Author's note:

Sorry for the delay, writing has been a challenge for me lately.

A little short, but hopefully humorous in sections.

Chapter 31: Recovering with Food

Sunday July 10th, 20XX Afternoon

"…And ladies and gentlemen, we have our gold medalist for the U18 division, Yoshizawa Kasumi!"

The audience cheered her on as Kasumi climbed unto the highest position of the pedestal. Raising her hands, she waved back at them. Her expression was a perfect smile, a radiance that illuminated the stadium. Kasumi knew that her mask was in place now. No trace of her breakdown remained to those in the stands.

Bowing slightly, Kasumi allowed the medal to be placed around her neck. The slight thing fell lightly around her. Kasumi tried to look at it from her peripheries. It was another cheap medal painted poorly to resemble gold. The things probably cost the organizers 1000 yen. Maybe mot surprising, but it was always upsetting to see all the reminders of how unpopular the sport you loved was.

"Congratulations on your victory here. It was wonderful to watch you perform."

Kasumi's smile slipped for a moment as she looked at the main organizer. His hand was extended expecting a handshake. Kasumi did not remember this from watching the other ceremonies but accepted. It was clammy and went on a moment longer than she would have liked. Nodding, she went to leave the stage, but the man grabbed her arm.

"Hold on for a moment, pose for the camera with me."

"Sure." Stopping, Kasumi retreated a step and endured the glares from the other two. The silver medalist looked familiar to Kasumi. She had long black hair that she had freed from its bun for the ceremony. With a pouty mouth and oddly puffy cheeks, her head looked too big for her body.

"Looking at something?" The girl asked Kasumi.

"You are Arisa, yes?" Kasumi asked. She had seen the girl a few years ago, but this was a woman.

Her eyes narrowed with anger. "I suppose I am that unnoticeable to you. But you may want to watch out, my ribbon is almost better than yours."

Kasumi did not reply as Arisa stalked away. Receiving a pull on her arm again, Kasumi returned the smile to her face and turned to the cameras. Arisa's comment did not bother her. No one could insult her so she felt as bad as she had the moment the routine had ended. Arisa did not understand the irony of only scoring a little below Kasumi's ribbon routine and thinking them close in skill.

Pictures continued, bright flashes threatening to blind Kasumi. It was not a skill she had been taught, but Kasumi was slowly learning how to repress the instinct to flinch and close her eyes. She never would have believed someone five years ago if they told her how much patience and self-control it took to endure these things. Even now, the organizer of the event had his arm around Kasumi's shoulders, she could feel his fingers inching toward her chest.

Did he think she did not notice? Did he think he would get a lucky touch?

Another problem that arose frequently in her sport was on display. There were always men that took the tight outfits and warm routine smiles to mean more than they did. Kasumi could not remember clearly when it had started happening, but she had gotten proficient at unconsciously moving her arms away from the soft, innocent touches on her arms. Here, Kasumi could only endure it.

As soon as the flashes stopped, Kasumi stepped forward and out of the embrace.

"Ms. Yoshizawa, would you—"

Kasumi did not stop. If asked she would say she did not hear the man calling to her. Besides, she would simply decline whatever he asked. Kasumi was used to it though. It did not bother her. It did not. Her teeth were simply clenched in an effort to retain her smile.

"Kas!" Sumire greeted her with a large hug.

Embracing her sister back, Kasumi's smile eased into a more natural one. Breathing deeply through her nose, the smell of her sister suffused into her, calming Kasumi. Her sister always had that effect, well, she usually did.

"You disappeared after your ribbon routine, everyone wanted to congratulate you then."

"Oh, I just needed some time."

Sumire pulled back and scanned Kasumi. She endured it with a smile. Kasumi knew that Sumire would understand. Her sister had gone through similar. Yet, when Sumire was looking at her, she suddenly frowned.

"That ribbon was really good… You… were not happy with it?"

"Happy?" Kasumi shrugged. "For the competition it was good enough. You would have done better."

"Hmpf!" Sumire snorted, her face crinkling in a cute way. "You have time to improve your ribbon. You don't need to be perfect by the end of this year."

Kasumi did shrug at that. Hearing Sumire say that did make her feel a little stupid. Her breakdown in the bathroom seemed silly looking at her. Once again, she had forgotten how much stronger Sumire was now than she had been.

"Now," Sumire smiled, "you only have today to celebrate before another challenge approaches."

