The Present...

Apart from Nene bustling about the kitchen doing the daily prep, and Sumika, in uniform, sitting at the break table anxiously scrolling on her phone, the Liebe cafe was empty, both the salon and the work area "backstage."

With less than thirty minutes to go until opening, this was decidedly not normal. But this day had been anything but normal thus far.

Sumika, Nene and Shinooka had arrived first, which was becoming customary: most days they even arrived before Mai, and both Nene and Sumika had copies of the keys. It was Sunday, which normally would have meant that Mai, Hime and Sumika would be working the floor, but Hime had apparently wanted the day off, so Kanoko was covering for her.

At least, she would have been, if she and Mai had not arrived at the same time, and one (or both?) of them had slipped on the back stairs...

Drawn out by the commotion, the other three had found Kanoko and Mai in a tangle two landings down, with Kanoko holding her left ankle and Mai bleeding profusely after having gone face-first into the railing. In spite of Mai's assurance that she was fine, and Kanoko's insistence that she had to stay to cover for Hime, Sumika had overruled them both and sent them to the hospital. Luckily, Shinooka had a car nearby (which had surprised them all), and volunteered to drive them in.

Sumika had wanted to go as well, of course, seeing as Kanoko was visibly hurt, but Mai had told her to stay here with Nene and get the cafe ready to open.

Which led them to here, with Nene going through the motions and Sumika fretting and muttering to herself.

"Any word yet?" Nene called. She knew the answer already, of course, since Sumika would have already told her if there had been, but the relative silence was getting downright oppressive.

"Nothing," Sumika groused. "I wish Mai-san would just call for a close so we could start calling the customers. We're booked pretty solid today."

"Ehh, we've pulled off miracles before," Nene shrugged.

"All that tea you're brewing and all those cakes you're thawing are gonna go to waste at this rate."

"Boss's orders," Nene reminded her. "That's Mai-san's lookout if it happens. You and I will just have to split them all."

This actually got Sumika to give a snort of laughter, but then there came a buzz from her phone, and she sat up straight in her chair. "It's Mai-san!" she called. "She says... 'Please come open the front doors for us.'"

"The front doors?" Nene asked, as the two of them hustled through the salon and down the entry hall.

Once they opened said doors, it became obvious why the other three had not come up the back steps. Kanoko was on crutches, with her left ankle heavily taped, so presumably they had been forced to use the elevator to get here. Mai, meanwhile, looked like she had gone twelve rounds in a boxing ring: her head was bandaged up and both eyes were blackened, with one of them swollen almost shut.

They collectively hobbled back to the common area backstage, where Sumika helped Kanoko sit at the break table while Mai settled gingerly at her desk. "Another challenging day," Mai announced, her normal cheerfulness sounding a bit forced. "Mamiya-san's ankle is sprained: she should be fine, but can't put any weight on that foot. As for me, I'm pleased to report there was no concussion, but my professional cuteness definitely took a hit."

"Mai-san, we can't open like this," said Sumika. "Neither of you can be in the salon right now."

"As much as I hate to say it, Sumika-san, I think you're right. We can't have you be the only character on the floor."

"I can still work," said Kanoko.

"Kanoko-chan, you can't even walk," Sumika sighed. "You need to stay off your-"

"Hime asked me to cover for her today!" Kanoko all but shouted.

"But Kanoko-chan..."

"Hime is counting on me, and I'm not going to let her down!" Kanoko insisted.

Sumika looked away, her expression a mix of worry and frustration. Nene couldn't help but sympathize: Kanoko would never listen to reason once Hime was involved in some way.

"How about this?" Mai said carefully. "Mamiya-san, would you be comfortable working check-in and greeting the guests? We'll bring over the piano bench for you to sit on, and you wouldn't even have to show them to their tables: it's mostly regulars tonight, so you can just tell them which tables are theirs as they come in. For your cover story, we can say... that you had a riding accident with a disagreeable horse."

"Of course," Kanoko nodded quickly. "I can do that."

"This would leave Sumika-san as the only actual waitress, though. What do you say, Tachibana-senpai? Do you think you're up to the challenge?"

