Chapter 9 – Chizuru Ikeda's Day Off
Chizuru's POV
I haven't really been doing much as of late. Just sitting around at home reading a book I've gained interest in. But Sis has been rather busy, though. With the extra work she has to do in the Student Council…on top of the part-time job she recently got…she's definitely been busier than usual. And we haven't spent that much time together because of it.
Today, being Sunday, was no different. I was lying on my bed in the room we share, reading the book I mentioned earlier, when I heard the door open and Sis walked in the room. Looking exhausted as hell.
"Oh…hey, Chizuru. I didn't think…you'd be home."
"Hey, Sis. Y-You look really tired."
"Y-Yeah. Student Council work…has been brutal lately." Sis then collapsed on her bed. "Th-The whole school's…b-been on a frenzy since…A-Akari's accident."
Still? But it's been nearly a month!
…
Then again…I guess it's kinda hard to forget witnessing someone having their eye gouged…
"Hasn't Ayano giving you guys breaks?"
"Yeah…but they don't last long. And even with Yui, Chinastu, and Kyoko helping us, it's still a lot of work."
"Kyoko?" I sounded confused.
"Oh yeah…Kyoko came back from therapy a few days ago."
"I see…"
I know this is already known…but I don't really like Kyoko. At all. Not even a little bit. Yes, the whole thing's always been one-sided, but it still counts.
She's been a total pain in the ass to deal with. Always bothering me, trying to snuggle me out of nowhere, not listening to ANYTHING I say (before AND after punching her away)…it's been hell ever since that day at the library.
And yes. I get it. She thought I was Chitose. But that still doesn't excuse the fact that she kept bugging me while I was trying to read. And not only that, but she also didn't even have the nerve to apologize.
I seriously can't stand her…but I did feel bad for her when I heard that she went to therapy.
Not even someone like her deserves to mentally suffer…
"I bet Kyoko's making it harder for you guys, huh?" I asked.
"You would think…but no. Kyoko's been working just as hard as the rest of us."
"Hold on. Kyoko? Working? Are we talking about the same girl, Sis?"
"Yes we are, Chizuru. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true. And not only that, but she's also actually been doing schoolwork without any problems."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah…even the teachers are…having a hard time believing it. They're so used to her sleeping through it all…that a lot of them did a double-take when they saw her actually paying attention. It…It was kinda funny."
"Huh…"
This is getting more unbelievable by the minute…
"It's strange, though. It's like she's…undergo a whole new personality…after doing some therapy."
"Some?"
"She's still going back. Every…other…day…Zzz…"
"She fell asleep…" I said after seeing Sis's energy finally run out and now she's completely knocked out on her bed.
Geez…If what Sis is saying is true…that Kyoko suddenly has a whole new personality after a week's worth of therapy…then maybe I could try to forgive her for annoying me so much.
…
Emphasis on the word "try".
*NOTIFICATION CHIME*
"Hey, Chizuru. I'm sitting at the park relaxing today. Wanna meet up?"
Oh. It's Kaede.
"Kinda strange that you're at the park on a Sunday afternoon. Usually, you're inside playing video games."
*NOTIFICATION CHIME*
"Yeah…Onee-chan kicked me out. Got mad that I was too nosy with her breast size again. You know…the usual."
"I see…" I gained a mental sweatdrop from reading that reply.
Poor Himawari…
"Well, I have nothing else to do today. I'll meet you there."
*NOTIFICATION CHIME*
"Great! See ya!"
I placed my phone down and looked back at Chitose…who was still knocked out asleep from exhaustion. Only now, her nose was dripping blood. Which means that she's having another one of her yuri fantasies.
"*sigh* Not again…"
I grabbed a box of tissues from the nearby desk and placed it next to Chitose. Alongside a note saying that I was going out and would see her later. Then proceeded to make my way to the park.
At least I'm doing something today…
Later that day, I was walking through town. Continuing my way to the park to meet up with Kaede. As I did, however, something that Chitose said earlier came back into mind.
"Th-The whole school's…b-been on a frenzy since…A-Akari's accident."
Akari's accident…it really has been about a month since it happened. I heard that she's been going through some pretty server depression because of it. I mean…I do remember what she apparently said to her group of friends…
"…it's obvious that it's the universe's way of saying "take a hint, dumbass". And honestly…I'm okay with that."
The universe…wanting her dead…that's some creepy meta stuff right there. I may not know Akari all that much…but to hear that such words came out of HER mouth is…
…
I mean…I kinda understand her. She feels alone…forgotten…as if nobody gives a damn about her or her well-being…
I felt the same way too at some point in my…
"HEY! CHIZURU!"
