Chapter 2

Back in her room, Moriko nearly slammed the door behind her, but she didn't want to display her fury so openly. She locked the door, looking around the room, then spotting a magazine on the study table, Moriko swiftly picked up a marker, writing the words "War Declaration" on its cover.

By the time Kusano came back into the room to get something, Moriko was already sitting by the window, still thinking about Ryo. "Ne, Ri-chan, open the door!" Kusano knocked on the door in a rhythmatic motion.

Moriko opened the door, and Kusano opened his drawer, only to notice what Moriko had written on the cover of the magazine left on the table. "Eh? You're serious? Come on, Ri-chan, don't be so sensitive. You should know Ryo-kun is like that. He just has a sharp tongue, that's all."

"That does not mean I have to give in to him, even though he is older than me! I didn't even offend him! If I have to accept his sharp tongue, then he has to accept my sensitivity!" Moriko shouted, completely unaware that the guests were still in the house.

"...Ri-chan, I really don't understand you." Kusano sighed, exiting the room.

"Ne, Ryo-kun, you're in for it."

"Tsk, what can she do?"

"Uwaaa, Tegoshi, we have a show to watch from now on..." Kusano whispered to Tegoshi.

"Ne, what are you two talking about?" Ryo demanded.

"Nothing." Kusano claimed in a sing-song voice.


"War declaration with me? We'll see who wins the war..." Ryo muttered to himself on his way back to the hotel. To Ryo, Moriko seemed an overconfident person who was arrogant. He did not know Moriko thought exactly the same of him.

--

Ryo was on his way back to the hotel, taking a solitary walk. It was evening, and the orange rays of the sun spilled over the little quiet town. It was times like these that held his sharp tongue back.

"...I don't owe you a thing."

That was a familiar voice, even though Ryo had not heard it many times. Kusano's imouto. Ryo looked round the corner of a wall, only to find Moriko cornered by three male students. She pushed her way out roughly, only to be trapped again.

"Get out of the way."

"Oh yea? You think we will just let you off this easily?" A male student stepped up to Moriko, towering over her. "You costed us extra afternoon lessons and punishment. Don't be such a well-behaved person. Challenge us if you dare. And anyway, whatever you do won't make you a prefect."

"Who told you I wanted to be a prefect?! I'm sorry, but I haven't settled you for having wronged me the last time. You costed me my pride. You deserve more than this. What is extra lessons to you anyway? Don't you attend it every other week?" Moriko argued back. But it was more than just a childish argument about extra lessons...

"You owe me it."

Moriko pushed the student aside, attempting to escape, but unfortunately caught by the other two students. Moriko looked up, and spotted Ryo, but looked away. She had not wanted anyone she knew to see this.

"Don't you forget you OWE me that." The boy hissed into Moriko's ear, and then she was let go of, while they left the scene.

Moriko straightened her uniform, walking past Ryo without looking at him, but Ryo followed her instead. "Why..."

"It's none of your business, Mr. Big Nose." Moriko cut in, increasing her speed.

"Hey, I was just being concerned."

"Well, thank you then!" Moriko said in a sarcastic tone.

"Oi!" Ryo suddenly called out, grabbing Moriko's arm. "You can call me a busybody if you like, but you shouldn't just avoid the issue here! You don't have to act all strong in front of everyone!"

"There is no issue to avoid!" But Ryo's grip was too firm for her to break loose from. She gave up in struggling, and Ryo loosened his grip. "I'm going home." she announced, and walked away from Ryo, leaving him standing there, puzzling over what had taken place.

--

"Tadaima!" Moriko's declaration rang throughout the house, but noone greeted her back. Noone was home. "Ahh, that's not possible." But she knocked on every door, and no response came. "Uso..." She had a glum look on her face now. She hated being alone in the house. It gave her too much room to think. And once she started thinking too much, she would stay quiet and depressed the next few days. She hated that. The noise she and her oni-chan had instilled into the house made her uneasy when there was a quiet moment.

But at that moment, the next loud voice boomed through the house. "TADAIMA!"

"Okairi!" Moriko greeted back, relieved.

"Ahh, nobody else is at home!?" Kusano asked, pouting.

"Nope! I don't know where minna is..." Moriko replied.

"Ah, baka, you didn't notice the note beside the telephone." Kusano said, reaching for a slip of paper under the phone.

"Baka janai yo! I just came home too!" Moriko protested.

"Ah, oka-san and otou-san have gone out." Kusano explained.

"That's obvious, Hiro nii-chan."

"They'll be home only at night."

"Then what about the sisters?"

"... They didn't leave a note ne..." Kusano flipped the paper, only to find that only their parents had left a note behind.

Moriko groaned. "Then it means we are supposed to cook for ourselves..."

"Onaka ga suita! (I'm hungry!)" Kusano shouted, plopping down onto the sofa.

"Hey, don't put me in charge of cooking again!" Moriko complained, but Kusano pretended to be sleeping. "Oni-chan!" Still no response. Moriko sighed and went into the kitchen. "Ahh, only eggs left? Maybe Ne-san went to get groceries..." Moriko said to herself, lazily tying the apron around her.

Kusano, spotting that, reprimanded her for it. He went over to his sister, tying the apron ribbon firmly around her waist. "Dame yo! I don't want you to turn around and get the apron caught on fire ne!" he scolded.

"Hai, oni-chan! You are really fussy..."

"Ano, you really don't appreciate people's concern for you!" Kusano whined, dragging his feet back to the living room. That rang in Moriko's head for quite a while, and she flashbacked on what happened just an hour ago. But she just had the urge to argue with Ryo...

Fifteen minutes later, a "dekimashita!" came fromt he kitchen, and Kusano sprang up immediately, a joyful expression on his face. "What are we having??" he eagerly asked, jogging towards the dining area. "Eh?! This again?!"

"Because I just realised we've run out of groceries other than eggs and packet noodles..." Moriko explained. She placed the bowls down carefully. The two siblings had done this before. And as usual, Kusano would be in charge of dessert after dinner.

Kusano stared at his bowl first, then looked at Moriko. "I won't lose this time, MORI-chan!"

"Neither will I, NORI nii-chan!"

The two loved to engage in childish competitions. Moriko had not prepared full-boiled eggs, but about half-boiled, such that the egg yolk could spill if one was no careful with it. They both looked at the beautiful round egg yolk, carefully removing the egg white from it.

"Itawakimasu..."

"Ah sou desu, Ri-chan, why are you home so late?" Kusnao suddenly asked.

"Ah, that... Nothing, I just had something to attend to after school." Moriko answered. "Then you?"

"We had a photoshoot today. And then me and Kato-kun were late as usual, so we had to hear Ryo scolding us..." Kusano explained while eating.

"Ah, Nishikido-kun." Moriko frowned again. Mr. Big Nose, she thought internally.

"What? Still brooding over his words?"

"Ano ne, he is so NOT a gentle person! How can you even stand him and laugh even after his sharp words?!" Moriko complained, and was so agitated that her chopsticks struck right through the egg yolk.

Kusano laughed in joy, jumping from his seat. "Ahahaha!!! MORI-chan, I've won the competition!!!" he announced, clapping.

"Urusai! It's all your fault!" Moriko poked through Kusano's egg yolk as well, and Kusano groaned. "You've spilled the egg yolk all over my noodles!" Moriko stuck her tongue out at her nii-chan.