"... It's kinda depressing now that I think about it. He feels much older than he looks. And full of regrets."
Ren and Rirota faced each other, the former nodded firmly and the latter sighed heavily. Ren had the same kind of dream scenario with the man in white.
He had told him about the 'What happened, happens.' when he mentioned to the man in white about his right arm incident. He was surprised that she had a similar exchange as he did. Except it was on the real world compared to the dream world in his.
"Damn, you're serious? That's your first time drinking?", Riro asked an odd question to clear up the awkward silence they accidentally made with listening to Lauren's story.
"Yeah? Don't tell me you did what I think you--", Lauren didn't want to believe that Riro, her other little sister had already broken the drinking law at a younger age.
"Sixteen. I hated it."
Rirota stared at her in disbelief, "What?"
"Wow.", Ren added to the conversation. Kind of. Riro looked at everyone and shrugged, "I blame my curiosity, didn't know it would taste that bad..."
She decided to give Rirota the imaginary microphone next, "Your turn! Pretty sure you're a rebel--"
Rirota replied over her words, "Twenty three, first time in Tulips to celebrate our first night over in a unique landscape. Second time after we finished with everything we needed to do in Tulips."
Ren added next, knowing the rest of the feeling was like, "First time was pretty heartwarming, high hopes, great expectations and et cetera. The second time was to give out cheers for those we've lost."
Rirota nodded, "...Never expected that we're actually sided with the wrong side. I should've waited for answers from whoever we beaten or asked more about it from the other factions of Tulips."
Ren nodded, agreeing with him fully, "Yeah, but it's not your fault now. It's your past's problem, just enjoy this new life with our intact memories together."
Riro sighed, she's pretty much disappointed with the male duo's bromance story about their little adventure.
Rirota then asked Ren a different question, to change the subject just like how Riro had with Lauren earlier, "Anyway, Ren."
"Hm?"
"I'm a bit confused by this ever since I read the articles on you two, or the Auroth specifically.", he took a quick sip of his strawberry milkshake before continuing, "Ren, when did you get injured? That right arm incident, specifically on your last life."
The person in question frowned upon hearing him say that, he was a bit puzzled by the question, "Three years ago--"
"I remember an early Summer this year.", Rirota interjected.
Lauren and Ren widened their eyes on him. Ren asked this time, "When did you die? Was it during Fall this year since you had to fight a Warrior--"
"I remember nothing of the sort. Unless you're referring to my past life's death to suicide?"
Ren shook his head as he asked about his heterochromiac eyes, "How about your eyes?"
"I became permanently blind in one eye, the right eye, mind you - after a grueling encounter with one of the enemies in Tulips."
"What?! We don't have the exact same memories?!", Ren shouted quietly.
Lauren frowned as she asked Riro, "So, you're saying that you never really see me in your entire school life back in Cassius?"
The latter shook her head slightly, "No, I'm sorry, I went to Ridgea for my last year but I was hiding away from someone."
"...Ridgea? So you weren't the one I know.", Lauren sighed as she found out about the memory difference between all of them.
[Great, a lot is revealed from just the four of us. I knew I can rely on someone who's known me personally.] - Rirota.
[Let's not mention any places then, our memories are somewhat similar despite we enrolled in different countries.] - Lauren.
"Ahem.", Ren cleared his throat as he faced Rirota in the eyes, "Care to explain your relationship?"
Rirota sighed at him asking such a vulgar question in the middle of a meal, "...You were peeping on us fucking, didn't you?", his words did cause the two girls to give a start. Riro suddenly had a bright blush while Lauren looked at her gradient-coloured hair little brother and sister with a confused glare.
"...Yeah.", replied Ren.
"...Pervert.", said Rirota, nonchalantly.
Riro sighed heavily as she covered up her face from the embarrassment of hearing the two boys talking about her and Rirota's new and explicit relationship.
"Can you boys stop?"
Rirota hummed quietly, "Hm. I'll stop."
Lauren asked, "...Are you two not blood related?"
The two Rirotas looked at each other before facing her with an exact thought together.
"My father died."
