Would have updated earlier but the chapters gets longer with every updates. Not sure if that's a good thing

So here's Part 1 first (though it's more of an explanatory chapter

)
But first...comment replies yay!

@
22 - Oh you remember! I was worried that people might forget the storyline

@
Stefy - Actually she did bump into someone. That's why she's grumpy when they met up. Just that I'm too lazy to put that in the story. Maybe later? Yeah Reina likes Eri but she's too dense and walled up to know it

Koharu? Hmm....
@
C - I always feel that when you lose something/someone dear to you, you'll react in 2 ways: watch passively as they move further from you or fight for it. Aika just made her choice of action, thus her possessiveness. No worry about about the perv. It's just a little extra to the story. Nothing big unless you want to read sthg about TakaGaki's 1st time

Doesn't affect the story in any way. But you can go to the ecchi section if you want to read it. As for the pairing, you'll see

@
Trey-Trey 
- You have been re-reading? Aww thankew *blushes* I'm trying to write faster but there's too much drama here that it's getting harder to write

Need to write/read sthg happy for a change

How about updating your TanaShige one-shot? That will make me very very very happy. Pleeeeeease? *puppy eyes*
@
Stinky (sorry can't help myself

) - Prince charming Jun2?

You might just be right

Glad you caught the clues (don't want diaper? How about a pacifier as a reward?

)
@
Lil k 
-
Eri stood in the shadow, paralysed by the heated conversation that just took place on the other side of the thin wall.
Ya know, this actually made me laugh the first time I saw it. Yeah I got weird sense of humour
@
Hammy - SayuJun pairing? Hmm dunno. I don't really like JJ so I might kill her later after she expires her usefulness

Just kidding

Aika acting a little psychotic with a creepy smile? Hmm...I like that! And Reina
will tell Aika to buzz off

And ooooh I notice Ai wearing the pinkie ring again. Maybe the bean has a similar couple ring?

