~Part Two: Bloom~
Both Jurina and Rena hung out as usual right after school but this time they went to this park close by. It seemed they wanted to change some atmosphere aside from going to café every single day. They bought some snacks from the convenience store they passed by and spent time at the park together when they just wanted to relax in such a good weather. Winter was approaching and it’s getting less hot as time passed by. Both of them were sitting on the swings while the young Watanabe was munching her snacks hungrily.
“Glad that we come to the park! The weather is great for us to be out today.”
“I agree, do you want some snacks?” Jurina agreed and passed the back of snacks to her dear friend.
“Sure.”
Rena took a piece and munched as well. She bought melon pan from the store as well but she was saving that for later tonight. As they kept talking about random stuffs and school-related stories, Jurina had recalled about the dinner this weekend at Matsui’s place. She believed that it was a perfect chance to tell about her past to Rena.
“Tomorrow night I would want to share about my story to you too.”
“Ah…okay. I look forward to it?”
“Hehe~”
Jurina’s smile was always bright and radiant. Rena could never be bored to watch her smile forever. After they had relaxed for a while it was about time they have to return back home before it would be too dark. They would want to go back home earlier than usual because tomorrow would be their special day together after all. As usual, the puppy face girl went to send Rena off at her house.
“Jya, what time do you want me to come over?”
“Well, anytime you’re good with.”
“Hm, how about 10am? I got nothing to do for the whole day, besides that I want to spend time with you~”
“S-Sure!”
Rena’s heart skipped a beat and it even made her voice shook. The young Watanabe was extremely happy and it could be seen clearly on her face. She left immediately with excitement and left Rena nervous alone in front of her house. Late evening that day, she tried to go to sleep but she couldn’t. She was too excited and nervous about tomorrow’s day with Jurina at her place. As she closed her eyes to drift to sleep…she had another dream again.
-///-
“This is Rena-chan, please treat her well.”
The teacher introduced the timid girl to everyone in the room. It was the first day she came to this orphanage. Her parents left her at the daycare and never came back to take her, she was still 3 back then. As a result, she was sent to the orphanage close by to take care of her instead. She was hugging the bunny doll in her arms tightly with fear and frustration. After the introduction, everyone came running in to talk to the newcomer immediately.
However as time passed by, no one could really cope with Rena’s silence and cheerless atmosphere. Little by little, other kids started to drift away from her and she had been alone since then…
“Hello! You’re the newcomer right!?”
“…!”
“Ju-chan, I told you don’t get close to her…” Another kid spoke up but then the young lively one ignored the warning.
“Hello! What’s your name?”
“Uh…”
“Oh right I haven’t told you my name yet, everyone calls me Ju-chan here!”
She extended and grabbed onto Rena’s hand tightly without any slight hint of hesitation. It made her eyes grow wide with surprise and made an eye contact with those lively brown orbs.
“…and your name?”
“Rena…”
“Rena-chan? That’s a cute name! Nice to meet you Rena-chan~”
“A-Ah.”
The shy one nodded softly as they still made an eye contact with one another. Those brown lively orbs completely mesmerized Rena and that was the first time they both met. Ever since then, Ju-chan had been holding her hand tightly like this until the very last day they were separated… Rena missed the warmth of that hand. -///-
She was too excited that she woke up early. Rena had notified her parents about Jurina’s visit and they were eager to meet her too. As it was about 15 minutes until it reached 10, she heard the doorbell and rushed out immediately. She opened the door and saw a familiar face wearing glasses and in her comfortable clothing. Their eyes met and she smiled back to Rena.
“Good morning, I brought some snacks with me too~”
Jurina looked completely different than usual. Rena never saw her wearing glasses before. Despite she was wearing a simple shirt and navy jeans, she looked decently attractive to Rena.
“W-Welcome!”
Matsui welcomed the guest into the house and took her to the living room. The older woman came to serve water to the guest and made Jurina bowed her head down slightly.
“T-Thank you ma’am.”
“You don’t have to act so formal, I heard a lot about you from Rena-chan.”
Ms. Matsui smiled back and it made Jurina realize that she was actually Rena’s mother. She told her that she brought snacks and drinks before she came here since she didn’t want to come over empty-handed.
“Make yourself at home!”
“Thank you Matsui-san.”
“Rena-chan! Why don’t you take your friend to your room instead?”
The mother suggested to her daughter and the raven-haired girl was a little embarrassed with the idea. She just didn’t want to admit that she preferred that way more. It seemed her mother knew her well enough to know what Rena actually wanted too.
-
They went upstairs and it was the first time Jurina entered Rena’s room. It was very clean and tidy as expected from the class rep. They sat on the carpet floor and placed the snacks on the table. It was an awkward silence between both of them while they were staring at each other.
“Did you have a good sleep?”
Jurina was the first to break the tension of the atmosphere. Rena wasn’t able to answer properly because she didn’t know she should tell the truth or not. However, before she could’ve answer, Jurina continued where she left off.
“I barely have any sleep, I know its weird but I’m just really excited to come over to your place.”
Rena’s eyes grew wide with surprise. It seemed it wasn’t only her that was actually nervous and excited about the weekend after all. After she heard her friend’s thoughts, she decided to tell the truth as well.
“Me too…this is the first time that a friend came over aside from group projects.”
“So I’m the first?”
“Yes.”
“Ah~ that makes me feel so special!”
She finally let out a laugh and the awkward atmosphere started to disappear. They’re now relaxed and then Rena brought up the topic that she was curious about her friend. It was about those black frame glasses…
“I didn’t know you wear glasses.”
“It's a reading glasses. I only wear it when I’m at home or reading books.”
“I see. It gives me a different feeling from you.”
“How so?”
“Well…more ikemen?”
Jurina didn’t know Rena thought about her that way and it made her blushed slightly. Her heart skipped a beat as Rena complimenting her. She rubbed her head and avoided eye contact with her.
“O-Oh…I didn’t know that! You’ll look great with glasses too.”
“Nah, I would look like a bookworm.”
“Well, a little I guess? But you’ll look really cute!”
“A-Ah, oh, o-okay…”
Rena gulped when her heart started to pound against her ribs harder and faster. With that suggestion from Jurina made her wanting to wear glasses as well. As they didn’t know what to talk about, Jurina moved in closer and leaned onto Rena’s shoulder. The class rep didn’t move and sat very still, she didn’t know what was Jurina planning to do but before she could’ve asked she was interrupted.
“Watanabe is the 2nd family that adopted me a year ago, its because the owner of the orphan was close friends with Watanabe-san so they decided to take me in.”
“What happen to the first…?”
“…Mom and I got into an unfortunate accident. I’m the only one that’s barely alive, and I almost die when I arrived at the hospital.”
“…!”
Rena’s eyes remained wide with shock. As she listened to the tragic story that happened to Jurina, she realized how much she didn’t know what Jurina had been through. After she was the sole survivor of the family. She had remained in the hospital, as she had to go through rehabilitation to recover for quite a while. Watanabe family was actually neighborhoods with Jurina’s family until they moved out 5 years before this incident. They often came to visit her and decided to adopt her into the family, as a result Jurina moved to Tokyo after her rehab treatment was over. While she was telling her life story to Rena, they were holding each other’s hand tightly. Even just a little, the raven-haired girl could feel a tinge of sadness from Jurina’s voice. It must’ve been so rough for her in these past years.
