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Author Topic: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 22 - (10/28)]  (Read 91273 times)

Offline SarangAi

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 4 - (3/19)]
« Reply #120 on: April 02, 2012, 06:04:56 AM »
@KirikomoriHime: ... satou masaki x the world is CORRECT *troollol*

@mochi.rini: well this is certainly late but... happy birthday!  XD

@xxkaori-kittyxx: nope, you are correct~  :D

@KirikomoriHime:   XD sparknote Romeo and Juliet, I guess?  See who fits the description of "Suitor"  :D

@risa_ai:   LOL all i can say..  :D

@arisa03: nice prediction..   XD

@Tian_Yuan: glad you enjoyed!  :D

@sakura_drop_: ooh there's an interesting hypothesis! XD

@XxRoByNxX78: thank you!!!  :D it won't be too confusing later, i promise!   XD

@rndmnwierd: hey~ you're the one that got me interested in TanaGaki in the first place though with your non-canon coupling  XD

@nora_nora: glad you liked it!  :P

@xrainbowgumdropsx: YESH DELURK!   :cow:  don't worry, i love long posts!  :twothumbs   we'll see if your thoughts are going the right direction...

@Nichiyobi:  :rofl:powerful Reina is powerful  XD


First off, thanks for all your coments!  all these hopes/hypothesis are rly interesting to read :D

Second of all, is it just me or is the forum freaking out?  What's with the Heman vids?  they just.. kinda appeared even though i didn't link them...?  :?  (EDIT: oh wait, is it cuz of april fools? haha...)

Third of all, it's been a while....  :nervous. i tried posting every week, well, that failed.  :P

Fourth of all, if you guys haven't noticed, I made a content list at my first post, and i decided to title each chapter now.  I think it'll help in seeing the correlations/references to the stories more :D

so here's a new long chapter!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 5 – “Cinderella left her glass slipper behind”

   People everywhere.  Lights everywhere.  Noise everywhere.

   However, none of these things registered in Ai’s mind.  All her surroundings seemed to blur into nothingness as she was pulled through the crowd.  All she could see was the back of the mysterious woman who was leading her up the stairs; the woman’s brown curls, her slim figure, her thin legs…  Ai remembered that the first thing everyone, including herself, learned in preschool was to never follow a stranger.  But she decided that she wouldn’t mind even if this woman turned out to be someone dangerous.  Rather, it was impossible for this woman to be dangerous.  There was still an unknown sense of trust and warmth about her that Ai just couldn’t explain.  She just had to follow this gut feeling and go with the flow.

   The woman seemed to look around as though she was searching for something.  Ai looked around as well, wondering what the brown-haired woman was looking for.  Before she could finish her search, Ai felt herself being pulled forward again as she was led towards the veranda.  She and the woman stepped out into the night on the other side of the large glass door, walking onto the tiny balcony.  The woman let go of Ai’s hand and closed the curtains on the inside before shutting the glass door.  The sound of the music dulled as the low hum of the city took over. 

   Ai breathed in and out, attempting to calm herself down.  She watched as her brown-haired abductor slowly turned around from the glass door to face her.  The mysterious woman’s eyes were wide open, as though she had no recollection of ever dragging Ai out to the balcony.  She swallowed, looking away a little, before looking up again.  All this while, Ai kept her gaze on the woman, mesmerized by her appearance for reasons that she still could not decipher.  A voice screamed inside her to stop staring like a creeper, but she couldn’t help herself.  A link was already established between the two and nothing could break it now.

   However, the woman quickly looked away again after blushing a little, obviously embarrassed by Ai’s stare.  But she determinedly lifted her head once more, opening her mouth to say something, when Ai spoke up with the purpose of breaking the awkward atmosphere.

   “Ano…!”

   The two women quickly closed their mouths, intending to let the other speak first, but instead bringing the awkward silence back.  They both tried to say something again but stopped short, unable to decide whether to speak first or not.  Ai hesitated a little, but the other woman seemed even more visibly flushed by the situation.  She continuously moved her mouth inaudibly, not knowing what to do, until she finally bit her tongue and let out a yelp.  Ai started to panic as she took a step forward, afraid that her companion may have hurt herself.  But the way the woman quickly covered her mouth and bobbed up and down in place, all the while letting out silent screams with her eyes widening and shutting restlessly, caused Ai to break into a fit of laughter.  This person, who had danced so seductively back in the club, looked very cute to Ai now, as she cast her eyes down in embarrassment. 

   The stranger’s cheeks turned pink again as she peeked up to look at Ai, who flashed a playful grin which allowed her to relax.  Deciding that trying to speak again wouldn’t bring them anywhere, Ai motioned for the other woman to talk first.  The woman smiled a little, relieved by the replacement of uncomfortable air with a friendlier atmosphere.

   “Ano…” she started, rubbing her hands together, “I’m sorry I just dragged you out here.  It was kind of rude of me.  Really, I… I don’t even know why I did it.  I’m sorry.”

   “Oh no, not at all!  Please,” Ai assured, rapidly shaking her head, “I mean, I was the one who forced you to dance with me in the first place back there… I should be the one apologizing.  Please excuse my previous behavior.”

   “No, no, don’t apologize!” the woman quickly said, waving her hands no.  “You didn’t force me to dance; I danced because I wanted to.  You had nothing to do with it.”

   “… Oh… I had nothing to do with it…?” Ai mumbled, unintentionally sounding disappointed.  The woman seemed to realize this and quickly attempted to rephrase.

   “No, no!  That’s not what I meant,” she said, slightly alarmed, “I mean… I danced, because you… like, because it was you, I think… I wanted t-to... what I mean is—”

   “Relax,” Ai interjected, laughing.  “I was only teasing.  Don’t worry about it.”

   The woman’s cheeks blushed red again, mesmerizing Ai once more.  “R-right… just teasing… ha-ha…”  The woman smiled shyly as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.  “It’s just… I usually don’t, you know, dance, much less come to a club but this time it was… fun.”

   Ai smiled, obviously delighted that her companion enjoyed their interaction as much as she did.  “I had fun too.  You’re a really good dancer.”

   “Eh?!  No way!”  The woman denied with force as she shook her head rapidly.  “I’m definitely not a good dancer!  You’re a lot better than me… You must come here often.”

   “No, it’s my first time,” Ai laughed.  “I don’t go clubbing that much…”

   “Really?” the other woman said, her eyes widening in surprise.  “Wow.  I would’ve thought that you would frequent clubs like this a lot…”

   Ai raised an eyebrow.  “What makes you say that?”

   “I don’t know…” the woman mumbled.  “You just seem… experienced.”

   Ai thought for a moment before exhaling sharply.  She seemed… experienced?  In what?  Clubbing?  Dancing?  Partying?  She definitely wasn’t experienced in any of them.  She rarely had time for recreation, what with her difficult life being so demanding.  Perhaps Eri’s make-over on her was taking effect.  The turtle did say that Ai would be able to get any girl or boy she wanted tonight…

   “Well… what about you?” Ai said back, grinning.  “You don’t even seem old enough to be in a club.  Did you sneak in?”