Nene could tell that Sumika was very much against it, and she looked like she was about to say so, but then she looked at the pleading expression Kanoko was giving her and... that was pretty much that. "Well, no time for reading at the window today, looks like."

"If we're decided, then?" Mai said, clapping her hands together once (and then wincing at the sound this made). "Time is short. Mamiya-san, will you need help getting into your uniform?"

"I'll be fine."

"I can help you..." Sumika offered.

"I'll be fine," Kanoko repeated, pushing herself up from her seat and gathering up her crutches.

There was an awkward silence as the changing booth curtain closed behind Kanoko, and Nene tried to look anywhere but at the frustrated scowl on Sumika's face.

"Nishidera-san," Shinooka said at last, "is there anything more we need for prep? It looks like you've covered everything already."

"I think we're okay for now," Nene replied.

"Guess I'll give the tables another once-over," Sumika sighed as she stood up as well. "I'll go move the piano bench."

That said, she was off to the salon, and before long, Kanoko emerged from the changing booth, now in uniform, and headed out toward the front as well.

In spite of what she had told Shinooka, Nene decided to spot-check the various kettles one last time, less because she needed to than to keep her mind off the tension between their resident secret workplace couple. She hated the idea of there being trouble between the two of them, almost as much as she hated the tiny part of herself that would welcome such tension.

But that part of herself did not control her actions, and she wondered if there was anything she could do to help them.

"Well, here goes nothing," Mai sighed, trying to get her cheerful voice back. "Perhaps I'll give Shirake-san a call, to see if she can come in after all?"

"Do you really think that would be a good idea?" said Nene, giving her employer a meaningful look.

"Hmm, I suppose not," Mai agreed. "Perhaps I'll give Yano-san a call, then? After that, I suppose I'd best keep busy somehow. I don't suppose the two of you will need help in the kitchen?"

"Well, I don't know how much room there would be for three of us, but..."

Nene trailed off, and her eyes widened as a wholly unexpected thought crossed her mind.

"Um... Nene-san?" Mai asked her.

"Mai-san," she said slowly, "I... just had an idea..."

Getting the first batch of customers seated had been a bit of an ordeal, mostly because Kanoko was still trying to do too much, and Sumika did not dare drop character to scold her. Finally, though, with the house mostly full, Sumika strolled up and down the center of the room, the Lady Blume surveying her tiny empire.

"As you have no doubt noticed," she said to the guests, "it has been a... challenging day for us at the Liebe Academy. My dear schwester took a nasty spill while riding, but she is soldiering on. As for our class president, she took a spill of a different sort, but I am happy to say that she is doing well, and will return soon. It was not her wrist this time, so I daresay the recovery period should be shorter."

This got her a few laughs from those who remembered Mai's previous absence. She pivoted around and began walking the other direction, giving a wistful look toward her traditional seat by the window. "So I fear that all of you are stuck with only me for the evening. Since you all know how very fond I am of hard work..." she paused for the ensuing laughter, "I shall have to beg your indulgence and your patience this evening."

From somewhere behind her, Sumika heard a couple of sharply-taken breaths, but she barely had time to register this before her past took voice and stopped her dead in her tracks.

"May I be of any assistance, Tachibana-senpai?"

All eyes in the salon were now looking at a point somewhere behind Sumika: some with confusion, but others, particularly the long-timers amongst them, with naked shock. Very slowly, the third-year turned around to see who had spoken.

It was like she had stepped back in time. The silver hair was still cut sensibly short for kitchen work, but otherwise it might as well have been the early days of the cafe: the Liebe uniform on her petite frame, her hands clasped before her, the shy smile on her lips and the sheer adoration in her eyes that made something ache in Sumika's chest...

"Nene..?" she whispered.

Nene put her head to one side, and her smile widened a bit mischievously. "My goodness, senpai, you look as though you've seen a ghost!"

There was a low buzz of whispering throughout the salon, and Sumika was certain she heard the name "Saionji!" several times. So people still remembered after all.

It then occurred to her that she had let the surprise pull her completely out of character, so she straightened up, took two slow steps toward the other woman, then smiled widely. "So, my cute little kouhai returns to us in our hour of need?"

"Let's just say a little bird told me that my dear senpai might be at her wits' end," Nene replied, her own smile widening. "How could I refuse her?"