“I’m sorry to hear about your family…Jurina is so strong to go through that.”
“Not really, it’s just…” The girl paused while their eyes met with each other. However, it seemed she decided not to continue where she left off.
“…?”
“...I don’t know too, I felt like I had something I hold onto that made me able to survive through all this mess.”
“I see.”
Rena wasn’t sure she understood it or not. However, it seemed Jurina held so many secrets from everyone. She wondered aside from herself, who knew about this already. Likely the Watanabe family would knew what happened in Jurina’s life before they decided to adopt her in. She shouldn’t meddle into other people’s business.
“I never shared this with anyone before…you’re the first one.”
“W-Wow…I feel so flattered.” Rena was surprised that Jurina actually answered her curiosity as if she could read her mind. She was internally blushing when she’s the first to know about Jurina’s tragic secret.
“Hehe, you should!”
Today, Rena learned so many things about the young Watanabe. It felt as if she’s was one more step closer to her. Despite Jurina being such a lively girl, yet she hid so many secrets. No one could tell that she had gone through such a tragic past before. Jurina just looked so pure and innocent to her.
-
They spent most of their time talking about many random things together until Rena’s mother called them down to eat lunch. She went out to buy bento boxes so the little kids wouldn’t starve themselves to death. As they were eating in the living room together, Jurina spotted this brown little dog that came up to her.
“Ah! Kawaii!! What’s her name?”
“It’s Ruby.”
“Ah~ such a cute name.”
After they’re done eating, Jurina played with the little puppy together with Rena in the living room. As Ms. Matsui was preparing the ingredients for the dinner tonight, she asked Rena to help out later. As Jurina offered to help, she was rejected at first, but then the young Watanabe still insisted. After they had relaxed for a while, they girls decided to lend Rena’s mother a hand. Surprisingly, Jurina wasn’t that bad with cooking at all. They helped cutting the ingredients and as well as chit chatting with each other. Even it was during weekends, Jurina couldn’t help but to tease her shy friend again.
“You’re so good with cutting! You’ll become a great girlfriend and wife~”
“Shush!”
“Hehe~ Now I hope I can be a boy, so you can have a pretty wife cook for me~”
“J-Jurina!?!”
“H-Hey! Don’t swing around with that knife in your hands!”
The mother watched Rena scolding back at Jurina and made her revealed a smile of relief. She knew the change within her daughter and she was right. The main cause that made Rena became livelier than before was because of Jurina. She was utterly grateful that her daughter finally found someone that could bring that beautiful smile to Rena. She decided to enjoy and watch those two girls silently while she prepared other ingredients. The dinner today would be pasta and other side dishes.
-
While they were setting up the table, the doorbell rang out of blue. It was around this time that Rena’s father would return back home from work. The young Matsui went to open the door to welcome her father in. It was the first time that he saw Jurina and he was grateful that she came to have a dinner with them tonight. They all sat down at the table and was about to start the dinner all together.
“Ittadakimasu.”
Everyone said in unison as started the meal. Jurina’s eyes grew wide as the food taste truly delicious. She complimented on it immediately and was really surprised with Rena’s mother’s skills.
“Woah! It’s just so amazing!! Matsui-san, this is so delicious.”
“Ah~ Thank you Jurina-chan! Eat as much as you need we have spares.”
“Yes, thank you!”
The puppy girl continued to eat the delicious food in front of her. As Rena watched from the corner of her eye, she let out a soft smile while watching her friend happily eating the pasta. It seemed her mother saw that and coughed softly in order to grab her daughter’s attention.
“Rena-chan, start eating or else the food will get cold.”
“Y-Yes!”
Rena was just embarrassed that her mother caught her being distracted. She ate her food quietly and it was about time that her parents would be storming questions at the poor Watanabe. They asked so many things about her, only just simple things. But the adults seemed to ask about things that were related to Rena in a way as well.
“So how was Rena-chan at school?” The older woman asked and Jurina was more than welcome to tell everything about Rena at school to her.
“She’s a serious class rep but she’s just so tsundere and cute!”
“Oi…Jurina—”
“Rena-chan is my senpai in drama class, she’s the best~ I’m able to take the main role because of her guidance!”
“…”
Rena didn’t know that Jurina thought of her that way. She remained in silence and listened to her friend doing all the talk instead. Jurina kept talking about good and happy things she had with Rena all the time at the table. Her heart beat wildly as Jurina kept saying those sweet things about her, she bit her lips and clutched tightly onto her shorts as she was trying to hide her embarrassment. But at the same time, Jurina realized her blushing friend and couldn’t stop teasing her by poking her puffed cheeks.
-
Time flew by so fast before they could realize it. It was getting late and about it was time that she had to return back home. But before that she decided to help cleaning the plates with Rena but then she tried to chase her away.
“No! You’re the guest!”
“But I want to help!”
“No.”
“Pwease~”
Rena sighed, not those puppy eyes again. She gave up and let Jurina do what she wanted. The young Watanabe smiled with contentment as she won the argument. As they helped each other cleaning up the plates, Rena would pass the plate for her to wash and put onto the dish rack. It wasn’t that long until they’re done since they helped each other out, but it was the time that Jurina would have to return back home before her parents would be too worried.
“I have to go now.”
“Okay…I’ll see you at school on Monday.”
“Yup~ Good night.”
Rena didn’t want Jurina to leave at all. Even though the girl stayed at her house for the whole day, she didn’t want this to end yet. Jurina could see a slight hint of sadness and it made her want to tease Rena for one last time of the day.
“Neh…Rena-chan. I want to tell you something…”
“Hm?”
“Come close.”
Rena moved in and leaned her ears closer to Jurina, but that was when the young Watanabe planted a soft kiss onto her cheeks. It made Rena jerk back immediately and covered her cheek with her hand. It was a reaction that Jurina expected to see from her and that’s when she decided to leave.
“That’s my thanks for today, I had a lot of fun today~”
The door closed and her friend finally left. However, Rena was still shocked and having a side effect from the kiss. Her mind went blank for a long while even after she took a shower and went to bed. She couldn’t fall asleep as the scene kept repeating in her head. The feeling that Jurina’s lips touched her cheek made her face burned instantly. It’s making her heart beating off the pattern and she probably couldn’t sleep for the night today.
“Ah! I can’t sleep…!”
The kissing scene repeated again and Rena’s face blushed even more. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed loudly. She didn’t want to admit that she was feeling nervous when she thought about Jurina. She didn’t want to admit that she couldn’t stop thinking about Jurina every now and then. She didn’t want to admit that she could’ve fallen in love with her…
~XXX~
Few days later at school, the teacher talked about the school field trip that would be in a month from now. It would be an overnight fieldtrip and it would be a room of 4 people. As the teacher allowed everyone to make their own sleeping arrangements, the answer was obvious that Jurina would be rooming with Rena, Akane and Airi. They went to notify their teacher about the room arrangement and got it settled down ahead of time. The school day passed by like any other usual days and it was lunch break.
