The Third Coming Of The Supernatural

"I mean, that's so stupid, right? Why did that teacher let her go off the hook while we need to work our asses off all year!" I giggled into my phone as I applied gloss to my lips, pouting them playfully into my mirror.

Step. Step step.

The door swung open.

"Big sister! Stop talking on your phone in the morning! You'll miss school, dummy!" A little hellspawn, my sister groaned from my door, her arms crossed over her chest cutely.

I smacked my lips together after applying another layer of gloss, tilted my head, and checked the shine from three different angles.

"Alright, alright." I waved my hand at her, then leaned onto my shoulder, holding my phone to it with my ear while perfecting my lashes. "You hear her, Harucchi? That's what I'm talking about! Everyone's on my ass, even at home!" I chuckled, then sighed deeply. "Later, loser~♡"

I practically bounced out of my bed and slid my feet into a pair of slippers, then walked over to Kaede just to pinch her cheeks softly.

"You little gloom doom empress~!" I sang-sang.

"Ugh, let go, Lilia! It hurts!" Kaede demanded, but I just couldn't let go, seeing how cute she looked.

Then she swatted my hand away and jumped back, jabbing a finger at my nose.

"You try that again, and I'll put you down!"

I gave her a half-lidded face, puffing my cheeks out to keep myself from laughing out loud.

"I'd like to see you try. What are you? 130 cm tall? There's almost half a metre difference between us." I moved my hand from her head, which was around my chest, up to my forehead, emphasizing the difference.

Kaede stomped and slapped (although gently) my hand away, her face growing into a deeper shade of red each second.

"I AM 160 CM TALL! YOU'RE EXACTLY 13 CENTIMETRES TALLER THAN ME! I AM NOT SHORT FOR A 14 YEAR OLD YOU… YOU… IRRESPONSIBLE BIG SISTER!"

"Oh ho~" I raised a mocking eyebrow, "Irresponsible, huh? That's a lot coming from someone who can't even reach for a plate without a ladder."

"Y-YOU—! I AM NOT SHORT! LEAVE ME ALONE! JUST GO TO SCHOOL! YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE ON YOUR SECOND DAY!"

"Aye aye, Captain Mikami Kaede! Lieutenant Mikami Lilia is departing for the enemy base known as High School!" I saluted and stuck out my tongue whilst hanging my school bag over my shoulder.

Kaede's face had already cooled down by the time I was putting my cute loafers on, but then, her eyes dramatically widened.

"Your skirt! It's too short! Pull it down in an instant, Lilia!"

I straightened up and leaned against the wall, tapping the tips of my loafers against the floor while giving her a side eye.

"You went too far right now, Kaede. My skirt is perfectly fine, and some silly brat isn't here to judge it." I joked, but she clearly didn't loosen up.

"First it's the skirt, then it's showing more skin, and before you know it you're getting into trouble!"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" My eyes narrowed in surprise at how far her imagination took her for a walk. "It's not that deep! Besides, I'm never gonna do stuff like that; it's stupid for you to say such stuff about your own sister!"

"Do you want meanie Lilia today, Kaede~?"

Kaede stormed towards me and reached out to tug my skirt down, but I caught her wrists, holding them firmly in place.

"What's even the point of this?! Your cardigan is literally oversized, and then you have this short skirt! It's stupid!" Kaede whined.

"It's called fashion, silly." I leaned forward and planted a playful kiss on her forehead before letting go of her wrists and leaving the house. "See ya~."

"Stupid Lilia," Kaede grumbled under her nose, closing the door behind me because, of course, I didn't close it.

As I was nearing the school gates, I took out my compact mirror to check if everything was okay for the eighth time since I left the house.

"I hope everyone will stare at my pretty makeup all day long! Maybe even some cute upperclassmen?" I giggled to myself, dramatically flipping the mirror shut.

"I swear, if nobody compliments my outfit today, or there's no cute girls in my class…" I clutched my chest. "I'm gonna riot~."

My gaze fell down to the legs of a girl who was just in front of me, clad in the Tamakagahara Academy uniform.

I let out a soft, low whistle, admiring how nicely built she was, but she quickly realized and shot me a glance, her ears reddening slightly.

I grinned and shot her a playful wink, skidding over to her side.

"Hi darlin~ Eager to exchange your LINE with me, hm?" I asked with a grin, which only worsened the girl's embarrassment.

