Chapter Text

Fabian Strategy

At some point during her childhood, Harumi had learned from her Grandmother that it was wiser to not get involved in the squabbles of others, if only because there was little that a third party could do in such situations besides getting in the way. Only the people directly involved were in a position of solving their troubles.

This was the reason why, upon spotting Yuzucchi and the President walking to school together, she had elected to let them pass her by while concealing herself behind a massive flowering vine running down a wall. Her friendship with Yuzucchi had been putting her life philosophy to a test; she never had such a close friend before and seeing her withering away in silence had proven to be quite the hardship.

With a sigh, she pushed away from the wall that had she had been leaning against and set off towards school, mindful to keep a fair distance between herself and the silent pair. She took out her smartphone; fidgeting with it would provide her with a ready excuse should Yuzucchi take notice of her.

Yuzucchi had never explicitly told her about her relationship with the President and yet, somehow, Harumi had always known. They had never been like she and sis were and their eyes were not full of the mutual tolerance of siblings whenever they looked at each other. At least, they never used to be. Now, Yuzucchi and the President seemed like strangers to one another. They walked beyond arm's length of each other and never shared more than a glance, let alone a word.

To her surprise, Harumi found herself wishing that Matsuri were there. She would never run out of silly comments nor had the tact to keep her thoughts to herself. It was admirable in its own perverse way. As was often the case with Matsuri, the contrary was also true and Harumi feared how she might act around Yuzucchi and the President.

She eyed the pair from above her phone, for a moment the idea to look at them through her camera lens and zoom in tickled her. The thought was quickly dismissed with a shake of her head as that seemed to be something that Matsuri would do and there would be little information to be gained from such an act. She would never be able to guess the President’s mood from looking at her anyway; the face of a statue yielded more information.

She scowled at herself. She knew little to nothing about the President apart from the gossip circulating about the Academy but it was the memory of something that her sister had said during a dinner with Maruta-senpai that gave her pause.

Aihara-san is too selfless to be strong.

The words had passed through her at the time but now Harumi found herself wondering whether sis knew something about the President that she did not.

Another look. The distance separating Yuzucchi and the President had only increased.

On that, she pocketed her mobile, swung her school bag over her shoulder with a huff and skipped ahead, easily covering the distance that separated her from the Aihara girls. Upon reaching them, she grabbed Yuzucchi into a loose headlock without hesitation and loudly greeted her, the momentum of her sprinting arrival had them skip a few steps ahead.

“Oi, Harumin! You’re going to knock me over one of these days!” Yuzucchi protested, slapping at the arm around her neck, turning to scowl at her the moment she was freed. Harumi spotted a glint of gratitude in her friend's eyes, although the sight of it only added to her concern.

“Good morning, Taniguchi-san.” The President greeted her, that even voice and her impeccable manners filled Harumi with unease.

Harumi resisted the urge to make some sort of sarcastic comment welcoming the President back. Even if her grandmother had warned her to stay out of drama, she had not failed to notice the prolonged absences of the President. She offered a curt reply.

“Did you oversleep?” Yuzucchi asked.

She answered with a smile and a victory sign but her reply fell on slouched shoulders and downcast eyes as Yuzucchi’s attention had already drifted away. Harumi held back a sigh and resigned herself to silence for the time being, after all the Vice President was bound to join them soon and if there was something the petite woman excelled at, it was making noises.

As predicted, Momokino Himeko was waiting for them at the usual corner, stood straight with her chin held high, her schoolbag clasped by both hands in front of her.

The moment she saw the President, the usual sharpness of her features morphed into a smile of bright youthfulness, ringlets of hair bouncing about her face as she tilted her head. Still, her voice held a respectful tone when she greeted the President and soon enough, her usual frown took residence on her brow again.

Momokino-san only acknowledged Yuzucchi and her after taking her place at the President’s side, though they only got a sharp nod, a terse good morning and were then quickly forgotten as the petite girl took care of briefing the President about the Student Council’s daily activities. It was the reprieve Harumi needed, a light distraction.

"Hey, Yuzucchi? That karaoke place was pretty sweet, wasn't it? Even Matsuri was impressed." Harumi chuckled to herself at the memory, as Matsuri had manifested her appreciation for the place in typical fashion by declaring that she did not dislike it.

"What? …Sure. It was pretty good but it was kind of far away, don't you think?" The reply lacked the enthusiasm Harumi had hoped for. Nevertheless, she had succeeded into roping Yuzucchi into a conversation and that was the best result she could achieve these days.

“Only a little though! Don't be lazy!” She turned towards her with a flashy smile on her face. “And we won't have a problem if we go straight from school."

Her face got stuck halfway to a wink as she realised her misstep. She shut her eyes for a moment, hoping to collect herself as a burst of warmth invaded her face, surely painting her cheeks red. The chance of her remark passing unnoticed was not one to discount; the President did not seem to be in the mood to engage as she had only replied to Momoki-san’s questions by making noises of assent till then.

