Kyoko rushed home the second the bell rang to alert the students the the school day was over. She got home to meet her older sister, Keiko, cooking.
"Hey Kei."
"Oh hey Kyoko. How's school?"
"Crappy as usual. Is Koi still at work?"
"Yeah"
They didn't live with their parents. They left them when Kyoko was 5. She lost hope of them coming back when she was 10. Her older brother, Koichi, had to drop out of school to take care of them. Their parents ruined his life completely but he doesn't seem to care. He leaves early and gets home really late; misses dinner most of the time. Today was no different. His sisters didn't know what job it was that always made him take so long there. He'd change the subject if you asked so they gave up on trying to find out.
Kyoko shrugged and went upstairs to her room. There was a reason why she hadn't picked a school yet: obviously, she was scared. After being made fun of for four years, she wouldn't like it if it went on for another three.
She looked up a list of girls' schools in the country and began going through:
"Akira Secondary: Maki said she'd go there."
"Minamino's Girls': Yuki"
"Mother Theresa's Catholic: Nejirie"
She kept going through and with most schools, a girl in class' name was assigned to it. Kyoko then began to tear up.
Keiko was heading to her room to grab her phone when she saw Kyoko crouching on her chair and clicking several times. Keiko thought she was just looking at cat pictures (because that's all she does) until she heard sniffing. She moved closer to her sister and gasped as she saw tears flow ever so freely from the eyes of her little sister.
"Why was I made like this? What would have happened if I was made like the others? Why me, huh? What kind of shitty luck is this?!"
Keiko began to cry and she placed her head on Kyoko's. "I'm sorry it had to be like this. It's not your fault you were made like this alright? Your brother and I love you just the way you are. Please don't do anything we'll all regret."
Kyoko wiped her tears and looked at her sister and said "I won't. Promise." As Keiko left, Kyoko looked out the window and said to herself, "Hey, Kami, If you're actually there that is. They say you help those who help themselves, then what the heck? I've been helping myself to avoid depression yet You still haven't done anything! I won't stress you but just please help me out."
A few minutes later, Keiko came back and sat next to Kyoko as she went to through the schools again, cracking jokes about their names every time Kyoko looked sad and laughing all the way.
Before they knew it, it was night fall. They were mocking Oki when they heard a voice ask "What's going on here?" Keiko turned around to see who it was and to her surprise, it was Koichi.
"You're home early", Kyoko said.
"It's 9.30 pm. Also, aren't you supposed to be asleep right now?" he asked confused.
"Compared to 10pm and 5 to midnight, I'd say this is a massive improvement" Keiko said optimistically. "Also, I'm helping her pick a school. Girls' schools are out of the picture so we're going for mixed schools now."
"Why?", Koi asked, very confused.
"All the good schools have already been picked out by the girls in my class. Ain't no way in hell I'm going to survive three more years of mockery or wasting twelve years of education on some random school!"
"How-", Koi started. "Nevermind"
"WHAT?!" his sisters ask simultaneously.
"It's nothing, honestly."
"Tell us or we're never talking to you ever!"
Koi loved his sisters. He believes he can't live without them. Not talking to them for even 3 hours is too much for him. So he usually talks to Kei during his break. Most of his co-workers believe she's actually his girlfriend.
"Okay! I'll tell you, just please don't ignore me."
"We're waiting."
"Kyo, notice how people usually say we look alike?", Koi reminded.
"Yeah, but I honestly have no idea what that has to do with my education", Kyo answered confused.
Koichi walked up to Kyoko and held about three-quarters of her hair in his hand. "If we cut this part off, we could actually enrol you in a boys' school. You could start a new life there! New name, new friends, new identity and you wouldn't be mocked, well unless you do something really stupid then yeah..."
His sisters stared at him. Kyo's eyes gleamed but Kei wasn't as convinced.
"What if something bad happens and she gets caught? She could get expelled!"
"Nothing bad is going to happen 'cause we'll be there to help her. We both don't want her to end up like me so can you please just understand me Keiko?" He took his sister by the hand and looked into her midnight eyes, "Even if anything happens, all you need to know is that I've got this."
"What about the paperwork? Her certificate? What are we gonna do about that?"
"I'll talk to her teachers."
"What if some of her classmates make it there and recognize her?"
"We'll ask them not to tell anyone."
"What if, what if..."
"There's nothing to worry about Keiko. I promise you nothing would go wrong."
He grabbed Kyo and gave his sisters a hug. "I promise that you will finish school Kyoko. Mark my words."