The smile, which by then was bordering on a smirk, turned that ache in Sumika's chest into something much warmer, and she realized that she was on the verge of blushing. The tables were turning between the former senpai and kouhai, and while Nene was still very much in character as Saionji, she was playing her as being perhaps a little older and a little more confident. And for Sumika, who was quite used to the role of the one doing the teasing, it was... kind of exhilarating, really.

But she also knew that the number one rule of Liebe was to hold fast to the story they were telling, and for now, that meant she would need to cross into places she would honestly rather not go. She stepped closer to Nene and made as though to straighten her uniform tie, then brushed her fingers over the shorter girl's left shoulder. "Your... your kreuz?"

Sorrow crossed Nene's eyes, though she continued giving her senpai a faint smile. "I have not worn it since Goeido-san's transfer."

There were a few low gasps from the crowd, and it was not difficult at all for Sumika to bring a look of sympathy to her face. "I see. Is she... well?"

"She bade me farewell, and will now walk her own path," Nene said, slowly closing her eyes against the memory. "I do not expect mine to cross with hers again. I have... accepted this."

Real tears began to sting Sumika's eyes, and she took one more step forward to put her arms around her former schwester. "Welcome home, Nene-chan." Nene melted against her, and for a moment, it was a different day in the salon, the day that Nene had confessed both her love and her self-loathing, the day that Sumika finally understood why...

There was a chorus of awwws, a few squees, and even a smattering of applause from the patrons, but this quickly turned into renewed gasps. Sumika looked up to see what had caused this reaction, and...

Of course. Why wouldn't this be the very moment when Kanoko entered the room?

Because even on crutches, with her ankle still causing her obvious discomfort, Kanoko continued insisting on showing each new arrival into the salon, and now she was staring across the length of the room at Sumika and Nene, a shocked and mildly stricken look on her face, while the customers she had been escorting in glanced about awkwardly before retreating to the nearest open table.

This time, the low buzz of conversation had a familiar, anxious tone to it, and while Sumika knew that she had all the time in the world to explain this to Kanoko after the cafe closed for the night, she was only going to have one chance to do this correctly in front of the crowd before it turned into an explosion of rumors on the message boards. She stepped away from Nene and gave her best onee-sama smile. "Kanoko-chan, there is someone here I would very much like you to meet. This is Nene Saionji, a second-year who used to work with us here in the salon... a long time ago. Nene-chan, this is Kanoko Amamiya, a first-year and... my schwester."

To Sumika's profound relief, Nene smiled brilliantly and crossed the room to stand before Kanoko and bow. "Amamiya-san, I'm so pleased to meet my senpai's blume schwester. I've heard so many wonderful things about you."

"Um... thank you..?" Kanoko managed, looking dazed and a little disoriented. Not that Sumika could blame her.

Nene peeked back over her shoulder, her earlier smirk returning. "I trust the Lady Blume is treating her sister kindly?"

The playful tone had returned to Nene's voice, and this time, Sumika could not let it slide. "My goodness! My quiet little kouhai has returned to us with a bit of a cheeky attitude, hasn't she?"

"Or perhaps she's a little wiser to her senpai's ways," Nene grinned, before turning a much warmer smile back to Kanoko. "But truly, I congratulate you both as Liebe's blume schwestern. May your bonds grow ever stronger, from this day forward."

This time, the applause was even more in earnest, and the resulting whispers between the customers filled with happy excitement. However, as much as Sumika wanted to bask in this feeling a little longer, she was also more than aware of the number two rule of Liebe.

"Well, if my kouhai really has returned to help us," she drawled, "perhaps she could start by helping take some of our guests' orders?"

Nene turned to Kanoko and actually winked at her. "Hai hai, Tachibana-senpai!"

Within an hour, Yano arrived to help (having presumably been reached by Mai), marking the first time ever that Kanoko had actually been glad to see her. For one, Yano was able to take over greeting and escort duties at the front door, allowing Kanoko to get off her feet – or rather, off her remaining good foot. More than that, though, Yano's arrival had eased a gnawing worry within Kanoko that maybe Hime had wanted this day off to do something with her. This, truth be told, was the greater part of the relief: surely Hime would never have done something so cruel, and having this verified meant that all was right in the world again.