"Another…?" Kasumi blinked. There would be more competitions coming eventually. That did not seem to be what Sumire was referring to with her sly smile.

"Exams." Sumire reminded her.

Kasumi laughed. Not bothering to hold it in with a hand, Kasumi let herself laugh freely. Exams. They did not really matter, but they would help with scholarships if she did well. "I hope you're all prepared and ready to teach me?"

"M-Me? Ahh, yeah… I have studied a lot."

The obvious lie was endearing. Rubbing her sister's head, Kasumi snaked an arm around her waist and began to walk them toward the exit to the main area. That was where her parents and potentially a few friends would be located. So not pressing her sister, Kasumi focused on the more unnerving matter. "Did they both show up again?"

"Both? Did you not see the stands? Everyone showed up to watch you win."

"Everyone?" Kasumi frowned. "You mean your group of friends?"

"They are part of it…"

That was more ominous than clarifying. There was nothing else to do but face the unknown. As she got closer to that moment, Kasumi finally began to feel the emotions that she was supposed to. The feelings of failure and sexualization had faded. Now, she was just Kasumi again with an arm around her sister and a medal around her neck. Good mood rising, she waded into the main hall for her victory celebration. No, it was not just her mood, it was her closeness with her sister. Once again, they were one.

Sunday July10th, 20XX Afternoon

"Feels like a class reunion…" Ren muttered to Ryuji. He gave discontented looks around at the people surrounding them. Each one was part of their school, roving in smaller groups, not quite together. Ann had announced it at the beginning of school yesterday, telling them that Kasumi was in a tournament Sunday.

Word had spread and different friend groups had shown up. There were more than one group of boys glaring around, upset at not being the only ones that had shown up to support Kasumi.

The different athletes were filtering past giving the students looks ranging from confusion to anger. Ren received one especially piercing glare from the girl that gotten the silver medal. This one seemed personal somehow. Ren followed her with his eyes, wondering if she had somehow heard about his past.

A few steps past him she stopped and whirled around, stalking back to Ren. "What do you see in her? Are you so shallow that a pretty face is enough?"

"What did you do to that one?" Ryuji whispered poorly.

Ignoring him, Ren raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Excuse me?"

"Kasumi!" She growled. "You are dating her, aren't you? You are one of the toys she keeps. So, what is it? Why?"

Ren smiled wryly, trying not to laugh. Ryuji failed letting out a loud guffaw. Ren shot Ryuji a glare to shut him up before he could say any more.

"I am not Kasumi's toy, nor am I dating her. You shouldn't make assumptions about people."

Her dark eyes tightened further. Just when Ren was sure she would yell at him she finally nodded. "Tell her I will defeat her next time."

"Need a miracle for that."

Ryuji's comment got a blush. Without another word she walked away again, almost running.

"Sore losers," Ryuji shook his head. "Always a pain to deal with."

Ren had not really minded. Shrugging, he turned to the entrance. With the silver medalist gone, Kasumi should be showing up soon. He could just see her parents near the entrance to the stage, waiting for their daughters. "She still listened to me, more than some would have."

Ryuji shrugged again. "She is a loser, saying things like that she will always be a loser. You need to change yourself first, yeah?"

Ren gave Ryuji a piercing look. Staying silent, Ren waited for his friend to turn away and evaluate his statement. Almost as he did, ripples passed through the crowd. Turning his head, Ren located the center of the storm where Kasumi was emerging with Sumire at her side and greeted her parents.

She looked happier now. That was good.

"Hey Ren! You gonna go swoop in and make all those boys jealous?"

Ren turned his look to Ann who stared at him innocently. "Kasumi deserves her celebration. She does not need me ruining it for her."

"Oh yeah?" Ann gave him a look that curdled Ren's stomach. "I dare you to walk over and put an arm around each of them."

Ryuji chortled. "Oh, yes, please dude! I have no idea what will happen, but whatever happens it is sure to be hilarious."

"Somehow I don't find my death as funny as you. Plus, I think Kasumi has been touched enough without permission for one day." Ren replied. He did not consider doing Ann's dare. He did not think about how fun it would be to have those red and brown eyes staring flatly at him, demanding an explanation.

"Ugh, you're right about that. That organizer was a total creep!" Ann narrowed her eyes, clearly remembering that awkward photo shoot.

"Well," Ren said awkwardly, "I guess we should go congratulate her before we leave."