   “How rude!”  The woman’s face turned red again from embarrassment as she pouted, making her seem even cuter in the latter woman’s eyes.  “I’m most definitely a legal adult, well out of college, with my own place and a job!”

   “Really?  You’re out of college?”  Ai blinked a couple times in surprise.  “You look a lot younger than 22…”

   “I’m 23, actually,” the woman said proudly, smiling a little.  She seemed a bit flattered that Ai had been tricked by her baby face.  “So what are you, 20?”

   “Not even close,” Ai laughed.  “How can I be 20 when you’re 23?”

   “… You’re older than me?!” the woman gasped.  “Uso!  So… 24?”

   “Guess again.”

   “… 25?”  Ai nodded.  “25 years old?  Seriously?  Uso!”

   “It’s the make-up,” Ai sighed.  “It covers up all my age lines.”

   “But really, I would’ve thought you were younger than me, if not the same age…” 

   Ai smiled at her companion gratefully, deciding to take her words as a compliment.  The younger woman looked up at her and grinned back, her beautiful face seeming to grow even brighter with a smile.  Ai realized only now that she had somehow managed to get closer to the woman, and they were only about a foot away from each other now.  Closer up, the woman’s brown eyes captivated her even more as Ai fell under her spell.

   “Ano…” Ai started, faltering a little, “this is going to sound pretty crazy, but… we’ve never met before today… have we?”

   The woman’s smile disappeared as she blinked a couple times.  “I… I don’t think so.”

   “I’m sorry, I must sound really stupid right now,” Ai said quickly, chewing on her lips, “but… I can’t help but think that I somehow know you.  I mean, I know we haven’t met, but I just have this gut feeling…”

   “… So you feel it too?”

   Ai let out a soft gasp at her companion’s reply.  The woman smiled at her a little, seeming to empathize with her emotions.

   “You know, I usually don’t believe in things like fate or destiny,” the younger woman said.  “But… maybe this is one of those things where we knew each other in our past lives or something.  Maybe we were… really close to each other… or maybe we were arch enemies.”

   Ai chuckled at the hypothesis.  “Well, I certainly hope we weren’t arch enemies.”

   The younger woman also laughed.  “Maybe we were both.  Maybe we were… star-crossed.  Meant to be but… not meant to be.”

   “You’re a real romantic, aren’t you?” Ai teased, raising an eyebrow.  “Past lives, star-crossed… you believe in all that stuff?”

   “Nope,” the younger woman replied, grinning.  “Like I said, I don’t believe in fate or destiny.  Even if such a thing existed, I still believe in the present.  The future is undetermined.  Nothing is set.”

   Ai watched her companion and smiled, pleasantly surprised by her outlook on life.  She definitely didn’t seem like just any girl you meet out of nowhere, although that was exactly what she was to Ai.  She was special.  She had a clear mindset and certain strength from an unknown source.  At this point, Ai was more attracted to her than ever.

   “Ah!  I forgot!” the woman suddenly gasped.  “I didn’t even introduce myself properly.”  She offered her hand as a greeting and smiled.  “I’m Niigaki Risa.  Nice to meet you.”

   The older woman shook the hand and grinned.  “My name is—”

   A rapid sound of beeping interrupted the conversation as both women jumped a little from the shock.  Ai quickly reached into her back pocket and took out her flashing cell phone and opened it.  The time lit up on the screen in a large font—11:55.

   ‘We gotta get you back before Sayu… which means we only have until about midnight.’

   “… I… I have to go…” Ai mumbled slowly, realization washing over her.  “I have to go!

   “Wait, what?” Risa asked, blinking furiously.  “Now?”

   “Yes, now!” Ai yelled, shoving her phone in her pocket again.  “I-I’m sorry about this, but I really have to go.  There’s no time!”

   “M-m-matte kudasa—”

   Before the younger woman could even finish her phrase, Ai opened the glass door and took off, burying herself in the crowd.  She quickly made her way through the upper level and ran down the stairs.  She could hear the familiar voice of her companion, calling for her to wait, but she continued to move forward.  As much as she wished to stop and stay with the woman a little while longer, she knew she had to get back home by midnight.  If Sayumi knew that she had gone to the club…

   Ai looked around like a mad person, trying to spot the black-haired girl so that she could avoid her.  Fortunately or unfortunately enough, the eyes that she met were not of her stepsister, but of her evidently alarmed turtle friend, who was standing right in front of a woman with jet black hair.

**  **  ** 

   “Eri, I’m saying this for the last time: I want to go home!”

   The turtle cringed a little as the bunny yelled at her angrily.  She had been yelling this way for quite a while now, since she strongly desired to leave the club yet she was being held back.  Eri had continuously sat Sayumi back down whenever she got up, offered her more to drink, and babbled on about stories that may interest her.  She had been doing everything in her power to hold the bunny back until midnight, when Ai would go back home.

   And now, she was so close to that goal, seeing her friend from across the room, making her way to the entrance.  It was by pure luck that Eri was able to see Ai while Sayumi had her back turned towards her sister.  Noticing that Ai had spotted her as well, Eri rapidly moved her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side a little, signaling for her to quickly leave. 

   “Eri… are you okay?”

   The turtle blinked as her eyes refocused on the black-haired girl in front of her, who was clearly confused by her twitching.

   “I’m fine, I’m fine!” Eri laughed nervously.  “Um… maybe I’m a little drunk, just a bit.”

   “Well then, you should go home, too,” Sayumi said firmly.  “Just like I’m going to do right now.”

   As the bunny started to turn around, Eri quickly grabbed her shoulders and turned her back, holding her down firmly.  She peeked behind Sayumi’s shoulder and saw that Ai had quickly ducked behind a table.  The girl needed to get out of here, and fast.

**  **  ** 

   Oh, this is great, just great!

   Ai could hear her own heart, bursting out of her chest whilst beating rapidly.  Just what was going on?  Sayumi was turning around and was so close to spotting her… Hopefully, Eri had reprimanded her.

   I have to get out of here fast…

   With that in mind, Ai started to slowly get up again, but something pulled her back down.  Ai gasped as she reached towards her ear.  Her earring, the one shaped like a crystal that Eri had put in for her, was caught on the table cloth that hung down to the floor.  Starting to panic, Ai quickly worked her fingers on the earring hook to no avail.  She continued to fumble with the knot hastily, until she undid the jewelry and managed to get it off her ear.  She tried to free the earring from the table cloth, but some loose strings had caught onto it and wouldn’t release. 

   “Hey!  Wait up!”

   Ai whipped her head around and saw her companion, finally free from the crowd of the second floor, approaching the stairs at an incredible pace while looking out over the railings.  Giving up on the earring, Ai stood back up spotted Eri holding the squirming Sayumi in place.  Not giving anything a second thought, Ai ran towards the exit without turning back.