"…Um, no… I have a boyfriend… and I don't date kouhai… so again… no…"

The girl said, visibly bothered by my presence.

I huffed and crossed my arms as she sped up.

"Ouchie."

"First day in high school and already rejected before 9?"

Then a voice. A voice I knew. Coming from above.

"Don't sweat so much, Lilia, it's not your first, nor the last rejection… this month."

My disappointed expression quickly warmed up as I looked up at him, rolling my eyes.

"You could've played a wingman, you know, Harucchi~? You're such an awful friend, on god!"

"Maybe I am awful." Haruki shrugged. "But there must be at least one interesting friend material for the great Lilia in our new class, no?"

I stopped walking and pushed my index finger towards the rising sun, then snapped my fingers. Most people looked at us, but mainly momentarily, although some whispered too.

"She's loud…"

"Yeah! Constantly doing something, I saw her hitting on a third year just a moment ago!"

"Does she have any shame?"

"That's right! I, the great Vespera, shall catch this palace on fire—"

Haruki immediately leaned over and sealed my mouth with a hand, his expression mixed with amusement and exasperation.

"Lilia, yelling out your gamer ID is silly, although the part about the palace shouldn't be the first thing you yell out on the first day, don't you think?"

I groaned into his hand and pushed it away, jumping back dramatically.

"You fool! You'll ruin my perfectly glossed lips! What do you think you're doing?!"

My compact mirror was out of my purse in a blink.

I gasped in horror as I saw my reflection in the crystal clear mirror, nearly fainting on the spot.

"My lips! I need more gloss! And my bangs… they're two degrees off!"

I looked at Haruki with puppy eyes.

"Harucchi… how could you…? After so many years of our friendship…? Cruel! Cruel!"

I shoved my purse into his hands and started carefully adjusting my bangs and applying just the ideal amount of gloss to my lips.

It clearly didn't seem like the first time something like that happened.

Haruki just sighed deeply and waited.

After a minute, I snatched the purse back and glared at him momentarily.

"So? Are you excited, Lilia?" He asked, looking at the campus which was getting bigger and bigger.

I exhaled through my nose and rolled my eyes at him, linking my hands behind my back.

"Well, excited? No. More like, y'know, curious?"

"You somehow got in against all odds with these poor grades of yours and aren't a tad excited?" Haruki giggled. "That's weird."

"Weird?" I muttered under my nose, then looked back at him.

"How's that weird, idiot! For me, school is just another stepping stone! Does it really matter which exact school I graduate from? Because I think what matters is just graduation."

"That's very stupid and childish." Haruki deadpanned. "But also very Lilia."

My hands curled into loose fists as I playfully smacked his shoulder, pouting.

"Hey~! I'm not stupid! Neither childish! I'm older than you!"

To my attack, Haruki responded with a playful shoulder shove.

"Let's just go, brat."

"I'M NOT A BRAT—"

Later in class, everyone was seated, and unfortunately for me, I was given the first seat… but that would only be true if I was unlucky; the fact is I was anything but unlucky.

I was separated from Haruki, who sat directly in the middle of the classroom, but I was thankfully assigned the last third-to-last seat, meaning that I sat by the window!

A place of freedom since that spot was hard for the teacher to access.

Haruki turned slightly to look at me, slightly annoyed by my fortune, but I? I didn't smile; I outright grinned, winked, and stuck my tongue.

"Loser~♡"

Then the door slid open and a stylish, yet professional-looking woman walked in, sliding it close with grace. She walked over to her desk and eyed the entire class.

"You, in the back, this is not a playground; stop messing around."

She commanded, her eyes falling directly on me.

I slightly tensed up, but as quickly as I stuck the tongue out, I hid it and nodded at the teacher with a grin.

"I sincerely apologize, ma'am!"

"Whoa, she's so hot!"

I giggled under my nose.

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Good morning, class." She said and turned around, swiftly writing her name down on the chalkboard and stepping aside.

"For those who were not present on the first day for unknown reasons, my name is Yamamoto Akari, and from now on, until the end of your education in this academy, I will be your homeroom teacher."

I immediately perked up and leaned slightly out of my desk.

"Good morning Yamamoto-sensei~!"

"Hmf," She nodded to herself and then muttered. "At least one with correct manners, although not constant."

Akari's hands pressed against her desk as she leaned forward.

"Now, let's clarify some rules."