"H-Huh?! Wh-Wha?!" I panicked as I was suddenly brought out of my mental rambling after someone yelled out my name.
"Geez…you walked right past me and STILL didn't noticed. That hurts, you know."
"O-Oh…s-sorry, Kaede. I-I was…lost in thought."
"Yeah, clearly. You got a little drool coming out of your mouth."
"Gah!" I quickly grabbed a tissue that I carry with me (for this exact reason) and wiped my mouth of the drool before anyone else noticed. "*sigh* I really need to stop doing that…"
"I don't know, Chizuru…I think you should embrace that weird trait of yours. It makes you stand out more."
"I'd rather not stand out because of drool…" I gained an agitated sweatdrop.
So, yeah…Kaede Furutani is Himawari's little sister. I'm sure all of you knew that…but I…honestly didn't. A-At least for a while, I mean. All I knew her as was a little girl that I met in the park and became friends with one day. It never clicked for me that the two of them were related. Even with the same freaking last name.
Since then, the two of us have become great friends. And she still motivates me to be brave and start making more friends on my own. Which has worked, by the way. I do have Haruka and Takane to rely on as friends. So, I'm definitely changing little by little.
…
But I'm not the only person whose changed recently. And not by a little amount, either.
"Y…Y-You know, Kaede…I'm still having trouble getting used to this…"new look" of yours."
"Oh, this? Yeah, I get what you mean. Suddenly jumping from a 6-year-old to an 11-year-old is probably the most bizarre thing to ever happen in this series."
"Not "the most". But it's definitely up there."
It's true. When the series ended some-odd years ago, Kaede suddenly aged up 5 years and is now 11 years old. Her appearance is still a splitting image of Himawari's. The only difference was that her hair grew slightly. Which she keeps in a medium-sized ponytail sometimes.
She seems pretty fine with it…but the fact that a slice-of-life series kept this girl from aging for 5 years is pretty freaking creepy to me.
One of the many reasons why I'm glad it's over…
"So, what were you thinking about before I caught your attention?" Kaede asked.
"Oh, um…I was actually thinking about Akari. You know…what's she been through lately."
"With her losing her eye, right? Onee-chan told me about it. It sucks that all of this is happening to her."
"Yeah…I know. I mean…I don't really know her all that well. I see her around and such…I guess."
"You guess? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well…she has this issue with her presence, from what I've heard…"
"And you just went along with it?"
"W-Well…I-I'm not exactly friends with Akari. I only saw her like…once or twice when we were relevant."
"That's not an excuse to ignore her, Chizuru. It's stuff like that that's making her feel this way in the first place."
"I-I know, but…"
"I'm sure Akari wants to have lots of friends just like you do."
"W-Wants friends…l-like me?" I quietly said to myself out of shock from hearing that line. And at the same time…I was remembering the thoughts I had before running into Kaede.
And she really is right about it all.
I'm really being lectured by an 11-year-old…and it's actually working…
"*sigh* You're right, Kaede. Ignoring Akari now when I'm experiencing a similar dilemma is only something a hypocritical asshole would do."
"Hey…" Kaede grew angry at me swearing.
"Oh, get a grip. You're 11."
"Well…I'm glad you agree with me, Chizuru. I just wish Onee-chan would be more accepting of my advice instead of getting mad all the time."
"Maybe if you stop involving yourself with her boobs…" I gained a sweatdrop.
"But where's the fun in that?"
And my sweatdrop only grew from there.
"*sigh* Anyway…what would be a good way to help Akari feel better?"
"Onee-chan said something about planning something for her birthday coming up." Kaede said. "Maybe you can get her a present."
"A present, huh?" I thought about the suggestion. "That sounds simple enough. But even then, what do I even get her? I don't exactly know what her interests are."
"Well, if there's anything I've learned from Sakurako-oneechan…and honestly, there isn't much…it's that if you need an idea, head to the arcade."
"The arcade?"
"They've got a bunch of top-self prizes over there. All you gotta do is get a high score on one of the games."
"But I'm not really good at arcade games."
"I'm pretty good at them. Currently, I have the high score for a game they have called Space Harrier. And it only took me a little over 7 hours to do so." Kaede said with a pretty proud smirk on her face.
Don't you have school? I gained a mental sweatdrop.
"Point is…I can totally help you out, Chizuru."
"*sigh* What do I got to lose? Let's try this arcade route you're so shamelessly proud of."