**  **  ** 

   “Itai!  Eri, that hurts!”  Sayumi complained loudly as she shook off her older girl’s grasp.  “You’re acting so weird today.  What’s wrong with you?”

   “Um… I just…” Eri mumbled as she wracked her brain for an excuse.  “Oh!  I think I may have drunk over my limit… I can’t go back home alone~”  She swayed her body back and forth as she faked a hiccup.  Sayumi rolled her eyes.

   “You didn’t even drink that much,” she shot back.  “I’m leaving.”

   “Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!” Eri shrilled, putting her weight onto Sayumi’s shoulders so that she couldn’t turn around.  The turtle could see Ai a couple feet away, standing up from behind the table, and skittering towards the exit.  “I can’t… I can’t walk by myself~ Help me, Sayumin~”

   “You were standing fine just a moment ago,” the bunny said in an annoyed tone.  “Stop being ridiculous and get on your feet!”

   “No, I feel dizzy~”

   Eri continued to moan as she refused to hold herself up. If she wanted to ensure Ai’s safe return home without the risk of Sayumi getting back first (and the safe evacuation of the Ramen Rangers if they were still in the apartment), Eri knew that she had to hold back the bunny as long as she could.  With this in mind, the turtle shamelessly threw her arms around her friend, clinging onto her like a child.  She knew that Sayumi would be significantly delayed by her heavy hug and this would perhaps give Ai enough time to get home and grunge down a bit from her currently beautified form.

   Sayumi groaned as she tried to untangle Eri’s arm around her neck to no avail.  “Okay, okay, fine.  I’ll get you a cab.  So at least try to walk by yourself; I can’t carry both our weights.”

   “Yatta~ Arigatou, Sayu!” the older girl giggled.

   Sayumi just rolled eyes again, thinking that she was being too nice for her own good.  She let the turtle’s head drop down on her shoulders, which only prevented her from seeing Eri silently smiling to herself.

**  **  ** 

   Risa pushed through the crowd of clubbers, upturning someone’s drink by accident in the process, and made her way to the stairs.  She looked over the railing in search of the mysterious woman, whom she eventually spotted kneeling by a table. 

   “Hey!  Wait up!”

   She was about to call her name as well before she realized she didn’t know her name yet.  She had to at least know her name! Determinedly, Risa made a sharp turn and skittered down the stairs, watching the older woman a couple meters away visibly panic.  The bean quickly maneuvered herself through more dancers, swiftly making her way to the table but she was too late.  The woman was already gone, escaped through the exit. 

   Risa groaned in frustration as she ruffled her hair.  How could she let her go without even knowing her name?  She didn’t have any of her contact information either…  How would she find her again?  Well, at least the woman knew Risa’s name… but would she make the effort to meet up with the bean again?  Maybe this was just a club fling to her…

   Risa sighed, disappointed by how the night turned out.  She looked at the direction which the older woman had disappeared towards; she saw a black-haired woman drag a lighter-haired woman—who seemed a bit tipsy—out of the club while complaining in a loud voice.  Just as she was about to turn away, something flashed at the corner of the bean’s eye.  Risa looked down and saw a tiny light shining from the table cloth.  She quickly kneeled and took a closer look. She discovered that the source of the light was a small earring that was hooked onto the cloth; the way the charm was cut into multiple facets like a small crystal was what made it illuminate in the darkness. 

   Risa carefully untangled the hook from the loose strings and freed the jewelry.  She held it up to take a closer look as her mind briefly flashed back to the older woman’s face, with an identical crystal hanging from her ear.  A small smile appeared on the bean’s face unconsciously before her lips formed a tight line in determination.  This was it.  This was their connection.  The unnamed woman currently had one of the earrings and the matching piece was now in Risa’s possession.  She would find the owner of the jewelry, and hopefully reunite with the mysterious stranger.  After all, she did find the lost earring the woman had left behind.  This had to mean something.

   Just for tonight, Risa would believe in fate and destiny.

**  **  ** 

   Sayumi was annoyed.

   Beyond annoyed.  She was currently experiencing the pinnacle of irritation.  After all, her night wasn’t what she imagined it would be like, what with various women hitting on her and being unable to get back home earlier than she planned for because of a certain turtle’s obviously fake drunk act.  And now, she was repeatedly abusing an elevator button to vent her frustration at the slow machine. 

   It was already ten minutes after midnight, although Sayumi had planned to return home by 12 o’clock.  Getting a cab for Eri had significantly delayed her plans.  She wasn’t even sure why she got a taxi for the “drunk” turtle; she was clearly faking it.  Nevertheless, Sayumi had decided to play along for her friend’s benefit.  She wasn’t sure why the older girl was being so clingy tonight but she didn’t question her intentions. After all, this was Kamei Eri, the airhead turtle.  Her brain waves were usually on a different when it came to thought processing.  And because it was Kamei Eri, the girl she had known for four years as her stepsister’s best friend, Sayumi didn’t feel the need to blow up on her too much like she would’ve to other people.

   Alas, a clear ding of the elevator resounded and the door slid open.  Sayumi took a step in and, once again, poked at the 5th floor button relentlessly.  The door closed and the low hum of the elevator took over as the bunny felt herself being lifted into air.  After a couple moments, the door slid open with a ding.  But as Sayumi took a step out, she almost ran into a group of kids standing in front of the elevator.  They had a slightly panicked look on their faces as they quickly bowed respectfully.  For some reason, they all had a pencil in their hand.

   “M-M-Michishige-san!” they stuttered.  “K-k-konbanwa!”

   “You guys…”  Sayumi raised an eyebrow, recognizing the neighborhood girls.  Some sort of rangers or something… They were so obsessed with Ai that their stalker-like behavior was starting to annoy the cold bunny.  “What are you kids doing on my floor?  At this hour?”

   “W-w-we were just… on our way down!” Kanon stammered.

   “Down the…. the stairs!  Stairs!” Erina insisted, turning her body to make it seem as though she was uninterested in getting in the elevator.

   “We didn’t know it had gotten so late, and our parents called for us,” Riho said quickly.

   “And we were going home, like good girls,” Mizuki claimed.  “Because we are…”

   “Bishoujo Sentai Ramen—”

   “Whatever,” Sayumi sighed, cutting off the meek girls.  “Stop bothering me and go home.”

   “Hai!”

   The four girls quickly scattered as one got in the elevator, one took the stairs upstairs, another down the stairs, and the last ran into a wall.  They quickly reformed again in front of the elevator, seeming to be very disoriented, and saluted Sayumi before running down the stairs together. 

   The bunny raised an eyebrow again at the Ramengers’ unusual behavior before casting it off in her mind.  They had always been an odd bunch in the first place anyway, being so fan-crazed over an average 25-year-old woman who lived a painfully normal life.  Sayumi was never particularly fond of them, except maybe that one girl named Riho.  She was rather cute, kind of like a hamster.

   Sayumi plugged her key into the door and finally stepped into her house.  She took off her shoes and immediately dropped her bag and jacket whilst looking around.  The apartment seemed empty, and very clean.  Her stepsister had obviously done her chores.

