"I win!"
Hana screamed in excitement as my character fell to the ground. There I stood, crushed by the demon known as Hana-chan. She had full health and I was on empty. It wasn't a match… it was a beat down. She dominated me as expected, so I let the little victor have her dance around me. She bounced around with her hair flapping about as she did. I watched her take the victory lap around the machine before coming back to me and stopping at my feet.
"You win, you win."
I slumped my shoulders, earning a pat on my head by the little devil.
"Hey, are you hungry, Hana-chan?"
"A little bit. I didn't eat much during lunch. Maybe we can get something to wash away all this bitterness in our mouths."
We both were dealing with some… bitterness in our lives, and I'm sure we both doubted that food would wash away this taste. So, we exited the arcade and made our way to the main part of the mall. There was a food court in the middle, the same one we all ate at after buying the clothing for the STARS concert.
"Let's see…"
I said as we walked up and looked at the menu.
I got a burger with fries and a drink. I mirrored the same order for Hana-chan but in a smaller capacity. I could see her eyes light up that we were sharing the same thing down to the drink, but… hers being a little smaller reminded me of a primary school kid. I wouldn't tell her that though. We both walked to the table and sat across from one another.
"Onee-chan."
"Hm?"
Violently, Hana-chan shoved a fry into my mouth. I nearly choked because it was so sudden. Coughing up a storm, I turned to the side but Hana-chan seemed unfazed as she waited with another in her hand.
"Give me some warning, Hana-chan!"
I said as I wheezed. But instead of stopping, she pushed another onto me. I had to turn away from her so she wouldn't kill me by mistake. After eating for a bit Hana-chan spoke up.
"So, things didn't work out with Sophia-san's sister?"
I shrugged.
"I'm not sure what's going on. I assumed she told her that she didn't feel for her the same way, but the way Sophia-san was acting… I think there's something else going on that I'm not sure about yet. Clearly, Sophia-san wanted to talk to me about it… but not over the phone."
I sighed.
"I'm taking this chance to… not be at home for another night too. It just all lines up right, Hana-chan."
"Yeah… I get that."
I closed my eyes.
"Hana-chan… mom is upset, and I don't want to see her like that right now."
Hana-chan looked at me sternly.
"But clearly she never gave you a chance to open up to her!"
Hana attacked, causing me to look up.
"She hid my mom from you when you first woke up. She lied to you about everything and tried to keep all the cracks hidden. Yes, your mom is hurting, yes… yes she has a dependency on my mom…"
She clenched her fist.
"But can't you see that all these lies didn't just start from my mom? Ayumi-san is a wonderful person… but she hides from the truth of everything around her… and that's also what caused all of this."
Sternly, the flower faced me.
"It's everyone's fault! Not just yours, Onee-chan. And I'll do my part to make sure those two talk while you're gone. I won't allow Mom and Mom to keep this up. They are hurting you by doing this. And that's... hurting me to."
It's strange… out of everyone in the world right at this moment, Hana-chan sounded the most like my family. Yes, Mae-chan and her family felt right… but they were in the end, friends. Hana-chan… didn't feel like a stepsister but my blood sister. I… never felt so connected with someone like that.
"Come over here…"
I whispered to her. Confused, she stood up and walked over to me and I gave her the biggest hug ever.
"I love you so much."
I confessed.
"You are… everything to me now, Hana-chan."
It was clear, that Hana-chan was the most important thing I needed to cherish. I love her to pieces, and… even with all of this, she was fighting for me and our family. The strongest person I know.
"I won't let you do all the work alone. If you need me, I'll help figure things out too."
"Let's work hard… together, Onee-chan. Nothing will beat MadoxHana!"
I giggled. I wasn't sure if she knew what that implied, but she was cute, nonetheless. Hana-chan walked back to her food and set down. She paused as she nibbled at her food.
"I think mom does have feelings for Ayumi, Madoka-chan. But… I don't think they are the right kind."
Her eyes lowered.
"Madoka-chan… I don't think mom has ever truly been happy."
I could hear the pain in Hana-chan's voice as she continued.
"I don't remember my dad much… but when she spoke about him her eyes shined. And when she speaks about you… her eyes shine just like that too. But… she never could keep either of you."
My heart sank as she continued.
"I'm sure Ayumi makes her happy in some ways, Madoka-chan. We would be ignorant not to believe that…"
She nodded.
"But… even if it hurts… I want to see my mom… truly happy, Madoka-san. With everything, she's done for me… I want to see that. I think… mom deserves to be happy too… not just me."
I smiled. The pain of our situation was still around me, but I could feel that with Hana-chan, things might be okay. Suddenly, Hana-chan's phone rang. She looked at it.
"Oh, it's mom. She might be waiting to pick me up."
"Yeah, my guess is Sophia-san and Eleanor-san might be here to get me soon too. I'll walk out with you."
"Okay, Onee-chan."
Together we held each other's hand. It was comforting as we made our way outside the hall. When we got to the parking lot, I could see Mari-san waving us down. We walked over to her, and she gave us a smile. But clearly, she wasn't feeling all too well seeing me.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Onee-chan!"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Hana-chan."
