(V3) Chapter 9: Sister

By the time Haru hung up his apron and stepped out of the diner, the sun had already started its descent, dyeing the sky in soft streaks of orange and pink. The streets buzzed with after-school chatter and the tired footsteps of the working class.

The streets are clogged, and the fumes hit hard.

He checked the time. If he hurried, he’d make it to Komorebi High just in time to catch Ayase.

He didn’t know what he was hoping for—maybe a glimpse of normalcy. Maybe she’d remember something today. Maybe he just wanted to walk beside her, just in case those black coats decided to make a move again.

His feet carried him down a quieter stretch of road near the park, not far from the school. That’s when he saw them.

A little girl, maybe seven or eight, stood stiff as a statue on the sidewalk. Her eyes were wide, lips trembling. Standing around her were a man and a woman, both dressed a little too clean for the neighborhood. The woman was holding out a large, swirled lollipop, bright and colorful like a trap. The man was crouched down, smiling with too many teeth.

“There, there, no need to cry,” the woman cooed. “We’ll take you to see your mommy.”

“Yeah, don’t you want some candy?” the man added, shaking the lollipop. “We’ve got more in the car.”

"My mommy is in the States! I want my big sister!" the child wailed, tears starting to form in her blue eyes.

Her stature was quite petite, and her short and flat black hair with bangs flapped harshly in the breeze.

Something in Haru’s gut twisted.

That wasn’t their child. He didn’t need a license in psychology to see that. The girl wasn’t reaching for them. She was shrinking away.

Haru was already walking, one aim in mind.

“Oi,” he called out, stepping between them. “She’s with me.”

The couple looked up, surprised.

The man stood. “Who the hell are you?”

“Her brother,” Haru lied without blinking. “I was wondering why she wasn’t at our gate yet. What are you doing bothering her?”

The woman narrowed her eyes. “We were just helping. She looked lost.”

"No," Haru refuted. “She never gets lost. And now, she looks scared.”

“You’re jumping to conclusions, kid,” the man said, stepping forward.

"Do I, as her brother?" he pressed, leaning forward. “Maybe.”

Haru slipped his hands into his pockets, shoulders loose but eyes sharp. “But I can buy her way better candy than that cheap crap you’re peddling.”

The girl blinked up at him, and in a moment that caught even Haru off guard, she ran forward and clung to his leg.

“Onii-chan!” she cried, clutching him like he was the last safe island in a storm.

The couple froze. The woman still tried to get her hands to her but Haru shielded her.

"No more," he said. "I'll call the police if you insist."

Knowing that he meant business, the man clenched his fists. “Tch. Brat.”

Without another word, the two turned and walked off briskly. Across the street, they climbed into a sleek, black van. The engine started, and it pulled away slowly, disappearing around the corner.

Haru exhaled. His pulse was faster than he expected. He wasn't used in verbal confrontations.

"Hey," he called out. "It's over."

But the girl still clung to him like a panda climbing on bamboo.

He tried to flail his legs, but the girl's grip was too much.

"Mhmmm!" the girl inhaled harshly, nearly absorbing his existence. "You smell so good! Are you really my Onii-chan?!"

The girl looked up at him.

“No,” he muttered, still trying to set himself free. “Just a guy who didn’t want to see you get snatched.”

She tilted her head. “Then what’s your name, Onii-chan?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

She smiled, strangely calm now. “I’m Shizumi.”

“…Right. Can you let go now?”

The girl grinned mischievously, making Haru yank backward.

"Not until you buy me better candy than those two!”

Haru stopped.

His eyes twitched.

And lips contorted in disgust, eyes deadpan. “You little menace.”

***

Five minutes later, they were inside a corner candy store—one of those cozy places with too many colors and too much sugar in the air. Shizumi skipped between shelves, pointing at everything like a connoisseur. He didn’t say no. Not once. Mostly because her eyes lit up like firecrackers every time she found something new.

Or at least Haru feels like she was about to draw a knife when this brat says no.

They sat at a small round table near the window, her paper bag stuffed with sweets.

Haru took a sip of the canned coffee he grabbed from the cooler. Then he noticed her phone—some top-tier flagship model with titanium corners. She tapped and swiped like a mini hacker, flipping between apps, messages, and who-knows-what.

She munched without a care on her surroundings, and her phone's speakers spilled a banter of rants about the country's top conglomerates.

"Want some, Onii-chan?" she offered, voice muffled in a mouthful.

"No." Haru politely declined.

He kept observing her. Even her bag was designer and real leather. Branded zippers. She sparked an atmosphere of a child star, even though she was just a random student you can stumble upon.

So this is what Akito talks about...the rich and the powerful.

Her school uniform had the insignia of Suisho Private School, one heck of a prestigious school he’d only seen in magazines.

“Are you rich or something?” Haru asked bluntly.

Shizumi popped a candy in her mouth. “I guess. My daddy says I’m his little investment.”

Haru nearly choked.

“That’s a weird thing to call your daughter.”

She shrugged. “He says I have a big brain, and me and my big sister have a bright future ahead! But you’re pretty cool too, Onii-chan!”

“Don’t call me ‘Onii-chan’. It's disgusting.”

“But you saved me!”

“That doesn’t mean we’re related.”

She continued munching, and Haru pulled out his phone to check the time. There's still a lot of window to let her finish.

"And you said you have a big sister?" Haru asked, curious.

Shizumi nodded and swallowed her mouthful. “Yeah,” she said. “She’s a bit of a workaholic, but we love each other a lot.”

It’s like she’d been waiting for the question.

"Where is she right now?"

“School,” she replied cheerfully. "And she's going to pick me up right now. She said she will be a little late but I'm bored so I waited outside."

The chime of the candy store’s front door rang.

Haru didn’t bother to look up—until he heard a voice.

And it was familiar.

“Shizumi…?”

His spine tensed.

"Oh, there she is."

He turned—and there she was.

Takamine Shizuku.

Her long dark hair was pinned neatly behind her, her uniform sharp and spotless beneath her blue jacket. Her eyes scanned the shop until they locked onto his.

And for a moment, it felt like the world outside stopped moving.

“...Eh?”

Takamine blinked, just as surprised.

Haru stared back.

“…Of all the damn people.”