"Aha!” The exclamation had an accusatory edge and Harumi did not need to raise her eyes from the ground to know who had uttered it. She halted her step when Yuzucchi pulled at her arm and finally looked up to see the Vice President blocking their path, fists resting against her hips, her school bag dangling from one.

“I knew you four were up to something yesterday!" Her massive eyebrows became one as she squinted her stormy eyes at them.

“These two and…and…” She stumbled for a moment. “...and their underlings left the school together and went somewhere while wearing their uniforms!”

It was quite bizarre how the mind worked on occasion, as instead of raking her brain to find a plausible explanation, all that Harumi’s mind seemed interested in doing was imagining the look on Matsuri’s face at being deemed an underling.

By her side, the President released a long sigh. Harumi grimaced internally, quickly searching Yuzucchi with her eyes. Her stealthy ways had left her school record spotless until now and she feared to think of the scolding that her sister would give her if that was to change. Yuzucchi appeared guilty rather than worried, chewing her lower lip, her eyes far away as if Momokino-san was not currently standing in her face.

“I know already, Himeko.” The President walked to her Vice and placed a calming hand upon her shoulder, much to the petite girl’s delight.

"As expected of the President!” She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded proudly, face morphing back into strict disapproval the moment she turned to them again.

“The uniform rules must be abided by - You need to change out of your uniform if you are planning any... after-school activities."

The President remained a mystery but Harumi knew that allowing Himeko-san to continue her rant would not bode well for them and since Yuzucchi was completely off her game. She took it upon herself to diffuse the tension.

"Come on, Vice-President.” She stopped forward, offering the girl an easy smile and a wink. “You should come with us next time!"

She had not expected the Vice President to blush at her suggestion, clearly the idea tickled her. The memory of a day spent at the amusement park returned to her, perhaps an outing together would smooth everyone’s nerves.

“Well, the rules do exist for a reason..." The statement had Harumi turn toward Yuzucchi with an incredulous expression on her face. There was no salvaging the situation now.

Regardless, her incredulity morphed into curiosity when she realised that her friend’s eyes were locked with the President’s. Her gaze was one meant to apologise but she was no longer slouching, she held her chin high instead as if willing to take full responsibility. Harumi felt compelled to take a step back.

“That is correct.” The voice was akin to the one Harumi had heard during every other student assembly: Dulcet and authoritative, almost spellbinding in the way it conveyed certainty through such graceful tones. “The safety of our students and the reputation of the Aihara Academy is of paramount importance.”

“Exactly." Momokino-san nodded resolutely and if not for her bouncing hair that had her look as adorable as a cocker spaniel, she would have appeared the picture of control.

The President did not even acknowledge her; the disregard was not intentional though as the unyielding hold her purple gaze had on Yuzucchi made her blind to anything else.

"...However, that does not mean that we should not be regularly reviewing such rules." The President added, her eyes remaining locked in place.

“But you've always sai-" Yuzucchi began. Harumi could only turn away in despair as her best friend seemed hell-bent on making things worse.

“All students should abide by the rules but those rules are not set in stone indefinitely. The past is not the present - That is what I think, Yuzu.” Mei started walking again.

It did not last long but it would have been impossible for Harumi to miss it. After all these months it almost felt surreal to see wonder take hold of Yuzucchi’s face, widening her eyes and lighting a spark of curiosity within them, her lips trembling ever so slightly as if unable to fully commit to a smile. Yuzucchi stared at the President's back for a moment longer before resuming her walk.

Harumi shared a look of surprise with the Vice President before taking off after the pair again.

Shot

Yuzu came to her senses with a startle; the harmonious chiming of the bells announcing the end of the school day sounded unbearably loud to her ears. All around her, her classmates gathered their belongings in their measured and deliberate ways.

As a rule, she would be one of the first to leave the classroom, if only to avoid the possibility of hearing the latest gossip. On many occasions, they would involve the student council President and Yuzu had never had any taste for mindless speculation. Today, she intended to wait for as long as she could.

She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. It was too short a reprieve from the dismal sight that was her notebook, the page was covered by doodles, meaningless shapes overlapping, circles upon circles. This odd habit of hers seemed to resurface every time her mind became a labyrinth.

She had not heard a single word during the last couple of hours, a reality that greatly irritated her as she had been having trouble with this chapter. She had let the class slip away, and now the irrational fear of having compromised her studying efforts clawed at her.

She had made a terrible mistake, she thought as she leaned back against the chair, forcefully straightening her shoulders. She should have read it right away. Instead, the note that Momokino-san had handed her as she made her way back from P.E. class was tightly locked between the pages of her thick biology book. Sealed and unread. The pristine envelope bearing the mark of the Student Council President’s stationery and her mind had burned itself in building castles of thoughts upon it.

A note from Mei would never be just that. She rubbed at her temples, fingers pushing to dissolve the dull headache that had gathered behind her eyes. If the matter had been an urgent one, Mei would have called for her, she had reasoned upon taking the letter from Momokino-san’s hand. But why send a letter at all then? Especially now that they were bound to see each other at home, or even at the end of classes.