"Leave?" Ann asked curiously. "I heard from Sumire that you spent most of yesterday here with their family. Aren't you going to celebrate with them?"

Ren shrugged. "I mean…" He could not explain. It was impossible to sort his current emotions and feelings about them into words. Being with the Yoshizawa's felt too good in a way. An irrational voice in Ren's ear kept whispering to him that something would ruin it. Something always went wrong. Ren struggled now to remember his life before moving to Tokyo. Most of it had passed by in a blur. There was one thing he was sure of though. It was part of the reason why he had been so complacent during his arrest. Ren did not think arguing would have changed much, but even still, it was weird to think about.

"Heh, he probably got in trouble yesterday." Ryuji smirked. "You know how he is, gaping after girls all the time."

"That's you, Ryuji." Ann shoved him in the arm. She did not seem overly upset though.

Ren could only sigh at them. Did they have any idea how they looked? "I guess I should have brought Morgana. I thought it would be another unpleasant day for him."

Ann snapped her fingers. "Right! We should have brought him when we came later. Sorry about that Ren. We will have to apologize to him."

"Ah, yeah…"

"More importantly, Makoto and Haru are with them right now, let's go!"

Ren could hardly disagree when the other two began to walk over to the Yoshizawa's. The parents had drawn off to the side to allow their daughter time to talk to her friends. Hoping it would not be too awkward, Ren followed after.

Walking behind them, Ren was able to get a good read of the room. Sumire and Kasumi stood side-by-side, shoulders brushing together. Standing opposite them were Makoto and Haru, wide smiles on their faces. Surrounding them an awkward distance away were other students. Beyond that was a group that Ren had missed. There were three standing in different pairs glaring at each other, none making a move. One carried a camera while the other had a microphone. They looked like reporters, but this was not a tournament that would have much press information. The world at large, even just Tokyo would have no idea that this event happened, so why three? And why did they not request an official interview with the winner following the medal ceremony?

Ren could not ponder the oddity any further as he arrived to where the Yoshizawa sisters were; Ryuji and Ann leading the way with boisterous greetings of congratulations. Ren did not hear them though. All he saw were the eyes, brown and red. An identical warmth in both. Ren briefly considered fleeing again. Looking into both pairs at once as they merged and surrounded him was hard.

In that moment, the bet he made with Akechi seemed incredibly foolish. At this moment, standing side-by-side, the sisters shone far brighter than Kasumi ever had by herself on the stage. Brighter than Sumire would reach on her own. Did they know?

All Ren knew for certain was that he was blinded by the light.

"Well, look who it is, staying back."

"Hnn…" Ren could not generate a reply to Kasumi's sudden remark, directed straight at him, ignoring the conversation around her.

"Of course he came!" Sumire knocked against her sister. "Everyone came for you."

"Yes, I've never had such a… diverse welcome."

"That almost sounded ungrateful!" Ann accused Kasumi with mock severity.

As the group laughed, Ren glanced to the side. The other groups were shuffling awkwardly. Clearly none of them knew what to do. And why did the reporters look so predatory, yet fearful? Lastly, Ren was looking for one person. He refused to believe that Goro was not here. The detective always showed up when he was least wanted.

"Well, look at this happy gathering."

Right on cue.

Ren turned with the rest of them to find the detective sauntering toward them, briefcase in hand. He was as impeccable as always, his suit unrumpled, hair messed perfectly. That unfazed manner was pissing Ren off. No doubt the detective would take hold of the conversation from now until he leaves randomly, striding off.

"Well, well, look who it is." Kasumi sounded less than impressed, crossing her arms. "Where were you during my routine?"

"Haha…" Akechi laughed weakly. "I had to step out briefly. Thankfully, I knew that you would be fine without me."

Kasumi once again let out that distinctive snort of hers and rolled her eyes. The displeasure in her expression looked forced though. She was still riding an emotional high.

As they discussed, whispers began to take over the chamber. Participants that had not left turned extra-strong glares to Kasumi now. The people waiting to greet her began discussing the detective and the rapport between them. More importantly, the reporters were buzzing, writing notes, trying to take pictures.

"I think we should get out of here…" Ren found himself saying. It was not logical, but he suddenly felt trapped. The memories of the night in the pyramid, listening to the howls of the shadows had clearly gotten to him. The voices swirling around him, the ceiling preventing him from leaving…

Where was the light? Where did it go?

"That's sudden but…" Akechi glanced toward the groups of reporters that began moving forward for better pictures. "For once I agree with you."