   “Onee-chan?” she called out into the silence.  “Onee-chan!”

   “Ara, you’re back!”

   Sayumi turned towards the bathroom where the voice came from.  Ai had popped her head out through the open door; her face was a little wet and there was a towel around her head.  She looked as though she had just gotten out of the shower. 

   “… Tadaima,” Sayumi said quietly.

   “Okaeri,” Ai grinned.  “Did you enjoy the party?”

   The bunny nodded, keeping her mouth shut for fear that the truth about the party being absolutely uninteresting may spill out. 

   “That’s good,” Ai said.  “All your clothes are washed, dried, and folded.  They should be in your room.”

   “Okay,” the younger sister answered, nodding her head again.  Suspecting nothing out of the ordinary, she went straight to her room and shut the door.  She saw that her clean clothes were neatly piled on her desk.  Her lips twitched into a small smile, satisfied that her stepsister had listened to her and stayed home.

**  **  ** 

   Ai closed the bathroom door and leaned her back against it as she slid down to the tiled floor.  She put her hand against her racing heart and exhaled slowly, calming herself down from previous nerve-wrecking conversation.  She removed the towel from her head, revealing her perfectly dried hair, and tossed it in the laundry bin.  She looked down at herself, still dressed in the beautiful red and black outfit that Eri had coordinated for her. 

   That had been an incredibly close call.  Too close, in fact.  Ai had arrived just in time to get the Ramenger girls out of the house, jump into the bathroom, splash some water on her face, and wrap a towel around her head to cover her nicely groomed hair.  She would’ve had time to change into her pajamas or her bathrobe as well if it hadn’t taken longer than expected to get her fan club out of her room.  When Ai arrived home, she found that the girls had indeed finished all her chores, but was now in the process of fighting over pieces of scrap paper in her trashcan.  They were just worthless scribbles and doodles but the Ramengers were still furiously quarreling over them.  In the end, Ai just gave each of them a pencil that she had used—which the Ramengers were incredibly touched by—and then kicked them out of her house. 

   Sighing, Ai got back on her feet and started to strip her party clothes.  She could probably stash them under the sink cabinet for the time being and take them back to Eri’s shop the following day.  As she started to remove her necklace and bracelets, Ai looked at herself in the mirror.  A single earring hung on her left ear.  She slowly removed the tiny crystal and held it up to the light, watching it reflect the beams to every which way.  She would have to tell Eri that she lost the other piece through an unfortunate incident.  Would she ever be able to find it again?  Maybe… just maybe… by some lucky chance… that mysterious woman found it?

   Niigaki Risa… Risa… Niigaki Risa…

   A small smile spread across Ai’s lips as she carefully wrapped her fingers around the crystal.  Just like she wished to find the earring’s other pair, Ai hoped that she would be able to see Niigaki Risa again in the near future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

hope you enjoyed that~  :twothumbs

 :byebye: :sleep:

EDIT: okay, the april fools thing changed a lot of words... so i re-edited it...  :nervous
« Last Edit: April 02, 2012, 10:58:50 PM by SarangAi »

avii&sig by the wonderful kawaii beam~!

Offline KirikomoriHime

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 4 - (3/19)]
« Reply #121 on: April 02, 2012, 06:29:16 AM »
Ahh research... --does it anyway--

I'm too tired to do a long review this time... soooo

TAKAGASKI MOMENT(S) <3
KAMESHIGE MOMENT <3
STALKER RAMENGER <333

and aww fate :)

--crawls away--

~ GakiKame, KameShige, TakaMitsii , JunSayu, YajiSuzu, MiyaSaki~

Offline kawaii beam

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #122 on: April 02, 2012, 06:35:48 AM »
cuteness overload~! :deco: thats all i can say for now....im ubber tierd lol
please visit kawaii-chan's avie's and siggies!

Offline xxkaori-kittyxx

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #123 on: April 02, 2012, 08:22:07 AM »
Yay! update!

Gaki's sudden shyness was rather cute. When I read the chapeter title I was wondering how you were gonna tie cinderella's missing slipper to Ai lossing some thing and how she was going to lose it, but I have to say, you did an phenomenal job in modifying and modern-ing it.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2012, 12:38:23 AM by xxkaori-kittyxx »

Offline XxRoByNxX78

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #124 on: April 02, 2012, 09:32:28 AM »
lol the stalker rangers sort of remind me of a mate of mine who is really obssesed with a girl in school that he spent 35 pound on chocolate alone on valentines day

so am gusseing takagaki

kamishige all though a hoping for tanashige lolz

as useall awsome writing and update quick !

Offline risa_ai

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #125 on: April 02, 2012, 12:45:50 PM »
I FREAKIN' LOVE YA SIS.

Offline rndmnwierd

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #126 on: April 02, 2012, 08:27:10 PM »
Oh Yay! Takagaki talk! I love Ai's escape, getting her earring stuck in the table cloth? Lols!

And Eri's distraction was awesome, too!

Seems like Taka and Gaki are pretty determined to meet again.

Offline Koei

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #127 on: April 03, 2012, 02:36:23 AM »
Woot!!! Chapter 5!!! This means!!! Comment time!!  :cow:

Well the backgrounds on all of them is completely awesome since you get to see how familiar they are to each other in the midst of all their differences...if that even makes sense...  :P

Ultra love the Ramenger's fan-girling over Ai and Eri taking control of that chance to help the monkey!! Its great to see sparks of their persona in the characters! You can truly imagine the situation.

Sayu's character!!! WOW!!! it's like truly out of a fairytale! she's so... umm... shall I deem it... well-developed?! It's like: you can feel her all the way (and no I don't mean in the land of dropping pant's way...or do I??)

Reina's character...mmm alongside JunJun she's quite the girl ain't she?!!?!?  :oops:

And of course who can forget the embodiment of the stories all mixed together!?!?!?!?! the ball, her running away, being kept apart from the things you wish the most, the responsibilities you take that are not yours to take... I'm liking...gome~ LOVING!!! this story as it progresses!!! keep it up!!!  ~Koei  :cow:

Offline Tian_Yuan

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #128 on: April 03, 2012, 05:33:18 PM »
Getting my Ai dosage of the day~ great chapter! I am surprised Sayu went along with Eri even though she knew she was faking... I would think she would have pestered Eri as to why she was faking... Just wondering @.@

Offline SarangAi

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #129 on: April 08, 2012, 06:54:04 AM »
@KirikomoriHime: lol it's okay!  a comment is good enough~  :D

@kawaii beam: lol sorry, i update late...  :nervous

@xxkaori-kittyxx: thank you!  I was thinking about letting her drop a cell phone but then i realized it's been done... lol  XD

@XxRoByNxX78: woah well that's a lot of chocolate....  :lol:

@risa_ai: lol *accepts love*  :D

@rndmnwierd: lol i know, but an earring wouldn't normally kinda fall out of someone's ear...  :lol:

@Koei: oh yay!  i'm glad you're liking it~~ I like working on character developing so it's nice to know I've succeeded in some aspects  :twothumbs

@Tian_Yuan: lol you can wonder... maybe she had a "oh what the hell" moment?  :P


Thanks for all the comments/thanks! :cow:

unfortunately, this isn't an update, but I figured I'll just reply to comments right now anyways while I have little time XD

I would actually be quite ahead in my writing right now, but I'm not...  :nervous

I'm on vacation right now so I'm like, a good day's worth of driving away from home.  (Not a fun road trip when you're the type to get carsick over a 15 minute drive)

But a lot is planned for the future!  Just gotta... write it....  :D

So please wait up~

avii&sig by the wonderful kawaii beam~!