"Sure thing. And hey…if I can get REALLY good, I can win a top-self prize myself. That Super Famicom Classic will be mine for sure this time!"
"Your true intensions are showing, Kaede…" I gained yet another sweatdrop.
About 10 minutes later, we reached the arcade. And the first thing we noticed is how empty it currently was. According to Kaede, this place is usually packed on Sundays. But I guess it was a slow day today.
"Okay, O Great Arcade Master…how should we go about gaining this top-self prize?" I asked.
"Easy, Chizuru. We pick a game with an easy to beat high score and surpass it to the point where it can't be beaten. Once we do that, we'll gain access to those top-self prizes."
"Huh…sounds simple enough. Which one has that easy to beat high score?"
"Uh…let me see…" And as Kaede was scanning the place for that easy arcade game…
"No way…they actually have it!"
"Huh?"
"The latest game in the series…they really do have it! I want to play it…b-but this place…i-it gives me nightmares. I-I don't think I can ever go in there again…"
I took notice of this girl in a dark grey hoodie jacket peering inside the arcade. She looked scared as hell. Almost as if this place was traumatizing for her. She kept shaking the more she looked inside.
She didn't notice that I was looking at her. And with the small glimpse of her face not covered by the hoodie, I was able to recognize her as…
"Akari?"
"*shriek* N-No, please! N-Not again! I-I can't take anymore…h-huh? Chizuru?"
"Chizuru, who are you talking to?" Kaede asked as she walked up to me. She then noticed the terrified girl nearby. "Wait…Akari?"
"K-Kaede? D…D-Did you get older?"
"Yeah, it's a thing now. Though, I'm not really complaining."
"Huh…"
So, what were you doing peaking into the arcade like that?" I asked.
"O-Oh…uh…y-you see…th-there's this game the arcade recently got that I want to play. B-But…th-this place…" Akari then gained an extremely sad look on her face. With tears forming in her one purple eye. "…a-an incident happened her and now I'm too traumatized to go in."
"You mean that day with Sakurako-oneechan, right?"
"With Sakurako?" I asked Kaede.
"She took Akari to the arcade a few days ago. She was pretty vague with the details when I asked about it…but she said that she has HUGE regrets for letting that happen, to you, Akari."
"Y-Yeah…I-I know." Akari said. "I-I've been wanting to talk to her about it…b-but she keeps ignoring my calls. I-Is she really avoiding me because of that?"
""That"?" We both asked.
"Ah! I-It's nothing! F-Forget I…s-said anything…" Akari then went back to being sad and depressed. Now feeling worse due to what happened with Sakurako.
Another girl I know who's nothing but trouble…
"*sigh* A-Anyway…m-maybe I should just give up and go back home. I can cry this day away just like the ones before…"
"W-Wait, Akari!" Kaede yelled as she grabbed Akari by her hand. "Th-The two of us were going to play some games together. Why don't you tag along with us."
"I-I rather not…"
"Come on! Please~?!"
"I-I really don't. people here are gonna laugh, call me a freak, tell me to go kill myself…I-I don't want to experience that again."
"But, Akari…" Kaede went silent for a bit before taking a deep breath. "…Listen…I know that what you experienced this past month has been the worst moments of your life. I would feel the same way if it happened to me. But you can't let it ruin your life like this. You have to stand strong and push forward through this mess."
"St-Stand strong? Push forward…" Akari went silent for a bit. "…n-no way. I'm too weak to do any of that."
"It's only true because you keep thinking that. If all you think are these negative thoughts, you'll never feel better. No matter the others do for you."
"Huh? Th-The others?"
Kaede then turned to me with a seriously determined look on her face as if she was trying to say, "Help me out here!" or something.
"I-It's true, Akari! Chitose's told me that everyone's doing their best to help cheer you up. They really miss your old, cheery, always positive self. And they've been coming up with ways to make you feel that way again."
"I-Is that…r-really true?"
"Of course!" We both cheered.
…
…
…
"I…I-I see…"
Then, without any hesitation, Akari removed her hood from her head…fully revealing her one-eyed face. With said eye pouring out tears that looked stronger than normal due to her only having one tear duct.
"I…I had no idea…everyone's been trying so hard to cheer me up. Now I feel really bad for being such a shut in this whole time."
"I'm sure they'll forgive you regardless of that, Akari." I said. "They'll just be glad that you're starting to feel better."
"I guess…" As Akari grew a smile for the first time in who knows how long, I noticed something else different about her.
"Hey, Akari…didn't you had two hair buns on the sides of your head?"
