Chapter 27
"Sis!"
Hojo Suzune burst out of the bedroom, forgetting her slippers. Bare feet slapped against the floorboards, her small face tight, hair bristling behind her like a startled cat. She stord straight for the girl lounging on the living-room sofa.
"What's wrong?"
Hojo Shione didn't even look up. Knees together, she held a cucumber like a microphone, gaze glued to the television screen.
Seeing her sister so infuriatingly relaxed made Suzune's temper spike. How can she sit there crunching cucumber at a ti like this? No wonder her man walked off with soone else—she probably didn't even notice!
Suzune planted herself between Shione and the TV, blocking most of the screen.
"Hm?"
Shione blinked, eyes drifting from the blocked television to the furious girl in front of her. "What's the matter? Did you finish packing? Or are you throwing another tantrum?"
Suzune bit her lip, storm clouds gathering in her eyes. "You knew all along, didn't you?"
Silence. Shione took a deliberate bite of cucumber, chewed slowly, gaze serene.
"Why didn't you tell sothing like this?"
"You know now," Shione said after she swallowed, giving a small, almost amused smile.
Suzune's eyes iced over. The other girl's indifference made her thin shoulders tremble. "So that's your attitude?"
Shione tilted her head, curious. "What attitude do you expect? Should I scream, starve myself, lock myself in my room and cry until I need antidepressants? Or pitch a fit at so innocent bystander so everyone knows I'm miserable? Maybe hop on the next train to Tokyo and demand Shiratori Seiya explain why he suddenly has a girlfriend?"
Suzune couldn't speak. Her lip quivered; tears welled up and spilled over.
"Don't." Shione reached out, gently wiping the girl's tears away.
Smack!
"Idiot!" Suzune slapped her hand away. Shione didn't flinch, only smiled softly.
"If he's made up his mind, accept it. Love you have to beg for is cheap and shaless. You're seeing Seiya tomorrow—if you ruin your eyes crying, you won't enjoy the day."
Tears streaked Suzune's cheeks. She couldn't hear the words anymore; her heart just hurt. Sothing bright and precious had shattered. "You don't love him anymore, do you? You used to love him so much, and he loved you—so why—why..."
Shione blinked, then laughed—a short, soft puff of air. "Suzune, people change. At sixteen I liked Seiya. At seventeen I still liked him. At eighteen I loved him. Now I'm nineteen, and he's given up on . So I'm done loving. Is that so hard to understand?"
"Nonsense!"
Shione shook her head, looking into Suzune's blurry eyes. "Tell , little sister—can you swear you'll love Seiya forever?"
"I can!" The answer ca instantly, firm and clear.
"Oh?" Shione nodded, pity flickering across her face—pity for the naïveté she was too polite to voice aloud.
Suzune saw it. She sucked in a breath, fighting the urge to slap her, then spun on her heel and slamd the door.
"Disgusting!"
Bang!
Shione sat motionless, staring at the closed door for a long mont. Silly girl. She's never tasted the bitterness of love, so of course she can't keep her footing. How will she ever win his heart like that?
She turned back to the television, eyes vacant.
Crunch.
She bit down hard on the cucumber. A sudden sourness flooded her mouth. Startled, she paused, then gave a wry smile.
So it was just a sour cucumber after all.
——
The next morning, nine o'clock.
The car was silent as they drove to et Shiratori Seiya.
Suzune leaned back, opened her compact mirror, and studied her face for any flaw the concealer had missed. Even with foundation, eye-shadow, and careful blending, the faint redness at the corners of her eyes still showed. She snapped the mirror shut and sighed. Should've iced them last night.
Before yesterday, the re thought of seeing Seiya had set her heart racing. Now an unexpected calm had taken its place. She glanced at her sister behind the wheel, puzzled.
How could soone just stop loving, just like that?
Logically, Shione falling out of love should have been cause for celebration—on par with Shione and Seiya breaking up. Yet the news had brought no joy. Suzune knew exactly how much her sister had adored him; knowing had driven her mad with jealousy. She'd never thought her own feelings inferior, so why should Shione monopolize his warmth while she stood on the sidelines, not even allowed a sip of the soup?
She had dread of snatching him away more than once.
Now that Shione claid she no longer loved him, Suzune felt only doubt. Could love really vanish like fireworks, leaving no trace?
"Don't drift off—we're almost there," Shione warned from the driver's seat, eting her eyes in the rear-view mirror.
Suzune didn't answer, but she straightened and looked out the window.
"Call tonight—either you or Seiya. I'll co pick you up."
"Or you could not," Suzune muttered without looking at her. Betrayal of love—unforgivable.
"True," Shione said, lips curving. "As long as Seiya says it's fine for you to stay over."
She eased the car to a stop at the foot of the slope. "We're here. He should be waiting."
"Rember what I told you..."
Suzune didn't reply. Her eyes widened, body leaning toward the window, scanning for the boy she rembered. Even a heavy heart fluttered at the thought of seeing him.
The mont the car stopped, she flung the door open and rushed out. Sunlight spilled over her black hair as she stood, breathless, searching the intersection ahead.
When her gaze fixed on the familiar figure—when she saw him wave—
Hojo Suzune's deep, almond-shaped eyes lit up, and a sudden warmth spread through her chest. Her heart pounded—thump-thump-thump—against her ribs.
Joy flooded every vein, sweeping through her body until even her fingertips tingled. Heat blossod in her cheeks and chest, and her feet moved of their own accord, carrying her toward the boy in the distance.
She broke into a half-run, three strides becoming two, practically leaping forward. His silhouette grew clearer with every step, until she could make out every familiar line of his face.
The boy from her mories rged with the one standing before her...
A bright, crystalline smile broke across her face. She couldn't hold back.
"Seiya!"
Finally—finally—she was seeing him again. Hojo Suzune threw herself at Shiratori Seiya and into his arms.
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