Offline risa_ai

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #130 on: April 08, 2012, 06:59:02 AM »
I'm waiting~! XD BACK YET?! HELLOSH?! :p Take your time. :D *gives more love to saryu-chan*

Offline arisa03

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #131 on: April 08, 2012, 01:14:39 PM »
I haven't replied! OTL.

I see what you did theeereee. Don't worry Ai/Risa, you two will meet again since you two practically works on the same building. ho-ho ho-ho. That kameshige, I seeeee iitttt. By next chapter, I hope you'll be going back to the club for some ReiKa. XDDDD /hides under a barrel
Like I’m the most calm... Like, it must definitely be because, Like when we enter, I’ll be hurrying. But Because Junjun is older, I can calm down? I don’t really know, Like I just absolutely want her there beside me. Whenever we go abroad, if Junjun is absolutely not beside me, I absolutely won’t go. Something like that. -- Tanaka Reina about Junjun.

Offline Tian_Yuan

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 5 - (4/2)]
« Reply #132 on: April 08, 2012, 05:50:08 PM »
Have fun on your vacation! The weather seems good these days, so I hope it's also nice where you are  :)

And of course, we'll all be here waiting to see what you have in store  :D

Offline SarangAi

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 6 - (4/13)]
« Reply #133 on: April 13, 2012, 03:19:39 AM »
@risa_ai: mehehe thank you! XD

@arisa03: lol rule of fairy tale: there is no second ball.  :lol:

@Tian_Yuan: lol it was actually kinda cold because I was up north, and I'm a summer girl in the first place :nervous  but it wasn't bad~  :D


and i'm back~ :cow:

I gotta admit, it took me longer to pick a title than actually write it... lol XD

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 6 – “But the glass slipper did not fit the Stepsister”

   Risa rotated the small jewelry between her fingers, observing every angle and facet of it.  It was a simple earring with a hook and a tiny chain streaming down from it, connected to a small glass charm that was cut up into a diamond shape.  Although it looked like any common earring that could be found in a jewelry shop, the bean could not help but continuously stare at it, mesmerized by its clarity. 

   Why did she have to leave so quickly?  Just a little longer… just three more seconds and Risa would’ve been able to hear her name.  She must’ve had some sort of curfew… but was it so necessary to run out without a warning like that?  Would she even remember her?  Would she look for her?  Would she recall the name “Niigaki Risa”?  Or would she remember but just not care…?

   Whatever the case was, Risa knew she had to find her.  The fact that she wasn’t able to get any sleep last night because of recurring thoughts about the woman at the club definitely meant that she was hooked.  If she didn’t search for her, Risa knew she wouldn’t be able to hear the end of it.  The earring would be the key.  Through it, she would find the woman, remember her face, her voice, her smile, her actions, the way she danced and wrapped her arms around Risa’s waist…

   “Gaki-san!  Did you hear what I said?”

   Risa blinked as her eyes refocused on the earring in front of her and then her surroundings.  Her flatmate was staring at her with a half-frustrated, half-worried expression whilst seated across the table.  Her hair was ruffled up from just getting out of bed but her skin looked supple and clean from being washed.  She leaned over the table and repeated the words that Risa had missed.

   “I said, good morning, Gaki-san,” she said slowly.

   “Ah.  Un.  Ohayou, Aika,” the bean replied curtly.  “When did you get up?”

   “A while ago,” the younger girl said.  “I’ve been in the kitchen for a couple minutes too, but I don’t think you noticed.”

   “… Oh.”

   Risa made a guilty expression, smiling nervously at her friend as if to beg for forgiveness.  Aika raised an eyebrow before she sighed and leaned back in her chair.

   “Were you thinking about that woman you met last night again?” she asked.

   Risa smiled a little, nodding her head.  “You can tell?”

   “Well, you’ve been spacing out while clutching that earring like it’s the holy grail of something,” Aika grinned.  “She was really that attractive, huh?”

   “Oh gosh, Aika, you wouldn’t believe it,” Risa sighed, a dreamy look appearing on her face.  “She was sweet, funny, beautiful, a great dancer—”

   “Yeah, yeah, you already told me a thousand times last night,” Aika interrupted, rolling her eyes.  “Apparently, she was amazing enough to make you forget about your dear childhood friend at the club and ditch me for the rest of the night.”

   “Mou, I already apologized for that!” Risa moaned.  “Are you going to hold that against me forever?”

   “Don’t worry, I’m only teasing,” the younger girl laughed.  “I wasn’t mad in the first place anyway.  Besides, because you left me first, I got picked up by a woman who offered me a drink at the bar.”

   “Good, so you’re not really mad—wait, WHAT?”  Risa slammed the table as her mouth dropped open.  “You picked up by WHO and you drank WHAT?”

   Aika’s eyes opened wide as she gasped softly, realizing her slip of the tongue.  “Oops.”

   “Aika!” the bean scolded.  “I told you to stay away from alcohol!  You’re still underage!”

   “Don’t worry, I didn’t get caught!” the younger girl insisted.  “Nobody doubted my age.  Besides, I didn’t get drunk or anything; I only had a sip.”

   Risa groaned, unconvinced by her friend’s excuse.  “Mou, Aika!  What am I going to tell your parents…”

   “See, see, see, that’s the beauty of it, Gaki-san!” Aika said quickly, jumping at the chance to defend herself.  “My parents live in Shiga while we live all the way up here in Tokyo!  They won’t ever have to know!”

   “Aika—”

   “Please, please, pretty please?” the younger girl begged, pouting like a puppy with her hands clasped together.  “Let me off the hook, just this once!  I won’t ever drink irresponsibly again, I promise.”

   “… Oh, fine, just this once,” Risa finally said, sighing.  “I don’t have the time or the brain capacity to worry about your innocence right now anyway.”

   “… You’ve fallen hard, haven’t you?”

   “Ee?”  Risa looked up at her flatmate, who was peering at her with a knowing smile.  “I… I suppose… yeah.”  The bean blushed red after admitting her feelings and exhaled heavily.  “I just can’t get her out of my mind.  She’s all I’ve been able to think about since last night and… and I just have to find her.  There was this… thing between us at the club.  I don’t know what it was, but I could feel it and I know she felt it too.  This earring is all I have of her now, but I have to make the most of it and look for her.”