Well, except her ankle.

With Yano now on duty, Kanoko had been relocated to the bench seat at the decorative window so that she could provide scenery and be fussed over by Sumika, much to the patrons' delight. For whatever reason, though, Sumika was not being quite as... forward with her, and Kanoko found herself grateful for that.

Thus, with little to do but hold an ice pack to her swollen ankle and look appropriately maidenly for the audience, Kanoko found her mind wandering.

Saionji had been Nene all along? Nene, the largely emotionless cook who had been, for most of Kanoko's time at Liebe, little more than a quiet, forgettable presence in the background? She was Sumika's lost Saionji, who had broken their sisterhood and made Sumika hate romance?

How had she never pieced this together? Even knowing that both Nene and the mythical Saionji had a history with... Gotou (Kanoko clenched her teeth at the memory), she had never made the connection.

Though to be fair, Yano had not known either, apparently, given her initial surprise at seeing Nene in the Liebe uniform, and being introduced to her as though they were strangers. It occurred to Kanoko that Sumika, for all her lack of delicacy, had been keeping this open secret from the new staff all along.

Now, from her place as an observer, Kanoko watched the two former schwestern interact as they worked the salon together. While Sumika was refraining from being aggressively affectionate with Nene, they were obviously very comfortable working together. From their performance alone, Kanoko would never have guessed that they had not played these parts together for over a year.

How could Sumika not hate her?

How could anyone not hate the one who had caused such damage with her selfishness? If Nene hadn't hurt Sumika, then surely Sumika wouldn't have hated romance, and that would have changed everything at Liebe, and then maybe Kanoko wouldn't have had to...

But Sumika was smiling at her! Moreover, it looked real, rather than the vampish, flirtatious smile she so often used on the characters who were her so-called kouhai. It looked like...

To her shock, Kanoko realized that Nene was approaching her. Things tended to happen on a one-hour cycle at Liebe due to the way the reservations timed out, with seating, order-taking and serving being followed by the more performance-y sections while the patrons ate and drank. And now, with the customers served, Nene was...

"May I sit with you for a moment, Amamiya-san?"

Kanoko looked up at the unfamiliar smile, then looked away. She knew the onlookers would consider it part of her shy character, but in reality, Kanoko found herself feeling very uncomfortable looking Liebe's head cook in the eyes.

Apparently taking this as a "yes," Nene settled next to her, not quite within her personal space. "Ever since I came back today, I've been hoping for a chance to speak with you, Amamiya-san. There are... some things of which you may not be aware, and I was hoping perhaps I could ease your mind."

She was speaking in a stage-voice rather than her customary sullen tone, so obviously this conversation was meant for the crowd, and not for Kanoko herself.

"Of course, senpai," Kanoko replied, but did not look back at the older woman.

"You see, as Tachibana-senpai told you earlier, I once worked here in the Liebe salon... quite some time ago. What you may not know, however, is that she and I... were once schwestern."

The normal buzz of conversation faded to silence, with not so much as the tink of a fork against a plate. Suddenly, Kanoko realized, they had become not just the center of attention, but the sole focus of the room. She shifted slightly where she sat, then winced as her ankle reminded her of its sprained state.

"Then," Nene continued, her voice suddenly a bit rough, "I made a decision that hurt my sister very, very much, and in so doing broke the bond between us. While it seemed the right choice at the time, I can tell you with all honesty that not a day goes by that I do not regret the pain I caused to someone I love and cherish."

Kanoko gritted her teeth again. So Nene was one of those people, like Yano. Someone who blundered forward with their desires without thinking of the harm they were doing.

She turned to face the other girl, intending to tell her that she did not want to hear any more of this story, but before she could get a word out, she stopped short, and her eyes widened with shock.

Nene was crying.

And yet, even through the tears, Nene was also smiling, and Kanoko remembered where she had seen that smile before: during the haze following her ordeal with Gotou, somehow Nene had been there as well, and had given her this smile.

Sorry we got here so late.

Everything is okay now.

Sumika and I are with you.

You're not alone.

Why had she been there with Sumika? Why had both of them come to her rescue? What was Kanoko to her, anyway?