Hana-chan got into the car as Mari-san approached me.
"Are you not coming home today either, Madoka-san?"
I shook my head.
"No, Sophia-san wanted to discuss something with me, so I decided to go to her place. I'll… spend the night over there."
She shook her head.
"You're a little too young to be couch surfing."
I giggled.
"At least I'm not drinking and staying out late."
"You're too much of a good girl for that…"
"Is that what you call me behind my back? A good girl?"
We both smiled… and turned away from one another briefly.
"I'll see you later. Be safe and… at least text me when you get to Sophia-san's place. And your mom… let her know that you're alright."
"Okay, Mari-san."
They got in the car and pulled out. I waved to Hana-chan as she drove away. Right after, I got a phone call from a certain shark.
"Hello?"
"Are you outside, we can't find you."
After a while of missing each other, we located one another. In that big car from the time we went to the concert, I got inside.
"Nakagawa-san, I didn't think I'd see you so soon."
Simpson-san didn't sound too enthusiastic to have me in the car. The tension was fierce as I got settled in. Immediately, I went to the heart of the matter.
"… Sorry for what happened at the concert… but again, I'm not sorry for what I did, Simpson-san."
She giggled.
"Wow, you're such a feisty girl. Hey, I have my job for now. But that wasn't all your fault… just most of it."
She smiled back at me.
"…You showed me a lot that night, Nakagawa-san… I should be thanking you."
To my surprise, she said as we drove off. Sophia-san crossed her arms as if she knew what Simpson-san was going to say. It sounds to me that they both had a chat about me earlier.
"I had to apologize to Sophia-san… when I realized how horrible I've been to not only you… but her."
"Oh Eleanor, it's all water under the bridge. You can drop it already."
The queen demanded as she crossed her arms. I could clearly see her cheeks turn red as she looked out the window. It was adorable that Sophia-san got this way.
"So, are you staying the night, Nakagawa-san?"
Eleanor asked, looking at me through the rearview mirror.
"Ah… Yeah, I had that planned out with Sophia-san.
Sophia-san nodded.
"No worries, we have room for you. I… I really need to chat with you about something, and I think over the phone might be a bit inappropriate."
I was still confused about what was going on. I assumed they took the day off to discuss their feelings, but from what I gather, something else must have happened, and Sophia-san is seeking my help. But instead of trying to piece together something I obviously couldn't, I sat back in my seat and took a deep breath.
"Thank you for having me, you two."
"Oh, the pleasure is mine. You outsmarted me… and that's kind of… charming in its own way, Nakagawa-san. I might have you teach me a thing or two while you're here."
I felt a slight bit of teasing from Simpson-san, and it caused me to blush. She seemed to be a bit more relaxed from when I first met her. She wasn't prying for information, and that calmed me down a little.
"Stop it, Eleanor! Can't you see she already feels guilty? Madoka-san doesn't need your teasing."
"I can lighten up a bit because of what you did. I don't have to keep Sophia-san from Linda-san and… all I have to do is make sure this little girl is happy."
"How rude!"
Sophia-san violently hit Eleanor on the back. I was afraid that she might crash the car if Sophia-san kept it up. Noticing my panic, Simpson-san began to laugh.
"Don't worry, Nakagawa-san, she does this all the time."
It was strange to see a new side to Simpson-san. She wasn't prying me for information or skillfully trying to have me say something I wasn't supposed to. No… she was just leisurely chatting with me and Sophia-san like any adult. It was…. nice. The change of pace from my family and this was…. extremely rewarding. They weren't family but they are acting more naturally than my own.
I…
Was starting to see how unnatural Mari-san and my mom felt at times. It's not that I've never experienced having a family. But the one I woke up in had problems... and they were glaring the more I looked at it.
When we reached the house, Simpson-san parked in the driveway, and we all got out.
"Dinner will be ready by 8. Is that okay, Sophia, Nakagawa-san?"
"Oh… sure."
I nodded.
"It isn't anything crazy. Remember, Madoka-san is a guest and… not anything shady like you think she might be."
"Sure, sure. And if you two are doing anything together, just put out your slippers in front of the door, and I won't disturb you, Sophia-san."
"Oh shut up, Eleanor."
We stepped inside and Simpson-san went right into the kitchen. Sophia-san led me to her room. When I looked around, I saw those amazing English China dishes all around. I… adored this room. It showed me how cute the shark really is.
"Now that you're here… this is what I wanted to ask."
She turned to me.
"I told Linda my true feelings… and she begged me for one date. Linda wants to show me how strong her feelings are."
I put my finger to my lip, pondering what I expected was the case.
"I see… after so long, it doesn't surprise me that she wouldn't back down so easily."
Sophia-san put her hand on her hip.
"She asked me to dress nicely so we can have a… proper date. So… I thought about having you fix me up… since you're good at that."
"Dress you?"
"Yes, for my sister's sake, I want to give her the chance as she wanted. And if my feelings don't change during our date… I'm going to break her heart…"
She squared up to me.
"So please, you're the best I know at this… give me the best makeover for my date, Madoka-san."