"Yes, they are surrounding us, I'll take…" Ren trailed off and shook his head.

"You will take the nearest exit and leave us behind?" Akechi asked, raising a confused eyebrow. His friends meanwhile were staring at him incredulously. Ren could only chuckle and shrug his shoulders. He was sure though that he wanted to be anywhere but here. It was not his imagination; the reporters were circling them. All of Ren's instincts were screaming at him to flee.

"Are you okay, Ren?" Ann touched his arm. "They just want a word with the winner."

"No, he is right." Kasumi interrupted frowning around at the surroundings. "What gutter did these snakes crawl out of?"

"Kas!" Sumire sounded shocked at her sister's harsh words. "You always answer their questions. Plus, a lot of people came to cheer you on!"

"Look at them," Kasumi tsked, "They aren't here for the tournament, they are here for me… Or maybe…?"

Kasumi's pointed look at Akechi made them turn to look at the detective.

"True, Akechi is getting really popular, isn't he?"

"The second coming of the detective prince or something like that." Haru added to Makoto's statement with a nod.

Ren did not think so. Akechi confirmed this by shaking his head. "I walked past a pair of them once, they did not care about me."

"Hmm," Sumire tapped her lips once and then smiled deviously. "Well, Ren, you sounded like you had a plan to get us out of here?"

"Huh?" Blinking, Ren looked around at the expectant faces. Even Kasumi and Akechi stood silent, not saying anything. "Hmm…"

Doing another take of the room, there was no easy way out. People had come to talk to Kasumi, they were all looking at her, waiting. The reporters had covered the other entrances. Lastly, there was Kasumi's family, milling around, also clearly waiting for her to finish up.

"The gym." Ren decided. "Pretend to forget something and return there. If we stay here waiting, no one will suspect you have left. Five minutes later or so, Sumire will tell your family and they will all leave the same way. They will get suspicious but—"

"But there is nothing they can do." Akechi finished, cutting Ren off.

Sending, the detective a glare, Ren finished. "With us remaining here, they will get suspicious but stay around. When you've managed to leave in peace, we will leave. They'll question us and we will tell the truth. They may be upset but as Akechi said, it does not matter."

"Hmmpf, trust boys to overcomplicate things." Kasumi's eyes began to glow with a passionate light. Ren recognized this. She was about to do something reckless, something bold. The thing was, it would likely work. That was who Kasumi was, a violent, tempestuous, beautiful force of nature. She did not need to plan things out like Ren. All Kasumi had to do was barge through.

"I-I thought it was quite reasonable…" Makoto defended him.

Kasumi was not listening. As Ren had assumed she would do, she barged forward. Somehow, even as she set forward with determination, she dimmed. More accurately, she no longer had Sumire added to her. Blinking at his irrational thoughts, Ren watched as Kasumi addressed the suddenly interested crowd in a loud voice.

"Thank you everyone for coming to watch me! I hope it was worth your afternoon."

Answering her were a mixture of voices, boys and girls dismissing the thanks or trying to tell Kasumi how amazing she was. Kasumi moved through them expertly. Shaking hands with those that wanted to, answering questions politely, but still moving on. She left them happy rather than feeling left behind or a nuisance.

"She's better at this than my father…" Haru breathed in disbelief. "How?"

"She's Kasumi," Sumire shrugged, a wistful smile on her face.

Ren barely caught Akechi's smug look directed at him. He simply shook his head. Yes, Kasumi was amazing, but could he not see Sumire's brilliance? It was like missing the stars for the moon.

That was when the first reporter made his move. He appeared to be in his early twenties with narrow glasses and ambitious black eyes. He held a microphone out to Kasumi while his partner prepared their camera.

Kasumi, not saying a single word, walked straight past him. It felt like the room froze. Ren suddenly felt like a background character in a movie about her. He thought he understood Sumire's depression a little better in that moment. No one could move. No once could say anything, except her. When she reached the front door, she finally stopped, turning around to face the entire remaining population.

With every eye upon her, Kasumi flashed them all a beaming smile. "Thanks for cheering me on!"

"That girl…" Akechi's voice was half exasperation, half amusement. "Well, I suppose I should return to the work that I have been neglecting."

With only that, Akechi walked away through a different door. Only Ren watched him go. All attention he had commanded moments ago had been completely stripped away. Still, the detective managed an air of mystery by suddenly vanishing.

