Umiko

Umiko sighed as she swung back and forth in the old swing set at the park.

For some reason, in the middle of their way to Ayame's home, the brunette decided on a whim to go into the park instead. The blue-haired teen tried asking her why, but the other girl just said that she ‘Just wanted to have some fun'.

And that’s how the duo found themselves in the middle of the park after the sun had already set.

At the very least Umiko was able to have some time to talk with her club mate's sister. That ended up being quite an interesting experience.

The Kanzaki siblings are as different and contrasting as they come.

Hiroto is a quiet and reserved person, not quite an introvert but very much not someone who shouts what he thinks at every opportunity.

Ayame is the opposite, being very energetic and an extrovert, not being able to keep her mouth shut. She is the type to let her opinions be known loud and clear.

But the most interesting part of it was that, even through all that contrast, it was quite obvious how much the siblings loved each other.

From what Umiko saw in Hiroto’s messages about her, the boy gave off the impression of a very protective brother who was always worrying about his smug little sister who was always getting into trouble.

And even though she could sound very harsh or mean, Ayame deeply cared about her twin’s well-being. Especially mentally.

“Earth to Umiko, you good?”

The brunette’s voice brings the bluenette out of her thoughts. “Sorry, just got a bit distracted there.” She chuckles.

Ayame pouts cutely. “Geez, ya really need to rub it in that I’m boring.” Her pout then breaks into a smirk. “Joking, joking, I’m the most interesting person to ever live, after all!”

The duo breaks out into giggles as they continue to swing under the moonlight.

“There you are!”

Suddenly, a familiar voice calls.

“Yo, Hiroto! Took you long enough.” Says the brunette with a grin on her face as she watches her brother walking into the park. “Let me guess, our cartoonishly evil parents have grounded you for all eternity?” She asks with an ‘I told you so.’ tone.

The brunet blushes and looks away. “N-No, they didn’t.” He clears his throat awkwardly. “But that’s besides the point! You know that- huh? Umiko-san?” Finally, taking notice of the bluenette, he looks back to Ayame. “What are you two doing together?”

Putting on a smug smirk, the brunette explains. “I went to your club and told them your biggest secrets!” The boy blushes deeply and the sister’s smirk grows into a mocking smile. “Although, I never told them your type, now that I think about it!” Turning to face the other girl, she adds. “He really likes ’em sma- urgh!“

“Shut it!” Hiroto covers up his sister’s mouth while blushing up a storm.

“Uh, huh, uhuh!”

The two banter for a while until the boy finally lets go of her mouth. “Geez, you’re impossible!” His cheeks still had a light pink coloration to them, but the little grin on his face showed his true feelings. “But-“ Now fully smiling, he says. “Thanks.”

He couldn’t deny that she helped him out a lot today. Even if her methods pissed the boy off, she still did it for his sake, and that was commendable.

Ayame smiles back. “You’re very welcome, dumb brother of mine.” She chuckles as he sighs. “Anyways, I’m getting hungry!”

“Sure, let’s go hom-“

“Nuh-uh! I am going home, you’re gonna spend some quality time with Umiko here!” Says the brunette as she stands up from the swings and walks up to her brother. “She came all the way here to hang out, you ain’t gonna leave her hanging will ya?” Ayame sends Umiko a knowing wink and receives a completely confused look back, which makes her laugh. “You two take your time and do your thing. Later, lovebirds!”

After sitting her twin down in her seat, the girl turns around and runs off while giggling maniacally, leaving the blushing duo behind.

“She’s quite the figure, ain’t she?”

“Yes… Sadly.”

An awkward silence fills the park as the teenagers just feel a cold breeze right past them.

“S-So-“ Hiroto scratches his cheek and asks. “-w-what exactly did Ayame tell you?”

For more that he hated to admit, the brunet knew that his twin had a lot of dirt on him. She definitely wasn’t the type to use it, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Man, this is awkward.” Chuckles the brunette while looking away. “Uh, she told us about… Nanami.”

“Oh!”

“Yeah.”

