"What? Nisha isn't with you," Hikari stated as she approached her best friend at the agreed meeting place.
"She was busy."
"Oh. That sucks. I thought the three of us were going to the cafe."
Yuna shrugged, fished her cell phone out of the skirt pocket of her school uniform and checked the time. "We can have fun too, right?"
"Yeah, sure. Like in the old days." A broad grin appeared on the face of the black-haired. "Are we going to the manga store first?"
"Sure. Why not."
"Cool." Hikari walked on, whereas the other high-school student hesitated and looked around. "Did you forget something?"
"No, no." Yuna squeezed her cell phone. "Just got a message."
"Something important?"
"Nothing special." The blue-haired looked around again. Sullen, she grimaced.
Her best friend stopped. "What's up with you? Come on."
"Don't stress me like that. Unlike you, I'm not lying around at home all day."
"I'm not. As long as father is around, I make myself rare in the morning and stroll around a bit," said Hikari.
"Tz... you could just come to school as well."
"I'm coming next week. Stay calm. I don't want to miss the school festival."
"Yuna-chan?" a girl's voice asked.
Relieved, the blue-haired turned around. "Oh... Kiriko-chan... what are you doing here?"
The middle-school girl grinned crookedly as she said, "I was on my way when I saw you. How are you?" She squinted at the black-haired high-school student.
"Quite well. Everything okay with you?"
"Totally."
Hikari cleared her throat. "Who's that, Yuna?"
The other girls turned to her. "This is Kiriko Shimada, Wataru's sister."
For a moment the best friend studied the younger girl extensively. "Didn't know he has a sister."
Kiriko turned to Yuna. "Who is this?"
"Hikari Wada, my best friend." Although she was no longer sure of her feelings for Hikari, she still spoke of her as her best friend.
"Oh. Nice. Very pleased, Wada-san."
"Likewise, Shimada-san."
The blue-haired looked around again, as she expected another person. Actually, she thought that Kiriko would be accompanied, but the middle-school student came alone.
"Do we want to go, Yuna-chan?" Hikari asked.
The other girls swiftly exchanged a look, Kiriko shrugging slightly before asking, "What are you doing?"
"We want to go to the manga store. Do you like manga?"
The little girl grinned. "Is there a Japanese girl who doesn't like manga?"
"There you are. I thought you ditched me."
All three girls turned around and found themselves facing a young man wearing short black hair and a clean-shaven chin. Inwardly, Yuna cheered, because he looked absolutely perfect. The last two times, when she had met him, she had noticed this.
Hikari's eyes widened. "W-wataru-san..." She stared at him. "Wow... you look even better with short hair." Her cheeks turned red and she smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry."
The young man grinned crookedly. "Thanks, but you're mistaking me." He turned to the blue-haired. "Hey, Yuna-chan. What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Takeru-kun. I meet with my best friend. This is Hikari Wada." She pointed to the named.
"Hello, sister." The young man bowed to the black-haired high-school student. "Very pleased."
"Oh God. How can you still make that stupid joke?" Kiriko wailed as she pressed against Yuna. "We wanted to go to the arcade. Would you like to join?"
"Why not, right Hikari? Let's go to the cafe with Nisha next time."
"Yes, sure. Why not?" she mumbled nervously.
Takeru turned to his sister. "I've heard that kids are useful for picking up girls, but I didn't think you'd be that useful."
The youngest blew up her cheeks and stared at him angrily before she stamped with her left foot. "I'm not a child!"
"Whatever you say, baby sister." He patted her head and turned to Hikari. "I'm Takeru Shimada. Very pleased to meet you, Hikari-chan." His big grin beamed at her.
"Likewise, Shimada-san."
"Please... call me Takeru, okay?"
"Okay, Takeru-san."
He turned his head to Yuna. "Why didn't you tell me you had such a sweet friend?"
Embarrassed, she shrugged. "I wanted to protect her from you?"
Eye rolling, the cook apprentice went off. "Let's go. I only have a little over an hour to spare."