“Alright! I look forward to the trip~”
Akane exclaimed loudly as she ate her sandwich. They sat at the roof deck as usual to have lunch together. They checked the information papers regarding the cost of the trip and the schedule at their destination. Their destination was at Nagoya, the girls were quite eager to visit many places during their free time session. It’s been a while that Rena had been back to Nagoya ever since generous Matsui couple adopted her. She was originally from Nagoya and she planned to visit the orphanage she came from if it’s still at the same place it used to be. However, she was wondering whether she should go alone or not.
-
As the school ended, Rena was packing up her stuffs while Jurina came up to invite her over to the cake café as usual. She simply nodded with her cheeks blushing slightly as that kissing scene was still replaying in her mind. However, she tried to suppress those thoughts replaying again. They walked out from the classroom without realizing that there were other students looking at both of them at all…
-
As their walking to the entrance of the school, they accidently came across with a senior of the school. Her eyes accidently met with both girls and she approached towards Jurina quickly. It was actually one of the famous Watanabe twins of Tokyo High, Watanabe Miyuki. She approached with a bewitching smile and playfulness in her voice.
“Jurina~ are you coming straight home afterwards?”
“Not really, I’m going to go to the café with Rena-chan first and go back home around the same usual time.”
“Okay! Make sure you come back home early. Mom will your cook meatball pasta today for dinner.”
“R-Really??”
Jurina’s attention turned to the plan about her dinner tonight. Her favorite of all time dishes was meatball pasta. It made her more enthusiastic to look forward to it. Obviously, Miyuki could tell from those eyes that she was excited for tonight’s dinner.
“Yes! I’ll see you later~ Please take care of Jurina for me, Rena-chan.”
“I-I will!”
“Mou…Miyuki-san…”
“I’m your sister neh, don’t forget to call me like that.”
Miyuki patted the younger Watanabe’s head gently and Rena could see slight blush and uneasiness in Jurina’s eyes. It made her remembered that the young Watanabe was not blood related with the twins. She was an orphan so she understood that feeling well, but she could also tell from Miyuki’s eyes that she really cared for Jurina.
“I-I will…”
“I’ll see you back at home~ also, you should invite Rena for a dinner at our place sometimes soon.”
Miyuki left before anyone of them could’ve speak. They both headed to the park again and had a relaxing time after school was over. As they were talking on many random topics about their favorite songs and movies, it seemed Rena was curious about several things regarding Jurina.
“Miyuki-senpai is so kind and sweet to you.”
“Isn’t she like that with everyone?” Jurina questioned but then Rena shook her head.
“No, I could tell she treats you different from others. Hehe, I guess its obviously because you’re her sister.”
“Hmm…I guess so.”
“I’m jealous of you Jurina…”
Rena smiled with slight hint of sadness in her voice. The young Watanabe turned to her immediately and stared at her class rep quietly until Rena turned so their eyes met with each other.
“I’m the only child, so I envy those with siblings sometimes.”
“…I see, I’m sorry Rena-chan.”
“Hey! There’s nothing to be sorry for! …It’s just I’m a little jealous.”
“Don’t worry, I’m here for you neh~?”
The young Matsui blushed silently by Jurina’s sweet words. She laughed at how Rena responded with a shy reaction and stared at her with a smile. Jurina couldn’t help but to agree with her feelings that Rena looked adorable when she was actually blushing. After it’s getting a little late, they both returned back home and another simple day came to an end.
-///-
The pain of being smacked by a long wooden stick still haunted her until now. The bruises and splinters were all over her limbs. The horror repeated again endlessly and the young girl wondered when would it stop.
“How dare you look at me like that!? You cursed monster…!”
The old woman glared back at the injured girl with hatred from the deepest part of her heart. She brutally continued to hit the poor girl until she was tired and satisfied with today. There was blood stained and traces of splattered blood on the wooden stick. She walked away and left the poor girl leaning against the wall listlessly. She slowly got up and went back to her room to treat her wounds. She pulled the splinters out from her skin and disinfected her bleeding injuries. She had a black shoulder hair length and brunette eyes…what a waste of her beauty to receive such injures like that. She sighed while staring at the mirror, knowing that she would get another scar from this.
“…When will I die? Why didn’t I die instead of dad?”
The young girl closed her eyes recalling the face of the kind gentle dad that adopted her. His smile was utterly gentle to her all the time ever since she’s adopted. He saved her from the car accident back when she was 7 years old. However, he didn’t survive through that fatal injury when he arrived at the hospital. That was when Jurina’s kind mother changed drastically as if a demon possessed her. She blamed for her husband’s death onto Jurina and it had been 2 and a half years of she went through abuse…
“…Rena…chan.”
The young girl walked towards the window after she had treated her wounds. She could predict that she would get a new scar across her thigh and just only could hope that it would be that distinct to be ugly. She saw was the pouring rain on the other side of the window, as she touched the cold glass she could see a reflection of herself. The scar on the corner of her right forehead could be seen in the reflection and it constantly reminded her of the past.
“Rena-chan….”
It seemed the reason she was able to go through constant abuse without attempting to suicide yet was because she wanted to meet with Rena again. She prayed every night for the day to meet her. She promised to her that she would find Rena no matter what. In order to fulfill her words she couldn’t die yet. That was the only sole reason she’s alive until now… She only wished to die, but before she would die with satisfaction…she wanted to see Rena one last time.
“Rena…”-///-
Jurina woke up early due to the nightmare she had. She kept having that dream every now and then. She looked at her thigh and saw a light scar on her skin. It came from her mother constantly beating her up with a wooden stick filled with splinters. The pain still haunted her subconscious until now. Jurina didn’t actually remember everything in detail after she survived through the tragic car accident, she only knew that she had someone she held onto which made her survive through the tragic…but she can’t remember what it was.
She just sat there on her bed and stared out from the window since she still had time before she could get off from bed. But before she realized again, a heavy pain in her head attacked her. It just reminded her she forgot to take the morning meds for today.
“T-The…meds…”
She slowly walked to the table and grabbed three pills from the plastic bag. She swallowed it with water and went to lie down on the bed. She had to wait for a little until the throbbing pain inside her head would settle down. She wiped her nose to check whether for any traces of blood. Luckily there was none since she took the med right on time. If she didn’t take the meds to maintain her blood pressure she could have a bad nosebleed and fainted as a result. She hid it well from her friends, especially from Rena.
After the pain slowly decreased, she decided to change into her school uniform. However as she was doing her hair, she saw this scar on her right forehead, which was hid, under her bangs. She touched it and recalled the story that Rena told her about her orphan best friend that was separated from her. Jurina didn’t understand why she had a scar on the same spot that Rena mentioned… she actually had to lie to Rena back then because she wasn’t certain she actually met the class rep in the past or not. She barely could remember many things back when she was a child. She could only remember things until the day she survived the tragic accident that killed her father. Her memories actually regained back a little after her 3 years of rehabilitation. Jurina remembered some sweet gentle memories she shared with her first foster family before the whole horror arrived. Part of Jurina believed that she couldn’t possibly be Rena’s best friend from childhood. There were many orphans and orphanages around Nagoya. They couldn’t end up coming from the same place and there were plenty of girls that could have their names begin with ‘Ju’ just like hers. No matter what, Jurina didn’t want to believe she was this person Rena was finding until she was certain on many things first… After she was done changing, she grabbed her school bag and headed downstairs to have her breakfast.