"Huh? Oh…yeah, I did. B-But I got rid of them. At first, it was just to fit my hood over my head. But now…I think I like having my hair down."
"I see…"
"Well, I think you look cuter this way, Akari." Kaede said. "Now both of us have experienced a new look for this story."
"Yeah, but…yours is still WAY grander, Kaede…" Akari said with a huge sweatdrop.
At least someone agrees with how absurd this is…
"A…Akari?" We suddenly heard a new voice.
"O-Oh…Hey, Hiro."
"It's been a while since anyone's seen you. Are you feeling any better?"
"W-Well…I-I don't know. Maybe. I'm still a little sad, but…hearing that everyone's been trying to help me changed my mood a little bit."
"I see…well, that's good to hear."
"I didn't know you worked here, Hiro." I said to her after noticing the work uniform on her.
"Oh, uh…it's only a temp job. Food for Shiro has become more expensive recently so my parents said I need to contribute more."
"Shiro?"
"My pet spider."
"Y-You have a pet spider?"
"That is like…SO cool!" Kaede was clearly impressed by that fact.
"*giggle* Thanks. If only some of the others thought the same way…"
"Maybe they would if Shiro was a normal spider…" Akari said with a sweatdrop.
Normal spider?
"So. What brings you guys here?" Hiro asked. "You all together?"
"Chizuru and I are gonna try getting a new high score so that we can get one of those top-self prizes." Kaede said.
"Is that so? Well, you guys are totally in luck. We got a new game added in that has no high score on it yet. You could be the first to set one on it."
"Woah…a new game?! What extreme luck!"
"Um…do you guys mind if I play with you?" Akari asked. "I…I REALLY want to play this game."
Well, we are trying to get this prize for Akari. If she tagged along, it would make picking out a prize easier on me…
"Sure, Akari. I don't really mind." I said.
"Gr-Great! Thanks a bunch, Chizuru!" Akari cheered with a huge smile on her face.
She's definitely happy about this…
With Akari now with us, we finally went inside the arcade and Hiro guided us to this new game she was talking about. Once we got there, Akari's eye lit up in a star-struck manner while I had a look of confusion on mine.
Because this new game was…
"Taiko no Tatsujin: Nijiiro Version?"
"You've never heard of this game, Chizuru?" Kaede asked me.
"Well, yeah. I know what Taiko no Tatsujin is. I just never thought you were a fan of the series, Akari."
"Oh, I'm a HUGE fan!" Akari cheered. "When I was younger, my dad would take me to arcades across the country to play every Taiko game that was out. It was something we both had in common."
"I see…"
Never would've known that if I hadn't talked to her…
"The game was just plugged up this morning." Hiro said. "You guys will definitely be the first ones to set a high score if it's high enough."
"Let's play together, Akari." Kaede said. "The two of us can compete for that top-shelf prize."
"*giggle* You're on, Kaede."
But wasn't the point of doing this was to get that prize FOR Akari?!
Once the two girls placed a coin in the machine, the game began and both were standing behind a drum waiting for the song to load.
"Good luck, you two." Hiro said. "The right of setting a first-time high score is at stake here. And also Shiro's lunch for the next month…"
"You could've kept that to yourself, Hiro…" I retorted with a sweatdrop.
(Quick Note: Okay, so…you know how I like to put full song lyrics into my stories? Well, this one's going to be a little different.
Since Taiko no Tatsujin is a rhythm-based game, I'm going to put down the name of the song, its lyrics, AND a YouTube link for gameplay footage. Seeing the song being played would be a better fit for this part of the chapter.
So, without further ago…the song to look up on YouTube is: Sekai wa Itsudemo Mystery – Taiko no Tatsujin: Dokodon! Mystery Adventure (youtubeDOTcom/watch?v=j0KO5RcPtro))
kimi ga te ni shitai kagayaku takaramono
hora, soko ni kimi no soba ni kitto aru hazu
sagashite sagashite mitsukete mitsumete
saa, ikou! Mysterious Adventure!
aoi sora shiroi kumo
atarimae no keshiki ga kawari hajimeru
kimi ni deai kimi to katari kimi ni furete
yurete yurete hikari no mukou e
nayandatte hajiman'nai
yuuki o dashite koe dashite
ippo-mae ni fumi-dashite
sou, shinjiru kokoro ga chikara ni naru no
minna te ni shitai kibou no takaramono
hora, soko ni kimi no soba ni kitto aru hazu
sagashite sagashite mitsukete mitsumete
saa, ikou! Mysterious Adventure!