That left just the thieves minus two members. Three, Ren corrected himself. If Futaba joined that was.

"I liked your plan, Senpai." Sumire said with a smile. "In most situations it would have been the only way, but of course…"

"Kasumi makes her own path," Makoto said with a smile. "She really is an inspiration, isn't she?"

"We could all learn from her," Ann agreed with a nod and a smile. "Of course, we already have a Yoshizawa sister here who is hard enough to keep up with."

"You can say that again," Ryuji sighed heavily. "Makes me feel like the fat kid at the track meet."

"Rude!" Ann poked him hard in the side.

"Ahaha, I think all of you are splendid! …In your own ways of course."

"That's a little rude, Haru-Senpai…" Sumire shook her head slowly with a smile.

Ren found a matching smile growing on his lips. Haru's wording needed work, but she was right. Every single one of them were special. They likely did not need him anymore. If they did, it would not be for long. Ren's abilities allowed him to adjust to more scenarios than any of them, hence his codename as Joker. With so many people, and the addition of Futaba, they likely had an answer for everything now.

"Oi, Ren and friends."

"Hmm?" Ren blinked and faced Mr. Yoshizawa. The address was a little odd considering his daughters was one of the 'friends' he referred to so obliquely. "Yes Mr. Yoshizawa?"

"I just wanted to tell you that we are going to celebrate at a restaurant a little up the way. You are all free to join, I am sure Kasumi would enjoy having someone other than her boring family to talk to."

"Don't include me in that!" Sumire sniffed. "That's just you and grandma harping on about judges that bores the rest of us."

"Urgh, w-well that's how it is… So, would you?"

Ren did not need to look at the others. He would go regardless of what they were doing. Opening his mouth, another voice cut in front.

"Hell yeah! Thanks pops!"

"Ryuji!" Ann hit him again—a ritual that was getting more and more common. "We would be honoured Mr. Yoshizawa."

"Yes, thank you very much for the offer," Makoto bowed properly.

"Ah, but please let me… err, never mind. Thank you very much."

Only when Haru mentioned it did he remember that she was going through her own personal issues currently. That seemed to be the way of the world. Always one more problem on your plate than you could deal with at a time. Still, for one evening, perhaps they would relax.

Nodding his acceptance of the offer, Ren fell in step beside Sumire's father and made small talk as they headed for the nearby restaurant.

Sunday July 10th, 20XX Afternoon

"Huh? What are…" Kasumi stopped talking. There was no need to finish the question. She knew exactly what had happened. The guilty smile a mile wide on her father's face was more than enough to confirm what had happened. "Oh."

"H-Hey now, there's no need for the glare! We always upset you at these dinners anyway!"

Kasumi was not letting her father off the hook that easily. Pointing a finger at him, she growled. "That's because you always drink too much and end up crying. Yelling embarrassing things about me…"

The others looked shocked. Ren did tilt his head after a moment and then nod to himself. It seemed like he had spent enough time with her father to see that this was indeed something he would do.

Another thing that was odd was he had essentially invited Sumire's friends to her celebration. It wasn't like she disliked them but… they were Sumire's group. Something was going on between them that forged bonds stronger than Kasumi had with them. There was nothing really wrong with it but… Kasumi only sighed again.

Even if dinner went downhill, that was fine. Kasumi could still remember the warmth from earlier. When she had revelled in winning with Sumire. Those minutes when they had been inseparable again.

The interior of the diner was what one could expect: low-lighting, booths, fans. It served Vietnamese food, authentic from the sound of the voices emanating from the kitchen. Most of the staff working the front seemed to be native Japanese people. Kasumi wondered if it was originally family run before expanding.

"Oh, this looks good!" Shinichi said, picking up a menu and sitting down, a wide smile on his face. It was like he had completely forgotten about the interaction only moments before.

Kasumi narrowed her eyes at her father. The way he was holding the menu… "You're looking at the drinks page, aren't you?"

"Ahaha… Well, what is a celebration without a celebratory drink?"

Kasumi rolled her eyes and took the place opposite her father. The end of the table was against the wall where her mother and grandmother sat facing each other. Her mother placed a hand on Kasumi's shoulder. "Don't be too harsh on your Father dear. He just gets excited too easily."

"Yeah, old dad here has learned from when you won under 14 nationals." Sumire sat beside their father and patted him on the shoulder.

That meant… Kasumi turned to look as Ren took the chair beside her and across from Sumire. This is not right… This configuration made Ren seem like Kasumi's boyfriend with Sumire the sister. Sumire should have sat beside her, so why?

