For once, Reiko wasnât in the library. In fact, she was waiting at the gates of the Academy, dressed casually in a long-sleeved shirt, skirt, dark leggings and boots, accounting a little for the winter weather but not actually bothered by it. She supposed it was not long until the holidays, though it wasnât really something that her family bothered with much one way or another. Still, they might take a trip this yearâshe honestly didnât have much of a preference on the matter. She turned another page in her book, only to smell her siblings approaching. Marking her place carefully, she tucked the book into her messenger bag, and her face assumed a small smile.
The Akarui siblings made a point of getting off-campus every once in a while, once a month at least. This usually involved, as it would today, going out into the nearby town and just having a day for the three of them. Reiko always looked forward to it, because while she and her siblings were very different people, she loved them too dearly for words, and considered any time she had with them precious. Even if Naya had nearly killed her more times than she could properly remember and even if sheâd accidentally walked in on Haru and a pair of lovers one time, prompting their mother to make the ânot-under-our-roofâ rule. She attributed both of these things more to her own bad luck than anything, and for someone so hung up on fairy-story happy endings, she was very supportive of her brother in whatever he wanted for his life, even if she did know more about his feelings for Ryo (and Ryoâs feelings for Haru) than anyone would ever give her credit for.
These thingsâloving and accepting people for who and how they were while still trying to help them be their very best selvesâwere what the love of a family was about. So when her siblings arrived, Reiko smiled wider, and just barely managed to avoid stabbing herself on the wrought iron of the school gate. This, however, only made her shake her head. She was used to it. âSo, where to today, guys?â She asked brightly, taking one of Nayaâs hands in her left and one of Haruâs in her right. Sometimes, Reiko was definitely the oldest sister. Other times, one would guess she was the youngest, and this was such a moment, perhaps.
Naya was in a rather simple outfit, a plain white hoodie jacket and a short denim skirt, though perhaps what really seemed off about the outfit were her shoes. Black converse, but unlike most, they reached all the way up to her knees, laces and all. She loved those shoes, really. She was wearing black leggings as well. Haru simply had a pair of khaki shorts and an orange short-sleeved hoodie on. He grinned at Reiko, easily taking her hand. He may be the youngest, but he never really felt like it. He loved his sisters, honestly, though there was something almost...endearing about his oldest sister's habits at times. He had a silly little smile on his face, and shrugged.
"Well, I think a new bookstore opened up in town. We could go there, and of course we have to get Nana her chocolate ice cream topped with pickles. You know she'll complain about it if she doesn't get it."
Naya looked around her sister to stick her tongue out at Haru. "Shut up, Ha-chan." Haru chuckled. "So, managed to escape from fate's little game of chasing you around today, Rei-rei?"
Since they had a destination in mind now, Reiko started walking, paying careful attention to where she was placing her feet so that she didnât step in a hole in the road or something. It would be just her luck, but she didnât want to drag her siblings with her if she fell. She might be used to the accidents, but Naya and Haru generally went through life without her level of mishap, and so naturally, they werenât as used to it all as Reiko had become. She didnât want them to be, either. While it was probably funny most of the time, and sheâd learned to take it in stride, it could be really unpleasant sometimes, too.
âWell, maybe a little, but honestly probably not,â Reiko admitted. Theyâd reached the town without major incident, but there were more distractions here, and she was more likely to mess something up and cause a disaster. The idea of a new bookstore was almost too enticing to pass up, but she tugged her brother and sister towards the ice cream parlor first. By now, the owner of the place knew Nayaâs strange order by heart and greeted all of them warmly. Apparently, his grandfather had used to tell stories of a woman who ordered exactly the same thing, except sometimes with cheese. The comment, made once a few years ago, had made Reiko laugh. Likely, the ownerâs grandfather had served their mother during one of her pregnancies.
Reiko herself ordered a chocolate-strawberry swirl flavor, and sat down at one of the tables in front of the window. She thought it might snow soon, the way the weather was going. She loved the snowâthere was something almost magical about it, even if it was just frozen water. She tried not to let knowing a lot of science diminish her sense of magic. Where was the fun in that, after all?
Naya bit into her ice cream with a satisfying crunch, Haru sitting across from her with a bowlful of orange creme. She smirked over at her brother, who leveled his gaze at her but waited until she spoke. "So...is there a reason that I can smell Ryo-chan all over you, Ha-chan?"
Haru rolled his eyes at his sister. "That really is none of your business, Nana. What about you? Bossman's scent is still lingering on you." He smiled, satisfied when he saw Naya turn a rather interesting shade of pink. So it was true then, Naya did have a crush on Torahiko. How interesting.
Kiko fought not to giggle at the precision shots exchanged between her brother and sister. She had noticed both of these things as well of course, but she was generally not one to bring them up until it looked like they might want or need some advice on the matter. She doubted that either of them was so inclined at the moment, so she constrained her mirth to a light smile and tapped Haru across the knuckles with the back of her spoon. âBe nice, Ruru,â she said with a lightâjokingânote of chiding to her tone. âNana has never had a crush on a boy before. Itâs a delicate situation.â The way she raised one of her eyebrows at him, however, suggested that she knew quite well that actually, the more delicate situation was the one her silly little brother had managed to get himself into, because there were much deeper feelings involved in that one than a simple crush.