-
“Good morning Jurina!”
“Good morning.”
She greeted her mother whom was preparing breakfast at the table. As she checked her watch she had about 10 minutes to eat before she had to leave her home. She wouldn’t want to be late with her morning meeting with Rena. While she was eating her omelets and toasted bread, her mother spoke up as she handed a mug of warm milk to Jurina.
“Jurina, when would you introduce Rena-chan to the family? Maybe invite her for a dinner at our house?”
“I’ll bring her over someday, I don’t know when though. You said the same thing as Miyuki-neechan.”
“Oh? Well~ you’ve become much brighter ever since you moved to Tokyo. I heard she’s the first friend you made on the first day isn’t she?”
“Y-Yeah…she’s the first one.”
“I see~ I’m glad you meet such a great friend! You better get going or else you’ll make her wait too long.”
Jurina glanced at the clock and realized that she had to get moving or else she would be late with her usual meet up with her friend. She rushed out from the house and grabbed her bicycle. Her mother came out to wave at her before Jurina took off.
“I’ll be back home at the usual time!”
“Have a safe day!”
“I will!”
She took off and rode towards the café immediately. Jurina could see the familiar figure from a distance away waiting in front of the café. It was someone that she expected to be. As their eyes met, Jurina could feel her heart beating faster as she witnessed the beauty of Rena’s eyes. The surge of happiness came out and she couldn’t hold back her smile. Every single time she saw her, she would always smile from her heart’s content.
“Good morning Jurina.”
“Good morning!”
Despite Jurina was utterly disturbed by the nightmare that was haunting her until now, it seemed Rena’s smile always made her forget about it every single time without fail. They went to school together and simply enjoying their moments together every single day. However, it seemed the topic this morning was about Rena’s dream last night. She had a dream about her childhood, and about her Ju-chan again.
“I dream about her again…I wondered why I’m having such frequent dreams about Ju-chan these days.”
“Hmm, who knows? Maybe it's a good sign we might find her.”
“I hope so too…I’ve been waiting to see her, for 12 years already.”
“I believe she’s looking for you too.”
“Thank you Jurina, your words meant so much to me!”
It was a very pretty smile from the longhaired girl beside Jurina. It was a smile that she wanted to protect it. Even just a little, she wished to do all she had to make Rena smiled happily like that again. Before the young Watanabe realized, they already reached school and it’s about time they headed to their homeroom. School began like any other normal days, but today was a little different… Jurina realized some gossips going around the classroom regarding her and Rena. A group of girls were gossiping about their class rep.
“Tsk…isn’t Rena clinging onto Jurina? I bet she wants to get close to Mayu-senpai and Miyuki-senpai.”
“I bet she’s using Jurina…such a cunning class rep.”
“Doesn’t Rena admire Mayu-senpai so much?”
“I heard about that before! I bet she’s doing whatever she can to get close to her admirable senpai…”
Jurina bit her lips as she could hear those rumors going behind her clearly during class time. She diverted her glance towards Rena but she was focusing on the teacher. She probably could hear it as well but she chose to ignore it. Jurina knew that those were all lies. There was never a single time that Rena mentioned about Jurina’s sisters ever since they were together. Every thing they talked and done together was only about themselves. It made Jurina felt so irritated when hearing others talking behind Rena’s back when its not the truth at all. It was break time when the class was over, Jurina walked up to her class rep and before she could utter a word, Rena interrupted her first.
“…Thank you Jurina.”
“H-Huh? What’s this about??”
“For holding your temper back then, those rumors had been going around for quite some time already.”
The young Watanabe couldn’t believe that Rena knew it before her yet she didn’t say it. She felt more helpless to help her dear friend. Akane and Airi came up to them and told Jurina to calm down as they rumor would slowly disappear itself. But she didn’t know whether to trust them on that matter or not since the twin Watanabe’s were very popular after all.
-
After both Jurina and Rena had finished with their rehearsal at the drama club and were heading back home. Jurina was still concerned about the rumors that were going on until now. As for the class rep, she could see how her friend was being quiet today and seemed to know what her friend was thinking.
“Jurina, you did really great today! Let’s continue to do our best.”
“A-Ah, you too. I’m completely engulfed by your acting that’s why I’m able to follow up with you.”
“You flattered me too much!”
“No! I’m saying the truth! Rena-chan’s acting is the best!!”
“Aw, thank you Jurina~”
The young Watanabe sent her friend off like usual before she head home. As before Rena was about to go back into her house, she poked Jurina’s forehead when she had a chance to. It completely caught her off guard.
“W-What??”
“You’re thinking too much Jurina, it’s just a rumor.”
“…!”
“I can tell what you’re thinking. Don’t worry about it okay?”
“Okay…if you say so Rena-chan.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yup!”
-
It was about time Jurina had returned back home after she sent off her princess. After Jurina had been discussing about her issues with getting close to her sisters with Rena, she realized she needed to express herself to them as much as they gave to her. It did took her quite a while to get used to calling them ‘neechan’, but it wasn’t as long as she thought after she could see happiness from both Mayu and Miyuki’s expression. Jurina was indeed happy that she made her sisters smiled as well. Ever since then…she called them neechan all the time. She entered her home and took off her shoes immediately. As usual, she saw her cyborg sister came to welcome her and then Jurina went in to give her a big hug.
“I’m back home Mayu-neechan.”
“Welcome back Jurina. Taking your time to send your princess?”
“P-Princess??”
“Heh, I heard it from Miyuki. It seemed you’ve found someone special to you.”
“M-Mayu-neechan! It’s not like that!”
“Huh, I don’t buy that.” The cyborg ruffled the puppy girl’s head before she gave her a soft push towards the stairs. “Go take a shower, dinner’s almost ready.”
“I-It’s not like what Miyuki-neechan said! We’re just friends!”
“Yeah yeah whatever, get going now!”
-
It didn’t seem Mayu was that convinced with Jurina’s words. After they had their warm family dinner together, the twins invited Jurina to hangout together in the living room for tonight. While they were watching TV together, the youngest one was sitting in the middle with Miyuki cuddling her closely. Jurina was slightly blushing slightly, as she wasn’t used to this kind of things with her sister.
“Aren’t you hugging her too much Miyuki?”
“What? You’re jealous Mayu-chan?” Miyuki teased her twin and stuck her tongue out at her while holding Jurina tightly to herself. “Bleh~”
“I’m. Not. Jealous. = =”
“Aw~ Are you sure~?”
Jurina had a playful and tsundere sister. But despite they had opposite personalities in a way, they both cared and loved her. As kept debating back and forth endlessly, Jurina couldn’t help but to laugh at her twin sisters out of blue.
“H-Hey! Don’t laugh!”
Mayu pinched Jurina’s cheek lightly to not hurt her but then Miyuki pulled the young one away from the tsundere sister. She still stuck her tongue out at Mayu and didn’t allow her to even touch or come close to Jurina. Mayu only glared back at Miyuki with dissatisfaction and it made her even enjoyed this more, she knew how to bully her cyborg twin very well. They enjoyed their sibling time until their mom ordered the youngest one to go to sleep. Glad that Jurina didn’t have lot of assignments to do so she just went straight to bed immediately…
-///-
“J-Ju-chan!”