As I watched the two play the song…I was generally impressed with what I saw. While Kaede was good, she still missed a few notes and broke her combo streak.
Akari, on the other hand…she didn't miss a single note. In fact, she kept getting "GOOD"'s on every note that came up. And there were sets that looked freaking impossible to do.
D-Damn…she's REALLY good! A-And she's doing this with only ONE EYE even!
*DONNNNNNDERFUL COMBO!*
"Yay! I did it! I got a Donderful Combo!" Akari cheered as she celebrated her win.
"*pant* *pant* N-No way…I've never seen anyone get a perfect score before. She's CRAZY good…" Meanwhile, Kaede was damn near exhausted from lasting that long. Granted, it was a pretty short song. But the amount of notes that came up made it feel like a 3-minute song.
No way in hell I would've lasted…
"Dude…did you see that? That girl got a Donderful Combo!"
"I know! And she only has one eye, too! I've never done it and yet I have two!"
"Isn't that the girl from before who got bullied by those boys?"
"I think so. Coming back here and getting a high score on a game takes some serious guts. I can respect here for that."
Without even noticing, the performance these two gave attracted a huge crowd. And they were very impressed that a girl with one eye managed to get a perfect score on a rhythm game. Some were actually jealous.
"Congrats, Akari. You've set a new high score." Hiro said. "As a reward for such an accomplishment, you get to chose from one of our top-shelf prizes."
"Oh, boy! Really?!" Akari then went silent for a bit. "But…you guys wanted those prizes too, didn't you?"
"To be honest, Akari…we were trying to get you a birthday present." I said.
"R-Really?"
"I heard your birthday was coming up so…I thought getting you something would at least cheer you up a little."
"*clears throat*" Kaede nudged my arm.
…
"A-And to make up for how I tend to forget about you…" I added with a light blush.
"M-Make up for…" Akari went silent for a bit before gaining a huge smile on her face. She then latched onto me in a huge hug that felt tight as all hell.
"Thanks, Chizuru. I'm truly grateful."
"S…S-Sure thing…A-Akari…" I replied with my blush getting brighter.
After a few more hours at the arcade, we all decided to call it a day. Akari and Kaede both went home and Hiro still had an hour left of her shift. So she stayed behind. I had nothing else to do, so I headed back home myself.
Glad to see Akari doing better now. It's not a COMPLETE 180 from how she was a month ago…but remnants of her old self are slowly returning.
…
But…th-that hug, though…it felt strangely weird. I was even blushing all over. The only time that ever happens is whenever Haruka and Takane are giving me odd gifts just to see my "playful side". Whatever the hell that is.
Did having Akari see me as a friend really make me feel that way?
…
…
…
If that's the case…then I don't really mind.
When I arrived home after a few more minutes of thinking to myself, I noticed that Chitose was still home.
"Sis. I'm back." I called out.
…
"Hello? Sis?"
…
"Maybe she's still asleep…"
With that thought in mind, I went straight up to our room to hopefully continue reading the book from earlier.
But when I walked in…
"Hey, Sis. I'm bac-O-OH GOD! WHAT THE HELL?!"
"Gah! Ch-Chizuru!" Chitose went into a panic after I had caught her laying on her bed, FULLY NAKED, masturbating to some lesbian porn playing on her laptop.
…
This is actually normal. But the fact that I walked into it is what's burning my eyes.
"Ugh! You're doing this AGAIN, Sis?!"
"Ch-Chizuru, wait! I-It's not what it looks like!"
"It's EXACLTY what it looks like, Sis!"
"W-Well…yeah. It does. B-But I was just about to finish!"
"I don't need to know that!" I yelled before taking some time to calm down. "*sigh* Whatever. Did you see the note I left you?"
"About you going out with Kaede? Yeah, I saw it. I figured you would be gone all day, so…"
"Sis. Please…just stop." I interrupted her. I then went to my bed, grabbed my blanket, pillow, and book…and proceeded to walk out of the room. "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight."
"Ch-Chizuru, come on! I'm sorry, okay?! Chizuru! Chizuru~!"
I ignored Chitose's whines as I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. Letting out a big agitated sigh after I plopped myself on the couch.
"One of these days…I'm getting my own room!"
Author's Note: It was a typical day for the younger Ikeda twin…maybe…kinda…who the hell knows! Yuru Yuri is weird even without all the changes I made in this story! That's just how it's always been.
Speaking of changes…I did age Kaede up. I thought about it…and decided it would be for the best for when later characters appear. The age gap between them and Kaede being kinda big was the main reason this change was made.
Thanks for reading. Later.