HO! UPDATE!
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Chapter 14 “Come in and make yourself comfortable,” Reina said, taking off her shoes and stepping into her home.
Eri quickly followed suit and started to look around the quiet house. Everything was very plain;
too plain. The walls were pure white with no decorations or pictures whatsoever. Reina turned right into the kitchen, which was also covered with white paint. It was better than the hallway though, since the wooden cabinets gave some variety in the color scheme.
“Shitsureshimasu…” Eri called out carefully.
“You don’t need to say that,” Reina laughed. “There’s no one here.”
“What about your family?” the turtle asked.
“They live somewhere else,” the kitty answered nonchalantly. “I live here alone so I can go to Morning Gakuen. It’s nearer.”
“Really?” Eri questioned. “I live alone too. My parents moved to Yokohama, but I didn’t want to leave Haro Kotogakko.”
“What a coincidence,” Reina smiled as she put the teapot on the stove. “But I think I’m in a slightly different situation than you.”
Before Eri could ask why, the shorter girl started to busily open and close the cabinets in search of the tea bags and cups. She took them out and placed them on the counter before she turned to the turtle, who was standing by the kitchen door.
“I’m going to go upstairs and change,” she announced, referring to her school uniform. “The water is heating, so you can wait in the living room.”
As the kitty skittered up to the second floor, the turtle made herself comfortable on the living room couch. Practically everything was white in this house, except for the TV and the glass coffee table. There seemed to be no hint of color anywhere. Reina always seemed so fashionable; this was not what Eri had expected at all.
Eri took off her cap and placed it on the table in front of her. Only then, she finally noticed a picture frame knocked over next to her cap. She picked it up carefully and set it upright, and started to look at the photo. It was a family portrait; there was a solemn-looking man in the back wearing a black suit. Next to him was a pretty-looking lady wearing a kimono, smiling at the camera. In front of the two parents was a small toddler, wearing a one piece dress while holding a teddy bear, flashing a toothy smile.
“That’s when I was seven,” a voice explained, causing the turtle to jump. “It was right before I entered elementary school.”
Reina walked over to the couch and sat down while placing two mugs of tea on the table. She was now wearing a beige knit shirt that fit snugly on her body with a tan mini skirt and knee-length socks.
“It seems to be the only picture in your house,” Eri said. “Why?”
“You have sharp eyes, pretty boy,” the kitty smiled. “Kind of surprising; I always thought you were the aho type.”
“I’m not even insulted by that anymore; I hear it too many times a day… oh wait.” As the turtle slowly realized that she had just dissed herself, Reina burst into giggles.
“I knew my impression of you was right,” she smirked, taking a sip of her tea. “It’s okay though; I kind of like it.”
Eri blushed as she stared into the family picture for a couple more seconds. The man in the back seemed so serious compared to the beautiful lady beside him.
“Is that your father?” Eri asked.
“Yeah, that’s him,” Reina answered, sighing. “Papa looks real serious there… but he’s actually a nice man. He loved Mama very much.”
Eri was a little surprised by how the kitty referred to her parents; she seemed too much of a cool type to say “Mama” or “Papa”.
“Loved?” the turtle questioned, accenting the past tense of the word.
“Mama passed away a couple years back,” Reina said quietly.
“… I’m sorry,” Eri whispered.
“It’s okay,” the petit girl sighed, sipping her tea. “It was hard back then… it was harder on Papa though. I don’t deserve the pity.”
“Why would you say that?”
“… I’ve been a very bad person, Eri,” Reina said after hesitating for a while. “I’ve been a bad girl, a bad student, a bad daughter.”
“Don’t say that,” the turtle disagreed. “I don’t know what you did in the past, but don’t beat yourself over it.”
What’s with everyone and the concept of being a bad person these days? “No, it’s different with me,” the ex-yankii denied, shaking her head. “You… do you remember when I told you that I think my case in living alone is different from your case?”
“Yes…?”
“In your situation, you’re living here because you argued with your parents who wanted to take you along with them. In my situation… it’s more like I got kicked out.”
“Why?”
“…Because I’m the one who killed Mama.”
Reina turned away and bit down on her lips, trying to hold the tears back. She paused for a while, wondering if she was doing the right thing by telling this boy her story. Eri sat and waited patiently, giving the kitty a choice in whether she wanted to continue or not. Finally, Reina sighed and met eyes with the turtle next to her.
“I used to be a delinquent,” she confessed. “A Fukuoka yankii, if you will. I would cut school, go to clubs, smoke… and anything else that might be illegal for underage people…”
Reina stopped for a while and examined Eri’s face, who kept a firm mask on to reveal no emotions. Deciding that she wasn’t being judged, the kitty continued.
“To make a long story short, I got caught by the police once. Mama was on her way to pick me up, and got into a car accident. She died then and there. Papa may be a workaholic and a solemn man, but he truly loved Mama, and he was really upset. He suggested that I go to a private school in Tokyo, even though there were private schools in Fukuoka too. He never blamed me directly, but I know he loathes me for what I did to Mama. I guess we both just needed to get away from each other for a while. So for the first time in my life, I obeyed him without any complaints.”
“… Do you talk to your father now?” Eri asked carefully.
“Rarely,” Reina answered, gulping some more of the tea down to calm herself. “We phone each other once in a while, about the house fees and stuff. He pays for all of my expenses; I guess I’m kind of a rich girl. But I was never the princess type. I was never who Mama wanted me to be.”
