Yuzu and Kari were standing by the gates of Ichigo's school, waiting for Ichigo. They were waiting longer than usual, but Yuzu supposed it was natural since it was Ichigo's first day and she might want to stay longer with her friends. Waiting for another hour, the girls he usually saw with Ichigo walked through the gate.
Ichigo was not with them.
Before Yuzu could stop Kari, k walked up to them. "Hi little Moe and little Ai," k greeted.
The girls stopped walking and stared up at Kari, mouth slightly open. They always had that expression whenever Kari approached them, and Yuzu pulled Kari away, sighing. When the girls saw Yuzu, they burst into grins. "Yuzu!" they both chimed.
From behind, Kari rested k's chin on Yuzu's shoulders and sighed in disappointment. "They don't treat me the same, why," k asked in monotone.
"Find the answer yourself," he told k, annoyed. He pushed k's face off his shoulder and turned his attention back to the girls. "Have any of you seen Ichigo?" he asked.
One of the girls, Ai, was looking at them both with fixed fascination. Yuzu caught Kari winking at her and held in his smile when Ai looked shyly away.
"She went to the beginning of the ceremony, but went home after it ended," Moe informed them, beaming at Yuzu. Then she stopped smiling and suddenly looked worried. "She didn't look too well, but when I asked her what was wrong, she wouldn't tell me."
Was Ichigo sick? Yuzu was sure Ichigo had looked healthy when they were eating breakfast. But then again, he was too busy dealing with the idiot to really pay attention… He patted the girls on the head and thanked them. When Kari tried to do the same, Ai grabbed Moe and ran away.
"Ahh, did Ichigo spread rumors about me already?" a disappointed Kari asked. "Wah! Big B, do something about it!"
"You created the problem, so solve it yourself," Yuzu said pettily. Kari was denser than he thought if k didn't notice how people reacted towards k. He turned away and walked towards the direction of their house.
"Doesn't everybody like this handsome face?" asked Kari, stroking k's face, walking alongside Yuzu.
"I knew you were an idiot, but to think you were overconfident in yourself, too," said Yuzu.
"Maybe Ichigo secretly likes me even though she tries to run away every time she sees me?" Kari wondered aloud.
Yuzu stopped and turned his head to glare at k. "Don't you dare continue thinking along those lines," he threatened quietly.
Kari paused, looking at Yuzu with calculating eyes. Then k patted Yuzu on the head and smiled. "I'm not the only one with a sister-complex, right, Yuzu?"
Yuzu glared up at Kari from under k's hand. "Don't pat my head anymore."
"Eh? But you did it to those girls."
"That's different," he growled, pulling away.
"No," Kari said, still smiling. "You were rewarding them for being good girls, weren't you, Yuzu? It's the same. I am rewarding you for being a good brother."
Hearing that didn't sit well with him. But he didn't dislike it either. "Don't talk like that," he muttered, confused at his mixed feelings as he walked away. Kari followed him.
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When they arrived at their house, there was a man standing by their front gate. When they approached, he turned and walked away as if he was caught doing something suspicious. Yuzu wondered if the man had mistaken their house for somebody else's. Not thinking about it, he unlocked the gate and entered. He only noticed Kari had not followed when the front door shut behind him as he entered the house.
He peeked outside but didn't see Kari out front. Maybe k had gone after that man to demand why he was at their house. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason why Kari was gone. Sighing, he went back inside.
He climbed the stairs to Ichigo's room and knocked.
"Ichigo?" he called.
A heavy silence answered him, and he knew she was in there. Had she fallen asleep?
"I'm going to open the door," he said, turning the doorknob.
"Don't!" Ichigo shouted.
He heard her bed creak, and then footsteps resounded, stopping at the door. He gave her a moment before asking, "Is everything alright?"
"O-Of course!" she squeaked before quieting.
She was nervous. What was she hiding? "Are you sick? Is that why you left school early?" he asked carefully.
There was a moment before she responded, "Something like that. But it's not bad! Um, I just need time alone for it to go away on its own. Um, please?"
He struggled to decide what to do. Should he force the door open and demand the truth out of her or wait her out? Finally, he relented and said, "Ok. But you'll have to come out to eat dinner."
"Y-Yes," she said from behind the door.
"Ichigo," he said. "You can tell your older brother anything, you know that?"
She didn't say anything else, so he reluctantly walked to his room to change out of his uniform. He had just finished showering and was walking out of the bathroom when he heard the front door to the house open. He walked downstairs, catching Kari entering the house. K's face was solemn and serious.
"Did you find out who it was?" he asked as Kari passed him.
"No," Kari said, confirming that k had indeed gone after the person who was loitering outside their house.
He regarded Kari's silent but tense demeanor and decided not to say anything else.
After Kari had cooked dinner and Yuzu had managed to coax Ichigo out of her room, the three of them sat the table, none of them eating. Kari's arms were crossed, eyes fixed on Ichigo, a slight frown on k's face.
Ichigo was looking down on at her plate, not moving. Yuzu didn't think she was aware that she was staring at her food with a distant look in her eyes. He wanted to ask what was wrong, why she had gone home from school early, but he had told her he would give her time. He exhaled.
"Ichigo," he said, snapping her out of her current state, "your food is becoming cold." He picked up his spoon and waited until she did the same. Only after she had eaten a spoonful did he allow himself to eat. Realizing Kari still hadn't moved, he glared at k. Don't push it, he silently warned.
"What happened today, Ichigo?" Kari asked. Yuzu shot k a glare of death, but k wasn't looking at him.
Ichigo immediately set down her spoon, her face paling. She stared at Kari, panic stirring in her eyes. Her mouth opened just for a second before it snapped shut. Then she picked up her spoon and weakly shoveled food into her mouth. "I just felt sick. That's why I went home early," she gave as an explanation.
"Did you see anybody strange?" Kari pushed.
Before Yuzu could think twice about what Kari had asked, Ichigo stood up, her chair screeching back. Her cheeks were turning pink and she had a scathing glare pasted on her face. "Was it you then?! Were you playing a prank on me?" she shouted angrily.
"You played a prank on her?" Yuzu asked Kari, anger building up in his tone.
"That's right!" Ichigo said indignantly, glancing at Yuzu for support. "It happened while I was walking to school! I thought it was weird for somebody to be following me and taking pictures of me! Turns out it really was Kari!" She stopped for a breath and stared at Kari with a look of anger and relief.
Kari shook k's head without dropping Ichigo's gaze. "I walked to school with Yuzu, and I never left his side," k said slowly.
She narrowed her eyes and turned to Yuzu, and he confirmed with a reluctant nod. Although he wouldn't put it past Kari to follow Ichigo and take pictures, unfortunately, Kari had been glued to Yuzu that morning.
Ichigo turned back to Kari, looking almost desperate when she stammered, "Y-you told one of your friends to do that, didn't you?"
Kari doesn't have any friends, Yuzu thought as Kari shook k's head again in denial.
All the blood drained from Ichigo's cheeks and she stepped back, away from the table. "Th-then who—?" She stopped and clamped her mouth with her hand with a look of disgust. "I-I feel sick," she mumbled as she turned and ran towards the bathroom.
"Was it that man?" asked Yuzu, thinking fast as he stood up from the table to follow Ichigo.
Kari rose up from the table with a frightening, silent speed and shook k's head. All light left k's eyes as k said, "I don't know."
But I'll find out, Yuzu felt k convey through the stony aura k emitted.