A surge of bitterness darkened her thoughts as she lamented Mei’s apparent inability or lack of want to speak directly to her. It was unfair to communicate in such terms, leaving the other part with nothing but words, eschewing questions and explanations. A long sigh followed, as she tried to blow those dark cobwebs away from her. She was no longer thinking about the note lodged in her school bag, then again how could she think of anything else but the letter that had stopped her heart?

She could not. It was impossible. Those words still haunted her. At the thought, any guilt that she might have felt over her reluctance to open the current note was quickly burned away by anger. It was too much to ask of her. Too much, too soon. An invisible hand squeezed her heart, the ring around her neck felt as heavy as a chain, a chain she was unwilling to break.

Her eyes darted around the room fearfully as the memory of where she was returned to her. Relief flooded her as she took in the sight of the empty classroom. She was alone, a small grace at last.

Just how long had she been sitting there, holed up in her mind?

She could read the note now, she reasoned with herself while placing her math book into her school bag, fingertips restlessly smoothing the book’s wrinkled spine as she considered her next step. She was alone and she had nowhere to be; it was the ideal setting.

And yet...

Her jaw clenched and her neck stiffened, the unfairness of her predicament clawed at her once again and instead of reaching for the letter, her hand swiftly zipped her bag shut. A screeching noise cut through the silence, her chair scraping loudly against the floor as she stood.

Anguish and irritation drove her out of the classroom. She slid the door shut behind her with more force that she had intended to. It closed with a clunking sound that made her flinch and even worse, the noise had garnered the interest of the few students milling about the corridor.

Each and every conversation died the moment they took notice of her, it seemed like high society had little manners when gossips were concerned. It might have been the only pastime allowed to them but Yuzu felt herself lacking compassion when faced by those famished gazes.

She shrunk under the scrutiny, the fire within her spreading about her face, more embarrassed than furious at the moment. Arriving at school with Mei had already brought her a great deal of unwanted attention and while Momokino-san had been discreet in her delivery of the note, it took very little to rekindle curiosity when the President was concerned.

She pressed her lips together, fearing the sharpness of her tongue if she were to speak up, and lowered her eyes. Concealing her face was the best course of action as her every expression would be investigated by the would-be detectives wearing the Aihara uniform. Perhaps that was the reason why Mei had mastered the art of masking her features to reveal nothing. Unfortunately, hiding in plain sight was beyond Yuzu’s ability.

She started walking, aiming to reach her locker as soon as possible while mindful to maintain a steady pace. Momokino-san often seemed to materialise out of thin air and being scolded for being unruly was the last thing Yuzu needed. She could not leave the Academy soon enough.

The locker area was tidy and pristine, just as the rest of the building was. Even with students taking turns to clean up after school, unseen custodians would add an extra level of polish when the building was empty.

At her old school, students had the habit of personalising each and every possession when permitted. Back there, every locker had been decorated with various charms or magnets and Yuzu had kept up the practice upon arriving at the academy, if only to give herself a means of orientation.

A few months ago, every knick-knack had been removed from the metallic surface. If asked, Yuzu would not be able to offer any explanation for her sudden impulse, it had simply felt out of place.

She leaned into her locker and pulled out her shoes with a clunk as they caught the grey steel walls. There were no further letters waiting for her in there, despite what her collection of romantic manga had always suggested. She pulled a textbook from her bag and placed it inside carefully.

After removing her slippers and placing them in the locker, she found herself acutely aware of a presence beside her. With the din of students and her scattered thoughts, it was little surprise that she had failed to notice someone approaching. With some trepidation, she closed her locker.

At once, her vision was filled with a perfect portrait of porcelain: Mei. No more than a foot or two away from her.

For a moment, the only thing Yuzu could hear was the pounding of her heart. She gawped at Mei, unable to do little else, her head becoming a clutter of halved thoughts.

To a casual observer, Mei would have appeared as composed as ever but Yuzu could see her befuddlement in her slightly raised eyebrows and in her wide eyes. The expression graced her features with a softness that could only be described as childlike nervousness. It was a look that she had cherished in the past. A look she knew to be wary of now, as it made her soft and willing. Mei did not offer her any words but the expectant way her eyes stared at her unnerved Yuzu completely.

"Yuzu..." Against all odds, hearing her name calmed her, or maybe it was the soft note of concern at the edge of Mei’s voice that charmed her into attention.

"You..." She paused, now forcing an embarrassed laugh past her lips, the hollow sound leaving the taste of spoiled milk in her mouth. "You scared me, Mei."

She recalled a scary film that Matsuri had told her about. She almost felt like the protagonist of one, haunted by a ghost with pale skin and flowing black hair.

"I apologise." A swift bow of the head, dark long lashes resting on cheeks of ivory as Mei closed her eyes for a moment.