   Risa ran her fingers through her hair, wrinkling her expression as though in deep contemplation.  Aika gazed at her while chewing her lips, seeming to calculate something in her head.  Her older childhood friend had always watched out for her, taking part in solving her problems.  Perhaps this was one of those times where Aika had to take the babysitter role from the bean and help her out in a dilemma.  If she didn’t assist Risa, it seemed as though the older girl wouldn’t be able to function for at least a good week, maybe even a month.

   “Tell you what,” Aika said, grinning.  “Since you have work today while I don’t really have any plans, maybe I can take that earring and ask around a bit.  I can walk around the streets by the club and try looking for the owner.  I’ll think of it as my own solo tour of Tokyo.  How about it?”

   “Really?” Risa gasped, her face brightening.  “You would do that for me?”

   “Of course,” the younger girl laughed.  “For you, Gaki-san, this is definitely not a big deal.”

   “Arigatou, Aika!” Risa exclaimed, getting up and dashing towards her friend to hug her.  “You’re the best!  I could never live without you!”

   “Hey, you know I only want what’s best for you,” Aika grinned, hugging the bean back.  “And right now, if we don’t find this woman, I think you’re going to deteriorate to a zombie.”

   “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Risa laughed.  “Okay, so, you want to take the earring with you?”

   “Maybe you should hold on to that, in case you bump into her or something,” Aika suggested.  “I’ll take a picture of it to show people.”

   “Yeah, fat chance I’ll just coincidentally bump into her,” Risa scoffed, putting the earring down on the table as Aika took out her cell phone.

   “Hey, weirder things have happened,” the younger girl shrugged.  She aimed the lens at the earring and snapped a photo of it. “Just for reference, what does this woman look like?”

   “Um, short brown hair, she’s about my height... give or take a couple centimeters… oh, and she said she was 25 years old.”

   “Okay, I’ll keep those in mind.”  Aika put her cell phone away and stood up from her chair.  “I’ll just visit a couple shops down town and ask around.  I’ll do my part, so you better do yours and focus at work today, Gaki-san.”

   “Don’t worry, I won’t slack off at work—”  Risa gasped in realization.  “WORK!  I completely forgot; I have to leave now!  And it’s my first day too… Ugh, I’m such an idiot!”

   The bean grabbed the earring off the table and rushed back into her bedroom to change.  Aika just laughed at her usually calm friend’s break down and took her time in casually strolling into her own room to get ready for the day.

**  **  ** 

   Ai let out a deep sigh as she stared into space while leaning on a coat rack.  She slowly smiled as memories from the previous night crossed her mind again, bringing back images of the beautiful girl she had met on the dance floor.  Risa.  Niigaki Risa.  23 years old.  Risa.  The more she repeated the name, the more wonderful it sounded.  Risa.  Risa.  Risa.

   It was by an unfortunate turn of events, however, that Ai had to run out before midnight in order to steer clear of her stepsister’s wrath.  Just that moment alone, in which she had to leave the club while her turtle friend distracted the bunny only a couple feet away, had made Ai feel as though ten years had been cut out of her life.  Even worse, she had lost the earring that Eri had lent her in the process of escaping as well. 

   But the worst of all was that she had run out without exchanging contact information or a solid guarantee that she would meet Niigaki Risa again.  All Ai knew about her was her name and her age and that she has her own place and a job.  She wasn’t even sure what kind of job.  With so little information, how was she supposed to reunite with the mysterious woman?

   And the bigger question was, did Niigaki Risa even want to see Ai again?  And did Ai want to see Niigaki Risa again?  The older woman had thought the answer was a definite yes to the second one but after further thought, she realized there was a problem: Niigaki Risa didn’t know who she was.  To her, Ai may as well be some mysterious woman in red and black who is the essence of beauty and seduction.  But reality was not so, since Ai was actually just a worker in a small clothing boutique and a part-time janitor.  She was not the most attractive woman in the world, and definitely not the most sophisticated.  So if they were to meet again, outside of the club, while Ai was just being her painfully-average self instead of a glamorously transformed lady, would Niigaki Risa be disappointed?  Did Ai want to risk that?

   “Ai-chan, I pay you to work, not to daydream!”

   Ai gasped as she quickly pulled her weight away from the coat rack she had been leaning against and turned to her employer.  A dress on a hanger fell off the rack in the process and the turtle quickly bent down to pick it up before her friend could.  Embarrassed, Ai bowed her head a little in apology.

   “Gomene, Eri,” she sighed.  “I guess I just kind of spaced out for a moment there…”

   “It’s fine, I’m only teasing,” Eri grinned, hanging the dress back on the rack.  “I know exactly what you’re thinking about right now anyway.”

   Ai raised an eyebrow.  “You do?”

   “Ni.  I.  Ga.  Ki.  Ri.  Sa.”  The turtle leaned in closer to her friend’s face with each syllable with a smirk.  “That woman you met at the club, right?  From the looks of your texts last night, it seems like you really like her.”

   “N-not particularly,” Ai mumbled, her cheeks starting to feel a little warm.  “I mean… I’m interested, yeah, but… we’re probably not going to be able to see each other again…”

   “Why not?” Eri asked, tilting her head towards one side.  “I think it’d be nice for you to see her again.  Who knows, maybe this is the start of a little… something-something?”

   “I doubt it,” Ai laughed.  “We barely know each other.  What are the chances of us meeting again in a city as big as Tokyo?”

   “Hey, you never know,” the turtle said, throwing her arms out and twirling around.  “Anything is possible if you just believe~”

   “You’re making it sound like some sort of fairy tale,” Ai sighed.

   “Fairy tales are based off of what’s real life anyway,” Eri pointed out.

   “Well, my life hasn’t exactly been a magical fairy tale,” the older girl grinned.  “It’s fine though, really; whatever happens, happens.  I’m just going to treat it like another nice moment in my life that I can just treasure as a good memory.  The only thing I regret is losing your earring…”

   Ai reached into her back pocket and pulled out the crystal charm jewelry and held it out to the turtle.  But Eri shook her head and took a step back.

   “It’s okay, Ai-chan,” she assured.  “I was thinking about giving it to you anyway; it suited you really well.  If you ever find the other earring, it’s yours to keep.”

   “Really?  Is that okay?”

   “Un!  Daijoubu~”

   Ai slowly smiled as she reached out and embraced her friend.  “Arigatou, Eri!  It’ll be a souvenir, to remind me of the night I… broke a couple rules.”

   “Oh yes, you disobeyed your baby stepsister and went to a club for the first time in years,” the turtle said sarcastically, pulling away from the older girl’s tight hold.  “What a rebel you are, Ai-chan.”

   The older girl chuckled at her friend’s comment before she held up the earring to the light coming through the glass wall at the front of the store.  Smiling at her friend’s marvel at the jewelry, Eri skipped towards the other side of the store to straighten up a pile of folded clothes.  Shortly after, the two women heard the chime of the store door opening.  They both turned habitually towards the entrance and bowed.