“Hm?”
“Here…”
The young Rena gave her a rose and it made Jurina surprised. She didn’t expected to receive a rose from her friend and she could see the shy girl fidgeting with embarrassment. She avoided eye contact with Jurina and then tried to look back into her eyes.
“I-It’s valentine’s day so…”
“Ah…thank you~ Rena-chan! I love it!”
“Ah, thank goodness…”
She sighed with a huge smile across her face. It was truly Jurina’s happiness to see Rena’s smile. She wished to always protect that smile as long as she’s still remaining by her princess’s side. However, she couldn’t get rid of her playfulness side and decided to tell her friend to close her eyes.
“I have something for you too, close your eyes Rena-chan.”
“O-Okay.”
As she did, Jurina moved in to kiss her cheek quickly and it made Rena’s eyes grow wide with shock. She was blushing mad while holding onto the cheek that she was kissed. It made Jurina laughed out loud by Rena’s shy reaction.
“M-Mou…Ju-chan!”
“Gommen~ But Rena-chan is so cute.”
She held her hand tightly and smiled back to her. Rena was such a kind girl to always forgive Jurina for whatever she done to her. Even though she bullied with a kiss…the shy girl would always forgive her every time. Rena was so kind to Jurina that she became a part of her heart. It was her gentle smile that would always heal Jurina’s heart. It was a smile…she wanted to protect forever.
“I love you Rena-chan~”
“U-Un…I love you too…”
Those magical words meant a lot to her. Even though Rena wouldn’t felt the same way that Jurina had for her. Those words were more than enough to make her live on in this cruel world. As long as she was holding onto Rena’s hand like this, she felt like she would have the strength to overcome everything in their way. She would always…be a part of Jurina’s heart. -///-
Every time Jurina had a dream about her childhood times, she couldn’t seem to remember it clearly. Even though she couldn’t remember who she was talking to in the dream…her heart seemed to remember this happy feelings she had back then. It was nostalgic to her, but she couldn’t remember who was this person that brought so much happiness to her heart…
Time flew by so fast and it would be only few days before the fieldtrip to Nagoya. Everyone was getting so excited as well as Rena’s group too. Churi and Airin were having so many plans during the free day in Nagoya. Rena and Jurina still had to think about what to do during the free time. As before the morning class would start, Jurina was called over by the nurse to the infirmary. She went to take the new set of pills that were prepared by nurse Shinoda.
“It must be painful to you…isn’t?”
“Not really, I’m getting used to it.”
“Did the doctor tell you when would you stop taking meds?”
“…I wonder too.”
“If its not necessary don’t take the meds, just only when you have the symptoms alright?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Jurina finally left and put the little container of pills in her pocket before she went back to her classroom. The morning class was over already and it’s break time, however she didn’t see her class rep at all. She wandered around and looked for Rena. She finally turned at the corner of the corridor and accidently met with one of her classmates. They accidently bumped into each other, as this girl seemed as if she was in a huge rush. Jurina wondered why but her attention was more focused on looking for Rena.
“Did you see Rena-chan?”
“Rena-san…she’s…!”
Her kind honest classmate told Jurina that she overheard the conversation at the girl’s bathroom. There were group of girls in the same year as them were angry at how Rena was trying to get closer to the famous Watanabe twins through Jurina. They seemed to be one of the Watanabe fans. Right after Jurina heard that, she sprinted across the corridor to the bathroom on that floor and she looked inside immediately. She saw around 4-5 girls surrounding this one single person. She was on the floor being threatened by heartless girls.
“Jurina…!?”
“Glad that you’re here, Jurina-san. We have things to tell you.”
One of the girls walked up to her and showed the picture that Rena was talking with Mayu intimately behind the school’s building. It was picture that no one would’ve expected it to be taken but it did. “I bet your fake friend is trying to use you to get closer to your sister. We’re trying to protect you and Mayu-sama.”
“Yes! From this cunning witch!”
Jurina ignored everything around her and she could see the red bruise on Rena’s cheek. That made her reaching her limits and she was at the verge to exploding any second right now.
“Just leave this to us, we’ll make sure she’ll never get close to you aga—”
“What DID you do to RENA!?”
Jurina roared loudly and even made the hallway echoed. She took the picture and shredded it into pieces before she walked up to her dear friend. Rena could hear her name loudly and clearly. It made her face flush after hearing Jurina calling her name without any honorific followed up. The young Watanabe walk towards and crouched in front of Rena before she stroked her cheek gently with eyes clouded with worries.
“Does it hurt? I’m really sorry….”
“No it’s fine. I’m used to this already.”
It pained Jurina even more to hear that. She knew why Rena was used to being bullied. For some reason, when she heard that it felt as if the old scar within her heart had reopened again. She bit her lips and pulled Rena up on her feet and held her hand tightly.
“…Let’s go.”
She tried to suppress her anger as much as she could for Rena’s sake. She knew that Rena wouldn’t want her to use physical force to solve problems. Jurina took Rena out from the bathroom but before she did, the group of girls stood in their way to stop them.
“Why are you saving her? I don’t understand.”
“She’s using you! We’re trying to save you here.”
“Believe us, we know that witch’s true self--”
“SHUT UP!!!”
It made everyone stunned. To be honest, it was also Rena’s first time to hear Jurina raised her voice up like that. She was utterly scary. Even she didn’t see her friend’s eyes, she could tell the aura unleashed from her even made her scared too. Jurina’s glare penetrated through their hearts and sent chills down their spine. They couldn’t move at the slightest…
“Know this, there is never a single time Rena ever mentioned my sister’s name. I don’t care she’s using me or not, I trust her, and if you dare touch her…go over my dead body first!”
“J-Jurina…”
“Let’s go Rena.”
Jurina dragged her dear friend out from the bathroom after she caused a huge commotion. Everyone gathered around to see what was going on but it was already too late. The young Watanabe really did declared loud and clear and she was obviously expecting that the rumors regarding Rena would disappear. However, she was curious with that photo. She didn’t know that Mayu and Rena were actually close with each other, she felt like she had to ask. The class rep didn’t say anything while Jurina was holding onto her hand. They went up the stairs to escape from everyone and arrived at the roof deck. It seemed they would be skipping class until lunch somehow.
“Jurina I—”
“Rena-chan, don’t worry about it.”
“…Just listen to me. I have to tell you about that photo before it becomes a misunderstanding.”
Rena looked into her eyes with full seriousness. It made Jurina pause for a second as she finally decided to hear what her class rep had to say. She didn’t want to admit that she’s slightly jealous to see Rena and her sister’s photo together at such an excluded place in school.
“…Okay.”
“If I recall it correctly, that was also the first time I actually talked to Mayu-senpai…”
Rena began to explain her situation that she had lost her important keychain after one of Watanabe’s fanclub threw it out from the window into bushes of wild trees. The young Matsui sighed and that was when Mayu came in to ask what she was doing. Obviously Mayu was annoyed and angry about how others treated Rena like that. It all started just with the young Matsui came to give some paper files to Mayu at her classroom as the teacher requested. As a result, the cyborg Watanabe helped the class rep find her keychain until the end…
“Did you find it?”