"A sudden matter required my attention." She continued, and there seemed to be a sort of hastiness in her cadence, the pause separating a word from the next felt too short for her usual rhythm. Still, Mei's face yielded little apart from beauty and to Yuzu her demeanour remained a mystery.

"...I trust you have not been waiting for too long, Yuzu." Rouge clouds gathered about her Mei’s cheekbones as she spoke.

"Huh?" Yuzu resolved to admit her confusion, accepting that trying to find her footing on this far too slippery slope was beyond her current capacities.

"Himeko should have deliv-"

"Yes!" Her heart bounced in her chest as she was offered a direction at last. She knelt to place her shoes on the floor, one slipped from her nervous fingers and hit the ground with a thud. She fumbled with the zipper of her schoolbag, impatiently tugging at it when it got stuck halfway.

"I've got it..." She muttered, giving up on the zipper for the time being and simply sticking her hand inside to grab the smooth envelope, partially crumpling it as she pulled it from her half-open bag.

She opened it in a hurry, eager to move past the embarrassing situation. Still, when faced with Mei's elegant handwriting, her heart lodged itself in her throat, stalling her breath and drying her mouth. She had to shut her eyes against the memory, focusing on the moment; she had not just returned to an empty house to find a letter waiting for her.

She was standing by her locker, holding her schoolbag, with her red bow tied loosely about her neck. She was at school and all around her, her fellow students attended to their own business. Mei was there, standing in front of her. She had returned home and they had walked to school together. Her panic subsided as her eyes proved her thoughts true.

She read the note then.

“Yuzu,

Spoke to Mother at lunchtime. She said she is feeling a little better. She has asked us to pick up some groceries on the way home. Please meet me by the lockers after school.”

Yuzu read the message at least three times before allowing her brain to process the fact that she almost lost her sanity over such a simple matter. It was a note, written elegantly on rather expensive paper, but a note none the less, and a particularly mundane one as that. Much like a post-it left on a fridge, the message was something to be read without further thought.

She shuffled on her feet, feeling the sudden urge to break into a run to soothe her stiff legs. Sadly, running was not permitted within the Academy and if Momokino-san might not be able to catch her, Mei surely would. The bizarre idea petered away, still she felt the warmth of embarrassment colouring her cheeks. There was no way out.

She folded the note with the same amount of care one would bestow upon an origami sheet and once she was done, she placed the letter back into her schoolbag, lamenting the fact that her own embarrassment could not be tucked away in such a swift manner.

“Yuzu.” Her name being called broke her out of her trance; the way Mei’s lips shaped the sound was as spellbinding as always. Her eyes found Mei with a measure of trepidation, her moment of confusion had surely failed to escape the girl’s keen eyes.

Yuzu dreaded the possibility of being asked questions about it. Mei had seemingly paid no heed to how receiving a note from her could affect her, a fact that left a sour taste in Yuzu’s mind. As was often the case, upon setting her eyes on Mei, Yuzu’s expectations were thwarted as she found no trace of curiosity in her eyes, there was only sadness.

“If you have other plans, I can go by myself.”

Mei’s posture folded to become one of fallen shoulders and downcast eyes while Yuzu’s hand tightened around the handle of her schoolbag.

“... I would require a list of items to purchase though.” Her voice shed some of its elegant firmness with every word.

“What? No! Not at all, Mei.” The words tumbled from Yuzu’s lips on their own accord, her reaction had been so immediate that her mind barely had the chance to register what was happening.

“We should go together, Mei.” Yuzu found herself taking a small step forward, slightly ducking her head to find Mei’s eyes with her own.

Twin spots of red blossomed about her cheeks as their gazes met, Mei's disposition was no longer shrouded in shadows. Her words had caused a peculiar expression to appear on Mei’s features. There seemed to be a smile concealed within the graceful lines of her face, a smile that could not quite reach her lips yet. The eerie sensation of being similar to a kite subjected to the whims of the wind found Yuzu again. It left her with a moment of mental vertigo that lead her to acknowledge how performing mental acrobatics over her situation had little use.

"Just a moment." She said at last, realising that she had yet to step into her shoes and tidy her locker.

The way everybody’s attention shifted on them as they stepped into the Academy courtyard had Yuzu feeling like the most coveted item of a one time sale; the only missing element was a price tag. The looks they drew were intense enough to make her skin crawl and she had to fight the urge to hug herself.

She felt no small amount of envy toward Mei at that moment as she was not bothered by the attention in the least. Perhaps she was oblivious to it, as was often the case with matters that held no interest to her or maybe, over the years, she had developed a sort of immunity to it.

Still, Yuzu wished she could be as cool and collected as her. Mei’s eyes always looked forward and she moved with the graceful parsimony of a cat. No motion was wasted. Everything had a purpose.

A sigh fled Yuzu’s lips and her pace slowed ever so slightly. She found herself trailing after Mei, her eyes entranced by the dark brightness of her hair as it flowed down her back. Without warning, the world went quiet and she saw herself reaching out to comb her fingers through Mei’s hair.