   “Irasshaimase—”

   “Relax, it’s just me.”

   Ai and Eri looked up at the familiar voice to see a black-haired girl they both knew all too well.  Her hair was in waves today and she was wearing a pink flowery spring dress.  She had a small purse in her hand along with a small paper bag. 

   “Sayu!” Ai called, surprised by the sudden visit.  “What are you doing here?”

   “What, am I not allowed to shop here?” Sayumi said in her usual cold tone.

   “Of course you’re allowed,” Eri chuckled.  “But you rarely buy things here anyway.  Don’t you go more for brand name stuff than boutique clothes like Tresor’s?”

   “Well maybe I felt like buying something here today,” Sayumi spat out.  She marched straight into the store and placed her things on the counter and twirled around.  Ai and Eri secretly eyed each other and shrugged.  The bunny’s gaze landed on the object in her older sister’s hand.

   “What’s do you have there, Onee-chan?” she questioned.

   “Huh?”  Ai looked down at her own hand and realized she was still holding onto the earring.  “Oh!  This!  Um, it’s nothing important.” 

   She quickly shoved it back in her pocket and glanced at the turtle, who was chewing furiously on her bottom lip.  Neither of them wished to explain to black-haired girl that the earring was something Ai wore the previous night to the club that Sayumi had specifically forbidden her from visiting. 

   The bunny raised an eyebrow at the two older girls’ strange behaviors, after having caught the slight glimmer of a crystal jewelry in the spit second it was revealed to her.  What was so incredible about an earring that she wasn’t supposed to know about?

   “Nee, Sayu,” Eri called out, attempting to change the topic, “what’s in the bag?”  She skittered towards the counter and stood on her toes to look into the paper bag that the bunny had brought in.  “Is it food?”

   “It’s bread and coffee,” the younger girl answered.  “I just happened to pass by a bakery.  They looked good, so I bought some.”

   She reached in to the paper bag and took out a couple of melon breads and red bean breads.  She then took out a large silver thermos as well with paper cups.  At this point, Ai had approached the counter as well, almost drooling at the sight of the delicacies. 

   “Oishii sou…” she mumbled.  “They look really good…”

   “You can have some, if you want,” Sayumi said, nonchalantly.  “You didn’t have time for breakfast this morning so… if you’re hungry, you can eat it.  I don’t care.”

   “Ahh!” Eri exclaimed, a huge grin appearing on her face as she pointed at the bunny.  “You purposely brought these for Ai-chan, didn’t you Sayumin?  Because you knew she didn’t have breakfast this morning!”

   “B-baka!  It’s not like that!” Sayumi denied, her cheeks blushing in either fury or embarrassment.  “I told you, I just happened to pass by a bakery; it wasn’t on purpose!”

   “Oh yeah?” Eri smirked.  “Then how come the coffee is in your thermos?  This means it was made at home, wasn’t it?”

   “… S-so what if it was?” Sayumi scoffed.  “I was making coffee for myself and I made more than I needed… so I packed it.  They’re just leftovers.”

   “Okay, okay, that’s enough, both of you,” Ai laughed.  “Sayu, thanks for thinking of bringing these in; like you said, I didn’t eat breakfast today, so I was getting a little hungry.  Arigatou.”

   “It’s not like I did it for you, anyway…” the bunny muttered. 

   “I’m grateful, too, Sayu,” Eri grinned, pretending not to notice the quick glare from the younger girl.  “Caffeine is the life of any employed worker, right?”

   The two older girls then opened the thermos and started to pour the coffee into the paper cups.  Ai pushed a cup with the hot liquid to her sister with a smile, allowing Sayumi to drop her scowl a little and receive the offer.  Eri took a sip of her coffee and let out a low satisfied sigh, encouraging the other two girls to do the same.  Then, Ai reached over and grabbed one of the melon breads, sealed in a plastic wrap, and took careful care in opening it.  She took a hearty bite and chewed, smiling as the sweet flavor triggered her taste buds.

   “Umai~” she commented aloud, taking another bite.  “You were right, Sayu, these are good.  Thanks again.”

   Sayumi let out a low grunt in acknowledgement before sipping her coffee again.  She watched her stepsister munch down the bread eagerly, sipping the coffee after every other bite.  She seemed rather happy to finally get food in her stomach, which made the bunny decide that she made the right choice in bringing food to Tresor today.

   “AHHH!”  Eri suddenly screamed aloud before starting to whine.  “Mou~ Yada~!”

   The stepsiblings quickly looked at the turtle, who was holding an empty paper cup away from her body while she stood frozen.  A streak of brown was visible on her pink blouse, starting from her stomach and running down to her waist line.  Sayumi merely blinked at the incident, mumbling something about how Eri really was an airhead to have spilled coffee all over herself, while Ai quickly dashed forward to her friend with a tissue box she spontaneously grabbed from under the counter.

   “Thanks, Ai-chan, but tissues won’t do any good,” Eri groaned, watching her friend attempt to blot the stain out of her shirt.  “And this was a new blouse, too…”

   “Maybe it’ll come out if we wash I it right now,” Ai suggested.  “Come on, I’ll help you.”  She quickly pulled her friend towards the back doorway that was covered with a dark curtain, which led to the stairs that connected to the turtle’s personal flat above the store.  “Sayu, would you please mind the store for a while?  We’ll be right back.”

   “Eh?!”  Sayumi’s eyes widened in panic as she blinked a couple times.  She had never worked before in her life, and now her sister was asking her to mind a store?  Even if it was only for a short period of time, the bunny didn’t know if she had the resources to do that.  She furiously shook her head and looked to Eri for rescuing.  However, either because she didn’t notice Sayumi’s desperation or because she decided to ignore it, the turtle only replied with a sweet smile.

   “If someone comes in, just say ‘Irasshaimase’ and be pleasant,” she advised.

   Before Sayumi could protest further, the two older girls disappeared behind the curtain.  The bunny huffed as she unconsciously leaned against the counter, badly in need of support.  How could they actually leave her hear alone?  Michishige Sayumi?  Working?  Those were two things that just didn’t go well together.  It was like wearing brown with purple or something like that.  Major clashing.

   Coming to the conclusion that she definitely would not be able to hold the fort down, Sayumi dashed towards the curtains.  But before she could push it open, a jingle sounded at the store entrance.  Gasping, the black-haired girl turned around and spoke out the words that she had been taught to say.

   “I-irasshaimase…!”

   The costumer that entered the store nodded at the welcome before her eyes were drawn away to some of the mannequins that decorated the front of the store and the dresses that were hanging on the walls for display.  The girl had short brown hair that was partially pulled back and she wore a large Mickey-Mouse t-shirt with leggings and sneakers.  She didn’t look so much younger than the bunny herself. 

   Then, gasping as if she remembered something that she had forgotten, the girl marched straight towards the counter where Sayumi stood frozen.  The bunny felt her body stiffen even more, if that was possible, as she braced herself for some sort of business-related question that she would not be able to answer.