She raised a hand and started counting.

"First of all, I don't want any bullying in my class. If anyone is feeling uncomfortable or like someone is talking about them behind their back, report to me immediately."

"Second of all, every day after classes, one of you, unless someone decides to help, will clean the class and sweep the hallway from our class up to the girls' bathroom."

A boy who sat in front of me sighed and audibly muttered under his nose.

"Ehh… That sounds like a real hassle—"

Akari's eyes snapped to him immediately.

"What was that?" She asked calmly, too calmly.

"N-nothing, sensei!" He squeaked.

"The third rule, and objectively the most important one, is to…"

She paused, creating tension and anticipation in the classroom.

"Enjoy your days in this academy."

"Huh?" I leaned back in my chair slightly.

A couple of my classmates looked at each other in sudden confusion. It was strange. That woman was so firm yet created a rule that wasn't really a rule to enforce to begin with.

Akari clapped her hands to silence the rising commotion.

"Alright, alright. All of you can talk during the break; for now, we need to establish which ones of you will be the class representatives."

A girl raised her hand.

Akari looked at her and nodded without a word.

"Um!" The girl spoke up. "What about the committee members? Aren't we gonna choose them too?"

Akari simply shook her head, her index finger softly tapping against her desk.

"For the next week, club tryouts will be taking place, and judging by the clubs you all decide to join, it will be easier to choose."

"Ah!" The girl's lips parted in an "o" shape. "So if someone joins the sports club, they will be chosen as a member of the committee?"

Akari nodded.

"Exactly."

"Mhmm… sounds like a real hassle~! I'll probably join at the last moment to hopefully dodge, just in case!" I thought to myself with a wide grin plastered on my face as I pushed a strand of my hair behind one ear.

I leaned my cheek on my hand and gazed out the window at the forest… at the forest which… what?

"Why is the forest stretching out so far? I can't even see the end! That's so weird! Most academies cut trees around for more access!"

But Akari's next words shook me out of thought.

"Alright, since I've introduced myself, maybe you should introduce yourselves again? I see a couple new faces that weren't here yesterday."

"Let's go alphabetically."

She looked at the first student sitting at the front desk of the row I was seated in, and they immediately stood up.

"M-My name is Amaya Tokine… Pleased to meet everyone…"

I snickered in my thoughts, twirling my hair around a finger.

"Stuttering… a shy one, huh? That's so cute~!"

"Do you have any interests, Amaya-san? Maybe even some clubs on your mind already?"

Tokine nodded.

"Y-Yes! I really like photography and designing jewelry, but the club I'm looking forward to joining is the medical interest club!"

"Medical Interest Club?!" My eyes sparkled.

Wait a second… doesn't that mean… NURSE UNIFORMS?!

A tiny chibi version of me instantly popped into my imagination, happily twirling around in a little white nurse outfit.

"…That's so cute~♡"

"But that girl, Tokine-chan."

I paused, running a tongue down my lower lip.

"I'm not usually interested in meek little things, but I guess one surprises herself every day, huh~?"

Time passed, and almost the whole class had gained a name, pushing through the NPC trait in my eyes. I didn't listen as nothing caught my attention, other than Haruki's introduction, which I sneered at (of course quietly so Yamamoto-sensei wouldn't punish me).

And then came my turn.

I felt as if I was the belly button of the world, all eyes on me, just like I always wanted.

I stood up so fast my chair scraped the floor softly, making a small vein pop out on Akari's forehead. Then I pressed a hand to my chest and spoke.

"My name is Mikami Lilia~! I'm into fashion, shopping, exploration, video games, and archery!" I smirked. "If anyone needs any advice on clothing, makeup, or how to beat a certain boss in a souls game, hit me up~!"

Heavy silence.

My eye twitched.

Akari raised a brow, waiting.

But then Haruki's subtle sigh made me realize that I still wasn't done.

"Oh!" I blinked.

"Nice to meet y'all~!" I winked.

"That was certainly enthusiastic, Mikami-san, although I'm curious what exploration would possibly mean? Is it sightseeing or…?" Akari asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh yeah, so um, exploration is sightseeing, but also visiting new places, usually abandoned to get this spike of adrenaline cus you never know what's behind the corner—"

My warm gaze fell grim in an instant.

"But there are also many downsides… cleaning my shoes takes so much time…"

Akari nodded.