A sudden warmth in her cheeks brought her back to her senses and she harshly chided herself for drifting toward such dangerous destinations. She attempted to clear her mind by taking a deep breath and nodded sharply, now only looking straight ahead.

As if alerted, Mei turned around to check on her, perhaps to make sure that she was still there. Yuzu had done the same on several occasions, but such fretful behaviour was not typical of Mei and only served to thicken the fog surrounding Yuzu’s thoughts.

Nevertheless, Yuzu could only follow Mei’s lead at the moment.

Reverse Shot

Mei glanced over her shoulder to check that Yuzu was still there. A flash of blonde hair among a sea of black confirmed she was. They walked briskly in single file as they navigated the throng of commuters trying to get home. Taking the train was hardly an unfamiliar experience to her but Mei found herself half longing for her Grandfather’s car to roll up and whisk them away from the chaos.

Another look. Yuzu was still there. Had she been Orpheus, she would have lost Eurydice a thousand times over.

There was no time to consider how her ploy would be received; all she could do was look confident and keep moving forward in order to carve a path to the station platform. Over the beige tiled floors and beneath the endless rows of bright white lights, people from every walk of life hurried in every direction as they chatted to friends or colleagues or found a moment of reflection in a pair of headphones. The station was a large one and despite not being the closest to the Academy, a few Aihara uniforms could be spotted among the crowd, heading for any one of the multiple lines that converged above and below them.

She had already memorised the route at lunchtime, having pored over a map discreetly obtained from the Student Council room. Three stops northbound, not the usual route but simple enough.

She readied her fare card as they approached the gate and caught Yuzu fumbling in her bag for hers in the corner of her eye. She scanned the card; a six-digit number flashed up on screen, confirming the funds remaining, then a satisfying click as the gate swung open. After holding up the queue for a few seconds, Yuzu came following after and they moved to one side where it was quieter.

Mei fought back the urge to scold Yuzu for her lack of preparedness. It was not Yuzu who decided on this short trip, after all. Mei then found herself wondering whether she should have been the one apologising to her. She had many things to apologise for.

“...It’s this way, right?” Yuzu glanced towards the sign for the southbound platform.

Even above the loud buzz of the crowd, Mei could make out Yuzu’s half-whispered words with total clarity.

“No, this way.” She replied, glancing in the other direction.

“Huh?” Yuzu asked.

Mei could not see her face as she began leading her but she knew that it would be full of confusion. They headed towards the stairs and were met with a rush of air and a screeching of wheels as a train pulled away, taunting them for being a few seconds too late.

The platform felt like a world away from the frenetic underbelly of the station but that would soon change. Mei felt as thought she should seize upon the brief moment of peace yet she could not find the words. Yuzu stood to her side and the early Summer breeze teased at her hair like fragments of sunbeams. There was no confusion on her face; There was nothing.

“What should we have for dinner? Any idea?” Yuzu asked.

It was a question she was not expecting. Whatever had been going on in Yuzu’s mind, she had not thought it to be food. Perhaps it was little more than idle conversation and humouring it would be little more than a politeness. Still, every opportunity should be seized.

“I do not know. We shall see what they have for sale - Maybe something we can all eat together that will not trouble Mother too much.” Pondering aloud was not something Mei was accustomed to; it brought her discomfort to not be able to offer a more succinct answer.

“Mama won’t want to hear that - You know how she is. She can be so stubborn sometimes.” A flicker of a smile formed on Yuzu’s lips. “...Just like you, Mei.”

The blush came easily and when Mei felt it add a dash of red to her cheeks, she made little attempt to hide it. In that moment, on the train platform, as people continued to pour in around them, she had known more intimacy than she had ever known in almost a year.

A small breakthrough.

Soon, the train rattled into view and a pair of doors parted with some difficulty in front of them.

Three stops.

Mei repeated the detail in her mind as though failure was looming over her shoulder. It was not a coincidence that she had picked a supermarket out of the way, nor that she had waived the need to change out of their uniforms. She had expected more questions from Yuzu and yet she seemed to take to it without a fuss, or was it indifference?

The next train was full of commuters trying to get home. Mei found herself awkwardly placed between two handholds she could not quite reach while Yuzu, to her side and closer to the nearest door, snaked her arm between two creased suits to reach a handrail. She bounced about as the train rattled above the congested streets, struggling to keep her balance as fine strands of black hair began to free themselves from behind her shoulder.

Another jolt. Mei stepped forward to stay upright, her shoe clacking on the floor like a lightning bolt. Suddenly, she felt a gentle grasp at her sleeve and allowed herself to be pulled close to Yuzu’s side.

“Can you reach now?” Yuzu whispered.

Mei looked at the way Yuzu’s arm had twisted to reach the rail. It was too far for her. She shook her head and with the greatest care, raised her hand to Yuzu’s shoulder to steady herself. She felt Yuzu twitch in surprise, her body coiling like a spring. She briefly considered pulling away before another bump in the track put an end to that idea.