   “Sumimasen,” the girl said, her voice surprisingly low-pitched for her age.  “I was wondering… if you had any idea who this belonged to, perhaps?”

   The girl held up a lit screen on her cell phone, presenting a picture of a crystal shaped earring.  Sayumi squinted a little before she blinked, recognizing the jewel.  She could swear that it was the exact same one that her stepsister had been holding, the one that she tried to hide from her.  But how did this costumer have a picture of it…?

   “I’m sorry, I know it’s a weird question,” the girl laughed, noticing the confusion on Sayumi’s face.  “It’s just something that was lost that my friend happened to pick up.  It looked rather precious so I’ve been trying to find the owner of it.”

   The bunny wrinkled her face again, staring at the picture of the earring.  The more she looked at it, the surer she became that it was definitely the one Ai had been holding before.  But it was odd that she didn’t recognize it as Ai’s belonging; she knew her stepsister didn’t own much jewelry in the first place, and this was definitely not hers.  So was it Eri’s?  Perhaps she was just admiring it before.  But then she put it into her own pocket…

   Either way, Sayumi decided that she could pass the earring on to one of them.  She could possibly even use it to discover what is so secretive about it.  She didn’t like being kept in the dark about her stepsister’s business.  Deciding on this plan, Sayumi held out her hand in a demanding manner. 

   “It’s mine,” she claimed.  “Please give return it to me.”

   “… It’s yours?” 

   The girl raised an eyebrow as she scrutinized at the bunny.  Sayumi nodded in response and pushed her hand forward again.  After a long staring contest, the girl let out a small laugh, like a scoff or a dry chuckle, and snapped her cell phone shut.  She looked up at the black-haired girl with a cynical smile; Sayumi returned the gaze by narrowing her eyes, unable to grasp the situation.

   “Pardon my manners, Ojou-san,” the girl said, an icy edge in her voice, “but you’re a terrible liar.”

   Sayumi’s hand dropped to her side as she blinked repeatedly in disbelief.  “W-what…?”

   “I said, you’re a terrible liar,” the girl repeated, the dry smile still plastered on her face with cold eyes.  “Forget lying.  You just seem like a low person all around.”

   “… Excuse me?”  Sayumi started to feel her body tremble with anger as she clenched her fist tightly to get a hold of herself.

   “I mean, honestly,” the girl continued, “was this single earring so tempting that you had to lie about being owner of it?  That’s low, Ojou-san.”

   “I… I wasn’t lying—”

   “Oh please.  Your appearance is completely different from the one I heard about the real owner: you’re too tall and your hair is too long.  Besides, you don’t seem the type to wear this kind of earring anyway.”

   “How dare you—”

   “And even if you were the owner,” the girl said, unwilling to take a step back, “your first course of action should’ve been to thank me for finding your belonging, not demand back like I was the one who stole it.”  She then muttered to herself, “If you were the one Gaki-san fell for… I would beat her over the head.”

   Sayumi exhaled sharply, shocked by the way she had been treated.  Nobody had ever spoken to her like that in her entire life.  How dare this girl show her such rudeness?

   “Well, since you’re not the one I’m looking for, I’ll be taking my leave now.”  The girl smiled sweetly at the fuming bunny before she walked back towards the exit.  As she opened the door to leave, she turned around one more time.  “Oh, and Ojou-san… don’t lie again.  You really are terrible at it.”

   As the door jingled shut, Sayumi stood in place, staring in to space, too enraged to do anything else but to continuously puff out air in disbelief.  How dare that girl ridicule her that way!  The Michishige Sayumi who had gotten whatever she wanted since she was born!  As she continued to vent out her fury through heavy breathing, it wasn’t until she heard a commotion behind her that she slowly came back to her senses. 

   “Sayu, did we just get a costumer?” Eri asked.  “Was she just looking?”  She placed a hand gently on the bunny but it was quickly pushed away angrily.  “S-Sayu…?”

   “Sayu, what’s wrong?” Ai questioned, sensing that something was off.  “What happened?” 

   The bunny furiously whipped around and glared at the two older girls.  She saw that Eri was now wearing a clean shirt and that her sister had a concerned expression on.  Her eyes immediately went to Ai’s pocket, which she was sure held the earring and the secret that she was not being told.  Feeling the frustration pile up inside her, Sayumi finally raged aloud.

   “I can’t believe you would receive such rude people into your store!” she shrieked.  “I hate this place!”

   Without another moment’s notice, Sayumi quickly grabbed her purse off the counter and stomped out of the store, leaving her stepsister and friend to stare at her in shock and confusion at a loss of words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and the fairy tale continues~  :twothumbs

 :byebye:

avii&sig by the wonderful kawaii beam~!

Offline Tian_Yuan

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 6 - (4/13)]
« Reply #134 on: April 13, 2012, 03:47:22 AM »
Oh that was awesome! Aika schooled Sayu~ and Sayu was just too cute  :oops:

Finally figured out I can subscribe to forum threads, so I was excited to see an update in my email just now  :w00t:

Keep up the great work, and I hope Risa runs into Ai at work soon  :peace:

Offline risa_ai

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 6 - (4/13)]
« Reply #135 on: April 13, 2012, 09:17:33 AM »
Exactly like cinderella! Prince gaki! Wonderful prince gaki! Me want MORE!
Wait, I realised the earring belonged to eri. Then ai has it now. Oh my gah.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2012, 03:17:10 AM by risa_ai »

Offline rndmnwierd

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 6 - (4/13)]
« Reply #136 on: April 13, 2012, 09:35:24 AM »
Oh my lols! Takagaki spacing out is so cute, but Aika pwning Sayu just made my day.

Offline XxRoByNxX78

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 6 - (4/13)]
« Reply #137 on: April 13, 2012, 02:30:35 PM »
Akie just TOLD SAYU !!!


Offline Shiawase_Honoo

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 6 - (4/13)]
« Reply #138 on: April 13, 2012, 03:13:25 PM »
You made my hotest day (of summer in Thailand) to be great! :inlove:
I can imagine Aika's face when she speak like that :lol:

Offline arisa03

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Re: Juliet and Cinderella ~ [UPDATE - Chapter 6 - (4/13)]
« Reply #139 on: April 14, 2012, 04:23:59 AM »
omfg Aika is the kween -/shot. LOL So coool. But she needs to go back there, GO BACK THEEEEREE! ; A ;!! But oh damn, Aika, you're so cool. While Eri needs to comfort a certain Sayu. LOL

And yeah, Sayu you suck at lying. Totally tsundere. LOL
Like I’m the most calm... Like, it must definitely be because, Like when we enter, I’ll be hurrying. But Because Junjun is older, I can calm down? I don’t really know, Like I just absolutely want her there beside me. Whenever we go abroad, if Junjun is absolutely not beside me, I absolutely won’t go. Something like that. -- Tanaka Reina about Junjun.

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