Ya never know...
Chapter 13 (Part 1)“I’m still hungry~” Reina wailed as she peeked into the refrigerator, “Where are the eggs? And the bacon? And the chocolate pudding?”
Eri giggled at the childish Reina. “Thought you just had a bowl of cereal?”
“But that’s baby food! I’m a growing child, you know. A growing child!” Reina stood on her tiptoe to emphasize her point.
“Yup I can see that” Reina stuck her tongue out at the laughing Eri, nudging the taller girl to stop laughing. And it worked.
Eri flinched momentarily at the short skin contact before putting the cereal box back into the cupboard. She then moved to the end of the counter, putting a distance between Reina and her. Reina raised her eyebrows at the sudden change of mood, but thought nothing of it.
“So where’s Aika?” Eri asked.
“On the first train back to Fukuoka. She said something about having to go back to her office before going home for Christmas for a few days.” Reina continued to rummage through the fridge, looking for something edible enough to eat.
“I see...”
“So...shall we continue part 2 of our shopping trip after I knock off from work later? I still haven’t gotten any Christmas gift for Ai-chan.” Reina smiled gleefully at the treasure she found in the fridge; a pre-cooked yakiniku.
“Sorry Reina, I have to look for Sayu later. To clear up the misunderstanding?”
“Oh....hmm okay then.”
Reina made her way to the counter end where the microwave is, near the spot Eri was standing. To her surprised, Eri moved away. It was as if Eri was trying to put Reina at arm’s length, to minimise any closeness between them. Reina was now fairly certain that Eri was avoiding her. Reina wondered the reason to Eri’s sudden strange behaviour.
Eri left Reina alone in the kitchen and made her way to the transparent tank in the living room, where two reptilians lazed around, ignorant of the happenings of the world. Dropping some turtle food into the tank, Reina’s words kept playing in her mind like a broken record.
“There’s no way in a thousand years that’s gonna happen.”
“You make it sound as if I’m in love with her.”Eri swallowed the lump forming in her throat and took a deep breath in her shaky attempt to stop herself from crying. Though she knew full well that Reina does not like her in that way, hearing those words coming from Reina do not make the hurt any lesser. Eri knew she should not harbour any special feelings towards Reina, not when her own best friend has a massive crush on her housemate.
It never meant to happen. But it did.
Eri took a sip from her glass of milk as she watched Reina talked animatedly about the album of the Korean boy band that she bought that afternoon. She shared about the fun she had at the band’s concert that she went with Sayu. Eri could not help but feel a tinge of jealousy when Reina spoke about Sayu. While she knew that she should not enter into the equation between Sayu and Reina, she had wished that it was her who brought back Reina’s smile.
Her thought brought her back to Sayu. Eri had insisted that Reina go shopping with her so that Reina could get a Christmas gift for Sayu. Eri knew nothing would make Sayu happier this Christmas than to receive a gift from Reina.
She picked up Reina’s gift for Sayu from the stack of shopping on the table but changed her mind when she saw a small pink packaging among the stack. She didn’t recall seeing Reina buying whatever that thing is. A small card pasted on the packaging read her name.
“Hey give me that!” Reina yelped, trying to grab the small box back.
“Don’t wanna. You’re going to give me this anyway. Why not now?” Eri tried to get away from Reina, though unsuccessfully.
“It’s supposed to be your birthday gift surprise. So wait for your birthday, you aho.” Reina tried to grab the gift back from Eri. Since her hands are shorter than Eri’s, it seems like a foolish attempt.
“Wait, you remember my birthday?” Eri asked, surprised by the fact that Reina had actually bothered to remember.
Taking the distraction as an opportunity, Reina tackled Eri down and tried to seize back the gift that Eri has somehow managed to hide behind her back.
Before Eri could realise the awkward position they were in, the front door opened and she saw Sayu standing behind Aika. The door closed almost immediately. Grinning sheepishly, Reina got off Eri and help her up, before proceeding to open the door for Aika and Sayu who were still standing dumfounded outside.How did things go so wrong?
Eri felt a lone tear dropped onto her hand as she watched Eric and Elizabeth crawling towards their food.
“You will miss me...right?”
Remembering the text message she received the night before, she sighed, knowing that she had procrastinated long enough. Pressing those familiar numbers, she waited for the person on the line to answer.
“Hello...Mummy?”
~~~
Reina
tched; not sure whether to be amused or irritated by the excessive attention shown by her best friend. This is the
nth text messages she received from Aika since that girl left for home this morning. As much as she appreciates the concern the girl has showered on her, Reina believes she is old enough to take care of herself.
Her thoughts then wandered to Eri and her strange behaviour this morning. It felt to Reina that Eri was trying to put more than physical distance between them. Was it because of the previous night’s incident? It should not be since
nothing happened last night. At least that’s what she felt.
A ringing bell at the door alert Reina of a customer entering the shop. Reina decides to push the issue to the back of her mind. Since there doesn’t seem to be any problem, it is not worth mulling about. She’s better off concentrating on her job right now.
Maybe she’ll just continue her shopping alone later.
~~~
Ai came out of the bathroom shivering from the cold. Slightly regretting turning down Risa’s offer to bath together, she is proud of herself for being firm in her decision despite Risa’s cute pouts. That’s not to say that there weren’t any cracks in her resolution. But a girl has to set a good example in front of her “sister-in-law”. She slowly makes her way to Risa’s room when she heard Airi calling her quietly.
“Psst! Ai-san! Over here”
“Airi? Why are you whispering?” There was nobody but the two of them in the house, save for Risa who was bathing.
“Shhhhh. Come in.”
Ai entered Airi’s room, wondering why Airi was being so secretive. Airi patted the spot on bed next to her, hugging a hardcover album. Taking the hint, Ai sat quietly, watching Airi opening the album and showing her the family photographs. One photo did catch her attention as she gazed at the picture of a little girl with black marker smudges on the face.
“She’s ugly, isn’t she?” Airi giggled.
“Un...She is,” Ai laughed, gently thumbing the image of a chubby girl in the photo as she stared lovingly at the picture. “She definitely is”
“Mum drew those on her face. But don’t ask why though.”
“Why do I get the feeling that I don’t want to know why?” Ai nudged Airi, eliciting more giggling from the girl.
“Ne Ai-san. Do you really care for my sister?”
Ai blinked, surprised at the sudden question, especially with Airi’s serious expression fixed intently at her, but quickly recovered and answered determinedly. “More than anything else in the world.”
“Then promise me you’ll never make her sad. She’s the most beautiful and the best sister I have in the world.”
“She’s the only sister you have in the world,” Ai corrected Airi in amusement, “But I promise.”
“Pinkie promise?” Airi held up her pinkie. Ai chuckled, but placed her pinkie against Airi’s.
“Pinkie promise.”
The pledge made, the girls continued flipping through the album whilst making small talk. Their conversation soon lead them to Airi and the mysterious girl.
“So tell me about that tall girl.”
“Who?” Airi would have successfully feigned ignorance, if not for the deep blush tinting her face.
“Aww come on, you know who I’m talking about. Introduce her to us.”
Airi nodded. They heard a soft knock on the door and Risa entered the room.
“What are you girls doing here? You are not trying to steal my girlfriend, are you Airi?” Risa joked.
“I was, but you have to come and ruin the moment.” Airi snickered, winking at Ai.
“Hmph very funny. Okay, time for bed babies.”
~~~

~~~
And I shalt retire to bed myself