“…” Taking a deep breath, the brunet starts to push himself back. “I see.” He moves back enough to be standing while holding the swing against his behind. “Did-“ Moving forward, he lifts his feet and uses the momentum to start his swinging. “-did that change your opinion of me?”

Umiko closely watches as the boy goes back and forth. “…” She tries to find the right words in her mind. “Honestly?” Looking away from the brunet, she repeats the same actions as him and starts swinging. “Yes.”

Using his feet, Hiroto stops himself and looks at the swinging girl, a saddened expression on his face. “I se-“

“I got a lot more respect for you now.”

“Huh?”

He follows her movements until the girl naturally comes to a stop. “You’re always worried about other people, enough to put their safety before your own.” Now stopped in place, the blue-haired teen looks at her companion and smiles softly. “Yet you went on with what I asked, even though it physically and emotionally hurt you. That’s really cool if you ask me.”

“Umiko-san…”

She scratches her cheek sheepishly. “A-And I can’t deny, the fact that you beat up a bunch of bullies into submission sounds kinda hot.”

That was a very strange direction to take the conversation, but in a way, it was exactly the direction someone like Umiko would take it.

“T-Thanks?” The brunet said with an awkward chuckle.

“A-Ahem! Anyways!” Clearing her throat, the bluenette looks away from him. The blush on her cheeks subsiding. “Actually, I’d feel awful if you’re the only one that got your secrets spilled.” She pushes herself again. “So I’ll tell you something about myself.”

He watches her swing. “You really don’t need to.”

“Nah, I kinda want to talk about it with someone.” Umiko closes her eyes, feeling the wind hitting her face. “Or you don’t want to know why the Headmistress hates me so much?”

The boy widens his eyes. “So you two do have history together!”

Stopping in place, the girl chuckles. “History? Yeah, guess you can say that.” Her voice changes to a sadder tone. “She’s my grandma.”

“Your grandma!?” Hiroto shouts in surprise, before blushing and shaking his head. “I-I mean, like your blood grandma?”

The blue-haired girl nods. “Yep.” Sighing, she looks up at the starless sky. “Although, she probably hates that fact more than anyone else.”

Taking notice of her change in tone, he asks. “Why?”

Umiko doesn’t reply until her swing has lost all of its momentum, and she’s stopped in place. “Well-“ She pauses, then smiles sadly. “-I’m a constant reminder of her failures as a mother.”

That was quite the heavy accusation and felt a little out of place. Obviously there was more to it, so the brunet kept quiet and waited for her to continue.

“…” Standing up from the swing, the blue-haired girl sends the boy a sad look. “My dad was supposed to be the head of the Yumehara family, but he couldn’t do it because-“ Looking away from Hiroto, she continues. “-the family found out that he had an illegitimate child.”

“Umiko-san… you-“

“Yes.” She walks a bit and stops just a couple feet away from the swing set. “I’m that child.”

“But-“ The brunet looks at the girl’s back and questions. “-how does that relate to her hating you and the club?”

“Like George-sensei explained that time. Traditional families like mine have a strict honor system within them.” Explains the bluenette as she stares blankly at the monkey bars ahead. “So, something like the next head of the family having an illegitimate child out of marriage is enough to cause a smear on the family’s name and legacy. Because of that, my father got exiled from the Yumehara household, and he is no longer considered a member of it.”

“That’s-“

“I wasn’t supposed to be a Yumehara either, but-“ Turning around, Umiko looks into Hiroto’s eyes, before resuming her story. “-my grandpa thought it wasn’t fair for an infant to be blamed for something she didn’t have any choice in. So instead he took me in, even though that went against the wishes of the other family members.” She smiles. “He was the greatest person I ever met.”

It didn’t take a genius to understand that he wasn’t around anymore. “Sounds like it.”

“He was even more obsessed with dueling than I am!” Her smile seemed genuine, way more than any other she ever showed the brunet before. “We would watch so many matches together, it was so much fun!” Giggling, the girl looks down to her own feet. “He never treated me any different, even if I wasn’t exactly a real member of the family.”