The ex-yankii laughed softly as she rubbed her temples. Eri watched the girl next to her, who was trying not to break down. She thought about what she had just heard, and tried to organize the information. Reina had been a yankii. She blames herself for her mother’s death. Her father apparently blames her too, which is why he sent her to Tokyo to live by herself…
“You love them,” Eri smiled.
“What?” Reina asked, confused.
“Your parents,” Eri rephrased. “You love them.”
“… Do I?”
“If you were such a bad daughter and a delinquent, like you keep making yourself out to be,” the turtle explained, “you wouldn’t be beating yourself over such family complications right now. You loved your mother. So you want forgiveness.”
“… Do I?” Reina asked again, in all sincerity.
“From the way I see it,” Eri continued, “you and your father are avoiding the subject of your mother altogether. You have to talk to him about it.”
“… I don’t know,” the kitty hesitated. “I don’t deserve to…”
“You have to face him someday,” Eri smiled warmly, “because you love your Papa too. As much as you loved your Mama.”
Reina stared at the boy next to her; he had such a gentle expression, that it comforted the kitty just by looking him. She smiled a little as she put her tea mug down and leaned her head against the couch. She turned sideways and continued to look at the turtle.
“Thanks, Eri,” she said. “It helps just to know that someone cares. It’s funny how I can say all this to you right now; only my closest friends know about my past.”
“I’m glad to be in on your secret then,” Eri grinned, truly happy that this girl had confided in her. She was glad that she could see a different side to Reina.
“It doesn’t seem to even bother you that I used to be a delinquent,” the kitty smirked, slowly reverting to her original character. “Or that I used to smoke… Who knows? Maybe I even did some drug dealing.”
“Did you?” Eri asked, her eyes widening.
“No,” Reina laughed. “I wasn’t crazy enough to do that. I just got… violent, at times.”
“It’s okay,” Eri smiled. “All that matters to me is the you right now.”
“… Like I said,” the kitty grinned, “you’re a real aho.”
“But you like that part of me,” Eri said back.
“You’re right,” Reina laughed, entertained by the turtle’s wit. “I do like that part of you.”
“That’s good,” Eri grinned. “I like you too.”
Reina’s head suddenly shot up from the couch as she sat up straight. She smirked and narrowed her eyes. Eri could practically feel the kitty’s teasing coming on… whatever it was about.
“Was that a confession?” Reina giggled. “You
like me?”
“Huh?” Eri mumbled, blushing. “I, uh… um… that’s, uh…”
“Gotcha,” the ex-yankii laughed. “Relax, pretty boy, I was just kidding.”
“… Well, I wasn’t!” Eri yelled, suddenly feeling brave. Who was she trying to kid? Her feelings had never been as clear as this moment. She had to go ahead and make a move! “I… I do like you, Reina. Not as a friend… as a girl.”
The petit girl froze in her spot as her eyes grew wide. She exhaled sharply before her hands went up to cover her mouth. She was actually blushing! Eri couldn’t help but laugh at the kitty’s sudden character change; from the bold teenage queen to the shy embarrassed girl.
“Don’t laugh!” Reina yelled. “I… I don’t know if I should be happy, or…” She paused again, before she finally put her hands down. She looked up and stared straight into Eri’s eyes. “Do you mind if I try something?”
“By all means,” Eri said.
Slowly, Reina inched closer and closer to the “boy” until she was practically on “his” lap. She slowly reached up and placed her hands on Eri’s shoulders, and started to crane her neck up. She leaned in closer and closer until her lips were only an inch away from Eri’s before she stopped, still unsure of her actions. Unable to take the wait, Eri just leaned in herself to kiss the lips of the girl she loved. Reina quickly backed away, but only slightly.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, thinking she had done wrong.
“No, don’t be,” Eri quickly whispered.
She leaned in again, this time while cupping Reina’s cheek. She wound her other arm around the small girl’s waist. Her lips worked slowly against the kitten’s mouth, who started to loosen up more from her stiffness. Reina wrapped her arms around Eri’s neck and pulled herself closer to her, eager to feel more intimacy. She slowly parted her lips to catch some air, but Eri took the advantage to snake her tongue in. The ex-yankii moaned softly as she felt her mouth being explored by the new flavor. But the intruder left through the lips all too soon, leaving Reina breathing hard.
“Well?” Eri asked, who was also struggling a little to catch some oxygen.
“It feels so wrong…” Reina answered, “yet so right.”
“Um, care to explain?” the turtle smiled nervously.
“It’s wrong because you’re too good to someone like me,” she chuckled. “But it’s right because I know how much I want to be with you… how I feel so much at home when I’m with you.”
“Then don’t think anymore,” Eri insisted. “You belong with me, and I belong with you. Isn’t it much easier that way?”
“That’s so like you to just make it simple as possible,” Reina laughed.
“So…” Eri hesitated, “does this mean we’re going out now?”
The kitten burst into giggles once more. She placed a quick peck on the turtle’s lips and smiled.
“Yeah,” she grinned, a hint of pink returning to her cheeks. “It does.”
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ps- @HARUKA: yeah, you totally smelled it
pps- I think the more I'm writing this, I slowly start to forget the fact that Eris is a girl.. ^^;
Oh yeah~
Topic: Chigatte mo Iin da yo! ~Mainly TanaKame, TakaGaki~ [FINALE - Ch. 93 - (1/30)] (Read 409169 times)