"Mhm. Thank you, Mikami-san."

I sat down as she moved on to my neighbor.

My eyes were wide and foggy.

"Huh?"

"Is that it?!"

"Where is the applause for me~!?"

I pouted like a child to myself.

During the break, I sat on the edge of Haruki's desk. The smaller groups were already being established in the class; even ours had a new member, a girl who sat to Haruki's right.

She looked me in the eyes and leaned over, offering her hand politely, although her pink eyes glinted weirdly.

"Hello, my name is Hoshino Aria. Hadeka-san told me I can join you two."

Calm, refined voice. Something I wasn't a fan of, but neither did I despise it.

I looked down at her hand and ultimately shook it.

"I'm Lilia, just Lilia."

Haruki suddenly flicked my forehead with his fingers.

"And now you introduce yourself without that dramatic whatever it was?" He deadpanned. "Lilia, why do you make such a performance out of every single introduction since Elementary School?"

"Elementary?" Aria scooted even closer to me. "You two knew each other for so long? That must be so easy."

"Easy?" I looked at her. "Whatchu mean?"

"I mean that there is less stress when going to High School and worrying about not having any friends and that kind of stuff." She responded.

I rolled my eyes at her response.

"Well, not that I'm stressed or anything, duh~?"

Haruki gave Aria a smug look and giggled.

"Aria, don't take her seriously; she's such a moron that she barely passed the entrance exams."

I puff out my cheeks and seal his mouth with my hand, eyes burning with playful rage.

"Traitor! To utter such a personal thing to someone we've just met! Cruel! Cruel~!"

Aria stared at us, her eyes glinting.

"Maybe this school year won't be as boring as I thought."

My face appeared just in front of her in a blink of an eye, our noses almost touching.

"T-T-Thought?! How dare you think of the word boring in my presence? That's really unkind! Really, really, really cruel~!" I whined.

Aria leaned away, slightly raising her hands in defeat.

"I think you really, really like the word "cruel", Mikami-san." She smiled.

But the smile didn't buy me, not even slightly.

"Don't make fun of the way I speak! It's not really easy to operate—"

"It seems you two already got along?" Haruki cut in, leaning back in his chair.

"No way in hell!"

"It seems like, yes."

Haruki just laughed at our completely different responses.

I crossed my arms and spun on my heel.

"Whatever~ I'm gonna go get a drink! I hope the vending machines do me good. Cya, Harucchi, Aria-chan~."

As I left the classroom, Aria looked at Haruki and shook her head softly, a smile tugging at her face.

"That girl is way too energetic for her own good."

Haruki sneered.

"No way!"

I walked through the hallway, shooting winks at everyone who caught my eye, until I saw Tokine in front of the vending machine, contemplating her future life choices.

"Hey~, what's up, nurse outfit girl~?"

Tokine tensed up and hesitantly turned to face me, her pale cheeks tinted with the slightest pink.

"N-Nurse outfit…?"

I grinned, leaning in closer as I flicked my hair behind my ear.

"Hehe~ A weird habit of remembering new people, don't mind that."

"You're Mikami-san, right…?" Tokine asked, leaning back against the vending machine, clearly uncomfortable.

I grinned at that poor act of hers.

"Mhm~! Tell me what you're buying? Maybe some recommendations? I'm looking for something that can freshen up my deserted throat~♡"

Then, the drink she ordered finally fell into the box on the bottom, and she quickly pushed her hand in and swiftly took it out.

She dashed aside, giving me access to the vending machine.

I looked at the options and then back at her, precisely at the can in her hands as she opened it.

"Oh hi~ Lemon soda? Mind giving me a sip so I can see if it's worth buying?"

Tokine took a sip, then hesitantly offered me the can with a gentle smile.

"Sure…"

My eyes widened, and my ears reddened. We'd just met, and she was offering me to drink from her can? I didn't expect THAT!

"O… Oh! Well! Thanks, I guess?"

I took the can and sipped the soda from it. The truth I was planning on buying it anyway, since lemon is my favorite flavor, and that question of mine was only for teasing.

After tasting it, I shoved the can into her hands and licked off the remaining fluid from my lips, turning towards the vending machine and pressing the buttons more times than needed so I could calm down.

"I… I… WHAT?!"

Tokine only tilted her head a little, as though nothing unusual had happened.

"Is it your kind of taste?"