“Yes I did, all thanks to Mayu-senpai.”
“Thank goodness…jeez, those fans are sure scary.”
“Hehe, surely they are.”
Rena giggled about it and it didn’t seem to make Jurina that happy. The young Watanabe was surely worried about her friend and only stared back with dissatisfaction.
“If they come to bully you again, do tell me and I’ll go teach them a lesson!”
“You don’t have to do that! They’ll end up turning against you instead.”
“They won’t do anything to me. I hate using my sisters’ name to solve the problem, but if I have to I will.”
“Jurina…”
Matsui only stared into Jurina’s strong eyes and she felt utterly touched by that kindness. Her heart began to beat faster and her face burned hotter. The more Jurina treated her with care, the more she felt the butterflies in her stomach. She distracted herself with other thoughts and giggled softly to herself. It did caught Jurina’s attention immediately.
“Hm? What is it?”
“Hehe, I don’t think you even have to do that. They would be so afraid to mess with the Watanabe Jurina after all.”
“Mou…Rena-chan!”
“You bullied be so much that now it’s my turn to tease you~”
The tension of the atmosphere between the two disappeared. A huge smile appeared on both their faces as they decided they would just skip until lunch break. Both of them just talked about random things again as always. Then they talked about their fieldtrip to Nagoya, it seemed Rena had something she wanted to ask Jurina after all.
“Eh…do you have any plans during the free day?”
“Well…yeah I do, is something a matter?”
“O-Oh I see…where are you planning to go?”
Rena wanted to ask Jurina to go to the orphanage with her. It was the place she came from and she hoped that she would get some clues regarding Ju-chan from the teachers there. However, she just felt like she had to ask about Jurina’s plan first. As the young Watanabe looked at her friend, she could see some slight hint of sadness from Rena’s facial expression. She knew what Rena was thinking and feeling instantly.
“It’s not that I didn’t invite you means I don’t want to be with you…the place I’m planning to go is the graveyard, to visit my dad.”
“A-Ah! I’m sorry…”
“Hey! It’s nothing~ I don’t know its even a pleasant place for you to come with me or not…so I didn’t think of asking you.”
“I don’t mind going with you. It’s not like I have anything to do anyways. I bet Churi and Airin will have her lovey dovey date so I guess I’ll stick with you…”
“I see…if you don’t mind, I’m more than grateful to have you come along.”
“More than pleasure to do so.”
They exchanged smiles with each other and spent their time together skipping class. It was likely to be the first time the class rep did something like this, yet she didn’t feel guilty at all. For some reason it made her felt more refreshed in a way instead. They had to go back to get their lunchbox before they could meet up with their two other friends. It was sure a long day for the two…
~XXX~
Few days later, the rumors regarding Rena had disappeared instantly. The misunderstandings had disappeared and everyone seemed to be acting normally once again. The ones that picked on the Jurina’s princess no longer even showed up in front of them again. Akane and Airi heard the whole story from the young Watanabe and they were amazed by her actions. It was about time for them to have lunch but then when the young Watanabe checked her bag she seemed to have forgotten her lunchbox.
“Ugh…I forgot my food at home?”
“Do you want to go to the cafeteria to buy something?” Rena offered to accompany her friend to the cafeteria but then Jurina refused it.
“I’m not that hungry, I’ll be good~”
“Are you sure?” Rena asked again with worries and offered some of her food to Jurina. She wouldn’t want her friend to be starving herself until late afternoon. “You can eat with me, my mom made quite a lot today.”
“I’m great~ don’t worry!”
“Kyahh~! Mayu-sama!”
Everyone heard a sudden scream from the hallway. There were girls and boys rushed out to the window to see the famous senior walking through the hallway. Jurina was surprised to hear her sister’s name and then she saw the familiar figure at the door.
“Mayu-neechan??”
“Jurina, mom called me and said you forgot your lunchbox.”
The cyborg Watanabe walked up to Jurina’s table and handed over the lunchbox before she ruffled the younger one’s head. Also, she put the plastic bag onto the table as it contained several snack bags and Jurina’s favorite drink. It seemed the older sister had bought some extra food on her way to Jurina’s homeroom.
“If you didn’t rush out to meet with Rena you wouldn’t forget it.”
“N-Neechan!!”
Rena didn’t know why she felt her face burning up a little, but she was actually happy to hear that cute fact regarding her puppy face friend. However, it made Akane and Airi teased her even more with how intimate both of them were.
“But if you forget it again, just call me or Miyuki. We wouldn’t want you to starve yourself okay?”
“Okay… Thank you, neechan.”
Jurina smiled with contentment and it made the older one responded with a smile as well. It seemed Mayu is satisfied with the answer and it was the time she had to leave before there would be too much juniors surrounding all the exits. Akane and Airi were so surprised and excited to see the sisterly side of the famous Watanabe Mayu. She was amazingly gentle and kind unlike what she imagined, they were actually jealous that Jurina had such a perfect sister that looked after her.
“I wish I can have a sister like Mayu-senpai!”
“Yeah~ I would be so happy about it!” Airi replied back.
They all went up to the roof deck together to spend their lunchtime together as usual. However, as Jurina opened her lunchbox she realized something was different than usual. There was a lot of kaarage chicken in her meal today and it looked more like Mayu’s lunchbox. It made the young Watanabe finally realized that the lunchbox that she received from her was actually…
-
In the middle of the night, someone came to knock on Mayu’s door and disturbed her study time. She had to put her pen down and turned towards the door.
“Who is it?”
“…It’s me.”
Mayu recognize Jurina’s voice immediately and told her to enter the room. The younger one slowly opened and walked into the room while the older one was staring at her. The cyborg Watanabe wondered what would bring Jurina over to her room in the middle of the night like this.
“What’s a matter? Isn’t it your fieldtrip tomorrow already? You should go to sleep now.”
“About the lunchbox---”
“Did you like it? Did it taste good?”
“Y-Yes…I really like it. Mom’s kaarage is really great…”
“Glad to hear that.”
The cyborg revealed her smile with relief and made the younger one felt utterly flattered. She never knew that her sister would actually care for her this much. Jurina fidgeted as if she wanted to say something and the older one could spot it.
“You looked like you have something you want to tell me.”
“Well…”
“…Just say it, so it wouldn’t be disturbing your mind.”
“U-Uh…Mayu-neechan.”
“Yes?”
“Can I…is it okay if I sleep here with you?”
Mayu was caught off guard when Jurina was making a childish request with her. However, she didn’t say a word and only nodded with a smile. She thought that there was no reason to ask why the young one would want to sleep with her tonight. She took her glasses off and closed the desk lamp.
“Sure, I’m actually quite sleepy now…let’s go to sleep.”
The older one closed the light and went to her bed. Thankfully it was big enough for Jurina to also sleep on the same bed as her. In the darkness of the night, Jurina fidget and moved in closer towards the calm cyborg sister.
“…Thank you, neechan.”
