@LovelyGaki: maybe~
@sapphire: omg it was sad... it was sad...
@oddball: yeah, Reina makes herself out to be a good girl now living a quiet life but in truth, JunAikaLin are the only friends she has so she doesn't mind too much
@yukirei: lol yeah i've been kind of unsatisfactory lately... gomen
@fallenxangel: lol we'll see... now
sorry for the strong delay! What with the holiday season/shopping/family time, I really didn't get too much time to write
I guess you can take this a Christmas present? Happy holidays, everyone ~
*LOL Chapter 25 on the 25th*
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Chapter 25 “You are seriously my one and only best friend, Gaki-san!” Eri squealed, clapping her hands together in front of her while jumping up and down.
The turtle’s eyes were set on the containers of Korean food that the bean had brought up from her home. There was a variety of side dishes along with rice, including some seaweed soup, beans, oden, noodles, eggs, and more. Risa had often brought up Korean food for the turtle before but not this much at a time.
“Way to accept my food as payment for friendship, Kameha,” the bean grinned. “You seemed a little down so I guess I cooked a lot more this time around. Are you feeling any better?”
“Yeah, a little bit,” Eri sighed. “I still feel kind of tired but I don’t think I’m really sick.”
“Do you have a fever?” Risa asked. She stepped towards her friend and placed her hand on her forehead, comparing it with her own. “Nope, no temperature. But Kameha, you smell really bad right now.” She backed away, wrinkling her nose.
“It’s because I stayed in bed the whole day,” Eri explained, yawning. “I probably broke a sweat.”
“Well then, you should change before you really catch a cold,” Risa said, shooing her friend towards the bedroom. She turned around and started to set the table but then gasped. “Oh, I left the kimchi on the counter! I’m going to round down and get it, okay? You go change during that time.”
“Okay,” Eri answered, waving as she closed the door behind her.
Risa skittered to the front door, put her shoes on, and walked out. She stopped short as soon as she crossed the threshold, wondering if she should call Eri back to lock the door. But she was probably going to be back before Eri could finish changing, being the turtle she is, so Risa just decided to leave the door unlocked and walked down the stairs.
** ** **
Reina nervously checked her watch, looked at her feet, and then up at the elevator again. She kept on bobbing up and down in place with her hands clenched together. What could be taking the elevator so long to get to the first floor from the tenth? It felt as though it had been years since the ex-yankii last pressed the button… although it had only been five seconds.
Relax, Reina, the kitten told herself.
Take deep breaths… Act like a lady… Keep your cool, girl... the elevator will be here in the next ten seconds, I’m sure of it. Reina looked up once more at the elevator count down; the number was at 7th floor now. Surely, ten seconds was enough.
Okay, here I go, Reina thought.
Ichi… Ni… San…… Shiiiiiii…… “Damn it, why is it taking so long?!”
Finally breaking down, Reina yelled out loud and kicked the elevator door, barely leaving a dent. She then gasped and started to pace around, holding her hands to her chest.
“Calm down, Reina, calm down,” she mumbled under her breath. “You don’t want to crack here. You want to show Eri a happy face so don’t crack here… have some patience…”
Reina had always hated waiting but considering she was about to see her sick boyfriend just a couple floors up, she was feeling more restless than ever. They had been together every single day this week yet it seemed as though she couldn’t pass a day without seeing the turtle.
Before she could get more frustrated and break the elevator door, Reina just decided to climb up the stairs. Eri didn’t live that high up anyway; it wouldn’t be too tiring of a trip.
The kitten quickly leaped over the steps, feeling bouncier with each floor. She finally reached the fifth floor to see a pretty girl with short brown hair coming down the steps. She looked about the same age as her. The two girls met eyes; the short-haired girl gave a small smile as Reina gave a polite nod. The girl that had come down disappeared into apartment 502 as Reina continued to climb the stairs.
I didn’t know a teenage girl lived below Eri’s home, the kitten thought to herself.
I wonder if she goes to the same school as him… As she thought this, the ex-yankii reached the sixth floor in no time and stood in front of 601. She stared at the number plate before swallowing hard and knocking. There was no answer.
Maybe he’s too sick to come out, Reina thought. “Eri? Are you home? It’s me, Reina!”
Still, only the silence greeted the petit girl. Feeling a little worried, Reina tried the door handle as she started to think about using the bobby pin in her pocket to pick the lock. But before she even attempted to, the door opened easily for it was unlocked.
That Eri forgot to lock the door, she thought, smiling.
That’s so like him. Although the kitten didn’t want to intrude into someone else’s apartment, much less a boy’s, she only stepped in a little bit before calling in softly.
“Shitsureshimasu,” she said. “Eri?”
“In here!” a familiar voice answered.
Reina took off her shoes and entered the clean apartment. She slowly made her way towards the kitchen and then her eyes went to the bedroom.
“Eri?” she called again, feeling unsure.
“You came back really fast, Risa-chan. That was quick!” the voice remarked from the room.
Who’s Risa-chan? Reina thought, raising her eyebrows. “Um, I’m coming in, Eri.” She reached for the door handle, turned, and pushed in.