I puffed my cheeks out and looked at her reflection in the vending machine's glass, nodding.

"Yeah, sure."

"HOW CAN SHE TRUST ME SO EASILY?! I MEAN! TOKINE-CHAN LOOK AT ME!"

I pressed my forehead against the glass and exhaled, fogging it.

"Mikami-san…?" Tokine uttered.

I gave her a playful side eye.

"You're infuriating, anyone ever told you that?"

Her smile dropped, replaced with a shocked expression.

"I-I am…?"

The next class was swift, a math class, mainly a review of material so the teacher could pick up a correct pace, nothing really out of ordinary, I'd say.

During the lunch break, I walked past Haruki's desk where Aria already was, deciding that I didn't really feel like being there, as that pink-haired girl was literally UNTEASEABLE!

So instead, I headed to the front row and slightly pushed Tokine's textbook to the side, seating myself on the edge of her desk.

"Um… Mikami-san…? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, duh~! You're wrong! What's up with you, little nurse?" I crossed my arms, piercing into her eyes with my gaze.

"H-huh?" She paled, looking down at herself, at the desk, at the window, but ended on me. "I did something bad again…? I'm so sorry if I did! I really didn't mean it!"

I rolled my eyes at her squeaky response.

"Listen to me, you're way too trusting! Why did you give me the soda? I could've just, I don't know, spat in it? Spill it? Steal it?"

"B-But you didn't… So what's the problem…?"

"The problem is that we are in high school, you little fool~! There are others who don't just lightly tease, but want you DEAD!" I dragged my fingernail over my throat, emphasizing my words.

Tokine's face got so pale that she started becoming transparent.

"S-Someone wants me dead…? Who…? I don't want to die!" She whined.

I paused, looking at her for a moment with a stone face.

"…Nurse outfit girl..."

"Y-Yes?"

"You're hopeless."

"…I am?"

"Someone could tell you the moon is made of pudding and you'd ask what flavor."

Tokine frowned, genuinely thinking about it.

"…Vanilla?"

I blinked.

"…You scare me."

Then I shrugged.

"Well, at least you're pretty; that still counts as something right~♡?"

"O-Oh! Thank you for the compliment! You're very pretty too, Mikami-san!" Tokine chirped, regaining her healthy colors.

I smirked and laughed haughtily, blowing a kiss towards her.

"You don't need to tell me~!"

Then, from out of nowhere, I felt an intense sensation coming from my side and jerked up slightly, almost kicking poor Tokine.

"Haruki! You damn—!" I burst into quiet giggles as he pressed his fingers against my side again.

Haruki ignored me and completely cut me off as he smiled at Tokine and started speaking.

"Amaya-san, I hope she's not bothering you? She can be a handful at times," He paused and chuckled, shaking his head lightly. "No, sorry, all the time."

"DON'T TICKLE ME! SADIST!" I managed to push his hand away, panting slightly.

Tokine clumsily waved her hands in front of herself in defense, nervously shaking her head.

"N-No! Not at all! In fact… I'm enjoying her presence… she's been very nice to me!"

"I'm not nice!" I pouted.

Her eyes suddenly jumped from Haruki to Aria, who, of course, was already there.

"Hello, Amaya-san," Aria said smoothly, giving a slight nod of respect.

Tokine answered with a quick but elegant bow.

"Hi, Hoshino-san…"

"So are we just gonna ignore me? I swear I'll start pouting in 5… 4… 3…" My lips parted in sudden curiosity caused by the delayed realization.

"Wait!" I pointed at Aria, then at Tokine. "You two know each other?!"

Tokine nodded.

"Yes! Our families are friends!"

"I think they're more interested in business than friendship, Amaya-san." Aria clarified.

"So you've known each other since you were kids?" Haruki asked.

Before either of them could answer, I clapped my hands together.

"Stop! Stop~! We don't want some boring "Ah, yes, we were childhood friends" speech!" I groaned dramatically, waving my hands in front of me.

"Skip to the juicy part! Did either of you ever accidentally shove the other into a pond? Blackmail material? Secret nicknames? Embarrassing photos? Maybe you two are secretly in love and neither knows about the other's feelings?! C'mon, give me something fun~!"

"I-In love?!" Tokine blurted out.

"Never," Aria said firmly; there was no room for arguing.

And then, the bell rang.

Classes, classes, classes. They were long! And boring! And nothing worth mentioning happened, so a skip to the end was needed.

