Chapter 60 – Mika's Inner Struggle

Mika's POV

After the vote was finalized and we were given the two-week notice to prepare for the trip, most of us left school for the day. I didn't have volleyball practice and Himeko was off from work and softball practice, too. So, we were able to walk home with Yoko for the first time in a while. She was definitely happy about that.

But not as much as…

"Aw, man! We're actually going to Paris for our school trip! We're going to a different country!"

"More-so a different continent." Himeko said. "France is part of Europe, after all."

"Geez, I can only imagine the jet lag…" I groaned. "…how far is Paris from Japan?"

"Well…" Himeko then opened Google on her phone. "…if we were to start from Tokyo, the distance would be…9,706 km."

(6031 miles)

"Damn, that's far…"

"Quit complaining, Mika." Yoko said to me. "It'll all be worth it once we actually get there. *sigh* Paris…The Love Capital of the World…now's my chance to finally make my dream come true!"

"Huh? You have a dream that involves Paris, Yoko?" Himeko asked.

"Well, duh! You should know by now! I'm gonna use this opportunity to confess my love for Akiyama-san!"

And at that moment, I nearly choked on the candy I was eating.

"Y-You're really gonna do that?! Right then and there?!" I asked in complete shock.

"Yep! I thought about what you said back in Takaoka…and the only way to find out is to shout it out to her face! Nothing's gonna deter me from spurting out my love!"

Please… PLEASE rephrase that…

"You really haven't told her yet?" Himeko whispered to me.

"No…I haven't. And how can I? I don't wanna break Yoko's heart!"

"But if you don't, it'll be more than just Yoko's heart that'll be broken. You gotta tell her, Mika."

We both then looked over at Yoko, who was spaced out in her own little world again, with the utmost concern for our childhood best friend.

"*sigh* Yeah. I know."

"Know what?" Yoko asked as she suddenly came out of her Fantasy Zone.

"Um…H-Hey, Yoko…a-about Akiyama-san…um…w-well…"

"What about her?"

"Uh…uh…uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

…

…

…

"G…G-Good luck out there! I'm rooting for you, girl!"

"Aw~! Thanks, Mika! I'll do my best!" Yoko then rushed on ahead of us. Full of more determination than before.

"You're such a coward…" Himeko said to me.

"If you think you can do better, then why don't you try and tell her?!"

"Hey, this is your problem not mine. And besides, you said you wanted more screentime in these stories. Now, you gotta deal with the everyday struggle of a main character. Get used to it."

"Me and my big mouth…" I whined.

After splitting up from the other two, I arrived home and went straight to my room. Dropping my schoolbag on the floor and collapsing onto my bed without hesitation.

"Ugh~! I'm so screwed! What am I gonna do?!"

"Screwed with what?" Asked a voice as they were standing outside my bedroom door.

"Go away, Hikari. I'm not in the mood."

"So, we're doing this again, huh? *giggle* Don't worry…I know how to make you talk~…"

Aw, crap…

This person then climbed onto my bed, stood on my back, and begin to jump on me as if I was a freaking trampoline. And with her being a middle schooler, she's not as light as a feather, either.

"Ow…OW! Okay, I get it! I'll tell you! Just quit jumping on me!" I shouted in agony.

"*giggle* Works every time."

So, the person who nearly destroyed my back (for the nth time) was my little sister Hikari. She's 15 years old and in her third year of middle school.

She's also got that "Imoto Pride" that little sisters tend to get nowadays. Meaning that she sees herself as a better version of me in everything we do.

…

And so far…she's not wrong for thinking that. Academics, sports, cooking, games…

The only thing I currently beat her in is chest size. But who knows when she'll take the crown for that, too?

I really need to keep my guard up around her…

"So, what did you mean by "you're so screwed"?" Hikari asked.

"*sigh* Well…it's Yoko."

"Yoko-oneechan? Did you two get into a fight or something?"

