“Riri-san~” Fumi greeted Riri who was already in their legion room, Kaede entering right behind her.
“Fumi-chan, Kaede-san! Good morning!” Riri stood up from her spot in the couch and walked up to them. “Have you two seen Onee-sama?”
“Yuyu-sama? I don’t think I’ve seen her all day.” Kaede responded, placing her hand on her chin.
“Yuyu-sama? It seems that she and Mai-sama got called for a second year meeting of sort. I heard it won’t be ending until around noon.” Fumi checked the wall clock in the room. “Ah, it should be ending soon.”
“I’ll go look for Onee-sama then!” Riri’s face brightened up as she quickly disappeared through the doors.
“Ah, Riri-san!”
“She said earlier that the two of them haven’t spent some time together for a few days now. It seems that Yuyu-sama received some disciplinary punishments for her actions, and was doing some errands for the school.” Shenlin spoke as she poured another cup of tea at Yujia’s teacup.
“Wah! I didn’t know the two of you were there!” Fumi almost dropped her notebooks in surprise.
“I- Is that so…?” Yujia took a sip of her tea.
“I’m here too.” Tazusa chewed on a donut.
“Fumi-san, you should be more aware of your surroundings.”
“I’m sorry~~~”
Riri brisk walked through the hallways and immediately stopped in front of the second year building.
“It’s not my first time here but I would always get so nervous…” Riri shook her head as she smacked her face with both of her hands. “Alright–“
“It’s always so refreshing to see the real Yuyu everyone brought up.” A lively voice, unmistakable for Amano Soraha could be heard near the hallways.
“What do you mean by that? I am always the same me.” Yuyu responded with indignation.
“The real Onee-sama?”
“To think that I could finally see again this Yuyu-san is such a treat.” Hata Matsuri’s voice followed up next, drowning in laughter.
“Matsuri!”
The door in front of Riri suddenly opened.
“Ah, speak of the devil!” Mai ran towards Riri’s side at the speed of light. “What’s up, Riri?”
“Mai-sama! Soraha-sama, and Matsuri-sama too!” Riri turned to her upperclassmen and bowed. “As well as Onee-sama, good day.”
“Good day, Riri. What are you doing here?”
“I heard from Fumi-chan…”
“Ah… but…” Yuyu turned to look at Matsuri and Soraha.
“Why don’t you take this as an opportunity, then?” Matsuri smiled. “Since you’re about to buy some decorative supplies for the school’s anniversary, why don’t you take your cute Schild with you?”
“Matsuri! This is a disciplinary action that’s only for me–“
“I- I want to go! Please let me go with you, Onee-sama!”
“Riri…”
“I guess that’s settled then.” Soraha smiled as Mai and Matsuri looked at each other and smiled as well.
What Yuyu did wasn’t a big thing, but it caused quite a ruckus within the school, so she was left only to do some menial tasks.
Yuyu and Riri took the train to the city to buy supplies.
“It’s been a while, Onee-sama.” Riri smiled as she waked next to Yuyu. “This makes me lookback to the time when Moyu-sama took us to Tokyo.”
“Riri… You’re right. However, we’re not going that far out.” Yuyu smiled as they walked side by side.
Since the events with Gozen, and the revelations it brought, there haven’t been down time with the Hitotsuyanagi Legion since they’ve been reformed back. Together with that, Yuyu’s been quickly fulfilling her duties so she could return to the legion at full capacity.
“Riri. This place looks like it has good decorations. Let’s go on.” Yuyu motioned for a large stationary store as Riri looked at it in amazement. “Be careful with the stairs.”
“Y- Yes, Onee-sama!” Riri followed Yuyu inside the store. “Onee-sama, what kind of decorations are we actually looking for?”
They headed towards the corner of the store that were filled with decorative paper and fake flowers. Riri looked at different styrofoam made decorations while Yuyu turned towards the flowers.
“Since it’s our school’s anniversary, decorative paper and flowers were good choices, was what I was told.” Yuyu looked at the shelves in front of her. Her eyes landed on a box of green ribbons. They were thin threads that reminded her of when they first met.
Yuyu smiled to herself as she took in a ribbon in her hand. “Riri–“
“Ah, Onee-sama–“
They both turned to each other unaware of their distance. Their noses almost brushing as they were face to face closely.