As we were changing shoes, I looked around, seeing Haruki and Aria, but Tokine was missing.

"Harucchi, where's the nurse outfit girl?" I asked curiously, swaying myself for a better view of the surroundings as if I had bugs.

Haruki also looked around, tying his shoes in thought.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't seen her since the classes ended—"

"Amaya-san is on the cleaning duty today. Yamamoto-sensei mentioned that it's important." Aria cut in, fixing the bow in her uniform.

"Cleaning duty, hm~?" I cupped my cheeks with a feigned expression of kindness on my face. "Maybe I should help her! She's such a poor thing! All alone!"

"You're just gonna tease her, won't you—"

But Haruki's words didn't reach me. In no time I changed my shoes back and ran into the hallway.

I dramatically slid the classroom doors open, and saw her. The great Tokine… doing something unfathomable…

I swallowed.

Sweeping the floor.

She jumped slightly at the loud sound, startled, and hesitantly turned to face me.

"Mikami-san…? What are you doing here? I thought you left with Hoshino-san and Hadeka-san…"

I grinned widely; the sight of her nervous face and posture, holding onto the broom, was a delicacy to my satisfaction.

I closed the door and walked over, sitting down on the teacher's desk, swaying my legs playfully.

"Oh ho ho~ Earlier a nurse, now a maid-chan!"

Tokine's eyes darted down to the broom, and she frantically shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut.

"N-No! I'm not a maid! Maids are graceful… quiet… always know what to do! I'm nothing like that!"

"So you've researched maids before?"

Tokine hesitated.

"…A little…"

"Nurse outfits."

"…"

"Maid outfits."

I slowly grinned.

"Maid-chan… are you secretly into uniforms? Or is that a fetish of my dear classmate~?"

"EH?! N-No! That's not—" Her whole face burned bright red.

I watched as she returned to the cleaning duty as if I wasn't there. Or was that a coping mechanism when she was embarrassed? I didn't know. Neither did I care.

Minutes passed, and eventually, I got bored. I reached for my purse, but my hand stopped, refusing to grab the makeup kit.

Instead, I looked up and lightly hopped off the desk.

"Move over," I said, grabbing the broom that she was holding. "I'll sweep, you can clean the desks."

Her eyes narrowed, and she looked up into my mind. "H-huh?" She gasped. "That's so kind of you, Mikami-San…"

I yanked the broom out of her hands and clicked my tongue.

"Tch, I'm not kind, I'm merely bored; besides, you'll repay me one way or another, won't you, maid-chan~?" I teased.

Tokine didn't blush, didn't shy away; instead, she let out a soft, sweet giggle, not convinced at all.

Ba-dump!

My jaw clenched as I instinctively clutched the fabric of my cardigan.

"WHAT'S UP WITH YOU, MIKAMI LILIA?!"

Her lighthearted giggles turned into curiosity as she saw me turn around without a word, her gaze moving from my boots up to my ears.

"Mikami-san… Your ears are all red; is something wrong…?"

"Shut up. Clean the tables." I snapped, but not out of anger, rather because I was horrified by the fact that I was flustered.

"WHY AM I ACTING LIKE THAT OVER SOME STUPID GIGGLE?!"

After sweeping the class, I moved onto the hallway, and after Tokine cleaned the desks, she joined in with a spare broom.

Not a word did we utter; I was too confused and Tokine… was Tokine. I guessed that she might've been waiting for me to start, but there was also the factor which I didn't think about:

What to talk about with her.

But I decided to anyway, near the end.

"Tokine-chan?" I asked, my voice low, not facing her.

Tokine stared at me for a moment before speaking, surprised by the lack of any nicknames.

"Y-Yes?"

"I know we've known each other for nine hours at most, but I'm curious."

"Curious?"

I faced her.

"You're weird, Tokine-chan. Weird in a good way. I can't figure you out, and it's driving me crazy."

I grinned.

"So… wanna date me~?"

Tokine's broom slipped from her fingers.

"…Huh?" She blinked.

"Relax! I'm conducting research!" I laughed, grabbing both of her hands. "You're interesting! If we date, I'll get to know you faster! Efficient, right~?"

"T-That's… that's not how dating works…"

"Isn't it?"

"N-No…"

"Well, that's disappointing."

"But think about it! It'd be so cute, no~?"

