Mari and Lilia sat on the couch in the living room, staring at each other. As Mari tried to start a conversation, looking for appropriate topics, she was flustered by the way Lilia looked away awkwardly.
"It's..."
'I've never had such a hard time communicating with a person before. Is it because we're the same age?'
"What should I call you properly?"
"Please don't treat me so respectfully... Treat me the same way you treat everyone else."
"Then you too, okay?"
Lilia nodded, not raising her suppressed gaze.
"By the way, Lilia-chan..." she continued, surprising Lilia. "What month were you born in?"
"I was born on the 7th of January. The day Orthodox people celebrate Christ's Christmas..."
"Wow! You're six months older than me! I was born in August."
Glenn's family was religiously observant and the family members were Catholic.
"And why were you given that name? Sorry, if you don't want to answer, I understand. I was just wondering..."
"No, there's nothing offensive about that. These flowers were admired by Jesus Christ, and white lilies were a symbol of purity and a traditional attribute of the Virgin Mary. This name was given to me by my father, whose face I do not recall, but I have heard worthy things about him and his courage."
"Is she talking about her brother's late father now? So he passed away when Lilia-chan was still a little girl..."
"My brother decided to follow in his father's footsteps, and I can't judge his choice, but when the news reached my mother and I that my brother was in the hospital on the same occasion as dad, I started to get really worried..."
Lilia put her knees on the couch and pressed her whole body against them.
"Is that why you came to Tokyo, to see Glenn-sama?"
'That's too bad, because I don't really know much about Glenn-sama's past, and I only realized today that he has a little sister.'
"I'd like to talk to him, but I'm afraid I don't think I can..."
Marie became agitated by Lilya's uncertainty and hesitation.
"What's the matter, Lilia-chan? Are you afraid Glenn-sama will get the wrong idea?"
Lilia did not answer, still hiding her bitter gaze under her locks of hair.
And then Mari continued: "Lilia-chan... are you insecure?"
"It's hard for me to communicate with my brother because he seems unreachable to me... I don't even know how to get close to him."
'Why not? She's Glenn-kun's little sister, how can she say such strange things? Does that mean they haven't spent any time together at all? But how could that be? Can't Glenn-sama find a way to communicate with her?'
"Lilia-chan, you have a beautiful name! You also look very charming. It even kind of delights me in a way... Shall we be friends?"
Lilia was greatly surprised by her bold statement, which not many people are willing to utter in their first minutes with someone they barely know.
'If I can find an approach to communicating with her, I can rid her of her fear of Glenn-sama. I'll be sure to preserve their family relationship!'
Finally Lilia, eerily embarrassed, then lowering her eyes, softly agreed, "I'm sorry, but I don't have many friends... They're all in my class in Germany."
"Your knowledge of Japanese is just superfekt!"
"S-Superfekt...?!" Lilia shuddered, dilating her pupils, and Mari nodded obediently.
"You're stunning, Lilia-chan!"
'I'll help her find common ground with Glenn-sama, if it makes him happy!'
At this instant Glenn was slicing vegetables at a rapid pace, to which Akiko turned her interest.
"You two are so good with kids," he said, not taking his eyes off her. "How do you manage it? I wish I had that ability to communicate with the younger ones, too."
Glenn appeared to everyone as a completely different person after the events that had occurred: his tone of speech and intonation had completely changed, as if he were much more cheerful. His shaved sides and his haircut, in Akiko's opinion, suited him very well.
"Glenn-kun, are you going to grow your hair out? I mean, get your length back the way it used to be."
"Hmm... I don't know, no one has said anything to me about how I look now that my hair has been transformed. I think it suits me less than it used to..."
"Leave it like that," Akiko interrupted him firmly, then became sharply embarrassed. "Oh, I just meant that this length of hair suits you better, because you look more attractive this way!"
"Really? Well if that's the case..."
"Well, anyway... With that hair, you seem like a lively and more open person."
"I see..." Glenn answered her, unable to find any other words, and averted his eyes awkwardly, much to Akiko's amazement.
"What! Why are you so embarrassed...?! I didn't mean that at all!"
"No, nothing," Glenn continued cutting vegetables, but at a slower pace.
Akiko and Yumiko also went about their business.
"Attyan, what does a bitter orange taste like?"
"Yeah... It's okay," Akiko couldn't find the words, finding herself pondering.
***
"And then Glenn-sama came to me and comforted me, worried!"
Mari and Lilia continued to chat like this, aloof from their elders.
"Hee hee, and you seem more animated when it comes to dear brother."
"What, really? But unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about it, and there's no way to get a greater relationship! Besides, Glenn-sama will have a girlfriend soon, so..."
"Girlfriend...?" warned Lilia, to which Mari nodded. The door of the sleeping room, which was connected to the hall, opened, and Rickert looked out from it, nodding at her.
His nod meant that the aquarium, which had long been gathering dust with the rest of the unwanted stuff, could finally be used for its intended purpose. Lilia rejoiced at the same moment and got up from the couch, thanking Rickert for his courtesy. Rickert, for all his taciturnity for his own reasons, cherished her as the apple of his eye.
"I hope Hoshi will be pleased, for he was so frightened on the plane."
'Who are they talking about?' thought Mari to herself with a misunderstanding, whereupon Lilia took her hand and awkwardly asked her to follow her into the spare room."
"But what is in there?"
"Mari-chan, do you like lizards?"
***
After a while, Rickert is about to leave for his home. Since he is a distant visitor from Germany, Glenn tried to keep him at his place, but Rickert decided to leave so that their momentous day would belong only to the youth.
As he said goodbye to Lilia and was leaving the house, still, Glenn called out to him:
"Thank you," he surprised Rickert. "For everything you do for us. We appreciate it, we really do. Thank you for giving Lilia a childlike smile."
Rickert, smiling, departed. After the door closed, Glenn fell into a longing. To the girls behind him, he seemed dejected. He wasn't the only one: Lilia could barely hold back the tears. Rickert had replaced their father, even though they called him "Uncle," and they wished he had been with them a little longer. Lilia, before he left when they were alone, promised him to obey her brother, after which Rickert was relieved.
When 2:30 p.m. came, Tamotsu arrived with a small cake to celebrate the holiday. The sun was ready to go down, so they rearranged the couches and moved the long table. The house was already starting to get festive with decorations and balloons.
Tomoyuki arrived at 5:10 p.m., bringing soda and fruit drinks, followed by Ryou at 5:50 p.m. From the moment Tamotsu appeared, Glenn interacted with him as he did with the rest of his friends, showing his complete trust in his close surroundings. Tamotsu was somewhat amazed at how the dark-eyed man accepted him from the first minutes, for it had taken the others days, if not weeks, to do so.
When the clock struck six in the evening, the girls began to set the table and asked for help from the others. As they carried the plates, Ryou quietly called out to Tomoyuki.
"What is it, Ryou-kun?"
"I'll do it," he whispered in his ear and smirked.
"Then I'll cheer for your success with all my heart."
"What are you two talking about?" Tamotsu joined them, and Akiko, who was in the kitchen, somehow heard them.
"Please don't hesitate and come back quickly!"
"Good-o!" echoed the three boys, realizing that there was no hiding from Akiko.