"Yeah!" Kiriko rejoiced, grabbing her brother's girlfriend by the hand and pulling her past Takeru and Hikari. "I already have three games that I want to play against you."
"Who says I want to play against you?"
"Are you scared, witch?"
With a jerk the blue-haired pulled back the middle-school student and glared at her. "What was that, dwarf?!"
"I challenged you. Do you hear bad?"
They stared menacingly at each other for a moment, then the high-school girl pulled the younger girl with her. "I'll teach you some manners!"
Irritated, Hikari looked after them and blinked a few times. "Um..." She turned to Takeru.
He bowed his head and gestured after the other two. "After you, Hikari-chan."
"T-thank you." She gave him a quick glance, but then she quickly looked away and started walking.
The young man took the opportunity to study her rear view. He glanced into a shop window, which mirrored his reflection a bit, adjusted his hair for a moment, then quickly joined the black-haired girl. "So you're Yuna-chan's best friend?"
"Yeah."
They went to the arcade. The first two girls went with full force and immediately started dueling in a round of air hockey. Although Kiriko was very eager, she found it extremely difficult to keep up with the older one. Yuna, on the other hand, was careful not to resort to her heightened reflexes, as she wanted to defeat the middle-school student in a fair way.
Takeru and Hikari watched them for a while, until the young man plucked the black-haired girl's sleeve and whispered something to her. She shrugged and then walked over to a claw crane machine. The air hockey players exchanged a look, both grinning broadly.
After a few minutes, it was six to three for Yuna. She made two more points against Kiriko, before she got the final point and won the match. They left the air hockey game and went to the beat'em up machines. On the way, they could briefly observe Hikari taking control of the claw crane arm while Takeru talked to her.
"They seem to get along," Kiriko said.
"Yes." They lined up at a machine, and the blue-haired girl threw in a few yen to start the game.
"Why do you want to pair the two?" The character of the middle-school student rushed forward into a turmoil of opponents, before she began to beat one after the other.
Yuna kept the enemies from her back and dealt with the scattered opponents. "She would like to have a boyfriend, too. And I thought maybe Takeru would suit her."
"And that occurred to you during the movie yesterday?" The black-haired girl was able to get hold of a weapon and hit on the next wave of opponents.
"Yes, kinda." The high-school student grinned over.
"It's kind of funny. Who was the blonde girl yesterday?"
"My sister, Yui."
"She's not very sociable, is she?" In quick succession, Kiriko pounded on her keys. "Crap!"
"That's what you get from running head on into your opponents."
The little girl snorted and used one of her credits. "If you weren't so cowardly, they would all have been killed."
"I'm just a tactical fighter, dwarf." Mischievously grinned the blue-haired.
"You have the better overview, giraffe."
Sporadically, Yuna glanced at the other two, who had meanwhile switched. With a grim expression Takeru bobbed up and down in front of the claw crane machine. Just when she wanted to look away, he cheered loudly and even the high-school student shouted enthusiastic. The grapple dropped a large Tuzki pillow, which was released by the machine. Hikari clapped the young man's hand he offered her, then pulled the prize out of the machine.
"Eyes on the screen!" Kiriko hissed and nudged her fellow player with her elbow.
"Stay calm. It's just a game."
"Yes, but for the moment I'm leading."
Yuna groaned. "We play together."
"I have more points than you," the middle-school girl sang triumphantly.
"Who won the air hockey?" Takeru asked as he approached them. His sister grimaced and growled. "All right."
"Just see what Takeru-san won!" Hikari presented a Tuzki head with flushed cheeks.
Kiriko looked at the plushy thing. "Cool, I've always wanted a Tuzki pillow."
"Well..." The cook apprentice scratched the back of his head. "I gave this to Hikari."
"WHAT?!" His sister spun around and looked daggers at him. "I am your sister!"
"Gosh, I'll get you one."
"But I want this."
Hikari wrapped her arms around the pillow and pressed it against her chest. "Mine."