…

…

…

"I… I don't think I can…"

"Too scary?"

Tokine nodded.

"…I'm sorry."

I let go of her hands and burst out laughing, rolling my eyes at myself.

"Aww. Shot down twice in one day. Cruel~."

After we finished cleaning, we left the building, and before we went our separate ways, I grabbed her hand and yanked her towards me, pulling my phone out of my purse.

"You didn't actually think I would let you go off the hook without taking your LINE, did you~?"

"Um… I… Didn't think about it… Sorry…" She muttered under her nose, taking out her phone.

"Don't apologize all the time~" I whined, poking her cheek. "Grow a pair." I chuckled as I scanned the QR code she offered.

I clapped my hands and spun around, blowing a kiss over my shoulder before walking away.

"See ya tomorrow, To-ki-ne-chan~!"

Tokine waved softly and nodded. "See you tomorrow… Friend…"

A while had passed since then, and I walked into my house, meeting the annoyed pouty face of Kaede.

"Where were you? You delayed dinner."

I put my purse down and started taking my loafers off.

"I was on cleaning duty." I giggled, almost not believing that it was true myself.

Kaede crossed her arms and raised a brow, clearly expecting another, honest answer. I didn't blame her.

"Nah, but, genuinely! I'm serious!" I wrapped my arms around her and showered her with soft kisses. "I would never lie to my baby sister~!"

"Ew!" Kaede pushed me away.

I stumbled back and giggled.

"What's wrong? Too big for affection now? Little sis~?"

She huffed and shot me a glare.

"I'm not a baby! D-Don't just hug me from out of nowhere and kiss me! Now my face is covered in that stupid lip gloss of yours!"

I took my phone out of the purse, taking a photo of her and leaving the bag forgotten.

"HEY! STOP, BIG SISTER!"

She tried to snatch the device out of my hands, but I held it high, way above the highest point she could reach.

"Mhm, what should I type? Testing my cute little sister? I cut the wrong cable in a bomb? Dinner antics? What do you think, Kaede?" I smiled lazily like a snake.

"STOP THAT~!"

During dinner, I sat beside her, eating the curry she made.

"Mmmhm~ it's tasty, you outdid yourself, my dear housesister." I looked at her, poking the rice with my chopsticks.

"Instead of constantly speaking like you're trying to make me ghost you for a week, maybe you should try telling me how school was today? I mean you're in high school now, and it was the first actual day."

"Ah!" My eyes glistened with delight as I poked her cheek. "Finally suggesting something actually fun! Good job, little sister!"

I took a deep breath and started explaining.

I explained how I got dumped in the morning, how boring the classes were, mentioned Aria and Haruki, and yapped about how I was dumped the second time.

"Ouch. I mean, that's on you, big sister. I mean, why did you think she would want to date you? You said it yourself. You met her today." Kaede looked actually thoughtful instead of pouty for once. "Why do you even crave being with someone so much?"

"Lust," I said simply, sliding a ball of rice into my mouth.

"L-Lust?" Kaede reddened. "Are you seriously that horny?"

I smacked the back of her head softly.

"Ouch!"

"Not THAT kind of lust, you little dummy~!" I said in a way as if I was scolding a child.

Somewhere in the living room, my phone buzzed, and a message popped up, reading: [Harucchi]: Lilia, you won't believe me what I found!

"How could I have known! In those times, lust usually means one thing!" She paused, then set her chopsticks down, fully giving me her attention. "Okay, please, humor me."

My lips curled up at the "please". It was delightful.

"Lust to live my life to the fullest. Date, play, shop, be intimate. That's the kind of lust I am talking about."

"Oh." Kaede deadpanned, slightly disappointed. "I thought you'd elaborate. That sounds like a summary of a long description."

"You're even half-assing your own explanations." 

"Just eat."

After dinner, I left the dishes for Kaede to wash (obviously), but she groaned again, so in the end I helped her, then took a shower and dropped into my cozy bed in my silky pajamas, falling asleep shortly after.

But something felt off.

I stirred awake way earlier than I usually did, especially on Saturdays like that one. I reached towards the bedside table and tapped the screen of my phone a couple of times.

4:44.

Then, I felt something cold wrap around my head, holding it steadily, and with the corner of my eye I could see something orange and fluffy moving on the floor.

"…What's going on…? Sleep paralysis…?" I muttered to myself, still asleep—

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