Meanwhile, Freya and Kagetsu could finally return to their intended activity, and that was shopping for new clothes. She had lost almost everything to the fire. Kagetsu also learned his lesson from the last time, picking only second-hand shops and nothing fancy or luxurious.
"How about this one?" Kagetsu picked a nice dress that went out of fashion two years ago. Nevertheless, any girl could wear it ten years later, only if they didn't care for current trends. That made them perfect for Freya.
She nodded, smiling more than she could ever imagine she would after the loss of her father, mother, or Star. Taking the piece, she headed to a changing cabin.
'How strange... shopping with a boy.'
She liked shopping as a kid, but not exactly for clothes. She was too small to appreciate the fashion for herself, but she loved to find a piece for her mother.
No matter how she searched, she didn't find any boy of her age in the shop. Only bored boys with their parents, voicing a wish to go into a toy shop next.
Looking at herself into the mirror, she giggled. Kagetsu gave the dress a strict eye, measuring it over his body if it had a good length before handing it to her. They were, after all, almost the same height.
'He is a strange boy for sure.'
She peeked outside, looking for him. A flash from the reflected sun hit her eyes, and she shut them. Rubbing them, she noticed a person standing by the wall mirror.
The colorful circles danced in front of her. 'What a beautiful woman.' Her heart skipped a beat.
The dress fluttered around her, and a big summer hat sat on her raven hair. As the circles stopped dancing in front of Freya's vision, she realized her mistake.
'Kagetsu?'
He twisted in his hip, the dress hooked behind his neck, and he checked it from all sides if it went well with the hat. Their eyes met, and he softly whistled.
"Wow! You look great!"
Her freckles got lost in the red sea, spreading across her face. 'No! No!' She shook her head.
"Nah! You are totally Ashrella."
'Huh?' She stopped, watching him unhooking the dress and putting down the hat.
"Wait? Chimrella? Wrong. How was that name?"
'Cinderella, perhaps?' The blush softened on her cheeks. She came closer, gesturing to the dress and herself.
"Of course! Try these too!"
She returned back, glimpsing him as he did curtsy in front of the mirror using an invisible dress. Mothers and women around him gave him amused looks, whispering about a strange but sweet boy.
By the end, they had more bags than she could ever imagine. They bought everything from pants, extra school uniform, panties, socks, shoes, skirts, shirts to a wide hat. No matter how many second-hands shops they visited, it still costed money, and Kagetsu refused any in return.
"You can tutor me in English instead. How about that?"
Saying no to his wide smile would be a grave sin, so she gave up on persuading him.
\\_(''>_<'')_//
The next day Freya spent with Aiyoku, visiting bookstores and hanging out. What they didn't know was, that the errand Rigaku had to do involved the triplet's father.
Talking with his secretary, he had learned their father would be spending a few days in this city as well. He had a business meeting, one of many as always. Rigaku looked outside of the bus window, he took instead of the car they used to get to the school.
Using public transport allowed him to listen to other people. Which proved to be fairly concentration breaking as a baby decided to scream their lungs out. Their mother soothed it, telling something about growing teeth to the woman next to her.
Rigaku watched them, and an unfamiliar feeling grew inside of him. 'Who cradled us? A nanny since our mother died shortly after giving us birth?' He closed his eyes, remembering the dusty memories.
Seeing his brothers in their almost chibi form brought a smile onto his face. Clumsy Ka often bruised his knees from running around, and Rigaku learned to patch them flawlessly. Ai always took care of cheering their youngest sibling, and they soon continued their activity as if nothing happened.
The face of a middle-aged woman came to his mind. She brushed Ai's hair, telling them stories. Sometimes she joined their pillow fight, and feathers flew across the whole room.
At other times, she bathed them, scrubbing their back and blowing soap bubbles. When New Year came, she accompanied them to a roof to look at the grand firework and lit up their sparkles.
She looked into Rigaku's eyes and said, "Young man, are you alright?"
However, that wasn't her voice, and the boy shot his eyes open. Next to him stood a young man. "Are you alright? You were crying."
A moment of confusion flashed across Rigaku's brown eyes. "Ah... N-No... I mean, yes." He took down his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "I was just dozing off."
"That's a relief. You are too young to be depressed."
After this small chit-chat, Rigaku got out. Outside, he looked at his hand as if he tried to see the tears.
'Am I changing?' Not too long ago, he was distant, above everybody, and analyzing everything like a computer. That was the vision he pursued, but now it shattered. The feeling of relief filled him, ensuring him it was a good sight. However, his brain had a different opinion.
Walking towards his goal, he couldn't clear his mind. The images of his brothers, Freya, Golden Pear, and old memories swirled in one big typhoon. Glancing around, he took note of many types of people.
Old ones sauntered since there was no need to rush. Children bounced around their parents, excited to see new things. Adults fell somewhere in the middle. Some proceeded slowly, some rushed, and some seemed not to care.
'Which adult I would grow to be?' There was no need for an answer. It came to him clear as a day. At least, that would be true over a month ago. Now, he couldn't calculate his future much less his brothers' ones.
That bothered him more. Seeing his brothers in distress, caused him a pain no matter how well he managed to hide it. 'Is it alright... not to know where one's heading?'
A ray of the sun reflected from passing car, blinding him. Leaning against the building wall, the world turned into a mix of sounds and smells. 'Ever-changing.' The simple thought flashed away with the colorful shapes, returning him his sight.
'Am I thinking too much?' Shaking his head, he continued for a few minutes before he reached his goal.