The others slowly filtered in as well. Ryuji budged in beside Ren and Ann took the spot beside Sumire. That left Haru next to Ann and Makoto next to Ryuji. As Makoto sat she had the expression of a mother with a troubled child to look after.

"Haha, Yusuke is going to be upset when he hears about this!" Ryuji laughed. "I mean him missing free food? Oh boy, he is going to cry for weeks!"

"I sent him a message," Haru shrugged. "He never replied though. So, he can't be too upset after all."

"That… seems unlikely." Ren muttered.

Yusuke was the member of this group that Kasumi knew the least about. Truth be told, Kasumi had absolutely no idea how the blue-haired artist had ended up with them. It made no sense that Kasumi could determine.

Bang!

With a loud shudder, the front door of the restaurant slammed open. A panting figure was bent over there. The hair was odd. Blue at the sides with a long black patch in the middle. Blinking, Kasumi did another take as the figure slowly stood up. The man was tall. He was breathing as if on the verge of death. "Hold on…."

"Yusuke!?"

As he finally raised his head, Kasumi saw that what she had taken for a strip of long black hair was in fact a cat half draped across his face. His one visible eye was feverish with the light of madness.

"You!" The boy yelled, pointing at Kasumi's father.

"M-Me!?" Shinichi replied, yelping a little pathetically.

Yusuke tossed aside the cat that screamed. He ran to the table's side, intent on Kasumi's father. Should I jump across the table and tackle him? The thought came too slow. Kasumi was in bystander mode and could not react fast to save her father from this madman.

Suddenly, just before Yusuke reached Shinichi, he threw himself to the ground. Head pressed against the sticky, somewhat dirty restaurant floor, he shouted into the stunned place. "You, sir, are a true god among men to grant us a free meal! I will partake in your offer with tears in my eyes!"

"Err… Well, you are welcome?"

"Yes, yes I am!" Yusuke agreed frantically.

Kasumi leaned back in her seat and rubbed her head. "What the hell am I listening to?"

Ren patted her shoulder. "That's just Yusuke. Morgana is the cat he threw away… I hope he is alright."

"Do you realize how insane what you just said was?" Kasumi questioned the boy, turning her gaze to him from the mad blue-haired kid stumbling to his feet. "He ran to a far-off restaurant with a cat on his head and threw it to the floor and then himself to beg for a free meal."

"Umm, yes?"

Kasumi rolled her eyes at Ren's expression. It had the look of a team captain being forced to apologize for one of his players stupid actions. Unsure how much responsibility they could take. "I sometimes get the feeling the whole lot of you don't have your heads screwed on quite right."

"Ahaha… that hits closer than you can know."

"Oh?" Kasumi was surprised by the answer. Ren was usually better at responding to her than that. Most people would laugh here at the joke; Kasumi spread her lips into a predatory smile. "Oh, then why not tell me about it? Then I will know."

"Huh? W-Well… What is there to say? I just meant that we are a little weird, you know? Just joking around."

"Ah, then forgive me, I could not keep up with your humour. Neither could Sumire if her pale face is any indication."

"Eep!"

The guilty reaction… Kasumi had had a building feeling about this recently. Sumire had distanced herself to practice more but the rest of them… They were involved in something. Keeping it to herself, Kasumi smiled at her sister. "Are you feeling sick, Sumi?"

"Urgh… That smile of yours." Sumire lowered her head so her bangs and glasses hid her eyes. "It always feels like you're sizing me up."

"Well, I am hungry." Kasumi continued her smile.

Shinichi turned his focus from the alcohol page to her. "You have a disturbing talent at upsetting your sister."

Kasumi shrugged. "If she didn't hide things it wouldn't work, right Ren?" Lifting her right arm, she wrapped it around his shoulders and pulled him closer to her. He was taller so it was a bit of a stretch, but Kasumi thought it worked.

With a great squawk, Sumire jumped out of her chair. "T-That's not fair! Just because you got to sit beside him today does not make him your toy! He is my… my…"

"Your what?" Kasumi teased dangerously.

"My… Ah, never mind. Fell free to scold her Senpai. I'm sorry no one ever managed to teach her manners."

"She is Kasumi." Ren said as if that explained everything.

Still, with him this close to her, Kasumi thought that she could see the colour in his cheeks. That gave her a rush. Only a little bit of it was guilt. This was her victory celebration after all. She could pretend for one evening. That would be enough, it had to be.