“I- I’m sorry.” Yuyu was the first to turn away, her cheeks and ears beet red as she held the ribbon to her chest. “Y- You were calling?”
“Ah… Wah!” Riri blinked rapidly as she swallowed and stared at Yuyu.
“Riri?” Yuyu turned slightly to peek at her.
“I- I forgot…” Riri blinked at Yuyu as she scratched her head and laughed wryly. “…Your reaction earlier was so cute, I suddenly forgot what it was…”
“C- Cu–!?” Yuyu swallowed as she turned her back at Riri. “Th- Then, just tell me when you remember!” She walked away towards the decorative paper, clutching tightly at the ribbon in her hand.
“O- Onee-sama!? Onee-sama!” Riri chased after her.
Yuyu quickly and automatically picked out the stuff they had to buy and quickly (as well as secretly added the ribbon) checked out all the materials.
Riri watched Yuyu as she paid for the materials. She hasn’t spoken since their ‘incident’ but Riri smiled at her brightly as she accepted her offer to carry some of the materials as they went back to their school.
She quietly followed Yuyu as she looked at her back. They walked leisurely toward the school grounds heading for the student council room to deliver the materials. It made Riri turn back to the words she heard from Soraha. The real Yuyu… Although Yuyu said that all of it is the real her, it made her look back to the Yuyu that she first met during the Evacuation of Koshu.
Yuyu knocked at the Student Council room.
“Come in.”
“We’ll be intruding.” Yuyu opened the door and looked at Riri. “Riri.”
“Yes, Onee-sama!” Riri immediately followed Yuyu inside the room and handed over the decorations they bought.
Yuyu and Riri soon after left the student council room, the door shutting behind them. “Riri.”
“Yes?”
“Do you have some time?”
“I do…?”
“Then, please follow me.” Yuyu walked forward and Riri silently followed behind her.
The gentle faced Yuyu… The one she met and thought that was gentler, and more open. The Yuyu that she had looked up to. Even though, after meeting her again, she still looked up to her. With a tougher exterior, after all, the gentle and kind Yuyu, was still the Yuyu she looked up to.
“Riri.”
Riri looked up and noticed that they were under the yoshino cherry trees near the school’s cemetery.
“Onee-sama?”
“Do you remember? The day we first met.” Yuyu turned to look at the horizons they stood under the tree. “I had forgotten what had happened on that day, together with my first memory of you, but I remember all of it now.”
“Of course, I remember. It was the most important part of my life.” Riri smiled. “If I hadn’t met you that day… I don’t think I would have gone to this school at all.”
“Is that so?” Yuyu smiled at her. “When we were in the store I found these.” She opened her hand and showed it to Riri as she faced her. “Although it is not the exact thing… I bought it because it reminded me of you.”
“Onee-sama…” Riri looked at the ribbon and without thinking she covered Yuyu’s hand with her own keeping the ribbon in between their hands. “Earlier, I heard Soraha-sama and Matsuri-sama talking about ‘the real you’, but after thinking about it, I think all of you is the real you.”
“The real me?” Yuyu blinked as they held hands.
“The Yuyu-sama that is gentle, and kind… The Yuyu-sama that’s a bit aloof and without reaction…” Riri smiled. “The Yuyu-sama that’s a bit shy and bashful… The Yuyu-sama that I saw in the store earlier that was blushing, and cute… I think all of those is the real you, Onee-sama!”
Yuyu clasped Riri’s hand tightly as she looked away. “You sure are getting carried away today…”
“Ehehe~ A little.” Riri grinned. She held Yuyu’s hand with both of hers as she urged her to face her. “Onee-sama… It’s been a while.”
Yuyu turned to look at her, a little bit of shock in her expression, but it was quickly replaced by a gentle smile. “It has.”
“…I still cannot forget the cute and blushing Onee-sama I met in the store…” Riri blushed as she shyly looked at the floor. “…Is it possible to ask for one kiss?”
Yuyu swallowed as she felt the heat climb up her cheeks… “…You sure are getting carried away today.” She stepped in closer to Riri as she placed gentle rested a hand onto Riri’s shoulder, closing her eyes as their lips met in a chaste kiss.
“Ehehe… Onee-sama.”
“Riri.” She opened her hand as they looked at the ribbon again. “Would you put this ribbon on me?”
Riri looked a bit surprised before beaming into a bright smile. “With pleasure!”
(The Real Yuyu/END)