For all that Reiko didnât know about sex and intimacy, she managed to know an awful lot about crushes, love, and the sometimes-terrifying, sometimes-exhilarating, range of feelings in between. Where she had come across this knowledge, she had never given even the faintest hint, but most assumed it was from books somewhere. And why not? Most of the things she knew came from books. It didnât mean she knew less well than someone with a wealth of experience, as sheâd proven on more than one occasion, like when Naya had caused the schoolâs lawn sprinkler system to go haywire and drench everyone. Reiko had been able to fix it without a problem, though sheâd been soaking wet afterwards. That was just her luck, though.
Naya chuckled, turning her bright amber eyes on her sister. She had a sly smile on her face as she did so, as if she knew a secret that no one else did. Maybe she did, but really, it was more or less her usual look. "So Kiko...what about you? Ha-chan and I have our relationship problems -Shut up, Ha- but we can't be the only ones, right? Surely you've got your eye on someone, rather than your knights in shining armor you're so fond of reading about." Haru's eyebrows rose, and shut his mouth. He was actually a bit interested to see what his eldest sister would say.
The ploy was so obvious that clever Kiko saw it coming from a mile away. In fact, sheâd known the conversation would eventually turn this way since theyâd started pestering each other on the same topic. She loved her siblings, but they were hardly subtle. Reiko was not one to lie, especially not to family, but she was subtle, and could easily manipulate the truth so that everything she said would conform to it and her secret would remain just thatâsecret. It wasnât that she didnât trust them⊠well, actually it kind of was. She had faith that Haru wouldnât tell her secret on accident, and most likely not on purpose, but⊠Naya didnât have much in the way of a filter. It was one of her charms.
âNo, nothing like that,â she said, shaking her head and smiling gently. And it was trueâher issues werenât really like theirs at all. Eien wasnât actively pursuing her as Torahiko was Naya, and they certainly were not⊠involved the way Ryoku and Haru were. The very thought was almost too much, really. She was just his cousin. âI suppose Iâm still waitingâand thereâs nothing wrong with a knight in shining armor⊠as long as he remembers that the lady can save herself just fine, most of the time.â She didnât let on that the knight she was still waiting for had a name, and definitely not that she suspected sheâd never stop waiting. That sheâd already all but given up. It wasnât the sort of thing for light discussion over ice cream.
Naya sighed. "You're no fun, Kiko. That's boring." Haru only shook his head with a smile, and then stood up. "Come on, we've got a book store to burn through. And no, Nana, you can't actually burn it down."
The Akarui siblings made a point of getting off-campus every once in a while, once a month at least. This usually involved, as it would today, going out into the nearby town and just having a day for the three of them. Reiko always looked forward to it, because while she and her siblings were very different people, she loved them too dearly for words, and considered any time she had with them precious. Even if Naya had nearly killed her more times than she could properly remember and even if sheâd accidentally walked in on Haru and a pair of lovers one time, prompting their mother to make the ânot-under-our-roofâ rule. She attributed both of these things more to her own bad luck than anything, and for someone so hung up on fairy-story happy endings, she was very supportive of her brother in whatever he wanted for his life, even if she did know more about his feelings for Ryo (and Ryoâs feelings for Haru) than anyone would ever give her credit for.
These thingsâloving and accepting people for who and how they were while still trying to help them be their very best selvesâwere what the love of a family was about. So when her siblings arrived, Reiko smiled wider, and just barely managed to avoid stabbing herself on the wrought iron of the school gate. This, however, only made her shake her head. She was used to it. âSo, where to today, guys?â She asked brightly, taking one of Nayaâs hands in her left and one of Haruâs in her right. Sometimes, Reiko was definitely the oldest sister. Other times, one would guess she was the youngest, and this was such a moment, perhaps.
Naya was in a rather simple outfit, a plain white hoodie jacket and a short denim skirt, though perhaps what really seemed off about the outfit were her shoes. Black converse, but unlike most, they reached all the way up to her knees, laces and all. She loved those shoes, really. She was wearing black leggings as well. Haru simply had a pair of khaki shorts and an orange short-sleeved hoodie on. He grinned at Reiko, easily taking her hand. He may be the youngest, but he never really felt like it. He loved his sisters, honestly, though there was something almost...endearing about his oldest sister's habits at times. He had a silly little smile on his face, and shrugged.
"Well, I think a new bookstore opened up in town. We could go there, and of course we have to get Nana her chocolate ice cream topped with pickles. You know she'll complain about it if she doesn't get it."
Naya looked around her sister to stick her tongue out at Haru. "Shut up, Ha-chan." Haru chuckled. "So, managed to escape from fate's little game of chasing you around today, Rei-rei?"