"No, it's just…Yoko has a huge crush on this girl in our class. But after talking to a classmate about it, I found out that this girl will never feel the same way…and will most likely reject Yoko in the most brutal way possible. And now, I'm struggling to tell her such a fact."

"I see…" Hikari went silent for a bit. "…Hey, this girl Yoko-oneechan loves…her name's Mio Akiyama, right?"

"Yeah…"

…

"W-Wait, what? How do you know that?" I then looked at her with a baffled-as-hell stare.

"A friend of mine at school told me about K-ON FanFiction and I've been hooked for a while. More specifically, with the ones with Mio and Ritsu in the tags. The two go SO well, together…especially the ones where the two of them are simply just fu…"

"HEY!" I yelled while covering her mouth.

"Well, you get the idea."

So, those stories about them are still spreading despite both of them saying they're not gay. What do people see in them, anyway?

"In any case…if this has been an issue for years, why are you worrying about telling her now? You sure took your sweet time."

"It's not that I waited this long. Yoko wants to confess to Akiyama-san during our class trip to Paris coming up and I want to tell her the truth before her heart gets broken in a place known for love."

"Wait, hold up! You're going to Paris?! Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh! I always wanted to go there!"

"Hikari…"

"The Eiffel Tower and the art galleries and the gourmet pastries all over the place!"

"Hikari…"

"And it being the Love Capital of the World! You're guaranteed to find your one true love there! And get all lovey-dovey with them and expose it all for anyone to see~! Public fucking in such a risqué-filled city~…my pussy's getting wet just thinking about it~!"

"HIKARI!"

"Huh? Well, you get the idea."

"Sometimes, I wish I didn't…" I retorted with a sweatdrop and a huge blush.

Why is my little sister such a perv when it comes to love?

"Look, if you're not gonna help me with this, then just get out. I already got a lot on my mind as it is."

"Come on, I'll be serious." Hikari said as she sat next to me. "I don't want Yoko-oneechan to have a broken heart either, you know."

"Okay…so, what should I do?"

"Hmm…well…if I were in your shoes, I would just fake it."

"Fake it?"

"You know…make up a lie that will make Yoko-oneechan rethink her decision about confessing."

"You're saying I should LIE to Yoko? How's that any better?"

"Because if she never finds out, then you don't have to worry. She can just continue to live in her Fantasy Zone without having her heart broken. And you won't have any guilt for not telling her the truth. It's perfect."

"Is it really?" I still had doubts about this. "But what do I even tell her? She's not a gullible little 5-year-old."

"Hmm…I think you'll think of something, Onee-chan~. *giggle*"

"What perverted nonsense are you thinking about now?" I gained an exasperated look.

"Nothing~…anyway, I got more FanFiction to read. Later~."

Hikari then strutted out of my room in a derpy perverted manner (no doubt super horny from thinking about the FanFiction). Leaving me alone to my thoughts once again.

Ugh…what am I gonna do? I don't want Yoko to be heartbroken…but lying to her is just a scummy way of doing it.

…

But at the same time…I want to protect her fantasies. I want to prevent her from ever losing that innocent smile of hers. To keep her happy…

…

But to do that…I-I'll have to lie to her. Make her never find out the truth about her crush's feelings. And what kind of friend does that to someone else?

*moan* My mind is fuzzy with all of these thoughts just roaming around. My body is trembling with fear of the future. And…for some reason…my heart is rapidly pounding with so much emotion running through. And not showing any sign of stopping.

But…why? Why is all happening now of all times? When I'm simply trying to help a friend?

…

…

…

*groan* Damnit, Yoko. You've made me all confused!

Author's Note: This was originally part of the previous chapter. But was made into a separate one because it just didn't fit with it. Plus, it was making it too long. The last one was coming close to 5k words before the split.

On the plus side, it gave an opportunity to give Mika another POV. Even though I said it most likely wouldn't happen again. Gotta love being wrong sometimes, am I right?

Thanks for reading. Later.