"Nnn... Mmm?"
When I came to, I realize that I'm laying down on a bed, something that I thought I wouldn't have until I found a way to buy my own bed.
"Wait..."
Where exactly am I? The last thing I remember was that I was trying to get a job, so then why am I-
"Ah! You're awake!"
Just then, cutting me from my thoughts was a girl sitting on a chair beside me. Ah, right... Her was was Kanon, right? So does that mean I'm still at the cat cafe?
"...What happened?"
"You suddenly collapsed. I had my father help carry you over to our rest room."
So we are still in the cafe...
"...How long was I out?"
"Not long. Maybe twenty minutes or so. Are you able to drink?"
"Yeah..."
With my reply, Kanon hands me a glass of water as I slowly sip away from it. The water does wonders at cooling me down as I slowly begin to sit up from the bed.
"I'm sorry."
"Eh?"
Wait, why is she apologizing? I should be the one to-
"I called and I managed to get in contact with your guardian."
What?!
"You said that you wouldn't be able to afford it, but I couldn't just leave you like this."
"...When."
"Sorry?"
"When is he coming?"
"He should be here any minute. I told him that you'd need at least some antibiotics to combat against that infection."
Ah~ Great... So now he knows about my wound... I can already feel it coming...
In that moment, the door to the room opened up to reveal both Kanon's father, but more importantly-
"Reina!"
My "guardian..."
"Thank god you're safe."
He comes up to the bed as he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. But I could feel his fingers digging into my skin, almost like he's trying to break skin. So he's trying to put on a "worried guardian" facade whilst trying to discipline me? After a few more moments of digging his fingernails into me, he lets me go before standing back up, facing Kanon and her father.
"Thank you for looking after her. I'll take her off your hands and take her to the hospital immediately."
"That's great. Like I said, she'll need some antibiotics, but a proper doctor might have a better understanding than me."
"Thank you. I'll be sure to do that."
He's putting on such a friendly act, but I highly doubt I'll actually be going to any sort of hospital.
"Reina. Can you stand."
"...Yes."
Well I guess I just have to accept defeat. I failed at getting a job and now this...
"Sorry to inconvenience you two."
"Not at all. We're glad we could help."
The two men say their parting words as I instead look over to Kanon. We lock eyes for a moment before I cast my eyes down upon being grabbed by my hand by my "guardian."
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Once we left the cat cafe, I feel the man's pace quicken, forcing me to speed up to match his speed until we finally exit the mall. The sun is still up, but it's definitely getting darker. I guess you'd call this dusk?
"You're NOT going to a hospital."
Figures...
"Maybe if you had let me finish my work then maybe I could afford that, but you just had to get in my way again."
I guess he's right in saying that. I'm sure his job is so much more important than me. Glad to know where I stand… But what does he mean, "again?"
"Did you even get a job?"
"No."
"Pfft. Is that so?"
"All the places said they don't hire-"
Suddenly, I feel my body being tugged forward before being whipped to the side, my back crashing up against the wall as the man grabs me by the neck of my shirt. There's very few people out here, and some of them do seem to have noticed, but they all just continue on their way, some going into the mall and some coming out.
"Well you better get that job soon."
"H-huh?"
"I thought I'd be nice, chipping into my savings to buy you a little extra yesterday, but it seems my generosity was wasted. From now on, you'll be eating what leftovers I leave."
Wasn't that what I was already doing? Last night could barely be considered a dinner.
"So you better-"
"Wait! Reina-!"
Just then, Kanon comes running out of the mall as she quickly notices us. I lock eyes with her whilst still pinned against the wall as the man quickly lets go of my shirt, letting me off of the wall. It's only then that I notice what was in her hands as my eyes immediately snapped open.
"That's-"
"What do you want?"
The man cuts me off as I was about to approach Kanon.
"She left this hairpin behind. Well, I was the one that took it off when cleaning her up, but..."
She then focuses her gaze between both me and the man, almost like she's analyzing the situation. I really don't want to get her involved, but I fear it's already too late for that.
"Then give it here. We're in a hurry so-"
But as the man walked forward to grab the hairpin from Kanon, she quickly retracted her hand, dodging the man's hands.
"No. This is Reina's so I'd like for her to take it."
She instead smiles at the man before looking back over to me. I gingerly walk forward towards her as she gently lays the hairpin into my hands. Wait… huh? I feel like something else was just put in my hands? But right as I was about to check, Kanon closed my hand before pulling me in closer, her face right up against my ear.
"Call me if anything happens."
She whispers those words to me before letting my hands go, returning yet another smile to me before doing so to the man.
"Sorry to inconvenience you once again. I'll be on my way."
Kanon leaves it with that as she walks back inside the mall, leaving me with just the man as I keep my hand clutched, making sure that this slip of paper, along with my hair clip remains sealed.
"Alright. Let's go."
"...Yes."