"Onii-san!" whined the little girl.
"Come on. You pay. I'll get it out."
"Right now." The middle-school student grabbed him by the wrist and dragged her brother to the claw crane machine.
Yuna's best friend stood at Kiriko's place, depositing the pillow between her feet and taking control of the other character. "Were we the same at her age?"
"I don't think so. This is an annoying little sister thing," the blue-haired laughed.
Hikari chuckled. "I would like to have siblings. But luckily I've got you."
"Exactly." After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Takeru is great, right?"
"Very nice. A bit needy, if you ask me." The black-haired's hands flitted over the buttons much faster than her friend's, further advancing her lead in points. In her free time, Hikari occasionally played these games, whereas the other girl didn't really care about them.
"Needy?" Yuna wondered.
"Yes. You know. He needs it. Tries too hard."
The taller frowned. "It's great, if the boy makes an effort."
"Whatever you say, sis."
They kept playing until they were beaten up by their opponents. Hikari kicked the slot machine once, then picked up the Tuzki pillow and walked over with her friend to the siblings, who were still struggling with the claw crane machine.
"Onii-san! Try harder!"
Gritting his teeth, Takeru replied, "You're not making it any easier for me, going on my nerves!"
"No success?" the girl in the school uniform asked.
"Shh." The cook apprentice focused on the next move. The grapple drove down, clawing at one of the pillows, and then went up again, but when it reached the top, the pillow fell back down. Angrily he hit the controls. "That shitty machine is cheating!"
"You are just incompetent," grumbled his sister.
"Do it yourself." He pulled out his cell phone and looked at the clock. "I have to go anyway."
"Onii-san!"
"Bad luck, Kiri. You can't always have what you want."
The middle-school student stomped once. "But I want one too."
"Then get one. I have to go." He turned to the high-school students. "It was cool."
Hikari studied the younger girl, who was about to cry. "Here." She handed her the Tuzki pillow. "You can have it. I'm too old for this stuff anyway."
"Thank you. That's very nice," Kiriko said. "I like you, Hikari-san."
"Well." The older girl grinned satisfied.
"Thank you. That's very nice of you, Hikari-chan." Takeru bowed. "Um..." He looked at Yuna, then her friend. "Can I briefly talk to you in private?"
"Sure," the black-haired girl sighed and took a few steps with him away from the others.
"Will he ask her now?" Kiriko asked in a whisper.
"Ask what?"
"If she wants to be his girlfriend."
The high-school student chuckled. "That would be a bit quick." She looked over at the others. "He's probably asking for her number."
"Oh, yes." The younger looked at the pillow and hugged it.
"It was cool to hang out with you, Hikari-chan," the young man explained.
"Yes. It was nice."
He ran his right hand through his hair, just as his twin brother always did. "Um... will you give me your mobile number?"
She blushed a little. "I could, but I don't want to give you false hope."
Takeru raised an eyebrow. "In what way?"
"There is someone whom I like very much."
"Oh... I understand. No offense."
A conciliatory smile appeared on her face. "No. Not at all. But... ask Yuna. I think she likes you."
He looked over at the blue-haired girl, who, caught in the act, looked away and talked to Kiriko. "I don't think so. I'm not her type."
Hikari put a hand over her mouth and giggled. "She doesn't even know what her type is."
The cook apprentice looked at her with a weird face. "Uh... okay. Maybe we'll meet again."
"Yes. Take care."
Takeru moved away and the high-school student walked over to the other girls. Expectantly, they looked at her. "And?" Kiriko asked.
"What and?"
"What did he want?"
Hikari rolled her eyes. "My number. That was clear."
"And?"
"Don't panic. You can keep your brother."
Yuna's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"
"I told him there was someone else."
Inwardly, the blue-haired facepalmed herself. She should have known that Hikari wouldn't get away so quickly from her object of desire. It would take a lot more to put her plan into action.
She looked at Kiriko, who also sported a disappointed expression.
"So. What are we going to do next?" Hikari asked.