She could feel the sharp contours of Yuzu’s shoulder beneath her uniform and if she closed her eyes, she could even tell herself that she could catch the faintest wisp of her perfume. It brought forth feelings of nostalgia, a yearning for a time past.

On Location

Yuzu had always found comfort in the familiar designs of every grocery store she visited. The ever present lively music quietly playing in the background, the familiar scents of food and the bright light all blended together to create an atmosphere that she was quite accustomed to. As a small child, she would dart from one shelf to the next, stopping every now and then to check the list that Mama had given her and feeling ever so proud over being able to help.

For as much as she adored fashion, clothing sales could grow stressfully competitive in the high season while shopping for the house never failed to relax her. Perhaps it appealed to her nurturing nature, but only a few things matched the joy she felt over taking care of her loved ones. She would push her cart around lazily, taking her time on deciding what to get, comparing prices and checking the quality, picturing what she was going to prepare and the reaction it might entice. In the wake of Mei’s departure from home, her trips at the grocery store had became mostly frugal as she would simply step in, grab some pre-made meal and step out with the speed and indifference of a salaryman.

Mei was by her side now. Yuzu stole a quick glance at her and held back a sigh; no matter how many times she peered, those fine features yielded nothing. She felt victim of her own truth when another stolen glance left her slightly blushing at the sight of Mei rubbing a lock of hair between her fingers.

She had worn the Aihara uniform out of school on more occasions than she dared to admit and yet, never had she felt as conspicuous as she did right now. Breaking the rules with Mei added a whole different flavour to the experience and even though she could scarcely discern Mei’s intentions, Yuzu could not keep her heart rate from quickening.

A tug from the basket forced Yuzu to stop as the loose plastic of a box got tangled with it. She twisted it free easily enough but as she lifted her head, she caught Mei staring at her with her customary wide eyed look. A look Yuzu was soft for as it always brought a childlike gentleness to the sharpness of Mei’s features. She inhaled sharply but the familiar flutter of wings in her stomach had her struggle to keep her lips still.

Yuzu was granted a timely distraction when the lively background music was cut by the chiming sound announcing a special offer. She cocked her head and listened attentively as a precise voice enunciated the deals of the day. It was a habit she had developed during her childhood years as the right deal could turn a simple dinner into an event.

This time around, the offer held no interest for her. She returned to a present that had Mei’s inquisitive eyes trained on her. The curiosity animating them put a spell of timidness over Yuzu. Surely, the Aihara heir had ever needed to pay attention to such mundane things, the notion felt like ice upon her blushing cheeks.

Her embarrassment growing, she gazed about her in the hope of finding some sort of handhold, a way to pull herself out of this moment. Struck by sudden inspiration, she pushed towards the fresh produce area and swept her eyes about the current display of vegetables. It was not as generous as it would be in the early mornings, when mounds of vegetables in crates and baskets created a colourful hilly landscape but the selection still held anything that Yuzu might need. A deep breath and the lovely green scent of the products tickled her nose.

"Hey Mei, what about omurice?" She said right after exhaling, embarrassment igniting her cheeks once again as she realised that her moment of enthusiasm had led her to speak in a rather high tone.

"...for dinner, I mean." She lowered her voice, resisting the urge to rub her neck and looked at Mei.

To her surprise, Mei did not appear annoyed in the least by her lapse in manners. Yuzu would not dare to go as far as to say that she appeared amused but there seemed to be a timid smile hiding in the corners of her lips.

"A good idea, I think." Mei swept her dark hair behind her shoulder with her hand, her arm performing a gesture that stood halfway between laziness and grace and promptly stepped forward.

Yuzu stood where she was, eyes following Mei's every move as she walked about the rows of products, stopping to contemplate each selection before picking the sample she deemed the best. In a short time she had retrieved the few indispensable vegetables that Yuzu had declared to be the staple of her omurice recipe.

Then she proceeded to carefully place the small bags into the basket while her hair fell forward once again to cover her face, most likely by design. Perhaps it was because Mei had absolutely no affinity with cooking, but the fact that she knew exactly which ingredients were necessary for her recipe awakened a timid tenderness within Yuzu. It tugged at her lips and forced her to yield a small smile.

It was better to eat omurice as soon as they were made, the soft way the warm egg yielded under the fork and the scent rising from the cut was an experienced all in itself. Nonetheless, the most delicious omurice that Yuzu had ever tasted had been a cold one: A leftover, carefully wrapped in cellophane and waiting for her at the end of a most busy shift at the cafe.

She had returned to a dark and silent house and even though she had told Mei not to wait for her; the solitude had made her feel nostalgic. Her eyes had been drawn to the plate the moment she switched the kitchen light on, a harbour in a storm, she had thought Mama to have left it for her but the note said otherwise:

“Good work studying, this portion is for you. -Mei”

She had almost squealed then, forgetful of the late hour. The joy she had felt over the kind gesture had left her shaking. Her fatigue had been easily washed away and the guilt that she had felt over holding a part-time job, in spite of the Academy rules, had quickly been eclipsed by the sunlight that was Mei caring for her. Such joy had made all the more adamant to work hard, as nothing would be able to convey the love she felt for Mei like those twin bands of silver.