Mayu only smiled to herself and patted Jurina’s head while she closed her eyes. “It’s alright, let’s sleep now.”
Without any words, both siblings drifted to sleep and it was the night that Jurina did not have any kind of nightmares. Jurina couldn’t remember the last time she had such a peaceful and a dreamless sleep like this. She would either dream about her sweet childhood or having a nightmare about her past. It was just so quiet…and peaceful.
~XXX~
Early in the morning, Jurina’s mother helped checking the essential things that needed to be taken to the fieldtrip. She wouldn’t want Jurina to miss anything while she was there at Nagoya. As the girl brought a big bag to school she couldn’t go with her bicycle, so her father would be sending her off at school in the early morning. He wished for his youngest daughter to have a safe trip with her fellow friends at Nagoya, but a part of him was also worried about her.
“Don’t worry dad, I’ll be fine.”
“I see, have a safe trip.”
“I will!”
The young Watanabe headed towards the building to join with her fellow excited friends. She couldn’t wait to have fun in Nagoya with her friends, as well as feeling sentimental about returning back home. There were too many memories and feelings back at Nagoya, both happiness and sadness…
-
In the train, everyone could sit wherever they want but in pairs. So it’s automatically Akane with Airi and Jurina with Rena. As the class rep chose to sit by the window, she looked out to the scenery and it made Jurina curious.
“You’re excited to return back home?”
“Ah…yes, a little.” Rena turned to respond to her friend’s question. “How about you?”
“…I would be lying if I say no.”
“Let’s have load of fun together.”
“Yup~ we will.”
They had their fun talk together with Furuyanagi who were sitting in front of them. They played wording games that were simple and easy enough to play on the whole train ride. It took quite a while for them to finally arrive at the hotel they would be staying at. It was a traditional hotel they were staying in. As they went to keep their stuffs in their assigned room, they still have about half a day before dinner. The four of them walked and explored the area around the hotel as well as relaxing.
“Hey! Why don’t we go into that market! It looks interesting.”
Airi pointed over the entrance of this small market that seemed to be quite attracting. However, as Jurina’s eyes gazed upon the name of the market she had froze in shock. As everyone seemed to agree about going to explore the market, Jurina didn’t seem to feel that well and refused to join with them.
“I forgot to take my medicine! I’ll be heading back to the hotel first.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Rena offered but Jurina declined. She told the class rep that she should enjoy Nagoya when they’re here. The young Watanabe told them that she had been here already so they don’t have to worry about her. Jurina left immediately before she any of her friends could say anything. It made Rena and others worry about her and hoped to check on her after they had their tour in the market.
-
Jurina tried to stay away from the market as far as she could. She took a deep breath after she believed she had a distance away from her friends. She lied to them about going to get her medicine at the hotel, and so she decided to just stay somewhere close by to the hotel to be safe. As she was walking back to the hotel, she wondered how far she could hide her secrets from her friends within Nagoya, her hometown…
“Eh?? Is that Jurina-chan!?”
The young Watanabe flinched and turned around. Her eyes met with this old woman who had the same shocking expression as her. She was pointing towards Jurina with shock and slowly approached her as she was trying to clarify her doubts. The young girl tried to recall who that old woman was and then the name flashed into her head…
“Is that…aunty Tomoko?”
“Yes that’s me! So you’re really Jurina-chan~”
She approached the younger one and patted her head gently. She seemed to realize how much Jurina had grew up from the last time she met her. She was taller, prettier, and looked much brighter than before.
“It’s been 3 years isn’t? When we heard that you’re admitted into hospital, everyone is worried about you!”
“Ah…I’m sorry to make you all worry.”
“So how are you now? We didn’t hear anything from you at all ever since…is that your new school uniform?”
“Yes, I moved to Tokyo as Watanabe-san adopted me. I’m came here on a fieldtrip with my class.”
“Ah~ Watanabe-san…it’s been a long while since they moved away…I’m glad you’re doing alright!”
The old woman smiled with relief while she was holding Jurina’s hand. It seem they knew each other quite well when the young girl was still in Nagoya. Jurina was surprised and happy to meet with the old woman here.
“Oh right! Why don’t you go visit everybody else in the market? I believe everyone wants to see you!”
The old woman pointed towards the market that Rena and others went in. Obviously, Jurina was purposely avoiding going in there. She wanted to meet with people she knew but not with her Tokyo friends. The young girl declined the offer and told her reasons she didn’t want her friends to know anything about her past in Nagoya that other adults knew…
“Well…maybe tomorrow? I don’t want my friends to be there to hear it.”
“Ah I see. No worries about that! Everyone will be utterly happy to meet you!”
“I’m happy to meet them too.”
The old woman had to leave since she left her shop with her son right now. She was one of the shopkeepers in the market that knew Jurina very well when she was still living with her foster parents in Nagoya. The young Watanabe rushed back to her hotel immediately to take a mental break. She’s getting anxious the longer she stayed, especially when she accidently met someone she knew. She still has 3 more days to be in Nagoya and she wondered how long she could keep this a secret from Rena and others…
-
The three of them came back from their long exploration and met Jurina in front of the souvenir shop of the hotel. They seemed to have bought several things from the market they went in as well.
“Oh hey, how’s your exploring?”
“It’s great! We bought lots of things~” Akane replied with a huge smile across her face.
“That’s good to hear!”
Jurina smiled back and then they started talking about how they wanted to explore things around their hotel even more on their free day. The young Watanabe just listened to the conversation while Rena came to her side with slight worries.
“Jurina…are you okay right?”
“Don’t worry, I did take the meds already.”
Even though the young girl smiled to her class rep, she couldn’t shake out her worries towards Jurina. It made her realize that the only thing she knew about Jurina was that she had to take meds because she was sick. The young Watanabe didn’t explain anything much to her and only told her that it's something she got from the car accident. After their talk, they decided to drop their stuffs at the room before they went for dinner at the main hall. Everyone went there and enjoyed the traditional meal that was served to them. Jurina and her friends discussed about going to the hot spring after their dinner. However, Jurina had actually declined that offer…
“I’m sorry…my body couldn’t take hot baths so I have to decline this…”
“Aw that sucks! Hot springs are great!”
Akane groaned with slight dissatisfaction. The young Watanabe only chuckled wryly to herself, as she didn’t actually want to decline that offer. She had certain reasons she couldn't join the hot spring with them… Jurina didn’t want Rena to discover the scar underneath her bangs yet. After the dinner she decided to grab some snacks at the convenient store right beside the hotel while her other friends returned back to their room to be ready to go to the hot spring. As Jurina was buying some snacks and drinks, someone suddenly came to tap on her shoulder.
“W-Whoa!?”
“Shhh. It’s me.”
Jurina was shocked and when she turned around, it was actually Rena. She was surprised to see her here since Jurina thought she went back to the room with Akane and Airi already.
“Eh, I thought you would go to the hot spring with them.”
“Well initially yes, but not anymore.”
“…Why?”
“I don’t want to leave you alone again and I had enough at the market already.”
Rena smiled kindly back to the young Watanabe. Obviously, it made Jurina’s heart skip a beat when her class rep cared for her. Matsui girl actually followed Jurina out from the hotel to this convenient store. They bought snacks they wanted to eat and started to head back to their hotel.