"My mother died."
Almost in a perfect sync, they said at the same time with the exact same deadpan expression and neutral indifferent tone, "Our living parent remarried each other and we became step siblings."
Riro rested her head against his shoulder, "I'm dating him from today onwards."
Rirota averted his eyes as he slurped on his strawberry milkshake.
"...You two are still my little brother and sister, break up."
"Lauren... please don't do that."
Lauren glared at her side, "Call me Sanguina."
"No, you bitch--!", he cupped his own mouth after getting startled from his own sadistic voice. Rirota raised a brow as he never saw Ren with sadistic tendencies, "Huh, you're like a completely different Ren."
"W-What do you mean by that?", Lauren stammered through her words as she had a faint blush on her face.
"What do you mean by that?", Ren politely asked with a tinge of authority remained in his cold tone.
The two of them shouted at him as the latter simply closed his ears from their loud voices. Riro shrugged at the two Auroths as she asked Lauren about her blushing face, "If Ren's a sadist, you're a masochist?"
"Huh."
"Shut up!"
*smack* *miss* *miss* *thud*
This time, only Ren got hurt in the head while both Rirotas dodged her attack with only Rirota (male) willing to let her at least hit his shoulder. Ren yelled at Lauren, "Why me?!"
"Grrr!!"
Lauren sighed heavily as she sat back down on her seat. Rirota patted his own shoulder to fake a pained expression of getting hit by her, although it didn't matter if no one noticed his actions in the first place.
He then faced Riro with a serious expression of wanting to ask her about something of importance in their minds.
"Riro, should we talk about that?"
"...That, huh?"
Ren disliked how vague are these two sometimes, "Just say it, buddy. If it's something important, we should be able to help you out. I and Sanguina are your brother and sister now, half-twin exactly."
"Hm.", he hummed as he let Riro take the lead of explaining the situation they're currently in, however, Rirota interjected as soon as she had her mouth open, "Wait, you already know the story, right?"
He asked Ren since he was the one with the Paper Gaps.
"What story? I only heard you two were engaging in it last night. Of course I didn't stay there long at all, it felt like a jumpscare when I suddenly hear moaning while I peek through the gaps."
Rirota sighed as he gestured his head by nodding toward Riro, the latter spoke right after with a little blush on her face and a quick throat clearing.
"A-Ahem, we have an enemy that targets not just us, but someone who knows of our powers.", she pulled out her phone and unlocked her phone to show the application installed to her phone.
"1kawa is either an ally or not, but they're also aware twins like us four. They too are getting attacked by this enemy we're talking about."
Rirota talked this time, "Mysterious stranger who has the ability to turn into fogs and had shown Riro personally that she posed crucial threat to our lives."
Riro nodded and let him speak further, "This Sunday, 7:00a.m.. She will come and approach both of us and I would like Ren's help on this-"
"Let your big sister help, I can practically shoot shards out of my fingers now.", Lauren interjected with her offer.
Ren nodded, agreeing with her, "Sanguina can now use my original skills as long as I give her my...", he pressed her sternum without her permission as she gasped from his touch.
She slapped his finger off her chest as she glared at him. Her eyes then looked confused by his own confusion, "Huh, the gap transfer doesn't work anymore, sorry."
Rirota spoke his mind, "If that doesn't work, you should support big sis Sangui-"
She interrupted by correcting her name for her little brother, "Tresna."
[That means love.], Riro thought to herself regarding Lauren's odd choice of naming herself constantly.
"...Ren should support big sis Tresna with his gaps then. Riro, was that a sound strategy?"
Riro shrugged lightly, "Could work. I hope Ren and Rene won't get hurt by interfering with our own problems.", she decided that it would be funny to tease her new big sister with a different name.
Lauren sighed, "Okay, I'll stop renaming myself. Just call me Lauren again... and, your problems are ours. We're family, remember?"
"That's right, no need to worry about it. I'll keep Lauren and I safe from combat while still being able to support you guys on that day."
Ren's words reassured the two Rirotas to rely a bit more on their half-twins.
"...Thank you, brother."