Heroism

Chapter Eight: Uncovering the Truth

"Hey... I know you're not Lulu, but you look so much like her. I was a bit sceptical at first but I wasn't sure, which was why I asked. Lulu would never respond like that. Are you Lulu's sister? Alice... Right?" She questioned with a small smile before releasing her wrist. Biting the inside of her cheek, Alice let out a soft sigh before nodding her head. Well that lasted for all of about five seconds, maybe even less.

"Yeah. I'm Alice. I'm actually looking for Lulu. It's really important and I need to talk to her. So if you can tell me where she is, I'd be really grateful," she offered the girl a small smile. Sighing, the woman brushed some of her slightly damp hair from her eyes before toying with the curls at the bottom of her twin tails. Scanning her with a critical gaze, she could see that the girl seemed pretty awkward.

"Well... Lulu was here earlier. She just left all of a sudden though, she claimed that she wasn't feeling well. I was worried about her and wanted to follow her but I was told I shouldn't. So I didn't," she frowned as she scratched the back of her neck. Alice's brows furrowed; so it appeared that Lulu wasn't there either... Unless she came back or something. But that didn't seem very likely.

"Do you know where she might be right now? I really need to find her. It's important because I really need to talk with her. She's not at home and there was an incident earlier that I need to speak with her about. Since you saw her earlier, maybe you know?" She frowned. The girl placed a finger underneath her chin as she pondered in thought. Eventually she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"Unfortunately I don't. But perhaps Mr Kuwabanagi knows. Come on, I'll take you to his office." Alice scratched her arm nervously as she followed after the young woman. The tiled flooring made a tap tap tap tapping sound as the two made their way down the hallway. The inside looked a lot more luxurious and posh compared to the outside. Almost like the kind of homes her father would go to when he was attending his work parties. Looking around, she saw various posters of famous actors and the like adorning the walls.

Some of them she recognized as very prominent figures. "One day, I wanna be on that wall. Mr Kuwabanagi puts posters up of his stars on those walls and I want to be one of them one day. I've been training my whole life for this! I wanna become a star someday!" The girl smiled as she turned her head to look at Alice. Cocking her head to the side, Alice forced a smile before nodding her head.

"I'm sure that you'll be able to do it. I mean if you work hard for something, you'll get it in the end right?" Though she tried to sound reassuring, she couldn't shake the doubt out of her voice. Whenever she worked for something, she didn't get it and it didn't help when her parents put her down. Her mother was always harder on her compared to her father; at least she had Lulu and Adam's support.

Without her siblings, she'd be lost. They had always been there to take care of her. While Adam was often busy with work, he was always just a phone call away. For that, she was thankful. However, it was different to having him with her. Sure, she felt a level of jealousy and resentment towards him, and Lulu to an extent. But that was due to her parents preferential treatment of them over her.

"Well, here we are. I'll leave you to it, I doubt you need me here. See ya!~" She smiled. Watching the girl leave, she shook her head with a sigh before turning her attention to the door. With a shaky sigh, she knocked three times. After a couple of moments, there was no response. Presuming he wasn't there, she turned to leave, when the door opened slowly, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Lulu! There you are, I was so worried about you! Why haven't you been answering my calls?" Before she could answer him, she was cut off by him pulling her into a hug. A part of her wanted to yell and scream at him to unhand her, but there was also a tingly sensation. It felt nice. Her father never hugged her like this, not even when she was a kid. Subconsciously, she found herself wrapping her arms around his torso. She only realized when she found herself pressing her head against his chest.