“Wait, don’t come in, I’m still changing—”
Eri turned to look at her intruder and gasped, slowly processing the short girl by the door with her straight hair reaching her chest. Reina’s eyes widened as she scanned her lover. The turtle was wearing a pair of sweatpants but her t-shirt was still around her neck, revealing her bare upper body clad in a black bra. Her white skin, her slim waist, her two breasts… everything was visible.
“Re… Reina?” Eri croaked, her voice choking in her throat.
The kitten didn’t answer. She couldn’t take her eyes off of her “boyfriend’s” body that was so much like a girl’s… better a normal girl’s, maybe even better than hers. Her mind processed everything slowly and painfully as she started to form words.
All Eri could do was watch her girlfriend’s facial expressions wrinkle into something horrible. The voices in her head screamed at her to put on her t-shirt but she was frozen and could not move. She could feel the intruder’s stare prickling her like a thousand needles.
“Reina…?”
“Eri, you…” Reina breathed, trying to form coherent words, “you’re… a g-girl…?”
“Reina, I can explain—”
“You’ve been a girl all along and I never knew?!” Reina shrieked, finally breaking down. Her expression wasn’t that of anger nor sadness; it was pain and regret. “You… from the beginning… I thought… but you’re…”
“Reina, please, I—”
“Stop!” she screamed. Her hands clutched her head as she shut her eyes tightly. “This can’t be real… This isn’t… This can’t… be…”
Reina looked up to meet Eri’s horrified eyes one more time before running out of the room. The turtle suddenly felt all her muscles breaking loose so she quickly put on the t-shirt and ran out of the bed room. She caught her girlfriend’s wrist and spun her around before she reached the door.
“Reina, please listen to me—”
“DON’T TOUCH ME!” the shorter girl screamed, snatching her wrist out of Eri’s hand. She glared up at her “boyfriend” with contempt and no sympathy. “Don’t you dare touch me again!”
“Reina, please listen!” Eri pleaded, her heart aching. “I can explain everything if you just—”
“You don’t need to explain anything, I saw everything with my own eyes!” Reina screamed again.
Her eyes suddenly softened from burning anger to complete sadness. A single stream of tear was blinked out of her eye and traveled down her cheeks. Her mouth opened to say something but only gasps of breath came out. Watching Reina cry only made Eri feel as though her heart was being ripped out.
“You…” Reina whispered roughly, her voice cracking. “I trusted you. But you…
lied to me.”
The word hit Eri’s chest like a sharp knife that was ran through fire beforehand. Reina bit on her lips to keep herself from crying more but it was no use. So instead, she glared up at the turtle again with hatred and fury.
“I never want to see you, ever again,” she said through her teeth.
With that, Reina dashed out of the apartment and ran down the stairs. Eri was frozen in her spot as she sank down to the ground. She couldn’t bear to chase after the girl she loved anymore. Only her last words echoed in Eri’s head.
** ** **
Risa walked out of her apartment and closed the door. She was holding a container of kimchi in her hands now. She smiled as she thought of how happy her turtle friend would be, grinning that goofy grin… She could be so pure sometimes, that Eri, being happy at the smallest things.
The bean started to head up the stairs but someone turned the corner and bumped into her. Risa clutched onto the kimchi container, making sure not to drop it. Luckily, nobody fell but only faltered in their steps.
“Ah, sumimasen—” the bean started to say, before she cut off her own words.
The person she bumped into was the girl that she had seen before, walking up the stairs. But this time, there was a clear trail of tears on her cheeks. Without a word, the petit girl continued to run down the stairs.
What’s up with her? Risa thought, cocking her head.
She seemed perfectly fine before… Does she even live in this building? Suddenly, the bean’s eyes widened as a different thought came to her.
Wait a minute… long dyed hair, petit figure, cat-like eyes… could it be…? Risa sprinted up the stairs to the sixth floor, trying to get to her friend’s home as fast as possible.
If that really was the Reina girl… she thought,
I have a bad feeling about this… Eri’s door was still unlocked. Risa burst into the apartment and spotted her friend kneeling about five feet in front of her. Her face was buried in her hands.
“Eri!” the bean yelled. She quickly put the kimchi down and dashed to her friend’s side. “What happened? Why are you crying? Oi, tell me what’s wrong!”
“It’s over…” Eri said hoarsely, looking up to reveal her face soaked in tears. “Risa-chan, she knows… Reina knows now… and I lost her…”
I hate it when my gut feeling is right, the bean thought, biting her lips. “It’s okay, Eri, it’s okay, calm down.”
“What do I do now, Risa?” the turtle cried, hiccupping. “I… I love her… so much… but she hates me now! What do I do?”
Realizing her words weren’t going to help, the bean instead took her friend into a hug. Eri cried into her shoulders, letting her tears drop uncontrollably. Risa could only sigh and stroke the turtle’s back, murmuring random phrases in false effort of comforting her.
I should’ve pushed her harder… I should’ve helped her more… she thought, feeling her chest tighten.
What can I do for Eri now? What can anybody do…?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That was a sad present. Sorry if I broke your holiday spirit...
But hey, at least the story is moving
Okay, Ima sleep
Topic: Chigatte mo Iin da yo! ~Mainly TanaKame, TakaGaki~ [FINALE - Ch. 93 - (1/30)] (Read 409524 times)