Only one problem though... How am I meant to call her if I no longer have a phone? Well... At least it's nice to know that she could be an ally.
However, the moment we returned-
"You stupid brat."
Just as we were out of prying eyes, he slapped me across the face with the antibiotics he picked up at a drug store, sending the box scattering across the floor as I too drop down on the ground in hopes to pick it up. The slap hurt as much as I expected it to, but I still ended up flinching from the pain, leaving only one of my eyes open.
"You're just like your mother. Sucking everything away from me like some kind of parasite."
But the moment he brought my mother's name into question, I bite my lip as I grasp the box of pills in my hand.
"Don't talk about about my mother."
"Hah?"
"I said keep my mother's name out of your mouth!"
I stand up in defiance to him, grasping the pills now in my hand. Earlier, I put my hair clip back in my hair, but the slip of paper is still in my pocket. I told myself that I would just do as he said, but I just can't let him talk about my mother like that.
"Pfft. Hahahaha. Even after all these years, you still hold that woman close, huh?"
"Shut up."
"You want to know what she did to me?"
"..."
I was expecting another slap, so it came as a surprise when he instead talked about my mother's past. I won't lie that a part of me is curious, but another part of me is scared. Anything this man could say could all just be a lie... That said, I just kept silent, waiting for him to continue.
"You know, I always wanted a job like your mother, back before we met. I was ready to make it big as a mangaka, even winning some small competitions here and there."
My mother did often draw when we were growing up, but she never talked about her job that much. Sis and I usually were with her when she drew though...
"But right when I was meant to make it. Your mother swooped in and stole my one and only shot."
Hearing him talk like this brings a wave of satisfaction over me as I can't help but smile slightly.
"And you want to know what's the cherry on top? After I gave up and moved on, I was asked if I wanted to be an editor for one of the companies top artists. I thought that I'd be able to use this opportunity as a springboard so I accepted. But you know who I was assigned to?"
"Heh."
I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at such a story. So he's just been holding a grudge against my mom all this time?
"Yeah I bet you think it's funny, right?"
"Yeah... I can't believe that you're still struggling even 'after' my mother's dead."
My words stabbed at him just like I wanted them to as I could see his eyes squint in frustration as he balled up his fists. He might be trying to intimidate me, but I can't help but drive my point home.
"Even now, my mother's still holding you back, huh? You must be pathetic to be-"
"Tch!"
Cutting me off, instead of slapping me like before, he throws his fist towards me. I try to move out of the way, but the speed of it was much faster than I expected as I felt his fist collide with the side of my face, sending me crashing back to the ground. The pain quickly spreads in waves, pulsating throughout my face as I try to calm it down with the palm of my hand.
"...You better hurry up and get that job. Until you pay me back for those meds, you won't be eating, not even the crumbs I leave behind."
He says those final words before moving back over to his desk as he turns on his tablet, preparing to get started with work. Pushing past the tears that have been collecting in my eyes, I stare at my makeshift "bed" on the floor with my box of things next to it. The thought of just taking all my things and just running away does come to mind, but I'm not sure how feasible that would be. Sure I could live on the street, but after experiencing the kind of people that are out there, I think otherwise. Whether I like it or not, at least I have some shelter here in this apartment, even if I have to deal with... this.
After another day of exams-
"Hehe. We finished our exams a couple weeks back."
I'm talking with Yume over the phone, going over whether my sister has returned or not, but still there's no sign of her. The conversation slowly led to us talking about exams and I've only just now found out that some schools do them earlier than other schools.
"Then what do you guys do now over there?"
"Well, our school likes to throw a little celebration for the upcoming Christmas. It's not mandatory but our class likes to do gift exchanges."
"You mean like valentines?"
"No, hehe. We make it fun by drawing lots."
That's not a bad idea to be honest, but-
"What if student's don't have money?"
"It doesn't have to be something you buy~ It can also be something you make. Our class is doing a bit of both this year."
"I wonder why Reina isn't there then. It sounds fun."
"Yeah..."
I end up steering the conversation back towards my sister however as I can hear the drop in Yume's tone over the phone. I guess she's also worrying about her. It makes me happy knowing that there's someone who cares for her.
"Sorry. Hehe, at least Reina managed to do her exams before going away."
"True, but still... I'm sorry I can't really do anything on my end."
"Not at all. You're helping more than enough with just this."
"Hehe, thank you, Luna. Ah! Wait, my parents are coming up the stairs, I'll call you back!"
"Nn! See you."
Just like that, we quickly end the call there before Yume's parents could catch onto her. She's doing a great job at hiding her phone, but I do wonder how long that will last. I just hope it lasts long enough until Reina shows back up again...
Ah, right. I better call Midori and let her know. Not that it's really an update since Reina is still missing, but I'd like to keep Midori in the loop as much as possible. So I dial Midori's number, and it doesn't take too long for someone to pick up on the other end.
"Luna?"