“…I’ll be heading to the cemetery tomorrow, its up to you if you want to come or not though.” Jurina was the one to speak up first. The class rep recalled the last time they talked about what they were going to do on their free day. Obviously, the young Watanabe wanted to visit her father that passed away. Rena simple nodded firmly to confirm her answer.
“I’ll be going to. I don’t have anything to do anyways.”
“I see…sorry about that. It’s sure not a pleasant place to go on our fieldtrip.”
“Don’t worry about that! Nagoya is my home, and I came here several times with my parents already.”
“I see…thank you Rena-chan.”
Finally both of them arrived at their hotel and relaxed in their room while Akane and Airi were having fun at the hot spring. However as soon as they dropped their snacks onto the table, Jurina went to her bag to grab a bottle of pills. It was the time for her to take the medicine. She just watched her friend took her pills for the evening with slight worries in her eyes.
“…Are you okay?”
“Yup I am! Don’t worry, it’s just the time for me to take the pills.”
“I see…”
“So what did you buy at the market today?”
“Ah right!”
Rena went to her bag and bought her a melon pan keychain she found at the market today. It also had a tiny blue rose with it as well. She walked up towards Jurina and put it into her hand.
“It looks cute so I bought it for you.”
“Wow, this is cute…you didn’t get one for yourself??”
“I did! Same as yours but it's the same as pink rose one~”
Rena went to get another one that was her own. It was identical to Jurina’s keychain but it’s only a pink rose one. It made the young Watanabe giggled with how they got a matching keychain with each other. Jurina couldn’t hide her happiness and let out a huge smile across her face as she was sitting down beside Rena on the floor.
“Hehe~ thank you so much Rena-chan. I’ll make sure to use it and treat it preciously too!”
“Me too. It’s our matching keychain after all.”
Both of them ate their snacks while enjoying their time together until decided to take a shower before it would get late. Rena used the bathroom first and then it’s Jurina’s turn. It was just about time that both Akane and Airi came back from the hot spring. They really took their time and enjoyed it to their heart’s content before returning back to their room.
“Rena-chan you should’ve come! The hot spring is great!” Akane couldn’t get over with how amazing the hot spring in the hotel was.
“Alright, maybe next time.” Rena smiled back as her promise with them.
“Too bad Jurina can’t join us…” Airin sighed and made the young Watanabe chuckled wryly.
“Hehe, sorry to be the party popper.”
She didn’t have much of a choice since she didn’t want Rena to discover the scars under her bangs. She couldn’t recall any moments she had met with Rena in the past… and according to Matsui they seemed to be utterly close as well. It made Jurina doubt several times that it could be possible that she lost her memories? No one knew what was the truth regarding Jurina’s past…
~XXX~
The throbbing pain from her heart caused her to wake up in the middle of the dark room. She took a deep breath to calm her conscious and also realized that she was sweating despite the room was neither hot nor cold. She wore her glasses before she got out from bed to check the time on her cellphone. It was early dawn and it’s not surprising that no one was awake yet. She decided to take the pills first before anyone would see her suffering from her symptoms. Jurina tried to recall about the dream but she couldn’t remember the face of the young girl she met in the dream. All she knew was that she felt so happy to be with her… that’s the only thing that Jurina remembered. She did took her time thinking whether there could be connections with Rena’s past or not…however as she took her medicines, she didn’t realize that someone actually watching her from behind.
“Jurina…are you okay?”
The young Watanabe froze and turned around to the origin of the sweet sleepy voice. It was Rena and she seemed to just wake up from her bed, which was beside Jurina’s bed. She nodded with a smile hoping to not make her Matsui friend worry too much about her.
“Don’t worry, it’s my daily morning pills.”
“I see…I thought something bad happen or something…”
“It’s still early, why don’t you go to sleep for now?”
“Nah, I’m quite awake already.”
“Hmm…how about we go out for some morning walk so we don’t disturb them?”
Jurina asked and Rena nodded without hesitation. They both get changed and headed out from the room without waking up their two other friends. They walked down to the lobby and exploring around aimlessly since they got nothing to do. While they were walking, Rena told Jurina more about her dream regarding her past in the orphan with her best friend. However, as the conversation continued…something interesting came out from Rena’s lips.
“I bet you really like her a lot… Ju-chan, I mean.” Jurina spoke up and Rena simply nodded softly, but at the same time it was as if she was hesitating somehow.
“I think so too…”
“Hm? I thought you did have feelings for her?”
“Yes I do, but I’m not that sure right now though…”
Rena blushed slightly and avoided eye contact with young Watanabe. She took her time fidgeting and making up her mind before she told Jurina what was in her mind.
“I…I think I love someone just as much as her.”
Jurina’s eyes grew wide as she was surprised to know that Rena had someone that she liked more than her best friend that she kept talking about. It made her so curious that she actually asked for more details.
“Oh wow…who’s this lucky person?”
“I-I can’t tell you yet!”
Rena was so frustrated to tell anything yet but her reactions were just so hilarious to the young Watanabe. Jurina couldn’t hold back her laugh and it’s making Matsui blushing and embarrassed even more.
“Mou…Jurina!”
“Haha~! Sorry, but that’s quite surprising to know you have a crush on someone after you’ve been talking about this best friend so much.”
“Well…it’s just recently I realized my feelings for her.”
“Oh? How’s is this person like? You don’t have to tell me who it is though~”
Jurina was putting her poker face on so badly. She did her best to hide her erupting emotions inside her stomach. Her heart throbbed in pain in an unusual way. It’s different from any kind of pain she ever had…this was more painful than anything else. As she could see Rena’s beautiful smile when she talked about this person she had feelings for, it pained Jurina even more to hear it. Yet, she still put on her friendly smile for Rena’s sake.
“…She always cares for me. I feel like I found true happiness by being with her.”
A part of Jurina’s heart was shattering. It’s such a disturbing feeling she’s having inside her heart and her guts. She’s grateful that Rena could find her true happiness, but then it’s making her so sad to learn that it wasn’t her. This person that Rena fell in love with must surely be a very lucky person. The only thing that the young Watanabe could do was to make sure to support her friend and always ensure Rena’s happiness…to see her happy, was Jurina’s happiness as well.
She only tightened her fist while she wore that smile across her face. She could tell that Rena was truly happy and excited to talk about this person she loved. However, the more she listened the more she felt the needles piercing through her chest…and the more she realized her feelings for this raven haired girl. Also, it turned out that this crush she had on was in the same grade as both of them too.
“…You must really love her, she’s sure lucky.”
“A-Ah…yeah, I guess I do love her.”
After hearing out how Rena felt when she stayed with this person…it was the same feeling she had when she was with Matsui. She couldn’t believe what she heard and part of her didn’t want to believe what she was thinking. It pained her to know Rena’s heart belonged to someone. However, it’s even worse to learn that she had fallen in love with Rena…for so long, without realizing it.
Jurina didn’t know what to do anymore. She’s starting to doubt in many things, about Rena, her feelings, her sentimental dreams, and herself. She couldn’t tell what’s the truth anymore, everything’s just pure chaos within her.
-///-
~Part Two: Bloom~
[END]