Maybe something of Kasumi's feelings showed on her face, but Sumire settled down quickly. Without a word she took her chair and picked up the menu as if nothing had happened. It was unclear if the rest of the table had even noticed something was happening.

"And what would the lovely couple here like to drink?"

Kasumi blinked. The waitress was already here! Forced to order quickly, Kasumi allowed herself to get drawn into the meal. Maybe her father was right. Perhaps letting loose once in a while wasn't so bad after all.

Sunday July 10th, 20XX Night

"Ah… that was… weird." Sumire laid on her bed and stared at the roof of her room. It was blank of ornamentation or distinction. For the first time, Sumire thought about putting something up there. "The only thing I'd want to stare at is Ren though…"

Blushing, Sumire knew that putting a poster print-out of him on her roof was going way, way too far. She doubted even stalkers went that far. The embarrassment made her want to hide herself even though no one else was there. In moments, even as she writhed, Sumire's smile returned.

The smile had been an almost permanent affixture since she met Kasumi after the medal celebration. It had been so nice getting to be one with her sister again. It had felt like that for awhile. The line between them blurring and becoming indistinct.

Yet there was the dinner… She was perplexed by the odd perspective that she had had during the meal. It had lasted long into the evening and into the night. Her father next to her slowly getting increasingly drunk and increasingly louder. Not a rambunctious drunk an emotional one. It was embarrassing, but Sumire's attention was on the people across from her.

Ren-senpai and Kas, sitting side-by-side. To the uninformed they looked like lovers. As the night continued, Kasumi continued to push it. With every action, it seemed like she was waiting for Sumire to call her down for it. "Why didn't I…?"

Beyond the first outburst, she had restrained herself. Thinking back, it seemed to have been the correct decision. Kasumi, despite betting bolder and bolder, had started looking increasingly stressed. By the end Kasumi was visibly shaking, sweat beading at her temples. Her stressed-out sister had gone to take a long bath as soon as she had gotten through the door.

"Sumire…"

"Hmm?" Turning her gaze to the door, she was only slightly surprised when one brown eye stared in at her. "I-Is something wrong."

"Yes, there is…" Muttering that ominous line, Kasumi entered stealthily and shut the door softly behind herself.

"K-Kas?"

"You!" Kasumi staggered to the bed. "Why did you never call me down today! I've been stewing over it for hours! Hours!"

"Ahaha…" Sumire dragged herself backwards on the bed, seeking more distance between themselves. She felt far from on the same wavelength right now.

"Answer me!"

"W-Well you looked like you were having fun, and Ren did not mind so…"

"Eh!?" You have to be protective of your man! Or someone more unscrupulous than me will steal him!"

"S-Steal him? R-Ren senpai doesn't belong to me after all…"

"Ehh!?" Kasumi crawled closer, being in loom over her. "How can you know!? Maybe there's a crazy hot goth doctor that lives near him and does 'special check-ups'. Or perhaps he will become enraptured by a cute shogi-player in a church! Or get defiled by some sake-loving reporter!"

"Stop being stupid!" Sumire protested. "People like that don't exist!"

"Oh?" Kasumi seemed to be peering into her soul. "What about his homeroom teacher? I've heard they have an unusual bond."

"Ah…" Was there something to her sister's mad ramblings? Even if she was right… "If one of them would make Ren happy then I am more than willing to—"

Sumire's eyes widened slightly in fear as Kasumi clamped a hand over her mouth. The look in Kasumi's eyes had ramped up another degree entering the territory of terrifying.

"Do you truly believe that only one person can make us happy? That there are soulmates out there and if we fail to find them and connect with them our lives are doomed for failure?"

"That's…" Sumire had never considered it that way. Soulmates were a fun idea for children and fiction. Kasumi's question was one she did not really have an answer for. It was clear that her sister had pondered it far more than she had.

"You need to worry about your happiness as well! Sort it out together and become the ultimate couple!"

"Huh!?" Sumire pointed at Kasumi. "This sounds like some weird anime! Don't play out your fantasies with my life!"

Kasumi's lips twitched. Then she broke out into a gale of laughter.

"Why you…" Grabbing one of her pillows, Sumire began to beat on her horrible sister while she begged for forgiveness. Sumire could not help but smile. Kasumi may be an idiot, but despite the recent problems, Sumire would not trade her for anyone.