"Which brings me to the present," Nene went on. She gathered her voice a bit, wiped her tears, and returned the smile to Kanoko. "Because of that history, you may be wondering, as several of our regulars have been," she said this part with an exaggerated scowl to one table in particular before looking back to the other girl, "whether I might have designs on returning to the place I once abandoned at Tachibana-senpai's side."

Nene reached to take Kanoko's hand, and for her part Kanoko did not resist the gesture. "For whatever my word may still be worth, I promise you that I would never do such a thing. I would never again selfishly hurt the people I cherish." She closed her other hand around Kanoko's as well, squeezing it firmly between both of hers. "And as the schwester of my beloved senpai, please know that I cherish you as well, Amamiya-san. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for making her smile again."

Kanoko found herself unable to take a breath.

Over the time she had spent with Hime, Kanoko liked to believe that she had grown more adept at knowing the difference between someone being honest and someone wearing a façade, and every instinct was telling her that despite these words coming from "Saionji," they were nevertheless the pure, unvarnished truth.

This may have been a performance, but it was not an act.

Kanoko had grown so intent on the silver-haired girl that she actually jumped slightly in her seat when Sumika suddenly spoke from just behind her, having somehow appeared on the scene in total silence. "Ahhh, Nene-chan, still wearing your heart on your sleeve, I see..."

"Yes, well, some things... have not changed, senpai," Nene smiled wryly, looking up at her former schwester.

Sumika stepped up closer behind Kanoko and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe not, but other things have. I... think after all this time apart, I finally understand you in ways I overlooked as your onee-sama. I was enjoying my role with you so much that I could not... or would not see what was happening right in front of me."

"Yes, well, I could certainly have been more forthright with my feelings as well," Nene chuckled, turning her gaze to nothing in particular.

Kanoko was beginning to feel very uncomfortable in her place at the center of this conversation that was obviously happening on multiple levels, feeling the sheer weight of the history between these two that she was only now realizing existed.

"Perhaps," Sumika laughed lightly as well. "But the past is the past, and your words to my adored schwester make me very happy indeed."

"I will cheer for your sisterhood and support you with all my heart," Nene smiled, again squeezing Kanoko's hand, "and I hope that you and I can be friends, Amamiya-san. Please know that you can always count on me."

Sumika and I are with you.

Realization struck, and it felt as though the breath left Kanoko's body all at once.

Distantly, she realized that it was probably her turn to say something, but her tongue felt like lead, and something was squeezing her throat from within, leaving her unable to form a single syllable.

Sumika, however, filled the silence in her own inimitable fashion by giving a dramatic sigh. "Ah, look at me, blessed with these two ridiculously cute kouhai. However will I manage?" She then crouched lower to hug Kanoko around the shoulders from behind, but Kanoko was too far gone to even flinch.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll learn to cope, senpai," Nene giggled (actually giggled!), releasing Kanoko's hand and standing up. "Now, you just dote on your little sister a bit and I'll clear some of these tables, shall I?"

When the shift finally ended, when the front door was locked, when the tables were cleaned and the chairs stacked, Mai was waiting for them backstage with a tray of champagne flutes filled with something fizzy but non-alcoholic. "All right, everyone! Take a glass and gather around! We have reached another well-deserved and much-needed work-weekend, and I have a few toasts to make!"

Each of them took a glass in hand and made a circle with their diminutive boss. "First, of all, I want to thank Yano-san, who came in on her day off to ease our burden. Kanpai!"

"Kanpai!" they chorused, raising their classes and then taking a sip.

"Next," Mai continued, "I want to thank Shinooka-san, who put up with all the 'help' of her out-of-practice boss in the kitchen today! Kanpai!"

"Kanpai!"

"Next, let me toast our one and only Lady Blume, Chibana-san, for extreme grace under extreme pressure! Kanpai!"

"Kanpai!"

"Lest we forget, a warm thank-you and wishes for speedy healing to our wounded warrior, Mamiya-san! Considering how long I took with my wrist, It would be horrible of me to ask you to hurry back, so please take your time to heal. Kanpai!"

"Kanpai!"