Where was Mei’s ring now? What had become of it? Had it been forgotten? Her hands tightened around the basket handle almost painfully at the great sadness that invaded her at the thought. She had not been able to part from her own ring, not even in the darkest of hours and to think that its other half had been discarded filled her with loneliness.

“----Yuzu?” She held back a gasp but could not stop herself from bouncing back. Mei’s voice, so sudden and so close, had felt like a discharge of electricity.

“Yeah, sure, we’ll get the eggs.” Yuzu recovered as best as she could, latching onto the faint echo of Mei’s voice.

“As I just said, we do have eggs at home, Yuzu.” The reply was tinted with amusement, a very delicate and subtle shade of it, one that very few people would be able to notice. “I think we are going to need another basket though.”

Unexpectedly, instead of comforting Yuzu, Mei’s reaction only served to fill her with panic. She was standing on a fence and no matter the side she picked, her heart would be at risk.

“We need the chicken then.” Yuzu replied in a single breath. “I...I’ll go get it.” She yelped back before dashing away, her feet matching the racing heartbeat in her head and her haste so merciless that only an impromptu pirouette saved her from crashing into an elaborate display.

… although, perhaps, a disaster was just what she needed to hold her mind in place.

Yuzu returned to find the aisle empty and after a brief panic, shifted to the next. There was Mei, her eyes casually fluttering about the shelves with vague curiosity as she loaded up a basket of her own. Yuzu could not resist the temptation presented by the chance of observing Mei from afar. Her unworldliness concerning simple matters would often paint a naive expression on her face.

She squinted her eyes when she saw Mei push a lock of hair behind her ear with a nervousness that poorly suited her graceful nature. A small nod then and she reached for a small box on the top shelf, elegantly tipping on her feet for an instant while her long hair swayed gently behind her. She brought the product to her face and stared at it with staggering intensity before placing it in the basket. For a moment it seemed like a smile was to appear on her face, the subtle stifling of her lips was a sign of it.

Nevertheless, Yuzu’s silent study of Mei came to an abrupt end when she found herself at the receiving end of an inquisitive pair of purple eyes. She shrugged sheepishly, mostly to herself, and rubbed her face with her free hand in a poor attempt to conceal her blushing cheeks. Upon reaching Mei, her embarrassment was traded with curiosity as Mei’s own bashfulness fairly exceeded hers, as even the tips of her ears were dusted in the hue of scarlet.

“Hey…” Yuzu tried to dispel their shared awkwardness with an easy smile, immediately freezing upon realising how effortlessly the gesture had came to her. Concern creeped on her and she averted her eyes from Mei, almost missing the gentle rise of a dark eyebrow.

Yuzu’s heart was doomed to remain restless, Mei had seen to by filling her own basket with Yuzu's favourite snacks. A disproportionate reaction perhaps but the fact that Mei had spent her moments of solitary shopping thinking of her filled Yuzu with a euphoric tenderness that she had feared forever lost from her life.

She could not thank Mei though. It was too soon. Everything was still too frail, a word, even a simple one might easily shatter the new shape that their world was taking. It was all too delicate.

Perhaps returning the gesture in kind would be enough. Sadness then invaded her at the realisation that, apart from sashimi, she did not know what Mei favoured. The girl had never expressed her preferences and seemed to be alright with anything that was offered to her.

Perhaps she did not even knew what she favoured herself.

Yuzu stood at last. She set her shoulders straight and held her chin high. Her heart was still raw and she lacked the words to speak what she needed to say but perhaps, for a moment at least, she could hold Mei’s gaze within hers.

“Let’s go home, Mei.” She said while heading the counter. “Mama is surely waiting for us.”

She twirled around to find Mei already close behind her, eyes wide open but seemingly taking in little, her hands clasped around her basket in front of her like her schoolbag.

Hope in Her Eyes

“We’re home!” Yuzu called out as she stepped into the apartment.

Mei followed behind her, plastic bags of groceries cutting into both hands. Mother was already on her feet by the time she closed the door, restless like a feral cat kept inside all day. She offered a bow of gratitude as Mother relieved her of her bags, allowing her to remove her shoes; The rigid leather had started to irritate her, a punishment for opting to go so far out of the way for food.

“Yuzu, Mei-chan.” Ume tilted her head as she eyed them with suspicion and bemusement. “...You’re still in your uniforms.”

“Ah! Well…” Yuzu started to speak but found herself at a loss for words. Mother had never questioned her previously on any after-school excursions.

“It’s against school rules, right?” Mother let the final vowel linger on her tongue as her lips curled into a smirk.

“It is, Mother. I suggested that we go straight from school.” Mei explained.

“W-We went to Yūrakuchō!” Yuzu hastened to add.

“Oh? It’s a bit far out of the way. We don’t want you turning into a delinquent too, Mei-chan!” The high pitch of Mother’s voice was delightfully sweet.