Since they had a destination in mind now, Reiko started walking, paying careful attention to where she was placing her feet so that she didnât step in a hole in the road or something. It would be just her luck, but she didnât want to drag her siblings with her if she fell. She might be used to the accidents, but Naya and Haru generally went through life without her level of mishap, and so naturally, they werenât as used to it all as Reiko had become. She didnât want them to be, either. While it was probably funny most of the time, and sheâd learned to take it in stride, it could be really unpleasant sometimes, too.
âWell, maybe a little, but honestly probably not,â Reiko admitted. Theyâd reached the town without major incident, but there were more distractions here, and she was more likely to mess something up and cause a disaster. The idea of a new bookstore was almost too enticing to pass up, but she tugged her brother and sister towards the ice cream parlor first. By now, the owner of the place knew Nayaâs strange order by heart and greeted all of them warmly. Apparently, his grandfather had used to tell stories of a woman who ordered exactly the same thing, except sometimes with cheese. The comment, made once a few years ago, had made Reiko laugh. Likely, the ownerâs grandfather had served their mother during one of her pregnancies.
Reiko herself ordered a chocolate-strawberry swirl flavor, and sat down at one of the tables in front of the window. She thought it might snow soon, the way the weather was going. She loved the snowâthere was something almost magical about it, even if it was just frozen water. She tried not to let knowing a lot of science diminish her sense of magic. Where was the fun in that, after all?
Naya bit into her ice cream with a satisfying crunch, Haru sitting across from her with a bowlful of orange creme. She smirked over at her brother, who leveled his gaze at her but waited until she spoke. "So...is there a reason that I can smell Ryo-chan all over you, Ha-chan?"
Haru rolled his eyes at his sister. "That really is none of your business, Nana. What about you? Bossman's scent is still lingering on you." He smiled, satisfied when he saw Naya turn a rather interesting shade of pink. So it was true then, Naya did have a crush on Torahiko. How interesting.
Kiko fought not to giggle at the precision shots exchanged between her brother and sister. She had noticed both of these things as well of course, but she was generally not one to bring them up until it looked like they might want or need some advice on the matter. She doubted that either of them was so inclined at the moment, so she constrained her mirth to a light smile and tapped Haru across the knuckles with the back of her spoon. âBe nice, Ruru,â she said with a lightâjokingânote of chiding to her tone. âNana has never had a crush on a boy before. Itâs a delicate situation.â The way she raised one of her eyebrows at him, however, suggested that she knew quite well that actually, the more delicate situation was the one her silly little brother had managed to get himself into, because there were much deeper feelings involved in that one than a simple crush.
For all that Reiko didnât know about sex and intimacy, she managed to know an awful lot about crushes, love, and the sometimes-terrifying, sometimes-exhilarating, range of feelings in between. Where she had come across this knowledge, she had never given even the faintest hint, but most assumed it was from books somewhere. And why not? Most of the things she knew came from books. It didnât mean she knew less well than someone with a wealth of experience, as sheâd proven on more than one occasion, like when Naya had caused the schoolâs lawn sprinkler system to go haywire and drench everyone. Reiko had been able to fix it without a problem, though sheâd been soaking wet afterwards. That was just her luck, though.
Naya chuckled, turning her bright amber eyes on her sister. She had a sly smile on her face as she did so, as if she knew a secret that no one else did. Maybe she did, but really, it was more or less her usual look. "So Kiko...what about you? Ha-chan and I have our relationship problems -Shut up, Ha- but we can't be the only ones, right? Surely you've got your eye on someone, rather than your knights in shining armor you're so fond of reading about." Haru's eyebrows rose, and shut his mouth. He was actually a bit interested to see what his eldest sister would say.
The ploy was so obvious that clever Kiko saw it coming from a mile away. In fact, sheâd known the conversation would eventually turn this way since theyâd started pestering each other on the same topic. She loved her siblings, but they were hardly subtle. Reiko was not one to lie, especially not to family, but she was subtle, and could easily manipulate the truth so that everything she said would conform to it and her secret would remain just thatâsecret. It wasnât that she didnât trust them⊠well, actually it kind of was. She had faith that Haru wouldnât tell her secret on accident, and most likely not on purpose, but⊠Naya didnât have much in the way of a filter. It was one of her charms.
âNo, nothing like that,â she said, shaking her head and smiling gently. And it was trueâher issues werenât really like theirs at all. Eien wasnât actively pursuing her as Torahiko was Naya, and they certainly were not⊠involved the way Ryoku and Haru were. The very thought was almost too much, really. She was just his cousin. âI suppose Iâm still waitingâand thereâs nothing wrong with a knight in shining armor⊠as long as he remembers that the lady can save herself just fine, most of the time.â She didnât let on that the knight she was still waiting for had a name, and definitely not that she suspected sheâd never stop waiting. That sheâd already all but given up. It wasnât the sort of thing for light discussion over ice cream.
Naya sighed. "You're no fun, Kiko. That's boring." Haru only shook his head with a smile, and then stood up. "Come on, we've got a book store to burn through. And no, Nana, you can't actually burn it down."