"And last, but certainly not least," Mai smiled, turning to Nene, "what a momentous day this became, with the return of Liebe's long-lost flower. Without missing a beat, Nishidera-san stepped in and brought Saionji back to life, to the delight of our clientele. I am so grateful that I'll probably wait until at least tomorrow before I pester her about doing it again! Kanpai!"

"Kanpai!"

By the time Nene returned home, she had just enough energy to cross her tiny apartment and collapse onto her bed without even bothering to turn on the lights. Her entire body felt like it was buzzing, and she wondered if maybe the glass Mai-san had given her had been filled with champagne after all. Surely not, though, with minors there?

No, this was something different from the few (and usually regrettable) times she had been drunk. If she had to compare it to something, it would be... well, it would be afterglow.

Not that her limited history with sex was anything she wanted to think about, given her choice of partner...

It had been so easy to slip into the role of Saionji again: a far cry from the last time she had worn the Liebe uniform, only to wind up curled on the floor in a panic. Truth be told, she had never really even considered the idea of putting on the uniform again, lest she bring back the memories of that day, but now? Even if she never appeared as Saionji again, she felt much better about this ending than the last one.

In spite of her joke during the round of celebratory toasts, Mai had given her the kindest smile as they had parted company at the train station tonight. "I will not pressure you in any way, but Saionji will always be welcome at Liebe, if you so choose. You've come a long way, Nene-chan, and I'm so proud of you..."

Could she really take up the role again?

Perhaps it was a bit early to think about that, but... maybe? In the event of another emergency?

Her phone chirped, and she raised her head from the mattress to look blearily at the screen. A LINE message, from... Kanoko?

May I call you?

Nene blinked to clear her eyes. She had given Kanoko her contact information shortly after... well, after... but this was the first time the younger girl had used it. She fumbled out a message in reply.

Sure, go right ahead.

A few seconds later, the phone began singing out her standard ringtone. Without really knowing why, Nene sat up and switched on her bedside lamp before she accepted the call. "Kanoko-san?"

"Um... good evening, Nene-san," came the quiet voice through the speaker. "I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

"Not at all; I just got home. Is everything all right? Did Shinooka-san get you home okay?"

"Yes, I'm home."

There was a long pause. Nene was about to ask again what was wrong, but before she could do so, Kanoko blurted out a question that stopped her cold.

"Are you in love with Sumika-san?"

There was another, much longer pause before Nene could find her voice. "Wh- what's this all of a sudden, Kanoko-san?"

"I'm sorry, Nene-san, I know this is a very personal question, but..." Kanoko swallowed audibly, then her next words came out in a pressured, almost tremulous tone. "She was smiling at you tonight, Nene-san. She was smiling at you all night."

"Well, of course she was," Nene tried to assure her. "Our characters are old friends, and..."

"No, no, she wasn't smiling at you the way Tachibana does, and she was still doing it while we were closing up, and... it was the way she smiles at me, Nene-san, the way she smiles at me when she tells me how happy she is to be my girlfriend, and I just need to know... are you in love with her?"

By this time, Nene was wide awake, and she realized that she was going to need to be very careful with how she said this, lest she do real damage to someone who had already been hurt enough for a lifetime. "Okay, Kanoko-san, okay, please try to relax. The truth of it is... that I used to be, yes." This was, of course, not the whole truth, but now was not the time.

"When... you were Saionji?"

"I ended up having a huge crush on her when we worked the salon together at Liebe," Nene explained. "If any of that bled over into my role tonight, I'm so sorry. I wasn't trying to..."

"But that's just it, Nene-san, you weren't trying to!" Kanako interrupted her. "You were doing everything you could to tell me how much you supported me, and... and supported us being together, and I could tell you meant every word, and... that's what I don't understand!"

Kanoko paused to take a shaky breath, and Nene waited for her to continue.

"Nene-san... don't you hate me?"

"H-hate you?" Nene gasped. "Of course I don't!"

"But I'm dating the girl you like, and I don't even..." Kanoko made a noticeable effort to stop herself.

"Kanoko-san, it's like I told you: it's in the past."

"Is it, though? I... saw the way you were smiling at her, too. That wasn't acting. That wasn't just Saionji smiling at her, was it?"