“Mama!” Yuzu’s cheeks began to turn red.

She had already turned and headed for the kitchen with the bags before Yuzu had the chance to fully react. Mei stepped into her slippers and headed after her; It seemed that Mother had perked up but only the bright lights of the countertops would set her mind at ease. She stole a glance. Mother’s soft complexion had gained more colour than she had seen that morning, though her slightly sunken eyes told a different story.

“As the Student Council President, I must regularly ensure that the rules are fit for purpose.” Mei spoke loudly so that Yuzu could hear her too. “The topic of uniforms often comes up at our meetings - The Vice-President is especially vocal about it.”

Over the rustle of plastic bags, Mei heard Mother chuckle but nothing from Yuzu. Dinner was set to be another quiet affair.

The sink now empty, Mei held her hands under the warm flowing water. She had washed the dishes with a diligence that could only be described as excessive. The reason behind her zealousness sat at the kitchen table with a thick book in front of her. As of now, whoever had devised the apartment’s layout held Mei’s uttermost gratitude because from the sink, she was granted full view of the table.

Yuzu cut a delectable picture with her head tilted in concentration, hair gathered into a messy bun, a few wisps of gold escaping to frame her fine face. She held the end of her pencil between her lips, absentmindedly chewing at it every now and then. Mei had to fight the urge to scold her for entertaining such habit. It was not her place.

She had already been cleaning when Yuzu had surprised her by dropping her schoolbag onto the table. The fact that Yuzu had elected to remain in close proximity of her, in place of disappearing, could be only considered as a gift: A gift she did not truly deserve but Yuzu’s generosity had always been boundless.

Her focus was completely absorbed by her studies; Yuzu had only stolen a couple of quick gazes in her direction, although Mei had not suffered the lack of attention in the least. Only yesterday, being able to be around each other in such a peaceful atmosphere was a possibility that could have been generously described as a mirage.

It was without warning that Yuzu stretched her limbs, arms reaching high above her head and legs extending themselves under the table. The sudden move had Mei jolt to attention. She closed the faucet swiftly and proceeded to dry her hands with a spare kitchen towel. In the span of an instant, the warmth of the water was replaced by the warmth of a mild blush. Hopefully, Yuzu had failed to notice her staring eyes.

Yuzu paid no mind to her and resumed her sitting position with a long sigh. Mei found herself holding her breath for absolutely no reason, her eyes following her step-sister as she placed her pencil in the middle of her book with the utmost care. She joined Yuzu in taking a deep breath but remained still when she slapped gently at her own cheeks.

“Hey, Mei…” Yuzu’s voice halted the many queries lingering in Mei’s mind. “...has your class covered chapter 13 yet?”

Mei’s heart leapt at the question. Yuzu starting a conversation of her own volition, without being prompted by the situation, was yet another proof of the boundless generosity of her heart, Mei thought.

“Not yet.” Her reply pulled down the corners of Yuzu’s lips. A relieved sort of gratitude filled Mei as her next line remedied to such wasteful loss. “But I have.”

“Ah, then… if you’re not busy… I mean...” Yuzu’s boldness petered away when Mei met her gaze with expectant eyes. She averted them immediately, granting Yuzu the chance to dismiss her embarrassment with a nervous chuckle. The colourful hue of her cheeks gave her away all the same though.

“Could you go through it with me?” The question left Yuzu’s lips in a single breath that lifted her shoulders and stiffened her neck, the words spoken so quickly that for a moment their meaning eluded Mei’s grasp.

It felt unearned on several levels to have Yuzu reach out for her but of the many lessons her Grandfather had taught her, the one postulating the importance of seizing each and any opportunity was one that Mei deemed wise.

“It’s okay if you can't! I mean, Mei… you already… and if you're busy...” Yuzu had mistook her silence for hesitation or even rejection.

“Not at all.” Her voice rang louder than she had intended through the kitchen and she felt the brush of embarrassment paint her neck and cheeks in scarlet. Fortunately, her hair concealed her ears - not even their tips had been spared.

“It would benefit me as well, Yuzu.” She had only managed to regain part of her composure when the small smile gracing Yuzu’s lips robbed her of it.

“I’ll make some tea then!” Yuzu leapt to her feet, leaving the chair behind her wobbling slightly while Mei fell into a thoughtless trance that only permitted her to nod.

They spent the remainder of the evening going over notes. The depth of Yuzu’s studies had taken Mei by surprise, yet she supposed the sudden rise of her step-sister up the exam rankings had not been a lucky coincidence.

Mother had retired unusually early, leaving them alone. Mei wished that she could speak of things other than algebra and the dates of historic events but her lips had been sealed in tight stitches. They had reached an impasse of sorts, content to be in the company of each other but unwilling to look up at the dark cloud hanging above them. Mei questioned whether the relative bliss of her current situation, awkward as it was, would be preferable to opening old wounds on a selfish gamble. Both options were less than what Yuzu deserved.