There’s a short period of silence as Umiko lifts her gaze. “Then he died.” She looks away from Hiroto. “The Headmistress never really liked me, but she promised grandpa that she wouldn’t treat me any different from her other grandchildren.”

“We know that’s a lie.”

“Kinda.” Replies the bluenette with a sigh. “She doesn’t like me and is always trying to get the club abolished, but she never really kicked me out of the house or anything.” Crossing her arms, the girl looks away. “That was my decision. I couldn’t stand that house without grandpa in it.”

Fair enough, Hiroto couldn’t imagine living in a home like that. It actually made him really glad to have parents like his, and a bit ashamed of how he thought of them until now.

“Wow. You went through a lot, huh?” The brunet comments and the girl shrugs, going back to the swings by his side.

“I guess.” Umiko swings a bit, then giggles. “In the end, I’m just some disgraced girl that is chasing a worthless dream.” Stepping in place, she adds. “Pretty pathetic when you stop to think about it, right?”

“…” The brunet stares at her for a few seconds, then retorts. “I think you’re wonderful.” He smiles softly as the other teen gazes in his direction. “I practically broke under pressure that didn’t even exist. Meanwhile, you don’t just have a dream, but you are also fighting for it against your own family.” Winking at her, Hiroto asserts. “Have some faith in yourself!”

There’s a short pause before the two burst out laughing.

Oh, the irony was palpable.

“So, yeah. That’s the abridged history of Yumehara Umiko.” She says in between giggles.

“I… see.” Hiroto suddenly blushes as the realization of just how intimate he has been, unknowingly calling her until now. “Uh, but calling you Umiko-san now feels kinda awkward.” He adds sheepishly.

“Really? I don’t mind.” The bluenette shrugs. “Although I could live without the -san. I ain’t that old.”

“Okay then U-Umiko-s- Ahem- Umiko.” He blushes deeply. “-b-but you have to do something for me too.” She looks at him curiously and the boy clears his throat. “Ahem! You can call me Hiroto.”

With a giggle and a soft pink in her cheeks, the blue-haired teen answers. “Sure thing… Hiroto-kun!”

A comfortable silence falls as the two stare into each other’s eyes.

“…” After a couple of seconds, the brunet stands up and says. “I’ve made my decision.”

“Huh?”

Hiroto looks down at his own hand. “I-“

After getting his parents approval, and hearing Umiko’s story, the brunet couldn’t contain that violent feeling brewing deep within his heart.

He wanted to fight, not just for Umiko’s dream but for his own sake, for the sake of that burning desire that he suppressed for so long.

“I want to fight against Kurohane.” Closing his fist, he turns towards her and lifts his arm. “What do you say?”

A large smile spreads across the bluenette’s face as she jumps to her feet. “Do you even need to ask?” Extending her own arm, she fists bumps the boy. “Let’s get 'em!” The two share a smile before the girl turns around and excitedly says. “We gotta adjust the training regimen to fully include you, but who cares about that!” Turning to him, she grins. “With you fully on board, there’s no way we can lose!”

He returns the grin.

Not sure if he was all that, but he certainly could try.

***

“Huh? You’re fighting now?” George asks surprised as the other members of the club celebrate.

“Yeah, sorry for being a burden before.” The brunet bows apologetically. “But don’t worry, I’ll pull my weight this time!”

“You don’t even look like the same Kanzaki-san from yesterday.” Ken comments as the fashionista by his side nods.

“That confidence is certainly contagious!” She says with a giggle. “Nothing makes me more pumped than an inspired cute boy!”

They would have to adjust their training to compensate for the brunet’s lack of offensive training, but the advisor could see his new-found determination. “Sure enough.” He smiles menacingly. “Seeing that you’re all pumped up, we’ll be upping your training a notch!” Pointing at them, the man exclaims. “I’ll grind you to the dirt!”

With an excited shout of ‘Yes sir!’ the trio goes into their training.

Umiko, now wearing her normal P. E uniform, just watches the dueling club from the bench by Laura’s side, in her mind only one thought.

We can win!