At this point Nene let herself sink back down to the mattress as the fatigue of the day came back with a vengeance. "What do you want me to say, Kanoko-san?"

"You should hate me."

"I don't."

"Why not?"

"Because what good would that do?" Nene sighed. "You say you could tell that I wasn't acting tonight, right? Then believe me when I tell you that I'm glad she has you to make her happy."

"But I took away the one you love!"

"You didn't 'take away' anything, Kanoko-san! Sumika's a big girl: she chose to be with you. Besides, she wasn't mine to take, especially after what I did back then." Aaaaand I've said too much.

"What... you did?" Kanoko asked.

How to tell Kanoko without bringing her into this? "Back when we used to work the salon together, I... did some really awful things to try to get her attention, and I... pretty much killed any chance I would have ever had with her. That's on me, not you."

A few long moments passed, and then Kanoko took them exactly where Nene was hoping they would not have to go. "What about... Gotou-san?"

"We don't have to talk about her, Kanoko-san."

"But she was part of it, wasn't she?"

"She was, but... you shouldn't ever have to think about that woman again."

"Please, Nene-san... I need to know what happened then."

Every bit of common sense she had left was screaming at Nene to end this conversation right now, but she was too tired to listen. "Gotou knew that I was in love with Sumika, so she suggested that she and I start fake-dating to make Sumika jealous and make her notice me. And like a lovesick fool, I went along with it, but in retrospect all it did was hurt Sumika."

"It was... fake? And she suggested it?"

"Well, yeah, at first it was. But then... then Gotou started acting like she wanted me for real, and... I'd never been wanted like that before, and it was... powerful. I gave up on the one I wanted and went to the one who wanted me, but then..."

"But then she left," Kanoko finished for her.

"Then she left," Nene repeated. "And I spent the next year wondering what I had done wrong to make her leave, and living with the knowledge that I'd destroyed something precious to me. It wasn't until seeing her again recently that the truth came out: all along, she was only trying to hurt Sumika, and she used me to do it. Oh, she told me she had fun with me, but that's all it was to her. It was all a game, and I was just a bonus piece of ass she got to have while playing. I don't know why she hates Sumika as much as she says she does, but..."

Nene realized that she was beginning to rant, and this was not the time: not while Kanoko needed her. "I'm sorry, the less you have to think about that woman, the better. The point is that I have no reason to hate you, Kanoko-san. None. You don't deserve it."

"Are... you so sure about that?" Kanoko said in a slow, thick voice.

"I'm positive. Hating you would only hurt you, and hurt Sumika, and..." Nene let out another sigh. "I made a terrible decision back then. This time, I'm deciding to be happy for you both. It's the least I can do. If you'll let me, I'll do even more."

"But... you love her," Kanoko said miserably.

"I do," Nene admitted. "But some sayings become cliché for a reason, and sometimes loving means letting go."

A long silence followed, and the faint sound of breathing was the only indication that Kanoko was still there. At last, though, she spoke again. "Is it that easy?"

"Of course not. But it's worth it. She's worth it. You're worth it."

Kanoko took a long, shaky breath. "Thank you, Nene-san. Talking with you has... really helped."

"I'm glad to hear it. Like I said earlier, you can count on me. That wasn't Saionji who said that – it was me."

"Mmm. There was... something else you said then, about... how you hope that you and I could be... friends?"

"That wasn't Saionji either," Nene smiled.

"I... think I'd like that very much, Nene-san."

"It would be my pleasure, Kanoko-chan."

Whether she noticed the change of honorific or not, Kanoko did not say. "I should... get some sleep now. Thank you, Nene-san."

"You're welcome. Are you okay, Kanoko-chan?"

"I... will be. Yes, I think I will..."

"Call back if you need anything. Good night."

"Good night."

Nene took the phone from her ear, watched the display until the call disconnected from the other side, then set it on her bedside table. She really wasn't sure how to feel about all of this, but the idea that things would not be completely miserable seemed at least within the realm of possibility, and that was a good enough start for now.

Author's Note:It is unusual for me to write within the context of a story still being told, since the Real Thing is certainly going to be different from what I'm imagining over here an ocean away. That being said, these characters are not leaving my brain alone, so I'll keep at this for a bit until miman brings us the rest. Thank you for reading.