"Hey. How's it going?"
"Mmmm~ Could be better."
At school, after our last exam, Midori was a bit annoyed at herself for drawing several blanks during one of the tests, especially considering that it was one of her stronger subjects; history.
"Don't worry. It's normal to have a couple slip up in tests."
"Says the one who never fails to score in the top 25, hehe."
"Well I need to be a good role model for Shin you know."
"Pfft. That's true, hehehe."
"You still touching up on your speech?"
"Yeah. I'm trying not to do the same mistake as last night. I don't want to blank out against tomorrow."
"I still think it's good to do a little revision though. Like a short 15 minute one."
"You think?"
"Nn."
I don't personally do that now, but it's what I used to do after hearing one of my teachers in middle school talk about it. He used to always say that too much studying could be your downfall, which I guess is what happened to Midori today during one of the tests.
"Okay. I'll do a little bit of revision before bed."
"Good. Oh also it still seems like my sister is still missing."
"Oh? Ah, were you calling Yume just before this?"
"Nn."
She sure is quick to catch on.
"It's good that you have someone over there just in case she does show up though."
"Yeah."
Suddenly, the door to my apartment begins to knock, causing me to open my bedroom door before looking out towards the front door.
"Is someone at your house?"
"Yeah."
"Well, my mother is nearly finished making dinner so how about we call later?"
"Nn. I'll message you later then."
"Mhmm! Same here~"
With that, we end the call before I once again look over at the front door as once again, someone knocks on it a few times. Don't they know that there's a door bell? Oh well.
Once I open the door, I'm greeted with a familiar face, although it's someone who I was not expecting at all.
"Hey~"
"Mei?"
"Hi, haha."
Not only was Mei, the school's nurse, here, but also my brother who seems to be holding a bag full of food.
"Brother?"
"We bought over some food. I figured I'd send off your exams tomorrow with a bang!"
So they're planning on treating me to dinner? I guess that would save me the hassle of making dinner, but I was actually looking forward to trying out the new recipe I found while browsing on my phone online. It makes me wonder why cook books even exist now after learning about it.
"Sure, come inside."
"Then excuse us~"
And so, I let my brother and Mei inside as I close the door behind them, blocking out any cold air from getting inside as the smell from the bag quickly fills the entryway which immediately got my stomach grumbling in anticipation.
"Fufu~ Looks like we came at a good time."
Mei picks up on my stomach which I felt was a little embarrassing, but I let it slide.
"I was actually just planning on cooking dinner actually."
"Oh? What were you thinking of making?"
"Uhm..."
I quickly pull out my phone before going to my most recent web search. I was just browsing all different sorts of dishes to make and I wasn't really paying much attention to their names. However I quickly find the name of it.
"Chicken tikka masala."
"Hmm? I've never heard of that before."
"Well if it has chicken in it it's got to be good!"
Now that he says that, I do remember my brother loving chicken when growing up. Even now, his eyes locked onto my phone screen as he looks at the dish displayed.
"Oohhh! Maybe we shouldn't have brought over the food!"
"Now come on. I'm curious as well, but I don't want to trouble your younger sister when she's in the middle of exams. Right, Luna?"
"Thank you."
I don't actually mind it, but I go along with Mei's consideration as we both share a smile together.
"Maybe after exams finish we can come back over for that tikka masala?"
"Nn. I'll just need to go out and buy just a bit more chicken then."
"Oh? If that's the case then don't worry. Your "brother" and I can handle that."
She emphasizes my brother here which caught him off guard as he looked back over to Mei.
"Wait, so you're saying that 'I'm' the one paying?"
"Well of course."
"Jeez. Well that's fine with me. it can be my gift before I go."
"Huh?"
Wait... "Before I go?" Don't tell me my brother is already-
"Oh, uhm... Yeah. Sorry Luna... I'm currently just helping with organizing these exams, so once that's over... Then I'll be moving out to help out another school."
I'm actually not too worried about it in all honesty, but looking at Mei, she doesn't look too pleased to hear that. Shouldn't they be spending time together then instead of coming over to see me? I guess my brother just wants to spend some time with me as well, although I do feel sorry for Mei.
"Then I'll make sure to cook up the best dinner for Mei."
"Ah? Thank you~"
"Huh? Wait, what about me?"
"You're the one leaving Mei, brother. You're her plus one."
"Pl-plus one..."
"Pfft, fufufufu. Then I'll be looking forward to it, Luna~"
Mei comes in to hug me as I too do the same. It came as a bit of a surprise but I've already come to accept her as part of the family at this point, even if her relationship with my brother isn't anything official yet.
"...And I'm the one paying for it as well."
"Don't worry. I'll be sure to cook enough for you as well, brother."
"Thanks Luna~"
That seemed to have made him happy. Hehe. I guess I have to start doing some practice sessions before the big day then. I have to send my brother off with something for him to run back to.