school to high school. Heck, I even turned down a place from Danville U so I could go to the same college as you."

"I know," Rai said. "I'm not doing it to spite you, I'm doing this because I feel like it's the best thing for me. Being a secretary is all I've ever wanted, and since we took part in that maze thing when we were thirteen, I know that OWCA is the best place for me. I can do my dream job and help the agents who keep people safe at the same time. It's win-win for me."

"But not for me." Shika blinked against the tears. "I wish I could stay."

"Don't stay," advised Rai. "Being an engineer is all you've ever wanted, and the job at BMW Mini is going to be an amazing start to your career. Besides, you're going to spend even more time with Alex, since he's going to be working the same hours as you."

"I-I guess…" Shika didn't look convinced.

"Do you love him?"

"What?"

"Do you love Alex?"

"I-." Shika took a breath in. "Yes…of course."

"Then you'll be fine," Rai said. "You may not be with me, but you'll be with someone you love, and that's great."

Shika nodded tearfully. "I just wish nothing could change. I wish we could go back to that summer when we were ten, and it seemed like it would stay just the two of us in that one summer forever."

"I know," said Rai sympathetically. "But everyone has to grow up. Don't think of this as the end; think of it as the beginning of a new life. A new life in England with a new job, the man you love, and the start the rest of your life."

"You're right." Shika wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm just being selfish."

"You're not," Rai reassured her. "I would be doing and saying exactly the same as you if I was in your position."

Shika was silent.

"Hey, it's not as if you're going right this second," Rai said in an attempt to cheer up her twin sister. "Both of our jobs are only starting in the new year, so we still have four months plus Christmas together."

Shika nodded bravely. "You're right," she said again.

"Now how about we start now? I'll come with you and Ruby to the dog park. How's that?"

Shika smiled. "Great. It's great, thank you."

"And don't think about how it's the end of an era," said Rai as she stood up.

Shika glared at her sister. "Thanks."

"I'm kidding."

Bickering good-humorously, the twin sisters left Rai's bedroom and collected their dog, both of them thinking about how they would miss the other when next year came.

"So where's Ruby going to go?" asked Rai.

"She's coming with us to England."

"Oh no she isn't. You can get an English terrier or something; you're not messing up Ruby's poor little Border Collie brain with English stuff."

"Fair enough."

…

*cries* *stops crying* I love Rai and Shika.